The Indians beat 21-game winner Jim Palmer in the opener of a doubleheader, 5-1, but then had less success in the nightcap and lost to the Orioles, 3-2. Boog Powell smashed a homer off Palmer in the second inning and the Indians then added three runs in the third with the aid of sacrifice flies by Rico Carty and George Hendrick. Jim Kern saved the game for Stan Thomas, coming in to strike out Ken Singleton and Tony Muser after the Orioles had scored on three singles with one out in the eighth inning. The defeat snapped the Orioles' seven-game winning streak.

In the nightcap, after Mark Belanger batted in a run in the fourth inning, the Orioles claimed their victory with two counters in the seventh on a single by Brooks Robinson, pass to Tom Shopay, single by Al Bumbry and sacrifice fly by Rich Dauer. The Indians came back with a run in their half of the seventh on a triple by Buddy Bell and sacrifice fly by Carty. After manager Frank Robinson knocked in a run with a pinch-single in the eighth, Tippy Martinez replaced Rudy May on the mound for the Orioles and induced Rick Manning to ground into a double play. [The Sporting News]



Cleveland Indians 5, Baltimore Orioles 1 (Game 1)
Game Played on Saturday, September 18, 1976 (Day game) at Cleveland Stadium
Orioles      0  0  0    0  0  0    0  1  0  -   1  9  1
Indians      0  1  3    0  0  0    0  1  x  -   5  6  0


Orioles              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Indians              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Bumbry cf             5   0   0   0     0   1   .253      Kuiper 2b             4   1   1   0     0   1   .269
Grich 2b              4   1   1   0     0   0   .274      Manning cf            4   1   0   1     0   0   .290
R. Jackson dh         3   0   3   0     1   0   .287      Blanks ss             3   1   2   0     0   0   .282
L. May 1b             4   0   2   1     0   0   .254        Duffy ss            0   0   0   0     0   0   .218
Singleton rf          4   0   2   0     0   1   .267      Carty dh              3   0   0   1     0   1   .308
Mora lf               2   0   0   0     1   1   .209      Hendrick lf           3   0   1   2     0   0   .271
  Muser ph,lf         1   0   0   0     0   1   .222      Powell 1b             4   1   1   1     0   0   .220
DeCinces 3b           4   0   0   0     0   1   .241      Bell 3b               3   0   0   0     0   1   .285
Dempsey c             2   0   0   0     1   0   .205      Gonzalez rf           3   0   0   0     0   0   .250
  Shopay ph           1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Pruitt rf           0   0   0   0     0   0   .280
Garcia ss             3   0   0   0     0   1   .083      Ashby c               2   1   1   0     1   0   .235
  Crowley ph          1   0   1   0     0   0   .182      Thomas p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Palmer p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Kern p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               34   1   9   1     3   7             Totals               29   5   6   5     1   3

Time of Game: 2:15
Left on Base: Orioles 9, Indians 4
DP: Orioles 0, Indians 2
Errors: Dempsey
Doubles: Singleton (24), Blanks (8), Ashby (5)
Triples: Blanks (7)
Home Runs: Powell (8)
Sacrifice Hits: Blanks (8)
Sacrifice Flies: Carty (7), Hendrick (8)
GIDP: L. May 2 (11)


Orioles                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Palmer L(21-13)         8     6   5   4   1   3   1  33   2.59
Totals                  8     6   5   4   1   3   1  33

Indians                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Thomas W(4-3)           7.1   8   1   1   3   3   0  31   2.20
Kern SV(14)             1.2   1   0   0   0   4   0   6   2.38
Totals                  9     9   1   1   3   7   0  37

Umpires: HP - Larry Barnett, 1B - Dale Ford, 2B - Marty Springstead, 3B - Don Denkinger


ORIOLES 1ST: Bumbry grounded out (pitcher to first); Grich
grounded out (first to pitcher); R. Jackson singled to center;
L. May singled to right [R. Jackson to second]; Singleton flied
out to left; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 0.

INDIANS 1ST: Kuiper grounded out (first to pitcher); Manning
grounded out (pitcher to first); Blanks doubled to right; Carty
flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 0.

ORIOLES 2ND: Mora walked; DeCinces flied out to center; Dempsey
walked [Mora to second]; Garcia struck out; Bumbry grounded out
(pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 0.

INDIANS 2ND: Hendrick grounded out (third to first); Powell
homered; Bell grounded out (shortstop to first); Gonzalez
grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles
0, Indians 1.

ORIOLES 3RD: Grich flied out to right; R. Jackson singled to
center; L. May grounded into a double play (shortstop to second
to first) [R. Jackson out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Orioles 0, Indians 1.

INDIANS 3RD: Ashby doubled; On a bunt Kuiper singled [Ashby to
third]; Manning reached on a fielder's choice [Ashby scored,
Kuiper to second]; Blanks reached on an error by Dempsey on a
sacrifice bunt [Kuiper to third, Manning to second]; Carty hit a
sacrifice fly to right [Kuiper scored, Manning to third];
Hendrick hit a sacrifice fly to right [Manning scored
(unearned)]; Powell lined to second; 3 R (2 ER), 2 H, 1 E, 1
LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 4.

ORIOLES 4TH: Singleton doubled; Mora grounded out (third to
first); DeCinces flied out to center; Dempsey grounded out
(pitcher to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 4.

INDIANS 4TH: Bell flied out to left; Gonzalez popped to third;
Ashby walked; Kuiper struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles
0, Indians 4.

ORIOLES 5TH: Garcia grounded out (shortstop to first); Bumbry
grounded out (second to first); Grich flied out to right; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 4.

INDIANS 5TH: Manning grounded out (third to first); Blanks
grounded out (second to first); Carty was called out on strikes;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 4.

ORIOLES 6TH: R. Jackson walked; L. May grounded into a double
play (shortstop to second to first) [R. Jackson out at second];
Singleton singled to right; Mora struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 4.

INDIANS 6TH: Hendrick grounded out (third to first); Powell
popped to catcher; Bell struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Orioles 0, Indians 4.

ORIOLES 7TH: DeCinces struck out; Dempsey flied out to center;
Garcia flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 0,
Indians 4.

INDIANS 7TH: Gonzalez popped to first; Ashby grounded out (first
unassisted); Kuiper grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Orioles 0, Indians 4.

ORIOLES 8TH: PRUITT REPLACED GONZALEZ (PLAYING RF); Bumbry
grounded out (second to first); Grich singled; R. Jackson
singled to center [Grich to second]; L. May singled to third
[Grich scored, R. Jackson to second]; KERN REPLACED THOMAS
(PITCHING); Singleton struck out; MUSER BATTED FOR MORA; Muser
struck out; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Orioles 1, Indians 4.

INDIANS 8TH: MUSER STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING LF); Manning flied
out to right; Blanks tripled to right; Carty grounded out
(shortstop to first); Hendrick singled to right [Blanks scored];
Powell grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Orioles 1, Indians 5.

ORIOLES 9TH: DUFFY REPLACED BLANKS (PLAYING SS); DeCinces
grounded out (third to first); SHOPAY BATTED FOR DEMPSEY; Shopay
struck out; CROWLEY BATTED FOR GARCIA; Crowley singled to right;
Bumbry struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Orioles 1, Indians 5.