Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 9, 1994 TAG: 9405090081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Chamberlain, the Bucs' ace in waiting this season, came through with the sort of pitching that his credentials promised.
Chamberlain four-hit the free-hackers from Winston-Salem for six innings, striking out seven, walking one and giving up three runs - none earned - in a 10-3 victory with 844 witnesses present on a brisk and breezy day at Municipal Field.
"The only thing I ever worried about him was that he was worrying, `What am I doing wrong?' " said Trent Jewett, Salem's manager.
Chamberlain's numbers coming into the game were unattractive: 0-5 record, 7.67 earned run average and 45 hits and 29 runs (23 earned) in 27 innings.
"I had my pitches today," he said. "Pitchers say that when they can get three or four of their pitchers over for strikes, which is what happened for me. I had a good change-up and the defense made the plays, except in that one inning."
The frame to which he referred was the fifth, when Jay Cranford's consecutive throwing errors with two out led to two Spirits runs and a 3-1 Winston-Salem lead. Cranford leads the team with 16 errors.
"I'm catching the balls; it's mainly the throws," Cranford said. "It's not like I'm lollipopping it over there to first. I throw it straight more often than I don't."
Never one to brood over defensive disasters, Cranford sparked a Salem comeback in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run triple, his first three-bagger of the year. Another run scored on a fielder's choice hit by Jon Farrell, and Salem never looked back.
Cranford went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in three. In his last at-bat, he went to the plate needing a home run to hit for the cycle.
"I didn't even know about it until a fan said something about it just before my at-bat," he said. "Then I thought, `I really have a chance at this.'"
Instead, Cranford hit into a fielder's choice. Still, he picked up another RBI, his team-leading 21st of the season.
The Bucs (13-18) smacked around Spirits reliever Brad Tweedlie to the tune of five runs (four earned) in the last two innings. All four of the Bucs' hits off Tweedlie were doubles and they finished with six for the game.
Salem took two of three from the Spirits - the Bucs' second consecutive winning series - and moved two-games behind front-running Winston-Salem in the Carolina League's Southern Division. The Spirits had a combined eight hits in the two losses, but pounded out 18 on Saturday in a 13-9 victory.
"We reverted back to what we looked like Friday," said Mark Berry, Winston-Salem's manager. "It's disappointing, especially after the way we played last night. Why? Concentration maybe. How you can go from 18 hits one game to four the next I don't know."
Bucs pitching had a lot to do with it. Aside from Chamberlain, Salem got four strikeouts in two perfect innings from John Ericks and a 1-2-3 ninth out of Dave Doorneweerd.
Ericks, a former first-round draft choice of the St. Louis Cardinals, is battling back from reconstructive shoulder surgery in August 1992. He missed all of 1993 rehabilitating his shoulder in Florida.
"Finally it's coming back," Ericks said. "I'm pleased with the way things are going."
Doorneweerd will be one of several vying for the slot in the rotation vacated when Gary Wilson was called up to Class AA Carolina this week. Wilson's role of No. 1 starter now falls to Chamberlain.
\ BUCSHOTS: Jason Kendall was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two driven in. The catcher/designated hitter is looking more and more like a fellow who plans to settle into the No. 3 spot in the Bucs' batting order. . . . Chamberlain was tied for the minor-league lead with five losses through May 4.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB