[Questdog]

Thursday, April 7, 2005

We are in Columbus to play the Explorers a 4 game series through the weekend. They split a pair of games here on Monday and Tuesday with Rochester to open the season. We were 7-1 against them last year when then finished 86-76 in 3rd place in the North. They were 12th scoring with 620 runs and 3rd in fewest runs allowed with 572, good for a +48 run differential. They are without the services of 1B Gabriel Beltran (35-S), the 2002 MVP, and CF Jorge Moreida (26-L) this series. Beltran is expected to be out until the middle of May, but Moreida sprained his ankle and they are hoping he could come back any day now.

Jacksonville Jays (1-1 .500 1 GB tied for 2nd place in the Southern Division) at
Columbus Explorers (1-1 .500 1 GB tied for 3rd place in the Northern Division)

JAX: Mike Marsh (23-R) (12-5 2.29 ERA 145.1 IP, 119 H, 4 HR, 53 BB, 98 SO last year) All-Star
COL: Steve Melita (32-R) (5-15 5.48 ERA 149.1 IP, 183 H, 16 HR, 41 BB, 82 SO last year)

Marsh faced the Explorers once last year and had an easy win in his pocket when we were up 7 to 2 after 4 innings, but he got hurt with 2 outs in the bottom of the 5th and did not get the win. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks with 1 strike out.

Melita is 2-3 in 6 starts against the Jays in his career with a shutout and a 4.64 ERA. 33 IP, 36 H, 2 HR, 13 BB, 18 SO.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: 1B Jack Washburn (23-L .375-8-0-0-1.069-1 B)
2: LF Fernando Tello (23-L .125-8-0-0-.347-0 C)
3: RF Ray McDonald (24-L .429-7-1-3-1.413-0 B+) All-Star
4: 3B Tom McDowell (27-R .000-9-0-0-.000-0 C+)
5: C Bob Hutson (22-L .500-8-0-3-1.250-0 B) Rookie
6: 2B T.R. Hunter (28-R .125-8-0-0-.250-0 A+) All-Star(3: 02-04)
7: SS Bart Daw (33-R .167-6-0-0-.452-0 B+)
8: CF Dickie Stemen (30-R .250-8-0-1-.625-0 B)
9: P Mike Marsh (23-R Season debut B+) All-Star

COLUMBUS
1: LF Steve Shauer (29-L .250-8-1-4-1.000-0 B+)
2: 2B Roger Briones (22-L Season debut B)
3: CF Bob Cline (26-R .143-7-0-0-.286-0 C) Trade from Richmond
4: RF Robert Duenas (35-L 1.000-1-0-0-3.000-0 C+)
5: 1B Miguel Andrade (28-L .000-7-0-0-.000-0 B+)
6: 3B Floyd Shawn (27-R .000-5-0-0-.167-0 B)
7: SS Joe Tirey (33-L .200-5-0-0-.400-0 A) Gold Glove(3: 01,03-04)
8: C Marc Barksdale (34-R .167-6-0-0-.333-0 B) All-Star/Gold Glove(3: 01-02,04)
9: P Steve Melita (32-R Season debut C+)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Comiskey Park
Weather: 59 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing right to left
Attendance: 9,060

Top of the First
Jack Washburn grounds out to 2nd. Fernando Tello draws a walk. Ray McDonald doubles to right center and Tello scores from 1st! 1 to 0, Jays! Tom McDowell strikes out on 3 pitches.... He is messed up bad right now and does not look like he will ever get another hit in his life.... .436 OPS in Spring Training and now 0 for 10 with 5 strikeouts to start the season.... And not one of the 5 balls he has hit so far was hit hard.... Bob Hutson grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the First
Steve Shauer grounds out to 2nd. Roger Briones strikes out looking! Bob Cline is an ex-Robin, so you know he hits for average, and he grounds a hit up the middle.... Robert Duenas swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses!

Through 5 innings, we have 2 hits....

And through 6....

And through 7.....

Top of the Eighth
Bart Daw lines the first pitch off the wall in center for a double! Dickie Stemen lines a 2-2 pitch to center for a hit! P Mike Marsh bunts Stemen to 2nd and Daw holds at 3rd. They walk Jack Washburn intentionally to load the bases up for Fernando Tello, who is definitely a threat to ground into a double play. But he instead lines a hit to center and 2 runs score!! 3 to 0, Jays! Ray McDonald strikes out for our 9th K of the day and Tom McDowell hits one hard for the first time this season, but lines out to left....

Top of the Ninth
New Pitcher: Mike McGillicuddy (25-R), in his MLB debut. The Explorers got him in the same trade with Richmond that netted them CF Bob Cline. Bob Hutson lines a double to left! T.R. Hunter lines a hit to center and Hutson scores! 4 to 0, Jays! The next three make outs.

Bottom of the Ninth
P Mike Marsh is at 115 pitches. Gary McKellar (35-R) is in to play left. Roger Briones grounds the first pitch over the 3rd base bag for a double.... Only the second hit of the game for the Explorers. The Bullpen gets up. Bob Cline strikes out! Robert Duenas strikes out for #10 by P Mike Marsh! Miguel Andrade grounds a double over the 1st base bag and Briones scores.... 4 to 1, Jays. Call to the Bullpen: Bob Craig (27-R), in his season debut. Floyd Shawn bloops the first pitch to right for a hit... Call to the Bullpen; 2-time All-Star Bill Grant (34-L), in his season debut. PH Sandy Jimenez (39-R), 0 for 1 on the season and a career .256 hitter with a .705 OPS, strikes out and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 4 to 1

We had 7 hits and made 1 error (T.R. Hunter again)
Columbus had 4 hits (3 in the 9th) and made no errors

Mike Marsh (W 1-0) went 8.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 10. 126 pitches.
RHP Bob Craig faced 1 batter, threw 1 pitch and gave up a hit.
LHP Bill Grant (SV 1) faced 1 batter and struck him out.

Steve Melita (L 0-1) went 8 innings, gave us 3 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 9.

1B Jack Washburn drew 2 walks and stole a base. LF Fernando Tello had a hit and a walk, scored a run and had 2 RBI. RF Ray McDonald hit a double and had an RBI. C Bob Hutson hit a double and scored a run. 2B T.R. Hunter had 2 hits and an RBI, but made his 2nd error of the season already. SS Bart Daw hit a double and scored a run.

Around the League: In his debut with Providence, P Dale Gilchrist (26-R) held Richmond scoreless on 1 hit and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts for 6.2 innings, but then had to leave with an injury. A muscle pull that will bother him for about a week, the Steamrollers report.

Also, RF Rob Worms (32-R), who we cut this Spring, made his season debut for Charlotte and hit a home run.