Millennial League Baseball, est. 2001

[Questdog]

Thursday, September 26, 2002

We sent Danny Coreano (23-L) to Daytona (A), since he will be pitching no more this season, and called up P Marc Uhrich (27-L) to start today so we could give Jim Baucom an extra day of rest.

Richmond Robins (92-66 .582 2.5 GA in 1st place in the Southern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (71-87 .449 21 GB in 6th place in the Southern Division)

RICH: Leroy Chandler (34-R) (14-9 3.87 ERA 220.2 IP, 213 H, 19 HR, 82 BB, 124 SO) vs.
JAX: Marc Uhrich (27-L) (1-1 5.40 ERA 11 G, 1 GS, 16.2 IP, 21 H, 1 HR, 11 BB, 9 SO)

We only faced Chandler once this season, way back in April, and he beat us with a CG, giving us 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks with 9 strikeouts.

This will be Uhrich's 2nd start of the season. In his first, he allowed 9 runs (6 earned) on 11 hits and 5 walks with 2 strikeouts in 5 innings, but escaped with a no decision and we won the game.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
RICHMOND
1: CF Jose Vazquez (30-R .325-584-4-46-.763-24 B+) All-Star(01-02)/Gold Glove
2: 3B Skip Dunkin (24-S .310-452-0-45-.715-40 A)
3: 2B Ray Holloway (28-R .273-579-8-84-.716-13 A) All-Star(01)
4: RF Andy Schaeffer (38-R .222-325-9-41-.662-3 C+)
5: LF Bob Cline (24-R .279-391-5-51-.722-9 B+)
6: SS Brian Bowden (25-R .269-372-0-40-.644-26 A+)
7: 1B Ray Montgomery (32-L .264-406-8-67-.750-4 B+)
8: C Sandy Sanchez (25-S .235-102-0-12-.675-0 C) Rookie
9: P Leroy Chandler (34-L .282-78-0-3-.586-0 C)

JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Glen Lewis (21-L .290-563-7-72-.788-46 C) All-Star/Rookie
2: CF Danny Stewart (31-L .269-186-1-15-.690-4 C+)
3: LF Cal Doty (25-L .297-464-6-42-.766-32 B+)
4: 3B Marty Eades (31-R .319-385-21-97-.987-4 C+)
5: 1B Jack Washburn (20-L .263-175-7-28-.783-9 B) Rookie
6: C Bert Swope (30-S .232-289-3-27-.608-3 B)
7: 2B Charlie Faber (31-R .237-173-0-10-.622-1 A)
8: SS Bart Daw (30-R .213-445-7-44-.614-17 A)
9: P Marc Uhrich (27-L .000-1-0-0-.500-0 D)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 74 F, Overcast, with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to right
Attendance: 4,397

Top of the First:
Jose Vazquez pops out to right. Skip Dunkin beats out an infield hit. He steals 2nd. Ray Holloway strikes out! Andy Schaeffer grounds out to 3rd!

Bottom of the First:
Glen Lewis grounds out to 2nd. Danny Stewart pokes a hit to center. Cal Doty draws a walk. Marty Eades beats out an infield hit to load the bases up with 1 out. Jack Washburn lines out to center and they double Doty off at 2nd....

Top of the Second:
Bob Cline draws a walk and goes to 2nd on a wild pitch... But the next three go down with 2 strikeouts!

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, Jose Vazquez takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 and steals 2nd. Skip Dunkin lines a hit to center and Vazquez beat the throw home.... 1 to 0, Robins. Ray Holloway grounds a hit to right and Dunkin beats the throw to 3rd... Andy Schaeffer swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to right and Dunkin scores and Holloway beats the throw to 3rd... 2 to 0, Robins. Bob Cline swings at the first pitch and grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!!

Bottom of the Third:
Glen Lewis doubles to left center. With 1 out, he tries to steal 3rd and gets thrown out... Our runners seem to get caught at 3rd a lot more than we catch runners at 3rd....

Bottom of the Ninth:
P Leroy Chandler is at 119 pitches. 6-7-8 up for us. Bert Swope flies out to right. PH Brian Porter (35-S) swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. PH Tony Becerra (33-L) lines a hit to left center. PH Ed Diskin (38-R) strikes out looking....

Lost - 2 to 0

We finish the season series with Richmond 4-10
Better than the 3-11 of last year

We had 8 hits and made no errors
Richmond had 6 hits (all singles) and made no errors

Marc Uhrich (L 1-2) went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. He threw a WP.
RHP Robbie Hopley went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Leroy Chandler (W 15-9) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), gave us 8 hits, 4 walks and struck out 3. 135 pitches.

RF Glen Lewis had 2 hits with a double and a walk. Cal Doty had a hit and a walk. 3B Marty Eades had 2 hits. PH Tony Becerra had a hit.

[Questdog]

Friday, September 27, 2002

The Birmingham Barons are here to play a 3 game series over the weekend and finish out the 2002 season. Neither one of us have much at stake in this series. We are locked into 6th place and the 4th pick in the B Leagues Draft regardless of what happens. The Barons have a slim chance at moving up to 4th place, but have to sweep us and hope the Memphis Mules get swept at home by Charlotte. They just won 3 of 4 games in Memphis. We are 5-6 against them on the season and lost a pair of games the last time they were here, August 5-6. They are 14th in scoring with 3.76 runs per game (Jacksonville is #10 with 4.01). The Barons are 4th in fewest runs allowed with 3.79 per game (Jacksonville is #8 with 4.17). Their run differential is -5 and ours is -25.

