St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 18

OCT 1 1991 60 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 2, 1991 BASEBALL HOCKEY Injury Forces Lavoie To Cool His Heels Try-Harder Cards Are Officially No. 2 had to put those in if I wanted to show something. The next time I played, in Chicago, I put three in.

Those might have been fluke goals, but maybe the game before, those should have been in." Now Lavoie is disabled, the victim of a freak mishap along the boards on the Blues' recent Western Canada trip. "The only thing I can do now is wait, stay here, work out and get back to doing the things I was doing before," he said. "That hasn't stopped me from being focused." Defenseman Garth Butcher reports that his sore back is improving. He was one of several Blues who got their workout on an exercise bike Tuesday afternoon; the Blues held a team meeting instead of an on-ice practice. The Bluet didn't cut any players Tuesday, but they might send one forward and one defenseman down to Peoria today.

Sutter said it will be difficult to demote Jason Marshall, Rob Robinson or Randy Skarda from his defensive corps. "Those are three young guys that played well," Sutter said. "We've got some decisions to make. They all played well. They were all very steady." Only four Blues finished the 10-game preseason schedule with more than five points.

They were Nelson Emerson (six goals, five assists in nine games), Jeff Brown (four goals, four assists in eight games), Lavoie and Paul Cavallini (two goals, four assists in seven games). Curtis Joseph was brilliant in goal, recording an 0.95 goals-agalnst average in 190 minutes without earning a decision. Vincent Riendeau was 2-0 with a 2.50 GAA in 144 minutes. ttw 1 1 1 nil TJz 1 and runs in five different innings. Highlights included: Two hits and four runs batted in for Jose.

Three more hits and two more RBIs for rejuvenated Pedro Guerrero. Two RBIs and two more runs for Ozzie Smith. A two-run homer and three runs for Ray Lankford. A career-best three hits and three runs for Geronimo Pena. And to make it all stick, rookie Mark Clark (1-1) pitched 5 emergency innings, allowing three bits and no runs.

Clark came on for starter Jose DeLeon, who had to leave the game after being hit by a line drive with two outs in the first inning. The drive, off the bat of Scott Bar-berie, hit DeLeon on the right wrist. Preliminary X-rays on DeLeon's wrist showed no fracture. DeLeon was making his second start since being sidelined Aug. 28 by a strained muscle in his right shoulder.

"It didn't hit me that hard, but it hit me right on the bone," DeLeon said. "I threw a few pitches, but my fingers were numb. It's frustrating, but at least I pitched well last time, and I can take that into the offseason." It was the third time this season a Cardinals pitcher had been injured in such manner. Rheal Cormier had to leave a game in St. Louis after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Los Angeles' Darryl Strawberry.

Omar Olivares also was nailed by Strawberry on the recent West Coast trip but was able to continue. Clark's stand-in work earned him his first major-league victory. Juan Agosto pitched the final three innings to get his second save. He got his first save April 26 against the Expos. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first.

Montreal lefthander Chris Haney walked Lankford to start the inning and Lankford stole second, his 41st theft of the season. Lankford continued on to third on a wild pitch. Jose, batting third, chased home a run with a single to center. An opportunity might have been lost in the second inning, if not for a two-out hit by 0. Smith.

Pena started the inning with a single, and Tom Pag-nozzi followed with a looping double By Dan O'Neill Of the Post-Dispatch Staff We're No. 2. The cry doesn't have quite the same nng as No. 1 and is a little more difficult to reproduce in oversized foam souvenirs worn on the hand. But No.

2 is better than No. 5 or 6, which is where many picked the Cardinals to finish this season. The runner-up Redbirds officially put their stamp on second place in the National League Eastern Division Monday night with an 11-1 victory over the nomad Montreal Expos in front of 10,289 paying fans at Busch Stadium. The second-place finish is the best for the Cardinals since a division title and NL pennant in 1987. It also is higher than even the most optimistic minds expected.

"In spring training you had to look at the Cubs, Pirates and the Mets," Felix Jose said. "Then you figure that we're going to be just above Philadelphia maybe. But we won a lot of games against some strong teams. We had to compete. "After the first half, I knew we were for real.

I knew we would keep improving. We will keep improving." Their 82nd victory also guaranteed the Cardinals (82-75) of a winning record and improved their extended home stand to 5-3. "I was optimistic early because of the way we played against some good teams," Cardinals manager Joe Torre said. "The only time it got scary was when Pittsburgh manhandled us early. But we bounced back against New York.

