Thursday, March 30, 2017

Games of Friday, July 18

Kansas City       50     36      .581     ---
Seattle               49     37       .570     1
Chicago             43     40      .518      5.5
Montreal           43     42       .506     6.5
California          42     45       .483     8.5
Philadelphia      41     45       .477     9
San Diego         37     47       .440   12
Cleveland          36     49      .424    13.5

Saturday's games
San Diego (Niekro) at Montreal (Waslewski)
Chicago (Horlen and Wynne) at Philadelphia (Wise and Palmer), 2
Seattle (Barber and Gelnar) at Kansas City (Nelson and Bunker), 2
Cleveland (Ellsworth) at California (McGlothlin)

California 8, Cleveland 4: The Angels put together a five-run second inning off Luis Tiant with four singles, a double and a pair of walks, and Vern Geishert allowed just one run on seven hits in seven innings. The Indians totaled four solo homers for the game, two by Ken Harrelson and one each for Vern Fuller and Eddie Leon. Harrelson also doubled.

California 8, Cleveland 2: Bill Voss and Rick Reichardt each hit two-run homers off Steve Hargan, and Rudy May allowed six hits in eight innings as the Angels swept the doubleheader. May walked three and struck out seven; one of the runs he allowed was unearned.

Montreal 6, San Diego 3: Ty Cline and Ron Fairly each scored three times as Montreal beat the Padres. Fairly went 3-for-3, all singles, with a walk; Cline was 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple. Rusty Staub, Mack Jones and Coco Laboy each had sac flies. Bill Stoneman pitched into the eighth for the win, and Claude Raymond got six outs from five hitters to earn the save.

Philadelphia 5, Chicago 3: Mike Ryan and Larry Hisle homered for the Phillies, and reliever Bill Wilson muted a bases-loaded, no-out jam created by starter and winner Grant Jackson in the eighth by getting Walt Williams to ground into a double play and retiring Bill Melton. Ryan went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Ken Berry (one day) and Bobby Knoop (seven days) were injured for the White Sox; Berry remains on the active roster,but Knoop is deactivated and replaced by Billy Wynne. Knoop is eligible to return for games of July 29.

Kansas City 2, Seattle 1: The Royals moved back ahead of the Pilots on a strong outing by Bill Butler (eight innings, one run, five hits, one walk, five strikeouts). Ellie Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Kansas City. Jim Pagliaroni homered in the eighth for the Pilots. Bob Meyer allowed two runs in four innings for the loss. Moe Drabowski pitched around a two-out double and walk in the ninth for the save. Jerry McNertney was injured (four days) for the Pilots; he will remain on the roster, but Meyer is demoted and Merritt Ranew activated. Meyer is eligible to return for games of July 29.

Player of the Day: Ron Fairly, Montreal

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Games of Thursday, July 17

Kansas City       49     36      .577     ---
Seattle               49     36       .577     ---
Chicago             43     39      .525      4.5
Montreal           42     42       .500     6.5
Philadelphia      40     45       .471     9
California          40     45       .471     9
San Diego         37     46       .445   11
Cleveland          36     47      .434    12

Friday's games
Cleveland (Tiant and Hargan) at California (Geishert and May), 2
San Diego (Kirby) at Montreal (Stoneman)
Chicago (Peters) at Philadelphia (Jackson)
Seattle (Meyer) at Kansas City (Butler)

Montreal 4, San Diego 3: Adolpho Phillips hit a three-run homer in the third inning, and Mark Wegener allowed two earned runs in 8.2 innings. Wegener scattered seven hits and induced five double plays. Dan McGinn entered with the tying run on third to get the final out and the save. Ollie Brown homered for San Diego, and Johnny Podres took the loss. Before the game, the Padres reactivated Van Kelly and deactivated Jerry Morales; Morales is eligible to return for games of July 27.

Montreal 5, San Diego 0: Steve Renko fired a one-hitter and struck out seven for the Expos, who got home runs from Ron Fairly and Rusty Staub and swept the doubleheader. Fairly went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Ty Cline scored twice for the Expos. Larry Stahl had the only safety for the Padres, a single leading off the fourth inning. Renko walked two and hit one. Tommy Sisk allowd four runs in five innings for the loss.

Chicago 5, Philadelphia 2: The White Sox stung Bill Champion for five runs and 11 hits in five innings, while Tommy John scattered five hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts. Bill Melton went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Walt Williams led of the game with a home run. Jerry Nyman and Wilbur Wood each threw a hitless inning of relief, with Wood getting the save.

