THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 12, 1995 TAG: 9509120391
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Maybe the previous eight years of Phil Stidham's career were wasted in the bullpen. Maybe the guy should have been a starter all along.
Maybe Ottawa wishes he'd remained a relief pitcher.
Thrust into the Norfolk Tides' starting rotation on an emergency basis just over a month ago, Stidham delivered again Monday night as the Tides downed the Lynx, 2-1.
The 26-year-old redhead went 6 2/3 innings to improve to 5-0 in his seven starts and has posted an earned-run average of 0.78 in that capacity.
``Stidham's taken the ball and run with it,'' Tides manager Toby Harrah said. ``He's made believers out of people.''
Norfolk's victory evened the Governors' Cup best-of-five series at one game apiece and closed out the Tides' 1995 Harbor Park run the way it began. Playoffs included, the Tides were 48-28 at home this season.
This one warmed the hearts of the smallish crowd, announced as 3,943, which gave the Tides a standing ovation as they left the field.
They'll need some of that warmth as they head for Canada. Gametime temperatures are expected to dip into the low 40s in Ottawa tonight in what is now a best-of-three series in the Great White North.
``I think our blood will be real warm and our hearts will be pumping,'' Harrah said.
The Tides will send Eric Ludwick (0-1, 9.00 ERA), who last went four innings in a 7-6 loss to Richmond, against Ottawa's Barry Manuel (0-0, 3.38). Game time (WTAR, 790-AM) is 7:05 p.m.
Alex Ochoa had a part in both Tides runs Monday, which made amends for the previous night, when he struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a 4-2 loss.
``I felt bad about (Sunday night), leaving men on base like that,'' Ochoa said. ``But this was the next game, another day, and you just try to do the best you can.''
In the second inning, Ochoa singled to center, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout by Derek Lee and scored on a two-out single to right by Jason Hardtke.
Ochoa upped the lead to 2-0 when he led off the fourth with a home run to left on a 3-2 pitch from losing pitcher Robert Baxter.
``After the way I scored in the second inning, I was just looking to make contact,'' Ochoa said. ``I figured I'd get on, steal another base and maybe score again that way.''
Stidham's streak of scoreless innings pitched ended at 22 when Julian Yan homered to left-center to lead off the seventh.
The streak had been threatened an inning earlier when Chris Martin's blast down the leftfield line curled just foul.
``That's why they put up foul poles,'' Harrah said. ``I'd have had another 100 or so homers in my career if that pole would have been another 4 or 5 feet to the left.''
After Yan's home run, the Lynx had runners on first and second following singles by Bert Heffernan and Rafael Bournigal with two out. Joe Crawford came on to strike out pinch-hitter Frank Jacobs and escape the jam. Pete Walker pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the save.
It used to be Stidham who was in line for such late-game action.
``I hadn't started a game since I was at Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Okla.,'' Stidham said. ``I pitched in 120 games as a reliever in college too. I've kept telling my roommates, `Guys, this isn't going to last much longer.''
It lasted to the end of Stidham's season. And on Monday night that was long enough for the Tides. ILLUSTRATION: NORFOLK 2
OTTAWA 1
[Color Photo]
VICKI CRONIS
Tides rightfielder Alex Ochoa, top right, is congratulated after
hitting a home run in the fourth inning. It was his first home run
in the playoffs.
BOXSCORE
STATISTICS
PLAYOFF GLANCE
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB