[Questdog]

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

We are in Memphis to play a short 2 game set. The Mules won 2 of 3 in Richmond over the weekend. We are 6-6 against them on the season and split a pair of games the last time we visited, May 5-6. They are 6th in scoring with 4.07 runs per game (Jacksonville is #9 with 3.86). The Mules are 9th in fewest runs allowed with 4.01 per game (Jacksonville is #6 with 3.86). Their run differential is +8 and ours is 0.

Jacksonville Jays (74-75 .497 8.5 GB in 6th place in the Southern Division) at
Memphis Mules (74-76 .493 9 GB in 7th place in the Southern Division)

JAX: Del Warwick (28-L) (12-12 2.63 ERA 219 IP, 213 H, 17 HR, 54 BB, 123 SO) Gold Glove
MEM: Dave Gray (34-R) (8-14 4.08 ERA 194.1 IP, 175 H, 9 HR, 68 BB, 97 SO)

Warwick gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 home run and no walks with 5 strikeouts in 7 innings last time out in a loss.

With Rick Potts in the DL, Gray is their #1 starter. We beat him in April, scoring 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in 8 innings.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: LF Cal Doty (26-L .292-535-4-53-.737-37 B+)
2: CF Danny Stewart (32-L .230-348-1-19-.581-9 C+)
3: RF Ray McDonald (23-L .296-544-11-72-.813-18 B+)
4: 3B Marty Eades (32-R .281-524-20-89-.805-2 C) All-Star
5: 1B Jack Washburn (21-L .246-410-10-42-.718-29 B)
6: C Ron Gregory (32-L .111-9-0-2-.222-0 C+)
7: SS Bart Daw (31-R .244-446-9-57-.658-40 B+)
8: 2B Junior Danielson (32-R .280-218-0-10-.626-15 B)
9: P Del Warwick (28-L .175-63-0-3-.346-0 C) Gold Glove

MEMPHIS
1: SS Tony Weninger (22-R .190-116-0-5-.470-2 B+) Rookie #17 prospect
2: 3B Keith Meyer (28-L .361-571-22-82-.978-29-C+) MVP(01)/Silver Slugger(2: 01(2B),02(3B)/All-Star(3: 01-02)
3: 2B Leo Toruno (29-L .225-493-16-70-.706-14 B) Silver Slugger(2: 01(SS),02(2B)/All-Star(2; 01-02)
4: 1B Nestor Gonzalez (29-L .257-549-28-99-.781-1 A) Silver Slugger(01)/All-Star(3: 01-03)
5: C Roger Beaudin (31-R .265-452-11-54-.740-6 D+) All-Star
6: RF Ron Alario (33-R .283-371-4-46-.711-6 A+) Gold Glove
7: CF Steve Gress (32-L .222-573-5-36-.603-25 B) All-Star(01)
8: LF Fred Heff (22-R .211-209-1-15-.578-4 B)
9: P Dave Gray (34-R .095-63-1-2-.268-0 D)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: RFK Stadium
Weather: 80 F, Clear Skies, with a 10 MPH wind blowing out to right
Attendance: 8,049

Top of the First:
Cal Doty swings at the first pitch and drives one to deep right, but Ron Alario makes a running catch... Danny Stewart lines out to center. Ray McDonald strikes out looking.... What has happened to Ray? He has not hit much in a month and is 0 for his last 7 with 4 strikeouts....

Bottom of the First:
Tony Weninger takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4.... No surprise that we do not get the sub-.200 hitter out... Keith Meyer, the .360 hitter, lines a 3-2 pitch to center, but Danny Stewart makes a sliding catch! Leo Toruno lines one to center and Danny Stewart makes a diving catch! Nestor Gonzalez lines one to center and Stewart makes another diving catch!!! Three great catches in a row!!!

Top of the Second:
Marty Eades doubles to right center. Jack Washburn lines a hit to right center and Eades beats the throw home! 1 to 0, Jays! Washburn tries to steal, but they have a pitchout on and he is out and tagged hard and hurt... Trudy goes out and comes back to the dugout with him, but says he can keep playing!

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Ron Alario grounds a hit to left. With 2 outs, Fred Heff grounds a hit to left. P Dave Gray lines a hit to center and Alario scores... Tie Game: 1 to 1. P Gray is a career .089 hitter who has struck out in more than half of his at bats....

