Games 71 & 72: How SWEEP It Is! Tigers Broom Tribe in DH

Cleveland (June 30) - If only the Tigers could get this kind of pitching every night; they'd win a lot more ballgames.

It got them two wins tonight in Cleveland.

In a twi-night doubleheader, the Tigers beat the Indians twice, 1-0 and 6-2. They didn't need a relief pitcher in either game.

In Game 1, Vern Ruhle made a single run in the first inning hold up for the entire game, firing a six-hitter. Three Indians runners made it to second base but no further.

In Game 2, Lerrin LaGrow took the mound and, like Ruhle, never left it until the game's final out was recorded. The Tigers built a 6-0 lead and cruised. LaGrow limited the Tribe to eight scattered hits.

"Pitching, pitching, pitching," manager Ralph Houk said in opening his post-game statement after Game 2. "Tonight we got a ton of it."

Doubtless Houk was surprised to get through a twinbill without having to call on a reliever.

In the opener, Houk didn't dare, as Ruhle was in total control. In the nightcap, Houk resisted because, as he said, the Tigers' lead was comfortable enough to allow for some error.

Willie Horton (three-run shot, 13th) and Leon Roberts (two-run blast, 6th) hit homers in Game 2, supporting LaGrow.

In the opener, the Tigers used Ron LeFlore's speed to etch out a run.

The speedster led off the game with a base hit, stole second, and went to third on Gary Sutherland's fly ball. From there, LeFlore was plated by Dan Meyer's sacrifice fly.



Ruhle wiggled out of trouble all game long in spinning a shutout in Game 1
 

"You can't hit home runs all the time," Houk said. "We got a run there directly because of Ronnie's speed. And it held up."

Ruhle made sure of that. He put some runners on the base paths, but they were scattered and the Indians couldn't get the hit to break through. Ruhle walked five batters.

In the fourth, George Hendrick led off with a double but didn't get any further.

In the seventh, Oscar Gamble led off with a double. Rico Carty walked and the runners advanced to second and third after a ground out. Frank Duffy tried a squeeze bunt but it was hit too hard to Ruhle, who threw Gamble out at the plate. Ruhle got Buddy Bell to ground out to third to end the frame.

In fact, Ruhle's shutout was unusual in that in six of the nine innings, the Indians put the lead off man on yet couldn't score.

In the nightcap, the Tigers built a 6-0 lead by the fifth inning. Horton's moon shot into deep left center knocked Cleveland starter Dave Raich out of the game.

Notes: John Knox got a rare start at 2B in the night cap and had three singles...John Ellis caught both games for the Indians...In the second game, the Indians wore red jerseys with red pants...Cleveland relievers retired the last 14 Tigers hitters in a row in the second game, but the damage had been done...With the DH sweep, the Tigers escaped the AL East basement; they are now 1/2 game ahead of Cleveland.

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Tigers record: 30-42 (actual 27-45)
Home: 13-23
Away: 17-19
Last 10: 4-6

Game 70: O's Sting Tigers Again Late, 5-4

Baltimore (June 29) - For six innings the Tigers thought they had the Baltimore Orioles where they wanted them. Turns out it was the other way around.

The Orioles, using a theme they employed all weekend, scored late and often and beat the Tigers, 5-4, at Memorial Stadium today. Al Bumbry drove in all five runs for Baltimore.

The Tigers led, 4-0, heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Orioles probably were salivating, because in taking three of four games this weekend, the O's made it a habit of scoring in the late innings to overtake the Bengals.

Sure enough, the Orioles scored three runs in the seventh, all coming from a bases-loaded double by Bumbry with two outs.

In the bottom of the ninth, Tigers reliever John Hiller, who's had his ups and downs this season, failed to retire a batter as the Orioles scored twice to win the game. Bumbry struck again, with a single that scored Ken Singleton and Bobby Grich, who both walked and moved into scoring position thanks to a passed ball charged to John Wockenfuss.

Ballgame.

The Tigers (28-42) have lost seven of their past 10 games and are 2-6 on a road trip that takes them to Cleveland next.

"We were cruising along and then everything got away from us," Tigers manager Ralph Houk said. "That's a good team (Orioles) over there and they proved it this weekend."


Bumbry drove in all five runs for the victorious Orioles


After winning an epic 12-inning game on Thursday night, the Tigers dropped the next three, all by one run and twice in the Orioles' last at-bat.

Ray Bare started for the Tigers and pitched six innings of shutout ball before leaving with one out in the seventh. Bob Reynolds finished ths seventh, but not before allowing both runners he inherited to score, plus one of his own.

