From start to finish, Saturday was, as Swing of the Quad-Cities general manager Dave Ziedelis put it, "one of those interesting days at John O'Donnell Stadium."

 

The team's Independence Day postgame fireworks display typically attracts one of the biggest crowds of the season to the Davenport stadium, and a little rain wasn't going to ruin this parade.

 

"At 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the forecasts were calling for an 80 or 90 percent chance of rain, and it didn't look good, but it turned out to be a beautiful night," Ziedelis said. "Weather's not an exact science, and we caught a good break."

 

The sun even peaked through a few holes in an otherwise cloud-filled sky shortly after the teams took the field at 7:15 p.m., a 20-minute delay from the game's scheduled start.

 

The delay allowed the grounds crew to complete a task of preparing the field to play that began more than seven hours before the first pitch was thrown.

 

"Andy (Duyvejonck, the Swing's director of baseball operations) and his crew did a fantastic job," Ziedelis said.

 

Duyvejonck's grounds crew was joined by members of the team's front office staff in a process that began with workers taking six squeegees to the tarp at noon to clear water and begin the drainage process.

 

They repeated that process again at 1:30 p.m., then worked nonstop from 2:30-5 p.m. before the tarp that covered the infield was removed.

 

From that point, a drying compound was added to wet spots on the infield and a break from the rain allowed the field to dry as it was prepared for the game.

 

"The teams and umpires were flexible with the conditions and agreed to start a bit late, which we appreciated," Ziedelis said. "It was good to see it all come together."

 

The baseball game wasn't the only thing on the Swing staff's agenda Saturday.

 

The club began selling tickets to its first-ever concert at the renovated facility on Saturday morning, and by game time Saturday night more than one-third of the tickets for an Aug. 13 show featuring Hootie and the Blowfish had been sold.

 

"We had peopled lined up outside the gates at 11 o'clock (Friday) night for that. It's been a busy day, but a good one," Ziedelis said.

 

 

J.R. Taylor continued to collect hits two bases at a time Saturday.

 

With a double that opened the Swing half of the first inning, Taylor recorded his sixth double in the 10 games Quad-Cities has played during the second half of the season. Taylor has 12 doubles on the year.

 

 

Not to be outdone, Mark Zamojc opened the second inning with a triple -- his fourth in the second half.

 

Playing in 45 games in the first half, Zamojc had just one triple.

 

 

Where were you at 4:30 a.m. today?

 

The Swing already was back to work, reporting to the team's clubhouse at John O'Donnell Stadium for a scheduled 5 a.m. departure by bus for today's 6 p.m. game at Dayton.

 

Quad-Cities plays its next eight games on the road, then has two days off before playing its next home game on July 14 against Kane County.

 

In addition to playing in front of expected crowds in excess of 8,000 the next four days at Dayton, the team will likely take the field with at least 5,000 in the stands the following four days at Kane County.

 

"We're looking forward to it," Swing manager Kevin Boles said. "Those are two tough places to play, but it will be fun to be in that atmosphere.

 

"We've had great crowds at home lately, too, groups that were really into the game, and that always helps a team."

 

 

The strike zone wasn't the only thing Kane County pitchers were hitting regularly during their two-game stop at John O'Donnell Stadium.

 

The eight Cougar pitchers who worked in the series hit five Quad-Cities batters with pitches during the two games. Kane County pitchers have hit 33 batters this season, one more than the number of hit batsmen by Swing pitchers in 2004.

 

 

The Swing of the Quad-Cities Fan Club is hosting a trivia night as a fund-raising activity next Saturday at The Lodge in Bettendorf.

 

The event begins at 7 p.m., with doors opening one hour earlier. The cost is $160 per table with an eight-player maximum per table. The entry fee includes a taco bar and entry into a door prize giveaway.

 

To reserve a table, contact Tami Roberts at (563) 505-9672 or Dave Legler at (309) 296-9214.

 

 

Swing of the Quad-Cities at Dayton Dragons, 6 p.m., today, Fifth Third Park, Dayton, Ohio. Probable pitchers: Quad-Cities, Nick Blackburn (3-4, 2.84 ERA); Dayton, TBA.

 

 

SWING SECOND: Mark Zamojc tripled to right, scored when Kyle Geiger reached on a sacrifice fly to center. Omar Burgos reached on an error by Brian Ingram at second. Alex Garcia popped out to second. Ryan Spataro grounded out to third. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left. Swing 1, Cougars 0.

 

COUGARS THIRD: David Harriman struck out. Chris Tritle struck out. Ingram walked, scored when Nick Rogers tripled to right. Luis Perez flew out to left. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left. Cougars 1, Swing 1.

 

COUGARS FIFTH: Kory Wayment doubled to left, took third when Harriman flew out to right. Tritle walked. Wayment scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Ingram. Tritle stole second. Rogers popped out to first. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left. Cougars 2, Swing 1.

 

SWING SIXTH: Kyle Phillips walked. Brock Peterson struck out. Zamojc struck out. Geiger singled to center, moving Phillips to third. Burgos was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Garcia singled to right, scoring Phillips. Geiger was thrown out at the plate on the play. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left. Swing 2, Cougars 2.

 

SWING SEVENTH: Spataro singled to center, took second on a sacrifice by J.R. Taylor, went to third when Justin Arneson singled to left. Phillips walked intentionally. Peterson was hit by a pitch, scoring Spataro, moving Arneson to third and Phillips to second. Arneson scored, Phillips took third, Peterson went to second on a wild pitch. Zamojc struck out. Geiger walked. Burgos grounded out to the mound. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left. Swing 4, Cougars 2.

 

Sunday, July 4th, 2004

 

Julio DePaula found himself in familiar territory Saturday night for the Swing of the Quad-Cities.

 

But this time, Eddie Kim couldn't beat DePaula and Kane County couldn't topple the Swing.

 

DePaula, who had allowed two game-winning hits in the bottom of the ninth inning to Kim this season, struck out the Cougars' pinch hitter to preserve a 4-2 Quad-Cities victory that just ended in time for a John O'Donnell Stadium crowd of 3,779 to enjoy a lengthy fireworks display that was going to start at 10:10 p.m. whether the game was over or not.

 

With Kane County baserunners on first and third and DePaula still grousing about a balk call in the inning, Kim took a hefty cut at an outside fastball at 10:09 p.m. that allowed the Swing to both beat the buzzer and earn their third straight victory.

 

The pitch came after pitching coach Gary Lucas made a quick trip to the mound to calm DePaula.

 

"I knew we were about out of time — I thought about running out to the mound — but he was a little rattled and I wanted to get his focus back on the batter. That had to be the only thing that mattered," Lucas said. "He handled it well."

 

Kim belted a walk-off grand slam in an April 12 game between the teams, then followed that two days later by breaking a scoreless tie with a two-out single off of DePaula in the bottom of the ninth that allowed Kane County to win again.

 

"Being back in that situation again was a good challenge for Julio and he responded," Quad-Cities manager Kevin Boles said. "Kim got nothing but fastballs away. He'd beaten us before with change-ups, and that wasn't going to happen again."

 

Quad-Cities won the game in the seventh, albeit in a somewhat unorthodox fashion.

 

A sacrifice by J.R. Taylor sandwiched between singles by Ryan Spataro and Justin Arneson prompted Cougars manager Dave Joppie to intentionally walk Kyle Phillips.

 

The plan backfired.

 

Brock Peterson was hit by the first pitch served up by reliever Jarod McAuliff, bringing Spataro home to give the Swing a 3-2 edge.

 

Another reliever, Justin Crowder, struck out Mark Zamojc before Kane County went to the bullpen again and found little relief with the bases.

 

Daniel Fyvie issued a bases-loaded walk to Kyle Geiger to provide Quad-Cities with its winning margin.

 

"In games like this, you have to keep chipping away and that's what our guys did," Boles said. "They found away. Tristan Crawford did an excellent job in relief and gave DePaula a chance to earn the save."

 

Crawford pitched two innings of hitless ball to earn his first win of the season.

 

The Swing (39-37, 6-4 second half) had a chance to forge a lead in the bottom of the sixth when Alex Garcia stroked a bases-loaded, two-out pitch into right field.

 

Phillips scored from third to tie the game at 2-2, but a throw by right fielder Luiz Perez arrived in the mitt of catcher David Harriman in time to tag out a sliding Kyle Geiger and end the inning.

 

One run was all that either team could muster in multiple early-inning scoring opportunities.

 

Quad-Cities scored first when a second-inning sacrifice fly by Geiger scored Zamojc, who reached on a leadoff triple.

 

The Cougars tied the game in the top of the third on a run-scoring triple by Nick Rogers, then opened a shortlived 2-1 edge in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Brian Ingram.

 

 

The Red Wings may soon be overcrowded in the infield, and that’s a problem manager Phil Roof would love to have.

 

Third baseman Terry Tiffee is expected to start today after being out since June 9 with a hamstring injury. And shortstop Jason Bartlett, out since May 10 with a broken wrist, may be in the lineup when the Wings return home after the All-Star break.

 

“We’d love to have them both on the left side,” Roof says.

 

Tiffee is expected to play regularly at third, and Roof said he will rotate Augie Ojeda, Luis Rodriguez and Alex Prieto at second base and shortstop.

 

“Augie and Luis really need some time off,” Roof says. “They’ve been going every day for awhile now.”

 

Bartlett is taking batting practice and is expected to play very soon after the Wings resume play on July 15 following the three-day All-Star break.

 

Late arrival: Juan Diaz was in Roof’s original lineup for Saturday, but he was scratched.

 

The designated hitter drove to New York City at 3:30 a.m. to meet his wife and son, who were coming in from the Dominican Republic. However, their flight was delayed and Diaz did not arrive in Rochester until after the game started.

 

Josh Rabe took over as DH.

 

Diaz is batting .333 (15-for-45) with 2 doubles, 4 home runs and 12 RBI in 12 starts as designated hitter. The Red Wings are 8-4 in those games and have scored 78 runs (6.5 runs per game).

 

Steady team: The Red Wings entered Saturday ranked third in the International League in hitting, fourth in pitching and second in defense.

 

She’s fine: The woman who was struck in the head by a bat Friday night is back home and feeling fine.

 

Tina Lucci of Henrietta was sitting in a box seat near the third-base dugout when Ottawa catcher Tom McGee’s bat slipped out of his hands in the eighth inning and went spiraling into the crowd, striking Lucci.

 

She was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and was treated for a concussion but was released without having to spend the night. She’ll have a bump on her head but is otherwise healthy.

 

Three-peat? The Wings recorded winning months in May (16-13) and June (17-12). If they should have a winning month in July, it would be the first time they’ve done it three consecutive times since the Governors’ Cup championship team in 1988.

 

Always working: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire refused pain-killer medication when he underwent surgery Monday to remove a bone chip in his elbow.

 

The disoriented Gardenhire’s first words following surgery? “Get (J.C.) Romero up.”

 

Strange schedule, part 1: This weekend series marks the first time the Wings have played Ottawa, their International League North rivals, this season.

 

The teams will meet 16 times between July 1 and Aug. 29. Even stranger, Thruway rivals Syracuse and Buffalo also had not met before this weekend and also will become quite familiar over the next two months.

 

Strange schedule, part 2: The Wings are off on Aug. 16, travel five hours to Ottawa for a doubleheader the next day, then must bus home to play Syracuse the following day.

 

Game night

Matchup: Rochester Red Wings vs. Ottawa Lynx, Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
When/where: 7:05 tonight at Frontier Field. Gates open at 6.
Starting pitchers: Red Wings RHP Adam Johnson (3-1, 4.10 ERA) vs. Lynx RHP Sean Bergman (5-7, 5.40).
Radio: WHTK-AM (1280).
Tickets: $9.50, $8 and $5.50. Call (585) 423-9464.
Promotions: Postgame fireworks. An all-terrain vehicle will be given away to a lucky fan after the game.

 

By JIM MANDELARO
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
 
Playing at Frontier Field on Saturday night: Revenge of the Ex-Red Wings.

 

Clay Bellinger belted a two-run homer and Jose Leon drove in three runs as the Ottawa Lynx rallied twice to beat Rochester 5-3 before 8,742 fans at Frontier Field.

 

The Wings managed just five hits and left a runner at third base in the first, fourth, seventh and eighth innings.

 

”They got the timely hits and we didn’t,” said Wings left fielder Todd Dunwoody, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

 

Bellinger played for the Wings in 1996, their final season at Silver Stadium. The Oneonta, Otsego County, native has since gone on to collect three World Series rings with the New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels.

 

Leon played for the Wings in 2001-02, the final two seasons of Rochester’s long affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles. The third baseman is still in the Orioles’ system and has experienced brief stints with the big-league club the past three seasons.