Player of the Day: Bill Melton, Chicago

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Games of Wednesday, July 16

Kansas City       49     36      .577     ---
Seattle               49     36       .577     ---
Chicago             42     39      .519      5
Montreal           40     42       .487     7.5
Philadelphia      40     44       .476     8.5
California          40     45       .471     9
San Diego         37     44       .457   10
Cleveland          36     47      .434    12

Thursday's games
San Diego (Sisk and Podres) at Montreal (Wegener and Renko), 2
Chicago (John) at Philadelphia (Champion)

Philadelphia 4, Chicago 3: Larry Hisle gunned down Ken Berry at the plate in the ninth inning to preserve the tie, then started the game-winning rally in the bottom of the inning with a lead off single. Al Raffo was credited with the win with one scoreless inning of relief, and Sammy Ellis took the loss. Woody Fryman threw eight innings for the Phillies, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Chicago 3, Philadelphia 2 (10 innings): Phillies reliever Bill Wilson wild-pitched the go-ahead run in in the 10th inning as the White Sox got a split of the double header. Paul Edmondson allowed four hits and two runs in nine innings for the win, and Wilbur Wood had a perfect 10th for the save. Johnny Callison homered for the Phillies. Jerry Johnson went 8.1 innings for the no-decision for the Phillies. Deron Johnson was injured (eight days). Tom Tischinski is returned to the emergency list, Deron Johnson is deactivated and eligible to return for games of July 27, and both Rich Barry andJeff James are activated.

Seattle 4, Kansas City 3: Greg Goossen and Ray Oyler homered as the Pilots won despite getting just five hits. Jim Bouton got the win with 1.1 hitless innings of relief, and John O'Donoghue got the last two outs for the save. Jim Rooker allowed all four runs in 7.1 innings, but retired 19 hitters in a row starting one batter into the second inning.  Before the game, the Royals reactivated Lou Piniella and deactivated Dave Morehead; Morehead is eligible to return for games of July 26. Pinella went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI.

Seattle 5, Kansas City 1: Diego Segui allowed five hits in 8.2 innings as the Pilots swept the doubleheader and moved into a flat-footed tie for first place with the Royals.  Wayne Comer doubled twice and drove in two runs, Steve Hovley drove in a pair and Mike Hegan scored twice. The Pilots turned three double plays behind Segui, who left after loading the bases with two outs in the ninth. Bob Locker entered to get the final out and the save. Lou Piniella went 3-for-4 with a run scored for Kansas City. Hegan was injured (two days) and will remain on the roster.

Cleveland 6, California 3: Sam McDowell struck out 10 and allowed four hits in eight innings, and Lou Klimchock, Ken Harrelson and Tony Horton each hit solo homers for the Tribe. Frank Baker went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple; he scored one run and drove in a pair. Horacio Pina got the final three outs after McDowell loaded the bases to open the ninth inning.

Player of the Day: Frank Baker, Cleveland

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Games of Tuesday, July 15

Kansas City       49     34      .590     ---
Seattle               47     36       .566     2
Chicago             41     38      .519      6
Montreal           40     42       .487     8.5
California          40     44       .476     9.5
Philadelphia      39     43       .476     9.5
San Diego         37     44       .457   11
Cleveland          35     47      .427    13.5

Wednesday's games
Chicago (Bell and Edmondson) at Philadelphia (Fryman and Johnson), 2
Seattle (Brunet and Meyer?) at Kansas City (Rooker and Hedlund), 2
Cleveland (McDowell) at California (Murphy)

Cleveland 8, Montreal 5: Ken Harrelson homered twice, drove in four runs and was 4-for-4 with a walk to power the Indians to the comeback win. Tony Horton also homered for the Tribe. Stan Williams allowed five runs in five innings for the cheap win, while Ron Law allowed one hit over the last three innings for the long save. Ron Fairly and John Bateman both homered for Montreal. Jerry Robertson took the loss.

Philadelphia 8, Seattle 2: The Phillies battered Gene Brabender and two relievers for 14 hits, including a homer by Dick Allen and four doubles, to rout the Pilots. Rick Wise went the distance for the Phillies, scattering seven hits without a walk.He struck out four. Larry Hisle was 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Kansas City 3, Chicago 2: Wally Bunker allowed just two hits in 7.2 innings to outduel Joel Horlen. The White Sox didn't have an RBI in the game; their first run, in the eighth, scored on a two-out error by Jackie Hernandez, and their second, in the ninth, scored on a GIDP. Buck Martinez tripled home a run and scored himself in the seventh. Horlen allowed three runs, all earned, on seven hits in seven innings. Moe Drabowsky got the save.

San Diego 3, California 0: Joe Niekro threw a five-hit shutout, and Al Ferrara hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the visiting Padres. Ollie Brown tripled home the other San Diego run. Niekro walked one and struck out two, inducing 17 ground ball outs, including two double plays. Tom Murphy went eight innings for the Angels, allowing three runs on seven hits.

