The proving ground

Friday, March 28, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Scott Sanders spent parts of two seasons with the Las Vegas Stars trying to figure out how to pitch in hitter-friendly Cashman Field. What the right-hander learned was that you can't figure out Cashman Field.

"I knew I could bring good stuff out there and give up eight runs or I could bring nothing out there some days and give up no runs," said Sanders, who returns to Las Vegas this weekend with the Seattle Mariners for Big League Weekend.

"Some days are going to be good for hitters, some days are going to be good for pitchers. You've seen me strike out 12 or 13 at Cashman and lose and you've seen me strike out 12 or 13 and win. It's a typical PCL park."

The key to pitching in Las Vegas, Sanders said, is to not let Cashman play its mind games.

"I just went out and pitched and said, 'Hey, I'm going to give everything I've got today.' I never let Cashman Field get to me, thinking that, 'Hey, I'm not good enough to get guys out here.'"

Sanders learned enough about pitching while in Las Vegas to land a spot in the San Diego Padres' starting rotation the past four seasons. An off-season trade sent the 28-year-old to Seattle, where he will follow Randy Johnson in the Mariners' rotation.

Because he is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the New York Yankees in the Kingdome, Sanders won't be pitching this weekend when the Mariners meet the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets at Cashman Field.

"It seemed like I usually pitched every year in Vegas toward the end of spring training when I was with the Padres and it seemed like I never had a good outing so I'm kind of glad I won't have to pitch there," Sanders said.

In reality, Sanders has pitched almost the entire spring in Cashman-like conditions. Unseasonably hot and windy weather in Arizona has made for familiar surroundings.

"It's been so hot here so early and the wind's always blowing -- it's the same as Vegas," he said.

And Sanders -- who has never been one to tear up the Cactus League -- has responded in typical fashion. Going into his final start of the spring today against the Padres, Sanders had a 1-2 record and a hefty 8.64 earned-run average in five outings. And, typically, Sanders is not concerned about his spring stats.

"I'm always not a very good spring training pitcher and it's about this time every year, the last week of spring training, that I start getting things together and, knock on wood, I usually go out and have a good April," he said.

"I really only had my first good outing, where I felt really good about my outing, (Saturday). I know people around here were probably wondering what's going on, but it took me a while because I had a new pitching coach. It was an adjustment for me and it was an adjustment for him. My mechanics aren't the easiest thing to figure out in the world, but we finally made some adjustments and things are going in the right direction."

After battling a variety of injuries the past three seasons, Sanders finally got his career headed in the right direction last summer and was a vital member of the Padres' drive to the National League West Division title.

Sanders began the season in the bullpen while recovering from a strained ligament in his right elbow that sidelined him near the end of the 1995 season. Once he joined the rotation, however, Sanders was nearly unhittable. He made 16 starts down the stretch for the Padres and won half -- posting an 8-3 record with a 3.42 ERA -- and struck out 157 batters in 144 innings while walking only 48.

"Once I got into the rotation, I felt more comfortable last year than I have in my whole career," he said.

"The year before last, before I got hurt, I was on my way to becoming what I always thought I was going to be able to do in this league. I got hurt and it put a detour on that but I think I got back to almost right where I was the year before when I was healthy. I got into a good groove and just kind of rolled with it."

Changing organizations during the off-season was difficult for Sanders, who was selected by the Padres as a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds in the 1990 draft. But after looking around the Mariners' clubhouse this spring, Sanders is confident he will return to the playoffs this fall with his new team.

"I came up through (the Padres') organization and it's always hard to leave your first organization," Sanders said. "But I came over here and I'm playing on a great team. This is probably the best team I've ever played on in my life. That's no knock to the team in San Diego -- I played on a great team last year -- but (the Mariners) have assembled a great pitching staff to go along with an incredible offense.

"Sometimes things happen for a reason and I'm hoping this is going to be something good for not only me, but for my family."