Tommy Helms collected four hits and Dave Roberts helped himself with a two-run homer as the Astros defeated the Cardinals, 9-4. The Astros took a 4-0 lead in the second inning when Bob Watson, Milt May, Doug Rader and Helms singled and Roberts hit his homer. Two walks, a double by Helms and an error added three runs in the fourth. Helms singled for his fourth RBI of the night when the Astros tacked on their final pair in the fifth. [The Sporting News]



Houston Astros 9, St. Louis Cardinals 4
Game Played on Wednesday, April     24, 1974 (Night game) at Busch Stadium II
Astros       0  4  0    3  2  0    0  0  0  -   9 11  2
Cardinals    0  0  1    0  1  0    0  2  0  -   4 11  2


Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Cardinals            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Gross rf,lf           4   0   0   0     1   0   .340      Brock lf              5   1   0   0     0   0   .304
Metzger ss            4   0   0   0     1   0   .286      Sizemore 2b           5   1   2   0     0   0   .342
Cedeno cf             5   0   0   0     0   2   .329      Smith rf              4   1   2   3     1   0   .361
Watson lf             4   1   2   0     0   0   .304      Torre 1b              5   0   0   0     0   0   .214
  Gallagher rf        0   0   0   0     1   0   .111      Melendez cf           4   1   1   0     0   0   .300
L. May 1b             5   2   1   0     0   0   .284      Reitz 3b              3   0   3   0     1   0   .394
  Campbell 1b         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      McCarver c            4   0   1   0     0   0   .308
M. May c              4   2   2   1     1   0   .318      Tyson ss              3   0   1   0     0   0   .236
Rader 3b              1   1   1   1     1   0   .246        Hrabosky p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Menke 3b            2   0   0   0     0   1   .143        Hickman ph          0   0   0   0     1   0   .313
Helms 2b              4   2   4   4     0   0   .361        Folkers p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Milbourne pr,2b     0   0   0   0     0   0   .200      McGlothen p           1   0   0   0     0   0   .375
Roberts p             3   1   1   2     0   1   .231        Thompson p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Scherman p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Dwyer ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Garman p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Papi ph,ss          2   0   1   1     0   0   .250

Totals               36   9  11   8     5   4             Totals               37   4  11   4     3   0

Time of Game: 2:23   Attendance:  7,364
Left on Base: Astros 6, Cardinals 9
DP: Astros 2, Cardinals 0
Errors: Cedeno, Rader, Sizemore, Tyson
Doubles: Helms (5)
Home Runs: Roberts (1), Smith (3)
Sacrifice Hits: Roberts (1)
GIDP: Tyson (3), Smith (5)


Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Roberts W(3-2)          7.2  10   4   3   3   0   1  36   4.15
Scherman                1.1   1   0   0   0   0   0   4   0.93
Totals                  9    11   4   3   3   0   1  40

Cardinals              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
McGlothen L(2-1)        3.2   6   7   6   3   2   1  19   5.68
Thompson                0.1   0   0   0   1   1   0   2   8.59
Garman                  3     4   2   2   0   1   0  13   1.86
Hrabosky                1     1   0   0   0   0   0   4   7.36
Folkers                 1     0   0   0   1   0   0   4   1.08
Totals                  9    11   9   8   5   4   1  42

Wild Pitches: Folkers (1)
Balks: Roberts (1)

Umpires: HP - Jerry Dale, 1B - Chris Pelekoudas, 2B - Paul Pryor, 3B - Bob Engel


ASTROS 1ST: Gross popped to shortstop; Metzger flied out to
left; Cedeno struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 0,
Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 1ST: Brock flied out to center; Sizemore grounded out
(shortstop to first); Smith walked; Torre forced Smith (third to
second); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 0, Cardinals 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson singled to center; L. May forced Watson
(third to second); M. May singled to center [L. May to second];
Rader singled to center [L. May scored, M. May to second]; Helms
singled to left [M. May scored, Rader out at third (left to
third to shortstop to second)]; Roberts homered [Helms scored];
Gross grounded out (second to first); 4 R, 5 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Astros 4, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 2ND: Melendez popped to first in foul territory; Reitz
singled to right; McCarver forced Reitz (shortstop unassisted);
Tyson singled to third [McCarver to third (error by Rader),
Tyson to second]; McGlothen grounded out (third to first); 0 R,
2 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Metzger popped to third in foul territory; Cedeno
flied out to center; Watson grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals 0.

