Game 40: Ron Reed is feeling generous today, allowing a home run to Gene Tenace (his first of the season) and another to Rick Monday (his third) before exiting in the fourth with a 7-6 deficit on the board. Reggie Cleveland throws three scoreless innings for the White Sox to earn his first save as the Spectres fall, 7-3.

Game 41: Milwaukee blows a 4-1 lead in the seventh, allowing four runs to the White Sox, but bounces back with a three-run eighth keyed by Richie Hebner's two-run single. Elias Sosa holds on, and the Riders even the series with a 7-5 win.

Game 42: Larry Hisle's two-run homer in the first gets the game off to a good start. Ted Sizemore, hitting under .240 for the season, adds a two-run single in the fourth, and Richie Hebner homers later. Jon Matlack tires late, allowing a grand slam to Pedro Garcia, but the Riders win 7-4.

Milwaukee will host Detroit next (20-22).

Game 43: Dave LaRoche continues to disappoint; Detroit scores three times off him in the eighth and the Murderers take the opening game at County Stadium, 4-3. LaRoche's ERA soars to 6.64 and he may have to be demoted from his setup role. Nate Colbert homers for the Riders, only his fourth of the season.

Game 44: In game two it's Milwaukee's turn to come back for a 4-3 win; AAA prospect Tristan Pinkham, making his first start of the season, hits a two-run double in the seventh to tie the score at three; Mike Lum hits a solo home run in the eighth to break the tie. Elias Sosa throws a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.

Game 45: Catfish Hunter outpitches Milwaukee's Bill Lee, allowing only six hits and walking none, as the Murderers take the series with a 5-2 win. Lee drops to 2-5. Pinkham hits another double, giving him two hits in seven at bats for the series.

Milwaukee heads to Cleveland to face the fourth-place Saltdogs (12-33).

Game 49: Billy Williams hits a two-run double off Bill Lee in the first, but Lee is untouchable thereafter; Bill Madlock and Craig Robinson each drives in two runs and the Riders take the game at Dodger Stadium, 4-2.

Game 50: Milwaukee explodes for 21 hits, four of them home runs, as they destroy LA with a 16-2 win. Richie Hebner is 5-5 and Tristan Pinkham is 4-4. Jon Matlack improves to 8-2 with seven solid innings.

Game 51: Milwaukee outhits Houston 12-11 but has a hard time getting any runs across the plate against 10-game winner Gaylord Perry. Make it 11 wins, as the Hooligans win 5-3. Fred Norman walks five batters in 4.1 innings and suffers his second loss of the season.

Game 52: Rich Gossage, entrusted with more important situations in the wake of Dave LaRoche's repeated failures, surrenders four runs in the seventh inning as the Hooligans complete a two-game sweep of the Riders with a 7-3 win. Bill Robinson hits his first home run of the season for Milwaukee.

The Riders head to New York to face the East-leading Mammoths (34-18).

Game 53: Dock Ellis always seems to have Milwaukee's number, and the opener of this series is no different. The Mammoths, meanwhile, have no trouble with Bill Lee, and romp to an 11-3 win. Cleon Jones has three hits and four runs.

Game 54: Elias Sosa suffers a rare lapse, blowing a 2-1 lead in the ninth, but Rich Gossage bails him out with two scoreless innings and is the winning pitcher when Bill Madlock doubles home a run in the 11th (then later scores on a wild pitch). Milwaukee evens the series with a 4-2 win.

Game 55: New York jumps on Fred Norman early, taking advantage of a Frank Taveras error to score the eventual winning run in the fifth, and the Riders can't catch up against Frank Tanana and Pedro Borbon. Norman drives in two runs himself but gets little support from his teammates, who fall 4-3 as the Mammoths win the series.

Divisional play returns as Milwaukee heads west to face Anaheim (17-38).

Game 56: The Angel bullpen shuts down the Rider offense in the last two innings, allowing the Californians to rally for a 4-3 win in the ninth. Pinch hitter Sixto Lezcano's bases-loaded single off Darold Knowles is the winner.

Game 57: Anaheim had lost at least nine straight entering this series, but the Riders have provided an effective cure. Mike Lum's four-hit game goes to waste as three Rider errors lead to five unearned Angel runs off Bill Lee and the Riders fall, 8-5. Lee falls to 3-7 on the season.

Game 58: Anaheim's Joe Coleman tosses eight three-hit innings, but still trails 1-0 when he leaves the game. Jon Matlack tires in the bottom of the ninth, however, allowing a double, a walk, and then an RBI single to Sixto Lezcano that ties the score. Ramon Hernandez relieves and is greeted by George Scott, who smashes a game-winning three-run homer. Anaheim sweeps the first place Riders with a 4-1 win.

Milwaukee returns home to host the Kansas City Blue Sox.

Game 59: Fred Norman throws six scoreless innings and the Riders manage to put a few runs across the plate against an exhausted Blue Sox bullpen to take the opener, 5-1.

Game 60: Kansas City scores four times in the seventh, most off Rich Gossage, to take a 5-2 lead, but the overworked Blue Sox bullpen costs them in the end. Milwaukee scores twice in the eighth to pull within a run, then gets two more in the bottom of the ninth to pull off a 6-5 win. Thurman Munson's single brings home Bill Madlock with the winner.

Game 61: Milwaukee finally takes full advantage of the decimated Blue Sox pitching staff, pounding 23 hits in a 26-4 blowout. Tommy John gets the win in relief and drives home four runs. Bill Robinson drives home five. Frank Taveras has four hits and Ted Sizemore collects four walks.

