BASEBALL : Lovullo Goes Unrewarded Despite Surge

Torey Lovullo is finishing the season with a flourish.

The former Montclair Prep and UCLA standout was named Topps International League player of the month for August after batting .364 with 10 home runs, a triple, seven doubles and 27 runs batted in for Columbus, Ohio, the New York Yankees’ triple-A affiliate.

Lovullo, 27, has played third base, first base and designated hitter. He is batting .293 with 19 homers, 89 RBIs and 32 doubles, ranking among the league’s top 10 in each category.

Lovullo is pleased with his performance but somewhat frustrated that it did not result in a September promotion.

“I’m happy for the guys who have gone up for September,” Lovullo said, “but I try and compare myself to those players and I feel I gave as much effort and had as good a year as anyone else.”

Lovullo has played in the majors with the Detroit Tigers and the Yankees. Last season, in 22 games with the Yankees, he batted .176 in 51 at-bats. He was demoted to Columbus, where he batted .271 with 10 homers and 75 RBIs.

Lovullo is eager for another chance.

“I put too much pressure on myself in the past (in the major leagues),” Lovullo said. “I tried to prove myself in every at-bat instead of just letting it go. I’ve matured as a hitter and I’m able to put the ball in play on a more consistent basis.”

Lovullo is hoping for another chance with the Yankees, but he said he has turned down an offer to play in Venezuela this winter so he can explore options with other teams.

“I want to play with the New York Yankees because they’re the team that has stuck with me,” Lovullo said. “But in any profession, if there is not an opportunity, you welcome the chance to move elsewhere.

“I think I’ve put myself in a position where I think I can attract some interest.”

Giant contribution: It is still not clear whether the San Francisco Giants will remain in the Bay Area or move to Tampa-St. Petersburg next season.

But wherever the Giants play, in the next few years they are likely to have a pitching staff with a distinctive Valley-area influence.

Former Grant High right-hander Rod Beck is already an established big leaguer. Former Chatsworth right-hander Steve Reed, who set a minor league save record this season, recently was promoted from triple-A Phoenix.

Waiting in the wings is former Alemany left-hander Joey Rosselli, who was recently named pitcher of the year in the Class-A California League by Baseball America.

Rosselli finished the season with a 12-4 record and 2.41 earned-run average.

Hitting binge: Former Chatsworth High infielder Rich Aude is finishing the season with the Carolina, N.C., Mudcats, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ affiliate in the double-A Southern League, after putting together a 25-game hitting streak for Salem, Va., in the Class-A Carolina League.

Aude, who batted .370 during the streak, has three hits in 13 at-bats for Carolina, including two doubles and a home run.

Shaky debut: Former Rio Mesa High right-hander Bobby Ayala made his major league debut Saturday night with the Cincinnati Reds and allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings in the Reds’ 6-5 win over the New York Mets at Riverfront Stadium.

Ayala was promoted from Chattanooga, Tenn., in the double-A Southern League where he compiled a 12-6 record and 3.54 ERA. Ayala pitched three shutouts for Chattanooga and led the league in strikeouts with 154 in 162 2/3 innings.

On the rebound: Wally Ritchie has pitched effectively for triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa., since his demotion from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 29.

Ritchie, a left-handed reliever who played at Hoover High and Glendale College, is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 13 1/3 innings.

“I just wasn’t getting ahead of hitters like I needed to (in Philadelphia),” Ritchie said. “I’ve been able to correct that by just going out there with more confidence.”

Ritchie will be in the bullpen for Scranton-Wilkes-Barre when the team begins play against Rochester, N.Y., or Pawtucket, R.I., in the International League playoffs this week.