The Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (MLB)

[Questdog]

Tuesday, June 19, Year I

We start a short 5 game excursion with 2 games at Seattle. They beat Dallas 3 of 4 here over the weekend. We are 4-3 against them on the season and split 4 games with them here in Seattle the last time we met, in the middle of April. They are 10th in runs scored in the PCL with 3.8 per game (Portland is up to #8 with 4.0). They are 11th in fewest runs allowed with 4.7 per game (Portland is #1 with 3.2). They are the only team in Baseball with a lower payroll than us.

Portland Beavers (43-26 .623 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Seattle Rainiers (27-43 .386 16.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL West)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 10-2 1.80) vs. SEA: Dennis Simoneaux (28-R 0-0 2.66)

Simoneaux has only made 2 starts: one good, one bad. In the good one he only allowed 2 unearned runs at Dallas to the best hitting team in the League. In the bad one, he allowed 5 runs in 3.2 IP here against Milwaukee. Today is his birthday.

Melton is susceptible to the long ball and the Kingdome likes the long ball.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .282-262-3-31-.732)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .308-240-3-24-.783) Rookie
3: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .248-258-8-36-.677)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .302-248-6-27-.798)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .280-186-6-28-.768)
6: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .279-147-3-18-.781) Rookie
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .288-73-0-6-.720)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .385-13-0-5-1.005) Rookie
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .189-37-0-1-.454)

SEATTLE
1: RF John Haynes (29-L .293-164-3-14-.819)
2: LF Randy Hobson (25-L .267-258-8-28-.791)
3: 1B Miguel Favela (27-R .307-163-7-27-.837)
4: CF Jim Perkins (25-L .210-62-3-8-.636) Rookie
5: 3B Terry Singer (32-R .226-243-5-25-.640)
6: 2B Bob Dillon (26-R .316-19-1-5-.970)
7: SS Monte Rodgers (25-L .233-133-1-13-.644) Rookie
8: C Harold McMillan (31-R .275-120-2-7-.756)
9: P Dennis Simoneaux (28-R .400-5-0-0-.800)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Kingdome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 14,047

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to 3rd. Perry Templet strikes out. Jeff Austin grounds out to 3rd. He started out cold, got hot a for a very little bit and is now even colder than ever. He hit .320 with a .500 SLG in May, but .203 with a .310 SLG in April and June, combined, coming into today.

Bottom of the First:
John Haynes grounds out to short. Randy Hobson grounds a single into right. Miguel Favela grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, P Terry Melton singles and Dale Ainsworth follows with a triple! 1 to 0, Beavers! Perry Templet grounds a single up the middle! 2 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Third:
With 2 outs, P Dennis Simoneaux lines a 2-2 pitch into center for a hit and then scores on a double by John Haynes. 2 to 1, Beavers.

Top of the Fourth:
Randy James leads off with a double down the left field line. With 1 out, Phil Parker singles him home! 3 to 1, Beavers! Eddie Thomas reaches base when 3B Terry Singer boots his ground ball. E-5. P Terry Melton bunts the runners up and, with 2 outs, Dale Ainsworth beats out an infield hit and Parker scores! 4 to 1, Beavers!

Bottom of the Fifth:
Monte Rodgers leads off with a hit and goes to 3rd on a double by Harold McMillan. Our Bullpen is scrambled. They send up a pinch-hitter for the pitcher: Randy Dengler (29-L). He fouls out to the catcher. John Haynes unloads on a 3-0 pitch and knocks it 460 feet to tie the game at 4 apiece. Randy Hobson walks and we go to the Pen: Barry Chapman (26-R). Hobson tries to steal and is gunned down by Phil Parker! If I'd have known they were going to do that, I would have left Melton in the game. Miguel Favela grounds out to 3rd.

Top of the Sixth:
New Pitcher: Hank Schneider (29-R) with a 4.61 ERA. With 1 out, Phil Parker draws a walk and goes to 3rd on a double by Eddie Thomas! That is his 3rd double in 5 games to begin his Beaver career! With the infield in, PH Gordon Saunderson (26-L) is NOT walked intentionally, as I expected, but is allowed to hit and grounds out to short. 2 down. They walk Dale Ainsworth intentionally to get to Perry Templet. Teams keep doing that, but Templet is hitting better than Ainsworth. Templet does not make them pay this time, however, probably because I jinxed him... He grounds out to short to end the inning with no runs scored...

Bottom of the Seventh:
On the Hill: Antoine Redd (31-R), beginning his 2nd inning of work. Harold McMillan leads off with a hit and goes to 3rd on a single by PH Paul Hansford (26-L). Call to the Bullpen: Jerry Wilhelm (29-L). John Haynes walks to load the bases up with no outs. Randy Hobson swings at the first pitch and flies out to the warning track in right and McMillan trots home. 5 to 4, Seattle. Miguel Favela grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!

Top of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Joe Hirt (24-R), not Joe Dirt. Eddie Thomas leads off with a hit to right center. C Dennis Webb (25-L), who came into the game in a double switch earlier, bunts Thomas over to 2nd. Dale Ainsworth swings at the first pitch he sees and dumps a hit into right. Thomas stops at 3rd. Perry Templet grounds one to 2nd and they try to turn the double play, but only get the force at 2nd and Thomas scores to tie the game at 5! With Jeff Austin up to bat the inning is over...

Bottom of the Eighth:
Jim Perkins leads off with a double to the left field corner. Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmidt (26-R). Joe Harrison (35-R) comes in to play 1st in a double switch. We walk Terry Singer intentionally....if you are going to do that, you are supposed to do it with the outgoing pitcher, not the new one...but Why are we doing that? I do not like intentional walks as a rule. Occasionally to get to the pitcher batting or to get a favorable matchup, but not for setting up a double play. Especially with a guy hitting .225. Of course, all of this discourse is in hope that I am proven wrong and we get a double play...but of course, I have jinxed it.... Bob Dillon lines one to the right field corner, but Dale Ainsworth catches up to it! Perkins tags and goes to 3rd. Monte Rodgers grounds one to 2nd! 4-6-3 double play! Still 5 to 5!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Lary Herbon (25-R), their closer with a 5.33 ERA. 9 SV and 5 losses. None of the losses were against us, but 2 of the saves were. Gary Long leads off with a grounder to left for a hit! Randy James grounds into a force a t 2nd, 4-6. Jeff Schottler walks. Joe Harrison strikes out... 2 down. Eddie Thomas drills one deep to right center, but it is caught.

Bottom of the Ninth:
Harold McMillan, their #8 hitter, leads off by lining a 2-2 pitch over the head of Perry Templet in center for a double.... SS Rodger Moreno (26-R), a .188 hitter, strikes out looking. John Haynes swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to 2nd and McMillan moves over to 3rd. 2 outs. Now here is a spot where I would consider an intentional walk, to get to a right-handed batter. But we pitch to Randy Hobson and he grounds out to 2nd!

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
Dennis Webb leads off by lining a hit to right, but nothing comes of it.

Bottom of the Tenth:
Seattle's 3-4-5 hitters go down 1-2-3!

Top of the Eleventh:
New Pitcher: Keith Sommers (31-R). Randy James draws a 1 out walk. With 2 outs, Joe Harrison launches a home run to left!!!! 7 to 5, Beavers!!! Sommers beans Eddie Thomas and he charges the mound and we have a brouhaha! Sommers and Thomas are both ejected, unfortunately, which means Dave Lesley (26-R) and his 17 errors will have to play shortstop in the bottom of the inning...

Won - 7 to 5

We had 14 hits and made no errors
(No balls were hit to Dave Lesley at short in the 11th inning)
Seattle had 12 hits and made 1 error

Terry Melton went 4.1 innings, allowed 4 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 1. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run.
RHP Barry Chapman faced batter and got him out, but got credit for 2 outs.
RHP Antoine Redd went 1+ inning, allowed 1 run, 3 hits and struck out 1.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm pitched 1 scoreless inning, allowed 1 hit and 1 walk.
RHP Don Schmidt (W 4-0) went 4 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 intentional walk and struck out 3.

Dennis Simoneaux went 5 innings, gave us 4 runs (3 earned), 7 hits, no walks and struck out 3.
RHP Keith Sommers (L 2-2) went 0.2 innings, gave us 2 runs, 1 hit, a home run, 1 walk, 1 HBP and struck out 1.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 3 hits with a triple and an intentional walk, scored a run and had 2 RBI. I think we can safely say his slump is over. This was his 5th straight multi-hit game! 12 for his last 23 (.522). CF Perry Templet was only 1 for 6, but had 2 RBI. 1B Jeff Austin was 0 for 5 with 2 SO. His slump is NOT over. 4 for his last 29 (.138). It is time to move him out of the middle of the order. He now has the worst stats of anyone in the regular lineup after being the only good hitter the Beavers had last year. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits. 3B Randy James hit a double, drew a walk and scored 2 runs. 1B Joe Harrison hit his 2nd home run of the season and had 2 huge RBI. SS Eddie Thomas had 2 hits with a double and was HBP and scored a run. But he was ejected for fighting and is probably facing a suspension. C Dennis Webb went 1 for 1 with a SH.

For Seattle, RF John Haynes hit a double and a home run, drew a walk and had 4 RBI. C Harold McMillan had 3 hits form the 8 hole with 2 doubles and scored 2 runs.

Down on the Farm: Manny Jimenez (29-R), who only had 5 hits all season for Portland, had 3 hits in his debut for Vancouver (AAA). He knocked in a pair of runs to help the Mounties beat the Albuquerque Dukes at home, 5 to 3. Lonny Tomski (27-R), who Beaver fans may recall, was the winning pitcher. He is now 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA in AAA.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, June 20, Year I

As expected, SS Eddie Thomas was given a suspension today. He will have to sit out 3 games. We are creating a betting pool for how many errors Dave Lesley will make in those games...

Portland Beavers (44-26 .629 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Seattle Rainiers (27-44 .380 17.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL West)

POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 9-3 3.25) vs. SEA: Ken Morrison (27-R 4-5 3.77)

Outside of walking a few too many (3.8 per 9 IP), Morrison has very nice numbers. The League is only batting .215 against him and he has only allowed 6 HR in 62 IP, which is a good ratio for someone who's home park is the Kingdome. He is striking out 7.0 per 9 IP, which is tied for 6th in the PCL. We have not faced him this season.

Wolf has won his last 4 starts and has not allowed more than 2 runs in any of them.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .288-267-3-33-.750)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .305-246-3-26-.773) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .277-191-6-28-.767)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .303-254-6-27-.795)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .278-151-3-18-.782) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .243-263-8-36-.665)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .289-76-0-7-.726)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .276-210-2-26-.705)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .148-27-0-1-.333)

SEATTLE
1: RF John Haynes (29-L .298-168-4-18-.850)
2: LF Randy Hobson (25-L .268-261-8-29-.791)
3: 1B Paul Hansford (26-L .500-6-1-1-1.700) Rookie
4: 3B Terry Singer (32-R .227-247-5-25-.640)
5: CF Lou Corl (24-R .239-138-4-16.647) Rookie
6: 2B Bob Dillon (26-R .250-24-1-5-.780)
7: SS Monte Rodgers (25-L .234-137-1-13-.640) Rookie
8: C John Pauley (25-R .241-116-3-13-.696) Rookie
9: P Ken Morrison (27-R .300-20-1-2-.800)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Kingdome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 14,354

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth works the count full and then drills the payoff pitch to the base of the wall in right center for a triple! Yes, I think he is out of his slump! Perry Templet grounds out to 2nd and Ainsworth scores. 1 to 0, Beavers! Randy James knocks a 2-2 pitch to deep left, but it is caught at the wall. Gary Long flies out to center.

