Wilmington Evening Journal - May 5, 1980
Phils unable to sweep away L.A.’s Dusty
By Rod Beaton, Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA - Manager Tommy Lasorda of Los Angeles had the game pegged.
"It was a mistake, he said. "That's why pencils have erasers."
Actually, Lasorda was referring to a first-inning, batting-order Dodger blunder that ended up as a bonanza, providing three runs. He might as well have meant the whole 12-10 Los Angeles victory.
The Dodgers batted out of order in tbe first. Dusty Baker was out, but Dusty Baker was not out. Reprieved, Dusty Baker hit one out. Confused? Too bad, because that's just starters.
The starters weren't around with the finishers. Several subs and two ineffective ballpens matched gaffes in the late innings as the Phillies rallied from a 9-0 deficit, finally tying in the eighth. And then with usually-effective reliever Dickie Noles lit up, they kissed the game good-bye in the ninth.
Baker kissed two balls – a first-inning three-run homer and a two-run homer in the sixth. Without the collusion of Lasorda and Coach Monty Basgall, it might not have been possible.
"Monty wrote them out," said Lasorda, explaining the lineup cards' discrepancies. The lineup I gave the umpires was wrong. The one in the dugout was right.
The one he used was the best. Baker batted in Cey's spot (fifth) with two on, one out and a run in against hard-luck starter Randy Lerch. After grounding into a force, Baker was sent back to the plate. Cey was called out and charged an at-bat without ever stepping into the box.
After a 15-minute umpires' conference, the runners were returned and Baker was digging in again. Then he was circling the bases.
"That's the way I figured It," said Lasorda, modestly.
Baseball scholars will require years of study to figure this game. The National League office will gets its chance.
Manager Dallas Green is protesting the game (i.e. 1'affaire lineup card).
"I want the two outs, said Green. Two outs would have ended the Dodgers' first. "An out for batting out of turn and an out for the play at second.
"The way they did it, they penalized me."
Green said two of the umpires supported his case. "But by the time it gets to the League president, were not going to have a hell of a chance."
After the Dodgers smoked to a 4-0 lead in the first, added a run in the third and four more in the sixth, the Phils didn't seem to have a hell of a chance. At least not with righthander Dave Goltz pitching. The Dodgers' off-season free-agent acquisition had extended his scoreless string to 23 innings through the fifth.
"I was sitting there relaxed with a 9-0 lead and a pitcher going for his third straight shutout," said Lasorda. "Suddenly I look up and its 9-9 and I've used everybody on my staff just about."
Green used just about everybody on his roster. The ineffective Lerch, victimized by shoddy defense, was lifted in the sixth. Scott Munninghoff didn't help, but Ron Reed got the Phils extricated from that inning. He added a scoreless seventh and Kevin Saucier held the Dodgers off in the eighth.
Meanwhile, Goltz lost his stuff and his streak.
Greg Luzinski blasted a three-run homer to left-center in the sixth. It was Bull's seventh (tied with Otto Velez of Toronto for the major league lead) and third in three games.
Then Bob Boone rattled the tarp in left with a homer on the next pitch.
The Phils closed to 9-7 In the seventh when Pete Rose reached second on a throwng error by third baseman Mickey Hatcher, who was in for Cey. Bake McBride singled, Del Unser tripled and Mike Schmidt greeted reliever Charlie Hough with a sacrifice fly.
Green had subbed freely and his options were reduced by one because of the injury Saturday to center fielder Garry Maddox. With one out and Rose and McBride in scoring position in the ninth, he had to elect John Vukovich to bat for Saucier.
Vukovich? Yes, the sub inflelder who was 0-for-'80. Green looked like a genius when John slapped his first hit, a game-tying, two-run single to center.
But Green is the one who opted to go this year with youngsters in critical spots. In the ninth, the childrens' crusade betrayed him.
Sophomore Dickie Notes yielded singles to late-inning fill-ins Demi Thomas and Gary Thomasson. Steve Garvey failed twice to bunt them over. Swinging away, he sent a screamer to center that rookie Lonnie Smith hesitated on, charged, and dropped.
The single loaded the bases. Rookie catcher Keith Moreland missed a pitch and one run scored, then Hatcher, a Dodger rookie, doubled in two more. Tug McGraw cleaned up.
The Dodgers, though, had taken the Phillies to the cleaners.
PHILS FACTS - Phils are 9-10, 3 to games behind pace-setting Pittsburgh... Noles (0-1) got the loss; Joe Beckwith (2-0), the victory... Dr. Phillip Marone examined Maddox' ankle sprain yesterday and estimates he'll be out a week... Center fielder Rudy Law of the Dodgers stole second in the first inning and caught Bob Boone's throw in the face. He left the game later with dizziness and a headache... Reggie Smith and Luzinski reached first after striking out: Smith on a wild pitch (Lerch) and Boone on a passed ball (Steve Yeager). Making a play on Smith, Boone threw the ball into right field and a run scored... Phils host Atlanta tonight at 7:35. Steve Carlton against Rick Matula.