Joe Niekro posted his third shutout of the season and Jeff Leonard drove in five runs to escort the Astros to a 9-0 victory over the Padres. Leonard accounted for his first RBI with a single in the first inning and added two-run singles in the second and fourth. Jose Cruz contributed a homer to the Astros' attack. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 9, San Diego Padres 0
Game Played on Saturday, May       26, 1979 (Night game) at San Diego Stadium
Astros       1  3  1    4  0  0    0  0  0  -   9 13  1
Padres       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  6  3


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Padres               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Puhl cf               5   2   2   1     0   0   .266      Richards cf,lf        4   0   2   0     0   0   .280
Reynolds ss           3   1   1   0     0   0   .279      Bevacqua 3b           3   0   1   0     1   0   .231
  Sexton ph,ss        1   0   0   0     0   0   .133      Briggs lf             2   0   0   0     0   0   .255
Cedeno 1b             4   1   1   0     1   0   .271        D'Acquisto p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .143
Leonard rf            5   1   3   5     0   0   .324        Reynolds ph,rf      1   0   0   0     1   0   .308
Cabell 3b             4   1   2   0     0   0   .294        Evans 2b            0   0   0   0     0   0   .203
  Howe 3b             1   0   1   0     0   0   .203      Winfield rf           3   0   0   0     0   1   .328
Cruz lf               4   1   1   1     0   0   .319        Shirley p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Alou ph,lf          1   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Perkins ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .309
Gonzalez 2b           5   1   1   0     0   1   .238      Tenace c              1   0   0   0     1   0   .240
Ashby c               4   1   1   2     0   1   .228        Fahey c             2   0   0   0     0   1   .267
Niekro p              3   0   0   0     0   2   .077      Hargrove 1b           3   0   1   0     1   0   .204
                                                          Gonzalez 2b           2   0   0   0     0   1   .252
                                                            Almon 2b,cf         2   0   0   0     0   1   .236
                                                          Smith ss              4   0   1   0     0   0   .151
                                                          Lolich p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Kinney p            1   0   0   0     0   1   .000
                                                            Turner lf,rf        2   0   1   0     0   0   .256

Totals               40   9  13   9     1   4             Totals               31   0   6   0     4   5

Time of Game: 2:25   Attendance: 27,331
Left on Base: Astros 7, Padres 8
DP: Astros 3, Padres 0
Errors: Gonzalez, Winfield, Hargrove, Smith
Doubles: Cedeno (12)
Triples: Howe (1)
Home Runs: Cruz (3)
Sacrifice Hits: Reynolds (14), Niekro (2)
GIDP: Richards (2), Winfield (2), Reynolds (2)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(6-2)           9     6   0   0   4   5   0  35   2.44
Totals                  9     6   0   0   4   5   0  35

Padres                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Lolich L(0-2)           1.2   6   4   2   1   0   0  13   4.00
Kinney                  1.2   4   4   3   0   1   1   9   3.38
D'Acquisto              2.2   2   1   0   0   0   0  11   6.68
Shirley                 3     1   0   0   0   3   0  10   4.23
Totals                  9    13   9   5   1   4   1  43

Umpires: HP - Frank Pulli, 1B - Eric Gregg, 2B - Doug Harvey, 3B - Andy Olsen


ASTROS 1ST: Puhl singled to center; Reynolds out on a sacrifice
bunt (catcher to first) [Puhl to second]; Cedeno grounded out
(third to first); Leonard singled to right [Puhl scored]; Cabell
singled to third [Leonard to second]; Cruz grounded out (pitcher
to first); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 1, Padres 0.

