The Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (MLB)

[Questdog]

Sunday, November 18, Year 1

Former Beaver Steve Thwing (29-L) was traded by Boston to Dallas for minor league C Jose Gamez (25-S).

Gamez is rated well, but only hit .216 in AAA this year.

[Questdog]

Saturday, November 24, Year I

The Boston Braves re-signed SP Ron Bozeman (32-L), the CY Young Award winner, to a 5 year contract worth $19,250,000. He will make $3.95 million a year for 3 years and then $3.7 million a year for 2 years. Next season, he will be the highest paid player by over a million dollars! The second highest paid player is 3B David Aytes (30-R) of Los Angeles who will make $2.94 million. Last season's highest paid player, LF Pedro Perez (37-L), who made $3.7 million, is now a free agent.

The Beavers, by the way, are not in the market for any free agents other than some minor league ones.

[Questdog]

Monday, December 3, Year I
Trade #12
SP Johnny Maskell (24-R), SP Dave Cole (26-R) and RP Antoine Redd (31-R) to Houston for SP Don Panighetti (25-L) and minor league SP Dennis Perry (21-L)

Maskell had some good games as a rookie, but I am not a big fan of pitchers that strike out less than 3 batters a game. Cole had an awesome strikeout to walk ratio, but got tattooed with 47 H and 7 HR in 35 IP. Redd just could not get anyone out in September and I am sick of him.

Spaghetti Panighetti made the All-Star team going 7-5 with an ERA around 2.50 for the first 3 months, but collapsed in the 2nd half, going 3-11 with a 4.89 ERA. If he continues to stink it up for us, then I have not lost anyone that I really wanted to keep anyway. And if he reverts to his All-Star form, then I will be a genius! Perry was a 13th round pick this past June and might be worth something someday, but probably not.

Trade #13
RP Curt Riley (35-R) and minor league RP Bob Kravtsov (26-L) to St. Louis for C Tod Schreck (31-R) and minor league SP Dave Shoemake (26-R).

Riley is decent, but old and Kravtsov in a good prospect, but we have several good relief prospects.

None of our catchers could hit lefties, so that is why we are getting Schreck. No power, but he hit .330 in 97 AB and is a decent receiver. Shoemake gives us another mediocre arm for injury insurance.

Trade #14
LF Howard McNeal (30-R) to Denver for 3B Larry Sinchak (30-R) and two minor leaguers: RP Ed Krueger (22-R) and 1B John Moore (20-R)

McNeal became useless late in the year and I have no more love for him. His defense was not good enough to keep around unless he hit and he quit hitting.

Sinchak is highly overpaid: $1.76 million per season for this year and next. He hit .277 with a .737 OPS this past year. He gives us some injury protection in the infield, though, so will be useful. Krueger is another relief prospect that looks to be maybe pretty good. Moore is a middling prospect, but we have very few First baseman who are legitimate prospects in our system, so he is welcome.

[Questdog]

Friday, December 7, Year I

The Rule V Draft was held today and we all showed up via conference call, but no one made a single pick.

[Questdog]

Thursday, December 13, Year I

We signed RP Jamie Cleveland (30-L) to a free agent contract today for 3 years at $300,000 per season. He was with Cleveland last season and it is a shame that Cleveland could not stay in Cleveland: 3-1 1.98 ERA 0 SV 45 G 81.2 IP 70 H 6 HR 23 BB 80 SO. Lefties hit .203 off him, with no HR.

I am still looking to land a 1B/PH type, before Spring Training, but there is no one on the market that interests me and trying to trade for one has proven difficult.

I know I said I was not in the market for any free agents, but I changed my mind and decided I was not confident going into the season with one of the lefties we already had on in our system.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, January 30, Year II

We signed OF/1B Tom Borden (30-L) to a free agent contract today for 1 year at $300,000. With Pittsburgh last season, he hit .241-605-9-49-.689 with 97 BB and 48 SB. He will be a backup and pinch-hitter.

Our roster is set for Spring Training. We have two rookies that will be invited to camp as non-roster players who could make us shake things up if they knock the cover off the ball: 3B Omar Flores (21-L) and LF Tony Casarez (20-L). Both are scheduled to begin the season in Vancouver (AAA), but they could play their way onto the Beavers.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, February 25, Year II

The Spring Training schedule began today with a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Eagles at our complex in Glendale, Arizona. Keep your fingers crossed for no serious injuries.

[Questdog]

Thursday, March 28, Year II

Our exhibition schedule ended today with an 2 to 0 win over the Houston Astros at our complex in Glendale. We ended up 15-15, 1 game better than last season. The Kansas City Royals had the best record this Spring at 21-9. Washington, Houston and Seattle all tied for the worst record at 11-19. In our division, both San Francisco and Oakland finished ahead of us at 18-12.

Miraculously, we made it through the schedule without a single significant injury. So, our Opening Day roster has no surprises on it. The two rookies, 3B Omar Flores (21-L) and LF Tony Casarez (20-L), both played very well, but we could not figure out how to get them a spot on the roster without displacing someone who deserves to be there. So they will start the season in Vancouver.

Next up: Meet the Beavers!

[Questdog]

Year I World Series Champions!

Meet the Beavers!

Opening Day starters are highlighted in blue. New players are in red.

Opening Day Roster
Pitchers
Starting Rotation
Frank Martin
27 year old right-hander from Atlanta, Georgia. 6' 5" 230 lbs. +5 lbs. $50,000 - renewable. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with San Francisco. 95 MPH explosive fastball with a solid curve and changeup. Keeps the ball low in the zone and gets a lot of ground balls. Cannot hit, but is a good bunter. Not a good move to first and runners will take liberties on him. Very smart and never complains. Was 3rd in the PCL Cy Young vote last year. 5.59 ERA this Spring and his control was a major issue, the same as last Spring, so we are not overly concerned.....yet.
Year I (MLB): 15-12 2.99 ERA 33 GS 220 IP 190 H 9 HR 80 BB 126 SO 3.3/5.2 BB/SO per 9 for Portland

Terry Melton
27 year old right-hander from Hidden Valley, Indiana (25 miles west of Cincinnati, Ohio). 5' 10" 185 lbs. +5 lbs. $66,000 - arbitration eligible. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with Boston. 91 MPH fastball with a an excellent changeup and splitter. A curveball that is just for show. Gets a lot of ground balls. A very good move to first. Not much of a hitter, but a decent bunter. Made the All-Star team last year. Finished 2nd in ERA in the PCL last season and led the League in WHIP, but did not pitch well at all after coming back from the DL with back troubles. 2.12 ERA this Spring and looked sharp.
Year I (MLB): 11-5 2.25 ERA 24 GS 164.1 IP 144 H 10 HR 26 BB 67 SO 1.4/3.7 BB/SO per 9 for Portland

Ron Wolf
27 year old right-hander (28 on April 10) from Newmarket, New Hampshire. 6' 6" 235 lbs. $561,200 - Arbitration eligible. An original Beaver. 92 MPH over-the-top fastball with an excellent changeup and a pretty good slider. Not a strikeout pitcher; he gets lots of groundball outs. He is Co-Captain of the team and he is a very hard worker. Needs to work on holding runners close to first base and his bunting could be better. Made the All-Star team last year. Was 2-0 in 3 GS in the post-season. Had a 5.87 ERA in the Spring games, but only had one bad outing.
Year I (MLB): 17-12 3.31 ERA 35 G 34 GS 228.1 IP 215 H 11 HR 56 BB 88 SO 2.2/3.5 BB/SO per 9 for Portland

Don Panighetti
25 year old left-hander from Las Cruces, New Mexico (45 miles north of El Paso, Texas). 5' 10" 170 lbs. $50,000. Acquired in a trade with Houston. 92 MPH fastball with a great slider and a good curveball. Excellent move to first. Cannot hit or bunt worth a darn. Gives off an aura of meanness on the mound. Started out last season awesome and made the All-Star team, but fell apart in the second half. Second in strikeouts in the PCL and third in losses. 2.37 ERA this Spring, but did not look very sharp.
Year I (MLB): 10-16 3.68 ERA 36 GS 235 IP 218 H 15 HR 81 BB 181 SO 3.1/6.9 BB/SO per 9 for Houston

Brian Hagans
26 year old right-hander from Raleigh, North Carolina. 6' 2" 205 lbs. $50,000 - Rookie. Signed as a minor league free agent in December, Year 0. 92 MPH moving fastball with an incredible curveball and a good changeup. Our Scouting Director, Dave Dafoe, has his curveball rated as one of the 8 best in the Majors. Good move to first and a good bunter, but no hitter. Very smart and quick to learn. That's a big reason why he is going to be in our rotation this year. Last year, he pitched almost exclusively in relief (one start in AAA). His stamina is a bit low for what I want from a starter, but it is close. Was the runner up for the Fireman Trophy in the Western League (AAA) last year. We will not need a #5 starter for the first two weeks of the season, so he will be available in the Pen. Had a 2.05 ERA this Spring and looked very good. 4 BB and 18 SO in 22 IP.
Year I (MLB): 3-0 3.90 ERA 2 SV 18 G 27.2 IP 22 H 4 HR 11 BB 21 SO 3.6/6.8 BB/SO per 9 for Portland
Year I (AAA): 3-4 2.41 ERA 18 SV 42 G 1 GS 59.2 IP 45 H 0 HR 23 BB 50 SO 3.5/7.5 BB/SO per 9 for Vancouver (WL)

Bullpen
Barry Chapman
27 year old right-hander from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 6' 0" 200 lbs. $50,000 - arbitration eligible. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with Pittsburgh. 91 MPH fastball with a very good splitter. Very smart and a leader in the clubhouse. Not good at holding runners close. Finished second in the PCL Fireman Trophy voting. Pitched 9.2 scoreless innings in the post-season last year. Pitched 13 scoreless innings this Spring with only 5 H, 4 BB and 13 SO.
Year I (MLB): 8-3 1.82 ERA 10 SV 61 G 104 IP 66 H 5 HR 35 BB 98 SO 3.0/8.5 BB/SO per 9 for Portland

