(5-7, 4th–PCL American South)
Game Notes:
A 9th inning rally falls short as the Express take it on the chin 8-5 and split the 4-game series with the I-Cubs. A 2-run dinger by 3B Joe McEwing (his first jack of the year) with none out in that final frame narrowed the Cubbie lead to 3 runs but the Express were unable to do any further damage.
Starting pitcher Chris Sampson did a better job at the plate than he did on the mound, going 2-2 with a run scored. Actually, his mound performance wasn’t that bad as 2 of the 4 runs he gave up in 6 IP came on a longball he surrendered in his final inning of work (and one of those runs was iffy due to a controversial call regarding the runner on 3B who scored as a result of the homer).
LF Luke Scott walked and had an RBI single. He also had a swipe.
CF Charlton Jimerson and 1B Royce Huffman were both 0-4 with 3 whiffs apiece.
C Humberto Quintero picked off Felix Pie at first base.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Sampson has 3 hits in 4 ABs this season. (2) OF Mike Rodriguez has been placed on the DL with a leg injury.
(5-6, T2nd–Texas League South)
Game Notes:
It was another “pitcher’s duel” in west Texas as Midland edges the Hooks 12-9.
What sunk CC in this one was a disastrous 5th inning in which the RockHounds scored 7 runs. Both starter Juan Gutierrez and reliever Paul Estrada helped fan the blaze. Guti allowed the 1st 4 Midland hitters to reach (2 walks, 2 hits) before being lifted. Estrada issued a pair of bases-loaded walks before surrendering a grand slam.
On the day, Gutierrez allowed 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 4 IP. This was his 1st bad game of the year. Ditto for Estrada, who had a miniscule 1.23 ERA entering the contest.
The 1st 4 hitters in the CC lineup accounted for 8 of their 11 hits.
Leadoff man CF Josh Anderson scored 3 runs on a walk and 2 singles and drove in a run on a SF. Anderson also notched his 1st 2 stolen bases of the year.
Like Anderson, 2-hole hitter SS Ben Zobrist scored 3 times and drove in one. He was 3-4 with a double and a walk.
RF Hunter Pence had an RBI single and also swiped a base (#3).
1B J.R. House went 2-4 while knocking in 3.
Down toward the bottom of the lineup, 2B Jonny Ash had a couple of singles and reached on a walk.
(4-7, 4th–Carolina League Southern)
Game Notes:
Radhames Liz, the same guy who struck out 13 Avs’ hitters in 5 innings in that combined no-hitter by 4 Keys’ pitchers last week, was again a Salem nemesis on Monday night. After allowing a single with one out in the 1st inning (glad to at least get that out of the way), Liz proceeded to whiff the next 5 Avalanche hitters in a row. He ended up going 5 innings, allowing just 2 hit and whiffing 9. And Salem hopes like hell that the next time they face Frederick Mr. Liz has been promoted to AA.
Jimmy Barthmaier takes the loss but pitched a fairly decent game (6 IP 5 H 4 R 3 ER 2 W 4 K). He got tagged early, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk in the 1st. But he then settled down and even retired 11 straight at one point in the game. His own error resulted in an unearned run scoring in the 6th inning.
Robert Stiehl continues his shaky pitching, giving up a run on 3 hits and a walk in 2 relief innings.
SS Edwin Maysonet finally makes the highlight sheet, going 2-3 with a couple of doubles (his 1st extra-base hits of the year) and scoring Salem’s lone run.
DH Neil Sellers plated Maysonet with a double of his own. That’s RBI #8 on the year for Sellers.
C Lou Santangelo took the 0fer with a couple of strikeouts.
3B Billy Hart was hitless but reached on a walk. He then proceeded to get picked off.
Other News and Notes:
(1) After starting the season 3-0, the Avalanche have now lost 7 of the last 8 games. (2) Who’s your daddy? Salem is 0-5 against Frederick this season, 4-2 against the rest of the league.
(8-3, 1st–SAL Northern)
Day off.