I admit that I am running out of gas in keeping up with the minor league joneses, and am somewhat thankful that most of the minor leagues conclude their regular season on Labor Day. The lone exception is Everett, who plays until September 5, but I can live with that.
I need to free up my energies to begin focusing on the forthcoming school year, which for us begins in late September but I have a ton of reading to do, as each of my two fall classes, if you can believe this, expect us to have completely read one novel before the first day of the quarter. Both have sizeable reading lists and, in all, I'm facing about 4000 pages of reading, no exaggeration, and with work and sleep factored in, I need to start now.
So on to the wrap-up. I think fatigue is a factor in the Mariners slide, as it appears their minor league squads are fading a bit as well.
On to the wr- wruh... wrap-up ::last gasp falls over::
a: Everett 7, Vancouver 5
EVE: 33-38... VAN: 34-36
Season ends next Wednesday, Sept 5.
Edward Paredes: 4 IP, 6 H, (4 R) 3 ER (HR), 6 walks, 4 K
Brandon McKerney: 3 IP, 3 H, (1 R) 0 ER, walk, 5 K
Philip Roy: 1 IP, 2 K
Aaron Brown: 1 IP, K
Roberto Mena: 4-5, double, 2 R, 2 SB
Welington Dotel: 1-4, double, RBI, K
Manelik Pimentel: 1-3, RBI, walk, 2 K
Kalian Sams: 2-4, solo HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Interesting game that saw Edward Paredes struggle to find the plate and stake the Canadians to a 5-3 lead. But Kalian Sams went yard in the bottom 6th to cut it to 5-4, chasing starter Jose Guzman, and in the 8th, Kalian Sams knocked in Joe Dunigan to TIE THE BALLGAME. Kris Sanchez singled to put runners at the corners, and Sanchez, the 1B, was lifted for pinch runner Tyson Gillies. Keep this in mind.
Leonardo Espinal came in to pitch, and immediately uncorked a wild one to score Sams and move Gillies to 2nd. Jeff Dunbar's single moved Gillies to 3rd, and Ogui Diaz's sac fly cashed him in to make it 7-5... but that's not why I told you to keep the sub in mind.
In the top 9th, Manelik Pimentel, the DH, was brought in to play 1st, sacrificing the DH, and new pitcher Aaron Brown took Gillies' spot in the lineup, which didn't matter so long as Everett finished this frame without damage... and to his credit, Brown worked a 1-2-3 9th for the save.
A: Wisconsin 4, Clinton 1
WIS: 29-37... CLI: 27-40
Season ends Monday, September 3rd
Tony Butler: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 6 K, wild pitch
Keith Renaud: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K
Gavin Dickey: 1-4, solo HR, walk, 2 K (.219/.279/.377)
Guy Welsh: 2-4, double, RBI, K
Leury Bonilla: 0-3, 2 sac fly RBI, K (.256/.282/.365)
James McOwen: 2-3, walk, K (.281/.309/.337)
Juan Beltran: 3-4, K, SB #10 (.241/.310/.303)
The T-Rts gave Tony Butler 3 runs before he even took the hill, and it was more than enough, as he locked down the Lumberkings (more like Lumber QUEENS lol) and Keith Renaud finished the job for his 1st save of the season.
A+: Lancaster 9, High Desert 2
Mavs: 22-45... their master: 42-25
Season ends Monday, September 3rd
Jose Escalona: 4 IP, 6 H, 7 ER (HR), 5 walks, K, wild pitch, hit batter
Ivan Blanco: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 walks, 4 K (ERA: 11.22)
Aaron Cotter: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, K
Paul Fagan: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, wild pitch
Jesus Guzman: 2-4 (.295/.366/.529)
Matt Mangini: 2-4, double, R (.184/.286/.388)
Eddy Hernandez: 2-4, solo HR, 2 RBI (.186/.247/.297)
Jose Escalona's last start of the season caps a season for him that is also an accurate reflection of the Mavs' season: started out doing reasonably well, showing promise, and then spending the 2nd half tailspinning towards doom. He gave up 5 runs in the 1st and that was more than enough for Lancaster, who of course piled on in the later innings.
AA: Chattanooga 6, West Tenn 4, 13 painful innings
WTN: 29-37... CHA: 35-32
Season ends Monday, September 3rd
Andrew Baldwin: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 11 K
Brodie Downs: 1 IP, 2 walks, 2 K
Mumba Rivera: 1 IP, walk, K
Chris Jakubauskas: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER (HR), walk, 8 K
Luis Valbuena: 2-5, solo HR, walk (.237/.307/.379)
Michael Wilson: 2-6, R, 2 K (.194/.279/.398)
Marshall Hubbard: 2-5, walk, K (.265/.357/.441)
Matt Tuiasosopo: 1-5, triple, R, RBI, 2 K (.264/.375/.410)
Jeff Frazier: 1-6, RBI, 2 K (.242/.296/.315)
Luis Oliveros: 2-3, walk (.287/.342/.409)
What sucks is that Phat Andy 29's last start of the season was as spectacular as he could manage, striking out 11 Lookouts over 7 strong innings, and he was still in line to take the loss because his DIAMOND JAXX offense could only manage a run in his tenure. Brodie Downs and Mumba Rivera tiptoed through regulation as Lookouts catcher Craig Tatum passed a ball with 2 outs in the 8thto allow Jon Nelson to score and TIE THE BALLGAME.
Chrs Jakubauskas came on for the 10th and was basically left out there to die, as he worked al the way into the 13th, where the Lookouts started off with six straight hits, two of them triples and one a homer, before getting the next three batters and leaving with a 6-2 deficit.
Luis Valbuena lined a homer over the RF fence with one out, and back to back singles from Michael Wilson and Marshall Hubbard led to a Tui sac fly to make it 6-4 with 2 outs... but Jeff Frazier's flyball landed in Shaun Cumberland's glove to end it.
AAA: Colorado Springs 5, Tacoma 3, 11 innings
TAC: 66-75... CSP: 68-73
Season ends Monday, September 3rd
Robert Rohrbaugh: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER (HR), 3 walks, 6 K
Mark Lowe: 1 IP, 1 H, walk
Jon Huber: 1 IP, 1 H
Juan Doñe: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, 4 K, wild pitch
Prentice Redman: 2-5, double, R, walk, K (.311/.354/.492)
WLAD: 1-3, RBI, walk, K (.294/.365/.517)
Jeff Clement: 2-5, double, 2 RBI (.276/.373/.501)
Luis Nuñez: 1-5, double, K
When their team was called the Stars, the Las Vegas AAA squad used to always have their fireworks nights, for some reason, land on nights they were playing the Sky Sox, and it always seemed like the Sky Sox would win those games. I never went to these games, but I imagined as a kid the fireworks shows being Stars themed, but that when the Sky Sox won, they would have to change it and make it Colorado Springs themed, since they won the game. Keep in mind I was dropped on my head a few times as a child.
So anyway, with Rainiers like Charlton Jimerson and Nick Green getting called up, a depleted Rainiers squad hung in there with the lowly Sky Sox, but like Chris Jakubauskas in AA, Juan Doñe was left out there to die in extras and he eventually gave up the ghost in the 11th.