Stars' Murray sets goal for second half

The triple-A All-Star break probably couldn't have come at a better time for Las Vegas Stars pitcher Heath Murray.

After yielding 12 hits and seven earned runs in just six innings of a 10-2 loss at Fresno in the final game before the break, the 6-4, 205-pound left-hander decided to use his time off to try to figure out exactly why such a promising season had suddenly gone south.

Following six shutout innings of four-hit ball in a 4-0 win over Colorado Springs on May 28, Murray had a 4-2 record and a sparkling 2.83 ERA. But in five starts sandwiched around a sore elbow after that, Murray saw his record plummet to 5-6 and his ERA skyrocket to 5.03.

"On that bus ride home from Fresno, I did a lot of thinking," Murray said. "And then I had two days off and I didn't go anywhere. I just sat by myself in my apartment and thought about why things were going so well earlier in the year and then all of a sudden were going so poorly."

Murray's evaluation?

"I was too slow in my mechanics and was throwing across my body too much," he said. "I also decided to change my mental approach. I decided to wipe the slate clean. I know I have another 10 or 11 starts left. I figure if I finish the season strong, no one will remember those bad starts I had."

Bad starts? What bad starts?

After Murray's 7-1 complete-game five-hitter over Fresno on Monday night, the talk was once again about the former University of Michigan star's major league future, not his disappointing month of June with the Stars.

"If he continues to pitch the way he did (Monday night), there's no doubt he'll get a call-up (to the San Diego Padres) this season, at least by September," Stars manager Jerry Royster said.

"There aren't too many pitchers in the league who can do what Heath did (Monday night). But he needs to be able to duplicate that effort. He's capable of pitching like that on a regular basis. And that's probably what needs to be done for Heath to pitch on the major league level."

Murray, the 66th player selected overall in the 1994 June free-agent draft, did pitch on the major league level on two different occasions in 1997, compiling a 1-2 record and 6.75 ERA in 17 games with the Padres.

But with veteran left-handers Mark Langston and Sterling Hitchcock ahead of him in San Diego, Murray found himself back in Las Vegas this season.

A strong second half with the Stars could propel Murray back into San Diego's plans for 1999.

"It's always important to have a better second half than a first half," Royster said. "In Heath's case, you want to pitch good all the time. He's already been to the major leagues, so a game like (Monday's) really shouldn't be a surprise."

Murray doesn't see the second half of this season as being make-it or break-it for his Padres' future.

"I don't know about my career, but maybe for this season," he said. "I'm still pretty young and left-handed. I had an opportunity with the Padres last year and it didn't go well. But I have to worry about doing my job well here first if I want to get another chance up there."

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