A.L.: Scoring And Scoring And …

Just when it didn’t seem possible, players are crossing home plate in greater numbers in the early days of the season, but only in the American League. National League pitchers are exercising much greater control over their hitting colleagues.

One day’s set of games last week epitomized those developments. Last Tuesday, six National League games produced a total of 30 runs. The American League schedule had only three games, but they spewed 61 runs.

The Colorado Rockies didn’t play that day, but even they couldn’t have made up the difference.

For the season, entering Saturday’s games, A.L. scoring is up, 11.09 runs a game compared with 10.20 for the equivalent period last year. Earned run average is up nearly a whole run, from 4.54 to 5.19.

N.L. scoring, on the other hand, is down more than two runs a game, plummeting from 9.88 to 7.63. Earned run average is down from 4.03 to 3.45.

It comes as no surprise that A.L. hitters are making life more miserable for A.L. pitchers than N.L. hitters are for N.L. pitchers. A.L. pitchers have to contend with smaller parks and a larger corps of legitimate home run hitters. But A.L. pitchers are also plagued by a collective control problem.

Last season, A.L. pitchers walked 1,091 more batters than N.L. pitchers did, and this season the difference is already noticeable. Through Friday, the American League had 521 walks in 58 games, the National League 441 in 62 games.

Reds worry about Larkin

Shortstop Barry Larkin was out of the Cincinnati Reds’ lineup Saturday because of his sore left heel, which has become a major concern.

Larkin developed inflammation at the base of the Achilles’ tendon during spring training, got a cortisone shot and missed 14 games. He returned the last week of spring training and felt much better.

The problem has returned during the first two weeks of the season, limiting his range in the field and his swing at the plate. He’s hitting only .192 with one homer and one run batted in over nine games.

Doctors have told Larkin that the sore heel could become a chronic problem. The Reds have discussed putting Larkin on the disabled list, but he is resisting.

“I ain’t going on the DL,” Larkin said.

Cards lose another one

Second baseman Roberto Mejia became the eighth St. Louis Cardinals player to go on the disabled list, a day after he strained his right groin.

General manager Walt Jocketty said the injury wasn’t serious enough to keep Mejia sidelined for 15 days, but the Cardinals had to shelve him because they’re running short of available bodies.

Mejia joins pitchers Andy Benes, Danny Jackson, Brian Barber, Rick Honeycutt and Lance Painter, outfielder Ray Lankford and catcher Tom Pagnozzi on the disabled list.

Inter-continent play?

Japanese baseball officials will meet Tuesday and Wednesday in New York with N.L. president Len Coleman, A.L. president Gene Budig, Player Relations Committee head Randy Levine and union head Donald Fehr.

One of the topics will be international play, including the desire of major league officials to set up a World Cup-style tournament, possibly following the 1999 season.

Cutting-edge issues

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Tapani hopes to pitch again by the All-Star break, but probably must abandon his out pitch.

It was Tapani’s forkball that forced him to undergo surgery for damaged ligaments between his index and middle fingers.

Tapani returned with two souvenirs from the surgery - a cast on his right hand and a beard on his face.

“Can’t hold the razor,” Tapani explained, “and I don’t want to cut myself.”