Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 29

jWym.a,-ji.yrT --jf MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TUESDAY, MAY 28 1996 STAR TRIBUNE PAGE C7 mm American League standings mn mav scion ot Twin? scouting director high on first baseman Lee as top pick Central Pet OB HO Sir. Horn. Away Cleveland 33 1 5 .688 7-3 1L 16-5 17-10 Chicago 29 19 .604 4 8-2 1L 16-5 13-4 Milwaukee 22 25 .468 10 5-5 4L 10-10 ll5 Kansas Crty 24 28 .462 11 6-4 1W 11-15 13-13 Twln 22 26 .458 11 4-6 3W 12-13 10-13 EaSt Pet GB HQ stf. Home Away New York 27 19 .587 5-5 1L 18-8 9-11 Baltimore 27 20 .574 7-3 1W 18-11 9-9 Toronto 22 28 .440 7 1W 11-13 11-15 Boston 20 28 .417 8 5-5 1W 13-12 7-16 i Detroit 12 39 .235 17 0-10 12L 6-17 6-22 West Pet GB L10 Str. Home Away Texas 31 19 .620 5-5 3W 19-7 12-12 Seattle 26 22 .542 4 6-4 1W 15-12 11-10 'California 23 25 .479 7 4-6 1W 15-9 8-16 0akland 22 27 .449 814 3-7 2L 10-13 12-14 Twins year ago: 1 4-34 GB 21 Results Monday Games tonight Boston 10, Oakland 3 Twins at Milwaukee, 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City 5, Detroit 4, 13 innings Chicago at Toronto, 6:35 m. Texas 3, Cleveland 2 Cleveland at Texas, 7:35 p.m. Toronto 5, Chicago 4 Baltimore at Seattle, 9:05 p.m New York at California, late Boston at Oakland, 9:05 p.m. By Jim Souhan Star Tribune Staff Writer TORONTO Twins scouting director Mike Radcliff has spent the past few months scouting players whom the Twins could choose with the second pick in baseball's June 4 amateur draft. He'll receive plenty of input from the organization's other scouts, but the decision ultimately will be Radcliff and his reputation will be made by it.

It is a decision that seems to lack only the stamp of finality. The Twins will select second in the draft, after Pittsburgh. The Pirates have yet to tell the Twins whom they will select, but they are expected to take Clemson pitcher Kris Benson. Radcliff said his staff has narrowed its most-wanted list of possible picks from "about eight or nine" earlier this season, to three: Benson, San Diego State first baseman Travis Lee and Pennsylvania high school pitcher Matt White. Benson probably will be gone.

White, who has signed a letter-of-intent with Georgia Tech for negotiating leverage, has chosen notorious agent Scott Boras over Ron Shapiro, who is the agent for Kirby Puckett and Cal Ripken Jr. Radcliff said he wouldn't rule out drafting White or any other Boras client, but other scouts have said the Twins are expected to choose Lee, whom Radcliff just happened to rave about. Lee is a lefthanded, power-hitting first baseman the kind of player the Twins have been looking for since the early '90s, when they saw Kent Hrbek's career winding down. Lee won Baseball America's summer player of the year award last year, and will be the first baseman on the USA Olympic team this summer. The Twins have used 12 first basemen since Hrbek retired after the '94 season.

The current platoon of Ron Coomer and Scott Stahoviak has fared well, but if Lee becomes the next Fred McGriff, they could quickly become Devil Rays or Diamondbacks. Boras has courted Lee, but Lee is expected to choose another agent this week, Radcliff said. This will be Radcliff third draft as the Twins' scouting director. In his first two, he chose the best college hitter (Todd Walker in '94) and college pitcher (Mark Redman in '95) available. Neither was the best available athlete; both had well-honed skills and had been tested under the pressure of the College World Series.

"Lee is probably the best college New York at California, 9:05 p.m. hitter in the draft," Radcliff said. "He's in a similar mode with Walker. We feel very fortunate to be able to grab that kind of a player, with that kind of offensive potential. "We pinpointed him before the season even started.

I met with him and our other people met with him, and we've kept talking to him, kept in contact. We've seen him more than any other player in the draft. I've seen him seven times. We have a lot of comfort and depth of knowledge and conviction that he is worthy of this selection and will be a productive big-league hitter. "But whether he's ahead or behind Benson or White is to be determined." White is a phenomenal talent, but if you see a Twins executive getting intrigued about a high school pitcher, just mention the name Willie Banks.

