[Cuzittt]

Today's Games [All Times Eastern]:

IL: Pawtucket (Mike Burns) vs. Norfolk (Craig Anderson) [7:05pm]
EL: Portland (Michael Bowden) vs. Connecticut (Dave McKae) [6:05pm]
CL: Lancaster (John Barnes) vs Bakersfield (Andrew Walker) [10:05pm]
SAL: Greenville (Dustin Richardson/Travis Beazley) vs Lexington (Dave Qualben/Polin Trinidad) [5:05pm]
NYPL: Lowell (Joseph Guerra) @ Tri-City (TBD) [7:05pm]
GCL: Red Sox vs. Pirates [12:05pm]

Internet Radio

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Sea Dogs: MiLB Gameday Audio (Free Registration Required)
Jethawks: Magic 1340
Drive: Greenville Drive
Spinners: MiLB Gameday Audio (Free Registration Required)

[ragnarok725]

Bowden got rocked today.

5.0 IP, 11 H, 2 HR, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

This post has been edited by ragnarok725: 26 June 2007 - 07:17 PM

[redinchicago]

ragnarok725, on Jun 26 2007, 07:16 PM, said:

Bowden got rocked today.

5.0 IP, 11 H, 2 HR, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Well, it wasn't as terrible as 'rocked'. At least looking at the game log. Some of those hits and runs were courtesy of infield singles.

[Hendu Candu]

redinchicago, on Jun 26 2007, 09:37 PM, said:

Well, it wasn't as terrible as 'rocked'. At least looking at the game log. Some of those hits and runs were courtesy of infield singles.

Nah, take out the bleeders and I think that still qualifies as rocked, especially considering the lack of Ks. Bowden hasn't been especially good for a few starts now. Must miss that light air of Lancaster.

[Cuzittt]

GCL Sox have an almost perfect day (giving up 8 runs in the 8th moved it from the perfect column), defeating the Pirates 15-9.

Emelis Guerrero went the first 4 innings, giving up a hit and 2 walks, striking out 6. Will Latimer went the next 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks and a run. Daniel Buller went 1 2/3 innings, giving up 6 hits and a walk, allowing 6 runs. Mauricio Mendez went the final 1 1/3 innings, giving up 3 hits, a HBP and 2 runs, striking out 2.

Wil Vasquez led the offense, going 3/3 with a double and a Triple. He was replaced by Roberto Gil who went 1/2. Che-Hsuan Lin went 3/6 with a double and a SB. Mitch Dening went 2/4 with a HR (#1) and a walk. Darren Blocker went 2/4 with a double, HBP and a SB. Oscar Tejeda went 2/4 with a double and 2 walks. Luis Sumoza went 2/5 with 2 doubles. Engel Beltre went 2/6 with a double and a triple. Ken Roque went 1/4 with a walk. Jon Egan went 0/4 with 2 walks.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Pawtucket loses to Norfolk, 7-3.

Mike Burns went the first 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 runs (on 2 HRs). Newly promoted Barry Hertzler went the next 1 2/3 innings, giving up 7 hits and 5 runs. Craig Breslow went the next 2 innings, giving up a hit, walk and WP, striking out 5. Travis Hughes came on to pick up the final out.

Brandon Moss went 2/4 with a double. Jeff Bailey, Michael Tucker and Chad Spann each went 1/3 with a walk, Tucker with a HR. Joe McEwing went 0/1 as a pinchhitter for Alex Prieto, who went 0/2. George Kottaras went 0/3. Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian Pritz, and Bobby Scales went 0/4.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Portland loses to Connecticut, 7-0.

Michael Bowden went the first 5 innings, giving up 11 hits (2 HRs) and a walk, allowing 6 runs while striking out 2. Andrew Dobies went 3 innings, giving up a HR and a walk, allowing a run while striking out 2. Mike James went the final inning, giving up 3 hits and striking out one.

