Page 16-Tuesday, August 8, 1978-The Michigan Daily
SECOND PLACE TWO GAMES AWAY
Torrid Tigers take on the biggies
DETROIT (UPI)-The resurgent must be cautioned it has come largely tolerable, performed adequately as the catching
Detroit Tigers have proved they can put from the lower teams in the AL West, Lou Whitaker has improved steadily combo but right field is still a definite
the muscle on the weaker clubs. Now which has proved by far the weaker of and his settling into the No. 2 spot in the weak spot on the club.
comes an inkling of what life in the up- the divisions to date, and the bottom batting order makes the--offense far Whitaker and fellow rookie Alan
per baseball classes is all about. team in the AL East, Totonto. more potent than it was at the start of Trammell, who has also hit better than
The Tigers, who took over fourth Detroit's August schedule isn't overly the year. expee, h da as for thei
place in the American League East rough, either, except for series' with Partly because of their hitting ability expected, have drawn raves for their
without even playing yesterday, return Kansas City and Milwaukee. Texas, and speed, Rusty Staub and Jason General Manager Jim Campbell's
from their exhibition game against the which Detroit has handled so far, is un- Thompson have become the best one- pitching imports have won more games
New York Mets to host the dangerous der .500 in the West and is snugged in two RBI punch in the league. Steve than his home growns but the
Texs angrsinspar o nghtgaes. forth -Kemp's play has perked up in the youngsters have more promise and
Detroit and the Mets tied, 4-4, when Dave Rozema, 5-5, leads off the short second half, too, seem to be benefitting from having
the exhibition game was called after six series against the Rangers and Kip Milt May and Lance Parrish have older heads around.
innings because of rain. John Hiller Young, 3-1, will work the second game
made his first pitching appearance sin- if it is decided Mark "The Bird"
ce coming'off the disabled list and was Fidrych cannot. V
touched for three runs in the second of What Houk hopes for-with or
his two innings. Milt May had a pair of without Fidrych-is another hot month
The Tigers rose to fourth place in the for the tough September schedule,
AL East when the team they were tied which consists largely of games against
with, Baltimore, got beat to fall into fif- the teams above it and Baltimore in the hes oO K -
th place by half a game. AL East.
Detroit is nipping on New York's It was just such a stretch in late May DETROIT(UPI)-A late-morning night, which could be interpreted as
heels now and is also within hailing from which the club has only now conference between Tiger good news for Fidrych fans.
distance of second-place Milwaukee - recovered. management, doctors and Mark Fidrych was summoned to Detroit
the result of the team's sharply im- Several factors indicate the team is Fidrych was to determine today for a Monday afternoon examination
proved play. beginning to mature despite the absen- whether the Detroit pitcher can of his questionable arm and Cam-
Against mostly weaker competition ce of "The Bird." make his first start since April pbell had said earlier he would be
manager Ralph Houk's team has piled Ron LeFlore has moved his batting tomorrow night against Texas. scratched if the doctors found
up five straight wins, won eight of its average up to the .290 range from a low An expected crowd of 50,000 plus anything wrong.
last nine and is 18-7 since the All-Star of .262 and has an appreciable lead in countless baseball fans anxious to "I'm not going to do anything or
game to move 1I games over the break- stolen bases. LeFlore's getting on base see the colorful "Bird" return to ac- announce anything until I hear from
even point, so he can score runs makes a definite tion were waiting for the word. the doctors," Campbell said.
That is an achievement even at the difference in the Detroit attack. It also "I HAVEN'T TALKED to the doc- "I'm not going to say anything un-
Little League level but Detroit fans makes his defensive deficiencies tors" General manager Jim Cam- til I sit down with Ralph (Manager
pbell of the Tigers said early last
DETROIT (AP) - Detroit Tigers
pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych is
through for the year due toa flare-up
of tendonitis, according to Detroit
radio station WJR.
In a late broadcast last night, the'
station reported that doctors
prescribed nothing but rest after
examining the 23-year-old right-
hander at Ford Hospital.
WJR said it based its reports on
two sources, "one close to Fidrych
and the other close to the team."
Tiger officials were not im-
mediately available for comment on
the WJR report last night. However,
they said earlier in the day the
decision on whether Fidrych would
pitch in Wednesday night's game
would be made today.
Houk), Mark and the doctors in the
morning," he said. "I expect we'll
reach a decision by late morning or
early afternoon."
THE CLUB ANNOUNCED nearly
two weeks ago, after Fidrych had
pitched a few minor league innings
without pain, "The Bird" would
start tomorrow night against the
Rangers in Detroit.
He reported "stiffness" in his
shoulder after one eight-pitch inning
Saturday night-what was to have
been his last three-inning tuneup
before a six-inning stint back at the
major leagueJevel.
Fidrych won his first two starts of
the season but only got four innings
into the third when his second bout of
tendinitis forced him to the
sidelines. The first flareup last
season limited him to 11 games after
his sensational 19-9 rookie year in
1976.
Watja LeaueSbaedixg8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST
W L Pct. GB
Boston .......... 69 40 .633 -
Milwaukee ...... 61 46 .570 7
New York ....... 61 A9 .555 8/
Detroit .......... 60 49 .550 9
Baltimore ....... 60 50 .545 9%/
Cleveland .......51 57 .472 17/
Toronto ......... 41 69 .373 28%/
WEST
Kansas City ......60 47 .561 -
California ....... 61 52 .540 2
Oakland ......... 59 54 .522 4
Texas ........... 52 56 .481 8%
Minnesota ....... 46 62 .426 141/
Chicago .........45 63 .417 15%
Seattle .......... 40 72 .357 22
Yesterday's results
Toronto 2, Baltimore 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST
W L Pct. GB
Philadelphia .... 59 47 .557.
Chicago ......... 57 53 .518 4
Pittsburgh ...... 50 57 .467 9
Montreal ........ 53 60 .469 9
New York ......47 65 .420 15
St. Louis .........42 68 .382 19
WEST
Cincinnati .......65 45 .591 -
San Francisco ... 66 46 .589 -
Los Angeles ..... 63 48 .568 2%
San Diego .... 57 54 .514 8
Atlanta ...... ...51 59 .464 14
Houston ..... 51 59 .464 14
CTER of the Kansas City Royals looks like he
make passes at.. ." taunt from Chicago's Bob