The Week (june 17-23)

AL WEST

George C. Scott, formerly of the Red Sox, has taken his act to Kansas City (4-3) and is performing with a virtuosity his cinema namesake would applaud. Since joining the Royals on June 13, Scott has had 15 hits in 39 at bats, and last week he augmented his robust batting by displaying some seldom-used talents. During a 13-4 drubbing of the Angels, Scott not only had four hits and drove in two runs but he also laid down a sacrifice bunt and stole a base. Scott did some more gamboling on the base paths during a 9-2 win over the A's, dashing from first to second after a fly ball to center and then zipping all the way home on a subsequent fly to left. All of which helped the Royals climb from fourth place to second.

Despite bumbling around, Texas (4-3) also gained on first-place California. The Rangers played like butchers in a 6-5 loss to the A's. Buddy Bell was tagged out after not touching home plate and Outfielder Johnny Grubb misplayed a line drive into an inside-the-park homer. Otherwise, hot hitting by Oscar Gamble (.682 and nine RBIs) and tight pitching perked up the Rangers. John Henry Johnson, a 22-year-old lefty picked up a week earlier from the A's, struck out 10 Angels in five innings before his left leg tightened. Jim Kern replaced Johnson and locked up the 2-1 win with his 10th save.

Injury-plagued California (2-5) owed both its victories to a pair of ailing players. Nolan Ryan, a doubtful starter almost until game time because of pain in the right calf muscle he had already pulled twice this season, came within five outs of a record fifth no-hitter before Gamble singled in the eighth. Ryan wound up with 10 strikeouts, his 15th career two-hitter and a 5-0 win. Brian Downing, moving from behind the plate to DH because of a sore shoulder, homered in a 5-4 squeaker over the Rangers. Over the last 16 games he has hit .441 and upped his average to .353. Downing, who entered the season with a six-year average of .246, attributes his sudden prowess to a protein powder he takes to "reduce fatigue" and to a backyard batting cage and pitching machine. "I usually take about 150 swings before I come to the park," he said of his at-home workouts. Another key performer in the wins over Texas was Shortstop Bert Campaneris, who was motivated by disparaging comments made about him by Ranger Executive Vice-President Eddie Robinson after Texas traded Campaneris to the Angels on May 4. Campaneris had four hits in seven at bats in the two games, and he tied a team record with three steals in one of them.

Visions of fifth place spurred on Seattle (5-2), which took three of four in Chicago and pulled within three games of the White Sox. For the first time since he was in the minors in 1977, the Mariners' Mike Parrott pitched a complete game, beating Chicago 5-1. Five days later Parrott again went the route to beat Milwaukee 8-3. Before the 24-year-old righthander moved into the rotation on May 15, Seattle was 10-26; since then Parrott has been 6-2 and the Mariners 21-16.

One night Manager Don Kessinger of Chicago (2-5) had difficulty assembling a lineup because so many players—seven, to be exact—were hurt. But Ken Kravec was healthy enough to sidetrack Boston 6-1.

Minnesota (2-4) ended a five-game losing streak with a 5-3 triumph in Chicago, where Ron Jackson drove in three runs. The Twins then beat the White Sox 6-1, getting seven sacrifices, one short of the major league record.

Oakland (3-4) did equal a big league record—for triple plays in one season—by pulling off its second and third. One came against the Royals when Third Baseman Wayne Gross gloved a grounder, tagged the oncoming runner and threw to second for a forceout. The runner coming from first, George Scott, prevented Second Baseman Mike Edwards from relaying to first base, but Umpire John Shulock ruled interference on the hard-sliding Scott, thus turning the DP into a TP. Another umpire's ruling, this one by Bill Kunkel, led to the A's other triple play, against Texas. Because Gross seemingly trapped a pop bunt, two Ranger runners began speeding around the bases. Oops, they failed to see that Kunkel had ruled that Gross had caught the bunt on the fly. Meanwhile, in trying to double up the Texan who had too hastily left second base, Gross heaved the ball into centerfield, where Tony Armas picked it up. Armas fired to Shortstop Dave Chalk to double the runner off second. Chalk then pegged the ball to Armas—that's right, the centerfielder covering first—for out No. 3. Score it 5-8-6-8. Oakland also hit 14 homers, three by Armas.

CAL 42-31 KC 38-33 TEX 37-33 MINN 34-32 CHI 32-37 SEA 31-42 OAK 22-50

AL EAST