Game Notes:
Round Rock (1-2) falls to New Orleans by a 6-4 count.
Given that neither pitcher had a pitched in a game that counts since the 1st half of last season, you wouldn’t expect either RHP Jared Gothreaux or LHP Mark McLemore to be especially sharp. The righty definitely wasn’t with 3 runs allowed on 6 hits and a walk in 3 frames, but the lefty put up more credible results with just an unearned run scoring on 2 hits and 2 walks in his 3 IP.
Reliever Joe Valentine was roughed up for the second game in a row, giving up a 2-run shot to CF Ryan Church in the 7th inning.
SS Cody Ransom went 2-4.
PH Brian Gordon had a solo shot.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Charlton Jimerson whiffed in his 1st 3 plate appearances, giving him 5 K’s in his last 7 AB’s over 2 games. He fanned later in the game, giving him the golden sombrero. (2) Jimerson gunned down a runner at the plate in the 2nd inning but the no-name ump missed the call. (3) Gothreaux and McLemore (both coming off 2005 injuries) were scheduled from the outset to be piggyback starters in this game, with the former pitching the 1st half the game and the latter the remaining half. With each throwing 50 pitches apiece in their 3 innings of work, both probably left the game a bit earlier than they would have liked. (4) RR hitters have struck out a woeful 39 times in 3 games. (5) Pitcher Chris Sampson went to the plate as a PH in the 4th inning. He flied out.
Game Notes:
The Hooks (1-2) score their first win, edging the SA Missions 2-1.
Mitch Talbot (6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 W 3 K) makes it three AA newbies in a row with strong pitching performances, following on the heels of Juan Gutierrez and Matt Albers.
Jailen Peguero whiffed 4 in the final 2 frames and picked up the save (#1).
RF Hunter Pence drove in both runs on a 7th inning longball (#1).
Playing 1B the entire game, J.R. House went 2-4.
CF Josh Anderson remains hitless (even hitting into a GIDP) but did reach once on a plunk.
SS Ben Zobrist had 2 errors, both on throws.
Other News and Notes:
(1) LHP Cesar Jimenez, the Missions’ starter in this game, was the 3rd starting pitcher in a row the Hooks have seen in this series who is on the Mariners 40-man roster. Given those kind of hot-shot pitching prospects, that does explain a bit the relative lack of offense for CC in the early going. (2) Including those 2 exhibition games against RR, Anderson is 0-18 to start the season. (3) Pence’s homer was a 450-footer, one of the longest in the short history of the Hooks.
Game Notes:
Salem sweeps the DH and the series to start the season 3-0.
The Avs blasted the Potomac Nationals 10-3 in game #1 (completion of yesterday’s suspended game). They liked it so much, they pounded the Washington affiliate by an 8-0 score in game #2 (a 7-inning affair as a result of the suspended game having been played before this one).
Neil Sellers made his first start of the year in game #1 and made the most of it, going 5-5 while belting out 3 doubles. Pretty impressive given the fact he’s making the jump from SS ball (though much less so when you consider at age 24 he’s still old for the league). He belted another double in the second game in 3 trips, also being plunked (surprise) on one of those plate visits.
OF Beau Torbert remained torried, going a combined 4-9 on the day with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs.
1B Scott Robinson was a combined 4-7 in both games with 2 ribbies. 3 of his hits, though, were singles with a 2-bagger the only one of the extra-base variety.
Felipe Paulino pitched 1 inning in game #1–that would be the top half of the 1st that was played Friday.
Evan Englebrook then “started” the game in the top half of the 2nd on Saturday and went 4 masterful scoreless innings.
After Ryan Thompson got rocked for 3 runs on 5 hits, Rory Shortell blanked Potomac the rest of the way (2.1 IP).
Starter Chad Reineke (5 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 8 K) had a no-hitter going until the 5th in game #2.
Robert Stiehl closed out the Nationals with 2 scoreless in the nightcap.
Other News and Notes:
(1) The first 6 outs recorded by Reineke were all whiffs. (2) A really rough schedule for the Avalanche now kicks in with 14 of the next 17 games on the road. (3) Torbert is 7-14 over the first 3 games.
Game Notes:
Wow! The Legends (3-0) swept the DH from Lakewood by identical 1-0 scores in 7-inning contests.
Pflugerville’s Ryan McKeller had the gem in the opener, giving up 4 hits over 5 innings.
Sammy Gervacio followed McKeller and walked the bases loaded in the 6th. 42nd-rounder Brandon Stricklen out of Texas Southern came on to record the K for the final out of the inning, then whiffing 2 more in the 7th and notching a save.
Doug Arguello went 4 strong in the nightcap, sending 8 hitters back to the dugout with a K beside their name.
Garrett Murdy (2 IP) and Chris Blazek (1 IP) closed it out. The latter got the save (#1).
Lex batters managed just 6 hits on the day.
LF Mitch Einertson had an RBI double to score the eventual game-winning run in the opener.
Koby DH’d in game #1 and picked up his first hit, a single.
Lexington’s run in game #2 occurred on a plunk of SS Wlad Sutil, a double by C Eric Cavers and a WP scoring Sutil.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Of the 12 outs recorded by contact for McKeller, 9 were of the GB variety. (2) The Legends’ hurlers have allowed just 1 run in 21 IP in three games. That’s about the only way you can explain the 3-0 record, given only 4 runs scored by the Legends themselves on just 12 base hits over those three contests. (3) Koby’s dad did in fact throw some BP to some of the Legends in between games of the DH.
Quoting:
“I got some guys to roll over some fastballs,” (Ryan McKeller) said. “I threw a couple good curveballs, a couple good sliders. Fortunate enough to throw some curveballs for strikes. I think that’s what kept them a little off-balance.”