THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 1, 1995 TAG: 9507010339
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Since they last met, the Norfolk Tides and Richmond Braves have been on express rides in the International League West, with the Tides going up and the Braves, ah, losing like crazy.
When the Tides beat Richmond on June 19, it made Norfolk's lead in the division two games. But after four Tides' pitchers hung a 4-0, four-hit shutout on the free-falling Braves on Friday night at The Diamond, the Tides had an 8 1/2-game advantage to take into their series against Richmond tonight and Sunday at Harbor Park.
The Tides (52-30) have gone 8-2 in the last 11 days, while Richmond (43-38) has staggered to a 1-8 mark reeking of surprisingly bad pitching, untimely call-ups and injuries - .332-hitting shortstop Ed Giovanola is disabled - and snake-bitten offense. It's going so bad for the Braves that they had 22 hits in a 16-inning game Wednesday against Toledo - and scored three runs.
``It's nice to have a lead like that, but I think it's still a little early to get too comfortable,'' said outfielder Derek Lee, who had two of the Tides' 10 hits, as did Omar Garcia and Rey Ordonez. ``I had seen where Richmond had lost six or seven in a row (actually eight). But I couldn't tell you how many games up we are. The last month, month and a half is when you start watching that.''
It was Jason Jacome's good fortune to draw Richmond for his first start in two weeks because of tendinitis in his left shoulder. Not that Jacome needed the help, what with the location and crisp movement of his pitches.
Jacome (2-1), who left his last start June 16 with shoulder stiffness, had a no-hitter through five innings, facing only one man over the minimum. But Jacome, protecting a 1-0 lead, yielded a leadoff single to Jose Olmeda in the sixth.
He worked out of first-and-third trouble, though, by getting Bobby Moore on a double play. After the Tides went up, 2-0, on Terrell Wade, the Braves began the seventh with two singles. Jacome got Tyler Houston on a fly to right, then gave way to Bryan Rogers, who shut the door.
Rogers handed to Don Florence for the eighth, and Paul Byrd handled the ninth to complete the Tides' 10th shutout, tying Richmond for the league-lead in that category, and lowering the staff's league-best ERA to 2.76.
``I just can't say enough about the pitching staff, top to bottom,'' Tides manager Toby Harrah said. ``They make everything happen, especially with their ability to not give up runs early, because we tend to score our runs later.''
The Tides, whose roster is four shy of the 25-man maximum with Aaron Ledesma's promotion to the Mets, added a pair in the ninth as Jacome watched with a conspicuously pain-free shoulder and confidence that continues to rise.
``I think I've pitched great since I've been here,'' said Jacome, who began the season with the Mets but, in going 0-4 with a 10.29 ERA, suffered a confidence crisis. He was sent down May 22, and is 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 25 1/3 innings. ``I'm here to get my mind straightened out more than anything. Pitching up there, I know I can handle it, but mentally I was struggling.''
As he adds to the Tides' incredible pitching statistics and continues his physical and psychological rehabilitation, Jacome said his New York nightmare has all but faded.
``I don't even think about anything that happened up there,'' he said. ``Here, it's all like a fresh start.'' by CNB