Trim Luzinski anxiously awaits ‘fat’ pitches

By Ray W. Kelly of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – Greg Luzinski didn't want to think it. He didn't want to hear it. Yet, in the back of his mind, the familiar refrain began to play.

Same old song, entitled, "A Lot Of Batters Would Love To Have The Kind of Season You're Having Big Guy... Cha, Cha, Cha."

Projecting his current offensive pace into the half a season that follows the All-Star break, the powerful leftfielder for the Phillies probably will hit more than 30 home runs, walk 100 times and drive in about as many runs.

A lot of guys would, indeed, love to take those figures to the bank in the fall. Some would even give the devil's agent the options on their souls and the mineral rights to the family burial plot to see those numbers on the flip side of their bubble gum cards.

But Luzinski is not a lot of guys. He wants to make 1980 a Greg Luzinski kind of year. A duplication of 1977 would be nice. That's when he batted .309 and clouted 39 homers, while collecting 130 RBIs.

That's also when he was healthy and not battling the kind of leg injuries that put the brakes on a three-year offensive explosion which nosedived into a pair of seasons in 1978 and 1979 that would have made others proud, but left the Bull grinding his teeth.

Physically, the big man is not only back, he's better than ever. Luzinski is leaner and meaner than he has been in a long time, the result of a winter in which he set a personal record for "push-a ways" – that's a pushup done while sitting at the dinner table.

"Playing every day has helped me keep the weight down," he said. "But I watch it just the same."

It's amazing that Luzinski's streamlined frame, which is even more impressive when he's out of uniform, hasn't been assaulted lately by a constant barrage of Twinkies, Yankee Doodles and Chips Ahoy. Most frustrated people are junk food junkies. And, at the moment, Bull is . starving for some hitting satisfaction.

With a little luck, he could be enjoying a super year. For example, even though he already has driven in over 40 runs, he knows the total could be a lot higher if the bases weren't so empty so often.

It's not that the people batting in front of the big guy aren't doing their jobs. The truth is, they're doing it too well. Pete Rose, Bake McBride and Mike Schmidt already have combined for more than 110 RBIs. Luzinski has bad to settle for leftovers.

There must be some comfort in the knowledge that the threat be represents, now that he's healthy, has forced opposing hurlers to deal honestly with Rose, McBride and Schmidt. A good indication of this is the fact that Schmidt, who led the league with 120 walks last season, went into the weekend with just 35 walks to his credit.

In other words, when Luzinski was appeasing Danny Ozark by playing on just one leg in 1979, enemy pitchers did the smart thing. They pitched around Schmidt whenever possible and went after Greg.

Things have changed. As a result, Schmitty is feasting on better pitches, clearing the bases on 21 occasions with home runs. After six of those 21 homers, Luzinski also circled the bases, driving home just one run – himself.

Bull knows the facts of baseball life and he can live with them. What he needs, although he won't say it, is for the guy hitting behind him to force opposing pitchers to throw him something besides sliders in the dirt and fastballs around the eyebrows.

"It's no big secret that Bob Boone (who normally hits behind Luzinski) has been struggling a little at the plate," said Manager Dallas Green. "I'd love to see Boonie get hot with the bat, not just for himself, but for Bull's sake as well.

"But it has been a tough year for Bob. Sometimes I get the feeling he hasn't been with us mentally for half the season, what with all the strike things he had to handle... then he had injury problems and other teams trying to run (steal) on him... his mind hasn't been totally on hitting."

Green admits he has felt some pressure , to possibly juggle the batting order to get a hot bat behind Luzinski. Some days it seems like everyone wants him to drop McBride into the five-slot in order to lighten some of Bull's burden.

"I'm not going to start shuffling the lineup if I can help it," said the manager. "We're getting pretty good run production the way things are. As for moving Bake, why take a chance on screwing him up? He's going good. Let him stay right where he's doing well.

"I know you're going to ask me why I don't put Keith Moreland in Boone's spot. Well, I believe that if we're going to win this thing, over the long haul, we're going to need Bob Boone in the lineup. He'll come around."

Boone, who is struggling with a sub-.230 batting average, always has shown the dedication and talent to overcome his problems. And he'd like nothing better than to embark on a hot streak that would help the Bull, who is climbing the walls over this "pitching-around-him" business.

"I get into a pretty good groove with the bat and right away we run up against a team that comes into a series with the idea that they're not going to pitch to me," said Greg. "It gets me all loused up because I want to stay in the groove by swinging the bat.