 

”I’ve always loved playing here on this field,” he said. “I always try to do extra-special here.”

 

The Lynx scored a run in the first on Leon’s fly to shallow right.

 

Jason Kubel made the catch and fired a strike home, but umpire Darin Williams ruled that Mike Fontenot slid around Chris Heintz’s tag.

 

The Wings took the lead with two runs in the second off right-hander John Maine (4-5) as Dunwoody ripped an RBI double to right-center and scored on Heintz’s sacrifice fly.

 

The Lynx tied it in the third as Leon smashed a two-out, RBI triple to right-center, but Dunwoody struck again with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth.

 

That, however, proved to be the Wings’ last gasp on offense.

 

Bellinger put Ottawa ahead to stay with a high blast to left field on a 3-2 pitch from Brent Schoening (1-6) with two outs in the sixth.

 

It was Bellinger’s second homer in as many nights and put Ottawa in front 4-3.

 

”He threw me all sliders,” Bellinger said.

 

”I saw all of them good, especially the last one.”

 

Jack Cust doubled off Jeromy Palki with two outs in the seventh and Leon followed with a run-scoring double.

 

Wings center fielder Brian Simmons opened the bottom of the seventh with a double to left but was stranded at third.

 

Rochester fell to 1-31 when trailing after six innings.

 

The three-game series concludes tonight with a 7:05 game. The Wings will be wearing red, white and blue uniforms in honor of the Fourth of July.

 

”It’s the rubber game and there should be a lot of people there,” Dunwoody said. “It’s important to win at home, especially with a seven-game road trip coming up.

 

”That’s going to be a grind.”

 

Rochester (44-38) plays eight games in seven days in Durham and Charlotte beginning on Monday.

 

Maine, the nephew of former Red Jacket High baseball coach Dave Maine, allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in his six innings.

 

By Ken Lipshez
New Britain Herald Press Staff Writer
 
In every All-Star vote, a deserving player gets left out. In this year's Eastern League tabulation, that designation gets unceremoniously anchored to Reading Phillies left fielder Jim Deschaine of Bristol.

 

Deschaine is fourth in the EL in hitting at .320, has 12 doubles, six homers and 30 RBI. He does all the little things - steals bases, moves runners along with less than two outs and rarely makes an error (1 in 54 games).

 

Deschaine, a graduate of Bristol Eastern High School and Brandeis University, helped carry the R-Phils during the first part of the season when the team was struggling for victories.

 

But Deschaine sustained a broken finger June 13 and remains on the disabled list. He wouldn't have been able to play the game in Bowie, Md., on July 14 anyway but he surely merits the recognition of joining his peers.

 

Deschaine has come a long way since getting released off the New Haven Ravens roster by Toronto early last season. He has battled his way back to the top of his profession and into a position where he's likely to get a good shot at Triple-A either late this season or next.

 

Perhaps the Phillies baseball people will comprehend that he possesses some of the intangibles that supersede the black-and-white, five-tool facts like fleet feet and a rifle arm. If not, perhaps some other organization will.

 

While the details of the media balloting are unavailable, rest assured that Deschaine received at least one vote. The EL should have the courtesy of allowing a true All-Star to enjoy the All-Star experience.

 

CATCHING HECK: Catching remains a thin spot in the Boston Red Sox farm where Jeff Bailey has become an improbable full-timer for the Portland Sea Dogs.

 

"The last time I was a full-time catcher was in high school, and that was only a 20-game schedule," Bailey told The Portland Press Herald.

 

Bailey, the Florida Marlins' second-round draft pick in 1997, caught in 28 games for the Harrisburg Senators last season, a career high. This season, Bailey has caught in 46 games, through Thursday, 40 as the starter.

 

"This is a little more than I expected," said Bailey, who signed as a minor league free agent with the Red Sox last November. "But it's fine. It's not a big deal at all."

 

Bailey, 25, allowed three passed balls in a 6-2 loss last Tuesday night. He has thrown out only six of 56 base-stealers (11 percent). But Bailey's offensive output --.323, 12 homers and 47 RBI - has not been ignored. Bailey was named to the Northern Division squad for the EL All-Star Game.

 

If Bailey is not cut out to be a full-time catcher, why is he behind the plate?

 

"We did not have a catcher from within who we felt was ready to come to this level and be an everyday catcher," Red Sox farm director Ben Cherington told Press Herald reporter Kevin Thomas.

 

When Bailey is not catching, he is usually in left field. He also can play first base.

 

NEW TEAM: A pact between the EL's Altoona Curve and Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League has opened the door for a Class A franchise in State College, Pa.

 

The new franchise would be operated by the Curve, play in a stadium to be constructed on Penn State's campus and compete in the short-season New York-Penn League.

 

"Our goal would be to have a team on the field in June of 2006," Curve managing partner Chuck Greenberg told The Altoona Mirror Friday.

 

Moving ahead with the plan required a territorial waiver from the Crosscutters, who resisted in December but changed their minds.

 

"We are 100 percent against it," Gabe Sinicropi Jr., the Crosscutters' director of marketing and public relations, told The Williamsport Sun-Gazette in December.

 

"If we thought it would hurt our fan base we would have never done this," Crosscutters president Paul Velte told the Sun-Gazette on Friday.

 

Once the Crosscutters agreed to the plan, approval from Minor League Baseball, the EL and the NYPL followed.

 

"We want to move as quickly as possible," Greenberg told The Mirror. "All of the elements that are required to make this a reality are in place, except for portions for funding of the ballpark. There are substantial private dollars that are going to be contributed ... and we are working aggressively to complete the financing package."

 

Management for the new team must now find an existing NYPL franchise willing to relocate and a major league affiliate. The Curve's affiliate - the Pittsburgh Pirates - currently supply the Williamsport club but the player development contract expires after this season. A renewal would prevent the State College team from establishing a tie with the Pirates until 2007.

 

Some speculate that the Crosscutters might benefit from an affiliation with the Phillies, which would initiate a Pirates-Phils rivalry between the State College andWilliamsport franchises.

 

METS PROSPECT HURT: Jeremy Hill, the Binghamton Mets' hard-throwing right-handed closer, learned Wednesday he will require Tommy John surgery to fix a torn elbow ligament.

 

"For me to pitch again to my full capabilities, I have to have this surgery," Hill told The Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin.

 

Hill, 26, is 2-3 with a 2.23 ERA and 10 saves in 25 appearances. He left his last outing June 17 in Akron after experiencing "tingling" between his forearm and elbow. The injury was initially diagnosed as a strain, and the Mets hoped Hill would recover after a week's rest.
 
07/04/2004

By KEN LIPSHEZ
The New Britain Herald Press
 
NEW BRITAIN -- The New Britain Rock Cats celebrated the first phase of their Independence Day weekend Friday night by filling the sky with fireworks.

 

Pleasant, but not nearly as productive as what filled the sky in the second phase.
 
Four Rock Cats sent rockets to the far reaches of Willow Brook Park Saturday night to propel the home team to an 8-4 victory over the Trenton Thunder before 4,264 at New Britain Stadium.

 

The Rock Cats (38-43) hope to celebrate the third phase today against the Thunder (39-40) at 1:35 p.m.

 

Bryan Kennedy, Kevin West, Matt Scanlon and Ryan Owens painted the heavens with majestic home runs that accounted for six New Britain runs.

 

"We always talk about doing the little stuff," Rock Cats manager Stan Cliburn said. "Those home runs are just an added bonus for us. Our guys seem to get up for these TV games. It was one of the best games we've played all year."

 

The Rock Cats are 3-0 in games televised throughout the northeast by Comcast Cable channel CN8.

 

Kennedy's first of the year came in the second inning. West's two-run blast in the fourth brought his season total to 16. Scanlon started the fifth with his fourth and Owens, in his first game back in New Britain from Triple-A, finished the frame with his third with Rob Bowen (double) aboard.

 

Trenton starter Matt DeSalvo (1-2) had difficulty settling in and the Rock Cats took advantage. Seth Davidson (3-for-5) poked a 1-2 pitch to left for a single. Luis Maza was hit by a pitch and Scanlon walked to load the bases.

 

West lunged for a pitch and struck out but it eluded catcher David Parrish and Davidson scored the first run. Garrett Jones rifled a line drive to right for a sacrifice fly to give New Britain a 2-0 cushion.

 

Kennedy, whose season was interrupted by a knee injury, followed with his satisfying shot.

 

"I felt pretty good," said Kennedy, whose parents were in town from California. "I've been working hard with (hitting coach J.C. Carter) and Stan to get my rhythm back because I had been out for six weeks.

 

"I was sitting first-pitch fastball and I got it down the middle. I put a good swing on it. I'm sticking with my plan to attack the fastballs and it worked out for me."

 

In the third, Scanlon belted a double and trotted home ahead of West and the lead grew to 5-0.

 

Colby Miller faced the minimum over three innings but Trenton hitters caught up with him the second time around.

 

Successive singles by Kevin Reese and Craig Wilson preceded a shot to the warning track by Aaron Rifkin that glanced off B.J. Garbe's glove for an RBI double. Mitch Jones backed West to the wall with his sacrifice fly and Bronson Sardinha lashed a two-out that brought Rifkin home and narrowed the gap to 5-3.

 

But the Rock Cats hitters, who earlier in the week went through 45 at-bats without reaching base, were locked in. Homers by Scanlon and Owens in the fifth restored the five-run lead.

 

"It's good to get Owens back," Cliburn said. "He called me at 1 a.m. and told me Kevin West needed some guys to hit behind him and that he was coming down and wanted to be in the lineup. He was in there and got a big, big hit."

 

Miller (1-1) gave up three hits with one out in the seventh but Kevin Cameron came on, induced two ground balls and kept the damage to one run. Three Trenton singles presented Cameron with a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the eighth but Bobby Korecky came on and got a tapper to the mound.

 

Korecky earned his 15th save of the season - tied for second best in the league - by silencing the Thunder in the ninth.

 

CATS TALES: Pitcher Jim Abbott was placed on the disabled list to make room for Owens, who was reassigned Friday from Triple-A Rochester. Abbott has a frayed labrum in his pitching shoulder. He is slated for surgery, which should keep him out of action for at least six weeks. ..outfielder James Tomlin came out of Friday's game in the seventh inning after he took out his batting frustration (.113, 6 for last 53) on his bat. A splinter from the bat retaliated with a laceration above his right eye. ..Today's game features a battle between two Eastern League All-Stars with Javier Ortiz (6-4, 3.73) starting for Trenton and J.D. Durbin (2-1, 2.45) for New Britain. ..The Rock Cats wore red, white and blue uniforms. After wearing them again today, the uniforms will be auctioned off on the team's website with the proceeds going to a local charity. ..
 
07/04/2004

 

Kevin West produced solid numbers last season, but this year he's hit his way into the Eastern League All-Star Game.

 

West will be one of four Rock Cats playing in the All-Star Game July 14 in Bowie, Md.

 

"It's been maturity and respect for the game," manager Stan Cliburn said of West's improvement. "He's always had the physical tools."

 

Hitting cleanup this season, the 24-year-old outfielder/DH is second in the league in RBI (67). He leads the Rock Cats in home runs (16) and slugging percentage (.542). It's his first All-Star selection in his sixth professional season.

 

"It's not like you have to make an All-Star team to get to the big leagues," said West, who hit .279 with 14 homers last season. "But for myself it's just going to be a great experience to play with the other top players in the league"

 

Second baseman Luis Maza was called up to Triple A Rochester June 15 and Cliburn didn't expect to have him back. But when the Twins recalled lefthander J.C. Romero from Rochester June 25, it forced infielder Ariel Prieto back to Rochester and Maza back to New Britain in time to be selected for the All-Star team.

 

"Maza has really made himself into a major league prospect," Cliburn said. "He could have stayed at Rochester."

 

Maza is seventh in the league in hitting (.316) and has been one of the league's top defensive infielders. He has yet to make an error in 69 games this season.

 

"He's been getting on base and scoring in front of West," Cliburn said. "He sets the stage."

 

Two righthanders were also selected from the Rock Cats: J.D. Durbin (2-1, 2.45 ERA), today's starter, and Scott Baker (4-2, 2.51).

 

 

Three Norwich Navigators were named to the All-Star roster. Lefthander Patrick Misch (3-3, 2.89), third baseman Michael Cervenak (.318, 14 HR) and outfielder Doug Clark (.279, 16 stolen bases) will represent the team. ... Hall of Famer Willie Mays will visit Dodd Stadium Aug. 7. He will meet with the Navigators and will hold a press conference at 6:30 p.m.

 

 

Reading's Ryan Howard is one from tying Greg Luzinski for the Reading Phillies' franchise record for home runs in a season.

