Link Report for Friday 5/1 - Welcome to May!

[Mass Haas]

Via the prior post, fun comments from catcher Greg McCall about working with the club's "Latin Army", especially the pitchers.

 

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VIDEO: Here's the second set of Timber Rattler highlights, via the MyNew32 TV broadcast -- watch for Elvis Rubio's throw from right field!

[Mass Haas]

Final: Colorado Springs 16, Omaha 4

 

Clark Propels Sky Sox In 16-4 Pummeling of Omaha

Colorado Springs' Offense Busts Out for 21 Hits to Back Solid Jungmann

By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox

 

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Matt Clark drills one of his two home runs of the ballgame, leading the Sky Sox to a 16-4 win over Omaha. (Photo by Paat Kelly)

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox had plenty of offensive explosions of their own on Friday night as a 16-4 thrashing of the visiting Omaha Storm Chasers in front of 6,093 lively fans lead to an astonishing fireworks display on Air Force appreciation night at Security Service Field.

 

The Colorado Springs offense would score early and often against Omaha pitching, accumulating 21 total base hits en route to their 16 runs scored.

 

On his way back to Kansas City during his current minor league rehab assignment, Storm Chasers starter and standout Royals reliever Luke Hochevar would struggle mightily in his 1.2 innings of work. The imposing right-hander would allow seven runs on seven hits, a walk and two wild pitches while striking out four before being removed from the game with two out in the home second.

 

Luis Sardinas opened the scoring in the home first, scoring Pete Orr on an RBI single to right field. The base hit would be one four on the night for the hot-hitting shortstop. Matt Clark would follow with the first blast of the night, swatting a two-run home run over the right centerfield fence to score Sardinas and give his team a quick 3-0 lead. The ball travelled an estimated 461 feet and established a new season-high at Security Service Field.

 

The Sky Sox showed no signs of slowing down in the bottom of the second as the team tacked on four more runs on the strength of doubles by Nevin Ashley, Donnie Murphy and Sardinas and singles by Orr and Shane Peterson. None of the hits were cheap as Hochevar was seemingly unable to fool anyone on the brisk evening.

 

Sox starter Taylor Jungmann (1-1, 8.74) worked his most effective outing yet on Friday night, tossing six innings of three-run ball on four hits and three walks while striking out four. The 2011 first-rounder earned his first win of the 2015 season and his first in a Sky Sox uniform. His ability to keep the ball on the ground helped him keep Omaha from a big inning as his steady mix of crisp fastballs and baffling curveballs showed signs of good things to come.

 

Former big-leaguer and 2008 World Series Champion Joe Blanton would come on in the third inning for Omaha, tossing a scoreless inning to keep the score at 7-0 through three. Blanton's luck would quickly run out however as he surrendered four runs in the fourth on six hits with the inning's big blow coming on a Ben Guez two-run shot to left field. The round-tripper was Guez's second in as many days. Clark added to Blanton's woes with his second home run of the game in the fifth inning, giving him four RBI on the game. Blanton would finish his day after four innings of work, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out three.

 

Already holding a 12-3 lead, the Sky Sox offense would pile on four more runs on Storm Chasers pitching in the bottom of the seventh on five singles and two walks. Matt Long's two-out single gave each Sox starter at least one base hit in the ballgame and extended his streak of consecutive games of reaching base safely to an impressive 21.

 

Seven of the nine starters in the Colorado Springs lineup recorded multi-hit games with five of those hitters notching multi-RBI games. Clark, Sardinas and Guez represented the game's hitting heroes as Clark and Sardinas each collected four hits and four runs scored while Guez tallied three RBI and reached base three times.

 

Sardinas' big game was made all the more momentous by a feat not matched by any Sky Sox in nearly 20 years. With two stolen bases already under his belt, the infielder would swipe two more in the fourth inning giving him four on the night. The last Sky Sox player to record four stolen bases in a game was Jeff Husom on August 30th, 1996 against Albuquerque in Colorado Springs.

 

Chris Leroux, Tim Dillard and Corey Knebel would finish off the Omaha offense, combining for three innings of one-run ball en route to the Sox eventual 16-4 blowout victory.

 

The win pushes Colorado Springs to a 7-14 record as the team looks to keep up the momentum in game three of the four-game set on Saturday night. Right-hander Tyler Thornburg (0-0, 0.00) faces off with Omaha starter Clayton Mortensen (2-1, 5.52) with first pitch set for 6:05 PM MDT at Security Service Field.

 

Colorado Springs Box Score

 

Great job on the writeup by Ed; enjoy the crooked numbers...

 

Colorado Springs Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Omaha Top of the 8th

 

Pitching Change: Brandon Kintzler replaces Chris Leroux.

Colorado Springs Sky Sox pitcher Brandon Kintzler left the game due to an injured hand.

Pitching Change: Tim Dillard replaces Brandon Kintzler.

