The Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (MLB)

[Questdog]

Sunday, May 20, Year I

Portland Beavers (22-19 .537 2 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West) at
San Diego Padres (18-23 .439 6 GB in 5th place in the PCL West)

POR: Tim Carrol (26-R Major League debut) vs. SD: Octavio Galindo (28-R 0-3 9.00 ERA)

We had better snap our string of 6 games in a row with 3 or fewer runs scored with THIS bum on the mound.

Carrol is making his Major League debut. 3 runs will probably not be enough to win for us today. For Vancouver (AAA), he was 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA. Only 9 walks and 19 SO in 43 IP, so our fielders better be playing on their toes because the ball is going to get hit.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .299-154-2-23-.782)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .282-142-1-8-.722) Rookie
3: 2B Gary Long (32-R .304-148-3-14-.780)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .250-156-6-21-.687)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .285-123-5-15-.807)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .261-88-3-9-.717)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .385-13-0-1-.967)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .225-129-0-10-.585)
9: P Tom Carrol (26-R) Major League debut

SAN DIEGO
1: CF Hal Baumgardner (26-R .184-98-2-9-.563)
2: 3B Mike Fahy (30-L .367-158-4-23-.957)
3: 2B Roger Rojas (24-R .260-77-4-9-.790)
4: LF Tony Baez (31-R .259-143-6-20-.748)
5: 1B Otis Smith (33-L .241-108-3-8-.681)
6: C Lee Dukes (32-R .191-115-6-12-.666)
7: RF David Shropshire (29-L .224-125-7-14-.768)
8: SS Rance Haynes (33-R .202-109-2-6-.565)
9: P Octavio Galindo (28-R .750-4-0-0-1.500)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Jack Murphy Stadium
Weather: 67 F, Partly Cloudy with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to right.
Attendance: 25,878

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth flies out to center. Perry Templet lines one back to the box and Galindo catches it. Gary Long grounds out to short... Why am I here?

Bottom of the First:
Full count to Hal Baumgardner and he swings and misses to give Tim Carrol a strikeout against the first Major Leaguer he ever faces! Mike Fahy grounds out to 1st, 1-3. Roger Rojas bloops a hit into right. He steals 2nd. Tony Baez grounds out to 3rd!

Top of the Second:
Jeff Austin leads off with a hit and steals 2nd. The catcher's throw is into center, so he ends up on 3rd! But the 3 hitters behind him all strike out... THIS is a BUM, guys!!! What the heck?!

Top of the Third:
Dave Lesley leads off with a hit and P Tim Carrol bunts him up. Dale Ainsworth singles and Perry Templet walks (!!) and the bases are loaded with 1 out. Of course, Gary Long grounds into a 5-4-3 double play... Dang, I just broke my pen...

Top of the Fifth:
Dave Lesley leads off with an infield hit, P Tim Carrol bunts him up and with 2 outs, Perry Templet singles him home. 1 to 0, Beavers! Finally. This offense is embarrassing.

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, Hal Baumgardner doubles and then Mike Fahy, who we have held hitless all series, knocks one out of the park. 2 to 1, Padres.

Top of the Eighth:
The BUM is still in there. Perry Templet hits a fly ball to center, but Hal Baumgardner drops it! With 1 out, Jeff Austin homers to right!! 3 to 2, Beavers!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Frank Esparza (32-R), who we scored off of in the 9th of the first game of the series to send it to extra innings (where we lost). Phil Parker leads off with a hit. Dave Lesley bunts him up. PH Dennis Webb (24-L) grounds a hit up the middle and Lesley scores! 4 to 2, Beavers! We bust through the 3 run ceiling!!!

Won - 4 to 2

We had 11 hits and made no errors
San Diego had 9 hits and made 2 errors

It is the first time since April 9th that we have reached double figures in hits in back-to-back games.

Tim Carrol, in his Major League debut, went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 3. He threw a WP.
RHP Barry Chapman (W 2-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 2.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (SV 2) pitched a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit.

Octavio Galindo (L 0-4) went 8 innings, gave us 3 runs (2 earned), 8 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 3.

CF Perry Templet had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Jeff Austin, hitting of late, had 2 hits with his 7th home run of the season. stole a base and had 2 RBI. SS Dave Lesley, also hitting of late, had 2 hits and scored a run. PH Dennis Webb had a hit and an RBI.

[Questdog]

Monday, May 21, Year I

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Tim Strange, C, Washington (28-L .380/.434/.657) Had 10 hits (18 AB) with 1 2b, 4 HR, 4 BB, 8 R and 8 RBI in 5 G (His 2nd POW of the season)
PCL Player of the Week - Antonio Mata, 3B, Oakland (26-R .250/.276/.410) Had 11 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 1 BB, 4 R and 8 RBI in 7 G

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

May 14 - Bobby McGregor (34-R) of Los Angeles pitched a 4 hit shutout at home versus Seattle. He walked 5 and struck out 4. The Angels won, 3 to 0. McGregor is now 4-3 with a 2.78 ERA
May 15 - The Dallas Eagles lost their #1 starter until late September at least. Rod Herrera (27-R) has a torn labrum. He was 3-1 and leading the PCL with a 1.75 ERA.
May 15 - Dave Ibarra (27-R) of Los Angeles improved his record to 7-0 with 8.1 innings of 2 hit shutout ball at home versus Seattle. He walked 2 and struck out 8. His ERA is now 2.05 on the season. The Angels won, 2 to 0. It is the second straight day that the Angels have shutout the Rainiers on 4 or fewer hits.
May 16 - For the third straight day the Angels shutout the Rainiers on fewer than 4 hits and on only 2 hits for the second straight day. They won, 8 to 0. Starter Allen Sanders (28-R) only went 2.1 innings because of injury.
May 16 - LF Dave Classen (26-L) had 3 hits with 2 doubles, stole a base and scored 5 runs at home versus Detroit. The Braves won, 12 to 1.
May 17 - Russ Lanier (25-R) of Dallas walked 9 batters in 8 innings at home versus Denver, yet only allowed 1 run. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 8. The Eagles won, 7 to 1.
May 19 - Jim Larson (34-R) of Kansas City pitched a 2 hit shutout at Milwaukee. He walked 4 and struck out 5. It was his first win of the season. He is now 1-4 with a 4.35 ERA. The Royals won, 11 to 0. 1B Pedro Fuentes (29-R) hit a double and two home runs, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBI. He also grounded into 2 double plays.
May 19 - RF Jonah Sivertson (22-L) of Cleveland had 3 hits with a Grand Slam and a walk and 6 RBI at home versus Baltimore. The Indians won, 7 to 1.
May 19 - 1B Tim Vigen (26-L) of St. Louis had 3 hits with a home run and 2 walks at home versus New York. He scored 3 runs and had 4 RBI. The Cardinals won, 15 to 6.
May 20 - Los Angles beat Oakland at home, 8 to 7, in 16 innings. Both teams scored a run in the 15th inning. The game finally ended when 3B David Aytes (30-R) led off with a double and, with 1 out, RF Ray Harrison (24-L) singled him home.

Random Fact of Week: CF Perry Templet (23-L) and Dale Ainsworth (26-L), who combined to bat .347 in April, are hitting a combined .189 in May.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Questdog

Sunday, May 6, Year I

I asked Dave Dafoe, our Scouting Director, to give me his report on the June Draft 30 days before we have to be picking. I got his report this morning, which is 29 days before the Draft. So that is how he operates, is it?

We will have the second pick in the draft, after the Baltimore Orioles, and it is very clear who we should be taking with that pick: SP Dave Murphy (18-R). He is not a big fellow (5' 11" 175 lbs), but he stands head and shoulders above every other pitcher in the class. Not only does my own statistical analysis rate him as the best, but both our own Dave Dafoe and the Scouting Combine have him listed as the best available starting pitcher.

So, probably he is who Baltimore picks....

If they do, then we will probably take OF Bob Crawford (18-R). He is the best hitter available who can also play some defense. He will be a corner outfielder in the majors and our need for outfielders is not great, but he is clearly the best of the everyday players in this class.

There is a college pitcher, Ron Dreiling (21-L) of Purdue, who looks very good and I may be tempted to take him with the second pick if Dave Murphy is chosen by Baltimore. I am a sucker for guys that throw five different pitches and Dreiling throws six!

Can't go wrong with the Ron Darling, eeeh, Dreiling kid, I'd wager.

Geez, already a full page behind...

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Can't go wrong with the Ron Darling, eeeh, Dreiling kid, I'd wager.

Geez, already a full page behind...

Well, the pages will be there, whenever to you get around to them....

Your universe is 50+ years ahead of mine and I need to hustle to get caught up!

[Questdog]

Monday, May 21, Year I

We are back home to play the two teams we just faced on the road. First up is the San Francisco Seals for a 3 game series. They won 2 of 3 at home versus Seattle over the weekend and 2 of 3 against us before that. They are 6th in the PCL in scoring with 4.0 runs per game (Portland only dreams of 4 runs a game...the Beavers are 9th with 3.5). The Seals are 4th in fewest runs allowed with 3.7 per game (Portland is #1 with 3.1). And we are now 1st in ERA at 2.93. Houston had been ahead of us most of the season, even though we had allowed fewer runs.

