The Week (aug. 13-19)

The Chicago White Sox lost three consecutive games by one run to drop their record to eight defeats in their last 10 games. Things were so bad that Catcher Ed Herrmann was hit on the head twice by backswings, suffered a concussion and did not know it. He still played the next two games. He remembered experiencing double vision while catching Wilbur Wood, but figured it was Wood's knuckleball, not the hard knocks, that caused it.

Amid talk of Manager Bobby Winkles leaving to go to the Mets, of Frank Robinson succeeding him as manager and of the club's strong arms all falling off, California won three straight. Bill Singer finally won his 16th after five tries following the All-Star game, and Nolan Ryan (14-14) struck out 13 batters, keeping him on schedule to become the first pitcher to have a 400-strike-out season.

Teen-ager David Clyde won again for the Rangers, allowing only one run while pitching his seven-inning limit. Whitey Herzog also gave Clyde, whose record is now 4-4, an extra day's rest. "He's pitched 200 innings already this year," Herzog observed, counting his high school appearances. "I've seen it happen so often. Teen-agers come into pro ball, work a lot of innings after they've pitched 150 in high school, and their arms go dead."

OAK 71-51 KC 70-54 MINN 59-61 CHI 58-65 CAL 56-63 TEX 43-77

AL EAST

The Birds went batty this week. Baltimore won six straight. Brooks Robinson, whose average is only .246, was a sizzling 4 for 4 as the Orioles outslugged the Royals 10-6. "I've always been an inside-out swinger, but earlier in the year I wasn't," he explained. "Now it's back." Don Baylor was another Oriole with a hot bat. He was 25 for 54 in his current streak when he swung so hard during a 7-4 win over Texas that the bat flew into the stands. It almost struck a young lady, who refused to return it. " Earl Weaver stood up in the dugout offering to trade another of my bats, but they didn't get it back until a policeman showed up," Baylor said. Reunited with his prized piece of lumber, Baylor went 4 for 5 that night and 5 for 5 the next.

A Hollywood saloonkeeper sent the aged Tigers a batch of "Oldies But Goodies" T shirts, but for Detroit the week was nothing but baddies as it dropped to second place. The Tigers lost four straight, including a five-hitter to Nolan Ryan.

New York split six games as Roy White and Graig Nettles each hit three home runs. Doc Medich was a double winner for the Yankees, and Lindy McDaniel picked up his fifth straight victory.

Boston also was 3-3 for the week. In three games with Oakland the Red Sox mustered only two earned runs and were scoreless for a 22-inning stretch. Roger Moret ran his record to 7-0 in a 6-4 win over the Royals, receiving help from ex-starter Marty Pattin, who had been banished to the bullpen 10 days before.

The surprising Brewers made the least surprising move of 1973—they rehired Manager Del Crandall, who is the leading candidate for Manager of the Year in the American League. George Scott, a Crandall favorite, hit his 16th, 17th and 18th homers, and Relief Pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez won his fourth game in five days as Milwaukee briefly returned to the .500 level.