National League Roundup : Knicely Is Doing Nicely This Time

Since 1979, catcher Alan Knicely has hammered minor league pitching. But each time he has been summoned to the majors, he has been a monumental flop.

Maybe, just maybe, in his seventh attempt, Knicely is finally going to prove he can hit major league pitching.

The Cincinnati Reds, with catchers batting around .200, gave the 30-year-old Knicely what figured to be about his last chance after he started this season batting .446 with 29 runs batted in and 7 home runs at Denver in the American Assn.

The batting groove has continued in the first three weeks of his return. Knicely hit a three-run home run and a single Saturday at St. Louis to lead the Reds to a 9-3 victory over the Cardinals.

In 14 games Knicely is batting .321, has hit three home runs and has driven in 15 runs. Those are the kind of figures he’s been posting in the minors.

Last season at Wichita, the right-handed hitting slugger batted .333, hit 33 home runs and drove in 126 runs. But in parts of six seasons with Houston and the Reds, he batted .201, had 6 home runs in 274 at-bats and drove in 29 runs.

“The groove I’m in started last year,” Knicely said. “I’m hoping it will last a long, long time. I just want to stay around to enjoy it.

“I thought I would stick this spring. But Pete Rose told me he didn’t think there would be much playing time for me. When he tells you that, you believe him. So, I went back to the minors and made them take notice.”

Knicely triggered a 13-hit attack that included two hits by player-manager Rose, who needs 57 hits to break Ty Cobb’s record.

The home run by Knicely was a monstrous shot off Bill Campbell in the ninth. “It was a good pitch,” Knicely said, “down and in. I just wanted to get a run home, but I’ll settle for the three. I just want to do well enough to stay here.”

Jack Clark had two hits for the Cardinals and drove in two runs to give him the league RBI lead with 41.

San Francisco 2, Philadelphia 1--The Giants won only 16 of their first 44 games, but with the addition of Ricky Adams, things are looking up.

Adams, a former Angel infielder from Upland, has played two games at third since the Giants bought him this week from Phoenix and has produced the game-winning hit in both of them.

Friday night, Adams hit a three-run home run to beat the Phillies. In this game at San Francisco, he singled in the go-ahead run in the third inning, and the Giants never trailed.

It was another tough defeat for Steve Carlton (1-5). The 40-year-old left-hander gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. In his 10 starts the Phillies have scored only 17 runs.

Chicago 4, Houston 1--Dennis Eckersley pitched a five-hitter at Houston, and the Cubs pounded out 14 hits to hand Bob Knepper his first loss after five victories.

Eckersley, in pitching his fifth complete game, raised his record to 7-3. He lost his shutout in the seventh, when he committed a balk with Kevin Bass on third.

Bob Dernier opened the game with a triple and scored on Chris Speier’s single. It remained 1-0 until the sixth when doubles by Ron Cey and Jody Davis and a single by Leon Durham accounted for two more runs.

Pittsburgh 6, Atlanta 3--In the old days of the Lumber Company, the Pirates used to slug out victories. Now they beat teams one base at a time.

Rick Reuschel spotted the Braves a 3-0 lead in the second inning at Atlanta, but the Pirates battled back with 11 singles and a double to help Reuschel improve his record to 2-0.

Johnny Ray, George Hendrick and Bill Madlock each had two hits and drove in a run for the Pirates. Madlock had the double.

Rod Scurry pitched three hitless innings of relief, striking out four to earn his first save since last September.

New York 5, San Diego 3--Rafael Santana, batting .209, had three hits, including a tie-breaking single in the sixth inning at San Diego, to lead the Mets to victory.

Just before Santana’s bloop single broke the tie, George Foster hit a two-run single to tie it.

Ron Darling, although he gave up five hits and five walks in six innings, improved his record to 5-1. Roger McDowell blanked the Padres in the seventh and eighth, but his scoreless string ended at 23 innings when two singles and a ground out gave San Diego a run in the ninth.

Jesse Orosco came in to get the last two outs and earn his sixth save.