Double Switch

As his eighth-inning triple was sailing toward right field Wednesday night, Kevin Stocker wasn't thinking about how good it felt to drive the ball hard or about his first two-hit game. "I was hoping it would go out so I wouldn't have to run," Stocker said yesterday. Stocker had been hit on the top of his left foot by a Mike Dyer pitch in the sixth inning. Yesterday, Stocker took the precaution of having his foot and ankle X-rayed. "He got me real good right on the top of the foot," Stocker said.

The way the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers had been swinging the bats lately, nobody expected to see a string of zeros on the scoreboard in the ninth inning. But that's exactly what they had until Matt Franco's RBI infield single in the bottom of the ninth yesterday gave the streaking Mets their eighth consecutive victory, 1-0 over the visiting Dodgers. Los Angeles scored 36 runs in its three-game sweep of Cincinnati over the weekend, and the Mets had 30 in three victories over the Cubs.

File it under Life's Most Embarrassing Moments. Astros leftfielder Jose Cruz sent a towering pop fly behind home plate in the fourth inning last night. Phillies catcher Lance Parrish went to the backstop and made the catch. Home plate umpire Frank Pulli called Cruz out. And then things got complicated. Cruz pointed toward the roof of the Astrodome. Astros manager Hal Lanier came out to argue. After a few moments, Pulli consulted with third base ump John McSherry, then signaled Cruz back to the plate.

With a chance to wrap up the World Series today, the St. Louis Cardinals might receive some unexpected help from Terry Pendleton. The third baseman, who has been limited to serving as a designated hitter and pinch-hitter because of a pulled muscle in his rib cage, could play in the field if he is needed during the final two games. Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog said yesterday that the switch-hitting Pendleton would be the designated hitter today (Channel 6, 4 p.m.) against Twins righthander Les Straker.

Somewhere Leslie Nielsen is thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?" The Phillies' charter flight that left Philadelphia last night, bound for San Diego and the start of a six-game road swing, was perfect for an "Airplane" movie script. On board was Ron Gant, who was using the Phillies' flight to hitch a ride across the country with his former team in order to join his new team, the Angels, in Anaheim. And then there was Rico Brogna, flying out West with his team, hoping beyond hope that it would be his final flight as a Phillie.

After three days of seeing way too much of Hunter Pence and Lance Barksdale, the Phillies left Texas early last evening with mixed feelings of victory and regret. They salvaged one win in the three-game series when Cole Hamels notched his 10th victory in an 8-3, home-run-fueled conquest of the Houston Astros yesterday at Minute Maid Park. But the Phils should have gotten on that plane for Denver with two wins rattling around the luggage compartment. Manager Charlie Manuel got a reminder of that in the eighth inning when he walked to home plate to inform umpire Barksdale of a double switch.

Hideki Matsui says he is not frustrated that there's no designated hitter when the World Series is played in the National League city, or that his surgically repaired knees prevent him from playing in the outfield for the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park. Matsui proved that Saturday night when he cracked a pinch-hit home run off Brett Myers in the eighth inning of the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Phillies, which gave the visitors a two-games-to-one lead in the Series. "I don't have any frustration at all," Matsui, speaking through an interpreter, said last night before Game 4. "My knees . . . the situation with my knees are what it is, so it's a role I've accepted.

The Phillies are hitting .176 (9 for 51) with runners in scoring position. Pat Burrell has struck out 13 times in 20 at-bats, and went home yesterday afternoon batting .150. Richie Hebner has some advice. "If you start analyzing everything, you'll go crazy," the Phillies' hitting instructor said after yesterday's 8-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. "I don't think I'd panic. " Nobody in the Phillies' clubhouse appeared to be panicking, but Burrell was visibly frustrated after failing to make contact in three of his four at-bats.

Damian Moss will never know whether he could have completed his no-hitter. But despite his uncertainty, Atlanta eventually broke through for a win last night, as Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning to lift the visiting Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1. Moss allowed no hits through seven innings, but was pulled after throwing 116 pitches. He also walked seven. He did strike out six. "I knew about the no-hitter, but that was the last thing on my mind," Moss said.

If you haven't completely erased the disastrous 1996 Phillies season from your sporting hard drive, you might remember the name Manny Martinez. He was one of the 53 players who spent time with the Phils in that forgettable last-place season, which ended with the firing of manager Jim Fregosi and the start of a rebuilding process that is beginning to bear fruit. Martinez appeared in 13 games in '96 and had eight hits in 36 at-bats before being reduced to a nondescript entry on the Phils' all-time roster in the media guide.

