THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509130538
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: OTTAWA LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The musty saw that Norfolk Tides manager Toby Harrah likes to cite after the occasional tough loss was never more appropriate. Tuesday, though, as he picked through his postgame chicken dinner, Harrah didn't need to remind anybody about how most games are lost, not won.
It already was too obvious, the Tides' failure that is, in a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Lynx that nudged the Lynx to within a victory of winning the International League's Governors' Cup.
A huge error and three walks, two particularly galling in the eighth inning, that the Tides handed to Ottawa helped the Lynx overcome its second four-hit effort and take a 2-1 lead in the five-game set.
The Tides wasted nine hits and left the bases loaded in the ninth, as reeling righthander J.J. Thobe got Kevin Morgan to ground out on a full-count pitch. This after Thobe had just walked Ricky Otero to force in a run for the final 3-2 margin.
Thus with ace Paul Wilson saved for a possible Game 5 - it was decided before the series that Wilson would be used to win the series rather than keep the Tides alive on three days' rest - Chris Roberts will make his first appearance since Aug. 30 tonight in Game 4.
Lefty Gabe White will go for the Lynx in its first shot at the Governors' Cup in the franchise's three-year existence.
Tuesday's loss hurt the Tides in more ways than one. Rightfielder Alex Ochoa sprained his left wrist on a dive into the plate and will probably see no more action. Ochoa, who singled in the Tides' first run in the fourth, was thrown out soon after trying to score on Jason Hardtke's double.
Ochoa, batting .360 in the postseason, tried to dive around catcher Bert Heffernan and jammed his wrist against the catcher and then the ground. He was taken for X-rays after the game, but even if there is no break he is expected to join infielders Aaron Ledesma and Edwin Alicea on the shelf, though Ledesma, out with a strained quadriceps, can pinch-hit.
``Usually four hits can't beat you, but we've lost two games to Ottawa when they got four hits,'' Harrah said. ``It's not like they're killing us with their bats.''
Only one hit really hurt the Tides on Tuesday, a home run by Yamil Benitez off Eric Ludwick that led off the fifth and tied the game at 1. With two outs in the same inning, Ludwick walked pitcher Barry Manuel, who reached second on catcher John Orton's passed ball.
But with a 2-2 count on Chris Martin, even though the runner on second was a chunky pitcher unlikely to go anywhere, Ludwick tried to pick off Manuel and threw the ball into centerfield. No harm appeared to be done, as Manuel made no attempt to advance with Jay Payton charging in to field the ball.
Payton, though, looked up to check on Manuel and the ball rolled under his glove, an error that allowed Manuel to score easily.
``If we can get an out without making a pitch we're gonna take it,'' pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. ``I didn't second-guess it at all. OK, we throw it away, he's on third base with two outs. No big deal. It was the overrun in center that cost us.''
It stayed 2-1 until reliever Joe Crawford fueled an eighth-inning rally by walking the only two men he faced. That loaded the bases and led to a 3-1 lead when a run scored on an infield out.
``Tonight I feel responsible for the loss,'' Crawford said. ``A lot of guys might feel responsible. But if that's the way they have to beat us, they're gonna have a hard time tomorrow night.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rey Ordonez lunges for a pickoff throw that allowed Barry Manuel to
score when it rolled under outfielder Jay Payton's glove.
Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tide Alex Ochoa, left, is out at the plate and out of the Governors'
Cup series with a sprained wrist suffered on this play Tuesday.
by CNB