July 24, 1964 - Manager Gene Mauch could afford to throw a bone to the likes of the suddenly woeful Cardinals, since his Philadelphia Phillies are eating high on the hog these days.
“Some people can get the wrong impression,” Mauch said, “when a team loses four or five in a row this season. This is a tough league, and you better believe it.”
Coincidentally, the Cards just had lost their fourth in a row, this one 9-1, at Connie Mack Stadium today to the Phils.
The Phillies, who pulled in 22,628 fans, now have won four straight as they sit astride the N.L. standings. And while the Redbirds have lost seven of their last 10 games, tumbling 10 games behind the league leaders, the Phillies have won seven of their last 10.
Chris Short (pictured) delivered a six-hit, eight-strikeout job tonight that gave him his second victory over St. Louis, which still leads Philadelphia in the season series, 6-4.
The tall southpaw, although getting touched for a run by the Cardinals for the first time this season, lowered his staff-leading ERA to 1.86. This was Short’s first complete game since June 28, when he nailed the Redbirds, 5-0, at Busch Stadium, but his sixth of the season, high for the league leaders.
“The bullpen guys were pleading with me to go nine innings,” said Short. “They needed the rest.”
The Cardinals followed what has become a tired and trying script. They played catch-up but couldn’t, as Bob Gibson’s record slipped to 8-8. The Cards are now a game below .500.
Despite the easiest game the Phils have had in three weeks, Short wasn’t particularly happy with his performance. “When I shut out the Cardinals, I had my change-up working, but I couldn’t keep it down this time,” he said. “I gave up only one walk, but I couldn’t put the ball where I wanted it for the first three or four innings.”
With a brisk wind at his back, Short said he was able to come inside more to righthanded batters than he would ordinarily. Fly balls, even well-hit ones, to left or center, died against the wind that drove mist into the stands.
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