THE WEEK

NL EAST

Tom Seaver Pitched his fifth and sixth consecutive complete-game victories for NEW YORK, but the Mets could not pull away from PITTSBURGH, which scored 26 runs on 41 hits in taking the first two games of a series against the Cubs. Roberto Clemente, who has only eight home runs all year, led the Pirates with four homers. Asked how many he figured he would hit if he played all his games in Wrigley Field, Clemente said, "There's no point talking about it because I'll never play for the Cubs. It's like asking somebody if they would mind being married to Raquel Welch. Sure they wouldn't, but there's no sense talking about it because it'll never happen." A CHICAGO radio station "rested" Leo Durocher from his talk show just when the Cub manager was doing some bizarre benching himself. The station wired Leo, telling him to take a rest, presumably until the Cubs start winning. Leo then benched Billy Williams, who had played in 1,047 straight games and had averaged .361 as the Cubs lost their previous 10 games. Replaced in the starting lineup by a .227 hitter, Williams appeared as a late-inning substitute, but by then his team was well on its way to its 11th consecutive loss. ST. LOUIS was closing out a home stand and, to make sure he was well rested for his start the next night against the Expos, Pitcher Mike Torrez was sent to Canada a day early. Torrez, it turned out, should have stood in bed. He was caught napping in the first inning, allowed six runs, and was again sent ahead of the rest of the club, this time to the clubhouse for an early shower after retiring only two batters. PHILADELPHIA finally scored on the Mets after 53 runless innings against them at home. They did it with a game-winning, six-run rally in the eighth that included pinch hits by Tony Taylor, Ron Stone and Byron Browne. "Instead of a funeral," said Manager Frank Lucchesi, "we had a parade." MONTREAL, which ran up its longest winning streak ever (five games), let its fantastic fans share in the joy. "The way these people have supported us, we owe them a special gift," said smiling Expo Owner Bill Bronfman. "Everybody in the park [there were 17,576] gets a free ticket to another game."

NY 43-36 PITT 44-38 ST. L 39-40 CHI 37-40 PHIL 34-45 MONT 33-46

NL WEST

Cincinnati (page 12), which had been hitting almost two home runs a game, found the swinging may not be so easy in its new Riverfront Stadium where the Reds hit only one homer in their first six games. It was stroked by nonslugger Tommy Helms, who bounced a fly ball off the left field foul pole for his first home run of the year. Unable to match Helms' power, the rest of the Reds decided to mock it. When Helms trotted into the dugout, Angel Bravo and Jimmy Stewart were stretched out on the floor, feigning faints, while their teammates fanned them with towels. LOS ANGELES Reliever Jim Brewer comes from Broken Arrow in the Oklahoma Panhandle, where dust storms are as common as prairie dogs, but he never felt a wind as strong as the one at Candlestick Park last Saturday. "It was blowing so hard and with so much dirt and debris in it that I couldn't see," said Brewer, who has not given up a run in a month. "The fact is, I couldn't see the catcher, the batter or the umpire." He still pitched three gritty innings to gain credit for an 8-6 Dodger win. ATLANTA'S Henry Aaron takes an occasional game oft" to stay fresh for his assault on Babe Ruth's home-run record, but if he sits down too often he may have to watch out for his replacement, Mike Lum. The Hawaiian outfielder stepped in for Aaron in a game last week, hit three home runs and drove in five runs. SAN FRANCISCO, the worst fielding team in the majors, committed seven errors in two games against the Dodgers and lost them both. HOUSTON batters hit only two home runs all week, but Pitcher Denny Lemaster didn't need that meager help from his teammates. He took things into his own hands. He blasted a homer and punched a single to drive in three runs, enough to defeat the Dodgers without any help. After the Padres took their 12th loss in 13 games, rumor had it in SAN DIEGO that Manager Preston Gomez would soon join the town's aircraft workers at the unemployment office. Would President Buzzie Bavasi make the traditional denial? Well, almost. "I won't dignify a story that is not true," he said. "I won't say anything about something that has no foundation." Gomez knows that statements like that are about as cheap as bleacher seats. "You never unpack your suitcase in this business," he said.

