Aug. 13, 1964 - Dennis Bennett is 9-9, and he has won one game in eight weeks, but things are looking up for the Phillies’ cocky southpaw.
Honest. Anyway, that’s what everybody was saying after the Cubs beat the Phillies, 3-1, this afternoon in the windup of a series in Chicago.
The loss shattered a five-game win streak, and the Phils got three measly hits off Ernie Broglio, and the game ended with a bang-bang play going against the Phillies at first base. It’s the kind of stuff that used to put Philadelphia manager Gene Mauch in a furniture-rearranging mood, but that was the old Gene Mauch.
“Bennett had good stuff,” Mauch said. “If Ruben Amaro doesn’t forget about the wind on a pop fly, they only get one run off Bennett, Ernie Banks’ homer.”
The homer came on the first pitch of the second inning, and when Billy Cowan then ripped a curveball to left, Mauch visited with Bennett.
“He thought they were reading Bennett’s pitches,” catcher Clay Dalrymple said. “He was gripping the curve one way and the fastball another. After that, he was okay. And he had real good stuff. If he keeps pitching that way, he’ll win seven or eight more games.”
The Cubs got two more runs in the third without hitting the ball hard. Joe Amalfitano was safe on a bloop single, and Leo Burke hit a grounder to Amaro’s right. Amaro made a fine stop, then threw wild trying to get the force at second. Billy Williams then plunked a pop fly into short leftfield that Amaro overran after a late start.
“I was thinking about the ball I threw away,” Amaro muttered afterwards. “I forgot about the wind. I should have had that ball easy.”
Amalfitano scored, and Burke came in as Ron Santo rapped into a double play. Bennett came out for a pinch-hitter in the sixth, and Art Mahaffey held the Cubs scoreless the rest of the way, but the Phils could do nothing with Broglio.
“One of his best games,” Mauch said. “It takes that kind of game to hold this lineup to one run.”
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