The Prince George Citizen - Wednesday, August 18,1999 -1 1 Spo r ts Jays drop another gam e TORONTO (CP) — The Toronto Blue Jays desperately son, a two-run shot to right-centre. One out later, Martinez need someone to step up and stop the bleeding. hit his 18th home run of the season, taking Hentgen to the Any thoughts that Pat Hentgen would come to the rescue opposite field in right for his 19th career multi-homer game vanished on a 2-1 curve ball that Edgar Martinez sent to left and a 6-1 Seattle lead. for a three-run home run in the first inning Tliesday night, Paul Abbott (4-0) struck out a career high nine batters his first of two as the Seattle Mariners handed the Blue Jays over 6 1-3 innings. He allowed four runs on five hits and a their season-high sixth-straight loss with an 8-5 victory. walk, and Jose Mesa, the last of four Seattle relievers* “I try to go about the first inning the same way I have all my pitched the ninth for his 27th save of the season. career,” said Hentgen, who has given up 31 of his 87 earned runs in the first inning and sports a 10.73 ERA in the opening frame this season. “It just makes it so tough on the whole team. , t f C E GEO* It puts us in a hole and forces us to play catch-up all game.” Despite the loss, the Blue Jays still trail Boston by 2 1-2 ^ (ftinor 0lrfs ^ games in the American League wild card race. The Oakland Athletics, who trail Boston by one game, hammered the Red Sox 12-1. For the sliding Blue Jays, the task of turning around the club’s fortunes now fall into the left hand of David Wells, who gets the start in the series finale Wednesday. Prince George M inor Girls Softball is accepting “Our starting pitching has been somewhat disappointing this applications fo r the positions o f Head Coach fo r season,” said Blue Jays manager Jim Fregosi. “It was supposed each o f the “Tlninderbird" Rep. Teams ("B ” level to be one of our strengths coming out of spring training.” fastball); Squirt, PeeWee, Bantam and Midget; as The starters have been anything but strong in August, well as Head Coach fo r the M idget “Angels” (“C” sporting a 6-9 record with an ERA close to 7.00. The staff as level fastball) playing in the Senior Ladies league. a whole has given up an American League-high 32 home A ll applications m ust he returned to the league no runs this month. later than August 27th. Applicants w ill he notified Martinez put the Blue Jays in an early hole, hitting Hent- o f interviews to he held during the first week of gen’s 2-1 pitch to left for his 17th home run of the season, a September with final selection immediately AP photo three-run shot to left for a 3-0 lead in the first. follow ing. Applications can he picked up by calling 3,000 MEANS NOTHING - Mets infielder Edgardo Alfonso showed no After David Bell walked to start the third, Ken Griffey Jr. respect to San Diego’s Tony Gwynn Tuesday night, turning a double play M att Carter at 561-9401. hit his American League-leading 37th home run of the sea- 355975 in front of the Padres’ hitting machine. Gwynn and the Padres had the last laugh, beating New York 3-2. I W e take this opportunity to say Long ball helps Expos i th a n k -y o u SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In the change.” midst of an overpowering, precision dis­ Dan Smith (4-6) pitched three hit- to our custom ers and suppliers play by San Francisco and Montreal less innings for the victory and Ugueth pitchers, Robb Nen lost control of one Urbina got three outs for his 28th save. throw. It turned the course of the game. Pitchers from both teams were domi­ for your patience and support Nen was one out from teaming up nant, combining for 29 strikeouts, in­ with Shawn Estes on a shutout when cluding a rare four-strikeout effort in the I during recent service disruptions at Prin ce G eorge. he threw a wild pitch that allowed seventh by Montreal reliever Steve Kline. Montreal to tie it, and Brad Fullmer hit “ Sometimes, guys have days where a leadoff homer in the 12th as the Ex­ they have good stuff and you get guys BYERS pos rallied past the San Francisco Gi­ to swing and miss,” said Smith. “The I ants 2-1 Tuesday. guys out of the bullpen were aggressive TRANSPORTATION “ I take a lot of the blame for what I and they went out and