Greg Gross, who is one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year honors, singled in the seventh inning, stole second and scored on a single by Roger Metzger to bring the Astros a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals. The Redbirds used a single by Lou Brock, his theft of second and a single by Bake McBride for a run in the first and added their other tally when Jim Dwyer homered in the second.

The Astros came back with the tying pair in their half of the second on singles by Lee May, Milt May, Doug Rader and Larry Dierker. Mike Cosgrove, in relief of Dierker, gained his fifth straight victory without a defeat, while Orlando Pena, in relief of Alan Foster for the Cardinals, was handed his first loss after winning five games in a row. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 3, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Game Played on Wednesday, July      10, 1974 (Night game) at Astrodome
Cardinals    1  1  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   2 11  0
Astros       0  2  0    0  0  0    1  0  x  -   3  7  0


Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Brock lf              4   1   2   0     1   0   .305      Gross rf,lf           3   1   1   0     1   0   .336
Heise 2b              3   0   0   0     0   0   .143      Metzger ss            4   0   1   1     0   0   .275
  Hickman ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .267      Cedeno cf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .295
  Heintzelman 2b      0   0   0   0     0   0   .239      Watson lf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .304
  Smith ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .332        Gallagher rf        0   0   0   0     0   0   .190
McBride cf            4   0   2   1     0   1   .299      Menke 1b              0   0   0   0     0   0   .103
Simmons c             2   0   1   0     2   0   .273        L. May ph,1b        4   1   1   0     0   1   .267
Torre 1b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .286      M. May c              3   1   2   0     1   0   .271
Dwyer rf              3   1   2   1     1   0   .375      Rader 3b              4   0   1   1     0   1   .249
Reitz 3b              4   0   2   0     0   0   .295      Helms 2b              2   0   0   0     1   0   .285
  Cruz pr             0   0   0   0     0   0   .250      Dierker p             2   0   1   1     0   0   .190
Heidemann ss          4   0   1   0     0   0   .269        Cosgrove p          1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Foster p              2   0   0   0     0   1   .226
  McCarver ph         0   0   0   0     1   0   .237
  Pena p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .500
  Melendez ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .247

Totals               33   2  11   2     5   2             Totals               31   3   7   3     3   3

Time of Game: 2:22   Attendance: 15,126
Left on Base: Cardinals 9, Astros 7
DP: Cardinals 0, Astros 5
Doubles: McBride (11), Reitz (16), Rader (16)
Triples: M. May (3)
Home Runs: Dwyer (2)
Stolen Bases: Brock (53), Gross (9)
GIDP: Torre (6), Heidemann (1), Heise (1), Reitz (10), Brock (7)


Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Foster                  6     5   2   2   2   2   0  25   3.64
Pena L(5-1)             2     2   1   1   1   1   0   9   2.51
Totals                  8     7   3   3   3   3   0  34

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dierker                 6.1   8   2   2   4   2   1  27   2.02
Cosgrove W(5-0)         2.2   3   0   0   1   0   0  11   1.29
Totals                  9    11   2   2   5   2   1  38

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


CARDINALS 1ST: Brock singled to left; Brock stole second; Heise
grounded out (third to first); McBride singled to left [Brock
scored]; Simmons walked [McBride to second]; Torre grounded into
a double play (third to second to first) [Simmons out at
second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 1, Astros 0.

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

CARDINALS 2ND: Dwyer homered; Reitz singled to right; Heidemann
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Reitz out at second]; Foster grounded out (first unassisted); 1
R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson grounded out (second to first); L. MAY BATTED
FOR MENKE; L. May singled to right; M. May singled to right [L.
May to third]; Rader doubled to left [L. May scored, M. May to
third]; Helms was walked intentionally; Dierker forced Helms
(third to second) [M. May scored, Rader to third]; Gross walked
[Dierker to second]; Metzger popped to shortstop; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E,
3 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 3RD: L. MAY STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 1B); Brock singled
to second; Heise grounded into a double play (shortstop to
second to first) [Brock out at second]; McBride doubled to
right; Simmons popped to shortstop; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Cardinals 2, Astros 2.

ASTROS 3RD: Cedeno flied out to center; Watson popped to second;
L. May flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 2,
Astros 2.

CARDINALS 4TH: Torre grounded out (third to first); Dwyer
singled to left; Reitz grounded into a double play (second to
first) [Dwyer out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals
2, Astros 2.

ASTROS 4TH: M. May popped to shortstop; Rader struck out; Helms
flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 5TH: Heidemann lined to shortstop; Foster struck out;
Brock flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Cardinals 2,
Astros 2.

ASTROS 5TH: Dierker singled to center; Gross flied out to
center; Metzger flied out to center; Cedeno flied out to left; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 6TH: Heise flied out to center; McBride struck out;
Simmons walked; Torre flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Cardinals 2, Astros 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Watson grounded out (third to first); L. May was
called out on strikes; M. May tripled to right; Rader lined to
right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 2.

CARDINALS 7TH: Dwyer walked; Reitz flied out to right; Heidemann
singled to center [Dwyer to third]; MCCARVER BATTED FOR FOSTER;
McCarver walked [Heidemann to second]; COSGROVE REPLACED DIERKER
(PITCHING); Brock grounded into a double play (third to catcher
to first) [Dwyer out at home]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Cardinals
2, Astros 2.

ASTROS 7TH: PENA REPLACED MCCARVER (PITCHING); Helms popped to
first; Cosgrove grounded out (third to first); Gross singled to
right; Gross stole second; Metzger singled to center [Gross
scored, Metzger to second (on throw to home)]; Cedeno grounded
out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 2,
Astros 3.

CARDINALS 8TH: HICKMAN BATTED FOR HEISE; Hickman grounded out
(third to first); McBride flied out to center; Simmons singled
to center; Torre singled to left [Simmons to second]; Dwyer
flied out to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 3.

ASTROS 8TH: HEINTZELMAN REPLACED HICKMAN (PLAYING 2B); Watson
was called out on strikes; L. May grounded out (third to first);
M. May walked; Rader grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 3.

CARDINALS 9TH: GALLAGHER REPLACED WATSON (PLAYING RF); GROSS
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Reitz doubled to left; CRUZ RAN
FOR REITZ; Heidemann popped to second; MELENDEZ BATTED FOR PENA;
Melendez flied out to left [Cruz to third]; Brock walked; SMITH
BATTED FOR HEINTZELMAN; Smith flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Cardinals 2, Astros 3.