This was one of the crazier days in the org. Wisconsin's Friday rainout led to a doubleheader that featured some hostility between the T-Rats coaching staff and the two man umpiring crew, starting well into the 1st game and carrying over into the 2nd.
Mavs' manager Jim Horner also got in the face of an umpire on a bad call during a tough loss, and you can guess what happened next. Military Man Nick Hill's continued mission as a starter... continues to feature some tough struggles.
The DIAMOND JAXX were two innings from a shutout defeat when they fired up the jets and left the Tennessee Smokies in the dust.
And the Rainiers and Tucson Sidewinders threw up a football score in a 31 run barnburner where the Rainiers came out throwing haymakers and the action did not let up until the final frames. Who ran out of gas, and who ultimately threw the knockout punch? Or was there a knockout punch? Could the loser have gone down swinging themselves?
On to an action packed wrap-up!
A: They played two in Appleton!
Game 1: Beloit 6, Wisconsin 5, 7 innings
Nathan Adcock: 4.2 IP, 7 H, (5 R) 4 ER, 6 walks, 6 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Travis Mortimore: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, walk, K, wild pitch
Bryan Harris: two outs
Maximo Mendez: 1-3, R, K, SB
Edilio Colina: 2-4, double, R, RBI, K
Alex Liddi: 1-4, R, RBI, K
Juan Diaz: 2-2, RBI
The T-Rats struck early against Snappers southpaw David Bromberg (6.75 ERA, 2 HR, 14/25 BB/K in 5 GS, 24 IP) and built a quick 5-1 lead... but suddenly, Nathan Adcock, who struck out 4 of the first 5 batters he faced, forgot how to throw strikes, at one point walked in a run, at another point walked three straight batters, and by the time he left with two out in the 5th, the lead had shrunk to 5-4. Travis Mortimore would allow the tying run before getting out of the inning. For Adcock, he got hard a lot, and considering that two of the line drives he gave up luckily turned into unassisted double plays, it could've been a LOT worse.
Groundballs: 4
Flyballs: 4
Line Drives: 4
Walks: 6
Strikeouts: 6
Mortimore would give up the lead in the 6th, but in large part due to pesky smallball from the Snappers. Steen Singleton led off by bunting himself on, then Garrett Olson bunted him over for one out. Chris Parmalee grounded to short for two outs as Singleton took 3rd. Chris Cates paid it off by smoking a grounder through the right side to cash Singleton in.
The T-Rats side got struck out in the 6th, and while Chris Mehring would probably be a better confirmative resource on this, it's quite likely the strike zone wasn't on the T-Rats' side, as manager Terry Pollreisz came out, quite likely to ask home plate Phil Henry how the view was from within his anus, and Henry tossed him. And remember, this game is the front end of a 14 inning doubleheader.
Beloit got runners at the corners in the 7th inning and even chased Mortimore, but Bryan Harris got the T-Rats out of trouble, giving them the bottom 7th to try and come back. Edilio Colina went down on strikes, leading pitching coach and acting manager Jamie Navarro to come out and give Henry the what-for, and Henry gave him the Get The Smurf Out as well. This did wonders for the rally, as Calvin Beamon and Alex Liddi went down quietly to end it.
Game 2: Wisconsin 3, Beloit 0
Donald Hume: 4 IP, 3 H, walk, 2 K
Philipe Aumont: 3 IP, 1 H, walk, 2 K, wild pitch
Edilio Colina: 1-3, double, R, K
Calvin Beamon: 1-3, double, RBI, K
Alex Liddi: 1-3, double, R
Juan Diaz: 1-3, RBI
The good news is that Keith Rogowski, rather than Phil Henry, called balls and strikes for this 2nd game, so chances were good that Rogowski, having been a distant observer for the previous game's altercations, would let bygones be bygones and give the T-Rats a fairer shake at winning this game.
It appears he did, as the T-Rats were able to get 3 runs off Michael Tarsi (8.17 ERA, 5 HR, 7/15 BB/K in 5 GS, 25.1 IP), who did go the distance. Meanwhile, the Hume/Aumont tag team shut out the Snappers and allowed only 4 hits and 2 walks.
