I am simply beside myself with delight!  Not only did Tucson defeat the visiting Portland Beavers last night after a very rocky start (final score:  Tucson 6, Portland 4), but against all odds, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox BEAT the Sacramento River Cats 3 to 2 in 12 innings!  What that means, dear friends, is that tonight’s game against the River Cats absolutely COUNTS!  If we can sweep the series (a stretch…afterall, we haven’t swept a series all season long), we will tie the Cats for the playoff berth.  In that eventuality, the team with the best head-to-head record will be declared the Pacific Southern Division winner.  And guess who that would be!  Yupper - that’d be US.  (Remember, we have to sweep to make any of that happen.)  We couldn’t have gotten into this position with our win by itself last night:  THANK YOU, Sky Sox!  (Of course, the Cats only need to win one game against us to clinch the Division, but who wants to think about that right now?)

With last night’s win, Tucson’s season record is a respectable 75 and 63 (.543).  And yes, we are four games back of Sacramento.

Bill Murphy started for Tucson last night and man, the first two innings were simply frightening!  Murph gave up all four Portland runs (three earned) in those two innings…combined with some sloppy play (an error, a wild pitch), it didn’t look like we were going anywhere but down.  But Murph pulled it together after that and finished strong.  He pitched a total of six complete innings, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks.  He also tossed four strikeouts in his third win of the season.  I think Murph was energized by his own offensive production:  he led off the third with a single and then scored the first Winder run of the game on a double by Alex Romero!  Our bullpen was awesome last night!  First to relieve Murph was Jailen Peguero.  He pitched two shutout innings, allowing no hits, one walk…and tossing three Ks in there for good measure.  Brandon Medders was up next and he was truly dealing.  He allowed no hits, no walks…and struckout two to earn his fifth save of the year.  When that last guy went down swinging, the fans (and there were fans at the Park last night) went wild!  With pitching like that, Jailen and Brandon are sure to be looked at for D-Back Sept call ups.  I just hope the D-Backs wait until our season is over before they take ‘em…

After they’d been stumped in the first two innings, Tucson’s offense came alive in the third.  No doubt Murph’s leadoff single set the mood!  After his run, Alex made it across home plate on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Quentin.  Two runs in the third.  In the fifth, Carlos Gonzalez scored on a Jamie D’Antona ground out.  Now the Snakes were up to three total runs (vs. the four the Beavers put up in the first two innings).  Then came the big sixth inning.  Matt Erickson and Mark Johnson both singled to start the inning, but Ronnie Merrill struckout on a foul bunt (failed sacrifice) to leave them at 1B and 2B.  Alberto Callaspo returned to the team for some “light duty” after his hammie injury, as a pinch hitter for Murph’s spot in the lineup.  Berto singled to load the bases…and Portland went to their pen for a new pitcher.  Alex failed to advance the runners when he popped out to 3B, but Carlos G earned two RBIs for his single following Alex’s at-bat!  Q then flied out to end the inning.  Tucson had the lead - 5 to 4!  The Winders were able to put one more insurance run on the board in the seventh inning.  After Jamie lined out, Robby Hammock singled and then both Matt and MJ walked to load the bases.  Ronnie was up next and technically grounded into a double play:  just your typical 5-4-6-2-6 play that caught Matt out at home and MJ out at second.  Huh?  Anyway!  Robby did cross home plate with a run-scored - and our pitching had long since shut the door on the Beaver’s offense! 

Final Thirsty Thursday…  The Sidewinders staff spent a lot of time this week canvassing the U of A campus to remind students about Thirsty Thursday last night.  Their efforts were well-rewarded as over 6,300 folks attended last night’s game.  While many actually paid for box seats, I’m not sure how many were there for the game (if you know what I mean).  From an usher’s standpoint, last night was busy enough that I could barely follow the play on the field.  BUT!  What a difference it makes to hear over six thousand voices cheering for the home team!  I’m so glad folks turned out to see these young players do their thing.  What this team has lacked in pure power and consistency, they have more than made up with guts.  I’m hoping that the win last night in front of a large home crowd - plus the Sacramento loss - will light a fire under our Snakes, giving them the wherewithal to roll right over Sacramento this weekend!  Keep battling, boys!

There are only FOUR remaining Sidewinders games left in this season…and they will be HUGE!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a desperate last attempt to thwart Sacramento’s playoff ambitions…AND enjoy all the fun events scheduled at the Park!  While at the Park, stop by the Team Shop to check out their selection of Sidewinders items - everything is available at 50% off!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
TONIGHT!!  Winders vs. Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) - Faith Night and Fireworks Friday!  Following this very important baseball game, enjoy the season’s last Fireworks display presented by Sam Levitz…and stick around for the concert by Christian rock band, Hawk Nelson!  Tickets for the game PLUS concert are $16.  You can chose to attend the game/fireworks alone at normal prices.  Greg Smith will take the start for Tucson tonight.  Gates open at 5:00 for 6pm start.  (Please note the unusually early start!)

September 1, Winders vs. River Cats - Chris Young Figurine Giveaway Night!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans with paid admission through the gates to receive a free figurine of former Sidewinder (and potential Rookie of the Year!), Chris Young.  The evening will also feature the season’s final Wine, Women & Baseball event.  And kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

September 2, Winders vs. River Cats - Dollar Dog Sunday!  All game long you’ll be able to enjoy hot dogs for just a buck a piece!  AND kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

September 3, Winders vs. River Cats - Final game of regular season and Margarita Monday.  Enjoy the final game of the season with two-for-one margaritas all night long!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

The Sidewinders lost a wild one to the Portland Beavers last night, falling 7 to 9 in a game that went ten innings AND was interrupted by a half hour delay when the stadium lights went out!  This disappointing loss slips the Winders to 74 and 63 (.540) for the season and very nearly defeats any chance we might have to crash the River Cat’s party for Pacific Southern Division.  Sacramento beat the Sky Sox last night.  We fell to five games behind the River Cats.  More significantly, however, their magic number is now ONE.  Unless they lose and we win, Sacramento will clinch the playoff berth tonight…and they’ll roll into town tomorrow for a series that is totally meaningless (but still potentially fun - and hey!  There’s a lot of great events planned at the Park, so come on down anyway!).  Indeed, the lights went out in more ways than one last evening…  (BTW, Salt Lake clinched their Division last night.)

You could tell last night’s game was going to be interesting when the PA announced that Evan MacLane would be taking the start for Tucson.  Since I was expecting Dana Eveland (and held out great hopes for the game as a result), I was surprised and a little dismayed.  E-Mac, as I recently mentioned, has shown himself to be a good reliever, but he really struggles as a starter…and he’d just pitched in relief a couple of days ago.  All bad signs.  Joel Youngblood explained to me that the D-Backs had asked us to set Dana aside on standby for them; and, in fact, today’s paper reports that Dana was called up after the game.  He should pitch for the D-Backs on Saturday in Yusmeiro Petit’s former slot in the rotation.  Now, I know our job here is to be there for the Big Club…but this was a very important game for my Snakes and it really hurt to have them take Dana from us last night.  Unfortunately, E-Mac performed down to my lowered expectations:  he lasted 2 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits, no walks, no strikeouts.  I will point out that stuck in the middle of his rocky first and third innings, he sent the Beavers packing 1-2-3 in the second inning!  E-Mac left a man on base when D.J. Carrasco came on in relief:  D.J. allowed that man to score (the run was charged to E-Mac).  After which, D.J. settled in and pitched quite well.  He went a total of 3 2/3 innings and allowed two hits and three strikeouts!  D.J. was followed by Emiliano Fruto.  Although he ended up being charged with the loss, I was impressed with what I saw from him (it was the first time he’s pitched when I’ve been at the game).  He was forced to pitch four innings of relief (we were not only thin on the bench last night, but also in the bullpen) and allowed the final two earned runs to score in the tenth.  He gave up three hits, five walks, and tossed two Ks during his outing. 

