PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #6

Steel City takes 3 of 5 in a tight series. New addition Gary Pettis starts slow, but pays dividends in the final games.

Detroit takes series over Stockton; game 4 was interesting as DeLeon lost 1-0 giving up 1 hit but 2 errors, but Ojeda pitched a 2 hitter

Mexico City takes the first two games then loses the next three to lose the series 2-3.

Two second place teams bang heads

Valdosta wins the rubber match

AL West Cedar Park hosts the Montana Cutthroats in 4th place in the AL East. Cedar Park is running 2d in the West.

Alex Trevino PH for Jerry Browne singles home the winner in the bottom of the 9th allowing the Bears to edge the Cutthroats.  Trailing 3-0, Brian Harper smacked a 3-run HR off Boddicker in a 5 run 5th inning. Darrell Evans added a HR. The Bears scored 3 of their own in the bottom of the 5th to retake the lead, 6-5 as the middle of the order came through with RBIs. Tom Herr tripled off Mielke in the top of the 9th, but Honeycutt (BS-2) yielded the RBI single to Burks. The Bears winning run was unearned as they were fortunate to pull this one out.Final: Cedar Park 7 Montana 6

Montana scored two runs in the top of the 1st and that’s all they needed. Clay Parker (3-2, 3.56) went 8 allowing only 4 hits and 1 run. Alberte Belle led the offense with 3 RBIs, going 2 for 4. Jerome Walton HRd for the Bears only run.Final: Montana 4 Cedar Park 1

Greg Swindell (3-1, 5.40) was able to give the Bears’ bullpen a break and went the distance with good run support, the Bears had a balanced 11 hit attack, Mike Fitzgerald hit his 2d HR.

Montana’s offense came to life in the final two games and the Bears went flat. A 4 run 2d inning and an 11 hit attack highlighted game 4. Hill (3-3, 2.40) went the distance for the win. Other than that inning, Witt held his own and went 9 as well, but the Bears offense didn’t show up in this one.Final: Montana 6 Cedar Park 1

Tom Herr had himself a big day, 6 for 6, he and the 1st 3 batters in the Montana order each drove in 2 runs. Montana collected 18 hits overall. Ramon Martinez (1-3, 4.86) won his 1st game. Mike Boddicker (2-3, 4.83) had his 2d awful start in the series did not last 2 innings and gave up 5 run and 7 hits. Wilson and Mielke were ineffective in relief. The Cutthroats hammer the Bears and take the series.Final: Monatana 11 Cedar Park 4

Montana wins the series 3-2 and looked like the better team throughout. They hope to stay hot as they travel to Chicago. Cedar Park hopes to rebound on a trip to Janesville.

Long Beach has been slumping and they come to Michigan. Michigan has been playing near .500 ball.

Viola at Sutcliffe…Most of the runs were scored early in this game. Walt Weiss goes 3 for 3 for the Titans. Viola adds a RBI of his own. Viola goes to 3-2 and Duane Wards picks up his 6th save.

Long Beach 3 Michigan 1

Gordon at Milacki.This game is flipped, as Michigan wins 3-1. Milacki pitches a solid 7 innings for the Maurader win. Hubie Brooks records all 3 RBIs for Michigan. DiPino picks up his 3rd save.

Michigan 3 Long Beach 1

Jeff Robinson at Jim DeshaiesDeshaies tosses a 4-hit shutout for Michigan. Note: Dave Magadan for Long Beach has 3 of the 4 hits. Luis Salazar hits a homer for the Mauraders in the winning effort.

Michigan 6 Long Beach 0

Oil Can Boyd at Frank TananaGreat game that goes to 10 innings. Braggs with an early homer for the Titans. Lenny Harris hits a solo blast in the 10th off of Henneman. Michigan does not score in the 10th.

Long Beach 2 Michigan 1 (10)

Downs at Langston.Long Beach takes an early 4-0 lead. But, Michigan fights back with 1 run in the 8th. Then, in the 9th they get 5 runs to win the game. Bo Jackson hits a base clearing triple. Then, Tom Brunansky finished the game with a 2 run blast. Williamson gets the win in relief.  Duane Ward drops to 5-1.

Michigan 6 Long Beach 4

Games 4 and 5 were the best as Long Beach wins game 4 in the 10th inning and Michigan has a great comeback win.Michigan takes the series 3 games to 2.

Winnipeg (15-16) at Manhattan (19-12) for a 5 game series (abbreviated write-up)

Winnipeg on a solo Felix HR (1) and 2 run Buhner HR (2) take a 3-0 lead into the 7th. Benes gives up his 2nd hit of game, a solo HR to Joyner and he’s lifted. Hammaker comes in, gives up solo HR to O’Neill (5) and another run. then Power gives up 4 in the 8th and Gas Hornets win 7-3.

WP Reardon (2-2) / LP Power (0-2)

Golden Eyes score 2 in the 1st put lose the game with Gas Hornets pile on 3 runs in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th for 9-2 lead. This time Jackson is left in to give up all 9 of those runs (7 earned). Alomar hits a HR in the game.

Final 10-5.

WP Reuschel (5-0) / LP Jackson (3-2)

Gas Hornets get the first lead in this one with run in the first, Lee drives in the tying run in the 6th. Game stays tied until bottom of the 12th when Stanley hits a PH walk-off single for a 2-1 Manhattan win.

WP Righetti (1-2) / LP Moyer (1-3)

Gas Hornets snatch victory from defeat with a 4 run 9th capped by Dawson’s 2nd HR of the game, a walk-off 3 run getty-goner (5). Final 7-5. Alomar gets 3 hits, Orsulak 2 Rbis.

