European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 1, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday August 1,19s7 the stars and stripes Page 23 Al East shows both sides torrid tigers move into Contention by Harry Atkins Detroit a p Sparky Anderso Nicl the cat aug of the bag two months ago but nobody could Sec it. Now that the cat has a comr the big. Bad Detroit tigers nobody can avoid it on May 5, a full month into the sea son he tigers were timid. They were 9 16 and in sixth place in he american league East. Ii games out or first and just one half game out oblast. It was about then that Anderson Lite renowned master of the overstatement went on local television and said hit was the Bat Tiger team he d Ever had. The statement circulated and the baseball world had � Good laugh. Well look who s laughing now. The tigers once a Well kept secret Are now the hottest team in baseball. The won 10 of their first 13 games after the All Star break and thursday found themselves two games behind the first place new York Yankees. New York allowed us to gel close to them by losing lately Anderson said still. I m not taking anything away from this team. These Guys play hard an that s All a manager can the tigers were to open a weekend series in Yankee stadium Friday night then new York ii in Detroit next week end for a four game series. That s the last Lime they play this season. We can go j-10 against new Orkand make it up against someone else Anderson said trying to remove some of the pressure. The danger Point ii the next five weeks. If we re no More than five games Back on sept. To we re in Good shape Anderson said. The torrid tigers not unlike the 1968club hat won the world series have used a combination of pitching defense timely hitting and u Strong Bench in their resurgence. Showdown on an an fan inc turn a lire be Bigcra Winkfi confrontation in its weekend lineup As game2 of the Detroit new York series h Khz daled for Sah Noty at 8 . Full listing of Suhany s games on an to Kritun and radio appears m far 25. In one seven same stretch last week they won live Lima in their last at bal. "1 have to say i have not been uncomfortable for a month when we re be Hind Anderson said i Don t care what the score is. Too Many Good things have been happening. There have been Loo Many Guys Hilling the Ball hard i can t give this team a higher com Ali Mcnol than saying i m Noi Ever worried when the other team the tigers Are 15-9 in one run games,11-9 in two run games and 6-4 in culpa innings. We be been doing our Job said Dar Rell Evans the 40-year-old first baseman who has 21 Home runs. Evans who has become the Leader inthe clubhouse since free agent Catcher Lance Parrish signed with the Phillies also noted that the tigers have improve dramatically in the Field in the first 72 games they made 72crroja. In the next 25, they made Only six. Part of that improvement stemmed from the benching of third baseman Dar Nell Coles who had 16 errors but not All of it. When the games arc close you tend to concentrate in the Field a Little More Evans said. There Are a lot of keys to a learn playing the Way we Are general manager Bill Lajoie said. One of the big Rea sons we re winning is sparty s move Tobat Alan Tramm i fourth. When Alan was successful of her Guys kind of took thei Cuc from him and arc having Good years Rookie Catcher Matt Nokes is one. He and Veteran Mike Heath have replaced Parrish and Tubi Lucr Are hitting Bette than anyone expected. Doth have hit Over .300 most of Lii Leason and they have 29 Home runs Between them 22from Nokes the versatile Heath Abo has filled in at third and in the Gulf iced Anderson has used his whole stable of outfielders Kirk Gibson Chat Lemon Pat Sheridan Larry Hamdon and John Grubb plus Heath. Then just when the tigers needed it most Lajoie on i hustled the rest of the league to sign Bill Madlock after he four time National league batting Cham Pion was released by the los Angele dodgers Madlock has hit around .310 with 10 Home runs. He s also been a positive Force in the clubhouse. I remember the first Day Madlock joined us in Lajoie said. Hews Happy Folksy Calm. He looked so comfortable like he had been there for10 years. He s Ocen through this before and is Good for our Lajoie said however he s still looking for a right handed hitter who is an every Day player indeed the plan zoning tigers Are 48-24 against right handed pitchers and 10 15 against Letl handers. The tigers pitching corps considered the team s main strength when the sea son opened has performed about As expected. And Detroit got an unexpected boost from rookies Jeff Robinson 7-4, and Mike Henn Umaji by. We re getting the starting pitching from Jack Morris Walt Terrell and Frank Tanana that 1 thought we d get All season Anderson said. Even i straight con t help orioles by Ben Walker balt More a it s been a hot summer in Baltimore. A record heatwave pushed temperatures into the i oos and there s not much to do downtown except sweat. The forecast for the orioles is not much better continued dry spells with Little Relief in sight. The most successful major league franchise Over 30 years is struggling and May been the Brink of real trouble. The orioles seem headed