Hiller (2-6) took over in the eighth and suffered his second loss of the series.

The Tigers scored once in the second, once in the third, and twice in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead.

Notes: Tom Veryzer returned to shortstop after a week's absence. Gene Michael started again, though---spelling Aurelio Rodriguez (flu) at third base...The five-RBI game was Bumbry's first of his career...Singleton and Bobby Grich, Baltimore's 1-2 hitters, were hitless but each walked twice and each scored twice...The Tigers fell to a season high 14 games under .500.

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Tigers record: 28-42 (actual 27-43)
Home: 13-23
Away: 15-19
Last 10: 3-7

Game 69: O's Score Late, Hang On, 6-5

Baltimore (June 28) - Joe Coleman has lost a lot of games this season. For nearly seven innings it looked like that might change.

It didn't.

The Baltimore Orioles erupted for four runs in the seventh inning, overcoming a 4-2 deficit, and they held on to beat Coleman and the Tigers, 6-5, at Memorial Stadium tonight.

Coleman (3-11) was in control after six innings, but in the seventh the Orioles kicked up their heels.

Brooks Robinson led off with a double, Dave Duncan singled him to third and one out later, Ken Singleton plated Robinson with a single. Bobby Grich walked, loading the bases. Then Al Bumbry doubled, scoring two more runs. Grich was cut down at the plate after a Ron LeFlore-to-Gene Michael-to-Bill Freehan relay.

Coleman, staggered, was left in the game by manager Ralph Houk.

"I thought he had enough to get one more out," Houk explained.

But Lee May squashed those thoughts with a triple, scoring Bumbry. Coleman was then lifted for rookie Ike Brookens.

"It all happened kind of fast," Coleman said afterward. "But that's what (the Orioles) can do. They can strike quickly."




Coleman's worst-ever season as a Tiger continued; he's 3-11
 

The Tigers edged to within one run in the eighth when Jack Pierce delivered a two-out single that scored Dan Meyer from second. Meyer led off the inning with a double.

The Tigers threw out another runner, Singleton, at the plate in the eighth, keeping the score 6-5. Again LeFlore started the relay.

The Tigers got a lead off walk from Aurelio Rodriguez in the ninth, but on a hit-and-run with pinch-hitter Gates Brown at the plate, Brown struck out and Rodriguez was cut down stealing. LeFlore grounded out to end the game.

"We tried to make something happen," Houk said of the ill-fated hit-and-run.

The Tigers scored four times in the fourth off O's starter Mike Torrez to take a 4-2 lead. After two walks, Freehan hit a three-run homer, and Pierce followed with a solo shot.

The Orioles scored twice in the first inning on a Bumbry triple and a May sacrifice fly, and it looked like another long night for Coleman. But the right-hander settled down and set down 16 of the next 21 Orioles hitters until the seventh.

The Tigers (28-41) will try to salvage a split of the four-game series on Sunday.

Notes: Freehan and Pierce's consecutive homers was the first time the Tigers pulled off that feat this season...Dan Meyer had a double and a triple...Brown, on the pivotal strike out/caught stealing in the ninth: "I just swung right through the damn ball. It hurts now but tomorrow is another day"...Last year after 69 games, the Tigers were 36-33. They finished 72-90.

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Tigers record: 28-41 (actual 27-42)
Home: 13-23
Away: 15-18
Last 10: 4-6

Game 68: O's Nip Tigers in 9th, 4-3

Baltimore (June 27) -- It took the Baltimore Orioles until the 18th inning of this series with the Tigers to score their first run. They liked it so much they kept scoring.

The O's scored all four of their runs from the sixth inning on, including the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth, and they beat the Tigers, 4-3, at Memorial Stadium tonight.

Ken Singleton, who led the Orioles' late charge with two doubles, ended the game with a sacrifice fly to left field that easily scored Dave Duncan, the third RBI of the night for the Orioles right fielder.

The Tigers (28-40), for the second straight night, went scoreless thru the game's first seven innings. By that time, they trailed 1-0.

But they erupted for three runs in the eighth inning, and the crowd seemed to sense a second consecutive disappointing defeat.

Not tonight.

The Orioles tied the game in the eighth with two runs, the second on a two-out single by Lee May which scored Singleton.

In the ninth for Baltimore, Duncan led off with a single. Paul Blair sacrificed Duncan to second, and Tigers manager Ralph Houk ordered an intentional walk to Brooks Robinson. This would, on most nights, be a sound decision because the next batter was light-hitting shortstop Mark Belanger.

Not tonight.

Belanger, already with two hits on the night, delivered a third---a sharp single to center to load the bases with one out. That's when Singleton drove reliever John Hiller's fastball down the left field line and plenty deep enough to plate Duncan, setting off a wild celebration at home plate.

Last night it was Mickey Lolich dueling Mike Cuellar, a high-profile matchup.

Tonight it was Tom Walker battling Ross Grimsley---not nearly the same star power but for the first 5-1/2 innings, it was a repeat of last night: all zeroes on the scoreboard.





Singleton was Doubleton tonight, with two two-baggers
 
The Orioles finally broke through in the sixth, scoring their first run of the series when Singleton doubled home, you guessed it, Belanger.

Walker went six-plus innings, surrendering just four hits and one run. Grimsley went 7.1, giving up three runs on seven hits.

Hiller (2-4) took the loss, while Wayne Garland picked up the win for Baltimore.

"Obviously we were hoping for the double play," Houk said of the bases loaded situation in the ninth. "Singleton hits into a lot of them. But he was able to get underneath one and lift it into the air."

Indeed he was, and the Tigers and O's are now tied 1-1 in this four-game series.

Notes: Ironically, the only Tiger to play in every game so far this season is DH Willie Horton, who has battled injuries for the three seasons prior to this one. Tonight, Horton had three hits...The Orioles made two errors, the Tigers none...Belanger had his first three-hit game in over a year.

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Tigers record: 28-40 (actual 27-41)
Home: 13-23
Away: 15-17
Last 10: 5-5

Game 67: Tigers Overcome Cuellar, O's in 12, 4-0

Baltimore (June 26) -- Tigers manager Ralph Houk summed it up.

"I've been in big league baseball for 30 years," Houk said, "and I've never seen a team have 24 men retired in a row and still win the game."

Yet that's exactly what happened tonight at Memorial Stadium, where the Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-0, in 12 innings.

Orioles starter Mike Cuellar set down 24 straight Tigers from the first thru eight innings, but Mickey Lolich matched Cuellar in terms of scoreless frames, and after nine innings the game was tied 0-0.

Both starters pitched into the 10th; Cuellar made it one out into the frame, and Lolich finished it.

Willie Horton led off the 12th inning with a home run, his 12th, off Dyar Miller. The Tigers went on to score three more runs off Grant Jackson.

Bob Reynolds pitched two innings to get the win over his former team.

The Tigers (28-39) have won five of their past nine games, which includes two shutouts.

But it looked like the story was going to be Cuellar, the Orioles' star lefty. For eight innings, it was.

Ron LeFlore led off the game with a single. After that, Cuellar set down the next 24 Tigers hitters.





(ed. note: Cuellar's last name is misspelled on his 1975 Topps trading card)
 
Meanwhile, Lolich was allowing the occasional base runner but no runs.

Cuellar took the result---a no decision---in stride.

"I did what I could," he said. "Sometimes it's not good enough."

Houk, for his part, praised Horton.

"Willie's been terrific for us," the manager said. "He's healthy, playing everyday, enjoying being our DH. And his production speaks for itself."

Horton has 12 homers and 46 RBI, both in the league's top five.

Horton's homer tonight was the second time in 48 hours that he struck for a tie-breaking home run in the game's final inning, essentially winning the game. He did it on Tuesday in the ninth inning in Milwaukee.

Notes: Lolich pitched beyond the ninth inning in a start for the 10th time in his career, which began in 1963...Tonight was just the Tigers' third extra innings game of the season. They're 1-2...Gene Michael started at shortstop for the fourth straight game, as Tom Veryzer's troublesome left ankle has flared up again...Houk said that John Wockenfuss would be spelling 33-year-old Bill Freehan at catcher more often as the summer wears on, especially since Freehan is fresh off the disabled list with a sore back.

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Tigers record: 28-39 (actual 27-40)
Home: 13-23
Road: 15-16 
Last 10: 5-5

Game 66: Happiness Then Heartbreak As Tigers Lose in 9th, 5-4

Milwaukee (June 25) - For a few moments, Aurelio Rodriguez looked to have saved the day for the Tigers---or at least had given them a chance to win a game in extra innings.

But the Tigers had to get through the bottom of the ninth, first. They couldn't.

Rodriguez drove an opposite field, two-run home run to right field in the top of the ninth inning, tying the game 4-4. But the Milwaukee Brewers cobbled together a run in the bottom of the frame as Dan Meyer misplayed a base hit, and the Tigers lost, 5-4 at County Stadium tonight.

