ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608190073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
There was nothing special to report from the world of the Salem Avalanche on Saturday night. No stories of rehabbing big leaguers or former prospects trying to make it back to their prior status.
No Larry Walker slugging balls all over the ballpark. No Bill Swift on the mound. No David Nied trying to jump start his career. Just a bad 11-4 loss to the Prince William Cannons that ended the best stretch of a bad second half of the Carolina League season.
The Avalanche, buried at the bottom of the Southern Division, treated its second-largest crowd of the season to its worst performance in a week, as 4,807 saw Salem's five-game win streak come to an end.
``The positives are that we've been playing good,'' said Salem manager Bill McGuire. ``There's really no need to bring up any negatives. We all know we got beat. I just hope we don't go back into our shell and play poorly for another week or so. It's a lot nicer to win five of six than to lose five of six.''
That seemed to be the mode of thinking in the Salem clubhouse. Rather than dwelling on the second-longest winning streak of the season, players were looking back at the past six games and seeing five wins.
``We had a meeting a couple of days ago and we all agreed to try to finish strong,'' said Salem first baseman Nate Holdren, who homered and doubled. ``We want to go out and earn respect. You look back at our last six games, we've won five.''
Although the last week has been good for Salem (21-31), Saturday was brutal. Salem pitchers conspired to walk six batters - five by starter Steve Shoemaker, who gave up six runs in five innings - and the defense committed three errors.
Shoemaker (1-6), making his first start since Aug. 3 when he broke his toe after kicking a water cooler, walked the first two batters of the game. Both scored. Holdren tied it in the first with a two-run homer off a hanging 0-2 curveball from Jason Olsen and Blake Barthol made it 3-2 by doubling home Tal Light, who had walked.
Walk the Ballpark Night continued in the third when the Cannons scored four times on three hits and three walks to make it 6-3. In the bottom of the third, Kyle Houser walked (of course) and Holdren doubled him in. Olsen (6-3) settled down and retired 12 of the next 14 batters and left the game after six, having allowed five hits and four runs and striking out seven and walking three.
``There was nothing specific he did [after the third],'' said Cannons skipper Dave Huppert. ``He just got the ball over the plate. Walks always seem to come around to hurt you. There are nights like that. That's why we're in [Class] A-ball. You're not going to be consistent every night.''
SNOWBALLS: Swift, the Colorado Rockies right-hander who pitched two innings for Salem on Friday in his first rehabilitation assignment, had the expected stiffness in his throwing shoulder Saturday. ``I'll know more about how it feels [today],'' said Swift, who will probably throw for 10 minutes. ... McGuire said on a morning radio show that he plans to manage the Avalanche again in 1996. Rockies' farm director Dick Balderson told Baseball America, ``He'll probably be in Salem next year, but he has a chance to move up. He's done a hell of a job.'' A month ago, McGuire was voted as the Carolina League's best managerial prospect by his peers.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines KEYWORDS: BASEBALLby CNB