It seemed initially that our offense was going to match the struggles our pitchers were having on the mound.  Rich Thompson led off with a perfectly-executed bunt single…and then Matt Erickson wiped it out with a double-play ball.  In fact, poor Matt!, he later was caught stealing to end an inning…and ended the game with a liner to the shortstop.  Matt did also bring in two runs with a double, so he wasn’t totally non-productive last night!  The Snakes didn’t score until the Beavers were already up seven to nothing in the third.  Jarred Ball walked to start the inning and then one cool lightning bolt and zap!  The stadium lights went out.  From experience, I knew that meant a delay of at least 20 minutes, so I settled in to watch the show Mother Nature was putting on around the Park.  Incredible lightning display - and you could see that it was just pouring East of us.  Many of the few fans who actually attended the game (in striking contrast to those purported to be there by the official attendance figure) left during the delay.  But I found it a peaceful interlude.  As soon as the lights were back on in force, the game resumed with D.J. at the plate.  And it began to rain.  Not to fear, it turned out to be a light rain that quickly passed.  I don’t know how we missed that downpour I observed during the lighting delay!  D.J. advanced Jarred on a sacrifice bunt and Rich advanced him another base with a ground out.  Matt singled to score Jarred before Carlos Gonzalez struckout looking to end the inning.  Things were looking so glum I wasn’t sure we’d ever crawl out of the pit, but then came the sixth and the Winders reminded me of my mantra “Never give up on these guys.”  Jamie D’Antona, Robby Hammock, and Mark Johnson all singled to load the bases with no one out.  Ronnie Merrill then singled to score Jamie, followed by a walk to Jarred that scored Robby!  Carlos Quentin then pinch-hit a sacrifice fly to score MJ and we had one out.  Rich was next to bat - he hit a single that scored Ronnie AND advanced himself to second on a Beaver’s throwing error.  Matt then blasted a hit into LF that bounced into the Sidewinder’s bullpen for a ground-rule double that scored both Rich and Jarred!  I questioned the Beaver’s next move as they intentionally walked Carlos G to get to Jamie.  Jamie’d been so hot I was sure the Beaver’s staff had erred in our favor.  But they got it right:  Jamie flied out without advancing a soul.  Two down.  And then it ends on a bad note.  While Robby was batting, Matt tried to steal third and was caught for the third out of the inning.  We’d tied the game, however!  Unfortunately, that one wild inning was essentially the only offense the Snakes could muster.  We did threaten to comeback again in the tenth!  After an initial ground out by Ronnie, Jarred doubled…then Matt Morgan struckout while pinch hitting.  BUT Rich took a walk.  Two outs, two on and Matt E up to bat.  He really smoked a beauty of a liner.  It was just his/our misfortune that Royce Huffman was able to leap up to catch the thing!  But it was already 11:00pm, so perhaps ending the game at that point was a good thing.  The 12 fans who still remained at that point (slight exaggeration) and I slowly left the Park with the weight of the season’s end pressing down on us.  It was a tough ending… 

There are only FIVE remaining Sidewinders games left in this season.  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a desperate last attempt to thwart Sacramento’s playoff ambitions…AND enjoy all the fun events scheduled at the Park!  While at the Park, stop by the Team Shop to check out their selection of Sidewinders items - everything is available at 50% off!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
TONIGHT!!  Winders vs. Beavers - the season’s final Thirsty Thursday!  Beer, soda and lemonade will be just a buck for 2 hours after first pitch.  Come see Bill Murphy and the Winders do their best to hold Sacramento from winning the Division championship!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 31, Winders vs. Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) - Faith Night and Fireworks Friday!  Following the game, enjoy the season’s last Fireworks display presented by Sam Levitz…and then enjoy a concert by Christian rock band, Hawk Nelson!  Tickets for the game PLUS concert are $16.  You can chose to attend the game/fireworks alone at normal prices.  Gates open at 5:00 for 6pm start.

September 1, Winders vs. River Cats - Chris Young Figurine Giveaway Night!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans with paid admission through the gates to receive a free figurine of former Sidewinder (and potential Rookie of the Year!), Chris Young.  The evening will also feature the season’s final Wine, Women & Baseball event.  And kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

September 2, Winders vs. River Cats - Dollar Dog Sunday!  All game long you’ll be able to enjoy hot dogs for just a buck a piece!  AND kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

September 3, Winders vs. River Cats - Final game of regular season and Margarita Monday.  Enjoy the final game of the season with two-for-one margaritas all night long!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

Tucson took the second of the four-game series against the visiting Portland Beavers last night, beating these Padres farm hands, 4 to 3.  The win takes our season record to 74 and 62 (.544)…we remain four games back of Sacramento for Division lead.  With their win over Colorado Springs last night, Sacramento’s magic number is now three games.  Salt Lake lost their game last night, so were unable to clinch their Division in spite of the Sky Sox defeat.  Salt Lake’s magic number is one.  Albuquerque, New Orleans, and Oklahoma are still virtually neck-to-neck in the American Southern race. 

Casey Daigle had a strong start for the Snakes last night.  Casey pitched six complete innings and surrendered two earned runs on three hits (one was a homer that scored both his earned runs), two walks, two hit batsmen, and five strikeouts.  Mike Schultz was next in relief:  he went 1 2/3 innings and gave up no runs on four hits and one strikeout.  He was lifted for Randy Choate after Mike let two Beavers get on base (one of whom was on third at the time).  Randy successfully got us out of the inning without further damage, though he did walk a batter to load the bases first.   Our relievers:  always trying to make things more dramatic for us!  Brandon Medders continued that trend in the ninth.  He gave up an earned run on two hits and a walk.  The Winders were able to end the jam Brandon got into with a very well-turned double-play ball to end the game and allow all of us to breathe again and rock out to “Crazy.”  (For those of you who don’t know, “Crazy” is the team’s theme song - played after each win.)

For the second night, Tucson completed their offensive production before allowing any Beavers to score.  Alex Romero led off the game with a solid double, then advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Great start!  Go Snakes!  Carlos Gonzalez ground out to score Alex.  Carlos Quentin was up next - HE hit a double - followed by Jamie D’Antona, who hit a single - then Robby Hammock walked to load the bases with one out.  Matt Erickson hit a sacrifice fly to score Q…and Matt Morgan struckout to end the inning.  Two runs in the first!  The Winders next scored in the third inning, gaining another two runs on the Beavers.  It went down like this:  Carlos G, Q and Jamie all singled to load the bases.  Then Robby singled to bring Carlos G across home plate, followed by a pop out off Matt’s bat to score Q.  An out, an intentional walk, and another out ended the inning and our offensive production for the night.  Four runs - and they JUST held up to earn the victory!  No errors or double plays for our boys in black last night!  Things are getting better all the time!

Injury Report.  Alas, just as our bench had gotten suitably “fat” again, we thin out for today’s game.  In the ninth last night, Alex Romero made an amazing catch to thwart a BIG Beaver’s comeback.  I mean, he dove and just picked that ball up inches off the grass.  Unfortunately, he landed hard on his catching (left) hand and was obviously hurt.  Trainer Greg Barber jogged out to check on Alex, the result of which was Alex stayed in the game (to great cheers from the small crowd at TEP).  But he was plainly not well.  I think Barbs and Plummer took a calculated risk leaving Alex out there.  Bottom of the ninth, we had the lead, and BOTH our bench outfielders (Jarred Ball and Rich Thompson) had already been used as pinch hitters in the game.  There weren’t many alternatives.  Still it hurt to watch Alex out there.  The way he delayed putting on his glove…and let his left arm just hang down…you could tell he was in considerable pain.  Today’s paper reports that Alex is day-to-day with a left-wrist sprain - the team hoped that treatment would clear him for play today.  I sure hope so, because today’s paper also said that Carlos Quentin will be sitting out today to rest up a “tight” (tired) hamstring.  You’ll recall he’s with us on a rehab assignment with a hammie injury, so it’s smart of them to be cautious of further injuring that hammie.  In any case, looks like we might be short on outfielders for this evening’s contest.

Meet Shawn Rakos.  I’m a big fan of our new ushering chore that requires us to “water the umpires” during the seventh inning stretch.  The only drawback is that it gives you an opportunity to see that these guys you love to jeer for bad calls are actually really nice, decent people.  I’ve yet to water an ump who wasn’t pleasant and friendly (and very thankful for the water!).  Last night I had the chance to take a cup of ice water to Shawn Rakos, the 2B official.  Mr. Rakos says he’s a plumber in the off season…and he’s looking forward to a major-league call up to officiate in MLB games next month and into the playoffs.  For a guy who got booed on occasion for calls involving his area of responsibility, he seemed right nice to me!

