[Questdog]

Monday, June 30, 2003

We are in Birmingham to play a short 2 game set. They won 3 of 4 here over the weekend versus Providence and have won 5 of their last 6. We are 3-4 against them on the season and lost 2 of 3 the last time we visited, May 16-18. They lead the League in scoring with 4.87 runs per game (Jacksonville is #15 with 3.55). They are 12th in fewest runs allowed with 4.29 (Jacksonville is down to #13 with 4.30) They have allowed 4 more runs than we have, but they have played an extra game. They lead the League in HR allowed (69) and we have allowed the 2nd most (65). Their run differential is +43 and ours is -55.

Jacksonville Jays (33-41 .446 11 GB in 7th place in the Southern Division) at
Birmingham Barons (40-35 .533 4.5 GB in 4th place in the Southern Division)

JAX: Del Warwick (28-L) (5-7 3.31 ERA 108.2 IP, 112 H, 11 HR, 30 BB, 58 SO) Gold Glove vs.
BIRM: Paul Gaughan (34-R) (7-3 3.65 ERA 103.2 IP, 105 H, 7 HR, 27 BB, 55 SO) All-Star(2: 01-02)

Warwick gave up 1 run on 7 hits and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts in 8 innings last time out in a win.

Gaughan does not have a decision against us this season in 2 starts and we won both games. 3.21 ERA, 14 IP, 12 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 10 SO.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: 2B Leander Gooding (32-R .172-29-0-3-.485-3 B)
2: LF Cal Doty (26-L .283-272-2-20-.712-16 B+)
3: RF Dennis Brown (29-L .277-94-5-14-.820-1 C)
4: CF Ray McDonald (23-L .290-272-5-37-.801-9 C)
5: 3B Ed Diskin (39-R .258-182-3-32-.712-1 C)
6: 1B Jack Washburn (21-L .224-223-8-17-.677-13 B)
7: SS Bart Daw (31-R .223-188-3-21-.598-19 B+)
8: C Bert Swope (31-S .165-127-0-8-.421-0 B)
9: P Del Warwick (28-L .138-29-0-0-.276-0 C) Gold Glove

BIRMINGHAM
1: 3B Stan Stephens (25-R .388-309-3-30-.881-27 C+) All-Star(01)
2: RF Bob Marks (24-R .222-230-1-23-.621-6 A) Rookie #9 prospect
3: CF Sergio Acevedo (29-R .234-274-19-58-.836-16 B+) Silver Slugger(01)/All-Star(2: 01-02)
4: 1B Jim Montgomery (32-R .267-285-19-57-.851-0 A) 7 for 19 w/3 HR vs Warwick
5: 2B Rick Halverson (27-L .274-84-0-9-.775-3 B) All-Star(01)
6: LF Dave Jay (29-R .299-164-7-29-.869-0 A)
7: SS Turner Morache (24-R .295-78-1-11-.728-2 B)
8: C Bob Marcuson (32-R .175-120-0-8-.431-0 C+) All-Star(01)
9: P Paul Gaughan (34-R .179-28-0-2-.421-0 F) All-Star(2: 01-02)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Briggs Stadium
Weather: 83 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from left
Attendance: 11,873

Top of the First:
Leander Gooding sends a foul ball down the left field line, but Dave Jay drops it for an error! Given a second chance, Gooding beats out an infield hit! Gooding takes off for 2nd, but they have a pitchout on, but he is safe anyway! Cal Doty pops out to short. Dennis Brown, who has gone all cold on us, strikes out... Ray McDonald strikes out on 3 pitches...

Bottom of the First:
Stan Stephens grounds out to 3rd. Bob Marks grounds out to 2nd. Sergio Acevedo takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... He steals 2nd. Jim Montgomery swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses!

Top of the Second:
With 1 out, Jack Washburn triples to left center! Bart Daw hits a home run to left center!! 2 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Second:
Rick Halverson pokes a hit to center. Dave Jay lines a hit to center and Halverson beats the throw to 3rd... Turner Morache lines one hard to left, but Cal Doty makes a running catch! Halverson tags up and heads home, but Doty throws him out!! Jay takes 2nd on the throw. Bob Marcuson takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... P Paul Gaughan swings the the first pitch and grounds one to 3rd, but Ed Diskin makes a bad throw to 2nd for an error and the bases are loaded with 2 outs and the .388 hitter up.... Stan Stephens grounds out to 2nd!!