Don Schmidt
27 year old right-handed reliever from Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania (a very small coal mining town 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh). 5' 9" 175 lbs. -5 lbs. $50,000 - arbitration eligible. An Original Beaver. 92 MPH 2 seam fastball, but he relies more on a devastating curveball and a baffling knuckle curve. He also throws a decent splitter. Gets a ton of ground balls. Laid back and easy-going. 4.00 ERA this Spring.
Year I (MLB): 5-0 2.01 ERA 6 SV 42 G 71.2 IP 48 H 6 HR 11 BB 60 SO 1.4/7.5 BB/SO per 9 for Portland

Lou Hertzberg
30 year old left-hander from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 6' 1" 190 lbs. $325,000 - free agent after this season. An Original Beaver. 88 MPH fastball with a top notch screwball. Keeps the ball low and gets a boatload of ground outs. Excellent move to first. Did not allow a run in 10.2 IP this Spring with 4 H, 2 BB and 7 SO.
Year I (MLB): 5-4 2.03 ERA 9 SV 53 G 79.2 IP 64 H 3 HR 19 BB 62 SO 2.1/7.0 BB/SO per 9 for Portland

Jorge Reyna
32 year old right-hander from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. 6' 9" 260 lbs. $700,000 - signed through Year III. An Original Beaver. 95 MPH rising fastball with a one of the top 5 sliders in the Major Leagues. A leader in the clubhouse. Was one of the top relievers in Baseball, but missed the past TWO complete seasons with an injury. Because of his popularity and uniqueness, we decided to take a gamble on him being able to return to his old form. Had a 2.38 ERA this Spring, but walked 11 batters in 11.1 IP. Two years of rust to shake off....
Year I (MLB): Did not pitch.

Jamie Cleveland
31 year old left-hander from Huber Ridge, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus). 6' 0" 215 lbs. $300,000 - signed through Year IV. Signed as a free agent, December, Year I. 92 MPH sidearm fastball with a slider in the Top 20 of MLB and decent changeup. Has the stamina to start, but throwing sidearm gives him some difficulties against right-handers, but has done decently in the past as a starter. Superior move to first. A bit full of himself, but very smart. Cleveland pitched for Cleveland last season; shame he could not stay there. He was actually released, believe it or not. Did not allow a run or a walk in 8.1 IP this Spring.
Year I (MLB): 3-1 1.98 ERA 0 SV 45 G 81.2 IP 70 H 6 HR 23 BB 80 SO 2.5/8.8 BB/SO per 9 for Cleveland
Year I (AAA): 0-2 8.68 ERA 2 GS 9.1 IP 12 H 2 HR 1 BB 11 SO 1.0/10.6 BB/SO per 9 for Buffalo (IL)

Fielders
Catchers
Dennis Webb
25 year old who bats left-handed and throws right-handed from Beaverton, Oregon (a suburb of Portland). A hometown hero and an Original Beaver. 6' 0" 205 lbs. $50,000 - arbitration eligible. A solid receiver with a below average arm. Vocal on the field. Can run well for a catcher. A solid hitter with no home run power, but hit 22 2B in 289 AB. .298 BA with a .732 OPS this Spring. He will platoon and bat second against right-handers.
Year I (MLB): .275/.321/.349 in 289 AB with 0 HR and 21 RBI and 2 SB for Portland

Tod Schreck
31 year old who bats and throws right-handed from Novato, California (north of San Francisco on San Pablo Bay). 6' 0" 205 lbs. $50,000 - arbitration eligible. Acquired December, Year I, in a trade with St. Louis. Very intense - smart and a hard worker. Good receiver with an average arm. Cannot outrun my pet box turtle, but he is the only catcher that can hit lefties that I could get anyone to give me and we needed someone bad. Hit .217 with a .588 OPS and 1 HR this Spring. He will platoon and bat 8th versus lefties.
Year I (MLB): .330/.416/.454 in 97 AB with 2 HR and 13 RBI for St. Louis
Year I (AAA): .290/.362/.355 in 62 AB with 0 HR and 4 RBI for Louisville (AA)

Phil Parker
27 year old who bats from both sides of the plate and throws right-handed from Bridgeport, Connecticut. 6' 2" 220 lbs. $125,000 - renewable. Signed as a free agent December, Year 0. A solid receiver with a strong arm. Very fast runner and will steal bases. Cannot hit much, but he will draw a walk and is a hard worker, but not too bright. Went 0 for 2 this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .233/.287/.296 in 159 AB with 1 HR and 13 RBI with 4 SB as a rookie for Portland

Infielders
Jeff Austin
30 year old first baseman who bats and throws right-handed from State College, Pennsylvania (the home of Penn State). 6' 0" 200 lbs. +5 lbs. $950,000 - signed through Year VI, with raises ahead. An Original Beaver. Was a huge disappoint last season, but started hitting better in September and hit .339 with 4 HR and 13 RBI in 14 post-season games with a .994 OPS. He is a hard worker and a fan favorite. .286 BA with an .962 OPS this Spring. He will bat 5th.
Year I (MLB): .237/.297/.375 in 562 AB with 16 HR and 69 RBI and 39 SB for Portland

Gary Long
33 year old second baseman who bats and throws right-handed from West Allis, Wisconsin (a suburb of Milwaukee). 6' 0" 200 lbs. $850,000 - signed through Year IV. Signed as a free agent December, Year 0. Was awarded a Gold Glove as the best second baseman in the Pacific Coast League last year. Has decent range and good hands. Does not have the arm to play on the left side of the infield. Very slow runner, but he did beat my terrapin and will steal a base if the battery goes to sleep. Will swing at bad pitches, but he hits most everything he swings at. He is the team Co-Captain. Hit .152 with a .446 OPS this Spring, but did not hit last Spring either. He will bat 6th.
Year I (MLB): .260/.300/.378 in 585 AB with 9 HR and 58 RBI and 5 SB for Portland

Randy James
33 year old third baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Saugus, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston). 5' 11" 205 lbs. +5 lbs. $950,000 - signed through Year III. An Original Beaver. A decent fielder with not the greatest range, but a very strong arm. Very hard worker. Was a huge surprise last season. He hit .213 the year before and did not hit in Spring Training and began the season on the bench, but ended up leading the team in HR and RBI. We hope he can continue his renewal, but we have options ready should he fail. Hit .184 with a .598 OPS and 2 HR this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .275/.337/.451 in 506 AB with 18 HR and 85 RBI and 5 SB for Portland

Larry Sinchak
31 year old third baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Chino, California (suburb of Los Angeles). 6' 1" 200 lbs. $1,760,000 - signed through Year III. Acquired December, Year I, in a trade with Denver. Average range, but a very strong arm. Can play First and Second, as well. Slow runner, but will steal if ignored by the battery. Very popular with the fans and a hard worker. Hit .340 with 1 HR and a .869 OPS this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .277/.336/.401 in 292 AB with 7 HR and 42 RBI and 2 SB for Denver

Eddie Thomas
26 year old shortstop who bats and throws right-handed from Hailey, Idaho (a very small town in the middle of nowhere). 6' 1" 195 lbs. $50,000 - renewable. Acquired June, Year I, in a trade with Brooklyn. Best shortstop in the Major Leagues, bar none. He was awarded the Gold Glove in the PCL last season. Not much of hitter, though. He hit .271 with a .704 OPS versus lefties, but only .205 with a .556 OPS against righties. If he can keep his average over .200, we will keep starting him. Hit .269 in the post-season. Only .203 with a .542 OPS this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .222/.308/.288 in 490 AB with 4 HR and 47 RBI and 25 SB as a rookie for Brooklyn (0.4) and Portland (0.6)

Dave Lesley
27 year old shortstop who bats and throws right-handed from Kirkwood, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis). 6' 3" 210 lbs. -5 lbs. $50,000 - arbitration eligible. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with Boston. He was a huge disappointment last season. He was brought in to be the starting shortstop and I wrote in last year's edition of "Meet the Beavers" that he was an excellent fielder, but nothing could have been further from the truth. He made 18 errors in 69 starts and forced me to make the trade for Eddie Thomas. He lost 5 pounds over the winter and looks in better shape than last season. Perhaps that will solve his fielding woes and he can win back the starting job. He is a much better hitter than Thomas. Not fast and will not steal bases. Hit .260 with a .736 OPS this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .256/.314/.355 in 363 AB with 4 HR and 43 RBI for Portland

Outfielders
Jeff Schottler
24 year old left fielder who bats and throws right-handed from Hollywood, Florida (just north of Miami). 6' 0" 200 lbs. $50,000 - renewable. Acquired December, Year 0, in a trade with Dallas. He's a center fielder by trade and has good range and a decent arm. Can also play Second Base and has pretty good range there, but his hands are suspect. He made 2 errors in 3 games there last season. Was named the World Series MVP as a rookie who made the jump to the majors straight from A ball! Hit 3 home runs in Game 2 in Boston. Hit .308 with 3 HR and an .848 OPS this Spring. He will bat 7th versus right-handers and 3rd versus lefties.
Year I (MLB): .261/.314/.415 in 487 AB with 13 HR and 53 RBI and 12 SB as a rookie for Portland

Tom Borden
30 year old left fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Lake Worth, Florida (next door to West Palm Beach). 6' 0" 205 lbs. $300,000 - free agent after this season. Signed as a free agent January, Year II. Decent range and an average arm and very sure-handed. Only made 1 error in 146 starts last season and won the Gold Glove in the National League for Right Field. Runs well and likes to steal and drew 97 walks. Last year, we did not have anyone to pinch-hit from the left side, except Gordon Saunderson, so that is why we signed Borden. He's not going to like being a bench player and I hope he does not cause trouble. Hit .171 with a .346 OBP and .614 OPS with 1 HR this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .241/.346/.344 in 605 AB with 9 HR and 49 RBI and 48 SB for Pittsburgh