There are only SIX remaining Sidewinders games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on the Division-leading Sacramento River Cats and enjoy all the fun events scheduled at the Park!  While at the Park, stop by the Team Shop to check out their selection of Sidewinders items - everything is available at 50% off!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
TONIGHT!!  Winders vs. Beavers - Free Money Wednesday!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans through the gate and receive an envelope containing free cash or prizes!  Tucson’s starting pitcher is scheduled to be Dana Eveland.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 30, Winders vs. Beavers - the season’s final Thirsty Thursday!  Beer, soda and lemonade will be just a buck for 2 hours after first pitch.  Bill Murphy is scheduled to take the start for the Winders this evening.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 31, Winders vs. Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) - Faith Night and Fireworks Friday!  Following the game, enjoy the season’s last Fireworks display presented by Sam Levitz…and then enjoy a concert by Christian rock band, Hawk Nelson!  Tickets for the game PLUS concert are $16.  You can chose to attend the game/fireworks alone at normal prices.  Gates open at 5:00 for 6pm start.

September 1, Winders vs. River Cats - Chris Young Figurine Giveaway Night!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans with paid admission through the gates to receive a free figurine of former Sidewinder (and potential Rookie of the Year!), Chris Young.  The evening will also feature the season’s final Wine, Women & Baseball event.  And kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

September 2, Winders vs. River Cats - Dollar Dog Sunday!  All game long you’ll be able to enjoy hot dogs for just a buck a piece!  AND kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

September 3, Winders vs. River Cats - Final game of regular season and Margarita Monday.  Enjoy the final game of the season with two-for-one margaritas all night long!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

A small crowd of the faithful welcomed the return of the Sidewinders to TEP and were treated to an outstanding victory in return for their attendance.  Enrique Gonzalez and the Winders were able to defeat the visiting Portland Beavers (Padres), 7 to 4.   With the win, Tucson’s season record now stands at 73 and 62 (.540).  Sacramento also won last night (an incredible game that I’ll talk more about later briefly), so we remain four complete games behind them for Division lead.  Fresno is a whole game behind us.  The River Cat’s magic number is now four games.  Do the math…  If we win the entire series against the Beavers and the Cats win theirs against the Sky Sox (likely), the River Cats will arrive to play Tucson on Friday with a magic number of ONE game.  Ever the optimist, that sounds good to me because we’ll have a meaningful series with the Cats and a CHANCE to unseat them.  Of course, we can’t lose any games before then!

Enrique had another of those outings where you come away feeling he got away with being wild and sloppy.  In his 6 2/3 innings of work, he allowed three earned runs on eight hits and five walks.  He wasn’t shelling out a ton of strikeouts, either…registered only three.  And he hit one batter, Ray Chang, so badly in the fourth that Chang had to leave the game.  Enrique never had a 1-2-3 inning, but kept runs from scoring until the top of the seventh when he allowed three runs before Evan MacLane came in to shut the door on the Beaver’s offense.  E-Mac is a changed man since he’s moved to the bullpen.  In fact, I caught myself sighing in relief when Plummer called him into the game!  Quite a change from the days when you wanted to close your eyes when he was on the mound.  Evan pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only a wild pitch, one hit, and three Ks.  Jailen Peguero pitched the ninth and gave up a final run (earned) on one hit, one walk, and one K.

HIGHLIGHTS!  Every starting Winder had at least one hit!  That includes Enrique!  Enrique also took his first walk of the season!  And he scored two runs!  Matt Morgan stole his first base of the year!  Alex Romero had his fifth four-hit game of the season (plus a RBI and a run-scored)!  Ronnie Merrill hit his first AAA triple!  Portland reliever, Adrian Burnside, went two for two and scored a run (how often do you see relievers even get to bat, much less hit a single twice?). 

Tucson found the even-numbered innings to be most successful for them early in the contest.  In the second inning, Ronnie brought Matt Erickson home with an RBI single; then Alex brought Mo home with an RBI single.  In the fourth, Ronnie hit a triple after Mo led off with a foul pop out…Ronnie made it home on Enrique’s RBI single.  Alex then hit a single, and Carlos Gonzalez hit a single to load the bases.  Carlos Quentin (who had a rough night, going only one for five) popped out and Jamie D’Antona came to the plate.  I was smelling Grand Slam, let me tell you!  Instead, Jamie dinked in a good single which scored Enrique…but Alex got thrown out at home to end the inning.  But it was four to nothin’, so we weren’t too worried about missed opportunities!  In the sixth inning, Enrique led off with his walk, Alex doubled, and Carlos G brought Enrique home with an RBI single.  Q flied out to RF and Jamie was at bat.  While there, Alex scored on a wild pitch by Mr. Burnside before Jamie flied out.  While Robby Hammock was batting, a balk advanced Carlos G, before Robby reached first (and Carlos G scored) on a Beaver error.  Those were the final Tucson runs.  It wasn’t until the Winders were completely done scoring that Portland started eeking out runs from our pitchers, but the seven Snake runs held as sufficient to the bitter end.  Tucson made no errors, but did hit into two double plays.

Injury Report.  No real change to report, but some clarification on Alberto Callaspo’s status.  Not on the DL but still unavailable to play for about a week, some had wondered whether his season was over.  Ryan Radtke said Berto will definitely play again this year.  However, it might not be until after a September call up from the D-Backs.  I’m guessing that means WE’VE seen the last of him on the field this year.  BTW, the Portland team we’re seeing this week is significantly different than any we’ve seen previously this season.  The Beavers have been hit by the injury bug big time.  And, instead of calling up AA players, the Padres’ organization has been reaching down to the Class A level for replacement players.  It’s an odd decision.  A fair number of last night’s starters for Portland have been in AAA for only a few weeks…after having spent the rest of the season on various A-level teams.

Braden…A River Cat to Fear!  Last night’s River Cat starting pitcher, Dallas Braden, pitched a complete game shutout over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, earning his third win of the season, with a final score of three to zero.  Braden allowed only three hits and no walks.  But this is the amazing thing:  17 strikeouts!!  It is the second consecutive complete-game victory Braden’s pitched.  The lefty’s ERA is 2.95.  He’s done time in AA, AAA and the Athletics (pitching 52.2 innings with an ERA of 6.32) this season.  I wonder if the Snakes will be able to miss him in their series against the Cats?

Salt Lake’s Magic Number = Two!  With their win last night, and COS’s loss to Sacramento, Salt Lake now has only two games left to clinch the Pacific Northern Division.  That could happen tonight.

There are only SEVEN remaining Sidewinders games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on the Division-leading Sacramento River Cats and enjoy all the fun events scheduled at the Park!  You won’t want to miss a minute of it!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
TONIGHT!!  Winders vs. Beavers - Two Dollar Taco Tuesday!  Stop by any local Quik Mart and get a coupon to get you into the game for just $2!  All night long you can enjoy $2 tacos, too!  Starting pitcher in tonight’s game for Tucson will be Casey Daigle.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 29, Winders vs. Beavers - Free Money Wednesday!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans through the gate and receive an envelope containing free cash or prizes!  Tucson’s starting pitcher is scheduled to be Dana Eveland.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 30, Winders vs. Beavers - the season’s final Thirsty Thursday!  Beer, soda and lemonade will be just a buck for 2 hours after first pitch.  Bill Murphy is scheduled to take the start for the Winders this evening.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 31, Winders vs. Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) - Faith Night and Fireworks Friday!  Following the game, enjoy the season’s last Fireworks display presented by Sam Levitz…and then enjoy a concert by Christian rock band, Hawk Nelson!  Gates open at 5:00 for 6pm start.

September 1, Winders vs. River Cats - Chris Young Figurine Giveaway Night!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans with paid admission through the gates to receive a free figurine of former Sidewinder (and potential Rookie of the Year!), Chris Young.  The evening will also feature the season’s final Wine, Women & Baseball event.  And kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

September 2, Winders vs. River Cats - Dollar Dog Sunday!  All game long you’ll be able to enjoy hot dogs for just a buck a piece!  AND kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

September 3, Winders vs. River Cats - Final game of regular season and Margarita Monday.  Enjoy the final game of the season with two-for-one margaritas all night long!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

The Tucson Sidewinders return to TEP tonight to begin the final eight-game homestand of the season.  They return on a high note, after having taken the last game in Vegas from the 51s.  Here’s a recap of the final two games played at Cashman Field this past weekend.