"There is a lot of risk involved, and it usually takes a long time for high school pitchers to make it to the majors, if they ever do," Radcliff said. The Twins will begin making their big decision Wednesday, when the Twins' scouts start meeting. "It's been a long haul," Radcliff said. "This is where adrenaline takes over." Radcliff was speaking from his home near Kansas City before heading to Minnesota. It was a typical scout's day.

Instead of tak ing a rare day off, he hoped to combine an even rarer stop at his house with a scouting trip. Jerry Terrell's son, Jimmy, was to play in a summer league tournament. "He played on a high school team that played eight games," Radcliff said. "He played for a Christian school that had a horrible schedule, with no competition. This summer team faces better competition and will give us a better gauge, but unfortunately the tournament is in trouble, because it's raining." Radcliff will have a bigger problem if he drafts Lee Olympians can't officially sign with agents without losing their eligibility, so negotiations will probably be informal and inconclusive until late in the summer.

Notes Kirby Puckett will return to Baltimore this week, probably Wednesday, for further treatment of his blurred vision. His retinal specialist, Dr. Bert Glaser, will assess the value of the second opinion supplied by Mayo Clinic doctors last week. Twins pitcher Rick Aguilera threw 80 pitches in an extended spring training game in Fort Myers, on Monday and appears to be on course to return to the team in early June. Catcher Matt Walbeck said he "is close" to returning to the major league team.

Results Sunday Games Wednesday Twins 9, Toronto 3 Baltimore 6, Oakland 1 California 12, Boston 2 Chicago 12, Milwaukee 1 Cleveland 5, Detroit 0 Seattle 4, New York 3 Texas 6, Kansas City 4 Twins at Milwaukee, 12:15 p.m. Chicago at Toronto, 6:35 p.m. Detroit at Kansas City, 7:05 p.m. Cleveland at Texas, 7:35 p.m. Boston at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Seattle, 9:35 p.m. New York at California, 9:35 p.m. American League pitching form Away 1995 record Record last 3 starts Home Pitcher Odd Time W-L ERA W-t IP ERA AHWG Twin Mahomes(R) 7-05 T5 633 (M 12 6 00 165 Mil Karl (g -150 4-2 4.60 2-0 21 4.29 9.4 Chi Baldwin (R) liio 7:35 i 399 12VS 6.57 146 Tor Viola (L) 1-2 6.03 1-0 16 4.41 16.5 ci Hershiser(R) 115 7-35 SAO 17 476 132 Tex Oliver (I) 3-2 5.00 1-2 18 6 00 14.0 Bait EricksonfR) il 24 462 il 19 6.41 1Z8 See Wota)tt(R) -110 3-5 5.81 2-0 13 5.54 21.5 NY Rogers (L) 20 905 So 4.25 2-0 20 3.92 lH Cat Grimsley (R) 2-4 5.66 0-3 1214 11.68 20.4 Bo Clemens (R) -145 9:05 3-4 3.72 1-0 24 4.50 113 Oak Wasdin(R) OO 20.3 Around the majors Twins vs. Milwaukee W-L Won-lost record. IP Innings pitched.

ERA Earned-run average. AHWG Average hits and walks per game. (DH) Doubleheader. How to read the odd The odds always appear to the right of the favored team. If the favored team is -125, wager $125 to win $100 or wager $100 on the underdog to win $115.

There is a $10 spread between the favorite and underdog prices until the odds reach -200, when the spread widens. Example: Favored team is -210. Wager $210 to win $100 on the favored team or wager $100 to win $190 on underdog team. Lee Smith traded to Reds, but might not be closer National League standings Schedule: 7:05 tonight, 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.

TVradio: Ch. 4 tonight, MSC Wednesday. Both games on WCCO-AM (830). Probable starters: Tonight: The Twins' Pat Mahomes (1-2, 6.23) vs. Milwaukee's Scott Karl (4-2, 4.60); Wednesday: Rich Robertson (1-7, 4.73) vs.

Angel Miranda (3-3, 5.15). Twins at a glance: Catcher Mike Durant, who will be sent to Class AAA Salt Lake when Matt Walbeck fully recovers from wrist surgery, has 10 hits in his last 29 at-bats and has thrown out four of 10 runners attempting to steal this sea- son. The Twins have not allowed a home run in the last three games, which means they no longer are on pace to break the major league record of 228 homers given up in a season. They are on pace to give up 226. Chuck Knoblauch has 19 multi-hit games this season.