Top of the Third:
Cal Doty grounds one to 1st, but Jim Montgomery boots it for his 13th error of the season! How can the scouts rate him an 'A' on defense? Doty steals 2nd! And then steals 3rd on the next pitch! And then scores on a wild pitch! 3 to 0, Jays! Dennis Brown beats out an infield hit. Ray McDonald, our cleanup hitter today, bunts Brown to 2nd.... But the next two make outs...

Bottom of the Fourth:
Rick Halverson beats out an infield hit... Dave Jay takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4.... Turner Morache swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds into a 5-4-3 double play and Halverson goes to 3rd!! Bob Marcuson swings at another 3-2 pitch and misses!

Top of the Fifth:
Leander Gooding lines a hit to right. Cal Doty pops one up to 1st, but it hits off the heel of Jim Montgomery's glove and bounces away and Gooding makes it to 2nd! 2 errors for Montgomery today and 14 on the season! Dennis Brown grounds into a 6-4-3 double play and Gooding goes to 3rd.... Ray McDonald doubles to left and Gooding scores! 4 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Stan Stephens grounds a hit up the middle and goes to 2nd on a ground out. Sergio Acevedo lines a hit to center and Stephens scores... 4 to 1, Jays.

Top of the Sixth:
With 1 out, Bart Daw pokes a hit to center. Bert Swope triples to right center and Daw scores! 5 to 1, Jays! P Del Warwick flies out to center and Swope tags up and beats the throw home! 6 to 1, Jays!

Top of the Ninth:
On the Hill: Arvel Ivey (34-L), after a perfect 8th. PH Don Kern pokes a hit to center. PH Charlie Faber (32-), who will stay in to play 3rd, grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Leander Gooding grounds a hit up the middle and Faber beats the throw to 3rd, but calls out Trudy the Trainer.... I guess he will not stay in to play 3rd... Pinch-runner: Danny Stewart (32-L). Cal Doty flies out to right and Stewart tags up and beats the throw home. 7 to 1, Jays!

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Roger Wallace (28-R). With 1 out, Turner Morache hits a home run to left... 7 to 2, Jays. First extra base hit of the game for the Barons...

Won - 7 to 2

We are 13-7 (.650) in our last 20 games!

We had 11 hits and made 1 error
Birmingham had 8 hits and made 3 errors

We have now finished our 15th month in the MLB.
In only 5 of those months have opposing pitchers hit under .200.
We set a team record by a mile by holding them to an .083 BA (5 for 60) this month! The previous low in hits was 9 (.141) in September of last year.
It is also the first month, ever, that we did not give up an XBH to a pitcher!
In 2001, they hit .232 on the season with 23 XBH.
In 2002, they hit .210 with 15 XBH.
This year, they are hitting .172 with only 4 XBH! Still a little high for pitchers, but I'll take it!
We will probably get killed by them in July.....

Del Warwick (W 6-7) went 8 innings, allowed 1 run, 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.
RHP Roger Wallace went 1 inning, allowed 1 run, 1 hit, a home run and struck out 1.

Paul Gaughan (L 7-4) went 5.2 innings, gave us 6 runs (4 earned), 9 hits, 1 home run, no walks and struck out 5. He threw a WP.

2B Leander Gooding, close to being sent to Daytona (A), had 3 hits, stole a base and scored a run. LF Cal Doty had no hits or walks, but stole 2 base, scored a run and had an RBI and threw a runner out at home. CF/RF Ray McDonald hit a double and had an RBI. 1B Jack Washburn hit a triple and scored a run. SS Bart Daw had 2 hits with his 4th home run of the season, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. C Bert Swope, also close to getting a train ticket, hit a triple, scored a run and had an RBI. PH/C Don Kern had a hit. PR Danny Stewart scored a run.

For Birmingham, 2B Rick Halverson had 3 hits, but no runs or RBI.

Trudy's report on Charlie Faber is a mild calf strain that she thinks will bother him for 2 or 3 days.