Saturday, Aug 25.  Tucson 4, Vegas 5 (12 innings).  In a second consecutive closely-contested game, Tucson was unable to pull off a win after rallying in the ninth to tie the 51s at four all.  Bill Murphy started the game for Tucson and wasn’t horrible, though he did allow three runs (only one was earned - but he was charged with an error that cost Tucson some unearned runs) on five hits (one was a solo homer), three walks, and nine strikeouts.  Murph’s strikeout totals lately have been very impressive.  Bill was pulled with two outs in the seventh after his messy error, and Tucson saw the debut of Emiliano Fruto in a Sidewinder’s uniform.  You’ll recall the D-Backs got Emiliano from Washington in the Chris Carter transaction.  Emiliano got the one batter he faced to fly out on one pitch.  And he was done for the evening.  Jailen Peguero was next:  in two innings he gave up one run (unearned due to another Tucson error, charged to Alex Romero in LF) and two Ks.  Mike Schultz came on in the tenth and pitched two innings, giving up no runs on two walks and two Ks.  Then came Randy Choate.  His 12th inning was messy, indeed…and he ended up with the loss.  With two outs, Randy hit a batsman, tossed a wild pitch, and issued two walks and a hit that scored the winning run.  Tucson’s nemesis was again Marshall McDougall:  it was the second night he’d brought in the winning run!

Tucson actually scored first in the game, in the third inning (Jamie D’Antona hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Alex Romero), and that held until McDougall hit a solo homer for Vegas in the fifth to tie things up (also of note…that was the 51s first hit of the game).  Vegas drew ahead in the seventh with two additional runs and tacked on another insurance run in the eighth, to take the score to 4 to 1, Vegas leading.  In the ninth, though, Tucson finally broke through their stalemate:  although Alex struckout to lead off the inning, Carlos Gonzalez (now officially the new guy for the Winders…more on him in a bit) got his first hit for the Winders (a single), followed by a Carlos Quentin single, and a walk to Jamie to load the bases.  Robby Hammock hit a sacrifice fly to score Carlos G. (his first AAA run-scored), and Matt Erickson followed with a two-RBI double to tie the game.  That was all the 51s allowed the Snakes.  The Winders left 14 men stranded on base throughout the game - many in scoring position for a lot of missed opportunities - and were charged with three errors.  But they did NOT ground into any double plays!  Perhaps not the best night offensively, but the guys sure made some great defensive plays.  Ronnie Merrill (no longer the new guy) caught a blazing liner to short that was impressive.  Carlos G made a super sliding catch on another liner hit to CF.  But the best was in the fifth.  Choo Freeman smacked a ball to RF that hit the wall and Q missed the rebound off the wall.  Carlos G was backing him, however, grabbed the ball and tossed it to put Freeman out trying to stretch the double to a triple.  An exciting play!

Sunday, Aug 26.  Tucson 10, Vegas 4.  Greg Smith earned his fourth win of his AAA season in a fun game where (for once!) Tucson got an early lead and not only held it, but increased it a ton in one later inning!  Greg worked five innings (his last a decisive 1-2-3 on FOUR pitches!) and probably only came out of the game because of his pitch count (86).  He gave up one earned run on three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.  No pickoffs yesterday.  Vegas just played the base-running game very conservatively.  Tucson’s only error was also charged to Greg - luckily, it wasn’t a costly error.  Emiliano Fruto followed Greg to the mound for a scoreless inning of relief (one walk, two Ks).  Chad Harville followed with an inning of scoreless ball (one hit).  And Brandon Medders closed with two innings of work in which he first appeared to be trying to give the game away to the 51s.  Tucson had just blown the contest wide open by scoring seven runs in the eighth (score Tuc 10, LV1!) and Brandon quickly allowed a double, a walk, and a three-run homer to start his outing.  The HR woke Brandon up:  he got three quick outs to end the eighth and allowed only one hit (another double) in the ninth before the game was over.  It had been scary…but Brandon pulled us through in the end!

Tucson’s offense obviously had a better game yesterday…although Alex Romero went hitless in three at-bats (he walked a couple of times).  Alex had been the big producer in Saturday’s game, but couldn’t repeat yesterday.  Tucson started the game with two runs in the first inning:  Jamie D’Antona hit a two-run homer that also scored Carlos Quentin (who reached base on an error).  The Winders added a run to that total in the third when Carlos Gonzalez got his first AAA RBI off a double that scored Greg (who led off the inning with a double).  Our tally sat there until the crazy eighth.  Lo Bundy sent a new pitcher into the game and the Winders responded enthusiastically with a scoring spree!  Carlos G led off with a single that hit the pitcher’s foot and deflected into OF…Q followed with a single and Jamie hit a flyball out to advance the runners.  Robby Hammock was next to the plate and he reached on a fielder’s choice and an error that scored a run.  Matt Erickson then hit an RBI single.  Matt Morgan followed with a ground-out to advance the runners.  Ronnie Merrill then hit a double for two RBIs!  There’s still two out, btw.  Next comes Rich Thompson to pinch hit.  What happened next was contested by both Rich and manager Bill Plummer.  While Rich was up, the officials called a wild pitch that advanced Ronnie to 3B.  Rich insisted he was hit by that pitch.  Now, in my opinion we were better off with the WP moving Ronnie up.  But Rich and Plum were pretty ticked off.  Ironically, Rich WAS hit by the next pitch and made it to first (and we had Ronnie at 3rd).  Lo pulled his pitcher for a newer model, but the new guy was actually worse (when it goes bad, sometimes it’s like a free-fall!).  He walked Alex to load the bases.  Issued a four-pitch walk to Carlos G to bring in a run.  Walked Q to bring in a run.  Then some more craziness!  Jamie up to the plate.  He whacks the ball for a hit and Alex crosses home plate to score.  Carlos G is lollygagging a bit behind him and his run does NOT count because Q is out at third and Carlos G just wasn’t running like a house a’fire.  Jamie’s hit goes into the books as a single…by rule he couldn’t get a double on a play where the runner in front of him didn’t make it to third.  In any case, Tucson had put up seven runs and that was MORE than enough to win the game!  The Snakes did hit into one double play yesterday.

PCL STANDINGS.  With the split of the final two in Las Vegas, Tucson is now at 72 and 62 (.537) for the season.  We remain four games behind Sacramento for Division lead.  Unfortunately, Sacramento has been mirroring our performance.  They lost on Saturday and won on Sunday.  That’s put Fresno one whole game behind us in third again, BUT has also decreased the River Cat’s magic number to five games.  Also of note:  Nashville (83 and 53, .610) was the first team in the PCL to clinch a division (American Northern) with their one to zero victory over Oklahoma last night.  If current trends continue, the Salt Lake Bees should be next to clinch their division (Pacific Northern).  Our division will likely fall next.  And the one to watch, folks, is the American Southern Division.  Albuquerque holds a 1 1/2 game advantage over Oklahoma and three games over New Orleans.  Round Rock is the only team in that division that is out of the race at this point!

Another New Face.  On Saturday night, the Sidewinders welcomed new guy Carlos Gonzalez to the team.  Carlos is another of the highly touted D-Back prospects who has been playing in AA Mobile this year.  He is a left-handed hitter who was batting .286 with 16 homers, 75 RBIs and nine stolen bases for the BayBears.  He is also a free swinger:  he struck out 103 times in AA!  Good offense (aside from the Ks)…but he’s also known for the cannon of an arm he has in the OF.  Ryan Radtke thinks we’ll see him as an everyday player for the Snakes next year in CF. 

