ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 18, 1997 TAG: 9704180057
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN THE ROANOKE TIMES
Salem's strong pitching staff will be tested by Kinston's powerful lineup.
The Salem Avalanche's marketing people picked the perfect occasion for their latest string of giveaways.
Visitors to Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium on Saturday will receive umbrellas; Sunday, it's squishy seat cushions. It's too bad they won't be giving out some other potential protective devices (batting helmets anyone?) tonight.
There is likely to be a war between the Kinston Indians' bats and Salem's arms in the three-game series.
The Indians are batting .299, 46 points higher than Salem and Lynchburg, which ranks second in the Carolina League.
When parent club Cleveland signed Matt Williams in the off-season, it gave the Indians another power-hitting third baseman in their organization. The first was Russ Branyan, last season's South Atlantic League MVP and currently Kinston's third baseman. If the season ended today, Branyan would win the Carolina League triple crown. He leads in average (.413), home runs (four) and runs batted in (19) and has been named the league's player of the week both weeks of the season.
Compounding the challenge for the Avalanche is the return of outfielder Danny Peoples, Cleveland's first pick in last year's draft. Peoples was hit by a pitch on his right wrist Saturday and team officials feared he would miss four to six weeks of action. But X-rays taken in Cleveland this week revealed only a bruise, so Peoples and his .344 average are expected to be in tonight's lineup.
Salem's pitching staff, particularly its starters, was up to almost every challenge on the team's seven-game trip. Only once did it give up more than three runs in a game, and twice it surrendered no runs. Before Wednesday's 8-2 loss at Wilmington, the Avalanche had given up nine runs in its past five games.
``I knew we'd get some good starting pitching,'' said Bill ``Moose'' McGuire, Salem's manager. ``The first time around, there were some little jitters. As the season goes on we'll see it get better and better.''
Salem's team earned run average is 3.28, second only to Lynchburg's amazing 2.08. The only rough outing in the past week was Wednesday's loss. Of course, that same night, Durham no-hit Kinston for eight innings and beat the Indians 6-2.
``Our pitching's there,'' McGuire said. ``Hopefully, our hitting can come on.''
Help may be on the way. Third baseman Clint Bryant and catcher Ben Petrick are expected back in the Salem lineup tonight after missing more than a week with injuries. Infielder Link Jarrett remains out with a sprained right ankle, and relief pitcher Luis Colmenares is experiencing pain in his right throwing shoulder.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB