[Questdog]

Monday, April 12, 2004

Home Opener!

The defending MLB champion Syracuse Sycamores are here to help us crack open Connie Mack Stadium for 2004. They won 3 of 4 at home against Memphis over of the weekend. We were 3-5 against them last year when they finished 96-66 in 1st place in the North. After a week of play, they are 5th in scoring with 4.00 runs per game (Jacksonville is #6 with 3.67). The League is only scoring 3.39 runs per game, but that is not unheard of in early April with the cold weather and the injury prone Aces pitching their few games of the year. The Sycamores are tied for 3rd in fewest runs allowed with 2.50 per game (Jacksonville, with 3 shutouts, is #1 with 1.50!). Their run differential is +9, 3rd best in the MLB, and ours is (brace yourselves) +13, best in the League!

The big news out of Syracuse is that they have rid their rotation of the last two Ace Award and Hurler Trophy winners. They traded 2002 Ace Award and Hurler Trophy winner Ron Wisham to Buffalo for 1B Mitch Kahmann, who hit .346 with 9 HR and 33 RBI in 179 AB as a rookie. And they have sent 2003 Ace Award and Hurler Trophy winner Ron Hutchins back to the Bullpen, from whence he came.

Syracuse Sycamores (5-1 .833 0 GA tied for 1st place in the Northern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (4-2 .667 0 GA tied for 1st place in the Southern Division)

SYR: Bill Floyd (25-L) (MLB debut) rookie vs.
JAX: Del Warwick (29-L) (0-1 7.20 ERA 5 IP, 9 H, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO) Gold Glove(02)

Our 5th lefty in 7 games.... Floyd was a 5th round pick in the 2002 B Leagues Draft and missed most of 2002 and all of 2003 with a partially torn UCL. He was 1-3 with a 2.70 ERA this Spring. 20 IP, 17 H, 0 HR, 9 BB, 9 SO. We was the #86 prospect this Spring.

Warwick faced the Sycamores once last year in a no decision that we lost in the top of the 9th. He gave up 2 runs on 11 hits, 1 home run and no walks with 4 strikeouts in 7 innings.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
SYRACUSE
1: LF John Byers (20-R .304-23-0-2-.886-1 A) Rookie #9 prospect
2: RF Jeff Garrigus (34-R .238-21-0-1-.590-2 A) All-Star
3: 2B Frank Bates (31-R .217-23-1-2-.628-0 B+) Silver Slugger(2: 02-03(SS)/All-Star(3: 01-03)
4: 1B Don Bruns (34-R .000-3-0-0-.000-0 C)
5: C Lee Dean (31-L .300-20-0-3-.764-0 C) Silver Slugger(2: 01-02)/All-Star(2: 02-03)
6: 3B Charlie LaRue (24-R .308-13-0-0-.692-0 B) Rookie
7: SS Octavio Garcia (28-S .333-21-1-1-.988-0 C)
8: CF Jim Beard (25-R .200-20-0-2-.710-1 A) Gold Glove
9: P Bil Floyd (25-L MLB debut B) Rookie #86 prospect

JACKSONVILLE
1: 2B Charlie Faber (33-R .250-20-0-1-.750-0 B+)
2: SS Bart Daw (32-R .304-23-1-3-.950-2 B+)
3: LF Ray McDonald (23-L .320-25-0-1-.810-1 B+)
4: 3B Tom McDowell (26-R .320-25-2-6-.970-0 C+)
5: 1B Jack Washburn (22-L .409-22-3-6-1.344-1 B)
6: RF Fernando Tello (22-L .292-24-0-2-.625-0 C) Rookie
7: CF Cal Doty (27-L .208-24-2-2-.728-0 C+)
8: C Garrett Bender (30-R .500-4-0-0-1.000-0 C+)
9: P Del Warwick (29-L .000-1-0-0-.000-0 D+) Gold Glove(02)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 72 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 8 MPH wind blowing left to right
Attendance: 12,023

Top of the First
John Byers strikes out for the first time this season! Jeff Garrigus grounds out to 3rd. Frank Bates grounds out to 1st, unassisted! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the First
Charlie Faber lines a hit to right! Bart Daw triples to left center and Faber scores! 1 to 0, Jays! Ray McDonald flies out to deep right and Daw tags up and scores. 2 to 0, Jays! Tom McDowell grounds out to short. Jack Washburn pops out to right.

Bottom of the Second
Fernando Tello strikes out and P Bill Floyd is hurt... New Pitcher: John Boston (36-L), making his season debut. He was 4-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 64.1 IP and 1 start last year. Cal Doty triples high off the wall in right center! Garrett Bender strikes out looking... P Del Warwick grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the Fourth
Tom McDowell lines one down the right field line to the corner and Jeff Garrigus misplays the carom and the ball gets away from him and McDowell circles the bases with an inside the park home run! 3 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Fifth
Garrett Bender grounds one to 3rd, but Charlie LaRue boots it! P Del Warwick bunts Bender to 2nd. With 2 outs, Bart Daw triples to right center and Bender scores! 4 to 0, Jays. Daw ties the MLB record with his second triple of the game! Someday, someone will hit three and break the tie, now shared by about 783 players, give or take a thousand.

