THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250763
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Defrocked by the Mets by being taken off their 40-man roster, still a season away from minor-league free agency, Dave Telgheder has moved into the realm of the Triple-A insurance policy.
Even in these days of watered down big-league pitching, Telgheder has been unable to stick with the Mets in a 24-game trial last year and a six-gamer this season.
His guess is he'll get another chance with the Mets only if the stars and moon allign a particular way or something. Otherwise, barring a trade or some Rule 5 draft activity this winter, Telgheder's fourth season with the Tides appears in store for 1995.
Not great for Telgheder, but not bad for the Tides. The 27-year old righthander has been as consistent as any starter except 9-1 Eric Hillman. Telgheder gave up three or fewer runs for the ninth consecutive time - and 14th time in 16 starts since June 3 - Wednesday at Harbor Park.
He allowed six hits, two walks andtwo runs, striking out seven in seven innings. And he lost again as the sickly Tides' bats managed just four hits in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Lynx.
Norfolk, which has 28 hits and 10 runs in the last five games, got a home run from Doug Dascenzo, an infield single from Quilvio Veras and a single and double from Omar Garcia.
Besides Dascenzo's home-run trot, they had four runners reach second base against Gabe White and four relievers.
``We haven't been scoring a lot of runs lately?'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said in mock surprise. ``We'll score tomorrow.''
That'll be too late for Telgheder, who has witnessed so much non-support it's becoming cruel. Telgheder is 8-10, but the Tides scored 15 runs in those losses.
That hasn't sullied in Telgheder's mind his work since he recovered from a ``dead arm'' that plagued his spring in Norfolk.
After running up a 6.56 earned-run average through May, Telgheder has trimmed that number to 2.43 since then.
``I'm accomplishing what I wanted to do,'' said Telgheder, who was jettisoned after going 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in 10 innings in New York. ``I wanted to show the Mets that I think they made a mistake giving up on me so quick, taking me off the roster and everything, and I wanted to prove to myself that what happened up there and the first month down here was just a fluke.
``I can pitch here, I can pitch in the big leagues. I think I'm showing that. There are scouts in the stands. I'm think I'm pitching for them, too.''
Telgheder exhausted his slim margin for error in the third when, after Curtis Pride tripled with two out and Tim Laker walked, Telgheder balked. He turned to first to chase back Laker, but first baseman Garcia was playing well behind Laker and Telgheder couldn't throw.
Derek Lee followed with an RBI double for a 2-0 lead. The Lynx made it 3-1 in the ninth on Hector Villanueva's home run off Jonathan Hurst.
It was insurance. Ballclubs can't have enough of that, and Telgheder figures he's going to find out firsthand. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by PAUL AIKEN
Tides rightfielder Jeromy Burnitz tries unsuccessfully to barehand
the first-inning hit of Ottawa's F.P. Santangelo, who got in with a
double.
by CNB