Web-posted August 27, 1996

  Braves notebook

By Bill Zack
Morris News Service

PITTSBURGH - The question wasn't whether Denny Neagle would start Tuesday night's game, but for which team?

While he waited to learn the identity of the club he'll pitch for next month, he reminded playoff contenders of his value during a pennant race.

In what was possibly his last start for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Neagle did a number on a team that would love to add him to its rotation.

Overcoming some early trouble, the left-hander offered a gutsy eight-inning performance and took a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves before a small crowd of 14,603 fans at Three Rivers Stadium.

Neagle's showing overshadowed John Smoltz's effort. Making a second attempt at his 21st win, he went seven innings and yielded seven hits and three runs, while adding six strikeouts to his major league-leading total.

The loss was Smoltz's first in four decisions against the Pirates this season and was his first since Aug. 2.

Neagle, a 5-4 loser to Smoltz Aug. 16 in Atlanta, was victimized by the long ball twice in three innings. A pair of rookies, Jermaine Dye and Andruw Jones, took him deep over the 400-foot sign in center field, Dye's eighth homer coming in the second and Jones' fourth arriving the next inning.

The home runs were needed because the Braves blew a scoring opportunity in the first inning after Marquis Grissom led the game with a single and Jones followed with a double. But with a pair of runners in scoring position, Chipper Jones and Fred McGriff were strikeout victims and Terry Pendleton flied out to end the inning.

The Braves didn't get too many more opportunities against Neagle (14-6). Grissom was caught stealing in the fifth and only two other Braves reached base following Jones' homer in the third.

The Braves had a chance to tie the game in the eighth when Grissom singled with two outs and Andruw Jones drew a walk. But Neagle struck out Chipper Jones on three pitches to close out the rally.

In taking his career-high 14th win, Neagle improved to 3-1 against the Braves this season and 5-2 in his career.

Smoltz (20-7) overcame his own throwing error in the first inning to strand a runner on third and overcame Dye's two-base error the next inning to leave another runner on third base.

The right-hander finally yielded a run in the fourth when Al Martin beat out an infield hit, hot-swinging Jeff King singled and Dave Clark bounced into a double play, scoring Martin.

The Pirates took a 3-2 lead in the fifth with a collection of singles and bunts. Carlos Garcia and Jason Kendall opened with base hits and advanced by Neagle's bunt. Jermaine Allensworth's bunt tied the game and Martin's two-out single scored Kendall with the go-ahead run.

Notebook

Pirates weighing several offers for Neagle; Braves wait

PITTSBURGH - While the Braves clubhouse buzzed with news of a possible trade for Pirates left-hander Denny Neagle on Tuesday afternoon, Pittsburgh general manager Cam Bonifay was laying low and fielding offers.

The Braves have offered the Pirates three players in exchange for Neagle: right-hander Jason Schmidt, minor league first baseman Ron Wright and minor league third baseman/shortstop Robert Smith. The word around the Pirates offices Tuesday was that Bonifay planned to wait another couple of days and hope the Braves would include outfielder Jermaine Dye in the deal.

It's certain Braves general manager John Schuerholz has already informed Bonifay that Dye won't be part of any deal, so before Saturday's deadline to set postseason rosters the Pirates general manager will have to weigh Atlanta's offer against offers from Cleveland, Baltimore and Boston and make a decision.

Meanwhile, before starting Tuesday night's game against the Braves, Neagle privately admitted he was excited by the idea of playing for the Braves or Indians.

MOVES COMING? The Braves will have to make a roster move before Saturday's game in Chicago to get Schmidt onto the roster, assuming he's still with the team. The right-hander, scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Cubs, made a third rehabilitation start with Class AAA Richmond (Va.) Monday night, allowing six earned runs in seven innings in an 11-6 win at Charleston.

In three starts at Richmond, Schmidt has worked 17 innings and yielded eight earned runs. He's been on the disabled list since July 15 with a stress fracture of a left rib.

The other roster move the Braves will make before Saturday's deadline is adding Richmond catcher Joe Ayrault as a third catcher. Ayrault, 24, is a good defensive player without any major league experience, but after looking around both leagues, the Braves have decided to bring him up, rather than trade for another catcher.

FEHR MEETING: Players union chief Don Fehr is expected to meet with the Braves at some point on this trip to Pittsburgh, Chicago and Cincinnati and brief them on developments in negotiations with owners. Fehr is meeting with each team individually to give them progress reports.

BLAUSER BATS: Jeff Blauser took batting practice Tuesday for the first time since breaking a bone in his left hand July 15.

``The only thing that concerns me is hitting one off the end of the bat,'' he said. ``That stings even when you've got two good hands.''

Blauser has begun fielding grounders and making throws across the infield and figures to be ready to play by next week. But before they activate him, the Braves will have to be convinced he's fully healthy, so he may play in several games in the Instructional League before being added to the roster.

``There's no substitute for the actions you take on a field,'' Blauser said.

ABOUT HITTING ... Terry Pendleton wasn't hitting well before the Braves traded for him two weeks ago and he has managed only a .222 average since returning to Atlanta.

``I really need to slow myself down and stop being so anxious,'' he said. ``I'm pressing to do more than I can and I'm not swinging at strikes.''

Pendleton isn't the only hitter suffering from a failure to be patient at the plate. Andruw Jones is quickly developing a reputation as a hitter who'll swing at breaking pitches off the plate, and Javier Lopez hasn't yet met a pitch that's within a foot of the strike zone that he doesn't like. All of which helps explain why he's hit .114 in his last 10 games and why his average is 43 points below last year's average.