The Twins have had three straight 10-hit games. Central Pet GB HO Stf. Home Away Houston 26 26 .500 6-4 4W 12-14 14-12 St. Louis 22 28 .440 3 5-5 2L 9-13 13-15 Cincinnati 19 26 .422 3)4 3-7 2L 10-13 9-13 Chicago 21 30 .412 4S4 2-8 5L 15-13 6-17 Pittsburgh 19 31 .380 6 2-8 2L 8-17 11-14 East Pet GB L10 Str. Home Away Atlanta 33 17 .660 8-2 2W 20-9 13-8 Montreal 29 22 .569 454 2-8 4L 16-8 13-14 Florida 26 26 .500 8 6-4 2W 17-11 9-15 Philadelphia 24 24 .500 8 4-6 1W 8-11 16-13 New York 20 28 .417 12 5-5 1W 10-11 10-17 West Pet GB L10 Str.

Home Away San Diego 32 19 .627 7-3 1W 17-11 15-8 LosAngeles 27 24 .529 5 7-3 3W 16-9 11-15 San Francisco 25 23 .521 514 5-5 1L 11-13 14-10 Colorado 24 23 .511 6 8-2 2W 15-10 9-13 i Results Monday Games tonight Associated Press MIAMI Career saves leader Lee Smith is bound for Cincinnati's bullpen, but not as the Reds' closer. Smith, who holds the major league record with 471 saves, was traded Monday to the Reds his seventh team by the California Angels for lefthander Chuck McElroy. Smith, 38, said earlier this season that he would ask to be traded or would retire if he wasn't the Angels' closer. But he won't be Cincinnati's stopper, either. "I'm not going to promise him that he's closing," Reds manager Ray Knight said.

"I respect and trust Jeff Brantley too much. He's my closer. We'll go with Brantley when he's fresh and have Smith to complement him. There's Brewers at a glance: The Brewers swept a four-game series from the Twins at the Metrodome for the first time ever last weekend. They also swept a four-game series from the Twins at Milwaukee County Stadium last September, providing the Twins with one of the lowlights in a dimly lit season.

But since sweeping the Twins, the Brewers are 1-5. Brewers pitchers have thrown their only two complete games of the season in the last nine games. Scott Karl's complete-game victory over the Twins last Friday was the Brewers' first since last season. Karl is the kind of soft-throwing lefthander the Twins, with their all-righthanded lineup against lefties, should crush. Jim Souhan Twins statistics 1 if Atlanta 9, Chicago 1 Colorado 5, St Louis 2 Florida 6, Cincinnati 2 Houston 5, Pittsburgh 3 San Diego 4, Montreal 3 Results Sunday Cincinnati at Florida, 6:05 p.m.

Houston at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m. Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 6:35 p.m. San Diego at Montreal, 6:35 p.m. San Francisco at New York, 6:40 p.m. Atlanta at Chicago, 7:05 p.m.

Colorado at St Louis, 7:05 p.m. Games Wednesday Atlanta at Chicago, 1 :20 p.m. Cincinnati at Florida, 6:05 p.m. Houston at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m. Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 6:35 p.m.

San Diego at Montreal, 6:35 p.m. San Francisco at New York, 6:40 p.m. Colorado at St Louis, 7:05 p.m. Atlanta 6, Pittsburgh 3, 13 innings Florida 8, St Louis 2, 7 innings, rain Houston 7, Chicago 2 Los Angeles 4, Montreal 3 New York 1, San Diego 0 Philadelphia 10, San Francisco 1 Cincinnati at Colorado, rain National League pitching form Away Record last 3 starts 1996 record Associated Press California's Lee Smith, major league baseball's all-time leader In saves, pitches against Toronto In the ninth inning Monday. Smith was traded to Cincinnati for pitcher Chuck McElroy.

