Small miracles help Phils defeat troubles

By Ray W. Kelly of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – Family Feud, starring the Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, is not going to be baseball's entry into the daily television game shows. At least, not unless your host, Richard Dawson, can pitch as well as he puckers.

Both teams had better things to do last night than listen for the bell for Round Two of their 21-punch salute to Memorial Day. The Bucs, for instance, spent their evening groaning like the Gong Show panel. There was nothing they liked about the performance of the umpires, and they said so.

As for the Phils, they proved that it's quite possible for a team that rumbles together to stumble together and that it was presumptuous for people to expect that a trip to Knuckle City would somehow weld the team into something super-human.

The truth is, the Dallas Green Machine was behaving above and beyond the call of duty long before the fur flew at Veterans Stadium. Prior to dropping a 13-inning, 3-2 decision to the Pirates last night, they had put together a five-game winning streak and won 10 of their last 13 games.

Considering the team's general health, that's like some old reruns of Leave It To Beaver gaining a nomination for an Emmy. How can a club with two guys in the starting rotation named "Undecided" be battling for first place in the National League East?

Once he gets past Steve Carlton and Dick Ruthven, the manager has got to feel like he just heard Don Pardo yell, "Mr. Dallas Green, come on down!"

Curtain Number One... no. Two... no. One… three... two... Oh, Monty.

Righthander Larry Christenson will enter Methodist hospital today for arm surgery. Nino Espinosa remains on the disabled list. And reliever Warren Brusstar reappeared like some long-lost husband on All My Children who was suffering from amnesia. In Brusstar's case, however, the only thing he can't remember is what it's like to wake up without pain the day after using his pitching arm.

A month ago, the entire bullpen was being depicted as the losers in the $1.98 Beauty Contest. And it appeared as if the only thing that would finish behind the Phils was A Thought for Today.

Which brings us to a passage in the Old Testament of Baseball, which says that if a team can combine a hitting streak with solid relief pitching, hustle, determination, Carlton, Ruthven and defense, it can rise above the temptation to falter. Amen, brother. Amen.

Small miracles have a way of finding those with faith in themselves. And if three victories involving a game-losing error by Cincinnati's Dave Collins, a game-winning homer by Christenson in the Astrodome and Pete Rose scoring from first base on a routine single to right field don't constitute something very lofty, then Mr. Rogers doesn't want kids for neighbors.

It happened again last night, when Pirate pitcher Jim Bibby did his Incredible Hulk routine after a pitch to Mike Schmidt with one away in the ninth inning was called a ball. Schmidt parked the next offering for a two-run homer to send the affair into extra innings.

Unfortunately, small miracles are not vitamins. One a day isn't always enough. And it is only a matter of time before the Phils are going to need some ready-for-prime-time pitching.

New arrivals Dan Larson and Bob Walk (5-1 at Oklahoma City) will get a chance to fill the void in the coming weeks. If they falter, plans are already being formulated to perhaps bring Gene Garber back from Atlanta and move reliever Ron Reed into the starting rotation.

If there ever was a time to be a minor league pitcher yearning for that big break, this is it. Young Marty Bystrom, top prospect before he began his current series of injuries, probably wished he never learned to water ski.

But Jim Wright is down on the farm working on getting ahead of the hitters. And there's a kid named Mark Davis, who turned some heads with a 15-strike-out performance at Reading the other week.

Every alternative will be tried before General Manager Paul Owens reluctantly gathers Keith Moreland's records together and calls up the catcher-hungry Houston Astros, who are shopping pitcher Juaquin Andujar around the league.

The price isn't right, but, sometimes, you've got no choice than to make a deal. In real life, you can't just switch channels.

Phils Fall to Pirates 3-2 in 13th Without Rematch

By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA —  All was quiet on the Vet Stadium front Tuesday night. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies were content to play baseball without any ‘brawl-ball’. They gave 35,489 fans 13 innings worth before an unfortunate happening helped the Bucs to a run in the top of the 13th and a 3-2 victory that pushed them back into the lead of National League East. 

Bill Madlock began the 13th by rapping a hard ground ball off relief pitcher Dickie Noles' glove. The young right-hander lost sight of the ball at first. When he located it behind him and went to pick it up it slipped out of his hand. The official scorer ruled it a hit. 

Lee Lacy dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt and sent Madlock to second. Noles fanned Phil Garner for the second out. When Ed Ott pinch-hit for Steve Nocosia, Phils’ Manager Dallas Green decided to give him an intentional walk. That brought Mike Easier up to hit for relief pitcher Enrique Romo. 

“I figure in a situation like that, I’d rather pitch to a young player than to a veteran like Ott, who nas killed our club in the past,” Green said. 

This time Easier killed the Phils in the present by grounding a hard single past first baseman Pete Rose into right field. George Vukovich, who had replaced starter Bake McBride in the 11th inning, charged the ball as hard as he could and tried to nail Madlock at the plate. But his throw arrived late to catcher Bob Boone and the decisive run was across. 

The third Pirate pitcher, Kent Tekulve, who had been mauled by the Phils for two runs in the ninth inning Monday night as the home team pulled out a 7-6 victory, this time retired three straight batters in the bottom of the 13th. The slim right-handerr picked up nis sixth save and secured Romo's third victory in as many decisions. 

The game started out as a duel between southpaw Steve Carlton for Philadelphia and right-hander Jim Bibby. The Pirates, now a game in front of the Phils again, picked up a pair of tainted runs off Carlton. 

In the first inning, shortstop Larry Bowa made a throwing error and allowed Tim Foli to reach first base with one man out. After Bill Robinson walked with two Pirates out, Madlock singled to left, allowing Foli to score an unearned run.

A controversial play helped the Bucs to their second run in the fourth inning. Lacy, who had been thumbed out of Monday’s game during the sixth-inning brawl, lined a one-out triple of the left field fence. Phil Gamer was given an intentional walk to try and set up a double play. 

The strategy appeared to be working when Nicosia hit a sharp ground ball to Mike Schmidt at third base. His throw to second wiped out Garner. But Phil slid into the base with his hands in the air and second baseman Manny Trillo’s relay hit his hand and bounced wildly to first base as Lacy scored. 

“To us, it was an obvious obstruction play,” Green said. “But the umpire (red Brocklander) said the hands were not up high enough to obstruct the throw. But that is not what beat us. They caught a lucky break at the end when Dickie could not find the ball and Madlock made first base.” 

Just as they had the night before, the Phillies provided ninth-inning drama. Bake McBride drew a one-out walk. 

“I had him struck out and the umpire (Andy Olsen) took it away from me,” the still-steaming Bibby said after the game. 

Then after Bibby disputed a ball one call on Schmidt, Mike stroked the next pitch over the left field barrier for his 13th homer and tied the game.