Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 75

PHILADELPHtA'DAtLY NEWS 1 PAGE 75 THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1997 vs. St. Louis Cardinals 7:35, at Veterans Stadium Television: PRISM. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM). Records Cardinals: 51-55 (third place in NL Central, 7 games behind) Phillies: 32-72 (fifth place in NL East, 34 games behind) Tomorrow's Pitching Matchup Cardinals RHP Andy Benes (7-5, 3.06) vs.

Phillies RHP Garrett Stephenson (4-5, 4.06) Saturday's Pitching Matchup Cardinals RHP Todd Stottlemyre (10-7, 3.88) vs. Phillies LHP Matt Beech (0-6, 6.13) d. I Si'i. Morris Schilling Schill tops NL in strikeouts TODAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP by Paul Hagen 1997 I vs. CLUB LAST 3 STARTS LAST APPEARANCE W-L ERA 1997 Career W-L IP ERA Date Dec.

IP ER Matt Morris (R) 8-6 2.64 0-0 0-0 2-0 21 0.83 726 7 1 Curt Schilling (R) 11-10 3.37 0-0 2-5 1-2 24 2.63 726 7 4 per start, 11.10 per nine innings. At that rate, he has a chance to take a run at Carlton's franchise record of 310 strikeouts in 1972. Heat is neat There is more to it than that, of course. Schilling has always had the ability to light up radar guns from 60 feet, 6 inches. Until this season, though, he has never blown hitters away with the regularity he has demonstrated so far this season.

Before 1997, he averaged 7.28 strikeouts every nine innings, pretty good but hardly overwhelming. Part of this has to do with the reduced circumstance the Phillies find themselves in. "When it Daily News Sports Writer When he strikes out a batter. Expos lefthander Carlos Perez holds out his arms, embracing the approval that is certain to cascade down from the seats, and spins around the mound in open celebration for what he has just accomplished. When a precocious Mets rookie named Dwight Gooden burst on to the scene in 1984, Shea Stadium fans took note by beginning the custom of hanging a card with the letter the universal symbol for a strikeout, on the railing.

The 19-year-old fanned 276 and a legend was born. Phillies update: In his last two starts, Curt Schilling has struck out 25 while allowing just one walk in 15 innings pitched Schilling's 888 strikeouts as "a Phillie is seventh of the team's all-time list. Next up: Curt Simmons (1,052) Mike Lieberthal is 25-for-62 (.403) in his last 17 starts with three homers, five doubles and 15 RBI CF Midre Cummings, who has missed the last three starts with asore hamstring, is expected to be examined today In the meantime, Ricky Otero is 26-for-76 (.342) in his last 22 games, raising his average from .128 to .260. Paul Hagen Cardinals update: General manager Walt Jocketty continues to talk trade with the Athletics about slugger Mark McGwire. The hangup so far is believed to be that Oakland is asking for RHPs T.J.

Mathews and Manuel Aybar, a steep price for a player who can become a free agent at the end of the season Offensive woes? The defending NL Central champs have only one player, CF Ray Lankford, with more than 50 RBI Reliever Dennis Eckersley on Monday became the fifth pitcher (joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Kent Tekulve, Rich Gossage and Lee Smith) to appear in 1,000 games. seems like 66 you're always All's quiet on tradin The seventh-inning stretch almost always ends with the melodious declaration that "It's one two three strikes you're out at the old ball game!" Yes, from Walter "Big Train" Johnson to Nolan in a tight ball-game, there's not a lot of room to relax and experiment," Schilling said. "Not that I'm going to do anything really off the wall. But more times than I think I should I find myself with a lot of two-strike counts. What am I going to do? Let them hit the ball then? Curt Schilling In the final hours before baseball's trading deadline, Phillies general manager Lee Thomas continued to work the phones.

After midnight tonight, waivers will be required for any deal. There is every indication that, going into the last day, nothing much had changed for the Phillies. Thomas is getting a lot of inquiries, primarily about closer Ricky Bottalico and second baseman Mickey Morandini. The Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Chicago White Sox have all called recently and the New York Yankees might be preparing a late push. But the Phillies continue to insist they have to get top value in return for either player.