Birmingham Barons (75-84 .472 18 GB in 5th place in the Southern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (71-88 .447 22 GB in 6th place in the Southern Division)

BIRM: Billy Warner (24-R) (7-10 3.96 ERA 159 IP, 158 H, 12 HR, 57 BB, 101 SO) Rookie vs.
JAX: Jim Baucom (21-L) (11-13 2.94 ERA 242 IP, 222 H, 17 HR, 67 BB, 165 SO) All-Star/Rookie

Warner, the #8 prospect this Spring, is 0-1 in 3 starts and 1 game of relief with a 7.71 ERA against us. 14 IP, 23 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 10 SO.

Baucom is 3-1 with 3 CG in his last 4 starts. Last time out was a CG win with 2 runs allowed on 6 hits, 1 home run and no walks with a team record 13 strikeouts.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BIRMINGHAM
1: 3B Stan Stephens (24-R .333-663-4-52-.788-58 B) All-Star(01)
2: SS Ken Kelly (24-S .282-529-21-72-.810-19 B) All-Star
3: 1B Al Chase (30-R .343-70-1-1-.845-0 C)
4: CF Sergio Acevedo (29-R .193-503-35-65-.717-33 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(01-02)
5: 2B Rick Halverson (26-L .275-600-7-63-.718-17 B) All-Star(01)
6: RF Dave Jay (37-R .200-425-11-42-.589-4 A)
7: LF Bob Marks (24-R .200-20-1-3-.600-3 A+) Rookie #11 prospect
8: C Bob Marcuson (31-R .181-265-6-29-.540-5 C+) All-Star(01)
9: P Billy Warner (24-R .152-46-2-4-.496-0 C) Rookie #8 prospect 1 of his HR was against us

JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Glen Lewis (21-L .292-566-7-72-.793-46 C) All-Star/Rookie
2: CF Danny Stewart (31-L .268-190-1-15-.686-4 C+)
3: LF Cal Doty (25-L .298-467-6-42-.767-32 B+)
4: 3B Marty Eades (31-R .321-389-21-97-.987-4 C+)
5: 1B Jack Washburn (20-L .257-179-7-28-.766-9 B) Rookie
6: C Bert Swope (30-S .232-293-3-27-.607-3 B)
7: 2B Charlie Faber (31-R .234-175-0-10-.619-1 A)
8: SS Bart Daw (30-R .213-447-7-44-.612-17 A)
9: P Jim Baucom (21-L .141-71-0-2-.296-0 C) All-Star/Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 70 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from right
Attendance: 6,832

Top of the First:
Stand Stephens doubles to right... Ken Kelly swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses! Al Chase grounds out slowly to short and Stephens goes to 3rd. Sergio Acevedo leads all of our opponents with 6 HR this year and led all of our opponents with 9 last year. 15 HR in 25 games against the Barons and I am not sure that he played in all of them... He takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Rick Halverson swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses!

Bottom of the First:
Glen Lewis grounds out to 2nd. Danny Stewart draws a walk. Cal Doty lines out to left. Marty Eades draws a walk. Jack Washburn pops out to right...

Top of the Second:
P Jim Baucom strikes out the side in order, all three of them looking!

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, Stan Stephens grounds an 0-2 pitch to left for a hit. He steals 2nd. Ken Kelly doubles to left center and Stephens scores... 1 to 0, Barons. The next two, including Sergio Acevedo, make outs!

Top of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, Stan Stephens lines a hit to right and steals his 60th base of the season. Ken Kelly lines a hit to left and Stephens scores... 2 to 0, Barons. The barons have 5 hits, all of them by Stephens and Kelly... We have 1 hit....

Top of the Sixth:
Sergio Acevedo beats out an infield hit, get bunted to 2nd and steals 3rd... With the infield in, Dave Jays grounds a 3-2 pitch to left for a hit and Acevedo scores... 3 to 0, Barons. Bob Marks doubles to left center... The Bullpen gets up. We walk Bob Marcuson intentionally. P Billy Warner strikes out on 3 pitches. Stan Stephens, 3 for 3 today, takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 to force in a run... 4 to 0, Barons.

Bottom of the Sixth:
Danny Stewart swings at the first pitch and doubles to center. Our second hit of the game... Cal Doty walks on 4 pitches. Marty Eades grounds into a 5-4-3 double play and Stewart goes to 3rd... Jack Washburn fouls out to 1st...

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Spencer Shuff (34-R). Ken Kelly beats out an infield hit. With 1 out, Sergio Acevedo grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4. 2B Charlie Faber is hurt... Ed Diskin (38-R) goes in to play 2nd. Rick Halverson doubles to right and Acevedo scores from 1st... 5 to 0, Barons.

Lost - 5 to 0

Back to back shutouts...

We had 3 whole hits and made no errors
Birmingham had 11 hits and made no errors

Jim Baucom (L 11-14) went 6 innings, allowed 4 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks (1 INT) and struck out 9. 110 pitches. We scored 105 runs in his 35 starts for an average of exactly 3 per game....
RHP Roger Wallace went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 3.
RHP Spencer Shuff went 1 inning, allowed 1 run and 2 hits.

