The National League roundup:
NL WESTEvans, Cat click:
Dwight Evans is off to a good start in his new career. The Colorado Rockies' hitting instructor has contributed to NL batting champ Andres Galarraga opening the season among the league leaders.
Evans said he puts in time with Galarraga daily, helping Galarraga make adjustments from 1993. He said it is not a case of simple maintenance. "Every year, you have to make changes," Evans said. "Even when I had the same stance for 13 years, it wasn't the same thought process. Yaz (Carl Yastrzemski) told me, `Don't try to have the same feeling you had last year.' Never be satisfied. They are going to pitch a little tougher, and he's adjusted well."
Galarraga is batting .324 with four homers and 11 RBI. "I want to see my name (among the stat leaders) all the time," he said. "I don't want to give the batting title to somebody else."
Around the division:
Dodgers' catcher Mike Piazza is having trouble following up his Rookie of the Year season. He is in a three-for-35 slump and was benched Thursday for not moving over from the on-deck circle to tell Raul Mondesi whether to slide or stand up when he was thrown out at the plate by Bernard Gilkey. "The way my luck's going, I could have told him to slide and he would have broken his ankle," Piazza said. . . . Padres' manager Jim Riggleman wants to dump closer Gene Harris, who is criticizing Riggleman for pushing him too hard after off-season elbow surgery. "If he wants to pitch just one inning," Riggleman said, "he can pitch in the third inning when we're down by nine." Harris could outlast Riggleman if the Padres don't recover from a one-nine start.
NL CENTRAL
Williams on standby:
Jimmy Buffett sings, "If the phone doesn't ring, it's me." In Mitch Williams' case, the "me" is Astros' manager Terry Collins.
Williams was ready in the bullpen but not called on in a save situation Wednesday, when Houston beat Florida, 4-2. Collins let Todd Jones finish. On Tuesday he left in middle man Tom Edens to get his first save in two seasons.
"I'm new to (Collins) and obviously things are going to be different here," said Williams, who was 43-for-49 in save situations with Philadelphia last year. "I feel I'm going to be just another member of the bullpen here. If he's going to spread the saves around, I'm going to have to change my thinking."
Around the division:
Jose Guzman's sore shoulder has forced him to rest his 16.53 ERA for one turn around the Cubs' rotation. He's 0-5 with an 8.78 ERA in five starts since the since-replaced Jim Lefebvre let him throw a 140-pitch complete game Aug. 17 and the Rangers no longer look so dumb for failing to match Chicago's four-year contract offer. . . . Ozzie Smith blames Dal Maxvill's decision to renew Ray Lankford's contract at $290,000 for Lankford's season-long funk in 1993. "I've seen that before," Smith said. "You take care of them and they're happy." Lankford is off to a fast start after receiving $1.6 million in arbitration.
NL EAST
Heavy load:
Kent Mercker's April 8 no-hitter against the Dodgers followed an off-season conditioning program that left him 20 pounds lighter. The Atlanta lefty had been on a 90-pitch limit but wound up throwing 131 pitches 26 more than in any of his six starts last year.
It was his first complete game in 12 career starts, making him and the Chicago White Sox's Wilson Alvarez the only pitchers ever to throw a no-hitter in their first complete game. Said Mercker: "I think I have finally gotten some endurance."
Braves' manager Bobby Cox did not alter his pitching plans after the no-hitter. Mercker, the fifth starter, was skipped when his turn came around Thursday. He's scheduled to make his second start Monday against St. Louis.
Around the division:
Tom Seaver was conspicuously absent when the Mets gathered players from their 1969 team for Monday's home opener. Owner Fred Wilpon had talked to Seaver about a broadcasting or marketing role with the club, but Seaver's demands were exorbitant even by New York standards. . . . Montreal's bullpen, expected to be among the best, is the last in the NL without a save (Kansas City and Seattle are also saveless). John Wetteland, who had 43 of the Expos' majors-high 61 saves last year, is 0-for-2 including a blown save that cost Pedro Martinez a win in Wednesday's near no-hitter. . . . The Phillies traded for Shawn Boskie to improve their bullpen depth, but placed him in the starting rotation when Tommy Greene went on the DL with what they hope is only tendinitis. "Personally," said Boskie, whose career record is 19-29, "I think I'm going to be one of the top pitchers in the National League one of these days." . . . Club president Don Smiley, general manager Dave Dombrowski, assistant GM Frank Wren and team doctor Dan Kanell have lockers in the Marlins' clubhouse. "They own the team," pitcher Bryan Harvey said. "I guess they can do what they want."
*****
Additional Information
NL batting leaders
Bichette, Colorado .487
Burks, Colorado .437
Lankford, St. Louis .405
Cedeno, Houston .400
Kent, New York .385
Clayton, San Francisco .364
Daulton, Philadelphia .364