... well, except for Calvin Beamon, who ended the bottom 5th on an RBI double, when he tried for 3rd, CF Joe Benson relayed to the SS who threw to 3rd, and guess who called Beamon out at 3rd? That would be our friend Phil Henry, who was the base umpire for this game. Beamon has a decent memory, decided to give Henry the business, and Henry decided to give Beamon the heave-ho inbetween frames.
But it didn't affect Aumont, who picked up where Hume left off in the 5th and finished off the shutout with minimal trouble.
Hume: 5 groundballs (1 bunt), 4 flyballs, 2 line drives, walk, 2 K
Aumont: 4 groundballs, 1 flyball, 2 line drives, walk, 2 K
Also, never minding 4 unearned runs from a bad outing, Aumont has not allowed an earned run in his 11.2 IP this year, has struck out 13 against 4 walks and only allowed a HR on 7 hits. So far so good from the top pitching prospect.
A+: Bakersfield 7, High Desert 3
Nick Hill: 5 IP, 6 H, (6 R) 3 ER, 2 walks, 5 K, wild pitch, 3 balks (!), hit batter
Julio Santiago: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 K
Aaron Cotter: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), K
Carlos Triunfel: 2-4
Johan Limonta: 3-3, R, 2 RBI, walk (8 hits in last 9 AB. Wow.)
Carlos Peguero: 1-4, double, RBI, K
Chris Minaker: 1-4
Greg Halman: 1-3, walk, 2 K
Matt Mangini: 0-4, 2 K
Kuo Hui Lo: 2-3, R, walk, SB
Trouble began for Military Man Nick Hill in the 2nd. After plunking Chad Tracy (no, not THAT Chad Tracy)... he committed two consecutive balks to move Tracy to 3rd, before KC Herren cashed him in with a single. Hill did get out of the 2nd without further damage, and overcame a leadoff double in the 3rd to escape damage, but it all came apart in the 4th.
With a 2-1 lead, Nick led off with a walk to.. guess who... Chad Tracy, and Mauro Gomez doubled him to 3rd with one out. KC Herren grounded to short, but Triunfel muffed the play and Tracy scored. Manuel Pina walked to load the bases, and Truan Mehl sac flied a runner in to make it 3-2 Blaze. Jose Vallejo doubled to right to cash in 2 more, and it was 5-2 Blaze before Hill got out of it with a strikeout.
Hill ran into more trouble in the 5th. He gave up a leadoff double to Grant Gerrard, and, after committing his 3rd balk of the game to move Gerrard to 3rd, a wild pitch from Hill eventually scored Gerrard to make it 6-2.
In the bottom 5th, Kuo Hui Lo drew a leadoff walk, stole 2nd, and came around to score on a Johan Limonta single to cut the lead to 6-3, but Carlos Peguero grounded into a contentious 4-3 double play, contentious enough to get Mavs manager Jim Horner to rush out and argue the call at 1B. 1B-Umpire Travis Hatch eventually tired of this mess, and it's Ejection Saturday in the Mariners Org, because Horner got tossed.
Julio Santiago relieved Hill after this, ending a night he'd probably like to forget.
Groundballs: 10
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 0
Walks: 2 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 5
The Blaze added a run in the 9th, but aside from a token rally, the Mavs had little to offer in response.
AA: West Tenn 7, Tennessee 2
Justin Thomas: 6 IP, 5 H, (2 R) 1 ER, walk, 7 K, hit batter
Marwin Vega: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 walks
Shawn Garrett: 2-5, double, triple, R, RBI
Marshall Hubbard: 0-1, R, 3 walks, K
Prentice Redman: 2-4, GRAND SLAM
Adam Moore: 1-4, double
Mike Wilson: 3-4, 2 run HR, 2 R
The DIAMOND JAXX actually spent most of this game behind thanks to two early runs off Justin Thomas, who still managed six solid innings:
Groundballs: 9
Flyballs: 4
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 7
Smokies starter Donald Veal (2.38 ERA, 2 HR, 14/17 BB/K in 5 GS, 22.2 IP) pitched into the 6th and did not allow a run. Chris Shaver, however, began to crack in the 8th inning. Mike Wilson defied his preferred three true outcomes and led off the 8th with a line drive single. Luis Valbuena walked, but Michael Saunders Loafied a bunt for one out. Shaver left for Jesse Estrada, who got Mark "BUILDING TO THE FUTURE" Kiger to strike out. But Shawn Garrett doubled to score Wilson and cut the lead to 2-1. Estrada intentionally passed Marshall Hubbard to load the bases and set up the force.
