THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 3, 1994 TAG: 9409030641
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Juan Castillo's once-impressive season, which included a two-game stint in the major leagues, finished on a wild downward spiral Friday in the Norfolk Tides' 5-4 loss to the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.
Castillo, a 24-year old righthander from Caracas, Venezuela, suffered his fifth consecutive defeat after a strong Triple-A debut Aug. 6. He failed to survive the fifth inning for the fourth start in a row and wound up with a 1-5 record and 7.22 earned-run average. This after trampling the Double-A Eastern League with an 11-2 mark and 2.59 ERA.
``I wouldn't say I'm surprised, because I didn't know what to expect from Juan,'' pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. ``I am disappointed, because he didn't show what he's capable of doing. I'm disappointed for him. He knows he's better than that.''
Castillo used 101 pitches to labor through 4 2/3 innings. The Red Barons (62-79) scored three times after two were out in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead. The Tides (66-75) answered with three of their own, two on a single by Omar Garcia, in the fifth to make it 5-4.
But three relievers held the Tides to one hit over the final four innings.
A paid crowd of 12,932 attended the next-to-last game of the season. The gathering allowed the Tides to set an attendance record, surpassing last year's total of 529,708. They have sold 535,631 tickets this season.
NEW RADIO DEAL: The Tides and WTAR 790-AM agreed Friday on a new five-year radio contract. WTAR, which has broadcast Tides games since 1989, outbid WGH 1310-AM for the rights.
Tides general manager Dave Rosenfield said play-by-play man Rob Evans plans to return for his third consecutive season and fourth overall.
PITCHING STUFF: Lefthander Gregg Langbehn was brought back from Binghamton for the final two games to fill out the Tides' bullpen. Langbehn was 3-3 with a 5.44 ERA in Double-A.
The closer in that bullpen, Mike Cook, needs one more save to equal the Tides' record of 20 set by Wes Gardner in 1984.
ALL THE MARBLES: Syracuse's third consecutive victory over Ottawa on Friday gave the Chiefs the final playoff position in the East Division. Richmond also clinched the West with a 3-2 victory over Charlotte.
GRAND THIEF: Had second baseman Quilvio Veras matched his standard on-base percentage of around .400, he might have been a cinch to break Mookie Wilson's 14-year old Tides record of 50 stolen bases.
But Veras' walks are down, and his on-base percentage is about .340. Veras has 40 steals in 58 attempts, with a shot at No. 5 on the Tides' all-time list.
Wilson stole 50 in 1980 and 49 the year before.
Last season, Eric Bullock swiped 45 bases for the third-most all-time. Gil Flores had 43 steals in 1981 and Pepe Mangual stole 41 in 1977.
ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE: Paul Wilson, the Mets' first pick in last June's draft and the first pick overall, went 0-5 with a 5.06 ERA in Class-A St. Lucie. Wilson was tired, the Mets believe, after working about 150 innings for Florida State. Wilson struck out 37 in 37 1/3 innings. ... Through Thursday, former No. 1 draft pick Al Shirley from Danville had struck out 206 times in 433 at-bats and was batting .215 for Class-A Capital City (Columbia, S.C.) But Shirley, 20, had hit 23 home runs and stolen 23 bases. ... For the same team, third baseman Preston Wilson was hitting .227 with 134 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 467 at-bats. Wilson also had made 47 errors. ... Pitcher Kirk Presley was 5-6 with a 3.80 ERA in Class-A Pittsfield. ... Outfielder Jay Payton, drafted this year out of Georgia Tech, hit .380 in Pittsfield and was promoted this week to Double-A Binghamton. ... In Binghamton, which clinched its division title Thursday, infielder Edgardo Alfonzo was batting .288 with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs.
SEASON FINALE: Jason Jacome, who pitched this season's home opener for the Tides, gets the start in tonight's final game.
Jacome (7-6, 2.91) will oppose Robert Gaddy (9-11, 3.56), who took a perfect game into the ninth inning last Monday against the Tides. by CNB