San Francisco Seals (23-19 .548 2 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (23-19 .548 2 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West)

SF: Jose Troche (26-L 3-1 1.05) vs. POR: Frank Martin (26-R 4-3 2.54 ERA) Rookie

Oh, the humanity of it all! He's a 6' 7" monster! Must we face him again and so soon? Troche leads the PCL in ERA and his last start was against us and he pitched 7 shutout innings. He allowed 4 hits, no walks and struck out 8.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN FRANCISCO
1: 2B Britt Abrams (31-R .240-50-0-1-.576)
2: 3B Chris Greenwald (27-S .288-177-3-21-.694)
3: LF Gary Halbert (28-R .222-162-8-25-.733)
4: RF Terry Van Doren (29-L .172-99-4-10-.617)
5: 1B Marcos Barron (32-R .221-136-2-5-.571)
6: CF Ron Chestnut (30-L .291-165-8-26-.898)
7: C Chip Carpenter (28-R .268-123-6-16-.805)
8: SS Javy Vasquez (21-R .241-83-1-6-.689) Rookie #3 prospect
9: P Jose Troche (26-L .143-14-0-0-.429)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .295-159-2-23-.771)
2: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .235-81-1-6-.695) Rookie
3: 2B Gary Long (32-R .301-153-3-14-.768)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .278-126-5-15-.793)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .261-92-3-9-.708)
6: 1B Glenn Pearce (39-R .263-76-0-7-.627)
7: C Dave Benya (26-S .100-30-0-2-.350)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .235-132-0-10-.602)
9: P Frank Martin (26-S .111-18-0-1-.325) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 60 F, Clear Skies with a 7 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 14,209

Top of the First:
Britt Adams grounds out to 2nd. Chris Greenwald strikes out! Gary Halbert homers to left...his 9th of the season. 1 to 0, Seals. Terry Van Doren grounds a hit up the middle. Marcos Barron doubles down the left field line and Van Doren scores. 2 to 0, Seals. Frank Martin balks. Full count to Ron Chestnut and he takes ball 4. Chip Carpenter grounds one to 2nd and Gary Long boots it. E-4. Barron scores. 3 to 0, Seals. Javy Vasquez walks on 4 pitches to load the bases up. Full count to the pitcher, Jose Troche, and he grounds out to 3rd. We are not going to score 3 runs today, so this game is over. Go and spend some quality time with your loved ones....

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth strikes out. Jeff Schottler gets good wood on the ball, but lines out to left. Gary Long flies out to right.

Lost - 12 to 1

We had 4 hits and made 3 errors
San Francisco had 11 hits and made no errors

A new season high in errors for us. And SS Dave Lesley did not make one of them!

Frank Martin (L 4-4) went 5 innings, allowed 7 runs (6 earned), 7 hits, 1 home run, 5 walks (1 INT), 1 HBP and struck out 2. He balked twice. Twice!
RHP Don Schmidt went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 3.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm went 1 inning, allowed 5 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. He struck out the side!! Hah! I am not liking him much...

Jose Troche (W 4-1) went 7.2 innings, gave us 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had 2 hits and 2 RBI.

CF Jeff Schottler hit a double, drew a walk and scored our run. Dave Lesley has 2 hits with a double.

For the Seals, LF Gary Halbert came up a single short of a cycle. He had a double, a triple and a home run, drew a walk, got beaned and had 4 RBI.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 22, Year I

San Francisco Seals (24-19 .558 1 GB in 2nd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (23-20 .535 2 GB in 3rd place in the PCL West)

SF: Bill Dixon (33-R 2-2 2.92) vs. POR: Tom Horn (24-L 1-3 3.52 ERA) Rookie

Dixon is not as good as Jose Troche, but he was good enough to beat us last week. He went 8.2 innings against us and gave us 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk and struck out 3.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN FRANCISCO
1: 2B Britt Abrams (31-R .236-55-0-2-.573)
2: 3B Chris Greenwald (27-S .286-182-3-22-.690)
3: LF Gary Halbert (28-R .235-166-9-29-.794)
4: 1B Marcos Barron (32-R .223-139-2-6-.589)
5: C John Ross (35-R .276-29-1-5-.736)
6: SS Javy Vasquez (21-R .233-86-1-6-.679) Rookie #3 prospect
7: CF Ron Chestnut (30-L .284-169-8-26-.881)
8: RF Dave DiMeglio (28-L .333-60-1-8-.776)
9: P Bill Dixon (33-R .176-17-0-0-.353)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .288-163-2-23-.753)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .288-146-1-9-.740) Rookie
3: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .279-129-5-16-.795)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .255-161-7-23-.709)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .250-96-3-9-.680)
6: C Dennis Webb (24-L .254-114-0-8-.634)
7: 2B Jeff Schottler (24-R .238-84-1-6-.713) Rookie
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .244-135-0-10-.625)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .000-8-0-0-.000) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 15,837

Top of the First:
Britt Adams flies out to left. Chris Greenwald bloops a hit into center. 3-2 pitch to Gary Halbert and he takes ball 4. Marcos Barron flies out to left. A passed ball moves the runners up. 3-2 pitch to John Ross and he takes strike 3!!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth strikes out. Perry Templet grounds out to the pitcher. Howard McNeal draws a full count walk. He steals 2nd, even though they had a pitchout called. Jeff Austin grounds out to the pitcher.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Perry Templet swings at the first pitch, as he is wont to do, and lines a hit into right center. That is our first hit of the game. He goes to 2nd when P Bill Dixon makes an error on a pickoff attempt. Howard McNeal gets beaned. Jeff Austin singles and Templet heads home, but gets thrown out, as we his wont to do... But my disappointment does not last long as Randy James crushes the next pitch into the left center seats!!! 3 to 0, Beavers! Could have been a Grand Slam, though, if Templet had any brains... He is very smart on all kinds of subjects, but on the base paths, he is a moron...

Bottom of the Eighth:
With 1 out, Jeff Austin reaches on an error by 3B Chris Greenwald. Randy James then smashes his second home run of the game to left!! 5 to 0, Beavers. James has all 5 RBI! That sends Bill Dixon packing.

Won - 5 to 0

First time we have scored 5 or more runs in a game in 10 days.

We had 8 hits and made no errors
San Francisco had 8 hits and made 2 errors

Tom Horn (W 2-3) went 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 6. He threw 2 WP. 132 pitches.

Bill Dixon (L 2-3) went 7.1 innings, gave us 5 runs (4 earned), 7 hits, 2 home runs, 2 walks (1 INT), 1 HBP and struck out 4. He is the 8th straight starting pitcher to go at least 7 innings against us.

LF Howard McNeal hit a double, drew a walk, stole a base and scored a run. 1B Jeff Austin had a hit, was intentionally walked and scored 2 runs. 3B Randy James hit 2 home runs and had all 5 of our RBI. He now has 5 HR on the season. 2B Jeff Schottler hit a double and looked pretty good in the field. No errors! We will let him play there again sometime.

For the Seals, RF Dave DiMeglio had 3 of their hits with a double.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 23, Year I

San Francisco Seals (24-20 .545 1 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (24-20 .545 1 GB tied for 2nd place in the PCL West)

Rubber game for 2nd place (and maybe a share of 1st if the Angels lose).

SF: Henry Vega (25-R 2-1 1.59) vs. POR: Tony Kelley (25-L Major League debut)

Vega is a slacker, but a slacker with a nasty curveball.

Kelley is making his Major League debut today, already the sixth pitcher to start his first Major League game for us this season. I hope your prayers are with him... He was 2-2 with a 1.82 ERA for Vancouver (AAA) with only 3 walks in 24.2 IP. Only an 87 MPH fastball, but a pretty good changeup.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN FRANCISCO
1: 2B Britt Abrams (31-R .237-59-0-2-.579)
2: 3B Chris Greenwald (27-S .283-187-3-22-.682)
3: LF Gary Halbert (28-R .243-169-9-29-.812)
4: 1B Marcos Barron (32-R .217-143-2-6-.573)
5: RF Terry Van Doren (29-L .181-105-4-11-.620)
6: C Chip Carpenter (28-R .264-129-6-16-.784)
7: CF Ron Chestnut (30-L .283-173-8-26-.881)
8: SS Javy Vasquez (21-R .222-90-1-6-.652) Rookie #3 prospect
9: P Henry Vega (25-R .364-11-0-1-.727)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .287-167-2-23-.747)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .287-150-1-9-.734) Rookie
3: 2B Gary Long (32-R .293-157-3-14-.749)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .256-164-7-23-.712)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .282-131-5-16-.814)
6: 3B Glenn Pearce (39-R .250-80-0-7-.597)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .353-17-0-1-.859)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .237-139-0-10-.607)
9: P Tony Kelley (25-L) Major League debut

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: Roof Closed
Attendance: 16,546

Top of the First:
Britt Adams grounds out to short. Chris Greenwald lines a hit to center. Gary Halbert flies out to right. Marcos Barron grounds out to 3rd!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to short. Perry Templet flies out to center. Gary Long flies out to right.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Henry Vega retired the first 11 Beavers to bat before Gary Long finally hit a 2 out double. But Jeff Austin flies out to end the inning.

Bottom of the Fifth:
Howard McNeal leads off with a hit, steals 2nd, goes to 3rd on a ground out and scores on a ground out by Phil Parker. 1 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Sixth:
Tony Kelley has been more than we could have hoped for through 5 innings! Javy Vasquez leads off with a double and P Henry Vega bunts him over to 3rd. They try a suicide squeeze with Britt Adams at the plate and he pops it up and C Phil Parker catches it and doubles Vasquez off 3rd!!!!

Top of the Seventh:
Chris Greenwald and Gary Halbert lead off with back-to-back doubles to tie the game at 1. Call to the Bullpen: Antoine Redd (31-R). With 1 out Halbert tries to steal 3rd and Phil Parker throws him out! The second runner he has gunned down today!

Top of the Ninth:
Still tied at 1. New Pitcher: Lou Hertzberg (29-L). With 2 outs, Chris Greenwald doubles, but Gary Halbert grounds out to short to end the inning!

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Jesse Adcock (28-L), their closer and our closer from last year. Our 3-4-5 hitters go down 1-2-3....

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
They go out in order!

Bottom of the Tenth:
Glenn Pearce leads off with a grounder to right for a hit. We send in a pinch-runner for the 39 year old tub o' lard: Manny Jimenez (29-R). We leave C Phil Parker in to bat, anticipating he will bunt. Jimenez steals 2nd! Well, the pitcher's spot is coming up soon and we only have one fellow on the bench who can hit lefties at all, so we leave Parker in anyway, though he cannot hit lefties. I am hoping our manager will bunt... He does not and Parker strikes out. Dave Lesley strikes out. Pinch-hitter: Jeff Schottler (24-R). He grounds a hit up the middle and Jimenez heads home. The throw....the slide...the tag....the call....Safe!!!! And THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!!!!

Won - 2 to 1 in 10 innings

We had 6 hits and made no errors
San Francisco had 6 hits and made no errors

Los Angeles lost and we are tied for First Place!

This offense is giving me gray hair. We only had 18 hits in the 3 game series, but still managed to win 2 of 3.

Tony Kelley, in his Major League debut, went 6 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, no walks and struck out 1.
RHP Antoine Redd pitched 2 perfect innings and struck out 3.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (W 2-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

Henry Vega went 8 innings, gave us 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks (1 INT) and struck out 2. He is the 9th straight starting pitcher to go at least 7 innings against us.
LHP Jesse Adcock (L 2-3) went 1.2 innings, gave us 1 run, 2 hits and struck out 3.

2B Gary Long hit a double. PR Manny Jimenez scored the winning run. SS Dave Lesley hit a double. PH Jeff Schottler had a hit and knocked in the winning run!

For the Seals, 3B Chris Greenwald had 3 hits with 2 doubles and scored their run.

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 24, Year I

P Terry Melton (26-R) should be ready to make his next start, so we need to send a pitcher back to Vancouver (AAA). Both Tim Carrol (26-R) and Tony Kelley (25-L) did reasonably well in their Major League debuts and it is tough to choose which one to keep. Kelley did a little better and he is a lefty and a year younger, so we will let him make another start and send Carrol to Vancouver. When Kelley gets shelled in his next outing, we will probably have them switch places....

1B Joe Harrison (35-R) and his $1.7 million contract cleared waivers, unfortunately, so we will reinstate him to the active roster.

The San Diego Padres are in town to play 4 games through the weekend. They just lost 2 of 3 in Oakland and before that they lost 2 of 3 to us in San Diego. They are currently 10th in scoring in the PCL with 3.4 runs per game (Portland is 9th with 3.4 also, but we have scored 2 more runs than they have). They are tied for 3rd in most home runs with 43 in 45 games, but 2nd to last in BA (.235) and doubles (58). They are 5th in fewest runs allowed with 3.9 per game (Portland is still #1, but now with 3.2). We also do not lead in ERA anymore.

San Diego Padres (19-26 .422 6 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (25-20 .545 tied for 1st place in the PCL West)

SD: Mike Nackley (26-L 4-5 2.65) vs. POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 5-2 3.70)

Nackley is their Ace. He is currently second in the PCL in strikeouts, but he will lead the League after today's game.... He pitched a CG against us last week in San Diego, but we managed to beat him, 3 to 1.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN DIEGO
1: CF Hal Baumgardner (26-R .191-115-3-11-.599)
2: 3B Mike Fahy (30-L .357-171-5-25-.937)
3: 2B Roger Rojas (24-R .270-89-4-9-.785)
4: 1B Otis Smith (33-L .235-115-3-8-.684)
5: LF Ernesto Najarro (22-L .228-92-2-6-.627) Rookie
6: RF Butch Nelson (25-R .209-43-0-4-.495) Rookie
7: C Lee Dukes (32-R .184-125-6-14-.644)
8: SS Rance Haynes (33-R .203-118-2-6-.571)
9: P Mike Nackley (26-L .130-23-0-1-.304)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .281-171-2-23-.730)
2: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .247-89-1-7-.729) Rookie
3: 2B Gary Long (32-R .292-161-3-14-.749)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .256-168-7-23-.707)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .284-134-5-16-.811)
6: 3B Randy James (32-R .260-100-5-14-.752)
7: SS Manuel Jimenez (29-R .097-31-0-2-.340)
8: C Dave Benya (26-S .091-33-0-2-.322)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .222-18-0-1-.500)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 61 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 16,424

Top of the First:
Full count to lead off hitter Hal Baumgardner and he swings at the payoff pitch and grounds out to the pitcher. Mike Fahy hits a high lazy fly ball to center for out #2. Roger Rojas bloops a hit to right. Otis Smith flies out to center.

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth, who is hitting .186 in May, grounds out to 3rd. Jeff Schottler flies out to right. Gary Long grounds out to short.

It is so disheartening to see our pitchers have solid outing after solid outing and NEVER get any runs to support them....
Through five innings, we are still knotted at 0 to 0.

Top of the Sixth:
Hal Baumgardner leads off with a hit, steals 2nd and scores on a hit by Mike Fahy. 1 to 0, Padres.

Lost - 4 to 0

We had 3 hits and made 1 error
San Diego had 10 hits and made no errors

This offense! Sucks!

Ron Wolf (L 5-3) went 5.2 innings, allowed 3 runs (2 earned), 4 hits, 3 walks and struck out 1.
RHP Barry Chapman went 1 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 1.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm went 1.1 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1.
RHP Don Schmidt went 1 inning, allowed 1 run and 3 hits.

Mike Nackley (W 5-5) went 9 innings (CG), gave us 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he drew a walk. He does indeed lead the PCL in strikeouts now. He is the 10th straight starting pitcher to go at least 7 innings against our pathetic hitters. He had the highest Game Score of any starter against us this season: 83.

3B Randy James hit a double. SS Manny Jimenez actually had a hit and drew a walk, but made our error, his first of the season.

For the Padres, 2B Roger Rojas had 3 hits with a double and scored a run.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 25, Year I

Today is C Dennis Webb's 25th birthday.

San Diego Padres (20-26 .435 5 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (25-21 .543 tied for 1st place in the PCL West)

SD: Octavio Galindo (28-R 0-4 6.65) vs. POR: Terry Melton (26-R 6-2 1.90)

The only reason Galindo' ERA is 6.65 and not 9.00 is because he faced us last time out and went 8 innings and only gave us 2 earned runs... He is the biggest bum pitcher we have faced this season and if he shuts us down again, we are going to do something very mean and nasty to all of our hitters.... I am not sure what right now, but once I get mad enough, I will think of something...

Melton is pitching his first game in 10 days because of a herniated disc in his back (where else would a herniated disc be, Bub?). His back has been a chronic issue with him (who else would his back be an issue with, Bub?).

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN DIEGO
1: CF Hal Baumgardner (26-R .202-119-3-11-.617)
2: 3B Mike Fahy (30-L .352-176-5-26-.922)
3: 2B Roger Rojas (24-R .287-94-4-9-.816)
4: LF Tony Baez (31-R .253-158-8-22-.762)
5: 1B Otis Smith (33-L .235-119-3-9-.683)
6: C Lee Dukes (32-R .186-129-6-14-.639)
7: RF David Shropshire (29-L .223-139-7-14-.748)
8: SS Rance Haynes (33-R .205-122-2-6-.568)
9: P Octavio Galindo (28-R .571-7-0-0-1.143)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .276-174-2-23-.722)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .279-154-1-9-.716) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .262-103-5-14-.759)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .251-171-7-23-.695)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .287-164-3-14-.740)
6: LF Jeff Schottler (24-R .237-93-1-7-.699) Rookie
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .300-20-0-2-.764)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .238-143-0-10-.611)
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .167-24-0-1-.333)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 60 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 8 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 18,850

Top of the First:
Hal Baumgardner swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 2nd. Mike Fahy swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 2nd. Roger Rojas, instructed not to swing at the first pitch, I am sure, swings at the second pitch and grounds out to 2nd. 1-2-3! 4 pitch inning!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth loops a hit into right. He steals 2nd. Perry Templet grounds out on a slow roller to short and Ainsworth moves over to 3rd. Randy James blasts a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall!! 2 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Austin flies out to center. Gary Long, cold of late, doubles down the left field line. Jeff Schottler beats out an infield hit. Phil Parker flies out to center.

Top of the Second:
With 1 out, Otis Smith doubles and goes to 3rd on a hit by Lee Dukes. David Shropshire flies out to deep center for what looks like a sure Sacrifice Fly, but Perry Templet guns Otis Smith out at the plate. Unbelievable throw!

Bottom of the Second:
We load the bases up with three 2 out walks to Dale Ainsworth, Perry Templet and Randy James, but Jeff Austin grounds out to short.

Bottom of the Fourth:
We load the bases up with 1 out on a walk by P Terry Melton and singles by Dale Ainsworth and Perry Templet. Randy James, who owns a home run this game, strikes out... 2 down for Jeff Austin. He launches a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a Grand Slam!!! 6 to 0, Beavers! That is our first Salami of the season! We had one hit against us. That sends Galindo back to whatever rock he crawled out from under....and saves our hitters from my wrath....for now. New Pitcher: RHP Lee Redden.

