Baseball Roundup : Hough Gets Rangers Off to a Good Start, 4-0

There is a new feeling in the Dallas area that the Texas Rangers are developing into a pretty fair baseball team.

A sellout crowd of 43,000 turned out at Arlington, Tex., to watch the Rangers open the season against the Detroit Tigers.

There were loud and long cheers for newcomers Nolan Ryan, Rafael Palmeiro and Julio Franco, but the standing ovation went to the man who threw out the first ball--Tom Landry, the recently deposed coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

There were quite a few cheers, too, for another veteran, Charlie Hough, who pitched a five-hitter as the Rangers breezed to victory, 4-0. Scott Fletcher drove in three runs and the fans were celebrating.

Hough, 41, a knuckleball specialist, struck out five and walked two en route to his 11th shutout. Detroit’s Jack Morris, who was 7-2 in nine previous opening-day starts, gave up six hits in eight innings.

San Francisco 8, San Diego 3--It was anything but an auspicious National League debut for Bruce Hurst, and the favorites in the West, the Padres, lost their second home game in a row.

Hurst, an outstanding left-hander obtained from the Boston Red Sox, gave up consecutive home runs to Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell in a six-run third inning. He went five innings, giving up all eight runs and 10 hits.

Kelly Downs pitched seven shutout innings and yielded six hits in his first start since missing the last six weeks of last season with a shoulder injury.

Houston 10, Atlanta 3--Mike Scott probably never had such a good time. Not long after signing a contract extension worth $4.6 million, the Astros scored 10 runs for him.

The Astros, in their opener in the newly remodeled Astrodome, jumped on Zane Smith for six runs in the first three innings, so Scott was able to coast. He gave up six hits and three runs in seven innings, striking out seven, before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Glenn Davis homered in his first at-bat this season to trigger a three-run second inning. He also had a run-scoring double, while Billy Hatcher had three hits.

Scott gave up home runs to Ron Grant and Tommy Gregg, but with the Astros getting 10 runs in an opener for the first time since 1962, it didn’t matter.

Chicago 5, Philadelphia 4--The Phillies weren’t happy when 39-year-old slugger Mike Schmidt, after undergoing shoulder surgery, decided to play again.

With the weak lineup the Phillies fielded in their opener at Chicago, they better hope that Schmidt, who hit his 543rd home run in the loss, makes a strong comeback. Without the power of the Schmidt of old, the Phillies don’t figure to be much of a threat.

On the other hand, things are looking up for the Cubs. They may have solved one of their biggest problems--having a good reliever--when they acquired Mitch Williams from Texas.

After giving up three singles to load the bases in the ninth, the 24-year-old left-hander struck out Schmidt, Chris James and Mark Ryal to save the victory.

Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 5--Tim Raines has always been a good hitter, but he has also been a free swinger.

In the Expos’ opener at Pittsburgh, Raines picked a good time to be a patient hitter. With the bases loaded and two out in the ninth inning, Raines coaxed a walk from Jeff Robinson on a 3-and-2 pitch to force in the winning run.

Barry Bonds went 4 for 4 for the Pirates, including a home run that put them ahead, 5-4, going into the ninth. The Expos scored the tying and winning runs after two were out.