The Portland Beavers, est. 2001

[Questdog]

May 6, 2002

Monday Morning Report

AL Player of the Week - Antonio Mata, 1b, Tampa Bay (28 S .454/.478/.846) Had 18 hits with 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 12 R and 16 RBI in 6 G .423 with 10 HR in April; .577 with 4 HR in 5 G in May.
NL Player of the Week - Bobby Manzano, 1b, Colorado (26 L .374/.431/.641) Had 14 hits with 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 R and 8 RBI in 6 G

(Slash lines are for the season, not the week)

April 29: 1B Bobby Navarro and C Jim Dickey of Washington each hit 2 home runs at Baltimore in the second game of a double header. Navarro also hit a double, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs. Dickey had 3 hits and a walk and had 3 RBIs. The Senators won, 9 to 0.
April 29: CF Alan Landis of Chicago (A) had 5 hits at home versus Texas. He hit a home run. The White Sox lost, 5 to 4, in 14 innings.
April 30: The White Sox announced that LF Frank Morrison would miss the rest of the season with a ruptured MCL. He hit .300 with 25 home runs last season and was batting .337/.375/.547 so far this year in 95 AB. He is 29 years old.
April 30: RF Alex Gonzalez of Milwaukee hit 2 home runs at home versus Kansas City. He had 3 hits and a walk and 3 RBIs. The Brewers lost, 4 to 3.
April 30: RHP Jose Salcedo of Los Angeles (A) pitched a 6-hit shutout at home versus Minnesota. He did not walk a batter and struck out 4. He is now 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA. The Angels won, 1 to 0.
May 1: LHP Jamie Nale of Chicago (N) pitched a 3-hit shutout at home versus Montreal. He walked 4 and struck out 6. At bat, he hit a triple and had an RBI. He is now 2-3 with a 3.89 ERA. The Cubs won, 5 to 0.
May 1: RHP Larry Duran of Detroit pitched a 7-hit shutout at home versus New York (A). He walked 1 and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. He is now 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA. The Tigers won, 4 to 0.
May 1: 3B Alex Reyes of Kansas City hit 2 home runs at Milwaukee. The Royals won, 4 to 0.
May 2: LHP Myron McDowell of New York (N) pitched a 4-hit shutout at St. Louis. He walked 2 and struck out 7. He is now 5-0 with a 1.26 ERA. The Mets won, 7 to 0.
May 2: 1B Don Barker of Minnesota hit 2 home runs at home versus Toronto. He had 3 hits. The Twins won, 6 to 2.
May 3: C Dwight Smith of Montreal went 0 for 5 at San Francisco, ending his hitting streak after 24 games. The Expos lost, 5 to 4.
May 3: 1B Antonio Mata of Tampa Bay hit 2 home runs at Milwaukee. He had 4 RBIs. He leads the majors with 13 home runs now. He hit 16 in 618 AB last year. The Rays won, 10 to 5.
May 4: RHP Jose Colunga of Chicago (N) pitched a 2-hit shutout at Houston. He walked 2 and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. He is now 1-1 with a 1.55 ERA. The Cubs won, 10 to 0.
May 4: SS Jeff Honeycutt of Tampa Bay had 5 hits at Milwaukee. He hit a home run, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs. The Rays won, 11 to 7, in 10 innings.
May 4: RHP Randy Carlson of Detroit pitched a 1-hit shutout at Texas. He walked 1 and struck out 5. The hit was a 1-out single in the 7th. At bat he had a hit. He is now 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA. C Willie Vaughn, 41 years old, hit 2 home runs in the game and had 3 RBIs. The Tigers won, 5 to 0.
May 5: 2B Ricky Colon of Seattle had 5 hits at Baltimore. He had 3 RBIs. The Mariners won, 6 to 3.
May 5: 3B Steve Carrillo of Detroit hit 2 home runs at Texas. He drew a walk and had 4 RBIs. The Tigers won, 6 to 4.

RHP Gary Gay of the Indianapolis Indians was the International League (AAA) Player of the Week. In 2 starts, he did not allow a run. He is 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA on the season. He is 28 and nothing to get excited about. Even with his great start, he has walked more than he has struck out. 6-8 with a 4.11 ERA in AA last year.

Random Fact of the Week: RP Doug Maxwell has only allowed 2 runs so far, but he has managed to parley that into 2 losses....

[Questdog]

Monday, May 6, 2002

1B Ernesto Gonzelez was waived to send him to Indianapolis and 1B Danny Hernandez was called up. Hernandez will make his major league debut today.

We are back on the road and will be for 24 of our next 26 games. First stop: New York, where we will face manager Jose Garcia (67) and his Mets in a 4-game series. They split 4 games with the Cardinals in St. Louis over the weekend. We have not played them before now. They are 7th in the National League in scoring with 4.3 runs per game (Portland is #14 with 4.0). They are 5th in runs allowed with 4.1 per game (Portland is #2 with 3.7). The Mets have a Jekyll and Hyde pitching staff: their starters lead the league with a 2.56 ERA, but their bullpen is last with an amazing 7.04 ERA. The Reds have the second worst bullpen and their ERA is almost a run and a half better (5.56).

Portland Beavers (16-14 .533 2.5 GB tied for 4th place in the NL West) at
New York Mets (16-15 .516 3 GB tied for 3rd place in the NL East)

Ricky Peterson, Por (34 R 2-0 4.39 8.4-1.7-1.3-4.7 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Bryan Upchurch, NYN (29 R 3-2 1.38 6.1-0.6-1.2-6.1)

We were 0-2 against Upchurch last season when he went 11-9 with a 3.24 ERA for the Mets in 34 starts.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .273-2-7-.737 in 110 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .333-1-14-.865 in 120 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .306-1-6-.778 in 36 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .255-3-10-.773 in 102 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L Major League debut)
6: 3B Jim Eighmy (28 R .278-0-1-.714 in 18 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .262-0-13-.623 in 107 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .282-0-13-.643 in 124 AB)
9: P Ricky Peterson (34 R .100-0-0-.282 in 10 AB)

NEW YORK (N)
1: SS Jesus Ramirez (23 S .287-3-10-.831 in 94 AB) 2001 All-Star and Gold Glove
2: 2B Cary Gilreath (27 R .312-3-12-.868 in 93 AB)
3: RF Howard Ammons (25 L .218-6-15-.671 in 119 AB)
4: CF Larry Brown (29 R .267-4-19-.826 in 120 AB)
5: 1B Manny Esquivel (29 L .221-5-23-.668 in 113 AB)
6: LF Tom Wilson (29 R .302-2-5-.920 in 43 AB)
7: C Bobby Pina (32 L .217-1-9-.570 in 92 AB)
8: 3B David Millan (29 S .234-2-4-.696 in 77 AB)
9: P Bryan Upchurch (29 R .077-0-1-.220 in 13 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 49 deg. Overcast with an 11 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 14,966

Frank Wiginton lines a hit to center. Javy Fernandez grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6. Lebron Williams grounds into a double play, 4-6-3.

Bottom of the 1st: Jesus Ramirez pops out to short. Cary Gilreath strikes out. Howard Ammons grounds one to 1st and the first chance that Danny Hernandez has in the major leagues gets booted.... E-3. Ammons steals 2nd. And since opposing batters are batting about .920 with 2 outs and a runner in scoring position, Larry Brown bloops a hit to right and Ammons scores. 1 to 0, Mets. Manny Esquivel doubles to straight away center and Brown scores. 2 to 0, Mets. Tom Wilson grounds out to short.

Top of the 2nd: With 1 out, Danny Hernandez makes his first major league plate appearance and doubles to center! But that is all we get.

Bottom of the 2nd: Bobby Pina leads off my flying out to left, but Frank Wiginton comes up lame and has to leave the game.... That's 2/3 of our outfield out of action now for those of you paying attention..... Dave Priestly takes over for him.

Top of the 4th: Lebron Williams and Mark Parker lead off with back-to-back singles. Danny Hernandez grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6, and then steals 2nd. Jim Eighmy grounds out to 3rd and Williams scores. 2 to 1, Mets. Stu Redman lines a hit to right center and Hernandez beats the throw to the plate to tie the game at 2!

Bottom of the 4th: Larry Brown leads off with a double and sits there on 2nd until there are 2 outs and then Bobby Pina grounds a hit to right and Brown scores. 3 to 2, Mets.

Top of the 6th: Mark Parker leads off with a hit and then Danny Hernandez hits a home run to left!! 4 to 3, Beavers! What a debut! That chases Upchurch to the showers.

Bottom of the 6th: New Pitcher: LHP Pedro Huerta. Larry Brown swings with all his might at a 1-2 pitch and launches it into a new ZIP code to left. The distance estimator on the scoreboard says 550 feet, but I think that is as high as it goes.... Tie game: 4 all.

Top of the 9th: Still tied at 4. New pitcher: RHP Jack Ivy, their All-Star closer. He finished second in the voting for Fireman of the Year last season. Stu Redman leads off with a grounds to 2rd, but 1B Manny Esquivel drops the throw! But then we get three straight fly balls that are caught.

Bottom of the 9th: New Pitcher: LHP Jim Ackley. He gives up a 1-out walk to LF Juan Andrade, but that is all.

Extras!

Top of the 10th: We go down in order.

Bottom of the 10th: Howard Ammons leads off with a hit to right. New Pitcher: RHP Doug Maxwell. Larry Brown grounds out to 2nd and Ammons moves up a base. Manny Esquivel works the count full and takes ball four. Pinch-hitter: LHB Bob Blair. He lines one to short and Stu Redman makes a great lunging catch and then doubles Brown off of 2nd to end the inning!

Top of the 11th: New pitcher: RHP Ron Bell. A 26-yr.-old rookie, but he has 24 SO in 17.1 IP. We go down in order.

Bottom of the 11th: Bobby Pina leads off with a grounder to right for a hit. SS Guillermo Valenzuela bunts him over to 2nd. With 2 outs, Jesus Ramirez draws a walk. Cary Gilreath flies out to center!

Top of the 12th: With 1 out, Pinch-Hitter Roger Aguilar draws a walk, but Dave Priestly grounds into a double play, 6-4-3.

Bottom of the 12th: New Pitcher: LHP Max Burgess for the loss.... With 1 out, Larry Brown lines a hit to center. But that is all they get. With 2 outs, P Ron Bell had to hit because of an empty bench and for once it worked to our advantage.

Top of the 13th: Javy Fernandez leads off with a hit. Lebron Williams follows with a walk. Mark Parker grounds an 0-2 pitch just out of the reach of the shortstop and Fernandez scores! 5 to 4, Beavers! That is all we get.

Bottom of the 13th: They get a 2-out hit from Juan Andrade, but P Max Burgess strikes out Jesus Ramirez to end the game! ....and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won- 5 to 4 in 13 innings

We had 10 hits and made 1 error.
The Mets had 11 hits and made 2 errors.

We grounded into 4 double plays.

Ricky Peterson went 5 innings, allowed 3 runs (1 earned), 5 hits, no walks and struck out 4. 92 pitches, though, without any walks.
LHP Pedro Huerta went 3 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 3.
LHP Jim Ackley went 1+ inning, allowed 1 hit and 1 walk.
RHP Doug Maxwell went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and 2 walks.
LHP Max Burgess (W 1-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 2.

Bryan Upchurch went 5 innings, gave us 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 2.
RHP Ron Bell (L 1-2) went 3 innings, gave us 1 run, 2 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3.

LF Frank Wiginton had a hit in his only appearance. The Burgermeister says his back is tweaked and he'll be lame for a week or two, but he can play, maybe. I don't think we'll risk it, though. LF Dave Priestly hit a double and drew a walk. C Mark Parker continued his hot streak with 2 hits, a run scored and an RBI. 1B Danny Hernandez, in his major league debut, hit a double and a home run, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. He also made an error and grounded into a double play, but we are not going to nitpick. PH Roger Aguilar drew a walk.

For the Mets, CF Larry Brown had 4 hits with a double and his 5th home run of the season (but it was long enough to count for two). He scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 7, 2002

Portland Beavers (17-14 .548 2.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West) at
New York Mets (16-16 .500 3 GB tied for 2nd place in the NL East)

Terry Cole, Por (31 L 3-3 2.72 8.0-0.6-3.6-7.5 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Myron McDowell, NYN (26 L 5-0 1.26 4.4-0.4-1.9-5.9)

We were 1-1 against McDowell last year, though he went 8 innings both times and only gave us 3 total runs. He was 9-8 with a 2.96 ERA for the Mets in 2001. He is tied for the league lead in wins and is 2nd in ERA. He leads in fewest H/9, is 9th in HR/9 and is 2nd in WHP. Batters are hitting .143 against him so far. Plus, he is a lefty, so we will lose....

