DATE: Saturday, July 26, 1997               TAG: 9707260847

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   68 lines

NORFOLK'S SLUMP CONTINUES HARNISCH STRUGGLES AS THE TIDES DROP THEIR FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME.

New York Mets pitcher Pete Harnisch all but guaranteed himself another start in a Norfolk Tides uniform with a lackluster performance Friday night.

Since he'll be around a little longer, chances are he might see a few extra batting practice bunts today.

The Tides failed to advance runners with sacrifice bunts in two key situations in the last two innings on the way to a 7-6 loss to the Syracuse SkyChiefs at Harbor Park.

Syracuse scored the winning run in the ninth when Tides reliever Jimmy Myers walked Felipe Crespo, Rich Aude singled up the middle to move Crespo to third, and Jeff Patzke lifted a sacrifice fly off reliever Ricardo Jordan.

Norfolk, tied with Columbus for the International League West Division lead, has lost five straight, with three rainouts mixed in. That makes for eight days without a victory.

Harnisch, making his second start for the Tides while on a 30-day major league rehabilitation stint, had control problems throughout his 4 1/3 innings of action. And home run problems near the end.

His evening unraveled in the fifth. Syracuse's Rich Butler began the inning with a one-hop shot that was booted by second baseman Shawn Gilbert.

One out later, Harnisch walked Tom Evans. Crespo then crushed a 2-1 pitch well over the fence in right. Aude followed with a solo home run to left, also on a 2-1 pitch. It was the third homer Harnisch allowed; Patzke also had taken him deep with two out in the fourth.

Harnisch, who pitched once for the New York Mets in the first week of the season then went on the disabled list due to depression, has now allowed four home runs in his two starts for the Tides.

``I've just got to work it out,'' said Harnisch, who threw 107 pitches, 61 for strikes. ``I threw everything up (in the strike zone) and I was going deep in a lot of counts. I just made some bad pitches and they hit them. That's all there is to it.''

Although Harnisch lacked total command of his pitches - he walked five and struck out two - things looked good for him when the Tides handed him a 6-1 lead in the third.

With one out in the third, Gilbert unloaded on a 1-0 delivery from Syracuse pitcher Roy Halladay for the Tides' first grand slam of the season.

Norfolk had loaded the bases on an infield single by Scott McClain, a soft single to left by Kevin Morgan and a bunt single by Alberto Castillo, who was attempting to move runners over with a sacrifice that eluded Halladay on the first base side of the mound.

Norfolk wasn't done, however. Benny Agbayani then reached on a chop infield single to third and Wes Chamberlain delivered a two-out triple to right. Chamberlain then scored when Halladay balked.

The Tides blew an opportunity in the seventh when they loaded the bases with one out. But Syracuse turned to reliever and eventual winner Ken Robinson, who coaxed a popup from Chamberlain, then struck out Phil Geisler.

In the eighth and ninth innings, Norfolk got the lead man on with singles by McClain and Steve Bieser. But Morgan popped out on a sacrifice bunt in the eighth and Gilbert did the same in the ninth to throw wet rags on both threats.

``Somebody's got to step up and deliver for us to get out of this slump,'' Tides manager Rick Dempsey said. ``That's the bottom line.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Pitcher Pete Harnisch had control and home run problems Friday.

MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Shawn Gilbert, left, is welcomed home by teammates after swatting

the Tides' first grand slam of the season Friday at Harbor Park.

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