Sub-Par Season Behind Him, Moore Seeking Salvation Against Red Sox

The Athletics have declared Mike Moore their reclamation project for next season. But if the 30-year-old right-hander can claim a victory over the Boston Red Sox today in Game 3 of the American League playoffs, he will be well on his way to erasing the memory of a disappointing regular season.

The Red Sox, who lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston, will pin their flickering pennant hopes on the right-hander whose winning percentage over the last 2 1/2 seasons leads Boston’s pitching staff--and his name isn’t Roger Clemens.

Mike Boddicker was 17-8 this season and is 39-22 (.639) since Boston acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles on July 29, 1988, for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling. Clemens is 41-24 (.631) over that same span.

Unlike Clemens, who overpowers hitters, Boddicker, who had a 10-game winning streak from April 30-July 2 and was 6-0 in his final nine starts, is a finesse pitcher. Although Boddicker gets less fanfare than his more celebrated teammate, his work is appreciated by Boston Manager Joe Morgan.

“We go seven in a row without a win (from Sept. 10-16), and when we really needed a win, he was there. He deserves a lot of credit,” Morgan said. “He gets a ton of people out with his changeup and his curveball. He’s not afraid to throw the curveball. He gets it over good.”

Moore was 13-15 with a 4.65 earned-run average this season, missing 100 strikeouts for the first time since his rookie season with Seattle in 1982. He also had more walks (84) than strikeouts (73) and pitched 199 1/3 innings.

He got the start over Scott Sanderson because of the ability that made him a 19-game winner with 172 strikeouts in 241 2/3 innings last season and enabled him to win Game 2 of the playoffs against Toronto and Games 2 and 4 of the World Series against the Giants. His only appearance against Boston this season was a two-run, two-inning outing in a 2-0 loss to the Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum Aug. 14. Sanderson was 2-0 in three starts against the Red Sox this season.

“My expectation of (Moore) is that he can rise to the occasion as I saw him do in last year’s playoffs,” A’s Manager Tony La Russa said.

Why Moore did not match that caliber this season is a mystery to Oakland pitching coach Dave Duncan.

“I haven’t been able to put my finger on it,” Duncan said. “We’ve tried a lot of different things, but they haven’t worked for extended periods of time. At this particular point we’re not going to try anything different.

“What you look to is 1991 and try to formulate some kind of plan. Mike Moore can have a great 1991 season, and I think he will. We’re using him because we think he has the best chance to win Game 3. We’re not concerned about 1991 right now.”

That he’s starting today was a mild surprise to Moore, who ended the regular season last Wednesday by giving up seven runs to the Angels in 3 1/3 innings and raising a blood blister on the middle finger of his right hand.

“I can’t say I was expecting to start the third game,” said Moore, who attributed some of his difficulty to variations in his velocity from start to start. “I know Scott’s had a better year than I have, but my job is to just go out, take the ball and help the team win.”

Boddicker will be eligible for free agency this winter and may be asking for $9 million over three years. But he says he won’t be thinking of that today.

“It’s just a fun time and I’m going to enjoy it,” said Boddicker, who had his best season since he won 20 for the Orioles in 1984. “Hopefully, I’ll do better than my performance in 1988 in Oakland. I picked a bad time to have a terrible game.”

In that game, Boddicker had a 5-0 lead over the A’s and Bob Welch only to lose, 10-6.

“I had nightmares that winter thinking about it,” Boddicker said. “I’d like to make up for that. I want to go out there like I normally do and give us a chance to stay in the game. . . .

“It’s hard coming back, especially against this club, but I like big games. I enjoy pitching them. I’d rather be pitching than watching, because I get all nervous as opposed to relaxing and flying out there on the mound. I’ve got one job to do, and that’s to get us into the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth inning.”

Pitching in the shadows created by the sun in an afternoon game won’t bother him. “Shadows? You think that’ll matter with my fastball?” he said, laughing. “If shadows come into play, hopefully by then it’ll be Jeff Reardon in there saving the game for us.”

American League Playoff Notes

A’s Manager Tony La Russa brushed off comments by Bob Welch in the New York Times saying he scuffs and otherwise doctors the ball. “That’s a joke, if you know Welch. It’s a deke,” La Russa said during Monday’s optional workout, which was attended by eight Red Sox and about as many members of the A’s. “I think it’s beautiful. Let them think he scuffs it. The way they . . . slowed the game down (Sunday) stepping out of the batter’s box, let them check the ball, too.”