Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 28

6C The Clarion-Ledger Thursday, July 6, 1989 anseco prove absence mattes the heart fonder Retired Philly, injured A's star spring training with a fractured wrist He is playing for Oakland's Class AA Huntsville All-Star starters National League American League 1B Will Clark, San Francisco Giants 1B Mark McGwire, Oakland A's 2B Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs 2B Julio Franco, Texas Rangers 3B Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies 3B Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox SS Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals SS Cal Ripken, Baltimore Orioles Benito Santiago, San Diego Padres Terry Steinback, Oakland A's OF Kevin Mitchell, San Francisco Giants OF Bo Jackson, Kansas City Royals OF Darryl Strawberry, New York Mets OF Kirby Puckert, Minnesota Twins OF Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres OF Jose Canseco, Oakland A's Baltimore's Cal Ripken will start for the fifth time as the AL's shortstop. Oakland was the only team with three starters selected and joining Canseco will be teammates Terry Steinbach at catcher and Mark McGwire at first base. Also elected for the AL were Boston's Wade Boggs at third base and Minnesota's Kirby Puckett in the outfield. For the NL; Benito Santiago of San Diego will start at catcher, Ryne Sandberg of Chicago at second base and Tony Gwynn of the Padres in the outfield.

Clark won by the biggest margin, more than 1.3 million votes over Pedro Guerrero -tci l. ypted All-Star starters. Clark Sets most votes. ffb Associstea' Pum NEW YORK Mike Schmidt and Jose Canseco proved again that when it comes to AltStar voting, popularity counts more tJian productivity. JSchmidt, retired since May 29, and Can-wseo, disabled all season, were elected Wednesday to start in next week's All-Star Game.

Schmidt became the first retired elected. He is ineligible to play because he is in inactive, but he will be introduced in pregame ceremonies. Canseco, hSwever, can play and plans to Tuesday njjdit in Anaheim, Calif. team on a rehabilitation assignment. First baseman Will Clark of San Francisco led all vote-getters with 1,833,329 and will make his second start.

Outfielder Bo Jackson of Kansas City got the most in the AL with 1,748,696 and will make his first appearance. Only one race was decided in the final week. Texas' Julio Francoovercame a margin and passed Steve Sax of New York as the AL's second baseman by 27,000. San Francisco's Kevin Mitchell, leading the majors with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs, led NL outfielders. Ozzie Smith of St.

Louis will start for the seventh straight year as the NL's shortstop. Schmidt, seventh on the all-time home run list, won the closest race at any position, holding off Cincinnati's Chris Sabo by 16,136 votes as the National League's third All reserves and pitchers will be named today. Canseco, last year's American League Most Valuable Player, has been out since ui oi. ijuuis. uiuia is uiiiu in me league 111 hitting at .334, tied for sixth with 13 home runs and second with 59 RBIs.

Gideon makes Giants' Wilson hits, pitches way to win transformation fes a pitcher yD Former first baseman has moved to Class AA in less than a season. By Jo Powell Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer SLy VT- it i Traveling the Babe Ruth trail backward is not jwhat the Jackson Mets' Ron Gideon had in mind he signed a pro contract five years ago. Nevertheless, his change from hitter to pitcher lias been an amazing transformation. Gideon, a soft-spoken 25-year-old from east Texas, rejoined the Texas League team over the mm mm mm i'i weekend. He played first base for Jackson last year, hitting .225 with 12 home runs and 105 strikeouts in 325 at-bats.

"It's more fun striking them out than getting struck out," he said. The left-hander pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first two appearances during the Mets' recent series at Tulsa. That Gideon has reached A The Associated Press Baltimore's Craig Worthington tries unsuccessfully to slide around the tag of Toronto catcher Ernie Whitt. Orioles' Melvin goes 2 ways to prolong Blue Jays' blues Baltimore erupts for four runs on six straight third-inning hits to lock up Key. Kevin Mitchell 28th home run helps San Francisco beat Pittsburgh 6-4.