WP Crews (2-0) / LP Stanton (0-2) BS 2

Golden Eyes had enough – Alomar ups his game hits total to 4 in this one (2 runs, 2 rbis). Jefferies gets 3 hits (2 rbis, 2 runs, Homer (1) and Calderon gets 2 rbis. Stottlemyre goes 8 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs and feels good with a 7-2 lead when he exits. Guthrie makes it interesting in the 9th including a 2 run Allanson triple (he also scored on an error on the play). PH Oberkfell then singles with 2 outs but Guthrie gets the Yount (the tying run) to end the game.

Winnipeg 7 Manhattan 5.

WP Stottlemyre (3-3) / LP Ballard (3-2)

Manhattan takes series 4-1, but 3 of those were from behind or extra innings or both.

Fort Worth Panthers up at the top of the A.L. East standings, duking it out with the California Quakes & Chicago Demolition — will face the Traverse City Tigers (coming off a 3-2 series win against World Champion Chicago), overall struggling at 10-21.

Brian Holman pitches 8 strong, shutout innings against the Tigers, allowing only 4 hits with 6 K’s. Fred McGriff was the difference with a two-run HR during the top of the 4th.

PANTHERS 2, TIGERS 0

Charlie Hough picks up his second win, by literally hanging in there. Greg Brock hit his 5th HR for the Tigers, as Doug Jones picks up Save #6. All of the Tigers starters (except Joe Carter) picked up a hit, a total of 11 hits.

TIGERS 5, PANTHERS 3

Brian Holton wins his 3rd game (3.56 ERA) in five innings of work, allowing 2 ER’s. The bullpen (Agosto, Aquino, Dayley, Wettleland & Jones) does a great job of combining for 4 innings of scoreless relief. Jim Abbott for the Panthers was a mess with 5 walks, 4 hits & 3 ER’s in only 5.1 — picking up first loss, in other wise a great 3-1 start to the season & 2.12 ERA.

TIGERS 6, PANTHERS 2

The Panthers come out of the gates with a barrage of hits to jump out to a 3-0 first inning lead on struggling ace Greg Maddux. Harold Baines & Joe Carter hit solo HR’s to get the Tigers clawing back, but Bill Landrum makes sure the Tigers stay down, picking up his 10th Save.Greg Maddux is now 1-5, with 4.74 ERA.

PANTHERS 4, TIGERS 3

Jose Rijo who has been either spectacular or downright horrible, had one of his horrible games. Rijo falls to 3-5, 3.88 ERA — as Fred McGriff, Lonnie Smith & Dwight Smith all hit long balls for the Panthers, while the Tigers could only manage 4 hits, in a 10-3 loss of a laugher.

PANTHERS 10, TIGERS 3

Panthers win series 3-2. Tigers have played better of late, 5-5 in last two seasons with Chicago & Fort Worth.

California hosts Janesville for a 5-game series to close out a 16-game home stand.

Davis v. Farrell–Davis holds the quakes to 2 runs while Janesville’s Templeton and Hatcher slug two solo home runs and Bonilla and White each contribute a RBI each.

JJG 4 – CAL 2

WP – Davis (2-2)LP – Farrell (3-2)S – Williams (6)

Knepper v. Heaton–Nice little pitchers’ duel here, with Heaton and Knepper holding the opposing bats to 2 runs a piece. This time, it was California that scraped together the winning runs. California out-hit Janesville 13-5 and added 4 stolen bases to boot.

JJG 2 – CAL 3

WP – Heaton (5-0)LP – Parrett (3-4)S – McClure (11)

Clancy v. Ryan–A lot of early scoring in this one, with both teams tied 3-3 in the 5th. Janesville took the lead in the 7th off a Larry Sheets RBI 2B, but the Quakes weren’t done yet. Pedro Guerrero tied it up with his own RBI 2B in the bottom of the 9th, setting up a 2-run Mike Greenwell home run in the bottom of the 13th. Guerrero went 6-6 with 4 RBI and 3 2Bs. Nice.

JJG 4 – CAL 6

WP – McClure (1-0)LP – Williams (0-1)

Welch v. Scott–The Juggernauts pummeled the Quakes early and hard, scoring 11 runs and hitting 4 home runs in the first 4 innings.

JJG  13 – CAL 5

WP – Welch (4-2)LP – Scott (2-4)

Alexander v. Smith–Smith was dominant, simply dominant. 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 29 BF. Gurerrero and Greenwell both go 4-5, scoring and batting
in a run each.

JJG 0 – CAL

WP – Smith (2-2)LP – Alexander (2-4)

California takes the 5-game set 3-2, just enough to keep pace with Chicago and Fort Worth. This is going to be a close race.

NL East cellar dweller Missouri has had a hard time getting going after a very nice campaign last year. The Black Bears travel to Clovis, who has been riding in the middle of the current that is the NL West this season.

Fernando-mania strikes again! Fernando flashes the screwball to great effect keeping Clovis off balance for a 6-0 Black Bear win.

Black Bears tie it up at 2 apiece after a Bonds triple but Henderson drives home a pair in the bottom of the frame to break the tie and give Clovis the margin for a 4-2 win.

Hamilton doubles in a pair to support Bud Black in a tight Clovis 3-1 win.

Dan Gladden’s three run bomb in the 8th breaks open a back and forth affair and make Bankhead a winner for only the second time this
year; Clovis 8-2.

Walling and Murray drive home single runs in the 7th and 8th to break a 2-2 tie and provide a bit of insurance in another tight Clovis 4-2 win.

Good five game series in which Clovis takes 4 of 5 from the struggling Black Bears. Missouri appears well positioned for the future with a squad that features a scary number of future all-stars.