Leon Durham was benched again Saturday because a left-hander, Atlee Hammaker, started for the Giants. Manny Trillo played first base and had two hits, including his sixth home run in the seventh inning.
”Manny is hitting .346 against left-handed pitching,” said manager Gene Michael. ”That`s best for the team, and right now Durham is having a little groin problem. So it fits to let Trillo play. Bull is not hitting left-handers as well as right-handers.”
Durham has a .250 average (14-for-56) against left-handers in contrast to .299 (69-for-231) against righthanders.
Cub President Dallas Green criticized Durham on WGN radio Saturday morning. Durham had stated in Saturday`s Tribune that he felt more productive batting in the third instead of fifth, sixth or seventh.
”I don`t believe players have any business telling anybody where they`re going to hit,” said Green. ”If they do, they better drive in more runs than 30 at the All-Star break if they want to hit in a key position. Leon has 16 homers now and 30 (actually 32) RBIs. That tells you the kind of production he`s given without the home runs. There have been some reasons for that.
”I just feel Leon can be so much more productive with the talent he has. Like Friday night. He could have driven a run in by giving us a fly ball or a base hit. He strikes out. Then he hits a home run (Thursday night) with the bases empty. There`s no question he can hit a ball as far as any man in America. He is a good hitter when he puts his mind to using the whole field like (hitting instructor) Billy Williams has talked to him about.
”There`s no question he has played first base probably as well as anybody we`ve had there in a long time. He`s a baseball player, but I`m not sure he`s reached the stage where he should be telling management where he should be hitting in the lineup.”
An official scoring change was announced Saturday, depriving Andre Dawson of an infield single. Giants third baseman Kevin Mitchell was charged with an error on the fourth-inning grounder.
Lee Smith ranks second in the major leagues with 23 saves in 31 opportunities. Eric Show, who beaned Dawson in Chicago, isn`t scheduled to face the Cubs in San Diego. The probables for the Padres series: Monday, Bob Tewksbury (0-0)
vs. Andy Hawkins (3-8); Tuesday, Jamie Moyer (9-6) vs. Ed Whitson (8-7);
Wednesday, Rick Sutcliffe (13-4) vs. Mark Grant (2-4).
