Doug Rau pitched a shutout for his 10th victory and Ted Martinez and Bill Russell each rapped three hits as the Dodgers defeated the Astros, 8-0. After the Dodgers took a 7-0 lead, John Hale entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Manny Mota and homered for the final run. The victory was Rau's fifth straight. [The Sporting News]



Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Houston Astros 0
Game Played on Tuesday, July      12, 1977 (Night game) at Astrodome
Dodgers      1  0  1    5  1  0    0  0  0  -   8 13  1
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  4  2


Dodgers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Martinez 2b           5   3   3   1     0   0   .299      Gonzalez 2b           4   0   0   0     0   2   .256
Russell ss            5   1   3   2     0   1   .292      Cabell 3b             3   0   1   0     1   0   .277
Garvey 1b             5   0   1   1     0   0   .296      Cedeno cf             3   0   0   0     1   0   .213
Cey 3b                4   0   1   2     0   1   .281      Watson 1b             3   0   1   0     1   0   .284
Baker rf,lf           5   0   1   0     0   1   .295      Ferguson c            4   0   0   0     0   0   .253
Mota lf               2   0   1   0     0   0   .429      Cruz rf               3   0   2   0     1   1   .287
  Hale ph,rf          2   1   1   1     1   0   .250      Fuller lf             3   0   0   0     0   2   .161
Burke cf              4   1   1   0     1   0   .208        Puhl lf             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Yeager c              3   1   1   0     1   2   .296      Metzger ss            3   0   0   0     0   0   .180
Rau p                 3   1   0   0     0   0   .156      Sambito p             1   0   0   0     0   1   .167
                                                            Niekro p            1   0   0   0     0   0   .182
                                                            Sperring ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .157
                                                            McLaughlin p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               38   8  13   7     3   5             Totals               29   0   4   0     4   6

Time of Game: 2:22   Attendance: 17,874
Left on Base: Dodgers 8, Astros 6
DP: Dodgers 2, Astros 2
Errors: Cey, Gonzalez, Sambito
Doubles: Russell (17), Cruz (17)
Home Runs: Hale (2)
Sacrifice Hits: Rau (2)
Sacrifice Flies: Cey (4)
GIDP: Garvey (13), Rau (2), Ferguson (10), Cedeno (7)


Dodgers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Rau W(10-1)             9     4   0   0   4   6   0  33   3.87
Totals                  9     4   0   0   4   6   0  33

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Sambito L(4-3)          3.1  10   7   3   1   2   0  20   2.37
Niekro                  3.2   2   1   1   1   3   1  15   2.78
McLaughlin              2     1   0   0   1   0   0   8   4.17
Totals                  9    13   8   4   3   5   1  43

Wild Pitches: Niekro (2)

Umpires: HP - Jerry Crawford, 1B - Doug Harvey, 2B - Joe West, 3B - Andy Olsen


DODGERS 1ST: Martinez singled to right; Russell singled to right
[Martinez to second]; Garvey grounded into a double play (third
to second to first) [Martinez to third, Russell out at second];
Cey singled to right [Martinez scored]; Baker struck out; 1 R, 3
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Gonzalez was called out on strikes; Cabell flied out
to center; Cedeno lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers
1, Astros 0.

DODGERS 2ND: Mota singled to left; Burke singled to center [Mota
to second]; Yeager struck out; Rau grounded into a double play
(second to first) [Burke out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Dodgers 1, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson flied out to right; Ferguson flied out to
right; Cruz walked; Fuller reached on an error by Cey [Cruz out
at third (shortstop to third), Fuller to first]; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E,
1 LOB.  Dodgers 1, Astros 0.

DODGERS 3RD: Martinez singled to center; Russell doubled to left
[Martinez scored, Russell to third (on throw to home)]; Garvey
grounded out (pitcher to first); Cey flied out to center; Baker
flied out to right; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Metzger grounded out (second to first); Sambito was
called out on strikes; Gonzalez flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 2, Astros 0.

DODGERS 4TH: Mota grounded out (pitcher to first); Burke walked;
Yeager singled to left [Burke to second]; Rau reached on an
error by Sambito [Burke to third, Yeager to second, Rau to
first]; Martinez singled to right [Burke scored (unearned),
Yeager to third, Rau to second]; Russell singled to center
[Yeager scored, Rau to third, Martinez to second]; NIEKRO
REPLACED SAMBITO (PITCHING); Garvey reached on an error by
Gonzalez [Rau scored (unearned) (RBI), Martinez scored
(unearned) (no RBI), Russell to third, Garvey to first]; Cey hit
a sacrifice fly to center [Russell scored (unearned)]; Baker
flied out to right; 5 R (1 ER), 3 H, 2 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 7,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cabell grounded out (third to first); Cedeno walked;
Watson singled to center [Cedeno to second]; Ferguson grounded
into a double play (third to second to first) [Watson out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 7, Astros 0.

DODGERS 5TH: HALE BATTED FOR MOTA; Hale homered; Burke grounded
out (pitcher to first); Yeager walked; Rau out on a sacrifice
bunt (first unassisted) [Yeager to second]; Martinez grounded
out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 8,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: HALE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); BAKER CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Cruz doubled to left; Fuller struck out;
Metzger grounded out (third to first); Niekro grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

DODGERS 6TH: Russell struck out; Garvey singled to center;
Niekro threw a wild pitch [Garvey to second]; Cey was called out
on strikes; Baker flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

ASTROS 6TH: Gonzalez made an out to first; Cabell singled to
center; Cedeno flied out to left; Watson walked [Cabell to
second]; Ferguson forced Watson (shortstop to second); 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 2 LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

DODGERS 7TH: Hale flied out to right; Burke flied out to left;
Yeager struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

ASTROS 7TH: Cruz singled to right; Fuller struck out; Metzger
flied out to left; SPERRING BATTED FOR NIEKRO; Sperring flied
out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

DODGERS 8TH: PUHL REPLACED FULLER (PLAYING LF); MCLAUGHLIN
REPLACED SPERRING (PITCHING); Rau grounded out (first to
pitcher); Debut game for Terry Puhl; Martinez flied out
to center; Russell popped to first in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

ASTROS 8TH: Gonzalez struck out; Cabell walked; Cedeno grounded
into a double play (shortstop to first) [Cabell out at second];
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

DODGERS 9TH: Garvey grounded out (third to first); Cey grounded
out (shortstop to first); Baker singled to left; Hale walked
[Baker to second]; Burke flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Dodgers 8, Astros 0.

ASTROS 9TH: Watson grounded out (third to first); Ferguson flied
out to right; Cruz struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 8,
Astros 0.