Braves 1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

August 11, 1982
San Francisco Giants 8 (W: Breining, 7-4)
Atlanta Braves 6 (L: Diaz, 2-2)
12 innings
62-49
2nd place
1/2 game behind

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 12, 1982
San Diego Padres 8 (W: Welsh, 6-5)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Walk, 10-8)
62-50
2nd place
1.5 games behind

BRAVES DROP 10TH STRAIGHT

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 13, 1982
San Diego Padres 7 (W: Dravecky, 3-1)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Camp, 8-6)
62-52
2nd place
2.5 games behind

11 IN A ROW, BRAVES LOSE;
PERRY THROWS 300TH COMPLETE GAME;
FOUR TEAM RACE IN NL EAST WITH CARDS LOSS

What is going on?

The (formerly) first-place Atlanta Braves have somehow managed to do something that the "not as good and two of them finished last" Braves teams of the past four baseball seasons haven't done: compile a losing streak longer than seven games. They're now up to 11, and they're on the verge of completing a 12-game West Coast road trip without winning a single game. Tonight it was the San Diego Padres and, once again, the Braves' shaky bullpen. Rookie Tony Gwynn hit a bases loaded single to break a 4-4 tie in the 7th, and Kurt Bevacqua cleared the bases in front of him when he greeted reliever Steve Bedrosian with a three-run double to ice the game and give San Diego a lead by the eventual final score of 7-4. Atlanta Manager Joe Torre let starter Rick Camp stay in the game two batters too long, and he wound up with the loss as his record fell to 8-6. When the Los Angeles Dodgers unleashed a 15-hit attack and routed the recently on fire San Francisco Giants, 6-1, they extended their NL West lead to 2.5 games, the largest deficit in the standings the Braves have faced all year. Rookie Steve Sax drilled his second career homer while power slugger Pedro Guererro socked his 23rd.

Pittsburgh's Don Robinson scattered nine hits and Bill Madlock and Tony Pena both homered to end the Cardinals' three-game winning streak, 7-4. When the Montreal Expos toppled the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2, the NL East suddenly became a four-team race, with the Cardinals out front, Philly behind by 1/2 game, Montreal down 3, and the Pirates only 4 down. Ron Oester and Alex Trevino had run-scoring hits and Frank Pastore scattered five hits as Bob Lillis tasted defeat for the first time as the Astros new manager in a 3-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Chicago's Bill Buckner hit his 9th homer and Jesse Orosco got his third career win in relief as the Mets upended the Cubs, 6-4.

Gaylord Perry won his 300th game just three months ago and tonight he became the 39th pitcher to throw 300 complete games, but he also suffered his 249th loss in Seattle's 3-1 loss to Bobby Castillo and the Minnesota Twins. Four sixth inning singles gave the Twins a 2-1 lead, and Castillo only gave up 3 hits. Mike Witt tossed a four-hitter, and Reggie Jackson hit his 27th home run as the California Angels routed the Oakland Athletics, 9-0. Oakland's Rickey Henderson stole his 107th base, leaving him just 12 short of breaking Lou Brock's single season record set in 1974. Pete Vuckovich scattered 7 hits, and Jim Gantner singled home the go-ahead run in the fourth as Milwaukee increased their AL East lead to 5 1/2 in a 3-1 win over Toronto. Rick Cerone's third home run of the season broke a seventh inning tie and propelled the Yankees to a 4-3 win over the White Sox, ending Chicago's four-game winning streak. Lou Whitaker belted two homers in a game for the third time this season, and Milt Wilcox and Pat Underwood combined to scatter 7 hits as Detroit buried Kansas City, 10-1. John Tudor tossed a five-hitter and Boston's first five batters reached base to push them out to a 3-0 lead as the Red Sox ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles. Trailing 7-2 at the 7th inning stretch, Texas rallied for six runs, including 3 in the 9th, the last coming on a sacrifice fly from Dave Hostetler that scored George Wright and gave the Rangers an 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Indians.