Then when we got swept in Atlanta, we came back and swept Cincinnati to save what could have been a disastrous road trip. That showed me something." The previously unscheduled home game against the Expos, who are playing out their season on the road after structural problems at Olympic Stadium, produced a strange sight at Busch. Seats were sold, as they are for today's finale, on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, the box seats were packed, while the upper reaches of the park and bleachers were empty. The Cardinals' offense was anything but empty.

It produced 12 hits CARDINALS Cardinals righthander Mark Clark pitching in relief Monday night for his first major-league victory. By Jeff Gordon Of the Pott-Dispatch Staff Defenseman Dominic Lavoie bad virtually assured himself of a job with the Blues this season with a brilliant training camp. In four preseason games, he scored five goals and added three assists. He handled the puck with great confidence, just as he did last season quar-terbacking the Peoria Rivermen to the International Hockey League title. He played both sides on defense and proved capable of filling the No.

7 defensive role on the team. "Dom was certainly one of the brightest lights in camp," coach Brian Sutter said. But Lavoie also finished camp on crutches, thanks to a cracked heel bone that will sideline him for two to three weeks. How could this happen? "I don't know," Lavoie said. "Things were going too well, I guess." Since signing with the Blues as an undrafted Quebec Major Junior Hockey League free agent in 1987, Lavoie has progressed steadily.

He has had trials in each of the last three seasons, playing 20 games in all, but hasn't been able to clear the last hurdle. Lavoie, 24, earned all-IHL honors last season and came to the Blues camp fully prepared to finally prove that he had the ability to stick in the National Hockey League. "Obviously, there were positions open," Lavoie said. "I knew what I had to do. I went out and did what I wanted to do.

The results were going to be there." He scored a hat trick against the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium on Sept. 22. "When we went to Peoria to play Sept. 18, I thought I should have had two or three goals," he said. "I knew I Blues From page one they will listen a little bit," Caron said.

And Caron doesn't sound eager to pay such a price. "We have nothing to trade," he said. "Eighty percent of the team chemistry must stay intact for us to succeed, and the other 20 percent might not be so desirable." Even if the Islanders took prospects instead, to lower their payroll for a prospective buyer, Caron said LaFon-taine would strain the Blues' payroll. "You'd have to acknowlege the fact you would get another millionaire salary, or more," he said. "That's what he's leaving there for.

This franchise here is very limited. We are spending the present as well as part of the future as it is now." Caron seems more eager to acquire a defenseman who could join his nucleus of Garth Butcher, Jeff Brown, Paul Cavallini and Murray Baron. Is anything going on? "Very serious, no; some talks, yes," Caron said. The Blues are deepest at goaltend-ing Vincent Riendeau, Curtis Joseph and Pat Jablonski are scheduled to open the season with the Blues and Caron said he would consider down the right side. Haney struck out Clark on a 3-2 pitch and got Lankford swinging.

But O. Smith poked a single to right to send home both runners and make it 3-0. The runs batted in gave Smith 50 for the season, the eighth time in 10 seasons he has had 50 or more RBIs as a Cardinal. The Cardinals brought the curtain down in the bottom of the Inning. A single by Pena and two-out walks to Lankford and O.

Smith loaded the bases. Jose followed with a bases-clearing shot to the gap in right center. The triple gave Jose four RBIs on the night and afforded the Cardinals a comfortable 6-0 lead. Guerrero added an RBI-single to center off reliever Steve Frey to make it 7-0. Jose had been in a four-for-22 spell and watched his average drop to .303.

But he pumped it back to .305 to go with 74 RBIs. "I never lose confidence," Jose CARDINALS REPORT dealing from that strength to get a defender. The Islanders may need a goaltend-er with Mark Fitzpatrick sick again. Some members of the Blues' brain-trust covet Islanders enforcer-de-fenseman Ken "Bomber" Baumgart-ner. Could that deal be struck? "I checked on him last year," Caron said.

"I don't know. We're not looking for goons. I'd rather make my power play better than win a few more fights." Caron said some teams have offered him veteran defensemen who could serve as stopgaps, but so far he has resisted trading for a temp. The obstacle to making a more substantial deal this week, he said, is that the LaFontaine auction and Edmonton's attempted sell-off of Mark Messier has paralyzed league general man-agers. And teams that need goaltending, such as the Detroit Red Wings, are standing by to see if the New Jersey Devils will trade holdout Sean Burke or if the New York Rangers will peddle John Vanbiesbrouck once Mike Richter signs.

