Page 16-Friday, July 28, 1978-The Michigan Daily
SLATON SUFFERS EIGHTH LOSS:
Birds tally early, top Tigers 7-3
By DAVE RENBARGER
Special to The Daily
DETROIT - If last night's game was
any indication at all, Tiger pitcher Jim
Slaton may find himself in the
poorhouse instead of a country club a
year from now.
Slaton, who is anxious to sell his ser-
vices to the highest bidder next winter,
was shelled for five runs in just three
innings and the Baltimore Orioles
cruised to a 7-3 victory at Tiger
Stadium.
THOSE KIND of performances aren't
likely to help the 28-year-old righthan-
der up the ante at all in the free agent
jackpot bid. And they certainly don't
Slaton ...
... Slammed
help the Tigers in their bid to improve
upon their current fifth place standing.
Slaton was the biggest culprit last
night. However, he was not the only one
as four Tiger hurlers marched to the
mound at one time or another.
The Orioles, in gaining a split of the
two-game set and snapping Detroit's
three game win streak, banged out a
total of 15 hits. Six Baltimore batters
connected for two apiece, as Earl
Weaver's third place club attacked
from all angles.
ON THE MOUND Oriole starter Scott
McGregor turned in a sterling perfor-
mance after recovering from a shaky
two-run first inning. At one point, the
Oriole southpaw retired 15 Tigers in a
row to run his record to 11-9.
The Tigers, who had scored 20 runs in
their last two contests, were kept off-
balance at the plate throughout the
game, chalking up but one hit in innings
two through seven. They did manage to
push across one meaningless run in the
eighth.
By that time, the Birds were up 7-2,
thanks largely to Slaton's ineffec-
tiveness.
SLATON HAD thrown complete
games in each of his last three outings,
but almost did not survive the very first
inning against Baltimore.
Orioles' Larry Harlow and Rich
Dauer stroked back-to-back singles, on
Slaton's first two deliveries of the
game. Sluggers Eddie Murray and Ken
Singleton then socked back-to-back
homers to supply McGregor with all the
runs he would need.
Murray's three-run shot ended up in
the upper deck in right-center field,
while Singleton's drive, hit directly into
the wind, just cleared Tiger leftfielder
Steve Kemp's outstretched glove.
Slaton had thrown but eight pitches,
and already the Tigers were out of the
game.
The Detroiters pecked away at the
Birds' margin in their half of the first,
picking up a couple of runs. Ron
LeFlore extended his hitting streak to
seven games with a leadoff double
down the third base line. After infield
outs by Lou Whitaker and Rusty Staub,
Jason Thompson delivered a run-
producing single. Leftfielder Kemp
followed with a long triple to make it 4-
2.
Baltimore struck back with another
run in the fourth to signal Slaton's exit.
Singles by Lee May and Rick Dempsey
got the rally going, and fill-in shortstop
Kiko Garcia delivered a double to score
May.
HOUK THEN made his first move to
the bullpen, summoning lefty Jim
Crawford. A unique Kemp to Thompson
to Aurelio Rodriguez doubleplay got
Crawford out of the inning.
MAJOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP
Reggie hfts big in split
NEW YORK - Controversial Reggie
Jackson returned to the New York
lineup for the first time in 10 days with a
pair of run-scoring singles and a solo
home run yesterday as the Yankees
crushed the Cleveland Indians 11-0 in
the opener of a double-header.
Cleveland scored nine runs in the fir-
st inning and won the nightcap 17-5 as
Catfish Hunter failed to retire a batter
for the first time in his career.
Jackson, who had been reduced to a
part-time designated hitter by Billy
Martin before the manager's forced
resignation earlier this week, returned
to the lineup in right field and respon-
ded with RBI singles in the first and fif-
th innings and his 15th homer of the
season in the fourth. He walked and
scored in New York's seven-run second
inning and had two singles and an RBI
in five at-bats in the nightcap.
Jackson was roundly booed each time
his name was announced until his third
at-bat in the opener, when he received a
mixed reception. He promptly lined a
homer, his 15th, over the center field
fence, and from that point on the cheers
outnumbered the jeers.