The Montreal Expos released 1977 NL stolen bases leader Frank Taveras. At age 32, his career is most likely finished.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 14, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Moore, 1-0; SV: Garber, 20)
San Diego Padres 5 (L: Eichelberger, 6-10)
63-52
2nd place
1.5 games behind

BRAVES END LOSING STREAK AT 11;
ROSE PASSES AARON IN AT BATS;
THON'S HITTING STREAK ENDS AT 21

It was an immense struggle, but the Atlanta Braves finally ended their 11-game losing streak tonight with a 6-5 triumph over the San Diego Padres. It was not without challenge, however, as the Braves tore out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first and came to bat in the top of the second with the game all tied up again as if the offensive outburst had never happened. Atlanta trailed coming to bat in the 8th, 5-4, and turned two walks, a crucial error by shortstop Tim Flannery, and a base hit into two runs. This time Gene Garber held on to give Atlanta a much needed win. But even in their rally inning, the Braves were undone from what could have been a bigger payday as Glenn Hubbard bunted into a double play and stalled what could have been a bigger inning with the power section of Atlanta's order coming to bat.

The Braves opted to start the game aggressively, after Hubbard and Claudell Washington singled with one out, and Hubbard scored on an RBI single by Dale Murphy. Atlanta Manager Joe Torre called for a successful double steal, putting both runners in scoring position, and although Bob Horner failed, Chris Chambliss singled both runners home to push Atlanta out to a rapid fire 3-0 lead. Chambliss then stole second, where he was stranded when Biff Pocoroba flew out to center to end the inning. Spotted a three-run cushion, Atlanta starter Pascual Perez held onto it - for a total of five batters.

Rookie Tony Gwynn got the Padres started with a single, and Joe Lefebvre followed with another one. Garry Templeton's double scored both Gwynn and Lefebvre, and after Perez retired the next two hitters, Luis Salazar singled home Templeton. Just like that the game was tied. And just three innings later, San Diego took the lead when catcher Terry Kennedy singled with two out and scored to make it 4-3 on Sixto Lezcano's double. But the Braves tied it in the sixth, coincidentally, when they sent up pinch-hitter Larry Whisenton in place of Perez with speedster Rafael Ramirez at first with one out. Whisenton doubled Ramirez home to tie the game, but the Braves failed to take the lead despite having two baserunners aboard. But San Diego again took the lead when Lefebvre led off the 7th and gave way to pinch-runner Joe Pittman, who scored after moving to second on a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single by Lezcano. The Braves came to the plate just six outs away from a 12th straight loss.

But Pocoroba walked leading off the inning, and Flannery botched a ground ball by Ramirez, leaving the Braves with runners at first and second with nobody out. Terry Harper walked to load the bases, so the Padres pulled reliever Juan Eichelberger and brought on Gary Lucas, who immediately surrendered a two-run broken bat single to Rufino Linares that gave the Braves a 6-5 lead. But Lucas then got Hubbard to bunt into a double play and retired Bob Watson to keep the game at one. Gene Garber came on for the 8th, and while he was his often shaky self and surrendered 3 singles in the two innings, the tying run never touched the plate, and Garber left the mound with Atlanta's first win in 12 games and his 20th save of the year. Only Bruce Sutter (24) has more in the NL. The Giants beat the Dodgers, 4-2, meaning the Braves picked up a game in the standings and despite their recent slump remain only 1.5 games out of first.






The Milwaukee Brewers sold Randy Lerch to the Montreal Expos.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 15, 1982
San Diego Padres 6 (W: DeLeon, 5-4)
Atlanta Braves 5 (L: Bedrosian, 5-6)
63-53
10 innings
2nd place
1.5 games behind

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 16, 1982
63-54
2nd place
1.5 games behind


The Atlanta Braves head back home today after a two-week period of baseball they just mostly want to forget. They can't, though, as the horrific slump has seen the Braves flip ten games in the standings, going from 8.5 ahead of the Padres on July 29 after sweeping them to 1.5 behind the first-place Dodgers. Both the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have caught fire at the exact same time and suddenly it's a four-team race in the NL West where just two weeks ago even a .500 performance by the team with the best record would likely have put the race just about completely away.

This entire debacle began when the Braves were perched in the opening game of a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-1 lead entering the fifth inning. Since the Dodger five-run rally in the 7th inning of that game, the Braves are like one of those airplanes in the death spiral. Just when it appears they may have saved the entire thing, they lose control and revert to spiraling again. After 104 days alone atop the standings, the Braves finally gave way to a new leader last week, but Los Angeles suddenly began to stall, which has helped slow Atlanta's descent.

