MINNESOTA 4, BALTIMORE 2 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Saturday, May 2.

Batting star:  George Mitterwald was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks and striking out six.  Ron Perranoski pitched two shutout innings, giving up two walks.

Opposition stars:  Boog Powell was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixth) and a walk.  Frank Robinson was 2-for-3 with a walk.

The game:  The Orioles loaded the bases with one out in the first when Terry Crowley walked, Frank Robinson singled, and Powell walked.  They only got one run out of it, on a sacrifice fly, but they took a 1-0 lead.  The Twins took that lead away from them in the second when Tony Oliva singled and Mitterwald hit a two-run homer, making it 2-1 Twins.

Baltimore got a pair of two-out singles in the third, and the Twins got a man on third with one out in the sixth, but there was no more scoring until the bottom of the sixth when Powell homered, tying it 2-2.

The Twins took control in the eighth.  Pinch-hitter Minnie Mendoza hit a one-out single and Leo Cardenas hit a two-out single.  Harmon Killebrew then delivered an RBI double to put the Twins up 3-2.  Oliva was intentionally walked to load the bases and Brant Alyea was hit by a pitch to make it 4-2 Twins.  The Orioles did not get a hit after that.

WP:  Perry (4-1).

LP:  Mike Cuellar (3-2).

S:  Perranoski (5).

Notes:  Bob Allison was at first base in place of Rich Reese.  Frank Quilici remained at second base in the absence of Rod Carew.

Mendoza was pinch-hitting for Perry in the eighth.  Jim Holt pinch-hit for Allison in the eighth.  Reese replaced Mendoza and went to first base.  Holt remained in the game and went to left field.

Alyea was 0-for-3 and was batting .367.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 and was batting .328.  Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .325.  Tovar was 1-for-3 and was batting .321.  Perry had an ERA of 2.25.  Perranoski had an ERA of 1.72.

Mendoza was 1-for-1 and was batting .100.  Holt was 0-for-1 and was batting .188.  Mitterwald was batting .189.  Quilici was 0-for-4 and was batting .194.  Reese was 0-for-1 and was batting .194.

Cuellar pitched 7.2 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out three.

This game is an example in favor of the current trend of taking pitchers out before they get into trouble, rather than waiting until they do.  Cuellar pitched seven strong innings, but the Twins finally got to him in the eighth.

Record:  The Twins were 13-7, in first place in the American League West by percentage points, but tied with California in games.