Link Report for Games of Friday April 13th

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

UNLUCKY DAY FOR THE BULLPEN

Eight games deep into the season, and the Stars still haven't hit a home run. They're now on a record drought. The Stars' went seven games deep into the 1999 season before Dave Elliott ended a homerless streak of 57 innings.

 

Well, it was Friday the 13th, wasn't it?........ The Stars, who were 32-9 when they banged out 10 or more hits last year, reach a season-high with 11 hits in the game. They had allowed more than five runs only once this young season, losing that game. They scratch and claw to take the lead in the 5th inning, then leave it to a, so far impregnable bullpen with a 0.98 ERA, to hold the lead, and the bullpen fails....... Yep, it was an unlucky day, but it didn't start out that way.

 

Corey Thurman came in to relieve an ineffective Mike Jones in the 4th inning after Jonesy walked Chris Walker and Jorge Cortes to load the bases...... Thurman got Jake Fox, 2-for-13 since a four-hit day on April 7, to pop out to Hernan Iribarren and Josh Kroeger to fly out to left to end the threat.

 

Down 4-3 in the top of the 5th, Hernan leads off with a double off the wall in left-center and Steve Moss lines a ball inside the right field line to the corner for his 2nd triple of the year, tying the score...... After Brendan Katin struck out for the first out, Lou Palmisano drew a walk to put runners on the corners........ That was all for Smokies starter Justin Berg after 4 1/3 innings........ It looked like Adelberto Mendez would get his team out of trouble. He fanned Jeff Eure, but with Steve Sollmann at the dish, Mendez attempted to pickoff Palmisano. While engaging the defense in a rundown, Moss broke for home and scored, and the Stars effectively pulled off the double-steal to give the Stars a 5-4 lead.

 

The Smokies were persistent, even though they didn't score in the bottom of the 5th after Matt Craig hit a ball to center that nearly went over the wall for a home run. It hit the top of the wall and bounced back in for a double. Hitting coach Barbaro Garbey argued in vain for the homer........ Brian Dopirak's fly ball to right moved Craig to 3rd, but the Stars snuffed another attempt by the Smokies to go ahead when Yohannis Perez made up for a dropped pop-up in the 2nd that put Tennessee ahead, 3-0...... Perez threw out Craig at the plate on a grounder by Gary Cates......... Thurman still couldn't swat the pesky Smokies. After Cates stole 2nd, he walked Issmael Salas before retiring Jemel Spearman on a fly ot to left........ In the 6th, the Smokies continued to get on base against Thurman, and finally went ahead.

 

Chris Walker singled on a bunt to the right side, then stole 2nd base, as he was so prone to do last year when he stole 15 bases against the Stars........ Thurman struck out Jorge Cortes, but Jake Fox doubled to tie the game, stole third, then scored to put the Smokies ahead, 6-5 when Josh Kroeger, the Smokies hottest hitter, extended his hitting streak to seven games with an RBI single.

 

The Stars, who had 11 hits in the game, could only muster a pair in the final four innings........ Chattanooga lost to Montgomery when the Biscuits scored seven runs in the 11th inning, so the Stars and Lookouts remain on top in the Northern Division at 4-4........ Hopefully that changes for the better tonight, but the forecast in the Knoxville area is bad with strong storms and gusts from the SSW on tap........ Manny Parra is scheduled to go for his 2nd victory against right-hander Kevin Hart.

 

Looking at the progress of some former Stars: Dave Krynzel is off to a 5-for-20 start for the Class AAA-Tucson Sidewinders. Dana Eveland, who joined Krynzel in an off-season trade to the Diamondbacks, held Salt Lake scoreless last April 9 in his first start and first victory to date........ Cristian Guerrero is 5-for-21 (.223 with a triple and four RBIs after six games for Class AA-Harrisburg (Eastern)....... Jackson Melian is 6-for-15 (.400), all singles, and six RBIs for Class AA-Erie (Eastern)....... Chris Saenz, in his only start so far for the Class AA-Arkansas Travelers (Texas), was knocked for five runs on three hits and six walks in 3 1/3 innings against Midland in a 12-inning 7-6 loss, April 9....... Mark Bellhorn (1996 Stars) is 6-for-24 with two HRs and seven RBI for the Class AAA-Louisville (Int.) Bats.