The Braves have lost 16 of 18 games. And as we've noted, it's not that they've even played all that poorly. At one point, the Braves lost 5 out of 7 games in the opponent's last at bat and in all kinds of ways. A four-run 9th inning rally, a game-ending home run, and two shutouts. And a look at the statistics of (most of) the starting nine as well as the most commonly used relievers shows a huge problem. When your sluggers are hitting .198 with 5 homers but 28 strikeouts, it's not going well. When your relievers are 0-8 with only two saves, well, it's obvious where the problem is.

BRAVES HITTING STATS FROM JULY 30 - AUGUST 15

HITTING
Dale Murphy - 14-for-72 (.194), 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 17 Ks, 4 BB, 8 RBI
Bob Horner - 12 -for-59 (.203), 0 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 11Ks, 4 BB, 9 RBI
Chris Chambliss - 14 - for-46 (.304), 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 Ks, 6 BB, 10 RBI
Claudell Washington - 6-for-37 (.162), 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 5 RBI
Bob Watson - 8-for-24 (.333), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 0 K, 4 BB, 6 RBI
Rafael Ramirez - 15-for-63 (.238), 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 K, 3 BB, 2 RBI (6 runs scored)
Bruce Bendict - 7-for-40 (.175), 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Glenn Hubbard - 17-for-59 (.288), 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 K, 7 BB, 4 RBI (10 runs scored)

PITCHING
Phil Niekro - 4 G, 0-0, 22.2 IP, 11 ER, 32 H, 16 K, 12 BB, 4.37 ERA
Rick Mahler - 4 G (2 starts), 0-0, 14.1 IP, 8 ER, 12 H, 7 K, 8 BB, 5.02 ERA
Bob Walk - 4 G, 1-1, 17.2 IP, 14 ER, 13 K, 11 BB, 22 H, 7.13 ERA
Rick Camp - 4 G, 0-3, 18.2 IP, 8 ER, 6 K, 7 BB, 18 H, 3.86 ERA
Pascual Perez - 4 G, 0-2, 25 IP, 9 ER, 5 K, 4 BB, 26 H, 3.24 ERA
Steve Bedrosian - 11 G, 0-5, 1 SV, 16.2 IP, 8 ER, 19 K, 9 BB, 4.32 ERA
Gene Garber - 8 G, 0-2, 1 SV, 1 BS, 15.2 IP, 9 ER, 7 K, 5 BB, 5.17 ERA
Al Hrabosky - 6 G, 0-1, 1 BS, 7 IP, 3 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 3.6 ERA

FIELDING ERRORS
Claudell Washington - 7
Rafael Ramirez - 4
Glenn Hubbard - 3
Bruce Benedict - 2
Chris Chambliss - 1
Bob Horner - 1
Gene Garber - 1

The Detroit Tigers sold Richie Hebner to the Pittsburgh Pirates. And the Expos completed that trade that brought them Joel Youngblood two weeks ago by sending pitcher Tom Gorman to the Mets.

The Braves return to Atlanta for a ten-game homestand against the Expos, Mets, and Phillies. It remains to be seen if they can right the ship.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 17, 1982
Game One
Montreal Expos 13 (W: Lea, 10-6)
Atlanta Braves 7 (L: Walk, 10-9)

Game Two
Montreal Expos 3 (W: Reardon, 5-2; SV: Fryman, 9)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Mahler, 8-9)
10 innings
63-55
2nd place
2.5 games behind

TEEPEE BACK UP BUT BRAVES STILL DOWN;
ATLANTA DROPS DOUBLEHEADER;
KUHN'S FATE DELAYED BY AL

Did the management of the Atlanta Braves arouse the anger of some sort of Great Spirit that has resulted in their recent slump? That's as good an excuse as any, I guess, so after watching the team get clobbered almost every day since July 30 - when they removed mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa's teepee to provide extra seats for the showdown series with the Los Angeles Dodgers - the Braves have returned the teepee to its usual domain in the left centerfield seats. It didn't help, though, as the Braves first went out and got drilled, 13-7, by the Montreal Expos in the opening game of a twinbill and then just for good measure dropped the nightcap, 3-2, in (stop me if you've heard this one) the Expos' last at bat. Once again, the Braves had an early 2-0 lead and took a 2-1 lead into the 9th only to surrender single runs in the 9th and 10th inning to turn what looked all game long like a victory into their 18th loss in 20 games. We will have to await the conclusion of the Dodgers game against the Cubs, which was suspended after 17 innings because Wrigley Field remains the only stadium in the majors to not have lights that will enable night games, before we know how far the Braves are behind the Dodgers.

