THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 20, 1996 TAG: 9608200557
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 63 lines
There's something about those Red Sox affiliates that gets Norfolk Tides pitcher Joe Crawford's blood flowing.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that Boston picked him up in the major league portion of the Rule V draft in December, only to let him go with just over a week left in spring training.
``I don't hold anything against them,'' Crawford said after limiting the Pawtucket Red Sox to four hits over 6 1/3 innings Monday night. ``They brought me to their big league camp and gave me a chance to make their team. I'm not on a 40-man (roster) yet. I know it's looking down the line, but maybe this will make them think they made a mistake and they'll take me again.''
Crawford's strong start, coupled with the relief performances of Pedro Martinez and Rick Trlicek, led the Tides to a 3-2 victory at Harbor Park as Norfolk (72-56) closed to within 2 1/2 games of division-leading and idle Columbus in the International League West.
The beauty of the Rule V draft - where the selecting team must pay the possessing team $50,000 for the player's rights - is that if the player doesn't stick with the big league club the entire season, the team that lost him gets to buy him back at half price.
So Crawford ended up back in the New York Mets organization. And he's had some of his best outings against Boston's farmhands.
After opening the season briefly with the Tides, the Mets decided to experiment with turning the career-long reliever into a starting pitcher. In his first start for Double-A Binghamton, Crawford no-hit the Trenton Thunder, a Red Sox affiliate.
Monday, Crawford tamed the PawSox on one hit - a single up the middle by T.R. Lewis - over six innings before tiring in the seventh.
Rudy Pemberton led off the Pawtucket seventh with a single to center and Jose Malave followed with a home run into the visitors' bullpen in left-center, cutting the Tides' lead to 3-2. After giving up a one-out single to Bill Selby, Crawford gave way to Martinez, who coaxed Alex Delgado into an inning-ending double play.
The Tides started the scoring in the fourth. Jason Hardtke led off with a single to center off Pawtucket starter Rafael Orellano and Terrell Lowery walked. Following a double steal, Alberto Castillo drove both home with a single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.
Norfolk increased the lead when Shawn Gilbert led off the fifth with a single, stole second and scored on Matt Franco's double down the rightfield line off reliever Jeff Pierce. It was Franco's 34th double of the season, tying him for second on the Tides' single-season record chart with Billy Beane (1985). Mark Carreon (1987) holds the Tides' team record with 41.
Crawford, who struck out nine and walked two while improving to 5-5 with the Tides, is now 10-6 on the season at his two stops.
``Any time a guy gets to face the team that let him go, there's a little extra incentive,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``But you've still got to go out and do it. Sometimes that extra incentive kills you.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
JIM WALKER
The Virginian-Pilot
The Tides' Matt Franco slides into third safely with a stolen base
while Pawtucket's Bill Selby awaits the throw.
The Tides' Matt Franco slides into third safely with a stolen base
while Pawtucket's Bill Selby awaits the throw. by CNB