Friday, March 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
SUN WIRE SERVICES
David Cone was in the predicament Derek Wallace is now experiencing, and he wants to assure the New York Mets' pitcher that things will get better.
"I'll tell him not to worry," Cone said Thursday at the New York Yankees' camp in Tampa, Fla., after learning that Wallace has an aneurysm in his pitching shoulder.
Cone, who plans to call Wallace, had the same problem last year. But he's fine now.
"It's fixable and he's going to be fine," Cone said. "It's a scary thing. You're scared and confused about what's going on."
Cone was operated on last May 10, and was back on the mound for the Yankees by September.
"I'm not sure what his condition is, but if they find it soon enough, you can tie off and not go through the procedure I did," he said.
Wallace, a promising right-handed reliever, is expected to miss most of this season. He will undergo surgery next week.
"This is not, and I emphasize not, a life-threatening situation," team physician David Altchek said. "He is in no danger, and I expect him to be back pitching within five months."
The aneurysm, described as a dilation of the small artery at the base of the shoulder, was detected Thursday during a radiology test at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center.
The 25-year-old reliever complained of intermittent coldness of his two middle fingers after pitching in an exhibition game Monday. He allowed six runs in one inning while facing just seven batters against the Montreal Expos.
Wallace was 2-3 with a 4.01 earned-run average and three saves in 19 appearances with the Mets last season. He also was 5-2 with a 1.72 ERA and 26 saves in 49 games with Norfolk of the International League.
Orioles
Mike Mussina is known for winning games with his right arm. This season, he has the chance to contribute with his bat and baserunning, too.
Mussina proved Thursday that he won't be a sure out at the plate in this inaugural year of interleague play. The Orioles ace lined a sharp single off Montreal's Pedro Martinez and came around to score in Baltimore's 9-7 victory.
"It's a little negotiating tool for free agency next year," Mussina said with a smile, referring to the fact that his current contract expires after the 1997 season.
After his three-inning stint, Mussina talked more about his experience at the plate than his fastball and curve. Batting left-handed, Mussina led off the third inning with a single, took third on a double by Brady Anderson and scored on a groundout by B.J. Surhoff.
The Orioles' media guide lists Mussina as a right-handed batter, so it came as a surprise to some when he stepped into the batter's box to bat left-handed.
"I just like to prove people wrong. Actually, I'm a switch-hitter," he said. "I've been batting left-handed since I was 11."
Angels
Jim Abbott, vying for the fifth spot in the Anaheim Angels' rotation, pitched three scoreless innings in a loss to San Francisco. He was encouraged despite allowing three hits and three walks.
Abbott, who went 2-18 last season for the Angels and came into Thursday's game with a 22.50 ERA this spring, called his second start this spring a "positive approach."
"I'm not happy with the three walks, but in those particular at-bats I feel like I made some good pitches," he said. "I'd like to be perfect, but I'll take the positives more than the negatives and work on the negatives."
Exhibition games
* MARLINS 7, TWINS 1: At Fort Myers, Fla., Florida improved to 7-0 this spring as Luis Castillo and John Cangelosi each had three hits and Kurt Abbott drove in two runs. Retired Twins star Kirby Puckett was honored before the game at Minnesota's camp.
* METS 5, BRAVES 2: At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Bernard Gilkey and Alex Ochoa hit two-run homers in New York's four-run sixth inning.
* WHITE SOX (ss) 7, RANGERS 5: At Port Charlotte, Fla., Mario Valdez hit a three-run homer to highlight a six-run third inning off starter Bobby Witt.
* CARDINALS (ss) 7, TIGERS (ss) 3: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Royce Clayton and Willie McGee led the way as St. Louis banged around Detroit pitchers.
* INDIANS 9, RED SOX 2: At Winter Haven, Fla., Manny Ramirez had two hits and two RBIs, and newly signed Chad Ogea pitched three scoreless innings as Cleveland handed Boston its first loss in six spring games.
* PHILLIES 9, PIRATES 8: At Clearwater, Fla., Jon Zuber's RBI single in the 10th inning gave Philadelphia the victory.
* CARDINALS (ss) 7, WHITE SOX (ss) 5 At Sarasota, Fla., Dmitri Young's bases-loaded three-run double keyed a five-run seventh inning for St. Louis.
* ORIOLES 9, EXPOS 7: At West Palm Beach, Fla., Jeffrey Hammonds drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double off Carlos Perez.
* REDS 7, ROYALS 5: At Haines City, Fla., Chad Mottola's two-out double broke a tie in the eighth inning, and Jeff Brantley continued his near-perfect relief for Cincinnati.
* GIANTS 6, ANGELS 5: At Scottsdale, Ariz., Wilson Delgado had a two-run single, and Dante Powell drove in the winning run with a double as San Francisco rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to send Anaheim to 0-7 this spring.
* CUBS 15, ATHLETICS 6: At Mesa, Ariz., Sammy Sosa homered for the fourth time in five games, and Ryne Sandberg had two doubles and two RBIs.
* YANKEES 6, BLUE JAYS 2: At Tampa, Fla., Paul O'Neill doubled, singled and drove in four runs against Roger Clemens.
* BREWERS 9, PADRES 3: At Peoria, Ariz, John Jaha went 3-for-3 and drove in a run, and Todd Dunn hit a two-run pinch homer in the fourth-run eighth inning.
* DODGERS 5, ASTROS 5: At Kissimmee, Fla., starters Tom Candiotti of Los Angeles and Darryl Kile of Houston each gave up three runs in three innings. Both teams used seven pitchers before it was called after 12 innings.
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