Alright, I think we all need to focus on some baseball that doesn't feel like, or remind us of, a cockpunch.
Yes, Clement homered. The first two games were pretty crappy, but I think after tonight we can take two crappy losses from the low-minor affiliates. And the top two affiliates fared better.
On to the wrap-up!
A: Beloit 5, Wisconsin 3, 5 innings (rain)
Edward Paredes: 3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER (2 HR), 3 walks, 3 K
Keith Meyer: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), 3 K
Daniel Carroll: 0-2, walk, 2 SB
Calvin Beamon: 1-3, triple
Alex Liddi: 1-3, double, R, RBI, 2 K
Gerardo Avila: 1-3, R, RBI
Juan Diaz: 1-3, RBI
Joe Dunigan: 2-3, 2 doubles
Edilio Colina: 2-2, R
The first two batters Edward Paredes faced homered. That pretty much set the tone. He faced a total of 15 batters in 3 ugly innings, and I'll spare you his BIP numbers, but rest assured they're not pretty.
The T-Rats did rally for 3 runs in the top 5th, but the rain came down hard enough with two out in the bottom 5th for the umps to call the game off.
A+: Inland Empire 8, High Desert 4
Kyle Parker: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, 8 K, wild pitch
Harold Williams: two outs, 4 H, 4 ER, walk, wild pitch
Aaron Cotter: 1.2 IP, 2 H, (2 R) 1 ER, 2 K, hit batter
David Asher: one out, 1 K
Jamie McOwen: 2-4, double, R, walk
Carlos Triunfel: 0-4, walk
Johan Limonta: 1-5, RBI, 2 K
Carlos Peguero: 1-4, triple, R, K
Chris Minaker: 1-4, double, R, RBI, K
Greg Halman: 1-4, 2 run HR, K
Matt Mangini: 1-3
The Mavs built a 4-0 lead as Kyle Parker looked mostly dominant, his only hits allowed prior to the 6th coming on fluke grounders through the hole, and one pop up that hit the grass.
He did get the bases loaded with one out in the 6th off these bleeder singles and a walk, but Matt Mangini took a grounder at 3B, threw a runner out at home, and Kyle got a flyout to end that threat.
Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 2
Line Drives: 0
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 8
Parker quickly put two on in the 6th and was lifted for Family Warrior Harold Williams, who promptly unraveled. He uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd, walked Not That Eduardo Perez to load the bases, then gave up a single to Carlos Santana and his Evil Ways to cash in a run, then gave up a grounder single to Thomas Giles, who got some help from a Carlos Peguero fielding error to cash in two runs... then Drew Locke singled to cash in two runs. Then Christian Lara singled. Then Francisco Lizarraga suicide squeezed for the 2nd out to cash in another run. Finally, Ryan Rogowski popped out, but Harold Williams had surrendered a total of six runs to give Empire a 6-4 lead.
It would be enough, though back to back doubles by Thomas Giles and Drew Locke to lead off the 8th set the table for two more runs to ensure the game was out of reach.
AA: West Tenn 5, Mobile 4
Ryan Ketchner: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, walk, 4 K, hit batter
Roman Martinez: 1.1 IP, 4 H, (1 R) 0 ER, walk, 2 K
Brodie Downs: 3.1 IP, 0 H, K
Mumba Rivera: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Michael Saunders: 2-5, triple, 2 R, walk
Mark Kiger: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, walk
Marshall Hubbard: 4-6, 2 doubles, RBI
Luis Oliveros: 2-4, double, R, K
The DIAMOND JAXX put 2 runs on the board in the 1st. Michael Saunders led off the game with a triple, eventually scoring, and Mark Kiger eventually crossed the plate on an ill-advised tag plan by Mobile 3B Brandon Burgess, who went after Marshall Hubbard for the 3rd out after he came off the bag at 2nd. Kiger scored before the tag was applied, so his run counted.
