Short Hops

By TIM KURKJIAN

In September 1991 Padre hitting coach Merv Rettenmund said of young Astro shortstop Andujar Cedeno, "I hate him, but I'd love to have him." Rettenmund meant that Cedeno was raw and erratic but had remarkable tools: a live bat, a great arm, terrific range. Cedeno, now 24, has matured, and it shows. Through Sunday he was hitting .329 with five homers. . . . One of the best free-agent signings of the off-season was White Sox DH Julio Franco, who has been hitting cleanup. He had 24 RBIs through Sunday and had made it tough for pitchers to work around No. 3 hitter Frank Thomas. . . . Sadly but mercifully, it appears that the career of pitcher Dave Righetti, 35, is over. He was released by the A's on April 27 after amassing a 16.71 ERA in seven appearances. He had a terrific career, saving 252 games (most ever by a lefthander), winning 79 games and throwing a no-hitter during his days as a starter for the Yankees. Twin pitching coach Dick Such last week recalled a game in 1978 in which Righetti struck out 21 in nine innings for Tulsa, the Double A affiliate of the Rangers, but Texas traded him that year to New York for Sparky Lyle because they thought Righetti's arm would never last. They were wrong only by about 15 years. . . . Juiced Ball Note of the Week: Red infielder Tony Fernandez hit homers in four straight games between April 25 and 28. In his 10 previous seasons Fernandez had hit homers in two straight games only three times.