 

Howard had a home run and three RBI Friday night against Binghamton. He leads all levels with 32 home runs and 84 RBI. Luzinski hit 33 home runs in 1970. ... The Trenton Thunder lost two bats from the middle of their lineup. Infielder Robinson Cano and catcher Dioner Navarro were promoted to Triple A Columbus Monday. Cano was Trenton's leading hitter (.301). Navarro, considered the Yankees' top prospect, was hitting .271. ... Righthander Kyle Sleeth, the Detroit Tigers' top prospect, won his first game Wednesday since being promoted to Erie June 20. Sleeth (1-1), the third overall pick of the 2003 draft, allowed two runs and six hits in six innings to beat the Harrisburg Senators. ... Vice President Dick Cheney will throw out the first pitch at today's Senators-Curve game in Altoona, Pa.

 

 

NEW BRITAIN -- The Rock Cats had an unexpected display of power Saturday night.

 

New Britain hit three home runs off Trenton starter Matt DeSalvo, as many as he had allowed in 159 1/3 professional innings going into the game, and the Rock Cats beat the Thunder 8-4 at New Britain Stadium.

 

Bryan Kennedy hit a solo home run in the second, Kevin West had a two-run homer in the third and Matt Scanlon led off the fifth with a homer.

 

DeSalvo (1-2) left the game with two outs in the fifth after allowing a double to Rob Bowen. He gave up seven runs, nine hits and struck out six in 42/3 innings.

 

"We were ready tonight," manager Stan Cliburn said. "I told them this guy is going to try to challenge us. He's a guy who tries to throw fastballs by guys."

 

Ryan Owens hit reliever Rik Currier's second pitch just inside the left field foul pole for New Britain's fourth home run to make it 8-3.

 

"A big part of our game is doing the little stuff," Cliburn said. "The home runs are just an added bonus for us."

 

It didn't take long for the Rock Cats to score. Seth Davidson singled to lead off the first. Luis Maza was hit by a pitch and Scanlon walked to load the bases. West struck out, but Davidson scored as the ball got past catcher David Parrish on a wild pitch.

 

Right fielder Mitch Jones made a diving catch on Garrett Jones' line drive with Maza scoring on the sacrifice fly.

 

Colby Miller, making his third start after going to extended spring training because of biceps tendinitis, pitched well early. He allowed only a walk, which was erased by a double play, before Kevin Reese singled with one out in the fourth. But Miller, staked to a 5-0 lead, allowed three runs in the fourth.

 

Miller (1-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

 

Trailing 8-4 in the eighth, Trenton loaded the bases with two outs. But Bobby Korecky got Parrish to ground back to the mound Korecky pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save.

 

Abbott back on DL: Righthander Jim Abbott was placed on the disabled list and will have surgery on his frayed labrum. Cliburn is hopeful he will return in 5-6 weeks.

 

Abbott had been activated from the DL and started Friday night. Owens was sent down from Triple A Rochester to take his roster spot.

 

Navigators 5, Fisher Cats 2: Derin McMains hit a solo homer in the fourth inning to break a tie and Jay Pecci added a two-run single in the fifth inning, leading Norwich past visiting New Hampshire.

 

Bryan Carter, Chris Curry and Julio Cordido each had two hits for Norwich.

 

Matt Cain improved to 2-1, allowing one run on five hits in five innings. He struck out eight and walked two.

 

Paul Chiaffredo and Mike Snyder each had two hits for New Hampshire.

 

Todd Ozias (7-4) took the loss after giving up five runs, three earned, and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

 

July 4, 2004

 

A weeklong visit to the Quad-Cities allowed Minnesota Twins director of minor league operations Jim Rantz to see what he hoped to as he watched the Swing of the Quad-Cities.

 

"Improvement. That's the big thing I wanted to see from this club, and that's what I've seen," said Rantz, who concluded his stay with the Swing on Friday.

 

"The guys made a strong push at the end of the first half to get to .500, and I've got confidence that the skill and talent is here that this team will be right there at the end of the second half."

 

Rantz likes the effort he saw from the Swing throughout his visit and wants to see the same type of steady improvement in the second half that he saw from the club since his initial visit to the Quad-Cities this year in late April.

 

"The things we look for at this point in the season are how consistent guys become and how they continue to progress. This isn't a time to back it down," Rantz said.

 

"From my last visit here until now, I see a group of guys who have made strides in their fundamental skills, and that is important. That's a big part of what we want to see from them."

 

On the mound, Rantz wants Swing pitchers to continue to improve their command and to attack the strike zone more aggressively.

 

He expects more from the team's position players at the plate.

 

"By the end of the season, I hope you'll see guys who are more selective and who do a better job of working the count," Rantz said. "They've made strides in that area, but it's something they're still working on.

 

"All of the players on this roster have the skills and talent to be here. It's a matter of guys continuing to put that to work, and I see those things coming together."

 

 

Even the infield dirt at John O'Donnell Stadium was decked out for the Independence Day holiday Friday.

 

The grounds crew headed by Swing director of baseball operations Andy Duyvejonck left cutouts of stars around the back lip of the infield and batter's box as they watered the surface before the start of Friday's game.

 

 

Six-year-old Tristan Sekharan of Davenport, a student at Garfield Elementary School, experienced life as a Swing for a day at John O'Donnell Stadium.

 

Tristan went to batting practice with the team, toured the stadium, had his picture taken with team players, collected a few autographs, painted home plate and sat in for an inning on the team's radio broadcast.

 

Tristan earned that opportunity with a winning bid at the Chuck Long Celebrity Auction earlier this year.

 

 

In order to accommodate a fireworks show that is scheduled to begin at 10:15 p.m., tonight's game between the Swing and Kane County will begin at 6:55 instead of the normal 7:05 starting time.

 

The game is the final Swing home game until July 14.

 

Quad-Cities opens a four-game series at Dayton on Sunday, then visits Kane County for four before the league takes a two-day major league all-star break July 12-13. The Swing open a six-day homestand July 14 with a two-game set against Kane County.

 

 

Kane County Cougars at Swing of the Quad-Cities, 6:55 p.m. today, John O'Donnell Stadium. Probable pitchers: Kane County, Jared Trout (5-4, 4.73 ERA); Quad-Cities, Errol Simonitsch (5-1, 2.26). The largest postgame fireworks show of the season sponsored by KWQC-TV and Great Country 105.

 

 

SWING SECOND: Omar Burgos flew out to right. Scott Whitrock singled to center, took second when Kyle Geiger singled to left. Dusty Gomon flew out to left. Mark Zamojc tripled to right-center, scoring Whitrock and Geiger. Paul Rutgers singled to right, scoring Zamojc. J.R. Taylor grounded out to shortstop. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 left. Swing 3, Cougars 0.

 

COUGARS FOURTH: Dustin Majewski reached on an infield single, took second when Kory Wayment was hit by a pitch. Both advanced on a wild pitch. Eddie Kim struck out. David Harriman singled to left, scoring Majewski and moving Wayment to third. Luis Perez struck out. Wayment was thrown out attempting to steal home. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left. Swing 3, Cougars 1.

 

COUGARS FIFTH: Brian Ingram walked, took second when Luke Appert singled to center. Brian Snyder singled to left, loading the bases. Ingram scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Vasili Spanos. Dustin Majewski grounded into a double play. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left. Swing 3, Cougars 2.

 

SWING FIFTH: Rutgers was hit by a pitch, thrown out attempting to score on a double to left by Taylor. Justin Arneson reached on an infield single, moving Taylor to third. Taylor scored, Arneson went to second when Brock Peterson reached on an error by Spanos at third. Burgos struck out. Whitrock reached on a wild pitch after striking out, loading the bases. Geiger reached on an infield single, scoring Arneson and moving Peterson to third and Whitrock to second. Gomon was hit by a pitch, scoring Peterson and advancing Whitrock and Geiger. Zamojc flew out to right. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 left. Swing 6, Cougars 2.

 

SWING EIGHTH: Geiger flew out to center. Gomon walked, took second when Zamojc singled to right. Both advanced on a wild pitch. Gomon scored, Zamojc took third on a sacrifice fly to right by Rutgers. Taylor doubled to right, scoring Zamojc. Arneson lined out to second. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left. Swing 8, Cougars 2.

 

July 3rd, 2004

 

Scott Tyler watched the final six innings of the Swing of the Quad-Cities' 8-2 victory over Kane County on Friday night from a spot in the dugout, but nobody said he had to like it.

 

Aggravating a pre-existing ankle injury prompted an earlier exit than the Swing starting pitcher wanted, and following three solid innings of work, he took out his frustrations on a sheet of drywall.

 

Less than half of the ball Tyler winged at an unfinished wall between the Quad-Cities dugout and a hallway that leads to the Swing clubhouse was visible after the game, and the ball wasn't budging.

 

"He didn't want to come out, and it's that competitive nature that I really love about Scott, but when you're putting 255 pounds on the ankle of your landing foot with every pitch, I couldn't take a chance," Quad-Cities manager Kevin Boles said.

 

Tyler, 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in four starts since returning from his second stint this season on the disabled list, worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam after tweaking the ankle injury in the top of the third inning.

 

He left with a 3-0 lead that the Swing wouldn't relinquish in front of a crowd of 3,766 at John O'Donnell Stadium.

 

"It was frustrating coming out. I felt strong. I felt fine. But, they didn't want me to risk anything, and with this, I'll be ready to go with my next start," Tyler said. "The bullpen guys came in and did great, and we beat a good team. That's the main thing. We let them know that we're for real."

 

The Cougars, the first half champions in the Midwest League's Western Division, matched the Swing's 10 hits, but the second three-run inning of the night helped Quad-Cities secure the win after a Kane County comeback.

 

A sacrifice fly by Vasili Spanos in the top of the fifth pulled the Cougars within a 3-2 count, but the Swing bunched together three hits and took advantage of an error and two hit batsmen to score three times in the bottom half of the inning.

 

"We had the type of innings we've been working to put together, and that's how you have to beat Kane County because they're going to get their 10 hits a game," Boles said. "That's the way they are.

 

"Our guys in the pen gave us what we needed, though, and it was a good win."

 

Kevin Culpepper earned his second professional victory by holding the Cougars to a pair of runs in the game's middle three innings. Eric Brandon and Peter Tautor, who extended a string of consecutive scoreless innings to 112/3 innings by working a run-free ninth, then finished off what Tyler started.

 

"Coming in in that situation, I knew I had to get some innings in," Culpepper said. "I got myself in trouble early, but the defense helped me all night. They did a great job, and I worked through it. I got it to the seventh. It took a group effort, but we got it done."

 

July 3rd, 2004

By Jim Mandelaro
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle Staff Writer
 
It was about time for Red Wings manager Phil Roof.

 

Roof recorded his 1,000th career minor league win on June 22, when Rochester closed a homestand with a 16-5 romp over Charlotte.

 

Friday night, his milestone was recognized.

 

Roof received a gold clock from the Minnesota Twins organization — for whom he has recorded all of his wins — and a Rolex watch from the Red Wings players and Rochester Community Baseball Inc.

 

The players stood behind general manager Dan Mason during the pregame ceremony.

 

"I'm not deserving of a Rolex," Roof said modestly. "I've always wondered what it would be like, though. Holy cow.

 

"This is going to look good when I'm riding my Harley this fall."

 

Making their pitch: Rochester athletes Roland Williams (football) and Charles Murray (boxing) threw out the ceremonial first pitches.

 

The left-handed Williams is with the Oakland Raiders. Murray will fight at Frontier Field on July 28.

 

Glover released: Right-hander Gary Glover had been expecting to start for the Wings on Friday.

 

So much for that plan.

 

Glover rode the team bus back from Toledo for six hours overnight, then was released at 5 a.m. Friday to make room for Matt Guerrier, who started in his place and picked up the victory.

 

Glover was 0-1 with an 8.44 earned-run average in five games (four starts).

 

Tiffee back: Wings third baseman Terry Tiffee will be activated today. He has been sidelined since June 9 with a hamstring injury.

 

To make room on the roster, infielder Ryan Owens was sent to Double-A New Britain. He hit .218 with 1 homer and 14 RBI in 42 games.

 

Roof said Tiffee will not start tonight but likely will on Sunday, when the three-game homestand ends.

 

Family ties: Tonight's scheduled starter for Ottawa is right-hander John Maine. His uncle is Dave Maine, the longtime Red Jacket High baseball coach who is now retired.

 

Stifled: There's bad hitting, and then there is the New Britain Rock Cats.

 

The Minnesota Twins' Double-A club gave new meaning to the term "shut down" earlier this week, as New Hampshire pitchers retired 45 Rock Cats in a row.

 

The streak began toward the end of Monday's first game of a doubleheader, continued through a seven-inning perfect game from New Hampshire's Jamie Vermilyea in the nightcap and extended through the first nine New Britain batters on Tuesday.