Perry Templet
23 year old (24 on April 23) center fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Matteson, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). 6' 2" 205 lbs. +5 lbs. $50,000 - renewable. An Original Beaver. Superior range and a decent arm. Very fast, but still needs work on reading pitchers to get a better jump. Along, with Jeff Schottler, he made the jump from A ball to the Major Leagues and had an impressive rookie campaign. He was 3rd in the voting for PCL Rookie of the Year. He was named the PCLCS MVP and hit an amazing .477 in 12 post-season games with 3 HR and a 1.294 OPS. He did not hit lefties at all during the regular season (5 for 37 - .135), but came up with a couple of big knocks against lefties in the post-season. We are going to give him a chance to play everyday this season. He hit .297 with 2 HR and a .791 OPS this Spring. He will bat 3rd against right-handers and 7th versus lefties.
Year I (MLB): .306/.361/.432 in 484 AB with 7 HR and 57 RBI and 15 SB as a rookie for Portland

Dale Ainsworth
27 year old right fielder who bats and throws left-handed from New York City. 6' 0" 185 lbs. $1,125,000 - Arbitration eligible. Got almost a $1 million raise this season. An Original Beaver. Good range and a very strong arm. Won the PCL Gold Glove for Right Field last year and was our team MVP. Tied for the league lead in triples with 10. Hit 3 post-season HR. Hit .245 with no extra base hits and a .579 OPS this Spring. I have a feeling I should have traded him when his value was high, but trading away your team MVP does not sit well with me.
Year I (MLB): .310/.376/.443 in 575 AB with 11 HR and 60 RBI and 55 SB for Portland

Woody Griesbach
24 year old right fielder who bats and throws right-handed from Hamilton, New York (a very small town in upstate New York, 40 miles southeast of Syracuse and home to Colgate University). 6' 3" 195 lbs. $50,000 - Rookie. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with Boston. Good enough range to play center in a pinch and has a solid arm. Very hard worker. Won both a Bronze Bat and a Bronze Glove last year, playing Right Field for Vancouver in the Western League (AAA). Hit .200 with 1 HR and a .535 OPS this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .242/.281/.385 in 91 AB with 2 HR and 7 RBI and 5 SB in his first season for Portland
Year I (AAA): .282/.342/.383 in 528 AB with 5 HR and 81 RBI and 14 SB for Vancouver (WL)

Gordon Saunderson
27 year old right fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Geelong, Australia. 6' 3" 220 lbs. +5 lbs. $50,000 - renewable. Rule V draft pick, December, Year 0, from Seattle. Not much range, but a very strong arm. Only average speed, but likes to steal bases and is good at picking his spots. With his size, he should hit for power, but has not yet. Very smart. Had 20 pinch-hits last year, batting .317 with a .770 OPS, but only .194 (all singles) and a .460 OPS as a starter. Hit .182 with a .490 OPS this Spring.
Year I (MLB): .259/.329/.295 in 139 AB with 0 HR and 16 RBI and 4 SB as a rookie for Portland

Disabled List
Tom Horn
25 year old left-handed starting pitcher from Appleton, Wisconsin. 6' 2" 195 lbs. $50,000 - renewable. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with San Francisco. 94 MPH sidearm fastball with a good splitter and a mediocre slider and changeup. Very smart and a good hitter for a pitcher. He hit .250 last year, though he struck out a lot and did not draw a walk, but he hit 3 2B in 44 AB and had 9 RBI, though he did not score a run. Underwent surgery on his elbow last August and is not expected to be able to play this season, but might come back in September.
Year I (MLB): 7-5 3.14 ERA 24 GS 140.1 IP 124 H 13 HR 43 BB 59 SO 2.8/3.8 BB/SO per 9 as a rookie for Portland
Year I (AAA): 0-1 2.25 ERA 2 GS 8 IP 5 H 0 HR 4 BB 4 SO 4.5/4.5 BB/SO per 9 for Vancouver (WL)

Prospects ranked by Baseball America in the top 200:
RF Woody Griesbach (#19)
Up from #48 last year and #52 the year before.
See Opening Day Roster above.

SP Ron Dreiling (#21)
22 year old left-hander from Brooklyn, New York. 6' 2" 195 lbs. Drafted in the 1st round (#2 pick) in the Year I amateur draft from Purdue University. 90 MPH over-the-top fastball plus 5 other pitches, though the fastball is the best. Gets a lot of ground ball outs. Leads by example. A torn labrum suffered in his final scheduled start last year will keep him out of action until September.
Year I (D): 5-5 4.11 16 GS 100.2 IP 100 H 1 HR 41 BB 46 SO 3.7/4.1 BB/SP per 9 in his first professional season for Salem (NWL)
Year I (NCAA): 12-1 1.50 ERA 19 GS 126.1 IP 82 H 6 HR 31 BB 191 SO 2.4/13.6 BB/SO per 9 for Purdue University

Earl Radke (#25)
Up from #28
20 year old (21 on April 9) second baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Bartlett, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). 5' 11" 165 lbs. An Original Beaver. The Scouting Combine loves his bat and thinks he will be a very high average hitter with a ton of power. Dave Dafoe gave him a very low grading initially, but has been slowly upgrading his evaluation with each report. Both agree that his glove is suspect, but his numbers at Salem were not that bad. .985 FA. He is a hard worker. The current plan is for him to take over at first base for Jeff Austin when he matures. He won a Bronze Bat and was named the MVP of the Northwest League last season. He will begin the season at Wichita of the Western Association (C).
Year I (D): .331/.403/.471 in 323 AB with 5 HR and 46 RBI and 6 SB for Salem (NWL)

SS Roger Owens (#68)
19 year old shortstop who bats and throws right-handed from Fairbanks, Alaska. 6' 0" 165 lbs. Drafted in the 2nd round (#26 pick) of the Year I amateur draft from Dimond HS in Anchorage, Alaska. Played mostly third base in his first professional season and played well. Range is decent, but arm, hands and release are all very good. Very hard worker and loves baseball. He will begin the season at Salem (D).
Year I (R): .260/.325/.350 in 323 AB with 0 HR and 19 RBI and 17 AB for Helena (PIO)
Year I (HS): .463/.532/.989 in 95 AB with 8 HR and 30 RBI and 26 SB For Dimond HS (Anchorage, AK)

LF Tony Casarez (#114)
Up from #118
20 year old left fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Rancho Arriba, the Dominican Republic. 6' 1" 175 lbs. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with Detroit. A weak arm is his only liability. As a 19 year old, he was our Minor League Player of the Year with 24 HR and 100 RBI overall. He was named the Player of the Week 3 times and hit 2 Grand Slams. He will begin the season at Vancouver (AAA)
Year I (B): .268/.333/.483 in 205 AB with 11 HR and 32 RBI and 3 SB for Kinston (PIED)
Year I (A): .273/.343/.449 in 205 AB with 7 HR and 39 RBI and 2 SB for Visalia (CAL)
Year I (AA): .268/.335/.407 in 194 AB with 6 HR and 29 RBI and 3 SB for Jackson (TEX)

2B Fran Klinefelter (#134)
Down from #92
20 year old second baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Warren, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit). 6' 1" 180 lbs. +5 lbs. An Original Beaver. Won both the Bronze Bat and Bronze Glove in the Pioneer League at second base. Not much speed and no desire for stealing bases. His arm is not up to playing on the left side of the diamond. Can play the outfield, though his arm will limit him to left field. Has a reputation as a hard worker. He will begin the season at Salem (D)
Year I (R): .278/.382/.353 in 306 AB with 2 HR and 32 RBI and 1 SB for Helena (PIO)

SP John Alecci (#155)
Up from unranked.
25 year old (26 on April 15) right-hander from Pomona, California (a suburb of Los Angeles). 6' 2" 210 lbs. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with New York. 89 MPH 2 seam fastball with an excellent curve and a mediocre changeup. Gets a ton of groundball outs. Did not pitch well in a Major League trial. Well begin the season at Vancouver (AAA).
Year I (MLB): 1-1 3.60 ERA 3 GS 15 IP 16 H 0 HR 8 BB 3 SO 4.8/1.8 BB/SO per 9 in his first major league season for Portland
Year I (AAA): 10-8 3.01 ERA 28 GS 176.1 IP 171 H 7 HR 61 BB 90 SO 3.1/4.6 BB/SO per 9 for Vancouver (WL)

SP Mike Purcell (#175)
19 year old right-hander from Brooklyn, New York. 6' 1" 190 lbs. Drafted in the 3rd round (#50 pick) of the Year I amateur draft from Collegiate HS in New York City. 92 MPH over-the-top fastball with a curveball and changeup both projected to be plus plus. A born leader. Was the Pitcher of the Month for July in the Pioneer League. He will begin the season at Salem (D).
Year I (R): 5-6 3.25 ERA 17 GS 116.1 IP 123 H 4 HR 42 BB 41 SO 3.2/3.2 BB/SO per 9 for Helena (PIO)
Year I (HS): 11-0 0.56 ERA 15 GS 112.2 IP 57 H 3 HR 18 BB 194 SO 1.4/15.5 BB/SO per 9 for Collegiate HS (New York, NY)

3B Omar Flores (#180)
Up from unranked
21 year old third baseman who bats left-handed and throws right-handed from Sagua la Grande, Cuba. 6' 1" 180 lbs. Acquired November, Year 0, in a trade with Boston. Was the Batter of the Month for August in the Texas League and won a Bronze Glove at Third Base in the California League. Very hard worker. He will begin the season at Vancouver (AAA).
Year I (A): .297/.341/.403 in 427 AB with 5 HR and 40 RBI and 32 SB for Visalia (CAL)
Year I (AA): .294/.366/.436 in 211 AB with 4 HR and 25 RBI and 19 SB for Jackson (TEX)

Prospects no longer ranked:
CF Jeff Schottler (25-R) - was #70, but no longer eligible due to Major League service
CF Perry Templet (23-L) - was #75, but no longer eligible due to Major League service
SP Fred Hunt (20-R) - was #119, but dropped all the way off the list. Had injuries.
RP Dave Moses (23-L) - was #149, but also dropped all the way off the list. Had serious injuries.
SP Frank Martin (27-R) - was #187, but no longer eligible due to Major League service

Our Minor League system is rated #7 of the 24 teams by Baseball America, up from #17 last April. Chicago is #1, the same as last year, but they are much further ahead of everyone else this season. Baltimore, with 2 top 10 ranked pitchers is 2nd. Pittsburgh is rated at the bottom.