Billy Warner (W 8-10) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), gave us 3 hits, 4 walks and struck out 5. 114 pitches.

CF Danny Stewart hit a double and drew a walk. 1B Jack Washburn hit a double. C Bert Swope had a hit and a walk.

For Birmingham, 3B Stan Stephens had 3 hits with a double and a walk, stole 2 bases, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. SS Ken Kelly had 3 hits with a double and 2 RBI.

Trudy's report on Charlie Faber is a torn back muscle and we will be lucky if he is ready to play by Spring Training....

[Questdog]

Saturday, September 28, 2002

We put 2B Charlie Faber (31-R) on the Disabled List and recalled 2B Leander Gooding (31-R).

Birmingham Barons (76-84 .475 17 GB in 5th place in the Southern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (71-89 .444 22 GB in 6th place in the Southern Division)

BIRM: Paul Gaughan (34-R) (12-13 2.65 ERA 237.1 IP, 191 H, 19 HR, 61 BB, 157 SO) All-Star(01-02) vs.
JAX: Manny Martinez (30-R) (8-6 3.16 ERA 153.2 IP, 144 H, 14 HR, 34 BB, 112 SO)

Vaughan is 1-2 in 4 starts against us this season with 3.46 ERA. 26 IP, 24 H, 2 HR, 4 BB, 18 SO. He is a 2-time All-Star, but is not listed as their #1 starter anymore.

Martinez has had 3 straight wins blown by our Bullpen. Last time out, he allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, 1 home run and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 7 IP in a no decision that we won. We are hoping that this is his final start ever as a Jay. We love his pitching, but he just does not do it often enough...

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BIRMINGHAM
1: 3B Stan Stephens (24-R .336-667-4-53-.795-60 B) All-Star(01)
2: SS Ken Kelly (24-S .285-534-21-74-.815-19 B) All-Star
3: 1B Jim Montgomery (31-R .234-474-17-69-.712-0 A)
4: CF Sergio Acevedo (29-R .193-507-35-65-.716-34 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(01-02)
5: 2B Rick Halverson (26-L .275-604-7-64-.718-17 B) All-Star(01)
6: LF Bob Marks (24-R .208-24-1-3-.625-3 A+) Rookie
7: RF Dave Jay (37-R .200-430-11-43-.587-4 A)
8: C Rich Zard (30-L .172-250-1-19-.530-1 B)
9: P Paul Gaughan (34-R .183-71-0-5-.392-0 F) All-Star(01-02)

JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Glen Lewis (21-L .289-570-7-72-.788-46 C) All-Star/Rookie
2: CF Danny Stewart (31-L .269-193-1-15-.694-4 C+)
3: LF Cal Doty (25-L .296-470-6-42-.763-32 B+)
4: 3B Marty Eades (31-R .319-392-21-97-.981-4 C+)
5: 1B Jack Washburn (20-L .257-183-7-28-.766-9 B) Rookie
6: C Jim Hess (32-R .250-12-0-0-.607-0 B)
7: 2B Leander Gooding (31-R .270-463-1-36-.653-21 B+)
8: SS Bart Daw (30-R .211-450-7-44-.609-17 A)
9: P Manny Martinez (30-R .157-51-0-4-.350-0 F)

Game Start: 2:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 70 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from left
Attendance: 7,527

Top of the First:
Stand Stephens flies out to left. Ken Kelly strikes out looking on 3 pitches! Jim Montgomery strikes out! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the First:
Glen Lewis swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit up the middle. Danny Stewart strikes out... Lewis steals 2nd! Cal Doty grounds out to 2nd and Lewis goes to 3rd. Marty Eades swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to right for RBI #98! 1 to 0, Jays! No third shutout in a row! Jack Washburn beats out an infield hit. Jim Hess swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Third:
Dave Jay swings at a 3-2 pitch and lines a hit to left. He goes to 2nd on a ground out. With 2 outs, Stand Stephens swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to right and Jay heads home, but Glen Lewis throws him out!

Bottom of the Third:
Glen Lewis doubles down the left field line! Danny Stewart doubles to left center and Lewis scores! 2 to 0, jays! With 2 outs, Jack Washburn grounds a double over the 1st base bag and Stewart scores! 3 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Jack Washburn swings at the first pitch and doubles to left. Jim Hess grounds a hit up the middle and Washburn beats the throw home! 4 to 0, Jays! The next two make outs.

Top of the Sixth:
With 2 outs, Stan Stephens hits a home run to left... 4 to 1, Jays.

Bottom of the Sixth:
New Pitcher: Don Kneip (35-L), a rookie. Yes, a 35 year old rookie, who has pitched 3.2 scoreless innings on the season. P Manny Martinez grounds a hit up the middle. Glen Lewis grounds one to 1st, but Jim Montgomery boots it! But the next three make outs...

Bottom of the Seventh:
PH Ed Diskin (38-R) hits one down the left field line that is a home run, if it stays fair and it does, by about a foot! 5 to 1, Jays! Jim Hess and Leander Gooding draw back to back walks. Bart Daw swings at the first pitch and clears the bases with a triple to right center!! 7 to 1, Jays! P Manny Martinez swings at the first pitch and grounds out to short and Daw scores. 8 to 1, Jays!