Reymond Fuentes singles on a line drive to center fielder Matt Long.

Cheslor Cuthbert singles on a ground ball to center fielder Matt Long. Reymond Fuentes to 2nd.

Francisco Pena flies out to center fielder Matt Long.

Jose Martinez strikes out swinging.

Matt Fields walks. Reymond Fuentes to 3rd. Cheslor Cuthbert to 2nd.

Lane Adams strikes out swinging.

 

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Maybe a re-occurrence of Kintzler's fingernail avulsion during warmups?

[Mass Haas]

Final: Mobile 4, Biloxi 2, 13 innings

 

BayBears outlast Shuckers in franchise's first extra-inning game

Brooks Hall tossed six shutout innings, dropping ERA to 0.96

Biloxi Shuckers

 

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Brooks Hall, wearing the throwback Huntsville Stars jersey tossed six shutout innings Friday night (Photo by Jason Clark)

 

HUNTSVILLE, AL - In the longest game in franchise history Friday night, the Shuckers dropped game two of their five-game series with the Mobile BayBears, 4-2, in 13 innings at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. The BayBears struck for two runs in the top of the 13th inning after the Shuckers rallied to tie the game in the ninth and send the game to extras. The win was the seventh in-a-row for Mobile and second straight over Biloxi, propelling them into first place by a ½ game over the Shuckers.

 

Friday's game was 4 hours in duration and 12 pitchers were used, six on each side. The Shuckers wore throwback Huntsville Stars jerseys that were auctioned during the game, which proceeds benefitted the Huntsville area Alzheimer's Association.

 

Brooks Hall (6 IP, 3 H, 6 SO) surrendered a leadoff double to Tom Belza to open the game, but retired 13-straight BayBears before allowing back-to-back singles to Alex Glenn and Ronnie Freeman in the fifth. The righty from Anderson, South Carolina then sat down the final five batters he faced before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth. Hall, making his team-leading fifth start has a 0.96 ERA which is tied with Mobile's Braden Shipley for tops in the Southern League

 

Biloxi (14-8) had a chance to get on the board first in the sixth when Kyle Wren (1x4, R, SB, 2 BB) singled with one out and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Ryan Gebhardt. With Yadiel Rivera (0x6) at the plate, Wren stole third, but a strikeout to Rivera and a groundout by Orlando Arcia (1x6, RBI, R, SB) ended the Shuckers' threat.

 

Jacob Barnes (2 IP, 2 R, 3 H, SO) came on in the seventh and allowed two runs on three hits in the frame.

 

Rudy Flores started things with a single and moved to second on a one-out single by Alex Glenn. After a Ronnie Freeman groundout put runners at second and third, Gebhardt sent a 3-2 pitch up the middle to bring in two and give Mobile a 2-0 lead.

 

The Shuckers tied the game in dramatic fashion in the ninth. Mobile starter Gabriel Arias, trying for a complete game shutout, walked Wren to start the inning and Wren then advanced to third on a ground out by Rivera. Arcia singled in Rivera and advanced on the throw to get Biloxi on the board and put the tying run in scoring position.

 

Nick Ramirez (0x5, BB) struck out against lefty reliever Will Locante, but Michael Reed (3x5, RBI, 2B) doubled off of Patrick Schuster to tie the game at two and send the game to extras.

 

Damien Magnifico (IP, 2 H, SO) and Jaye Chapman (IP, SO) held off the BayBears' offense until Austin Ross came in and dominated in his two innings of relief, striking out five and extending his scoreless-innings streak to 11.

 

Mobile (14-7) grabbed two runs against Wirfin Obispo (L, 0-1, IP, 2 R, 2 H, BB, SO). After starting the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, Flores singled to right and advanced to second on a passed ball by Adam Weisenburger (0x5). An intentional-walk to Raul Navarro put two on with two out for pinch hitter Gerson Montilla who doubled home both runners before being tagged out trying to make third on the play

 

Wren walked to lead off the bottom-half of the 13th for Biloxi, but would only make it to second on defensive indifference before Ramirez struck out looking to end the game.

 

The Shuckers will try to stave off dropping their second series of the year against the BayBears on Saturday night when they send out the Southern League leader in wins, RHP Tyler Wagner (4-0, 2.05), against RHP Aaron Blair (1-1, 4.01) First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM, with coverage beginning at 6:55 on 1240-AM WGCM, 1580-AM WPMO and the Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network. Fans can also listen to the game using the TuneIn Radio app or by going to www.biloxishuckers.com.

 

Biloxi Box Score

 

An abundance of starting pitcher options on the Shuckers' staff -- RHP Jacob Barnes toiled in relief here, but the schedule has been so odd, will wait to see how the rotation settles...

 

Biloxi Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Chris Harris tweet (no video, unfortunately):

 

Orlando Arcia just turned one of the best double plays I've ever seen. Back hand going toward 3B, no look to second. Unreal.