Jeff Natale and Jay Johnson each went 1/3 with a walk, Johnson with a double. Jed Lowrie went 1/4. Andrew Pinckney went 0/3 with a walk. Dusty Brown went 0/2 with a walk. Jeff Corsaletti and Cory Keylor went 0/4. Eric Crozier and Iggy Suarez each went 0/3.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Lancaster defeats Bakersfield, 5-3.

John Barnes went the first 6 innings, giving up 4 hits and 6 walks, allowing 3 runs while striking out 5. Kevin Guyette went the next 2 innings, giving up a walk and striking out 3. Chad Rhoades pitched a perfect 9th, striking out one.

Aaron Bates led the offense, going 2/3 with his 19th HR and a walk. Zach Daeges also went 2/3, with 2 doubles and a walk. Scott White and Mickey Hall each went 2/4 with a double, Hall adding a triple. Tony Granadillo went 1/3 with a HR before being replaced by Ryan Khoury, who went 0/1. Bubba Bell went 1/4 with a double and a CS. Christian Lara went 0/3 with a walk. Mark Wagner and Zak Farkes each went 0/4.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Greenville scores 2 in the 7th to tie the game, and win the first game in the 8th... defeating Lexington 3-2.

Dustin Richardson went the first 5 innings, giving up 4 hits, a WP and 2 walks, allowing 2 unearned runs while striking out 3. Bryce Cox pitched a perfect 2 innings, striking out 2. Josh Papelbon pitched the 8th inning, walking 2.

Argenis Diaz went 2/2 with 2 walks, but was picked off twice. Reid Engel and Kris Negron each went 2/3 with a double, Negron was picked off. Chih-Hsien Chiang went 1/4. Jon Still went 0/2 with 2 walks. Manny Arambarris and Lars Anderson each went 0/3 with a walk. Josh Reddick walked in his only PA, relieving Matt Sheely who went 0/2. Jason Place went 0/3.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Greenville sweeps the Legends, winning game 2 by the same 3-2 score.

Travis Beazley pitches a (7 inning) complete game, giving up 5 hits (1 HR) and 2 runs, striking out 8.

Matt Sheely led the offense, going 2/2 with 2 doubles. Josh Reddick went 2/3 with a HR. Paul Smyth went 1/2 with a double. Lars Anderson went 0/2 with a walk. Reid Engel went 0/2 with a SF. Mike Chambers went 0/2. Kris Negron, Jason Place and Chih-Hsien Chiang went 0/3.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Lowell loses to Tri-City, 10-6.

Joseph Guerra went the first 3 1/3 innings, giving up 12 hits (3 HRs), a WP and 2 walks, allowing 6 runs while striking out 2. Jordan Craft went the next 3 1/3 innings, giving up 2 hits, 3 walks and a HBP, allowing 3 runs while striking out 3. Adam Blackley went the final 1 1/3 innings, giving up 2 hits and a walk, allowing a run while striking out 3.

Jorge Jimenez led the offense, going 4/4 with 2 doubles and a HBP. Carlos Fernandez went 4/5 with a double. Ryan Kalish and Pedro Vasquez each went 2/5. Yamaico Navarro went 1/3 with a SF. Rafael Cabreja went 0/3 with a walk. David Marks went 0/4 with a walk. Luis Segovia went 0/1. Brett Lewis went 0/4. Michael Jones went 0/5.

Boxscore

[Cuzittt]

Stories:

Projo

Quote

The Pawtucket Red Sox gladly returned home after a 2-6 road trip through Indianapolis and Louisville. A return to McCoy didn’t help, however, as they continued their skid, losing to the Norfolk Tides, 7-3, last night.

Tides starting pitcher Craig Anderson had a perfect game for 4 1/3 innings before the PawSox’ Brandon Moss ended it with a line-drive single to left field. Still, Anderson was in control and completed 6 2/3 innings of work, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

For Pawtucket, Chad Spann provided an RBI single in the fifth inning, and Michael Tucker belted a two-run homer in the seventh. Moss led the way with two hits.

Before the game, the PawSox’ Bobby Scales, who went 0-for-4 last night, was talking with teammates about how he faced Anderson in the low minors.