Home Pitcher Odd Tim W-L ERA W-t IP ERA AHWG Cin Burba (fl) 6:05 0-5 4.42 0-2 13 6.59 15.1 Brown (R) -140 2-4 2.24 0-1 15 1.72 8.6 Hi Hampton (L) 055 fcoi 34 284 Ti 16 3124 ml PitRuebel (L) 00 9.64 00 4 9.64 27.0 LA Valdes(R) lifTo 52 249 30 20 iFli 87 PhH Grace (R) 6-2 3.03 1-2 19 3.66 9.2 SO Tewksbury (R) 635 SM 460 1-0 18 250 105 MB Martinez (R) -135 5-1 3.06 1-0 19 3.20 12.8 SF Leiter(R) 6:40 2-4 5.02 0-0 19VJ 6.05 12 6 NYCteHc(R) -110 3-5 3.69 2-1 22 245 9.0 AH Smote (R) -145 7:05 10-1 2.50 30 20 3.15 9.5 Chi Bollinger (R) 3-4 6.42 2-1 2i 3.86 7.3 Colo Freeman (R) MS i5 5T7 0-1 19V4 605 149 SO. AianBenes(R) -120 4-3 638 1-1 18 6.00 12.0 Batten Avg. AB 2B 3B HR RBI SH SF BB SO SB Hale .370 26 27 4 10 3 0 1 6 0 0 4 1 00 Knoblauch .352 41 162 30 57 12 4 3 19 0 2 16 19 5 2 Molitor .332 48 196 32 65 13 1 2 28 0 2 16 17 5 1 Cordova .318 39 154 32 49 12 1 4 30 0 1 18 25 4 1 Myers .317 42 142 20 45 16 2 2 21 1 2 6 28 0 4 Durant .310 20 42 8 13 2 0 0 2 2 0 5 9 1. 4 Kelly .305 36 118 14 36 6 2 1 18 0 4 10 24 6 0 Coomer .302 26 63 10 19 3 0 4 16,02 7 6 01 Stahoviak 283 35 99 18 28 8 0 4 15 0 0 15 32 1 0 Meares 261 46 153 22 40 7 3 4 24 1 2 fl 34 3 7 Hollins 235 47 162 25 38 8 0 7 26 0 0 29 36 1 5. Becker .225 41 111 19 25 6 0 4 9 1 1 19 24 4 2 Reboulet .156 33 90 9 14 3 0 0 7 1 2 9 13 1 0' Hocking .143 19 56 6 8 3 0 1 6 1 1 4 12 2 0 Total 279 481659 259 463 103 14 37 237 6 20 178 296 36 29 i PHchert W-L ERA GS CG Sh Sv IP ER HR HB BB SO WP Naulty 3-0 230 19 0 0 0 0 31 19 9 8 2 0 20 37 2 Milchin 1-1 3.38 5 0 0 0 0 5ft 4 2 2 0 0 3 5 0 Grdado 2-2 3.77 28 0 0 0 0 28 21 13 12 2 1 13 26 2 Radke 4-5 4.50 12 12 0 0 0 76 73 42 38 12 1 23 55 0 Stevens 1-0 4.58 18 0 009 17 21 99407 14 0 Robertsn 1-7 4.73 11 11 3 1 0 64 68 37 34 6 2 31 43 2 Hansen 2-0 5.06 15 0 0 0 1 26 28 16 15 7 1 11 19 3 Rodrigz 3-5 5.40 11 11 1 0 0 63 70 39 38 6 4 27 28 0 Mahomes 1-2 6.23 16 2 0 0 0 3054 42 23 21 7 0 15 20 2 Parra 1-3 6 83 6 5 0 0 0 27 41 21 21 6 2 7 19 2 Bennett 2-0 7.23 19 0 0 0 1 23 28 19 19 5 2 11 11 1 Aguilera 0-0 12.0 1 1 0003 74420020 Totals 22-26 5.19 48 48 4 2 11 424 464 258 245 67 13 177 303 15 Milwaukee statistics Batters Avg.

AB 2B 3B HR RBI SH SF BB SO SB Nilsson .414 17 58 15 24 4 0 6 16 0 5i 7 0 Loretta .357 13 28 8 10 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 2 0 0 Setter .329 46 167 27 55 10 0 5 25 1 3 31 19 3 4 Vina .326 34 129 27 42 6 4 2 15 0 0 15 7 6 3 Mieske .309 43 136 18 42 11 1 6 26 0 4 13 21 0 1 Cirilk) 297 45 138 24 41 9 1 4 17 1 1 17 25 3 5 J. Valentin 285 47 172 34 49 8 3 8 37 2 2 20 43 8 13 Vaughn 274 46 166 35 46 5 0 11 37 0 2 27 48 3 2 Carr .272 24 92 17 25 5 1 1 11 0 1 6 15 5 0 Jaha .258 43 155 29 40 8 0 6 30 0 0 24 33 1 2 Matneny .254 44 134 16 34 9 1 3 30 5 3 7 32 3 0 Levis .250 21 36190004005000 Listach 234 30 111 15 26 6 0 1 11 3 0 12 19 13 1 Unroe .222 79420000003201 Ward 204 34 54 6 11 1 1 2 9 1 1 13 15 2 0 Hulse .167 3348 6 8 00 0 0002901 Totals 284 47 1636 282 464 82 12 55 269 13 17 204 297 47 37 Pitchers W-L ERA GS CG Sh Sv IP. ER HR HB BB SO WP Lloyd 1-1 261 21 0 000 20 19 76 005 12 0 Fetters 1-0 2.70 18 0 0 0 7 16 12 8 5 2 1 11 6 3 Wickander 2-0 3.94 16 0 0 0 0 16 18 8 7 1 0 11 11 0 Mcdonald 4-2 424 11 11 0 0 0 63 63 31 30 10 2 26 40 2 Boze 0-2 4.30 12 0 0 0 1 14 14 7 7 2 2 10 4 1 Garcia 0-1 450 7 0 0 0 0 16 14 8 8 3 1 3 6 1 Karl 4-2 4.60 9 9 1 0 0 60 53 35 31 5 3 21 34 3 Miranda 3-3 5.15 10 7 0 0 1 43 42 28 25 4 0 25 30 6 Bones 3-7 606 12 11 0 0 0 65 77 49 44 13 3 28 18 0 Sparks 3-5 6 59 9 9 1 0 0 57 59 42 42 15 3 28 13 2 Carpenter 04 7.56 8 0 000 8 12 8 7 1 0 2 2 0 Kieter 04 810 7 0000 10 15 9910551 Potts 1-2 822 12 0000 23 30 22 21 6 0 11 8 1 Totals 22-25 521 47 47 2 0 9 416 428262241 63 15 186 189 20 no reason both of them can't get saves." Brantley went into Monday's game against Florida with a 2.92 ERA and 11 saves in 13 chances. "I am concerned, but they've told me I'll be the closer," Brantley said. "I talked to Ray and he assured me and made me feel secure.

