DATE: Thursday, July 31, 1997               TAG: 9707310570

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   69 lines

HARNISCH CARVES OUT A TIDES VICTORY WITH A NASTY CURVE HE MADE A CHANGE IN HIS DELIVERY AND HELD THE BRAVES TO 3 HITS.

On a calm, cool evening that hinted of early September, the Norfolk Tides played like a team with its eyes firmly set on the postseason.

Pete Harnisch, meanwhile, pitched like a man with his eyes focused on New York.

The result was a 7-1 victory Wednesday over the Richmond Braves at The Diamond, a win that allowed the Tides (62-46) to take a one-game lead in the International League West Division over the Columbus Clippers, 8-5 losers to Ottawa.

Harnisch, making his final start of a 30-day minor-league rehabilitation stint, struck out eight, walked two and gave up three hits and one earned run in six innings.

Afterward, his marching orders arrived. Today, he's to rejoin the Mets, who visit the Houston Astros in a three-game set beginning Friday.

``I don't know when they'll activate me, but I'm on my way,'' said Harnisch, who was placed on the disabled list with clinical depression in the first week of the season.

Harnisch, who was 0-1 with a 7.59 ERA in two previous starts for Norfolk and had let a 6-1 lead slip away during his last start, huddled with Tides pitching coach Ray Rippelmeyer the last two days and made a mechanical change in his delivery, pushing off the rubber harder than he had been.

Rippelmeyer also hinted that Harnisch should think about throwing his curveball more often. So of Harnisch's 106 pitches - 65 for strikes - 36 were curves, 20 for strikes.

``That was a nasty, major-league curveball he threw tonight,'' Tides manager Rick Dempsey said.

The results were astounding. Harnisch broke three Braves bats in the first inning, then struck out the side in the second and third innings.

``I'll be surprised if he doesn't do the same thing against Houston or whoever he faces,'' Tides second baseman Jason Hardtke said.

Harnisch also helped himself at the plate, going 2 for 3 and driving in the second of two Tides runs in the second inning with a chop single over third baseman Mike Mordecai.

Norfolk rapped 11 hits, including a pair of two-run homers by Roberto Petagine and Tate Seefried in the fifth inning that bumped the Tides' lead to 7-0.

Petagine's was his 25th homer of the season and third in as many nights. Seefried's was his first since coming up three days ago from Double-A Binghamton, where he'd hit 29.

``We swung the bats better tonight than we have in two weeks,'' Dempsey said. ``I hope this gets us going the right way down the stretch.''

Harnisch gave up a run in the third when Marty Malloy tripled down the first-base line, scoring Pablo Martinez from second. Martinez had reached second when the Tides tried to turn a double play, but Shawn Gilbert's relay throw was behind Harnisch, who was covering first after Seefried had roamed away from the bag to field the grounder.

Harnisch didn't show signs of tiring until his 100th pitch. His 104th and 105th pitches, thrown to Brad Tyler, bounced in front of the plate before Tyler grounded out to first to end Harnisch's evening. Jimmy Myers and Mike Welch combined to pitch three scoreless innings.

For as many rehabilitating pitchers as the Mets have sent to Norfolk this season - Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher and Yorkis Perez along with Harnisch - this was the first win any of them picked up while on their rehab assignments.

``I'm glad I could do something,'' Harnisch said. ``I felt bad after giving up a five-run lead last time. I mean, these guys are in a pennant race, too, and you want to help while you're here.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Pitcher Jeff Tam gets his sixth start tonight/C6

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