[Questdog]

Monday, April 19, 2004

We are in Birmingham to play a short 2 game set. The Barons won 2 of 3 from New Orleans here over the weekend. We were 8-6 against them last season when they finished 79-83 in 7th place in the South. They are 3rd in scoring with 4.77 runs per game (Jacksonville, after back to back shutout losses, is down to #14 with 3.23). The Barons are tied for 13th in fewest runs allowed with 4.92 per game (Jacksonville is tied for 1st with 2.69). How can you allow 2.69 runs per game and still have a losing record???? Birmingham's run differential is -2 and ours is +7, still the best in the South and 4th overall.

Jacksonville Jays (6-7 .462 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Southern Division) at
Birmingham Barons (6-7 .462 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Southern Division)

JAX: Danny Coreano (25-L) (1-1 3.75 ERA 12 IP, 11 H, 2 HR, 5 BB, 7 SO) vs.
BIRM: Herman Varey (25-R) (1-1 4.66 ERA 9.2 IP, 10 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 7 SO)

After pitching a 5 hit shutout in his 1st start of the season, Coreano was lit up for 5 runs on 6 hits, 2 home runs and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in 3 innings last time out in a loss.

Varey was 2-5 with a 5.56 ERA as a rookie last year in 12 starts with 68 IP. We faced him once and scored 3 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in 7 innings in a no decision.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Cal Doty (27-L .255-51-2-2-.760-1 C+)
2: RF Fernando Tello (22-L .250-52-0-4-.533-0 C) Rookie
3: LF Ray McDonald (23-L .308-52-1-7-.870-1 B+)
4: 3B Tom McDowell (26-R .212-52-3-9-.640-0 C+)
5: 1B Jack Washburn (22-L .240-50-3-6-.755-2 B)
6: C Bert Swope (32-S .250-20-0-1-.550-0 B)
7: 2B Leander Gooding (33-R 1.000-1-0-0-3.000-0 B)
8: SS Frank Roadman (29-R .000-1-0-0-.000-0 C+)
9: P Danny Coreano (25-R .500-2-0-1-1.667-0 F)

BIRMINGHAM
1: 3B Stan Stephens (26-R .358-53-0-4-.880-4 C+) All-Star(2: 01,03)
2: LF Bob Marks (25-R .317-41-1-10-1.000-1 A) RoY
3: 1B Jim Montgomery (33-R .178-45-3-6-.618-0 A) All-Star
4: CF Sergio Acevedo (30-R .250-44-4-7-.898-2 B+) Silver Slugger(01)/All-Star(3: 01-03)
5: SS Ken Kelly (25-S .308-52-3-7-.942-3 B) All-Star(02)
6: RF Dave Jay (38-R .000-3-0-0-.400-0 B+)
7: 2B Rick Halverson (27-L .432-37-3-7-1.338-0 B) All-Star(01)
8: C Antonio Barajas (26-R .227-22-1-3-.684-1 B) Rookie
9: P Herman Varey (25-R .000-3-0-0-.000-0 C)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Briggs Stadium
Weather: 56 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from left
Attendance: 9,062

Top of the First
Cal Doty pops out to short... Fernando Tello beats out an infield hit. Ray McDonald grounds one up the middle, but Ken Kelly makes a great stop and throws him out at 1st and Tello goes to 2nd. Tom McDowell, in a bad slump, grounds out to short.... He is now 2 for his last 23...

Bottom of the First
Stan Stephens strikes out! He only struck out 21 times in 650 AB last year! Bob Marks, the reigning Rookie of the Year, flies out to right. Jim Montgomery walks on 4 pitches... Sergio Acevedo walks on 4 pitches... Ken Kelly, who hit for the Cycle yesterday, sends one to deep left, but Ray McDonald makes a running catch!

Top of the Second
With 1 out, Bert Swope grounds a hit up the middle. Leander Gooding lines a hit to center. Frank Roadman grounds into a force at 2nd, 5-4, and Swope goes to 3rd. P Danny Coreano grounds a hit to right and Swope scores, but Roadman gets thrown out at 3rd by Dave Jay... 1 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Second
Dave Jay doubles to center... With 1 out, Antonio Barajas grounds a hit to right and Jay scores... Tie Game: 1 to 1. P Herman Varey bunts the runner up. Stan Stephens doubles to left and Barajas scores... 2 to 1, Barons.

Top of the Third
With 1 out, Fernando Tello lines a hit to left. Ray McDonald triples to left and Tello scores! Tie Game: 2 to 2! Tom McDowell swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to center and McDonald tags up and beats the throw home. 3 to 2, Jays!

Bottom of the Third
Jim Montgomery plunks one, but C Bert Swope cannot find the handle and Montgomery is safe at 1st on the error... Sergio Acevedo takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... Ken Kelly grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6, and Montgomery goes to 3rd. Dave Jay lines out to right and the runners hold. Rick Halverson pops out to short!

Bottom of the Fourth
With 1 out, P Herman Varey grounds a hit up the middle... Stan Stephens grounds a hit up the middle... Bob Marks lines a hit to left center and P Varey heads home, but Ray McDonald throws him out! Jim Montgomery lines their fourth straight hit to left and Stephens scores... Tie Game: 3 to 3.

Top of the Sixth
With 1 out, Tom McDowell grounds a hit up the middle. Jack Washburn lines a hit to right and McDowell goes to 3rd. Washburn steals 2nd! With the infield in, Bert Swope grounds out to short and the runners hold. Leander Gooding clears the bases with a triple off the wall in center!! 5 to 3, Jays!

