JETHAWKS NOTEBOOK IMPROVED TORRES TO START GAME TWO JETHAWKS PITCHER ON HAS BEEN ON UPSWING.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Melqui Torres' season has come full circle.

The highly regarded 23-year-old pitcher went from ``can't miss'' statusin spring training to the doghouse about a month into the regular season. Questions about his attitude and work ethic, combined with a1-3 record and a 7.38 ERA, earned him a demotion to back to low-Single A.

But since returning to Lancaster on July 1, Torres has emerged from the ashes to become the most improved player on the team. He is perhaps the JetHawks' most remarkable success story this year.

The turnaround has culminated with Torres assuming the No. 2 spot in the JetHawks' postseason starting rotation. And tonight, under the lights of Lancaster Municipal Stadium, the native of San Pedro De Macoris of the Dominican Republic will start game two of the California League divisional championship series against San Bernardino.

The younger brother of former San Francisco Giants pitcher Salomon Torres knows he will be pitching the most important game of his life and is relishing the challenge.

``I'm ready,'' he said. ``I'm at my best moment right now.''

In his l2 starts since returning from Wisconsin - where he was sent to regroup after a slow start - Torres has compiled a 7-1 record, allowing just 26 earned runs in 72 1/3 innings for a 3.24 ERA.

He has been particularly torrid in his five most recent starts with Lancaster, during which time he has allowed just six earned runs in 33 innings. He is 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA in that span.

Last week, Torres had another strong outing in winning his Triple-A debut. He scattered seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (all earned) in a 6-4 victory over Salt Lake in a Pacific Coast League game. Torres, and teammate Enmanuel Ulloa were sent to Tacoma to help plug in the gaps on a Rainiers rotation depleted by call-ups and the Olympics.

Including his Tacoma start, he has won each of his last six decisions.

Torres attributes his improvement to a more focused approach, including work he did at Wisconsin to help perfect his slider.

``I think more and I concentrate more on the hitter,'' he said. ``I want to work hard to help my team. If everybody works together, we can makeit.''

But Torres, who was 8-4 with a 4.38 ERA during the regular season at Lancaster, didn't exactly receive glowing reviews from JetHawks manager Mark Parent, who writes daily reports on the progression - or regression, as was the case with Torres - for each player.

``In spring training, he showed us that he had serious potential to be amajor-leaguer, but then when the season started he did everything he could to make us believe that he didn't,'' Parent said.

The JetHawks coaching staff was already souring on the pitcher they hadso much regard for in the spring. Just over a month into the season,Torres did something believed to be an affront to baseball lore.

``He did some things that a starting pitcher on the day he was supposedto start a game shouldn't be doing,'' Parent said.

Perhaps he didn't know better, or maybe he was unaware of the wrath his actions - he was seen talking to opposing players on the Mudville Nine during JetHawks batting practice - would cause him to incur.

``And when I approached him about it, he laughed at me. He thought it was a joke,'' Parent said. ``He thought it was ridiculous that I would bemad at something like that. He didn't realize that that's something youdon't do - it's unheard of.''

Suffice it to say, he didn't pitch that night.

Torres was sent to Single-A Wisconsin in the Midwest League, donning a Timber Rattlers uniform before he knew what had hit him. But since returning to Lancaster, Torres has won back the respect of his coaches and teammates.

``To his credit, he took whatever lessons needed to be learned and he'scome with a great attitude, an aggressive attitude and a winning attitude, and he's done very well,'' Parent said. ``He learned a lesson. I don't know if someone in Wisconsin explained it to him or he realized it himself, but the way he was going about his business was wrong.

``There's many things that we've improved in this year, but he's the most improved person on our team.''

In terms of attitude, intensity, work ethic and performance?

``The whole package,'' Parent said. ``He took the demotion and turned it into a positive and has made five-fold the positives that we expected out of him. I've seen billions of players who get chewed out and get sent out and you never see them again because they don't know how to handle it. They can take it personally and think they're right and everybody else is wrong, or they can take it personally and change.''

JetHawks pitching instructor Scott Budner said Torres' story is a perfect example for other young players about how maturing as a person can pay dividends on the field.

``His stuff wasn't ever in question, but his approach and the mental part of his game wasn't where it needed to be,'' he said.

Catcher Scott Maynard, who caught Torres at Wisconsin last year, said Torres has improved with experience.

``This is a tough league to pitch in.'' Maynard said. ``In the past he's been able to get away with pitching to one side of the plate, but he got here and he realized pretty quickly that he couldn't do that.''

The difference between the Torres that was sent to Wisconsin in May andthe pitcher who has become one of the rising stars in the Mariners' organization since rejoining the JetHawks in July is his aggressiveness, Maynard said.

``Now's he's shaking off the fastball or the slider away to go to the fastball inside, which is a big improvement,'' Maynard said. ``I think that's why his numbers have gotten so much better. He's using both sides of the plate.''

Parent pointed out, in addition to the three quality pitches in his arsenal, Torres should be able to increase his velocity and last longer in games as his 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame bulks up.

``He's become the best prospect we have, pitching-wise,'' Parent said.

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Photo:

Lancaster Municipal Stadium operations manager John Laferney prepares for a California League playoff game.

Gideon Rubin/Staff Photographer