THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406020649
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940602 LENGTH: NORFOLK
Confident after a strong road trip, despite personnel losses to the Mets, the Tides were in last place yet only 5 1/2 games out of first in the West Division. Ten games later, that deficit has nearly doubled as the frustration of a squandered opportunity bubbled up a final time Wednesday at Harbor Park.
{REST} The Tides dropped a 3-2 decision to the Columbus Clippers when two walks and a broken-bat single in the ninth inning doomed them to a 2-8 homestand.
They leave Friday for a trip to Toledo and Columbus knowing they are 10-11 on the road. Yet they are too aware of a rash of critical breakdowns of late, miscues magnified by a sluggish offense that produced more than four runs just three times in the 10 games.
``The way we played on the road, regardless of the little roster changes that were made, I thought we were ready to take off,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``The pitching was decent. We just never really played the type of ball we're capable of playing.''
A fourth consecutive strong outing by 22-year-old righthander Joe Roa, who dueled lefthander Kirt Ojala and battled a finger blister, ended after eight innings with the game tied at 2. But lefty reliever Gregg Langbehn, in to face only Sam Horn, instead got pinch-hitter Mike Humphreys but walked him on four pitches to start the ninth.
``Not a good thing to do in a tie game,'' said Langbehn, who has walked 12 batters in 16 innings.
Langbehn wound up the loser when Humphreys made it around the bases on a stolen base and a single. Pete Walker had entered to record two outs, but then walked No. 9-hitter Jalal Leach on a full-count pitch.
Walker followed by getting a strike on Billy Masse before Masse dumped a broken-bat single into leftfield to bring in Humphreys.
``With a base open, I was being careful (to Leach), especially with the righty coming up,'' said Walker, who said he feels more comfortable at the moment facing righthanders. ``I got inside, I made the pitch I wanted to make, and that's the way it turned out.''
And like that, the Tides hit the road hoping for a repeat of the 7-2 trip that carried them home more than a week ago.
``Obviously, we're sputtering right now,'' Valentine said. ``I'm glad we have an off day (today). I hope we can just recharge and realize that we have ... a lot of baseball left to play, and that we can put something together.'' by CNB