Thursday, June 27, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
SUN WIRE REPORTS
Las Vegan Tyler Houston has found a new home in Chicago.
The catcher-first baseman from Valley High School was traded Wednesday by the Atlanta Braves to the Cubs for a 19-year-old pitching prospect.
Houston, Atlanta's No. 1 pick in the 1989 June draft, hit .222 with one home run and eight RBIs in 33 games with the Braves this season. Five of those RBIs came in an 18-1 victory over the Cubs on May 20.
Houston, 25, was used pri marily as a pinch-hitter. He was designated for assignment Monday when the Braves signed free agent outfielder Mark Whiten.
The Braves received right-hander Ismael Villegas, Chi cago's fifth-round choice in the 1995 June draft.
Villegas was 2-5 with a 5.13 ERA in 10 games with Class A Rockford and 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA at Class A Williamsport. He will be assigned to the Braves' affiliate in Danville of the Appalachian League, an advanced rookie league.
* CECIL HOT: Onetime UNLV player Cecil Fielder is hitting .331 (39-for-118) with six home runs and 25 RBI in his last 31 games for the Tigers.
* CORDOVA STREAKING: Las Vegan Marty Cordova extended his career-best hitting streak to 21 games -- seventh longest in Minnesota Twins history -- with an infield single in the sixth inning against New York Wednesday.
* BOEHRINGER IN AAA: The Yank ees sent former UNLV pitcher Brian Boehringer to Class AAA Columbus (Ohio) to make room for Jimmy Key, who returned from the DL. In three starts, Boehringer was 0-2 with a 10.29 ERA. "He's got good stuff, but his problem is with his location," manager Joe Torre said.
* PRODUCTIVE BRAVES: Atlanta's Fred McGriff, Chipper Jones and Ryan Klesko are on pace to top 100 RBI this season. If they do, it would mark only the second time in Atlanta history and the first time since Hank Aaron (118), Orlando Cepeda (111) and Rico Carty (101) did it in 1970.
* FUN AT COORS: Pardon the Los Angeles Dodgers' hitters for their giddiness about a visit to Coors Field tonight for the first time this season, but they can't help it. Raul Mondesi has a .484 batting average with four HRs, 20 RBI and a .922 slugging percentage in Denver. Mike Piazza has a .430 batting average with six HRs, 26 RBI and a .722 slugging percentage. Eric Karros has a .349 batting average, six HRs, 17 RBI and a .663 slugging percentage.
* WEST VS. WEST: Starting with tonight's game at San Francisco, the Padres play their next 22 vs. West foes. But manager Bruce Bochy says his players might be better off concentrating on themselves, not their opponents. "The way things are going for us, I don't know if you want to put any emphasis on which team we're playing," Bochy said. "We've got to get on track and play nine good innings of hardball."
* ROAD WOES: With the 3-2 loss Wednesday, the Giants completed the road trip through Atlanta and Florida at 0-6. They had played an NL-low 12 one-run games by June 14 but nine of 11 games since have been decided by one run. They're 3-6 in those decisions.
* SWINDELL STARTS: Cleveland lefthander Greg Swindell makes his first start for the Indians tonight, against Chicago, since Oct. 3, 1991.
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