THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 29, 1994 TAG: 9407290734
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Nearly four months ago, the Norfolk Tides were a break-even ballclub. Only on April 8, after they split their first two games, have the Tides' victories and defeats numbered the same.
Until Thursday, that is, when the long road back to equality ended with a 6-2 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens at Harbor Park, the Tides' third consecutive triumph over that floundering group.
There are more important things in this world, but for a team that has spent its spring and summer panting after the West Division leaders, 53-53 is not to be belittled.
In truth, the Tides have been much better than mediocre since they scraped bottom June 13 at 27-37. Their 26-16 record since then, spearheaded by consistently strong pitching, is second in the league only to Charlotte's 27-15 pace, and has put them in a position to play meaningful games in August.
Games that, if big-league players strike Aug. 12, might even be carried on that cable TV station out of New Jersey that telecasts the Mets.
At .500, it seems, your realm of possibilities opens up.
``To come from so far down to where we are right now, we just have to keep our momentum,'' third baseman Butch Huskey said. ``It's kind of late to be stalling right now. We just have to keep going forward. I think we're going to do it.''
What the Tides do over the next seven games could largely determine their postseason fate. On tap are three games with second-place Richmond followed by four against division-leading Charlotte. Figure those foes to compete with more fire than the Mud Hens (45-59), who were verbally blistered by manager Larry Parrish for two hours in their clubhouse after Wednesday's ragged 7-1 loss.
Duly motivated, the Hens stayed even through three. The contest tilted in the fourth, though, when the Tides snapped the scoreless tie with four runs on four hits off Ben Blomdahl. Omar Garcia drove in a run with a two-out single, Jim Vatcher doubled, Greg Graham walked and Quilvio Veras cleared the bases with a three-run double for a 4-0 lead.
It was 5-0 when Toledo got two unearned runs off Doug Linton (2-1) in the sixth. But lefthander Kevin Morton shut down the Mud Hens on one hit over the final three innings to earn the third save of his six-year career.
``It's a streaky game and you've got to battle through those tough parts (of the season),'' said Morton, one of just eight men who have been Tides, exclusively, the entire year. ``And now look, we're rolling right now, and hopefully we'll have good things in August.''
Tides manager Bobby Valentine is counting on it.
``We're where we should be and we're getting better,'' he said. ``I think the young guys have their feet on the ground now and the veteran guys aren't distracted about anything besides bettering their career and playing here. It's a good group of guys playing baseball.'' ILLUSTRATION: Charts
Box Score
Paid Attendance
Standings
Team Statistics
For copy of charts, see microfilm
by CNB