went at guys.” do,” said a subdued Nen, who blew a Montreal had 15 strikeouts, while San < * * > S Y S T E M I N C . save for the eighth time in 35 opportu­ Francisco had 14. The Giants, denied in nities. “I haven’t pitched well. I should their bid for consecutive wins for the have done my job. I made a mistake first time since July 26-27, fanned 12 pitch and I lost it. It’s been a tough day times in the last six innings. It was San We value your business and we remain dedicated and a tough season. Hopefully, it will Francisco’s 22nd loss in 32 games. to earning and keeping your confidence in our service. Rookie D aubach a quiet O ffice phone: 250-564-1122 star in Boston clubhouse BOSTON (AP) — The mail is piled said Monday night after watching waist-high next to Brian Daubach’s Daubach beat his A’s with a two-out, locker, a leaning tower of cards and let­ full-count, three-run double. “He’s my ters in danger of being knocked over in rookie of the year, that’s for sure.” the next media crush. Other contenders for the award vot­ And every one of them is addressed ed on by the Baseball Writers Associa­ Talking Yellow Pages™ to Nomar Garciaparra. tion of America include Kansas City Daubach? His mail fits neatly into outfielder Carlos Beltran, who’s hitting the general delivery cubbyholes pro­ .292 with 18 homers and 80 RBIs, and vided for the more mortal Boston play­ Toronto closer Billy Koch, who has 24 ers. But at the rate the rookie first saves and a 2.35 ERA (both players’ baseman is going, he could join Garcia­ stats through Monday’s games). parra in the hearts of Red Sox fans — Originally a 19th-round pick by the and in the record book as well. New York Mets in 1990, Daubach After nine years in the minor leagues bounced around the minors for nine — and then being released by the low­ years and filled in as a replacement ly Florida Marlins — Daubach is player during the 1994-95 strike. He among the top contenders for the AL led the International League with 35 rookie of the year award, an honour homers and 124 RBIs last season, then his clubhouse neighbour won in 1997. had 15 at-bats with Florida as a Sep­ The 27-year-old Daubach was batting tember call-up. .339 entering Tuesday night’s game, “Once you spend a lot of time in the with 19 homers and 68 RBIs — driving minor leagues, you get labelled a triple- in 15 runs in the last four games alone. A player,” Daubach said. “That’s what “The boy can hit,” Oakland designat­ you doubt more than anything else: ed hitter Matt Stairs of Fredericton whether you’ll get the opportunity.” Penguins have enough m oney PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mario resenting the Penguins. Lemieux doesn’t have to close on his The team could get more money plan to buy the bankrupt team by the from Societe Generale, the French end of the week because the Penguins bank that has financed the team since have enough money to stay afloat it filed for bankruptcy in October, through the end of August. Walsh said. The team’s line of credit with a More relief for the franchise came French bank runs out Friday, but the Tliesday night, when the Allegheny Re­ Penguins can borrow enough money gional Asset District Board voted 6-1 to to keep running if Lemieux’s deal does­ earmark sales tax revenue to help the n’t close by the end of this week, said city and county pay $16 million in James Walsh, a bankruptcy lawyer rep- bond debt on the Civic Arena. Brains choose to walk away BOSTON (AP) — In an unprecedent­ since then, no team had chosen to let a ed move, the Boston Bruins decided player go without compensation, ac­ Tliesday to let forward Dmitri Khristich cording to NHL spokesman Frank become a free agent rather than pay Brown. The Bruins tried to trade Khris­ the $2.8 million US that an arbitrator tich during the 72 hours allotted for a set as his salary. decision but found no one willing to “We strongly disagree with the arbi­ take on the $ 2.8 million salary, either. trator’s assessment that Dmitri is a That left Sinden, who had been active $2.8 million player,” Bruins general in negotiations during the lockout and a manager Harry Sinden said. “We had a vocal opponent of rising player salaries, player almost triple his salary in two to make the ground-breaking move.