(9-9, 3rd–PCL American South)
Game Notes:
The game between RR and Iowa in Des Moines was suspended due to rain…and snow! They made it through six innings with the scored tied 1-1.
Lefty Phil Barzilla went 5 innings (83 pitches), giving up just the one run despite quite a few baserunners (six hits, three walks).
Joe Valentine tossed a scoreless 6th.
RR had only 2 hits, one of ’em a 2-bagger belonging to CF Charlton Jimerson (who also struck out twice).
The Express got their run in the top of the 6th when SS Jesse Garcia walked and was moved to 2nd on a sac bunt by LF Luke Scott. After moving to 3rd on 1B Royce Huffman’s grounder, Garcia scored on a WP.
Other News and Notes:
(1) The game will be completed in June when the Express next visits the I-Cubs.
(11-8, T1st–Texas League South)
Game Notes:
The Hooks play their 1st extra-inning game of the season and end up on the wrong side of a 4-3 score against Frisco.
Josh Anderson banged out 5 hits in a game for the second time in three days. Just like the game Sunday, the centerfielder started out with a whiff before finishing up with 5 straight singles. He was 1-2 in SB attempts in the game and scored twice.
C J.R. House went 0-2, snapping his 18-game hitting streak to start the season. He really only had the opportunity to extend the streak in his first two ABs of the game (in which he flied out and struck out) as he was plunked, intentionally walked and then intentionally walked again over his final three plate appearances.
Ben Zobrist (playing 3B) had a double, 2 walks and laid down a sac bunt in the 9th that moved Anderson into scoring position with just one out. Nothing ultimately came of that opportunity, and the Hooks again failed to score in the 10th when Zobrist lined out to end the inning with runners on 1st and 3rd. Those 2 innings were indicative of the entire game as CC left 14 men on base.
RF Hunter Pence had a run-scoring double and walked in 5 chances.
Chance Douglass got the start and struggled a bit with his command, but managed to wriggle out of things for the most part and came away with allowing just 2 earned runs in 5 innings.
Reliever Jon Skaggs had the serious control problems with 5 BBs in his 2 and 1/3 inning stint (one was intentional, though). None of those runners ended up crossing home plate, in part thanks to Aaron Williams who came on with 2 runners aboard in the 8th to get the final 2 outs.
After Williams tossed a scoreless 9th, Frisco RF Anthony Webster came up with one out in the bottom of the 10th and spanked the ball over the RF fence for the Frisco win.
Other News and Notes:
(1) Anderson is the Texas League Player of the Week. (2) Anderson, the sequel: he’s got his BA up to a season-high .356. (3) That’s Zobrist’s 1st start as a professional at any position other than SS. (4) Pence now has 19 RBIs in 19 games.
(8-10, T3rd-Carolina League Southern)
Game Notes:
A tough, tough loss for the Avalanche.
With a 3-1 Salem lead entering the bottom of the 9th, closer Rodrigo Escobar came on to…well…close it out. He immediately walked the 1st batter. He then gives up back-to-back homers and suddenly it’s a 4-3 Myrtle Beach win.
Starting pitcher Evan Englebrook had a superb game. The only baserunners he allowed over 6 innings were three measly singles. One run scored while he was on the mound but it was unearned.
Ervin Alcantara went 2-4, including a 2-run single.
3B Billy Hart broke out of a slump (we hope) with a couple of singles, though on one of those he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.
Frankie Caraballo went deep for the 1st time this year and also drew a walk.
While the 9th inning blowup by Escobar was a shame, he might have had more of a cushion to work with had the Avalanche not hit into 4 GIDPs during the game (spread among 4 different hitters).
Other News and Notes:
(1) Hitting streaks: Alcantara now has an 8-gamer. (2) Hart, hitless in his last 16 ABs entering the game, had just his second multi-hit game of the year. (3) Talk about a fielding slump! 1B Scott Robinson made a throwing error in the 7th inning. That’s already his 6th error of the year and all 6 have come in his last 5 games. And you can’t blame bad Carolina League infields as 3 have been throwing errors and 2 were muffs of throws to him at 1B. The normally sure-handed 1st sacker had a .997 fielding percentage last year at Salem (just 2 errors in 74 games). (4) That’s Escobar’s first blown save this season in four chances.
Quoting:
RHP Robert Stiehl, talking about his struggle back after the 2 shoulder surgeries:
“I never really pitched before. I didn’t have too much of a plan,” (he) said. “I used to be like, ‘Here’s 95, come get it’.”
“I’m in the low 90s now, but I also have a game plan. I’m thinking ahead. That comes from experience.”
(12-6, 1st–SAL Northern)
Game Notes:
Rained out.
Other News and Notes:
(1) The game will be made up up as part of a doubleheader this afternoon.