Once again it's up to our minor leaguers to offer we Mariner fans solace after another abortion of a game by the big club. For what it's worth, Pirates and Giants fans get to feel like this ALL THE TIME, so count your blessings... or at least count your flesh eating ponies.
So once again we get an org split. We learn a surprising tidbit about who the T-Rats fanbase has iconized this season, while Nathan Adcock and Alex Liddi show us they still have hope for their prospects.
The Mavs looked like they had no hope today, though the saving grace is that one of the Mariners org's greatest saved the team from an ultimate humiliation not once, but twice.
The DIAMOND JAXX had no such embarrassment, as the mighty Doug FISTER created some more distance between last season's injury disappointments and today with a fine, dominating performance against that team that Michael Jordan once hit about .205 played for.
Meanwhile, even though they've been rain delayed and still aren't finished, the Rainiers are getting so embarrassed against Colorado Springs that we're not going to bother covering their game. No big Jeff Clement performances today... in fact, no big performances from anyone in a Rainiers uniform, really. Just, like an especially sleazy porno, a whole bunch of suck.
If you're not interested in the details, I just saved you a few minutes. If you are...
... on to the wrap-up!
A: Wisconsin 5, Beloit 3
Nathan Adcock: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER (HR), walk, 5 K
Justin Souza: 1.1 IP, 1 H, K
Travis Mortimore: two outs, 1 H, K
Bryan Harris: 1 IP, 2 K
Daniel Carroll: 0-2, 3 walks, K, SB
Edilio Colina: 1-4, double, R, walk
Alex Liddi: 1-4, solo HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, walk, 2 K
Joe Dunigan: 1-3, sac fly RBI, SB
Korey Feiner: 1-2, double, R, 2 walks, K
Ronald Garth: 1-3, RBI, walk, K
Adcock ran into trouble right off the bat, giving up a leadoff line drive single, and then getting taken deep by the next batter to make it 2-0 right away. But Adcock held his ground, got out of that inning without further damage, and though Beloit added another run and continued to pepper him with regular flyballs and line drives, Adcock minimized damage and managed six passable innings that he really needed, given the direction his season was taking.
Groundballs: 5 (plus 2 bunts)
Flyballs: 5 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 4
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 5
Trailing 3-1 in the 6th, the T-Rats got a leadoff walk from Alex Liddi in the 7th. Gerardo Avila bunted and beat out the throw to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Juan Diaz bunted the runners over for one out. Joe Dunigan sac flied a runner home for two outs to cut the lead to 3-2. Korey Feiner drew a walk, and Ronald Garth lined a single to left to cash in another run and TIE THE BALLGAME. Daniel Carroll drew another walk to load the bases, but Edilio Colina did it wrong, grounding to short to end the rally.
But the T-Rats got the lead for god in the 8th when Alex Liddi crapped all over a Spencer Steedley suck pitch for a solo shot to make it 4-3 T-Rats. In the 9th, Korey Feiner led off with a double, took 3rd on a wild pitch, and scored on a bases loaded walk by Calvin Beamon, the 3rd walk of the frame, as reliever Loek Van Mil couldn't find the strike, so they et him walk the world. Bryan Harris came in for the bottom 9th and but the Snappers down like dogs to seal the deal.
Here's an interesting factoid: MiLB.com periodically posts surveys for different team fanbases, and for this weekend, they surveyed T-Rats fans on which T-Rats excited them the most this season. Think of the top prospects on this team... Juan Ramirez... Phillipe
Aumont... Alex Liddi... and you'll be surprised at the actual result of the survey:
That's right, folks: the one newcomer that has T-Rats fans excited is none other than Two R's and Two L's' namesake, Daniel Carroll. The 302/375/349 (as of this morning) leadoff hitter that dazzled last summer in Peoria is also leading the team with 10 stolen bases.
A+: Inland Empire 5, High Desert 0
Anderson Garcia: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER
Alfredo Venegas: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 K
Jose Escalona: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K
Michael Wagner: 1 IP, K
Joe Kantakevich: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Inland Empire's Timothy Sexton threw a perfect six innings. Paul Koss relieved Sexton, and Empire did lose the perfecto with one out in the 7th when Carlos Triunfel's grounder was muffed by SS Christian Lara to put him on. However, Johan Limonta and Carlos Peguero went down on strikes to quickly end that threat, and the Mavs still had no hits.
The Mavs reached base via more legitimate means in the 8th, as Greg Halman walked with one out, and Travis Scott also walked to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Matt Mangini flew to left for one out, nobody tagging up. Kuo Hui Lo grounded to short, and Lara took the easy out at 2nd to end that threat, and the Mavs still had no hits.
We go to the 9th with Empire's no hitter intact. Francisco Felix came on to pitch for Empire to lock it up. Jamie McOwen went down on strikes. Carlos Triunfel grounded sharply to 1st, and 1B Not That Eduardo Perez COULD NOT play it in time, and Triunfel was on with a base knock to not only break up the no-no, but net himself his 1st hit since coming back from the back injury.
Johan Limonta drew a walk, but the Mavs were still down 5-0, and Carlos Peguero and Chris Minaker went down on strikes to end the ballgame, and the Mavs were one hit by three pitchers.
AA: West Tenn 3, Birmingham 0
Doug FISTER: 7.2 IP, 3 H, walk, 7 K
Jason Mackintosh: 1.1 IP, 1 H, K
Adam Moore: 1-4, double, K
Shawn Garrett: 1-4, double, R, 2 K
Jon Nelson: 2-3, double, R, K
Ronnie Prettyman: 1-2, double, RBI, K
While the DIAMOND JAXX didn't no hit the Barons, Doug FISTER did shut them down while working into the 8th before ceding to an underutilized Jason Mackintosh, who thankfully is getting more work as of late. FISTER left with the following solid numbers:
Groundballs: 8 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 8
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 7
The DIAMOND JAXX bats slowly wore away at Barons pitching and gradually padded their run total on a day where one run was enough.
AAA: Colorado Springs 11, Tacoma 3, 6th inning in progress as of this writing
While the game is in progress, weather has delayed the Colorado Springs-Tacoma game, and as of 10 pm they're still only in the 6th inning, but rest assured the Rainiers aren't having a good night, as the Sky Sox are leading 11 to 3. Joe Woerman and Philip Barzilla got annihilated.
Just for tonight, I'll spare you the trouble of boxscores: Tui tripled. Oswaldo Navarro
doubled. Jeff Clement DH'd and was hitless with a walk and a run as of the 6th. His counterpart Rob Johnson had an RBI and a throwing error behind the plate. WLAD is hitless apparently was seriously hurt with a leg injury, per Dave Cameron and a few other sources, and had to be helped off the field by teammates. No word on specifics as of yet (anyone who was at the game has yet to chime in with first-hand specifics), but this could be bad news.