"There are too many big trades the Blues couldn't be involved with," Caron said. "The Messier and Pat La-Fontaine trades will have a big impact on hockey. Until some of these trades are done if they are to be done it's very hard to read our chart." Clark Got A Late Start, Put A Stop To Expos It AP said. "I want to hit .300 because I've been hitting .300 for five months. Sometimes you get tired, but you just have to fight through it." Guerrero doubled home a run in the sixth to make it 8-0.

O. Smith scored his second run on the play, giving him 95 runs. He could reach 100 for the second time in his career. Stan Royer's groundout made it 9-0. Lankford added a two-run homer in the seventh, his ninth of the season.

The drive was estimated to travel 415 feet into the bleachers in right center. "I just try to hit the ball in the gaps," said Lankford, who has hit eight homers in the second half. "That was definitely in the gap. "It sounds funny, but the second half has been more of a struggle. I'm making adjustments after seeing the pitchers the first time around, but they're making adjustments, too.

It's just never easy." Shutouts 5 12 1 -Run Decisions 36 20 Extra Innings 10 5 Vs. RH Starters 49 39 Vs. LH Starters 33 36 Grass fields 15 24 Artificial fields 67 51 Cards Opp. Double Plays 128 121 Stolen Bases 194 110 Home Runs (Home) 30 40 Home Runs (Away) 34 66 Left On Bases 1034 1005 ATTENDANCE Home Road Totals 2,405,874 1,763,176 CARDINALS' AVERAGES BATTING Avg. AB H2B3BHR RBI McClure 1.000 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Agosto .333 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 Stephens .333 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 Carpenter .333 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 Thompson .312317 55 99 15 5 6 34 Jose 305 555 67169 40 6 7 74 O.Smith .288 542 95156 30 3 3 50 Zeile 276555 74153 33 3 11 79 .274413 40113 11 1 7 67 Pagnozzi .263456 38120 24 5 2 56 Pena 250180 37 45 8 3 5 17 Royer 250 12 0 3 0 0 0 1 .248 552 80137 20 15 9 67 B.Smith .246 65 6 16 1 0 0 8 .240366 37 88 11 4 1 26 Perry 235238 28 56 8 4 6 35 Hudler 231 199 20 46 9 2 1 14 Olivares .227 44 3 10 3 0 0 6 Cormier .222 18 1 4 0 0 0 0 Gilkey 209263 25 55 6 2 3 17 Alices 190 58 5 11 2 0 0 0 Wilson 175 80 4 14 2 0 0 12 Tewksbury .155 58 5 9 1 0 0 2 Terry 143 7 1 1 0 0 0 1 Brewer .143 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 Gedman .106 85 7 9 1 0 3 8 Hill 104 48 2 5 0 0 0 3 Jones 067 15 1 1 0 0 0 1 DeLeon .043 46 0 2 0 0 0 0 L.Smith .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fraser 000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Clark 000 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 SB: Lankford 42, O.

Smith 35, Jose 18, Zeile 17, Thompson 16, Gilkey 14, Perry 15, Pena 14, Hudler 11, Pagnozzi 9, Guerrero 4, Oquendo. PITCHING ERA IP BB SO L.Smith 6 3 2.41 71.0 67 13 63 5 9 2.71 162.2144 61 118 Terry 4 4 2.80 80.1 76 32 52 McClure 1 1 3.18 22.2 24 8 14 Tewksbury 11 12 3.25 191.0206 38 75 Hill 11 10 3.61 174.1 141 65117 Clark 1 1 3 64 17.1 16 8 9 Olivares 10 6 3.72 152.1 134 57 78 B.Smith 12 9 3.85 198.2188 45 94 Cormier 3 5 3.86 60.2 65 8 36 Carpenter 10 4 4.23 66.0 53 20 47 Agosto 5 2 4.61 84.0 91 35 34 Fraser 3 2 4 93 45.2 40 16 24 0 0 27.00 1.0 2 2 1 SAVES: L. Smith 45, Agosto 2, Olivares, Terry. UP NEXT Cardinals vs. Montreal: 7:05 tonight.

Tuning In: KMOX1120 AM. Pitchers: Rheal Cormier (3-5, 0-1 lifetime vs. Expos) vs. Mark Gardner (9-10, 2-4 lifetime vs. Cardinals).

