Veteran pitcher Lorraine keeps his focus sharp

Friday, April 25, 2003 | 10:54 a.m.

51s snapshot

Whenever his breaking ball isn't breaking or the strike zone begins looking like the eye of a needle, 51s pitcher Andrew Lorraine pops a priceless, 4-year-old videotape into his VCR.

Called up from the Cubs' Triple-A Iowa affiliate to start the second game of a doubleheader against Houston at Wrigley Field in 1999, Lorraine shut out the Astros on three hits.

On the much-traveled road between Triple-A and the major leagues, how Lorraine approached that game and what it led to says as much about him as how he confused the Astros.

"I wasn't thinking that I was only there because they needed someone for this one game," Lorraine said. "I was thinking, 'This is an opportunity.' I bought myself a chance to pitch again, and I had chances to pitch for the Cubs for quite awhile.

"If I had gone up there with the expectation of just, 'Well, I'm here ... great,' I wouldn't have been there long. That moment really stands out. I'll watch that tape and it reminds me how close every guy playing in Triple-A is to playing at the pinnacle."

If certain trends continue, Lorraine, 30, can count on spending time with the Dodgers in 2003.

Not counting rookie ball, he has played an entire season in the minor leagues only twice in the past nine years. He has thrown in the big leagues for seven teams.

This season, the 51s are 4-0 when Lorraine (3-0) starts. Even though he owns a 2.45 earned-run average, he said his best stuff has been elusive.

It's early. He was a late add to the organization's spring training roster and he wasn't even certain of his spot in Las Vegas until the final week of the spring minor-league circuit.

"I'm working on a few things I thought I was behind on," Lorraine said. "I wasn't really ready for a few things. I was behind a little bit, and I'm still working on game situations and my entire collection of pitches.

"There's a whole feel to pitching for me. I can't go up there and worry about my feel. I have to go out there and pitch and compete. Competitively, I've been really pleased with the way things have gone. Obviously, the results have been great."

Lorraine, a 6-foot-3 lefty, said the game Monday night against Tacoma at Cashman Field showed that he isn't quite on the top of his game.

Thanks to a two-run homer by catcher David Ross, whose three home runs have come in Lorraine starts, he trailed only 3-2 when he was yanked by manager John Shoemaker in the sixth inning. The 51s scraped back and won, 4-3, in 14 innings.

"I've been lucky," Lorraine said. "The last few games, I haven't pitched deep into games, which is a goal of mine. But we have a great bullpen, if you haven't noticed. Our bullpen has been doing an exceptional job, especially in games that I've thrown."

At Cashman on Tuesday, he did not want not to reveal too much about how he likes to set up certain hitters or what is currently missing in his repertoire. Basically, he said he needs to become more accurate with his breaking ball. Shoemaker said Lorraine, like most pitchers, relies on keeping hitters off balance with a little bit of a sinker and a little bit of a breaking ball.

"And he has a fastball," Shoemaker said, "that he can get by people in certain situations."

More than anything, Lorraine deplores concentration lapses like the one Monday when Andy Barkett chased him with a two-run homer.

"Made a bad pitch," Lorraine said. "I can live with myself. It's going to happen. If I concentrate, it isn't going to happen that often. I get angry with myself, because it isn't that hard to focus."

Shoemaker quickly became aware of Lorraine's nearly manic appetite for improvement.

"He's a guy who wants to be perfect on every pitch," Shoemaker said. "He doesn't want to make any mistakes. He's working on every pitch, not just flipping one up there hoping for a reaction. He bears down on every pitch. That's why he's been successful."

Lorraine is 85-59 in the minors, and 6-11 in the majors.

Instead of dwelling on why he has not lasted very long with one club, he chooses to remember everything he has done well for seven major-league teams to take looks at him.

Zapping the Astros in '99 led to 18 more appearances for the Cubs, from the end of that season to the start of 2000.

"Obviously, some people, not being able to go with the ups and downs, might have quit a long time ago," Lorraine said. "I think, for the most part, I've been good at addressing some things, or I wouldn't be pitching anymore.

"Not too many guys get to stick around seven big-league organizations. It doesn't happen too much, so I take pride in that."