Top 25 prospects according to Baseball America:
1: Mike Milewski, SP, Baltimore (24-L) (MLB) (Was #1)
2: Juan Orta, SP, Chicago (21-R) (AAA) (was #2)
3: Colby Thomas, SP, Dallas (20-R) (A) (was #8)
4: Guy Beckage, CF, Detroit (20-R) (C) (was #6)
5: Mike Bodeker, SP, Brooklyn (23-R) (AAA) (was #31)
6: Karl Lawrence, 2B, Oakland (23-R) (C) (new draft pick - rd 1 #3)
7: Bob Mitchell, SP, Cleveland (23-R) (AAA) (was #34)
8: John Lind, CF, Chicago (23-R) (AAA) (was #4)
9: Dave Murphy, SP, Baltimore (19-R) (D) (new draft pick - rd 1 #1)
10: Hector Mendez, SS, Chicago (21-R) (AAA) (was #12)
11: Jose Perez, 2B, Kansas City (20-R) (AA) (was #30)
12: Larry Allen, LF, Washington (19-L) (C) (new draft pick - rd 1 #5)
13: Rick Dill, 3B, Houston (24-R) (AAA) (was #21)
14: Dick Lord, SP, Detroit (22-R) (MLB) (was #51)
15: Elton McLaughlin, CF, Cincinnati (20-R) (B) (was #53)
16: Billy Weschler, SP, Philadelphia (22-R) (A) (was #27)
17: Steve Christian, CF, Seattle (23-S) (A) (was #15)
18: Jim Donahue, CF, Philadelphia (23-R) (AA) (new draft pick - rd 1 #11)
19: Woody Griesbach, RF, Portland (24-R) (MLB) (was #48)
20: Rick Jansen, SP, San Diego (22-R) (C) (new draft pick - rd 1 #15)
21: Ron Dreiling, SP, Portland (22-L) (D) (new draft pick - rd 1 #2)
22: Frank Carson, SP, Denver (22-R) (AA) (was unranked)
23: Rick Owens, 2B, Minnesota (24-R) (AA) (new draft pick - rd 1 #9)
24: Jim Ketcham, RP, Los Angeles (24-R) (AAA) (was #25)
25: Earl Radke, 2B, Portland (20-R) (C) (was #28)

Players who dropped out of the Top 25:
3: Javy Vasquez, SS, San Francisco (22-R) MLB service
5: Randy Schmitt, CF, Kansas City (26-L) MLB service
7: Ricardo Avalos, SP, Los Angeles (24-R) MLB service
9: Chet Schwabe, SP, New York (24-R) MLB service
10: Roger Stephenson, RF, Philadelphia (24-L) MLB service
11: Blaine Moore, SS, Cincinnati (24-R) MLB service
13: A.J. Yates, SP, San Francisco (26-R) MLB service
14: Kevin McCormick, SP, Kansas City (22-R) MLB service
16: Edwin Juan, 2B, Dallas (25-R) MLB service
17: Tom Picozzi, 2B, Baltimore (23-R) MLB service
18: Lyle Richard, SP, New York (21-R) (A) now #71
19: Bill Gordon, SP, Cleveland (26-L) MLB service
20: Larry Reichler, RF, Milwaukee (24-L) MLB service
22: Pat Porter, SP, Houston (25-R) MLB service
23: Sergio Guevara, 1B, San Francisco (20-L) (AA) now #26
24: Dave Bell, 3B, Denver (26-R) MLB service

Next up: Opening Day!

[Questdog]

Tuesday, April 2, Year II

Opening Day!

We get to start the season at home this year with 2 games against the Denver Bears. We were 8-4 against them last season. They were 2nd in the PCL in scoring with 752 runs last year (4.64 per game). We were 9th with 640 runs (3.95 per game). They were last in fewest runs allowed with 783 (4.83 per game). We were first with 552 (3.41 per game). They had a quiet off-season and did not sign any significant free agents. Their only new player came from us: LF Howard McNeal (30-R), who is on their bench and who's birthday is tomorrow.

Denver Bears (82-80 .506 11 GB in 4th place last season in the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (95-67 .586 in 1st place last season in the PCL West)

DEN: Tony Tirado (25-L 3-2 4.23 last year) vs. POR: Frank Martin (27-R 15-12 2.99 last year)

The Bears changed their starting pitcher from who they announced yesterday, so the blue highlights in "Meet the Beavers" are not all correct now... Tirado missed significant time to injury last year and we never faced him. He had a 1.27 ERA this Spring with 5 BB and 22 SO in 21.1 IP. Very impressive.

Martin walked almost a batter per inning this Spring...

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS) All Stats are from Last Season
DENVER
1: 1B Luis Castillo (22-L .319-439-3-38-.776) Led PCL with 77 SB
2: SS Greg Werner (27-R .243-202-2-21-.622)
3: RF Yasuji Urata (25-L .242-227-6-31-.688)
4: 3B Ivan Gallegas (34-R .315-511-30-99-1.003) All-Star Led PCL in HR, RBI, SLG, OPS
5: C Bob Pritchett (32-L .233-455-2-44-.673) Gold Glove
6: LF John Dobosh (29-R .308-195-11-25-.901) Season ended June 1
7: 2B Rob Douma (28-R .283-534-23-86-.823) All-Star Signed $20.4 million 8 year extension
8: CF Mike Carpenter (31-R .256-550-17-68-.722)
9: P Tony Tirado (25-L .125-8-0-0-.250)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .310-575-11-60-.819) Gold Glove
2: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .222-490-4-47-.595) Gold Glove
3: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .261-487-13-53-.729) WS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .275-506-18-85-.788)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .237-562-16-69-.673)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .260-585-9-58-.678) Gold Glove
7: CF Perry Templet (23-L .306-484-7-57-.792) PCLCS MVP
8: C Tod Schreck (31-R .330-97-2-13-.870) Beaver debut
9: P Frank Martin (27-R .152-66-0-1-.346)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 32,091

New record crowd!

Top of the First:
Luis Castillo swings at the very first pitch of the season and lines out to center. Greg Werner grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Yasuji Urata pops out to 2nd! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to short. Eddie Thomas strikes out. Jeff Schottler strikes out...

Top of the Second:
The 3-4-5 hitters for the Bears go down in order!

Bottom of the Second:
Randy James leads off with a 4 pitch walk. Jeff Austin swings at the first pitch and lines a double to left center! James stops at 3rd. Gary Long, who hardly strikes out and only needs to make contact to give us a run, strikes out... Perry Templet, who hit 5 for 37 (.135) against lefties last year, grounds a hit up the middle and both runners score! 2 to 0, Beavers! Tod Schreck, in his first AB as a Beaver, lines one past the diving second baseman for a hit. Templet goes to 2nd. P Frank Martin tries to bunt, but ends up poking one foul with 2 strikes on him for the second out. Dale Ainsworth strikes out.

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, Mike Carpenter beats out an infield hit and gets bunted to 2nd by P Tony Tirado. Luis Castillo then hits a 2 out triple to right center... 2 to 1, Beavers. Greg Werner beats out an infield hit and Castillo scores to tie the game at 2... Werner tries to steal, but C Tod Schreck throws him out!

Bottom of the Third:
With 1 out, Jeff Schottler doubles to center and goes to 3rd on a wild pitch. Just need contact again... Randy James takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Jeff Austin flies out to right and Schottler tags up and beats the throw to the plate! 3 to 2, Beavers! Gary Long then doubles to right center and James scores from 1st! 4 to 2, Beavers! Perry Templet lines a hit to right and Long goes to 3rd. Templet is 2 for 2 against lefties! 40% of his total hits against them for all of last year already! Tod Schreck flies out to deep center to end the inning.

Top of the Fourth:
Yasuji Urata leads off with a grounder up the middle for a hit. With 1 out, P Frank Martin picks Urata of at 1st! Martin does not have a very good move, but caught Urata napping!

Bottom of the Fourth:
We go down in order.

Top of the Fifth:
John Dobosh leads off with a liner to right for a hit. Rob Douma grounds a hit up the middle and Dobosh goes to 3rd. Mike Carpenter grounds into a 6-4-3 double play! Dobosh scores. 4 to 3, Beavers. P Tony Tirado lines a hit to center... Full count to Luis Castillo and he grounds out to 3rd!

Bottom of the Fifth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a double down the left field line! Randy James lines a 2-2 pitch to right for a hit and Schottler goes to 3rd. Jeff Austin strikes out... Gary Long grounds into a 6-4-3 double play... yep.

Top of the Sixth:
2-3-4 hitters go down 1-2-3 and Ivan Gallegas strikes out!

Bottom of the Sixth:
We go down in order.

Top of the Seventh:
With 2 outs, Rob Douma grounds a hit to left. PH Jim Mohr (35-S) flies out to deep right.

Bottom of the Seventh:
Top of our order and we go down in order.

Top of the Eighth:
The Bullpen is ready. PH Dave Bell (26-R) flies out to center and they go down in order!

Bottom of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Rick Moore (25-L). 2.33 ERA last year in Denver. Very impressive. We go down 1-2-3...

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Jamie Cleveland (31-L), making his Beaver debut. Yasuji Urata flies out to left. New Pitcher: Barry Chapman (27-R). Full count to cleanup hitter extraordinaire, Ivan Gallegas,who swings and misses! 2 outs! Full count to Bob Pritchett and he swings and pops out to short and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!