In the nightcap, Bob Lemon, the
Yankees new manager, suffered his fir-
st defeat in four games since replacing
Martin. The first 10 Cleveland batters
reached base on five walks and five hits
- including Duane Kuiper's bases-
loaded triple and a two-run single by
Bernie Carbo - as the Indians scored
seven runs before a batter was retired,
one short of the American League
record.
Twins tease Jays
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Mike
Cubbage hit for the cycle and Stan Per-
zanowski, making his first big-league
appearance in over two years, fired a
six-hitter as the Minnesota Twins top-
ped the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 yester-
day.
Cubbage connected for a two-run
homer, his fifth of the year, in the four-
th.
Cubbage became the fifth Twin ever
to hit a single, double, triple and home
run in one game when he tripled in the
seventh, giving the Twins a 6-2 lead.
Cubbage had four runs batted in in the
game.
Padres bounce Bucs
SAN DIEGO - Ozzie Smith collected
three hits and drove in a run yesterday
to lead the San Diego Padres to a 6-3
victory over Pittsburgh and a sweep of
their three-game series with the
Pirates.
The Padres broke open a 3-3 tie in the
seventh by' scoring two runs off three
Pirate pitchers. With one out, Bill
Almon walked and advanced to third on
Jerry Turner's pinch-hit single. Gene
Richards' sacrifice fly scored Almon
and advanced Turner to second, who
then came home on Smith's third single
of the contest.
Bob Shirley, 6-11, the third Padres
pitcher, got the win and Rollie Fingers
picked up his league-leading 22nd save.
Pirate reliever Ed Whitson, 3-4, took
the loss.
I atoj Leagute Slaedigo
AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST
W L Pct. GB
Boston-------..---- 63 35 643 -
Milwaukee----------...57 40 .588 5 1
Baltimore.............56 44 .560 8
New York..............55 44 .556 8%/
Detroit.-.-.............52 48 .520 12
Cleveland..............47 52 .475 1611
Toronto................36 61 .355 28%
WEST
Kansas City............55 42 .567 -
California-----------54 47 .535 3
Oakland............51 50 .505 6
Texas---------.....47 51 .480 8%
Minnesota.............43 54 .442 12
Chicago................ 41 56 .43 14
Seattle.................36 65 .356 21
Yesterday's Results
Baltimore 7.etroit 3
New York 11., cleveland 0-17
Sliueseta9, Toernto 3
tLatepimesnotincluded)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST
W L Pct. GB
Philadelphia........53 42 .558 -
Chicago-------------...49 48 .505 5
Pittsburgh.............47 49 .495 6
Montreal..............47 55 .461 91/
Mew York.............45 58 .437 12
St. Louis...............40 61 .396 16
WEST
W L Pct. GB
San Francisco.........60 40 .600 --
Los Angeles............59 42 .584 1%
Cincinnati...........58 42 .580 2
San Diego.............50 52 .485 11 /
Atlanta.............46 53 .465 13%
Houston..........44 56 .440 16
Yesterday's Results
San Diego 6.Pittsburgh 3
(Late games not included)
New Hall of Honor
to induct Ford, Ufer
The Michigan Open Golf Championship is coming to The University of
Michigan course for the first time, but the four-day tournament may be
overshadowed by what promises to be an all-star dinner event in Crisler
Arena Aug. 9.
That's when former President Gerald R. Ford and five other former
wolverine greats will be inducted as charter members into the Michigan
Athletic Hall of Honor. They are Bill Freehan (baseball), Cazzie Russell
(basketball), Tom Harmon (football), Bob Ufer (track), and Bennie Ooster-
baan (football). Mr. Ford, of course, was Michigan's most valuable football
player in 1934.
Also attending the Hall of Honor dinner will be scores of former
professional athletes as well as college coaches, including Michigan's Bo
Schembechler and Johnny Orr, Bobby Knight from Indiana, and Ara Par-
seghian, former Notre Dame football coach.
Tickets for the Hall of Honor dinner are available by advance reser-
vation only and can be purchased at the Athletic Dept., 1000 S. State St.
Tickets are $50 each and all proceeds go to the Michigan Athletic Scholarship
Fund. A social hour with entertainment begins at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7:30
p.m.
A Pro-Celebrity golf tournament will be staged at the University Course
Aug. 9, and the Open Championship will run Aug. 10-13.