Any list of outfielders they are interested in would have to include Andruw Jones (Braves). Jose Cruz Jr. (Mariners), Ricky Ledee (Yankees), Shawn Green (Blue Jays), Brian Giles (Indians) and Mike Cameron (White Sox). Pitchers they have eyed include Bartolo Colon (Indians), Willie Martinez (Indians) and Ken Cloude (Mariners). The Phillies are still hopeful of making a deal that would help jumpstart their rebuilding program.

But they will not make a deal just for the sake of making a trade. Paul Hagen I've gotten to the point this year when I've talked myself into the idea that there's a guy on first and I need a strikeout because there's no margin for error. And that's cost me some ballgames. "I find myself with a lot of two-strike counts. What am I going to do? Let them hit the ball then?" Schilling recalled a conversation he had with Braves four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux during the All-Star break in Cleveland.

This was before Maddux spun his 78-pitch masterpiece against the Cubs on July 22. Schill still wanted to know what he could do to become more efficient, throw fewer pitches, complete more games. "And he said, 'Boo bleeping Schilling remembered. "We had a long talk. He said I was like Braves righthander John Smoltz, that when I throw a fastball to a hitter with an 0-0 or 0-1 count, it usually gets fouled off.

With him, it probably gets grounded out. "I'd really like to throw fewer pitches. But that might not be possible right now." The high pitch counts Schilling has thrown to the plate 2,685 times this season, more often "The Express" Ryan to Randy "Big Unit" Johnson, there has always been something powerful and mythic about strikeouts. It still counts for one out, just that and nothing more. Yet, somehow, it seems to stand slightly above a grounder to shortstop or a popup to leftfield.

It makes the pitcher stand a little taller. King of the hill, indeed. "I still feel in my heart of hearts that, when I lose a little something off my fastball, I'm going to be a better pitcher," Phillies ace Curt Schilling was saying recently as he sat in the dugout at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Then he stopped and grinned an incandescent grin. "But right now I enjoy being a power pitcher.

I enjoy striking people out." By that yardstick, at least, this has been a vastly enjoyable season for Schilling. Going into his start tonight against the Cardinals at Veterans Stadium, he leads the National League with 201 strikeouts. He has a chance to become the first Phillies pitcher since Steve Carlton in 1983 to lead the league, the first righthander since Jim Bunning in 1967. He is averaging 8.74 strikeouts does who have that kind of control." Individual goals are always noted with a slightly jaundiced eye when a team is losing as constantly as the Phillies have this year. Will Scott Rolen be the NL Rookie of the Year? Will Mickey Morandini bat .300 for the first time in his career? Or conversely, should Ricky Bottalico be perturbed because he isn't being afforded regular save opportunities? And yet, just as it will be a boost for the Phillies' organization if Rolen ends up being voted the league's best rookie, there would be some reflected glory if Schilling wound up as the strikeout leader.

And it could happen. The closest pursuer is Pedro Martinez, of the Expos, with 189. And Schilling's overall numbers are somewhat misleading. In his last seven starts he has struck out an amaz ing 75 hitters in just 50 innings. As coincidence would have it, his 200th strikeout of the season came Saturday night in Dodger Stadium.

And, when he got pitcher Darren Dreifort swinging for the third out of the fifth, it was also the strikeout of his career. Catcher Mike Lieberthal rolled the ball back toward the mound, standard operating procedure at the end of an inning. Schilling circled back to pick it up. That's one for the trophy case. Others could follow before the season ends Sept.

28 against Florida at Veterans Stadium. Schilling takes it all in stride. But there could be a situation in which he would show his emotion outwardly after a strikeout. If he pitched against Perez and if he struck him out, he admitted, well, he might just have to do a small dance on the mound himself. than any NL pitcher remain a distant concern.

Pitching coach Galen Cisco noted, however, that Schilling is consistently around the plate, especially for a pitcher who routinely throws 94 miles an hour. "He's got amazing control for the corners of the plate," Cisco said. "He's throwing hard and he's throwing it right on the corner. You can strike a lot of batters out that way but it's also the reason he sometimes throws so many pitches. "I think a big part of what he's been able to accomplish this year comes with knowing the hitters better.

He knows more about the hitters but at age 30 he also knows more about himself. "He knows what he can do, what he can't do, what he doesn't like to do. He knows himself a little better and there are few guys who throw as hard as he.