Won - 4 to 3

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

Frank Martin (W 1-0) went 8 innings, allowed 3 runs, 8 hits, no walks and struck out 1. No walks! At bat, he was 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.
LHP Jamie Cleveland (H 1) faced 1 batter and got him out.
RHP Barry Chapman (SV 1) faced 2 batters and retired them both with 1 strikeout.

Tony Tirado (L 0-1) went 7 innings, gave us 4 runs, 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 9. He threw a WP. At bat, he had a hit.

LF Jeff Schottler hit 2 doubles and scored a run. 3B Randy James had a hit and 2 walks and scored 2 runs. 1B Jeff Austin hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI. 2B Gary Long hit a double and had an RBI. CF Perry Templet had 2 hits and 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, April 3, Year II

The PCL West has started the season 6-0 against the PCL East, so we are in a 6 way tie for first and last place!

Denver Bears (0-1 .000 tied for 1st (last) place the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (1-0 1.000 tied for 1st (last) place in the PCL West)

DEN: Danny Adame (31-R 14-11 3.26 last year) vs. POR: Terry Melton (27-R 11-5 2.25 last year) All-Star

We were 2-0 against Adame last season, but he went 8 innings both times and pitched well. He had an 0.90 ERA this Spring, but missed 2 weeks with a shoulder issue.

Melton was not good after coming back from the DL with back issues last year, but was sharp this Spring: 2.12 ERA 17 IP 12 H 0 HR 3 BB 10 SO. The chances are very slim that he will make it through this season without missing time to back troubles.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
DENVER
1: 1B Luis Castillo (22-L .250-4-0-1-1.000)
2: SS Greg Werner (27-R .250-4-0-1-.500)
3: RF Yasuji Urata (25-L .250-4-0-0-.500)
4: 3B Ivan Gallegas (34-R .000-4-0-0-.000) All-Star
5: C Bob Pritchett (32-L .000-4-0-0-.000) Gold Glove
6: LF John Dobosh (29-R .333-3-0-0-.333)
7: 2B Rob Douma (28-R .667-3-0-0-1.333) All-Star
8: CF Mike Carpenter (31-R 1.000-2-0-0-1.000)
9: P Danny Adame (31-S Season debut)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .000-4-0-0-.000) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L Season debut)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .667-3-0-2-1.333) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .500-2-0-0-1.250)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .333-3-0-1-.917)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .250-4-0-1-.750) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .500-4-0-0-1.500) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .000-4-0-0-.000) Gold Glove
9: P Terry Melton (27-R Season debut) All-Star

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 17,588

Top of the First:
Luis Castillo lines a 2-2 pitch to left for a hit. Greg Werner flies out to left. Castillo steals 2nd and 3rd on consecutive pitches... Yasuji Urata flies out to right, just short of the warning track, and Castillo trots home. 1 to 0, Bears. Ivan Gallegas draws a walk. Bob Pritchett grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth works the count full and then flies out to left. Dennis Webb, in his first AB of the year, grounds a hit up the middle. Perry Templet strikes out... Webb steals 2nd! Randy James grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Second:
With 2 outs, Mike Carpenter reaches on a 2 base error by Gold Glove SS Eddie Thomas.... P Danny Adame then grounds a hit to center and Carpenter scores... 2 to 0, Bears.

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Gary Long crushes one to right center for our first home run of the season! 432 feet! 2 to 1, Bears.

Bottom of the Third:
With 1 out, Dale Ainsworth beats out an infield hit and goes to 3rd when Dennis Webb grounds a single up the middle. Perry Templet flies out to left and Ainsworth tags up, but gets thrown out at the plate by LF John Dobosh, who has an excellent arm...

Top of the Fourth:
Dobosh leads off the next inning with a hit and scores on a triple by Rob Douma... 3 to 1, Bears. The Bullpen is up. Mike Carpenter grounds a hit to right and Douma scores. 4 to 1, Bears. P Danny Adame bunts Carpenter to 2nd and we finally have an out... Luis Castillo grounds a hit to right and Carpenter scores... 5 to 1, Bears. Call to the Bullpen: Brian Hagans (26-R). Greg Werner lines a hit to left. Yasuji Urata lines out to 2nd and we double Castillo off at 2nd to end the inning.

Bottom of the Fifth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a hit and PH Tom Borden (30-L), batting for SS Eddie Thomas and making his Beaver debut, lines a single to right center. PH Gordon Saunderson (27-L), making his season debut, then blasts his first career home run to right!!! 3 runs score! 5 to 4, Bears. The top of our order comes up and goes down 1-2-3....

Top of the Sixth:
New Pitcher: Jorge Reyna (32-R), making his first appearance in a game in 3 years. Dave Lesley (27-R) is in to play short. Rob Douma leads off by lining a hit to center. With 1 out, he steals 2nd and 3rd.... With 2 outs, we walk Luis Castillo intentionally to get to Greg Werner, who grounds a 3-2 pitch through the hole on the left side to score Douma. 6 to 4, Bears. Yasuji Urata strikes out.

Bottom of the Sixth:
Gary Long hits a 2 out triple, but Jeff Schottler grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the Seventh:
Dave Lesley, in his first AB of the season, grounds a hit up the middle. PH Larry Sinchak (31-R), in his Beaver debut, grounds a ball to 3rd, but Ivan Gallegas boots it! Dale Ainsworth swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4. Runners on the corners with 1 out. Dennis Webb lines his third hit of the day to left and Lesley scores! 6 to 5, Bears. New Pitcher: Dave Doss (25-R). He had a 9.78 ERA last season. Perry Templet swings at a 3-1 pitch and grounds out to 3rd and the runners move up. 2 outs. Randy James flies out to center...

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Gary Guise (27-R), their closer. 32 SV, but 11 losses and a 3.58 ERA last year. He had 3 saves against us and no losses... Dave Lesley strikes out. PH Woody Griesbach (24-R), making his season debut, grounds out to 3rd. Dale Ainsworth drives one to straight away center and misses tying the game up with a home run by a few inches.... The ball hits off the very top of the wall and Ainsworth has a double. We need Dennis Webb to get his fourth hit of the day, but he flies out to right...

Lost - 6 to 5

We had 11 hits and made 1 error
Denver had 10 hits and made 1 error

Terry Melton (L 0-1) went 3.1 innings, allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1.
RHP Brian Hagans went 1.2 scoreless innings and allowed 1 hit.
RHP Jorge Reyna, in his 1st game in 3 years, went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk (INT) and struck out 3.
RHP Don Schmidt went 2 perfect innings and struck out 3.

Danny Adame (W 1-0) went 6.1 innings, gave us 5 runs, 10 hits, 2 home runs, no walks and struck out 1.
RHP Gary Guise (SV 1) pitched a scoreless 9th and gave us 1 hit and struck out 1.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with a double. C Dennis Webb had 3 hits and an RBI. 2B Gary Long hit a triple and a home run. PH Tom Borden had a hit and scored a run. PH Gordon Saunderson hit a 3 run home run.

[Questdog]

Thursday, April 4, Year II

We had the day off, but the minor leagues opened their seasons today (except for Rookie and D leagues) and our A ball team, the West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs of the Florida State League, outlasted the Tampa Tarpons, 2 to 1, in 18 innings. The Sun Chiefs only had 6 hits, but drew 16 walks!

[Questdog]

Friday, April 5, Year II

The Houston Astros are here to play 3 games over the weekend. They opened the season by dropping two games at Oakland. We lost the season series against them last year, 5-7. They have overhauled their pitching staff, which was very good last year. 7 of their 10 pitchers did not play for the Astros last season, including 3 that we gave them for Spaghetti Panighetti: SP Johnny Maskell (24-R), who pitched a good game in his debut, but lost, Dave Cole, who we will face today, and RP Antoine Redd (31-R), who has yet to see action. None of their starting hitters are new. Last season, the Astros were last in the PCL in scoring with 574 runs (3.54 per game) and 4th in fewest runs allowed with 617 (3.81 per game).

Houston Astros (0-2 .000 1 GB tied for 4th (last) place the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (1-1 .500 1 GB tied for 4th (last) place in the PCL West)

HOU: Dave Cole (26-R 2-4 6.17 ERA for Portland last year) vs. POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 17-12 3.31 ERA last year) All-Star

Cole sucked for us and if he shuts us down, I am not going to be a happy camper.... He had a 1.80 ERA in the Spring games, but walked more than he struck out.

Wolf had a 5.87 ERA in Spring Training games, but did not pitch badly.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
HOUSTON
1: 3B Bob Trigg (30-S .500-8-0-1-1.000) won the PCL Batting Title last year (.327)
2: 1B Dave Longman (24-R .286-7-0-1-.661)
3: RF Bill Henning (30-L .286-7-0-1-.536)
4: LF Tony Baez (32-R .250-8-0-0-.500)
5: 2B Bob Webster (23-S .125-8-0-0-.250)
6: CF Don Mosley (30-R .000-6-0-0-.143)
7: C Steve Coker (23-R Season debut) Rookie
8: SS Russ Mitchell (32-R .333-6-0-0-.762)
9: P Dave Cole (26-L Season debut) Rookie

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .222-9-0-0-.556) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L .600-5-0-1-1.200)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .286-7-0-2-.571) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .167-6-0-0-.542)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .143-7-0-1-.411)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .375-8-1-2-1.500) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .375-8-0-0-1.000) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .000-5-0-0-.000) Gold Glove
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R Season debut) All-Star

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 19,527

Top of the First:
Bob Trigg swings at the first pitch and flies out to left. Dave Longman grounds out to 1st, 3-1. Bill Henning swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to left! 1-2-3! Ron Wolf! In the First Inning! Christy the PA just said a bad word when Schottler made the catch because she wanted me to start letting her write again...

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to short. Dennis Webb lines a 3-1 pitch to deep left, but Bill Henning, who has less range than 99% of all the outfielders in Baseball, catches the ball and crashes into the fence and hangs on for the out... Perry Templet flies out to center.... Cole is going to shut us out and they are going to pummel Panighetti tomorrow....

