Baseball / Ross Newhan : Twins Eager to Flex Their Muscles for Entire American League

It isn’t enough that reliever Jeff Reardon has put a halt to the late-inning giveaways of last summer and that a consistent offense led by Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek has become one of the American League’s most productive.

People continue to look for flaws in the Minnesota Twins, expecting them to collapse, as the Metrodome’s Teflon-coated roof once did.

The Twins entered a weekend series with the Texas Rangers having won 15 of their last 18 games to surge into first place in the Western Division, but cynics pointed out that 8 of those wins came in 10 games with the Chicago White Sox, last in the West, and the Cleveland Indians, last in the East.

Said Hrbek: “I know people are talking about the teams we’re playing as far as them being in last place and all that. But I’ve always been told that if you want to be winners you have to beat those teams, as well.”

Added Gary Gaetti: “We were a last place team a few years ago, and when we went into a town we wanted to kick some butts. When teams took us lightly, we’d get ‘em. So we know we can’t take anyone lightly.”

Stomping on door mats has always been a proven path to the penthouse. The tougher test will come when the Twins begin a stretch of 17 games in which they play the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees 14 times, including 11 in a row right after the All-Star break. They will be through with both teams by late July.

“If things stay in place, we may be able to call ourselves the favorite soon after the break,” General Manager Andy MacPhail said.

MacPhail, 34, is in his second season as the Twins’ chief executive, but he has aggressively pursued improvements, starting with his acquisition of Reardon and the recent addition of three players who are older or as old as he is--Joe Niekro, 42, Sal Butera, 34, and Terry Forster, 35.

The latter’s activation at Triple-A Portland was delayed a few days while the Twins searched for a uniform that would fit his 260-pound body.

MacPhail also traded for veteran pitcher Dan Schatzader, 32, last week.

Said pitcher Mike Smithson: “We’ve made some good moves already, and I think the front office is showing the players that it’s committed to victory. Sometimes in the past, it didn’t seem like they were trying.”

All-Star balloting ends next Sunday, meaning fans have another week in which to correct their annual injustices. Here’s this column’s vote, based on first-half performances:

NATIONAL LEAGUE First base--Fans: Keith Hernandez. Column: Jack Clark.

Second base--Fans: Ryne Sandberg. Column: Sandberg, though he may not be ready by July 14 because of a sprained ankle, in which case Tom Herr deserves selection.

Shortstop--Fans: Ozzie Smith. Column: Smith.

Third base--Fans: Mike Schmidt. Column: Tim Wallach.

Catcher--Fans: Gary Carter. Column: Ozzie Virgil.

Outfield--Fans: Eric Davis, Darryl Strawberry, Andre Dawson. Column: The fans have a legitimate top eight of Davis, Strawberry, Dawson, Dale Murphy, Pedro Guerrero, Vince Coleman, Tony Gwynn and Willie McGee. Throw in Dave Parker, who is an outrageous 13th in the fan vote, and Candy Maldonado, who is 12th, and you could pick any three with justification.

Column’s pitchers (ultimately selected by the manager and league office)--Mike Scott, Neal Heaton, Rick Reuschel, Rick Sutcliffe, Bob Welch, Lee Smith, John Franco, Dave Smith, Steve Bedrosian.

AMERICAN LEAGUE First base--Fans: Don Mattingly. Column: Wally Joyner.

Second base--Fans: Lou Whitaker. Column: Willie Randolph.

Shortstop--Fans: Cal Ripken. Column: Alan Trammell.

Third base--Fans: Wade Boggs. Column: Boggs.

Catcher--Fans: Terry Kennedy. Column: Matt Nokes.

Outfield--Fans: Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett. Column: Puckett and George Bell are musts. A legitimate third choice would be Winfield, Henderson, Mike Davis, Larry Parrish or Jesse Barfield.

Column’s pitchers--Bret Saberhagen, Jack Morris, Dave Schmidt, Curt Young, Mark Langston, Rick Rhoden, Dan Plesac, Dave Righetti.