What’s Next?  Well, aside from the outstandingly fun/important homestand ahead, the Snakes face one more significant personnel hurdle before the end of the AAA season:  major league roster expansion.  On Sep 1 the D-Backs will rack through the Winder’s lineup and call up whoever they think will most benefit the parent unit AND not shake up the chemistry of the big club.  Today’s paper speculates that Robby Hammock will go up early…and of course Carlos Quentin will return from his rehab assignment.  No guesses on others at this time.  Maybe those two will be all we’ll lose until the season ends - after which it’ll be interesting to see who flows uphill towards Phoenix!   It will also be interesting to see what the D-Backs do with Yusmeiro Petit.  Before his rough outing yesterday for the D-Backs, there was tons of talk that he was pitching for his job in that game.  Given he didn’t do real well yesterday, I think it’s very likely he’ll be sent back to Tucson to finish the year.  Many are guessing that if that happens Dana Eveland will be recalled to the D-Backs. 

There are only EIGHT remaining Sidewinders home games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on the Division-leading Sacramento River Cats and enjoy all the fun events scheduled at the Park!  You won’t want to miss a minute of it!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
TONIGHT!!  Sidewinders vs. Portland Beavers (Padres) - Margarita Monday!  Enjoy two-for-one margaritas all evening long!  Enrique Gonzalez will take the mound for Tucson in the start.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm first pitch.

August 28, Winders vs. Beavers - Two Dollar Taco Tuesday!  Stop by any local Quik Mart and get a coupon to get you into the game for just $2!  All night long you can enjoy $2 tacos, too!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 29, Winders vs. Beavers - Free Money Wednesday!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans through the gate and receive an envelope containing free cash or prizes!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 30, Winders vs. Beavers - the season’s final Thirsty Thursday!  Beer, soda and lemonade will be just a buck for 2 hours after first pitch.  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

August 31, Winders vs. Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) - Faith Night and Fireworks Friday!  Following the game delight in the season’s last Fireworks display by Sam Levitz and then enjoy a concert by Christian rock band, Hawk Nelson!  Gates open at 5:00 for 6pm start.

September 1, Winders vs. River Cats - Chris Young Figurine Giveaway Night!  Be one of the first 2,000 fans with paid admission through the gates to receive a free figurine of former Sidewinder (and potential Rookie of the Year!), Chris Young.  The evening will also feature the season’s final Wine, Women & Baseball event.  And kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 6:00 for a 7pm start.

September 2, Winders vs. River Cats - Dollar Dog Sunday!  All game long you’ll be able to enjoy hot dogs for just a buck a piece!  AND kids can run the bases after the game!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

September 3, Winders vs. River Cats - Final game of the regular season and Margarita Monday!  Enjoy the final game of the season with two-for-one margaritas all night long!  Gates open at 5:00 for a 6pm start.

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

After two nights of run-away hitting, last night both Vegas and Tucson pitchers held batters in check through a closely-contested game.  Unfortunately, the 51s were just a smidge better than the Winders, and we lost 2 to 3 in 10 innings.  The loss lowers our season record to 71 and 61 (.538 ).  Fresno beat the River Cats last night, so we remain four games behind the Cats for Division lead.  Unfortunately, our loss lowers the Cat’s magic number to seven games.

Dana Eveland started for Tucson and pitched incredibly well.  You wouldn’t guess that this is only his second start since spending most of the season on the DL!  He didn’t appear a bit rusty or out of sync.  He pitched five complete innings (probably could’ve gone more if he hadn’t been on a pitch count) and gave up only one earned run on four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.  He did not figure in the decision.  Unfortunately, neither did his counterpart for the 51s.  Miguel Pinango has (as Ryan Radtke said) a “pedestrian” ERA (4.31) for the season, but consistently busts Tucson’s chops.  Going into last night’s game, Pinango had an ERA of 1.62 against us.  He pitched seven complete innings and gave up only one earned run on (get this!) one hit, three walks, and two strikeouts.  It’s a pity (for him) he didn’t get the win decision for his outstanding work.  But back to Tucson’s hurlers!  Chad Harville came in for an inning of work after Dana left the mound.  After his last few outings, I held my breath…but Chad did well!  He struck out one and induced two pop-up outs for a 1-2-3 inning.  That was good to see.  Winder’s staff continue to take it very slow and easy with Chad as he returns from the hamstring strain, so Chad was done after that single inning of work.  Randy Choate came on in relief at that point.  Randy pitched an inning and gave up an earned run on two hits, one walk, one wild pitch, and one strikeout.  Brandon Medders pitched two beautiful innings following Randy:  he held Vegas scoreless on two hits (no walks, no Ks).  Brandon took us through the ninth…and the scoreboard showed a two to two tie.  Bonus baseball!  Tucson was quickly shut down by the Vegas closer, Eric Hull, and the Snakes sent D.J. Carrasco to the mound.  D.J. worries me, so I didn’t like our chances at this point.  Sadly, D.J. proved my worries correct:  he got through only 1/3 of an inning because that’s all Vegas needed to win.  D.J. gave up a double to the first batter, got a quick fly-ball out, and then surrendered an RBI single for his 13th loss of the season.

Summing up Tucson’s offense last night is very simply done, since there was very little of it.  And credit our new guys for both runs!  Vegas got their first run of the game in the third inning - Tucson tied them up in the fifth.  Robby Hammock led off the fifth with a walk and then stole a base while Mark Johnson was batting.  MJ eventually hit a sacrifice fly to advance Robby to third and Ronnie Merrill came to the plate.  Ronnie was credited with his third RBI as a Sidewinder when he successfully hit a single that brought Robby home.  Vegas put up their second run in the seventh inning, and Tucson came back with their answer in the eighth.  Ronnie was a strikeout, Matt Morgan ground out, and Jarred Ball came in to pinch hit.  You have to understand that Jarred is not a home-run hitter.  His grand slam the other night in Tucson should’ve been a fluke, because Jarred hadn’t gone long all season in AA Mobile!  But there’s something about the rarefied air of the AAA parks (well, they are hitters parks, by and large) that gets Jarred going, because in his pinch-hitting appearance he launched the only home run of the game out in LF.  We were tied again.  Good work, Jarred!  Unfortunately, that was it for Tucson’s offense: two runs on two hits was all she wrote.  On a somewhat positive note, Tucson really didn’t waste any opportunities to score.  They simply weren’t allowed any opportunities to begin with!  Tucson did commit one error and did ground into one double play.

Injury Report.  In addition to the recurring reports on Jeff Bajenaru, Alberto Callaspo, Chad Harville, Matt Morgan, Mark Johnson, and Matt Erickson, last night brought news on Jamie D’Antona’s health.  Jamie was scheduled to play in last night’s game, but after being hit by a pitch in his left elbow on Thursday night, Jamie found he couldn’t swing the bat as effectively as he would like in batting practice.  He was removed from the lineup and may be off for a couple of days.  Jamie has again been on a tear and in my own mind I’ve been positioning him as the power-hitter replacement for Chris Carter…so I hope he gets well soon and comes back on fire!

They’re NOT Booing, Silly!  It took me awhile last night to figure out why it sounded like the fans at Cashman Field were booing some of their own players.  Finally a head-smacking “Duh” on my part:  they’re cheering “CHOO” (Freeman) and “HU” (Chin-Lung Hu…sounds like “who”)!  Oh.  Carry on.

August 25 & 26:  Away at Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers)  -  CATCH TONIGHT’S GAME LIVE ON THE INTERNET OR ON COOL 1450AM.  First pitch at 7:11;  On-Deck Show at 6:55pm.  Tonight Bill Murphy takes the hill for Tucson to start… 

Please note that tomorrow’s (Aug 26) gametime is at NOON.  Greg Smith will start for Tucson.  You should be able to catch the game live, as usual, on the Internet or on COOL 1450AM.

There are only EIGHT remaining Sidewinders home games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on Division-leading Sacramento River Cats!  You won’t want to miss a minute of it!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
August 27 - 30:  Home against Portland Beavers (Padres)

August 31 - September 3:  Home against Sacramento River Cats (Athletics)  (In addition to great baseball between the Sidewinders and the Beavers/River Cats, the final homestand of the year features the following ballpark events:  Aug 27 - Margarita Monday;  Aug 28 - Two Dollar Taco Tuesday;  Aug 29 - Free Money Wednesday;  Aug 30 - the season’s last Thirsty Thursday!;  Aug 31 - Faith Night/Fireworks Friday - concert by Hawk Nelson after the game/fireworks;  Sep 1 - Chris Young Figurine Giveaway, plus Wine, Women & Baseball and kids can run the bases after the game;  Sep 2 - Dollar Dog Sunday;  Sep 3 - Final game of regular season and Margarita Monday.  You won’t want to miss a minute of the fun!)