CARDINALS 3RD: Brock flied out to left; Sizemore singled to
right; Roberts balked [Sizemore to second]; Smith singled to
left [Sizemore scored, Smith to second (on throw to home)];
Torre grounded out (third to first); Melendez grounded out
(shortstop to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 4, Cardinals
1.

ASTROS 4TH: L. May popped to shortstop; M. May walked; Rader
walked [M. May to second]; Helms doubled to left [M. May scored,
Rader scored, Helms scored (error by Tyson) (unearned)]; Roberts
struck out; Gross walked; THOMPSON REPLACED MCGLOTHEN
(PITCHING); Metzger walked [Gross to second]; Cedeno was called
out on strikes; 3 R (2 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 7,
Cardinals 1.

CARDINALS 4TH: MENKE REPLACED RADER (PLAYING 3B); Reitz singled
to left; McCarver grounded out (first to pitcher) [Reitz to
second]; Tyson grounded out (third to first) [Reitz to third];
DWYER BATTED FOR THOMPSON; Dwyer popped to third in foul
territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 7, Cardinals 1.

ASTROS 5TH: GARMAN REPLACED DWYER (PITCHING); Watson singled to
left; L. May singled to center [Watson to third (error by
Sizemore)]; M. May singled to right [Watson scored, L. May to
third]; Menke was called out on strikes; Helms singled to left
[L. May scored, M. May to second]; Roberts flied out to right;
Gross flied out to left; 2 R, 4 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Astros 9,
Cardinals 1.

CARDINALS 5TH: Brock reached on an error by Cedeno [Brock to
third]; Sizemore grounded out (third to first); Smith grounded
out (second to first) [Brock scored (unearned)]; Torre grounded
out (third to first); 1 R (0 ER), 0 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9,
Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 6TH: Metzger flied out to center; Cedeno popped to first
in foul territory; Watson grounded out (pitcher to second to
first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 6TH: GROSS CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); GALLAGHER
REPLACED WATSON (PLAYING RF); Melendez grounded out (shortstop
to first); Reitz walked; McCarver singled to left [Reitz to
second]; Tyson grounded into a double play (shortstop to second
to first) [McCarver out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Astros 9, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 7TH: L. May popped to first in foul territory; M. May
grounded out (first unassisted); Menke flied out to left; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 7TH: PAPI BATTED FOR GARMAN; Papi popped to catcher in
foul territory; Brock grounded out (second to first); Sizemore
flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Cardinals 2.

ASTROS 8TH: HRABOSKY REPLACED TYSON (PITCHING); PAPI STAYED IN
GAME (PLAYING SS); Helms singled to right; MILBOURNE RAN FOR
HELMS; Roberts out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second)
[Milbourne to second]; Gross lined to shortstop; Metzger
grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9,
Cardinals 2.

CARDINALS 8TH: MILBOURNE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); Smith
homered; Torre grounded out (third to first); Melendez singled
to center; Reitz singled to center [Melendez to second];
McCarver popped to second; HICKMAN BATTED FOR HRABOSKY; Hickman
walked [Melendez to third, Reitz to second]; Papi singled to
left [Melendez scored, Reitz to third, Hickman to second];
SCHERMAN REPLACED ROBERTS (PITCHING); Brock forced Papi
(shortstop to second); 2 R, 4 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Astros 9,
Cardinals 4.

ASTROS 9TH: FOLKERS REPLACED HICKMAN (PITCHING); Cedeno grounded
out (third to first); Gallagher walked; Folkers threw a wild
pitch [Gallagher to second]; L. May popped to shortstop; M. May
popped to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Astros 9, Cardinals 4.

CARDINALS 9TH: CAMPBELL REPLACED L. MAY (PLAYING 1B); Sizemore
singled to left; Smith grounded into a double play (shortstop to
second to first) [Sizemore out at second]; Torre grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Astros 9, Cardinals
4.