The Riders will complete this second round of divisonal play with a trip to Oakland to face the Zoo.

Game 62: Jon Matlack has a rare bad start, allowing nine runs (four unearned) and the Zoo maintains its mystical hold over the Riders with a 10-3 series opening victory. Bill Robinson hits his third home run.. his bat is starting to improve after a horrid start to the season.

Game 63: More shoddy defense contributes to another Milwaukee loss; Richie Hebner's error opens the doors to a five-run inning (four unearned) and the Zoo defeats the Riders 5-2 despite being outhit 9-3.

Game 64: Milwaukee avoids a sweep and salvages a 4-5 record in this round of divisonal play as Ron Reed and three relievers combine on a two-hitter. Ted Sizemore and Mike Lum each drives home two runs in the 4-0 win.

Milwaukee will face the NL West's San Francisco Storm (37-27) for two games next.

Game 67: Sacrificial lamb Eddie Watt allows 15 walks in six innings; Milwaukee has no problems in an 18-0 blowout. Bill Robinson hits two doubles and drives home six runs; Mike Lum scores four and drives in four. Fred Norman tosses five scoreless innings for his seventh win.

Game 68: Charlie Spikes' two-run double in the seventh breaks open a close game and the Rider bullpen throws four scoreless innings in a 5-1 win. Rich Gossage, with two scoreless innings, gets the win in relief.

Game 69: Bill Lee falls to 3-9, allowing seven hits and five runs in two innings, as the IronBirds avoid a sweep with an 8-4 victory over a punchless Rider team. Nate Colbert hits his seventh home run, one of only six Milwaukee hits.

The Riders head east to face the Washington Commandos.

Game 70: Jon Matlack throws eight scoreless innings and Larry Hisle hits a grand slam in the ninth as the Riders take the opener in DC, 7-0. Terry Crowley hits two more doubles, giving him nine in only 54 at bats.

Game 71: Fred Norman strikes out nine and walks none in six scoreless innings, and the bullpen throws three more shutout frames as the Riders win a tense 1-0 battle in Washington DC. The game's only run scores in the eighth when Charlie Spikes doubles home Ted Sizemore.

Game 72: Milwaukee collects 17 hits while Ron Reed and Tommy John combine for a shutout as the Riders sweep the Commandos with a 13-0 win. Milwaukee allows no runs in the series, lowering the team's ERA to 3.01.

Milwaukee returns home to host Boston (37-35).

Game 73: Gene Michael, making a rare start at second base, has run-producing hits in three consecutive at bats, driving in four runs, as the Riders take the opener 5-2. Bill Lee throws six effective innings and wins his fourth game.

Game 74: For the fourth time in the last five games, Milwaukee shuts out the opposition. Jon Matlack throws eight innings in this one with Rich Gossage pitching the ninth. The Riders don't overwhelm anybody with the bats but score four times, more than enough in this game.

Game 75: Fred Norman and Rich Gossage contribute eight more shutout innings to the Milwaukee cause, but things go badly in the ninth. Entering with a 5-0 lead, Darold Knowles allows three straight hits. Out goes Knowles, in comes Elias Sosa. First batter gets another hit. Score is now 5-3. Sosa retires two of the next four batters but walks the other two. Tommy Davis ties the game with a single to center field. Tommy John is forced to enter the game; he retires Buddy Bell for the third out. In extras, nothing much happens despite several threats on each side. Finally, in the bottom of the 14th, Milwaukee breaks through, getting an RBI double from Gene Michael to win it. Bill Lee, pitching 1.1 innings in relief, gets credit for the win, his fifth of the season.

Milwaukee heads north to visit Minnesota, who beat us badly in two of the three games we faced them earlier this season.

Game 76: The opener is a bit odd as the Riders explode for 22 hits, blasting Moosehead starter Paul Splitorff, who had been 11-3, but no home runs. Tommy John allows seven hits in only 2.2 innings of relief, but only one run scores against him. Thurman Munson is probably the offensive star with four hits, two runs, and two RBI. Ron Reed improves to 9-3 with six strong innings.

Game 77: Larry Hisle has five hits, two home runs, and five RBI as the Riders ensure that they will at least split with the Mooseheads in the first half, winning 8-3. Bill Lee wins his third straight decision, making him 6-9 with one start this half. Richie Hebner also hits a home run, his 10th. Charlie Spikes becomes the first Rider with 50 RBI.

Game 78: Jon Matlack is brilliant again and Mike Lum drives home five runs with two homers as the Riders win their ninth straight, 6-1 over Minnesota. Matlack gets his 11th win.

Milwaukee will close the first half of the season at home against the Chicago White Sox (44-34).

Game 79: Milwaukee gets to White Sox starter Pat Dobson early, scoring four times in the first two innings, but gets nothing the rest of the way as Dobson throws a complete game. Luckily the Rider pitchers make it stand up, limiting Chicago to six hits and one run in a 4-1 decision. Fred Norman gets the win, his eighth.

Game 80: Chicago evens the series, turning an early close game into a 10-3 laugher as Tommy John has a bad outing in relief of Ron Reed (who was nothing special himself). Charlie Spikes homers for the Riders but they don't do much else at the plate.

Game 81: Chicago ended Milwaukee's 10-game winning streak in game two, then obliterate the Riders in the finale, leaving a sour taste in Milwaukee's mouths as the All Star Break arrives. Bill Lee exits after three and Tommy John is brutalized for the second straight game. Chicago's Tom Seaver is his usual terrific self, winning his ninth game. Chicago rolls, 16-2, and the Riders finish the first half at 50-31.