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: SS Stu Redman (30 R .259-0-14-.613 in 112 AB)
2: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .273-0-13-.629 in 128 AB)
3: RF Dave Priestly (28 R .278-1-7-.838 in 36 AB)
4: LF Roger Aguilar (31 R .180-1-5-.573 in 50 AB)
5: C John McIvor (31 R .125-0-1-.250 in 8 AB)
6: 3B Jim Eighmy (28 R .208-0-2-.546 in 24 AB)
7: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .333-1-2-1.333 in 6 AB)
8: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .328-1-14-.852 in 125 AB)
9: P Terry Cole (31 L .214-0-0-.429 in 14 AB)

NEW YORK (N)
1: SS Jesus Ramirez (23 S .280-3-10-.808 in 100 AB) 2001 All-Star and Gold Glove
2: 2B Juan Andrade (22 R .417-0-0-.878 in 12 AB) Rookie
3: CF Larry Brown (29 R .286-5-21-.880 in 126 AB)
4: RF Howard Ammons (25 L .216-6-15-.655 in 125 AB)
5: LF Tom Wilson (29 R .289-2-5-.893 in 45 AB)
6: 1B Manny Esquivel (29 L .229-5-24-.687 in 118 AB)
7: C Bobby Pina (32 L .224-1-10-.575 in 98 AB)
8: 3B David Millan (29 S .225-2-4-.672 in 80 AB)
9: P Myron McDowell (26 L .133-0-0-.267 in 15 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 52 deg. Clear skies with a 12 MPH wind blowing in from center.
Attendance: 14,765

Stu Redman grounds a hit to left. Enrique Hernandez lines a hit to left. Dave Priestly grounds a hit to left and the bases are loaded with no one out. Roger Aguilar grounds one to 3rd and And David Millan fields it, steps on 3rd and throws to 2nd for a double play, but the relay to 1st is not in time and Redman scores. 1 to 0, Beavers. John McIvor flies out to left.

Bottom of the 1st: Jesus Ramirez pops out to short. Juan Andrade strikes out. Larry Brown doubles off the wall in right center. Howard Ammons grounds one to 2nd and Enrique Hernandez boots it. Tom Wilson pops one into shallow center and Javy Fernandez makes a greats diving catch to end the inning!

Top of the 5th: P Myron McDowell strikes out the side in order.

Bottom of the 9th: Still 1 to 0, Beavers, and P Terry Cole still on the hill with 98 pitches under his belt. Pinch-hitter: RHB Guillermo Valenzuela. He lines one down the left field line and Dave Priestly, who has moved over there from right, makes a diving catch! David Millan flies out to deep left. 2 down. C Ron Charles, the ex-Beaver, is up. He pops out to 3rd and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won- 1 to 0

We had 8 hits and made 1 error.
The Mets had 7 hits and made no errors.

Our second shutout of the season and Cole has started both of them, though he did not get a complete game in the first one.
We grounded into 3 more double plays. That gives us 7 in the last 2 games.

Terry Cole (W 4-3) went 9 innings (CG), allowed no runs (ShO), 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had 2 hits.

Myron McDowell (L 5-1) went 6+ innings, gave us 1 run, 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5.

2B Enrique Hernandez had 3 hits, but also made an error, already his 6th of the season. Editor's Note: We are playing with most stats set to replicate the late 1980's and early 1990's when errors where more prevalent, but 6 is too many for even then. He is 2nd in the NL in the most errors at 2B. Jim Ellison of Houston has made 8.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 8, 2002

Portland Beavers (18-14 .563 2.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West) at
New York Mets (16-17 .485 3 GB in 4th place in the NL East)

Alan Gross, Por (27 L 3-2 2.47 7.6-1.0-2.3-7.4 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Larry Gauthier, NYN (28 R 0-1 3.38 9.1-0.3-4.2-5.2)

We beat Gauthier the only time we faced him last season, 9 to 4. We knocked him out of the box in the 3rd inning. He was 4-7 with a 3.12 ERA in 14 starts for the Mets last year.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .275-1-7-.806 in 40 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .320-1-14-.833 in 128 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .286-1-6-.731 in 42 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .269-3-11-.785 in 108 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .222-1-2-.889 in 9 AB)
6: 3B Jim Eighmy (28 R .179-0-2-.472 in 28 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .259-0-14-.610 in 116 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .288-0-13-.655 in 132 AB)
9: P Alan Gross (27 L .176-1-3-.588 in 17 AB)

NEW YORK (N)
1: SS Jesus Ramirez (23 S .282-3-10-.809 in 103 AB) 2001 All-Star and Gold Glove
2: 2B Cary Gilreath (27 R .290-3-12-.810 in 100 AB)
3: CF Larry Brown (29 R .285-5-21-.877 in 130 AB)
4: RF Howard Ammons (25 L .225-6-15-.666 in 129 AB)
5: LF Tom Wilson (29 R .286-2-5-.862 in 49 AB)
6: 1B Manny Esquivel (29 L .221-5-24-.665 in 122 AB)
7: C Ron Charles (31 R .233-1-4-.690 in 30 AB) Ex-Beaver
8: 3B David Millan (29 S .217-2-4-.657 in 83 AB)
9: P Larry Gauthier (28 R .154-0-1-.308 in 13 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 45 deg. Cloudy with a 12 MPH wind blowing in from center.
Attendance: 13,592

Dave Priestly lines a hit to right center. Javy Fernandez strikes out. Lebron Williams flies out to the warning track in left. mark Parker drives one to the wall in left center and Larry Brown makes the catch, but drops it when he hits the wall! Parker has a double and Priestly scores! 1 to 0, Beavers! Danny Hernandez grounds out to 1st, unassisted.

Bottom of the 1st: Jesus Ramirez strikes out looking! Cary Gilreath lines an 0-2 pitch into left center for a hit. Larry Brown lines a hit to center and Gilreath heads to 3rd. Javy Fernandez makes a bum throw and Gilreath scores and Brown is at 2nd. game is tied up at 1. Howard Ammons lines out to 2nd. Tom Wilson hits a fly ball to right and Lebron Williams drops it for a 2-base error and Brown scores. 2 to 1, Mets. Manny Esquivel strikes out.

Top of the 8th: Still, 2 to 1, Mets and P Larry Gauthier still in there. Javy Fernandez leads off with a hit to center. New pitcher: RHP Ron Bell. Lebron Williams lines a hit to center. New pitcher: RHP Tommie Bowden. Mark Parker lines a hit to left and the bases are loaded with no one out. New pitcher: LHP Greg Weber. Pinch-Hitter: RHB Roger Aguilar. He strikes out looking on three pitches. New pitcher: RHP Ken Otis, the 5th pitcher for the 5th batter of the inning. There ought to be rules against this silliness. This inning is taking an hour with all the warm up pitches.... Jim Eighmy draws a walk to force in a run and the game is tied at 2! Stu Redman is up and they leave the same pitcher in! The first pitch to Redman is through the legs of C Bobby Pina for a passed ball and Williams scores! 3 to 2, Beavers! Redman flies out to right and Parker tags up and beats the throw to the plate! 4 to 2, Beavers!

Won- 4 to 2

We had 10 hits and made 3 errors.
The Mets had 5 hits and made no errors.

In our first 20 games of the season, we made 13 errors.
In the last 13 games, we have made 21 errors.

Alan Gross went 6 innings, allowed 2 unearned runs, 3 hits, no walks and struck out 7.
LHP Pedro Huerta (W 3-0) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.
LHP Jim Ackley went 2/3 of an inning and allowed 1 hit.
RHP Ron Beckman (SV 3) faced 1 batter and struck him out.

Larry Gauthier went 7 innings, gave us 2 runs, 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4.
RHP Ron Bell (L 1-3) faced 1 batter and gave up a hit and a run.

CF Javy Fernandez had a hit and 2 walks and scored a run. Last year, he had 67 walks for Tampa Bay in 411 AB, but had only 4 unintentional walks for us coming into this game. RF Lebron Williams had 3 hits and scored a run. C Mark Parker had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. He also threw out the only runner who tried to steal a base. 2B Enrique Hernandez had 2 hits.

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 9, 2002

Portland Beavers (19-14 .576 2.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West) at
New York Mets (16-18 .471 3 GB tied for 4th place in the NL East)

Tony Ricketts, Por (27 R 1-1 5.30 9.6-0.0-1.9-6.3 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Rich Davison, NYN (28 R 1-4 5.82 10.3-2.1-1.6-7.9)

We have not faced Davison before. He was 8-13 with a 4.20 ERA last year for the Mets in 31 starts.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .267-1-7-.762 in 45 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .321-1-14-.838 in 131 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .319-1-6-.778 in 47 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .277-3-12-.805 in 112 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .250-1-2-.833 in 12 AB)
6: 3B Jim Eighmy (28 R .161-0-3-.451 in 31 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .252-0-15-.593 in 119 AB)
8: 2B Rick Ferrell (26 R .250-0-3-.500 in 20 AB)
9: P Tony Ricketts (27 R .000-0-0-.000 in 6 AB)

NEW YORK (N)
1: SS Jesus Ramirez (23 S .271-3-10-.781 in 107 AB) 2001 All-Star and Gold Glove
2: 2B Cary Gilreath (27 R .298-3-12-.817 in 104 AB)
3: RF Howard Ammons (25 L .220-6-15-.651 in 132 AB)
4: CF Larry Brown (29 R .286-5-21-.872 in 133 AB)
5: 1B Manny Esquivel (29 L .216-5-24-.650 in 125 AB)
6: LF Tom Wilson (29 R .283-2-5-.854 in 53 AB)
7: C Ron Charles (31 R .212-1-4-.631 in 33 AB) Ex-Beaver
8: 3B David Millan (29 S .209-2-4-.636 in 86 AB)
9: P Rich Davison (28 R .167-0-1-.333 in 12 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 56 deg. Clear skies with an 18 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 12,930

Dave Priestly lines a hit to left. Javy Fernandez grounds into a force at 2nd, 5-4. Lebron Williams grounds out to short and Fernandez moves up to 2nd. Mark Parker grounds out to short.

Bottom of the 1st: Jesus Ramirez grounds out to 2nd. Cary Gilreath flies out to center. Howard Ammons hits a home run to right. 1 to 0, Mets. Larry Brown walks on four pitches. He steals 2nd and goes to 3rd when Mark Parker throws the ball into center. Are we ever going to have another error-free game? Manny Esquivel grounds out to the pitcher.

Bottom of the 3rd: With 1 out, Jesus Ramirez singles and with 2 outs, Howard Ammons singles. Larry Brown doubles and both runners score. 3 to 0, Mets.

Top of the 4th: Javy Fernandez leads off with a grounder up the middle for a hit. Lebron Williams singles and Fernandez takes 3rd. After Mark parker strikes out, Danny Hernandez grounds one to 1st and they go for the 3-6-3 double play, but he beats the relay throw to the bag and Fernandez scores. 3 to 1, Mets.

Top of the 5th: With 2 outs, Dave Priestly triples to right center. Javy Fernandez follows with a hit up the middle. 3 to 2, Mets.

Top of the 6th: Mark Parker leads off with a walk. With 2 outs, he steals 2nd and goes to 3rd on the catcher's error. Stu Redman comes through with a base knock to tie the game at 3!

Top of the 8th: Mark Parker leads off and swings at the first pitch and drills one to left center for a home run! 420 ft. 4 to 3, Beavers!

Bottom of the 8th: New Pitcher: LHP Max Burgess. He gives up a hit to Larry Brown, but gets the two left-handers out. New Pitcher: RHP Ron Beckman. Tom Wilson singles to left. Ron Charles lines a hit to left and Brown scores to tie the game at 4.

Top of the 9th: New pitcher: RHP Jack Ivy, their All-Star closer. Javy Fernandez leads off with a double to right center! RF Jerry Alston, who came in last inning as a defensive replacement for Lebron Williams, grounds out to the pitcher, but Fernandez moves over to 3rd. Mark Parker lines an 0-2 pitch to left for a hit and Fernandez scores! 5 to 3, Beavers! That is all we get, though.

Bottom of the 9th: Pinch-hitter: LHB Bob Blair. He draws a walk and goes to 2nd on a ground out. Cary Gilreath flies out to right. Howard Ammons flies out to center and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers! Sweep!

Won- 5 to 4

We had 13 hits and made 1 error.
The Mets had 8 hits and made 2 errors.