 

The day before this all began, Sunday, Norwich left-hander Pat Misch had a perfect game against the Rock Cats through 6 2/3 innings.

 

Vermilyea said he was unaware that he had a no-hitter.

 

"I just didn't know I had a perfect game going until every one of my teammates started punching me after the game, saying ‘nice perfect game,'" he said.

 

No Resto: Don't expect to see outfielder Michael Restovich returning to the Red Wings anytime soon.

 

The Twins plan to keep the seldom-used reserve on their roster and allow him to work with the coaching staff. Restovich is seen as a possible heir apparent to free-agent right fielder Jacque Jones, and the Twins feel he has proved himself at Triple-A.

Matchup: Rochester Red Wings vs. Ottawa Lynx, Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
When/where: 7:05 tonight at Frontier Field. Gates open at 6.
Starting pitchers: Red Wings RHP Willie Eyre (5-2, 3.84 ERA) vs. Lynx RHP John Maine (3-5, 4.99).
Radio: WYSL-AM (1040).
Tickets: $9.50, $8 and $5.50. Call (585) 423-9464.
Promotions: Fireworks and a concert by the East Rochester All-Stars will follow the game.

 

 

 

By JIM MANDELARO
STAFF WRITER
 
Matt Guerrier hadn't pitched in six days, but he was far from rusty Friday night.

 

The right-hander tossed six shutout innings and Juan Diaz belted a solo home run as the Rochester Red Wings edged the Ottawa Lynx 2-1 before 9,034 fans at Frontier Field.

 

"I threw a lot of fastballs," said Guerrier, who was optioned from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. “They wanted me to work on getting quick outs in Minnesota."

 

That he did. Guerrier allowed three hits, walked none and struck out two as the Wings won the first of three games against the Lynx.

 

"He gave us a chance," Wings manager Phil Roof said.

 

Guerrier was promoted to the Twins on June 12 and went 0-1 with a 6.00 earned-run average in three games. He found out on Thursday he was starting Friday's game.

 

Guerrier (4-6) lowered his earned-run average to 2.08 at Frontier, where opponents are batting a paltry .184 against him.

 

Diaz homered to left off ex-Twins farmhand Andrew Lorraine leading off the second. Diaz then reached on an infield single in the fourth and rumbled home on Josh Rabe's second double of the game.

 

Right fielder Jason Kubel robbed former Wing Jose Leon of a homer in the eighth with a leaping grab over the fence. He then fell to the ground and raised his glove as the crowd erupted with applause.

 

"I lost it in the sun and just took off running toward the wall," he said. “Then I lost it again and the guys in the bullpen yelled ‘Jump!'"

 

It proved to be a huge play because in the eighth inning ex-Wing Clay Bellinger hit a line drive homer off Kevin Hodge to make it 2-1.

 

The Lynx put runners at the corners with two outs in the ninth, but Jesse Crain retired Jack Cust on a heart-stopping pop to shortstop Augie Ojeda to seal it. The ball was hit over second base, and second baseman Luis Rodriguez appeared to lose it before Ojeda saved the day.

 

Crain had not allowed a hit in his previous 8 2/3 innings and retired the first two batters in the ninth. But Leon reached on an infield single and Edwards Guzman lined a single to right-center, putting runners at first and third for Cust.

 

"We don't know how long we're going to have Jesse," Roof said, “but as long as we do we're going to let him mature. He'll be a setup guy in the majors, and eventually a closer."

 

A female spectator sitting behind the third-base dugout was injured when accidentally struck by Ottawa catcher Tom McGee's bat when it flew into the stands in the eighth inning.

 

The woman was attended to for several minutes and was taken to the hospital on a stretcher. She received a loud ovation from the crowd when leaving the stadium and McGee signed a bat for her. No other details were available.

 

By KEN LIPSHEZ
New Britain Herald Staff Writer
 
NEW BRITAIN -- The bullpen was short and the New Britain Rock Cats were making do with a starting pitcher whose strength and velocity were diminishing.

 

A 14-inning game on Thursday left New Britain Rock Cats manager Stan Cliburn with just two available relievers. Starter Jim Abbott, his effectiveness limited by a cartilage problem in his shoulder, gave all he had but it wasn’t enough.
 
A game that was tied going into the seventh inning quickly got out of control.

 

Aaron Rifkin drove in four runs to back the pitching of Ramon Ramirez Friday night as the Trenton Thunder rumbled past the Rock Cats, 8-3, before a fireworks night crowd of 5,744 at New Britain Stadium.

 

Abbott (2-6), fresh off a seven-day stint on the disabled list, settled down nicely after a rough third inning, retiring 10 of the next 11 hitters through the sixth inning. Cliburn had to stick with him in the seventh and the team paid dearly for the decision. Abbott tried to gut out another inning but it didn’t work out.

 

"He felt strong with three righties coming up in the seventh," Cliburn said. "He had 76 pitches and that’s usually where we get him out but we wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt."

 

The benefit went to the Thunder. With the score tied 3-3, Caonoba Cosme led off with a double, went to third on a throwing error by catcher Rob Bowen and scored the game-winning run when David Parrish belted a single to center.

 

Andy Cannizaro sacrificed and Cliburn gave Kevin Thompson an intentional pass. Lefty Jason Miller came on and got Kevin Reese.

 

Cliburn, trying to facilitate the situation for Miller by lining up a left-handed hitter, intentionally passed right-handed hitting Craig Wilson to face Rifkin, who had a double and a homer in his two previous at-bats.

 

Rifkin (3-for-4), a dead pull hitter, delivered a two-run single.

 

"We threw him the wrong pitch," Cliburn said. "Breaking ball was the pitch to call, we threw three straight fastballs and he got one through the hole. That was the game right there. We get him out we’ve got a chance. Mistake pitches and poor game calling, I think we all learned something. We threw the wrong sequence and it ended up hurting us."

 

For the second straight game, Cliburn stuck with a starter into a seventh inning that proved one frame too many. Thursday night in New Hampshire, the Rock Cats led 7-1 in the sixth when Jon Pridie, pitching on two days rest after a relief appearance Tuesday, was tagged for three runs. The Rock Cats went on to blow the lead but won 11-10 in 14 innings.

 

"Abbott had to go seven. We had nobody down there except Miller and (Kevin) Cameron," Cliburn said. "We were trying to hold off to the end where we could match up with lefties and that’s what we wound up getting. It was 3-3 after six and I though I’d take my chances with their seven, eight and nine guys coming up."

 

Bryan Kennedy got New Britain (37-43) started in the second inning with a clutch two-out single against Ramirez (1-2). An infield hit and stolen base by Garrett Jones set the table.

 

The Rock Cats’ 1-0 lead was short-lived. Trenton (39-39) stranded runners in scoring position in the first two innings but wasn’t nearly as wasteful in the third.

 

Left fielder Matt Scanlon began the frame with a brilliant diving catch but Thompson drew a walk. Reese sent Thompson to third on a hit to right but was gunned down by Kevin West trying to stretch it to a double.

 

Rifkin creamed an Abbott fastball that landed in the willow trees beyond the right field wall for his 11th homer of the year and a 3-1 lead.

 

Luis Maza brought New Britain within one with a solo homer leading off the fourth inning, his seventh four-bagger of the season and first since returning from Triple-A June 25.

 

The Rock Cats tied the game 3-3 with two out in the fifth. Seth Davidson singled, stole second and scored on another timely hit by Maza.

 

Ramirez allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight.

 

CATS TALES: Ex-Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause was in attendance fulfilling his mission as a special assignment scout for George Steinbrenner. ..Former Rock Cats OF Brian Baron (2002-03) is hitting .412 in 10 games for the Rockford Riverhawks of the independent Frontier League. Baron was released by the Twins in spring training. ..Reese’s first-inning double was his 36th of the year, a new Trenton franchise record. He added another in the eighth. ..Tonight’s game (7:05 p.m.) pits Trenton’s Matt DeSalvo (1-1, 3.46) against Colby Miller (0-1, 10.13) for the Rock Cats. ..Two of the Yankees top prospects - infielder Robinson Cano and catcher Dioner Navarro - were promoted to Triple-A Columbus Monday. Cano was hitting .364 against the Rock Cats this year. ..

 

07/03/2004 

By KEN LIPSHEZ
New Britain Herald Staff Writer
 
NEW BRITAIN -- The Rock Cats’ stretch of having 45 batters get set down in a row by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats staff over the course of three games on Monday and Tuesday was a stunner for manager Stan Cliburn.

 

In the first game of Monday’s doubleheader, Matt Scanlon homered to lead off the third inning. The Rock Cats proceeded to go three up and three down through the rest of the game. In the second seven-inning game, Jamie Vermilyea hurled a perfect game - 21 up and 21 down. The first nine hitters in the 10-5 loss on Tuesday also bit the dust.

 

"In 31 years of professional baseball, I’d never seen that," Cliburn said. "You don’t see that too often, but New Hampshire is a team that has good arms. What’s strange about the whole thing is we hit some balls hard. I’d say there were 10 to 12 balls that were hit right on the nose but they made great defensive plays."

 

Cliburn had some damage control to do and he did it successfully. The Rock Cats won the final two games of the five-game set and the team remains poised to make a second-half run toward a playoff berth.

 

In Thursday’s game, the Rock Cats came full circle by belting out 18 hits in the 11-10 win that rambled for 14 innings.

 

"It was good to see that, and we had 14 of those hits in the first nine innings," Cliburn said. "This team is funny. That’s the third game this year we’ve had close to 20 hits. We’re capable of doing those things. I’ve challenged the guys to even themselves out and stop the rollercoaster ride."

 

CAT-A-LOG: Coming into the weekend series with Trenton, catcher Rob Bowen hadn’t had one single in his last 13 games. All five of his hits during that period were for extra bases, two doubles and three homers. ..Left fielder B.J. Garbe had played in all 77 games before getting a break on Tuesday. He didn’t start in Thursday’s 14-inning marathon but came on late in the game for defensive purposes. ..

 

First baseman Garrett Jones enjoyed the team’s second five-hit game of the season Thursday. The first baseman slugged two homers, a double and two singles, drove in four runs and scored four. Kevin West went 5-for-5 May 29 against Altoona. Billy Munoz had two four-hit games. Tommy Watkins, Matt Scanlon and Jason Kubel have one each. ..

 

The first outing since returning from Triple-A Rochester was rough but the last two have been aces for Henry Bonilla. In his last two starts, both victories, he’s pitched to a 1.84 ERA. ..Travis Bowyer went 29 2/3 innings at Fort Myers and 19 2/3 with New Britain with only one earned run on his watch until giving up four in New Hampshire Thursday. His combined ERA prior to Thursday was 0.18. ..

 

Righty reliever Pat Neshek hasn’t allowed a run in his last five appearances (7 2/3 innings), logging a victory and a save. His ERA is down to a season-best 3.45. ..

 

Jon Pridie has become quite a workhorse. Since June 13, he has made four spot starts and has been called upon for a relief appearance in between each one. With only one left-hander (Jason Miller) in the bullpen, Pridie is often counted upon to get left-handed hitters out. ..

 

ROSTER MOVES: The Rock Cats activated starter Jim Abbott for Friday’s game and returned infielder Kaulana Kuhaulua to Class A Fort Myers.

 

Kuhaulua, 24, played in seven games and batted .186 with a double and seven strikeouts in 21 at-bats.

 

Abbott was on the disabled list for seven days to rest a sore pitching shoulder.

 

After the game, the team announced that utility player Ryan Owens will be rejoining the Cats for today’s game. No announcement was made on who will be leaving.

 

OPEN TRYOUT: The Minnesota Twins will conduct an open tryout July 10 for players between the ages of 16 and 21 who aspire to play professionally.

 

The tryout, which will be administered by the Twins’ professional scouts, will begin at 10 a.m. All participants must pre-register by 9 a.m. that morning and have their own bat, glove and related gear.

 

Some participants will be asked to return the following day for further drills.
 
07/03/2004

 

NEW BRITAIN -- Rock Cats starter Jim Abbott needed to pitch seven innings Friday night, but that was one too many.

 

With only two pitchers available out of the bullpen, Abbott was forced to go too long after being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day. He allowed three runs in the seventh and the Trenton Thunder added two in the eighth to beat the Rock Cats 8-3 at New Britain Stadium.

 

"He said he felt strong with three righties coming up in the seventh," manager Stan Cliburn said. "With it 3-3 after six, I'm going to take my chances with [batters No.] 7, 8, 9 coming up. Abbott's a guy who wants to prove something this year."

 

The Rock Cats were short in the bullpen after using five relievers in a 14-inning game Thursday. Abbott (2-6), who has a frayed labrum, might have to go back on the DL. Cliburn said he might need season-ending surgery and a decision will be made today.