Top of the Ninth:
P Manny Martinez is at 102 pitches. With 1 out, Jim Montgomery hits a home run to left... 8 to 2, Jays.

Won - 8 to 2

We had 14 hits and made 1 error
Birmingham had 7 hits and made 1 error

Manny Martinez (W 9-6) went 9 innings (CG), allowed 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 home runs, no walks and struck out 7. 119 pitches. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.

Paul Gaughan (L 12-14) went 5 innings, gave us 4 runs, 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3.

RF Glen Lewis had 3 hits with a double and a walk, stole a base and scored 2 runs and threw a runner out at home. CF Danny Stewart had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI. 3b Marty Eades had a hit and a walk and an RBI. 1B Jack Washburn went 3 for 2 with 2 doubles, scored a run and had an RBI. PH Ed Diskin hit his 5th home run of the season. C Jim Hess had a hit and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. 2B Leander Gooding drew 2 walks and scored a run. SS Bart Daw hit a triple, stole a base, scored a run and had 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, September 29, 2002

Fan Appreciation Day!

And we do appreciate all 6 of you!

Birmingham Barons (76-85 .472 17 GB in 5th place in the Southern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (72-89 .447 21 GB in 6th place in the Southern Division)

BIRM: Ramiro Huerta (30-R) (12-12 3.23 ERA 220 IP, 212 H, 12 HR, 94 BB, 118 SO) vs.
JAX: Dale Gilchrist (24-R) (9-10 3.58 ERA 188.1 IP, 169 H, 14 HR, 84 BB, 111 SO) Rookie

Huerta was also 12-12 last year with a 3.24 ERA in 216.2 IP. He was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 4 starts against us. 24 IP, 27 H, 2 HR, 7 BB, 19 SO. We have someone managed to avoid him this season until now.

Gilchrist won his last start, ending a personal 12 start winless streak. He allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, 1 home run and no walks with 5 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BIRMINGHAM
1: 2B Stan Stephens (24-R .337-670-5-54-.801-60 B) All-Star(01)
2: SS Ken Kelly (24-S .284-538-21-74-.813-19 B) All-Star
3: 1B Jim Montgomery (31-R .234-478-18-70-.717-0 A)
4: CF Sergio Acevedo (29-R .192-511-35-65-.711-34 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(01-02)
5: RF Benny Dreher (24-R .250-440-2-37-.654-24 B) Gold Glove(LF)
6: LF Bob Marks (24-R .214-28-1-3-.643-3 A+) Rookie
7: 3B Gerald Young (29-R .230-183-2-13-.620-0 B)
8: C Bob Marcuson (31-R .183-268-6-29-.544-5 C+) All-Star(01)
9: P Ramiro Huerta (30-R .113-62-1-5-.289-0 D+)

JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Glen Lewis (21-L .293-574-7-72-.795-47 C) All-Star/Rookie
2: CF Danny Stewart (31-L .273-198-1-16-.702-4 C+)
3: LF Cal Doty (25-L .295-475-6-42-.760-32 B+)
4: 3B Marty Eades (31-R .318-396-21-98-.977-4 C+)
5: 1B Jack Washburn (20-L .269-186-7-29-.796-9 B) Rookie
6: C Bert Swope (30-S .234-295-3-27-.612-3 B)
7: 2B Leander Gooding (31-R .268-466-1-36-.652-21 B+)
8: SS Bart Daw (30-R .211-455-7-46-.611-18 A)
9: P Dale Gilchrist (24-R .306-62-0-6-.629-0 B) Rookie

Game Start: 2:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 83 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to right
Attendance: 6,916

We finish the season with an attendance of 530,869, up from the 489,729 of last year, but still last in the League.
Syracuse leads in attendance with 1,222,272.
Richmond and Charlotte also drew over a million fans.
Last year, only Memphis topped the million mark.

Top of the First:
Stan Stephens swings at the first pitch and doubles to left... He is now 6 for 8 (.750) with 2 doubles and a home run this series... Ken Kelly swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and Stephens goes to 3rd. Jim Montgomery hits a home run to center... 2 to 0, Barons. Sergio Acevedo strikes out! Benny Dreher strikes out on 3 pitches!

Bottom of the First:
Glen Lewis swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to near the warning track in center. Danny Stewart strikes out... Cal Doty pops out to 2nd...

Top of the Sixth:
Stan Stephens swings at the first pitch and lines his 7th hit of the series to left. The Bullpen gets up. Ken Kelly doubles to left center... With the infield in, Jim Montgomery swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds a hit to right and both runners score and Montgomery ends up on 2nd... 4 to 0, Barons. Call to the Bullpen: Ernesto Noyola (23-R). Sergio Acevedo grounds out slowly to short and Montgomery goes to 3rd. A wild pitch scores Montgomery... 5 to 0, Barons.

Bottom of the Sixth:
P Ramiro Huerta strikes out the side in order... Mike Volkman (34-L), Glen Lewis and Danny Stewart...

