The Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (MLB)

[Questdog]

Tuesday, April 17, Year I

Oakland Oaks (8-6 .571 0.5 GB in 2nd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (6-7 .462 2 GB tied for 4th place in the PCL West)

OAK: Ed Alvarado (27-R 2-1 3.09 ERA) vs. POR: Tom Horn (24-L 0-1 2.25 ERA in AAA) Major League Debut

If we only scored 3 runs off the bum yesterday, how are we going to score any off their ace today? He beat us on Opening Day, 8 to 3, going 8.1 innings. He is going on short rest, so maybe we have a little hope.

Today we run out the 4th pitcher already to make his first Major League start for us this season. Hopefully, he fares better than the other three...

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
OAKLAND
1: SS Henry Rangel (27-R .277-65-0-7-.611)
2: LF Dave Schoenfeld (28-R .380-50-0-6-.836)
3: RF Tom Short (29-L .231-52-1-3-.676)
4: 2B Felix Salazar (32-R .267-45-2-5-.810)
5: 1B Farley Ross (34-L .175-40-2-5-.642)
6: 3B Antonio Mata (26-R .217-46-2-7-.620)
7: CF Roger Crandall (27-L .333-39-0-0-.922) Rookie
8: C Don Stokes (39-R .439-41-3-11-1.256)
9: P Ed Alvarado (27-R .000-8-0-0-.000)

PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (22-L .462-52-1-7-1.068) Rookie
2: C Dennis Webb (24-L .326-43-0-4-.811)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .377-53-0-9-.836)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .204-49-1-7-.556)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .269-52-1-6-.687)
6: 3B Glenn Pearce (38-R .267-45-0-2-.635)
7: 2B Manuel Jimenez (29-R) Season debut
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .188-48-0-4-.470)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L) Major League debut

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof closed
Attendance: 13,619

Top of the First:
Henry Rangel grounds out to the pitcher. Dave Schoenfeld lines an 0-2 pitch into right for a hit. Tom Short lines out to 3rd. Felix Salazar flies out to deep right, near the foul line.

Bottom of the First:
Perry Templet swings at the first pitch, as he is wont to do, and grounds a hit into right. He now has an 11 game hitting streak. Dennis Webb, with Perry Templet on the move, takes a 3-2 pitch for strike three, but Templet makes it to 2nd with a stolen base. Dale Ainsworth strikes out. Jeff Austin flies out to deep right.

Bottom of the Second:
Howard McNeal leads off with a double to left and Glenn Pearce follows with a single up the middle to score him. 1 to 0, Beavers! That is all we get, though.

Bottom of the Third:
Dennis Webb leads off with a double to center and with 2 outs, Howard McNeal singles him home! 2 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Sixth:
Dave Schoenfeld leads off with a hit and goes to 3rd on a hit by Tom Short. Felix Salazar lines out to deep left and Schoenfeld scores. 2 to 1, Beavers. We decide to leave Horn in to face one more batter, since Farley Ross bats from the left side. He strikes out! 2 outs. We give him once more batter, then.... Antonio Mata triples to left center, tying the game at 2... Roger Crandall is a lefty, so we will give him just one more.... He strikes out!

Top of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Antoine Redd (30-R), beginning his 2nd inning of work. Dave Schoenfeld and Tom Short lead off with back-to-back singles and Felix Salazar walks to load the bases up with no outs... The infield is brought in. Farley Ross grounds one to 2nd and we get the force at home, 4-2. 1 out. Infield still in. Antonio Mata grounds one to 3rd and we get a 5-2-3 double play!!! No runs!!!

Top of the Ninth:
Antoine Redd still in there. PH Dave Russell (26-L), who is 6 for 15 (.400) with a home run on the season, works the count full and then takes ball 4... PH Roger Murphy (26-L) is announced and we make a Call to the Bullpen: Jerry Wilhelm (32-L). They leave Murphy in there and he flies out to the base of the wall in center. Whew! PH Jackie Roberts (31-R) is announced and we make another Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmidt (26-R). Joe Harrison (35-R) comes in to play 1st in a double switch. They leave Roberts in and he draws a walk... Henry Rangel pops out to 1st! 2 down. Dave Schoenfeld grounds out to short!

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Darryl Amar (26-R). He is not their closer, who is rested and sitting in the Bullpen. Amar was claimed off waivers a week ago from New York. Howard McNeal drives one into left center in a bid for a hit, but Dave Schoenfeld, who is now in center and not known for his range, makes a great running catch... Glenn Pearce lines out to short. Joe Harrison hits one well to right, but it is caught at the warning track.

Extras!

Our first extra inning game this season.

Top of the Tenth:
Felix Salazar gets a 1 out hit, but that is all they get.

Bottom of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Tomas Cavazos (24-R), their closer. 1 unearned run in 7 innings. 5 H, 1 BB and 7 K. One of the best in the League. We go down in order.

Top of the Eleventh:
They go down in order.

Bottom of the Eleventh:
After the first two make outs, I let P Don Schmidt make the third out.

Top of the Twelfth:
Top of their order. With 2 outs, Tom Short draws an walk and Felix Salazar follows with a single, but Farley Ross strikes out!

Bottom of the Twelfth:
New Pitcher: Jerry Parra (36-R). Still throws hard and has a great slider. Howard McNeal leads off by taking a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. He steals 2nd, standing up! Glenn Pearce grounds out to 1st, 3-1, and McNeal moves over to 3rd. The winning run is 90 feet away with 1 out. All we need now is a fly ball... The infield is in. Joe Harrison pokes one over the drawn in defenders for a hit and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!!!

Won - 3 to 2 in 12 innings

We had 7 whole hits and made no errors
Oakland had 10 hits and made no errors

Tom Horn went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2 in his Major League debut.
RHP Antoine Redd went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and struck out 1 and got out of a bases loaded, no out jam unscathed.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm faced 1 batter and retired him.
RHP Don Schmidt (W 1-0) went 3.2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2.

Ed Alvarado went 5 innings, gave us 2 runs, 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4.
RHP Jerry Parra (L 0-1) got 1 out and gave us 1 run, 1 hit and 1 walk.

C Dennis Webb hit a double and scored a run. LF Howard McNeal had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored 2 runs, including the winning one, and had an RBI. He also stole 2 bases. 1B Joe Harrison had the game winning hit. SS Dave Lesley hit a double and drew a walk.

For the Oaks, LF/CF Dave Schoenfeld had 3 hits and a walk and scored a run.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, April 18, Year I

Oakland Oaks (8-7 .533 0.5 GB in 2nd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (7-7 .500 1 GB tied for 3rd place in the PCL West)

OAK: Leo Broyles (26-R 1-0 1.72 ERA) vs. POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 1-1 8.59 ERA)

Broyles has allowed only 4 hits in each of his first two starts. His win was against us in the second game of the season. He went 8 innings then and only gave us 2 runs.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
OAKLAND
1: SS Henry Rangel (27-R .254-71-0-7-.560)
2: RF Dave Schoenfeld (28-R .400-55-0-6-.877)
3: LF Tom Short (29-L .246-5-1-3-.697)
4: 2B Felix Salazar (32-R .286-49-2-6-.828)
5: 1B Dave Russell (26-L .400-15-1-3-1.167)
6: CF Roger Crandall (27-L .310-42-0-0-.861) Rookie
7: 3B Antonio Mata (26-R .216-51-2-8-.63)
8: C Steve Church (27-R .250-12-0-2-.558)
9: P Leo Broyles (26-R .000-5-0-0-.000)

PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (22-L .439-57-1-7-1.010) Rookie
2: C Dennis Webb (24-L .313-48-0-4-.790)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .345-58-0-9-.766)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .189-53-1-7-.515)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .286-56-1-7-.739)
6: 2B Gary Long (32-R .333-51-1-6-.763)
7: 3B Randy James (32-R .000-1-0-0-.000) First start of the season
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .195-51-0-4-.515)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .200-5-0-0-.400)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof closed
Attendance: 16,448

Top of the First:
Henry Rangel lines a 2-2 pitch to center for a double. Will Wolf ever have a good first inning? Dave Schoenfeld beats out an infield hit and runners are on the corners with no out. Tom Short lines a hit to right. 1 to 0, Oaks and runners are still at the corners with no out... Felix Salazar lines out to short and we double Schoenfeld off at 3rd!! 2 outs! Dave Russell flies out to left.

Bottom of the First:
Perry Templet strikes out. Dennis Webb grounds out to 2nd. Dale Ainsworth grounds a hit to left. He steals 2nd. Jeff Austin grounds out to 3rd. He is our only legitimate power threat and he is in a big slump...

Top of the Second:
With 1 out, Antonio Mata singles and Steve Church doubles. With the infield in, P Leo Broyles slaps a hit through to right and Mata scores. 2 to 0, Oaks. Henry Rangel flies out to right and Church scores. 3 to 0, Oaks.

Bottom of the Third:
P Ron Wolf leads off with a hit. Perry Templet grounds into a force out, 3-6, and then Dennis Webb singles. With 2 outs, Jeff Austin doubles to score a run. 3 to 1, Oaks. Howard McNeal strikes out to end the inning.

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Antonio Mata doubles to left. Steve Church draws a walk. P Leo Broyles lays down a bunt. 1B Jeff Austin charges in and fields it, but then makes a bad throw for a 2 base error and Mata scores. 4 to 1, Oaks. Henry Rangel strikes out! 2 outs. Dave Schoenfeld, who has worn our pitching staff out so far this season, singles to left, scoring both runners. 6 to 1, Oaks.

Lost - 13 to 2

We had 9 hits and made 1 error
Oakland had 20 hits and made 1 error

20 hits...

Those guys at Baseball America have lost all credibility with me...best record in Baseball...