Tony Ricketts went 6 innings, allowed 3 runs, 4 hits, 1 home run, 2 HBP, 2 walks and struck out 1.
LHP Jim Ackley went 1 scoreless inning, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.
LHP Max Burgess went 2/3 of and inning, allowed 1 run and 1 hit.
RHP Ron Beckman (W 4-1 Vultured) went 1 and 1/3 innings, allowed 2 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1.

Rich Davison went 7 innings, gave us 4 runs, 9 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 5.
RHP Jack Ivy (L 0-2) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run and 3 hits.

LF Dave Priestly had 3 hits with a triple and scored a run. CF Javy Fernandez had 3 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. C Mark Park had 2 hits with his 4th home run of the season, drew a walk, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. SS Stu Redman had 2 hits and an RBI.

For the Mets, RF Howard Ammons had 2 hits with his 7th home run of the year and scored 2 runs. We did not get CF Larry Brown out. He had 2 hits with a double and 2 walks, stole 2 bases, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 10, 2002

We are in Denver to play manager John Potter (50) and his first-place Rockies a 3-game series over the weekend. They just beat the East-leading Phillies 3 of 4 in Philadelphia. We beat them in the first 2 games of the season in Portland. They lead the National League in most offensive categories, but are 2nd in runs scored to the Cubs with 5.5 per game (Portland is #13 with 3.9). They are batting .335 at home so far this year. They are 11th in runs allowed with 4.6 per game (Portland is #2 with 3.6). They have a 5.77 ERA at home and 3.42 on the road.

Portland Beavers (20-14 .588 1.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West) at
Colorado Rockies (22-13 .629 in 1st place in the NL West)

Larry Duke, Por (34 L 1-3 2.77 7.6-0.9-0.9-4.1 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Abel Arrais, Col (25 R 4-1 3.88 8.9-1.0-2.9-7.0)

We won, 5 to 4, against Arrais on April 2 in Portland, though he did not get a decision. In 6 innings, he gave us 4 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks and struck out 5.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .300-1-7-.844 in 50 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .331-1-15-.858 in 136 AB)
3: C John McIvor (31 R .077-0-1-.220 in 13 AB)
4: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .314-1-6-.757 in 51 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .235-1-3-.706 in 17 AB)
6: 3B Ron Stephens (32 R .243-1-7-.592 in 103 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .258-0-16-.601 in 124 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .292-0-13-.660 in 137 AB)
9: P Larry Duke (34 L .133-0-1-.333 in 15 AB)

COLORADO
1: 2B Jesus Lopez (34 R .321-0-7-.835 in 112 AB)
2: LF Jeff Johnson (27 L .281-4-7-.790 in 139 AB) 2001 All-Star
3: C Willie Solano (27 R .286-6-26-.845 in 119 AB)
4: 1B Bobby Manzano (26 L .381-10-36-1.081 in 147 AB) 2001 All-Star 3rd in 2001 MVP voting
5: RF Buddy Hartman (34 R .273-5-14-.947 in 55 AB) 2001 All-Star with LAA
6: CF Dave Leonard (32 R .333-1-10-.861 in 57 AB) Waiver claim from ChN on April 25
7: 3B Melvin Mendoza (32 R .178-3-12-.505 in 135 AB)
8: SS Bob Stallings (26 R .248-1-12-.644 in 129 AB) Rookie 2001 CAL MVP
9: P Abel Arrais (25 R .067-0-0-.133 in 15 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 50 deg. Cloudy with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 18,678

Dave Priestly lines a hit to right. Javy Fernandez reaches on an error by Bob Stallings. E-6. John McIvor lines a hit to right and Priestly scores without a throw! 1 to 0, Beavers! Lebron Williams grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6, and Fernandez moves over to 3rd. Danny Hernandez works the count full and then takes strike three. 2 outs. Ron Stephens grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the 1st: Jesus Lopez grounds out to short. Jeff Johnson grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Willie Solano pops out to the catcher! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the 2nd: With 1 out, Buddy Hartman and Dave Leonard hit back-to-back singles. Melvin Mendoza follows with a third straight one and Hartman scores to tie the game at a run apiece. A fourth straight from Bob Stallings makes it 2 to 1, Rockies. With 2 outs and runners at 2nd and 3rd, Jesus Lopez singles to left and 2 more runs score. 4 to 1, Rockies.

Top of the 5th: With 2 out, John McIvor and Lebron Williams hit back-to-back doubles. 4 to 2, Rockies.

Bottom of the 5th: Jesus Lopez leads off with a double to right center, goes to 3rd on a ground out and scores on a fly ball. 5 to 2, Rockies.

Top of the 7th: Pinch-Hitter: LHB Jerry Alston. He lines a hit to right, matriculates to 3rd on a couple of ground outs and scores on a single by John McIvor. 5 to 3, Rockies.

Bottom of the 7th: New Pitcher: RHP Doug Maxwell. After 2 quick outs, Jeff Johnson lines a hit to right and Willie Solano follows with a home run to left. 7 to 3, Rockies.

Lost - 7 to 3

We had 9 hits and made no errors.
The Rockies had 9 hits and made 2 errors.

We finally have an error-free game, but we lose....
We were at least winning when we made all the errors....

Larry Duke (L 1-4) went 6 innings, allowed 5 runs, 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out no one.
RHP Doug Maxwell went 2 innings, allowed 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 1.

Abel Arrais (W 5-1) went 8 innings, gave us 3 runs, 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6.

C John McIvor had 3 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. RF Lebron Williams hit a double and had an RBI. SS Stu Redman hit a double and drew a walk. PH Jerry Alston had a hit and scored a run.

For the Rockies, C Willie Solano hit his 7th home run of the season and had 3 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Saturday, May 11, 2002

Portland Beavers (20-15 .571 2.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West) at
Colorado Rockies (23-13 .639 in 1st place in the NL West)

Ricky Peterson, Por (34 R 2-0 3.98 8.5-1.4-1.1-5.1 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Tom Keasler, Col (37 R 4-3 4.68 10.0-0.6-3.2-6.2)

We beat Keasler, 6 to 1, on Opening Day in Portland. In 2 innings, he gave us 5 runs, 6 hits, 1 home runs, 2 walks and struck out 1.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .291-1-7-.805 in 55 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .326-1-15-.842 in 141 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .309-1-7-.757 in 55 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .284-4-14-.842 in 116 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .190-1-3-.571 in 21 AB)
6: 3B Jim Eighmy (28 R .167-0-3-.463 in 36 AB)
7: SS Rick Ferrell (26 R .208-0-3-.417 in 24 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .291-0-13-.655 in 141 AB)
9: P Ricky Peterson (34 R .083-0-0-.237 in 12 AB)

COLORADO
1: RF Jeff Johnson (27 L .280-4-7-.782 in 143 AB) 2001 All-Star
2: 2B Jesus Lopez (34 R .328-0-9-.849 in 116 AB)
3: 1B Bobby Manzano (26 L .377-10-36-1.066 in 151 AB) 2001 All-Star 3rd in 2001 MVP voting
4: CF Buddy Hartman (34 R .276-5-14-.942 in 58 AB) 2001 All-Star with LAA
5: 3B Melvin Mendoza (32 R .180-3-13-.505 in 139 AB)
6: LF Dave Leonard (32 R .333-1-10-.861 in 60 AB)
7: C Paul DeWeese (39 L .273-0-1-.606 in 11 AB)
8: SS Aubry Grimes (32 R 2002 Debut)
9: P Tom Keasler (37 L .125-0-0-.250 in 16 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 55 deg. Cloudy with a 10 MPH wind blowing in from center.
Attendance: 19,919

Dave Priestly leads off with a home run to right center! 1 to 0, Beavers! Javy Fernandez walks on four pitches. Lebron Williams grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. Mark Parker strikes out looking.

Bottom of the 1st: Jeff Johnson lines out to 1st. Jesus Lopez doubles to right center. Bobby Manzano lines out to the pitcher. Buddy Hartman flies out to right.

Top of the 2nd: Danny Hernandez leads off with a triple to right center. Jim Eighmy singles home the run! 2 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the 2nd: With 1 out, Dave Leonard singles. Paul DeWeese doubles to right and Leonard scores from 1st without a throw. 2 to 1, Beavers.

Top of the 3rd: Dave Priestly reaches on a 2-base error by Melvin Mendoza. E-5. Javy Fernandez beats out an infield hit and Priestly moves over to 3rd. Lebron Williams singles to left! 3 to 1, Beavers! Mark Parker lines a hit to center and the bases are loaded with nobody out. Danny Hernandez swings at a 3-1 pitch and triples to right center to clear the bases!!! 6 to 1, Beavers! With 1 out, Hernandez scores on a ground out by Rick Ferrell. 7 to 1, Beavers.

Bottom of the 3rd: With 2 outs, Bobby Manzano and Buddy Hartman hit back-to-back doubles to straight-away center. 7 to 2, Beavers.

Bottom of the 5th: With 2 outs, Jesus Lopez singles and then Bobby Manzano hits a home run down the right field line. 7 to 4, Beavers.

Top of the 6th: On the hill: RHP Diego Correa, beginning his 4th inning of work. Only 27 pitches thrown, though. With 1 out, Enrique Hernandez draws a rare walk, only his 4th unintentional free pass of the season. With 2 outs, Dave Priestly hits a home run to left, his 2nd of the game!! 9 to 4, Beavers! Three straight singles from Javy Fernandez, Lebron Williams and Mark parker give us another run. 10 to 4, Beavers. Another one by Danny Hernandez and Williams scores. 11 to 4, Beavers.

Bottom of the 7th: With 1 out, Jeff Johnson triples and then scores on a ground out. 11 to 5, Beavers.

Won - 11 to 5

We had 14 hits and made 1 error.
The Rockies had 11 hits and made 1 error.

Ricky Peterson (W 3-0) went 7 innings, allowed 5 runs, 10 hits, 1 home run, no walks and struck out 3.
RHP Larry Castillo went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Tom Keasler (L 4-4) went 2 and 2/3 innings, gave us 7 runs (5 earned), 7 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 3.

LF Dave Priestly had 3 hits with 2 home runs, drew a walk, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs. He now has 3 home runs in 59 AB; he had 2 all of last season in 387 AB in AAA. He is only the 2nd Beaver to ever hit 2 home runs in a game. The now-departed Rich Babbin did it on May 12 of last year in Portland against the Giants. CF Javy Fernandez had 2 hits and a walk and scored 2 runs. RF Lebron Williams had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. C Mark Parker had 3 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Danny Hernandez had 3 hits with 2 triples, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

For the Rockies, RF Jeff Johnson hit 2 triples and scored a run. 1B Bobby Manzano hit 2 doubles and his 11th home run of the season, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Sunday, May 12, 2002

Portland Beavers (21-15 .583 1.5 GB tied for 3rd place in the NL West) at
Colorado Rockies (23-14 .622 in 1st place in the NL West)

Terry Cole, Por (31 L 4-3 2.25 7.8-0.5-3.3-7.3 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Armando Blancas, Col (29 R 4-0 2.65 3 SV 10.6-0.3-1.6-6.1)

We have not faced Blancas this season. We were 1-1 against him last year when he went 5-9 with a 6.03 ERA in 20 starts for the Rockies.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .322-3-10-.961 in 59 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .331-1-15-.851 in 145 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .322-1-8-.773 in 59 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .298-4-15-.856 in 121 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .269-1-7-.846 in 26 AB)
6: 3B Jim Eighmy (28 R .171-0-4-.456 in 41 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .260-0-16-.615 in 127 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .285-0-13-.651 in 144 AB)
9: P Terry Cole (31 L .291-0-0-.588 in 17 AB)

COLORADO
1: 2B Jesus Lopez (34 R .331-0-10-.855 in 121 AB)
2: LF Jeff Johnson (27 L .284-4-7-.810 in 148 AB) 2001 All-Star
3: C Willie Solano (27 R .287-7-29-.862 in 122 AB)
4: 1B Bobby Manzano (26 L .387-11-38-1.109 in 155 AB) 2001 All-Star 3rd in 2001 MVP voting
5: RF Buddy Hartman (34 R .274-5-15-.931 in 62 AB) 2001 All-Star with LAA
6: 3B Melvin Mendoza (32 R .182-3-13-.504 in 143 AB)
7: SS Bob Stallings (26 R .250-1-13-.645 in 132 AB) Rookie 2001 CAL (A+) MVP
8: CF Johnny Alcorn (23 R Major League Debut) #5 Prospect
9: P Armando Blancas (29 R .083-0-1-.167 in 12 AB)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Weather: 64 deg. Clear skies with a 10 MPH wind blowing in from center.
Attendance: 18,710

Dave Priestly strikes out looking on 3 pitches. Javy Fernandez swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. Lebron Williams works the count full and takes ball four. Ditto for Mark Parker. Danny Hernandez doubles off the left center field wall and both runners score! 2 to 0, Beavers! Jim Eighmy grounds out to the pitcher. We need a 3rd baseman desperately....

