Allentown Morning Call - June 2, 1980

Green takes blame for 5-4 loss to Cubs

 

CHICAGO (AP) – Philadelphia Manager Dallas Green hurled his spikes against the wall and said, "That was a lousy job of managing. The loss was mine, nobody else's." 

 

With two out and Dave Kingman on first with a wrong-field single, Ron Reed threw a wild pitch in running the count to 3-1 on Scot Thompson who looped the next pitch into center for a tie-breaking single and a 5-4 victory for the Chicago Cubs. 

 

"The minute Kingman went to second, I should have walked Thompson and brought in a left-hander to turn those other two guys (switch-hitters Steve Ontiveros and Tim Blackwell) around. I have to go to the bullpen there like I'm supposed to." 

 

The Phillies tied it in the top of the seventh on Mike Schmidt's 17th homer. But they never got another chance after the Cubs went ahead as Bruce Sutter came in and retired the last six batters for his 11th save.

 

Kingman, who earlier had hit his ninth homer, -set the stage for the winning run by apparently going against the Philadelphia shift with a single to right. 

 

"I wasn't trying to go to right," said Kingman, "I just got jammed." 

 

The Phillies took a 3-0 lead in the third on successive singles by starting pitcher Bob Walk, Pete Rose and Bake McBride, an error and a sacrifice fly by Greg Luzinski. 

 

The Cubs loaded the bases in the bottom of the third on a single by Ivan DeJesus and a pair of walks and Thompson drew another walk to force in a run. 

 

Kingman homered in the fifth, arid the Cubs took the lead in the sixth when Tim Blackwell singled with two out and scored ahead of pinch-hitter Larry Biittner's first homer of the year. 

 

Mike Schmidt, the major league's home run leader, tied it in the top of the seventh with his 17th homer and third in two games off Dick Tidrow.

 

Tidrow, 2-0, was the winner, and Bruce Sutter worked the last two innings to notch his 11th save.