The Tigers (27-39) lost three of four to Milwaukee after winning three of four from the Yankees in Detroit.

On the game-winning play, Don Money lined a ball toward the line in left field and Meyer, trying to prevent Sixto Lezcano from scoring from second base, overran the baseball.

Lezcano led off the Brewers' ninth with a walk off reliever John Hiller (1-4).Lezcano advanced to second base on a ground out, and after Hiller struck out Pedro Garcia, Money came to the plate.


"I hurried too much," a dejected Meyer said afterward. "And I took my eye off the ball, trying to look at the base runner at the same time."


Money's single scored the winning run---after Dan Meyer misplayed the ball in left field


The Tigers opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second inning. A wild pitch and a Ron LeFlore single plated the runs.

The Brewers broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh with two runs on a Garcia single and a sacrifice fly from 19 year-old shortstop Robin Yount.

With one out and Bill Freehan on second base in the ninth, Rodriguez took Ed Rodriguez's (no relation) fastball to right field, about three rows into the seats to tie the game, 4-4. It was Aurelio's third homer of the season.

But the Tigers couldn't take the game into extras.

"He (Meyer) just has to shake it off," manager Ralph Houk said of the left fielder's eighth miscue of the season, which leads all AL outfielders. "He was trying to make a play but he just attacked the ball too hard. What can you do?"

Tigers starter Vern Ruhle went 6.1 innings, surrendering just five hits and three runs, two earned. He didn't walk or strike out anyone.

The loss left the Tigers in last place in the AL East, one-half game behind Cleveland.


Now it's off to Baltimore for a four-game series with the Orioles over the weekend.

Notes: The Tigers committed three errors, giving them an unsightly 69 this season...Darrell Porter hit another home run, his third of the series...Hank Aaron indicated before the game that he would play in 1976. The question came up after Aaron was honored by the Brewers with an award by a Milwaukee community organization. "I feel pretty good," the 41 year-old Aaron said. "I think another season is possible."

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Tigers record: 27-39 (actual 26-40)
Home: 13-23
Away: 14-16
Last 10: 4-6

Games 64 & 65: Horton Game 1 Hero, Tigers Split DH With Brewers

Milwaukee (June 24) - Willie Horton drilled a solo home run in the ninth inning, breaking a 2-2 tie, and the Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 in Game 1 of a twi-night doubleheader at County Stadium tonight.

The Brewers bounced back by taking Game 2, 8-2, on the strength of five home runs---including two each from George Scott and Darrell Porter.

In Game 1, the Tigers (27-38) scored two runs in the first inning in a rally aided by a Don Money throwing error from third base. Jack Pierce drove in both runs with a two-out double. The Brewers got single runs in the third and the seventh.

Horton led off the ninth and lofted a home run deep into the left field bleachers, a blast estimated to be about 390 feet. The homer, his 11th, came off reliever Rick Austin.

John Hiller (2-3) got the win in relief of Ray Bare, who pitched seven-plus strong innings.

Game 2 was no contest, mainly because of the Brew Crew's power.


Scott has three homers in the past two
Porter and Sixto Lezcano hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning. Porter's was a two-run shot. That gave Milwaukee a 4-0 lead off Tigers starter Lerrin LaGrow (2-10). Scott hit a round tripper in the sixth, a solo blast. Scott homered last night, too, giving him three in two nights.

Then, in the eighth off reliever Bob Reynolds, the Brewers struck for homers twice more---Scott again (solo) and  Porter again (two-run).

The Tigers scored both their runs of Game 2 in the eighth inning, temporarily bringing them back into the game, 5-2.

Brewers lefty Bill Travers got the win, hurling 7.1 impressive innings (four hits, four strikeouts, two walks).

The Tigers wrap up this four-game series with the Brewers tomorrow, hoping for a split.

Notes: With LaGrow's loss, the Tigers now have two pitchers (LaGrow, Joe Coleman) with 10 losses each, a first in the majors this season...Game 1 saw rare starts from 2B John Knox, SS Gene Michael and RF Ben Oglivie...Reynolds hadn't pitched since June 14...In Game 2, Scott, Mike Hegan, Porter and Lezcano (3 thru 6 hitters) combined to go 7-for-14 with 5 HR and seven RBI.

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Tigers record: 27-38 (actual 26-39)
Home: 13-23
Away: 14-15
Last 10: 5-5

Game 63: Castro, Bats Too Much For Tigers, 6-0

Milwaukee (June 23) - The Tigers, to a man, said they were looking forward to this 11-game road trip after a 5-7 home stand. They might want to re-think that.

