Scoring with the help of a balk in the ninth inning, the Astros ended their five-game losing streak by edging the Cardinals, 7-6. Julio Gonzalez opened the Astros' ninth with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, took third on a two-out balk by Redbird reliever Will McEnaney and scored when Jose Cruz legged out an infield hit. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 7, St. Louis Cardinals 6
Game Played on Sunday, July      22, 1979 (Day game) at Busch Stadium II
Astros       0  2  2    0  0  0    2  0  1  -   7 14  0
Cardinals    3  3  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   6  9  1


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Gonzalez 2b           5   1   2   0     0   0   .248      Mumphrey lf           5   2   2   2     0   0   .288
Reynolds ss           4   0   1   0     0   0   .275      Oberkfell 2b          4   0   0   0     0   1   .316
Puhl cf               5   2   2   1     0   0   .284        Templeton ph        1   0   0   0     0   1   .317
Cruz lf               4   1   2   2     1   0   .289      Hernandez 1b          3   2   1   0     2   0   .322
Cabell 1b             4   2   3   1     0   0   .266      Hendrick rf           5   1   2   2     0   0   .318
Leonard rf            4   1   3   1     0   0   .270      Scott cf              2   0   0   1     1   0   .272
Howe 3b               3   0   0   0     1   0   .242      Reitz 3b              4   0   1   1     0   0   .279
Ashby c               3   0   1   1     0   0   .226      Swisher c             4   0   1   0     0   1   .125
Niemann p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .143      Phillips ss           4   0   0   0     0   1   .258
  Williams p          1   0   0   0     0   1   .150      Forsch p              1   1   1   0     1   0   .167
  LaCorte p           1   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Brock ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .324
  Walling ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .281        Thomas p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .167
  Throop p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Freed ph            1   0   1   0     0   0   .227
  Alou ph             1   0   0   0     0   0   .192        Martinez pr         0   0   0   0     0   0   .139
  Sambito p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .250        McEnaney p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   7  14   6     2   1             Totals               35   6   9   6     4   4

Time of Game: 2:41   Attendance: 27,973
Left on Base: Astros 6, Cardinals 7
DP: Astros 0, Cardinals 3
Errors: Phillips
Doubles: Cabell (14), Cruz (22), Forsch (1), Hernandez (26), Swisher (1)
Home Runs: Puhl (7), Mumphrey (2)
Stolen Bases: Mumphrey (4), Hernandez (4)
Caught Stealing: Cruz (7)
Sacrifice Hits: Reynolds (21)
Sacrifice Flies: Ashby (2), Scott (3)
GIDP: Puhl (5), Walling (2), Alou (3)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niemann                 0.2   3   3   3   1   1   0   6   3.53
Williams                1     4   3   3   0   0   1   7   3.06
LaCorte                 3.1   1   0   0   3   1   0  14   5.27
Throop                  2     0   0   0   0   0   0   6   5.79
Sambito W(5-3)          2     1   0   0   0   2   0   7   1.20
Totals                  9     9   6   6   4   4   1  40

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Forsch                  5     7   4   3   1   1   1  23   5.08
Thomas                  3     5   2   2   1   0   0  13   3.97
McEnaney L(0-1)         1     2   1   1   0   0   0   4   2.79
Totals                  9    14   7   6   2   1   1  40

Balks: McEnaney (1)

Umpires: HP - Jerry Crawford, 1B - John Kibler, 2B - Charlie Williams, 3B - Terry Tata


ASTROS 1ST: Gonzalez singled to right; Reynolds forced Gonzalez
(shortstop to second); Puhl grounded out (first unassisted)
[Reynolds to second]; Cruz flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Mumphrey singled to right; Mumphrey stole second;
Oberkfell struck out; Hernandez walked; Hendrick singled to
center [Mumphrey scored, Hernandez to third, Hendrick to second
(on throw)]; Scott hit a sacrifice fly to center [Hernandez
scored]; Reitz singled to right [Hendrick scored, Reitz to
second (on throw to home)]; WILLIAMS REPLACED NIEMANN
(PITCHING); Swisher flied out to center; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 0, Cardinals 3.