CINN 57-23 LA 47-32 ATL 40-38 SF 37-41 HOUS 34-47 SD 32-51

AL EAST

Before the season, BALTIMORE Manager Earl Weaver promised to turn over a new leaf in his relations with umpires, and, until last week, his deportment had been restrained. Then Weaver let a few cleverly constructed phrases fly at Umpire Jake O'Donnell and took his first early shower of the season. "I got thrown out because I complained about ball and strike calls," Weaver said. "Actually, there were two in a row. When he blew the second one on Ray Fosse and Fosse followed with a homer, I decided I couldn't go through this aggravation for nine innings." NEW YORK dropped four straight games, its longest losing streak of the season, then broke it with help from unexpected sources. Reliever Ron Klimkowski, who had no wins to go along with his 5.00 ERA, picked up a victory with four innings of scoreless pitching, and substitute Catcher Jake Gibbs cracked a two-run triple to drive in the winning score. Second Baseman Horace Clarke provided the Yanks' other clutch hit of the week. For the third time in a month he broke up a no-hitter with a ninth-inning base hit. Joe Niekro of DETROIT was the latest victim when Clarke hit a slow grounder to second. Niekro, who was covering first on the play, failed to stop quickly while catching Dick McAuliffe's throw and his foot slipped off the base, BOSTON moved over .500 for the first time since early May as Carl Yastrzemski averaged .500 and cracked three home runs. WASHINGTON'S Darold Knowles has a 1-6 record, but his 13 saves and 1.38 ERA make him the top left-handed relief pitcher in the league. After Knowles held the Yankees without an earned run for 2‚Öî innings last week, Yankee Pete Ward said Knowles was successful because he quick-pitches the batters. "You come up to the plate, put your head down a second while getting set, look up and the guy is into his delivery," claimed Ward. "What he does is legal, but immoral. He's a quick-pitch SOB." No sooner did Hawk Harrelson, who had not had a haircut since he broke his leg in spring training, begin to work out with CLEVELAND than Manager Alvin Dark cut him down twice. First Dark disagreed with the Hawk's claim that he would be ready to play regularly in early August. "He may be ready next March or April," said Dark, who then ordered Harrelson to get a haircut before he put on an Indian uniform again.

BALT 50-30 NY 44-35 DET 41-35 BOST 40-36 WASH 37-43 CLEV 33-44

AL WEST

Minnesota's Harmon Killebrew hit three home runs, increasing his season total to 23 and putting him in his accustomed position on top among the American League's sluggers. When CALIFORNIA'S Clyde Wright attended Carson-Newman College in his hometown of Jefferson City, Tenn., he pitched the team to the NAIA championship. That was five years ago, but not until last Friday did the NAIA get around to installing Wright in its Hall of Fame. The ceremonies took place at Anaheim Stadium before a game Wright was scheduled to pitch; two hours after the NAIA had finished with him, the lefthander was on his way to another Hall of Fame. In an effortless performance in which he walked three men, Wright pitched a no-hitter against the A's. Reggie Jackson of OAKLAND, still batting only .230, homered in the winning run twice as the Athletics stayed hot with victories in six of their last seven games. Ted Abernathy, who has been traded away this year by two National League contenders, the Cubs and the Cards, found a home in KANSAS CITY. Within three days of reporting to his new team, the submarine-delivery righthander posted a pair of wins and a save. A's Owner Charlie Finley and CHICAGO Sports Columnist Dave Condon cooked up a little excitement at Comiskey Park. The 260-pound Condon, sometimes called New Mexico Fats, conned Finley into giving him $145 to buy a costume which Condon wore onto the field in imitation of the rash of publicity-seeking go-go dancers and strippers who have made a fad of running onto baseball fields in minidresses to kiss players. Looking like a cow in drag, Condon galloped onto the field to kiss the A's first baseman, Joe Rudi. Rudi retreated. Condon yelled, "Damn it, Rudi, stand still. If I have to run all the way to second base, you'll have to carry me back to the dugout." As Condon was being escorted from the diamond he stopped to plant a smooch on Umpire John Rice while the organist played A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody. The high jinks were even higher in MILWAUKEE where the Brewers have hired Milt Mason, a 69-year-old former wing walker, to sit atop the County Stadium scoreboard until the day the team draws a full house. The management has been realistic about how long that may take. They hoisted a fully equipped house trailer to the top of the scoreboard for Mason, who could be there until 1984.

MINN 49-26 CAL 47-32 OAK 45-35 KC 29-49 CHI 28-52 MIL 27-53