Link Report for Sat. 5/24 - Huntsville Bangs Out 19 Hits

[Mass Haas]

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Power stumbles in loss to Lakewood

By Doug Smock

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

Home field is supposed to provide an advantage, right? In the case of the West Virginia Power's 7-3 loss Saturday to the Lakewood BlueClaws, wrong.

 

It was hardly the sole reason for the Power's 29th loss in 48 games, but the playing surface at the fourth-year Appalachian Power Park tripped up the home team.

 

Literally.

 

It happened in the fourth inning, as the Power was trying to rally from a 3-1 deficit. Cleanup hitter Steffan Wilson, celebrating his 22nd birthday, drilled a shot to the left-field wall for a one-out double.

 

That brought up Caleb Gindl, who pulled a shot down the right-field line to drive in Wilson and make it 3-2. But Gindl mysteriously - or so it might have seemed to most of the season-high crowd of 6,204 - stopped at first without seriously considering a double.

 

The rest of the story became evident, as head groundskeeper Brian Eiche was summoned. A piece of sod came loose about 6 feet in front of first base and just to the right of the runners' box - in other words, right in the path of a runner trying to round first base to take second.

 

The grounds crew tried to reattach the sod, but to no avail. As Lakewood manager Steve Roadcap ordered his troops off the field, the crew removed the loose grass and regraded the spot with dirt. (And on Superpower Night, fans saw Batman taking a break from vanquishing the Joker to help out.)

 

Play resumed after a 25-minute delay, and it looked promising for the home squad when Eric Fryer lashed a double down the left-field line.

But Gindl was pegged at the plate on perfect throws by left-fielder Michael Taylor and third baseman Herman Demmink.

 

But remember, Gindl could have started from second base instead of first. And the game could have been tied against a pitcher with a 4.96 earned-run average.

 

"My legs just came out from under me; nothing you could do there," Gindl said. "I was thinking double all the way and they came out from under me. If I'm on second there, Fryer gets another hit, we get another run and it changes the whole ball game, you know, the momentum of the ball game.''

 

That was the Power's best chance to tie a game it trailed 2-0 after two batters. Zelous Wheeler laced a sixth-inning home run to cut the lead back to one at 4-3, but the Power never threatened again. Lakewood added a run in each of the final three innings.

 

"We played catch-up all night," said Power manager Jeff Isom. "We just couldn't overcome their lead ... We were trying to tie it up all night and they just kept adding runs. They're a good team."

 

Power starter Roque Mercedes (1-4) gave up a leadoff single to T.J. Warren on an 0-2 count, and then Derrick Mitchell belted a home run into the left-field Fun Zone for the 2-0 lead. Taylor went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs as the BlueClaws rapped out 13 hits.

 

The teams return to action at today, followed by an afternoon start on Memorial Day. On Tuesday, the teams play at 10:35 in the morning (9:35 Central) on a Grand Slam School Day.

 

In the meantime, the grounds crew was working hard on that little area near first base. The park has been well-used during college baseball season, and faces a diet of nine high school games later this week.

 

"Brian's done a great job on the field, and it was a situation where they tried to repair some worn-out areas," Isom said. "There is a whole lot of play, and the sod didn't take hold. The roots didn't take root, but it's something that happens and he got the situation fixed as fast as possible and it's playable right now."

 

"We've got to understand: It's minor-league baseball and we've got a lot of prospects out there," Roadcap said. "One of my players rounded it [and slipped], and you could see where his feet were. But they did a good job and repaired it, and it was solid and playable after that."

 

BRIEFLY: Roadcap, in his second year at Lakewood, was the pitching coach for the 1987 Charleston Wheelers, the first year of the city's South Atlantic League era. He also managed the Appalachian League's Huntington Cubs in 1990 and 1991. "The area's been really good to me and it's always good to come back," he said. ... Lakewood's starter was Jacob Diekman, who improved to 1-3.

[dadofandrew]

Nelson could have a future as a 1B/OF reserve, mainly due to his LH ness. However, while his stats are better than Nix's, Laynce's are close enough to remind you that hitting .400/.500 in the PCL, even the eastern half, is not that great.