Won - 9 to 0

Terry Melton with his 4th shutout of the season! I guess his back feels fine!
First time that we have scored more than 5 runs in over two weeks!

We had 13 hits and made 1 error
The Padres had 4 hits and made no errors

Terry Melton (W 7-2) went 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 4 hits, no walks and struck out 6. At bat, he drew a walk and scored a run. He has now thrown 23.1 scoreless innings in a row!

Octavio Galindo (L 0-5) went 3.2 innings, gave us 6 runs, 7 hits, 2 home runs, 5 walks and struck out 1.

RF Dale Ainsworth busted out of his slump with a 4 for 4 day! He hit a double, drew a walk, stole 2 bases and scored 3 runs. CF Perry Templet, also in a slump, had 2 hits with a triple, drew a walk (!), scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. 3B Randy James had two hits with his 6th home run of the season, drew a walk and had 3 RBI. 1B Jeff Austin hit a Grand Slam, his 8th home run of the year. 2B Gary Long, also in a slump, had 2 hits with a double.

[Questdog]

Saturday, May 26, Year I

San Diego Padres (20-27 .426 6 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (26-21 .553 tied for 1st place in the PCL West)

SD: Javier Reyna (32-R 4-5 2.26) vs. POR: Frank Martin (26-R 4-4 3.29) Rookie

When the Padres score more than 1 run for him, Reyna wins, but they have scored one or fewer runs in 6 of his 10 starts. We have not faced him yet this year.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN DIEGO
1: CF Hal Baumgardner (26-R .197-122-3-11-.602)
2: 3B Mike Fahy (30-L .344-180-5-26-.902)
3: 2B Roger Rojas (24-R .276-98-4-9-.784)
4: LF David Shropshire (29-L .225-142-7-14-.746)
5: 1B Otis Smith (33-L .238-122-3-9-.690)
6: RF Ernesto Najarro (22-L .214-98-2-6-.590) Rookie
7: C Lee Dukes (32-R .189-132-6-14-.640)
8: SS Rance Haynes (33-R .208-125-2-6-.571)
9: P Javier Reyna (32-R .250-20-0-1-.500)

PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .292-178-2-23-.758)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .285-158-1-11-.739) Rookie
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .271-107-6-17-.801)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .250-176-8-27-.704)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .285-137-5-16-.808)
6: 2B Gary Long (32-R .290-169-3-14-.747)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .250-24-0-2-.641)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .238-147-0-10-.609)
9: P Frank Martin (26-R .105-19-0-1-.308)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 63 F, Clear Skies, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 18,988

Top of the First:
Hal Baumgardner lines one back to the box and P Frank Martin catches it! Mike Fahy drives one down the line in left, but Howard McNeal catches it at the base of the wall! Roger Rojas takes a 3-2 pitch in the back. 3-2 pitch to David Shropshire and he lines one down the line in left, but Howard McNeal makes a nice running catch!

Bottom of the First:
Dale Ainsworth lines a hit down the line in left. He steals 2nd on the first pitch to Perry Templet. Templet grounds a slow one to the left side and is thrown out by the shortstop, but Ainsworth moves over to 3rd. Randy James grounds out to short and Ainsworth scores. 1 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Austin beats out an infield hit. Howard McNeal swings at a 3-1 pitch and pops out to short.

Top of the Second:
Otis Smith leads off with a walk and Ernesto Najarro singles, but Lee Dukes grounds into a 5-4-3 double play and Rance Haynes pops out to 2nd!

Bottom of the Third:
P Frank Martin leads off with an infield hit! Dale Ainsworth grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4, and then steals 2nd. Perry Templet doubles over the center fielder's head! 2 to 0, Beavers!

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, David Shropshire and Otis Smith single to put runners on the corners. But P Frank Martin gets Ernesto Najarro to fly out to shallow center and he strikes out Lee Dukes!

Won - 2 to 0

P Frank Martin retired the final 9 batters in a row.

Back-to-back shutouts (both 4 hitters)! First time that has happened this season. We also have 3 in our last 5 games. This was our 9th shutout of the season! No other team in Baseball has more than 4! Terry Melton has 4 all by himself!

It always seems my teams end up having good pitching and defense and weak hitting. I do not want it that way, but since I refuse to allow a weak defender to start for me, it turns out that way most of the time.

We had 8 hits and no errors
San Diego had 4 hits and no errors

Frank Martin pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 HBP and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit.

Javier Reyna (L 4-6) went 8 innings (CG), gave us 2 runs, 8 hits, no walks and struck out 1. For the 7th time in 11 starts, the Padres score 1 or fewer runs for him.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits, stole 2 bases and scored both of our runs. CF Perry Templet had 2 hits with a double and an RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, May 27, Year I

San Diego Padres (20-28 .417 6 GB in 5th place in the PCL West) at
Portland Beavers (27-21 .563 in 1st place in the PCL West)

SD: Don Polcha (27-R 1-5 4.90) vs. POR: Tom Horn (24-L 2-3 2.72) Rookie

Unlike Javier Reyna (32-R), yesterday's starter for the Padres, Polcha has earned his losses. The League is hitting .316 with an .807 OPS off him so far. I am sure facing us will help his numbers some, though.

We have had 2 straight shutouts and Tom Horn pitched a shutout his last time out. So we are guaranteed of getting shelled this game....

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
SAN DIEGO
1: CF Hal Baumgardner (26-R .190-126-3-11-.584)
2: 1B Ernie McGuire (34-R .188-80-1-7-.510)
3: 2B Roger Rojas (24-R .270-100-4-9-.781)
4: LF Tony Baez (31-R .248-161-8-22-.748)
5: 3B Mike Fahy (30-L .337-184-5-26-.883)
6: SS Rance Haynes (33-R .203-128-2-6-.558)
7: C Gary Doss (29-R .273-11-0-2-.710) Rookie
8: LF David Shropshire (29-L .226-146-7-14-.740)
9: P Don Polcha (27-R .235-17-0-3-.471)

PORTLAND
1: CF Perry Templet (23-L .290-162-1-12-.752) Rookie
2: 2B Gary Long (32-R .285-172-3-14-.734)
3: 3B Randy James (32-R .261-111-6-18-.774)
4: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .250-180-8-27-.699)
5: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .286-140-5-16-.805)
6: RF Jeff Schottler (24-R .240-96-1-7-.704) Rookie
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .259-27-0-2-.644)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .233-150-0-10-.597)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .000-11-0-0-.000) Rookie

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: The Skydome
Weather: 59 F, Overcast, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from right.
Attendance: 19,065

Top of the First:
Hal Baumgardner grounds a hit to left. Ernie McGuire beats out an infield hit. Yep, I called it... Roger Rojas lines one over LF Jeff Schottler's head, but he races back and makes an amazing running catch! Baumgardner tags up and moves to 3rd. Tony Baez strikes out! Mike Fahy drills one 432 feet to center... home run. 3 to 0, Padres. Rance Haynes flies out to the warning track in right and we say, "Thank you, wind."

Bottom of the First:
Perry Templet grounds a hit up the middle. Gary Long grounds into a 1-4-3 double play... Randy James flies out to center.

Top of the Third:
With two outs, Roger Rojas grounds one to 1st, but Jeff Austin boots it. E-3. Tony Baez then homers to left... 5 to 0, Padres. P Tom Horn calls for the trainer.... Is he another wuss? We have to take him out with a pulled muscle in his abdomen. New Pitcher: Tony Kelley (25-L), our current #5 starter, who we will not need to start until late in the week. He gets Mike Fahy to ground out to 2nd to end the inning.

Top of the Fourth:
P Tony Kelley issues back-to-back walks to start the inning. Down 5 to 0, we are leaving him in for a while. With 1 out, P Don Polcha singles to load the bases up. A wild pitch scores a run. 6 to 0, Padres. A walk to Hal Baumgardner loads the bases back up. Ernie McGuire strikes out. 2 outs. Another wild pitch scores another run... 7 to 0, Padres. 3-2 pitch to Roger Rojas and he swings and misses. Kelley actually struck out the side in that inning...

Bottom of the Fourth:
Randy James leads off with a double and Jeff Austin reaches on an error by SS Rance Haynes to put runners at the corners with no outs. But all we get is 1 run when Howard McNeal grounds out. 7 to 1, Padres.

Bottom of the Fifth:
Dave Lesley and PH Gordon Saunderson (26-L) lead off with back-to-back singles. With 1 out, Gary Long singles and the bases are loaded. Randy James draws a walk to force in a run. 7 to 2, Padres. But Jeff Austin grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom of the Sixth:
With 1 out, Jeff Schottler beats out an infield hit. Phil Parker draws a walk. Dave Lesley then blasts a home run to left!! His first of the season! 7 to 5, Padres. That sends Polcha to the showers.

Top of the Seventh:
New Pitcher: Antoine Redd (31-R). He walks lead off batter Hal Baumgardner and gives up back-to-back 1 out singles to Roger Rojas and Tony Baez to load the bases up. But he wiggles out of the jam with a pair of ground balls!