REMAINING GAMES Today Montreal, 12:35 p.m. Thursday Open Date Friday at Chicago, 2:20 p.m. Saturday at Chicago, 1 :20 p.m. Sunday at Chicago, 1 :20 p.m. ly retires to his home in the Dominican Republic.

"I played with a lot of good guys in LA," he said. "But especially my first 2ij years here, we had a lot more good guys. And honest guys. "It was a group of guys that were always together and pulling for each other. That's one of the memories I will never forget." The other is the fans who cheered his prowess with the bat and forgave his lapses with the glove.

"I think they have the greatest fans in the whole world here," Guerrero said. "The people treated me very special, from the beginning to the end." NOTEBOOK League from 1987-90, when he pitched in 255 games and had a 3.02 earned-run average with the Houston Astros. But in the first year of a three-year contract with the Cardinals, he has a 4.61 ERA in 71 appearances. "He's had a terrible year," Cardinals manager Joe Torre said. "I don't know what that one game means.

But I'm confident he'll come back." Torre acknowledges some bias, but he is stumping for center fielder Ray Lankford to win the National League's Rookie of the Year award. "I think he should be," Torre said. "I don't think he will win it. But I hope that before the people vote, they look at the numbers. That would make it tough to vote against Ray." The front-runner for the award seems to be Houston's Jeff Bagwell.

Not only has Bagwell successfully though not brilliantly switched from third baseman to first baseman, he also made a jump from Class AA to big-league batsman. He is batting .295, with 15 home runs and 81 runs batted in. Lankf ord's batting average was .248 entering Tuesday's game, but he had 15 triples, nine homers, 67 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. And he's developed into a fine leadoff batter. "Ray does more things than Bagwell," Torre said.

"Not to take anything away from that kid. But this kid Lankford is going to hit 15-20 home runs and steal upwards of 50 bases every year. And he's established himself as a good center fielder." 'The Cardinals will play their final home game of the season at 12:35 p.m. today, when they face the Expos. As with the two previous games in the series, all box and loge seats are $4.

Lefthanded rookie Rheal Cormier (3-5) will pitch for the Cardinals against lefty Mark Gardner (9-10). The pillaging of the Montreal front office by the expansion Florida Marlins continues. First, Marlins President Carl Barger signed Montreal general manager Dave Dom-browski to serve in the same job for the new club. Then Dombrowski wooed Montreal scouting director Gary Hughes, and this week he picked up Frank Wren, Montreal's assistant director of scouting. just not the money.

First, wherever I go, I have to think about my family. They have to feel comfortable." That's what made the move to St. Louis so easy. "When the Dodgers traded me, I had to say yes to the trade," he said. "I always liked St.

Louis. I always wanted to play for Whitey. That was like a dream come true." Herzog has moved on to the California Angels as director of player development. If Herzog still is interested, would Guerrero favor moving back to the Los Angeles area, to the American League, for possible duty as a designated hitter? "I would love to," said Guerrero, a first baseman with the Cardinals. "I CARDINALS II, EXPOS 1 (Monday) Montreal AB Bl BB SO DeShields 2b 4 0 0 0 1 3 Grissomcf 5 0 1 0 0 0 Barberie ss 3 1 2 0 1 0 Wallach3b 3 0 1 0 1 0 Walker rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 Galarraga 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 Vanderwallf 4 0 1 0 0 1 Santovenia 4 0 1 0 0 1 Haney 1 0 0 0 0 0 Freyp 1 0 0 0 0 1 a-Williamsph 1 0 0 0 0 1 Piatt 0 0 0 0 0 0 B.

Jones 0 0 0 0 0 0 b-Fitzgerald ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 34 1 7 1 3 10 Cardinals AB Bl BB SO Lanktordcf 3 3 1 2 2 2 O. Smith ss 2 2 1 2 2 0 T. Jones ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 Joserl 4 2 2 4 0 0 Perry 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 Guerrero 1b 4 0 3 2 0 0 Agosto 0 0 0 0 1 0 Royer3b 5 0 1 1 0 0 Hudlerlf 5 0 0 0 0 0 Pena 2b 3 3 3 0 1 0 Pagnozzic 4 1 1 0 0 2 Stephens 0 0 0 0 0 0 DeLeon 0 0 0 0 0 0 Clark 2 0 0 0 0 1 Brewer rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 35 11 12 11 6 6 Montreal OOOOOO01O1 7 1 Cardinals 120 402 20 11 12 0 a-struck out for Frey In the 7th. b-struck out for B. Jones in the 8th.

