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By BILL SAVAGE; Times Leader Sports Writer
Sunday, August 29, 1993     Page: 5C QUICK WORDS: STREAKS END AS BARONS
FALL

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It was a night for two streaks to end Saturday as both
Ruben Amaro and Brad Brink had impressive streaks cut short in a 9-6 loss to
Rochester at Silver Stadium.
   
Amaro went 0-for-3 with a walk and he was hit by a pitch. That ended his
hitting streak at 24 games and he now must wait to get a hit in the resumption
of a suspended game on Wednesday to make it 25 games and a new Red Barons
record.
    “It was a good run,” said Amaro. “They pitched really cautious, I got
drilled on my first at-bat and then they walked me. And after that, I’m
hacking because I’m trying to get a hit.”
   
If Amaro is called up before that game, or if he doesn’t get a hit, he’ll
have streaks of nine and 15 games. Rick Schu’s team record of 19 games, set
last year, will remain intact.
   
“That couldn’t go on forever,” said manager George Culver of Amaro’s
streak. “But that’s as good as one person can play.”
   
Meanwhile Brink, 6-7, had his five-game winning streak broken as the Red
Wings overcame a 4-0 deficit and rocked him for six runs.
   
The Red Barons, 59-75, were eliminated from the International League East
playoff race Friday night. On Saturday, they took a 4-0 lead off Anthony
Telford with four hits, including doubles by Joe Millette and Tony Longmire.
Jeff Manto also had a sacrifice fly to increase his RBI total for the season
to 85.
   
Brink hadn’t lost since July 22 and had won five consecutive decisions
going into Saturday’s game.
   
But with that 4-0 lead, he gave up three straight hits to start the third
inning as Rochester scored one run. Chito Martinez then smacked a three-run
homer to right field, tying the game.
   
The key, Culver said, was the second hit, a shot at Brink by Manny
Alexander that Brink didn’t field.
   
“He missed that one ground ball, it ended up costing him the game,” said
Culver. “I don’t think he was ever the same after that.”
   
Brink stranded the bases loaded but, in the fifth, gave up another homer to
right, this time an opposite field shot by Mel Wearing that put Rochester
ahead 6-4.
   
Telford, 7-7, retired 12 in a row before being replaced in the seventh. The
Red Barons managed solo runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but Rochester
put things away in the seventh.
   
In that inning, Paul Fletcher put the first four batters on base and three
of them came around to score. If there was any consolation for Fletcher it was
that an inning before, he struck out Tommy Hinzo to tie Andy Ashby’s team
record of 113 strikeouts, set in 1991.
   
Ashby’s single-season victory record of 11 was broken Friday night by Kyle
Abbott, who only needs 10 strikeouts to pass the right-hander now with San
Diego.
   
Victor Rodriguez had three hits in Saturday’s game, unofficially putting
him one away from 1,800 career hits. The players, however, retrieved one of
the balls he hit Saturday on the assumption it was the milestone hit.
   
Rochester, which will play Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs,
improved to 69-65. The two teams meet again today in Rochester’s final
regular-season home game.