(6-8, 4th–PCL American South)
Game Notes:
With a second game upcoming (albeit a 7-inning affair), neither the Express nor the New Orleans Zephyrs probably were too thrilled about playing extra innings in the continuation of the suspended game from Tuesday. Particularly as it just went on and on and on, finally concluding on the walkoff homer by OF Brian Gordon in the bottom of the 13th to give RR the 3-2 win.
Jared Gothreaux started the Tuesday game, going 3 innings and getting nicked for just one run. When the game was continued Wednesday night, newcomer Chris Baker went to the mound for the Express. He led a trio of RR relievers who shut down New Orleans over the next 10 innings, allowing just one measly little run. Baker and Travis Driskill went 4 frames apiece, while Dave Borkowski went 2 innings.
CF Charlton Jimerson went 2-5 and hit his 4th longball of the year.
1B Alan Zinter and Gordon also had 2 hits.
C Hector Gimenez muffed a pitch for his 5th PB of the year (though 3 of those came in one game).
Game #2 started at 9:30 and quickly got off to a bad start as the Z’s scored 4 runs in the top of the 1st. NO ended up leading 7-2 before the Express came up with 2 runs apiece in the 4th and 5th to make it a one-run game. But they could get no closer and, after the Zephyrs added some insurance runs in the 6th, ended losing the nightcap by a 9-6 score.
Roberto Giron gave up all those runs in the 1st plus a couple of more to boot before exiting after 3 innings. The 4 Express relievers used in this one didn’t have the same success as the group in the opener, collectively surrendering the final 3 runs over 4 IP.
Jimerson again went 2-5. He also got a swipe (#3) and threw out a runner at 3B. The speed, the power, the arm…all on display in the pair of games. If only…
Ditto 1B Royce Huffman and C Humberto Quintero as far as a pair of hits.
Gordon hit his second homer of the day (and 3rd of the year) in the nightcap.
3B Cody Ransom matched Gordon (in game #2 anyway) with a solo shot.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Continuing to do it all, pitcher Chris Sampson had a PH single in game #2 to give him 4 hits in 5 ABs in ’06. For the math-challenged, that would be an .800 BA.
(7-6, T1st–Texas League South)
Game Notes:
The Hooks doubled the Midland RockHounds in hits, 12-6, but barely eke out a 5-4 win.
Much of starting pitcher Mitch Talbot’s problems were of his own making (just throwing out the tired cliches). He gave up 3 runs in 5 IP. The 5 hits allowed might not have been particularly troublesome, but the 4 walks, a plunk, 2 balks and a WP certainly were.
Paul Estrada came on in relief and promptly served up a big fat gopher ball. He then proceeded to retire the next 9 batters in a row. He would eventually claim the win to even his record at 2-2.
Aaron Williams had the perfect 9th, giving him his 2nd save and keeping his ERA for the year (at both RR and CC) at 0.00.
Josh Bonifay (again at 3B) swung the big stick, going 3-4 and belting a 2-run yack (#3) in the 7th inning to put the Hooks ahead for good.
C J.R. House had a great AB in advance of the Bonifay homer, working a 9-pitch walk (interestingly, the 1st free pass he’s drawn this season). The ex-West Virginia QB also banged out his 6th double of the year.
1B John Fagan singled and tripled in two runs.
RF Hunter Pence singled and received his first IBB of the season.
SS Ben Zobrist had a couple of singles, laid down a sac bunt and played some solid defense.
Other News and Notes:
(1) The 2-bagger for House gives him hits in all 13 games played by CC this year. (2) Not quite as impressive as House’s 13-gamer, but Pence now has a 5-game hit streak.
(6-7, T3rd–Carolina League Southern)
Game Notes:
1B Neil Sellers’ hitting and some extremely tasty relief pitching combine for the 6-4 Avalanche win over the Frederick Keys.
Sellers came to the plate in the 7th inning with the bases loaded and his club trailing 4-2. His double to RF cleared the bases and later in the inning Sellers himself scored. Earlier in the game, the NY-Penn League All-Star (last year at TRC) had a run-producing single to give him a 4-RBI night.
3B Billy Hart went 0-4 to drop his BA to .179.
SS Wade Robinson picked up another throwing error (#4), though he was 1-3 at the plate with a sac bunt and 2 runs scored out of the leadoff spot.
Starting pitcher Evan Englebrook was shaky with the command, giving up 3 walks along with a HBP and a WP in 3 innings. Along with the 5 hits allowed, all that messiness resulted in 4 runs for the Keys.
Robert Stiehl, Ryan Thompson, Enyelbert Soto and Rory Shortell (save #1) came on to whitewash Frederick over the final 6.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Mentioned yesterday that Hart only played in 10 games at TRC last season. The 5th-rounder and Trojan-ex was bothered by a back problem but did not have surgery. According to a source, he is still bothered some by stiffness. (2) That was the 1st save of Shortell’s career, though of course he was almost exclusively a starter prior to this season. (3) Sellers has a 7-game hitting streak. (4) Katrina Waugh of the Roanoke Times reports that Rule 5 draftee (minor league phase) Ben Diggins has been released without ever seeing action. With Ronnie Martinez still inactive with an arm problem, the 2 empty spots on the roster have been filled by pitchers Jeff Wigdahl and Anthony DeWitt. Both of those players had been in extended spring training working through arm problems of their own.
Quoting:
The manager discussing Sellers:
“He’s a really good hitter,” (Jim) Pankovits said. “He can hit any type of pitch, he uses the whole field, you can’t defend him.
“He’s just a line-drive machine.”
(10-3, 1st–SAL Northern)
3 fielding blunders by Lake County in the 8th inning allowed the Legends to put up a 4-spot in that frame and eventually nab a 6-3 win.
That 8th inning merry-go-round saw 2B Eric King and RF Mitch Einertson reaching on errors to start the inning. 1B Ole Sheldon singled in King with Einertson moving to 3rd. Sheldon moved to second base on a swipe. Both runners then scored on C J.R. Towles’ single. The catcher then stole second, traveled to third as a result of a throwing error and came home on 3B Koby Clemens’ single. Roger’s heir advanced to 3B on SS Wlad Sutil’s base hit, but there was no further scoring as CF Josh Flores whiffed to end the inning.
King was 3-4 in the game with 2 ribbies.
Sheldon had a total of 2 base hits and also moseyed to 1B on a walk.
Sutil added a 2-bagger and was a plunkee.
Starter Doug Arguello gave up a run in 4 innings of work.
Sammy Gervacio was charged with an unearned run in 2.2 innings of relief work.
Brandon Striklen had a messy outing (1 run, 5 baserunners in 1.2 IP), his 1st of the year after 4 nearly perfect appearances.
Other News and Notes:
(1) That makes 9 Captains’ errors resulting in 8 unearned runs over the last 2 ballgames. (2) After his Olympic Rings night on Tuesday, OF Eli Iorg sat out Wednesday’s game. (3) Sheldon has a 5-game skein.