Ron Cey collected three hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs to lead the Dodgers to a 4-3 victory over the Astros, who were stopped on their seven-game winning streak. Larry Dierker, who started for the Astros, went out for a pinch-hitter after seven innings, ending a string of six straight complete games by the Houston staff.

Cey hit his homer after a double by Steve Garvey in the fourth inning. A triple by Steve Yeager and single by Burt Hooton added a run in the fifth. The Dodgers' winning marker followed in the eighth when Bill Buckner singled, stole second and Cey singled. Bob Watson batted in two of the Astros' tallies with a sacrifice fly and double. [The Sporting News]



Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Houston Astros 3
Game Played on Friday, September 3, 1976 (Night game) at Astrodome
Dodgers      0  0  0    2  1  0    0  1  0  -   4  9  0
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  1    0  2  0  -   3  9  0


Dodgers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Buckner lf            5   1   1   0     0   0   .306      Gross rf              5   1   1   0     0   0   .296
Sizemore 2b           4   0   0   0     0   2   .245      Cabell 3b             4   1   1   0     0   1   .276
Smith rf              4   0   1   0     0   1   .248      Cedeno cf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .294
Garvey 1b             3   1   1   0     1   0   .302      Watson 1b             3   1   2   2     0   0   .302
Cey 3b                4   1   3   3     0   0   .286      Cruz lf               3   0   1   1     1   0   .312
Lyttle cf             3   0   1   0     1   0   .287      Herrmann c            4   0   0   0     0   0   .205
Russell ss            4   0   0   0     0   1   .293      Andrews 2b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .261
Yeager c              4   1   1   0     0   0   .220      Metzger ss            3   0   1   0     0   0   .217
Hooton p              3   0   1   1     0   1   .115        Johnson ph          0   0   0   0     1   0   .222
  Hough p             1   0   0   0     0   1   .263        Howard pr           0   0   0   0     0   0   .223
                                                          Dierker p             2   0   1   0     0   1   .145
                                                            Boswell ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .257
                                                            Pentz p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .250
                                                            Forsch p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .100
                                                            Roberts ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .284

Totals               35   4   9   4     2   6             Totals               34   3   9   3     2   2

Time of Game: 2:15   Attendance:  9,028
Left on Base: Dodgers 6, Astros 7
DP: Dodgers 1, Astros 0
Doubles: Cey (16), Garvey (31), Watson (25)
Triples: Yeager (3)
Home Runs: Cey (22)
Stolen Bases: Buckner (22), Cedeno (45), Cruz (24)
Sacrifice Flies: Watson (7)
GIDP: Boswell (6)


Dodgers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hooton W(9-12)          6.1   6   1   1   1   1   0  26   3.66
Hough SV(14)            2.2   3   2   2   1   1   0  11   2.31
Totals                  9     9   3   3   2   2   0  37

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dierker L(13-13)        7     7   3   3   0   4   1  27   3.74
Pentz                   0.2   2   1   1   1   1   0   5   3.10
Forsch                  1.1   0   0   0   1   1   0   5   2.30
Totals                  9     9   4   4   2   6   1  37

Passed Balls: Herrmann (9)

Umpires: HP - Jerry Dale, 1B - Ed Sudol, 2B - Bob Engel, 3B - Bruce Froemming


DODGERS 1ST: Buckner grounded out (third to first); Sizemore
struck out; Smith singled to center; Garvey forced Smith
(shortstop to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 0, Astros
0.

ASTROS 1ST: Gross flied out to left; Cabell grounded out
(pitcher to first); Cedeno flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Dodgers 0, Astros 0.

DODGERS 2ND: Cey doubled to left; Lyttle grounded out (pitcher
unassisted) [Cey to third]; Russell grounded out (third to
first); Yeager flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers
0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson grounded out (shortstop to first); Cruz
grounded out (first to pitcher); Herrmann grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 0, Astros 0.

DODGERS 3RD: Hooton flied out to left; Buckner lined to left;
Sizemore grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Dodgers 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Andrews lined to shortstop; Metzger grounded out
(first unassisted); Dierker singled to left; Gross flied out to
left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 0, Astros 0.

DODGERS 4TH: Smith struck out; Garvey doubled to right; Cey
homered [Garvey scored]; Lyttle grounded out (first unassisted);
Russell grounded out (third to first); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Dodgers 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Cabell made an out to first; Cedeno popped to first
in foul territory; Watson singled to center; Cruz walked [Watson
to second]; Herrmann lined to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Dodgers 2, Astros 0.

DODGERS 5TH: Yeager tripled to center; Hooton singled to right
[Yeager scored, Hooton out at second (right to shortstop)];
Buckner grounded out (shortstop to first); Sizemore flied out to
center; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 3, Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Andrews flied out to right; Metzger grounded out
(second to first); Dierker struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Dodgers 3, Astros 0.

DODGERS 6TH: Smith grounded out (first unassisted); Garvey made
an out to second; Cey grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers 3, Astros 0.

ASTROS 6TH: Gross flied out to center; Cabell singled to left;
Cedeno singled to right [Cabell to third]; Cedeno stole second;
Watson hit a sacrifice fly to left [Cabell scored]; Cruz made an
out to first; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 3, Astros 1.

DODGERS 7TH: Lyttle singled to center; Herrmann allowed a passed
ball [Lyttle to second]; Russell struck out; Yeager flied out to
center; Hooton struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 3,
Astros 1.

ASTROS 7TH: Herrmann grounded out (first unassisted); Andrews
singled to right; Metzger singled to right [Andrews to third];
BOSWELL BATTED FOR DIERKER; HOUGH REPLACED HOOTON (PITCHING);
Boswell grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to
first) [Metzger out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers
3, Astros 1.

DODGERS 8TH: PENTZ REPLACED BOSWELL (PITCHING); Buckner singled
to center; Buckner stole second; Sizemore struck out; Smith
flied out to left; Garvey walked; Cey singled to center [Buckner
scored, Garvey to third]; FORSCH REPLACED PENTZ (PITCHING);
Lyttle was walked intentionally [Cey to second]; Russell forced
Lyttle (shortstop to second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Dodgers 4,
Astros 1.

ASTROS 8TH: Gross singled to center; Cabell struck out; Cedeno
grounded out (third to first) [Gross to second]; Watson doubled
to left [Gross scored]; Cruz singled to right [Watson scored];
Cruz stole second; Herrmann grounded out (shortstop to first); 2
R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers 4, Astros 3.

DODGERS 9TH: Yeager grounded out (third to first); Hough struck
out; Buckner flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Dodgers
4, Astros 3.

ASTROS 9TH: Andrews flied out to right; JOHNSON BATTED FOR
METZGER; Johnson walked; HOWARD RAN FOR JOHNSON; ROBERTS BATTED
FOR FORSCH; Roberts grounded out (third to first) [Howard to
second]; Gross flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Dodgers
4, Astros 3.