Bottom of the Sixth
Antonio Barajas leads off with a walk... The Bullpen gets up. PH Ken Johnson (27-L), who is 0 for 7 on the season and hit .183 in 120 AB last year, but had 5 HR, hits a home run to left.... Tie Game: 5 to 5. Stan Stephens takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4.... Call to the Bullpen: Robbie Hopley (30-R). With 1 out, Stephens steals 2nd. Jim Montgomery grounds out to short and Stephens goes to 3rd. Sergio Acevedo strikes out!

Bottom of the Seventh
With 2 outs, Rick Halverson takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Antonio Barajas walks on 4 pitches... The Bullpen gets up. PH Al Chase (32-R), 4 for 9 on the season and a career .299 hitter, lines a hit to right and Halverson scores... 6 to 5, Barons. Stan Stephens strikes out for the second time today! Yes, he also has 2 hits....

Top of the Eighth
New Pitcher: Wayne Hagan (29-R), who is 1-0 with a 7.50 ERA in 6 IP. He was 1-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 31 IP and 1 start last year. Jack Washburn lines a hit to right and Bert Swope bunts him to 2nd. With 2 outs, PH Dennis Brown (29-L) lines a hit to left and Washburn beats the throw home! Tie Game: 6 to 6!

Top of the Ninth
Top of our order up. Cal Doty takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4! Fernando Tello pops out to right. Doty tries to steal and they have a pitchout on and he is out by a mile... Ray McDonald swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to 2nd...

Bottom of the Ninth
On the Hill: Roger Wallace (28-R), after a perfect 8th against their 2-3-4 hitters. The Bullpen is ready. Ken Kelly strikes out! Dave Jay swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to center... Rick Halverson swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses! A wild pitch sends Jay to 2nd... Antonio Barajas swings at a 3-2 pitch and sends one to deep right center, but Fernando Tello catches it on the warning track!

Extras!
Our second of the season.
We lost the first.

Top of the Tenth
4-5-6 up for us. We go down in order....

Bottom of the Tenth
9-1-2 up for the Barons. With 1 out, Stan Stephens pokes a hit to left... He'll be running, so be ready! There he goes! And we are not ready and he is safe.... But the next two fly out to left!

Top of the Eleventh
New Pitcher: John Holcomb (32-L), who us 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 12 IP. He was 4-1 with 2 SV and a 3.79 ERA in 78.1 IP last year. With 2 outs, PH Charlie Faber (33-R) beats out an infield hit. Cal Doty grounds a hit to center, but Sergio Acevedo throws Faber out at 3rd....

Bottom of the Eleventh
Here is the end, because we have to send a lefty in to face Sergio Acevedo.... New Pitcher: Albert Davies (27-L), the only fresh arm left in the Pen. Acevedo grounds a hit up the middle... With 1 out, Dave Jay flies out to deep center and Acevedo tags up and tries for 2nd, but Cal Doty throws him out!! And does not hurt himself!!!

Top of the Twelfth
Fernando Tello triples to center! Ray McDonald flies out to deep center and Tello trots home. 7 to 6, Jays! The next two make outs.

Bottom of the Twelfth
Gary McKellar (34-R) is in to play center. Cal Doty moves to left and Ray McDonald moves to right. The Bullpen is ready. Rick Halverson strikes out! Antonio Barajas grounds a hit up the middle... PH Shigeru Nagata (26-R), who is 2 for 20 on the season and who hit .202 with 11 HR in 287 AB as a rookie last year, swings at the first pitch and grounds into a 4-6-3 double play and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 7 to 6

We had 15 hits and made 1 error
Birmingham had 13 hits and made no errors

Danny Coreano went 5+ innings, allowed 5 runs, 8 hits, 1 home run, 5 walks and struck out 2. 106 pitches. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.
RHP Robbie Hopley went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 1 hit, 2 walks and struck out 3.
RHP Roger Wallace went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 3. He threw a WP.
LHP Albert Davies (W 1-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 1.

Herman Varey went 6 innings, gave us 5 runs, 9 hits, 1 walk (INT) and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit.
LHP John Holcomb (L 0-1) went 2 innings, gave us 1 run, 3 hits and struck out 3. The first loss we have put on a reliever this season.

CF/LF Cal Doty had a hit and a walk and threw a runner out at 2nd. RF Fernando Tello had 3 hits with a triple and scored 2 runs. LF/RF Ray McDonald had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBI and threw a runner out at home. 3B Tom McDowell had a hit, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Jack Washburn had 2 hits, stole a base and scored 2 runs. 2B Leander Gooding had 2 hits with a triple and 2 RBI. PH Dennis Brown had a hit and an RBI. PH Charlie Faber had a hit.

For Birmingham, 3B Stan Stephens had 2 rare strikeouts, but also 3 hits with a double and a walk, 2 stolen bases, a run and an RBI.

Down on the Farm: Mike Marsh (23-R) pitched 10 shutout innings at home versus Durham, but that was not enough to get a win. Phil Furman (26-L) pitched 11 shutout innings for the Bulls. The Tortugas won, though, in the 12th with a home run by RF Rob Worms (31-R), his 1st of the season. Marsh is now 0-1 with a 1.66 ERA in 3 starts. Daytona (A) is now in 1st place in the South Division of the American Association with an 8-4 record! They have finished in last place in each of the previous 3 seasons.