followed by night games for the rest of the clubs.
RR Express
The veteran-laden club (aren’t most AAA teams?) opens their season in New Orleans against the Zephyrs, the “first outdoor professional sporting event in that city since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area last August” as the RR website has incessantly reminded us.
Jason Hirsh gets the start in game #1.
Rerferring to a group consisting of Charlton Jimerson, Mike Rodriguez, and Luke Scott along with newcomer Brian Gordon:
“I don’t think you can have a better defensive outfield in the minor leagues than you’ll have in Round Rock,” (manager Jackie Moore) said.
CC Hooks
Juan Gutierrez goes for Corpus today against the SA Missions. Matt Albers, Mitch Talbot and Chance Douglass follow in the rotation in the remainder of the opening series.
INF Alex Eckelman decided to hang ’em up. Derek Nicholson, who was signed in the off-season but then released at the end of spring training, has again been re-signed and sent to the Hooks to take Eckelman’s place on the roster.
Salem Avalanche
Reports out of Salem have been kinda sketchy so we have no idea who gets today’s nod against the Potomac Nationals (Troy Patton and Jimmy Barthmaier are among the possibilities).
Lexington Legends
Let’s just say that Lex’s starting rotation a couple of months from now might not resemble too closely that which is currently listed to start the season:
Levi Romero
Ryan McKeller
Douglas Arguello
Sean Walker
(no 5th starter listed)
Romero toes the rubber tonight versus the Lakewood BlueClaws.
The “probable” lineup (according to this blurb):
CF Josh Flores
SS Tommy Manzella
RF Eli Iorg
1B Mark Ori
LF Mitch Einertson
DH Ryan Reed
C J.R. Towles
3B Koby Clemens
2B Eric King
Manager Jack Lind on Lex’s Applebee’s Park:
“Usually the biggest problem you have in an offensive ballpark is some of the players may get out of their game by trying to hit home runs, and you constantly have to battle that.”