Bottom of the 1st: Jesus Lopez leads off with a walk. Jeff Johnson grounds into a 4-6-3 double play! Willie Solano grounds a hit to left to bring up the highly dangerous Bobby Manzano with a runner on base. He flies out deep to right!

Bottom of the 2nd: Buddy Hartman leads off with a hit to left. With 1 out, Bob Stallings hits a ground rule double to center. Johnny Alcorn, the big prospect, in his first major league appearance, flies out to center and Hartman tags up and scores without a throw. 2 to 1, Beavers.

Top of the 7th: Enrique Hernandez and Pinch-Hitter Jerry Alston lead off with back-to-back doubles! 3 to 1, Beavers! Alston goes to 3rd on a ground out and scores on a fly ball by Javy Fernandez. 4 to 1, Beavers.

Bottom of the 7th: New Pitcher: RHP Doug Maxwell. With 2 outs, Jeff Johnson grounds a single to right and then Willie Solano hits a home run to left. 4 to 3, Beavers.

Top of the 8th: New pitcher: LHP Rafael Rosario. Jim Eighmy leads off with a hit and Stu Redman bunts him over to 2nd. They walk Enrique Hernandez intentionally to get to the lefty, RF Jerry Alston, who came in for defense last inning. He grounds a single to right, but Eighmy gets thrown out at the plate by Buddy Hartman.

Bottom of the 9th: Still 4 to 3, Beavers. New Pitcher: RHP Ron Beckman. Pinch-hitter: RHB Byron Wheeler. He strikes out! Pinch-hitter: RHP Manuel Jauregui. He grounds out to 2nd. Jesus Lopez swings at a 3-1 pitch and grounds out to short and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 4 to 3

We had 9 hits and made no errors.
The Rockies had 8 hits and made 1 error.

Terry Cole (W 5-3) went 6 innings, allowed 1 run, 6 hits, 4 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit.
RHP Doug Maxwell went 2 innings, allowed 2 runs, 2 hits and 1 home run.
RHP Ron Beckman (SV 4) went 1 perfect inning and struck out 1.

Armando Blancas (L 4-1) went 7 innings, gave us 4 runs, 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit.

RF Lebron Williams had 2 hits with a double and a walk and scored a run. C Mark Parker did not make contact today. He drew 2 walks and struck out 3 times. He scored a run. 1B Danny Hernandez had 2 hits with a double and 2 RBIs. 2B Enrique Hernandez hit a double and was walked intentionally and scored a run. PH/RF Jerry Alston went 2 for 2 with a double, scored a run and had an RBI.

For the Rockies, C Willie Solano had 3 hits with his 8th home run of the season and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

May 13, 2002

Monday Morning Report

AL Player of the Week - Joe Evans, 1b, Cleveland (34 L .277/.337/.482) Had 13 hits with 1 2B, 4 HR, 5 R and 9 RBI in 7 G
NL Player of the Week - Larry Brown, cf, New York (N) (29 R .310/.402/.552) Had 13 hits with 5 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 1 SO, 8 R and 5 RBI in 7 G

(Slash lines are for the season, not the week)

May 6: RHP Tom Keasler of Colorado pitched a 4-hit shutout at Philadelphia. He walked 2 and struck out 8. He is now 4-3 with a 4.68 ERA. The Rockies won, 5 to 0.
May 6: 3B Dean Renken of Toronto hit 2 home runs at home versus Oakland. The Blue Jays won, 3 to 0.
May 7: SS Jim Willard of Los Angeles (N) hit 2 home runs at Chicago (N). He had 3 hits. The Dodgers won, 3 to 0.
May 8: RHP Antonio Rodriguez of New York (A) pitched a 3-hit shutout at home versus Chicago (A). He walked 1 and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. He is now 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA. The Yankees won, 4 to 0.
May 8: LHP Jose Rico of Washington pitched a 2-hit shutout at home versus Minnesota. He walked 2 and struck out 6. He is now 1-1 with a 4.43 ERA. The Senators won, 1 to 0.
May 9: RHP Paul McDonald of Houston pitched a 4-hit shutout at Cincinnati. He did not walk a batter and struck out 6. He is now 1-4 with a 5.59 ERA. The Astros won, 4 to 0.
May 10: C Rob Wehner of New York (A) hit 2 home runs at Tampa Bay. He also drew a walk. The Yankees won, 3 to 2.
May 11: 1B Joe Evans of Cleveland hit 2 home runs at Detroit. He also hit a double and drew a walk. The Indians scored 2 runs in the top of the 11th, but lost when the Tigers scored 3 in the bottom half. The final score was 8 to 7.
May 12: The Rockies announces that OF Jim Detwiler, the National League Rookie of the Month for April, has a broken elbow and will likely miss the rest of the season. Doctors say he might be back before the end of September.
May 12: RHP Ricardo Castaneda of Philadelphia pitched a 2-hit shutout at Atlanta. He walked 4 and struck out 8. 130 pitches. At bat, he hit a double and scored a run. He is now 4-4 with a 2.09 ERA. The Phillies won, 4 to 0.

Random Fact of the Week: We are 15-4 on the road and 7-11 at home. Editor's Note: If we continue to win, I am not starting over. I do not know how I can make it any harder on myself without taking all the fun out of it. We lost 100 games last year, so I did a good job of limiting the talent in the expansion draft and I made no moves in the off-season that could be construed as cheesy. I guess I just cannot help it if I am a baseball genius....

[Questdog]

Monday, May 13, 2002

We sent 3B Jim Eighmy to Indianapolis (AAA) and called up 3B Tim DePriest. Eighmy was 3 for 30 since being given a chance to take the 3rd base job.

We are in Houston for a quick 2-game set with 2001 Manager of the Year, Champ Walker (40), and his Astros. The won 94 games last year and finished in 2nd place, but are in last place do far. The have been winning of late, though. The took 2 of 3 against the Diamondbacks here over the weekend. We beat them in 2 games here on April 22 and 23. They are dead last (16th) in scoring in the National League with 3.5 runs per game (Portland is #11 with 4.1). They are last in batting average with a .226 team mark. They are 14th in runs allowed with 4.9 per game (Portland is #2 with 3.7). They are one of the few teams that has made more errors than the Beavers. We have made 36 errors in 37 games, but they have 48 in 38. Our defense is still pretty good, even with the errors, but theirs is just bad.

Portland Beavers (22-15 .595 .5 GB tied for 2nd place in the NL West) at
Houston Astros (15-23 .395 8 GB in 8th (last) place in the NL West)

Alan Gross, Por (27 L 3-2 2.19 7.3-0.8-2.0-7.8 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Jessie Gomez, Hou (29 L 3-2 4.05 9.4-0.7-3.6-6.3)

We faced Gomez once last year and did not score a run.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: SS Stu Redman (30 R .254-0-16-.601 in 130 AB)
2: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .286-0-13-.663 in 147 AB)
3: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .297-3-10-.888 in 64 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .290-4-15-.845 in 124 AB)
5: LF Roger Aguilar (31 R .179-1-6-.560 in 56 AB)
6: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .300-1-9-.900 in 30 AB)
7: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R 2002 Debut)
8: CF Jerry Alston (29 L .286-0-1-.643 in 14 AB)
9: P Alan Gross (27 L .167-1-3-.556 in 18 AB)

HOUSTON
1: RF Alfredo Garcia (23 L .187-4-13-.579 in 132 AB)
2: 2B Jim Ellison (28 R .253-0-9-.613 in 150 AB)
3: C Howard Morrell (28 R .263-7-15-.825 in 118 AB) 2001 All-Star and Silver Slugger 2nd in NL MVP
4: 1B Dave Brown (32 R .200-4-16-.640 in 135 AB)
5: LF Mike Cane (28 L .252-1-15-.643 in 139 AB) 2001 All-Star
6: SS Ed Larson (27 R .329-1-9-.767 in 76 AB)
7: 3B Doug Frain (31 R .098-1-4-.331 in 41 AB)
8: CF Jerry Slocum (26 L .306-2-10-.826 in 85 AB)
9: P Jessie Gomez (29 L .200-0-0-.400 in 10 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 71 deg. Clear skies with a 14 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 13,296

Stu Redman triples off the wall in left center! Enrique Hernandez flies out deep down the left field line and Redman tags up and scores. 1 to 0, Beavers. Dave Priestly draws a walk. Mark Parker grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.

Bottom of the 1st: Alfredo Garcia doubles to right center. Jim Ellison grounds out to 1st, 3-1, and Garcia moves over to 3rd. Howard Morrell grounds out to short and Garcia scores to tie the game at 1 apiece. Dave Brown works the count full and tehn flies out to deep left.

Top of the 6th: With 1 out, Dave Priestly lines a single to right. Mark Parker lines a hit to left. With 2 outs, Danny Hernandez lines a hit to right and Priestly scores! 2 to 1, Beavers!

Bottom of the 6th: With 1 out, Alfredo Garcia draws a full count walk. Jim Ellison singles to left. Bullpen is up. Howard Morrell lines a hit to center and Garcia scores to tie the game at 2. But that is all they get.

Top of the 9th: Still 2 to 2. New pitcher: RHP Gene Lynch, their closer. 47 saves last year. Danny Hernandez pops out to 2nd. Tim DePriest strikes out on 3 pitches. Jerry Alston walks on 4 pitches. Pinch-Hitter: LHB Javy Fernandez. He lines a hit to right. Stu Redman grounds a hit up the middle and Alston scores! 3 to 2, Beavers! Enrique Hernandez works the count full and after fouling off a couple of pitches, takes strike three.

Bottom of the 9th: New Pitcher: RHP Larry Castillo to face their #3 and #4 hitters.... Howard Morrell works the count full and then takes ball four. Dave Brown grounds into a 6-4-3 double play! New Pitcher: LHP Pedro Huerta. Pinch-hitter: RHB Doug Gregory. He takes a 2-2 pitch and gets rung up! ....and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 3 to 2

We had 8 hits and made no errors.
The Astros had 5 hits and made no errors.

No errors in back-to-back games for the 1st time in almost a month.

Alan Gross went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. 100 pitches.
RHP Ron Beckman (W 5-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.
RHP Larry Castillo went 2/3 of an inning and walked a batter.
LHP Pedro Huerta (SV 4) faced 1 batter and struck him out.

Jessie Gomez went 7 innings, gave us 2 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 7.
RHP Gene Lynch (L 1-5) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2.

SS Stu Redman had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had an RBI. RF/LF Dave Priestly had 2 hits with a double and a walk and scored a run. LF Roger Aguilar drew 2 walks. 1B Danny Hernandez had 2 hits and an RBI. PH/CF Javy Fernandez had a hit.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

The Rockies had the day off yesterday, so we are now tied for 1st place! 1 game is all that separates the top 4 teams in the NL West.

Portland Beavers (23-15 .605 Tied for 1st place in the NL West) at
Houston Astros (15-24 .385 8.5 GB in 8th (last) place in the NL West)

Tony Ricketts, Por (27 R 1-1 5.11 8.8-0.4-2.2-5.1 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Paul McDonald, Hou (33 R 1-4 5.59 11.6-1.0-1.4-5.4)

We beat McDonald, 7 to 1, on April 23 in Portland. We chased him in the 5th inning.

LF Mike Cane and 3B Ron Janeiro hit 53 HR between them last year; they each only have 1 this season in 253 combined AB.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: SS Stu Redman (30 R .259-0-17-.623 in 135 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .327-1-16-.834 in 150 AB)
3: LF Dave Priestly (28 R .313-3-10-.931 in 67 AB)
4: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .324-1-10-.912 in 34 AB)
5: C John McIvor (31 R .222-0-3-.541 in 18 AB)
6: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R .000-0-0-.000 in 4 AB)
7: RF Jerry Alston (29 L .235-0-1-.572 in 17 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .278-0-14-.644 in 151 AB)
9: P Tony Ricketts (27 R .000-0-0-.000 in 8 AB)

HOUSTON
1: RF Alfredo Garcia (23 L .193-4-13-.593 in 135 AB)
2: 2B Jim Ellison (28 R .253-0-9-.610 in 154 AB)
3: C Howard Morrell (28 R .264-7-17-.826 in 121 AB) 2001 All-Star and Silver Slugger 2nd in NL MVP
4: LF Mike Cane (28 L .246-1-15-.630 in 142 AB) 2001 All-Star
5: 1B Dave Brown (32 R .194-4-16-.623 in 139 AB)
6: 3B Ron Janeiro (31 R .162-1-12-.511 in 111 AB) 2001 All-Star and Silver Slugger
7: SS Ed Larson (27 R .329-1-9-.763 in 79 AB)
8: CF Jerry Slocum (26 L .307-2-10-.821 in 88 AB)
9: P Paul McDonald (33 R .133-0-3-.267 in 15 AB) 2001 All-Star

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 78 deg. Clear skies with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to right.
Attendance: 13,179

Stu Redman pops one up to short, but Ed Larson drops the ball! Javy Fernandez strikes out. Dave Priestly strikes out looking. Danny Hernandez walks. John McIvor sends one to deep left center, but Mike Cane is there for the catch.

