BASEBALL / JEFF FLETCHER : De La Maza Adjusts to Relief Work

Pitching exclusively as a starter, right-hander Roland De La Maza had a 23-5 record in his first two seasons of pro baseball.

So, naturally, the Cleveland Indians made him a reliever this year.

Such is life in the minor leagues, where change is sudden and often unexplained. De La Maza was told he would come out of the bullpen for Class-A Kinston, N.C.

“When I came here, they just kind of laid it on me,” De La Maza said. “I accepted it, but it’s kind of hard to swallow.”

De La Maza, a former standout at St. Genevieve High, made 36 starts in his first two seasons. But the order came down from the top of the organization this spring to try him in the bullpen because of a glut of starting pitching in double A and triple A.

Tony Arnold, Kinston’s pitching coach, said De La Maza’s repertoire--a below-average fastball that he spots well to set up a major-league caliber changeup--might be better suited to the bullpen anyway.

“When you’re not a guy who goes out and throws 90 and blows people away . . . you’re better off to try all the roles, because eventually at some time in your career you are going to go into the bullpen,” Arnold said.

De La Maza, 23, actually bounced back into the starting rotation a couple of weeks ago because another starter went down with an injury. He is 4-0 in five starts, with his sixth scheduled for today.

That could be his last start, though, because the pitcher he replaced in the rotation recently came off the disabled list.

Of course, you never know.

“His next start could be his last or he could stay in the rotation the rest of the year,” Arnold said. “All I can tell you is he will be pitching.”

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The Craig Clayton pitching experiment continues in Riverside, and the most-positive result so far is that Clayton has remained injury-free.

Clayton, a Cal State Northridge graduate, was a third baseman until the Seattle Mariners made him a pitcher in 1994. The Mariners had hoped Clayton might make the major league staff in the bullpen as soon as last year, but tendinitis slowed his development and he wound up in Class-A Riverside.

“That was tough,” Clayton said. “You are right there at the top, and then all of the sudden you are at the bottom.”

In order for Clayton, 24, to get as many innings as possible and accelerate his development, the Mariners made him a starter this year. In 12 starts, he has a 4-3 record and a 3.99 earned-run average. Most impressive, though, is his 73 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.

“I’m learning stuff every day,” Clayton said. “I’m learning how to deal with the good as well as the bad. I’m learning to move the ball around and set guys up.

“You can’t just rely on having good stuff on certain days, you have to change speeds and throw different pitches.”

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Now that Joel Zamudio has been a pro baseball player for nearly a year, what he would really like to do is play baseball.

After the Monroe graduate signed with the Philadelphia Phillies last summer, he started having arm problems before he could ever pitch in a minor league game. His arm continued to bother him through instructional league last fall.

Now he’s home in the Valley, running, lifting weights, and playing catch. He says his arm feels fine, but he hasn’t let loose with a good fastball yet.

Zamudio, 19, said he has scheduled an appointment with Dr. Lewis Yocum, a noted orthopedist, for Monday.

“What I really want right now is to see what’s wrong with my arm,” he said. “If I need surgery, I want to get it done right away.”

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Matt Franco, a Chicago Cub prospect out of Westlake High, has been stuck in triple A for the last two years, waiting for something to happen to Cub first baseman Mark Grace.

Since Grace doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, Franco is--to third base.

“We felt there was a better chance for him to get to the big leagues that way,” said Jim Hendry, the Cubs’ director of player development.

Franco, a left-handed hitter, has played 28 of 42 games this season at third. Although he’s made seven errors at his new position, Hendry said he seems to be adjusting well.

“He looked very good for a guy who had played a little there in the past, but basically it is a new position for him,” Hendry said. “I think everyone in the organization is pulling for him to make the conversion well and continue to swing the bat well. Hopefully next year he can come to camp and compete for a job.”

Franco, 25, has lifted his average to a season-high .300 with a 10-for-24 streak. He batted .364 on a recent nine-game trip.