Wilmington News Journal - June 21, 1980
Phils lose to Ripley – believe it or not
By Hal Bodley, Sports Editor
SAN FRANCISCO – The last time the Phillies saw Allen Ripley it was 2 o'clock in the morning and they were so sleepy-eyed they didn't think he was for real.
Last night, in November-type weather of Candlestick Park, the Giants gave the Phillies another look at the right-hander they obtained from Boston.
The Phillies were wide awake, but Ripley put their bats to sleep as the Giants won 5-1 in a game watched by only 9,490.
The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but after that it was all uphill. They lid not get a hit after Pete Rose singled in the sixth. Ripley, who won that game on June 9 that ended at 3:12 a.m., and is now 2-1, retired the last seven Phils in a row and 10 of the last 11.
Dan Larson, who had a no-hitter going before the Giants erupted to tie in the fourth, suffered the loss although he pitched better than the final score would indicate. Shoddy fielding by Garry Maddox and Manny Trillo, plus two wild pitches by reliever, Lerrin LaGrow let the last three runs in.
"Ripley did a good job," said Manager Dallas Green. "He moved the ball around well and kept us off-guard. I didn't really think we were as aggressive tonight as we have been on this trip."
"I had a good breaking pitch and fastball," said Ripley, who entered the game with a 1.38 earned run average. "When I can get both over, I'm OK."
The setback was only the second in five games on this seven-game trip for the Phillies.
The Phils roared off to a 1-0 lead in the first. Pete Rose and Bake McBride opened with singles and after Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski fanned, Bob Boone drilled a single to right.
Larson was working on a no-hitter through one out in the fourth. Milt May ruined that with a no-questions-asked single to right and stopped at second on Jim Wohlford's shot through the middle. Rookie Rich Murray, who tormented the Phils last week in Philadelphia singled to center to load the bases. John LeMaster, who entered the game with a .221 average, jumped on a 1-1 fastball for a single and May scored to even things.
Jack Clark, who has been on a .329 tear of late, blasted a 3-0 pitch over the fence in left-center for his 13th homer of the year with two out in the fifth.
The game turned into a shambles for the Phils in the sixth.
May walked and Wohlford followed lofting a fly to center field. It appeared to be an easy play for Maddox, but the ball bounced off the tip of his glove and rolled to the fence as May scored. Wohlford, who took third on the center fielder's third error of the year, scored on Murray's infield out and it was 4-0.
Lerrin LaGrow, who took over in the seventh, could not stem the tide.
Clark greeted the reliever with a double and went to third when second baseman Manny Trillo booted Darrell Evans' grounder. LaGrow's first wild pitch of the inning allowed Evans to take third, then Clark scored on another wild pitch.
EXTRA POINTS – Pitcher Dickie Noles, who has been fined $250 by Green for his bat-throwing incident in Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, had a hearing yesterday with National League President Chub Feeney... Feeney heard both Noles' and umpire-in-chief Billy Williams' side of the fifth-inning incident... Feeney said he had reached no decision on what if any, action will be taken against the pitcher... When the Giants traded pitcher Ed Halicki to the California Angels yesterday it now seems unlikely they will part with John Montefusco even though he is having his problems with Manager Dave Bristol... The last time the Phils had a winning record in Candlestick was 1977 when they were 5-1... They were 2-4 here last year and 1-5 in 1978... Bowa has an eight-game hitting streak, while McBride has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games.