Bottom of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Rollin Orleans (31-L). Howard McNeal reaches on an error by 3B Mike Fahy and Jeff Schottler singles him to 3rd. With 1 out, Dave Lesley brings McNeal home with a fly ball to left. 7 to 6, Padres. With 2 outs, PH Joe Harrison lines a hit to left and Schottler scores to tie the game! 7 to 7. Perry Templet draws a walk!!! Gary Long then blasts a home run to left!!!! 3 runs, baby!!! 10 to 7, Beavers!!! Orleans is replaced by Danny Gilmore (28-R). Randy James knocks out a hit, but Jeff Austin strikes out to end the fun.

Won - 10 to 7

I never, not in my wildest dreams, thought this team was capable from coming back to win a game after being down 7 to 0!!!
In my wildest dreams, though, there is no baseball....

We had 13 hits and made 1 error
San Diego had 7 hits and made 2 errors

Tom Horn went 2.2 innings, allowed 5 runs (3 earned), 4 hits, 2 home runs, no walks and struck out 2.
RHP Tony Kelley went 2.1 innings, allowed 2 runs, 1 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. He threw 1 WP. He did not walk a batter in his start and showed excellent control at Vancouver (AAA). We will chalk this up to not being ready to pitch in relief after the injury to Horn.
RHP Barry Chapman pitched 1 perfect inning and struck out 1.
RHP Antoine Redd (W 1-2) pitched 2 scoreless innings (barely), allowed 2 hits and 2 walks and struck out 3.
RHP Don Schmidt (SV 3) pitched a perfect 9th and struck out 1.

Don Polcha went 5.1 innings, gave us 5 runs, 9 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 3.
LHP Rollin Orleans (L 0-3) went 0.2 innings, gave us 5 unearned runs, 3 hits, 1 home run and 1 walk.

CF Perry Templet had 2 hits and a walk and scored a run. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with his 4th home run of the season and had 3 RBI. 3B Randy James had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. RF Jeff Schottler had 2 hits and scored 2 runs and made a highlight reel catch. SS Dave Lesley went 3 for 3 with his first home run of the year, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBI. PH Gordon Saunderson had a hit. PH Joe Harrison had a hit, scored a run and had an RBI.

For the Padres, 3B Mike Fahy hit a 3 run home run.

[Questdog]

Monday, May 28, Year I

Monday Morning Report
NL Player of the Week - Bob Waln, CF, Washington (33-R .261/.316/.420) Had 9 hits (13 AB) with 1 2b, 2 HR, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4 R and 5 RBI in 5 G (3 GS)
PCL Player of the Week - Gary Halbert, LF, San Francisco (28-R .261/.352/.500) Had 13 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 R and 10 RBI in 7 G (3 against us)

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

May 21 - CF Bob Waln (33-R) of Washington had 4 hits with a double and a home run at home versus Pittsburgh. He drew a walk, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBI. The Senators won, 12 to 4.
May 21 - 3B Joe Bramblett (34-R) of New York had 2 hits with a Grand Slam at home versus Chicago. He had 5 RBI. The Giants won, 9 to 4.
May 22 - Brad Dombeck (31-R) of Houston pitched a 2 hit shutout at home versus Kansas City. He walked 3 and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit. The Astros won, 1 to 0.
May 22 - 2B Rob Douma (27-R) of Denver had 4 hits with a double and 2 home runs at home versus Dallas. He drew a walk and scored 5 runs. His solo home run in the bottom of the 9th tied the game. And he led off the bottom of the 12th with a walk and scored the winning run. The Bears won, 7 to 6, in 12 innings.
May 23 - 2B Bob Webster (22-S) of Houston had 5 hits at home versus Kansas City. He hit a double and a home run, stole a base and scored 2 runs. The Astros won, 4 to 3, in 12 innings. Webster led off the 12th with a double and scored the winning run.
May 24 - LF Felix Zavala (30-L) of St. Louis had 4 hits with a home run and a walk and 5 RBI at Baltimore. The Cardinals won, 12 to 1.
May 25 - Los Angeles was outhit at Oakland, 8 to 1, but won the game, 5 to 3. The 1 hit was a double by the second batter of the game after the first batter had reached base on an error. That gave them a run. The other 4 runs came from the 8 walks the Oakland pitchers issued, helped by a passed ball, a wild pitch and 2 stolen bases. SS Henry Rangel (27-R) of Oakland had a hit to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest in the Majors so far this season.
May 26 - Qian Duan (29-R) of Milwaukee, the only Chinese player in the Major Leagues, had 4 hits with a double and a home run and 4 RBI at Kansas City. But he hurt his hip sliding into second on the double and will miss about a month. The Brewers won, 11 to 1.
May 26 - 1B Jim Foor (25-R) of Philadelphia had 4 hits with a double and 2 home runs, scored 3 runs and had 5 RBI at home versus St. Louis. The Phillies won, 9 to 2.

Random Fact of Week: In April, our hitters hit for a very good average (.265), but only scored 3.4 runs per game. In May they are hitting only .239, but are scoring 3.7 runs per game. The difference: 10 HR in 25 G in April, 19 HR in 24 G in May.

[DD Martin]

Don’t look now but your on pace to win 92-93 games. BA’s prediction of 94 doesn’t seem as bad now. But its the pitching not the offense that is doing it for your Beavs

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 29, Year I

We start a 10 game road trip today that will see us face the last 3 teams in the PCL that we have yet to face. We start with 3 games in Dallas. The Eagles have the best record in the Pacific Coast League. They lead the League in scoring with 5.1 runs per game (Portland is 9th with 3.6). Their offense is not fueled by a hitter friendly ball park, either. They are scoring 4.7 runs at home and 5.6 on the road. They are 9th in home runs, only hitting 1 more than us. But their hitters are tied for the most walks and have struck out the fewest times of anyone in the League. They lead in doubles with 106 and the 2nd best double hitting team has 89. They are on a pace to hit 358, which is astounding. They are also 2nd in SB and lead in triples. They are 3rd in fewest runs allowed with 3.5 per game (Portland is #1 with 3.1, though I have a feeling that number will rise quite a bit after this road trip). Their pitchers have been the toughest to hit in the PCL, with an opponent's BA of .231. We are 2nd at .234. However, they are the only team in the PCL to not throw a shutout yet this season (which only means they are due one or two....).

Portland Beavers (28-21 .571 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Dallas Eagles (30-18 .625 in 1st place in the PCL East)

POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 5-3 3.66) vs. DAL: Chris Key (32-R 3-3 2.34)

Key is a ground ball pitcher that lets his fielders do the work. Last time out, he won without striking out anyone. Actually, he seems like a little better version of our own Ron Wolf...

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .295-183-2-23-.759)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .295-166-1-12-.761) Rookie
3: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .243-185-8-27-.681)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .278-144-5-17-.783)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .270-115-6-19-.795)
6: 2B Gary Long (32-R .288-177-4-17-.753)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .241-29-0-2-.623)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .248-153-1-14-.641)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .200-20-0-1-.450)

DALLAS
1: CF Chris Hagerty (24-L .314-140-2-15-.866) Rookie (traded from Portland this Winter)
2: SS Gill Blair (28-R .281-185-3-23-.752)
3: LF Bob Holder (26-R .292-171-4-25-.819)
4: RF Dick Gottesman (31-L .338-68-3-15-.947)
5: C Dan Kaczmarek (28-R .329-152-4-32-.893)
6: 1B Frank Bott (28-R .211-57-0-5-.533)
7: 3B Joe Aloe (27-L .158-76-1-7-.536) Rookie
8: 2B Edwin Juan (24-R .262-126-1-14-.704) Rookie
9: P Chris Key (32-R .105-19-0-0-.263)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Arlington Stadium
Weather: 79 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 14 MPH wind blowing out to left.
Attendance: 15,341

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth flies out to center. Perry Templet grounds out to short. Jeff Austin doubles down the left field line. Full count to Howard McNeal and he swings and triples to right! 1 to 0, Beavers! Randy James walks. Gary Long doubles to right center, clearing the bases!! 3 to 0, Beavers! Phil Parker pokes a hit to right and Long stops at 3rd. Dave Lesley flies out to right.

Bottom of the First:
Chris Hagerty, the ex-Portland farmhand, swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds a hit to right. Gill Blair doubles to right center and Hagerty stops at 3rd. Bob Holder lines a hit to left and Hagerty scores. 3 to 1, Beavers. Dick Gottesman flies out to center and Blair tags up and scores. 3 to 2, Beavers. At least we finally got an out... Holder steals 2nd. Dan Kaczmarek grounds out to 2nd and Holder moves over to 3rd. 2 outs. Frank Bott grounds out to short!

Top of the Second:
With 2 outs, Perry Templet doubles, goes to 3rd on a hit by Jeff Austin and scores on a hit by Howard McNeal! 4 to 2, Beavers!

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Dale Ainsworth hits a line drive to center and Chris Hagerty makes a great diving catch but hurts himself and has to come out of the game. Bob Holder moves over to center and Tommy Wilson (29-R) comes in to play left.

Top of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Howard McNeal singles, steals 2nd and goes to 3rd on a bad throw by the catcher and then scores on a ground out by Randy James. 5 to 2, Beavers!

Bottom of the Seventh:
Frank Bott leads off with a double. With 1 out, Edwin Juan singles and Bott goes to 3rd. Call to the Bullpen: Jerry Wilhelm (32-L). PH Jim Bakutis (26-S), who was a Beaver last season and is hitting .333 with 2 HR in 57 AB for the Eagles this season, grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!!!!