The Milwaukee Brewers used a complete game, three-hit shutout from Bill Castro and pounded Tigers starter Joe Coleman to post a 6-0 win at County Stadium tonight.

This one was never really a contest.

The Brewers scored a run in the first inning on three singles, added another in the third on a George Scott home run, then drove Coleman (3-10) to the showers with a four-run fourth.

Meanwhile, Castro mowed the Tigers down, walking just one. The only Tiger who got past second base was Willie Horton, who slammed a one-out triple to deep right center in the fourth. Castro then got pop outs from Leon Roberts and Jack Pierce to end the threat.


The Tigers had no solution against Castro

 
"(Castro) pitched well but we helped him out too much," Tigers manager Ralph Houk said after the game. "I lost count of how many times we swung at the first pitch, or at bad pitches in general."

Still, Houk conceded, "Give (Castro) credit. Part of it was that he made our guys swing at bad pitches."

The Tigers looked listless against the Brewers righty, time and again hitting weak ground balls or popping the ball up in the infield.

Horton's triple was by far the hardest hit ball by any Tiger all night.

Bobby Darwin had three singles and scored a run for Milwaukee.

The Tigers (26-37) fell to 13-14 on the road and will play a twi-night doubleheader Tuesday against the Brewers.

Notes: Horton's triple was his first since July 6 of last year...A bright spot was the four innings of shutout relief by Dave Lemanczyk, who walked one and struck out four... Leon Roberts was caught stealing, making him 0-4 in steal attempts this season...Ron LeFlore sat the game out, still troubled by pain in his side.

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Tigers record: 26-37 (actual 26-37)
Home: 13-23
Away: 13-14
Last 10: 5-5

Game 62: Tigers Stun Yanks With 8-Run 8th, 11-7

Detroit (June 22) - The New York Yankees looked to be on their way to splitting a four-game series with the Tigers today---until the eighth inning.

Trailing 7-3 going into the eighth, the Tigers broke out with an eight-run frame and beat the Yanks, 11-7 at Tiger Stadium.

It was the second time in the series that Tigers bats exploded. They won 16-11 on Thursday night.

Leon Roberts' three-run homer off reliever Dave Pagan drew the Tigers to within 7-6, then the next three batters got hits in tying the game, 7-7. Dan Meyer, who's batting 28-for-76 (.368) in recent weeks, smacked a two-run double, and so did Willie Horton. Just like that, the Tigers led 11-7.

The rally made a winner out of John Hiller (1-3), who pitched three innings in relief of Tom Walker.

It took three Yankees pitchers (starter Larry Gura, Pagan and Dick Tidrow) to quell the Tigers in the eighth inning.

The Tigers (26-36) looked dead earlier in the game, as they did in their 16-11 win.

The Yankees erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring seven unanswered runs from innings three thru seven.





Meyer (three hits) continues to be red hot
 
John Wockenfuss hit his first homer of the season in the seventh to make the score 7-3.

Then the Tigers stunned the Yankees one inning later.

The first six Tigers got on base in the eighth, and after that the game was tied, 7-7.

Roy White's three-run homer put the Yankees ahead, 4-2, in the fifth.

Walker pitched six innings in another spot start, surrendering four earned runs.

Pagan pitched to four Tigers hitters in the eighth and retired none of them.

"Good series for us, as it turned out," manager Ralph Houk said. "We had two kind of stunning wins, and won another with good pitching. So it was a good weekend."

Still, the Tigers are just 13-23 at home, where they wrapped up a 5-7 home stand.

But they're 13-13 on the road, and that's where they're headed---for an 11-game trip to Milwaukee (4), Baltimore (4) and Cleveland (3).

"Looking forward to it," Houk said of the trip. "Sometimes you gotta get away for awhile. And we need to make up some road games anyway."

The Tigers have played 36 of their first 62 games at home.

Notes: Bill Freehan returned from the 15-day disabled list (sore back) by starting at first base. He went 1-for-4 (double)...Meyer, on his hot streak: "Skip is batting me third and I'm finally rewarding him. Seeing the ball good right now"...Former Tiger Ed Brinkman continued to give the Tigers fits in this series, with a single, a hit by pitch and by scoring two runs. He also made some nifty plays defensively...Mickey Stanley started a second straight game in center field as Ron LeFlore sat out with soreness in his left side...The Tigers had a rarity in the second inning: two sacrifice flies in the same frame.

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Tigers record: 26-36 (actual 26-36)
Home: 13-23
Away: 13-13
Last 10: 5-5