Bottom of the 1st: Alfredo Garcia tries to bunt his way one, but P Tony Ricketts throws him out. Jim Ellison grounds out to short. Howard Morrell grounds out to short! 1-2-3!

Top of the 2nd: Tim DePriest work the count full and then hits a home run down the right field line! 1 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the 2nd: With 2 outs, Ron Janeiro hits a home run to left to tie the game at 1. I knew I should not have mentioned how few homers he and Cane have hit compared to last year....

Top of the 3rd: With 1 out, Dave Priestly singles to left and then Danny Hernandez singles to right. Priestly goes to 3rd and beats the throw, but RF Alfredo Garcia hurt himself and has to leave the game. Doug Gregory takes his spot. John McIvor doubles to straight away center and both runners score! 3 to 1, Beavers! Tim DePriest singles to left center and McIvor scores! 4 to 1, Beavers! Jerry Alston grounds into a force a t 2nd, 4-6, and DePriest hurts himself trying to break up the double play and has to leave the game. Ron Stephens goes in for him. We finally get a 3rd baseman doing something good in a game and he gets hurt..... The Burgermeister says it's only a mild hammy strain and DePriest should be able to play on it, but it will slow him down a little for a week or two.

Bottom of the 6th: With 2 outs, Jim Ellison hits his 1st home run of the season in his 157th AB. 4 to 2, Beavers.

Bottom of the 7th: With 2 outs, Ron Janeiro hits another home run. 4 to 3, Beavers. 1 HR in 111 AB before today....

Bottom of the 9th: Still 4 to 3, Beavers. New Pitcher: RHP Doug Maxwell, who has seemed homer-prone of late. He has given up 1 in each of his last 2 outings. Howard Morrell walks on 4 pitches to put the tying run on base. Mike Cane pops out to short. Dave Brown singles to left center to put the winning run on base. Pinch-Hitter: RHB Roger Bradshaw, the $28 million backup catcher. He strikes out! 2 down. 0-2 pitch to Ed Larson and he hits a grounder to short. Stu Redman fields it and goes the short route to 2nd and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 4 to 3

We are now 10-3 in 1-run ballgames. We have won 8 of our last 9 and 6 of them were 1-run wins.

We had 9 hits and made no errors.
The Astros had 6 hits and made 1 error.

It is the first time all season that we have gone 3 straight games without an error.

Tony Ricketts (W 2-1) went 8 innings, allowed 3 runs, 5 hits, 3 home runs, no walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit.
RHP Doug Maxwell (SV 4) went 1 scoreless inning, allowed 1 hit and 1 walk and struck out 1.

Paul McDonald (L 1-5) went 3 innings, gave us 4 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 3. He threw a WP.

C John McIvor hit a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. 3B Tim DePriest went 2 for 2 with a home run and 2 RBIs. PH Lebron Williams hit a double.

For the Astros, 3B Ron Janeiro hit 2 home runs to give him 3 on the season.

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 16, 2002

We sent RF Jerry Alston back to Indianapolis and called up LF Gabe Regalado. This will give us a little more flexibility against left-handers. LF Frank Wiginton seems ready to play again.

We are in Phoenix to play manager Ramiro Herrera (52) and his Diamondbacks a 4-game series through the weekend. They lost in Denver on Tuesday, the Monday game being rained out. This will be our first meeting with them this season. They are 4th in the league in scoring with 4.9 runs per game (Portland is #12 with 4.1). They are 5th in runs allowed with 4.1 per game (Portland is #2 with 3.6). Their pitchers lead the league in plunking batters. Portland's are tied for the fewest.

Portland Beavers (24-15 .615 Tied for 1st place in the NL West) at
Arizona Diamondbacks (22-16 .579 1.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West)

Larry Duke, Por (34 L 1-4 3.29 7.9-0.8-1.0-3.6 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Alfredo Cardenas, Arz (26 R 1-4 4.07 10.2-0.9-3.3-5.2)

We were 1-1 against Cardenas last season when he was 11-16 with a 4.09 ERA for the Diamondbacks. He pitched well both games, giving us 2 runs in 7 innings each time.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .279-2-7-.747 in 111 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .316-1-16-.807 in 155 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (33 L .344-1-8-.846 in 64 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .291-4-15-.845 in 127 AB)
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .324-1-10-.910 in 37 AB)
6: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R .333-1-2-1.167 in 6 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .257-0-17-.616 in 140 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .277-0-14-.640 in 155 AB)
9: P Larry Duke (34 L .118-0-1-.294 in 17 AB)

ARIZONA
1: 2B Mike Chapin (28 S .233-0-5-.592 in 60 AB) Waiver Claim from Phi 2/17
2: RF John Golliday (25 R .174-2-10-.524 in 115 AB)
3: SS Mario Saucedo (26 R .299-3-21-.831 in 144 AB)
4: 3B Dan White (27 R .303-5-25-.840 in 152 AB)
5: C Gary Stanley (36 R .225-6-18-.777 in 111 AB)
6: LF Rich Ellis (25 L .325-4-21-.912 in 117 AB) Waiver Claim from Phi 1/7
7: CF Don Menjivar (28 R .286-0-1-.628 in 42 AB)
8: 1B Bob Haines (28 R .125-0-2-.347 in 8 AB)
9: P Alfredo Cardenas (26 R .133-0-1-.267 in 15 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 74 deg. Cloudy with a 6 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 13,737

Frank Wiginton grounds out to 3rd. Javy Fernandez grounds out to 2nd. Lebron Williams grounds a hit to right. Mark Parker lines out to short.

Bottom of the 1st: Mike Chapin grounds out to 3rd. John Golliday grounds a double inside the 3rd base line. Mario Saucedo strikes out looking. Dan White lines out to right, Lebron Williams making a tumbling catch!

Bottom of the 3rd: P Alfredo Cardenas leads off with a double to left center. Mike Chapin singles to left. John Golliday grounds into a 1-6-3 double play and Cardenas holds at 3rd! Mario Saucedo lines a hit to right and Cardenas scores. 1 to 0, Diamondbacks.

Top of the 4th: Mark Parker leads off with a double, but has to leave the game with an injury.... John McIvor goes in for him. Danny Hernandez doubles to center and McIvor scores to tie the game at 1! The Burgermeister says Parker has a strained achilles tendon and should be able to play on it, but he'll be gimpy for about two weeks.

Top of the 6th: Frank Wiginton leads off with a single. With 2 outs, John McIvor singles and then Danny Hernandez doubles and both runners score! 3 to 1, Beavers!

Top of the 8th: With 2 outs, Lebron Williams singles to right. Pinch-Runner: Dave Priestly. He goes to 2nd on a wild pitch and scores on a hit by John McIvor! 4 to 1, Beavers!

Bottom of the 9th: New Pitcher: RHP Ron Beckman. He gets a come-backer to the mound and a strikeout and then Rich Ellis hits a single to right. A wild pitch send s him to 2nd. Then Don Menjivar and PH Floyd Harris both hit little nubbers to the first base side that end up being infield hits and Ellis scores. 4 to 2, Beavers. Pinch-hitter: RHB Alberto Ramirez. He lines a hit to right and the bases are loaded with 2 outs. New Pitcher: LHP Pedro Huerta. Mike Chapin swings at the first pitch and flies out to right and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 4 to 2

We had 10 hits and made no errors.
The Diamondbacks had 13 hits and made no errors.

Larry Duke (W 2-4) went 8 innings, allowed 1 run, 9 hits, 1 HBP, no walks and struck out 2.
RHP Ron Beckman went 2/3 of an inning, allowed 1 run, 4 hits and struck out 1. He threw a WP.
LHP Pedro Huerta (SV 5) threw 1 pitch to get the save.

Alfredo Cardenas (L 1-5) went 8 innings, gave us 4 runs, 9 hits, 1 HBP, no walks and struck out 6. He threw a WP. At bat, he hit a double and scored a run.

RF Lebron Williams had 2 hits and scored a run. C Mark Parker hit a double. C John McIvor went 2 for 2, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. 1B Danny Hernandez had 3 hits with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.

For the Diamondbacks, LF Rich Ellis had 3 hits with a double (thrown out trying to make it a triple), stole a base and scored a run.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 17, 2002

Well, this is embarrassing. We are facing a lefty today, so I thought Gabe Regalado would be making his Major League Debut. I called him up because he is a right-handed bat and the only other right-handed bat in our outfield is Dave Priestly and none of our lefties or our switch-hitter can hit lefties very well. Only problem is that when I watched Regalado take batting practice he was batting from the left side.... I am a doofus....

Portland Beavers (25-15 .625 Tied for 1st place in the NL West) at
Arizona Diamondbacks (22-17 .564 2.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West)

Terry Cole, Por (31 L 5-3 2.17 7.9-0.5-3.6-7.0 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Omar Chavez, Arz (24 L 2-1 3.95 6.6-0.6-5.8-9.3)

We lost the only time we faced Chavez last season. In 8 innings, he only gave us 2 hits and 1 run.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .276-2-7-.733 in 116 AB)
2: SS Stu Redman (30 R .259-0-17-.621 in 143 AB)
3: RF Dave Priestly (28 R .310-3-10-.907 in 71 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .295-4-15-.855 in 129 AB) Playing hurt
5: 1B Roger Aguilar (31 R .172-1-6-.563 in 58 AB)
6: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R .200-1-2-.700 in 10 AB) Playing hurt
7: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .270-0-14-.624 in 159 AB)
8: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .308-1-16-.788 in 159 AB)
9: P Terry Cole (31 L .316-0-0-.632 in 19 AB)

ARIZONA
1: 2B Mike Chapin (28 S .231-0-5-.578 in 65 AB)
2: RF John Golliday (25 R .176-2-10-.532 in 119 AB)
3: SS Mario Saucedo (26 R .304-3-22-.841 in 148 AB)
4: 3B Dan White (27 R .297-5-25-.828 in 155 AB)
5: C Gary Stanley (36 R .226-6-18-.768 in 115 AB)
6: LF Rich Ellis (25 L .339-4-21-.938 in 121 AB)
7: CF Tom Cooper (27 R .325-2-11-.894 in 83 AB)
8: 1B Dan Backes (23 L .000-0-0-.000 in 4 AB) Rookie
9: P Omar Chavez (24 L .333-0-2-.845 in 12 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 86 deg. Clear skies with a 12 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 15,626

Frank Wiginton strikes out. Stu Redman doubles down the left field line. Dave Priestly grounds out to short and Redman makes it to 3rd somehow. Mark Parker grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the 1st: Mike Chapin grounds out to short. John Golliday pops up to short right field and it drops for a hit. Mario Saucedo lines out to 1st. Golliday steals 2nd. 3-2 pitch to Dan White and he watches it go by and gets rung up by the ump!

Top of the 3rd: P Omar Chavez strikes out the side in order....

Bottom of the 3rd: John Golliday hits a 2-out double and scores on a hit by Mario Saucedo. 1 to 0, Diamondbacks.

Bottom of the 5th: Deja Vu.... John Golliday hits a 2-out single, steals 2nd and scores on a hit by Mario Saucedo. 2 to 0, Diamondbacks.

Top of the 6th: P Terry Cole leads off with a rocket of a double to right center and goes to 3rd on a balk call. Frank Wiginton flies out to left and Cole beats the throw to the plate! 2 to 1, Diamondbacks.

Bottom of the 8th: New Pitcher: RHP Doug Maxwell. With 1 out, Rich Ellis strikes out, but Mark Parker cannot come up with the ball and Ellis reaches base. With 2 outs, P Maxwell beans Dan Backes, who has to leave the game. P Maxwell then beans P Billie Zoghby to load the bases up with 2 outs. Pinch-hitter: SHB Mike Campoverde. He either strikes out or hits a home run...mostly strikes out. But he foes not strike out.... Grand Slam to left.... 6 to 1, Diamondbacks.

Lost - 6 to 1

We had 3 hits and made 1 error.
The Diamondbacks had 9 hits and made no errors.

