Murderers' Row hits again

Frank Thomas lifted Robin Ventura onto his broad shoulders like ababy. It was the sort of triumphal ride you give a teammate when youwin a big one in the pennnant race in late September, not the lastnight in July.

But Ventura just enjoyed. "Somebody that strong, you don'tfight it," he said. Frank squeezed him so hard his ribs hurt. "Iwas real excited," said Thomas.

Something special is happening on the South Side, something thatdefies rational explanation. How do you explain Ventura socking agrand slam, his second home run of the game and 16th of the season,to beat Texas Wednesday night? The same Ventura who hit but fivehome runs all of last season hit 12 for July, a monthly totalexceeded in Sox history only by the mighty Dick Allen.

Miracles have become commonplace. That is why most of thecapacity crowd stayed until the last at-bat, though the Sox enteredthe ninth two runs behind. This was the 25th game the Sox had won intheir last turn.

This team defies analysis. The Sox were a pitch-and-putt team.Suddenly, they are Murderers' Row, flexing muscles in a run at firstplace.

Pitching was their strength when this seaon opened. Yet managerJeff Torborg was so pressed for arms he had to award Jeff Carter,fresh from AAA, his major league debut Wednesday night. Carter wasgone in the fourth inning. Melido Perez was hammered in relief.Suddenly, the bats are carrying this team and its questionablepitching.

The Sox have hit 33 home runs in their last 27 games, 47 intheir last 37. Since the first day of summer, they have averaged1.22 home runs per game. In spring, their norm was barely over halfa homer a game.

"I can't explain it," says Ventura.

"It's just the time of year when everyone is focusing" andgetting his timing, says Thomas, as though they hadn't been focusedbefore.

"There's no magical explanation," says the hitting guru, WaltHriniak. "A pitcher makes a bad pitch. A guy puts the right swingon the ball. If pitchers make enough mistakes, and we takeadvantage, people capable of home runs are going to hit them."

Obviously. But why should opposing pitchers make more badpitches to the Sox in July than in May?

Hriniak saw the potential in Ventura a year ago, and told him hewould be hitting 15 or 20 homers a season before his career was over.Ventura is well ahead of that pace.

"I'm just hitting the ball a little harder," Robin says.Swinging harder? "No, just hitting it a little better."

Hriniak says Ventura has learned to look for the right pitch topull. The venerable Goose Gossage, unhittable as the main man in theSox bullpen a generation ago, laid the right pitch, a fastball, downthe middle of the plate Wednesday night. Ventura never had seenGossage, but knew "he's going to come at you."

He was hoping to the ball up the middle and drive in the tyingruns. "Luckily, we got more than that," he said. "If you hit itgood enough, it's going to go. Lately, I've been hitting it prettygood."

Says Torborg: "When he (Ventura) gets the pitch, he makes surehe doesn't miss it. Maybe it's maturity."

Growing maturity must be the answer. Ventura is in his secondseason. Tomorrow, Thomas will mark the the first anniversary of hisfirst appearance in the majors.

There is no mystery about Thomas. It should be apparent to allhe has the potential to be the best power hitter this team has hadsince Allen.

Big Frank leads the majors in on-base percentage. His 72 RBItrail only Cecil Fielder and Jose Canseco in the American League. Hehas hit in seven consecutive games, and his homer Wednesday was histhird in as many days. But he says he is not in his best groove.("I'm going good, but not as good as possible. I've had a fewmoments, but still have a ways to go.")

If Frank gets any better, opposing pitchers may go on strike.

If general manager Ron Schueler could find another pitcher, thisteam would be really interesting.