A: High Desert 10, Lake Elsinore 1
Paul Fagan: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER (HR), 3 walks, 6 K
Nicholas Allen: 2.1 IP, 2 H, K
Austin Bibens-Dirkx: perfect 9th, 2 flyouts, 1 groundout
Casey Craig: 1-5, R (.319)
Michael Saunders: 2-5, double, 2 K (.276)
Jesus Guzman: 4-5, double, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI (.316)
Reed Eastley: 3-5, 3 R, RBI (.333)
Johan Limonta: 4-4, 2 triples (!!), 3 RBI (.340)
Chris Colton: 2-4, R (.239)
It finally occurred to the Mavs in the bottom 4th that they were playing at home and as a result were supposed to score tons of runs. Paul Fagan and Co either kept Lake suitably, impressively distracted, or Lake was so bored with hammering the Mavs that they took last night off. Meanwhile, Jesus Guzman and Johan Limonta awoke and exploded, as did Reed Eastley, whose bat was AWOL for the last few days even if he wasn't.
NEXT: Jon Lockwood opens a set in Rancho Cucamonga tonight at 7:05 pm PDT.
A: Wisconsin 6, West Michigan 3
Chris Tillman: 6 IP, 3 H, (3 R) 2 ER, 2 walks, 6 K
Joseph Kantakevich: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Andrew Barb: hitless 9th, flyout, groundout, walk, K
Greg Halman: 1-5, R, RBI, K, SB (.204)
Alex Liddi: 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, SB (.174)
Kalian Sams: 0-3, walk, 2 K (.316)
Leury Bonilla: 0-4, 2 K (.297)
Carlos Triunfel: 2-4, double, 2 R, K (.255)
Jair Fernandez: 1-4, R, RBI (.296)
Gavin Dickey: 3-4, double, R, 2 RBI, SB (.186)
FINALLY the T-Rats wake up and play a decent ballgame! After 4 scoreless frames, the T-Rats and Whitecaps traded runs in the 5th and 6th, but Wisconsin took the lead for good in the 7th. Triunfel the Phenom bunted down the 3rd base line and got on base to lead off. Jair Fernandez grounded Phenom ahead, and Gavin Dickey, finally showing something with the bat these last couple days, smacked a double to center to score Triunfel, 4-3 T-Rats. West Michigan starter Jonah Nickerson was done and gave way to Phil Napolitan, who immediately gave up a single to greg Halman that scored Dickey, 5-3 T-Rats. Halman stole 2nd, and Luis Nunez bunted him over to 3rd for two outs (both productive outs, BTW). Alex Liddi doubled to center and drove in Halman to make it 6-3. Kalian Sams went quietly but the damage was done.
That was all the bullpen needed: Chris Tillman called it a night after 6 solid innings (film at 11) and Joe Kantakevich and Andrew Barb were surprisingly solid in relief. The T-Rats have their 3rd win of the season (okay, 3-11) and take a huge step forward with a solid all-around performance.
NEXT: Ricky Orta will try and keep it up vs West Michigan at 3:35 pm PDT today.
AA: Jacksonville 5, West Tenn 2, 10 innings
Robert Rohrbaugh: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER (HR), walk, 2 K
Aaron Troila: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER (HR), 3 walks (2 IBB), 5 K
The Aircraft Carrier: 0.1 IP
Jeff Frazier: 1-5, K (.159)
T.Marshall Hubbard: 0-4, 2 K (.288)
Matt Tuiasosopo: 1-4, K (.350)
Chris Minaker: 2-4, R, K (.234)
Rene Rivera: 2-4 (!!!) (.208)
Luis Valbuena: 1-4, 2 run HR, K (.172)
Other than Luis Valbuena's 2 run shot, the DIAMOND JAXX managed nothing, but neither did the Suns, and we went to extras. Aaron Troila had already pitched 3.2 innings, yet was sent out for another inning, which ended up proving the DIAMOND JAXX' undoing. Juan Gonzalez bunted down the 3rd base line and reached. Chin Lung Hu tried to bunt the runner ahead but Troila was able to turn and get the lead runner for one out. Wilkin Ruan grounded out as Hu took 2nd, for two outs, and it looked like Troila was fine. Troila walked Xavier Paul to ensure the force at any base, a dubious decision even sans hindsight, but John Lindsay hit a 3 run bomb to left to pretty much wrap this game up. Troila hit the showers and the DIAMOND JAXX hit the deck as the Aircraft Carrier, Jose De La Cruz, got a quick out, and West Tenn went quietly in the bottom 10th.
NEXT: Doug FISTER will try and rebound from a subpar effort in Jacksonville today at 5:05 pm PDT.
AAA: Salt Lake 8, Tacoma 6
Justin Lehr: 5.1 IP, 6 H, (4 R) 2 ER, 2 walks, 7 K
Renee Cortez: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 walks. Faced 4 batters.
Jon Huber: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 K
Byron Embry: 1 IP, 3 K!
Adam Jones: 1-5, double, R, K (.311)
Jeremy Reed: 2-4, double, solo HR, walk (.250)
WLAD: 2-5, double, RBI, K (.348)
Bryan LaHair: 4-5, 2 doubles, 2 R, RBI, K (.239)
Mike Morse: 2-4, double, R, 2 RBI (.258)
Jeff Clement: 1-4, RBI, K (.200)
Rob Johnson (DH): 0-4, K (.224)
Brant Ust: 2-4, K (.333)
Oswaldo Navarro: 1-4 (.214)
And things were going so well too, despite Justin Lehr's botched pickoff throw allowing two runs in the 5th. Clearly, the lineup pounded the Stingers pitching staff early and the Rainiers had a 4-2 lead.
Lehr came out for the 6th and Mike Eylward led off with a grounder that snuck down the middle for a single. Terry Evans foul-tipped strike three into Jeff Clement's glove for one out. Justin Lehr slipped up on his delivery and Eylward took 2nd on the balk. Lehr walked Matthew Brown and Daren Brown decided to bring in Renee Cortez, which proved to be gasoline on the chemical fire.
Cortez had no control whatsoever. He uncorked a wild pitch to move Eylward to 3rd. He walked Casey Smith to load the bases. He walked Coby Smith to bring in a run, 4-3 Rainiers. He got it over the plate against Gary Patchett and Patchett smoked a grounder past the left side for a single that scored two, 5-4 Salt Lake, taking 2nd on the throw home. Nathan Haynes smoked a Cortez pitch for a triple to right that emptied the bases, 7-4. Daren Brown said screw this, yanked Cortez for Jon Huber. Huber gave up a sacrifice fly for two out that made it 8-4, but that's one more out than Cortez got. One more Texas Leaguer and a stolen base later, Huber got Mike Eylward (HEY, he led off the inning!) swinging to end a disastrous inning.
The Rainiers did get a run off back to back doubles by Jeremy Reed and WLAD to make it 8-5, but Mike Morse, with men on the corners and no outs, took a page from the Assclowns Handbook and lined right to Mike Eylward at 1st base, who calmly stepped on the bag to double off Bryan LaHair. Jeff Clement shows us how ready he is by striking out to end the threat.
Jeremy Reed did hit his 2nd HR of the season with one out in the 9th, but WLAD and LaHair went quietly to end the ballgame.
NEXT: Jim Parque will try and make it two non-suck performances in a row vs Salt Lake today at 12:05 PDT.