Game one was an Atlanta nightmare at every level. The Braves surrendered a season high 13 runs, 8 of them unearned, thanks to a season high 5 errors, including two by shortstop Rafael Ramirez. Trailing 13-2 entering the 7th, the Braves rallied for a five-run inning thanks largely to an error by rookie Bryan Little, who had just entered the game to get some "no pressure" big league experience at shortstop in place of Chris Speier. But the outcome was never in doubt, and the Braves wisely conserved their energy for the second game. The nightcap, of course, looked like almost every single Atlanta contest since the tailspin began on July 30.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the second game when Jerry Royster singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out RBI single by Bob Horner. The Braves added to that lead with two outs in the fourth when Chris Chambliss singled and Horner doubled him home to extend the lead to 2-0. The Expos cut the lead in half in the fifth when Speier led off the inning with a solo homer, but once again the Braves took a lead into the 9th inning and needed but three outs to seal the win. Perhaps due to overuse or loss of confidence in the bullpen, Atlanta Manager Joe Torre sent starter Rick Mahler back out to retire the last 3 batters and complete the win. But Mahler immediately gave up a triple to Andre Dawson and a single to Al Oliver, and the game was tied. To his credit, Mahler remained steady and got catcher Gary Carter to hit into a double play before striking out Tim Wallach to end the Montreal rally. But in the tenth with two on and two out, Torre decided to bring in Gene Garber to get out of the jam. Garber gave up yet another RBI single, this one to Warren Cromartie, and the Braves trailed, 3-2. Bob Watson doubled for the Braves with two out, but Royster grounded out to complete Montreal's doubleheader sweep.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, home of the famous 23-22 game just three years ago, the Dodgers and Cubs squared off in a game that saw the game tied 1-1 at the end of the second. And also at the end of the 17th as nobody scored. Darkness necessitated the cessation of the contest, but it will conclude tomorrow at the start of the 18th inning. Both clubs are likely to bring out fresh starting pitchers to conclude the game. Verne Ruhle tossed a five-hit shutout, and RBI hits by Tony Scott and Ray Knight were enough to give the Houston Astros a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. San Diego Manager Dick Williams was ejected despite the fact the umpires determined his objection was, in fact, correct. Trailing the St Louis Cardinals, 1-0, in the 7th, catcher Terry Kennedy singled and then scored on a two-out double by Broderick Perkins. Except fan interference ended the play, and third base umpire Fred Brocklander held Kennedy at third. Williams exploded out of the dugout, arguing that Kennedy would have scored anyway on the play and should be awarded home to tie the game. The ugly undercurrent of the umpires' union was seen after Brocklander, a replacement ump hired in 1979, ejected Williams and was then overruled by the other three umpires who never talk to him otherwise. As amazing as this sounds, it wasn't even the worst call involving Terry Kennedy.

With the game tied at two in the 9th, Kennedy drilled a tie-breaking home run. Second base umpire Jim Quick, who is not a replacement umpire, then royally botched the call and ruled the home run a ground rule double. It was clear as day on television, but baseball doesn't use instant replay to resolve disputes. (One day they will wish they did). Kennedy was awarded second base and pinch-runner Joe Pittman made it as far as third but failed to score. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, Keith Hernandez singled home Ozzie Smith to give St Louis a 3-2 win. Jason Thompson smashed a two-run homer and the reviving Rick Rhoden tossed a two-hitter as the Pirates thumped the Giants, 4-1.

Rookie Dave Hostetler, just promoted to the majors in June, socked his 22nd home run and 8th of the month, this one in the 11th inning to lift the Texas Rangers to a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Five long balls and a solid start from Luis Tiant lifted the California Angels to a 10-2 wipeout of the Boston Red Sox. Cleveland swept a doubleheader from Toronto by scores of 6-5 and 9-5. Rickey Henderson stole his 110th base and Tony Armas followed with a two-run shot that keyed Oakland to their 10-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Four home runs by the Baltimore Orioles were enough to beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-4. Newcomer Dave Revering homered to give Seattle a win in the opener while Chet Lemon did the same for Detroit in the nightcap as the Mariners and Tigers split a doubleheader. Paul Splittorff notched his 150th win in Kansas City's 8-4 triumph over the New York Yankees. Royals slugger George Brett needs wrist surgery but announced he will wait until the end of the season.