Top of the Eighth:
On the Hill: All-Star Bill Grant (32-L), after a perfect 7th. Stan Stephens beats out an infield hit, his 9th hit of the series and his 229th of the season, tying his League leading mark of last year. He leads this year, too. Ken Kelly doubles to right... The Bullpen gets up. Jim Montgomery strikes out. Sergio Acevedo lines a hit to right and both runners score... 7 to 0, Barons.

Lost - 7 to 0

3 shutouts in our last 4 games...

We had 3 whole hits and made no errors
Birmingham had 9 hits and made no errors

Dale Gilchrist (L 9-11) went 5+ innings, allowed 5 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Ernesto Noyola faced bater and got them all out, but threw a WP and let his inherited runner score.
LHP Bill Grant went 1.1 innings, allowed 2 runs, 3 hits and struck out 3.
RHP Barry Short faced 2 batters and got 2 outs.
RHP Robbie Hopley pitched a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts.

Ramiro Huerta (W 13-12) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), gave us 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 7. 123 pitches.

SS Bart Daw hit a double. PH Brian Porter drew a walk.

For Birmingham, 2B Stan Stephens had 3 hits with a double and scored 3 runs. He finished the season with 14 hits in his last 5 games. 1B Jim Montgomery had 2 hits with his 19th home run of the season, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBI. He hit 32 HR last year.

Around the League: After losing 5 of their last 6 games, the Richmond Robins finally won at Orlando, 4 to 1, in 11 innings to win the Southern Division championship.

[Questdog]

September 30, 2002

Monday Morning Report
Player of the Week - Stan Stephens, 3B, Birmingham (24-R .340/.380/.427) Had 16 hits (!!) with 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 10 R (!!) and 3 RBI in 7 G

(Slash lines are for the season, not the week)
Editor's Note: Once again, OOTP did not pick a PoW for the final week of the season, so I had to so it myself.

September 24 - Rookie Carlos Martinez (34-R) of Buffalo kept the Bombers slim hopes of a pennant alive with a 4 hit shutout at home versus Providence. He walked 2 and struck out 6. It is only his 2nd start of the season and the 3rd of his Major League career. His first start of this year was back in May and he shut out Syracuse for 8 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. He is now 2-0 in 2 starts with 17 shutout innings. The Bombers won, 1 to 0, and only had 5 hits themselves. They are 5 games back of Syracuse with 5 to play.
September 27 - Steve Melita (29-R) of Columbus pitched a 3 hit shutout at home versus Syracuse. He walked 4 and struck out 3. It is his 3rd shutout of the season. He is now 6-10 with a 4.01 ERA in 25 starts. The Explorers won, 5 to 0, and only had 5 hits themselves.
September 28 - RF Ed Yeager (27-L) of Ottawa hit 2 doubles and a home run, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBI at Hartford. The Otters won, 9 to 3.
September 28 - Steve Weston (26-L) of Rochester pitched a 4 hit shutout at home versus Providence. He walked 6, hit a batter and struck out 9. 131 pitches thrown. At bat, he had a hit. It is his 3rd shutout of the season. He is now 14-12 with a 2.58 ERA in 35 starts. The Roosters won, 2 to 0.

[Questdog]

Monthly Awards for September, 2002
Player of the Month: Marty Eades, 3b, Jacksonville (31-R) .348/.427/.652 92 AB, 5 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 12 BB, 16 SO, 1 SB, 1 CS, 19 R, 22 RBI in 26 G (2nd PoM this season)
Pitcher of the Month: Steve Cron, lhp, Buffalo (28-L) 5-1 1.81 ERA 49.2 IP, 44 H, 6 HR, 7 BB, 29 SO.
Rookie of the Month: Miguel Tejeda, rhp, Charlotte (24-R) 4-2 3.86 ERA 4 SV, 16.1 IP, 13 H, 2 HR, 8 BB, 12 SO (2nd RoM in a row) Horrible choice...

Monthly Awards for August, 2002
Player of the Month: Gabriel Beltran, 1b, Columbus (32-S) .454/.508/.852 108 AB, 8 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 13 BB, 6 SO, 8 SB, 1 CS, 28 R (!!!), 27 RBI in 28 G Biggest month any hitter has ever had!
Pitcher of the Month: Jack Barber, rhp, Richmond (28-R) 2-0 2.76 ERA 12 SV 16.1 IP, 12 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 17 SO A lot of Saves, but not special otherwise.
Rookie of the Month: Miguel Tejeda, rhp, Charlotte (24-R) 0-0 0.53 ERA 8 SV, 17 IP, 7 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 9 SO

Monthly Awards for July, 2002
Player of the Month: Marty Eades, 3b, Jacksonville (31-R) .369/.442/.714 84 AB, 8 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 11 BB, 10 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS, 13 R, 32 RBI (!!!) in 25 G (20 GS)
Pitcher of the Month: Ron Wisham, lhp, Syracuse (32-L) 6-0 0.55 ERA 6 GS, 49 IP, 21 H, 1 HR, 7 BB, 47 SO
Rookie of the Month: Dale Gilchrist, rhp, Jacksonville (23-R) 3-0 2.35 ERA 5 GS, 30.2 IP, 27 H, 0 HR, 11 BB, 14 SO (2nd RoM in a row)

