BASEBALL / ROSS NEWHAN : Reds’ Jackson Confident He’ll Win Again

They were the National League’s pitchers of the year in 1988, their battle for the Cy Young award representing a race within the race.

Then, Orel Hershiser iced the award by finishing the regular season with 59 straight shutout innings before pitching the Dodgers to playoff and World Series victories.

His competition for king of the hill, Danny Jackson of the Cincinnati Reds, took solace in his 23-8 record, the same as Hershiser’s, and the future seemed promising for the 26-year-old left-hander.

Now, less than two years later, the weekend series between the Reds and Dodgers is a painful reminder of the fragile nature of the promise and the profession.

Hershiser, 15-15 last year when poor support prevented him from duplicating his 1988 success, has missed most of the 1990 season because of reconstructive shoulder surgery and faces an uncertain future.

He will be a spectator today when Jackson faces the Dodgers in another attempt to reconstruct a career marred by misfortune since 1988.

His cumulative record in that span: 11-14 with one complete game in 35 starts. He completed a league-leading 15 games while starting 35 in 1988.

Frustrating?

“That and more,” Jackson said in reflection. “It seems like every time I start to get to where I should be, something new happens. And the worst part is that any time your team is in first place, you want to be on the field, helping it win.

“I mean, it’s been a fight to get this far, but hopefully it’s behind me now. What I’ve gone through in these two years is enough for an entire career.”

In going 6-11 in 1989, Jackson was on the disabled list twice, missed half the season and had surgery on his shoulder and foot.

He was back in the rotation for the start of the 1990 season, but was hit on his left forearm by a line drive in his second start and went 11 days until his next start. He then pitched effectively through most of June, but was unable to start July 17 after experiencing shoulder pain while warming up for an assignment against the Montreal Expos.

He went back on the disabled list with what the Reds said was a partially torn rotator cuff but what Jackson now says was a tear in the scar tissue that had built up after his 1989 surgery.

He made one minor league appearance on rehabilitation assignment, was activated again in early August, pitched two innings of relief Aug. 8 and was scheduled to start Aug. 13 against the San Francisco Giants but experienced the same shoulder discomfort warming up and returned to the disabled list.

Another period of rehabilitation was followed again by a minor league appearance, and Jackson has since started twice for the Reds, yielding 16 hits and nine runs in 8 1/3 innings. His performance in the second of the two on Sept. 4 was hampered by a viral infection that pushed his temperature to 102 and created overall stiffness.

He struck out nine in the 8 1/3 innings of the two starts and will take a 5-3 record into today’s assignment, along with renewed confidence and health.

“I know I’ll throw well,” he said. “I’m rid of the virus and my arm is strong. In June, I was close to or throwing as well as I did in ’88. I was confident and feeling fine. Physically I feel I’m back to that point now and I can finally go out there with peace of mind.”

Asked if the Reds’ success had eased his frustration, Jackson shook his head and said, “You always feel the frustration because you want to be out there performing. I want to prove to everyone that I can still do the things I did in ’88.

“But I know I’ll be back. I’ve shown it at times this year and I’ll show it through the rest of the season and the playoffs and World Series. I’m not worried. I know what I can do and where I’ll be.”

As the Reds opened their three-game series in Los Angeles Friday night, the real rulers of the mild West were the Giants, who had a 38-27 record within the division, compared to 33-31 for the Reds and 33-32 for the Dodgers.

The difference in the standings stemmed from the Reds’ dominance over the East. Cincinnati is 45-27 against the East, compared to 32-40 for the Giants and 39-33 for the Dodgers, the only other West team to have an edge on the East.

“Regardless of what happens, it’s a good feeling to know we’ve played well against them,” Giants’ Manager Roger Craig said of a 10-6 record--8-1 in Candlestick Park--against the Reds.

The success of the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates may not be enough to save the jobs of their respective general managers.

In Chicago, Larry Himes is said to be in jeopardy because of a personality conflict with owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, who feel Himes is taking too much of the credit for the team’s turnaround, overshadowing manager Jeff Torborg and the players.

In Pittsburgh, ownership is said to be fuming over General Manager Larry Doughty’s waiver gaffe that cost the Pirates two of their most promising outfielders last week, Wes Chamberlain and Julio Peguero.

Both were put on waivers to free roster spots for September call-ups. Doughty didn’t realize that players not on the 25-man roster were subject to irrevocable waivers, so that when the Philadelphia Phillies, along with other clubs, claimed Chamberlain and Peguero, the waivers could not be withdrawn.

A sheepish Doughty called Phillies’ General Manager Lee Thomas, who agreed to make the claims appear part of a deal, sending Carmelo Martinez to Pittsburgh for a player to be named, expected to be pitcher Mike York. Thus, the acquisition of Martinez comes down to a costly three for one.

Said club President Carl Barger: “I have no problem getting Martinez. I think he’ll help, but that’s not the way we want to make a trade.

“It was a human mistake, but a mistake nevertheless and it’s not going to happen again.”

No assurance on that.

In previously trading Willie Green and Moises Alou, another pair of highly regarded prospects, to the Expos for Zane Smith, Doughty announced the trade before Alou had cleared waivers, which he fortunately did.

This time, it’s Oakland Athletic teammate Bob Welch who stands in the way of Dave Stewart winning a Cy Young Award, but Stewart (18-10) has his eye on another goal, recording 20 wins for a fourth straight season. The last to do it was Jim Palmer in 1975-78.

“That would separate me from any other pitchers in my era,” Stewart said. “I want people to say that maybe he wasn’t able to win the Cy Young but he was able to do this.”

One other thing he may do is take permanent possession of the Boston Red Sox, his likely playoff adversary. Stewart is 4-0 against the Red Sox this year and 11-3 for his career. He is also 6-1 vs. Roger Clemens, whom he beat again Wednesday, staking claim to top gun.

“The way it happened in my neighborhood is that the guy who comes out the best is the best,” Stewart said. “That’s the way I look at it. To be the best you have to beat the best. If he’s the best, I’m the best.”

The Baltimore Orioles were the Cinderfella story of 1989, pursuing a division title into the final weekend of the season after having lost 107 games in 1988. A year later, the slipper is definitely missing. The Orioles, through Thursday, had lost six straight, 11 of 12 and 17 of their last 21 games, their worst stretch since losing 21 straight starting the ’88 season.

Injuries have been a factor in the failure of the Orioles to repeat their 1989 success, but the front office might have miscalculated by standing as pat as it did, reading too much into the ’89 record, which now resembles a fluke.

Said Manager Frank Robinson: “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s my feeling the club is much more willing to spend money now than last year. I think there’s a realization now that we need a little more offensive help than we thought we did.”

Robinson seems to be lobbying for a free agent or two, but cost-conscious owner Eli Jacobs is not the type to be intimidated, according to those who know him.

The Orioles’ $9-million payroll is the lowest in baseball. Only Cal Ripken Jr. earns more than $1 million a year. Amid today’s inflated salaries, owners don’t always get what they pay for, but the Orioles seem to be getting just that.