"So I get a little frustrated. I get a little over anxious. I chase bad pitches. Then, when a pitcher makes a mistake and throws me something hittable, I jump at it instead of just taking my normal swing. Pretty soon, I'm into bad habits."

Green sat down with Bull the other day and tried to convince him that the only thing to do was to accept his fate for the moment and refuse to swing at all those bad pitches.

"I told him, 'take the walks... if they're not going to give you anything to hit, why give them an out?'" said Green.

The manager rolled his eyes. "Of course," he said, "there are two schools of thought on the matter. Bull insists he's not paid to look at pitches."

That's exactly how Luzinski feels. "I'm supposed to drive in runs. That's why I'm , hitting fourth in the lineup," said the big guy.

On more than a few occasions, Luzinski has forced the issue and come out on top. That's a tribute to the way he has sharpened his skills for what he knows could be the year he proves to the fans that he's not getting older, he's getting better.

On paper, Luzinski is having the kind of season a lot of major leaguers only see in their dreams. But that's an old song that Greg is sick of hearing. What you see now is only the tip of an offensive iceberg that could be dangerous if it ever gets the chance to break loose.

Quiet Phillie Bats Fail to Produce As Mets Win Another

New York 2, Philadelphia 1

By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies continued their non-aggression pact with the National League’s pitchers Saturday night when they dropped an 11-inning 2-1 decision to the New York Mets in the first game of a twi-night double-header. 

At press time, the Phils and Mets were tied 4-4 in the ninth inning. Garry Maddox had a triple, double and a single in the game. 

The first game was interrupted in the top of the 11th by a 32-minute rain delay at Veterans Stadium, just after the Mets had taken the lead for the first time in the contest.

Former Phillie John Stearns, who takes a special delight in terrorizing his ex-teammates, did it again. Joel Youngblood started the 11th against reliever Ron Reed, 6-2, by lashing a single to left field. Stearns then lined his 21st double of the season to the center field wall. Youngblood scored the game-winning run on the hit, although Stearns was cut down trying to leg it to third. 

Righthander Neil Allen, who pitched the final two innings in relief of starter Ray Burris, wound up with his fourth victory to go with five defeats. However, he had to survive a hairy 11th inning when the Phils at least made an attempt to avoid their third straight loss, two to the Mets and a 1-0 heartbreaker against Montreal Thursday. 

Garry Maddox started the inning by lining his second double of the game to center. Actually, his legs provided the second base when he hustled hard and slid well to beat centerfielder Youngblood’s throw to the bag. 

It figured Bob Boone was up to bunt Maddox to third with no one out. 

There was no way of checking, since the Phillies locker room was closed to the media between games. What the Phils catcher did, however, was fake a bunt a couple of times while getting ahead in the count 2-0. He then proceeded to take three straight called strikes and returned meekly to the bench with the tying run still on second. 

Manager Dallas Green then decided to go by the book. He lifted shortstop Ramon Aviles. who had already produced two singles, in favor of left-handed pinch hitter Greg Gross to against righthander Allen. Gross at least did what Boone failed to do. His high-hopping grounder to shortstop Frank Taveras sent Maddox to third with two out. 

Now it was time for the Vukovich Connection to try to get the run home. George Vukovich pinch hit for John Vukovich, who played third base for Mike Schmidt, who sat out the game with a pulled hamstring muscle in his left leg. 

George made a strong bid for a hit when his ground ball went through the mound toward the middle of the infield. But Taveras swooped over, scooped up the ball and his hard throw to Lee Mazzilli at first base beat Vukovich by less than a half-step to end the game. 

Once again, the Phillies' failure with the wood wasted another strong game by a starting pitcher. Dick Ruthven, who had missed two turns with an ailing shoulder, limited the Mets to seven hits and one run in the first nine innings before being lifted for pinch hitter Del Unser in the bottom of the ninth. 

Right hander Burris worked the first nine innings for the Mets, allowing only five hits. Three of those hits came in the third inning and helped the Phils take a 1-0 lead. 

Manny Trillo singled, went to second on a single by Greg Luzinski and scored oh Maddox’ first double of the night. With two outs, Boone then stranded runners at second and third by popping out to second baseman Doug Flynn. 

The Mets, who now have won six of their last seven starts on their longest road trip of the season, tied the score in the fifth. Flynn hit a one-out single to center. He was balked to second but stayed there when Burris grounded out to third. Mazzilli, who produced four of the Mets' 11 hits, lined a single to left, scoring Flynn.

The Phils, who have scored a total of five runs in their last four starts, all at the Vet, did not get a runner to third base from the fourth through the 10th innings. Then when Maddox made it that far in the 11th, there was no place like home, and the Phils never got there.