Friday, June 20, 2003 | 10:32 a.m.
51s snapshot
By Rob Miech
This is right when he became a terror last season, when he belted six home runs over a 10-game stretch from June 22-July 1.
Since deposing Joe Thurston atop the batting order, Ruan has hit .405 and scored 16 runs in 17 games.
HILL OF BEANS
Lindsay Gulin's no-hitter last Friday was as much a testament to his development as it was to catcher Koyie Hill's, and to the tight working relationship that they have formed.
"We've come a long way," Hill said. "In the past, our styles haven't meshed. We hadn't seen eye-to-eye on stuff."
Their "past" barely consisted of five weeks by the time the Gulin-Hill battery handcuffed Tacoma.
Gulin is a finesse pitcher who must dab at corners and catch hitters off-balance to be successful, while Hill enjoys being aggressive with hard stuff and throwing as few pitches as possible to each batter.
"Getting the guys out of there as quickly as possible," Hill said. "He just has a different approach to it. I don't have anything against it at all. It just took me awhile to get to the rhythm of feeling out his personality and the way he likes to work a ballgame.
"Obviously, we've come a long way, with what happened the other night."
At Cashman Field, Gulin walked four and struck out seven in the 7-0 victory. At the Single-A level, Hill caught two no-hitters, but both were by a combination of pitchers.
A former all-Missouri Valley Conference third baseman at Wichita State, Hill has made steady improvement since the Dodgers moved him behind the plate before the 2001 season.
The parent club insisted that Hill, 24, start in Las Vegas, ahead of Ryan Kellner, when he was called up from Double-A Jacksonville after Los Angeles had plucked David Ross from the 51s on May 5.
Hill, whose first name is pronounced "coy," has hit .351 since his promotion, including .426 on the road, through Wednesday.
"Koyie has really grabbed the bull by the horns and taken advantage of the promotion and opportunity," Gulin said. "Yeah, he's looking good."
Recent conversations with Dodgers minor-league catching instructor Jon Debus and Del Crandall, special adviser to player development, helped Hill call the game of his life -- so far -- against the Rainiers.
Debus, 44, spent 10 years catching in the Dodgers' farm system and has been a coach or an instructor in the minors for 13 seasons. He visited Las Vegas two weeks before Gulin's gem.
"He didn't have anything specific, he just wants me to be alert, be aware of what's going on and do things for a reason, not just doing things because you want to," Hill said. "And to see the game from all angles, not just sitting back there and having tunnel vision."
Crandall, 73, spent most of his 16 seasons as a major-league catcher with the successful Hank Aaron-led Milwaukee Braves of the 1950s. He joined the 51s in Tacomaa week before the no-no and reinforced the proper way to go about his job.
"He's more old-school, more hard-nosed," Hill said of Crandall. "He wants it done the right way, every single time. That's really kept me on my toes. I've come a long way with instincts, reacting a certain way and doing it without thinking.
"Advice from those two guys is kind of what's got me here."
Runners took advantage of Hill's first Triple-A whiff by swiping all of their first 20 attempts against him. But he has thrown out eight of the past 12 who have tried to steal a base.
Las Vegas manager John Shoemaker deflected total blame from Hill for that string of 20 consecutive steals.
According to Shoemaker, pitchers were being ineffective in holding speedy runners on first, and then their slow deliveries to the plate compounded the burden that was being placed upon Hill's right arm.
If he doesn't have to rush that throw, then his accuracy is impeccable. And middle infielders need to be diligent with their positioning and tags.
"It's a team effort," Shoemaker said. "We have four pieces to the puzzle. If one is messed up, there's a chance you won't get the guy. If you have a great arm back there, and tremendous accuracy, the opponent will be a little more tentative about running."
The Rainiers were the only tentative ones last Friday. Hill kept communicating with Gulin when the 51s were hitting. Let's keep the curveball going, Shoemaker heard Hill repeatedly tell Gulin in the dugout.
"He knew that was a big pitch for Lindsay," Shoemaker said. "All of Lindsay's pitches were working pretty good that night, but Koyie kept positive and stay focused. It was pretty exciting to see."
In the first inning, Gulin walked two hitters after getting the first two out. Gulin said he was going to feel pretty good about himself if he got out of that situation without giving up a run.
A 26-year-old left-hander, Gulin then cruised, getting hit hard only twice. The second one ended the game, when first baseman Larry Barnes snared a liner and converted a game-ending double play by stepping on the bag.
"We really helped each other," Gulin said. "Once, I looked in and kind of shook my head, like, 'No, you don't think I should throw that?' He goes, 'No,' so we went with what he wanted. We got good results on his pitches and on my pitches.
"When you're working as a team like that, it makes a big difference."
For three days after the scintillating outing, Hill bristled whenever he read about, or someone brought up, those two walks.
"To me, it didn't make a difference," Hill said. "The guy got the first two outs like there was nothing to it, then he misses on close pitches and ends up walking two guys. Then he gets the next guy out. No big deal.
"Everyone's like, 'Well, he kind of had a shaky first inning.' Well, no, he didn't. A shaky first inning is not being able to throw strikes, and giving up runs and doubles, and stuff like that. The whole night, Lindsay threw pitches that looked hittable, but weren't."
Hill has relished switching from the hot corner to catching throws from the hill. Being involved in every play of a game, he said, is like being a quarterback or a jockey.
"A blast," he said. "It's the organization's goal, and mine, to make me a major-league catcher ... every time out, you do the best you can to prove to them that they're not making the wrong decision."
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