Connie Mack League Baseball

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I haven't felt well at all of late and have not been writing up any of my team's games. So it is about time to get back at it. The Connie Mack American League race is not all that close. The Anaheim Rattlers strengthened their grip on first place by taking the rubber game of their series with second place Boston trouncing second place Boston 11-5.

Relief pitcher Pat Willis (2-1 4.76) went three scoreless innings in relief for the win. Willis allowed just one hit one walk and recorded four strikeouts.

Lee Holshouser hit his 13th homerun, tying him with teammate Dan Weintraub for the league lead. Anaheim has a ''Murderers' Row'' like lineup that includes the top four RBI leaders; Holshouser w/42, Joe Rodriquez w/40, Phil Buckley w/38, Grover Mills w/37, and Weintraub w/31. Additionally first baseman Bobby Blanchard has 27 (15th in the league).

Anaheim leads the league in eight offensive categories, team batting average (.283), Slugging (.460), OBP (.348), OPS (.808), runs 9(297), hits (509), RBI (285), and homeruns (62).

Third place Chicago (31-20), six games out of first place, knocked off Baltimore in another rubber game of a series. Bob Buckwald (5-2) was the winning pitcher, going seven innings allowing seven hits and two runs, walked four and struck out five.

The Cubs scored five runs on seven hits in the game. Shortstop Vern Stephens had two runs batted in.

Al Dykstra hit his 4th homer with one out in the top of the 6th, the 6th homer givern up by Buckwald in 54.2 innings pitched.

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Detroit 4 Washington 1

At Tiger Stadium.

Fifth straight win for the Tigers who now are 26-25, eleven games out of first place. It was the eighth win in the last ten games for Detroit who have now outscored their opponents 25-13 in the streak. Two of the wins were in extra innings where the Tigers are now 2-3.

Rich Manno started for the Tigers. Manno started the season 0-4, but has won three straight starts since July 24th, when he last at Kansas City.

Manno went eight innings allowed five hits and one run. That run came on a one out solo homerun by Doc McHale in the 6th inning. It was the 6th allowed by Manno in 54 innings pitched this season and the 9th for McHale.

Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Washington starting pitcher Pep Chapman. Tom Senerchia doubled with one out and Frank Carpin hit his 7th homerun of the season to deep leftfield, the 7th allowed by Chapman in 84.2 innings.

Manno did some yeoman like damage control early. He stranded one in the first, Mike Moronko tripled with two outs, but Manno got Ralph Bell to ground out to shortstop Rick Houk.

Washington left two on in the 2nd inning. Si Broaca singled to centerfield and Scheetz reached on a two base error on first baseman Lou McCrabb. Don Korcheck and Pep Chapman both grounded out to third baseman Tom Senerchia.

Doc McHale homered with one out in the 4th to spoil the shutout. Broaca walked, Korcheck bounced into a fielders choice, forcing Broaca at second and Chapman grounded to Senerchia at third.

Korcheck had a 7th inning single but was erased in a double play started by shortstop Ollie Herndon, and Maury had the final Washington hit, a 8th inning single.

Detroit tacked on single runs in the 6th and 7th innings.

In the sixth inning Lou McCrabb walked with one out and right fielder Ron Chelini doubled to centerfield to make it 3-1.

The Tigers went to their bench with some success in the 7th inning. Randy Krukow pinch hit for catcher Bill Healy (.197 5 13) reached on a two-base error by Scheetz in leftfield. Manno bunted him over to third base. Pinch hitter Roy Williams, batting for centerfielder Joe Dinneen (.342 3 11) got the run home with a bouncer to second. 4-1 Detroit.

John Plummer pitched the ninth for Deeoit and retired all three battrs he faced for his 3rd save.