 

"I know the kid wants to fight it out for the rest of the year," Cliburn said.

 

Abbott allowed three runs in the first six innings, but ran into trouble in the seventh.

 

Caonoba Cosme led off with a double and scored on David Parrish's single. After Andy Cannizaro bunted to move Parrish to second, Abbott intentionally walked Kevin Thompson before being pulled. Jason Miller induced a groundout from Kevin Reese, then intentionally walked Craig Wilson to load the bases. But Aaron Rifkin singled through the right side to drive in his third and fourth runs.

 

Abbott was charged with six runs. He allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out two in 6 1/3 innings.

 

Owens coming, Kuhaulua reassigned: Infielder Ryan Owens will join the team from Triple A Rochester today. If Abbott is placed on the DL, Owens will take his roster spot. ... Infielder Kaulana Kuhaulua was sent down to Class A Fort Myers to make room for Abbott. He batted .186 in seven games with the Rock Cats. ... Right-handed pitchers Scott Baker and J.D. Durbin, infielder Luis Maza and outfielder/DH Kevin West of the Rock Cats have been selected to play in the Eastern League All-Star Game July 14 at Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, Md.

 

Fisher Cats 5-7, Navigators 1-2: New Hampshire had 20 hits in its doubleheader sweep in Norwich.

 

Gustavo Chacin (8-2) got the win in the first game. The lefthander allowed a run on four hits in 52/3 innings. He struck out five with one walk. Brad Hennessey (4-5) took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings.

 

Brandon Larson (4-3) allowed four hits in five innings of the second game to pick up the victory.

 

Wire report included

 

July 3, 2004

 

 

Mary Blasko was thrilled when she received a special Christmas present from her father, Ed, in 1985: season tickets to Rochester Red Wings games at Silver Stadium.
"I've always been a baseball fan," says Mary, who was 24 at the time. "I thought it was a great gift."

 

Little did she know it would be the gift that kept on giving.

 

And giving.

 

And giving.

 

Now, 19 years later, the Blaskos have become as familiar at Frontier Field as the trains that roll by.

 

The Pittsford residents are not just season seat holders, they're ballpark staples. Mary was named Season Seatholder of the Year in 1999, and Ed won it the following year.

 

"Quite simply, Ed and Mary Blasko are two of the greatest Red Wing fans I've met in the 61 years that I've been going to Red Wing games," says season ticketholder Joe Paris of Greece. "Ask a lot of the real good fans and the thing you get is this: It wouldn't be the same without Mary and Ed around. Part of enjoying the game is fans like them."

 

The Blaskos don't just attend games at Frontier, they travel to Syracuse and Buffalo 16 times each summer to watch the Wings play.

 

"They attend more games than I do," says Red Wings general manager Dan Mason. "They're just great, great fans who are extremely supportive of the team whether they're winning or losing."

 

And, Mason adds, "they know everybody at the ballpark."

 

You will find them on the third-base side at Frontier, just behind the visitor's dugout. But don't look for them sitting together because they don't.

 

Mary sits in Section 123. Ed is next to Paris in Section 124 -- when he's in his chair and not coaxing fans to participate in his nightly attendance derby (more on that later).

 

"When we started at Silver, we sat in the same section," Ed says. "But I wanted to sit a little higher and we couldn't get seats together (that high) when the team moved here.

 

"Since then, we've had one section separating us."

 

In truth, they are inseparable. Mary, who is single, is a homeowners adjuster for Allstate Insurance and lives with her parents. Her mom, Donna, attends games but not nearly as many as Ed and Mary.

 

The Blaskos rarely miss a Wings game if they can drive to it in under two hours.

 

 

From April 23 through May 16, the Red Wings played every game either at Frontier Field or in Syracuse or Buffalo. The Blaskos attended all 23 of them.

 

"Ed and Mary are the definition of super fans,' Mason says.

 

Each winter, they order four tickets to every Syracuse or Buffalo game involving the Wings ("we always bring someone along,' Mary says) and sit in the same seats.

 

"I just love the atmosphere," Mary says. "I've even gone to Buffalo for post-season games when the Wings didn't make the playoffs."

 

The Blaskos missed two Frontier Field games last year, one to attend the graduation of Ed's twin granddaughters and another for a wedding.

 

"The reception was at the Crowne Plaza," Mary says. "We left and got in the car and we heard that the Wings were winning in a blowout and it was the ninth inning. So we just went back into the reception."

 

The Blaskos drive together each night -- Ed takes the wheel of his 2001 Dodge Caravan to games, and Mary drives home. They arrive at Frontier about 75 minutes before games.

 

"Mary likes to get something to eat after work," Ed explains, "and I get together with a bunch of guys I know and we have a beer before the game starts."

 

 

Baseball has been a major part of their lives for decades, and not just in Rochester.

 

Ed's job as a high-ranking executive in Eastman Kodak's engineering services department kept his family on the move. Mary was born in Rochester but then lived in Los Angeles, Seattle, back to Rochester for a year, Chicago for 10 years and then back to Rochester in 1983.

 

"We loved going to Dodger games, and then to Wrigley Field (in Chicago)," Mary says. "Going to a Cubs game was the best. The fans in Chicago are like the fans here. It's like a family."

 

When the Blaskos returned to Rochester in 1983, Ed began attending Red Wings games alone or with Mary. He liked it so much he decided to make it a family event for himself, Donna, Mary and son Ward.

 

Anyone who has attended a game at Frontier Field probably recognizes Ed. He's the bearded man who wears shorts all the time -- "I bring a pair of pants in April just in case," he says -- and has a wardrobe that seems to include every color under the rainbow.

 

"His wardrobe? Wow!" Mary says, laughing.

 

Ed owns more than 30 pairs of shorts: purple ones, green ones, black ones, red ones …

 

"I have matching socks and tops, or I mix and match and make them blend together," he says matter-of-factly.

 

Ed really turns heads on special occasions. This Easter, he wore bunny ears. On Flag Day, he was decked out in stars and stripes. On the Fourth of July, he's been known to dress like Uncle Sam.

 

"I love having fun and being sociable," he says. "I have no hesitation in teasing strangers. Anything that comes to mind, I'll say something foolish and make them laugh.'

 

Mary sometimes gets into the act, like last month when she also showed her true colors (red, white and blue) on Flag Day.

 

When the Wings held "Halloween in July" two years ago, Ed dressed as Mary and Mary dressed as Ed.

 

The Blaskos passed out American Flag stick-ons during the Flag Day game. They plan to hand out 75 pens next month.

 

"It will say something about the Red Wings and have 'Mary and Ed with hugs and kisses,'" Ed says.

 

Flag pins will be distributed on the Fourth of July. Bubble blowers are on the agenda later in the season.

 

 

Ed retired from Kodak after 35 years in 1992, but not before he earned his place in history. In 1982, he received a Scientific Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

 

That's right. Ed Blasko is an Oscar winner.

 

"Recipient,' he corrects.

 

He and fellow Kodak employee Rod Ryan were presented the award by actor Lloyd Bridges, years after they developed the Prostar Microfilm Processor, which increased the time by which studios could process special effects sequences.

 

 

These days, the prize that keeps Blasko motoring around Frontier Field is his attendance derby. The person who guesses the paid attendance closest wins the money.

 

"It started with just a few of us at Silver," Mary says. "Then we said, 'Let's each put in a quarter.' The pot was something like $3 or $5."

 

Not anymore. Ed saunters around the stadium during games with his paperwork and envelope, collecting quarters from anyone and everyone.

 

He often comes up with more than 100 entrees.

 

"Strangers come up to him and say, 'Can I get in that?'" his daughter says. "Now the pot is up to $22 a night."

 

Even Bishop Matthew Clark has been known to chip in a quarter when he visits Frontier.

 

The Blaskos admit that the final five years of the Orioles' affiliation here (1998-2002) tested their love for the team and their nonstop attendance at games.

 

"It became disheartening," Mary says. "It was like 'Oh, we're going to the game again, and they're going to lose again.'"

 

The Blaskos used to be much more familiar with the players, especially at cozy Silver. Now, they tend to admire them from afar.

 

Both say the memories they have forged after almost two decades will last a lifetime.

 

"It's special to me," Mary says. "I have memories of sitting around in California with him and eating oranges out of a bowl. That's a nice childhood memory. But these 20 years and the memories we bring back and bring up in conversation … I won't be able to forget those at all."

 

Ed says he can't imagine a summer without his daughter accompanying him to the ballpark.

 

"It's so nice that we can enjoy each other's company," he says. "We really enjoy this, and we have so many great memories. We're buddies."

 

 

Two fans' views

Ed Blasko
All-time favorite Red Wing: Jeff Tackett.
Manager: Bob Miscik/Marv Foley.
Dream team: 1997, when the Wings won the Governor's Cup in their first season at Frontier Field.
Greatest moment: Third baseman P.J. Forbes' diving catch in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the Cup finals vs. Columbus.
Dumping the Orioles for the Twins: "I liked the idea. It was time."
Top Frontier food item: Anything from La Fiesta (Mexican).
Favorite 2004 Wing: Jason Bartlett or Brian Simmons.
Prediction: "I believe we're gonna finish over .500, and I'm very high on the feeling that we can make the playoffs."

Mary Blasko
All-time favorite Red Wing: Brad Tyler.
Manager: Marv Foley.
Dream team: 1997. "I hate to use the term because it becomes old, but it was magical."
Greatest moment: The Forbes catch in 1997.
Dumping the Orioles for the Twins: "Fine with me. (Orioles owner) Peter Angelos wasn't going to do anything for us."
Top Frontier food: La Fiesta.
Favorite 2004 Red Wing: Brent Schoening.
2004 prediction: "I think we can make the playoffs."

Twins starting pitcher Jeff Schoenbachler gave up only two runs on six hits in four innings worth of work but it was enough for the Gulf Coast League Pirates to down the Twins, 2-1.

 

Third baseman Joe Abellera batted in catcher Eli Tintor for the only Twins run.

 

Both Alex Merricks and Oswaldo Sosa pitched near perfect innings in relief for the Fort Myers team, but the Twins bats could not rally against Pirate Jean Garavito.

 

Russ Johnson, who pitched well last Saturday against the Twins in Bradenton, allowed only two hits and issued just one walk in one inning work of work.

 

The two teams rematch tomorrow at the Lee County Sportsplex in Fort Myers at noon.

 

Boxscore

 

 

 

Julio DePaula provided some welcome relief Thursday night to the heat the Swing of the Quad-Cities bullpen might have been feeling after a string of late-inning losses.

 

DePaula finished off what Adam Harben started in the Swing's 3-2 win over Cedar Rapids, working 21/3 innings of hitless relief en route to his team-leading seventh win in 12 decisions this season.

 

"I couldn't have been happier with our pitchers tonight," manager Kevin Boles said. "Our bullpen pitched well, and we got a quality start from Harben."

 

Combining with DePaula on a three-hit win, Harben equaled career highs with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 62/3 innings of work before leaving the game with his team trailing by a 2-1 count.

 

Boles liked the way that Harben climbed the ladder with his fastballs and kept his slider down in the strike zone.

 

"He didn't make many mistakes. He was aggressive with two strikes," Boles said.

 

DePaula faced the minimum over the final innings, helped when catcher Kyle Phillips ended the eighth by throwing out the Kernels' Baltazar Lopez as he attempted to steal second base.

 

"It was good to see our pen come through like that," Boles said. "Those guys have been reliable most of the year and they had a couple of tough breaks the last couple of games, getting a few pitches up in the zone.

 

"But, they didn't panic. They kept working and stayed with their game and it paid off tonight."

 

 

Thursday's game marked the 11tth annual Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Night at John O'Donnell Stadium.

 

The group uses the game as a fund-raising activity for Special Olympics programs in both Iowa and Illinois. Around $10,000 was raised for the organizations, on what was a make-up date for the group's previously rained out night at the ballpark.

 

 

Almost 150 Quad-City area youth baseball players between the ages of 5 and 15 who completed the three-day Pepsi Kids Camp hosted by the Swing this week were recognized on the field prior to the start of the game.

 

The camp, which ran Tuesday through Thursday, included three days of instruction from Swing players and coaches.

 

A second session is scheduled in early August. For details, contact the Swing front office at (563) 324-3000.

 

The camp at John O'Donnell Stadium was one of two that Swing players participated in this week around the Quad-Cities. Players also took part in a Scott County Family Y camp held at the North High School Y campus.

 

 

Tickets have been selling quickly, but limited numbers of both box seat and general admission tickets remain for Swing home games tonight and Saturday that will be followed by Independence Day fireworks displays.

 

Tickets can be purchased at the Swing box office at John O'Donnell Stadium beginning at 9 a.m., online at www.swingbaseball.com or by phone at (324) 328-2000.

 

 

Thursday ended a string of eight straight games between the Swing and Kernels to open the second half of the Midwest League season, with the teams splitting the set 4-4.

 

"It's going to be nice to face somebody else. Their pitchers were starting to adjust a lot. It will be nice seeing a different opponent," Quad-Cities infielder J.R. Taylor said.

 

Thursday's game was also the last of the regular season between the teams with Cedar Rapids owning a 6-5 edge in the season series.

 

"We move on to another good team in Kane County, so it won't get any easier," Boles said. "I enjoy playing Cedar Rapids. Bobby (Magallanes, the Kernels manager) and his staff run a good team and we enjoy playing against better competition."

 

 

Quad-Cities won for just the sixth time in 15 tries Thursday when the game entered the ninth inning tied.

 

 

Kane County Cougars at Swing of the Quad-Cities, 7 p.m., today, John O'Donnell Stadium. Probable pitchers: Kane County, Trent Peterson (2-2, 4.63 ERA); Quad-Cities, Scott Tyler (2-1, 2.93). Postgame fireworks, sponsored by KWQC-TV and Great Country 105.

 

 

KERNELS SIXTH: Billy Boyer struck out. Brandon Wood walked, stole second, took third on a throwing error by catcher Kyle Phillips, scored on a single to right-center by Bobby Wilson. Baltazar Lopez popped out to third. Matt Pali grounded out to first. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left. Kernels 1, Swing 0.

 

SWING SIXTH: Paul Rutgers singled to right-center, took second on a wild pitch and third on a wild pitch. J.R. Taylor struck out. Mark Zamojc doubled to right, scoring Rutgers. Zamojc was caught stealing. Brock Peterson singled to left. Phillips singled to center, moving Peterson to second. Omar Burgos flew out to center. 1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left. Swing 1, Kernels 1.

 

KERNELS SEVENTH: Matt Brown grounded out to second. Aaron Peel walked, took second on defensive indifference, scored when Tommy Duenas doubled to left. Quan Cosby flew out to center, moving Duenas to third. Boyer flew out to center. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left. Kernels 2, Swing 1.

 

SWING SEVENTH: Dusty Gomon struck out. Scott Whitrock singled to right, took second safely when Ryan Spataro reached on a sacrifice fielder's choice. Whitrock and Spataro advanced on a double steal. Whitrock scored, Spataro took third on a throwing error by Wilson, the catcher, on the play. Rutgers struck out. Taylor walked. Zamojc grounded out to shortstop. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 left. Swing 2, Kernels 2.

 

SWING NINTH: Gomon grounded out to third. Whitrock struck out. Spataro reached on an infield single, took second when Rutgers walked, score when Taylor doubled to left-center. Two outs when winning run scored. Swing 3, Kernels 2.

 

July 2nd, 2004

 

With his team down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ryan Spataro didn't exactly beat the stuffing out of the baseball Thursday night.

 

But his infield single that dropped quietly in front of second base after looping just beyond the reach of Cedar Rapids pitcher Aaron Pullin proved to be the start of something big for the Swing of the Quad-Cities.

 

Paul Rutgers followed by reaching on a full-count walk before J.R. Taylor turned the tables on the Kernels, who had rallied for three straight wins over the Swing.

 

Taylor's double brought home the deciding run in a 3-2 Midwest League contest, splitting the gap in left-center to score Spataro in front of a crowd of 4,496 at John O'Donnell Stadium.

 

"We've been scratching and clawing all week to find a way to beat these guys and it feels good to finally get it done," Spataro said. "I've hit balls harder, but at that point, you've just got to find a way to get on base. J.R. came up big, and it feels good to give the pitchers a win they deserved."

 

Adam Harben and Julio DePaula (7-5) combined to strike out 12 batters while limiting Cedar Rapids to three hits, but Quad-Cities had to rally from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits after the Kernels pushed single runs across in the sixth and seventh innings.

 

The Swing matched Cedar Rapids run for run, tying the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh when a throwing error by Kernels catcher Bobby Wilson allowed Scott Whitrock to race home after he stole third.

 

Following a 1-2-3 eighth inning, Pullin (6-2) retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth before Spataro reached and took second on just the second walk of the night given up by a group of three Cedar Rapids pitchers who combined to strike out 11 Swing batters.

 

Taylor then worked the count full before lashing his double into center.

 

"We got the timely hitting when we needed it," Quad-Cities manager Kevin Boles said. "Taylor cut down his swing with two strikes and was able to get the double. It was a game that feels good to get."

 

July 2nd, 2004

 

Dominance nearly turned into disaster for Pat Ahearne on Thursday night.

 

The Toledo Mud Hens right-hander was four outs away from no-hitting the Rochester Red Wings.

 

Then, after giving up a single with two outs in the eighth inning, Ahearne was pulled in the ninth after giving up five runs and back-to-back home runs.

 

John Ennis entered to save host Toledo’s 6-5 win.

 

Ahearne rolled through the first 7 2/3 innings before Todd Dunwoody delivered the Wings’ first hit.

 

Dunwoody lined a shot to Toledo third baseman Brant Ust, who dove to his left and briefly had the ball in his glove before it trickled out as he hit the ground.

 

Ust quickly got to his feet, but was unable to throw out Dunwoody at first base.

 

Toledo’s last nine-inning no-hitter was tossed by current Dodgers pitcher Jose Lima against Pawtucket in 1994.

 

The Red Wings haven’t been no-hit over nine innings since Mike Pazik did it for Syracuse in 1971.

 

Ahearne, who pitched eight innings in a win over the Wings on May 30, retired the first batter he faced in the ninth before things got interesting.

 

Alex Prieto and Luis Rodriguez each drew walks and scored on Augie Ojeda’s double.

 

Ahearne then got Jason Kubel to fly out before giving up back-to-back homers to Justin Morneau and Juan Diaz.

 

Morneau’s blast to right field was a two-run shot and his 20th homer of the year.

 

Ahearne (6-7) allowed eight hits and five runs over 8 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked three.

 

Toledo (43-38) scored all of its runs off Wings starter Seth Greisinger in the second, third and fourth innings.

 

After Andy Barkett led off the second with a triple, Danny Klassen scored him with a double that gave the Mud Hens a 1-0 lead.

 

Greisinger continued his leadoff woes in the third, giving up a solo home run to Guillermo Rodriguez to make the score 2-0.

 

The fourth inning was Greisinger’s last as he allowed six straight to reach base and four more runs to score.

 

Warren Morris, Rodriguez and Nook Logan each hit RBI singles and Chris Shelton added a sacrifice fly to give Toledo its 6-0 lead.

 

Greisinger (1-2) allowed 10 hits and four earned runs over four innings as the Red Wings (43-37) finished their eight-game road trip 4-4.

 

 

Matchup: Rochester Red Wings vs. Ottawa Lynx, Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

 

When/where: 6:05 p.m. at Frontier Field. Gates open at 5.

 

Starting pitchers: Red Wings RHP Gary Glover (0-1, 8.44 ERA) vs. Lynx LHP Andrew Lorraine (1-0, 4-67 ERA).

 

Radio: WHTK (1280-AM).

 

Promotions: The first of three straight postgame holiday fireworks displays will follow a patriotic-themed concert performed by the Empire Statesmen Drum and Bugle Corps.

 

 

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Rob Bowen drove in Garrett Jones with a double in the 14th inning to give the New Britain Rock Cats an 11-10 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Thursday in Manchester, N.H.

 

Jones singled, went to second on a passed ball and scored on Bowen's hit. Jones was 5-for-7, including his 11th and 12th home runs, and had four RBI.

 

New Hampshire scored four in the ninth inning to tie it at 10. John-Ford Griffin's two-run homer highlighted the rally.

 

Matt Scanlon had three hits for New Britain. Aaron Hill and Michael Snyder had three apiece for New Hampshire.

 

Pat Neshek (2-1) allowed one hit in two innings for the win.

 

Dan Jackson (3-8) took the loss.

 

July 2, 2004

 

Imagine being a 10-year-old and spending your spring break at spring training and summers at major league baseball games.

 

That was Brandon Roberts' life until he reached high school.

 

"I remember spending about a half hour in the outfield with (Atlanta Braves center fielder) Andruw Jones," Roberts said. "I was about 13 years old and he was about 17. It was great to talk to him."
    
Brandon is the son of Leon Roberts, who played at Portage Northern High School, went to the University of Michigan and was drafted in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers in 1972.

 

Leon spent 11 years in the majors with six different teams before playing his final season with the Kansas City Royals in 1984.

 

He is now the minor league hitting coordinator for the Cincinnati Reds, who drafted Brandon in the 45th round of this year's draft.

 

The father and son were together in Billings, Mont. -- the Reds' High Rookie affiliate, a level just below Class A ball -- over Father's Day weekend.

 

"I think what baseball does is give a dad a chance to get with his son in a lot of different arenas," Leon said. "It gives you a chance to have a lot of interaction with your kid."

 

Brandon followed in his father's footsteps, attending U-M. By the end of the 2004 season, Brandon eclipsed his dad's single-season batting average mark.

 

He hit .368 as a senior, one point better than Leon's .367, a record that had stood at Michigan since 1972.

 

"It was great," Brandon said of surpassing his father. "All these years I've lived in his shadow, which is really no big deal. But, to be able to top him, is something I will never forget."

 

This past season was Brandon's best at U-M. He was an American Baseball Coaches Association All-Mideast region first-team selection, as well as an All-Big Ten first-teamer as a designated hitter and an All-Big Ten tournament selection.

 

Baseball success runs in Roberts family

 

Brandon also achieved in the classroom, making the All-Big Ten Academic team.

 

"He's been involved in sports for 20 years," Leon said of his son. "After all the work he's put in at U-M, and now following in my footsteps playing pro ball, is great."

 

But, it wasn't always great for Brandon, who didn't see his father as much as he would've liked growing up.

 

Combine that with going to Michigan and outsiders expecting Brandon to be as good as his dad, along with the pressure he put on himself, made the younger Roberts a bit unsure of himself.

 

That all changed one day when Leon had a sit-down talk with his son and assured him that whatever career avenue Brandon chose, he would be a success.

 

"I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed in baseball," Brandon said. "I didn't play my best at times, because I felt that pressure.

 

"My dad had a talk with me, and said to me that he would be happy with whatever I did."

 

Brandon decided a career in baseball was in order, and now he spends everyday competing for a chance at a call-up to the majors.

 

"It's tough to be around guys who you want to be friends with, but know you are competing against them," Brandon said. "When it comes down to it, you're trying to beat another guy out for a job."

 

The Billings Mustangs have played Brandon at first base, and he expects to get some time in the outfield.

 

He was drafted for his offensive ability, and is being tutored by one of the greatest players to ever wear a Reds uniform -- Detroit native Chris Sabo, who is the hitting instructor at Billings and also played at U-M.

 

"He's from a good bloodline, and you can never underestimate the role genetics plays in an athlete's career," said Sabo, a three-time MLB All-Star. "The key is to keep getting better, because another guy could get drafted next year and pass these guys up."

 

It took Brandon some time to get adjusted to the pro game, going from playing baseball collegiately to playing for a spot on a roster.

 

"I was filling out my tax form and I got to the portion where it asks your occupation," Brandon said. "I asked a guy what should I put and he said what do you think? ... pro baseball player."

 

 

BRISTOL -- As if Monday's night game against Bristol wasn't disappointing enough, the outing for the Twins on Tuesday didn't get any more promising, with Elizabethton dropping its second straight game in a 13-2 final.

 

It's still very early in the season, but the Twins' handle on things seem to be at a distance for the moment.

 

"We're going to be on the receiving end of these, which is never fun, but the good thing about it is that it only counts as one loss, and the sun will come up tomorrow and three billion Chinese will have never heard about this game," said Twins manager Ray Smith. "We have to come back and apply what we've learned from this, and see that it doesn't happen again."

 

Elizabethton struggled from the mound early on, as pitcher John Williams didn't get the performance he was hoping for in his first career start as a Twin.

 

Williams gave up seven hits and six runs during the first two frames, with the first score coming off sacrifice fly from Mike Gulan, driving home Jose De Los Sota.

 

Troubles continued to persist for Williams in the bottom of the second, when the White Sox combined for five hits along with five runs.

 

A two-run double by Gulan drove in De Los Santos and Javier Castillo to give Bristol a 6-0 lead after two frames.

 

"The guys are playing real well in swinging the bat, and we've had two well-pitched ball games now, and you can't beat that," said White Sox manager Jerry Hairston. "It's just a matter of guys getting their feet wet. They've been good ball players to attract major league ball clubs to them, so it's a matter of getting their feet wet for their talent to come out."

 

The Twins answered with a run in the top of the third when two walks and a bunt by Luke Hughes loaded the bases.

 

The right fielder, Deacon Burns, was struck by a pitch thrown from Yunior Novoa, bringing home a run for Elizabethton.

 

With bases still loaded, the first-baseman David Winfree grounded to Santos, and a flip to second base and throw to first finished a double-play.

 

A fielder's choice from Garrett Guess brought in Jeff Schmidt in the bottom of the third, and a passed ball enabled Castillo to come in during the fourth to give Bristol a comfortable lead of 8-1.

 

Missed opportunities for Elizabethton haunted it in the fifth and sixth frames, as each time it connected for a couple of hits, but never was able to bring the runner on base home.

 

"We weren't very efficient -- we had 10 hits and scored just two runs, while they had 16 hits and scored 13 runs," said Smith. "We left a lot of guys on base and we didn't hit the ball that hard, but we did get 10 hits, so we wasn't very efficient."

 

The White Sox added to their advantage in the fifth, when De Los Santos connected for his fourth hit, as he went perfect at bat on the night.

 

The hit scored Fransisco Hernandez and a field and throw from relief pitcher Evan Meek went past the first-baseman to allow Guess to come home also.

 

After a sacrifice fly by Castillo to right field, which scored Evan Tartaglia, Bristol had built an enormous advantage of 11-1 by the end of the fifth frame.

 

Meek had come in to replace Williams after the second frame, but his three innings of output was not any more stable, as he gave up six hits and five runs.

 

"It all starts with the pitching, because if we have a guy that gets ahead of the count and throws strikes when guys are on base, then our hitting will eventually come around, but it all starts with pitching," said Smith.

 

Possibly the best play of the night from the Twins came in the bottom of the sixth. That's when third-baseman Jay Yaconetti made a great diving snag down the third-base line and recovered for a throw to first and out to Manuel Rodriguez.

 

"I think a lot of times we're trying to do too much and win our position to show the coaches what we can do, but it would be nice for all of us to get on a roll and start winning as a team," said Yaconetti. "It's a bummer, but we're a good team and we will come around."

 

Elizabethton was able to capture its second run of the evening in the top of the seventh, as pinch-hitter Patrick Ortiz, who went two for two on the night at the plate, smacked a double to left field. A ground single to the shortstop from Winfree scored Ortiz, but this was only run the Twins managed to score for the remainder of the contest.

 

Bristol added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth after a wild pitch from Kris Lankford scored Gulan and a hit up the middle by Dustin Shefer drove in Rodriguez.

 

"Anytime you can get the lead and draw first blood it's a good thing, and then we got what we needed with the pitching going back out and shutting them down," said Hairston. "It's always good to hear your team talking about baseball and what they want to accomplish out here."

 

 

 

Charlie Haeger didn't like the Elizabethton Twins last Thursday.

 

In his first appearance for the Bristol White Sox, the right-handed pitcher known for his knuckleball yielded Elizabethton's first win of the season.

 

The Michigan native got even Monday night, only allowing three hits and striking out three in seven scoreless innings, while his teammates found the gaps en route to a 9-3 Bristol victory.

 

The Sox pounded out 15 hits, with the assistance of an Elizabethton error to move around the bases.

 

"We had some balls drop in for us early and we were able to get a nice little cushion going," said Bristol manager Jerry Hairston. "The guys made the defensive plays and things worked out for us tonight. We got some hits and runs to go with them."

 

Elizabethton gave up seven runs in the first three innings.

 

Things visibly began to go downhill early with Bristol's four-run first inning effort.

 

"They got some serious bloops on us," said Elizabethton manager Ray Smith. "Our pitch selection was okay, but our location was not good. If we get ahead of the hitter, we have to be able to throw a kill shot in there.

 

"They hit the ball hard too, don't get me wrong, but you've got to make quality pitches."

 

"Good pitchers are like a school of circling sharks around a wounded fish, they come in for the kill when they get ahead," he said. "It really puts the hitter on the defensive."

 

Metairie, Louisiana's Jonathan Martinez took the loss against Haeger after giving up five hits and six runs in the first two innings.

 

Dennis Medina and Matthew Fox controlled the middle of the game, only allowing a combined three runs before Kyle Aselton held Bristol hitless in their final two offensive stanzas.

 

Nick Lemon closed things out for Bristol, but fell short of competing a shutout, as each of the Twins' runs came in the final inning.

 

Haeger had defensive help during his seven frames, including two double plays. He only walked one during his appearance.

 

Tarrence Patterson, Javier Sanchez and Trevor Plouffe each got a hit off him, but the other Elizabethton players didn't share the luck.

 

"That knuckleball guy, we knocked him around pretty good at their place the other night, but he was mixing in more fast balls and the knuckleball was better," Smith said. "When you're looking for (the knuckleball), it makes his fast ball gain a foot, which is about ten miles-per-hour. He kept us honest and it was a tough night all around."

 

For Bristol, Javier Castillo and Brandon Allen used shallow-fielded singles to drive a run across the plate in the first inning before a Francisco Hernandez hit off the right-field wall scored the other two first frame runs.

 

Evan Tartaglia had an RBI double, while Castillo provided a sacrificed fly for runs in the second inning.

 

Manuel Rodriguez lit up Medina with a 430-foot shot over the left-center wall to make it 7-0 in the third.

 

A Brandon Johnson RBI triple in the fifth and an RBI single from Tartaglia in the seventh wound out the scoring for the White Sox.

 

Only Tim Lahey, via walk, got on base for the Twins between the fifth and eighth innings. The team finally got going offensively in the final inning.

 

Patrick Ortiz moved two bases off a throwing error to kick off things in the ninth. Deacon Burns walked before a David Winfree single loaded the bases.

 

Sanchez prevented the shutout with a 6-3 sacrificed grounder to score Ortiz and Johnny Woodard came through with an RBI single for Burns.

 

Winfree swiped the plate after a wild pitch before a pop fly ended the night.

 

For the night, Johnson led the BriSox with three hits, while five others had two hits apiece. Only 12-year veteran Mike Gulan was hitless for the visiting club.

 

 

Elizabethton is still trying to work through its pitching numbers. It may take awhile for the Twins staff to determine roles for the 16, soon to be 17, pitchers.

 

"One thing that stands out is that we have so many pitchers, 16 pitchers, and another guy is coming in on Thursday," Smith added.

 

"We're still trying to decide what the roles are going to be for our pitchers. We're running these guys out here and identify how they're going to be the most affective and get the most out of their ability."

 

"They'll be fine. They'll be a lot better at the end of the season than they are now."

 

 

Minnesota Twins Vice President and General Manger Terry Ryan will visit Riverside Stadium on Thursday with a special delivery for the Twins.

 

Minnesota's 22nd pick in the Major League Draft, University of Minnesota left-handed pitcher Glen Perkins (6-0, 190 lb.), signed with the club Monday and will land in town this week.

 

Perkins, 21, was 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 16 games with 21 walks and 113 strikeouts for the University of Minnesota during his sophomore year.

 

He was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and earned second-team Collegiate Baseball News All-American honors.

 

Perkins was 15th in the nation in wins in 2003, earning first team All-Big Ten, first team Freshman All-America by Baseball America and second team All-American honors by Collegiate Baseball News during his initial collegiate campaign.

 

He was the third Golden Gopher to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors after setting the school record in strikeouts with 117.

 

It was estimated that he would receive anywhere between a $1.4 or 1.425 million dollar signing bonus according to an article on the official Minnesota web site.

 

 

Sunday night's game between the Twins and the Devil Rays resembled an old fashioned roller-coaster ride: up and down with a nice smooth finish.

 

Leading 4-0 after seven innings, the Twins saw a 4-0 lead evaporate before rallying to tie the game in the ninth and finally winning the game in the 10th inning, 6-5, at Joe O'Brien Field.

 

David Winfree lined a sacrifice fly to left-center field that scored Deacon Burns, who had doubled to start the rally.

 

"I wasn't looking to do anything heroic," stated Winfree. "I just wanted to hit the ball good.

 

Elizabethton took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Johnny Woodard ripped a home run over the left-center field wall, giving the Twins the early lead.

 

'Betsy took a 2-0 advantage in the second when Winfree, the 18-year-old from Virginia Beach, crushed a home run over the left-field wall, much to the delight of the large Twins crowd.

 

Meanwhile, Twins starting pitcher Steven Duguay was cruising, mowing Princeton batters down like a weed whacker in high grass.

 

The 21-year old from Fleetwood, N.C., gave up only two hits and struck out 8 while allowing no free passes.

 

Alexander Smith came on to pitch two scoreless innings, striking out five of the six batters he faced. Elizabethton upped the lead at 4-0 in the sixth when Tarrence Patterson singled as did Deacon Burns.

 

A single up the middle by Javier Sanchez gave Twins fans hope of getting home early. Princeton closed the gap at 4-3 with one swing of the bat in the seventh. After singles by Blake Shultz and Christian Lopez, Jaria Delarosa launched a home run off reliever Javier Martinez to silence the Betsy faithful.

 

The Devil Rays took the lead in the ninth thanks to a walk, a hit bats man, a wild pitch and an RBI single from Chris Cunningham.

 

Elizabethton refused to fold as Winfree smacked a double to start the ninth and later scored on a another single by Woodard to tie the game at 5-5.

 

After retiring Princeton in order to start the tenth, Elizabethton showed why the cream rises to the top when Burns roped a double off the Philadelphia Church sign that brought an amen from pastor and Twins president Harold Mains.

 

Shouting took place when Sanchez ripped a single to left, placing runners at first and third. Finally fans gave thanks when Winfree delivered his game-winning RBI to cap off a wonderful Sunday night for the Twins' faithful.

 

Winfree and Woodard paced the offense with two hits each, including home runs from the dynamic duo. Sanchez helped the cause with two singles, two RBIs and a great defensive job behind the dish for Elizabethton.

 

"This town reminds me so much of the small community that I from on the outskirts of Virginia Beach," said Winfree. "Coach (Jeff) Reed worked with me on my hitting today and it paid off."

 

Winfree was just as impressive with the pen, staying and signing baseballs for nearly every kid in the ballpark before departing to the dressing room.

 

"The kids mean a lot to me," added Winfree. "I was that age one time and although we are not major leaguers, some of the local kids look up to us."

 

"It's an honor to have the kids want an autograph or a baseball signed."

 

 

 

Baseball fans at Joe O'Brien Field got a little bit of everything Saturday night. While good pitching and defense dominated the first game, the second game featured some offensive fireworks from both teams.

 

Elizabethton squeaked out a 1-0 win in the first contest but dropped the second game 10-8.

 

In the second contest the Devil Rays looked to earn their first win of the season at the expense of the Twins, jumping on top 2-0 after their first at bats.

 

Josh Touchstone walked to open the inning and later scored on an RBI single from Jake Ritchie. A sacrifice fly from Logan Weins plated the second run of the inning.

 

The Devil Rays looked to deliver a knockout punch in the second inning, scoring six runs on six hits. A triple from Christian Lopez, along with a double by Logan Weims helped the cause. Four singles mixed in with an error and two balks pushed the lead at 8-0.

 

The Twins answered with a run in the second when Jay Yaconetti walked to open the inning and advanced to third on a double by Javier Lopez, who was thrown out on a base-running blunder.

 

Tim Lahey ripped a single, scoring Yaconetti, to break the ice for Elizabethton.

 

Elizabethton cut the lead in half in the third inning when Trevor Plouffe and Deacon Burns stroked back-to-back singles. A fielder's choice by Yaconetti resulted in a two-base error, scoring both runners to close the gap to 8-3. Another double by Lopez edged the Twins closer at 8-4.

 

Princeton added a solo run in the fourth inning, upping the margin at 9-4, but the die-hard men of Elizabethton refused to quit. Tarrence Patterson singled to start the inning, and Plouffe followed with a monster home run over the left-center field wall to pull the Twins closer at 9-6.

 

Elizabethton tacked on two more when Burns walked and advanced to third on a double by Yaconetti. Lopez then hit a ball to center that was misplayed for an error, helping the Twins pull within one at 9-8.

 

Princeton then summoned Jarrett Sues from the bullpen, and Sues retired Layhe on a strikeout to end the inning. The Twins went in order in the ninth after Princeton used a solo home run from Lopez to spoil any more comeback hopes the Twins might have and earn its first win of the season.

 

Plouffe was the offensive star for Elizabethton, going 3 for 4 including the big 'tater that resulted in three RBIs. Burns had a nice game, batting 2 for 3 with three RBIs while Lopez and Lahey chipped in with two hits each.

 

Elizabethton used a tremendous pitching performance from David Shinskie to win the first contest. Princeton mustered only three hits off Elizabethton while the Twins took advantage of five hits to earn the hard -ought victory.

 

The Twins scored in the first when Burns singled up the gut and advanced to second on a base hit from Jeremy Pickrel. Javier Sanchez launched a single to right, scoring Burns for the game's only run.

 

Pickrel went 2 for 3 to lead Elizabethton while Burns, Sanchez and Parrick Ortiz had the only other hits for the Twins.

 

Shinskie pitched five innings, allowing three hits and no runs before giving way to Jeff Mousser, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Jason Bowlin came on in the seventh to earn his first save of the season.

 

"I was glad to see us hitting the ball better in the second game," started Twins skipper Ray Smith. "We got some good pitching in the first contest along with some outstanding defense. In the second game we made a good run after being down 8-0."

 

"The fans got a great variety of good pitching, defense and offense in the two games here tonight."

 

Elizabethton will play host to Princeton tonight at Joe O'Brien Field. Gametime is 7 p.m. Everyone who brings a church bulletin to tonight's game will be admitted free.

 

 

 

Granted, Cedar Rapids scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to break open a tie game and defeat Quad-Cities 7-4 Wednesday night at John O'Donnell Stadium, but the pivotal inning came much earlier.

 

The Kernels had scored the first two runs in the top of the fifth, but the Swing were on the verge of even better things in the bottom half.

 

An error, a single and a bunt single loaded the bases for the Swing with no outs and the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hitters waiting to bring them home. Instead, just one run crossed the plate.

 

"You hope in that situation you get more than one run," Quad-City manager Kevin Boles said. "The last two nights, our offense has been limited. We've got to score more runs and score earlier."

 

Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Michel Simard helped his own cause by striking out Justin Arneson for the first out.

 

"That was big," Cedar Rapids manager Bobby Magallanes said. "Any time you get a strikeout in that situation, it's huge."

 

Kyle Phillips followed with a sacrifice fly as left fielder Matt Pali made a running catch into foul territory, but the Kernels were happy to trade the run for an out.

 

"We're going to catch that ball there," Magallanes said when asked if Pali made the correct play catching the foul ball and letting the run score. "We needed that. We're up two runs, so we're going to do our best to get the out."

 

The Kernels avoided any further damage when Omar Burgos grounded out to end the inning.

 

Cedar Rapids also escaped with limited damage in the eighth, although Quad-Cities did come away with the tying run when Mark Zamojc scored on a pair of wild pitches.

 

With Scott Whitrock on second, Josh Johnson and Paul Rutgers, each of whom already had two hits from the bottom two spots in the batting order, couldn't put an exclamation point on their fine nights at the plate.

 

Johnson hit a broken-bat grounder to third base, and Rutgers followed by grounding out to first base on the first pitch he saw.

 

 

The four-game series against Cedar Rapids concludes with a 7 p.m. game today at John O'Donnell Stadium. The Swing's Adam Harben (4-4, 3.00 ERA), the Midwest League's Pitcher of the Week, and the Kernels' Abel Moreno (6-5, 4.31) square off in a battle of right-handed starting pitchers. It's the 11th annual Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Night.

 

 

After a successful rehabilitation stint, Minnesota infielder Nick Punto returned to the Twins after playing in four games for the Swing of the Quad-Cities.

 

"We feel he accomplished everything we wanted him to do," said Jim Rantz, the Twins director of minor-league operations, who is in the the Quad-Cities this week. "I think he took it as a positive that he was able to play under game conditions."

 

Punto, on the disabled list since May 9 with a strained left oblique muscle, went 7-for-16 with the Swing, hit one home run and drove in six runs.

 

Punto was the first major-leaguer to play for the Quad-City franchise since 1983, but it likely won't take another 21 years before another one plays here.

 

"Obviously, in the past it was tough to send players here because of the facilities," Rantz said. "Now, with the state-of-the-art facilities, we have no trouble sending someone here."

 

Rantz said there several factors determined where to send a player to rehab. "Scheduling has a lot to do with it," he said. "We like to have them in the home city. The competition level has something to do with it, too."

 

The Twins often send players to Fort Myers, Fla., because that's where their spring training facility is, and they also have Gulf Coast League (rookie level) and Florida State League (high Class A) teams there.

 

"Nick is a classic example," Rantz said of Punto's first rehab assignment this summer, which ended when he aggravated his injury. "We sent him to the GCL, and the reason we do that is that's where our rehabilitation center is."

 

"With the renovation of John O'Donnell Stadium, along with the proximity of the Quad-Cities to the Twin Cities, the Swing has become an appealing place to send players, though."

 

This is a good fit for us," Rantz said.

 

 

With the signing earlier this week of left-handed pitcher Glen Perkins, the Minnesota organization has signed the first 15 players it selected in the recent baseball draft.

 

Rantz, however, doesn't expect any of the players to come to the Quad-Cities until next season.

 

"I don't see it happening this year unless someone dominates so much at the rookie level," Rantz said. "Next year should be a pretty good year for this club, though."

 

The chances of someone landing here are better than in some years, though, because so many players signed quickly."

 

With the Perkins signing, this is the best we've done," Rantz said. "It's very amazing. Obviously, our scouting department did its homework. They acquired people who were signable and wanted to play. A lot of times, it takes a month to sign and half the season is gone."

 

 

They might want to sound an air-raid warning signal when Aaron Peel comes to the plate for Cedar Rapids.

 

Peel smashed his eighth and ninth home runs of the season and turned the berm beyond left field into a hard-hat area. Peel's first home run, a solo shot in the fifth inning, almost cleared the fence beyond the berm. His second, which went out near the center-field edge of the berm, nailed a young girl in the side. She dropped to the ground and gathered a crowd of concerned fans but was OK."

 

I was just getting in good hitting counts and getting good pitches to hit," Peel said.

 

 

The Swing of the Quad-Cities Fan Clyb will hold a trivia night Saturday, July 10, at The Lodge in Bettendorf.

 

The doors open at 6 p.m., with the games beginning at 7 p.m. The cost for a table, with a maximum of eight players at a table, is $160. A taco bar and entry into the door-prize drawing are included in the cost. Tables may be reserved by calling Tami Roberts at (563) 505-9672 or Dave Legler at (309) 296-9214.

 

 

Fans at the stadium were treated to the view of lights on the Centennial Bridge for the second night in a row. The lights had not been on during any games this season until Tuesday because of bridge constuction.

 

 

KERNELS FIFTH: Aaron Peel homered to left field. Quan Cosby walked. Billy Boyer struck out. Cosby took second on a wild pitch and third on  another wild pitch. Brandon Wood struck out. Bobby Wilson singled to right field, Cosby scored. Baltazar Lopez grounded out. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on base. Kernels 2, Swing 0.

 

SWING FIFTH: Josh Johnson reached first on Wood's throwing error. Paul Rutgers singled to center field, Johnson to second base. Alex Garcia reached on a bunt single, Johnson to third base, Rutgers to second. Justin Arneson struck out. Kyle Phillips fouled out to left field, Johnson scored on the sacrifice fly. Omar Burgos grounded out. 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 left on base. Kernels 2, Swing 1.

 

KERNELS SIXTH: Matt Pali struck out. Matt Brown singled to left field.Tristan Crawford came in to pitch. Collins struck out.Peel homered to left-center field, scoring Brown. Cosby popped out. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on base. Kernels 4, Swing 1.

 

SWING SEVENTH: Johnson doubled to left-field. Rutgers doubled to right field, Johnson scored. Garcia grounded out, Rutgers to third base. Arneson struck out. Scott Hindman came in to pitch. Rutgers scored on a wild pitch. Phillips walked. Burgos grounded into a forceout. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on base. Kernels 4, Swing 3.

 

SWING EIGHTH: Mark Zamojc singled to left-center field. Dusty Gomon sacrificed Zamojc to second base. Zamojc wnet to third base on a wild pitch. Scott Whitrock walked. A wild pitch allowed Zamojc to score and Whitrock to take second base. Johnson grounded out, Whitrock to third base. Rutgers grounded out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on bse. Swing 4, Kernels 4.

 

CEDAR RAPIDS NINTH INNING: Peel walked. Cosby sacrificed Peel to second base. Billy Boyer singled to right field, scoring Peel, and went all the way to third base on an error. Wood tripled to left field, scoring Boyer. Peter Tautor came in to pitch. Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to left field, Wood scored. Lopez struck out. 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 0 left on base. Kernels 7, Swing 4.

 

July 1st, 2004

 

Aaron Peel made his presence felt with a pair of home runs Wednesday night, but he was just as effective the time he came to the plate and didn't even put the ball in play.

 

Peel walked to open the top of the ninth inning, and later came around to score the first of three runs as Cedar Rapids beat Quad-Cities 7-4 with a late-inning rally for the third game in a row at John O'Donnell Stadium.

 

"I wasn't thinking home run," said Peel, who hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and a two-run shot in the sixth. "I wasn't going to swing until I got a strike. In fact, when I saw the first and third basemen back, I thought about a drag bunt."

 

Peel watched the first three pitches from Billy Mauer miss the strike zone, took a called strike, fouled off a pitch and then walked on a 3-2 count. Quan Cosby followed with a sacrifice bunt, although the Swing appeared to have time to throw out Peel at second base had anyone been covering.

 

"No comment," Quad-City manager Kevin Boles said when asked if it was shortstop Alex Garcia's responsibility to cover second base on the play.

 

Garcia ran to third base on the play. The result was magnified when Billy Boyer smashed a single into right field and the ball got past Scott Whitrock as he charged in in an attempt to make a play at home plate.

 

"The thing, too, is eventually what we hoped for was not to get to (Brandon) Wood and (Bobby) Wilson," Boles said, referring to the Nos. 3 and 4 batters in the Cedar Rapids lineup.

 

Instead, Wood followed with a triple and Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 7-4.

 

Despite winning its third consecutive game with runs in the eighth or ninth inning, Cedar Rapids manager Bobby Magallanes isn't pleased with the way the Kernels have played.

 

"We're in the playoffs, and we're using the second half to prepare for the playoffs," he said. "I don't like the way we're preparing at all. I'm not at all pleased."

 

July 1st, 2004

 

The Rochester Red Wings continued their extra-inning excellence Wednesday night and snapped their three-game losing streak in the process.

 

Brian Simmons hit a grand slam as part of a six-run 10th inning that gave the Wings a 10-4 victory over host Toledo.

 

Rochester, which is 5-1 in extra-inning games this season, took advantage of a Mud Hens’ bullpen that imploded in the 10th inning.

 

Chris Mears loaded the bases with a pair of walks and gave up a bunt hit to start the inning.

 

Juan Diaz followed with a run-scoring bloop single to center field that gave Rochester a 5-4 lead. Mears proceeded to plunk Josh Rabe in the next at-bat, scoring Augie Ojeda.

 

Jason Karnuth entered in relief of Mears and struck out Chris Heintz, but in the next at-bat, Simmons blasted a shot down the left field line to seal the win.

 

Jesse Crain, who earned the win, pitched his second consecutive perfect inning in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.

 

Red Wings manager Phil Roof handed the ball to starter Dave Gassner, who was vying for his 10th win of the season, in the hopes of ending his club’s three-game slide, but Gassner was a non-factor in this wild contest.

 

Rochester took the lead in the first inning as Diaz hit an RBI double to give the Red Wings (43-36) a 1-0 lead.

 

The lead appeared to be short-lived as Gassner allowed the Mud Hens (42-38) to put together a two-out rally and load the bases in the bottom of the first. Gassner, however, forced Eric Owens to ground out to shortstop to squelch the threat.

 

Toledo broke through with a run in the fourth to tie the game as Rayner Bautista hit a two-out RBI single to left field.

 

Gassner, who gave up three runs on nine hits in five innings, gave up back-to-back base hits to start the fifth inning.

 

After striking out Chris Shelton, Gassner walked Joe Vitiello to load the bases and then walked Chad Alexander to bring home a run. Owens hit a two-out chopper up the middle to put Toledo ahead 3-1.

 

The lead volleyed back-and-forth from there.

 

Josh Rabe hit into a fielder’s choice to score Ojeda, and Chris Heintz hit a sacrifice fly to score Jason Kubel in the sixth to tie the score 3-3.

 

Danny Klaussen gave the lead right back to Toledo with an RBI bloop single in the seventh.

 

That lead didn’t last long, either, however, as Ojeda hit an RBI double to tie the score 4-4 in the eighth.

 

Toledo had a chance to win the game when it loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, but reliever Brent Schoening forced Vitiello to fly out to end the inning.

 

It was Toledo’s last threat.

 

Notes: Red Wings slugger Justin Morneau was scratched from the lineup due to an illness.

 

The Minnesota Twins optioned right-hander Matt Guerrier back to Rochester.