Monthly Awards for June, 2002
Player of the Month: Gus Milam, 1b, Providence (34-R) .331/.410/.570 103 AB, 9 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 18 BB, 16 SO, 0 SB, 1 CS, 18 R, 17 RBI in 27 G
Pitcher of the Month: Del Warwick, lhp, Rochester (27-L) 6-0 2.18 ERA 6 GS, 45.1 IP, 33 H, 2 HR, 12 BB, 32 SO
Rookie of the Month: Dale Gilchrist, rhp, Jacksonville (23-R) 3-0 1.97 ERA 6 GS, 45.2 IP, 30 H, 2 HR, 20 BB, 30 SO

Monthly Awards for May, 2002
Player of the Month: Ivan Moreno, rf, Buffalo (30-L) .302/.336/.664 116 AB, 6 2B, 0 3B, 12 HR, 5 BB, 18 SO, 1 SB, 1 CS, 21 R, 28 RBI in 29 G (28 GS) (2nd straight PoM)
Pitcher of the Month: Jim Hower, rhp, Ottawa (33-R) 5-0 0.55 ERA 6 GS, 49.1 IP, 35 H, 1 HR, 12 BB, 41 SO
Rookie of the Month: Tommy Corris, rhp, Louisville (22-R) 2-0 1.79 ERA 5 GS, 40.1 IP, 31 H, 2 HR, 12 BB, 20 SO

Monthly Awards for April, 2002
Player of the Month: Ivan Moreno, rf, Buffalo (30-L) .337/.398/.653 101 AB, 6 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 10 BB, 9 SO, 0 SB, 1 CS, 18 R, 21 RBI in 26 G
Pitcher of the Month: Rick Potts, rhp, Memphis (23-R) 4-0 2.13 ERA 6 GS, 38 IP, 37 H, 1 HR, 9 BB, 38 SO
Rookie of the Month: Jim Baucom, lhp, Jacksonville (20-L) 2-3 2.45 ERA 6 GS, 44 IP, 33 H, 1 HR, 15 BB, 23 SO

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

Wednesday, October 2, 2002

The Millennial Cup

Richmond Robins (94-68 .580 1 GA Champions of the Southern Division) at
Syracuse Sycamores (97-65 .599 5 GA Champions of the Northern Division)

Syracuse won the season series with Richmond, 6-2

Richmond Robins

Syracuse Sycamores

Game 1
Brian Brenner, Rich vs Ron Hutchins, Syr

Syracuse won, 4 to 2, in 12 innings
They lead the series, 1 game to none

Brian Brenner (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 HR, 5 BB, 2 SO)
L - Loren Brooks (0-1 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 SO)

Ron Hutchins (6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 8 SO)
W - Alfredo Hernandez (1-0 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 0 SO)

In the bottom of the 12th, Octavio Garcia led off with a hit and with 2 outs, Jeff Garrigus hit the first pitch for a home run.

For Richmond, CF Jose Vazquez had 2 hits with a double and a walk. 3B Skip Dunkin had 2 hits, stole a base and scored a run. Closer Jack Barber pitched 3 scoreless innings.

For Syracuse, CF Jim Beard had 2 hits , stole a base and had an RBI. RF Dave Bess had 3 hits with a double and an RBI. LF Jeff Garrigus had 3 hits with a double and the game winning home run, drew a walk, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Thursday, October 3, 2002

The Millennial Cup

Richmond Robins (0-1) at
Syracuse Sycamores (1-0)

Game 2
Leroy Chandler, Rich vs Ron Wisham, Syr

Richmond won, 4 to 3
The series is tied, 1 game apiece

W - Leroy Chandler (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 BB, 1 SO)
SV - Mickey Steger (1)

L - Ron Wisham (7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 4 SO)

In the top of the 7th, Brian Bowden reached base on an error by ex-Jay SS Bill Crystal, his 3rd of the series. Larry Slattery doubled and rookie PH Vince Depew singled to tie the game and Jose Vazquez singled for the lead.

For Richmond, CF Jose Vazquez had 3 hits with a double, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Skip Dunkin had 2 hits with a triple. C Larry Slattery had 2 hits with a double and scored a run.

For Syracuse, 2B Frank Bates hits a home run. 1B Don Bruns had 2 hits. C Lee Dean hit a home run. LF Jeff Garrigus hit a home run.

[Questdog]

Friday, October 5, 2002

The Millennial Cup

Syracuse Sycamores (1-1) at
Richmond Robins (1-1)

Game 3
Frank Cane, Syr vs Sammy Brumley, Rich

Richmond won, 3 to 2, in 10 innings
They lead the series, 2 games to 1

Frank Cane (7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 4 SO)
L - Barry Martineau (0-1 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 SO)

Sammy Brumley (7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 6 SO)
W - Jack Barber (1-0 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 SO)

The game was tied at 1 going into the 9th.

In the top of the inning, Dan Bruns led off with a walk and Frank Bates followed with a hit. With 1 out, Dave Bess walked to load the bases up. Octavio Garcia struck out, but Bill Crystal, the ex-Jay, singled to score a run. The Sycamores then let P Barry Martineau bat and he popped out.

In the bottom of the inning, Andres Borges doubled with 1 out and Ray Holloway singled, but Borges stopped at 3rd. Bob Cline hit a SF to left to tie the game, but Larry Slattery grounded out to send it to extra innings.

Closer Jack Barber retired the top of the Sycamores lineup in order in the top of the Tenth.

