| 21 April 2010
Here's a note that came in my inbox today:
"“So here’s the deal – SUNDAY ONLY:
• Table for 4 on the Muckleshoot Casino Party Deck
• All you can eat and drink: beer, wine, soda, ballpark BBQ
• $100 per table or 5 tables for $450 “
Cliff is officially starting for us on Sunday.
If you let people know, would you please have them email me at mbarron@tacomarainiers.com. You cannot get this deal at the box office and the game is bound to sell out."
Have at it, folks. If I were on the West Coast, I'd be there.
Tacoma 4, Colorado Springs 5 (COL + 2) (ten innings)
Sigh. LHP Chris Seddon (4.96) gave up two runs through six innings on two hits (HR), three walks, and five Ks. RHP Brian Sweeney (6.75) pitched the next inning and a third, letting one run score on a hit, a wild pitch, two walks, and a K. RHP Chad Cordero (7.36, BS) fared well early on, but ultimately gave up a run on three hits, an errant pitch, and two Ks in an inning and two-thirds. Arriving fresh off the set of a late-70s, early-80s cop movie, RHP Steve Palazzolo (infinity, L) suffered some serious time travel fatigue and gave up a run on two hits and two intentional walks. By my count, the organization now has eight Stevens/Stephens, four more if you count middle names. This will be trivia question going into the next wrap.
The offense was palatable until the late innings at which point things started to go badly. 1B Tommy Everidge (2 2B, R, .283) had two doubles in the game, and DH Mike Carp (.259) and RF Ryan Langerhans (R, SB, .222) both contributed two walks, with Langerhans adding a hit. Batting ninth, 2B Travis Denker (2B, R, .176) had a double. I don’t know where he goes once Ramon Vasquez shows up.
Huntsville 7 (MIL + 5), West Tenn 0
Okay, now they’re doing it wrong. LHP Mauricio Robles (4.15, L) pitched three and two-thirds innings and gave up three runs on five hits, a wild pitch, two walks, and five Ks. RHP Mumba Rivera (7.59) pitched the next inning and two-thirds and let a run score on two hits, a hit batter, a walk, and a K. He didn’t let any of Robles’ runs score, but at the same time, I am forced to wonder why he has pitched in over half of the D-Jaxx games so far. RHP Aaron Jensen (0.00) pitched the same amount of innings, with only two hits and a hit batter to his name, but RHP Chris Sorce (19.29) was not so lucky, and let three runs score on two hits, a plunked batter, and five walks in his inning and two-thirds. The final third went to LHP Edward Paredes (4.32), who gave up a score one of Sorce’s runs.
The offense pretty much consisted of two hits and a walk by 2B Dustin Ackley (3B, .143), which is certainly a positive, and a single and a walk from CF Kuo-hui Lo (CS, .216). Ackley led off the nine with his triple and still didn’t score. This has been a trying series.
Lancaster 3 (HOU - 6), High Desert 5 (seven innings)
Rallies! Wins! LHP Ryan Feierabend (0.00) had two hits and two Ks through two frames of work. Making his Cal League debut, LHP Nick Czyz (9.00, PO) gave up two runs on two hits and three walks in two frames of work. RHP Blake Nation (0.93, W) calmed it down after that, with a hit and two K in the following two innings, and then RHP Cheyne Hann (1.64, S) gave up a run in the seventh on a hit, a wild pitch, and a K. Not that it ended up mattering too much.
The sixth inning opened with a double by 2B Kyle Seager (2B, R, E, 2-3, BB, .383) and a single by 3B-1B Nate Tenbrink (R, RBI, 1-3, BB, .408) to drive him in. Following that, Poythress walked to move Tenbrink to second, and was replaced by a pinch-running Colina. Savastano sacrificed, and Chavez then reached on error, scoring Tenbrink. But when Diaz came to the plate, they managed to make a 6-2 play at the plate to get Colina out. C Trevor Coleman (R, .105) walked to load the bases. Shaffer singled, and that scored Chavez and Diaz, then CF Maximo Mendez (RBI, SB, 3-4, .321) singled to score Coleman. There were more opportunities there, as Seager got a wild pitch before walking to reload the bases, but then Tenbrink grounded out and that was that.
The second game was partially rained out, I think.
Burlington 1 (KC - 7), Clinton 15
This was the LHP Jonathan Hesketh (10.95, E, W) we all know and love. He managed to drop his ERA by over six points by pitching five innings and giving up a solo home run along with one other hit, a hit batter, and a walk as he struck out eight. The Bees aren’t a good team, but it’s a starting point. I’ll apply the same basic principle to the outing by RHP Erasmo Ramirez (0.00, S), not because he began poorly by any means, he allowed three hits and struck out three in four innings, but because he needs to get some experience in the league before eventually moving into the rotation and this time was as good as any. Part of that was the lead that the Lumberkings acquired, which I can’t quite describe as I seem to have run dry on superlatives. First, there were four home runs in all. There were also four doubles. But combining some of the best of both was DH Dennis Raben (3 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, .316), who was 4-for-5 with only extra-base hits. That probably got him a place on the 1.000+ OPS club, and mention as hitter of the week, if one of the fellows from last week doesn’t up and take it again. The other three home runs went to LF Kalian Sams (HR, 3 R, 1-2, 2 BB, .278), RF James Jones (HR, 3 RBI, E, 1-5, .151), and C Steve Baron (HR, 3 RBI, PB, 2-3, BB, .250). So Sams provides some competition for Raben with the dinger and the walks, but so does SS Nick Franklin (HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, .339), who did the walk-off thing the other night and was 2-for-6 in this one. Another big contributor was 1B Vinnie Catricala (2B, 2 R, .281), who had two hits and a walk. Batting ninth, 2B Gabriel Noriega (R, .171) hit a single and drew walk. Churchill commented on his site that Noriega has given up switch hitting and is now purely a right-handed batter, so file that away.
Thursday's Games:
Tacoma: LHP Garrett Olson, at Colorado Springs, @ 6:05 pm PDT
West Tenn: RHP Michael Pineda, in Jackson, @ 5:05 pm PDT
High Desert: LHP Bobby LaFromboise, at Lake Elsinore, @ 7:05 pm PDT
Clinton: RHP Taylor Stanton, in Clinton, @ 4:30 pm PDT
Organization Record:
Tacoma Rainiers: 6-8, .429, 2 GB in PCL Pacific Northern
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx: 4-9, .308, 6 GB in SL North
High Desert Mavericks: 7-6, .538, 1st in CAL South
Clinton Lumberkings: 7-7, .500, 3.5 GB in MWL Western
Overall Record: 24-30, .444
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