Bottom of the Second:
Randy James leads off by poking one just in front of the plate, but C Steve Coker can't get a handle on it and James reaches on the error. Jeff Austin doubles to right center and James stops at 3rd. Can Gary Long, the best contact hitter on the team, make contact? He swings at a 3-2 pitch and doubles to right center to score both runners! 2 to 0, Beavers! That is his fourth extra base hit in 3 games! Jeff Schottler strikes out and Eddie Thomas grounds one back to the mound. Cole makes the play, but hurts himself and has to leave the game. Just our luck.... New Pitcher: Darryl Amar (27-R), in his season debut. 4.84 ERA for Oakland last year and started last season by pitching 2 scoreless innings for New York. P Ron Wolf grounds out to 1st, 3-1.

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, Russ Mitchell singles and gets bunted to 2nd by P Darryl Amar. Bob Trigg lines a 2 out hit to left and Mitchell scores. 2 to 1, Beavers.

Bottom of the Third:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with and hit and steals 2nd as Dennis Webb strikes out. With 2 outs, Randy James grounds a hit to center and Ainsworth scores. 3 to 1, Beavers.

Top of the Fourth:
The Astros have runners at 1st and 3rd with no outs thanks to back-to-back singles by Bull Henning and Tony Baez. Bob Webster makes it 3 hits in a row and Henning scores. 3 to 2, Beavers. Don Mosley and Steve Coker both strike out and Russ Mitchell grounds out to short!

Bottom of the Fourth:
With 2 outs, Eddie Thomas gets his first hit of the season, a 440 foot home run to left center!!! 4 to 2, Beavers.

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, Perry Templet dumps a hit into left and P Darryl Amar comes up lame. New Pitcher: Antoine Redd (31-R), our old friend making his season debut. Randy James flies out to left.

Bottom of the Sixth:
Jeff Austin leads off with a home run to right!! 5 to 2, Beavers! Hello, old friend!

Top of the Seventh:
With 2 outs, PH Mike Cunningham (28-L), who hit .190 last season, hits a home run to right. 5 to 3, Beavers.

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Barry Chapman (27-R). With 2 outs, Steve Coker grounds a hit to left to bring the tying run to the plate. PH Ron Mullins (29-L) works the count full and then fouls out to 3rd and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!

Won - 5 to 3

We had 8 hits and made no errors
Houston had 7 hits and made 2 errors

Ron Wolf (W 1-0) went 8 innings, allowed 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 3. 122 pitches.
RHP Barry Chapman (SV 2) pitched a scoreless 9th, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Dave Cole (L 0-1) went 1.2 innings, gave us 2 runs (1 earned), 2 hits, no walks and struck out 1.

1B Jeff Austin had 2 hits with a double and a home run and scored twice. 2B Gary Long hit a double and had 2 RBI. SS Eddie Thomas hit a home run.

The Astros reported that Dave Cole should be fine in a few days, but that Darryl Amar will be out a couple of weeks with a "dead arm".

[Questdog]

Saturday, April 6, Year II

Houston Astros (0-3 .000 2 GB in 6th (last) place the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (2-1 .667 tied for 1st place in the PCL West with 4 teams)

HOU: Pat Porter (25-R 0-1 2.35) vs. POR: Don Panighetti (25-L 10-16 3.68 last year for Houston) All-Star

Porter was in a rotation full of #1 starters last season, but now he is the only one left. We were 2-1 against Porter last season, but he pitched great both times we won, going 8 innings each time, and gave us 4 runs in 6 innings the time we lost.

Spaghetti Panighetti makes his Beaver debut today against his former team. He had a 2.37 ERA in the Spring, but gave up 3 HR in 19 IP.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
HOUSTON
1: CF Don Mosley (30-R .000-10-0-0-.091)
2: 3B Bob Trigg (30-S .455-11-0-2-.955) PCL Batting Champ
3: LF Tony Baez (32-R .273-11-0-0-.606)
4: 1B Dave Longman (24-R .182-11-0-1-.432)
5: 2B Bob Webster (23-S .167-12-0-1-.333)
6: RF Danny Matthew (36-R Season debut) Signed as a minor league FA on Thursday
7: C Steve Coker (23-R .250-4-0-0-.500) Rookie
8: SS Russ Mitchell (32-R .333-9-0-0-.733)
9: P Pat Porter (25-R .000-2-0-0-.000)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .231-13-0-0-.538) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L .333-9-0-1-.667)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .273-11-0-2-.545) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .200-10-0-1-.533)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .364-11-1-2-1.152)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .333-12-1-4-1.250) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .250-12-0-0-.667) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .125-8-1-1-.625) Gold Glove
9: P Don Panighetti (25-R Season debut) All-Star

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 56 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 21,817

Top of the First:
Don Mosley swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. Bob Trigg grounds out to short. Tony Baez lines out to center! 1-2-3!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth works the count full and then grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Dennis Webb lines a 1-2 pitch to center for a hit. Perry Templet takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Randy James swings at a 3-2 pitch and strikes out. Jeff Austin takes an 0-2 pitch for strike three....

Top of the Third:
P Don Panighetti retires the first 8 batters of the game and then walks the pitcher on 4 pitches.... Don Mosley strikes out to end the inning.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Jeff Austin leads off with a home run to left center! 1 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Fifth:
Danny Matthew, the newly signed minor league free agent, leads off with a double to right. He goes to 3rd on one ground out and scores on another. Tie game: 1 to 1.

Bottom of the Sixth:
With 1 out, Randy James draws a 4 pitch walk and goes to 3rd on a hit to right by Jeff Austin. Gary Long, with an opportunity to ground into a double play, is up.... No DP, but he pops out to short... Jeff Schottler lines out to center.

Bottom of the Eighth:
With 1 out, Randy James singles. With 2 outs, Gary Long singles. Jeff Schottler follows with a grounder to left for a hit and James heads home from 2nd, but gets thrown out by LF Tony Baez, who has a good arm...

Top of the Ninth:
On the Hill: Don Schmidt (27-R), beginning his second inning of work. PH Bill Henning (30-L) flies out to right. Bob Webster strikes out and PH Rob Mullins (29-L) grounds out to 2nd!

Bottom of the Ninth:
SP Pat Porter still on the mound with 133 pitches under his belt. SS Dave Lesley (27-R) lines out to center. PH Larry Sinchak (31-R) lines out to short. Dale Ainsworth lines a hit to left center and steals 2nd! Dennis Webb lines one hard to the left side, but SS Russ Mitchell makes a diving catch...

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Lou Hertzberg (30-L), making his season debut. Steve Coker takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... The Bullpen is up. Russ Mitchell strikes out! PH Gary Warner (27-R) is sent up, making his season debut. He hit .293 in 167 AB last year with 1 HR. He swings at the first pitch and double to left. Coker stops at 3rd. We walk Don Mosley intentionally. That brings up their best hitter, Bob Trigg, last year's Batting Champion. He flies out to center and Coker tags up, but CF Perry Templet throws him out at home!!!!

Bottom of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Phil DeNeui (26-R), their closer, making his season debut. 27 SV, but a 3.70 ERA and 7 losses last year. 4 saves against us and no losses. 3-4-5 hitters up for us. We go down in order with 2 strikeouts...

Top of the Eleventh:
With 1 out, P Lou Hertzberg beans Bull Henning, a lefty who cannot hit lefties... Bullpen is back up. With 2 outs, a wild pitch sends Henning to 2nd... Rob Mullins, a lefty who has never had a hit against a lefty (0-3), hits a home run to right.... 3 to 1, Astros.

Bottom of the Eleventh:
We go down in order....

Lost - 3 to 1 in 11 innings

We had 7 hits and made no errors
Houston had 7 hits and made 1 error

Don Panighetti went 7 innings, allowed 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Don Schmidt went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 3.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (L 0-1) went 2 innings, allowed 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks (1 INT), 1 HB and struck out 2. He threw a WP. Hopefully this is an aberration caused by an extended layoff and not a new level of skill for Hertzberg, one of my favorites.

Pat Porter went 9 innings, gave us 1 run, 7 hits, 1 home run, 4 walks and struck out 5. 144 pitches. At bat, he was 2 for 2 with a walk. Last year, he hit .167 and did not draw a walk...
RHP Phil DeNeui (W 1-0) pitched 2 perfect innings and struck out 2.

1B Jeff Austin had 2 hits with his 2nd home run of the year.

[Questdog]

Sunday, April 7, Year II

Houston Astros (1-3 .250 1 GB tied for 4th (last) place the PCL East) at
Portland Beavers (2-2 .500 1 GB in 5th place in the PCL West)

HOU: John Manly (26-R Season debut) vs. POR: Frank Martin (27-R 1-0 3.38)

Manly, who has a year of Major League experience, did not pitch above AA last year.

Martin went 8 innings in his first start and allowed 3 runs.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
HOUSTON
1: 3B Bob Trigg (30-S .375-16-0-2-.787) PCL Batting Champ
2: 1B Dave Longman (24-R .214-14-0-1-.481)
3: RF Bill Henning (30-L .250-12-0-1-.536)
4: LF Tony Baez (32-R .188-16-0-0-.423)
5: 2B Bob Webster (23-S .118-17-0-1-.235)
6: CF Don Mosley (30-R .000-14-0-0-.125)
7: C Steve Coker (23-R .125-8-0-0-.347) Rookie
8: SS Russ Mitchell (32-R .231-13-0-1-.516)
9: P John Manly (26-R Season debut)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .235-17-0-0-.572) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L .286-14-0-1-.571)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .200-15-0-2-.450) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .214-14-0-1-.567)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .375-16-2-3-1.228)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .294-17-1-4-1.000) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .235-17-0-0-.588) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .111-9-1-1-.644) Gold Glove
9: P Frank Martin (27-S .000-3-0-0-.000)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 20,742

Top of the First:
Bob Trigg grounds a hit into center. Dave Longman grounds a hit to left. Bill Henning grounds a hit to right and Trigg scores. 1 to 0, Astros. They pull off a double steal...Tony Baez grounds out to the pitcher and the runners hold. Bob Webster doubles to right and both runners score.... 3 to 0, Astros. The Bullpen is up. Don Mosley strikes out. Steve Coker lines a 1-2 pitch to center for a hit and Webster stops at 3rd. Russ Mitchell grounds out to short.