Terry Cole (L 5-4) went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk (INT) and struck out 7. At bat, he hit a double and scored our only run. He did not deserve this loss....
RHP Doug Maxwell went 1 inning, allowed 4 unearned runs, 1 hit, 1 home run, 2 HBP and struck out 2. What a messed up inning.... a strikeout reaches base, the pitcher gets beaned with 2 outs and then a pinch-hit Grand Slam.... what are the odds of all that happening?

Omar Chavez (W 3-1) went 7.1 innings, gave us 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 9. He balked.
RHP Billie Zoghby (SV 13) went 1 and 2/3 innings and only faced 4 batters. He struck out 1.

SS Stu Redman hit a double. Gabe Regalado made his Major League Debut as a pinch-runner and stole a base.

For the Diamondbacks, RF John Golliday, batting .176 in 119 AB coming into this game, had 3 hits with a double, stole 3 bases and scored 2 runs. PH/2B Mike Campoverde hit a pinch-hit Grand Slam, his 5th home run of the season, the first as a pinch-hitter.

[Questdog]

Saturday, May 18, 2002

We and the Rockies both lost yesterday and the Padres won to force a three-way tie atop the NL West.

Portland Beavers (25-16 .610 Tied for 1st place in the NL West) at
Arizona Diamondbacks (23-17 .575 1.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West)

Alan Gross, Por (27 L 3-2 2.28 7.1-0.8-2.0-7.6 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Dave Rogers, Arz (31 R 3-1 3.25 10.2-1.2-0.6-6.3)

We were 0-2 against Rogers last year when he was 5-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 12 starts for the Diamondbacks. He pitched a 5-hit complete game shutout against us.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .271-2-8-.724 in 118 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .302-1-16-.774 in 162 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (22 L .348-1-8-.842 in 69 AB)
4: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .366-1-13-1.015 in 41 AB)
5: C John McIvor (31 R .280-0-6-.668 in 25 AB)
6: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R .250-1-2-.808 in 12 AB) Playing hurt
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .259-0-17-.625 in 147 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .265-0-14-.613 in 162 AB)
9: P Alan Gross (27 L .150-1-3-.500 in 20 AB)

ARIZONA
1: 2B Mike Chapin (28 S .217-0-5-.546 in 69 AB)
2: RF John Golliday (25 R .202-2-10-.581 in 124 AB)
3: SS Mario Saucedo (26 R .309-3-24-.845 in 152 AB)
4: 3B Dan White (27 R .289-5-25-.808 in 159 AB)
5: C Gary Stanley (36 R .218-6-18-.744 in 119 AB)
6: LF Rich Ellis (25 L .339-4-21-.932 in 124 AB)
7: CF Tom Cooper (27 R .326-2-11-.887 in 86 AB)
8: 1B Manny Diaz (23 L .333-0-2-.762 in 6 AB) Rookie
9: P Dave Rogers (31 R .214-0-1-.500 in 14 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 75 deg. Cloudy with a 7 MPH wind blowing out to left.
Attendance: 16,782

Frank Wiginton lines a hit to left. Javy Fernandez grounds out to 2nd and Wiginton moves up. Lebron Williams flies out to center. Danny Hernandez lines one hard, but it is caught in right field.

Bottom of the 1st: Mike Chapin flies out to right. John Golliday grounds out to short. Mario Saucedo strikes out! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the 3rd: Tom Cooper draws a lead-off walk. Manny Diaz singles to center. P Dave Rogers bunts the runners up and Mike Chapin draws a walk to load the bases up. No more Grand Slams, please. John Golliday flies out to center and Cooper tags up and scores. 1 to 0, Diamondbacks.

Top of the 4th: Lebron Williams leads off with a single to right and takes 2nd when John Golliday botches the pickup. 1B + E-9. He goes to 3rd and scores on successive ground outs. Tie game, 1 to 1.

Bottom of the 4th: Dan White leads off with a double, goes to 3rd on a hit by Gary Stanley and scores on a fly ball by Rich Ellis. 2 to 1, Diamondbacks.

Bottom of the 7th: New Pitcher: LHP Pedro Huerta. With 2 outs, John Golliday singles, steals 2nd and scored on a hit by Mario Saucedo. 3 to 1, Diamondbacks.

Lost - 3 to 1

We had 8 hits and made no errors.
The Diamondbacks had 8 hits and made 1 error.

Alan Gross (L 3-3) went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5.
LHP Pedro Huerta went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits and struck out 1.

Dave Rogers (W 4-1) went 7 innings, gave us 1 run, 7 hits, no walks and struck out 4.
RHP Billie Zoghby (SV 14) went 1 scoreless inning, gave us 1 hit and struck out 1.

LF Frank Wiginton had 2 hits. RF Lebron Williams had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. 2B Enrique Hernandez had 2 hits. PH Gabe Regalado, in his first major league at bat, got a hit.

[Questdog]

Sunday, May 19, 2002

Portland Beavers (25-17 .595 1 GB tied for 2nd place in the NL West) at
Arizona Diamondbacks (24-17 .585 1.5 GB in 4th place in the NL West)

Tony Ricketts, Por (27 R 2-1 4.68 8.0-1.1-1.7-5.2 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Cesar Martinez, Arz (25 R 0-1 9.00 15.8-0.0-0.0-6.8)

We have never faced Martinez before; this will only be his 2nd major league start.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .279-2-8-.732 in 122 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .297-1-16-.764 in 165 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (22 L .356-1-8-.864 in 73 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .286-4-15-.831 in 133 AB) Playing hurt
5: 1B Roger Aguilar (31 R .164-1-6-.538 in 61 AB)
6: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R .188-1-2-.612 in 16 AB) Playing hurt
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .258-0-17-.621 in 151 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .271-0-14-.622 in 166 AB)
9: P Tony Ricketts (27 R .091-0-0-.182 in 11 AB)

ARIZONA
1: 3B Dan White (27 R .288-5-25-.807 in 163 AB)
2: RF John Golliday (25 R .205-2-11-.581 in 127 AB)
3: SS Mario Saucedo (26 R .308-3-25-.837 in 156 AB)
4: 2B Mike Campoverde (26 S .185-5-19-.598 in 108 AB)
5: C Gary Stanley (36 R .220-6-18-.736 in 123 AB)
6: LF Rich Ellis (25 L .339-4-22-.923 in 127 AB)
7: CF Tom Cooper (27 R .337-2-11-.906 in 89 AB)
8: 1B Manny Diaz (23 L .333-0-2-.733 in 9 AB) Rookie
9: P Cesar Martinez (25 R .000-0-0-.000 in 0 AB 1 PA) Rookie

Game Start: 2:05 PM
Weather: 84 deg. Clear skies with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to left.
Attendance: 14,450

Frank Wiginton pops out to 3rd. Javy Fernandez works a full count and then flies out to left. Lebron Williams works the count full and then takes ball four. Another full count to Mark Parker and he singles to left center and Williams goes to 3rd without a throw. Roger Aguilar singles to right and Williams scores and Parker heads to 3rd and beats the throw! 1 to 0, Beavers! Tim DePriest strikes out looking.

Bottom of the 1st: Dan White doubles to right center. John Golliday grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and White moves over to 3rd. Mario Saucedo, who has a hit every time he has been up with a runner in scoring position this series, does it again with a single up the middle to tie the game at 1 apiece. He goes to 2nd on a wild pitch. Mike Campoverde plops one down in front of the plate and Mark Parker throws him out at 1st and Saucedo moves over to 3rd. 2 outs. Gary Stanley reaches on an infield hit and Saucedo scores. 2 to 1, Diamondbacks. Rich Ellis singles to center. Tom Cooper strikes out.

Top of the 2nd: Stu Redman leads off with a hit, steals 2nd and 3rd on successive pitches and then scores on a ground out by Enrique Hernandez to tie the game at 2.

Top of the 3rd: With 1 out, Lebron Williams doubles down the left field line and then scores on a single to center by Mark Parker. 3 to 2, Beavers!

Bottom of the 3rd: John Golliday leads off with an infield hit and then steals 2nd. With 2 outs, Gary Stanley comes through with yet another 2-out run-scoring hit to tie the game at 3. Rich Ellis and Tom Cooper follow with more singles and Stanley scores. 4 to 3, Diamondbacks. When P Tony Ricketts walks Manny Diaz to load the bases, he is sent packing and RHP Ricky Peterson is brought in to face P Cesar Martinez. Danny Hernandez comes in to play 1st in a double switch. P Martinez flies out to center.

Top of the 5th: Danny Hernandez leads off with a hit and Frank Wiginton bunts him over to 2nd. Javy Fernandez doubles to center to tie the game at 4!

Bottom of the 7th: On the Hill: RHP Doug maxwell, beginning his 2nd inning of work. Mario Saucedo leads off with a walks and scores on a 1-out double by Gary Stanley. 5 to 4, Diamondbacks. Maxwell has hit a cold stretch.... With 2 outs, Tom Cooper comes through with the obligatory base knock and Stanley scores. 6 to 4, Diamondbacks.

Top of the 8th: On the hill: RHP Scott Jefferson, beginning his 2nd inning of work. Javy Fernandez leads off and pops one foul on the 1st base side, but 1B Manny Diaz drops it. E-3. Fernandez proceeds to triple to right center. Lebron Williams singles up the middle to score a run! 6 to 5, Diamondbacks. Mark Parker singles and Williams goes to 3rd. Pinch-Hitter: RHB Dave Priestly. He beats out an infield hit and Williams scores to tie the game! 6 to 6. New pitcher: RHP Don Charles. He strikes out Tim DePriest, but walks Stu Redman to load the bases up with 1 out. Enrique Hernandez lines out to 2nd and they double off Priestly at 2nd. It is the third double play we have lined into this game. I don't think I have ever seen that before....

Top of the 9th: Still 6 to 6. New pitcher: RHP Darrell Massingham. Danny Hernandez strikes out looking. Frank Wiginton grounds a double down the 1st base line. Javy Fernandez swings at the first pitch and singles up the middle and Wiginton scores without a throw! 7 to 6, Beavers! Lebron Williams lines out to 3rd, but at least they do not get a double play. 2 outs. Mark Parker lines out to 2nd.

Bottom of the 9th: On the Hill: RHP Ron Beckman, beginning his 2nd inning of work. Mike Campoverde grounds out to 2nd. Gary Stanley strikes out on 3 pitches. LF Bob Haines works the count full and then singles up the middle. And once again, the opposing manager has emptied his bench and his pitcher has to hit.... Will it work out for us? P Darrell Massingham. 3-1 pitch.... He swings and grounds out to 1st and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 7 to 6

We had 14 hits and made 2 errors.
The Diamondbacks had 12 hits and made 1 error.

Tony Ricketts went 2 and 2/3 innings, allowed 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. He threw a WP. 1st time in over 2 weeks our starter has not gone at least 6. Ricketts was also the last one to fail.
RHP Rick Peterson went 2 and 1/3 innings, did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out 1.
RHP Doug Maxwell went 2 innings, allowed 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Ron Beckman (W 6-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 2. He is now tied for the Major League lead in wins!

Cesar Martinez went 6 innings, gave us 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Darrell Massingham (L 0-1) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run, 2 hits and struck out 1.

LF Frank Wiginton hit a double and scored a run. CF Javy Fernandez had 3 hits with a double and a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. RF Lebron Williams had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. C Mark Parker had 3 hits and an RBI. PH Dave Priestly had an infield hit and an RBI. 3B Tim DePriest hit a double. SS Stu Redman had a hit and a walk, stole 2 bases and scored a run.

For the Diamondbacks, C Gary Stanley had 3 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

[Questdog]

May 20, 2002

Monday Morning Report

AL Player of the Week - John Klemin, 2b, Tampa Bay (32 R .355/.361/.441) Had 12 hits with 3 2B, 2 SB, 4 R and 4 RBI in 6 G
NL Player of the Week - Larry Brown, cf, New York (N) (29 R .335/.413/.641) Had 12 hits with 2 2B, 5 HR, 2 SB, 7 R and 19 RBI (!!!) in 6 G Wins for the 2nd week in a row.