PADRES 1ST: Richards singled to center; Bevacqua grounded out
(shortstop to second to first) [Richards to second]; Briggs
grounded out (second to first) [Richards to third]; Winfield
struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 1, Padres 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Gonzalez singled to right; Ashby reached on an error
by Hargrove [Gonzalez to second, Ashby to first]; Niekro out on
a sacrifice bunt (third to second) [Gonzalez to third, Ashby to
second]; Puhl singled to right [Gonzalez scored, Ashby to third,
Puhl to second (on throw to home)]; Reynolds grounded out
(second to first); Cedeno walked; Leonard singled to center
[Ashby scored (unearned), Puhl scored (unearned), Cedeno to
second]; KINNEY REPLACED LOLICH (PITCHING); Cabell forced
Leonard (shortstop to second); 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 4, Padres 0.

PADRES 2ND: Tenace walked; Hargrove flied out to right; Gonzalez
flied out to right; Smith grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 4, Padres 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Cruz homered; Gonzalez grounded out (third to
first); Ashby grounded out (second to first); Niekro struck out;
1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 5, Padres 0.

PADRES 3RD: On a bunt Kinney struck out; Richards grounded out
(first unassisted); Bevacqua walked; Briggs grounded out (second
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 5, Padres 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Puhl flied out to right; Reynolds singled to second;
Cedeno doubled to right [Reynolds to third]; Leonard singled to
right [Reynolds scored, Cedeno scored]; D'ACQUISTO REPLACED
BRIGGS (PITCHING); TURNER REPLACED KINNEY (PLAYING LF); Cabell
singled to center [Leonard to second]; Cruz popped to third in
foul territory; Gonzalez reached on an error by Smith [Leonard
to third, Cabell to second, Gonzalez to first]; Ashby singled to
right [Leonard scored (unearned), Cabell scored (unearned),
Gonzalez to third (error by Winfield), Ashby to second]; Niekro
flied out to right; 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 2 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 9,
Padres 0.

PADRES 4TH: Winfield grounded out (shortstop to first); Tenace
grounded out (pitcher to first); Hargrove popped to third in
foul territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Puhl flied out to left; Reynolds grounded out
(second to first); Cedeno grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 5TH: Gonzalez struck out (catcher to first); Smith
singled to left; Turner singled to right [Smith to third];
Richards grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to
first) [Turner out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9,
Padres 0.

ASTROS 6TH: FAHEY REPLACED TENACE (PLAYING C ); ALMON REPLACED
GONZALEZ (PLAYING 2B); Leonard flied out to center; Cabell flied
out to left; Cruz grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 6TH: HOWE REPLACED CABELL (PLAYING 3B); Bevacqua singled
to center; REYNOLDS BATTED FOR D'ACQUISTO; Reynolds walked
[Bevacqua to second]; Winfield grounded into a double play
(shortstop to second to first) [Bevacqua to third, Reynolds out
at second]; Fahey grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 7TH: SHIRLEY REPLACED WINFIELD (PITCHING); REYNOLDS
STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); Gonzalez struck out; Ashby struck
out; Niekro was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 7TH: Hargrove singled to right; Almon forced Hargrove
(third to second); Smith grounded out (first unassisted) [Almon
to second]; Turner made an out to third; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 8TH: Puhl grounded out (second to first); SEXTON BATTED
FOR REYNOLDS; Sexton flied out to center; Cedeno flied out to
center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

PADRES 8TH: SEXTON STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING SS); Richards singled
to third; Bevacqua flied out to right; Reynolds grounded into a
double play (shortstop to second to first) [Richards out at
second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres 0.

ASTROS 9TH: EVANS REPLACED REYNOLDS (PLAYING 2B); TURNER CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING RF); RICHARDS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF);
ALMON CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING CF); Leonard grounded out
(shortstop to first); Howe tripled to right; ALOU BATTED FOR
CRUZ; Alou grounded out (second to first); Gonzalez popped to
first in foul territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9, Padres
0.

PADRES 9TH: ALOU STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING LF); PERKINS BATTED FOR
SHIRLEY; Perkins reached on an error by Gonzalez [Perkins to
first]; Fahey struck out; Hargrove walked [Perkins to second];
Almon struck out; Smith flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
 Astros 9, Padres 0.