But Prentice Redman did the forcing for Estrada, crapping all over his best suck pitch for a GRAND SLAM that gave the DIAMOND JAXX a 5-2 lead. Redman's a solid AA power bat who showed in brief glimpses last year that he can play in AAA, but with better talent blocking him, he'll be content to help the DIAMOND JAXX win, and big hits like this certainly help.
With a man on in the 9th, Mike Wilson did return to his TTO and jack a two run bomb to extend the lead further.
AAA: Tucson 17, Tacoma 14
Andy Baldwin: 4 IP, 17 H, 10 ER
Philip Barzilla: 2.1 IP, 3 H, (4 R) 3 ER, walk (intentional), 2 K, 2 wild pitches, hit batter
Jon Huber: two outs, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 walks, K, 2 wild pitches
Jake Woods: 1 IP, 1 H. Sometimes, things just don't make any sense.
Jeremy Reed: 1-5, 2 R, walk
Matt Tuiasosopo: 3-6, double, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Jeff Clement (DH): 2-3, double, 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 walks
Mike Kinkaide: 2-5, double, R, RBI, walk, 2 K
Bryan LaHair: 3-5, double, 2 R, 2 RBI, walk
Charlton Jimerson: 3-6, GRAND SLAM, 5 RBI, 2 K
Yung Chi Chen: 2-5, RBI
Rob Johnson: 0-4, walk, K. The lone hitless batter in the entire game.
Oswaldo Navarro: 2-4, 3 R, walk
There's only one way to keep track of the amount of action that took place in a game like this:
Top 1: Tui singled with one out, Clement drew a walk, and Bryan LaHair drew a two out walk before Charlton Jimerson blasted a two out grand slam off starter Evan MacLane (7.36 ERA, 2 HR, 9/10 BB/K in 22 IP) to make it 4-0 Rainiers.
Bottom 1: Tim Raines Jr, i.e. Son Of Rock, hit a one out triple off PHAT ANDY 22, then promptly scored on an Alex Romero single to make it 4-1. Trot Nixon (yes, THAT Trot Nixon) doubled in Romero with two outs to make it 4-2. Jamie D'Antona singled to put Nixon at 3rd, but Don Kelly popped out to end the threat.
Top 2: Tui doubled in Oswaldo Navarro with two outs to make it 5-2 Rainiers. Clement drew another walk, but Mike Kinkaide went down on strikes to end the frame.
Bottom 2: Matt Morgan led off with a lined double. Trent Oeltjen's liner found Oswaldo Navarro for one out, but Emilio Bonifacio's flyball found the grass for a single, and Son Of Rock got a grounder into RF to load the bases. Alex Romero lined a single to left to cash in Morgan and Bonifacio to cut the lead to 5-4. Josh "Swing At Everything" Whitesell lined a double to right to cash in Son Of Rock and TIE THE BALLGAME. PHAT ANDY 22 received a coaching visit, and got Trot Nixon to ground up the middle... into CF to score Romero and Whitesell and make it 7-5 Sidewinders. Jamie D'Antona lined a single to CF to put runners at 1st and 2nd, but Don Kelly lined a pitch right back at PHAT ANDY 22, who snagged it and lobbed to Kinkaide at 1B for the double-off to end the frame.
Top 3: Bryan LaHair led off with a double, and Charlton Jimerson's ground got into left to put runners at the corners. Jimerson got too far off the bag and got run down in a pickle for one out. Yung Chi Chen, however, lined a single to left to cash in LaHair and cut the lead to 7-6. Rob Johnson struck out and Yung Chi Chen got caught stealing for the strike-em-out throw-em-out double play to end the frame.
Bottom 3: With one out, Trent Oeltjen and Emilio Bonifacio hit back to back singles, and Oeltjen scored on a sac fly by Son of Rock to make it 8-6 Sidewinders.
