
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 18, 1995                   TAG: 9508180049
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

AVALANCHE HAS A LOT ON THE LINE

The Salem Avalanche has spent the better part of the past two weeks wheezing through the Carolina League schedule, but still is very much in the race for the second-half title in the Southern Division.

But then, so are Durham, Winston-Salem and front-running Kinston.

All four teams in the division are within 2 1/2 games of first place going into today's action, with Winston-Salem tied for second at 26-27 and Salem in last place at 25-28.

The Avalanche and the Warthogs could change that this week. A three-game series opens at 7 p.m. today at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium. The Avalanche will send left-hander Doug Million to the mound against Winston-Salem right-hander Curt Lyons. The home stand continues Monday with the start of a four-game set with runaway Northern Division leader Wilmington.

Thirteen of Salem's remaining 18 games are at the new stadium. Seven of those home games are with Wilmington, which is 10 games ahead of second-place Lynchburg.

The impending arrival of the Blue Rocks isn't the happiest news for the Avalanche, which has had all kinds of trouble of late at the plate. Wilmington has had the league's best pitching in the second half and had a league-leading 2.90 ERA and 897 strikeouts through Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Winston-Salem looms. The Warthogs have won seven of their past 10, including a 3-0 win over Durham Thursday night. Salem has lost six in a row and eight of 10.

``We're playing just well enough to lose,'' said Bill Hayes, the Avalanche's manager.

Injuries haven't helped.

Outfielder John Giudice (.261, seven home runs, 48 runs batted in) has a sore hip and shoulder and hasn't played since the weekend. That deprives Salem of its best outfield arm, as well as a respectable bat.

Second baseman Vicente Garcia (.241, 54 runs) has a sore knee and has missed a couple of games. Utility player Pookie Jones has been reduced to pinch-running duties because of a nagging shoulder injury.

Forry Wells (.249, 16 HR, 57 RBI) has been filling in for Giudice and Steven Bernhardt (.239) for Garcia.

Who knows what the disruption in the batting order will do?

``Our starting pitching has been getting the job done,'' Hayes said. ``We just haven't been getting any timely hits.''The Avalanche is capable with the bat. It is, after all, second in the league with 552 runs scored, 37 fewer than Lynchburg. But not much firepower has been evident lately, and Memorial Stadium, with its high walls and expansive foul territory, is a pitcher's paradise.

Keywords:
BASEBALL

by CNB