And Ryan Ketchner immediately ran into trouble. Walk, single, single and a run was on the board, but Luis Oliveros picked off a runner, Rusty Ryan grounded out with runners on and John Hester struck out to end that threat.
The DIAMOND JAXX got more runs in the 5th. Marshall Hubbard doubled to drive in a rin, and Mark Kiger came in on a groundout later in the frame.
But Ketchner didn't have that great of a game, though he wiggled out of most of the trouble he got himself into. He put two runners on in the 5th and was yanked for Roman Martinez.
Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 3
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 4
Hearing: 0
Roman did allow an RBI single to Brandon Burgess and another to Cy Hankerd to make it 4-3 DIAMOND JAXX, but Chris Rahl grounded out to end the threat.
Two singles and a throwing error from Roman allowed the tying run to score, a fateful tying run as no more runs would score in regulation, sending us to extra frames.
In the top 10th, Marshall Hubbard lined a single to center to lead off. Prentice Redman sac bunted him ahead for one out. Reliever Vince Bongiovanni intentionally walked Shawn Garrett to create the force at any bag... and Jon Nelson helped him out with the rally-killing 6-4-3 GIDP.
Brodie Downs, who had managed 10 outs without a hit, took a seat for Mumba Rivera, and Mumba put down the side 1-2-3 strikeout, groundout, pop-out.
Luis Oliveros led off the top 11th with a double. Ronnie Prettyman sac bunted him ahead for one out, since that worked so well last time. Jeff Dominguez grounded to second for two outs. Bongiovanni wanted no part of Michael Saunders and intentionally walked him to put runners at the corners. Mark Kiger, however, had other plans and smoked a grounder up the middle to cash in Oliveros and give the DIAMOND JAXX a 5-4 lead!
Guillermo Reyes led off the bottom 11th with a lined single... but with one out, he got caught stealing 2nd by Oliveros, and Bryan Byrne grounded harmlessly to 1st to end it.
AAA: Tacoma 3, Fresno 2
Ryan Feierabend: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER (HR), walk, 2 K
Jon Huber: 1 IP, walk
Jeremy Reed: 1-4, double, RBI, walk
WLAD: 0-3, walk, K
Jeff Clement (DH): 1-3, solo HR, 2 R, walk
Charlton Jimerson: 1-4, triple, RBI, K
Bryan LaHair: 1-4, double
Save for one really interesting and, ultimately, fateful inning, Ryan Feierabend put forth an effectively pedestrian effort over 8 innings to keep the Rainiers in the ballgame long enough for them to take the lead for good and hand the ball to closer Jon Huber.
Groundballs: 9 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 7 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 5
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 2
Feierabend came into the 4th inning with the Rainiers having just scored a run on a Charlton Jimerson triple (he looks just fine: he's AAAA fodder who really needs to be playing everyday to stay sharp). With one out, Ivan Ochoa lined a single to left. Trying to hold him to the bag, Feier threw a pickoff throw to first and got booed by Griffey fans threw YIKES AND AWAY to give Ochoa 3rd base. The batter, some dude named Justin Leone, eventually drew a walk.
Leone took a lead, and Feier threw to first, only this time he did pick the runner off! Leone took a seat with two down. Shortly after, batter Scott McClain crapped all over a Feierabend suck pitch, sending it over the LF wall to make it 2-1 Fresno. Had Feier not picked off Leone, it would have been 3-1. Keep this in mind. Nate Schierholtz did smoke a ball to 1st that he beat out, but Julio Cordido flew out to end the inning.
In the top 5th, Oswaldo Navarro got plunked, because screwups and Oswaldo are intertwined forever, and Jeremy Reed doubled him in to tie the ballgame at 2.
And in the top 6th, as many of you astute readers noted, Jeff Clement took Nick Pereira deep with a liner over the RF wall for his 4th HR of the year to make it 3-2 Rainiers, which would ultimately be the final score... which would have instead been a 3-3 tie had Feierabend not picked off Leone at 1st in the 4th.