toward thei finl consecutive losing seasons since i95s-j9. Their winning percentage has dropped three straight years the first american league team to experience such a drop since Minnesota from 19sd-s2. Baltimore s once Rich farm system is we. The pitching staff the hallmark of Orange and Blaek excellence is in a shamble with a bad mix of retreads an fluttering youngsters. Last year s 7 j-b9 record was the worst since 1556 and ended a siring of 18 straight winning seasons a Streak sur passed by Only the new York Yankees from 1926-64. The Birds went into the All Star break flying Low at 35-53, the third poorest re Cord in team history not even a flock of Ripkens manager Cal st., shortstop Cal jr., and younger brother Billy May be Able to turn a Miracle on 33rd Street at memorial stadium. The orioles still get the three run homers Earl Weaver used to Wail for even More than before last season s 14-42 finish drove him into retirement. But now they give up More homers than Ever and their own Home record is the worst in baseball. A Trai of botched rundown missed cutoff men and a 6.28 team Era in june marked a hideous 5-30 slump. There was no Trace of the handbook of Baltimore fundamentals that is Given to every Oriole Rookie the first Day hear Rives at minor league Camp. A recent 11-game winning Streak pumped some life into the team bul that burst was just a tease the orioles May not be much better than originally feared. More than anything they Are paying the Price for excellence and for getting away from the things that made them Osgood. The tomatoes Weaver used to grow in the left Field Corner Are gone. So arc the great players the orioles used to grow on the farm players of die past like Jim Palmer and Boog Powell and players of the present like Eddie Murray and cat Ripken or. The last no. I draft Choice who be came a full time starter was Rich of Gucrin 1974. Lately the minors have yielded Brad havens. Ron Washington. Mike Griffin and others who bounced around the majors and could t catch on anywhere else. There have been exceptions. Pitcher Eric Bell is 9-7, Larry sheets and Ken Gerhan should get even belter with time and second baseman Pete Stanicek and third baseman Craig Worthington Are a year away at triple a Rochester. Bul Young pitchers Ken Dison Tony Arnold John Llaban and jct Ballard May not be major league winners Ash oped. Rochester s starting rotation in june was Dixon and dullard plus inconsistent veterans Scott Mcgregor and Mike Fla Nagan the same rotation except for Mike Boddicker that failed in Baltimore in May. The orioles also have become act vein the free agent Market at owner Edward Bennett Williams urging. After the orioles failed to repeat their 1983 world series championship the learn abandoned its pattern of patience and Home grown Talent and signed High priced Fred Lynn Don Aase and Lee Lacy after the 1984 season. Each one Cost a draft pick. Lynn has missed 28 percent of Baltimore s game with injuries since then Aase will be out for almost the entire 1987 season with Arm problem and the 38-year-old Lac is getting limited playing time. There have been Rumon William sometimes lakes the advice of his Good friends folks such As Media stars Larry King and George will instead of relying on respected general manager Hank Elan. For so Long the tout emphasis was on the farm system said Mcgregor an Oriole since 1976. In the last few years it became scout the other teams and see who has the Best free store Howe Howe stint encourages Ranger pm Arlington Texas a the belter Steve Howe pitches the sooner hell be Back in the major leagues with the Texas rangers general manager Tom Grieve said Friday. Howe banished from big Lime baseball for repealed bouts with cocaine threw a five inning shut out thursday night As the Oklahoma City 89ers Defeated the Buffalo Bison a performance that May help Speed up Grieve s plans for moving the left hander to the struggling rangers. Obviously the better he Pilch is inc More we need him Grieve said. It won t be Loo Long behave no timetable nothing Defi Nite. 1 Hope hell be Here before a couple of Howe 2-2, gave up Only four hits while striking out four Bison hitlers and walking one thursday his fifth appearance with the 89ers since joining the Texas Organiza Tion earlier this month. There s no doubt in my mind he can help the Grieve said. We signed him because he has been a Good major league Pitcher. 1 think very definitely he can help our Howe saved 50 games Wilh los Angeles from 1980 until he was released in j9ss because of co Caine dependency. He later was signed by the Minnesota twins bul again was released because of drug problems. Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth must approve Howe s return to inc major leagues bul Grieve said he was confident of Howe s ability to remain drug free. It s the kind of thing you never conquer completely that you Lake Day by Day. With the initiative he shown Wilh the after care program i m very confident of his Success on the Field and off inc Field too Grieve said. Drug screening is pan of Howe s after care program. Grieve said and after three weeks Wilh the 89ers, it s Safe to say he s been screened since he s been there. If he did t passe would t
