Don Wilson pitched and batted the Astros to a 3-0 victory over the Braves, limiting Atlanta to five hits, four of them singles. Wilson's double, on the heels of Tommy Helms' two-bagger with one out in the fourth, broke a scoreless tie. Roger Metzger followed with a single for a 2-0 Houston advantage. Bob Watson's two-out double and single by Lee May accounted for the final Astro run in the seventh. The victory moved the Astros to three games behind the third-place Braves in the N. L. West. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 3, Atlanta Braves 0
Game Played on Monday, July      1, 1974 (Night game) at Atlanta Stadium
Astros       0  0  0    2  0  0    1  0  0  -   3 13  0
Braves       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  5  1


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Gross rf,lf           4   0   1   0     1   0   .341      Garr lf               3   0   1   0     1   0   .361
Metzger ss            4   0   1   1     0   0   .269      Evans 3b              3   0   1   0     1   0   .258
Cedeno cf             5   0   2   0     0   0   .294      Baker rf              4   0   0   0     0   0   .245
Watson lf             5   1   2   0     0   0   .319      Lum 1b                3   0   0   0     1   1   .226
  Gallagher rf        0   0   0   0     0   0   .204        Perez ph,2b         0   0   0   0     0   0   .286
L. May 1b             4   0   2   1     0   1   .265      Johnson 2b,1b         4   0   2   0     0   0   .261
M. May c              4   0   1   0     0   0   .246      Office cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .252
Rader 3b              4   0   1   0     0   1   .251      Oates c               4   0   1   0     0   0   .242
Helms 2b              4   1   2   0     0   0   .288      Robinson ss           2   0   0   0     1   1   .203
  Milbourne 2b        0   0   0   0     0   0   .292        Tepedino ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .232
Wilson p              3   1   1   1     0   2   .182      P. Niekro p           1   0   0   0     0   0   .240
                                                            Leon p              1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Murrell ph          1   0   0   0     0   1   .243
                                                            Frisella p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Correll ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .120

Totals               37   3  13   3     1   4             Totals               32   0   5   0     4   3

Time of Game: 2:26   Attendance:  7,745
Left on Base: Astros 10, Braves 9
DP: Astros 0, Braves 2
Errors: Robinson
Doubles: Rader (13), Helms (12), Wilson (2), Watson (9), Johnson (10)
Sacrifice Hits: Metzger (10), Wilson (4)
GIDP: L. May (8), Cedeno (3)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Wilson W(4-6)           9     5   0   0   4   3   0  36   3.98
Totals                  9     5   0   0   4   3   0  36

Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
P. Niekro L(8-7)        3.1  10   2   2   1   1   0  20   3.09
Leon                    3.2   3   1   1   0   2   0  13   1.80
Frisella                2     0   0   0   0   1   0   7   4.91
Totals                  9    13   3   3   1   4   0  40

Umpires: HP - Ed Vargo, 1B - Bruce Froemming, 2B - John McSherry, 3B - Paul Runge


ASTROS 1ST: Gross singled; Metzger out on a sacrifice bunt
(catcher to first) [Gross to second]; Cedeno singled [Gross
stayed at second]; Watson singled [Gross to third, Cedeno to
second]; L. May grounded into a double play (third to second to
first) [Watson out at second]; 0 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0,
Braves 0.

BRAVES 1ST: Garr grounded out (shortstop to first); Evans
walked; Baker made an out to third; Lum walked [Evans to
second]; Johnson made an out to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 0, Braves 0.

ASTROS 2ND: M. May singled; Rader doubled [M. May to third];
Helms made an out to first; Wilson struck out; Gross grounded
out (second to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Braves 0.

BRAVES 2ND: Office grounded out (shortstop to first); Oates
singled; Robinson flied out to right; P. Niekro flied out to
left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Braves 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Metzger flied out to center; Cedeno singled; Watson
grounded out (pitcher to first) [Cedeno to second]; L. May
singled [Cedeno to third]; M. May made an out to shortstop; 0 R,
2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Braves 0.

BRAVES 3RD: Garr walked; Evans singled [Garr to third]; Baker
flied out to center; Lum flied out to center; Johnson flied out
to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 0, Braves 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Rader grounded out (shortstop to first); Helms
doubled; Wilson doubled [Helms scored]; Gross walked; Metzger
singled [Wilson scored, Gross to third]; LEON REPLACED P. NIEKRO
(PITCHING); Cedeno grounded into a double play (second to
shortstop to first) [Metzger out at second]; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

BRAVES 4TH: Office grounded out (first to pitcher); Oates made
an out to shortstop; Robinson struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 2, Braves 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Watson grounded out (shortstop to first); L. May
struck out; M. May made an out to catcher; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Astros 2, Braves 0.

BRAVES 5TH: Leon flied out to center; Garr singled; Evans made
an out to third; Baker made an out to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

ASTROS 6TH: Rader struck out; Helms singled; Wilson out on a
sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Helms to second]; Gross
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2,
Braves 0.

BRAVES 6TH: Lum grounded out (first unassisted); Johnson
doubled; Office flied out to center; Oates flied out to left; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Braves 0.

ASTROS 7TH: Metzger grounded out (first unassisted); Cedeno
flied out to center; Watson doubled; L. May singled [Watson
scored]; M. May grounded out (first unassisted); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Astros 3, Braves 0.

BRAVES 7TH: Robinson walked; MURRELL BATTED FOR LEON; Murrell
struck out; Garr forced Robinson (first to shortstop); Evans
grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
3, Braves 0.

ASTROS 8TH: FRISELLA REPLACED MURRELL (PITCHING); Rader flied
out to right; Helms grounded out (shortstop to first); Wilson
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3, Braves 0.

BRAVES 8TH: Baker grounded out (pitcher to shortstop to first);
PEREZ BATTED FOR LUM; Perez struck out (strikeout was charged to
Lum); Johnson singled; Office grounded out (second to first); 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 3, Braves 0.

ASTROS 9TH: PEREZ STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); JOHNSON CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING 1B); Gross grounded out (first unassisted);
Metzger grounded out (second to first); Cedeno reached on an
error by Robinson [Cedeno to first]; Watson forced Cedeno (third
to second); 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 3, Braves 0.

BRAVES 9TH: GROSS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); GALLAGHER
REPLACED WATSON (PLAYING RF); MILBOURNE REPLACED HELMS (PLAYING
2B); Oates made an out to third; TEPEDINO BATTED FOR ROBINSON;
Tepedino made an out to second; CORRELL BATTED FOR FRISELLA;
Correll flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 3,
Braves 0.