THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408290155
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BUMP, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ROCHESTER, N.Y. LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
A downpour couldn't end the Rochester Red Wings home season prematurely, and the Norfolk Tides couldn't do the job either.
Instead, the Red Wings scored a soggy 8-4 victory that kept alive the slimmest of International League playoff hopes. To have a chance, Rochester must win its remaining six games while receiving a very specific outcome of an Ottawa-Syracuse series that includes a final-day rainout.
The Tides, already out of the playoffs, could look forward only to a rain-delayed bus ride to Scranton to start their final road series tonight.
With former Tide Jeff Manto batting in the bottom of the second inning, the rain caused a delay of an hour and four minutes. When play resumed, Norfolk starter Juan Castillo retired Manto and the rest of the Red Wings.
The third inning was a different story. Gregg Zaun led off with a home run, then three singles, two hit batsmen and a walk later, Castillo was out of the game with a 4-0 deficit.
Tides pitching coach Bob Apodaca said he asked Castillo about continuing after the delay.
``He'd only thrown 12 pitches. I asked him, and I wasn't too worried because he said he felt good,'' Apodaca said.
Perhaps he did, for it was more of the same for the righthander. An ace in Double-A, he has walked 11 and struck out only seven in 24 innings as a Tide.
Manto drove a Kevin Morton pitch over the right-centerfield fence for a fifth-inning home run, then sent another run home with a sacrifice fly in Rochester's three-run sixth.
He had just four home runs when he left the Tides for the Red Wings in May. Now he leads the league with 29 home runs and 97 RBI.
``I've known him for some time,'' said Tides acting manager Marlin McPhail. ``He's capable of putting up numbers like those.
``This is a different park from Harbor Park. It's a hitters' ballpark. The move (trade to Rochester) was made out of a concern for Jeff, so he could get some playing time and do something for his career.''
Tonight's Norfolk pitcher will be righthander Dave Telgheder (8-10). by CNB