Bottom of the First:
John Haynes blasts a 2-2 pitch to deep center, but Perry Templet hustles back and catches it against the wall! Randy Hobson hits one in the exact same direction, but a little farther and over the wall...home run. Tie game at 1 apiece. Paul Hansford flies out to right. Terry Singer bloops a hit to right. Lou Corl flies out to straight away center.

Top of the Second:
Jeff Schottler leads off by grounding a 3-1 pitch up the middle for a hit. Jeff Austin swings at a 3-1 pitch and hits a home run to left!! 3 to 1, Beavers!

Top of the Fourth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a walk and Jeff Austin bunts him over to 2nd, so that he will not have to trot as far to home plate on Phil Parker's home run to right!! 5 to 1, Beavers! That sends Morrison to the showers.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Lou Corl leads off with a double and scores on a 1 out single by Monte Rodgers. 5 to 2, Beavers.

Bottom of the Fifth:
John Haynes leads off with a grounder to right for a hit. Randy Hobson grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Paul Hansford singles and Haynes goes to 3rd. Terry Singer, big fat old fart, then grounds a perfect double play ball to short, but Dave Lesley boots it and Haynes scores. 5 to 3, Beavers. If you had Zero in the clubhouse pool, you have already lost... this is beyond unbelievable... He has now made more errors this season than he did in all of last year and we are still 10 games short of the halfway point of the schedule. Ron Wolf gets the next two out, though.

Top of the Sixth:
On the Hill: Jerry Taylor (29-R), beginning his 3rd inning of work and making his season debut after being called up from Tacoma (AAA). Gary Long leads off with a hit and with 1 out, Jeff Austin gets a hit. Phil Parker follows with another and the bases are loaded with 1 out. Dave Lesley flies out to left and Long scores. 6 to 3, Beavers.

Bottom of the Seventh:
John Haynes leads off with a hit and goes to 3rd on a double by Randy Hobson. Call to the Bullpen: Lou Hertzberg (29-L). 3-2 pitch to Paul Hansford and he swings and misses! 1-2 pitch to Terry Singer and it is in the dirt and past C Phil Parker for a wild pitch and Haynes scores. 6 to 4, Beavers. Singer then knocks the 2-2 pitch over the wall in right center...Tie Game: 6 all. Hertzberg strikes out the next two, but it is a little too late...

Top of the Eighth:
In his 5th inning of work, Jerry Taylor retires us in order.

Bottom of the Eighth:
Seattle goes down in order.

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Lary Herbon (25-R), their closer with a 4.94 ERA. We scored off him yesterday and stuck a blown save on him. Dave Lesley swings at the first pitch and hits a home run to left! 7 to 6, Beavers! PH Howard McNeal (30-R) pokes a hit to left. He steals 2nd. That makes them walk Dale Ainsworth intentionally. It is the 7th time he has been issued an intentional pass this season. Perry Templet booms a double to center, clearing the bases! 9 to 6, Beavers! I LOVE when intentional walks score! Well, not the ones we issue...

Won - 9 to 6

We had 12 hits and made 2 errors
Seattle had 9 hits and made 1 error

Ron Wolf went 6+ innings, allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 8 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out no one.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (W 4-2, BS 1) went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, a home run, and struck out 5. He threw a WP.
RHP Barry Chapman (SV 2) pitched a perfect 9th.

Ken Morrison went 3.1 innings, gave us 5 runs, 5 hits, 2 home runs, 1 walk and struck out 2.
RHP Lary Herbon (L 2-6) went 1 inning, gave us 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 home run and 2 walks (1 INT).

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with a triple and an intentional walk, stole a base and scored 2 runs. It is his 6th multi-hit game in a row! CF Perry Templet hit a double and had 3 RBI. LF Jeff Schottler had a hit and 2 walks and scored 2 runs. 1B Jeff Austin had 2 hits with his 9th home run of the season and 2 RBI. It was his first home run in nearly a month. He last hit one on May 25. C Phil Parker had 2 hits with his 1st home run of the season and had 2 RBI. SS Dave Lesley, besides making yet another error, hit his 3rd home run of the year and had 2 RBI. PH Howard McNeal had a hit, stole a base and scored a run.

For Seattle, 3B Terry Singer had 2 hits with his 6th home run of the year and 3 RBI.

[Questdog]

Friday, June 22, Year I

We are in Oakland to play a 3 game series over the weekend. They just won 2 of 3 in San Francisco. They are playing well of late: 12-8 in June and they have not lost a series this month. We are 3-3 against them this year and won 2 of 3 in Portland the last time we met, back in the middle of April. We opened the season here in Oakland by losing 2 of 3. The Oaks were dead last in runs scored in the PCL last season and play in the toughest park for hitters in all of Baseball, but they are currently 2nd in scoring this year with 4.5 runs per game (Portland is on the rise! We are at #7 with 4.1). They are 9th in fewest runs allowed with 4.3 per game (Portland is still #1 at 3.3, but that number is rising, too). Their pitchers lead the League in strikeouts (446), almost 100 more than us (355).

Portland Beavers (45-26 .634 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Oakland Oaks (37-37 .500 9.5 GB tied for 3rd place in the PCL West)

POR: Frank Martin (26-R 5-7 3.54) Rookie vs. OAK: Jackie Payne (24-L 3-1 2.25)

Payne began the season in pain and on the Disabled List. He has made 6 starts, none against us. Not a strikeout pitcher, but he has kept the ball in the park and has not walked too many: 2 HR and 15 BB in 48 IP. Pitching like that will get you far in the Coliseum, where the large foul territory makes BABIP numbers low. He is pitching on short rest and threw 118 pitches last time out, so hopefully that affects him today. Our players have all been coached to work the count, but I have been coaching that into them since I got here and it has not yet sunk in...

Martin had a bad outing last time out, but 1 of his 2 shutouts this season was against the Oaks.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .292-271-3-33-.763)
2: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .277-213-3-28-.717)
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .276-196-6-28-.758)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .301-259-6-27-.788)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .256-211-6-25-.706)
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .247-267-9-38-.681)
7: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .279-154-3-18-.787) Rookie
8: C Dave Benya (26-S .133-45-0-2-.369)
9: P Frank Martin (26-S .111-27-0-1-.291) Rookie

OAKLAND
1: CF Norm Wynne (25-R .262-122-4-18-.790) Rookie
2: SS Henry Rangel (27-R .307-306-1-28-.721)
3: RF Roger Murphy (26-L .288-107-7-26-.868) Rookie
4: LF Neil Rivers (24-S .348-23-2-3-1.043)
5: 2B Felix Salazar (32-R .258-260-9-28-.710)
6: 3B Antonio Mata (27-R .253-249-7-34-.683)
7: C Don Stokes (39-R .296-199-10-29-.867)
8: 1B Avery Shular (29-R .175-40-0-5-.525)
9: P Jackie Payne (24-L .235-17-0-0-.513)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Oakland Coliseum
Weather: 64 F, Clear Skies, with an 11 MPH wind blowing out to right.
Attendance: 34,089

Wow! Wish we could draw a crowd like this!

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth swings at a 1-0 pitch and grounds out to 2nd. That is not working the count... Dave Lesley swings at an 0-2 pitch and grounds out to 3rd. Okay, I am not complaining about swinging at the 0-2 pitch, but I AM complaining about the two foul balls that led to the 0-2 count.... Randy James lines a hit to center. He took a hack at the first two pitches he saw.... He gets thrown out trying to steal.

Bottom of the First:
Norm Wynne strikes out! Henry Rangel grounds out to 1st, 3-1. Roger Murphy fouls out to the catcher! 1-2-3!

Top of the Fifth:
We keep getting plenty of hits, but cannot bust through. With 2 outs, Dale Ainsworth lines a hit to left. He steals 2nd and goes to 3rd on a bad throw by 39 year old C Don Stokes, who can still hit, but is a liability behind the plate. Dave Lesley, who's bat is almost as hot as his glove is cold, doubles to right! 1 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, Antonio Mata walks on 4 pitches, their first base runner of the game, but Don Stokes grounds out.

Top of the Sixth:
With 1 out, Howard McNeal triples to right center! They walk Jeff Austin intentionally to set up a double play. Jeff Schottler has only grounded into 2 this season. He strikes out on a 3-2 pitch. Dave Benya strikes out...and we get no runs.

Bottom of the Sixth:
The Oaks go down in order.

Bottom of the Seventh:
Henry Rangel leads off by grounding one down to 3rd, but Randy James throws it away for a 2 base error... The Bullpen is scrambled. Roger Murphy singles to left.... Rangel stops at 3rd. No no-no... And no win, either, it looks like...Neil Rivers grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and Rangel holds at 3rd and Rivers moves over to 2nd. PH Farley Ross (34-L) grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and the runners hold! 2 outs. PH Dave Russell (27-L) swings at the first pitch and grounds out to the pitcher!!!!

Top of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Marty Pierce (32-R), beginning his 2nd inning of work. Gary Long leads off with a hit. With 2 outs, he steals 2nd and goes to 3rd on another bad throw by C Don Stokes. Jeff Schottler then singles him home! 2 to 0, Beavers! PH Perry Templet and P Frank Martin follow with singles to load the bases up. Dale Ainsworth hits another one and Schottler scores! 3 to 0, Beavers! Dave Lesley strikes out.

Won - 3 to 0

1 hit shutout!!!

We had 14 hits and made 1 error
Oakland had 1 hit and made 2 errors

Never good when you make more errors than hits...

Frank Martin (W 6-7) went 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 5. At bat, he outhit the Oaks all by himself with 2! 94 pitches.

Jackie Payne (L 3-2) went 6.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 9 hits, 1 intentional walk and struck out 2.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. His 7th straight multi-hit game! 16 for 31 (.516)! Editor's Note: The MLB record, since 1900, is 13 games in a row by Rogers Hornsby in 1923, so Dale is only halfway to breaking that record... SS Dave Lesley did not make an error! He had 2 hits with a double and an RBI. LF Howard McNeal had 2 hits with a triple. PH/CF Perry Templet had a hit.

[Questdog]

Saturday, June 23, Year I

Portland Beavers (46-26 .639 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Oakland Oaks (37-38 .493 10.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West)

POR: Tom Horn (24-L 3-3 3.22) Rookie vs. OAK: Dave Staffeld (26-R Season debut)

The scouts, including our own Dave Dafoe, really love Staffeld, but he has yet to turn his talent into results. He was 0-3 with a 5.34 ERA for Sacramento (AAA) before being called up.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .295-275-3-34-.766)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .306-252-3-29-.774) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .274-201-6-28-.749)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .300-263-6-27-.786)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .278-158-3-19-.780) Rookie
6: 1B Joe Harrison (35-R .217-23-2-6-.786)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .296-81-1-9-.767)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .280-218-3-29-.724)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .190-21-0-4-.420) Rookie

OAKLAND
1: CF Norm Wynne (25-R .254-126-4-18-.767) Rookie
2: LF Dave Schoenfeld (28-R .327-205-3-25-.785)
3: RF Larry Cooper (35-S .111-45-1-6-.380)
4: SS Felix Salazar (32-R .256-262-9-28-.705)
5: 3B Antonio Mata (27-R .252-250-7-34-.683)
6: 1B Farley Ross (34-L .210-100-4-13-.688)
7: 2B Moises Bravo (31-R .182-33-0-6-.524)
8: C Paul Lyons (33-R .231-13-0-0-.516) Rookie Yes, a 33 year old rookie.
9: P Dave Staffeld (26-R .Season debut)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Oakland Coliseum
Weather: 66 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 11 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 37,670

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth swings at a 3-2 pitch and comes up empty. Perry Templet hits one well, but flies out to deep right center. 3-2 pitch to Randy James and he swings and hits one about 3 feet... C Paul Lyons throws him out at 1st.

Bottom of the First:
Norm Wynne lines out to center. Dave Schoenfeld flies out to left. Larry Cooper strikes out! 1-2-3!

Through 6, each team has 2 hits and no runs.

Top of the Eighth:
Dale Ainsworth leads off by swinging at the first pitch and hitting a laser shot to right field for a home run! 1 to 0, Beavers! The next three go down in order.

Bottom of the Eighth:
Two straight balls are hit to SS Dave Lesley and I hold my breath, but the Oaks go down 1-2-3!

Top of the Ninth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a walk and 1B Joe Harrison bunts him up to 2nd. With 2 outs, Dave Lesley grounds a hit up the middle and Schottler scores! 2 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Ninth:
Tom Horn starts the inning having thrown 89 pitches, so he should have the gas to finish this. But the Bullpen is up and ready and well rested... Full count to Larry Cooper and he swings and hits one to deep left...and it carries the wall...home run. 2 to 1, Beavers. Call to the Bullpen: Antoine Redd (31-R). He has been hit hard in his last few outings. They send up a pinch-hitter: Dave Russell (27-L). He grounds out to 3rd. 1 out. Another pinch-hitter: Roger Murphy (26-L). He lines a hit to left. Farley Ross draws a walk... Pinch-Hitter: Neil Rivers (24-S). He pokes one towards the mound and we get a 1-6 force at 2nd. 2 outs, runners at the corners. Another pinch-hitter: Fred Beard (28-R), making his season debut. He hit .358 at Sacramento (AAA) before being called up. Full count and he hits one deep down the right field line, but it stays in the park and Dale Ainsworth gloves it and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!!

Won - 2 to 1

We had 4 hits and made no errors
Oakland had 5 hits and made 1 error

Tom Horn (W 4-3) went 8+ innings, allowed 1 run, 4 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks, 1 HBP and struck out 1. He threw a WP.
RHP Antoine Redd (SV 9) pitched a scoreless 9th (barely), allowed 1 hit and 1 walk.

Dave Staffeld (L 0-1) went 9 innings (CG), gave us 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 home run, 4 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit.

Only 4 hits by the Beavers, but RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 of them with his 4th home run of the season and 2 stolen bases. It is his 8th straight multi-hit game!

Down on the Farm: P Tony Kelley (25-L), who pitched not terribly for the Beavers this season, hurt his shoulder and is out for the rest of the year.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Questdog

Monday, June 11, Year I

We signed our top draft pick, P Ron Dreiling, today for a bonus of $460,000. That is a lot, but we had budgeted a lot for signing bonuses and we did not want to haggle.

Ah, Ronny's gonna be worth it. Ronny's gonna be a darling!

Originally Posted by Questdog

Wednesday, June 13, Year I

Zawada was just acquired in a trade with Seattle and will be making his Bear debut today along with his Major League season debut. He has a blazing 82 MPH fastball, but a very effective changeup. No curve or slider. He was only pitching in relief in AAA for Seattle. How good can you be if you cannot pitch for Seattle's staff with their 4.09 ERA (worst in the PCL West)?

Don't always beg so hard for it!

Originally Posted by Questdog

Thursday, June 14, Year I

Denver traded RP Gary Wood (30-R) to Pittsburgh for a pair of minor leaguers:RP Gordon DeLong (23-R) and 2B Randy Hilliard (24-L).

Wood is the famous bum with the 10 ERA.

Neither of the minor leaguers is much of a prospect, but they have to be worth more than a pitcher with a 10 ERA, right? This is also the second really crappy pitcher the Pirates have traded for.

It's the cheapest way to keep the Soylent Green factory running… and that is the ONLY explanation I can offer, besides plain rank stupidity and/or drunkenness in the GM's office...

[Questdog]

Sunday, June 24, Year I

SS Eddie Thomas is ready to play again after serving his 3 game suspension for charging the mound.

Portland Beavers (47-26 .644 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Oakland Oaks (37-39 .487 11.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 10-2 2.06) vs. OAK: Les Clements (27-R 3-6 6.06)

Home runs have been Clements undoing with 12 allowed in 65.1 IP. So that means he is tougher than he looks against our homer challenged squad.

Melton had his worst outing of the year last time out. Has the magic rubbed off, or was that just an aberration?

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .297-279-4-35-.780)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .301-256-3-29-.762) Rookie
3: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .275-160-3-19-.778) Rookie
4: 3B Randy James (32-R .270-204-6-28-.742)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .247-271-9-38-.681)
6: 2B Dave Lesley (26-R .279-222-3-30-.720)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .286-84-1-9-.748)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .389-18-0-5-1.032) Rookie
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .211-38-0-1-.494)

OAKLAND
1: LF Neil Rivers (27-S .296-27-2-3-.889)
2: LF Dave Schoenfeld (28-R .322-208-3-25-.777)
3: CF Tom Short (30-L .260-196-4-23-.781)
4: 3B Antonio Mata (27-R .249-253-7-34-.675)
5: SS Felix Salazar (32-R .253-265-9-28-.697)
6: C Don Stokes (39-R .292-202-10-29-.855)
7: 1B John Ross (33-R .278-36-0-2-.677)
8: 2B Moises Bravo (31-R .194-36-0-6-.536)
9: P Les Clements (27-R .150-20-0-1-.300)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: The Oakland Coliseum
Weather: 61 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 12 MPH wind blowing left to right.
Attendance: 33,924

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth flies out to left. Perry Templet draws a walk. He's walking more than we were led to believe by our scouting staff that he would. He's not walking a lot, but enough to make him a valuable player hitting around .300 and playing great defense. Jeff Schottler grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. A balk by P Les Clements sends him to 2nd. Randy James flies out to left.

Bottom of the First:
Neil Rivers beats out an infield hit. Dave Schoenfeld walks. It is looking like the magic has been rubbed off of Terry Melton.... Ton Short strikes out! Antonio Mata grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!! Maybe there is some magic left!

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, P Terry Melton hits a double and Dale Ainsworth draws a walk. Perry Templet singles to load the bases up with 1 out. Jeff Schottler drives a 1-2 pitch to the wall in center for a triple!!! 3 to 0, Beavers!!! Randy James flies out to center and Schottler scores easily. 4 to 0, Beavers! 2 outs. Jeff Austin triples! Dave Lesley grounds one to 2nd, but Moises Bravo makes a bad throw for an error and Austin scores! 5 to 0, Beavers!

Through 6 innings, P Terry Melton has not had a 1-2-3 inning yet, but has managed to keep them off the scoreboard.

Top of the Seventh:
On the Hill: Darryl Amar (26-R), beginning his 4th inning of work. With 1 out, Dale Ainsworth and Perry Templet each single. With 2 outs, Randy James singles and knocks home Ainsworth. 6 to 0, Beavers.

Bottom of the Eighth:
P Terry Melton retires the first two batters and I am thinking he might get his first 1-2-3 inning of the day, but Antonio Mata doubles and Felix Salazar singles to score a run. 6 to 1, Beavers.

Won - 6 to 1

We had 8 hits and made no errors
Oakland had 11 hits and made 1 error

Terry Melton (W 11-2) went 8 innings, allowed 1 run, 11 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. At bat, he hit 2 doubles and scored a run.
RHP Barry Chapman pitched a perfect 9th with 1 strikeout.

Les Clements (L 3-7) went 3.1 innings, gave us 5 runs (4 earned), 5 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. He balked.

Dale Ainsworth did not extend his string of multi-hit games, but had a hit and drew 2 walks and scored 2 runs. CF Perry Templet had 2 hits and a walk and scored a run. LF Jeff Schottler hit a bases-loaded triple and scored a run. 3B Randy James had a hit and 2 RBI. 1B Jeff Austin hit a triple and scored a run.

For the Oaks, LF Neil Rivers had 3 hits with a double.

[Questdog]

Monday, June 25, Year I

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Felix Zavala, LF/CF, St. Louis (30-L .315/.351/.485) Had 12 hits with 2 2b, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS, 5 R and 8 RBI in 6 G
PCL Player of the Week - Randy Schmitt, CF, Kansas City (25-L .312/.355/.462) Had 14 H, 1 2B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS, 7 R and 6 RBI in 6 G

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

June 19 - CF Tom Bolstad (31-L) of Chicago had 3 hits with 2 home runs, 3 runs scored and 4 RBI at home versus Detroit. The Cubs won, 9 to 4.
June 20 - CF Randy Schmitt (25-L) of Kansas City had 4 hits with 2 home runs, 2 walks, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI at Minnesota. The Royals won, 11 to 2.
June 20 - SP Joaquin Villalobos (25-R) of Washington, who the Senators just traded for from Baltimore, won his first start with his new team at Philadelphia, but fractured his elbow in the 7th inning and will miss the rest of the season.
June 20 - Tom Wagner (33-L) of Chicago pitched a 4 hit shutout at home versus Detroit. He walked 2 and struck out no one. It was his 2nd shutout of the season. He is now 7-2 with a 1.99 ERA, 2nd best in the National League.
June 23 - 2B Rob Douma (27-R) had 3 hits with a home run and 5 RBI at Milwaukee. The Bears won, 8 to 7, in 10 innings.
June 23 - Rich Morquecho (30-L) of Chicago pitched a 3 hit shutout in Wrigley Field against Cincinnati. He walked 1, beaned 1 and struck out 4. He is now 4-8 with a 5.31 ERA. The Cubs won, 1 to 0.
June 24 - Ron Bozeman (32-L) of Boston pitched a 5 hit shutout at Baltimore. He walked 3 and struck out 6. It is his 2nd shutout of the season. He is now 6-5 with a 2.32 ERA. They Braves won, 3 to 0.

Random Fact of Week: We have won 7 games in a row and 15 of our last 16. Since May 19, we are 27-7 (.794). During the last 16 games we have outscored our opponents, 92 to 48. 5.75 runs scored per game! Without 1B Jeff Austin, our best hitter last season, hitting a lick! Last year, Austin hit .263 with 27 HR and a .791 OPS. His OPS has dropped over 100 points this season...

[Questdog]

Monday, June 25, Year I

The D and Rookie Leagues began their seasons today. Only our Rookie squad, the Helena Gold Sox, were in action. They opened at home with a 3 to 1 win over the Billings Mustangs, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. P Fred Hunt (19-R) started and got the win, allowing 1 run in 6.1 IP with 5 walks and 4 strikeouts. This year's 2nd Round pick, Ron Owens (19-R), playing third base, hit a double and scored a run.

The Beavers have the day off.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, June 26, Year I

We are back home in Portland to play the Los Angeles Angels, the defending division champs, a 3 games series. They were swept in 3 games at San Francisco over the weekend and have lost 4 in a row. We are 2-4 against them on the season. We last played them in the middle of April and lost 2 of 3 right here in the Skydome. They are currently 7th in the PCL in scoring with 4.1 runs per game (Portland is up to #6, with a slightly higher 4.1!). They lead the PCL in HR with 73 in 75 games, but are only hitting .243. They are 2nd to last in SB with 50. They are kind of our opposite on offense. We have a good average (.264), but few HR (43) and we are 4th in SB with 82. They are 6th in fewest runs allowed with 4.0 per game (Portland is still #1 at 3.1). Neither pitching staff strikes out a lot of batters: we are last in the League with 366 and LA is 3rd from the bottom with 374.

Los Angeles Angels (38-37 .507 10.5 GB in 3rd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (48-26 .649 in 1st place in the PCL West)

LA: Bobby McGregor (34-R 6-5 3.10) vs. POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 9-3 3.42)

McGregor is their #2 starter, Thankfully, it looks like we will miss their #1, Dave Ibarra (27-R), this series. Ibarra is 11-2 with a 2.44 ERA. We are 1-1 against McGregor this year, but he has only given us 4 runs in 17 IP.

Wolf gave up 5 runs in his last start after a string 4 decent outings.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
LOS ANGELES
1: CF Ron Nachman (28-L .331-290-11-39-.939) a $2 million ballplayer
2: LF John Olsavsky (28-L .263-38-0-3-.645) acquired in a recent trade with Cleveland
3: 3B David Aytes (30-R .236-276-12-40-.716) a nearly $3 million ballplayer
4: 1B Ron Lawler (31-L .205-73-2-13-.606) One of his 2 HR was a Grand Slam against us
5: RF Ray Harrison (24-L .235-98-4-16-.691) Rookie hit a HR against us
6: C Larry Hardy (24-S .275-40-0-3-.771)
7: 2B Bobby Chubb (24-R .260-154-3-9-.667) Rookie 1 of his 3 HR was against us
8: SS Terry South (37-R .286-154-1-15-.740) Waiver claim from Boston
9: P Bobby McGregor (34-R .103-39-0-1-.254)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .298-282-4-35-.783)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .304-260-3-29-.768) Rookie
3: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .273-165-3-22-.779) Rookie
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .300-267-6-27-.782)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .247-275-9-38-.685)
6: 3B Dave Lesley (26-R .274-226-3-30-.707)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .273-88-1-9-.715)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .318-22-0-5-.855) Rookie
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .133-30-0-1-.300)

Ainsworth and Templet are a combined 10 for 16 against McGregor; the rest of the lineup is 4 for 22.

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 77 F, Clear Skies, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 25,019

A new record crowd after the Home Opener and on a Tuesday! We are getting the fan base fired up!

Top of the First:
Ron Nachman walks on 4 pitches... John Olsavsky grounds into a force at 2nd, 1-6. David Aytes grounds into a 5-4-3 double play! No error by Dave Lesley!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth lines a hit to center. He gets thrown out trying to steal. Perry Templet grounds a hit to center. He gets thrown out trying to steal.... Jeff Schottler flies out to deep center. Well, at least....

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Jeff Austin draws a walk. He does not get thrown out stealing! He is safe at 2nd and goes to 3rd on a passed ball. After Dave Lesley strikes out, Phil Parker grounds a 2 out single up the middle and Austin scores! 1 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Fourth:
With 2 outs, David Aytes gets the first Angel hit with a double into the left field corner, but Ron Lawler swings and misses a 3-2 pitch!

Top of the Sixth:
With 2 outs, Ron Nachman gets the Angels' second hit of the day and then steals 2nd, but John Olsavsky flies out to center!

Top of the Seventh:
With 2 outs, Ray Harrison gets hit #3 for the Angels, another double to the left field corner, but Larry Hardy grounds out to short! We only have 4 hits, ourselves.

Top of the Ninth:
Top of their order. Ron Nachman flies out to left! John Olsavsky grounds a hit past SS Eddie Thomas. David Aytes flies out to left! 2 outs! Cleanup hitter Ron Lawler lines yet another double into the left field corner and Olsavsky scores from first to tie the game at 1.... Call to the Bullpen: Jerry Wilhelm (32-L) to face a lefty, but they send up a pinch-hitter: Dave Bailey (23-S). He is batting .175 in 97 AB, but has 3 HR. We walk him intentionally.... Not my choice there... Another pinch-hitter: Bob Farris (27-R), batting .255 in 47 AB with 2 HR. .368 vs. lefties. Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmidt (26-R). They leave Farris in the game Editor's Note: As I think the A.I. always does... 3-1 pitch and Farris swings and grounds out to short!

Bottom of the Ninth:
McGregor is still on the mound. With 1 out, Gary Long doubles into that left field corner everyone is talking about! Our first extra base hit of the day! They walk Jeff Austin, the coldest hitter on our team, intentionally and then send for a new pitcher: Ernie Auel (27-R), their closer. 19 SV (2 against us) and a 2.75 ERA. Dave Lesley strikes out. 2 down. Phil Parker strikes out.

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
3 up, 3 down with 2 K's for Don Schmidt!

Bottom of the Tenth:
With 1 out, PH Gordon Saunderson (26-L) grounds a hit to left center. He steals 2nd! His 2nd steal of the season. He is not fast, but picks his spots well! They then become the 400th team to walk Dale Ainsworth intentionally to get to Perry Templet. More than one has been dismayed by the results... Templet grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6, and Saunderson goes to 3rd. 2 outs. How about a wild pitch right now? Templet steals 2nd, which is meaningless... Jeff Schottler hits a line drive to center, but new CF Dave Calvarese (28-R), a superior defender, races in and snags it to end the inning.

Top of the Eleventh:
New Pitcher: Lou Hertzberg (29-L). Top of their order again, where there are very dangerous hitters... 3 up, 3 down!

Bottom of the Eleventh:
With 1 out, Jeff Austin grounds a hit to left. He tries to steal, but they have a pitchout called and he is gone and so are we.

Top of the Twelfth:
The Angels have no one left on their bench, so we do not have to worry about any more pinch-hitters. 3 up, 3 down!

Bottom of the Twelfth:
New Pitcher: Dave Fesko (29-R). 2.76 ERA. We go down in order. We let P Lou Hertzberg bat with 2 outs, so he can lose the game in the tip of the Thirteenth....

Top of the Thirteenth:
Down they go! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the Thirteenth:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a line drive to center for a hit. He steals 2nd! They walk Perry Templet intentionally. It is the 4th intentional walk this game, 3 by them and 1 by us. Jeff Schottler strikes out. Double steal! Safe on both counts! They do not walk Gary Long, but pull the infield in. He grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and the runners hold. 2 outs. They walk Jeff Austin intentionally for the second time this game. I wish he was hitting as much as people are afraid of him.... Dave Lesley up. He swings at the first pitch and pops out to 3rd.... We cannot expect to win when we waste all of our opportunities... I just know that if we jeep giving him chances, Ron Nachman is going to hit a home run to win the game, sooner or later....

This is now the longest game of the season, so far.

Top of the Fourteenth:
Back to that dangerous top of their order.... Ron Nachman hit one hard, that scared me, but they go down in order!

Bottom of the Fourteenth:
We go down in order and waste two pinch-hitters...

Top of the Fifteenth:
New Battery: P Antoine Redd (31-R) and C Dennis Webb (25-L). With 1 out, C Willie Hernandez (28-L) doubles to left center. P Dave Fesko has to bat and he grounds out to short, Hernandez staying put. 2 outs. Bobby Chubb grounds out to 2nd!

Bottom of the Fifteenth:
Top of our order. Dale Ainsworth leads off with a grounder past the shortstop for a hit, his 3rd of the day. Yet, once again, he tries to steal and once again, they have a pitchout called and the bases are back to being empty and we go down without further incident...

Top of the Sixteenth:
2 strikeouts and Ron Nachman grounded out to the pitcher!

Bottom of the Sixteenth:
Dave Fesko is starting his 5th inning of work, but he shows no ill effects and retires the side in order....

Top of the Seventeenth:
1-2-3! Down they go with 2 strikeouts!

Bottom of the Seventeenth:
In his 6th inning of work, Fesko walks Eddie Thomas with 1 out. Thomas steals 2nd. PH Randy James (32-R) grounds out slowly to 3rd and Thomas moves up. They walk Dale Ainsworth intentionally, yet again, to get to Perry Templet. Ainsworth stupidly steals 2nd base, so now they walk Templet intentionally, too.... That is 6 intentional walks the Angels have issues, 2 each to Jeff Austin, Ainsworth and Templet. That leaves it up to Jeff Schottler. He grounds out to 3rd.

Top of the Eighteenth:
New Pitcher: Barry Chapman (26-R), the last reliever in the Bullpen. Willie Hernandez leads off with a grounder through the hole to right for a hit. P Dave Fesko bunts him up to 2nd. Bobby Chubb strikes out! 2 down. Terry South hits a hard line drive, but 2B Gary Long spears it to end the inning! Great play!

Bottom of the Eighteenth:
Okay, Ron Nachman hits again next inning, so let's win it now. Dave Fesko is starting his 7th inning of relief duty, but he has only thrown 70 pitches. A lot for a reliever, to be sure, just not a lot for 6 innings. We go down 1-2-3...

Top of the Nineteenth:
Ron Nachman ground out to 3rd, but with 2 outs, John Olsavsky triples to right. We walk David Aytes intentionally to get to Dave Calvarese, 0 for 7 on the season, and 0 for 3 today with 3 strike outs. Yep, you guessed it: he lines a single to right and Olsavsky scores. 2 to 1, Angels. Aytes makes it to 3rd. Willie Hernandez grounds one to first, but Jeff Austin boots it and another run scores... 3 to 1, Angels. P Dave Fesko up and he lines a hit to left and another run scores....and I just broke my hand, I think.... 4 to 1, Angels. Bobby Chubb flies out to center to finally end the nightmare inning... First 2 batter were out this frame....and then 5 straight reach base, including two that had never been there before in their lives....

Bottom of the Nineteenth:
Still Dave Fesko out there. They do have a couple of fresh relievers in their pen, but why fix it, if it ain't broke? This will be his 8th inning of relief and he has only given us a pair of hits so far (and a basket full of intentional walks). Eddie Thomas gets a 1 out hit and they pull Fesko. New Pitcher: Gustavo Tavarez (32-R). 3.18 ERA. PH Joe Harrison (35-R) lines a hit to left. Dale Ainsworth lines a hit to center and the bases are loaded with 1 out. Perry Templet swings at a 3-0 pitch.....SWINGS at a 3-0 pitch....and grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4, scoring Thomas. 4 to 2, Angels. 2 outs. What a moron.... Jeff Schottler grounds out to 1st to end my suffering for today....

Lost - 4 to 2 in 19 innings

The 7 game winning streak is over.

We had 13 hits and made 1 error
Los Angeles had 10 hits and made 1 error

Ron Wolf, who, if you remember from so long ago, was 1 out from pitching a shutout, went 8.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm faced 1 batter and issued an intentional walk to him.
RHP Don Schmidt went 1.1 hitless, scoreless innings and struck out 2.
LHP Lou Hertzberg went 4 hitless, scoreless innings and struck out 4.
RHP Antoine Redd went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 5.
RHP Barry Chapman (L 4-2) went 2 innings, allowed 3 runs (1 earned), 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2.

We struck out 16 batters in the game; the Angels struck out 8.

Bobby McGregor went 8.1 innings, gave us 1 run, 6 hits, 3 walks (1 INT) and struck out 3.
RHP Dave Fesko (W 4-1) went 7.1 innings, gave us 1 run, 3 hits, 5 walks (2 INT) and struck out 3.
RHP Gustavo Tavarez (SV 3) got 2 batters out and gave us 2 hits.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 4 hits and 2 intentional walks and stole 3 bases, though 1 of them, at least, was ill advised. He was also caught stealing 3 times. CF Perry Templet had 2 hits and 2 intentional walks and 1 RBI, but that RBI came on a ground out when he swung at a 3-0 pitch with the bases loaded.... 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double, our only extra base hit of the day. PH Gordon Saunderson had a hit. PH Joe Harrison had a hit. 3B Dave Lesley played 19 innings without making an error! He was 0 for 7 at the plate.

Down on the Farm: The Salem Senators (D) opened their Northwest League season today at home with a 4 to 2 victory over the Lewiston Broncs, an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. 2nd overall draft pick, Ron Dreiling, got the win, allowing 2 runs in 8 innings, with 4 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, June 27, Year I

Los Angeles Angels (39-37 .513 9.5 GB in 3rd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (48-27 .640 in 1st place in the PCL West)

LA: Allen Sanders (28-R 2-6 3.13) vs. POR: Frank Martin (26-R 6-7 3.21) Rookie

Sanders beat us back on April 6 in Los Angeles, giving us 1 run in 7 IP.

Martin pitched a 1 hit shutout his last time on the mound, but was shelled the time before that.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
LOS ANGELES
1: CF Ron Nachman (28-L .327-297-11-39-.926)
2: LF John Olsavsky (28-L .261-46-0-3-.666)
3: 3B David Aytes (30-R .233-283-12-40-.711)
4: C Willie Hernandez (28-L .294-214-5-26-.783)
5: RF Billy Shiyou (32-L .182-225-5-22-.532)
6: SS Bobby Chubb (24-R .247-162-3-9-.635) Rookie
7: 2B Bob Duncan (33-R .242-211-6-18-.706)
8: 1B Terry South (37-R .273-161-1-15-.710)
9: P Allen Sanders (28-R .000-21-0-0-.000)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .304-289-4-35-.795)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .303-267-3-30-.768) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .269-208-6-30-.736)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .298-275-6-27-.777)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .259-174-3-22-.741) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .246-280-9-38-.687)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .269-93-1-10-.699)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .276-29-0-5-.743) Rookie
9: P Frank Martin (26-S .161-31-0-1-.381)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 22,649

Top of the First:
Ron Nachman swings at the first pitch of the game and lines a double to right. John Olsavsky grounds out to the pitcher and Nachman goes to 3rd. Full count to David Aytes and he swings and misses! Big out! 2 down. Willie Hernandez grounds out to 1st, 3-1!!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth swings at the first pitch and lines out to left. Perry Templet swings at the fist pitch, as he is wont to do, and grounds one down to 3rd where David Aytes boots it. E-5. Randy James doubles down the left field line! Templet stops at 3rd. Gary Long doubles to the left field corner and both runners score! 2 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Schottler strikes out. Jeff Austin flies out to left.

Bottom of the Third:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a grounder into left for a hit. Perry Templet does the same and Ainsworth decides to test the arm of John Olsavsky, who is not known as a good thrower. He shows it this time by tossing the ball into the dugout and Ainsworth scores! E-7. 3 to 0, Beavers! That's all we get...

Top of the Ninth:
For the second game in a row, we have a pitcher 1 out from a shutout, only to see it fade away... With 2 outs, Bobby Chubb triples to right center and then Bob Duncan beats out an infield hit. 3 to 1, Beavers. They send up a pinch-hitter: Dave Bailey (23-S), the .175 batter we walked intentionally yesterday... Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmidt (26-R), who threw 17 pitches yesterday. 3-2 pitch and Bailey swings and misses and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!! Let's start a new winning streak!

Won - 3 to 1

It is the 5th straight game we have allowed 1 or fewer runs in the first 9 innings.

We had 8 hits and made no errors
Los Angeles had 7 hits and made 2 errors

Frank Martin (W 7-7) went 8.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 7.
RHP Don Schmidt (SV 5) faced 1 batter and struck him out.

Allen Sanders (L 2-7) went 8 innings (CG), gave us 3 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5 (3 of them P Frank Martin). At bat, he had a hit.

CF Perry Templet had 2 hits and scored a run. 3B Randy James hit a double and scored a run. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double, drew a walk and had 2 RBI. SS Eddie Thomas hit a double.

For the Angels, CF Ron Nachman had 3 hits with a double.

[Questdog]

Thursday, June 28, Year I

Los Angeles Angels (39-38 .506 10.5 GB in 3rd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (49-27 .645 in 1st place in the PCL West)

LA: Ricardo Avalos (24-R 5-6 4.87) Rookie vs. POR: Tom Horn (24-L 4-3 3.00) Rookie

Avalos had a no decision in an Angel win against us on April 14 here in the Skydome. He gave us 3 runs in 8 IP. He was named the #7 prospect in Baseball by Baseball America this pre-season.

Horn is 3-0 in his last 7 starts. He allowed 4 hits and 1 run in 8 IP his last time out.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
LOS ANGELES
1: CF Ron Nachman (28-L .332-301-11-39-.936)
2: LF John Olsavsky (28-L .240-50-0-3-.616)
3: 3B David Aytes (30-R .230-287-12-40-.702)
4: RF Billy Shiyou (32-L .179-229-5-22-.523)
5: 1B Bob Farris (27-R .250-48-2-6-.670)
6: C Willie Hernandez (28-L .295-217-5-26-.784)
7: 2B Bob Duncan (33-R .242-215-6-19-.702)
8: SS Terry South (37-R .268-164-1-15-.697)
9: P Ricardo Avalos (24-L .043-23-0-2-.085)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .304-293-4-35-.791)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .306-271-3-30-.771) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .269-212-6-30-.736)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .302-278-6-29-.789)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .258-217-6-25-.714)
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .243-284-9-38-.678)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .260-96-1-10-.678)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .281-32-0-5-.767) Rookie
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .160-25-0-4-.354)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 72 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 21,497

Top of the First:
Ron Nachman swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. John Olsavsky strikes out looking! David Aytes grounds out to 1st, unassisted! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to short. Perry Templet dinks a hit into right. Randy James singles to right and Templet beats the throw to 3rd! Full count to Gary Long and he grounds a single up the middle and Templet scores! 1 to 0, Beavers! James ends up on 3rd. Howard McNeal pops out to short. 2 outs. Jeff Austin flies out to left. He has hit 1 home run in the past 30+ days.... We owe him a lot of money through Year VI....

Top of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, Ron Nachman lines a double to right center, the first hit by the Angels. John Olsavsky flies out to center!

Bottom of the Fifth:
Eddie Thomas, who made his 1st error as a Beaver earlier, leads off with a walk. P Tom Horn bunts him over to 2nd. Dale Ainsworth doubles to left center! 2 to 0, Beavers! Ainsworth has a 12 game hitting streak. Perry Templet beats out an infield hit and then Randy James singles to score Ainsworth! 3 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Eighth:
With 1 out, David Aytes singles and then with 2 outs, Tom Horn, who is clearly losing steam, walks 3 straight to force in a run. 3 to 1, Beavers. Call to the Bullpen: Antoine Redd (31-R). I should have gone to the pen earlier, but I hate to pull a starter before he has allowed a run. But that was a mistake this time, as I knew he did have the gas to finish the game. Terry South flies out to right!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Jerry Wilhelm (32-L). David Lesley (26-R) is in to play 3rd and Jeff Schottler (24-R) is in to play left. PH Dave Bailey (23-S) beats out an infield hit. Ron Nachman lines a hit to right center and Bailey stops at 2nd. I wish I had traded Wilhelm before the deadline... PH Jeff French (31-R) is announced. Call to the Bullpen: Barry Chapman (26-R). French strikes out! 1 down. David Aytes fouls out to 1st! 2 down. Billy Shiyou grounds one to 3rd and I hold my breath, but Dave Lesley makes a nice peg to 2nd and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 3 to 1

6 straight games allowing 0 or 1 run in 9 innings!
It is the 4th straight game where neither team hit a home run, a season high (or low, depending on your perspective).

We had 12 hits and made 1 error
Los Angeles had 5 hits and made 1 error

Tom Horn (W 5-3) went 7.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 3 hits, 7 walks (but 3 are on me, for sticking with him too long) and struck out 6.
RHP Antoine Redd (H 3) faced 1 batter and retired him.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm faced 2 batters and gave up 2 hits.
RHP Barry Chapman (SV 3) face 3 batters and got 3 outs with 1 strikeout.

Ricardo Avalos (L 5-7) went 8 innings (CG), gave us 3 runs, 12 hits, 3 walks (1 INT) and struck out 1.

RF Dale Ainsworth hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI. He has now had a hit in 12 straight games. CF Perry Templet went 3 for 3 and was walked intentionally and scored a run. 3B Randy James had 2 hits and an RBI. SS Eddie Thomas made his first error for the Beavers, but made up for it with 2 hits and a walk and scored a run.

[Questdog]

Friday, June 29, Year I

The Oakland Oaks have come to the Skydome to play a 3 game series over the weekend. They just beat Seattle 2 of 3 in the Coliseum. Before that they were swept in a 3 game series at home by us. We are 6-3 against them so far this season. They are 3rd in the PCL in scoring with 4.3 runs per game (Portland is 6th with 4.1). They are 3rd despite 2 facts: 1) They play in an extremely pitcher friendly ball park and 2) They were last in the PCL in scoring last year. They are batting .249 and scoring 3.9 runs per game at home this season, but batting .274 and scoring 4.7 runs per game on the road. They are 8th in fewest runs allowed with 4.3 per game (Portland is still #1 with 3.1). For the same reason their hitters are very impressive, their pitchers are very unimpressive. They have a 3.11 ERA at home, but a 4.57 ERA on the road, the worst in the PCL (but Seattle and Minnesota are very close). Their pitchers have committed 16 balks, the most in Baseball. No one else is in double figures. Portland has 4.

Oakland Oaks (39-41 .487 12.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (50-27 .649 in 1st place in the PCL West)

OAK: Ed Alvarado (27-R 5-8 4.77) vs. POR: Terry Melton (26-R 11-2 1.99)

Alvarado beat us on Opening Day in Oakland, giving us 3 runs in 8.1 IP. When we faced him at our place, we scored 2 runs in 5 innings. Apparently, all the other teams are having an easier time against him....

Melton has allowed 18 hits in his last two starts (12.1 IP)

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
OAKLAND
1: CF Norm Wynne (25-R .257-144-4-18-.764) Rookie
2: SS Henry Rangel (27-R .303-310-1-28-.712) 9 unintentional walks
3: LF Tom Short (30-L .264-212-4-25-.778) 45 walks
4: 1B Dave Russell (27-L .272-173-8-32-.766)
5: 2B Felix Salazar (32-R .246-280-9-29-.681) 2 for 6 with a HR vs. Melton
6: RF Roger Murphy (26-L .286-112-7-26-.842) Rookie
7: C Don Stokes (39-R .290-217-11-30-.850) 3 for 7 with a HR vs. Melton
8: 3B Antonio Mata (27-R .248-266-7-34-.671)
9: P Ed Alvarado (27-R .059-34-0-0-.174)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .302-297-4-36-.791)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .314-274-3-30-.789) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .273-216-6-31-.741)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .301-282-6-30-.785)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .258-178-3-22-.736) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .243-288-9-38-.675)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .260-100-1-10-.671)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .314-35-0-5-.829) Rookie
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .244-41-0-1-.603)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 26,095

Another record crowd (after the Home Opener)!

Top of the First:
Norm Wynne leads off with a little poke to left for a hit. Henry Rangel grounds out to 3rd and Wynne moves to 2nd. Wynne steals 3rd. Tom Short grounds one to 2nd and Gary Long throws it away for a 2-base error and Wynne scores. 1 to 0, Oaks. Dave Russell grounds one up the middle, but this time Gary Long makes a great play to get him out. Short goes to 3rd. 2 outs. Felix Salazar grounds out to short.

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth leads off by ripping a hard ground ball into right for a hit. He tries to steal, but they have a pitchout called and he is out. Perry Templet lines a hit into right. He tries to steal and gets thrown out.... Randy James flies out to left.

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Jeff Schottler doubles and Jeff Austin walks and Phil Parker singles to load the bases up for our #8 and #9 hitters. Eddie Thomas grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6, and Schottler scores to tie the game at 1 apiece. P Terry Melton grounds one to 3rd, but Antonio Mata boots it and Austin scores! 2 to 1, Beavers! Eddie Thomas steals 3rd.... Stealing 3rd with 2 outs is not a smart play.... Dale Ainsworth flies out to right to end the inning.

Top of the Third:
Norm Wynne leads off with a triple to left center and scores on a ground out to 3rd by Henry Rangel. 2 to 2.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Jeff Schottler leads us off by reaching on an error by SS Henry Rangel. Jeff Austin bunts him to 2nd and he goes to 3rd on a ground out by Phil Parker. They walk Eddie Thomas intentionally to get to P Terry Melton. P Ed Alvarado then balks home Schottler! 3 to 2, Beavers!

Bottom of the Sixth:
P Ed Alvarado strikes out the side in order....

Top of the Ninth:
On the Hill: Antoine Redd (31-R), beginning his 2nd inning of work. With 1 out, Roger Murphy blasts one into the upper deck in right to tie the game at 3.... 447 feet. PH Neil Rivers lines a hit to left. Antonio Mata lines out to left and Jeff Schottler fires to 1st and doubles off Rivers!

Bottom of the Ninth:
Ed Alvarado still on the mound. We go quietly...

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Don Schmidt (26-R). Dave Benya (26-S) is in to catch. With 1 out, Norm Wynne launches one to the moon.... It was so far that it broke the tape measure machine.... 4 to 3, Oaks.

Bottom of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Tomas Cavazos (24-R). 15 SV and a 1.59 ERA. He has a save against us. Top of our order and Dale Ainsworth gets us in business with a line drive to right for a hit. Perry Templet doubles to right center! Around 3rd and heading home is Ainsworth, but he is thrown out by Roger Murphy, 9-4-2. How many times have I said that I do NOT want runners sent home when the play might be close when there are no outs? A ZILLION!!! Templet ends up on 3rd after the play. They bring the infield in and Randy James lines a double down the right field line! Tie game! 4 to 4, Game over and we win, if we had not sent Ainsworth.... Gary Long grounds out to 2nd and James moves over to 3rd. 2 outs. Another of those league-leading balks by the Oaks would be nice right now.... Jeff Schottler grounds out to the pitcher....

Top of the Eleventh:
They go down in order!

Bottom of the Eleventh:
New Pitcher: Phil Land (34-R), a waiver claim from Detroit. 3.07 ERA. Eddie Thomas gets a 2 out hit and steals 2nd. PH Glenn Pearce (39-R) lines a hit to left and Thomas comes around and beats the throw to the plate and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!!

Won - 5 to 4 in 11 innings

We had 12 hits and made 1 error
Oakland had 9 hits and made 2 errors

Terry Melton went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs (1 earned), 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm (H 5) face 2 batters, got 1 out and gave up a hit to the other.
RHP Antoine Redd (BS 2) went 1.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 1 home run and struck out 1.
RHP Don Schmidt (W 5-0) went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 1 hits, a home run and struck out 2.

Ed Alvarado went 9 innings, gave us 3 runs (1 earned), 7 hits, 3 walks (2 INT), 1 HBP and struck out 4. He balked.
RHP Phil Land (L 3-2) got 2 batters out, gave us 1 run, 2 hits and struck out 1.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits and an intentional walk and was beaned, but got caught stealing twice. CF Perry Templet had 3 hits with a double and scored a run. 2nd straight 3 hit game and 5th straight multi-hit affair. 3B Randy James had 2 hits with a double and a big RBI that tied the game up in the bottom of the 10th. Jeff Schottler hit a double, scored 2 runs and doubled a runner off 1st base. SS Eddie Thomas had 2 hits and an intentional walk, stole 4 bases, had an RBI and scored the winning run. PH Glenn Pearce had the game winning hit.

For the Oaks, CF Norm Wynne had 4 hits with a triple and a home run that broke our tape measure machine, stole a base and scored 3 of their 4 runs.

[Questdog]

Saturday, June 30, Year I

Oakland Oaks (39-42 .481 13.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (51-27 .654 in 1st place in the PCL West)

OAK: Carl Harry (30-R Season debut) vs. POR: Johnny Maskell (23-R 1-0 1.04) Rookie

Harry was 3-6 with a 3.05 ERA for Sacramento (AAA) before being called up. He is a super fellow and has good control, but is not tough to hit.

Maskell is making his 2nd Big League start. It has been two weeks since his debut; I hope the layoff has not affected him.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
OAKLAND
1: CF Norm Wynne (25-R .275-149-5-19-.823) Rookie
2: SS Henry Rangel (27-R .302-315-1-29-.707)
3: LF Tom Short (30-L .260-215-4-25-.768)
4: 1B Dave Russell (27-L .267-176-8-32-.753)
5: 2B Felix Salazar (32-R .244-283-9-29-.675)
6: RF Neil Rivers (24-S .394-33-2-3-1.061)
7: 3B Antonio Mata (27-R .253-269-7-34-.680)
8: C Paul Lyons (33-R .235-17-0-0-.513) Rookie
9: P Carl Harry (30-R Season debut)

PORTLAND
1: RF Gordon Saunderson (26-L .269-52-0-3-.685) Rookie
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .319-279-3-30-.800) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .276-221-6-32-.747)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .296-287-6-30-.772)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .257-183-3-22-.732) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .241-291-9-38-.671)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .262-103-1-10-.671)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .333-39-0-6-.858) Rookie
9: P Johnny Maskell (23-R .333-3-0-2-1.000) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 75 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 26,284

Yet another record crowd (after the Home Opener)!

Top of the First:
Norm Wynne swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. Henry Rangel swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 2nd. 3 pitch inning? No... Tom Short gets a full count and then takes ball 4. Dave Russell swings a the first pitch and pops out to 3rd!

Bottom of the First:
Gordon Saunderson grounds out to 2nd. Perry Templet lines out to 3rd. Full count to Randy James and he takes ball 4. Deja Vu.... A passed ball sends James to 2nd. Gary Long grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Third:
Norm Wynne leads off with a single and steals 3rd. With 1 out, Tom Short singles him home. 1 to 0, Oaks. Dave Russell lines a hit to left. With 2 outs, Neil Rivers doubles to right center and Short scores. 2 to 0, Oaks. Antonio Mata grounds a hit to left and both runners scores. 4 to 0, Oaks.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a hit and Jeff Austin follows with a triple! 4 to 1, Oaks. Phil Parker grounds out to 2nd and Austin scores. 4 to 2, Oaks.

Top of the Fifth:
I debated with myself, but let P Johnny Maskell bat with 2 outs in the bottom of the 4th. He gives up a pair of hits and a walk to load the bases up with no outs.... Call to the Bullpen: Barry Chapman (26-R). Antonio Mata strikes out, but 33 year old rookie no good hitting catcher Paul Lyons doubles and a par of runs score.... 6 to 2, Oakland. After P Carl Harry strikes out, Norm Wynne hits a 2 out double to score 2 more.... 8 to 2, Oaks. I think I heard someone call my name....

Lost - 8 to 2

We had 11 hits and made no errors
Oakland had 11 hits and made no errors

Johnny Maskell (L 1-1) went 4+ innings, allowed 7 runs, 8 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit.
RHP Barry Chapman went 5 innings, allowed 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5. 58 pitches.

Carl Harry (W 1-0) went 7 innings, gave us 2 runs, 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out no one.

RF Gordon Saunderson had 2 hits. LF Jeff Schottler had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. 1B Jeff Austin hit a triple, scored a run and had an RBI. It is his 3rd extra base hit since June 4. SS Eddie Thomas had 2 hits. He is not supposed to hit, but he is for us since the trade.

For the Oaks, 3B Antonio Mata had 3 hits and 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, July 1, Year I

Oakland Oaks (40-42 .488 12.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (51-28 .646 in 1st place in the PCL West)

OAK: Leo Broyles (26-R 3-1 2.72) Rookie vs. POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 9-3 3.23)

Broyles started the season as their #2 starter and pitched great. He beat us twice in April, giving us only 2 runs in each game. In 15 IP against us, we only had 11 hits, 3 walks and 11 SO. But on April 23, He gave up 4 runs in 5 innings at Houston and was sent to the minors. Today will be his 2nd start since being recalled.

Wolf was 1 out from a shutout in his last start and we ended up losing in 19 innings.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
OAKLAND
1: CF Norm Wynne (25-R .281-153-5-21-.837) Rookie
2: RF Dave Schoenfeld (28-R .316-225-3-26-.763)
3: LF Tom Short (30-L .260-219-4-26-.766)
4: 1B Farley Ross (35-L .221-104-4-14-.734)
5: 2B Felix Salazar (32-R .243-288-9-29-.670)
6: C Don Stokes (39-R .286-220-11-30-.839)
7: 3B Antonio Mata (27-R .259-274-7-36-.689) Hitting .359 with a .954 OPS against us in 11 G
8: SS Henry Rangel (27-R .297-320-1-29-.697)
9: P Leo Broyles (26-R .250-12-0-1-.500)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .306-301-4-36-.797)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .317-284-3-30-.793) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .277-224-6-32-.748)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .292-291-6-30-.761)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .262-187-3-22-.743) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .241-295-9-39-.676)
7: C Dennis Webb (25-L .243-136-0-9-.601)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .349-43-0-6-.870) Rookie
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .121-33-0-1-.273)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 63 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 7 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 27,486

And yet another record crowd (after the Home Opener)!

Top of the First:
Norm Wynne grounds out to 3rd. Dave Schoenfeld doubles to right center. Tom Short grounds one over the bag at first, but Jeff Austin makes an amazing stop and flips to the pitcher covering for the out! Schoenfeld goes to 3rd. 2 down. Farley Ross flies out to center!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to the pitcher. Perry Templet flies out to center. Randy James draws a walk. Gary Long swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to 1st, unassisted.

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Jeff Austin walks and steals 2nd. Dennis Webb lines a hit just over the second baseman's head. Austin only makes it to 3rd because he had to freeze to see if the second baseman could catch the ball. Eddie Thomas pops out to 1st... P Leo Broyles is hurt and has to leave the game. New Pitcher: Darryl Amar (26-R). 3.66 ERA with 15 BB and 65 SO in 64 IP. He pitched 2 shutout innings yesterday. He strikes out P Ron Wolf.

Bottom of the Third:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a double down the right field line and then steals 3rd, for theft #30. Now, with no outs, it is good to steal 3rd, if you can make it. 39 year old C Don Stokes basically cannot throw anyone out, unless a pitchout is called, but he seems to have an uncanny knack about when to call them.... Perry Templet flies out to shallow center, but Ainsworth tags up and beats the throw! 1 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Dale Ainsworth triples to left center! All Perry Templet has to do is get wood on the ball, but he strikes out... But Randy James picks him up by hitting a home run yo left!! 3 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Seventh:
P Ron Wolf leads off with a hit and then Dale Ainsworth knocks out his 2nd triple of the day! 4 to 0, Beavers! New Pitcher: Joe Peck (28-R) with a 1.03 ERA in 35 IP. Perry Templet grounds a hit to left! 5 to 0, Beavers!

Won - 5 to 0

We had 10 hits and made no errors
Oakland had 3 hits and made no errors

Ron Wolf (W 10-3) went 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 3 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. It is his 2nd shutout of the season.

Leo Broyles went 1.2 scoreless innings, gave us 1 hit and 2 walks and struck out no one.
RHP Darryl Amar (L 5-2) went 4.1 innings, gave us 5 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 4.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 3 hits with a double and 2 triples, stole a base, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. CF Perry Templet only had 1 hit, but had 2 RBI. 3B Randy James hit his 7th home run of the season, drew a walk and had 2 RBI. It is the first home run the Beavers have hit in over a week. C Dennis Webb went 3 for 3 and drew a walk.

[Questdog]

Monthly Awards for April, Year I

NL Player of the Month: Ken Greenhalgh, 2b, St. Louis .444/.519/.656 90 AB, 12 2b, 2 3b, 1 HR, 14 BB, 6 SO, 19 R, 17 RBI, 2 SB, 2 CS in 25 G
NL Pitcher of the Month: Mel Roman, lhp, Washington 5-0 1.62 ERA 6 GS, 39 IP, 29 H, 1 HR, 19 BB, 32 SO
NL Rookie of the Month: Ken Greenhalgh, 2b, St. Louis

PCL Player of the Month: Steve DeMuro, lf, Dallas .310/.459/.552 87 AB, 11 2b, 2, 3b, 2 HR, 24 BB, 10 SO, 24 R, 25 RBI, 5 SB, 4 CS in 25 G
PCL Pitcher of the Month: Dave Ibarra, rhp, Los Angeles 5-0 1.69 ERA 6 GS, 42.2 IP, 29 H, 0 HR, 10 BB, 22 SO
PCL Rookie of the Month: Perry Templet, cf, Portland .347/.390/.459 98 AB, 6 2b, 1 3b, 1 HR, 7 BB, 9 SO, 15 R, 7 RBI, 4 SB, 4 CS in 23 G (22 GS)

Monthly Awards for May
NL Player of the Month: Randy Bradley, 2b, Boston .389/.435/.761 113 AB, 8 2b, 2 3b, 10 HR, 10 BB, 17 SO, 28 R, 30 RBI, 2 SB, 4 CS in 26 G
NL Pitcher of the Month: Wally Wacker, rhp, Philadelphia 5-0 1.88 ERA 6 GS, 38.1 IP, 32 H, 2 HR, 19 BB, 43 SO
NL Rookie of the Month: Jonah Siverston, rf, Cleveland .440/.488/.600 75 AB, 6 2B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 8 SO, 6 R, 17 RBI in 26 G (17 GS)

PCL Player of the Month: Rick Ingledue, lf/rf, Minnesota .306/.390/.622 98 AB, 4 2b, 9 HR, 11 BB, 18 SO, 20 R, 25 RBI, 2 SB, 0 CS in 26 G
PCL Pitcher of the Month: Phil McDevitt, lhp, Milwaukee 3-1 1.80 ERA 7 SV 13 G, 15 IP, 11 H, 1 HR, 6 BB, 9 SO
PCL Rookie of the Month: Gene Belt, cf, Milwaukee .330/.355/.456 103 AB, 7 2b, 2 HR, 4 BB, 14 SO, 9 R, 16 RBI, 2 SB, 8 CS in 26 G (24 GS)

Monthly Awards for June
NL Player of the Month: Tim Vigen, 1b, St. Louis .284/.451/.529 102 AB, 3 2b, 2 3b, 6 HR, 30 BB, 11 SO, 25 R, 14 RBI, 7 SB, 4 CS in 28 G (Was lots better in May)
NL Pitcher of the Month: Kenny Reynolds, lhp, Philadelphia 5-1 0.96 ERA 6 SV 15 G, 18.2 IP, 9 H, 0 HR, 3 BB, 15 SO
NL Rookie of the Month: Tom Rosenthal, lf/cf, Pittsburgh .303/.371/.562 89 AB, 3 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 12 BB, 16 SO, 16 R, 25 RBI in 27 G (24 GS)

PCL Player of the Month: Mike Francoeur, cf, Minnesota .367/.410/.615 109 AB, 11 2b, 2 3B, 4 HR, 8 BB, 10 SO, 23 R, 14 RBI, 9 SB, 2 CS in 28 G (27 GS)
PCL Pitcher of the Month: Mike Nackley, lhp, San Diego 6-0 0.52 ERA 6 GS, 52 IP, 36 H, 1 HR, 11 BB, 49 SO (3 Shutouts, all in a row)
PCL Rookie of the Month: Randy Schmitt, cf, Kansas City .309/.350/.518 110 AB, 3 2b, 1 3B, 6 HR, 7 BB, 15 SO, 22 R, 17 RBI, 9 SB, 3 CS in 25 G

[Questdog]

Monday, July 2, Year I

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Ricardo Alvarez, SS, Boston (34-S .230/.328/.387) Had 11 hits with 2 2b, 3 HR, 5 BB, 5 R and 7 RBI in 7 G
PCL Player of the Week - Alejandro Prieto, SS, Kansas City (26-S .230/.311/.356) Had 13 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 3 SO, 5 R and 4 RBI in 7 G

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

June 25 - C Bob Coyne (36-L) of Milwaukee went 4 for 4 with a double and a home run, a walk, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBI at home versus Dallas, but the Brewers lost, 10 to 9. There were 31 hits in the game.
June 25 - The Boston Braves lost 1B Tom Parker (34-R) for the season with a busted up knee. He was batting .370 with an OPS of 1.014 in 73 AB.
June 25 - CF Ricky Eden (33-R) of New York had 4 hits with a double and a home run, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBI at Baltimore. The Giants won, 13 to 4.
June 26 - Dick Daniels (25-R) of Boston, in his Major League debut, pitched a 4 hit shutout in Fenway Park against Brooklyn. He walked 2 and struck out 11. The Braves won, 7 to 0. Daniels was 10-2 with a 2.03 ERA for Elmira of the Eastern League (AA), before being called up.
June 27 - The St. Louis Cardinals lost SP Terry Clark (26-L) for the season with a bum elbow. We was 6-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 15 starts. He was second in the NL in SO/9 with 8.2.
June 28 - C Ken Murray (32-R) of Cleveland had 3 hits with a double and a home run, a walk, scored 2 runs and had 5 RBI at home versus Brooklyn. The Indians won, 12 to 2.
June 30 - CF Dave Arceneaux (25-L) of Pittsburgh went 4 for 4 with a double and 2 home runs (better than a cycle), scored 3 runs and had 5 RBI at home versus Boston. The Pirates won, 6 to 1.
July 1 - Dallas scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat Kansas City, 5 to 4, and retake the PCL East division lead from the Royals. Kansas City Closer Jack Rose (29-R) did not record an out in the 9th, allowing 6 straight batters to reach base.
July 1 - Bobby McGregor (34-R) of Los Angeles pitched a 4 hit shutout at home versus San Francisco. He walked 4 and struck out 5. It is his 2nd shutout of the season. He is now 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA. The Angels won, 2 to 0. The Angels only had 4 hits themselves.
July 1 - Brooklyn won at Cleveland, 15 to 12, in 11 innings, after being down, 7 to 0. 1B Garry Zani (27-R) had 5 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBI. 2B Mark Wark (!?) of the Indians went 5 for 5 with a double and a home run, drew a walk, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBI.
July 1 - SS Ricardo Alvarez (34-S) of Boston hit 2 HR at Pittsburgh. drew a walk and had 5 RBI. The Braves won, 7 to 0.

(The Portland player statistics will be posted after today's game. That way they will show the complete first half numbers.)

Random Fact of Week: April was nice (13-12), May was very nice (17-10), but June let us do things we never dreamed she'd let us (21-6)! We hit .282 as a team in June. Everybody in the lineup put up good numbers, expect 1B Jeff Austin (.216). I don't know what to do with him. We already have a useless First Baseman we are paying a very big salary, we definitely do not need another. And he is signed for a very long time (through Year VI).

[Questdog]

Monday, July 2, Year I

The international amateur free agent signing period begins today. There are 22 players that the Scouting Combine has identified as blue chip prospects and since all the teams know about them, we have to bid against one another for these players' services. There is only 1 pitcher in the lot, and we are not interested in him. Of the 21 other players, the ones who can play outstanding defense total zero. Not a one. There is only one player that we are really interested in: RF Bobby Otero (16-R). Though why the Scouting Combine has him listed as a right fielder is a mystery, because his arm is made of Jello and he does not have much range. But Dave Dafoe agrees with the Combine that this kid's bat is something special. His demand is for a $550,000 signing bonus. The signing cap for ALL international amateur players is $500,000. That's the total for all the players you sign, not just for each player. We can exceed the cap, but then we will face stiff sanctions on signing players next summer and we will have to pay extra money to the League. We do not want that, so if we can sign Otero for under the cap, we will. If not, we will hope that there are some players next summer who can play some defense.

We are on the road for this week leading up to the All-Star break. We are in Minneapolis today to begin a 3 game series with the Twins. They lost 2 of 3 in Houston over the weekend and were swept in 4 games at Kansas City before that. We are 4-2 against them this season. The last time we were in the Metrodome, we lost 2 of 3. Minnesota is 8th in scoring with 4.0 runs per game (Portland is 6th with a higher 4.0). Their batters are last in drawing walks and ours are 2nd to last. They are 10th in fewest runs allowed with 4.7 per game (Portland is still #1 with 3.1).

Portland Beavers (52-28 .650 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Minnesota Twins (35-45 .438 10.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East)

POR: Frank Martin (26-R 7-7 3.04) Rookie vs. MIN: Mario Rueda (30-R 4-4 6.42)

Other than walking too many (4.3 per 9 IP), not striking out many (4.3), giving up too many hits (.296 OBA) and too many home runs (6 in 47.2 IP), Rueda has been pretty good. He had his best game of the season last time out with a CG win here vs. Houston. He allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks and struck out 6. We have not faced him before.

Martin was 1 out from pitching back-to-back shutouts his last time out. He has allowed 1 run on 8 hits and 2 walks and struck out 12 in his last 2 game (17.2 IP).

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .311-305-4-37-.822)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .317-287-3-32-.791) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .278-227-7-34-.763)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .288-295-6-30-.751)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .257-191-3-22-.728) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .239-297-9-39-.676)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .264-106-1-11-.671)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .340-47-0-6-.841) Rookie
9: P Frank Martin (26-S .147-34-0-1-.348)

MINNESOTA
1: 2B Gary Olson (26-R .286-213-2-29-.746) Rookie
2: SS John Shoemaker (30-R .239-46-1-3-.634)
3: CF Mike Francoeur (26-L .312-311-10-39-.873)
4: LF Rick Ingledue (30-L .267-288-15-49-.830)
5: RF Juan Rodriguez (33-L .255-55-2-11-.755)
6: C Steve Church (27-R .211-123-0-9-.578)
7: 3B Marcos Falcon (32-L .304-69-1-5-.849)
8: 1B Dick Matthew (38-R .214-131-3-12-.598)
9: P Mario Rueda (30-R .375-16-0-1-.750)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Metrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 26,112

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth flies out weakly to left. Perry Templet pops out to 1st. Randy James hits one hard, but grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the First:
Full count to Gary Olson and he grounds one to 3rd, but Randy James boots it for an error. E-5. John Shoemaker flies out to center. Mike Francoeur grounds a hit up the middle and Olson goes to 3rd. Francoeur steals 2nd. Rick Ingledue flies out to shallow center and Olson holds at 3rd. 2 outs. Juan Rodriquez pops out to short!

Bottom of the Fourth:
Rick Ingledue and Juan Rodriguez lead off with back-to-back doubles. 1 to 0, Twins.

Top of the Seventh:
With 1 out, Randy James reaches on a throwing error by SS John Shoemaker. Gary Long doubles to right center and James scores, but Long gets thrown out try to take 3rd on the play. Tie game: 1 to 1.

Top of the Eighth:
Jeff Austin leads off with a hit. He tries to steal 2nd and they have a pitchout called, but Steve Church's throw is into the outfield and Austin goes to 3rd! With the infield in, Phil Parker grounds out to 1st, 3-1, and Austin holds. Eddie Thomas lines one hard and deep to left, but it is caught, though Austin trots home! 2 to 1, Beavers!

Bottom of the Eighth:
P Frank Martin walks the leadoff batter, Gary Olson. The Bullpen is still warming up. Editor's Note: I reinstalled OOTP and forgot, once again, and left the Warmup Rules on.... PH Juan Reyna (33-L) also walks. Call to the Bullpen: Jerry Wilhelm (32-L). Mike Francoeur grounds a hit to center and Olson scores to tie the game at 2 apiece. Rick Ingledue flies out to center for the first out. Juan Rodriguez bunts the runners up to 2nd and 3rd. I'll take the second out, thanks! Call to the Bullpen: Antoine Redd (31-R). We intentionally walk Steve Church a right-hander to get to Marcos Falcon, a left-hander.... I wish I could fire my manager... Falcon grounds out to short!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Eddie Amos (35-L), their closer with a 1.75 ERA. With 2 outs, Randy James beats out an infield hit, but pulls a muscle and has to leave the game. Dave Lesley (26-R) goes in to run for him and will play 3rd in the bottom of the inning. Gary Long singles to left center. Now I am wishing I had put in a fast runner for James. But Jeff Schottler makes the point moot when he grounds out to short.

