Hand Injury Ends Best Pro Season For M's Lennon

Patrick Lennon's Eastern League season is finished, cut short by a broken hand.

Lennon, the Williamsport Bills' outfielder-third baseman and Seattle's top draft pick in 1986, hurt his right hand sliding into second base Wednesday night in Harrisburg.

The injury ended Lennon's best professional season. Lennon, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound North Carolinian, who split the season between Class A San Bernardino and Class AA Williamsport, batted a combined .291 and showed his power potential with a career-high 13 home runs in 93 games.

Williamsport Manager Rich Morales said Lennon, 22, had been hitting the ball hard for the power-shy Bills. He had hit a couple of 420-430-foot homers the past two weeks.

Lennon's first month at San Bernardino was marred by the death of his father. After a 10-day absence, Lennon returned to hit a game-winning homer - the Spirit's only hit in a 3-1 victory over Modesto.

He batted .288 with six doubles, two triples, eight homers, 30 runs batted in and six stolen bases in 44 games before he was promoted to Williamsport in June. In 49 games for the Bills, Lennon hit .293 with six doubles, four triples, five homers, 22 RBI and 10 steals.

Right-hander Rich DeLucia (6-6, 2.11 earned-run average), who ranks second to Williamsport teammate Mike Gardiner (8-7, 1.80 ERA) atop the Eastern League ERA list, was promoted to Class AAA Calgary. DeLucia is scheduled to make his first start for the Cannons today in Winnipeg against the Edmonton Trappers.

Morales said another Williamsport right-hander, Jim Blueberg, was outstanding in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over Harrisburg. In seven innings, Blueberg (8-9,3.91) allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk, struck out three and retired 18 batters on ground balls. Jeff Hooper provided offensive support with a single, double, homer and two RBI in four at-bats.

BLACK TUESDAY

Tuesday was one of those nights the Mariners would like to forget. Not only did the New York Yankees beat Seattle 3-1, five Mariners farm teams lost, outscored by a combined 48-3. The results: Tacoma 8, Calgary 1; Harrisburg 7, Williamsport 0; San Jose 4, San Bernardino 1; Winston-Salem 12, Peninsula 1; Southern Oregon 17, Bellingham 0.

``Thank God, Tempe wasn't scheduled,'' said Nancy Droppelman, Mariners player-development administrative assistant. Jim Beattie, Mariners farm director, spent several days last week in the Dominican Republic, where Seattle's Santo Domingo team has been playing well. He called, Droppelman said. ``They lost, too.''

SKID STOPPER

San Bernardino ended a five-game California League losing streak with a 16-13 victory over San Jose Wednesday night. Dave Smith, Ruben Gonzalez and Jeff Keitges hit three-run homers for the Spirit. Ellerton Maynard had four hits in five at-bats.

AROUND THE FARMS

Jim Magill, 6-10 right-hander, pitched a two-hitter Thursday in Bellingham's 3-0 victory over Southern Oregon. ``He was throwing strikes . . . had good stuff, too,'' Manager P.J. Carey said of Magill (3-4, 5.30), who struck out five and walked two in the first complete game of the season by a Bellingham pitcher. . . . The Baby M's will play the Eugene Emeralds in the Kingdome at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Seattle will play Baltimore at 7:05.

Calgary designated hitter Tom Dodd drove in his 100th run of the season with a sixth-inning single Tuesday night in Tacoma. . . . With Cannons second baseman Todd Haney slowed by a strained quadricep and versatile Dave Cochrane sidelined by a back problem, San Bernardino player-coach Steve Murray was activated and assigned to temporary duty with Calgary.

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BEST OF REST

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BATTING (minimum 85 at-bats) - Boudreau (Tempe, Rookie) 37/85, .435; Brundage (Williamsport, AA) 33/99, .333; Clark (San Bernardino, A) 81/251, .323, (W) 45/186, .242; Bolick (Stockton-SB) 117/366, .320; Manahan (SB) 63/197, .320; Jones (SB) 80/252 .317; Halland (T) 33/104, .317; Merchant (SB) 32/102, .314, (Williamsport AA) 28/156, .179; Newfield (T) 41/132, .311; Turang (SB) 123/412, .299, Pirkl (SB) 61/207, .295; Lennon (W) 49/167, .293; (SB) 47/163, .288.

Doubles - Clark (SB-W) 24, Bolick (Stock-SB) 23, Turang (SB) 19, Keitges (SB) 19, Stargell (SB) 16, Campanis (Peninsula, A) 16, Bowie (W) 15, McDonald (W) 15, Howard (W) 15.

Triples - Lennon (SB-W) 6, Maynard (SB) 5, Turang (SB) 4, Bolick (Stock-SB) 4, Barlow (T) 4, Fernandez (T) 4, Pezzoni (P) 4.

Home runs - Bolick (Stock-SB) 16, Stargell (SB) 14, Lennon (SB-W) 13, Clark (SB-W) 13, Jones (SB) 12, Turang (SB) 11, Keitges (SB) 8, Manahan (SB) 7, Bailey (P) 7.

RBI - Bolick (Stock-SB) 87, Stargell (SB) 79, Clark (SB-W) 67, Turang (SB) 59, Lennon (SB-W) 52, Jones (SB) 52, Keitges (SB) 48, Bowie (W) 40, Pilkinton (P) 39, Campanis (P) 38.

Stolen bases - Maynard (SB) 74, T. Williams (W) 34, Tavarez (P) 30, Turang (SB) 22, Pezzoni (P) 22, Stargell (SB) 19, Twitty (Bellingham, A) 19, Lennon (SB-W) 16.

PITCHING

Earned-run average (minimum 50 innings pitched) - Gardiner (W) 1.80 (144 2/3 ip), DeLucia (W) 2.11 (115 ip), (SB) 2.05 (30 2/3 ip), Czarkowski (P) 2.12 (85 ip), Balabon (P) 2.65 (102 ip), (W) 2.74 (46 ip); Fleming (SB) 2.82 (51 ip), Woodson (SB) 3.05 (135 2/3 ip), Jones (SB) 3.23 (64 ip), Loe (P) 3.32 (76 ip), Ridenour (W) 3.47 (62 1/3 ip), Evers (W) 3.50 (131 ip), Salkeld (SB) 3.51 (128 1/3 ip).

Winning pct. (minimum 5 decisions) - Hampton (T) 4-1, .800; Fleming (SB) 5-2,. 714; Jones (SB) 5-2, .714; Perkins (T) 5-2, .714; Wiley (T) 4-2, .667; Salkeld (SB) 9-5, .643; Balabon (P-W) 9-6, .600; Rivera (P) 3-2, .600; DeLucia (SB-W) 10-7, .588; Wiggs (SB) 7-5, .583; Evans (SB) 11-8, .579.

Saves - Newlin (SB) 12, Poissant (P) 9, Wiggs (SB) 8, Rojas (W) 7, Jones (SB) 7, Ridenour (W) 5, Rivas (P) 5.

Strikeouts - Balabon (P-W) 144, Salkeld (SB) 142, Woodson (SB) 130, Evans (SB) 115, Gardiner (W) 115, DeLucia (SB-W) 111.