Pitching errors cause Green some dismay

By Ray W. Kelly of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – Amid the madness that often engulfs a baseball game, there is always a method in the works, sometimes obscure reasons for players doing the things they do.

For example, it is not some mystical act of fate that of late Phillies' slugger Greg Luzinski is not seeing any fastballs near the strike zone. He was walked three times last night by a Montreal pitching staff that was surely threatened with internal damnation if it should become wild or dumb enough to throw the ball across the plate.

Breaking balls on the corners. Fast-balls in the dirt or eyebrow-high. Walk him all you want. Pray he runs out of patience and chases something bad. Just don't let "him" beat you.

Luzinski, who has hurt Montreal pitching in the past, knows the score. The Phils used to do the exact same thing to Pete Rose when he was in Cincinnati. Except that Pete always found a way to be at the plate when the bases were filled, the game was, on the line and the pitcher had no choice but to challenge him.

The fact remains, however, that sometimes it's more important not to throw strikes than it is to appease the fans who sit and grumble about a hurler's seemingly-erratic style.

Phillies' Manager Dallas Green felt like delivering a lecture on the subject following last evening's 10-inning, 7-6 loss to the Expos at Veterans Stadium.

"I did not find a blank-blank thing that was encouraging about this game," he said. "I particularly wasn't pleased with the way we pitched tonight ... any of us."

It began with righthander Dickie Noles, a youngster of boundless confidence and aggressiveness, who found himself faced with a second-inning situation in which there were Montreal runners at first and second with two outs posted.

The batter was Chris Speier, a less-than-formidable hitter who would easily fall into the classification most big leaguers refer to as "a Judy." That's as in Punch and Judy. A slap-hitter, if you will.

Speier is also the eighth man in the Expos' batting order. Guys like Speier and Larry Bowa hate to hit eighth, because pitchers are always throwing them borderline breaking balls, aimed at the edges of the plate.

Number eight hitters see slop because the man out there on the mound couldn't care less about walking him, because the opposing pitcher is up next. And, as a rule, pitchers hit like chickens swim.

Okay. So Noles got two quick strikes on Speier, which inhabitants of major league dugouts will tell you earned him the opportunity to throw four totally-unhittable pitches at a batter who is usually so defensive at this point, he just might swing at an offering that bounces twice before reaching the plate.

Noles threw a fastball. The old element of surprise? Forget it.

Noles' fastball was not only within Speier's reach, it was fat enough to be pull down the right field line, over the first base bag for a single, scoring the first run of the game.

Green insisted Noles wasn't the only Philly hurler to commit such sins during the evening. Fortunately, he noted, it was just one of those things and not part of a trend.

What made it tough for Dickie was the fact that he was now fighting both the umpires and league officials, who were insisting that he threw a bat (from the dugout in Los Angeles) at umpire Joe West .

Noles was fined $500 and suspended for three days, but he got to pitch last night because he filed an appeal with league president Chub Feeney. A decision is expected within 10 days.

"I'm glad he appealed," said Green, who probably would have forgiven all the pitching mistakes if the Phils had won.

Unfortunately, with the winning run on second base in the 10th, reliever Tug McGraw tried to "set up" the Expos' Warren Cromartie with a fastball that was not intended to be a strike. It was supposed to be outside, to get Cromartie leaning and thinking outside on the next pitch, which of course, would have been a screwball designed to break in on the fists.

"I wanted the fastball off the plate," said Tug shaking his head as he thought of Cromartie's game-winning single.

Well, like they say, some days you get the elevator and other days you get the shaft.

Noles appeals case

PHILADELPHIA – Dickie Noles finally received his sentence from National League president Chub Feeney yesterday for his bat-throwing incident-at umpire Joe West last Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Noles was fined $500 and suspended for three days, but the young Phillies hurler promptly appealed the decision, which made him eligible to pitch in last night's game against Montreal.

Under baseball's rules, Noles' hearing must take place within 10 days of his filing and it must be heard by Feeney. After that, Noles could appeal again to the commissioner.

Montreal Grinds Out A Victory Over Philadelphia

Montreal 7, Philadelphia 6

By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Phillies’ manager Dallas Green has to like the way visiting Montreal played Tuesday night at the Vet. He always says he likes grind-them-out teams. 