Bottom of the Ninth:
The Twins go down in order!

Extras!

For the 11th time this season.
We are 6-4 in extra inning games so far.

Top of the Tenth:
Jeff Austin leads off with a grounder up the middle for a hit. PH Howard McNeal (30-R) bunts Austin to 2nd. Crap! I forgot that we would surely bunt...should not have used a pinch-hitter.... Eddie Thomas grounds a hit up the middle and Austin beats the throw to the plate! 3 to 2, Beavers! PH Glenn Pearce (39-R) grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.

Bottom of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Lou Hertzberg (29-L). Dave Benya (26-S) is in to catch. Juan Reyna grounds out to the pitcher! Mike Francoeur doubles to left center... Rick Ingledue lines out to the pitcher! Can't double off Francoeur, though. 2 outs. Juan Rodriguez triples to left center.... tie game again at 3 apiece. Editor's Note: My right-handed reliever has been warming up since this inning began and is not yet ready....We are at the 5th batter... Steve Church singles to right and that is the ball game.... Editor's Note: This is a bogus loss....That warm up rule is messed up...

Lost - 4 to 3 in 10 innings

Retcher...ritcher---roncher...raaagh!

We had 8 hits and made 1 error
Minnesota had 9 hits and made 2 errors

Frank Martin went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm (BS 2) went 2/3 of an inning and gave up a big hit. I wish I could get rid of him...
RHP Antoine Redd went 1.1 scoreless, hitless innings, walked 1 intentionally and struck out 2.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (L 4-3) tried to go an inning, but only got 2 batters out, allowed 2 runs and 3 hits.

Mario Rueda went 8 innings, gave us 2 unearned runs, 4 hits, no walks and struck out 3. At bat, he hit a double. We helped him cut more than a full run off his ERA.
Eddie Amos (W 3-1) went 2 innings, gave us 1 run and 4 hits.

2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double and an RBI. 1B Jeff Austin had 2 hits, stole a base and scored 2 runs. SS Eddie Thomas had a hit and 2 big RBI.

For the Twins, CF Mike Francoeur had 3 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI.

The trainer reports that Randy James is not seriously injured and should be good to play tomorrow and 100% in a few days.

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

Tuesday, July 3, Year I

Portland Beavers (52-29 .642 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Minnesota Twins (36-45 .444 9.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East)

POR: Tom Horn (24-L 5-3 2.83) Rookie vs. MIN: Jesse Marszalek (24-R 2-3 5.40) Rookie

Marszalek was claimed off waivers from Seattle. That should tell all you need to know about him... He likes to strike out batters (28 in 30 IP), but he has walked 17. We beat him when he was on Seattle on April 21 in the Kingdome, but he only gave us 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 7 innings and struck out 10. So maybe I should not badmouth him so....

Horn has a streak of 5 straight Quality Starts going.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .311-309-4-37-.818)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .313-291-3-32-.780) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .277-231-7-34-.759)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .291-299-6-31-.758)
5: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .256-195-3-22-.723) Rookie
6: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .243-301-9-39-.680)
7: C Dennis Webb (25-L .259-139-0-9-.635)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .340-50-0-8-.824) Rookie
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .148-27-0-4-.328) Rookie

MINNESOTA
1: CF Roberto Rodriguez (33-R .291-172-0-21-.701)
2: 1B Danny Gonzales (33-R Season debut) Hit .339 in AAA with 2 HR in 233 AB
3: 2B Gary Olson (26-R .281-217-2-29-.736) Rookie
4: LF Rick Ingledue (30-L .266-293-15-49-.827)
5: RF Juan Rodriguez (33-L .271-59-2-13-.821)
6: SS John Shoemaker (30-R .245-49-1-3-.635)
7: 3B Dick Matthew (38-R .207-135-3-12-.581)
8: C Steve Church (27-R .213-127-0-10-.581)
9: P Jesse Marszalek (24-R .111-9-0-1-.222) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Metrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 21,060

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses. Perry Templet pokes one in front of the plate and is thrown out by the catcher. Randy James grounds out to the pitcher. Yeah, I should not have badmouthed him; we did not even hit one past the mound....

Bottom of the First:
Roberto Rodriguez leads off with a walk. Danny Gonzales grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Rodriguez injures himself sliding and has to leave the game. Gary Olson flies out to left. Rick Ingledue swings at a 3-2 pitch and comes up empty!

Top of the Second:
Roberto Rodriguez' injury was not good for us....Mike Francoeur (26-L) is in to play center. He is batting .316 with an .881 OPS. He has 41 extra-base hits already. We get a pair of base runners, but no runs.

Bottom of the Second:
Juan Rodriguez leads off with a hit and goes to 2nd on a wild pitch. With 2 outs, Steve Church walks and then P Jesse Marszalek singles and Rodriguez scores... 1 to 0, Twins. Mike Francoeur grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, P Tom Horn singles. Dale Ainsworth grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6, and then steals 2nd. Perry Templet singles to right and Ainsworth scores to tie the game at 1!

Bottom of the Third:
Danny Gonzales leads off with a hit and with 1 out, Rick Ingledue hits his 16th home run of the season to right... 3 to 1, Twins.

Top of the Fifth:
With 1 out Eddie Thomas walks and steals 2nd. P Tom Horn beats out an infield hit. Dale Ainsworth, our best hitter this year, strikes out... 2 down. Perry Templet up and a wild pitch scores Thomas! 3 to 2, Twins. Templet takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4, but Randy James grounds out to short.

Top of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Eddie Ocean (29-R). 3.41 ERA with 20 BB in 31.1 IP. With 1 out, Jeff Schottler beats out an infield hit and Jeff Austin singles to left, but that is all we get.

Bottom of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Don Schmidt (26-R), beginning his 2nd inning of work. Gary Olson leads off with a triple to right.... Rick Ingledue and his 16 HR strikes out! We walk Juan Rodriguez intentionally. Full count to John Shoemaker and he takes strike three! 2 outs. Dick Matthew grounds out to short!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Eddie Amos (35-L), their closer with a 1.89 ERA now, because we scored off him yesterday. We go down 1-2-3....

Lost - 3 to 2

First time we have lost back-to-back games in almost a month (June 5-6).

We had 9 hits and made no errors
Minnesota had 7 hits and made no errors

Tom Horn (L 5-4) went 6 innings, allowed 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 1. He threw a WP. At bat, he was 2 for 2.
RHP Don Schmidt went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 intentional walk and struck out 2.

Jesse Marszalek (W 3-3) went 6.1 innings, gave us 2 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. He threw a WP. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.
LHP Eddie Amos (SV 4) pitched a perfect 9th.

LF Jeff Schottler had 2 hits and a walk, but no runs or RBI. 1B Jeff Austin had 3 hits, but no runs or RBI.

The Twins announced that CF Roberto Rodriguez, who was injured in this game, will be out about 5 weeks with a pulled muscle.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, July 4, Year I

Independence Day!

And we have to play indoors....

Portland Beavers (52-30 .634 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Minnesota Twins (37-45 .451 9.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 11-2 1.95) vs. MIN: Jose Nieves (28-R 7-9 3.34)

Now they are sending a pretty good pitcher against us; maybe we can win. He is their #1 and the only starter currently in their rotation who had an ERA under 5 coming into this series. We helped Jesse Marszalek get his to 4.95 now. We are 2-0 against Nieves this season. We walloped him for 6 runs in 3.2 IP the first time we faced him, but only got 2 in 8 innings a week later. The League is only batting .230 against him on the season.

Melton has not been dominant in his last 3 starts: 23 H in 19.1 IP

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .309-314-4-37-.812)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .313-294-3-33-.781) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .272-235-7-34-.746)
4: 2B Gary Long (32-R .287-303-6-31-.748)
5: 1B Jeff Schottler (24-R .263-198-3-22-.735) Rookie
6: LF Gordon Saunderson (26-L .276-58-0-3-.683) Rookie
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .257-109-1-11-.653)
8: SS Eddie Thomas (25-R .321-53-0-8-.790) Rookie
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .233-43-0-1-.576)

MINNESOTA
1: 2B Gary Olson (26-R .285-221-2-29-.754) Rookie
2: CF Warren Rollins (33-R .243-70-2-7-.669)
3: RF Jim Thut (25-R .198-91-3-11-.603) Rookie
4: LF Rick Ingledue (30-L .266-297-16-51-.833)
5: 3B Marcos Falcon (32-L .288-73-1-5-.806)
6: SS Billy Allen (29-R .267-191-0-19-.654)
7: 1B Dick Matthew (38-R .201-139-3-12-.564)
8: C Miguel Cintora (26-S .248-109-3-15-.697) Rookie
9: P Jose Nieves (28-R .122-49-0-2-.265)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: The Metrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 22,558

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to short. Perry Templet beats out an infield hit. He steals 2nd. C Miguel Cintora has a very strong arm and P Jose Nieves is decent at holding runners. Randy James fouls out to 1st. 2 down. Gary Long draws a walk. Full count to Jeff Schottler and he grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the First:
Gary Olson flies out to center. Warren Rollins grounds out to 3rd. Jim Thut flies out to right! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the Third:
Three straight hits by Miguel Cintora, P Jose Nieves and Gary Olson load the bases up with no outs. Warren Rollins lines one down the line in left, hooking foul, but Gordon Saunderson makes a great catch and then fires to 2nd to double P Jose Nieves off base! 2 outs! All we need to do is get a .196 hitter out to keep them off the scoreboard! A wild pitch scores Cintora.... 1 to 0, Twins. Jim Thut flies out to right.

Through 6, we have had nothing going except a lone walk since the first inning.

Bottom of the Sixth:
Meanwhile, the Twins have been knocking Terry Melton around like he's a pinata. After 2 loud outs, Rick Ingledue doubles to right. We walk Marcos Falcon intentionally to get to Billy Allen, who singles to right, scoring Ingledue. 2 to 0, Twins. Call to the Bullpen: Antoine Redd (31-R). Dick Matthew fouls out to 1st.

Top of the Seventh:
Gary Long leads off with our second hit of the day. With 1 out, Gordon Saunderson singles. PH Jeff Austin (29-R) grounds into a 5-4-3 double play....

Top of the Ninth:
With 1 out, Randy James draws a walk. Gary Long doubles to right, James stopping at 3rd. They stick with Jose Nieves. I guess their manager is like me and wants to give him the chance for a shutout. Jeff Schottler beats out an infield, but the other runners hold up. Bases loaded with 1 out. New Pitcher: Eddie Ocean (29-R). 3.34 ERA, but a lot of walks (20 in 32.1 IP). Gordon Saunderson grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6, and James scores, but now we have 2 outs. 2 to 1, Twins. PH Glenn Pearce (39-R) flies out to right....

Lost - 2 to 1

This offense is wretched....

Swept by the last place team in the PCL East...
3 straight losses, matching our season high (May 16-18)
All three by 1 run...

P Terry Melton's 10 game winning steak is over...

We had 5 hits and made no errors
Minnesota had 10 hits and made no errors

Terry Melton (L 11-3) went 5.2 innings, allowed 2 runs, 8 hits, 1 intentional walk and struck out no one. He threw a WP.
RHP Antoine Redd faced 4 batters and got them all out.
LHP Lou Hertzberg pitched 1 scoreless inning, allowed 2 hits and struck out 1.

Jose Nieves (W 8-9) went 8.1 innings, gave us 1 run, 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit.
RHP Eddie Ocean (SV 4) faced 2 batters and retired them both.

2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double and a walk, but no runs or RBI.

For the Twins, LF Rick Ingledue had 3 hits with 2 doubles and scored a run.