An All-Star appointment represents $300,000 to the Boston Red Sox’ Roger Clemens: An immediate bonus of $150,000 and an increase of $150,000 in his 1988 salary. Clemens ended his spring walkout and accepted a lower salary than he felt he was entitled to because of his conviction that he would make the All-Star team and qualify for the bonus. The fact that his own manager, John McNamara, would manage the AL team and pick the pitchers was one reason for his confidence. McNamara, however, hopes to avoid being caught in the middle and has asked the league office to pick the pitching staff based on recommendations by the other league managers.

Clemens (6-6) has three more starts scheduled before the break. Teammate Bruce Hurst (8-5) would seem to have the more legitimate All-Star credentials, particularly after Clemens was unable to hold a 9-0 lead in Friday night’s loss to the Yankees. Would he pick a .500 pitcher? “Absolutely not,” McNamara said. “It wouldn’t be fair to the other pitchers.”

Alluding to the superiority of the NL’s Eastern Division compared to the West, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Mike Schmidt said:

“All six teams in this division (the East) are better than four of the teams in the West.”

The four teams inferior to the six of the East: Atlanta, San Diego, San Francisco and the Dodgers.

The Chicago White Sox entered a weekend series with the Angels having lost 19 of their last 24 games and 20 of their last 26 against teams in their division. They were 0-33 in games they trailed after the eighth inning, were 5-18 in June and did not have a player among the top eight vote-getters at any of the All-Star positions. Their projected pace threatened their worst-ever record of 56-106 in 1970.

Amid all this, General Manager Larry Himes left the impression that what concerned him most was his players adherence to his dress and appearance code. In the wake of Tuesday night’s victory over the Seattle Mariners, Himes entered the clubhouse and conducted an inspection, lifting pant legs to make sure the players were wearing socks with their street shoes. Jose DeLeon and Scott Nielsen were fined $100 because they weren’t, and Ivan Calderon was fined $200 because it was his second offense.

“Minor league stuff,” one player grumbled.

Manager Jim Fregosi, already reportedly at odds with Himes, held a meeting the next day and begged the players for understanding.

“Rules are rules,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do about them.”

Will Himes do something about Fregosi? Predecessor Tony LaRussa was fired June 20 of last year with the White Sox 26-38. They were 23-39 this June 20.

“That’s not the answer as far as I’m concerned,” Himes said, alluding to a change of managers. “That’s running away from the answer.”

Seattle Manager Dick Williams would disagree with Himes. Williams no longer believes in fines. When John Moses and Rey Quinones committed base running errors Tuesday night, they were simply benched Wednesday night. Didn’t he ever levy fines?

“I did when money meant something,” Williams said. “Today, if you fine a player a couple hundred dollars or even a couple thousand, it doesn’t matter. They just laugh at you. The only thing you can do is don’t put them in the lineup.”

Notes

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Ted Higuera is 1-7 in 12 starts after winning his first four decisions. Said Manager Tom Trebelhorn: “I keep thinking that the next time he goes out he’ll get over the hump, but he never does. We just have to keep trying and hoping.” . . . New York Met Ron Darling is 2-5 and winless in his last 12 starts. “It’s a roller coaster ride to the land of confidence,” he said. “You have to win one by mistake, don’t you?” . . . Chicago Cub Rick Sutcliffe, who was 5-14 last year, and Montreal Expo Neal Heaton, who was 7-15, both became 10-game winners Tuesday, the NL’s first. . . . Oakland A’s reliever Jay Howell has converted 14 of his last 15 save opportunities. . . . The Kansas City Royals, between May 25 and June 25, went from leading the American League’s Western Division by five games, to five down. . . . Bo Jackson had struck out in 15 straight games through Thursday, a Royal record, and had struck out 92 times in 223 at-bats. . . . Chicago White Sox catcher Ron Karkovice, once billed as the successor to Carlton Fisk, had one hit in his last 39 at-bats and was 5 for 77 overall entering the series with the Angels. He had 39 strikeouts in the 77 at-bats. . . . The New York Yankees returned Dan Pasqua to Columbus with a .201 batting average and 30 strikeouts in his last 61 at-bats. Pasqua, whose left-handed swing seems designed for Yankee Stadium, had only 2 homers and 4 RBIs there.