From Wire Service Reports Trevor Wilson allowed two hits in seven innings for, his first major-league victory and singled home a run'' Wednesday night at Pittsburgh, leading the San Fran-'' cisco Giants over the Pirates 6-4. Kevin Mitchell hit his major-league leading 28th' homer and his sixth in seven games against which lost for the third time in 11 games. NATIONAL Barry Bonds hit a three- run homer in the ninth off Steve Bedrosian, Bonds' 1 1th home run this season. Wilson, 1-1, struck out four and walked five. He gave up singles to Jose Lind in the first and Gary Redus in" the third.

Wilson, 2-for-6 as a batter this year, tied the' score at 1-1 in the second with an RBI single that fol- lowed singles by Ernest Riles and Jose Uribe. Mitchell made it 2-1 in the third with his second homer in as many games. He is batting .360 with six homers and seven RBI against Pittsburgh this year. Will Clark of the Giants had a run-scoring single off loser Bob Walk, 7-5. Cubs 5, Padres 3: Mark Grace hit three doubles and a two-run homer for the second four-hit game of his career and rookie Jerome Walton had three hits and scored twice to help Chicago rally past visiting San Die-! go.

The Cubs took the lead for good at 4-3 in the third inning when Walton led off with a double and, one out later, Grace stroked a tie-breaking double to rout starter Dennis Rasmussen, 3-6. Chicago starter Scott Sanderson, 8-6, survived a shaky start to record the victory. He allowed three runs, eight hits and one walk before he left after five innings with a bruised left forearm. Paul Kil- gus hurled four innings of two-hit relief for his second save. Expos 7, Braves 5: Dennis Martinez won his eighth consecutive decision and Hubie Brooks' sacrifice fly scored the go-ahead run as visiting Montreal rallied' from a four-run deficit to beat Atlanta.

Martinez, 9-1, allowed nine hits in five innings, struck out three and walked two. Mark Eichhorn, 1-2, relieved starter Derek Lilliguist to open the sixth with a 5-3 lead. Eichhorn hit Spike Owen, pinch-hitter Dave Martinez doubled and Otis Nixon reached on an infield hit to load the bases. Pinch hitter Mike Aldrete tied the score 5-5 with a two-run double, Andres Galarraga was intentionally walked and Brooks flied to left, scoring Nixon. Tom Foley added a run in the eighth with his fourth home run of the season.

Atlanta's Lonnie Smith led off the fifth with his 12th home run for a 5-3 lead. Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in, the first on Darrell Evans' RBI double and Dale Murphy's run-scoring single. Gerald Perry made it 4-0 in the third with a two-run double. Rex Hudler opened the fifth with his fourth home run of the season and Tim Wallach pulled Monteal to 4-3 with a two-run homer, his fifth home run this year. Zane Smith, recently acquired by the Expos from Atlanta, worked two innings of no-hit, scoreless relief for the Montreal.

He gave up one walk. Phillies 3, Reds 2: Steve Jeltz scored on a passed ball with one out in the 10th inning to lift Philadelphia over visiting Cincinnati. With the bases loaded and Von Hayes at the plate, Jeltz scored when catcher Jeff Reed could not handle the first pitch from reliever John Franco, 2-2. Jeltz began the 10th with a single and stole second as Bob Dernier struck out. Len Dykstra followed with a single that right fielder Paul O'Neill did not pick up cleanly and he kicked to the ball to the infield as Dykstra went to second.

Jeltz got a late start and did not see O'Neill boot the ball, remaining at third on the play. Tom Herr was walked intentionally to load the bases and bring up Hayes. Roger McDowell, 2-5, gave up two hits and struck out one in one inning for the victory. AMERICAN From Wire Service Report Ron Gideon tne Class AA level in less than a season of pitching is remarkable. Most pitchers, drafted from the high school or college ranks, take two to four years to reach AA or never make it all.

"Moving up to Jackson came as a surprise," Gideon said. Working as a "long" reliever, he was 0-3 with a 2.40 earned run average and no saves at Class A Port St. Lucie in the Florida State League. Gideon's switch to the mound is more or less an accident. It began with the JaxMets' need for a "mop-up" pitcher late last year.

