Wilmington Morning News - June 19, 1980
Phils take winning route to San Diego
By Hal Bodley, Sports Editor
SAN DIEGO – When you're goin good, you're goin' good.
And that's the way it is these days for Steve Carlton and the Phillies.
Carlton came within a base hit of losing his first game since May 10 last night but instead walked off with his 12th victory and seventh in a row.
The Phillies exploded for four runs at the expense of Bob Shirley in the ninth inning and turned back the hapless Padres 5-1 last night at San Diego Stadium for their sixth triumph in a row.
Carlton, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning, left with the game tied at 1-1.
Keith Moreland, batting for Carlton, doubled in two runs and two more scored on two errors to give the Phils their third straight victory on this seven-game road trip.
Carlton, whose earned run average is now 1.74, allowed seven hits during eight innings. He struck out nine and walked four. His last loss was on May 10, 5-3 to Cincinnati. His other defeat was on April 21 in the third game of the season, a 3-0 setback to the New York Mets.
After the Phils vaulted ahead, Tug McGraw came on and put the Padres down in order in the ninth, but did not qualify for his third save in as many nights.
Garry Maddox opened the ninth with a single to right and when Larry Bowa bunted, Shirley and first baseman Gene Tenace were unable to come up with the ball and both runners were safe. Both moved up on Manny Trillo's infield out, with Moreland following, blasting a screaming double off the center-field wall.
After Pete Rose was walked intentionally, catcher Fred Kendall attempted to pick Moreland off second. His throw sailed into center field for the first error, then skidde past Paul Dade for the second error as both runners scored.
The Phils jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning against starter Eric Rasmussen when, with one out. Bake McBride tripled and scored on Mike Schmidt's infield out.
Carlton worked out of jams in the fourth and sixth innings, but in the seventh the Padres pulled even.
With two down, Kurt Bevacqua singled to center and Dade walked. Kendall followed with a single to right and it was 1-1.
The Phils squandered a chance to add a run in the seventh when Bowa singled and Trillo followed with a double. The Padres brought in John D'Acquisto and the Phils tried a squeeze with Carlton batting, but he fouled off the pitch and eventually slashed a grounder to second that Dave Cash scooped up and threw to the plate to get Bowa. Rose lined out to center and the threat was over.
Carlton wiggled out of bases-loaded situation in the eighth when he got Barry Evans looking at a third strike for the final out. Ozzie Smith had opened the inning with with a single to center and was sacrificed to second by Cash. After Tenace was called out on strikes, Green ordered the dangerous Dave Winfield walked intentionally and the bases became loaded when Carlton walked Bevacqua.
Carlton froze Evans with a slider, setting the stage for the Phils ninth-inning outburst.
EXTRA POINTS- When Rose singled to open the third, he passed Wee Willie Keeler and moved into third place on the all-time singles list... Keeler had 2,534 singles... Eddie Collins and Ty Cobb are ahead of Rose... McBride has batted safely in 10 of his last 11 games... The Phils have not had a losing record at San Diego Stadium since they were 2-4 in 1975... They were 5-1 here last year... The Phils will send Bob Walk against Juan Eichelberger (0-0) today at 4 p.m. after which they will fly to San Francisco for a three-game weekend series with the Giants... The Padres placed pitcher Rick Wise on the 21-day disabled list and recalled Dennis Blair from Hawaii to fill the void.