Hideki Matsui says he is not frustrated that there's no designated hitter when the World Series is played in the National League city, or that his surgically repaired knees prevent him from playing in the outfield for the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park. Matsui proved that Saturday night when he cracked a pinch-hit home run off Brett Myers in the eighth inning of the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Phillies, which gave the visitors a two-games-to-one lead in the Series. "I don't have any frustration at all," Matsui, speaking through an interpreter, said last night before Game 4. "My knees . . . the situation with my knees are what it is, so it's a role I've accepted.

After three days of seeing way too much of Hunter Pence and Lance Barksdale, the Phillies left Texas early last evening with mixed feelings of victory and regret. They salvaged one win in the three-game series when Cole Hamels notched his 10th victory in an 8-3, home-run-fueled conquest of the Houston Astros yesterday at Minute Maid Park. But the Phils should have gotten on that plane for Denver with two wins rattling around the luggage compartment. Manager Charlie Manuel got a reminder of that in the eighth inning when he walked to home plate to inform umpire Barksdale of a double switch.

The San Francisco Giants don't have a Rally Monkey, and the Anaheim Angels wouldn't let them use their Rally Barry last night at Pacific Bell Park. Somehow, the Giants still managed to overcome a three-run deficit in Game 4 and pulled out a 4-3 victory that evened this best-of-seven World Series at two games each. Credit belongs to Benito Santiago, who hit into two double plays with the bases loaded before tying the score with an RBI single during a three-run fifth inning.

Damian Moss will never know whether he could have completed his no-hitter. But despite his uncertainty, Atlanta eventually broke through for a win last night, as Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning to lift the visiting Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1. Moss allowed no hits through seven innings, but was pulled after throwing 116 pitches. He also walked seven. He did strike out six. "I knew about the no-hitter, but that was the last thing on my mind," Moss said.

The Phillies are hitting .176 (9 for 51) with runners in scoring position. Pat Burrell has struck out 13 times in 20 at-bats, and went home yesterday afternoon batting .150. Richie Hebner has some advice. "If you start analyzing everything, you'll go crazy," the Phillies' hitting instructor said after yesterday's 8-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. "I don't think I'd panic. " Nobody in the Phillies' clubhouse appeared to be panicking, but Burrell was visibly frustrated after failing to make contact in three of his four at-bats.

Somewhere Leslie Nielsen is thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?" The Phillies' charter flight that left Philadelphia last night, bound for San Diego and the start of a six-game road swing, was perfect for an "Airplane" movie script. On board was Ron Gant, who was using the Phillies' flight to hitch a ride across the country with his former team in order to join his new team, the Angels, in Anaheim. And then there was Rico Brogna, flying out West with his team, hoping beyond hope that it would be his final flight as a Phillie.

The way the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers had been swinging the bats lately, nobody expected to see a string of zeros on the scoreboard in the ninth inning. But that's exactly what they had until Matt Franco's RBI infield single in the bottom of the ninth yesterday gave the streaking Mets their eighth consecutive victory, 1-0 over the visiting Dodgers. Los Angeles scored 36 runs in its three-game sweep of Cincinnati over the weekend, and the Mets had 30 in three victories over the Cubs.

If you haven't completely erased the disastrous 1996 Phillies season from your sporting hard drive, you might remember the name Manny Martinez. He was one of the 53 players who spent time with the Phils in that forgettable last-place season, which ended with the firing of manager Jim Fregosi and the start of a rebuilding process that is beginning to bear fruit. Martinez appeared in 13 games in '96 and had eight hits in 36 at-bats before being reduced to a nondescript entry on the Phils' all-time roster in the media guide.

Jim Eisenreich went from "goof" to game-winner in 24 hours. Eisenreich's bases-loaded single in the 10th inning gave the Phillies a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros last night at the Vet. The night before, Eisenreich didn't slide on a play at home, missed the plate, and was tagged out. "We don't want to bring that back," Eisenreich said of the play, which he termed a "goof-up. " He said he wasn't thinking about redemption when he stepped in against Jeff Tabaka with the bases loaded in the 10th.

As his eighth-inning triple was sailing toward right field Wednesday night, Kevin Stocker wasn't thinking about how good it felt to drive the ball hard or about his first two-hit game. "I was hoping it would go out so I wouldn't have to run," Stocker said yesterday. Stocker had been hit on the top of his left foot by a Mike Dyer pitch in the sixth inning. Yesterday, Stocker took the precaution of having his foot and ankle X-rayed. "He got me real good right on the top of the foot," Stocker said.