"(Manager) Tucker Ashford and (pitching coach) Glenn Abbott asked me if I wanted to throw in a game after pitching batting practice," he said. "I said OK; I had pitched in high school. I didn't have any intentions other than throwing strikes and getting us out of some innings." He did that and more. "Tulsa clocked me with their radar gun, and I was throwing 90 mph. I was somewhat surprised," he said.

Another surprise occurred on the next-to-last day of the season. "Abby asked me if I would like to go to instructional league to work on my pitching," he said. He agreed and threw once every three days under the tutelage of Abbott and New York's minor-league pitching coach Al Jackson. The organization waited until February to let him know it wanted him to report to spring training as a pitcher. "When it comes to finding another job or this, I'll take this," Gideon said.

"It's a big adjustment. I've been swinging a bat all my life, and I've loved it." The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder said he would gladly take any hitting opportunities with the Mets. All Florida State League teams use the designated hitter. His pitching repertoire includes fastball, curve-ball, change-up and occasional cut fastball. "I have a knuckleball I've been working on, too," he said.

"I've got to ask (pitching coach Bob) Apo-daca if I can use it." The Mets will try to snap a four-game losing streak tonight at Smith-Wills Stadium in the opener of a five-game series against Midland. The Western Division-leading Angels, 14-4, feature first baseman Chris Cron. He leads the league with 15 homers and 63 RBIs. had 15 hits in all and Roberto Kelly scored four runs. It was the Yankees' first complete game shutout of the season and their first since July 2, 1988, when John Candelaria beat Chicago.

Hawkins, 10-8, won for the fifth time in six starts, striking out three and walking none. It was his second complete game this season and first shutout since May 31, 1988, when he beat Philadelphia 8-0 for San Diego. New York's Don Mattingly went 0- for-4, ending a 17-game hitting streak. Indians 4, White Sox 2: Greg Swindell got his 11th victory and Brad Komminsk responded to a pre-game vote of confidence by hitting his first home run since 1985 as homestanding Cleveland beat Chicago. Swindell, 11-2, won for the seventh time in eight starts and is second in the American League in victories.

He lowered his ERA to 2.75, tightening his grip on an All-Star spot. Swindell gave up six hits in 7 innings. Ivan Calderon singled with two outs in the eighth and Carlton Fisk followed with his fifth home run. Doug Jones pitched the ninth for his 21st save. Jerry Reuss, 7-5, lost his third straight decision.

The Indians swept the three-game series. Komminsk played center field for the third straight day while Joe Carter moved to left field for the first time since 1987. Manager Doc Edwards said before the game that Komminsk would stay in center as long as he keeps hitting. Brewers-Red Sox postponed: The game between Milwaukee and Boston at Fenway Park was not played because of a steady rain. It was rescheduled as part of a twi-night doubleheader today beginning at 4:05 CDT.

Mike Boddicker, 5-7, will start the first game and rookie Eric Hetzel, 1-0, the second for Boston. Jaime Navarro, 1- 0, will start Game 1 and Randy Veres, 0-1, Game 2. Bob Melvin collected three hits and drove in two runs Wednesday night, helping the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and slumping pitching ace Jimmy Key. Key, 7-8, gave up five runs and 12 hits in eight innings. He lost for the sixth time in his last seven decisions.

The Blue Jays have lost nine of 11 games and have scored just 10 runs in their past six games. The game was played before a crowd of 48,239, making Toronto the first club in the American League to surpass the 1.5 million mark in attendance. In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals have each exceeded the mark. Bob Milacki, 5-8, pitched the first five innings for the victory.

He allowed three runs and seven hits, striking out three and walking one. Gregg Olson worked two innings for his 13th save. After Baltimore took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Phil Bradley's sixth homer of the season, the Orioles scored four runs on six consecutive hits in the third to take a 5-0 lead. Toronto cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the third inning on RBI doubles by Nelson Liriano and Tony Fernandez. The Blue Jays closed to 5-3 in the fourth on Fred McGriff 19th homer of the year.