The fate of Bowie Kuhn will be delayed until after the season. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf persuaded the other AL owners to delay the vote on retaining or removing the commissioner until season's end, in order to give time for the pro-Kuhn faction to persuade the anti-Kuhn faction to keep him. Either league can vote to remove the commissioner since any confidence vote or renewal requires 75% approval of the league's owners. Kuhn at this moment is a dead man walking because the National League already has enough "no" votes to remove him. Whether that will change by late October is debatable.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 18, 1982
Montreal Expos 12 (W: Gullickson, 10-9)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Camp, 8-7)
63-56
2nd place
4 games behind

BRAVES ROUTED AGAIN;
REUSS GETS 2 WINS ON SAME DAY
ERIC GREGG EJECTS 2 OVER STRIKE ZONE

It's like the clock struck midnight and the happy-go-lucky fun to watch Atlanta Braves turned back into a pumpkin.

For the fourth straight game and for the 19th time in 21 games, the Braves lost. For the second time in three days, the Braves were blown out, and the competitive phase of the game was over before the clearance price was introduced on the hot dogs. A 12-2 shellacking at the hands of the Montreal Expos combined with two Dodger wins on the calendar day leave the Braves four games behind, their largest deficit of the season by far, with 43 games left on their schedule. Andre Dawson started the proceedings with a bang in the first inning when he socked a three-run homer, and he ended them with another bang with his second homer in the 9th inning, a solo shot that merely added to the blowout. Tim Wallach also homered in the 9th to finalize the score at 12-2. Expos starter Bill Gullickson went the distance, scattering six hits - 3 of them to rookie Larry Whisenton - and surrendering two runs while striking out six. Rick Camp was shelled early and often and so were Steve Bedrosian and Al Hrabosky in relief, the latter surrendering the 9th inning homers. Then there was the utterly bizarre saga in Chicago.

Picking up yesterday's suspended game in the 18th inning, the Dodgers won the opener in the 21st inning after the game resumed with Steve Sax hitting a one out double, moving to third on a wild pitch, and scoring on a sacrifice fly to right field by Dusty Baker. But the game also saw five ejections, including two for disputes over home plate umpire Eric Gregg's mammoth strike zone. Both Jay Johnstone and Cubs third base coach John Vuckovich were tossed for commenting on the wide zone that resulted in 26 strikeouts, although to be fair it was over 42 innings rather than nine. To make it better, both Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda and third baseman Ron Cey were tossed after Cey bumped first base umpire Dave Pallone while arguing and Lasorda raced out to defend "the Penguin." For good measure, Gregg also tossed Cubs skipper Lee Elia when he argued a call at home. The length of the game and the substitutions meant the Dodgers ran out of position players and had to play two starting pitchers, Bob Welch and Fernando Valenzuela, in the outfield. Bizarrely enough, Fernando recorded a fly ball putout on the first batter to make contact, Larry Bowa. At 6:10, the game was the longest ever played at Wrigley Field. After a short respite, the teams took the field for today's schedule game and Jerry Reuss, who got the win in "last night's" game also got the win in the nightcap, as he went five innings and left with a 6-2 lead in a game the Dodgers won, 7-4. Reuss pitched nine innings in all today and went 2-0.

A 14th inning single by Cesar Cedeno scored pinch runner Mario Soto from second and lifted the Reds to a 7-6 triumph over the Mets. A 15th inning double by Gary Matthews broke a 3-3 tie and helped spark a two-run rally that gave the Phillies a 5-3 win over the Astros. Bob Forsch allowed six hits and drove in both runs to lead the Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the Padres. The Pirates scored nine runs on the day while the Giants scored 9 runs in the fifth inning of a 16-9 rout that saw the two teams combine for six home runs on the day, three for each squad.

