Lawrence making pitch for majors

Steve Addy

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2000 | 9:27 a.m.

Brian Lawrence arrived too late to prevent the Stars' fade from playoff contention, but just in time to validate the Padres' giddiness over his future in the big leagues.

Lawrence gave another glimpse of that promise Wednesday night, even if it was just another meaningless game in the final week of a season that soured in mid-summer.

Raising his record to 3-0 while trimming his ERA to 1.55, Lawrence threw six solid innings in Las Vegas' 8-1 rout of the Fresno Grizzlies before an announced 2,880 at Cashman Field.

Though Lawrence hasn't pitched beyond the sixth inning in seven starts since being elevated from double-A Mobile on July 27, he has been remarkably consistent in his first taste of triple-A ball.

In 40 2/3 innings, the 6-foot right-hander from Texas has struck out 39, walked seven and permitted only seven earned runs. Fresno couldn't do much against him, as he allowed six hits, struck out six and walked none. The Grizzlies' lone run in the fifth inning was unearned.

In fact, the 24-year-old Lawrence showed some moxie by limiting the damage when Fresno threatened in the middle innings. The Grizzlies got three hits in the fourth inning, but did not score. They got two more in the fifth, but only scored because of an error.

Lawrence settled down, pitched a spotless sixth and was pulled after his 89-pitch outing.

Padres executive Ted Simmons has hinted that Lawrence could find himself in San Diego next spring after only three years in the minors.

"That is something that's out of my control. I have one game left to pitch. That stuff is for the off-season," Lawrence said.

But in a short time, he has proven himself to Stars manager Tony Franklin.

"I think he's got what it takes to pitch in the big leagues," Franklin said. "He is not going to (impress you) with his velocity, but at the end of the night, you're saying, 'How did this guy get me out four times?' Then you say, 'He must be a pretty good pitcher.' "

Lawrence's stats bear that out. In stops at each minor league level (rookie league, A, double-A and triple-A), he has a total record of 30-17 with 424 strikeouts and only 83 walks.

It's easy to see why. Lawrence has been terrific at mixing his pitches and keeping hitters guessing. Five of Fresno's strikeouts were swinging, usually way too early on an off-speed pitch.

"He sets up his pitches well, he changes speeds and he's always around the strike zone," Franklin said. "That's a pretty good combination. I would hate to face a guy like that."

The Stars hadn't given Lawrence much run support prior to Wednesday; in all four of his no-decisions, he had allowed two runs or less. But he didn't get fancy after Las Vegas took a 6-0 lead, fueled by homers by John Roskos (solo) and Greg LaRocca (three-run).

"Even with a big lead, I don't change anything," Lawrence said. "I just tried to fill up the strike zone and see what happens. You don't want your defense just standing around. With that kind of a lead, if you give up a homer, it doesn't really hurt you."

It is uncertain if the Stars will remain a San Diego affiliate next year, but the Padres are solidifying the rest of their farm system. This week they extended their working agreements with double-A Mobile (Southern League) through 2004 and Class A Fort Wayne (Midwest) through 2002. ...

Fresno's Juan Melo, who played for Las Vegas last season, is 18-of-37 (.486) against his old team.