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

Tucson pitchers allowed Vegas batters 12 runs again in last night’s game at Cashman Field…but our boys put up ten more runs than they did in their previous night’s work, to beat the 51s, 17 to 12!  There are no simple words to describe the marathon in Vegas last night.  What can you say about a game that had already been underway for 3 hours when we went into the seventh inning stretch?  Where the teams exactly matched each other run-for-run in the first five innings?  Where Tucson hit for a season high 26 hits and Vegas wasn’t too shabby with their 20 hits?  Where our pitchers couldn’t quite do it on the mound, but were four for five at bat?  If you HAD to chose a single word to describe the game, I suppose “crazy” would fit best…it was one incredible event, for sure.

The win increased Tucson’s season record to 71 and 60 (.542).  Sacramento beat Fresno last night, so Tucson stayed four games off-pace for the lead in the Pacific Southern Division.  Fresno dropped to two games behind us.  Sacramento’s new magic number to clinch:  eight games.  I hate to say it, but they could do this before we see them at TEP next week.  I hope not:  I’d like to see that last series actually be meaningful for playoff consideration!  (Of course, if we’re out of it by then, I’ll be less likely to be irritated when the D-Backs strip our roster with September call-ups!)

Tucson used seven pitchers last night…but “only” four on the mound itself.  Casey Daigle started the game and lasted just four innings, giving up eight earned runs on eleven hits, one walk, and five strikeouts.  Most of our pitchers last night had an area where they out-did their teammates on one negative scale or another.  For Casey, it was homers.  Casey allowed the only home runs in the game:  both with two out, and both for two runs -  one in each of the first and fourth innings.  It is curious to note that all of Tucson’s runs were scored without a single homer!  Casey did not figure in the decision and his ERA rose from 5.95 to 6.43.  Cashman Field - especially when over 100 degrees with a 15 mph wind blowing out - and the 51s will do that to ya!  Mike Schultz followed Casey to the mound and pitched two complete innings AND earned his fourth win of the season though he was touched up for three earned runs on four hits, two walks, and one strikeout.  Mike’s specialty last night was the wild pitch:  he tossed three of them.  Emiliano Fruto debuted for the Sidewinders to relieve Mike.  Emiliano pitched two complete innings and gave up one earned run on four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.  Not a bad start with the Winders!  Welcome, Emiliano!  Jailen Peguero closed out the game with an inning of work.  He gave up no runs on one hit, one hit batsman (his “special” area), one walk, and one strikeout.  Jailen actually loaded the bases and left them stranded to end the game.  Whew!

I’m not going to attempt to recap last night’s offensive production inning-by-inning.  Ryan Radtke did an admirable job doing so in his recap show following the game, but it’s more than I can handle.  So let’s just take a peek at some highlights.  In the first inning, Tucson kicked off the game with three runs scored.  Looked like smooth sailing for the Snakes.  That is until the 51s put up a three spot in their half of the inning.  Tucson put up a zero in the second - Vegas put up a zero in the second.  Tucson added a run in the third.  Vegas added a run in the third.  About now I was thinking we should cue the music from “The Twilight Zone!”  How weird is it that the teams were exactly mirroring each other?  In the fourth, the Winders drove in four additional runs…but then Vegas drove in four runs in their fourth!  One for Tucson in the fifth;  one for Vegas in the fifth.  A big fat Zero for Tucson in the sixth…and the mirror cracked!  Vegas put up two runs to take the lead in the game.  Tucson was obviously shocked that the 51s had decided not to play copycat any longer, so they came out and threw seven runs on the board in the seventh.  Hey, match THAT Vegas!  All Vegas could muster in the seventh was a single run.  Tucson got one more (unmatched, again) in the eighth.  Then the Snakes put up a zero in the ninth - Vegas matched that!

The only guys on the team who didn’t get a hit last night were the guys who didn’t get an at-bat.  Well, except for Jarred Ball.  He came in to pinch-hit in the seventh and struckout swinging.  In fact, he was the tenth man to the plate in that inning, and he recorded the first out.  Other notable pinch-hitters:  Greg Smith hit a single in the fourth and scored a run.  Dana Eveland led off the seventh with a double and scored a run (his base-running error of the other evening now officially forgiven!).  Bill Murphy led off the ninth with a single.  Notice those were all pitchers?  Good on them!  BTW, Casey got his fourth hit of the year - a single - in the second.

Deliciously absurd numbers:

• - Robby Hammock:  five hits (two doubles), five RBIs, one run-scored in six at-bats
• - Alex Romero:  four hits (one double), three RBIs, four runs-scored in seven at-bats…and a stolen base
• - Rich Thompson:  three hits, two runs-scored in seven at-bats…and two stolen bases
• - Matt Erickson:  three hits (one double), one RBI, two runs-scored in six at-bats
• - Carlos Quentin:  two doubles, one RBI, three runs-scored in four at-bats…hit by a pitch to drive in a run, too
• - Jamie D’Antona:  three hits (one double), three RBIs, three runs-scored in five at-bats…hit by a pitch in the at-bat following Q’s HBP - that also drove in a run

Other notes:  Tucson hit into only one double play, though they turned two on the 51s.  The Winders committed no errors (Vegas was only charged with one).  Tucson left a total of 13 men on base.  Vegas left 12.

Injury Report.  Obviously, Robby Hammock returned to the lineup last night.  His sprained finger responded well to treatment.  An injury that staff suspected might keep Robby out for several weeks, cleared up in one week!  Alberto Callaspo is probably at least a week away from a return.  He’s day-to-day with a hammie strain.  Much of the team is still playing through with the odd ache and bruise.  Jamie D’Antona is reportedly very banged and bruised up from his recent outing as a catcher.  Being hit by a pitch last night was probably not a very happy moment for him (in fact, he did go down for a moment or two before continuing to play).  The team is being very cautious with Chad Harville.  Probably be awhile before we see him in a game again.

August 24 - 26:  Away at Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers)  -  CATCH TONIGHT’S GAME LIVE ON THE INTERNET OR ON COOL 1450AM.  First pitch at 7:11;  On-Deck Show at 6:50pm.  Tonight Dana Eveland takes the hill for Tucson to start…

There are only EIGHT remaining Sidewinders home games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on Division-leading Sacramento River Cats!  You won’t want to miss a minute of it!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
August 27 - 30:  Home against Portland Beavers (Padres)

August 31 - September 3:  Home against Sacramento River Cats (Athletics)  (That’s right folks, in our final series of the year we go head-to-head against Division-leading Sacramento for the Division’s playoff spot.  You really have to plan to see these games!)

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

Las Vegas made Tucson look a little silly last night, as the aliens crushed our beloved Sidewinders, 12 to 7.  The loss forced our season record down to 70 and 60 (.538 ).  Sacramento also lost last night…which is basically good news, since we didn’t lose any ground in the standings.  Except it’s no longer that simple.  Fresno is the team that beat the Cats last night.  With their win, Fresno has drawn to within ONE game of us in the standings.  If they keep beating the Cats, it’ll obviously be mixed news for Tucson.  Additionally, each loss Tucson sustains helps bring the Cats one “magic game” closer to clinching the Division, no matter how many games back we stand.  With our loss last night, the Cats’ magic number is now 9.  The only solution, of course, is for the Sidewinders to win win win…and for the Cats to lose lose lose. 

You’d think we could beat the 51s.  They’ve already been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race with their record standing at 60 and 72.  You’d expect that to mean they’re not playing well.  While that MAY be true, it is not to say that Lo Bundy is going to fall victim to sentimental fondness for his former team (that’d be us, ya’ll) and let his 51s roll over and die.  In fact, I think the team may simply relish being a spoiler right now.  Whatever the case, the 51s simply out-played and out-pitched Tucson last night.  I only hope our boys will let that loss make them mad enough to get out there and win tonight behind Casey.

