New Jersey Newspapers - June 17, 1980
Camden Courier-Post
Phils nip Dodgers in 12
By Hal Bodley, Gannett News Service
LOS ANGELES – Manny Trillo delivered a game-winning double last night, but what the Phillies will remember most about their 3-2 conquest of the Los Angeles Dodgers are two balks.
Trillo's clutch one-out double to the gap in right-center off reliever Rich Sutcliffe scored Larry Bowa in the 12th as the Phillies won their fourth straight game and fifth in their last six.
The triumph moved the Phils to within 1½ games of the Montreal Expos and Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League East.
RON REED, who came in after Randy Lerch pitched 10 strong innings, gained the victory to raise his record to 4-1, while Tug McGraw worked the 12th for his 65th career save with the Phillies.
With one down in the 12th, Bowa singled to right. With Trillo at the plate, Sutcliffe was charged with a balk and Bowa moved to second. Trillo then delivered his game-winning hit.
A balk by starter Jerry Reuss helped the Phils move into a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning after the Dodgers had gone on top 2-0 off Lerch in the fourth.
Lerch, who has been ineffective of late, allowed just seven hits during 10 innings.
"HE SHOWED good demeanor and toughness," Phillies Manager Dallas Green said of Lerch, who entered the game with a 2-8 won-lost record. "I haven't seen him like that all season. He should not be 2-8 with the stuff he had tonight."
Lerch's best inning was in the sixth. Garvey lined a ground-rule double down the line in left and went to third on Dusty Baker's fly to right. Lerch then got Ron Cey on a fly to shallow center and stalked off the mound after Pedro Guerro grounded out.
Lerch worked out of first-inning trouble when the Dodgers collected two hits, but was not as fortunate in the third. '
AFTER REUSS fanned, Davey Lopes singled to center just out of the reach of Trillo's glove and advanced to second on Bill Russell's infield out. Reggie Smith then cracked a single to left and it was 1-0.
Steve Garvey followed with a booming double to right-center that sent Lonnie Smith crashing against the wall in an attempt to haul it in. As the dazed Smith crumbled to the ground, Reggie Smith easily scored and it was 2-0.
Lonnie Smith remained in the game after regaining consciousness, but left in favor of Bake McBride after batting in the top of the fourth. Trainer Don Seger said Smith injured his right rib cage area, but the injury was not serious enough to merit X-rays.
After Lonnie Smith grounded out to start the fourth, Pete Rose singled to right and raced to third on Mike Schmidt's double to center. With Greg Luzinski batting, home-plate umpire Paul Pryor called a balk on Reuss, allowing Rose to score and Schmidt to take third. Luzinski followed with a sacrifice fly to center, tying the game.
PHIL UPS – Because of Dick Ruthven's shoulder injury, Green has decided to remove Dickie Noles from the bullpen and have him start tonight's game against Dave Glotz... The Phils had a 10-8 record on the West Coast last season... They were 3-3 in Dodger Stadium... The Phils will leave after tonight's game and bus down the freeway to San Diego where they will play the Padres tomorrow night and Thursday afternoon before going op to play San Francisco in a three-game set.
Lopes tops 1 million in voting
NEW YORK (AP) – Second baseman Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers became baseball's first player to pass the one million vote mark in the balloting for 'the National League all-star team.
Lopes had 1,047,577 votes in the weekly tabulation released yesterday and remained the runaway choice to start at second base in the July 8 All-Star game in Los Angeles.
Teammate Steve Garvey continued to dominate in the balloting for first base, with 825,287 votes. Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals followed at 473,725.
The voting race at all other positions remained much closer. In the outfield, as many as nine players were in contention for the three starting jobs. Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates led the pack with 780,267, followed by the Dodgers' Reggie Smith, 553,426, and Greg Luzinksi of the Phillies, 558,685.
Ted Simmons of the Cardinals led Steve Yeager of Los Angeles at catcher with 695,690 votes to 526,389. The top two vote-getters at shortstop were from the same teams, with the Cards' Garry Templeton leading the Dodgers' Bill Russell, 609,762 to 522,190.
Mike Schmidt of the Phillies led at third base with 747,425 votes while Ron Cey of Los Angeles followed at 660,533.
Voting continues through June 25.
The Press of Atlantic City
Phils Tip Dodgers 3-2 in 12 Innings
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Manny Trillo doubled home Larry Bowa with one out in the 12th inning to break a 2-2 tie and send the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night.
