Game Notes:
The Express scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th to claim a 5-4 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs.
C Hector Gimenez led off the final frame with a single. 3B Kevin Orie, who had come off the bench earlier, reached on an error and was followed by Charlton Jimerson who loaded the bases with a bad-hop single. One run then scored on a wild pitch, and cleanup hitter 1B Royce Huffman worked a walk to complete the scoring.
Starting pitcher Jason Hirsh had a fairly successful AAA debut (one earned run in 4.1 innings), but the control problems that seemed to have plagued him this spring were in evidence: three walks, a wild pitch and a plunk. He threw 86 pitches before leaving.
Dave Borkowski, who’s generally been a starting pitcher throughout his (mostly) minor league career, got the save with a perfect 9th.
LF Luke Scott walked twice and had a solo shot.
On the plus side, recently-acquired SS Cody Ransom was 2-4 at the plate. But his supposed strength, being a good glove man, was not quite in evidence as he had a couple of errors including the botching of a DP ball in the bottom of the 8th allowing the Z’s to take a temporary 4-3 lead.
Gimenez, like Ransom, was a bit schitzo. Also 2-4 on offense, he had 3 passed balls (2 of those in a tough 5th inning).
Joe McEwing started at 3B before giving way to Orie in the 6th.
Other News and Notes:
(1) The Zephyrs had a sellout crowd of 11,006 in attendance. (2) Former Express reliever Santiago Ramirez is in the New Orleans bullpen. (3) It’s the first opening day win in RR’s 7-year history.
Game Notes:
Under wind-blown conditions in Corpus Christi, the Hooks fall to the SA Missions by a 4-3 score.
Despite occasional struggles with his command (witness the 87 pitches thrown in 5 innings), it was a successful AA debut for starting pitcher Juan Gutierrez as he allowed just one run while whiffing six. If one takes into account that Guti is effectively making the jump from low A-ball and the even-more-than-normal strong gusts out to left on this particular day at Whataburger Field, it was an even more impressive performance for the 22-year old righty.
Other AA debuts: SS Ben Zobrist was 1-3 with a double and a SF, RF Hunter Pence was 1-4 with a single and 2B Jonny Ash was 0-3 with a sac bunt. On the mound side, Paul Estrada K’d 6 (including 4 in a row at one point) in 3.1 IP.
Speaking of Pence, he made a nice throw to 3B in the 6th inning to beat the runner but it skipped under Jared Sandberg’s glove and Pence got charged with the error.
J.R. House, after laying out a year to play college football, homered in his 1st AB. Unfortunately, the rest of the day wasn’t quite as successful as he was hitless in his other three plate appearances and was 0-2 in throwing out baserunners.
For this one day, CF Josh Anderson did something he’s gonna have to demonstrate a lot more of in this his encore performance in AA: he was consistently reaching base. He walked once and reached twice via HBP (later erased on one of those occasions by a baserunning blunder). He also beat out an infield grounder in his only other plate appearance on the day but the replacement ump called him out.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Reliever Josh Muecke left the game after stopping (sorta) a hard-hit groundball in the 5th. It got him in the left (pitching) wrist. It’s not broken, though, and he’ll be day to day. (2) Missions’ 2B Michael Garciaparra (yep, Mia’s brother-in-law) had a forgettable day in his AA debut. He went 0-4 with 2 whiffs and also botched a DP ball.
Quoting:
“I don’t know if they were just trying to do a little bit too much, but (the rust factor) showed up, but we’re going to get those guys in,” Hooks manager Dave Clark said.
“We’ve got a good approach with runners in scoring position and less than two outs. We’ve got to pound the middle of the field and pound it, pound it, pound it. The guys understand and they got a little too anxious (in this game).”
Game Notes:
Damn! Lou Santangelo knocks in 3 with a bases-clearing double with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th as the Avs take the comeback win 4-3 over the Potomac Cannons.
Santangelo also had a single in the game. In what for him is unfortunately not atypical, he also whiffed 3 times.
In just his 11th professional game, 3B Billy Hart was 1-4 with a single but was then thrown out trying to steal.
LF Beau Torbert led off and was 3-5 with a swipe.
Starting pitcher Jimmy Barthmaier was superb, striking out 9 in just over 5 innings while yielding just one run.
Rob Stiehl was next in line on the mound, pitching 1.2 scoreless with 2 punchouts. There were 2 men on with just one out in the 6th and the score tied when Stiehl relieved Barthmaier. Neither scored as the former 1st-rounder induced a DP ball.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Salem’s hitters left 11 men on.
Quoting:
Gee, where have we heard this before…
“That’s kind of telling you what kind of team we’re going to be,” Santangelo said. “We pitched well. We played good defense. We’re going to have to scrap for runs, and tonight we got some.”
Barthmaier on the mound…
“Jimmy was outstanding,” Santangelo said. “He was doing what he does. He threw a lot of fastballs. He was ahead in the count. His changeup was on; his curve was on. I was just putting my glove up there.”
Lexington Legends
Game Notes:
Tain’t none. Rained out.
Other News and Notes:
(1) A doubleheaders has been scheduled for Saturday. (2) Roger’s in town. His every utterance is big news (which in itself isn’t exactly big news). He will likely be the most-famous BP pitcher in the history of the game.