Top 4: Oswaldo, Jeremy Reed and Tui led it off with back-to-back-toback singles, scoring Oswaldo and making it 8-7. Clement doubled to center to cash in Tui and Reed and give the Rainiers a 9-8 lead. MacLane took a seat, relieved by... EMILIANO FRUTO! This means the only benefit the Nats ultimately got from the Vidro trade was clearing Turbo's bloated body off the roster, and his salary off the books. Anyway, Fruto immediately walked Kinkaide to put runners at 1st and 2nd... still no outs. But Bryan LaHair helped his old teammate out, grounding into a 4-6-3 double play, though Clement took 3rd. Charlton Jimerson did smoke a grounder back up the box that Fruto couldn't play, and Clement scored to make it 10-8 Rainiers. Yung Chi Chen also singled, but Rob Johnson's liner found Don Kelly, making Johnson and Kelly the rally killers of this game so far.
Bottom 4: Trot Nixon hit a one out double and Jamie D'Antona singled him to 3rd. Don Kelly flew out (see?), but Matt Morgan singled to center to cash in Nixon and cut the lead to 10-9 Rainiers. Trent Oeltjen doubled to left to cash in D'Antona and TIE THE BALLGAME at 10 with runners at 2nd and 3rd. But Emilio Bonifacio grounded to 1st to end the threat.
Top 5: Jeremy Reed drew a one out walk, but Tui went down on strikes for two outs. Reed stole 2nd and catcher Matt Morgan's throw was YIKES AND AWAY, allowing Reed to take 3rd. CLement drew ANOTHER walk and, after a coaching visit to the mound, Mike Kinkaide smoked a grounder up the middle to cash in Reed and make it 11-10 Rainiers before Bryan LaHair flew out to end the threat.
Bottom 5: PHAT ANDY 22's night came to a merciful end as Philip Barzilla came in to pitch. Barzilla got two quick outs, but Josh Whitesell got plunked and stole 2nd before Trot Nixon grounded out to 2nd to give us the first half inning to end without a run being scored.
The Rainiers went quietly themselves in the top 6th, but Barzilla got wild after a Tui error put the leadoff hitter on, as Barzilla uncorked two wild pitches, then watched a single cash the run in to tie the ballgame at 11.
The Rainiers picked a bad time to go quiet in the top 7th, as Son of Rock led off the bottom 7th with a single before Alex Romero doubled him to 3rd. Barzilla intentionally passed Trot Nixon with one out before ceding to Jon Huber. But Jamie D'Antona doubled to left to cash in two and make it 13-11 Sidewinders. D'Antona took a seat for pinch runner... Jesus Merchan, the bait we got in the Wife Vulture trade. Don Kelly singled to put runners at the corners and make it 14-11, before Huber himself lost control and uncorked tow wild pitches to cash in a run and make it 15-11 Sidewinders. Matt Morgan took advantage and drew a walk. Trent Oeltjen sat on Huber's wildness and drew a walk himself to load the bases for Emilio Bonifacio.
And Bonifacio smoked a grounder into RF to cash in Kelly, make it 16-11 Sidewinders and keep the bases loaded for Son of Rock... who thankfully grounded out to 1st... though that cashed in Morgan and made it 17-11.
With the game getting away, the Rainiers got a leadoff double from Mike Kinkaide before Bryan LaHair finally woke up and knocked him in with a single to make it 17-12 Sidewinders. Charlton Jimerson struck out, what a surprise, Yung Chi Chen grounded out and Rob Johnson flied out to end that quickly.
Mystic Tan got the side down in the bottom 8th, and the Rainiers mounted a furious comeback in the top 9th against Leo Rosales. Oswaldo led off with a walk, but nobody told Reed and Tui, as they went down quietly. Clement lined a single before Rosales uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Kinkaide grounded to short, but Jesus Merchan booted it, allowing Oswaldo to score and make it 17-13 with runners at the corners. Bryan LaHair lined a single to right to make it 17-14 with two out and runners at the corners.
But Charlton Jimerson's flyball was tracked down by Trent Oeltjen in LF, and thus ended a crazy ballgame in arid Tucson.