In the 12th, Bowa singled and was awarded second on a balk by losing pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, 1-4. Trillo followed 'with his two-base hit to right center.
Reliever Ron Reed, 4-1, earned the victory pitching only the 11th inning. Tug McGraw pitched the 12th to pick up his sixth save of the season.
The Dodgers scored twice in the third inning against Randy Lerch. Dave Lopes singled with one out, and after Bill Russell grounded out, Reggie Smith singled to score Lopes. Steve then doubled home Smith.
Philadelphia tied the score an inning later. Pete Rose singled with one out and Mike Schmidt doubled, Rose stopping at third. Rose then scored and Schmidt took third when Jerry Reuss balked. Schmidt came home on Greg Luzinski’s sacrifice fly.
Both starters worked 10 innings. Reuss, who has won seven of eight decisions, gave up two runs on five hits, striking out five and walking only one. Lerch, who came into the game with a 2-8 record, gave up two runs while scattering seven hits, walking one and striking out five.
Phillies Stand Pat
Tales of Hoffman by Harry Hoffman
PHILADELPHIA - The past few days as the trade deadline approached Dallas Green has felt like an National Football League running back trying to squirm his way through three 270-lb tacklers.
The manager of the Philadelphia Phillies knew his situation would be improved by the addition of at least one more starting pitcher.
But as the guy who had helped develop the Phils’ youth program as farm director before he became chairman of the bench late last season, Dallas rebelled at the idea of surrendering the filet mignon of that program, outfielder Lonnie Smith and catcher Keith Moreland, for what might turn out to be hamburger pitching help.
The midnight trade deadline came and went Sunday night and Green found himself holding the same hand, one ace and assorted question marks in his pitching rotation.
But he still had Smith and Moreland to give him backup strength on his bench and he still had hope the squad was good enough to win the Eastern Division of the National League.
"It was no secret I wanted to keep Lonnie and Keith if it were possible," Green admitted. "I've watched them grow into big leaguers and I see them as an important part of the future of the Phillies. I also see them playing a key role in the present by giving us more maneuverability. But the final trade decision was up to Paul Owens.”
The general manager who put together the squad which was good enough to win three straight division crowns before succumbing to a series of major injuries last year was close to swinging a major deal. If he had succeeded, both Smith and Moreland plus a couple of other young prospects from the Phils’ farm system would have departed.
Owens had a three-team deal cooking that would have sent the four young Phils to San Francisco for first baseman Mike Ivie, starting pitcher Ed Halicki and reliever Gary Lavelle. Then he would have dealt Ivie to Houston for starter Joaquin Andujar. But that deal collapsed when Ivie was placed on the disabled list.
"I was on the telephone with 20 different general managers the last couple of weeks but I just could not break loose the kind of pitching help I felt could give us a real push in the right direction,” Owens said. “There are just not any quality pitchers available.
That means Green must search through his present squad and the farm system to uncover the necessary pitching help. Young Bob Walk brought a temporary twinkle to his eyes with an improved performance Sunday against San Diego. Actually the Phils have won four of the five games Walk has started since he answered an emergency call from Reading. They have used strong hitting and help from the enemy to pull it off. But Walk is 2-0 and did provide five strong innings against a rather weak foe Sunday.
Wednesday night the manager will dip into his bullpen and grab young Dickie Noles for a start to replace ailing Dick Ruthven. Noles showed some starting ability as a rookie last season. But the manager believes his strong card is coming out of the pen in the late innings to save a decision started by someone else.
Green's future hope is also partially built around the return to form of reliever Warren Brusstar and starter Nino Espinosa.
Espinosa was one of the strong arms most of last season and wound up winning 14 games. His right arm developed a twinge last September and was still hurting when spring training began.
Brusstar went down early last year with a severe arm injury. However both threw the ball without pain last week at the Vet. Now both have gone down to minor league teams to test their arms against live swingers.
“I’m famous for being an optimistic person. It certainly can’t help me or the team being pessimistic," Dallas said. “But I feel there is a good chance Nino will be back in the rotation early in July and Bru could be in the bullpen. If that happens and Ruthven gets over his temporary problem, then our pitching might look pretty good the second half of the season when it counts the most.”
The Phils started a seven game West Coast swing Monday night in Los Angeles only 2½ games behind Montreal and two in back of Pittsburgh.
"Despite our pitching problems the rest of the club has played well enough to keep us in contention. That definitely is a positive sign,” the manager said emphatically.
There was no fault to be found with that statement, at least right now.