Allentown Morning Call - September 29, 1980
Expos knock Phils from 1st
By Ted Meixell, Call Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA – What a difference two days make! What a difference, for that matter, an hour and a half can make!
Friday night, after Bake McBride's dramatic home run leading off the bottom of the ninth gave the Phillies a 2-1 win over the Expos and a 1½-game lead over Montreal in National League East, the Phils and their many fans were in an euphoric mood.
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," seemed to be the theme song. After all, the best pitcher in baseball was pitching for the Phils Saturday. A Steve Carlton win and... well, who cares about Sunday? Heck, this thing could be wrapped up by then.
Funny thing happened though – Carlton got beat. And yesterday, because the final game of the important three-game series was moved back 90 minutes to accommodate King Tee Vee, Garry Maddox was unable to see Chris Speier's sixth-inning line drive. The ball sailed into a glaring 4:40 p.m. sun, past Maddox 's flailing mitt and rolled to the wall.
It permitted Warren Cromartie and Larry Parrish to prance home and a tight, 2-1 game was tight no more. Speier scored on winning pitcher Steve Rogers' (16-11) single and the Expos went on to an eased-up 8-3 win to recapture first place by a half game after ceding it to Philly for two days. Bob Walk, 10-7, was the loser – with "help" from Dickie Noles and Kevin Saucier.
After Friday's victory, Phils' manager Dallas Green said, "I want you to know that gang out there wants to win this thing. No, we're not scoring a lot of runs, but we're scoring when we have to. That's the sign of a good team."
But yesterday. Green's dissertation went like this: "this team seems to need a constant reminder to play within themselves. I'm supposed to be that reminder but, when I do remind them, we seem to get our feelings hurt."
Gary Carter, Montreal's very underrated catcher – probably the National League's best – accounted for four other Expo runs. His solo home run in the second gave Montreal a 1-0 lead one the Phils quickly erased on Larry Bowa's RBI-double in the bottom of the second and his two-run shot in the seventh made the score 7-1 and turned the game into a laugher ( from Montreal's point of view only). He added a bloop RBI single in the ninth.
With the Expos leading 2-1 in the third, the Phils would have tied the game at two had not Mike Schmidt hit the baseball about six inches TOO FAR. With Bake McBride on first, Schmidt smoked a Rogers fastball in the left-center. With McBride at full stride and already steaming into third, the ball hopped over the fence for a ground rule double and Bake had to return to third.
Green was asked if there was any temptation to change his lineup tonight as the red-hot (five straight wins over the Expos and Pirates) Cubs come to town for four games – games the Phils must win in order to make next weekend's three-game curtain-dropper in Montreal meaningful.
"No temptation whatsoever," he snapped. "It's gonna' change."
Over in the Montreal locker room, a horde of writers surrounded hero Carter. "I really appreciate having the opportunity to stand here and share my thoughts with all of you." None of the media types had heart attacks not even those accustomed to somewhat different reactions in the Phils' clubhouse.
So Carter continued: "The play (by Maddox) on Chris's (Speier's) ball was the turning point. The sun definitely came into play there – you can't blame Garry.
"But we're back in first place again and we're going home to our own park, where our own fans can give us support."
Carter contributed a home run off Carlton in Saturday's win before belting Nos. 28 and 29 yesterday. "The homers felt great," he said. "I'm just glad I was able to contribute something positive. The rest of these guys have played just super all year. And the bench has been fantastic. It's been a great team effort."
● ● ●
NOTES – Green will use Larry Christenson tonight in the Cub series opener, but is undecided about the rotation for the rest of the series. The Cubs will use Rick Reuschel.
Phillies’ Green planning changes
By Ted Meixell, Call Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA – There's gonna' be some changes made.
That's what a disgusted Dallas Green said yesterday after the Phils' hitters continued to sleepwalk and the pitching and defense took a brief vacation in an 8-3 loss to the Montreal Expos, thus dropping Philly back to second place.
With seven games left for the Phils and six for Montreal (all at home, including three against Philly the last three days of the season), Green has apparently run out of patience with slumping veterans Bob Boone and Greg Luzinski – although he didn't drop any names.
"There's no temptation whatsoever to make any lineup changes." Green snapped in answer to a writer's question. "It's gonna' change. And I guess a lot of writers are gonna be sayin', 'It's about time.'
"The coaches and I are going to have a meeting (tomorrow) today to discuss them. We're gonna' discuss the pitching (rotation) first and offense second. Hell, I'm thinkin' I might wind up playin' the coaches."
Green has been playing Boone and Luzinski of late rather than rookies Keith Moreland and Lonnie Smith despite the fact the youngsters have had far more productive years offensively. "I just feel I owe it to these veterans to prove to the fans that they can win this thing." the Phils' skipper has said repeatedly. But he's apparently run but of patience – or simply feels there's not enough time left to wait out the slumps.
"There's not a hell of a lot you can do when you get into these things," he said, "except to change faces. And that's exactly what I'm gonna' do. I've given these guys every chance to break out of it and they haven't. Now I've gotta' look to other people.
"We haven't been swinging the bat for God knows how long. We've got four hitters (Boone, Luzinski, Pete Rose and ???) in our every day lineup hitting – what is it? seven for something in the 80s. It's ridiculous. Hell. that's not even in the 100s (averages), and that won't win many games.
"We've got to play within ourselves. But this team needs a constant reminder. I'm supposed to be that reminder, but when I do remind them, we seem . to get hurt feelings. So many little things seem to affect this team, but they've got to put aside every little problem in the world and do the thing we've absolutely got to do – win."
A writer reminded him about hurt feelings.
"Feelings?" Green snapped. "I could care less about feelings."
There's gonna' be some changes made.