THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 9, 1994 TAG: 9408090566
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
With their run-scoring skills slowly eroding, the Norfolk Tides are asking more than usual of their league-leading pitching staff.
Keeping the sputtering Tides even early, in hopes they can push across a run or two late, has become a pressing need that their starter could not fulfill for the second consecutive game Monday at Harbor Park.
Frank Seminara was tagged for four runs in the first three innings by the Syracuse Chiefs. Considering the ineffectual Tides' attack, dampened again by the absence of injured leadoff man Quilvio Veras, the runs were more than enough to propel the Chiefs to a 5-2 victory.
The Tides' sixth loss in eight August games came on a night in which the Richmond Braves extended their lead on them. With its victory, Richmond now sits 6 1/2 games ahead of the Tides - and 1 1/2 up on Columbus - in its attempt to hold on to the second and final playoff spot in the West Division.
``We made some bad pitches early and just didn't really put much together,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said.
Valentine's hitters haven't produced much of anything over the last eight games. The Tides have scored just 18 runs in that time, and more than three in a single game once.
Three won't get it done. The entire season, the Tides (57-60) have notched no more than three runs 58 times - or just under half their games. They have won only nine of them.
It follows that during anemic times, individual at-bats in the clutch assume added importance. Monday's unfair pressure fell upon shortstop Aaron Ledesma, who batted with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning.
With righthander Scott Brow struggling to protect his 4-1 lead, Ledesma, the Tides' leading RBI man with 55, worked the count to three balls-one strike, prime hitting conditions. Ledesma uncoiled at the fastball that followed but lofted it gently to centerfield to end the rally.
``It was a fastball right down the middle,'' Ledesma said. ``I just missed it. That happens from time to time, you know that?''
The Tides finally scored in the sixth on two singles and Omar Garcia's sacrifice fly, but with one hit over the final three innings, they bowed without a fight.
As for Seminara (4-6), his tailspin continued. He was fine after the third, but his six-inning stint yielded nine hits, four runs and his third consecutive loss. His totals in that time -- 13 2/3 innings, 27 hits, 16 runs, a 10.53 ERA.
That won't get it done, either. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by RALPH FITZGERALD
Tides catcher Joe Kmak puts the tag on Syracuse's Rich Butler during
Monday's second inning. Norfolk lost, 5-2.
Charts
Box Score
Attendance
Standings
For copy of charts, see microfilm
Chart
Team Statistics
[Tides' statistics, page C5]
For copy of chart, see microfilm
by CNB