THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996 TAG: 9604240564
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
The Norfolk Tides have done their best to devalue the Florida Marlins' latest multimillion-dollar investment.
Facing Cuban defector Livan Hernandez for the second time this season, the Tides batted around in the first two innings Tuesday night, roughing up the 21-year-old for 11 hits and eight runs in 3 2/3 innings.
The eventual 12-5 victory over the Charlotte Knights (8-5) moved the Tides (11-6) back into first place in the International League West Division.
Hernandez, who signed a four-year, $4.5 million contract with the Marlins over the winter, didn't give up a home run and he didn't balk. But he accomplished just about every other pitching negative in losing his third decision in as many outings, including a 7-1 loss to Norfolk April 12, as his earned run average soared to 12.07.
``I was tempted to go out there and get him, but we want him to get his work and I didn't want to deplete the bullpen,'' Knights manager Sal Rende said. ``If I went out there and got him in the second inning, then we're going to be scuffling pitching-wise the rest of the way and could affect us later.
``If he'd have held them at bay at six runs, it still would have been a ballgame and we wouldn't have been out of it.''
Tides leadoff man Kevin Flora opened the first two innings with doubles, upping his season total to an IL-best seven, and scored both times.
``Tonight especially it was (Hernandez's) control that was the problem,'' Flora said. ``He wasn't getting his curveball over for strikes and he was even wild with his fastball. He eventually had to come in with something.''
Embarrassment was added to insult in the fourth when Roberto Petagine bounced a line drive off Hernandez's right thigh for a base hit. In the course of walking his fifth batter, Hernandez threw a wild pitch that allowed the Tides' eighth run.
Euclides Rojas and Vic Darensbourg both pitched well in relief of Hernandez, but when Matt Whisenant came on for the Knights in the eighth, the Tides batted around for their third time, scoring four more runs, the highlight a two-run opposite field homer run by Petagine, his third of the season.
Norfolk's 16 hits were a season high and Shawn Gilbert went 4 for 6 and is 8 for 10 over the last two games.
Mike Gardiner (2-0) went five innings for the victory, with Pedro Martinez, Joe Ausanio and Jason Bullard seeing action out of the bullpen.
The three-hour, one-minute game barely beat a downpour. But Hernandez's night was a wash much earlier.
``We're looking at a guy who'd never faced professional hitters before,'' Rende said. ``We knew he'd fail at some point or in certain areas.'' ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER
Livan Hernandez's $4.5 million contract hasn't done him much good
vs. the Tides. Here he walks in a run; his ERA stands at 12.07.
by CNB