“I had about 35 or 40 at-bats against him and last night he was the same dude,” said Scales. “You can get mad and call him names for not throwing hard, but the proof is in the pudding. He kept us off balance, mixed his pitches and changed speeds. That’s what he has to do to be successful and you have to tip your cap — he got us tonight.”

Projo

Quote

Big Brother is watching.

The Boston Red Sox and general manager Theo Epstein have a new tool in the organization’s scouting department this season, and it’s called a Slingbox. Cameras have been installed at the home fields of Triple-A Pawtucket, Double-A Portland and Class-A Lancaster to have live shots of Boston’s minor-league affiliates.

Boston’s baseball operations staff can’t always get to all of the games, so a wireless image from a center-field camera is sent back to the offices at Fenway Park, allowing Epstein and his staff to watch every game. The angle isn’t the best, but it allows team officials to see the pitcher’s mound and home plate, two crucial areas.

“It’s been pretty good,” said Red Sox vice president of player personnel Ben Cherington. “Actually, it’s been something Theo has wanted to do for a while. We started slowly; we’ve actually had a camera (at McCoy Stadium) for a while. We would have the games on discs, so if we wanted to review them we could. This year is the first time we’ve been able to do it live, and it was just a matter of waiting for the technology.”

Cherington said the Red Sox were waiting for the equipment to be cost-effective, with a high-quality picture, before making the investment. The Red Sox are ahead of the game in this area because not many other major-league organizations use the technology.

This season, especially with the Class-A affiliate now in California, it’s not like player development officials can take a short drive to watch the prospects. And it’s not unusual for Epstein and his staff to watch a Red Sox game at Fenway and then turn on the in-house feed to watch the JetHawks from the West Coast.

Sox on Deck

Quote

This wasn’t exactly the “homecoming” Barry Hertzler had envisioned.

Hertzler, the former East Providence High star, was promoted from Portland on Tuesday and replaced Mike Burns in the sixth inning with the Norfolk Tides leading the Pawtucket Red Sox by a slim 2-1 margin.

But (pick your cliché) the Tides swamped (rolled?) Hertzler for three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh en route to a 7-3 victory at sweltering McCoy Stadium.

Hertzler found it difficult to explain his disappointing performance (five runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings).

“Everything felt fine (warming up),” said Hertzler. “I threw some good pitches that they stuck with and put in play. That’s the name of the game. Some days you have good games. Other days you have bad (games). That’s it.”

Portland Press Herald

Quote

If Dave McKae keeps this up, he will have a bestseller.

McKae is a pitcher and writer, not to mention an Alpine skier.

The Portland Sea Dogs may not know all that, but they do know McKae can be nearly unhittable.

McKae allowed three hits in seven shutout innings to lead the Connecticut Defenders to a 7-0 win over Portland Tuesday night before 6,834 at Hadlock Field.

The Defenders roughed up Portland starter Michael Bowden for 11 hits and six runs in five innings.

"We came out aggressive because we know he likes to challenge guys," said Connecticut outfielder John Bowker, who hit two home runs, one off Bowden and another off reliever Andrew Dobies.

It was Bowden's fourth start against Connecticut in a month, his third opposing the 25-year-old McKae, who is 2-0 in three starts against Portland and 3-0 overall with a 1.29 ERA.

"You just have to give attention to what the hitters are doing," McKae said, "and remember what guys can and cannot hit and make adjustments."

McKae has been zipping through the Eastern League since his promotion on June 3. He said it has helped sales of the book he co-wrote with teammate Nick Pereira: "In Pursuit of Pitching Perfection" (www.pitchingperfection.com).

He showed Portland he knows how to use the basic pitches: fastball, curveball and change-up.

"He hits his spots," said Portland's Jeff Natale, who went 1 for 3. "He doesn't throw very hard but he mixes it up a lot and keeps you guessing."

Jethawks.com

Quote

After blowing teams away with offense repeatedly over the homestand, the JetHawks proved they can win the low-scoring games as well. John Barnes pitched a strong six innings and the bullpen hurled three scoreless frames as the JetHawks defeated the Bakersfield Blaze 5-3 Tuesday night at Clear Channel Stadium. The JetHawks have now won four in a row and 14 of their last 17 games.