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds a hit past the shortstop. Dennis Webb pokes a hit to right center and Ainsworth goes to 3rd. Perry Templet flies out fairly deep to center, but Ainsworth holds at 3rd, even though CF Don Mosley has a weak arm.... Randy James lines a 3-1 pitch to center for a hit and Ainsworth scores. 3 to 1, Astros. We try to pull off a double steal, but C Dennis Webb is not very fast and gets throw out at 3rd... Why? Jeff Austin strikes out...

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Jeff Schottler triples off the wall in center. Eddie Thomas then jacks a home run down the left field line!!!! Tie game!! 3 to 3. Thomas is on pace to hit 77 home runs!!!

Bottom of the Third:
With 1 out, Perry Templet grounds a triple down the left field line. Randy James draws a 4 pitch walk. Jeff Austin then blasts a home run to left!!! 6 to 3, Beavers!!! Austin is on pace to hit 112 HR!! That sends the manly pitcher to the showers. New Pitcher: Antoine Redd (31-R). He gets the next two out.

Won - 6 to 3

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

Frank Martin (W 2-0) went 7 innings, allowed 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4.
RHP Barry Chapman (SV 3) pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 1.

John Manly (L 0-1) went 2.1 innings, gave us 6 runs, 7 hits, 2 home runs, 1 walk and struck out 2.

C Dennis Webb had 2 hits. CF Perry Templet hit a triple and scored a run. 3B Randy James had a hit and 2 walks, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Jeff Austin hit a home run for the 3rd straight day, drew a walk and had 3 RBI. LF Jeff Schottler hit a triple and scored a run. SS Eddie Thomas hit his 2nd home run and had 2 RBI.

For the Astros, 2B Bob Webster did not make an out with 2 hits, a double, 2 walks and 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Monday, April 8, Year II

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Tim Kelly, 3B, St. Louis (31-R .684/.682/.947) Had 13 hits with 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 SO, 5 R and 6 RBI in 5 G
PCL Player of the Week - Jeff Austin, 1B, Portland (30-R .368/.381/.947) Had 7 hits (17 AB) with 2 2B, 3 HR, 1 BB, 6 SO, 5 R and 6 RBI in 5 G

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

April 2 - Detroit outhit the Indians, 16 to 8, but lost at Cleveland, 4 to 3.
April 3 - 2B/1B Ernie McGuire (35-R) of Kansas City had 4 hits with a home run and 5 RBI at Los Angeles. The Royals won, 11 to 3.
April 5 - SS/2B/1B Jack Stull (30-R) of Milwaukee hit a double and a home run and had 5 RBI at San Diego. 1B/LF Don Duggan (26-L) was 4 for 4 with a double and a home run, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBI. The Brewers won, 11 to 2.
April 5 - Ex-Beaver RP Jerry Wilhelm (33-L) of St. Louis made his debut with the Cardinals by facing 1 batter in the bottom of the 9th at Detroit and giving up a home run to lose the game, 2 to 1.
April 5 - Jeff Johnson (25-R) of Washington pitched a 3 hit shutout at Philadelphia. He walked 2 and struck out 7. It was his season debut. Last year, he was 4-7 with a 4.78 ERA.
April 6 - A.J. Yates (26-R) of San Francisco pitched a 3 hit shutout at home versus Dallas. He walked 3 and struck out 2. It was his season debut. The Seals won, 2 to 0.
April 6 - SS Rance Haynes (34-R) of Brooklyn had 2 hits with a Grand Slam, a walk, 2 runs and 5 RBI at home versus Cincinnati. The Dodgers won, 11 to 7. Haynes was signed as a free agent for $90,000 in March. He was with San Diego last season.
April 7 - Seattle lost their #1 starter, Bill Nuckolls (29-L), with a torn rotator cuff. He is expected to miss more than a year. He was 1-1 in 2 starts with a 3.21 ERA.

Random Fact of Week: The Beavers had a 3.26 ERA in the first week of the season, which seems pretty good, but the PCL as a whole had an ERA of 2.99.... 7 teams were better than us, headed by the San Francisco Seals with a 1.34 team ERA.

Question: What team leads all the Majors in HR? The Beavers! Believe it or Not! We have 7 in 5 games. Oakland and Pittsburgh have yet to hit one.

[Westheim]

Got a brand new Beavers hat. I hope I don't have to gnaw on it too soon.

That pitching staff would look a lot better with some Tommy Lonski sprinkled in!

[Questdog]

Tuesday, April 9, Year II

We begin our first road trip of the season, which is also the shortest road trip in the history of Baseball. Not really a trip at all, just an excursion. We will play 2 games in Kansas City and then come back home for the weekend. The Royals won 2 of 3 over the weekend in Oakland. We split the season series with them last year, 6-6. So far, on the young season, Kansas City is 3rd in the PCL in scoring with 3.80 runs per game (Portland is #1 with 4.20!!!). They are 4th in fewest runs allowed with 3.00 per game (Portland is 8th with 3.60). This is their Home Opener.

Portland Beavers (3-2 .600 1.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West) at
Kansas City Royals (3-2 .600 tied for 1st place in the PCL East)

POR: Terry Melton (27-R 0-1 10.80) All-Star vs. KC: Don Finley (26-R 1-0 3.68)

We were 1-1 against Finley last season, with 1 good game from him and 1 average one.

Melton was mauled in his season debut, allowing 5 runs in 3.1 IP.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .238-21-0-0-.558) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L .333-18-0-1-.667)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .211-19-0-2-.566) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .250-16-0-2-.679)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .368-19-3-6-1.328)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .250-20-1-4-.850) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .250-20-0-0-.700) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .167-12-2-3-.897) Gold Glove
9: P Terry Melton (27-R .000-1-0-0-.000) All-Star

KANSAS CITY
1: SS Alejandro Prieto (27-S .286-21-0-1-.681)
2: 2B Ernie McGuire (35-R .400-20-1-5-.950) Trade from San Diego
3: LF Ricky Rodriguez (30-R .167-18-0-2-.367) All-Star Gold Glove Led PCL with 45 2B
4: CF Randy Schmitt (26-L .167-18-0-0-.508) All-Star Rookie of the Year
5: 1B Pedro Fuentes (30-R .250-16-0-0-.681) All-Star Gold Glove
6: 3B Tony Olson (37-L .250-16-1-5-.929) Led PCL with 118 SO
7: RF Mitch Gingrich (37-R 1.000-1-0-0-2.000)
8: C Joe Muniz (28-R .111-18-0-1-.272)
9: P Don Finley (26-R .250-4-1-1-1.250)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Royals Stadium
Weather: 59 F, with an 11 MPH wind blowing out to center.
Attendance: 44,593

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth flies out to right. Dennis Webb swings at a 2-2 pitch and doubles to center. Perry Templet swings at the first pitch, as he is wont to do, and grounds a hit to left. Webb heads home and beats the throw easily! Templet takes 2nd. 1 to 0, Beavers! Randy James strikes out looking... A wild pitch sends Templet to 3rd. Full count to Jeff Austin, who swings and lines one hard to left, but Ricky Rodriguez, the Gold Glover, runs it down.

Bottom of the First:
Alejandro Prieto grounds out to short. Ernie McGuire grounds one up the middle, but SS Eddie Thomas makes a diving stop and throws him out! Ricky Rodriguez grounds out to short! 1-2-3!

Top of the Second:
Gary Long leads off by grounding a double down the left field line. With 1 out, Eddie Thomas grounds his first non-home run hit up the middle and Long heads home, but CF Randy Schmitt throws him out...

Top of the Third:
With 2 outs, we load the bases up with hits by Perry Templet and Randy James and a walk by Jeff Austin, but Gary Long flies out to center.

Top of the Fourth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a home run to straight away center! 2 to 0, Beavers!

Bottom of the Fifth:
P Terry Melton retired the first 12 batters of the game. Batter #13, Randy Schmitt leads off the fifth with a home run to right... 2 to 1, Beavers. We have outhit them 10 to 1 so far, but only have 2 runs...

Top of the Seventh:
New Pitcher: Rich Kinney (33-R). He had an ERA under 2 last season, but Kansas City got him off the waiver wire this off-season... Dale Ainsworth leads off with a walk and steals 2nd, but Dennis Webb draws a walk. Perry Templet grounds a hit up the middle and Ainsworth scores! 3 to 1, Beavers! With 2 outs, Gary Long lines a hit to center to load the bases up. Jeff Schottler draws a walk to force in a run! 4 to 1, Beavers! Full count to Eddie Thomas and with the runners on the move, he grounds a hit to left and 2 runs score! 6 to 1, Beavers! Thomas has 3 hits! P Terry Melton lines out to 3rd to end the inning.

Top of the Eighth:
With 1 out, Dennis Webb triples to right center! Perry Templet bloops his fifth hit of the day to right and Webb scores! 7 to 1, Beavers! New Pitcher: Reggie Mack (27-R). He gets Randy James and Jeff Austin to fly out.

Won - 7 to 2

We had 15 hits and made no errors
Kansas City had 7 hits and made no errors

Terry Melton (W 1-1) went 9 innings (CG), allowed 2 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, no walks and struck out 4.

Don Finley (L 1-1) went 6 innings, gave us 2 runs, 10 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 2.