(Slash lines are for the season, not the week)

May 13: CF Larry Brown of New York (N) hit 2 home runs at Cincinnati. He had 4 RBIs. The Mets won, 9 to 4.
May 13: RHP John Chase of Los Angeles (A) pitched a 5-hit shutout at Texas. He did not walk a batter and struck out 4. He is now 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA. The Angels won, 2 to 0.
May 13: RHP Antonio Rodriguez of New York (A) pitched 6.1 hitless innings at Toronto, but then had to leave with an injury. No word yet on the extent of the damage. He walked 3 and struck out 8. The Yankees won, 11 to 1.
May 14: The Tigers announced that their closer, Rudy Phillips, would miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum. He is 35.
May 14: 3B Dean Renken of Toronto hit 2 home runs at home versus New York (A). He had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. The Blue Jays won, 6 to 5, in 11 innings.
May 15: The Yankees announced that RHP Antonio Rodriguez, who was injured while pitching a no-hitter, will have surgery on his elbow and will miss the rest of the season and might not make the start of next season. He is 27.
May 16: RHP Jasper Adams of Boston pitched a no-hitter at Detroit. He walked 5 and struck out 7. The game was scoreless until the 9th when the Red Sox scored twice and they won, 2 to 0. Adams is now 5-3 with a 2.15 ERA. It was the first no-hitter in the majors this season and 3rd of the 21st century.
May 16: RHP Frank Madero of New York (A) pitched a 2-hit shutout at home versus Baltimore. He walked 2 and struck out 6. At bat, he had a hit. He is now 4-2 with a 2.98 ERA. The Yankees won, 2 to 0.
May 16: LHP Doug Willard of Kansas City pitched a 4-hit shutout at Los Angeles (A). He walked 1 and struck out 7. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. He is now 5-3 with a 3.76 ERA. The Royals won, 2 to 0.
May 17: 3B Tommy Mackey of Cleveland hit 2 home runs at home versus Washington. He had 3 hits and 5 RBIs. His 2nd home run came in the bottom of the 10th to win the game. The Indians won, 7 to 5, in 10 innings.
May 17: RHP Jose Salcedo of Los Angeles (A) pitched a 2-hit shutout at home versus Kansas City. He walked 1 and struck out 11. He is now 5-1 with a 1.96 ERA. The Angels won, 4 to 0.
May 18: C Tony Lupercio of Cincinnati hit 2 home runs at Miami. The Reds won, 6 to 2, in 11 innings.
May 18: SS Floyd Miller of San Diego hit 2 home runs at San Francisco. He had 3 hits and 2 walks and had a Grand Slam. He had 6 RBIs. The Padres won, 9 to 3.


In the first All-Star voting results that have been released, the only Beaver getting any love is LHP Pedro Huerta, who is currently third among relievers.

Random Fact of the Week: The NL West is kicking the NL East's bottom. 72-56 (.563) record so far. In the West, only the Giants (5-11) have a losing record against the East. The Rockies (12-4) have been the best. The Beavers are only 8-8.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

We had the day off on Monday and got knocked out of first place when the Padres won.

We are back in Portland for a quick 2-game home stand before heading back out on the road. Manager John Potter has his Rockies here. They split 4 games with the Astros in Denver over the weekend. We are 4-1 against them on the season and won 2 of 3 in Denver, May 10-12. They are 2nd in the league in scoring with 5.3 runs per game (Portland is #13 with 4.0). They lead the league in HR and OPS. They are #11 in runs allowed with 4.6 per game (Portland is #2 with 3.7).

Colorado Rockies (26-17 .605 0.5 GB tied for 2nd place in the NL West) at
Portland Beavers (26-17 .605 0.5 GB tied for 2nd place in the NL West)

Ralph Day, Col (36 R 5-0 3.09 7.3-0.8-2.5-5.6 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Larry Duke, Por (34 L 2-4 3.02 8.2-0.7-0.9-3.4)

We have not faced Day this season. We were 0-2 in games he started last year when he was 9-11 with a 5.55 ERA for the Cubs in 34 starts. He did not get the win in either game. He pitched decently once and we roughed him up the other time.

Larry Duke is second in the NL in BB/9.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
COLORADO
1: 2B Jesus Lopez (34 R .345-0-11-.891 in 139 AB)
2: 3B Melvin Mendoza (32 R .175-4-15-.504 in 166 AB)
3: 1B Bobby Manzano (26 L .380-12-41-1.073 in 179 AB) 2001 All-Star 3rd in 2001 MVP
4: C Willie Solano (27 R .303-9-35-.903 in 145 AB)
5: RF Buddy Hartman (34 R .291-5-17-.928 in 79 AB) 2001 All-Star with LAA
6: SS Bob Stallings (26 R .242-2-17-.633 in 157 AB) Rookie 2001 CAL MVP
7: LF Dave Leonard (32 R .350-2-12-.922 in 80 AB)
8: CF Johnny Alcorn (23 R .182-0-1-.348 in 11 AB) Rookie #5 prospect
9: P Ralph Day (36 R .100-0-0-.200 in 10 AB) FA signing from ChN for 1-yr./$3.44 mil

PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .278-2-8-.733 in 126 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .306-1-18-.794 in 170 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (22 L .364-1-9-.891 in 77 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .297-4-16-.843 in 138 AB) Playing hurt
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .333-1-13-.909 in 48 AB)
6: 3B Tim DePriest (27 R .200-1-2-.638 in 20 AB) Playing hurt
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .260-0-17-.626 in 154 AB)
8: 2B Rick Ferrell (26 R .172-0-4-.345 in 29 AB)
9: P Larry Duke (34 L .100-0-1-.250 in 20 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 51 deg. Cloudy with a 7 MPH wind blowing out to right.
Attendance: 16,919

Jesus Lopez flies out to left. Melvin Mendoza pops out to short. Bobby Manzano doubles down the right field line. The ball looked foul to me.... Willie Solano grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the 1st: Frank Wiginton strikes out on 3 pitches. Javy Fernandez lines out to left. Lebron Williams pops out to 2nd.

Bottom of the 2nd: Mark Parker leads off with a triple on his bum wheels and scores on a ground out by Danny Hernandez. 1 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the 7th: With 1 out, Buddy Hartman and Bob Stallings hit back-to-back singles to put runners at 1st and 3rd. Pinch-hitter: RHB Angel Montero. He flies out to right and Hartman beats the throw to the plate to tie the game up at 1 all.

Top of the 9th: Still 1 to 1. On the Hill: RHP Ron Beckman, beginning his 2nd inning of work. Bobby Manzano strikes out! Willie Solano flies out to right. Buddy Hartman strikes out!

Bottom of the 9th: Ralph Day still on the hill. 107 pitches. He sits us down in order....

Extras!

Top of the 10th: The Rockies get a 2-out hit from RF Manuel Jauregui, but that is all.

Bottom of the 10th: New pitcher: RHP Bob Griffith, their closer. 33 yrs. old and he only pitched 8 innings last year, but in 20 innings this season he has been sharp. Only 16 H, 1 HR, 4 BB and 18 SO. 2.21 ERA. With 1 out, he walks Pinch-Hitter Roger Aguilar and then Frank Wiginton singles up the middle. But Javy Fernandez grounds into a 4-6-3 double play, the first time he has been doubles up this season.

Top of the 11th: New Pitcher: RHP Doug Maxwell, to give up a home run to Bobby Manzano, who will bat 3rd in the inning. He gets the first two out and teh Manzano grounds out weakly to 2nd!

Bottom of the 11th: Let's score a run! Nope....all we get is a 2-out walk from Danny Hernandez.

Top of the 12th: Willie Solano leads off with a 4-pitch walk and teh bullpen is scrambled, but it may bee too late. Buddy Hartman singles to center. Bob Stallings tries to bunt the runners up, but pops out to the pitcher. Victor Acuna fouls out to the left side, SS Stu Redman making the catch. Manuel Jauregui walks to load the bases up with 2 outs. Pinch-hitter: LHB Paul DeWeese. Call to the Bullpen: LHP Pedro Huerta. DeWeese is the last player from their bench, so he has to hit. Yep, I have a bad feeling, too.... 2-2 pitch and DeWeese swings and puts a charge into it, but Javy Fernandez runs it down in center!

Bottom of the 12th: Let's score a run, please! New pitcher: LHP Rafael Rosario. Stu Redman leads off with a liner to center for a hit. Rick Ferrell bunts him over to 2nd: Pinch-Hitter: RHB Dave Priestly. They walk him intentionally. Frank Wiginton flies out to center and Stu Redman tags up and heads to 3rd. Buddy Hartman, who has moved over to center, unleashes a wild throw and Redman scores! ....and THIS Ballgame Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 2 to 1 in 12 innings

We had 9 hits and made no errors.
The Rockies had 7 hits and made 2 errors.

Larry Duke went 7 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, no walks and struck out 5.
RHP Ron Beckman went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 4.
RHP Doug Maxwell went 1 and 2/3 innings, allowed 1 hit, 2 walks and struck out 1.
LHP Pedro Huerta (W 4-0) faced 1 batter and retired him.

Ralph Day went 9 innings, gave us 1 run, 7 hits, no walks and struck out 7.
LHP Rafael Rosario (L 0-4) went 2/3 of an inning, gave us 1 unearned run, 1 hit and 1 walk (INT).

LF Frank Wiginton had 4 hits with 2 doubles, but no runs or RBIs. C Mark Parker had 2 hits with a triple and scored a run. 3B Tim DePriest had 2 hits. PH Dave Priestly was intentionally walked.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

The Padres lost yesterday, so we woke up this morning all alone in first place in the NL West for the first time in franchise history! We have to win today to do the same tomorrow morning, however.

Colorado Rockies (26-18 .591 1 GB in 3rd place in the NL West) at
Portland Beavers (27-17 .614 in 1st place in the NL West)

Abel Arrais, Col (25 R 6-1 3.84 9.4-0.7-2.8-7.2 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Terry Cole, Por (31 L 5-4 2.22 8.2-0.4-3.3-7.2)

We are 1-1 against Arrais this season, but he did not suffer the loss. The last time we face him, he went 8 innings in Denver and beat us, 7 to 3.

Terry Cole is 5th in the NL in ERA.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
COLORADO
1: 2B Jesus Lopez (34 R .333-0-11-.862 in 144 AB)
2: 3B Melvin Mendoza (32 R .170-4-15-.490 in 171 AB)
3: 1B Bobby Manzano (26 L .375-12-41-1.061 in 184 AB) 2001 All-Star 3rd in 2001 MVP
4: C Willie Solano (27 R .302-9-35-.896 in 149 AB)
5: RF Buddy Hartman (34 R .298-5-17-.920 in 84 AB) 2001 All-Star with LAA
6: SS Bob Stallings (26 R .241-2-17-.626 in 162 AB) Rookie 2001 CAL MVP
7: LF Dave Leonard (32 R .354-2-12-.924 in 82 AB)
8: CF Johnny Alcorn (23 R .154-0-1-.297 in 13 AB) Rookie #5 prospect
9: P Abel Arrais (25 R .053-0-0-.105 in 19 AB)

PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .295-2-8-.774 in 132 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .297-1-18-.772 in 175 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (22 L .341-1-9-.838 in 82 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .301-4-16-.855 in 143 AB) Playing hurt
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .308-1-14-.853 in 52 AB)
6: 3B Ron Stephens (32 R .225-1-7-.551 in 111 AB)
7: SS Stu Redman (30 R .258-0-17-.620 in 159 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .265-0-15-.608 in 170 AB)
9: P Terry Cole (31 L .333-0-0-.714 in 21 AB)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Weather: 53 deg. Cloudy with a 9 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 18,116

Jesus Lopez fouls out to 1st. Melvin Mendoza walks on 4 pitches. Bobby Manzano grounds out to 2nd and Mendoza moves up a base. That puts a runner in scoring position with 2 outs and we all know what will happen next.... Willie Solano lines a hit up the middle and Mendoza scores. 1 to 0, Rockies. Buddy Hartman grounds out to short.

Bottom of the 1st: Frank Wiginton grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Javy Fernandez grounds out to short. Lebron Williams lines out to center.

Bottom of the 3rd: Stu Redman and Enrique Hernandez lead off with back-to-back walks. P Terry Cole bunts them up to 2nd and 3rd. Frank Wiginton lines a hit to left and Redman scores to tie the game at 1 all! Javy Fernandez line a hit to right and Hernandez scores and Wiginton takes 3rd! 2 to 1, Beavers! Lebron Williams grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom of the 4th: Mark Parker and Danny Hernandez both strike out on 3 pitches, Parker swinging and Hernandez looking. With 2 strikes on him, Ron Stephens lines a hit up the middle. Stu Redman lines a double down the right field line and Stephens scores without a throw! 3 to 1, Beavers! They walk Enrique Hernandez intentionally to get to P Terry Cole, but he thwarts their plans with a base hit to right and Redman scores! 4 to 1, Beavers! Frank Wiginton lines a hit up the middle and the intentional walk scores and P Cole goes to 3rd! 5 to 1, Beavers! Javy Fernandez strikes out to end the inning and give P Abel Arrais 3 K's in the frame, but I am sure that is no consolation.