Top of the Third:
Junior Danielson grounds a hit to left and P Del Warwick bunts him to 2nd. Cal Doty grounds one to 1st, but Nestor Gonzalez boots it! Only his 6th error of the season! Danny Stewart pops out to 3rd... Ray McDonald clears the bases with a double to right center!! 3 to 1, Jays! Marty Eades, with a runner in scoring position, grounds a hit up the middle! But McDonald gets thrown out at home by Steve Gress..... Still no RBI.... This is the 10th game in a row without one and he only has 6 since August 18, 24 games ago....

Bottom of the Fourth:
Roger Beaudin draws a walk. Ron Alario grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6, and then steals 2nd. Steve Gress beats out an infield hit. He tries to steal, but Ron Gregory throws him out! Fred Heff pops out to left!

Top of the Fifth:
Junior Danielson swings at the first pitch and pokes a hit over the 2nd baseman and P Del Warwick bunts him to 2nd. With 2 outs, Danny Stewart lines a hit to center and Danielson scores and Stewart takes 2nd on the throw home! 4 to 1, Jays! Ray McDonald grounds a hit to right and Stewart scores! 5 to 1, Jays!

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Tony Weninger, the sub-.200 hitter, draws a walk on 4 pitches, his second free pass of the game. Keith Meyer grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6. Leo Toruno hits a home run to left... 5 to 3, Jays.

Top of the Sixth:
On the Hill: Al Moser (36-R), after getting the final out of the 5th. Ron Gregory doubles to center! They walk Bart Daw intentionally. With 1 out, P Del Warwick bunts into a 1-5-3 double play....

Top of the Seventh:
New Pitcher: Jim Lucas (24-R), their rookie closer, who is 6-6 with 4 SV and a 5.09 ERA in 53 IP with 1 start. The Mules have about a baker's dozen closers on the DL. Actually, I think it is 3, but that is from memory. It might be two, because I see one of their closers is on the roster now, but demoted from the role. Cal Doty triples to right center! Danny Stewart strikes out on 3 pitches... The walk Ray McDonald intentionally. Marty Eades swings at a 3-2 pitch and tries to ground a double over the 3rd base bag, but Keith Meyer makes a diving stop and throws him out.... McDonald goes to 2nd. Jack Washburn grounds out to 2nd..................

Bottom of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: 2-time All-Star Bill Grant (33-L). Don Kern (26-R) stays in to catch. Nestor Gonzalez hits a home run to left... 5 to 4, Jays.

Bottom of the Ninth:
Gary McKellar (33-R) stays in to play center. 8-9-1 up for the Mules. The Bullpen is warmed up. Fred Heff grounds out to the pitcher. PH Dave Stacy (28-R), batting .262 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in 42 AB, grounds out to 1st, 3-1. Tony Weninger, the sub-.200 hitting rookie, draws his third walk of the game.... Now we have to face a former MVP and current MVP candidate in Keith Meyer.... He is 8 for 13 (.615) with a HR versus Grant in his career..... He is 0 for 4 against Dave Nini, who is warm in the Pen, but I am too chicken to make that move.... So P Grant does the sensible thing and beans Meyer! Leo Toruno, who is 1 for 8 against P Grant, pokes one over the shortstop, but Bart Daw manages to run it down and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 5 to 4

We had 10 hits and made no errors
Memphis had 7 hits and made 2 errors

Del Warwick (W 13-12) went 7 innings, allowed 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 5 walks and struck out 2. 110 pitches. He has tied Jim Baucom for the team lead in Wins.
LHP Bill Grant (SV 13) went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 1 hit, a home run, 1 walk and 1 HBP.

Dave Gray (L 8-15) went 4.2 innings, gave us 5 runs (3 earned), 8 hits, no walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.

LF Cal Doty hit a triple and scored a run. CF Danny Stewart had a hit, scored a run and had an RBI. RF Ray McDonald had 2 hits with a double and a walk (INT) and 3 RBI. I home this means his slump is over! 3B Marty Eades had 2 hits with a double and scored a run, but no RBI again. C Ron Gregory hit a double. 2B Junior Danielson had 2 hits and a walk and scored 2 runs.

For Memphis, SS Tony Weninger, a .186 hitter, got 3 walks from our frightened pitchers....