Phillies Cop Fourth Straight Win

Philadelphia 6, Houston 2

By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA —  On a day when the Phillies lost another starting pitcher out of their rotation the Bull, Bake, Schmidt Show kept them going to their fourth straight victory. 

Greg Luzinski and Mike Schmidt each stroked their 12th homer while red hot Bake McBride singled home two runs as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of Houston 6-2 behind the steady pitching of Dick Ruthven Sunday afternoon at the Vet. 

On the down side was the medical report on jinxed right hander Larrv Christenson. The 26-year-old pitcher needs surgery for bone chips on his right elbow. He has been placed on the 60-day disabled list and it seems unlikely he will pitch again this season. 

The Phillies dipped into their farm system for the second time in a week and recalled 24-year-old right hander Bob Walk who currently has a 5-1 record, and 3.12 earned run average for Oklahoma City. Just as he did after buying the contract of Dan Larson four days ago, Manager Dallas Green will give Walk an immediate start here tonight in a very important game against Pittsburgh. 

Ruthven, who has been battling his way back from offseason surgery, brought his record to 5-3 with eight fairly competent innings. He gave up eight hits including three triples and a pair of doubles, both by Jose Cruz. However, the right hander limited the visitors to single runs in the first and second innings. 

A triple by Craig Reynolds and sacrifice fly by Terry Puhi made it 1-0 in the first. Then a two-out triple by Cesar Cedeno and an error by Ruthven when he dropped a throw from Pete Rose while covering first made it 2-0 in the top of the second. 

But the booming bats of the home team went into action against loser Ken Forsch, 5-3, in the bottom of the second Garry Maddox clouted his second homer to start the scoring. The spring phenom, Manny Trillo, hit a two-out double. Ruthven walked and Rose was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then McBride, who has fallen in love with the number two hitting slot, lined a two-run single into right. McBride has now driven home 30 runs as compared with 60 for the entire 1979 season. 

A double by Luzinski and single by Bob Boone made it 4-2 in the third Then in the fifth the Bull and Schmidt collected back-to-back homers for the fourth time during the still very young season. 

"People have been waiting for some time to see Mike and me clouting the ball at the same time. Now it’s happening so I hope they are enjoying it,” Luzinski commented. "I don't feel as though I'm in competition with Mike. When he hits one out I don't go up there thinking homer.” 

The two Philly sluggers currently share the major league home run lead. Schmidt is also number two with his 32 RBI behind Steve Garvey of the Dodgers. 

The Astros, who have dropped to third place in National League West behind Los Angeles and Cincinnati, may have run their way out of a productive inning in the eighth. Puhi hit a one out single but was forced at second by Joe Morgan. Cruz then slashed a double to right field. Four runs down that late in the game it figured Morgan would be stopped at third. But he got the green light and the fine relay from Greg Gross in right field to second baseman Trillo to catcher Boone retired the sliding Morgan. 

"You guys would have roasted me if my third base coach had pulled off that kind of play,” Green said. "I don’t know what their coach was thinking about, but I was mighty glad to see Joe running." 

Dickie Noles pitched the final inning and retired the three Astros he faced.

Green, who already dropped Randy Lerch, 0-6, temporarily from the starting rotation, isn't that worried about having a couple of newcomers in his rotation. 

"Sure, I’d like to trade for a 20-game winner if there were any critters like that available,” Green said. "Just tell me where I can get my hands on them.” 

The Phils have won nine of their last 12 outings and thus have sliced 4½ games off the once gaudy Pittsburgh lead. They now need three out of four victories to take over the lead for the first time.