Top of the 5th: Jesus Lopez leads off with a hit and Willie Solano draws a 2-out walk. Buddy Hartman hits a 3-run home run to left. 5 to 4, Beavers.

Bottom of the 6th: New pitcher: RHP Andrew Sutherland. With 1 out, Enrique Hernandez singles to right and goes to 2nd when Buddy Hartman overruns the ball. 1B+E9. Pinch-Hitter: Gabe Regalado. A Wild Pitch sends Hernandez to 3rd. Regalado walks on 4 pitches. Frank Wiginton flies out to center and Hernandez scores. 6 to 4, Beavers. A balk sends Regalado to 2nd and another Wild Pitch puts him on 3rd, from where he scores on an infield hit by Javy Fernandez! 7 to 4, Beavers!

Top of the 7th: New Pitcher: RHP Larry Castillo. With 1 out, Bobby Manzano singles and then Willie Solano bounces one into the stands in right center for a ground rule double. Get the Bullpen up again! But Castillo wiggles out of the jam with a strikeout and a grounder to short!

Won - 7 to 4

We had 9 hits and made 1 error.
The Rockies had 8 hits and made 1 error.

Terry Cole (W 6-4) went 6 innings, allowed 4 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 5 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. He has lost two very well-pitched games, so we do not begrudge him this win.
RHP Larry Castillo (SV 2) went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 4, including big bad Bobby Manzano to end the game.

Abel Arrais (L 6-2) went 4 innings, gave us 5 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks (1 INT) and struck out 3.

LF Frank Wiginton had 2 hits and 3 RBIs. CF Javy Fernandez had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. SS Stu Redman hit a double and scored a run. 2B Enrique Hernandez had a hit and 2 walks (1 INT) and scored 3 runs. PH/RF Gabe Regalado drew a walk and scored a run.

For the Rockies, C Willie Solano did not make and out with 2 hits and 2 walks. He hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI. RF Buddy Hartman hit his 6th home run of the season and had 3 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 23, 2002

On the road again! I can't wait to get on the road again! Actually I could have waited just fine.... We are in Wrigley Field to play new manager Bruce Gray (46) and his Cubs a 4-game series through the weekend. They just lost 2 in Pittsburgh after sweeping 4 at home versus Atlanta last weekend. This is our first meeting with them this season. They lead the National League in scoring with 5.7 runs per game (Portland is #12 with 4.0). Of course, to be a .500 team with the best offense in the league means their pitching has not been up to snuff. They are 14th in runs allowed with 4.8 per game (Portland is #2 with 3.6). Still, they have out-scored their opponents by almost a run per game, which leads the National League. Though the Beavers have the best record in the NL, they are only 6th in run differential.

Portland Beavers (28-17 .622 in 1st place in the NL West) at
Chicago Cubs (23-23 .500 2 GB in 4th place in the NL East)

Alan Gross, Por (27 L 3-3 2.34 7.3-0.7-2.1-7.6 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Jose Colunga, ChN (24 R 2-2 3.67 8.6-0.4-1.9-6.3)

We beat Colunga the only time we faced him last season, roughing him up and chasing him in the 3rd inning.

Terry Cole did not pitch well yesterday and fell from the leaders in ERA, so I will not mention that Gross is 6th with his ERA.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: LF Frank Wiginton (31 S .304-2-11-.783 in 135 AB)
2: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .302-1-20-.776 in 179 AB)
3: RF Lebron Williams (22 L .326-1-9-.801 in 86 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .299-4-16-.846 in 147 AB) Playing hurt
5: 1B Danny Hernandez (23 L .286-1-14-.792 in 56 AB)
6: 3B Tom DePriest (.261-1-2-.726 in 23 AB) Playing hurt
7: SS Rick Ferrell (.152-0-4-.303 in 33 AB)
8: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .267-0-15-.620 in 172 AB)
9: P Alan Gross (27 L .143-1-3-.476 in 21 AB)

CHICAGO (N)
1: CF Bob Johns (26 R .323-1-12-.824 in 96 AB) Trade with Det 11/22
2: 2B Jake Johnson (31 R .313-10-30-.949 in 166 AB)
3: C Al Soto (34 S .349-7-31-.943 in 149 AB)
4: 3B Larry Menard (35 R .257-8-33-.698 in 191 AB) 2001 All-Star
5: RF Arturo Guerra (35 L .329-8-36-.949 in 146 AB) 2001 All-Star
6: 1B Tony Ramirez (32 R .303-2-17-.807 in 99 AB) FA signing for 1 yr./$670K on 1/24
7: SS John Godfrey (29 L .266-1-18-.632 in 188 AB)
8: LF Joe Gombos (22 R .254-1-14-.674 in 118 AB)
9: P Jose Colunga (24 R .167-0-0-.333 in 12 AB)

Game Start: 5:05 PM
Weather: 50 deg. Cloudy with an 11 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 12,702

Frank Wiginton leads off with a single to right. Javy Fernandez beats out an infield hit. Lebron Williams lines out to center. Mark Parker singles to left and Wiginton scores without a throw! 1 to 0, Beavers! Danny Hernandez grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.

Bottom of the 1st: Bob Johns works the count full and then takes ball four. He steals 2nd. Jake Johnson fouls out, 2b Enrique Hernandez making the catch. A balk sends Johns to 3rd. Al Soto strikes out looking. Now there are two outs and a runner is in scoring position, so do I have to even report it? 2 strikes out Larry Menard and he strokes a clean single to center and Johns scores to tie the game at 1. Full count to Arturo Guerra and he takes ball four. Tony Ramirez walks to load the bases up. 2 strikes on John Godfrey and he lines a hit to right and 2 runs score. 3 to 1, Cubs. Joe Gombos grounds out to short. 45 pitches....

Top of the 2nd: With 2 outs, P Jose Colunga has to leave the game. No word on his injury. New pitcher: LHP Joe Fisher.

Bottom of the 3rd: With 1 out, Larry Menard draws a walk and then Arturo Guerra hits a home run to right. 5 to 1, Cubs.

Bottom of the 8th: LHP Jim Ackley has to come out of the game with a sore elbow, but the Burgermeister says it is not serious and should be okay with some rest.

Top of the 9th: 8 to 2, Cubs. On the hiss: RHP Ken Bair. Well, I though this game was over because we got down, 8 to 1. When we scored a run in the 6th, I did not even report it. But Tim DePriest leads off with a walk and Rick Ferrell singles. Enrique Hernandez doubles and DePriest scores. 8 to 3, Cubs. New pitcher: RHP Art Roach, their closer. Pinch-Hitter: RHB John McIvor. He singles to left and Ferrell scores. 8 to 4, Cubs. Frank Wiginton flies out to center and Hernandez trots home. 8 to 5, Cubs. Javy Fernandez reaches on an infield hit and suddenly we have the tying run at the plate with 1 out. But Lebron Williams grounds into his 400th double play this season to end the game.... Actually, it is his 9th, which matches what he hit for all of last season. In 91 AB....that is quite a pace.

Lost - 8 to 5

We had 13 hits and made no errors.
The Cubs had 9 hits and made 2 errors.

Alan Gross (L 3-4) went 4 innings, allowed 5 runs, 3 hits, 1 home run, 4 walks and struck out 4. He balked.
LHP Max Burgess went 2 innings, allowed 3 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. I want to send him to AAA, but he has no options left and I think someone would claim him.
LHP Jim Ackley went 1 and 1/3 innings and retired all 4 batters he faced.
RHP Larry Castillo went 2/3 of an inning and allowed 1 hit.

Jose Colunga went 1 and 2/3 innings, gave us 1 run and 4 hits.
LHP Joe Fisher (W 1-1) went 3 and 1/3 innings, and only gave us 1 hit and struck out 1.

LF Frank Wiginton had 2 hits, a SF and scored a run. Javy Fernandez had 2 hits. 1B Danny Hernandez had 2 hits and a walk. 2B Enrique Hernandez had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI. PH John McIvor had a hit and an RBI.

For the Cubs, 3B Larry Menard had 2 hits and a walk, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. RF Arturo Guerra hit a double and his 9th home run of the season, drew a walk, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 24, 2002

Portland Beavers (28-18 .609 tied for 1st place in the NL West) at
Chicago Cubs (24-23 .511 2 GB in 3rd place in the NL East)

Tony Ricketts, Por (27 R 2-1 5.35 9.4-1.0-1.8-5.6 H/9-HR/9-BB/9-K/9) vs Jamie Nale, ChN (28 L 4-3 4.00 8.9-0.4-3.1-4.9)

We roughed Nale up for 6 runs in 4.1 innings the only time we faced him last season.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age Bats BA-HR-RBI-OPS) Stats are for last season.
PORTLAND
1: SS Stu Redman (30 R .259-0-18-.631 in 162 AB)
2: 2B Enrique Hernandez (26 R .273-0-16-.634 in 176 AB)
3: RF Dave Priestly (28 R .303-3-11-.890 in 76 AB)
4: C Mark Parker (28 R .298-4-17-.838 in 151 AB) Playing hurt
5: LF Lebron Williams (33 L .319-1-9-.779 in 91 AB)
6: 1B Roger Aguilar (31 R .175-1-7-.561 in 63 AB)
7: 3B Tom DePriest (27 R .269-1-3-.745 in 26 AB) Playing hurt
8: CF Javy Fernandez (27 L .304-1-20-.777 in 184 AB)
9: P Tony Ricketts (27 R .083-0-0-.167 in 12 AB)

CHICAGO (N)
1: SS John Godfrey (29 L .266-1-20-.630 in 192 AB)
2: 2B Jake Johnson (31 R .316-10-30-.944 in 171 AB)
3: C Al Soto (34 S .346-7-31-.932 in 153 AB)
4: 3B Larry Menard (35 R .263-8-34-.711 in 194 AB) 2001 All-Star
5: RF Arturo Guerra (35 L .336-9-40-.986 in 149 AB) 2001 All-Star
6: 1B Tony Ramirez (32 R .297-2-18-.794 in 101 AB)
7: LF Dan Beyeler (25 L .250-0-0-.583 in 12 AB)
8: CF Joe Gombos (22 R .246-1-14-.653 in 122 AB)
9: P Jamie Nale (28 R .150-0-1-.450 in 20 AB)

Game Start: 3:05 PM
Weather: 48 deg. Cloudy with a 10 MPH wind blowing in from center.
Attendance: 15,366

Stu Redman lines out to left. Enrique Hernandez grounds out to 3rd. Dave Priestly grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the 1st: John Godfrey grounds out to 3rd. Jake Johnson flies out to left, Lebron Williams making a nice running catch. Al Soto lines a hit to right. Larry Menard flies out to right.

Bottom of the 4th: The hit by Al Soto in the 1st is the only base runner for either team so far until he leads off the 4th with a double to right center. With 1 out, Arturo Guerra hits a home run to left. 2 to 0, Cubs.

Top of the 5th: With 2 outs, Roger Aguilar lines a hit to right, our first base runner of the game. Tim DePriest draws a walk and Javy Fernandez lines a hit to left center and Aguilar scores without a throw. 2 to 1, Cubs.

Bottom of the 5th: Dave Priestly injures himself making a catch and has to come out of the game. It seems serious and the Burgermeister is mum. Lebron Williams moves to right and Frank Wiginton goes into play left.

Top of the 6th: With 2 outs, Frank Wiginton doubles down the left field line and Mark Parker follows with a triple to right center to tie the game at 2!

Bottom of the 8th: New Pitcher: RHP Ron Beckman. Jake Johnson leads off with a walk. Pinch-runner: Buck Katzman. He steals 2nd. With 2 outs, Arturo Guerra has a 3-0 count on him and I am hoping we'll just go ahead and walk him, but Beckman groves one and Guerra knocks it into center for a run-scoring hit. 3 to 2, Cubs. Tony Ramirez follows with a home run to left. 5 to 2, Cubs.

Lost - 5 to 2

We had 5 hits and made 1 error.
The Cubs had 7 hits and made no errors.

Tony Ricketts went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, 5 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 4.
RHP Ron Beckman (L 6-2) went 2/3 of an inning, allowed 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 1.
LHP Max Burgess faced 1 batter and struck him out.

Jamie Nale (W 5-3) went 8 innings, gave us 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4.
RHP Art Roach (SV 7) pitched 1 scoreless inning, gave us a hit and struck out 3.

LF Frank Wiginton hit a double and scored a run. C Mark Parker hit a double and a triple and had an RBI.

For the Cubs, C Al Soto had 3 hits with a double and scored a run. RF Arturo Guerra had 2 hits with his 10th home run of the season, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. 1B Tony Ramirez hit his 3rd home run of the year and had 2 RBIs.