Jose Cruz drove in three runs to pace the Astros' 7-5 triumph over the Reds. Cruz singled home Houston's first run in the first inning but the Reds took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a two-run homer by George Foster. The Astros regained the lead with three tallies in the fifth on a solo homer by Terry Puhl, RBI groundout by Cruz and a run-scoring single by Danny Heep.

A sacrifice fly by Craig Reynolds and RBI single by Art Howe produced two more runs in the seventh and Cruz closed out Houston's scoring with an RBI single in the eighth. The Reds rallied for three in the ninth but Frank LaCorte came on to get the final out and preserve the victory. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 7, Cincinnati Reds 5
Game Played on Sunday, May       10, 1981 (Day game) at Riverfront Stadium
Astros       1  0  0    0  3  0    2  1  0  -   7 13  0
Reds         0  0  0    2  0  0    0  0  3  -   5 13  1


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Reds                 AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Puhl rf               4   2   2   1     1   0   .250      Collins rf            4   1   2   1     1   1   .362
Reynolds ss           5   3   3   0     0   1   .264      Griffey cf            5   1   1   1     0   0   .261
Cedeno cf             3   1   2   1     1   0   .299      Concepcion ss         5   1   2   0     0   0   .324
Cruz lf               4   1   2   3     0   0   .250      Foster lf             5   1   2   2     0   2   .271
Heep 1b               5   0   1   1     0   1   .263      Bench 1b              4   0   3   0     0   0   .308
Howe 3b               5   0   1   0     0   1   .324      Nolan c               4   0   0   0     0   2   .268
Thon 2b               5   0   1   1     0   0   .119      Knight 3b             4   0   0   0     0   0   .216
Pujols c              5   0   0   0     0   1   .095      Oester 2b             4   1   3   0     0   0   .305
Niekro p              2   0   0   0     0   1   .059      Pastore p             2   0   0   0     0   0   .200
  Roberts ph          1   0   1   0     0   0   .188        Price p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  D. Smith p          1   0   0   0     0   1   .000        Spilman ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .154
  LaCorte p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Bair p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Biittner ph         1   0   0   0     0   1   .385

Totals               40   7  13   7     2   6             Totals               39   5  13   4     1   6

Time of Game: 2:44   Attendance: 31,903
Left on Base: Astros 10, Reds 8
DP: Astros 0, Reds 0
Errors: Concepcion
Doubles: Reynolds (4), Oester (4), Collins (5)
Triples: Reynolds (2), Griffey (2)
Home Runs: Puhl (2), Foster (6)
Stolen Bases: Cruz (2)
Caught Stealing: Collins (6)
Sacrifice Flies: Cruz (4)
Hit by Pitch: Cedeno (1,by Pastore)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Niekro W(3-3)           5     7   2   2   1   2   1  22   2.50
D. Smith                3.2   6   3   3   0   3   0  17   3.86
LaCorte SV(2)           0.1   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   2.13
Totals                  9    13   5   5   1   6   1  40

Reds                   IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Pastore L(1-1)          6     9   6   6   1   5   1  30   4.20
Price                   1     2   0   0   0   0   0   5   3.78
Bair                    2     2   1   1   1   1   0   9   6.59
Totals                  9    13   7   7   2   6   1  44

Passed Balls: Pujols (2)
Hit by Pitch: Pastore (1)
Wild Pitches: Niekro (3), D. Smith (2)
Balks: Pastore (2)

Umpires: HP - Terry Tata, 1B - Jerry Crawford, 2B - Ed Vargo, 3B - Satch Davidson


ASTROS 1ST: 56 minute rain delay before start of game;
Puhl walked; Pastore balked [Puhl to second]; Reynolds struck
out; Cedeno singled to center [Puhl scored]; Cruz singled to
shortstop [Cedeno to second]; Heep flied to center; Howe forced
Cruz (second unassisted); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 1, Reds
0.

REDS 1ST: Collins singled to right; Collins was caught stealing
second (catcher to shortstop); Griffey popped to shortstop;
Concepcion flied to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 1, Reds
0.

ASTROS 2ND: Thon popped to catcher in foul territory; Pujols
flied to right; Niekro struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros
1, Reds 0.

REDS 2ND: Foster flied to right; Bench singled to center; Nolan
flied to left; Knight flied to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 1, Reds 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Puhl flied to left; Reynolds singled to center;
Cedeno reached on an error by Concepcion [Reynolds to second];
Cruz flied to left; Heep struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.
Astros 1, Reds 0.

REDS 3RD: Oester doubled to center; On a bunt Pastore popped to
catcher in foul territory; Collins flied to left; Griffey
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 1,
Reds 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Howe struck out; Thon popped to second; Pujols
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 1, Reds 0.

REDS 4TH: Concepcion singled to right; Foster homered
[Concepcion scored]; Bench singled to center; Nolan struck out;
Knight popped to second; Oester singled to second [Bench to
second]; Pastore flied to right; 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros
1, Reds 2.

ASTROS 5TH: Niekro grounded out (shortstop to first); Puhl
homered; Reynolds tripled to center; Cedeno was hit by a pitch;
Cruz forced Cedeno (second to shortstop) [Reynolds scored]; Cruz
stole second; Heep singled to right [Cruz scored]; Howe flied to
left; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 4, Reds 2.

REDS 5TH: Collins walked; Griffey flied to center; Concepcion
forced Collins (shortstop to second); Niekro threw a wild pitch
[Concepcion to second]; Foster struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
 Astros 4, Reds 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Thon popped to first in foul territory; Pujols
grounded out (second to first); ROBERTS BATTED FOR NIEKRO;
Roberts singled to right; Puhl popped to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Astros 4, Reds 2.

REDS 6TH: D. SMITH REPLACED ROBERTS (PITCHING); Bench grounded
out (shortstop to first); Nolan grounded out (pitcher to first);
Knight grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 4, Reds 2.

ASTROS 7TH: Reynolds doubled to right; Cedeno singled to third
[Reynolds to third]; PRICE REPLACED PASTORE (PITCHING); Cruz hit
a sacrifice fly to center [Reynolds scored]; Heep flied to
right; Howe singled to left [Cedeno to second]; Thon singled to
center [Cedeno scored, Howe to third]; Pujols forced Thon
(shortstop to second); 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 6, Reds 2.

REDS 7TH: Oester flied to right; SPILMAN BATTED FOR PRICE;
Spilman flied to center; Collins was called out on strikes; 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 6, Reds 2.

ASTROS 8TH: BAIR REPLACED SPILMAN (PITCHING); D. Smith struck
out; Puhl singled to right; Reynolds forced Puhl (first to
shortstop); Cedeno walked [Reynolds to second]; Cruz singled to
right [Reynolds scored, Cedeno to third]; Heep forced Cruz
(second to shortstop); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 2.

REDS 8TH: Griffey grounded out (first unassisted); Concepcion
grounded out (shortstop to first); Foster singled to center;
Bench singled to left [Foster to second]; Nolan struck out; 0 R,
2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 7, Reds 2.

ASTROS 9TH: Howe flied to left; Thon grounded out (shortstop to
first); Pujols flied to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 7,
Reds 2.

REDS 9TH: Knight flied to right; Oester singled to right;
BIITTNER BATTED FOR BAIR; Biittner struck out; Collins doubled
to right [Oester scored]; Griffey tripled to center [Collins
scored]; D. Smith threw a wild pitch [Griffey scored];
Concepcion singled to center; LACORTE REPLACED D. SMITH
(PITCHING); Pujols allowed a passed ball [Concepcion to second];
Foster was called out on strikes; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros
7, Reds 5.