Player of the Day: Ken Harrelson, Cleveland

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Games of Monday, July 14

Kansas City       48     34      .585     ---
Seattle               47     35       .573     1
Chicago             41     37      .526      5
Montreal           40     41       .494     7.5
California          40     43       .482     8.5
Philadelphia      38     43       .469     9.5
San Diego         36     44       .450   11
Cleveland          34     47      .420    13.5

Tuesday's games
Cleveland (Williams) at Montreal (Robertson)
Seattle (Brabender) at Philadelphia (Wise)
Chicago (Horlen) at Kansas City (Bunker)
San Diego (Niekro) at California (Messersmith)

San Diego 3, California 1: The Padres put up three runs in the fifth inning, and that was all Al Santorini and a pair of relievers needed. Santorini went 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out five. Tom Egan reached him for a solo homer. Bill McCool (1.2 innings) and Frank Reberger (one inning) allowed no hits in their time. Al Ferrara doubled home two runners in the fifth for the Padres, who had three runners nailed at the plate in the contest.

San Diego 4, California 1: Ollie Brown drove in a pair of runs with three hits and Clay Kirby scattered four singles in eight innings as the Padres secured the doubleheader sweep. The Angels scored an unearned run in the first, but the Padres tied it in the third with their own unearned run and got three runs in the top of the eighth with a pair of bloop hits. Jim McGlothlin (7-plus innings) took the loss, and Gary Ross got the save. Jay Johnstone of the Angels was injured (2 days) and will remain on the roster.

Cleveland 4, Montreal 3 (10 innings): Larry Brown homered to lead off the top of the 10th for the Tribe, which had led 3-0 and frittered that lead away. Starters Dick Ellsworth (nine hits) and Bill Stoneman (six hits) each went nine innings; Ellsworth got the win. One of the three runs allwed by Stoneman was unearned. Rusty Staub homered in the eighth to tie the game for the Expos. Lou Klimchock homered for Cleveland. Horacio Pina threw a perfect inning for the save.

Seattle 8, Philadelphia 3: Jim Pagliaroni's pinch-hit three-run homer in the sixth broke a 3-3 tie, and Greg Goossen added a two-run shot in the seventh for the Pilots' final margin. Marty Pattin struck out seven in six innings for the win; he allowed three runs on six hits and four walks. Dick Allen went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI for the Phillies. Grant Jackson took the loss. Mike Ryan of the Phillies was injured (two days); he remains on the roster, but Jeff James was removed from the roster and Tom Tischinski activated from the emergency list. James is eligible to return after July 24.

Kansas City 1, Chicago 0: Dick Drago allowed five hits in eight innings to outduel Gary Peters. The Royals scored the only run in the fourth; Bob Oliver singled, took second on a passed ball and scored on Scott Northey's single. Drage walked one, hit one and struck out three. Moe Drabowsky worked a perfect ninth for the save. Luis Aparicio was injured (three days) and will remain on the White Sox active roster. The White Sox have returned Walt Williams to the active roster and demoted Danny Murphy; Murphy is eligible to return after July 24.

Player of the Day: Larry Brown, Cleveland

Monday, March 6, 2017

Games of Sunday, July 13

Kansas City       47     34      .580     ---
Seattle               46     35       .567     1
Chicago             41     36      .532      4
Montreal           40     40       .500     6.5
California          40     41       .494     7
Philadelphia      38     42       .475     8.5
San Diego         34     44       .436   11.5
Cleveland          33     47      .413    13.5

Monday's games
San Diego (Santorini and Kirby) at California (McGlothlin and Wright)
Cleveland (Ellsworth) at Montreal (Stoneman)
Seattle (Pattin?) at Philadelphia (Jackson)
Chicago (Peters) at Kansas City (Drago)

Montreal 10, Cleveland 8: Kevin Collins hit a grand slam in a six-run first inning for the Expos, who survived four long balls by the Indians off starter and winner Larry Jaster. Adolpho Phillips and John Bateman also homered for Montreal, while loser Luis Tiant, Eddie Leon, Vern Fuller and Tony Horton all homered for Cleveland. Horton also had three doubles and totaled four RBIs and two runs scored. Dan McGinn worked the final two innings for the save.

San Diego 3, California 1: Dick Kelley took a no-hitter into the sixth. He allowed three hits and one unearned run in 8.2 innings for the Padres; he walked five and stuck out six. He retired the first two Angels in the ninth but an error was followed by two singles, and Bill McCool entered to get Jay Johnstone for the final out. Ed Spezio homered for the Padres. Rudy May, who went only three innings because of a minor injury, took the loss; he will not miss a start. 

Player of the Day: Dick Kelley, San Diego