Enrique Gonzalez started for Tucson last night.  He gave up two runs in the first, five in the second, and another one in each of the third and fourth before he was withdrawn from the game with the loss.  After four innings, Enrique had given up TEN runs (only five earned…which shows you the damage our errors - all three of them - did to compound Enrique’s pitching problems) on eight hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.  He allowed two home runs:  one was a grand slam off John Lindsey’s bat in the second.  That one came with two outs in the inning, too.  The really rocking good news of the game for Winders fans was Evan MacLane’s very successful relief outing to follow Enrique.  E-Mac worked three complete SCORELESS innings, allowing only a hit and a walk for what might have  been his best outing this season.  Well done!  D.J. Carrasco took the final inning of work…and successfully put any chance of a Winder comeback out of reach when he allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk (no Ks) to the Vegas batters.

But Tucson did HIT last night!  Every starter (except Matt Morgan) registered at least one hit.  So, in fact, did Enrique and E-Mac!  Jamie D’Antona trumped the lot with his four hits in five at-bats.  One was a three-run homer, too, so his RBI tally of three bested that of his teammates as well.  Carlos Quentin was next most productive for the team - he amassed three hits and two RBIs in five at-bats.  Only two Snakes managed to work a walk off Vegas pitching last night.  Ronnie Merrill Jr. got his first AAA hit (a single) and another run-scored.  Tuscon scored five of its runs in the third inning (an amazing tally!  But which still left the Snakes down by two at that time):  Alex Romero singled to drive Rich Thompson across the plate; Q singled to drive Ronnie home; and Jamie hit his 3-run homer.  The Winders got another run in the sixth (Rich ground out but brought Mark Johnson home) and ninth (Q doubled to bring Rich across the plate) to round out their offensive production.

Play of the Game.  Matt Morgan has had a tough time of things this year.  When the Grizzlies were in town recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Mo’s dad and learned more about the near-career-ending injuries Mo sustained in a game two years ago in AA.  That Mo is playing at all - much less at the AAA level - is something of a miracle.  He hasn’t had a lot of success for all his hard work, however, and I know his dad was disappointed for him (not “WITH him”).   Anyway, Mo’s been charged with a fair number of errors since he’s begun playing 2B regularly (and got one again last night), he’s batting only .224 for the season (and went hitless last night), and his ankle is bothering him - and he’s a catcher by trade - so he’s a double-play candidate (and hit into another one last night.  As did Matt Erickson).  So, bottom of the eighth…last at-bats for Vegas…D.J.’s looking at three sacks full of 51s and only one out…Lindsey (of grand slam fame) at the plate and the game’s about to go so far south on the Snakes we’ll find it wallowing in the wake of Hurricane Dean!  D.J. gets Lindsey to pop up!  Mo centers himself, clearly in control of his defense…and he lets the ball drop!  And NO, it’s not an error!  It’s one of the smartest, simplest, most effective double plays I’ve ever seen (or heard, as the case may be)!  Mo picks the ball on a hop, tosses to Ronnie covering 2B (a man also looking for a shot at some redemption last night after an error), who tossed to MJ in time to catch Lindsey out at first!!  DOUBLE PLAY…THREE OUTS!  You go, Mo!!  (I’m a sucker for an underdog, and am pulling for Mo with all the depth of my cheering capability.) 

August 23 - 26:  Away at Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers)  -  CATCH TONIGHT’S GAME LIVE ON THE INTERNET OR ON COOL 1450AM.  First pitch at 7:11;  On-Deck Show at 7pm.  Tonight Casey Daigle takes the hill for Tucson to start…

There are only EIGHT remaining Sidewinders home games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on Division-leading Sacramento River Cats!  You won’t want to miss a minute of it!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
August 27 - 30:  Home against Portland Beavers (Padres)

August 31 - September 3:  Home against Sacramento River Cats (Athletics)  (That’s right folks, in our final series of the year we go head-to-head against Division-leading Sacramento for the Division’s playoff spot.  You really have to plan to see these games!)

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

The transaction that sent our Chris Carter to the Boston Red Sox organization was the talk of the Park last night, but while we all flapped our jaws on that topic, the Winders also wowed us with their 70th win of the season, decisively beating the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, 7 to 3.  And here’s the best news of the day:  Tacoma trounced the River Cats last night, 11 to 4…so the Winders gained an entire game on the Cats for Division lead.  We now trail by only four games!  How ’bout them Rainiers taking a series victory off the River Cats?

Greg Smith started for Tucson last night.  He is a delight to watch on the mound: effective against batters and dangerous to those base-runners who stray off first.  Greg picked off two again last night.  That’s good stuff!  Greg worked six complete scoreless innings, giving up seven hits and one walk…and mowed down eight batters with strikeouts!  He tossed 81 pitches last night - 53 were strikes.  Bill Plummer then sent Chad Harville to the mound for the seventh inning.  You’ll recall Chad was just activated off the DL (hamstring), and I think last night’s outing was supposed to be an easy test of how Chad feels after the injury.  The Snakes were up six to nothing, so it seemed a small risk to take while assessing Chad’s readiness.  Small risk…but scary nonetheless.  Chad was clearly not at his best:  and getting hit by a blazing come-backer couldn’t have helped.  After fielding that nasty liner, Chad was limping pretty badly so took a few test pitches with Trainer Greg Barber and everyone else watching.  He stayed in the game, but worked only 2/3 of an inning before being lifted.  Meantime, he’d given up three earned runs on four hits (no walks, no Ks).  A scary inning in more ways than one.  Randy Choate closed out the seventh, and worked the eighth, without allowing more damage.  Randy gave up no runs on one hit, no walks, one K.  Brandon Medders took the ninth and seemed to be teasing the few fans in attendance who were rooting for one more strikeout so they could take home a coupon for a free Thirst Buster from Circle K.  Brandon seemed to get two strikes/no balls on every guy he faced, only to give up a fly out, a ground out, and a hit.  But then glory be!  He K’d the last batter he faced to end the game AND give the fans that 10th strikeout for the home team!  In fact, it was a great outing for Brandon, who has had a couple of rough ones lately.  Greg earned his third win of the season - there was no save.

Tucson’s offense essentially did all they needed in the first inning when they pushed five runs across the plate, though they did score one additional run in the fifth and eighth innings.  But the first was incredible!  Rich Thompson led off with a single and made it to third on a single by Alex Romero (who made it to second on the throw).  Jamie D’Antona was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Matt Erickson lined a single to score Rich.  Bases still loaded.  Mark Johnson struck-out and there were two down.  Up to the plate comes Jarred Ball (no longer “the new guy” on the team).  Jarred blasted his first AAA homer into right field:  a GRAND SLAM!  And the crowd goes wild!  Five runs for the Winders in the first…and Greg pitching up a storm against these Rockies farm hands!  In the fifth, Ronnie Merrill Jr. (officially “the new guy”) took a walk and eventually scored on an RBI single by Jamie.  In the eighth, Jamie hit a solo homer (his 11th) to give the Winders their final run…and a commanding lead the Sox never came close to overcoming.

Quick Facts.  No errors last night for either team.  Tucson fell victim to two double plays.  Sox out-hit the Snakes, 13 to 9.  Randy Choate actually took an at-bat…and struck out.  Did I mention that Mark Johnson played first last night (in, sob, Chris Carter’s place)?  Our roster lists two catchers:  MJ and Matt Morgan.  Both were playing INF last night.  Jamie did the catching.   

Danny’s in the Groove!  Danny Richar has hit a home run in each of the last two games for the White Sox.  This follows his big grand slam the other night.  These last two probably feel more satisfying on the whole:  the Sox have won both games.

CC Assigned to Pawtucket Red Sox (IL).  After the trades were accomplished yesterday, the Boston Red Sox assigned Chris Carter to their AAA team, the Pawtucket Red Sox.  The PawSox play in the International League Northern Division and currently hold a 62 and 67 (.481) record.  They are in fourth place in the Northern Division…12 1/2 games behind leader, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.  If you’re looking for a road trip, head on out to Pawtucket Rhode Island, where you can catch Californian, and former Sidewinder, Chris Carter as he looks to blaze his way to the bigs via the BoSox organization!  (BTW, CC has not been assigned a number yet, according to the PawSox roster…nor is he listed as part of the Red Sox’s 40-man roster.  His stat page has also not been updated to reflect his new organizational alignment.)  Electronically, you can keep tabs on CC here:  http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Chris%20Carter&pos=1B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=452080

BTW, today’s paper reports that the Sidewinders expect to gain Emiliano Fruto (the Washington Nationals reliever the D-Backs received in the CC trade) in our bullpen in the next few days.  Like CC, Emiliano has had no major league service this year.  His record for the Columbus Clippers (IL) was 3 and 9, with an ERA of 5.26.  In 87.1 innings pitched, he’s given up 78 hits, 51 earned runs, six homers, 59 walks, and 68 strikeouts.  Opposing batters have hit .249 against him.