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com

 

Makin' Meat Loaf of Birmingham

 

One of the most clever promotions I've ever seen at the Joe, aside from Mayberry Night (which was beat into the earth and buried), didn't come from the fertile mind of GM Buck Rogers, it came from the wild brain of Matt Price, the Stars' Promotion Director (who I think would make a great GM someday)........ It was Meat Loaf Day at the ole ball park....... Nine brave home-cooking connoisseurs put their meat loafs where their mouths are before the game, as they were spread out on the inner concourse. Everyone entering the gate was given a ballot and invited to go to each numbered meat loaf table, and try a sample with the chef standing there imploring you to vote for them (of course). A tenth dropped out before the competition, which started at 12:30, an hour and a half before the start of the game.......Then you vote and turn it in to the customer info booth....... These were no ordinary meat loafs. Sam Rubin of Dolce added some special sauce of some kind to it, but the meat loaf lacked character. Give me spice, and that's what I got from #1 (Brad Miller), #2 (Sunny and Darwin Baker), and #6 (Rick Petitpas). I'm no gourmand, so I don't know what they put in their recipes, but it made you want more, so using that as a basis for my judgment, I voted for #6....... The winners turned out to be #2. Petitpas, my choice, finished 2nd, and #9, Kai Gustafson, whose meat loaf was gone by the time I got to him, finished in a tie for 3rd...... The winners got 2009 season-tickets and a blue ribbon...... I wonder if it occurred to Buck to invite Gordon Ramsey.

 

After dropping five straight, Buck openly assured us of a win today....... If the Stars didn't win, all fans in attendance could return with their ticket stubs and get a free general admission ticket until they did!.... After losing seven of eight games -- six of them by one or two runs -- the Stars came to the plate with a vengeance for Brae Wright, who hadn't seen a victory since a 1-0 two-hitter over 5 2/3 innings in the 4th game of the season, and hadn't received a lot of run support either. In four of his five losses, the Stars, who average six runs a game, couldn't get more than a run for him.

 

[align=center]

		Innings	Run Supp.
April 12	West Tenn.	6	1
April 17	Chattanooga	7	3
April 22	Mississippi	3 1/3	5
April 27	Jacksonville	5	2
May 3	Montgomery	7	0
May 8	Mobile	5 1/3	1
May 13	Tennessee	6	2
May 18	Carolina	6	1

[/align]

Brae not only pitched his finest game since his debut, the Stars scored more runs for him in four innings than all the 29 1/3 innings of his last five starts. The Stars also came up with a season-high 19 hits........ Wright threw 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes, an excellent percentage. And he got ahead on hitters quickly. He threw first-pitch strikes to eight of the first 11 hitters he faced and 16 of 26 in the game. He retired the side in order or faced only three or four batters in six of the seven innings he worked...... The only inning he labored in was the 3rd, when he faced six hitters and threw 27 pitches (16 for strikes). Because of a balk and a wild pitch to leadoff hitter Robert Valido, he allowed the first of his two runs. Valido eventually scored on a fielder's choice....... In the 5th, Valido homered over Freddy Parejo's outstretched glove to close the Stars' lead to 8 runs....... Brae had one other jam. In the 2nd, leadoff hitter Javier Castillo lined a single off the tip of a leaping Mat Gamel's glove. He went to 2nd on a wild pitch and to 3rd on a ground ball, but got no further.

Buck assured us of a win, but two things made it easier -- superstition and Ryan O'Malley. To shake things up a bit, Don made Mike Bell his leadoff hitter and had hitting coach Sandy Guerrero coach at third. Bell has been a mere .214 hitter leading off an inning, but he came to the plate in each of the first four innings, collecting two hits and scoring a run ........ O'Malley, who started in the Cubs system and pitched for the Diamond Jaxx and Tennessee Smokies, has a history against the Stars going back to the 2004 season. He took a loss in his first start in 2004, giving up three runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 3-1 loss to the Stars. A year later, on June 30, he gave up four runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings, but got the run support in a 9-6 victory....... But overall, he's had decent past success (2-1, 3.24 in six appearances).