DeShields (26). LOB Montreal 10, Cardinals 7. 2B Guerrero (11), Pagnozzl (24). 3B Jose (6). HR Lankford (9).

SB Gnssom (76), Lankford 2 (42), Guerrero (4), Pena (14). Clark. GIDP Clark. Runners left in scoring position Montreal 4 (Grissom, Walker 2, Santovenia); Cardinals 4 (Hudler 4). DP Montreal 1 Montreal IP ER BB SO NP Haney 3-7 3 7 7 7 3 2 77 Frey 2Vs 4 2 1 1 2 34 Piatt 1 1 2 2 1 2 25 B.Jones 1 0 0 0 1 0 14 Cardinals IP ER BB SO NP DeLeon 1 0 0 0 1 15 Clark 1-1 3 0 0 2 4 76 3 3 1 1 1 5 50 Inherited runners-scored Frey 1-1, Clark 1-0.

HBP by Agosto (Walker). WP Haney, Frey. Umpires Home, Williams; First, Marsh; Second, Wendelstedt; Third, Pulli.T 2:44. A 10,289. CARDINALS' STATISTICS VS.

EAST Home Road Totals Chicago 5 4 3 3 8 7 Montreal 6 4 3 3 9 7 NewYork 7 2 4 5 11 7 Philadelphia 7 2 5 412 6 Pittsburgh 4 5 3 6 711 Totals vs. East 29 17 18 21 47 38 VS. WEST Home Road Totals Atlanta 3 3 0 6 3 9 Cincinnati 4 2 4 2 8 4 Houston 5 1 2 4 7 5 Los Angeles 4 2 2 4 6 6 San Diego 1 5 2 4 3 9 San Francisco 4 2 4 2 8 4 Totals vs. West 21 15 14 22 35 37 Overall Totals 50 32 32 43 82 75 BY THE NUMBERS Won Lost Day 23 19 Night 59 56 love it over there. It would probably be the best thing for me.

But if I go to the American League, no way I'm going to be DHing every day. It's going to take me a while to get used to it. I can still play" in the field. He knows that his health will be an issue with would-be employers. "I just try to stay in shape now," Guerrero said.

"I want to get my shoulder real strong for next year. "Last year, I worked a little bit in the winter, and the year before, too. I started two years ago I feel good. I think I've got a few more good years left in me." Guerrero hopes they will come here. If not, he will carry special memories with him when he eventual By Mike Eisenbath Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Mark Clark's parents, Willard and Marjorie, spent last weekend in St.

Louis for the Cardinals-Cubs series. They enjoyed the games, though they would have liked to see Mark pitch. As fate would have it, Clark got into Monday's game against Montreal and walked away with his first big-league victory. "At least it was on TV back home" in Bath, 111., Mark Clark said. "All my family was watching." They got to see Clark, a lifelong Cardinals fan, fulfill a boyhood dream.

Jose DeLeon was the starting pitcher but left when Bret Barberie lined a ball off his pitching arm with two out in the first. Clark relieved and pitched 5 shutout innings in the Cardinals' 11-1 victory. Clark, 23, has been a starting pitcher throughout his pro career. Since being called up from Class AAA Louisville early in September, he's spent most of his time in the bullpen. That caused him to change his pregame preparations, as he readied every day with the thought that he might pitch that night.

Lucky for him that he didn't follow his relief pitcher's routine Monday. "I got a good stretch in before the game," Clark said. "I had told the trainers before the game that my arm felt tight. They said it might have had something to do with me not throwing for a while. So I didn't do my usual weightlifting before the game.

"I'm glad it worked that way. I felt a little more comfortable going out there." Clark, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound righthander, should feel that much more comfortable this winter. He has thrust his arm into the mix of possible starting pitchers for 1992. Juan Agosto's performance Monday night resembled what the Cardinals had wanted when they signed him as a free agent last offseason. But the three-inning, one-run effort, for which he earned his second save, was atypical of Agosto's season.

Agosto was one of the most durable lefthanded relievers in the National Guerrero From page one ing. It developed late in the season and forced him to cut down his swing. At age 35, it also may force him to take a cut in pay from what other big-time hitters command as free agents. But money isn't everything to Guerrero. "It's still fun," he said.

"When the game is no fun anymore, I'll quit. It's not that I don't need the money. Everybody needs money. "Even with all the money I made in the past, I won't play for free. But it's Fax us your classified ad by dialing For more information, call 621-6666.

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