Top of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Bob Hagan (29-R). Gary Long leads off with a single. With 1 out, Dave Lesley singles. We send up PH Glenn Pearce (39-R) because Hagan has a reverse split and has been tougher on lefties this season than righties. Pearce rewards my genius by grounding a double play ball down to 3rd, but we get lucky and Joe Aloe boots it to load the bases up with 1 out. Dale Ainsworth lines a hit to right and everyone moves up a base! 6 to 2, Beavers! Perry Templet pops out to short for the 2nd out. Jeff Austin singles and another run scores! 7 to 2, Beavers! Howard McNeal grounds out to the pitcher to end the inning.

Won - 7 to 2

It is the first time this season we have scored 7 or more runs in back-to-back games!

We had 13 hits and made no errors
Dallas had 9 hits and made 3 errors

It is the 3rd time in the last 4 games that we have had exactly 13 hits.

Ron Wolf (W 6-3) went 6.1 innings, allowed 2 runs, 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
LHP Jerry Wilhelm (H 3) faced 1 batter and got 2 outs.
RHP Barry Chapman pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 2.

Chris Key (L 3-4) went 5 innings, gave us 5 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out no one.

CF Perry Templet hit a double and scored a run. 1B Jeff Austin had 3 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI. LF Howard McNeal had 3 hits with a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. 2B Gary Long had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBI. SS Dave Lesley had 2 hits and scored a run. Remember when he was under .200? He is at .255 now after hitting .290 in May. And that other issue that I do not want to mention for fear of jinxing him has also ceased to be an issue for a long time.

Dallas announced that CF Chris Hagerty (24-L) would be put on the 15 day DL with a sore wrist.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 30, Year I

Portland Beavers (29-21 .580 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Dallas Eagles (30-19 .612 in 1st place in the PCL East)

POR: Terry Melton (26-R 7-2 1.67) vs. DAL: Carlton Barclay (27-R 0-2 3.72)

Barclay has made 3 starts so far and his FIP is 2.34. 19 SO in 19.1 IP.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .293-188-2-24-.750)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .292-171-1-12-.756) Rookie
3: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .253-190-8-28-.699)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .289-149-5-19-.810)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .261-119-6-20-.774)
6: 2B Gary Long (32-R .291-182-4-19-.760)
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .242-33-0-2-.609)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .255-157-1-14-.650)
9: P Terry Melton (26-R .148-27-0-1-.327)

DALLAS
1: SS Gill Blair (28-R .280-189-3-23-.752)
2: 2B Edwin Juan (24-R .262-130-1-14-.698) Rookie
3: LF Jim Bakutis (26-S .333-57-2-6-.888) Traded from Portland this Winter
4: 3B Joe Aloe (27-L .150-80-1-7-.511) Rookie
5: LF Bob Holder (26-R .291-175-4-26-.812)
6: 1B Phil Holliday (30-R .176-131-2-17-.545)
7: C Dan Kaczmarek (28-R .329-155-4-32-.892)
8: RF Tommy Wilson (29-R .263-57-0-7-.651)
9: P Carlton Barclay (27-R .000-5-0-0-.167)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Arlington Stadium
Weather: 76 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 11 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 15,573

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a double down the right field line! Perry Templet singles to left and Ainsworth heads home. Jim Bakutis' throw is nowhere near the plate and Ainsworth scores and Templet takes 2nd on the error. E-7. Bakutis' defense is why we were willing to trade him. 1 to 0, Beavers! Jeff Austin strikes out. Howard McNeal strikes out. Randy James singles to center and Templet scores! 2 to 0, Beavers! Gary Long grounds out to 2nd.

Bottom of the First:
Gill Blair blasts one down the right field line, but it slices foul! He then lines a hit to left. Edwin Juan flies out to right. Blair tries to steal but 1) we have a very strong armed catcher and 2) we have a pitchout called. He is out! Jim Bakutis grounds out to short, Dave Lesley making a great play!

Bottom of the Third:
Dan Kaczmarek leads off with a hit and with 2 outs, Gill Blair triples. 2 to 1, Beavers. Terry Melton's scoreless streak is over after 26 innings. Edwin Juan lines out to center to end the inning.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Jim Bakutis leads off with a hit. His strong bat is why Dallas was willing to trade for him... With 2 outs, Phil Holliday doubles and Bakutis scores to tie the game at 2, but Holliday tries to go to 3rd on the throw home and we cut it off and nail him! 7-6-5.

Top of the Fifth:
Phil Parker leads off with a walk and steals second. After Dave Lesley becomes strikeout victim #7, P Terry Melton singles to left and Parker heads home, but is thrown out by Jim Bakutis...

Bottom of the Eighth:
Dan Kaczmarek leads off with a single and the Bullpen is scrambled. Tommy Wilson bunts him to 2nd and we walk PH Dick Gottesman (31-L) intentionally. Gill Blair grounds a double play ball to 2nd, by SS Dave Lesley drops the throw and the bases are load with 1 out. E-6. #10 in the season, but first in a while. Call to the Bullpen: Don Schmidt (26-R). Jeff Schottler (24-R) comes in to play left as part of a double switch. Edwin Juan grounds into a force at home, 5-2. Jim Bakutis lines one hard to center, but Perry Templet runs it down!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Jose Uria (24-R), their young closer, who has had a rough start this season. 3.94 ERA. Gary Long hits a 1 out single and Dave Lesley gets one with 2 outs. Jeff Schottler (24-R) grounds a hit past the shortstop and Long scores! 3 to 2, Beavers! Dale Ainsworth grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the Ninth:
Joe Aloe grounds out to 2nd, but P Don Schmidt doubles over in pain.... We have to take him out... New Pitcher: Antoine Redd (31-R). Bob Holder strikes out looking! 1B Frank Bott (28-R) draws a walk and they send in Jim Hoover (24-R) to run for him. Dan Kaczmarek singles to right and Hoover goes to 3rd. Tommy Wilson grounds out to 3rd and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!

Won - 3 to 2

We had 11 hits and made 1 error
Dallas had 9 hits and made 2 errors

We had double figures in hits for the 3rd straight game, the first time that has happened this season.

Terry Melton went 7.1 innings, allowed 2 runs, 8 hits, 1 intentional walk and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit.
RHP Don Schmidt (W 3-0) faced 3 batters and got 3 outs.
RHP Antoine Redd (SV 6) got the final 2 outs after he allowed 1 hit and 1 walk. He struck out 1.

Carlton Barclay went 7.1 innings, gave us 2 runs, 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 10.
RHP Jose Uria (L 3-4) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run, 3 hits and struck out 1.

RF Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. CF Perry Templet had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Randy James had 2 hits and an RBI. LF Jeff Schottler had a hit in his only at bat and drove in the final go ahead run.

For the Eagles, SS Gill Blair had 3 hits with a triple and an RBI, but got caught stealing twice. C Dan Kaczmarek had 3 hits.

The trainer's report on P Don Schmidt is that mysterious "dead arm" diagnosis again and he says a week's rest is what he needs. Well, we cannot go a week with only four relievers and I do not want to put him on the DL, so we will waive 1B Joe Harrison (35-R) and designate him for assignment again and call someone up from Vancouver (AAA).

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 31, Year I

Question: Which Division Leader has the largest lead in the Majors?
Answer: The Portland Beavers! 3 games up on the Angels!
We only have the 3rd best record of the 4 leaders, though.

RP Brian Hagans (25-R) was called up from Vancouver (AAA). He had a 3.86 ERA there with 16 BB and 22 SO in 23.1 IP. 0 HR. He has not pitched in the Major Leagues before.

Portland Beavers (30-21 .588 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Dallas Eagles (30-20 .600 in 1st place in the PCL East)

POR: Frank Martin (26-R 5-4 2.83) Rookie vs. DAL: Bill Avallone (30-R 7-1 3.38)

Avallone is not the most dominant starter in the Majors, but no one gets more out of his talent than he does. He has pitched 3 straight complete games, allowing 1 run in each, including a 4 hitter in Denver. He is one of the best hitting pitchers in the League.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .295-193-2-24-.756)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .297-175-1-13-.762) Rookie
3: 1B Jeff Austin (29-R .253-194-8-28-.695)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .281-153-5-19-.790)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .268-123-6-21-.781)
6: 2B Gary Long (32-R .290-186-4-19-.754)
7: C Dennis Webb (25-L .255-118-0-8-.630)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .255-161-1-14-.646)
9: P Frank Martin (26-S .136-22-0-1-.356) Rookie

DALLAS
1: 1B Tony Sierra (25-R .291-148-1-15-.751)
2: 2B Edwin Juan (24-R .254-134-1-14-.678) Rookie
3: 3B Joe Aloe (27-L .143-84-1-7-.488) Rookie
4: C Dan Kaczmarek (28-R .340-159-4-32-.906)
5: CF Bob Holder (26-R .291-179-4-26-.806)
6: LF Tommy Wilson (29-R .250-60-0-7-.619)
7: RF Phil Holliday (30-R .180-133-2-18-.558)
8: SS Gill Blair (28-R .290-193-3-24-.777)
9: P Bill Avallone (30-L .333-30-1-8-.900)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Arlington Stadium
Weather: 79 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 11 MPH wind blowing out to left.
Attendance: 15,727

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to short. Perry Templet grounds a hit into left. Jeff Austin grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.

Bottom of the First:
Tony Sierra strikes out! Edwin Juan doubles to right center. Joe Aloe grounds out to short. Dan Kaczmarek doubles down the left field line. 1 to 0, Eagles. Bob Holder strikes out. I knew we should have walked the hot Kaczmarek...

Bottom of the Second:
With 1 out, Phil Holliday singles and steals 2nd. With 2 outs, P Bill Avallone singles him home. 2 to 0, Eagles.

Top of the Fourth:
Perry Templet leads off with a hit and goes to 2rd on a hit by Jeff Austin. Howard McNeal takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 to load the bases up with no outs. Randy James singles to center and 2 runs score to tie the game at 2! That is all we get as Gary Long grounds into his 1400th double play of the season (actually #12).

Bottom of the Fourth:
Tommy Wilson leads off with a double and Phil Holliday beats out an infield hit to put runners on the corners with no outs. A fly ball to right by Gill Blair scores Wilson. 3 to 2, Eagles.

Bottom of the Fifth:
Tony Sierra leads off with a 4 pitch walk, steals 2nd, gets bunted to 3rd and scores on a fly ball by Joe Aloe. 4 to 2, Eagles.

Top of the Sixth:
Perry Templet leads off with a home run to right! 4 to 3, Eagles.

Top of the Seventh:
P Bill Avallone leads off with his 2nd hit of the day and then steals 2nd! It is his 2nd steal of the season. With 1 out, Edwin Juan draws a walk. Call to the Bullpen: Lou Hertzberg (29-L). He gets the final two out, including the super hot Dan Kaczmarek!

Lost - 5 to 3

We had 7 hits and made 1 error
Dallas had 10 hits and made no errors

Frank Martin (L 5-5) went 6.1 innings, allowed 4 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5.
LHP Lou Hertzberg faced 1 batters and retired them both.
RHP Barry Chapman went 1 inning, allowed 1 run, 2 hits and 1 walk.

Bill Avallone (W 8-1) went 8 innings, gave us 3 runs, 7 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks and struck out 4.
RHP Jose Uria (SV 7) pitched a perfect 9th with 1 strikeout.

CF Perry Templet had 3 hits with his 2nd home run of the season and scored 2 runs. 3B Randy James had a hit and 2 RBI. PH Gordon Saunderson drew a walk.

[Questdog]

Monthly Awards for April, Year I

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

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

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

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

I tried hard to get Wally Wacker from Philadelphia this winter because I liked his name, but they would not have anything to do with it.

P.S. McDevitt is a horrible choice as Pitcher of the Month in the PCL... A closer with a loss is the best pitcher? Terry Melton was 3-0 with a 1.51 ERA and 2 SHO. He walked 1 batter unintentionally.

[Questdog]

Friday, June 1, Year I

Well, we have to come here, but I do not have to like it...

We are in Denver to play a 4 game series that will not end until Monday after the weekend, an oddity. The Bears just beat the Rainiers 2 of 3 here. This is the first time we have faced them this season. They are currently 2nd in the PCL in scoring with 4.7 runs per game (Portland is 9th at 3.6). Of course, the high elevation here in Denver has helped their offense. They have scored 5.3 runs per game at home and 3.9 on the road. They are dead last in runs allowed with 4.9 per game (Portland is #1 with 3.1). The Bears have allowed 6.9 runs per game at home and 4.0 on the road.

Portland Beavers (30-22 .577 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Denver Bears (26-25 .510 5 GB in 4th place in the PCL East)

POR: Tom Horn (24-L 2-3 3.19) Rookie vs. DEN: Jerry Ivester (24-R 3-4 4.10) Rookie

Ivester looks like a good one. Of course, his 4.78 ERA in Mile High Stadium is making his stats not so pretty.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .289-197-2-24-.741)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .307-179-2-14-.794) Rookie
3: 2B Gary Long (32-R .289-190-4-19-.749)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .276-156-5-19-.779)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .268-127-6-23-.773)
6: 1B Jeff Schottler (24-R .257-101-1-8-.728) Rookie
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .222-36-0-2-.578)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .258-163-1-14-.654)
9: P Tom Horn (24-L .000-11-0-0-.000) Rookie

DENVER
1: 1B Luis Castillo (21-L .341-88-2-11-.885) Rookie
2: LF John Dobosh (28-R .324-176-11-24-.956)
3: 2B Rob Douma (27-R .311-206-8-36-.883)
4: 3B Ivan Gallegas (34-R .311-196-12-36-.985)
5: RF Mel Jarrett (34-R .281-160-3-16-.784)
6: CF Mike Carpenter (30-R .200-180-6-19-.597)
7: C Bob Pritchett (31-L .232-155-2-18-.728)
8: SS Tony Jimenez (27-R .257-136-1-6-.670) No relation to our own Manny
9: P Jerry Ivester (24-R .185-27-0-1-.370) Rookie

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Mile High Stadium
Weather: 67 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 10 MPH wind blowing out to center.
Attendance: 25,135

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Perry Templet beats out an infield hit. Gary Long singles to left. Howard McNeal grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4, and Templet goes to 3rd. 2 outs. Randy James swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to short.

Bottom of the First:
Luis Castillo doubles down the left field line and goes to 3rd on a wild pitch. John Dobosh lines a hit to left and Castillo scores. 1 to 0, Bears. Rob Douma grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4, and Dobosh gets hurt trying to take out our second baseman. Ivan Gallegas grounds out to short and Douma moves up to 2nd. Mel Jarrett walks. Mike Carpenter flies out to right.

Top of the Second:
Yasuji Urata is in left for Dobosh. He is a Japanese rookie, highly thought of. Jeff Schottler leads off with a hit, goes to 2nd on a ground out and with 2 outs, P Tom Horn singles him home! Tie game, 1 to 1.

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 1 out, Tony Jimenez homers to left. 2 to 1, Bears.

Top of the Sixth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a 4 pitch walk and Phil Parker bunts him over. With 2 outs, P Tom Horn is up. Should I pinch hit? Almost, but we leave him in. He singles to left and knocks in a run! Tie game: 2 to 2 and Horn has knocked in both runs!

Bottom of the Sixth:
Yasuji Urata leads off with a double. With 1 out, we walk Ivan Gallegas intentionally. Call to the Bullpen: Antoine Redd (31-R). He gets an out, but then Mike Carpenter grounds a 2 out single to right and Urata scores. 3 to 2, Bears. With runners at the corners, Redd throws a pick off attempt away at first and another run scores. 4 to 2, Bears.

Top of the Eighth:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a walk. After a pair pf force outs at 2nd, they pull Ivester. New Pitcher: Gary Guise (26-R), their closer. 10 saves, but 4 losses. 3.49 ERA. PH Jeff Austin (29-R) triples to left center! 4 to 3, Bears. Dale Ainsworth swings at the firs pitch and singles to left! Tie game! 4 to 4.

Bottom of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: RHP Barry Chapman. With 2 outs, Mike Carpenter beats out an infield hit and then steals 2nd. We walk the lefty Bob Pritchett to get to Tony Jimenez who has a home run today... He drives a 2-0 pitch to deep center, but Perry Templet runs it down!!

Top of the Ninth:
We go down in order....

Bottom of the Ninth:
Luis Castillo gets a 1 out hit. He tries to steal, but we have a pitchout called and C Dennis Webb throws him out! Yasuji Urata strikes out!

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Rick Moore (24-L). With 2 outs, Dave Lesley reaches on a 2 base error by LF Yasuji Urata. PH Glenn Pearce (39-R) doubles to left center!! 5 to 4, Beavers!! They walk Dale Ainsworth to get to Perry Templet. It is the second time Ainsworth has been intentionally passed today. Templet strikes out....

Bottom of the Tenth:
New Pitcher: Lou Hertzberg (29-L) to face 4 righties in a row. With 1 out, Ivan Gallegas lines a hit to right. Mel Jarrett grounds one to short....one out at second and the throw to 1st....in time!!! And THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Beavers!!

Won - 5 to 4 in 10 innings

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

Tom Horn went 5.1 innings, allowed 3 runs, 5 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks (1 INT) and struck out 1. He threw a WP. At bat, he had 2 hits and 2 RBI.
RHP Antoine Redd went 1.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 3 hits, and struck out 1.
RHP Barry Chapman (W 3-1) went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits, 1 intentional walk and struck out 2.
LHP Lou Hertzberg (SV 3) pitched a scoreless 10th, allowing 1 hit.

Jerry Ivester went 7.2 innings, gave us 3 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks (1 INT), 1 HBP and struck out 4. He threw a WP.
LHP Rick Moore (L 1-3) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run, 1 hit, 1 intentional walk and struck out 2.

2B Gary Long had 3 hits. 1B Jeff Schottler had a hit and 2 walks and scored 2 runs. SS Dave Lesley was 0 for 5, but scored 2 runs. PH Jeff Austin hit a triple, scored a run and had an RBI. PH Glenn Pearce hit a double and had an RBI.

For the Bears, SS Tony Jimenez had 3 hits with his 2nd home run of the season.

LF John Dobosh, 2nd in the League in HR, will likely miss the rest of the season with a concussion for the Bears. It is possible he could return in September.

[Questdog]

Saturday, June 2, Year I

Portland Beavers (31-22 .585 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Denver Bears (26-26 .500 5.5 GB in 5th place in the PCL East)

POR: Tony Kelley (25-L 0-0 3.24) Rookie vs. DEN: Dave Allen (26-R Season debut)

Allen is a good pitcher. He is making his season debut today because of an injury.

Pitching Tony Kelley in this park is a stupid thing to do, but we have no one else right now....