Toronto made the score 5-4 in the eighth on consecutive singles by Fernandez, Kelly Gruber, and George Bell off Olson. Yankees 9, Tigers 0: Andy Hawkins tossed a five-hitter for his first American League shutout as New York beat visiting Detroit. Steve Sax and Luis Polonia each had four hits and drove in three runs. The Yankees JaxMets at home Media, fans have Royals' Jackson seeing 4040 X3 NOTES Former Auburn football star says he could care less about 40 homers, 40 stolen bases. From Wire Service Reporte Where: Smith-Wills Stadium.

Tickets: Box seats reserved adult general admission students and senior citizens under 6 admitted free. Today: Midland (Martinez 8-4) at Jackson (Gi-vens 1-2), 7 p.m., WJDX-AM, 620, World Famous Friday: Midland at Jackson, 7 p.m., Dash for Cash and Fireworks Show. Saturday: Midland at Jackson, 7 p.m., First 2,000 Fans Receive Free Jaxmets Team Photo. Sunday: Midland at Jackson, 6 p.m., Girl Scout Family Night. Monday: Midland at Jackson, 7 p.m., Jitney Jungle Night.

Tuesday: El Paso at Jackson, 7 p.m., Leaf Candy Night and Free Tickets at Cowboy Maloney's and Area Homebuilders. Wednesday: El Paso at Jackson, 7 p.m. July 13: El Paso at Jackson, 7 p.m., Brookhaven Kiwanis Club Fund-Raising Event, i July 14: El Paso at Jackson, 7 p.m. July 15: El Paso at Jacteon, 7 p.m., First 2,000 Fans Receive Free Batting Helmet. Midland's manager was ejected and six players were bounced following a bench-clearing brawl.

Announcer Barry Sykes was ejected after he had played the Linda Ronstadt tune, "When Will I Be Loved?" which contains the lyrics, "I've been cheated, been mistreated." It was timing rather than his tune selection that got him in trouble. He played the song after an argument over an umpire's call which went against the home team. Catcher Otto Gonzalez hauled in a foul pop close to the screen, but umpire Brian Owen ruled that Gonzalez had trapped the ball. Midland manager Max Olivaras was thrown out for protesting the call. In the eighth inning, relief pitcher Luis Merejo applied a hard tag on Wichita's Dave Hollins on a play at first base.

fell over the bag, got up and charged Merejo. The benches emptied and the game, won 9-1 by Wichita, was halted for 20 minutes. seco said. Diagnosis is in on Doc: New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden, who went on the disabled list last weekend, has been diagnosed with a slight muscle tear in his right shoulder and may miss 3-4 weeks. The diagnosis alleviated fears that Goo-den's injury was more serious.

In a statement, the Mets quoted Dr. Fiske Warren, one of the club's orthopedic surgeons, as saying there was no other damage to the arm and "no career-threatening problems." Gooden had a record of 9-4 and a 2.99 ERA when he was sidelined. TL brawl claims announcer: The trouble started in the second inning, and the first to get bounced was the public address announcer. Before the Texas League game between Wichita and Midland at Midland, Texas, ended Tuesday night, Bo Jackson keeps hitting home runs and stealing bases and everyone keeps talking about 40-40 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. Everyone, that is, but Bo Jackson.

"To hell with 40-40," says the Kansas City Royals outfielder. "You all are more concerned about it than I am. I'm just playing baseball." Jackson's two mammoth homers Tuesday night gave him 20 for the season, along with 20 steals, and helped the Royals rout the Oakland Athletics 10-1. At the midway point of the season (81 games), Jackson has a legitimate shot at becoming the second player in major league history to be a 40-40 man, only one year after Oakland's Jose Canseco chartered the one-member club. "I think Bo Jackson can do it," Can- 1 i The Associated Press Kansas City's Bo Jackson doesn't dwell on the exclusive 40-40 club..