In the bottom of the Tenth, with 1 out, Ron Bowers and Jose Vazquez hit back to back singles. Skip Dunkin grounded out to 1st for the 2nd out and the runners moved up to 2nd and 3rd. The first pitch to Mike Sammon was by C Lee Dean for a passed ball and Bowers scored to win the game.

For Syracuse, 1B Don Bruns had 2 hits and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI.

For Richmond, 1B Mike Sammon had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. LF Andres Borges had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. 2B Ray Holloway had 3 hits and an RBI. SS Ray Bowers, who did not start the game, went 2 for 2 and scored the winning run.

[Questdog]

Saturday, October 6, 2002

The Millennial Cup

Syracuse Sycamores (1-2) at
Richmond Robins (2-1)

Game 4
Jerry Murray, Syr vs Geunhye Yeun, Rich

Richmond won, 6 to 2
They lead the series, 3 games to 1

L - Jerry Murray (0-1 5.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 1 SO)

W - Geunhye Yeun (1-0 9 IP (CG), 5 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 BB, 7 SO)

At bat, P Yeun went 3 for 4 with a double, the only extra base hit by the Robins, scored a run and had an RBI.

For Syracuse, 2B Frank Bates had 2 hits and an RBI. C Lee Dean had 2 hits with his 2nd home run of the series and a walk.

For Richmond, CF Jose Vazquez had 2 hits. 2B Ray Holloway had 2 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Brian Bowden had 2 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, October 7, 2002

The Millennial Cup

Syracuse Sycamores (1-3) at
Richmond Robins (3-1)

Game 5
Ron Hutchins, Syr vs Brian Brenner, Rich

Richmond won, 3 to 0
They win the series, 4 games to 1

A stunning upset!

L - Ron Hutchins (0-1 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 5 SO)

W - Brian Brenner (1-0 7 IP , 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 SO)
SV - Loren Brooks (1 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO.

The Robins scored twice int he 1st inning and that was all they needed.

For Syracuse, C Lee Dean had 2 hits with a double. SS Bill Crystal, the ex-Jay, made his 4th error of the series in the 1st inning and helped the Robins score twice .

For Richmond, CF Jose Vazquez had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI. 2B Ray Holloway had a hit and 2 RBI. SS Brian Bowden had 2 hits and scored a run.

CF Jose Vazquez (30-R) was named the series MVP. He was 10 for 23 (.435) with 3 doubles and a walk, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, October 9, 2002

In the Spring, Baseball America predicted that we would repeat our feat of 2001 of being the worst team in the League. In my prognosis of the season in "Meet the Jays", I predicted 70 wins and that we would NOT earn the 1st pick in the B Leagues draft again. We finished 72-90 and earned the 4th pick in the Draft, so I feel vindicated.

If this off-season goes well, 2002 should be the final season the Jays have to suffer a losing record!

What do we need to become a winning team? First, more starting pitching and a new Bullpen. The Bullpen actually finished a respectable 7th in the League in ERA, but over the 2nd half, they were useless. We also need a 2nd baseman and a center fielder. Those are the new additions we need. We are also hoping to replace some of our current players. The following good players will be made available and, if traded, will need to be replaced: 1B Jack Washburn because he is too error prone; LF/CF Cal Doty for the same reason, plus we are concerned about his durability; CF Danny Stewart because of his fragility; RF/LF Glen Lewis because of injury concerns and subpar defense; P Manny Martinez and P Dale Gilchrist because of injury concerns. None of these players will be traded unless we get fair value in return. The only one we are desperate to unload is P Manny Martinez, because he is extra fragile and extra valuable.

As for getting much from the B Leagues Draft this season, we are not hopeful. Every single one of the top players is a slacker. And that is no exaggeration. We have the 4th overall pick and I have no idea who we will select or even who I hope to select.

[Questdog]

Saturday, October 12, 2002

Richmond traded LF Ken Johnson (25-L) to Birmingham for P Billy Warner (24-R) and minor league RP Jim Layton (32-R).

Johnson only hit .238 with a .690 OPS last year, but was the #24 prospect in the Spring of 2001.

Warner was 8-10 with a 3.75 ERA and was the #8 prospect this past Spring, but has injury issues.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

Trade #17
Barry Short (33-R) to Ottawa for RP Hal Bradford (26-L)

Bradford is not the answer to our bullpen issues, but he might be better than Short and he is certainly younger. He was the #90 prospect this past Spring.

[Questdog]

Thursday, October 17, 2002

The Gold Gloves were announced today:

P Del Warwick, Rochester (27-L)
C Marc Barksdale, Columbus (31-R) 2nd award
1B Bruce McArthur, Charlotte (25-L)
2B Andy Povich, Providence (27-L) 2nd award
3B Ernie Patterson, Orlando (21-R) 2nd award
SS Brian Bowden, Richmond (25-R)
LF Benny Dreher, Birmingham (24-R) 2nd award
CF Jose Vazquez, Richmond (30-R) 2nd award
RF Ron Alario, Memphis (32-R)

[Questdog]

Friday, October 18, 2002

The Fireman Trophy was announced today:

Barry Martineau, Syracuse (31-L) 8-4 1.27 ERA 35 SV (Votes: 7-54)