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .289-201-2-25-.743)
2: CF Perry Templet (23-L .304-184-2-14-.787) Rookie
3: 1B Jeff Austin(29-R .256-199-8-29-.708)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .267-161-5-19-.756)
5: 3B Randy James (32-R .258-132-6-23-.744)
6: 2B Jeff Schottler (24-R .260-104-1-8-.738) Rookie
7: C Phil Parker (27-S .237-38-0-2-.625)
8: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .250-168-1-14-.636)
9: P Tony Kelley (25-L .000-3-0-0-.000) Rookie

DENVER
1: 1B Luis Castillo (21-L .344-93-2-11-.892) Rookie
2: RF Mel Jarrett (34-R .274-164-3-16-.769)
3: 2B Rob Douma (27-R .303-211-8-36-.863)
4: 3B Ivan Gallegas (34-R .310-200-12-36-.978)
5: CF Mike Carpenter (30-R .207-184-6-20-.605)
6: SS Tony Jimenez (27-R .271-140-2-7-.714)
7: LF Gene Reed (32-L .154-39-2-7-.631)
8: C Bob Pritchett (31-L .228-158-2-18-.719)
9: P Dave Allen (26-R Season debut)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Mile High Stadium
Weather: 71 F, Clear Skies, with a 9 MPH wind blowing right to left.
Attendance: 26,027

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth grounds out to 2nd. Perry Templet flies out to right. Jeff Austin grounds one to short, but Tony Jimenez throws it away for a 2 base error. E-6. Howard McNeal grounds another one to short and Jimenez makes a good throw this time.

Bottom of the First:
Luis Castillo grounds out to 2nd. Mel Jarrett grounds a hit up the middle. Rob Douma flies out to center. Ivan Gallegas grounds a hit up the middle and Jarrett stops at 2nd. Mike Carpenter clears the bases with a double to right center. 2 to 0, Bears. Tony Jimenez takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Gene Reed walks to load the bases up with 2 outs. Bob Pritchett grounds out to 3rd.

Top of the Third:
Dale Ainsworth leads off with a double, moves to 3rd on a ground out and scores on a ground out by Jeff Austin. 2 to 1, Bears.

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Dave Lesley homers to left to tie the game at 2!

Top of the Sixth:
New Pitcher: Alex Bartkowiak (24-R). He strikes out the side in order...

Bottom of the Sixth:
Tony Jimenez leads off with an infield hit and goes to 2nd on a bunt. Bob Pritchett then singles him home. 3 to 2, Bears. Pritchett ends up on 2nd after the throw was made to the plate. CF Keith Sessions (26-S), who came on as part of a double switch, singles to right and Pritchett scores. 4 to 2, Bears. Luis Castillo singles and Sessions goes to 3rd. Call to the Bullpen: Brian Hagans (25-R), making his Major League debut. A cruel thing to make a pitcher debut in Mile High.... Dennis Webb comes in to catch in a double switch. Castillo tries to steal and is thrown out! 2 down. The first 4 pitches of Hagans' Major League career are all balls and Mel Jarret walks. Rob Douma flies out to center.

Top of the Seventh:
Dennis Webb leads off with a walk. With 2 outs, Jeff Austin smashes one to left, that I am sure is a home run, but it is caught against the wall...

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Gary Guise (26-R), their closer, who we scored off yesterday. PH Gary Long (32-R) leads off with a single. Dave Lesley draws a walk. Dennis Webb grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Runners at the corners with 2 out. Dale Ainsworth lines a hit to left and Long scores. 4 to 3, Bears. Perry Templet grounds out to 2nd and the runners move to 2nd and 3rd. 2 outs. They walk Jeff Austin intentionally to get to Howard McNeal. I would just love to see a walk now! Howard McNeal grounds out to short and that is it...

Lost - 4 to 3.

We had 8 hits and made 2 errors
Denver had 12 hits and made 1 error

Tony Kelley (L 0-1) went 5.1 innings, allowed 4 runs, 10 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. This one will not be held against him; he'll get at least one more shot.
RHP Brian Hagans, in his Major League debut, pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1.

Dave Allen went 5 innings, gave us 2 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Alex Bartkowiak (W 1-1) went 2 scoreless, hitless innings, walked 1 and struck out 3.
RHP Gay Guise (SV 11) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run, 2 hits and 2 walks (1 INT).

Dale Ainsworth had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Randy James had 2 hits. PH Gary Long had a hit and scored a run. SS Dave Lesley had 2 hits with his 2nd home run of the season and drew a walk.

[Questdog]

Sunday, June 3, Year I

Seattle traded P Mike Olson (33-R) to Pittsburgh for a pair of minor leaguers: 3B Alex Ruffin (22-R) and RF Donnie Stransky (24-L).

Olson is 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA in 8 starts and is out of action for the next month. Neither of the minor leaguers is considered a prospect.

This trade only helps Seattle because they cannot pick someone much worse than Olson for their rotation. If Pittsburgh plans on using Olson when he heals, they will not stay in first place for long.

Portland Beavers (31-23 .574 in 1st place in the PCL West) at
Denver Bears (27-26 .509 6 GB in 4th place in the PCL East)

POR: Ron Wolf (27-R 6-3 3.58) vs. DEN: Pete Burks (25-L 4-5 4.95) Rookie

Burks has allowed 9 HR and walked 22 in 43.2 IP. He actually has a 3.60 ERA here in Mile High Stadium and a 6.30 ERA on the road.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS)
PORTLAND
1: RF Dale Ainsworth (26-L .291-206-2-26-.749)
2: SS Dave Lesley (26-R .257-171-2-15-.669) .324 vs LHP
3: 1B Jeff Austin(29-R .251-203-8-30-.697)
4: LF Howard McNeal (30-R .267-165-5-19-.753)
5: 2B Gary Long (32-R .301-196-4-19-.766)
6: 3B Glenn Pearce (39-R .256-86-0-8-.621)
7: CF Jeff Schottler (24-R .250-108-1-8-.712) Rookie
8: C Dave Benya (26-S .083-36-0-2-.298)
9: P Ron Wolf (27-R .182-22-0-1-.409)

DENVER
1: CF Mike Carpenter (30-R .214-187-6-22-.621)
2: SS Tony Jimenez (27-R .280-143-2-7-.731)
3: LF Wally Dardick (28-L .265-49-0-3-.580)
4: 3B Ivan Gallegas (34-R .309-204-12-36-.969)
5: 2B Rob Douma (27-R .298-215-8-36-.847)
6: RF Yasuji Urata (24-L .283-46-2-7-.882) Rookie
7: 1B Larry Sinchak (30-R .245-53-1-12-.664)
8: C Antonio Garcia (24-R .250-8-0-0-.650) Rookie
9: P Pete Burks (25-R .429-14-0-5-1.038) Rookie

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Mile High Stadium
Weather: 63 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from center.
Attendance: 25,428

Top of the First:
Dale Ainsworth strikes out looking. Dave Lesley grounds out to 3rd. Jeff Austin flies out to center.

Bottom of the First:
Mike Carpenter leads off with an infield hit. Tony Jimenez grounds out to 2nd and Carpenter moves up. Wally Dardick grounds out to short and Carpenter moves over to 3rd. 3-2 pitch to Ivan Gallegas and he doubles down the left field line. 1 to 0, Bears. Rob Douma strikes out.

Top of the Fourth:
Three scoreless innings against a bum.... Dale Ainsworth leads off with an infield hit. We bunt him up to 2nd with Dave Lesley so that he can more easily score on Jeff Austin's triple to center. Tie game! 1 to 1. Howard McNeal flies out to center and Austin scores. 2 to 1, Beavers!

Top of the Fifth:
Glenn Pearce leads off with a walk and Jeff Schottler grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4. Dave Benya singles to right and P Pete Burks has to leave the game with an injured wing. New Pitcher: Gary Wood (30-R). I was sad to see Burks the Bum leave, until I saw that Wood has allowed 14 hits in 5 IP. 2 of them HR. P Ron Wolf tries to bunt the runners up, but pops out to 1st. We pull off a double steal. Absolutely stupid!!! But no harm, no foul, I guess. Dale Ainsworth walks to load the bases up with 2 outs. Dave Lesley grounds out to short.

Top of the Seventh:
Jeff Schottler leads off with a hit. Dave Benya bunts him over to 2nd. Another stupid move. Now he is in scoring position for the pitcher....who strikes out. They walk Dale Ainsworth intentionally to get to Dave Lesley, who clears the bases with a double down the left field line! 4 to 1, Beavers! Intentional walks are not the smartest idea when you have a pitcher that the League is batting .500 against. Jeff Austin singles to right and Lesley scores! 5 to 1, Beavers! Howard McNeal grounds out to short.

Bottom of the Seventh:
Rob Douma leads off with a triple to center and scores on a fly ball by PH Haruhisa Yoshimura. 5 to 2, Beavers.

Won - 5 to 2

We had 9 hits and made 2 errors
Denver had 5 hits and made no errors

We made an error for the 5th straight game, a season high.

Ron Wolf (W 7-3) went 8 innings, allowed 2 runs, 5 hits, no walks and struck out 2. He balked.
RHP Antoine Redd (SV 7) pitched a perfect 9th and struck out 1.

Pete Burks (L 4-6) went 4.1 innings, gave us 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.

RF Dale Ainsworth had a hit and 2 walks (1 INT) and scored 2 runs. SS Dave Lesley hit a double, scored a run and had 2 RBI and made error #12. 1B Jeff Austin had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBI.

The word on P Pete Burks is inflammation of the forearm and he is expected to be out the rest of the season.