O'Malley faced 20 hitters. 11 of them collected a hit........ He started out giving up four straight singles in the 1st without retiring a batter. Bell blooped O'Malley's 7th pitch into left-center for a hit. Alcides Escobar moved him to 2nd on a hit to right. Gamel ripped an 0-1 pitch hard on the ground to right to drive in Bell and Matt LaPorta sent a ground ball single up the 3rd base line and under the glove of Castillo to score Escobar for a 2-0 lead. O'Malley struck out Cole Gillespie on a 2-2 pitch, then won the battle against Chris Errecart, who fouled off three 1-2 pitches, then flied to center. Angel Salome, who proposed to his girlfriend in front of over 3,000 fans Friday night at the Joe, hit the first of his two doubles, driving O'Malley's first offering to the right field corner on two hops, scoring LaPorta......Salome is hitting .410 for the month, tops among Stars hitters.

The Stars continued to pound O'Malley in the 2nd...... Leadoff hitter Guilder Rodriguez hit a short liner on O'Malley's 2-2 pitch into right field, then stole 2nd and 3rd on consecutive pitches, marking the first time in his four-year history with the Stars that he has stolen two bases in a game, then scored when Escobar dropped a blooper over the infield into shallow center........ It was the first time G. Rod stole two bases in a game since September 1, 2004, when he stole 14 bases for Beloit (Midwest)........ Escobar moved to third on Gamel's groundball single to right, and scored on LaPorta's fly ball deep to center in front of the warning track for a 6-0 lead, 13 batters into the game......... By this time, O'Malley had thrown 50 pitches...... Gamel advanced on LaPorta's fly ball and scored the Stars' 7th run on Gillespie's bloop hit to center, not too dissimilar from Escobar's hit in the inning.

That was enough to win, but the insurance was welcome....... The Barons found E.J. Shanks an easy target........ The submariner is no Ted Abernathy or Dan Quisenberry. At least not at home. In 15 appearances now at the Joe, he's given up 20 runs on 26 hits in 18 1/3 innings...... Shanks faced 13 hitters in 1 2/3 innings. He was saved by a gliding stop on the outfield grass by Mike Bell in midair, robbing Miguel Negron of a hit with nobody out and Eric Hollis on 2nd..... After striking out leadoff hitter Stefan Gartrell in the 9th on four pitches, Shanks gave up a shot right back to him for a single, a single to center, a walk, another single to left-center, another walk, another single, and another walk...... That was enough for Don Money. Struggling to find someone who can close ballgames, David Johnson used four pitches to strikeout Javier Castillo looking to end the game

Sunday's are now wet-'n'-wild Sundays....... Bring your water gun, super soaker, or umbrella. It's going to be a hot day...... Don will piggy back Mike Jones with Donovan Hand, who will be making his debut for the Stars....... Hand, from Town Creek in Lawrence County (26-15 in three years at Jacksonville State), was called up from Brevard County Friday, leaving behind a 4-2 record and still the 7th best ERA in the Florida State League (2.31)......He was coaching the first base line for the Stars this afternoon...... The Barons will send right-hander Carlos Torres (4-2, 4.53).

In the PCL, Sam Narron cruised to a 11-4 victory over the Memphis Chicks at Greer Stadium........ Narron (2-0, 3.46) went seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits....... The Manatees weren't so lucky. They were bombed by Dunedin, 10-4 and in the Sally League, the West Virginia Power lost to Lakewood, 7-3.

The Stars are 2-7 since Don Money became the winningest manager in Stars history....... The Diamond Jaxx also won tonight, so the two teams are still tied for first in the Northern Division, where the Stars once held a five-game lead........ Mat Gamel is still the Southern League batting leader at .374 and has seven hits in his last 14 at-bats with two doubles and five runs scored........ Matt LaPorta leads in home runs (12) and RBIs (45). He has driven in at least a run in four consecutive games and has six in this series. The club record is 11 by Terry Steinbach.

Tim Dillard made his major league debut for the Milwaukee Brewers Friday. He pitched one inning of relief against the Washington Nationals...... He threw eight of his 11 pitches for strikes and struck out Aaron Boone........ The Brewers won 5-1......... Dillard is the 176th former Huntsville Star to graduate to the majors......Marino Salas made his major league debut a week earlier against the St. Louis Cardinals.