I'm apprehensive, but I'm a survivor. "Lee Smith has been a great closer in his time," he said, "and I think he can help our ballclub." Smith was en route to Miami, where he'll join the Reds today, and was unavailable for comment. He had no saves with a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings this season with California. Smith was placed on the 15-day disabled list in April after offseason surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his right knee, injured during a hunting trip. In Smith's absence, Troy Percival, 26, was nearly flawless as the Angels' closer.

He had 13 saves and a 1.74 ERA in 19 games. Smith makes $2.1 million and McElroy $817,000. The Angels agreed to pick up the difference in their salaries this season, the Reds said. McElroy had a 2t0 record and a 6.57 ERA in 12V4 innings with Cincinnati this year. Smith, a seven-time All-Star, also has pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Boston, St.

Louis, the New York Yankees and Baltimore. He has a record of 68-87, 1,201 strikeouts and a 2.94 career ERA. Franco denies making an obscene gesture Mets reliever John Fran- W-L Won-lost record. IP Innings pitched. ERA Earned-run average.

AHWG Average hits and walks per game. (OH)-Doubleheader. How to md th odd Th odds always appear to the right of the favored team. If the favored team is -1 25, wager $125 to win $100 or wager $1 00 on the underdog to win $1 1 5. There is a $10 spread between the favorite and underdog prices until the odds reach -200, when the spread widens.

Example: Favored team Is -21 0. Wager $21 0 to wi $100 on the favored team or wager $100 to win $190 on underdog team. This date in baseball Chuck McElroy co says he wasn't making an obscene gesture to fans at the end of New York's 1-0 victory over San Diego on Sunday. Franco, booed often at Shea Stadium in recent weeks, thrust his left fist skyward against his right forearm after striking out Jody Reed to end the game with the bases loaded. "That's the way I celebrate," Franco said.

"I would never do anything like that. I'm not that type of person. The fans pay their money. They can do anything they want. I've been through a lot in this game.

Fans don't bother me." Last season, Jack McDowell made an obscene gesture to Yankees fans as he left the field during a game. "I Was just happy I escaped," Franco said. "What do you think? I'm crazy. I'm not Jack McDowell" Fernandez on DL The Philadelphia Phillies recalled outfielder Ricky Otero and right-hander land, Detroit New York and Washingtoa California, Chicago, Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland and Seattle will make up the West 1979: George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hit for the cycle and added another home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in 16 innings. 1986: Joe Cowley of the Chicago White Sox set a major league record by striding out the first seven batters he faced.

He only lasted 4 innings as the Texas Rangers won 6-3. 1946: The first night game at Yankee Stadium was played before 49,917. The first ban was thrown out by General Electric president Charles Wilson; the Washington Senators beat New York2-l. 1956: Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit his eighth home run in eight consecutive games, a major league record. 1968: The American League announced that the league win be split into two divisions.

The East division wl consist of Baltimore, Boston, Cleve Ron Blazier from Scranton-Wilkes-Barre on Monday and planned to put lefthander Sid Fernandez on the 15-day disabled list Fernandez, who has a sprained pitching elbow, will go on the DL today. Blazier, 4-0 with a 1.76 ERA in 30 innings for the Triple-A Red Barons, replaces Fernandez on the roster. Another move will be made Tuesday to make room for Otero, general manager Lee Thomas said. ui sjLfc su W. W.

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