51s retreat into break

Nick Christensen

Monday, July 12, 2004 | 9:24 a.m.

With the all-star break officially under way, it seemed as though everyone was in a hurry to just leave after the Las Vegas 51s' 10-7 loss to the Salt Lake Stingers Sunday.

The clubhouse was quickly near-empty, players packing up so much stuff that it looked more like early September than the middle of July. Some had already left for their vacations, and a few others stayed behind to watch 51s catcher Koyie Hill in the All-Star Futures game in Houston. Outfielder Nick Theodorou was off for the Triple-A All-Star Game in Pawtucket, hitting coach George Hendrick had golf plans in Phoenix, pitching coach Roger McDowell was on vacation in Hawaii, and manager Terry Kennedy sat and evaluated the first half of a rough season in Las Vegas that saw his team go 40-51 after two consecutive 75-plus-win seasons.

"We're just too inconsistent to put any grade on it," he said. "We've had a lot of home runs, but I haven't seen the hits, and I'm guessing we don't have a real high average for guys with runners in scoring position."

The team is batting .286 with runners in scoring position, and seemingly every day Kennedy is lamenting the number of players left on base.

On paper, the team was similar to the strong clubs of the past two seasons -- but those numbers on paper so far just haven't panned out. Traditionally strong hitters Hill and Joe Thurston are struggling. Thurston is hitting just .236 with 15 RBIs after driving in 68 runs and hitting .290 last season. New arrivals John Barnes and Cody Ross, who hit .323 and .287 last year in Triple-A, respectively, have been set back by injuries and have played a combined 42 games so far. And no active pitcher has more than five wins or three saves, the active bullpen's best ERA being Eric Knott's 5.00.

"The older guys are just too inconsistent," Kennedy said. "When you think somebody's making headway, they backslide."

Even with the disappointing numbers, Kennedy said there are some bright spots in this year's lineup, such as Antonio Perez.

Usually a second baseman before this year, Perez was acquired from Tampa Bay during spring training in return for the Dodgers' Jason Romano. He has played most of this year at shortstop, as Thurston's defense gets him most of the playing time at second.

Perez is hitting .293, with 52 RBIs and 12 home runs. He's also 16-for-22 on stolen bases.

"Antonio is having the best year, playing out of position," Kennedy said. "The guy will probably help the big club the most of they call him up."

"Believe that," echoed the usually quiet Hendrick to Kennedy's remarks.

Also having a standout season is Theodorou, who spent parts of three seasons with Las Vegas but combined for just 38 at-bats in those years. In the first year he has played consistently at the same level since 2000 at Double-A San Antonio, Theodorou has hit .283 and was named to the Triple-A All-Star team. In August, he'll play for Greece in the Olympics.

"That's something special," Kennedy said. "He'll remember that no matter what happens the rest of his life."

51s NOTES: Chin-Feng Chen, who was leading the 51s in batting with a .306 average, was called up to Los Angeles after Dodgers outfielder Juan Encarnacion was placed on the disabled list. ... The two teams combined for seven two-run home runs Sunday. ... The Triple-A All Star Game will air at 4 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN2. Thursday, the 51s begin a four-game series at Portland before returning to Las Vegas to play Tucson a week from today.