Mike Trombley means no offense, but, like all of his Salt Lake Buzz teammates, he'd rather live one time zone to the east of Utah.
Unlike any of his teammates, Trombley spent the entire 1993 baseball season wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform. He's also the only current Buzzman who was on the Twins' opening-day roster this year. To put it in baseball lingo, Trombley has spent more than a cup of coffee in the bigs. Playing minor-league baseball at this point of his career is far from appealing.If he continues to pitch like he did Monday, however, he'll be back in the majors with the parent Twins before long. Trombley gave up three hits in eight innings while striking out eight as the Buzz ended a four-game losing streak with a 10-1 victory over the Edmonton Trappers at Franklin Quest Field.
"It's been tough on me (being with the Buzz)," Trombley admitted. "Nobody wants to be in Triple A - everybody here wants to be in the big leagues. But you've got to make the best of it."
Since being optioned to Salt Lake May 20, Trombley hasn't exactly torn up the Pacific Coast League. He entered Monday's game with a 2-3 record and a 6.21 ERA while letting opponents hit a healthy .341 against him.
"I haven't pitched very well," the 6-foot-2 right-hander said. "Maybe it's been a lack of concentration. I just need to tell myself every time out that I need to pitch like I'm pitching against the Blue Jays in the playoffs."
Buzz pitching coach Gorman Heimuller has seen Trombley pitch effectively in the PCL, during the 1992 season when he was an ace on the Portland Beavers' staff before being called up by the Twins. Monday night he witnessed the Trombley of old.
"Mike has the pitches. He's shown he can pitch in the big leagues, he just hadn't been pitching like he can," Heimuller said. "He finally kicked himself in the butt a little bit tonight. I saw him pitch like that a lot a couple years ago and there's no reason he can't continue to do it. Maybe he turned the corner tonight."
Trombley wasn't the only Buzzman to return to form Monday. After a four-game slumber, the entire Salt Lake offense woke up to score 10 runs on 13 hits. The Buzz, the highest scoring team in the PCL (6.5 runs per game average for the season), had only plated eight runs total the previous four games.
Third baseman Scott Stahoviak led the onslaught, going 4-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Stahoviak hit a bases-loaded double to right in the third inning to drive in the first two Salt Lake runs of the night. Later in the third, first baseman Steve Dunn milked a bases loaded walk, catcher Tim McIntosh drove in a pair with a double down the third-base line, Brian Raabe hit a run-scoring single and Juan De La Rosa had an RBI ground out. By the time Trapper starter Dana Ridenour got out of the inning, Salt Lake held a 7-0 lead.
Trombley kept the Trappers off balance for most of the night. Edmonton's only run came on a two-out homer to left by Nigel Wilson in the sixth.
After Trombley struck out the side in the eighth, the Buzz added three runs on a bases-clearing double by center fielder Rich Becker.
The Buzz and Trappers are both now 3-4 in the second half of the PCL season. The teams will finish their four-game series tonight with RHP Greg Brummett (4-3, 5.89 ERA) going against RHP Ryan Bowen, who is making his first appearance with the Trappers on rehabilitation assignment from the parent Florida Marlins.
BUZZ BRIEFS - The July 4 game against the Albuquerque Dukes, which will be followed by a fireworks display, is already a sellout . . . With the Monday crowd of 11,605, the Buzz are now averaging a PCL-high 9,944 fans at Franklin Quest Field home games . . . The Buzz pitchers now have five games in which they have allowed the opposition only one run, but they still don't have any shutouts. Salt Lake is the only team in the PCL not to have at least one shutout this year. Tacoma and Colorado Springs each have seven shutouts in '94.