The Expos improved their lead in National League East to 2½ games over the Phillies by grinding out single runs in seven of the 10 innings to produce a 7-6 victory in the first game of a key three-game series. 

The game's decisive blow was struck by red hot Warren Cromartie. The Montreal first baseman started the night with 32 hits in his last 77 times at bat a .416 pace over the last 19 games. Despite that fact, Green gave him the chance to be a hero when he had catcher Gary Carter walked intentionally by southpaw Tug McGraw, 0-3, to bring up the lefthanded Cromartie. 

Ron LeFlore was one second base with two Expos out. Cromartie made a mockery of the book’s strategy when he lined a single to leftfield. Bake McBride charged the ball. But LeFlore is one of the fastest runners in the league and the throw did not give catcher Keith Moreland a play on the runner. 

Elias Sosa, the third Montreal pitcher, then retired three straight Phillies in the bottom of the 10th to secure his fifth victory to go with a pair of defeats. 

The Phils forced the extra inning by scoring a run off Sosa in the bottom of the ninth to make it a 6-6 game. Mike Schmidt, who earlier had produced his 21st home run and a single, began the tie-making with a one-out single to centerfield. Greg Luzinski drew his third walk of the night and was replaced at first by pinch runner Lonnie Smith. 

Shortstop Chris Speier then made an alert play when he went to the hole for Bob Boone’s ground ball and quickly tossed to third baseman Brad Mills to force Schmidt for the second out. However Garry Maddox kept the game alive when he lined his third single of the night into centerfield, scoring Smith.

The Expos collected 18 hits off five Philadelphia pitchers. The only inning in which they did not get a hit was the ninth. The visitors worked over starter Dickie Noles for 10 hits in the first five innings while scoring single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings. The run in the third was the ninth homer of the season by Andre Dawson. All the other runs off Noles came after two Expos were out. 

The Phils wiped out a 4-0 deficit against starter Dave Palmer with a four-spot in the fifth inning. Bowa started the move with a lead-off double to right. Manny Trillo walked. George Vukovich, batting for Noles, forced Trillo at second as Bowa scored. Vukovich made second as Pete Rose grounded out. 

Bake McBride then lined a shot toward the wall in centerfield. Dawson caught up with the ball just as he reached the wall. He had the ball in his glove for a split second. But then he juggled it twice. First base umpire Dave Palone ruled the outfielder allowed the ball to hit the wall on the second juggle. Vukovich scored on the triple. Schmidt then lined his major-league-leading 21st homer to leftfield to tie the score. 

The Expos went back in front 5-4 in the sixth inning on back-to-back doubled by LeFlore and Rodney Scott after relief pitcher Lerrin LaGrow had retired the first two hitters. 

An alert play by Rose got the Phils even again in the seventh inning. Rose walked and went to third on a hit-and-run single by McBride. When Speier was unable to handle Roland Office’s throw, Rose hustled home. 

However, after Schmidt sent McBride to third with a fly ball, neither Luzinski nor Bob Boone could get the go-ahead run home. Luzinski popped out and Boone bounced out. 

Montreal kept grinding away in the eighth inning. With Ron Reed on the mound, Scott singled and then stole his third base of the night and 24th of the second in 25 attempts. Carter singled him home to make it 6-5. 

The Phils produced their last gasp in the bottom of the ninth inning to forge the final tie, but that meant little after the Expos went ahead for good in the 10th.

Noles Fined, But Verdict Is Appealed

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Dickie Noles has appealed a fine and three-day suspension levied against him Tuesday by National League President Charles Feeney, the NL team said. 

Noles received a telegram from Feeney stating he was “fined and suspended for three days because of the bat-throwing and helmet-throwing incident involving umpire Joe West in Los Angeles.” 

The incident occurred in the fifth inning of a Phillies game in Dodger Stadium on June 17. 

Noles, through the Major League Players Association, notified Feeney that he was appealing the decision. 

"Due to the appeal, Noles will be eligible to play until further notice,” Feeney said. 

Under baseball rules the appeal will be heard within the next 10 days. 

A Phillies spokesman said he didn’t know the amount of Noles' fine.