Kent Hrbek doubled home the tying run and then scored the winning run on a Mickey Hatcher single as the Twins rallied from a run down in the tenth to beat the Orioles, 6-5. Joe Rudi singled home Rickey Henderson from second in the 11th to give Oakland a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Jerry Remy's two-run single in the sixth inning lifted the Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the California Angels. Boston added an insurance run in the 9th when Carl Yastrzemski singled home Jim Rice for his 3,283rd hit to tie Willie Mays for 7th on the all-time hits list. Tommy John tossed a seven-hitter while Oscar Gamble doubled home two runs in a four-run Yankee rally that helped New York thump the Royals, 9-2. Jim Sundberg went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs as the Texas Rangers routed the Chicago White Sox, 11-1. Lance Parrish drove in 3 runs with two homers that paced Detroit in a 7-2 win over Seattle.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 19, 1982
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Niekro, 11-3; SV: Garber, 21)
Montreal Expos 4 (L: Fryman, 7-3)
64-56
2nd place
3 games behind

BRAVES STARTER GETS LOST ON WAY TO GAME;
BRAVES WIN ANYWAY

Sometimes you just cannot make these things up.

Phil Niekro won his 11th game tonight after pitching 7 strong innings and getting some solid support from Claudell Washington, who went 3-for-4, scored twice, and drove in 3 runs as the Braves edged the Montreal Expos, 5-4, to prevent a four-game sweep. They also gained a game on the Dodgers in the standings, but nobody was talking about that after the game, either. The Atlanta Braves provided perhaps the funniest story to the 1982 baseball season when starting pitcher Pascual Perez failed to arrive in time for his scheduled start. But it is the reason why that is surely the most amusing: Perez, who had never drive a car alone in the United States until today, missed the exit to Fulton County Stadium and continued driving. And driving. Perez was on Interstate 285, the contiguous highway that makes a 120-mile circle around the Atlanta Metro area. He eventually stopped and asked for directions, but only after circling the perimeter of Atlanta three times. By the time Perez arrived, the game had already started ten minutes earlier. For his sense of direction - or lack thereof - Perez was fined $100 by Braves Manager Joe Torre.

When Gary Carter socked a two-run homer in the second, Niekro and the Braves appeared well on their way to a 20th loss in the last 22 contests. But trailing, 4-3, in the 7th, Rafael Ramirez singled, Terry Harper singled when he pinch-hit for Niekro, Jerry Royster tied the game by scoring Ramirez on a sacrifice fly to center, and Washington singled Harper home with 2 on and 2 out to give Atlanta the lead. Gene Garber, who has had his woes of late, retired all six batters he faced, and Dale Murphy got a much needed night off only to pinch-hit a double in the 8th but was left stranded. Atlanta won, 5-4, and for once after the game thanks to "Perimeter Perez," the Braves seemed loose and happy.

The Braves had reason to be happy after the Chicago Cubs unleashed a 17-hit barrage on the Dodgers and gave starter Fergie Jenkins his 272nd career win, 8-2. A three-run third keyed by Garry Templeton's RBI single ended the Cardinals' five-game winning streak and helped the Padres prevail, 4-3. Rookie Dave Dravecky got his fourth win in five career decisions. Denny Walling's 11th inning single scored Danny Heep from second and lifted the Houston Astros to a 7-6 defeat of the Phillies.
Jason Thompson had two RBI singles while Tony Pena socked a solo home run in Pittsburgh's 6-1 win over San Francisco. The Cincinnati Reds, down to their last out and trailing the Mets, 1-0, got three straight singles from Wayne Krenchicki, Dave Concepcion, and Larry Biittner, tying the game. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, Mike Vail doubled and Ron Oester drilled a game-winning two-run homer that provided the Reds with a final margin of 3-1.

Rickey Henderson stole his 111th base, leaving him only 8 away from breaking Lou Brock's record, but Ben Oglivie's 25th homer was a three-run shot that keyed a four-run Milwaukee inning and helped the Brewers beat the Athletics, 10-6. Tom Brunansky, Gary Ward, and Gary Gaetti all socked first inning home runs as the Minnesota Twins raced out to an early 6-0 lead and wound up thumping the Baltimore Orioles, 9-3. All of Baltimore's runs came in the 9th on consecutive home runs by Eddie Murray and John Lowenstein. Trailing 5-0 in the fifth, the California Angels exploded for a five-run inning in the 7th, Fred Lynn's two-run single serving as the key blow. The Angels won, 8-5. Larry Gura pitched seven strong innings to help the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-0.