Starting pitching has been excellent for the JetHawks throughout the homestand. Barnes effort marks four consecutive quality starts. The bullpen chipped in as well, with Kevin Guyette hurling two scoreless innings for a hold and Chad Rhoades pitching a perfect ninth to earn his ninth save. The three pitchers combined to allow just four hits.

The runs came early for the JetHawks offense. Bubba Bell and Zach Daeges each doubled in the first inning, followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Aaron Bates to give Lancaster a lead they never relinquished. Daeges and Bates each had two hits in the game, as did Scott White and Mickey Hall.

Greenville News

Quote

The Greenville Drive and West End Field are becoming a good match.

Thanks to clutch late-inning hitting and solid overall pitching, the Drive swept a doubleheader from the Lexington Legends by identical 3-2 scores in front of 5,445.

The wins improved Greenville's record to 4-2, while Lexington fell to 2-4. The Drive now own a six-game home winning streak.

The Drive displayed poise in both games, coming from behind to claim the first, while losing a two-run lead then scoring late to win the second.

The Greenville Drive did virtually everything wrong in the first game of Tuesday's South Atlantic League game against the Lexington Legends -- until the end.

Trailing 2-0 entering the seventh inning catcher Jon Still opened by drawing a walk from Lexington reliever Kyle DeYoung. Right fielder Reid Engel hit a one-out single to center to put runners on first and second.

A fielder's choice by center fielder Jason Place put runners on first and third with two outs. Matt Sheely was then walked, loading the bases.

Second baseman Kristopher Negron doubled to left to knock in two Greenville runs and send the game into extra innings.

Greenville News

Quote

When pitching great Roger Clemens came out of retirement and agreed to a contract with the New York Yankees on May 21, he received permission to leave the team between starts.

For the first time since being added to the major league roster on June 9, Clemens took advantage of the unusual terms of that contract to spend two days in Greenville.

Clemens arrived in Greenville, Monday morning with his wife Debbie and sons Kacy and Kody to watch son Koby, a third baseman with the Lexington Legends, play against the Greenville Drive.

Since the game was postponed due to rain, it was believed Clemens would fly to Baltimore where the Yankees began a three-game series against the Orioles Tuesday night.

Instead, Clemens hung around Greenville with his family on Tuesday, then took in most of the first game of a doubleheader between the teams before flying out of the Greenville Downtown Airport to join his teammates in Baltimore.

"I saw Koby play early in the year, but this is the first game I've seen since I've been back," said Clemens. "It's good to get a chance to see him."

Lowell Spinners

Quote

Although Carlos Fernandez-Oliva and Jorge Jimenez each had career nights, every member of the Tri-City starting lineup had a hit and the ValleyCats ended the Spinners’ brief two-game winning streak in a 10-6 slugfest on a warm Tuesday night in Troy, NY.



For the second night in a row, Lowell (5-3) stormed out of the gates, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning with Fernandez-Oliva’s RBI single and Jimenez’s RBI double.



Tri-City (2-6) answered immediately for the second consecutive night, this time taking the lead in the home half of the first inning with four runs off of Spinners starter Joseph Guerra on a run-scoring double and back-to-back homeruns. The ValleyCats padded their lead with a run in the bottom of the second and another run in the third.



Lowell began to chip away at the lead in the top of the fourth inning, scoring a run on a groundout by Rafael Cabreja and two runs in the top of the fifth on a Jimenez RBI single and a Yamaico Navarro sacrifice fly.



Tri-City put the game away with a run in the bottom of the sixth and three more in the bottom of the seventh, the big hit a two-run double by ValleyCat centerfielder Collin DeLome. Lowell closed the gap with a run in the ninth on a Jimenez RBI double to complete the scoring.

[Ray Collins]

Craig Breslow struck out the side in the 8th with 9 pitches. Only one of which was fouled off.