ASTROS 2ND: Cabell singled to right; Leonard singled to left
[Cabell to second]; Howe reached on an error by Phillips [Cabell
scored (no RBI), Leonard to third, Howe to first]; Ashby hit a
sacrifice fly to left [Leonard scored (unearned)]; Williams
struck out; Gonzalez grounded out (third to first); 2 R (1 ER),
2 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2, Cardinals 3.

CARDINALS 2ND: Phillips grounded out (second to first); Forsch
doubled to center; Mumphrey homered [Forsch scored]; Oberkfell
flied out to right; Hernandez doubled to left; Hendrick singled
to right [Hernandez scored, Hendrick to second (on throw to
home)]; LACORTE REPLACED WILLIAMS (PITCHING); Scott popped to
third in foul territory; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 2,
Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 3RD: Reynolds grounded out (second to first); Puhl
homered; Cruz made an out to third; Cabell doubled to left;
Leonard singled to left [Cabell scored]; Howe popped to second;
2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 3RD: Reitz flied out to center; Swisher doubled to
left; Phillips flied out to left; Forsch walked; Mumphrey flied
out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 4TH: Ashby grounded out (first to pitcher); LaCorte lined
to second; Gonzalez grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 4TH: Oberkfell flied out to left; Hernandez walked;
Hernandez stole second; Hendrick flied out to center; Scott was
walked intentionally; Reitz forced Hernandez (third unassisted);
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 5TH: Reynolds singled to left; Puhl grounded into a
double play (second to shortstop to first) [Reynolds out at
second]; Cruz walked; Cabell grounded out (second to first); 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 5TH: Swisher struck out; Phillips grounded out (second
to first); BROCK BATTED FOR FORSCH; Brock flied out to left; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 6TH: THOMAS REPLACED BROCK (PITCHING); Leonard singled to
pitcher; Howe grounded out (first unassisted) [Leonard to
second]; Ashby singled to second [Leonard to third]; WALLING
BATTED FOR LACORTE; Walling grounded into a double play
(shortstop to second to first) [Ashby out at second]; 0 R, 2 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 6TH: THROOP REPLACED WALLING (PITCHING); Mumphrey
grounded out (third to first); Oberkfell grounded out (first to
pitcher); Hernandez popped to third in foul territory; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 7TH: Gonzalez flied out to center; Reynolds lined to
first; Puhl singled to left; Cruz doubled to left [Puhl scored];
Cabell singled to right [Cruz scored]; Leonard grounded out
(third to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 6, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 7TH: Hendrick grounded out (shortstop to first); Scott
grounded out (second to first); Reitz grounded out (third to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 6, Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 8TH: Howe walked; Ashby flied out to left; ALOU BATTED
FOR THROOP; Alou grounded into a double play (second to
shortstop to first) [Howe out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 6, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 8TH: SAMBITO REPLACED ALOU (PITCHING); Swisher flied
out to left; Phillips was called out on strikes; FREED BATTED
FOR THOMAS; Freed singled to shortstop; MARTINEZ RAN FOR FREED;
Mumphrey forced Martinez (shortstop unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Astros 6, Cardinals 6.

ASTROS 9TH: MCENANEY REPLACED MARTINEZ (PITCHING); Gonzalez
singled to center; Reynolds out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to
first) [Gonzalez to second]; McEnaney balked [Gonzalez to
third]; Puhl popped to shortstop; Cruz singled to second
[Gonzalez scored]; Cruz was caught stealing second (catcher to
second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7, Cardinals 6.

CARDINALS 9TH: TEMPLETON BATTED FOR OBERKFELL; Templeton struck
out; Hernandez grounded out (second to first); Hendrick grounded
out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7,
Cardinals 6.