Ron Wolf (L 1-2) went 4 innings, allowed 6 runs (3 earned), 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit.
RHP Barry Chapman went 2.1 innings, allowed 7 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks (1 INT) and struck out 1.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm went 2.2 scoreless innings, allowed 3 hits and struck out 3.

Leo Broyles (W 2-0) went 7 innings, gave us 2 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 6. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

CF Perry Templet went 0 for 5, ending his hitting streak at 11 games. 1B Jeff Austin hit a double and his 2nd home run of the season. He had 2 RBI. PH Gordon Saunderson had a hit.

For the Oaks, RF Dave Schoenfeld continued his assault on our pitching staff. He had 3 hits with a double and a walk, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. 2B Felix Salazar had 3 hits with an RBI. 1B Dave Russell had 3 hits with a triple, scored a run and ha 4 RBI. C Steve Church had 2 hits with a double and 2 walks and scored 3 runs.

[Questdog]

Thursday, April 19, Year I

We are in Seattle to play 4 games through the weekend. They just swept San Diego here in 3 games. We won 2 of 3 from the Rainiers in Portland last week. They are currently 4th in scoring with 4.1 runs per game (Portland is tied for 7th and falling fast at 3.6), even though they are last in the PCL in BA (.220) and OBP (.279) and most SO (106). They are tied for 3rd in most HR (14). Portland is last in HR (5) and walks (29). We have the fewest strikeouts (63) and 2nd best BA (.275). The Rainiers are 12th (last) in runs allowed with 5.2 per game (Portland, after giving up 13 last game, have dropped to a tie for 7th at 3.9). Their pitchers have allowed the most HR (18) and have the 2nd fewest SO (79) and 2nd worst BA allowed (.278).

Portland Beavers (7-8 .467 1.5 GB tied for 4th place in the PCL West) at
Seattle Rainiers (7-9 .438 2 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL West)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 1-2 3.00 ERA) vs. SEA: Bill Nuckolls (28-L 0-3 6.27 ERA)

This will be only the 2nd game this season that we have faced a lefty and the first time was against this same pitcher. He is Seattle's ace, but is off to a rough start. These same two pitchers faced each other in Portland 10 days ago and we won, 7 to 0, with Terry Melton tossing a 3 hit shutout and Nuckolls not making it through the 5th inning.

The Kingdome is the easiest place to hit home runs in the PCL. Only Wrigley Field in the NL is equal to it. Hopefully, we will not still be last in HR hit after this weekend.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .000-6-0-0-.000) 3 SO Rookie
2: 3B Glenn Pearce (39-R .269-52-0-3-.627) Today is his birthday
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .339-62-0-9-.750)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .211-57-2-9-.618)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .267-60-1-7-.690)
6: 2B Gary Long (32-R .327-55-1-6-.744)
7: C Dave Benya (26-S .000-5-0-0-.000)
8: SS Manuel Jimenez (.200-5-0-0-.533)
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .167-6-0-0-.333)

SEATTLE
1: CF Randy Hobson (25-L .379-58-3-9-1.119) Rookie
2: LF Lou Corl (24-R .250-12-0-2-.667) Rookie
3: 1B Jim Rier (26-L .500-10-0-3-1.065) Rookie
4: RF Mark Fenik (26-R .148-61-3-11-.496)
5: 3B Terry Singer (32-R .254-59-2-9-.708)
6: SS Paul Blaine (23-R .164-55-0-4-.403) Rookie
7: C Harold McMillan (31-R .179-28-0-0-.448)
8: 2B Rodger Moreno (25-R .098-51-0-0-.246)
9: P Bill Nuckolls (28-R .000-5-0-0-.000)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Kingdome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 15,844

Top of the First:
Jeff Schottler grounds out to 3rd. Glenn Pearce grounds out to 2nd. Dale Ainsworth strikes out.

Bottom of the First:
Randy Hobson doubles to right. Lou Corl grounds out to short. Jim Rier grounds out to short. Mark Fenik flies out to center!

Top of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Jeff Schottler hits a double to center, his first Major League hit! A wild pitch sends him to 3rd. Glenn Pearce, the birthday boy, draws a walk. So does Dale Ainsworth to load the bases up with 1 out for our cleanup hitter. Full count to Jeff Austin and he swings at the payoff pitch and grounds one to short. A throw to 2nd forces the runner there, but the pivot and throw to 1st are not in time and Schottler scores. 1 to 0, Beavers. Howard McNeal grounds out to 3rd to end the inning.

Top of the Seventh:
With 1 out, Jeff Schottler draws a walk. With 2 outs, Dale Ainsworth triples! 2 to 0, Beavers! P Bill Nuckolls exits stage left... New Pitcher: Hank Schneider (28-R). Jeff Austin grounds a hit up the middle and Ainsworth scores! 3 to 0, Beavers!

Won - 3 to 0

2nd shutout of the season for Terry Melton!

We had 8 hits and made no errors
Seattle had 8 hits and made no errors

No home runs.
5th straight game we have scored 3 or fewer runs.

Terry Melton (W 2-2) went 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. At bat, he was 0 for 4 with 4 SO.

Bill Nuckolls (L 0-4) went 6.2 innings, gave us 3 runs, 5 hits, 6 walks and struck out 6. He threw 2 WP. 140 pitches.

CF Jeff Schottler hit a double, his first Major League hit, drew a walk and scored 2 runs. RF Dale Ainsworth hit a triple, drew 2 walks, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Jeff Austin had a hit and 2 RBI. LF Harold McNeal had 2 hits.

[DD Martin]

Honestly not a bad start to the season to be 500. Based on the team being so bad last year and so many young starting pitchers, the Beavers are doing well.

Baseball America with the 94 win prediction was obviously way off base and should re-evaluate who they have on staff making those type of predictions

[Questdog]

Friday, April 20, Year I

Portland Beavers (8-8 .500 1 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Seattle Rainiers (7-10 .412 2.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL West)

POR: Lonny Tomski (27-R 0-1 3.24 ERA) vs. SEA: Dennis Warrington (30-R 1-0 4.60 ERA)

Warrington has had 2 bad starts and 1 good one. They good one was against us 10 days ago, when he beat us in Portland, 3 to 1, giving us only 1 unearned run on 4 hits and no walks. In his other 2 starts, he has allowed 4 home runs.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (22-L .403-62-1-7-.929) Rookie
2: C Dennis Webb (24-L .308-52-0-4-.769)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .338-65-0-10-.794)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .210-62-2-11-.601)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .322-59-1-6-.728)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .000-4-0-0-.000)
7: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .100-10-0-0-.382) Rookie
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .189-53-0-4-.496)
9: P Lonny Tomski (27-R .000-2-0-0-.333) Rookie

SEATTLE
1: LF John Haynes (29-L .269-26-1-4-.739)
2: CF Lou Corl (24-R .188-16-0-2-.500) Rookie
3: 1B Miguel Favela (29-R .229-35-1-5-.729)
4: RF Mark Fenik (26-R .154-65-3-11-.496)
5: 3B Terry Singer (32-R .270-63-2-9-.742)
6: SS Paul Blaine (23-R .186-59-0-4-.443) Rookie
7: 2B Rodger Moreno (25-R .111-54-0-0-.269)
8: C John Pauley (24-R .286-28-1-2-.833) Rookie
9: P Dennis Warrington (30-R .000-6-0-0-.000)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Kingdome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 17,083

Top of the First:
Perry Templet flies out to center. Dennis Webb flies out to center. Dale Ainsworth triples into the right field corner! Jeff Austin flies out to right.

Bottom of the First:
John Haynes lines a hit to right. Lou Corl grounds a hit past SS Dave Lesley. Miguel Favela doubles to left and Haynes scores. 1 to 0, Seattle. Mark Fenik grounds out to short and Corl scores. 2 to 0, Seattle. Terry Singer flies out to center. Paul Blaine, who is not hitting his weight, lines a hit to left center. Favela stops at 3rd. Rodger Moreno, 5 for 54, on the season flies out to right.

Top of the Second:
John Pauley leads off with a line shot to left for a hit and Lonny Tomski asks the trainer to come out and look at his elbow. He has to come out... Is he a wuss like Cole was, wanting to quit when the going got tough? Antoine Redd (30-R) goes into the game.

Top of the Fifth:
We have been hitting a lot of hard balls, but so far have only 1 hit. With 2 outs, Jeff Schottler and Dave Lesley hit back-to-back doubles! 2 to 1, Seattle.

Top of the Sixth:
Perry Templet leads off with a double and with 1 out, Dale Ainsworth singles him home to tie the game at 2 apiece!

Bottom of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Don Schmidt (26-R). He strikes out the side, 1-2-3!

Top of the Ninth:
Still 2 all. New Pitcher: Larry Herbon (25-R), their closer. He had his first save against us. Jeff Schottler strikes out. Dave Lesley lines a hit to center. Manuel Jimenez, who came in on a double switch earlier, strikes out. Perry Templet flies out to center.

Bottom of the Ninth:
This inning is in the hands of Don Schmidt, because the two relievers we have yet to use in this game are not fresh. PH Randy Dengler (29-3) flies out to deep left. PH Randy Hobson (25-L). He is normally a starter and maybe their best hitter: .377 with 3 HR and an 1.121 OPS. He grounds out to short! PH Chris Hedge (33-R). 1 for 5 on the season. has a lot of power, but strikes out a ton. He grounds out to short!

Extras!

With a worn out Bullpen!

Top of the Tenth:
Dennis Webb leads off with a grounder up the middle for a hit! Dale Ainsworth bunts him over to 2nd. Jeff Austin beats out an infield hit! 1st and 3rd with 1 out. P Don Schmidt.... Hate to pinch hit for him, but we have to here... Howard McNeal (30-R). Austin steals 2nd. That was dumb, because now they walk McNeal intentionally and I have wasted my best bat on the bench. Randy James strikes out. 2 down. Jeff Schottler grounds out to 2nd. Dang.

Bottom of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Barry Chapman (26-R). He is still trying to recover from the shellacking he suffered at the hands of the Oaks two days ago. With 2 outs, he issues a walk, but that is all they get.

Top of the Eleventh:
New Pitcher: Keith Sommers (31-R). 1.13 ERA so far. Dave Lesley leads off with a hit! He goes to 2nd on a passed ball and to 3rd on a ground out by Manuel Jimenez. They walk Perry Templet intentionally for the second time today. That is 5 intentional walks by both team in this game. Editor's Note: They were a lot more liberal with free passes back in the 80's than they are now. Dennis Webb grounds out to 1st and Templet goes to 2nd, but Lesley holds at 3rd. 2 outs. Dale Ainsworth flies out to center. Double dang...

Bottom of the Eleventh:
They go down 1-2-3!

Top of the Twelfth:
Jeff Austin leads off with a line drive hit to left. P Barry Chapman is left in to bunt him over and he does. Randy James draws a walk. We pull off a double steal!! They pull the infield in and Jeff Schottler grounds out to short. 2 outs. Hoe many opportunities to score are we going to waste this game? Dave Lesley pops out to 2nd. Double double dang dang...

Bottom of the Twelfth:
Chapman has to be getting gassed and if he blows the game here, we deserve it and I will not fault him. They go down 1-2-3!

Top of the Thirteenth:
New Pitcher: Jose Esquivel (33-L). He is going to have to go the rest of the way for them: all of the pitchers they have not used yet are gassed and their bench is empty. We still have Jerry Wilhelm (32-L), who is "Slightly tired" and SP Frank Martin is "Slightly tired". We go down in order...

Bottom of the Thirteenth:
Lou Corl beats out an infield hit. He tries to steal, but is thrown out!!! 0-2 pitch to Miguel Favela and he launches it into the seats in left....

Lost - 3 to 2 in 13 innings

We had 12 hits and made no errors
Seattle had 10 hits and made no errors

Lonny Tomski went 1+ innings, allowed 2 runs and 5 hits.
RHP Antoine Redd went 4.2 scoreless innings, allowed 3 hits, 2 walks (1 INT) and struck out 2.
LHP Lou Hertzberg went 1.1 perfect innings and struck out 2.
RHP Don Schmidt went 2 perfect innings and struck out 3.
Barry Chapman (L 0-1) went 3.1 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 2.

Dennis Warrington went 6 innings, gave us 2 runs, 5 hits, 1 intentional walk and struck out 3.
Jose Esquivel (W 1-0) pitched 1 perfect inning and struck out 1.

CF Perry Templet hit a double, was walked intentionally twice and scored a run. RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with a triple and an RBI. 1B Jeff Austin had 2 hits and was walked intentionally and stole 2 bases. PH Gordon Saunderson hit a double. PH Howard McNeal was walked intentionally. LF Jeff Schottler hit 2 doubles and scored a run. SS Dave Lesley had 3 hits with a double and an RBI. Hopefully, this means he is out of his slump.

I found Lonny Tomski after the game to see if I could tell whether he was a quitter or if his elbow was really hurt. It was swollen up like a grapefruit, so I apologize for questioning his character. But not out loud; he does not need to know my thoughts. The trainer says it will take about a week to get better. We have 2 off days next week, so we can probably get by without putting him on the Disabled List. Not sure how we will make it through this weekend with a spent Bullpen, though...

[Questdog]

Saturday, April 21, Year I

We keep getting to .500, but then cannot get over the hump.

Portland Beavers (8-9 .471 2 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Seattle Rainiers (8-10 .444 2.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL West)

POR: Frank Martin (26-R 2-1 1.59 ERA) vs. SEA: Jesse Marszalek (24-R) major League debut

Marszalek is another call up from AA. Maybe they forgot they have a AAA team? Editor's Note: I doubled checked to make sure I did not screw up in setting up the League. They have Tacoma as their AAA affiliate. He did not even start a game in AA, but pitched 1 game in relief and gave up 3 hits and a home run in 2 innings. Dave Dafoe says his stuff is super nasty, but he has no clue as to where the ball is going when he lets it go.

If we do not break our streak of 6 games in a row with 3 or fewer runs scored, I am going to go ballistic.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (22-L .388-67-1-7-.922) Rookie
2: C Dennis Webb (24-L .288-58-0-4-.712)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .343-70-0-11-.823)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .224-67-2-11-.626)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .277-65-1-7-.709)
6: 3B Glenn Pearce (39-R .268-56-0-3-.629)
7: 2B Gary Long (32-R .306-62-1-6-.693)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .220-59-0-5-.563)
9: P Frank Martin (26-R .250-8-0-1-.708) Rookie

SEATTLE
1: CF Randy Hobson (25-L .371-62-3-9-1.105) Rookie
2: LF John Haynes (29-L .258-31-1-4-.688)
3: RF Mark Fenik (26-R .157-70-3-12-.489)
4: 1B Randy Dengler (29-L .200-25-1-5-.619)
5: 3B Terry Singer (32-R .265-68-2-9-.717)
6: SS Paul Blaine (23-R .206-63-0-4-.509) Rookie
7: C Harold McMillan (33-R .152-33-0-0-.382)
8: 2B Rodger Moreno (25-R .107-56-0-0-.274)
9: P Jesse Marszalek (24-R) Major League debut

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Kingdome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 17,629

Top of the First:
Perry Templet beats out an infield hit. Dennis Webb lines a hit into center. Dale Ainsworth beats out an infield hit to load the base up with no outs for our cleanup hitter in the easiest park to hit home runs in the PCL against a AA pitcher.... If we do not score this inning, I am going to eat my hat. A wild pitch scores Templet. 1 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Austin strikes out.... Howard McNeal strikes out... Glenn Pearce take a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Bases loaded back up with 2 outs. Gary Long draws a walk to force in a run. 2 to 0, Beavers! Dave Lesley grounds out to short. Well, that is fewer runs than we should have scored with the bases loaded and no outs, but I am not eating my hat.

Bottom of the First:
Randy Hobson hits an 0-2 pitch off the wall in center for a triple... John Haynes fouls out to 3rd. Mark Fenik flies out to right, fairly deep, but the speedy Hobbs holds at 3rd. Thanks! Randy Dengler grounds out to 2nd! Awesome!

Top of the Second:
With 2 outs, Dennis Webb doubles to left and then Dale Ainsworth triples off the left center field wall! 3 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Austin, our awesome cleanup hitter, strikes out again... Well, we have made it to our 3 run ceiling and have 7 innings to try and bust through the roof...

Bottom of the Fourth:
John Haynes leads off with a walk. With 1 out, Randy Dengler doubles. With 2 outs, Paul Blaine, who cannot hit against anyone else, gets another hit against us and Haynes scores. 3 to 1, Beavers.

Bottom of the Ninth:
7 innings to bust through the 3 run ceiling, but we did not... On the Hill: LHP Jerry Wilhelm (32-L), beginning his second inning of work. Harold McMillan strikes out. Chris Hedge draws a walk. PH Joe Wasserman (28-R) triples to right... 3 to 2, Beavers. Randy Hobson grounds out to 2nd and Wasserman holds at 3rd. 2 outs. PH John Pauley (24-R). .300 with 1 HR in 30 AB and an .864 OPS. I do not have a fresh right-hander to bring in... He walks on 4 pitches. Mark Fenik flies out to center and THIS Ball game Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 3 to 2

7 games in a row with 3 runs or fewer scored by us, yet we are 4-3 during the streak.

We had 8 hits and made 1 error
Seattle had 6 hits and made 3 errors

Frank Martin (W 3-1) went 7.1 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 6.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm (SV 1) went 1.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 1 hit, 3 walks and struck out 2.

Jesse Marszalek (L 0-1) went 7 innings in his Major League debut, gave us 3 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 10. After a rough first two innings, he was pretty awesome.

C Dennis Webb had 2 hits with a double and scored 2 runs. PH Jeff Schottler had a hit. RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with a triple and an RBI. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits and a walk and had an RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, April 22, Year I

Portland Beavers (9-9 .500 2 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Seattle Rainiers (8-11 .421 3.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL West)

POR: Tom Horn (24-L 0-0 3.00 ERA) vs. SEA: Alan Merandi (27-R 1-3 3.76 ERA)

Merandi is their #2 starter. In 4 starts, he has not allowed a home run and we have not hit a home run in the 3 games we have played so far in the homer happy Kingdome, so I guess both of our streaks will stay intact through today. He has walked more than he has struck out, though he has not walked a bunch. We have not faced him yet. He pitched a 3 hit shutout against San Diego here in his last outing.

I said I was going to go ballistic, but we won, so I guess I'll save the tirade for today if the streak of offensive offensiveness continues.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (22-L .380-71-1-7-.906) Rookie
2: C Dennis Webb (24-L .302-63-0-4-.746)
3: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .261-69-1-7-.668)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .211-71-2-11-.591)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .323-65-1-7-.732)
6: 3B Glenn Pearce (39-R .254-59-0-3-.609)
7: RF Gordon Saunderson (26-L .286-14-0-0-.762) First Major League start
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .206-63-0-5-.528)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .000-2-0-0-.000) Rookie

SEATTLE
1: 2B Rodger Moreno (25-R .103-58-0-0-.265)
2: CF Randy Hobson (25-L .358-67-3-9-1.085) Rookie
3: 1B Miguel Favela (29-R .244-41-2-7-.831)
4: RF Mark Fenik (26-R .160-75-3-12-.483)
5: 3B Terry Singer (32-R .268-71-2-9-.724)
6: C John Pauley (24-R .300-30-1-2-.882) Rookie
7: SS Paul Blaine (23-R .209-67-0-5-.508) Rookie
8: LF Randy Dengler (29-L .214-28-1-5-.660)
9: P Alan Merandi (27-R .000-7-0-0-.000)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: The Kingdome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 17,684

Top of the First:
Perry Templet works the count full (!) and then takes ball 4 (!!). Only his 3rd unintentional walk of the season. Dennis Webb lines out to 1st and Templet is doubled off base. Howard McNeal beats out an infield hit. He steals 2nd to get into scoring position for our awesome cleanup hitter... Jeff Austin pops one into center, but Randy Hobson drops the ball for a 2 base error and McNeal scores! 1 to 0, Beavers! Gary Long grounds out to short.

Bottom of the First:
Rodger Moreno lines a hit into center. He is now hitting .235 against us (4 for 17); against the rest of the League, he is hitting .071 (3 for 42). Randy Hobson grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and Moreno goes to 2nd. Moreno steals 3rd. Miguel Favela grounds out to short and Moreno scores to tie the game at 1 all. 3-2 pitch to Mark Fenik, who takes it for ball 4. Terry Singer strikes out.

Bottom of the Third:
Rodger Moreno doubles to lead off the inning. His first extra base hit of the season. He is now batting .263 against us, .071 against everyone else... Randy Hobson homers to right... 3 to 1, Seattle.

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Jeff Austin singles and steals 2nd. With 2 outs, Glenn Pearce singles him home. 3 to 2, Seattle.

Bottom of the Fourth:
John Pauley leads off with a double, goes to 3rd on a ground out and scores on a fly ball. 4 to 2, Seattle. That's the ball game, because we are not allowed more than 3 runs...

Lost - 4 to 2

This is the grimmiest grimchit I have ever seen! 8 straight games with 3 or fewer runs and 14 of the 19 games we have played this season. Baseball America said we would lead our division in runs scored! Bunch of guano drinkers...

We had 8 hits and made no errors
Seattle had 9 hits and made 1 error

Tom Horn (L 0-1) went 6 innings, allowed 4 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 3.
RHP Don Schmidt pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 1.

Alan Merandi (W 2-3) went 8 innings, gave us 2 runs (1 earned), 8 hits, 1 walk (to start the game) and struck out 3.
Lary Herbon (SV 4) pitched a perfect 9th with 1 strikeout.

LF Howard McNeal had 3 hits, stole a base and scored a run.

For the Rainiers, CF Randy Hobson had 3 hits with his 4th home run of the season and had 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Monday, April 23, Year I

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Don Rockwell, LF, Brooklyn (32-L .397/.488/.735) Had 13 hits with 1 2b, 3 HR, 6 BB, 1 SO, 7 R and 8 RBI in 7 G
PCL Player of the Week - Frank Martin, P, Portland (26-R 1-0 1.50 ERA) Went 2-0 with a shutout. Allowed 1 run in 16.1 IP, 11 H, 6 BB, 10 SO.

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

April 17 - Alan Merandi (27-R) of Seattle pitched a 3 hit shutout at home versus San Diego. He walked 4 and struck out 1. The Rainiers won, 6 to 0.
April 17 - Jack Senese (25-R) of Philadelphia pitched a 3 hit shutout at Brooklyn in his Major League debut. He walked 4 and struck out 3. The Phillies won, 7 to 0.
April 18 - CF Felix Zavala (30-L) of St. Louis had 4 hits with a double and a home run at home versus Detroit. He scored 4 runs and had 2 RBI.
April 20 - 2B Randy Bradley (34-R) of Boston hit a double and a home run at home versus New York. He scored twice and had 5 RBI. The Braves won, 11 to 7.
April 20 - Rick Wright (25-L) of St. Louis pitched a 3 hit shutout at home versus Pittsburgh. He walked 1 and struck out 11. The Cardinals won, 2 to 0.

Random Fact of Week: Frank Martin is the PCL Player of the Week and currently leads the PCL in ERA at 1.50. That is actually a pretty high ERA to be leading this early in the season. In the National League, he would only be tied for 6th place. Rookie John Senese leads the NL with an ERA of 0. He has pitched 2 straight 3 hitters to start his Major League career and allowed but 1 unearned run.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, April 24, Year I

We are in Houston to play a short 2 game set with them in the Astrodome. We go from the easiest park to hit home runs in to the hardest. But it does not matter to us, because every park is near impossible for us to hit home runs in.... These will be the first games we play against the East division. The Astros took 3 of 4 here from the Oakland Oaks over the weekend. They are 6th in scoring with 3.8 runs per game (Portland is down to #11 at 3.4). They are 6th in runs allowed at 3.6 per game (Portland is 5th with a little lower 3.6).

Portland Beavers (9-10 .474 2 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Houston Astros (11-9 .550 3.5 GB in 2nd place in the PCL East)

POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 1-2 8.20 ERA) vs. HOU: Pat Porter (24-R 1-0 1.00 ERA) Rookie

This will be Porter's second Major League start of his career. In his first, he pitched a CG 5 hitter, walking 1 and striking out 6 and allowing only 1 run.

Wolf is supposed to be our ace...

8 straight games we have scored 3 or fewer runs, but we are 4-4 during the stretch. I want to shake things up, but we do not really have many guys on the bench who might possibly hit better than the starters. Especially in the infield, where all the cold hitters reside. I am making one change and installing rookie Jeff Schottler in left field to give him a chance to show what he can do. We have not gotten many lefties to start him against in center. Howard McNeal has not been terrible, but he has not been all that great either, and he is 30 and Schottler is 24. Also, 3B Randy James is going to play for a bit to see if he is better than 39 year old Glenn Pearce. So far, James is 0 for 9 with 5 SO, so the answer is probably no. If he plays horribly as a starter, we will look to make a trade for a third baseman.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .365-74-1-7-.906) Rookie Yesterday was his birthday
2: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .235-17-0-0-.690) Rookie
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .342-76-0-12-.838)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .213-75-2-11-.586)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .319-69-1-7-.718)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .000-9-0-0-.100)
7: C Dennis Webb (24-L .299-67-0-4-.732)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .197-66-0-5-.505)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .333-6-0-0-.667)

HOUSTON
1: 1B Bob Trigg (29-S .314-70-1-5-.766)
2: CF Don Mosley (29-R .235-81-2-11-.629)
3: 2B Bob Webster (22-S .077-26-0-2-.315) Rookie
4: LF Mark Saylor (24-S .320-25-0-2-.833) Rookie
5: 3B Ed Sacco (31-R .328-61-3-9-.945)
6: RF Randy Thompson (23-L .091-11-0-1-.377) Rookie
7: C Gary Murdock (27-R .242-33-0-2-.558)
8: SS Russ Mitchell (31-R .139-72-0-7-.415)
9: P Pat Porter (24-R .000-2-0-1-.000) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Astrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 15,335

Top of the First:
Perry Templet leads off by knocking one into the left field corner and getting a triple! Jeff Schottler fouls out to 1st... Dale Ainsworth grounds out to 3rd and Templet scores. 1 to 0, Beavers. Jeff Austin grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the First:
Here we go....Wolf has been lit up in the first inning in all of his starts...
Bob Trigg flies out to right. Don Mosley strikes out. Bob Webster flies out to left! 1-2-3!

Top of the Seventh:
With 2 outs, Gary Long and Randy James hit back-to-back doubles. 2 to 0, Beavers!

Won - 2 to 0

9 straight games with 3 or fewer runs for our offense....but we are 5-4 during the stretch, which is pretty awesome!

We had 6 hits and made no errors
Houston had 4 hits and made no errors

Ron Wolf (W 2-2) went 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4.

Pat Porter (L 1-1) went 8.1 innings, gave us 2 runs, 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5. At bat, he had their first hit of the game.

CF Perry Templet hit a triple and scored a run and threw a runner out at 3rd. 2B Gary Long hit a double and drew a walk and scored a run. 3B Randy James had 2 hits with a double and an RBI.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, April 25, Year I

Portland Beavers (10-10 .500 2 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Houston Astros (11-10 .524 3.5 GB in 2nd place in the PCL East)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 2-2 2.10 ERA) vs. HOU: Brett Davidson (30-L 1-0 1.06 ERA)

A lefty! Only the 3rd game of the season we have faced a lefty. He has only allowed 2 runs total in 2 starts, with a CG 4 hit shutout to his credit already.

9 straight games we have scored 3 or fewer runs, but we are 5-4 during the stretch.

I have been exploring trade options to acquire a Third Baseman, but it does not seem like a possibility. All the good young ones will not be let go of and the older ones that are making money cannot be had because I sank all of our extra budget space into Scouting and Player Development and we do not have the flexibility to add any salary to our roster, even though we have the second lowest payroll in the Majors.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .238-21-0-0-.654) Rookie
2: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .288-73-1-7-.713)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .325-80-0-13-.797)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .203-79-2-11-.557)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .319-72-1-7-.739)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .154-13-0-1-.445)
7: C Dave Benya (26-S .125-8-0-0-.347)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .188-69-0-5-.483)
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .100-10-0-0-.200)

HOUSTON
1: CF Randy Thompson (23-L .154-13-0-1-.507) Rookie
2: LF Mark Saylor (24-S .286-28-0-2-.748) Rookie
3: RF Bill Henning (29-L .324-71-0-10-.811)
4: 2B Bob Webster (22-S .069-29-0-2-.285) Rookie
5: 3B Ed Sacco (31-R .328-64-3-9-.901)
6: 1B Gary Warner (26-R .333-33-1-4-.778) Rookie
7: SS Russ Mitchell (31-R .133-75-0-7-.399)
8: C Steve Coker (22-R .267-15-0-2-.722) Rookie
9: P Brett Davidson (30-L .000-5-0-0-.000)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Astrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 14,077

Top of the First:
Jeff Schottler grounds out to short. Howard McNeal draws a walk. Dale Ainsworth grounds a hit to right and McNeal beats the throw to 3rd. Our awesome cleanup hitter, Jeff Austin, strikes out... Gary Long grounds a hit to left, scoring McNeal, but Ainsworth gets thrown out trying to take 3rd. 1 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the First:
3-2 pitch to Randy Thompson and he flies out to right. Mark Saylor walks. Bill Henning grounds out to 2nd and Saylor moves up. Bob Webster swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit into right, scoring Saylor and tying the game at 1 apiece. Ed Sacco grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Second:
We manage to get the bases loaded with 2 outs, but that is all.

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Dave Benya beats out an infield hit and Dave Lesley singles to left. P Terry Melton bunts them up. 2 outs. Jeff Schottler bounces one back to the pitcher, but Brett Davidson drops the ball for an error and Benya scores! 2 to 1, Beavers! Howard McNeal singles up the middle, scoring Lesley! Schottler heads to 3rd and beats the throw, but slides in head first and bruises his hand badly. I keep telling them that headfirst slides are stupid, but no one will listen... Perry Templet goes in to run for him and will stay in to play center field. 3 to 1, Beavers! We have 5 more innings to bust through the 3 run ceiling!

Top of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Gary Long reaches 1st when RF Bill Henning drops his fly ball. Randy James singles to left. With 2 outs, Dave Lesley lines a hit to right and Long scores!!!!!! 4 runs!!!!! 4 to 1, Beavers!!!! The curse is lifted!!!!!

Top of the Sixth:
New Pitcher: Brad Hamel (23-R), another of Houston's gaggle of rookies. They seem to have a lot. Perry Templet leads off with a hit and Howard McNeal bunts him over. Dale Ainsworth grounds a hit to left and Templet scores! 5 to 1, Beavers!

Won - 5 to 1

The Streak is Over!

We had 15 hits and made 1 error
Houston had 4 hits and made 2 errors

Terry Melton (W 3-2) went 9 innings (CG), allowed 1 run, 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. He threw a WP.

Brett Davidson (L 1-1) went 5 innings, gave us 4 runs (1 earned), 10 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits and an RBI. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Randy James had 2 hits. SS Dave Lesley went 5 for 5 with a double, scored a run and had an RBI! It is about time he started hitting. He did make his 5th error of the season, though.

The trainer's report on Jeff Schottler's hand is that it will keep him out for 3 to 5 days, but is nothing serious. Slide feet first, always!

[Questdog]

Friday, April 27, Year I

We are in Minneapolis to play the Twins 3 games over the weekend. They just lost 2 here to Oakland and have lost 5 of their last 6 games. They are 12th (last) in scoring in the PCL with 3.1 runs per game (Portland is 10th with 3.4). We have only hit 5 home runs in 21 games. We have half as many as the next worst team.... The Twins are 9th in runs allowed with 4.2 per game (Portland is 3rd at 3.3). Their pitchers have allowed the fewest home runs in the PCL (6), so I guess no home runs for us this series, either...

Portland Beavers (11-10 .524 1.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Minnesota Twins (7-14 .333 8 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East)

POR: Frank Martin (26-R 3-1 1.50 ERA) vs. MIN: Ben Galvin (24-R 1-2 3.04 ERA) Rookie

Galvin is a rookie and he is off to a great start, thought the Twins will not score any runs for him. He leads the PCL in SO/9 with 9.4. 28 SO in 26.2 IP. That is very impressive in this day and age.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .362-80-1-7-.887) Rookie
2: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .289-76-1-8-.720)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .329-85-0-14-.797)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .202-84-2-11-.548)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .325-77-1-8-.742)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .222-18-0-1-.541)
7: C Phil Parker (26-S .400-5-0-0-1.000)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .243-74-0-6-.597)
9: P Frank Martin (26-S .182-11-0-1-.523) Rookie

MINNESOTA
1: 3B Dwight Marshall (35-R .192-78-1-4-.524)
2: CF Mike Francoeur (25-L .313-80-4-11-.930)
3: LF Rick Ingledue (30-L .213-75-1-8-.669)
4: RF Jim Thut (25-R .172-29-1-3-.571) Rookie
5: 2B Roberto Rodriguez (33-R .375-8-0-2-.875)
6: 1B Dick Matthew (37-R .246-61-2-7-.691)
7: SS Billy Allen (29-R .293-75-0-7-.707)
8: C John Sturgis (29-R .250-40-1-4-.677)
9: P Ben Galvin (24-R .200-10-0-1-.473) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Metrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 24,459

Top of the First:
Perry Templet grounds out to short. 3-2 pitch to Howard McNeal is wide for ball 4. Dale Ainsworth grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Jeff Austin grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the First:
Dwight Marshall beats out a bunt hit. Mike Francoeur grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4. Francoeur tries to steal, but we have a pitchout called and he is out by a mile. C Phil Parker has a very strong arm. Full count to Rick Ingledue and he swings and misses the payoff pitch!

Top of the Second:
With 1 out, Randy James singles and Phil Parker bounces one over the fence for a ground rule double. Dave Lesley grounds out to short and James scores. 1 to 0, Beavers.

Bottom of the Second:
Jim Thut leads off with a home run to tie the game at 1 all. That is the first home run Frank Martin has allowed this season.

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, Howard McNeal homers to left!!!!! Our string of 6 homerless games in a row is over! 2 to 1, Beavers! With 2 outs, Jeff Austin homers over the garbage bag in right!!!! 3 to 1, Beavers! 2 home runs in one game! 1 inning!!

Bottom of the Third:
John Sturgis leads off with a hit and P Ben Galvin bunts him over to 2nd. Dwight Marshall doubles him home. 3 to 2, Beavers. With 2 outs, Rick Ingledue walks and then Jim Thus doubles and Marshall scores to tie the game at 3. Roberto Rodriguez swings and misses a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Dick Matthew leads off with a double down the left field line and Bill Allen follows with a single to score a run. 4 to 3, Twins. They get another run on a ground out. 5 to 3, Twins.

Lost - 5 to 3

We had 9 hits and made no errors
Minnesota had 13 hits and made no errors

Frank Martin (L 3-2) went 6 innings, allowed 5 runs, 11 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 6.
LHP Lou Hertzberg faced 2 batters and got 1 out and gave up 1 hit.
RHP Don Schmidt went 1.2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Ben Galvin (W 2-2) went 6 innings, gave us 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 home runs, 3 walks and struck out 4.
RHP Ron Singerman (SV 3) pitched a scoreless 9th, gave us 1 hit and struck out 1.

CF Perry Templet had 2 hits with a double and a walk, but no runs or RBI. LF Howard McNeal hit a home run and drew a walk. 1B Jeff Austin hit a home run. 3B Randy James had 2 hits and scored a run. C Phil Parker had 2 hits and a walk, but no runs or RBI. He also threw out the only runner who tried to steal.

For the Twins, C John Sturgis had 3 hits and scored a run.

[Questdog]

Saturday, April 28, Year I

Portland Beavers (11-11 .500 1.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Minnesota Twins (8-14 .364 8 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East)

POR: Lonny Tomski (27-R 0-1 4.82 ERA) vs. MIN: Tony Sierra (25-R 0-3 5.03 ERA) Rookie

Sierra is another rookie, but he is not off to a good start like Ben Galvin. In 19.2 IP, he has allowed 25 H, 1 HR, 16 BB and 13 SO.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .369-84-1-7-.911) Rookie
2: C Dennis Webb (24-L .292-72-0-4-.709)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .322-90-0-14-.776)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .287-80-2-9-.754)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .313-80-1-8-.723)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .273-22-0-1-.623)
7: 1B Joe Harrison (35-R .125-8-0-1-.425)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .231-78-0-7-.567)
9: P Lonny Tomski (27-R .000-2-0-0-.000) Rookie

MINNESOTA
1: 3B Dwight Marshall (35-R .207-82-1-6-.558)
2: CF Mike Francoeur (25-L .298-84-4-11-.887)
3: LF Rick Ingledue (30-L .218-78-1-8-.676)
4: RF Jim Thut (25-R .212-33-2-5-.742) Rookie
5: 1B Roberto Rodriguez (33-R .417-12-0-2-1.000)
6: 2B Billy Allen (29-R .304-79-0-8-.721)
7: C Miguel Cintora (25-S .194-31-0-2-.500) Rookie
8: SS Jerry Walker (27-R .283-53-0-4-.774) Rookie
9: P Tony Sierra (25-L .000-6-0-0-.000) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Metrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 29,052

Top of the First:
Perry Templet strikes out. Dennis Webb grounds out to 3rd. Dale Ainsworth takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. He steals 2nd. Howard McNeal swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses...

Bottom of the First:
For the second game in a row, Dwight Marshall tries to bunt his way aboard to lead off the game, but he is not successful this time, 1-3. Mike Francoeur flies out to left. Rick Ingledue flies out to deep left. 1-2-3!

Top of the Second:
New Pitcher: Jeff Haynes (28-L). Apparently, Tony Sierra is injured. That stinks. Sierra was stinky, but this new guy has not allowed a run yet this season. Or a walk. Gary Long leads off with a double and goes to 3rd on a single by Randy James. With 1 out, Haynes uncorks a wild one and he has now allowed a run this season! 1 to 0, Beavers! That is all we get, though.

Bottom of the Sixth:
Dwight Marshall leads off with a line drive to right for a hit. We get the Bullpen up. Mike Francoeur bunts him over to 2nd. Rick Ingledue singles to right and Marshall stops at 3rd. Going to the Bullpen would be smart here, but I never like to pull a guy until he has given up a run... Jim Thut flies out to center and Marshall holds at 3rd, but Ingledue is caught being a spectator at 1st and Perry Templet doubles him off base!!!

Bottom of the Seventh:
Roberto Rodriguez leads off with a single and steals 2nd. PH Don Morse (26-L), who is 1 for 14 with a HR on the season, walks. Miguel Cintora bunts the runners up and Jerry Walker plates a run with a fly ball. 1 to 1, all tied up. PH Juan Reyna (33-L) is announced and we go to the Bullpen: Jerry Wilhelm (32-L). They leave Reyna in there and he strikes out!

Top of the Ninth:
Still tied at 1 apiece.
New Pitcher: Ron Singerman (27-R), their closer, who is another reliever of theirs who has not yet allowed a run or a walk this season. He strikes out the first two and then PH Gordon Saunderson (26-L) beats out an infield hit. Perry Templet then beats out another infield hit! But C Dave Benya grounds out to 2nd to end the inning.

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Antonie Redd (30-R), who has not pitched in over a week. Is he fresh or rusty? He strikes out Jim Thut, looking fresh, but then Roberto Rodriguez singles up the middle. A passed ball moves the runner to scoring position... We walk 3B Marcos Falcon intentionally. Miguel Cintora lines a hit to right and that is the ball game....

Lost - 2 to 1

We had 9 hits and made 1 error
Minnesota had 6 hits and made 1 error

Lonny Tomski went 6.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. At bat, he had a hit.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm faced 4 batters and got them all out, striking out 3 of them (the 3 lefties he faced).
RHP Antoine Redd (L 0-1) faced 3 batters and only got 1 out (a strikeout), gave up 2 hits and a run.

Tony Sierra went 1 scoreless inning, giving is 1 walk and striking out 2. The report on him is a swollen shoulder and they expect him to be out the rest of the season.
LHP Jeff Haynes went 6 innings, gave us 1 run, 5 hits, 1 intentional walk, 1 HBP and struck out 4.
RHP Ron Singerman (W 3-0) pitched a scoreless 9th, giving us 2 hits and striking out 2.

RF Dale Ainsworth was 2 for 2 with a walk and got beaned and stole a base, but did not score or knock anyone in. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. PH Gordon Saunderson had a hit.

For the Twins, 1B Roberto Rodriguez had half of their hits (3), stole a base and scored both of their runs.

[Questdog]

Sunday, April 29, Year I

Portland Beavers (11-12 .478 1.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Minnesota Twins (9-14 .391 8 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East)

POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 2-2 5.53 ERA) vs. MIN: Jose Nieves (28-R 2-3 3.18 ERA)

Nieves is their $1.8 million Ace. He is very popular with the fans.

Wolf finally had a good start last time out; let's hope he can sustain it.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .360-89-1-7-.883) Rookie
2: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .217-23-0-0-.628) Rookie
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .337-92-0-14-.814)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .202-89-3-12-.574)
5: C Dennis Webb (24-L .293-75-0-4-.707)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .269-26-0-1-.604)
7: 2B Manuel Jimenez (29-R .083-12-0-0-.350)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .220-82-0-7-.540)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .222-9-0-0-.444)

MINNESOTA
1: 3B Dwight Marshall (35-R .209-86-1-6-.556)
2: CF Mike Francoeur (25-L .287-87-4-11-.858)
3: LF Rick Ingledue (30-L .220-82-1-8-.668)
4: RF Jim Thut (25-R .189-37-2-5-.663) Rookie
5: 1B Gary Olson (26-R .154-26-0-2-.483) Rookie
6: 2B Billy Allen (29-R .296-81-0-8-.704)
7: SS Jerry Walker (27-R .273-55-0-5-.741) Rookie
8: C John Sturgis (29-R .295-44-1-4-.750)
9: P Jose Nieves (28-R .308-13-0-1-.615)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: The Metrodome
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 27,323

Top of the First:
Perry Templet leads off by grounding a hit up the middle. He steals 2nd. Jeff Schottler lines a hit to right and Templet scores! 1 to 0, Beavers! 3-2 pitch to Dale Ainsworth and it is ball 4. Jeff Austin flies out to right. Dennis Webb walks to load the bases up with 1 out. Randy James lines a hit to center, scoring 2!! 3 to 0, Beavers! Manny Jimenez strikes out. Dave Lesley grounds a hit to left and Webb scores! 4 to 0, Beavers! P Ron Wolf grounds out to the pitcher. I love it when my pitcher bats before he ever takes the mound!

Bottom of the First:
Dwight Marshall strikes out! 3-2 pitch to Mike Francoeur and he grounds out to the pitcher. Rick Ingledue grounds out to short! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the Second:
Ron Wolf walks the first two batters of the inning, which is never good.... Billy Allen grounds into a 5-4-3 double play! But Jerry Walker lines a hit to right, scoring a run. 4 to 1, Beavers.

Top of the Fourth:
Dave Lesley leads off with a 4 pitch walk and P Ron Wolf bunts him over. With 2 outs, Jeff Schottler doubles him home! 5 to 1, Beaver! That sends the Ace to the showers! New Pitcher: Ray Studer (27-R). Dale Ainsworth grounds a hit up the middle and Schottler scores! 6 to 1, Beavers! That is the most runs we have scored in a game in almost 3 weeks!

Won - 8 to 2

We hit a pair of home runs in the 9th!

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

Ron Wolf (W 3-2) went 7+ innings, allowed 2 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2.
Jerry Wilhelm went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 1.

Jose Nieves (L 2-4) went 3.2 innings, gave us 6 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2.

LF Jeff Schottler had 3 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with his 1st home run of the season, drew a walk, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. 3B Randy James had 2 hits and 2 RBI. 2B Gary Long had the day off until he went in on a double switch in the 7th. He got 1 AB in the 9th inning and hit a HR, his 2nd of the year.

[Questdog]

Monday, April 30, Year I

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Tim Strange, C, Washington (28-L .424/.462/.682) Had 13 hits with 1 2b, 4 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO, 9 R and 8 RBI in 7 G (6 GS)
PCL Player of the Week - Ron Wolf, P, Portland (27-R 3-2 4.93 ERA) Went 2-0 with a 4 hit shutout. Allowed 2 runs in 16 IP, 8 H, 0 HR, 4 BB, 6 SO.

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

April 25 - LF Gary Halbert (28-R) of San Francisco went 3 for 3 with 2 walks, a double and a home run at home versus Dallas. He scored 3 runs and had 4 RBI, but the Giants lost, 14 to 6.
April 27 - SS Mario Medina (31-R) of Washington had 4 hits with a double and 2 home runs and 4 RBI at Cleveland. Down 7 to 5, going into the 9th, the Senators scored 8 times to win, 13 to 7. 1B Vance Chappell (37-R) of Cleveland hits 2 home runs with a walk and 5 RBI.
April 27 - LF Pedro Perez (36-L) of New York hit 2 home runs, including a Grand Slam, at Cincinnati. He was 2 for 2 with 3 walks and 6 RBI. The Giants lost, though, 11 to 8. Their starting pitcher, Mike Marker (30-R), gave up 7 runs without recording an out.
April 28 - Cincinnati beat New York at home, 15 to 11. 3B Victor Corona (34-R) had 3 hits with a double and a Grand Slam and walk, scored 3 runs and had 5 RBI. For the Giants, C Ramon Arias (23-R) had 3 hits with a home run, scored twice and had 5 RBI.
April 28 - Philadelphia won at Detroit, 11 to 8, in 16 innings. RF Roger Stephenson only went 2 for 9, but he had a double and a home run and 6 RBI. The Phillies used 8 pitchers (they only have 10 on the roster).
April 28 - Chicago beat Baltimore at home, 13 to 3. RF Tom Bolstad (31-L) hit a double and 2 home runs, drew a walk, scored 3 times and had 4 RBI.
April 29 - Dallas beat Los Angeles at home, 21 to 8. They had three 6 run innings. C Brian Graham (26-R) had 4 hits with a triple and a home run, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBI.
April 29 - New York won at Cincinnati, 20 to 4. The Giants only had 14 hits, but the Reds pitchers walked 20 batters. RF Stan Baker (32-R) only had 1 hit, but walked 4 times and scored 5 runs. LF Pedro Perez (36-L) also had but 1 hit, but 5 walks, scored 5 runs and had an RBI. 1B Paul Miklos (29-L) had 3 hits with a double and 2 walks, scored a run and had 5 RBI. 3B Scott Benford (26-R) had 3 hits with a home run and a walk and had 5 RBI. Portland traded him to New York this past winter. CF Ricky Eden (33-R) only had 2 hits, but they were both home runs. He also walked 5 times, scored 4 runs and had 6 RBI. In their 3 game series, the two teams combined to score 69 runs!

Random Fact of Week: Back-to-Back Players of the Week! It is nice to see Ron Wolf start pitching like he is our Ace!

[Questdog]

Monday, April 30, Year I

Oh! The wonderful outdoors! We get to play our first game outside after 12 straight indoors. I am not a fan of indoor baseball. Now if we could just find some grass somewheres... We are in Kansas City to play the Royals a 3 games series. They won 2 of 3 here against Oakland over the weekend. They are currently 4th in the PCL in scoring with 4.2 runs per game (Portland is 7th with 3.5). They are 12th (dead last) in runs allowed with 4.5 per game (Portland is tied for 1st (!!) at 3.3). The Royals have the only pitching staff in the PCL with an ERA over 4 (4.08). So far this season, scoring is tougher in the PCL than the NL. The PCL league ERA is 3.41 and the NL's is 3.72. Of course, having two teams score 20 runs yesterday boosted the NL's somewhat.

Portland Beavers (12-12 .500 0.5 GB tied for 3rd place in the PCL West) at
Kansas City Royals (13-11 .542 5 GB in 4th place in the PCL East)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 3-2 1.85 ERA) vs. KC: Steve Byrd (32-R 4-0 3.41 ERA)

Byrd is their $1.6 million Ace, but he is only the 4th highest paid player on the team. The Royals have the highest payroll in Baseball. They have 9 players making over $1 million per season. LF Ricky Rodriguez makes the most on the team at $2.8 million.

Frank Martin and Ron Wolf have been the last two PCL Players of the Week, so the pressure is on Melton this week.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .351-94-1-7-.858) Rookie
2: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .286-28-0-2-.762) Rookie
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .344-96-1-16-.858)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .191-94-3-12-.544)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .329-85-2-9-.797)
6: 3B Glenn Pearce (39-R .254-63-0-4-.603)
7: C Dennis Webb (24-L .282-78-0-4-.689)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .224-85-0-8-.553)
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .071-14-0-0-.143)

KANSAS CITY
1: SS Alejandro Prieto (26-S .204-98-2-9-.591)
2: CF Randy Schmitt (25-L .299-77-1-13-.766) Rookie
3: LF Ricky Rodriguez (29-R .319-91-2-12-.855)
4: 1B Pedro Fuentes (29-R .267-86-2-11-.754)
5: 3B Tony Olson (37-L .225-89-0-7-.622)
6: RF Ed Gladney (31-L .286-70-0-11-.695)
7: C Jose Muniz (27-R .278-72-4-11-.833)
8: 2B John Brockman (30-L .205-44-0-3-.625)
9: P Steve Byrd (32-R .308-13-0-1-.692)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Royals Stadium
Weather: 62 F, Clear Skies with a 10 MPH wind blowing out to center.
Attendance: 27,608

Top of the First:
Perry Templet blips one just in from of the plate that C Jose Muniz fields quickly and fires to 1st, but 1B Pedro Fuentes just plain drops the ball! E-3! Byrd balks! Templet to 2nd. Jeff Schottler hits a slow roller to short for an out and Templet makes it over to 3rd. Dale Ainsworth grounds a hit into left and Templet scores! 1 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Austin grounds out to 2rd and Ainsworth moves up. Austin needs to start hitting soon, but I really have no other option at first base. We are NOT going to play the $1.7 million water boy. Gary Long grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the First:
Alejandro Prieto flies out to left. Randy Schmitt grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Ricky Rodriguez hits a foul ball down the left field line and Jeff Schottler drops it for an error. E-7. Rodriguez then flies out to center. 1-2-3!

Bottom of the Second:
With 2 outs, Ed Gladney homers to left center. Score: 1 to 1.

Bottom of the Third:
With 2 outs, Randy Schmitt homers to straight away center. 455 feet. 2 to 1, Royals.

Top of the Fourth:
When leading off, you NEVER swing at a 3-0 pitch.... Dale Ainsworth does, though, and knocks it over the center field fence! Tie game! 2 all. Jeff Austin next and our awesome cleanup hitter barely hits one over the pitcher's head...pop out caught by the third baseman. Gary Long singles and steal his first base of the season. With 2 outs, Dennis Webb singles him home! 3 to 2, Beavers!

Bottom of the Ninth:
Still 3 to 2, Beavers.
New Pitcher: Antoine Redd (30-R), who took a loss in his last outing. With 2 outs, Tony Olson drives one to deep left, but it is caught on the warning track and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 3 to 2

For the first time this season we have hit home runs in back-to-back games.

We had 7 hits and made 2 errors
Kansas City had 5 hits and made 2 errors

Terry Melton (W 4-2) went 8 innings, allowed 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 home runs, no walks and struck out 4.
Antoine Redd (SV 3) pitched a perfect 9th.

Steve Byrd (L 4-1) went 7.1 innings, gave us 3 runs (2 earned), 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks (1 INT) and struck out 2. He balked.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with his 2nd home run of the season and 2nd in as many games. He had 2 RBI. SS Dave Lesley hit a double and was intentionally walked. He also made his 6th error of the season. That is a pace to make 39 for the year. He made 17 in 120 games last year.

[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)

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 1, Year I

Portland Beavers (13-12 .520 0.5 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West) at
Kansas City Royals (13-12 .520 5 GB in 4th place in the PCL East)

POR: Tom Horn (24-L 0-1 4.50 ERA) vs. KC: Jim Larson (34-R 0-3 6.29 ERA)

Larson has walked more than he has struck out and has allowed 7 home runs in 24.1 IP.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .347-98-1-7-.850) Rookie
2: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .273-33-0-2-.708) Rookie
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .347-101-2-18-.885)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .184-98-3-12-.522)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .326-89-2-9-.784)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .300-30-0-3-.656)
7: C Dennis Webb (24-L .280-82-0-5-.680)
8: SS Manuel Jimenez (29-R .063-16-0-0-.273)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .000-4-0-0-.000) Rookie

KANSAS CITY
1: SS Alejandro Prieto (26-S .206-102-2-9-.587)
2: CF Randy Schmitt (25-L .296-81-2-14-.790) Rookie
3: LF Ricky Rodriguez (29-R .305-95-2-12-.820)
4: 1B Pedro Fuentes (29-R .267-90-2-11-.743)
5: 3B Tony Olson (37-L .215-93-0-7-.596)
6: C Jose Muniz (27-R .280-75-4-11-.840)
7: RF Julio Hernandez (28-L .370-27-1-4-.895)
8: 2B Ken Morris (30-R .217-23-1-2-.705)
9: P Jim Larson (34-R .000-6-0-0-.143)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Royals Stadium
Weather: 63 F, Clear Skies with a 12 MPH wind blowing out to center.
Attendance: 26,231

Top of the First:
Perry Templet beats out an infield hit. Full count to Jeff Schottler and he lines out to 2nd and they double Templet off 1st... Dale Ainsworth flies out to center.

Bottom of the First:
Alejandro Prieto strikes out! Full count to Randy Schmitt and he swings a the payoff pitch, but comes up empty! Ricky Rodriguez swings at the first pitch and grounds out to short. 1-2-3!

Top of the Second:
Jeff Austin leads off with a double off the center field wall, steals 3rd and scores on a fly ball by Gary Long. 1 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Fourth:
Jeff Austin leads off with a home run to left! 2 to 0, Beavers! Gary Long them triples to right and scores on a fly ball by Randy James. 3 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Sixth:
Tom Horn had been on cruise control, but somebody bumped the steering wheel this inning... Ken Morris leads off with a grounder through the right side for a hit and P Jim Larson bunts him to 2nd. He then steals 3rd. Alejandro Prieto takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Randy Schmitt singles to center and Morris scores and Prieto goes to 3rd. 3 to 1, Beavers. Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmitt (26-R). Dave Benya (26-S) comes in to catch in a double switch. Ricky Rodriguez flies out to center and Prieto scores. 3 to 2, Beavers. 2 outs. Pedro Fuentes strikes out looking!

Top of the Seventh:
Manuel Jimenez leads off with a walk and Dave Benya singles him to 3rd, but when then inning is over, no runs have been scored...

Bottom of the Seventh:
Don Schmidt gets them out 1-2-3.

Bottom of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Antoine Redd (30-R). He retires the side in order.

Bottom of the Ninth:
Randy Schmitt strikes out! Ricky Rodriguez strikes out on 3 pitches! Pedro Fuentes flies out to left and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!

Won - 3 to 2

We are 2 games over .500 for the first time this season!
We have won 3 games in a row, the first time this season we have won or lost more than 2 games in a row.
It is the 4th straight game that we have allowed exactly 2 runs.
The first place Angels lost to to Milwaukee and we are now tied for 1st place with San Francisco! 14-12 is good enough in the West. In the East, the Denver Bears are also 14-12, but they are 4 games out in 3rd placed.

We had 9 hits and made no errors
Kansas City had 3 hits and made 1 error

Tom Horn (W 1-1) went 5.1 innings, allowed 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5.
RHP Don Schmidt (H 1) faced 5 batters and got them all out with 1 strikeout.
RHP Antoine Redd (SV 4) pitched 2 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts.

Jim Larson (L 0-4) went 8 innings, gave us 3 runs, 9 hits, 1 home run, 5 walks and struck out 3.

CF Perry Templet had 2 hits with a double. 1B Jeff Austin had 3 hits with a double and his 4th home run of the season, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs. He got his batting average up over .200!! 2B Gary Long hit a triple, drew a walk, scored a run and had an RBI.

Down on the Farm: In his first start since being demoted to Vancouver (AAA) for having no spine, Dave Cole (25-R) pitched a 4 hit shutout at home versus Albuquerque. He walked 3 and struck out 9. Maybe I got through to him or maybe he is just good against lesser hitters. If he keeps pitching like that, though, we will have to find a way to get him back to Portland.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 2, Year I

The finale of the series with Kansas City was rained out. It is a shame, because we were scheduled to face a lefty, which has been rare for us this season. We are 3-0 against them.

San Francisco won today, dropping us out of the tie for first place.

The game has been rescheduled as part of a double header on July 13, the first day after the All-Star break.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 4, Year I

Today is P Antoine Redd's 31st birthday.

We are back home to begin a 10 game home stand with 3 games over the weekend against the Minnesota Twins. They just beat Seattle 2 games in Minneapolis. They beat us 2 of 3 last weekend in the Metrodome. They are currently 7th in scoring in the PCL with 3.5 runs per game (Portland is 9th with 3.4). The PCL League ERA is down to 3.37, so teams are having a tough time scoring, except for the Dallas Eagles, who are on pace to score 870 runs this season. They are a full run per game ahead of the second best offense, the Denver Bears. The Twins are 10th in runs allowed with 4.2 per game (Portland is 1st with 3.2).

Minnesota Twins (11-15 .423 6.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (14-12 .538 0.5 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West)

MIN: Jose Nieves (28-R 2-4 4.15 ERA) vs. POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 3-2 4.93 ERA)

Nieves was the one guy of theirs we beat last weekend, scoring 6 runs off him in 3.2 innings.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
MINNESOTA
1: 3B Dwight Marshall (35-R .224-98-1-8-.602)
2: LF Roberto Rodriguez (33-R .474-19-0-2-1.079)
3: CF Mike Francoeur (25-L .260-100-4-12-.768)
4: RF Rick Ingledue (30-L .231-91-2-13-.725)
5: 1B Marcos Falcon (31-L .200-10-1-1-.929)
6: 2B Billy Allen (29-R .289-90-0-11-.700)
7: SS Jerry Walker (27-R .273-66-0-7-.719) Rookie
8: C Miguel Cintora (25-S .237-38-1-6-.687) Rookie
9: P Jose Nieves (28-R .286-14-0-1-.571)

PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .350-103-1-7-.857) Rookie
2: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .277-83-2-9-.743)
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .333-105-2-18-.853)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .206-103-4-13-.599)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .330-91-2-10-.813)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .313-32-0-4-.687)
7: C Dennis Webb (24-L .282-85-0-5-.679)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .227-88-0-8-.576)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .182-11-0-0-.364)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 19,003

Top of the First:
Dwight Marshall, who has a 12 game hitting streak, grounds out to 3rd. Roberto Rodriguez grounds out to 2nd. Mike Francoeur grounds out to the pitcher! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the First:
Perry Templet grounds out to short. Howard McNeal grounds out to 3rd. Dale Ainsworth works the count full, but then grounds out to short.

Bottom of the Third:
We load the bases up, but with 2 outs, our awesome cleanup hitter, Jeff Austin, grounds out to the pitcher...

Top of the Fourth:
Mike Francoeur leads off with a double and scores on a 1 out single by Marcos Falcon. 1 to 0, Twins.

Through 6 innings, we only have 3 hits...

Bottom of the Seventh:
With 2 outs and the bases empty, we pinch-hit for P Ron Wolf. PH Gordon Saunderson takes the count full and then draws a walk. Perry Templet follows with a triple to right center to tie the game at 1 apiece!! Howard McNeal grounds out to 3rd to end the inning.

Top of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Barry Chapman (26-R), to face 1 batter before we bring in a lefty. He gets an out. New Pitcher: LHP Jerry Wilhelm (32-L). He gets his 2 outs.

Bottom of the Eighth:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a walk. Jeff Austin swings and misses a 3-1 pitch, but the umpire calls catcher's interference and we have two on with no outs! On the first pitch to Gary Long, we pull off a double steal! Long walks to load the bases up! Still, they stick with starter Jose Nieves. With the infield in, Randy James grounds into a force at home, 4-2. 1 out. Dennis Webb flies out to right and Ainsworth trots home. 2 to 1, Beavers! Dave Lesley grounds out to short to end the inning. 1 run from the bases loaded with no outs, is not acceptable, but hopefully enough.

Top of the Ninth:
PH Jim Thut (25-R) is announced, so we make a Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmidt (26-R). Thut strikes out! PH Don Morse (26-L), who is 1 for 15 with a home run on the season. He lines a hit to right. PH Juan Reyna (33-L). who is 4 for 10 (.400) on the season. He strikes out looking! 2 outs. Miguel Cintora grounds out to short and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 2 to 1

4th straight win and 5th straight game we have allowed 2 or fewer runs!
Both San Francisco and Los Angeles lost today, moving us into sole possession of first place!

We had 4 whole hits and made no errors
Minnesota had 6 hits and made 1 error

Fewest hits we have had in a game this season.

Ron Wolf went 7 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, 2 walks (1 INT) and struck out no one.
RHP Barry Chapman faced 1 batter and retired him.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm (W 1-0) faced 2 batters and retired them.
RHP Don Schmidt (SV 1) pitched a scoreless 9th, allowed 1 hit and struck out 2.

Jose Nieves (L 2-5) went 8 innings (CG), gave us 2 runs, 4 hits, 6 walks and struck out 2.

CF Perry Templet hit a triple and had an RBI. PH Gordon Saunderson drew a walk and scored a run.

[Questdog]

Saturday, May 5, Year I

Minnesota Twins (11-16 .407 7.5 GB in 6th (last) place in the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (15-12 .556 in 1st place in the PCL West)

MIN: Buddy Hansen (30-R 1-0 3.32 ERA) vs. POR: Terry Melton (26-R 4-2 1.91 ERA)

We did not face Hansen last weekend. He leads their team in ERA.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
MINNESOTA
1: 3B Dwight Marshall (35-R .218-101-1-8-.592)
2: LF Roberto Rodriguez (33-R .391-23-0-2-.895)
3: CF Mike Francoeur (25-L .260-104-4-12-.768)
4: RF Rick Ingledue (30-L .232-95-2-13-.716)
5: 1B Gary Olson (26-R .297-37-0-3-.787) Rookie
6: 2B Billy Allen (29-R .293-92-0-11-.713)
7: SS Jerry Walker (27-R .261-69-0-7-.689) Rookie
8: C John Sturgis (29-R .286-49-1-5-.741)
9: P Buddy Hansen (30-L .000-5-0-0-.000)

PORTLAND
1: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .243-37-0-2-.651) Rookie
2: LF Gordon Saunderson (26-L .286-21-0-0-.729) Rookie
3: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .327-107-2-18-.848)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .200-105-4-13-.582)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .330-94-2-10-.815)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .306-36-0-4-.667)
7: C Dennis Webb (24-L .273-88-0-6-.653)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .231-91-0-8-.586)
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .059-17-0-0-.118)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 55 F, Partly Cloudy with a 7 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 18,892

Top of the First:
Dwight Marshall grounds out to the pitcher. Roberto Rodriguez flies out to right. Mike Francoeur grounds one over the bag at 3rd and ends up with a triple. Rick Ingledue flies out to right!

Bottom of the First:
Jeff Schottler blasts one off the wall in right center for a triple! Gordon Saunderson swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit up the middle! 1 to 0, Beavers! Dale Ainsworth takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Jeff Austin singles to left to load the bases up with no outs! Yesterday, we only got one run out of this situation. Gary Long grounds into a 5-4-3 double play... Saunderson scores. 2 to 0, Beavers. Randy James up and a wild pitch scores Ainsworth! 3 to 0, Beavers! James blasts a no doubt home run to left! 4 to 0, Beavers! Dennis Webb grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Third:
Terry Melton gets the first two batters out and then Melton melts... Dwight Marshall and Roberto Rodriguez single and Mike Francoeur walks to load the bases up. Rick Ingledue singles to right and 2 runs score. 4 to 2, Beavers. Gary Olson strikes out to end the inning.

Bottom of the Third:
With 1 out, Jeff Austin singles and steals 2nd. Gary Long then homers to left center!! 6 to 2, Beavers!! Buddy Hansen is yanked.

Top of the Fourth:
Billy Allen leads off with a triple to right and our streak of 5 games of allowing 2 or fewer runs is in jeopardy. Jerry Walker grounds out to short and our streak is history. 6 to 3, Beavers.

Top of the Fifth:
Dwight Marshall leads off with a double, goes to 3rd on a single by Roberto Rodriguez and scores on a fly ball to right by Mike Francoeur. 6 to 4, Beavers.

Bottom of the Fifth:
On the Hill: Jeff Haynes (29-L), beginning his 3rd inning of work. He pitched 6 inning of relief in a game against us last weekend. Jeff Austin leads off with a walk, but Gary Long grounds into a double play, 6-4-3. Randy James doubles to right. We pinch hit for C Dennis Webb, a lefty, with Glenn Pearce (39-R). He doubles to right center and James scores! 7 to 2, Beavers!

Bottom of the Sixth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a hit and then Howard McNeal, who pinch hit for LF Gordon Saunderson earlier, hits a home run to left!! 9 to 4, Beavers!

Bottom of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Ray Studer (27-R), beginning his second inning of work. He struck out the side in order in the Seventh. With 1 out, Howard McNeal homers to left! 10 to 4, Beavers! Our fourth home run of the game, which is a season high and McNeal becomes the first Beaver to homer twice in a game this season.

Won - 11 to 4

A new season high in runs scored!
Terry Melton did not pitch his best game, but he has now won 4 starts in a row.

We had 17 hits and made no errors
Minnesota had 11 hits and made 1 error

We tied our season high in hits.

Terry Melton (W 5-2) went 7 innings, allowed 4 runs, 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit.
LHP Lou Hertzberg went 2 scoreless innings and allowed 2 hits.

Buddy Hansen (L 1-1) went 2.1 innings, gave us 6 runs, 7 hits, 2 home runs, 1 walk and struck out 2.

CF Jeff Schottler had 2 hits with a triple and scored 2 runs. PH/LF Howard McNeal went 2 for 2 with 2 home runs and a walk and had 3 RBI. RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits and 2 walks and scored 2 runs. 1B Jeff Austin went 4 for 4 with a walk, stole a base and scored a run. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a home run and 3 RBI. He also grounded into 3 double plays (!!!), but we will not harp on that today. 3B Randy James hit a double and a home run and scored 2 twice. PH Glenn Pearce hit a double and had an RBI.

For the Twins, 3B Dwight Marshall had 3 hits with a double and scored 2 runs.

Down on the Farm: Tony Kelley (25-L) of Vancouver (AAA) pitched a 1 hit shutout at home versus Spokane. He did not walk a batter and struck out 6. The hit was a single to lead off the top of the 4th. He retired the final 18 batters he faced and 27 of 28 for the game. It was his first start of the season after spending April in the Bullpen.