The Baltimore Orioles joined the list of clubs that contend that the Yankee Rick Rhoden scuffs the ball. Grumbled Oriole coach Frank Robinson: “The league president doesn’t back us up on it. They’re going to have to take some stern disciplinary action . . . suspend the guy, make him miss a turn, fine him. But the league presidents don’t do that because they’re worried about being sued.” Robinson insists that Rhoden applies a ring of sandpaper to a finger on his gloved hand and scuffs the ball when he gets a new one from the umpire. The Orioles should be worrying about other things. They are a pitiful 44-85 since last Aug. 5 . . . Al Rosen, general manager of the San Francisco Giants, blamed the media for blowing a three-for-one trade with the San Diego Padres for Eric Show. Rosen said that all the media speculation regarding the negotiations alerted other general managers to Show’s availability and they promptly phoned the Padres’ Jack McKeon to tempt him with other offers. “McKeon can sit back now and wait for his best deal,” Rosen said. . . . George Brett, sidelined most of the first half, has reservations in Las Vegas for the All-Star break. Said Brett, who has appeared in 11 straight All-Star games: “I don’t think I deserve to play in it. I know I’ll miss it, but all good things should come to an end.” . . . The Minnesota Twins’ bullpen has 21 saves compared to 24 all of last year. Jeff Reardon has 15. Teammate Kent Hrbek has 12 homers and 25 RBIs since May 21. . . . The Detroit Tigers’ Frank Tanana, now a master of deception, has won five of his last six starts and three straight, allowing 6 earned runs in 25 innings. Tanana, as a Tiger, is 19-6 against the East. . . . Former Dodger Bill Madlock, after a 13-for-28 start with the Tigers, was hitless in his last 21 at-bats entering a weekend series with Baltimore.

Injury of the Week: Milwaukee’s Glenn Braggs missed four games after stubbing the little toe on his left foot taking luggage off a conveyor belt in Toronto. . . . Ellis Burks has 12 home runs, more than any Boston Red Sox rookie since Jim Rice had 22 and Fred Lynn 21 in 1975. Burks’ success, combined with that of rookie right fielder Todd Benzinger and the transition of Dwight Evans to first base, has left Bill Buckner’s status in doubt. Buckner came off the disabled list Friday and says he will ask to be traded if the Red Sox do not plan to play him regularly. . . . When Don Baylor of the Boston Red Sox was hit on the left shoulder by a pitch Saturday night, he tied Ron Hunt’s career record of 243 HBP’s. A Boston radio station was sponsoring a contest called Baylor Bingo. Guess which part of Baylor’s body the record-tying pitch would hit and the opponent to win a home whirlpool. . . . Red Sox farm hand Jose Birrell was named to the Eastern League’s midseason All-Star team at first base, then injured his right hand, was unable to bat and became a left-handed pitcher. In his first seven games he was 4-0 with an 0.90 ERA. . . . Wade Boggs reached the 100-hit mark earlier than at any point in his career. In his first 45 games since moving into the No. 3 spot in the Boston batting order, Boggs batted .435 with 7 home runs and 27 RBIs. . . . The Mets’ Dwight Gooden, in acknowledging that he has used cocaine since high school, said: “I might have ended up like Len Bias. In a way, I’m glad I got caught.” . . . Tom Seaver, asked at his retirement announcement who was the toughest hitter he ever faced, cited Barry Lyons, the Mets reserve catcher. “He went 6 for 6 against me in that simulated game,” Seaver said, alluding to the test that convinced him he had lost too much of his fastball.