Top of the Sixth
Jeff Garrigus lines a hit to right center. Frank Bates plunks one and C Garret Bender strikes again... He throws the ball into center field for a 2 base error.... The Bullpen gets up. Don Bruns flies out to deep center and both runners advance. 4 to 1, Jays. On the fist pitch to Lee Dean, Bates breaks for home, but their is no bunt from Dean and Bates is out! Was that a missed sign by Dean or a straight steal of home?

Top of the Seventh
Jim Beard beats out an infield hit. The Bullpen gets up again. PH Don Czachor (32-L), 2 for 4 on the season with 2 RBI and a career .341 hitter and who bought a new glove in 2001 and has not broken it in yet, grounds one to 1st and Jack Washburn goes to 2nd for the force, but makes a bad throw for an error.... John Byers lines a hit to right and the bases are loaded with no outs... Call to the Bullpen: Roger Wallace (28-R). PH Mitch Kahmann (25-L), batting .167 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 24 AB this year, but hit .346 with a .949 OPS as a rookie for Buffalo last year, doubles to right and 2 runs score... 4 to 3, Jays. Frank Bates hits a home run to left... 6 to 4, Sycamores.

Top of the Eighth
New Pitcher: Robbie Hopley (30-R). Jim Beard doubles to right... The Bullpen is back up. But the next three make outs!

Top of the Ninth:
Frank Bates lines a 3-2 pitch to left center for a double... The Bullpen is up again. With 1 out, we walk Lee Dean intentionally. Charlie LaRue grounds out slowly to 3rd and the runners move up. Call to the Bullpen: 2-time All-Star Bill Grant (33-L). Octavio Garcia strikes out!

Bottom of the Ninth
On the Hill: Benny Martineau (32-L), their All-Star(02) and 2-time reigning Fireman Trophy closer, who is no longer their closer, after a perfect 8th. 7-8-9 up for us. Cal Doty grounds a hit to left. C Bert Swope (32-S) is up and there is no other catcher on the bench, but we cannot let him hit here with his career .170 BA against lefties... PH Dave Thompson (28-R) swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit up the middle! PH Junior Danielson (32-R) grounds a hit to left and the bases are loaded with no outs! Their closer, Ron Hutchins, should be unavailable today after pitching in 3 of the last 4 games. Charlie Faber strikes out.... Bart Daw flies out to deep left.... Doty smartly holds at 3rd, just in case... Ray McDonald pokes a hit just over the 1st baseman and 2 runs score!! Tie Game: 6 to 6! We need another run, because we have no one to catch! Tom McDowell strikes out....

Extras!
First time this season!
With no catcher!

Top of the Tenth
New Pitcher: Albert Davies (27-L). Dave Thompson will stay in to catch. 8-9-1 up for the Sycamores. Jim Beard lines a hit to right and steals 2nd... RF Javier Perez (27-L), 0 for 1 on the season and a career .264 hitter with 20 HR in 560 AB, grounds a hit to right and Beard scores... 7 to 6, Sycamores. The Bullpen (Dave Nini) is up. John Byers bunts the runner to 2nd. But the next two, including Frank Bates, make outs!

Bottom of the Tenth
New Pitcher: Greg Estep (26-L), a rookie who is 1-0 with 5.1 scoreless innings under his belt. 5-6-7 up for us, all lefties... Jack Washburn lines a hit to left! And then gets picked off by P Estep.... The second runner picked off today for us... Fernando Tello strikes out... Cal Doty sends one deep to left, but not deep enough....

Lost - 7 to 6

We had 14 hits and made 3 errors
Syracuse had 16 hits and made 1 error

Del Warwick went 6 innings, allowed 4 runs (2 earned), 9 hits, no walks and struck out 3.
RHP Roger Wallace (BS 1) went 1 inning, allowed 2 runs, 3 hits and 1 home run.
RHP Robbie Hopley went 1.2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits, 1 walk (INT) and struck out 1.
LHP Bill Grant faced 1 batter and struck him out.
LHP Albert Davies (L 0-1) went 1 inning, allowed 1 run and 2 hits.

Bill Floyd went 1.1 innings, gave us 2 runs, 2 hits, no walks and struck out 1.
LHP Benny Martineau (W 1-0, BS 1) went 2 innings, have us 2 runs, 4 hits and struck out 3. Only his 13th Blown Save in 4 seasons.
LHP Greg Estep (SV 1) pitched a scoreless inning, gave us 1 hit and struck out 1.

2B Charlie Faber had 2 hits, stole his 1st base of the season and scored a run. SS Bart Daw had 3 hits with 2 triples, scored a run and had 2 RBI. LF Ray McDonald had only 1 hit, but 3 RBI. 3B Tom McDowell hit his 3rd home run of the season, an inside-the-parker. CF Cal Doty had 2 hits with a triple and scored a run and threw a runner out at 2nd without hurting himself. PH Danny Stewart had a hit, but then got picked off. PH/C Dave Thompson had a hit and scored a run. PH Junior Danielson had a hit.

For Syracuse, 2B Frank Bates hit a double and his 2nd home run and had 3 RBI. Rookie 3B Charlie LaRue had 4 hits. CF Jim Beard had 2 hits with a double, stole a base and scored 2 runs.

The Sycamores announced that P Bill Floyd had back spasms, but expected them to be gone by tomorrow.

Down on the Farm: P Steve Hale (22-L), our 5th round pick in this year's B Leagues Draft, tore his rotator cuff in his first game of the season and is our for at least a calendar year... That makes 3 of the 5 pitchers that began the season in Daytona's rotation now on the DL after they have played 5 games....