ECKERLSEY FANS 9 STRAIGHT BUT TRIBE STILL FALLS TO BIRDS
Garland Tosses 4th Consecutive CG
BALTIMORE, June 26 (AP) - Dennis Eckersley struck out 11 batters, including nine
in a row, but the Cleveland Indians lost, 2-1, to the Baltimore Orioles at
Memorial Stadium. The nine consecutive strikeouts easily eclipsed the
previous major league season high of six, set by Nolan Ryan of the California
Angels on April 20, also against Baltimore. The game marked the sixth time
this year, in 14 starts, that Eckersley had reached double digits in
strikeouts. His high mark to date this year is 13, set on April 17 at
Kansas City.
Orioles starter Wayne Garland matched shutout frames with Eckersley into the
seventh when Garland pitched out of a first and second, no one out jam to keep
the contest scoreless into the bottom half of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Bobby Grich singled with one out and then raced
home when Reggie Jackson doubled into the right-center field gap, finally
breaking the deadlock. Lee May followed with a single to left, scoring
Jackson and giving the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Baltimore had a chance to add to the lead in the eighth when pinch hitter Royle
Stillman singled with one out and, advanced to second on Paul Blair's ground
out. Eckersley then walked Grich and pitched around Jackson, walking him
as well, to load the bases with two outs. May, however, flied to right to
end the threat.
In the ninth, John Lowestein's one-out single brought the tying run to the plate
for Cleveland. A wild pitch advanced Lowenstein to second and when
shortstop Mark Belanger booted Buddy Bell's roller, the Indians had the
potential go-ahead run at the plate with only one out. Orlando Gonzalez
struck out for the second out of the inning but Charlie Spikes kept the frame
alive with a single to right-center, scoring Lowenstein and chasing Bell to
third. But Garland finished off the game by getting Alan Ashby on a
grounder to third baseman Doug DeCinces.
The string of nine consecutive strikeouts for Eckersley began when he fanned
Blair to begin the fourth inning. Grich and Jackson also went down as
Eckersley struck out the side. He then repeated the act in the fifth,
getting May, Ken Singleton and Belanger on strikes, and in the sixth by setting
down DeCinces, Rick Dempsey and Al Bumbry. The streak ended in the seventh
when Blair grounded to second on a 2-2 pitch.
The complete game effort by Garland was his fourth in as many starts thus far
this year.
6/26/1976, Cle76-Bal76, Memorial Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 1976 Indians 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 0 8 0 1976 Orioles 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 x 2 7 3 6 1 Indians AB R H BI AVG Orioles AB R H BI AVG Kuiper 2b 3 0 0 0 .296 Bumbry lf 3 0 0 0 .230 Blanks ss 4 0 2 0 .286 Stillman ph 1 0 1 0 .095 Manning cf 4 0 1 0 .269 Mora lf 0 0 0 0 .193 Carty dh 4 0 0 0 .223 Blair,P cf 4 0 0 0 .160 Lowenstein lf 4 1 2 0 .179 Grich 2b 3 1 1 0 .234 Bell,B 3b 4 0 0 0 .324 Jackson,Re rf 3 1 1 1 .323 Gonzalez 1b 4 0 0 0 .190 May,L 1b 4 0 1 1 .260 Spikes rf 4 0 1 1 .261 Muser 1b 0 0 0 0 .310 Ashby c 4 0 0 0 .253 Singleton dh 3 0 1 0 .282 35 1 6 1 Belanger ss 3 0 1 0 .255 DeCinces 3b 3 0 0 0 .157 Dempsey c 3 0 1 0 .120 30 2 7 2 Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Eckersley L 7-6 8.0 7 2 2 2 11 121 80 3.27 8.0 7 2 2 2 11 121 80 Orioles INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Garland W 5-5 9.0 6 1 0 1 4 130 85 1.88 9.0 6 1 0 1 4 130 85 Bal: Stillman batted for Bumbry in the 8th Mora inserted at lf in the 9th Muser inserted at 1b in the 9th E-May,L, Belanger, DeCinces. 2B-Blanks(3), Jackson,Re(14). RBI-Spikes(14), Jackson,Re(53), May,L(28). CS-Belanger. K-Manning, Gonzalez 2, Ashby, Bumbry, Blair,P, Grich, Jackson,Re, May,L, Singleton, Belanger, DeCinces 2, Dempsey 2. BB-Kuiper, Grich, Jackson,Re. WP-Garland. GWRBI: Jackson,Re Temperature: 86, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 1 MPH. Attendance: 22,570 Game Time: 2:06