A two-run homer by Doug Rader in the fifth and a key defensive play by outfielder Greg Gross in the top of the same inning helped the Astros to a 4-1 victory over the Cardinals, ending Lynn McGlothen's five-game winning streak. St. Louis loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth. Gross caught Ted Simmons' fly in medium right and threw Lou Brock out at the plate for an inning-ending double play which helped Doug Griffin to his seventh complete game of the season.

Rader's homer, following Milt May's leadoff single in the fifth, erased a 1-0 St. Louis lead, and the Astros clinched the game with a pair of runs in the eighth on a triple by Roger Metzger and singles by Cesar Cedeno and Milt May. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 4, St. Louis Cardinals 1
Game Played on Monday, July      8, 1974 (Night game) at Astrodome
Cardinals    1  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  9  0
Astros       0  0  0    0  2  0    0  2  x  -   4  8  0


Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Brock lf              4   0   2   0     1   0   .306      Gross rf,lf           4   0   1   0     0   0   .337
Heintzelman 2b        3   0   0   0     0   0   .239      Metzger ss            4   1   1   0     0   0   .275
  McCarver ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .232      Cedeno cf             4   1   1   1     0   1   .296
  Heidemann ss        0   0   0   0     0   0   .211      Watson lf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .309
Smith rf              2   1   0   0     2   0   .339        Gallagher rf        0   0   0   0     0   0   .190
Simmons c             4   0   1   0     0   0   .271      L. May 1b             4   0   0   0     0   0   .261
Torre 1b              4   0   2   1     0   0   .291      M. May c              4   1   3   1     0   1   .265
McBride cf            4   0   2   0     0   0   .295      Rader 3b              4   1   1   2     0   0   .248
Reitz 3b              4   0   0   0     0   0   .293      Helms 2b              2   0   0   0     1   0   .288
Tyson ss              2   0   0   0     0   0   .205        Milbourne 2b        0   0   0   0     0   0   .286
  Dwyer ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .345      Griffin p             1   0   0   0     1   0   .297
  Heise 2b            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Cruz ph             1   0   0   0     0   0   .250
McGlothen p           3   0   2   0     0   0   .283
  Hrabosky p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .333
  Garman p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .333
  Hickman ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .273

Totals               34   1   9   1     3   0             Totals               31   4   8   4     2   2

Time of Game: 2:03   Attendance: 12,403
Left on Base: Cardinals 9, Astros 6
DP: Cardinals 0, Astros 2
Triples: Metzger (3)
Home Runs: Rader (9)
Stolen Bases: Brock (51), Torre (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Griffin (8)
GIDP: Reitz (9)


Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
McGlothen L(12-4)       7.2   7   4   4   2   2   1  32   2.56
Hrabosky                0     1   0   0   0   0   0   1   4.32
Garman                  0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   3.10
Totals                  8     8   4   4   2   2   1  34

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Griffin W(10-3)         9     9   1   1   3   0   0  37   2.98
Totals                  9     9   1   1   3   0   0  37

Wild Pitches: Griffin (7)

Umpires: HP - John Kibler, 1B - Andy Olsen, 2B - Dutch Rennert, 3B - Shag Crawford


CARDINALS 1ST: Brock flied out to center; Heintzelman grounded
out (shortstop to first); Smith walked; Simmons singled to right
[Smith to third]; Torre singled to center [Smith scored, Simmons
to second]; McBride singled to shortstop [Simmons to third,
Torre to second]; Reitz grounded out (third to first); 1 R, 3 H,
0 E, 3 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Gross flied out to left; Metzger grounded out
(second to first); Cedeno struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Tyson grounded out (third to first); McGlothen
grounded out (catcher to first); Brock walked; Brock stole
second; Heintzelman grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson grounded out (third to first); L. May flied
out to center; M. May singled to right; Rader grounded out
(third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: Smith flied out to center; Simmons flied out to
right; Torre flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Helms walked; Griffin out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Helms to second]; Gross grounded out (third
to first); Metzger grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

CARDINALS 4TH: McBride popped to first; Reitz flied out to left;
Tyson lined to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros
0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cedeno grounded out (shortstop to first); Watson
grounded out (second to first); L. May popped to shortstop; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

CARDINALS 5TH: McGlothen singled to right; Brock singled to
right [McGlothen to second]; Heintzelman forced McGlothen
(pitcher to third) [Brock to second]; Griffin threw a wild pitch
[Brock to third, Heintzelman to second]; Smith walked; Simmons
hit into a double play (right to catcher) [Brock out at home]; 0
R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: M. May singled to right; Rader homered [M. May
scored]; Helms flied out to center; Griffin walked; Gross
singled to center [Griffin to second]; Metzger popped to
shortstop; Cedeno flied out to center; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Cardinals 1, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 6TH: Torre grounded out (first to pitcher); McBride
singled to shortstop; Reitz grounded into a double play (pitcher
to second to first) [McBride out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Watson grounded out (second to first); L. May flied
out to center; M. May struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Cardinals 1, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 7TH: DWYER BATTED FOR TYSON; Dwyer grounded out
(shortstop to first); McGlothen singled to right; Brock singled
to right [McGlothen to second]; MCCARVER BATTED FOR HEINTZELMAN;
McCarver popped to shortstop; Smith grounded out (shortstop to
first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 2.

ASTROS 7TH: HEIDEMANN REPLACED MCCARVER (PLAYING SS); HEISE
REPLACED DWYER (PLAYING 2B); Rader grounded out (second to
first); Helms grounded out (shortstop to first); Griffin flied
out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 8TH: MILBOURNE REPLACED HELMS (PLAYING 2B); Simmons
grounded out (first to pitcher); Torre singled to left; Torre
stole second; McBride popped to second; Reitz lined to
shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 2.

ASTROS 8TH: Gross flied out to center; Metzger tripled; Cedeno
singled to left [Metzger scored]; Watson singled to left [Cedeno
to second]; L. May flied out to center; HRABOSKY REPLACED
MCGLOTHEN (PITCHING); M. May singled to second [Cedeno scored,
Watson to second]; GARMAN REPLACED HRABOSKY (PITCHING); Rader
forced M. May (shortstop to second); 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Cardinals 1, Astros 4.

CARDINALS 9TH: GALLAGHER REPLACED WATSON (PLAYING RF); GROSS
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); CRUZ BATTED FOR HEISE; Cruz
grounded out (second to pitcher); HICKMAN BATTED FOR GARMAN;
Hickman flied out to center; Brock flied out to center; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 4.