Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 11, 1990 TAG: 9005110299
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But Cliburn decided he had seen enough after the Peninsula Pilots, who entered the game with a .212 team batting average, rapped out 13 hits in a 6-3 Carolina League victory Thursday night at Municipal Field.
"There's going to be some changes in the pitching staff," said Cliburn, whose team lost for the seventh time in its past eight games. "That's three teams in a row we've faced that haven't been hitting. We come into town and they get healthy real quick."
Thursday's pitcher of woe was left-hander John Latham. In six innings, Latham (1-3) gave up six runs on 10 hits. He left the game after hitting the first two batters in the seventh.
"We're pitching behind, walking people, hitting them," Cliburn said. "I'm not a big guy on statistics, but we're leading the league in walks and are last in ERA. Obviously, something is not clicking.
"I don't like the way we're going about doing things. Things are going to change with our pitching. How those changes will come about is yet to be determined. But we can't let it go much further."
After working out of a jam in the third inning to protect a 1-0 lead, Latham ran into more trouble in the fourth.
Lem Pilkinton, who went 4-for-4, hit a one-out double. Then, after the Bucs (11-18) recorded the second out, Dan Barbara singled to drive in Pilkinton. Jesus Tavarez doubled home Barbara and the Pilots (8-19) led 2-1.
Peninsula went up 6-1 with a pair of runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to provide starter Rick Balabon with a comfortable working margin. Balabon (4-0) scattered eight hits in pitching the Pilots' first complete game of the season. He struck out 10.
\ BUCSHOTS: Capital Broadcasting President Jim Goodman announced at a news conference Thursday that he had acquired an option to purchase the Durham Bulls. Goodman also said that he plans to move the Carolina League club out of Durham, N.C., and into a new 10,000-seat baseball stadium near the Raleigh-Durham Airport in Durham County . . . Balabon's 10 strikeouts marked the sixth time in seven games that a pitcher has fanned at least 10 Bucs. . . . Paul Miller (0-1) pitches for Salem tonight against Kyle Duke (0-2).
PENINSULA SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Robles ss5010 Sims cf4000 Pezzoni lf5020 Schreiber 3b4120 Saetre rf3100 Merejo dh4000 LBailey 1b4100 Hines c4011 Pilkinton 3b4240 Estep rf3110 Campanis c4001 Pennye lf4010 Barbara dh4123 Shelton 1b3000 Tavarez cf5131 Huyler ss4121 Thomas 2b4011 RBailey 2b4011 Totals38 6 13 6 Totals 34 3 8 3
Peninsula000 202 200-6 Salem001 000 002-3
E-Pilkinton. DP-Peninsula 1. LOB-Peninsula 10, Salem 6. 2B-Schreiber, Hines, Estep, Pilkinton, Tavarez, Thomas. 3B-Pilkinton, R. Bailey. SB-Pennye (3), Saetre (3). SF-Barbara, Campanis. IP HRERBBSO Peninsula Balabon W, 4-0 9833310 Salem Latham L, 1-3 6106612 Duncan 330013
Latham faced two batters in seventh.
HBP-Saetre by Latham, L. Bailey by Latham. BK-Latham.
Umpires-Home, Irvin; bases, Langley, Vestal.
T-2:31. A-816.
by CNB