C Dennis Webb hit a double and a triple, drew a walk and scored 3 runs. CF Perry Templet went 5 for 5 , scored a run and had 3 RBI. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double and a walk and scored a run. LF Jeff Schottler hit a home run, drew a walk and had 2 RBI. SS Eddie Thomas had 3 hits and 2 RBI.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, April 10, Year II

Portland Beavers (4-2 .667 1 GB tied for 3rd place in the PCL West) at
Kansas City Royals (3-3 .500 tied for 1st place in the PCL East)

POR: Ron Wolf (28-R 1-0 3.38) All-Star vs. KC: John Wolters (25-R Major League debut) Rookie

Wolters was signed this winter as a minor league free agent. He had a 4.45 ERA in AAA as a reliever... 21 BB and 5 HR in 28.1 IP. He did have 29 SO, but still... If he is a Major League pitcher, I am prettier than Christy the PA. Christy claims that she is not pretty, but agrees that she is prettier than me...

Wolf went 8 innings in his first start and allowed 3 runs. Today is his Birthday!

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .240-25-0-0-.576) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L .364-22-0-1-.891)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .375-24-0-5-.858) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .238-21-0-2-.623)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .304-23-3-6-1.129)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .292-24-1-4-.945) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .250-24-1-2-.822) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .294-17-2-5-.980) Gold Glove
9: P Ron Wolf (28-R .000-3-0-0-.000) All-Star

KANSAS CITY
1: SS Alejandro Prieto (27-S .280-25-0-1-.653)
2: RF Julio Hernandez (29-L .300-20-0-2-.650)
3: LF Ricky Rodriguez (30-R .182-22-0-3-.390) All-Star Gold Glove
4: CF Randy Schmitt (26-L .182-22-1-1-.644) All-Star Rookie of the Year
5: 1B Roberto Gil (27-L .250-4-0-0-.500) MVP of the American Association (AAA)
6: 3B Tony Olson (37-L .250-20-1-5-.850) 1 for 4 with a HR vs Wolf
7: 2B Ernie McGuire (35-R .417-24-1-5-.958)
8: C Joe Muniz (28-R .143-21-0-1-.327) 1 for 3 with a HR vs Wolf
9: P John Wolters (25-S Major League debut) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Royals Stadium
Weather: 57 F, with an 10 MPH wind blowing out to center.
Attendance: 24,890

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth lines out to 3rd. Dennis Webb grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Perry Templet pops out to center.... I KNEW he would set us down in order...

Bottom of the First:
Alejandro Prieto lines a hit to center and steals 2nd. Julio Hernandez grounds out to 2nd and Prieto moves to 3rd. Ricky Rodriguez lines out to left and Prieto scores. 1 to 0, Royals. Randy Schmitt grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the Third:
With 2 outs, Alejandro Prieto singles and steals 2nd and scores on a single by Julio Hernandez. 2 to 0, Royals. Ricky Rodriguez doubles to center and Hernandez scored. 3 to 0, Royals.

Top of the Fifth:
The minor league pitcher strikes out the side in order....

Top of the Seventh:
Randy James and Jeff Austin lead off with walks, but Gary Long grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.... Jeff Schottler pops out to 3rd...

Lost - 4 to 1

just disgusting...

We had 5 hits and made no errors
Kansas City had 10 hits and made no errors

Ron Wolf (L 1-1) went 6.1 innings, allowed 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2.
RHP Don Schmidt faced 2 batters, gave up a hit and struck out 1.
LHP Jamie Cleveland faced 3 batters, got 2 out, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.
RHP Jorge Rayna faced 2 batters and struck out them both. He threw a WP and balked.

John Wolters (W 1-0), in his major league debut, went 8.1 innings, gave us 1 run, 5 hits, 4 walks and struck out 7. He threw 2 WP. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run.
RHP Jack Rose (SV 2) faced 2 batters and got them both out.

CF Perry Templet hit a triple and scored our run. 3B Randy James had a hit and 2 walks. He now has 7 walks in 7 games. 51 walks all of last season. PH Gordon Saunderson had a hit.

For the Royals, SS Alejandro Prieto had 3 hits and scored 2 runs. LF Ricky Rodriguez hit 2 doubles and had 3 RBI.

[Questdog]

Friday, April 12, Year II

We are back home to play the Oakland Oaks 3 games over the weekend. They were just swept in 3 games at home by Denver and have scored 1 total run in their last 4 games. We won the season series from them last year, 13-5. They are last in the PCL in scoring with 2.13 runs per game (Portland is 2nd with 4.14). Milwaukee scored 17 runs in a game to pass us by. The Oaks are 2nd in fewest runs allowed with 2.00 per game (Portland is 9th with 3.43). We are 9th with almost the exact same rate that put us in first by 65 runs last season! One reason for the dearth of runs in the early going is that there have yet to be any games played in Mile High Stadium or the Metrodome. Both Minnesota and Denver play their Home Openers today.

Oakland Oaks (3-5 .375 4 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (4-3 .571 2.5 GB in 4th place in the PCL West)

OAK: Dave Staffeld (27-R 1-0 1.84) vs. POR: Frank Martin (27-R 2-0 3.60)

Staffeld is their #1 starter. We beat him the only time we faced him last season, but he pitched a CG and only gave us 2 runs and 4 hits.

Martin, who walked 80 batters last year and had control problems in Spring Training, has only walked 2 batters so far in 2 starts.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
OAKLAND
1: 2B Glenn Rodgers (37-R .350-20-0-3-.835) Free Agent from NY
2: SS Henry Rangel (28-R .103-29-0-2-.325)
3: 1B Dave Russell (27-L .179-28-0-1-.412)
4: LF Norm Wynne (26-R .200-30-0-1-.550)
5: RF Roger Crandall (28-L .077-13-0-1-.210)
6: 3B Steve Stevenson (34-S .240-25-0-1-.667) Free Agent from Det
7: C Don Stokes (40-R .400-10-1-3-1.200) All-Star
8: CF Bob Waln (34-R .043-23-0-0-.163) Minor league free agent
9: P Dave Staffeld (27-R .250-4-0-1-.500)

Stevenson hit 16 HR in 183 AB for the Tigers last season: .339/.413/.639.

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (27-L .207-29-0-0-.499) Gold Glove
2: C Dennis Webb (25-L .308-26-0-1-.756)
3: CF Perry Templet (23-L .357-28-0-5-.879) PCLCS MVP
4: 3B Randy James (33-R .261-23-0-2-.694)
5: 1B Jeff Austin (30-R .308-26-3-6-1.097)
6: 2B Gary Long (33-R .250-28-1-4-.812) Gold Glove
7: LF Jeff Schottler (25-R .222-27-1-2-.731) WS MVP
8: SS Eddie Thomas (26-R .316-19-2-5-.982) Gold Glove
9: P Frank Martin (27-S .000-5-0-0-.000)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 22,870

Top of the First:
Glenn Rodgers grounds a 1-2 pitch past SS Eddie Thomas for a hit. Henry Rangel lines a hard hit to right. The Oaks have scored 1 total run in their last 4 games....How much you wanna bet that they score more than that right here in this inning? Dave Russell swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses! Norm Wynne swings at the first pitch and doubles to right, clearing the bases.... He ends up on 3rd after the throw. 2 to 0, Oaks. Yep... Roger Crandall doubles to left... 3 to 0, Oaks. The Bullpen is scrambled. Crandall lights out for 3rd, but C Dennis Webb throws out his first base stealer of the year! Steve Stevenson pops out to 3rd.

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to 1st, unassisted, for the 75th time this season.... That might be an exaggeration.... He needs to get going, though! Dennis Webb grounds out to 2nd. Perry Templet swings at the first pitch, as he is wont to do, and pops out to 2nd...

Top of the Second:
After getting the final out, P Frank Martin came to the dugout and complained of pain in his abdomen.... He has to leave the game.

Bottom of the Second:
Randy James leads off with a double to left center. With 1 out, Gary Long singles him home. 3 to 1, Oaks. Jeff Schottler doubles to right center. Eddie Thomas grounds a hit to left and both runners score!! Tie game: 3 to 3. PH Gordon Saunderson (27-L) grounds into a 6-4-3 double play...

Top of the Third:
New Pitcher: Lou Hertzberg (30-L). They get a couple of hits, but no runs. Both hits were by lefties. So far this season, lefties are 3 for 3 with a HR against Hertzberg and righties are 1 for 9... Last season, lefties hit .200 with no HR against him.

Bottom of the Third:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a triple off the right center field wall! Dennis Webb flies out to deep center and Ainsworth trots home. 4 to 3, Beavers!

Bottom of the Seventh:
New Pitcher: Glenn Brown (32-R). Signed as a free agent from Houston. He missed all of last season with an injury. With 1 out, PH Larry Sinchak (31-R) doubles to left and then they walk Dale Ainsworth intentionally. With 2 outs, Perry Templet singles to center and Sinchak scores! 5 to 3, Beavers!

Top of the Ninth:
On the Hill: Barry Chapman (27-R), beginning his second inning of work. Lead off hitter Steve Stevenson flies out to right and Chapman calls out the trainer, holding his shoulder in pain.... New Pitcher: Don Schmidt (27-R). He gets the final two outs.

Won - 5 to 3

Win or no, it is never a very fun game when your #1 starter and #1 reliever both leave the game with injuries...

We had 9 hits and made no errors
Oakland had 9 hits and made no errors

Frank Martin went 2 innings, allowed 3 runs, 5 hits, no walks and struck out 2.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (W 1-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 2.
RHP Jorge Reyna (H 1) went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.
RHP Barry Chapman (H 1) went 1.1 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.
RHP Don Schmidt (SV 1) faced 2 batters and got them out with 1 strikeout.

Dave Staffeld (L 1-1) went 6 innings, gave us 4 runs, 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4.

RF Dale Ainsworth hit a triple, was walked intentionally and scored a run. 3B Randy James hit a double and scored a run. 2B Gary Long had 3 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Eddie Thomas had a hit and a walk and 2 RBI. Unbelievably, he now leads the team in RBI! PH/3B Larry Sinchak hit a double and scored a run.

Pepe's report on Frank Martin is a mild muscle strain in his abdomen. He should be fine in a week and can probably make his next start. Barry Chapman has a tender shoulder that should be fine in a few days; he can probably pitch with the pain.