Others receiving votes:
Jack Barber, Richmond (28-R) 5-5 2.25 ERA 37 SV (6-49) 2nd last year
Jim Rutherford, Columbus (33-R) 8-7 2.98 ERA 33 SV (2-23)
Steve Dockery, Louisville (25-R) 5-4 1.65 ERA 23 SV (1-18)

The Rolaids Relief Man Award was also announced:

Larry Domino, Providence (33-L) 4-3 1.96 ERA 32 SV - 108 pts

Next 4:
Barry Martineau, Syracuse - 102 pts
Jack Barber, Richmond - 89 pts
Billy Temple, Buffalo (25-R) 3-8 2.40 ERA 36 SV - 79 pts
Jim Rutherford, Columbus - 70 pts

Editor's Note: The Relief Man award uses a modified version of the formula that was used in the late 70's and 80's. We have added Holds to the mix and penalized losses and blown saves more. (4 X SV) + (3 X W) + (2 X HLD) - (8 X L) - (6 X BS)

[Questdog]

Saturday, October 19, 2002

The Silver Slugger team was announced today:

(Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB)
P Steve Weston, Rochester (26-L .308-78-0-8-.649-0 all singles)
C Lee Dean, Syracuse (29-L .247-478-20-67-.776-1) 2nd award
1B Gabriel Beltran, Columbus (32-S .348-633-25-115-.941-18 104 R)
2B Leo Toruno, Memphis (28-L .290-590-21-100-.843-33 101 R 10 3B) Won as SS in 2001
3B Keith Meyer, Memphis (27-L .317-627-16-66-.858-24 102 R) Won as 2B in 2001
SS Frank Bates, Syracuse (30-R .282-618-30-90-.840-33)
LF Mickey Lynn, Buffalo (29-L .254-602-40-110-.823-6 109 R) 2nd award
CF Juan Duarte, Providence (24-R .333-582-5-49-.823-9)
RF Ivan Moreno, Buffalo (31-L .293-598-42-114-.904-2 103 R)

[Questdog]

Sunday, October 20, 2002

The Rookie of the Year was announced today:

RF Glen Lewis, Jacksonville (21-L .291-578-7-72-.790-47) (Voting: 10-66)

Others receiving votes:
P Jim Baucom, Jacksonville (21-L 11-14 3.01 ERA 35 GS 248 IP, 230 H, 17 HR, 70 BB, 174 SO) (6-58)
CF Terry Graham, Charlotte (23-L .252-472-9-50-.718-1) (0-13)
RP Terry Lies, Buffalo (23-R 5-3 2.01 ERA 2 SV, 59 G, 89.1 IP, 69 H, 4 HR, 27 BB, 70 SO) (0-7)

[Questdog]

Monday, October 21, 2002

The Ace Award was announced today:

Ron Wisham, Syracuse (32-L 23-7 2.24 ERA 34 GS, 265 IP, 203 H, 18 HR, 36 BB, 208 SO) (16-112)

Others receiving votes:
Ron Hutchins, Syracuse (31-R 15-8 2.77 ERA 34 GS, 227.1 IP, 201 H, 15 HR, 56 BB, 248 SO) (0-54)
Jim Hower, Ottawa (34-R 18-5 2.21 ERA 33 GS, 248 IP, 215 H, 7 HR, 69 BB, 157 SO) (0-45)
Rick Cox, Charlotte (31-R 12-3 2.06 ERA 29 GS, 201.1 IP, 168 H, 4 HR, 45 BB, 129 SO) (0-35) Last year's winner
Terry Luckett, Columbus (27-L 19-10 2.69 ERA 35 GS, 254.2 IP, 207 H, 18 HR, 37 BB, 191 SO) (0-19)
Tom Peterson, Syracuse (31-R 14-13 2.78 ERA 33 G, 33 GS, 236.2 IP, 210 H, 15 HR, 29 BB, 107 SO) (0-6)
Tim Hill, Ottawa (24-L 9-10 2.45 ERA 33 GS, 223.2 IP, 194 H, 12 HR, 34 BB, 111 SO) (0-1)

The Anti-Ace Award Association of America (AAAAA) presented their Hurler Trophy today:

Ron Wisham, Syracuse, with 320 points in their system.

Others over 200 points:
Jim Hower, Ottawa (278)
Terry Luckett, Columbus (239)
Juan Ledesma, Ottawa (30-R) (209) (17-8 2.96 ERA 34 GS, 243.1 IP, 221 H, 14 HR, 45 BB 160 SO)
Rick Cox, Charlotte (209)
Del Warwick, Rochester (27-L) (209) (18-10 3.04 ERA 35 GS, 254.2 IP, 214 H, 18 HR, 88 BB, 157 SO)

Editor's Note: The Pitcher of the Year award in OOTP is not picked based on the way voting would have been in the 70's and 80's, so I have devised a system to try to replicate the way it was in those days for the Cy Young Award based on a formula, except that I have excluded relievers from consideration for the Hurler Trophy. Well, I have technically not excluded them, but they get no points for the stats associated with their role. The formula is much too complicated to write out. Wins, Losses, Shutouts, Strikeouts, ERA and IP are the components. No adjustments are made for park factors, as I do not think that was much of a consideration of voters back then. The system matches voting in the period fairly well, with the few exceptions being ones that I am happy with, since the original vote seemed indefensible.