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OnBaseMachine
04-15-2006, 07:14 AM
OPENING NIGHT AT LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FIELD
Record crowd sees Lynx top Bats 6-4
14,123 breaks old mark set in ballpark's debut

By Brian Bennett
bbennett@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

The temperature peaked in the upper 80s. The largest crowd in Louisville Slugger Field history jammed the concourses. The beer was cold.

Everything seemed perfect about the Louisville Bats' 2006 home opener — unless you were hoping for a victory by the home team.

The Ottawa Lynx continued their early-season mastery over the Bats, winning 6-4 last night before 14,123 fans. The previous largest crowd of 13,242 came when the stadium opened on April 11, 2000; the facility's listed capacity is 13,131.

But the Lynx treated the Bats the same way they did last week in front of sparse crowds in Canada. Ottawa swept all three games there while allowing just four runs.

"They're just playing together," Louisville outfielder Norris Hopper said. "The hits are falling for them, and when we hit the ball hard, it's going right to them. It will turn around, though."

Last night the Bats' best offense came via Ottawa mistakes. A wild pitch and three errors in the fourth inning -- two by shortstop Brandon Fahey -- led to three unearned runs. Louisville used that rally to forge a 4-4 tie.

But from that point on the Ottawa bullpen took over. The Bats put the first two hitters on in both the seventh and eighth innings, only to watch double plays erase those threats.

"We expected our offense to really be the strong part of our team," Bats manager Rick Sweet said. "But we got off to such a poor start in Ottawa, and it's like we're still trying to get that big hit to get us going."

Last night's big hit came from Ottawa's Val Majewski. His sixth-inning solo home run off Jason Standridge (1-2) snapped the 4-4 tie. It was the first Triple-A homer for the 24-year-old outfielder, who missed all of last season with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

"I'm happy that my first one came in a big situation and ended up helping us win a game," Majewski said.

Eddy Garabito's RBI single in the seventh added insurance, and the Ottawa bullpen, which now sports a 1.08 ERA, slammed the door after starter Brian Bowles exited after 31/3 innings.

The Bats had a new look as infielders William Bergolla (groin strain) and Ray Olmedo (sprained wrist) joined the club off the disabled list. Olmedo, who had Tommy John surgery on his elbow in the winter, started at shortstop and had an RBI single.

"I feel good," he said. "I wouldn't say 100 percent yet, but I'm ready to help the team."

Outfielder Terrence Long also was activated but arrived at the ballpark too late to play. Veterans Jacob Cruz and Frank Menechino and catcher John Castellano were released to make room.

"Cruz and Menechino are big-league guys, and Castellano will find work in this league," Sweet said. "We just have way too many players."

Also, pitcher Tom Shearn was sent to Double-A and reliever Mike Venarfo joined the Bats after signing a minor league contract with Cincinnati yesterday. He pitched two-thirds of an inning last night.

The teams will play a doubleheader tonight, with the first seven-inning game beginning at 5:15.

Brian Bennett can be reached at (502) 582-7177.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060415/SPORTS07/604150426/1036

OnBaseMachine
04-15-2006, 07:16 AM
Mudcats score late to beat Lookouts
By Darren Epps Staff Writer

Noochie Varner ran out of room, the bullpen ran out of favors and Chattanooga ran out of luck Friday night in a 7-3 loss to Carolina at BellSouth Park.

The Lookouts (6-3) won the three previous games in this series by a total of four runs, getting clutch pitching from a reliable bullpen and leaning on two critical Carolina errors in the last two days.

Chattanooga’s bullpen made the error Friday. Facing reliever Carlos Guevara with the score tied 3-3 in the seventh, Carolina’s Ryan Bear crushed an inside fastball for a two-out, two-run home run over Varner’s head in left field.

"I don’t agree with that pitch selection," Chattanooga manager Jayhawk Owens said. "What you hope is these guys learn. I think some guys learned some things."

The Mudcats (4-5) scored two more runs in the eighth against Brock Till, rare offense against a bullpen that entered the game with five wins, three saves and a 2.55 ERA. Before allowing Bear’s home run, Guevara (0-1) had allowed just one hit and no runs in four innings.

"Our bullpen has been unbelievable, and this was the day where they weren’t able to hold the lead," Owens said.

"But it’s also time for the offense to step it up a little bit. They’ve got to be able to pick up some more runs. We can’t rely on our bullpen every day to keep a low lead."

The offense certainly wasn’t pointing fingers. The Lookouts are batting just.213 this season after managing six hits — two on home runs — against three Carolina pitchers. Aaron Herr tied the game 3-3 in the sixth with a two-run homer, but Chattanooga managed just one hit the rest of the game.

This time, Carolina boasted the better bullpen and didn’t make the key blunder.

"We’ve just been squeaking by," said center fielder Chris Dickerson, who hit a solo homer, his first of the year, in the second. "It was a matter of time before we didn’t come through. You can only have so much luck."

Chattanooga starter Steve Kelly got behind hitters early in the game, allowing two runs in the first and another in the fifth following a two-out walk with nobody on. He allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings.

"I don’t think he ever really found his crisp control that he needs to rely on," Owens said.

The Lookouts announced following the game that relief pitcher Mike Nannini, who appeared in four games this year and posted a 3.18 ERA, was sent down to Sarasota. His replacement on the roster has yet to be determined.

Chattanooga and Carolina conclude the five-game series tonight at 7:15. "Hopefully," Dickerson said, "we saved all our runs for the finale and we can end it with a bang."

E-mail Darren Epps at depps@timesfreepress.com

http://www.tfponline.com/QuickHeadlines.asp?sec=s&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fepaper%2Ewehco%2Ecom%2FWebChannel %2FShowStory%2Easp%3FPath%3DChatTFPress%2F2006%2F0 4%2F15%26ID%3DAr02702

Possibily Gardner or Pauly?

OnBaseMachine
04-15-2006, 07:17 AM
SaraReds bow to Lakeland

BY PHIL DENIS CORRESPONDENT

SARASOTA -- Lakeland scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning Friday night, giving the Tigers a 6-2 victory over the Sarasota Reds in front of 413 spectators at Ed Smith Stadium.

Lakeland (4-5) had two-run triples by Nick McIntyre and Jacklin Melian during the offensive outburst.

Jason LaRue, the Cincinnati Reds starting catcher who is rehabilitating his right knee after arthroscopic surgery March 27, caught all nine innings Friday and was credited with an infield single in four at-bats.

Sarasota (3-6) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Jay Garthwaite led off by slamming his team-high third home run over the right-center field.

The Reds had a rally going in the ninth when LaRue singled and eventually scored on Cody Strait's single to right-center before Lakeland manager Mike Rojas summoned closer Kevin Whelan, who picked up his fourth save by striking out the final two batters.

Reds notes: Twelve-year major-league outfielder Quinton McCracken, who hit .500 (8-for-16) in four games while recuperating from a sprained right ankle, flew to St. Louis to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds for their three-game series against the Cardinals. ... Sarasota will embark on an eight-game, nine-day road trip today. The Reds will return to The Ed April 24 against the Tampa Yankees.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060415/SPORTS/604150399/1006

KySteveH
04-15-2006, 07:43 PM
[QUOTE=OnBaseMachine]
Lakeland (4-5) had two-run triples by Nick McIntyre and Jacklin Melian during the offensive outburst.

/QUOTE]

Is that really Jackson Melian, former Yanks and Reds farmhand?