There are only EIGHT remaining Sidewinders home games left in this season…and each game will be huge!  Come cheer for the Snakes as they make a late-season surge on the Division-leading Sacramento River Cats!  You won’t want to miss a minute of it!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
August 22 - 26:  Away at Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers)

August 27 - 30:  Home against Portland Beavers (Padres)

August 31 - September 3:  Home against Sacramento River Cats (Athletics)  (That’s right folks, in our final series of the year we go head-to-head against Division-leading Sacramento for the Division’s playoff spot. You really have to plan to see these games!)

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)

The Tucson Sidewinders won a thriller last night at TEP, defeating the visiting Sky Sox 7 to 6!  The win ups our season record to 69 and 59 (.535)…we remain five games behind the River Cats (they beat Tacoma last night).  BTW, the “magic number” of wins Sacramento needs to clinch the division is now at 11 games.  Let’s hope they have a difficult time with the next teams on their schedule!  Especially when they play the Snakes next week!

The early innings of last night’s game were all about Bill Murphy, Tucson’s starting pitcher for the evening.  Early on his pitching as a bit off…and, in fact, the Sox scored a run in each of their first three outings.  The first was particularly rough:  Murph hit the first batter he faced but picked him off as he tried to steal second, walked the next batter, and then was charged with a throwing error on a pickoff move that allowed that batter to take second.  That runner later scored on an RBI single.  An unearned run:  yet one which Murph created as unearned with his throwing error.  In the second inning, Murph allowed a double, then a single, but induced a double-play ball (that, unfortunately, scored a run) and got a ground out to end the inning.  In the third, Murph allowed one more run on a double and a single, but also picked another runner off first base.  He was definitely getting in the groove.  Meanwhile, though, Tucson was getting nothing off Sox pitcher Kevin Walker.  In the fourth, Murph allowed only one walk, but an error charged to Matt Morgan allowed a second runner to get on base (and advanced the batter who’d walked to third) before Murph struckout the final batter.  At least the Sox didn’t score a run in the fourth!  Murph got three quick outs in the fifth and then hit an RBI single (his first RBI of the year) to bring home the Winder’s first run of the game!  Tucson then loaded the bases…and couldn’t score additional runs.  I was afraid that huge missed opportunity would come back to haunt us, but it didn’t when all was said and done at game’s end.  A quick sixth for Murph and then he BLEW the Sox away in the seventh with nine straight strikes to K the side!  It was Murph’s last inning - and a strong one.  To show their appreciation for his pitching prowess, the Snakes came on strong offensively in their half of the seventh.  After two quick outs, Mo hit a single, Alex Romero (pinch hitting) took a walk, and Rich Thompson was up to bat.  A run scored off Rich’s bat, though it was not credited as an RBI or a hit, because of a Sox error at first.  Jarred Ball was up next.  He’d been the batter that ended the inning with the bases loaded on a pop out to CF and he was clearly looking to redeem himself.  He hit a solid single that scored an additional two runs AND gave the Snakes a 4 to 3 lead!  Bill Plummer sent Evan MacLane in to start the eighth inning for the Winders.  He pitched to two batters:  got a fly out on one and allowed a single to the next.  Plum then pulled Jailen Peguero out of the bullpen and sent him to work.  Jailen pitched the rest of the eighth:  he allowed three runs to score, one of which was charged to E-Mac and was earned.  One more was earned - the other was the result of another error charged to Mo.  Score was now 4 to 5!  Jailen blew a save, but earned a win because the Winders came back with three more runs in the eighth.  After Chris Carter struckout swinging, Jamie D’Antona walked, Matt Erickson singled (and Jamie advanced to 3B), Mark Johnson hit an RBI single, and Mo struckout swinging.  Two out.  New guy Ronnie Merrill (whose plane landed about an hour before this at-bat) strode to the plate to pinch hit.  And walked to load the bases!  Rich then hit another solid single that brought two runs across.  I tell you, Rich has been on fire.  And he seems to like this leadoff spot in the lineup!  Tucson was now leading 7 to 5!  Mike Schultz pitched the ninth and earned his fourth save of the season, although he also allowed one earned run to score (two hits, no walks, two strikeouts).  Schultzie gave me a little heart attack when he allowed that RBI single, then tossed a wild pitch to advance the runner, before he struck out the final batter of the game.  Whew! 

Our big power guys were left frustrated last night:  CC went oh for four.  Jamie was oh for three (with a walk and a run-scored).  Carlos Quentin was one for four.  The Matts each got two hits off Sox pitching.  Jarred and Rich each were credited with two RBIs.  We didn’t fall victim to the double-play ball last night.  But were charged with three errors.

Aching All Over!  Ryan Radtke talked last night about how the season is taking its toll on the health of our players.  Not only are Robby Hammock and Alberto Callaspo unavailable (though not on the DL), but both Matts and MJ are also playing at less than 100%.  Mo has a bad ankle that makes him a tad slow on the base paths.  Matt is still bothered by the bone bruise.  MJ is still struggling with the neck strain that sidelined him for so long.  Oh!  And don’t forget that Carlos Quentin is only with us because he’s rehabbing an hammie strain, so HE’S not 100%…  Chad Harville was activated off the DL, but will probably not see regular work right away.  Plummer hopes Jailen can take the saves until they’re sure Chad’s well-healed.  I’m sure everyone is relieved to see Jailen back in the bullpen…and to see Ronnie Merrill join our fatigued and largely empty bench!

More Bad News for Us.  Yesterday afternoon I read Sarah Trotto’s AZSTARNET Sidewinders blog highlighting supposed plans by the Red Sox to acquire Chris Carter as the “player to be named later” in their transaction that sent Wily Mo Pena to the Washington Nationals.  You may be wondering exactly how that might happen, since CC is not in the Nats organization.  And, in fact, Sarah said she’d gotten no comment from the D-Backs.  And CC continued to play for us.  Ryan also addressed this topic in his broadcast last night.  He’d spoken with CC about the rumors and Chris replied that yes, his agent was talking about such a move, so it was possible.  CC said he was just continuing to play for the Snakes as hard as he could and was trying to let the rest just be noise that didn’t bug him.  He expected nothing would happen before the end of the PCL season, anyway.  So, I had planned to talk about that.  How I’d hate to see CC leave the D-Back organization, but how it’d probably be a good thing for him to move on to an organization that might be able to use him at the major-league level before the D-Backs might pull him up.  That’s what I’d PLANNED to say.  Then my friend just emailed me an article from a Boston paper saying the deed is done…now.  CC gone…D-Backs acquire pitcher Emiliano Fruto from the Nats in exchange.  That’s the news, folks.

TONIGHT- Final game of series between Winders and Sky Sox!  AND Two Dollar Taco Tuesday.  Stop by any local Quik Mart and pick up a coupon that’ll get you into the ballpark for just TWO BUCKS!  A couple bucks more buys you a yummy taco for dinner.  Dinner and baseball - at a bargain price.  How can you turn it down?  Greg Smith will start for Tucson tonight.  Gates open at 6pm for 7pm first pitch.  I’ll be looking for you! 

You won’t want to miss a minute of the remaining action this season!  Plan now to join us:  tickets are available off the Sidewinders official website, at 434-1021, or on a walk-up basis at the Ticket Office.
 
August 22 - 26:  Away at Las Vegas 51s (Dodgers)

August 27 - 30:  Home against Portland Beavers (Padres)

August 31 - September 3:  Home against Sacramento River Cats (Athletics)  (That’s right folks, in our final series of the year we go head-to-head against Division-leading Sacramento for the Division’s playoff spot.  This will not be a series to miss!)

(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, SK Baseball LLC, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)