Mike Attack: August 29, 2008

By Mike McGann
Posted Friday, August 29, 2008

Boring old me. Again...we continue to limp along through the end of the minor league season. We will be closely following the minor-league changes come mid-September (Sept. 16 is the first teams can talk to new affiliates), as we track the final weeks of the division title race.

Losses:

Cubs 50
Brewers 56
Mets 60
Cardinals 60
Phillies 61

The next nine games may well tell the story for the Mets. Three against the fading Marlins — those same Marlins who spoiled the Mets’ division title hopes last season, three against the Brewers who are battling for the Wild Card and then three at Shea against the Phillies, the final three games against the Fightens’.

Other than a four-game series at Shea against the Cubs the final week of the season, when the Cubs may have already clinched, and three the final weekend against the Marlins — also likely to be mathematically eliminated — the rest of the Mets’ games are against the Braves and the Nationals — teams that have, to be blunt, quit. The Mets have been battering both teams of late and should be able to continue to do so.

So this three-game set against the Fish and three against the Brewers — including two day games at Miller Park could tell the whole story.

New Orleans
Valentino Pascucci drilled a solo home run and had four RBI in the Zephyrs 11-5 win in front of 9,976 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. The Z’s scored a run six of the nine innings. The Z’s scored a pair in the first inning and Omaha starter Tyler Lumsden suffered his 13th loss of the season. Lumsden pitched 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs on eight hits allowing three home runs. Pascucci drilled his 27th of the season in the second inning. Trot Nixon and Andy Green each added home runs. The Z’s scored double digit runs for the second time in three nights and had 16 hits in the game. Jose Santiago earned the win in relief. The Z’s utilized five pitchers in the game. The Z’s split the series in Omaha.

Game Notes: The Z’s improved to 3-6 on the trip and 5-11 against Omaha this season. The home run from Pascucci tied him with Chris Aguila for the team lead. Jesus Feliciano added four hits for the Z’s giving him a team leading 47th multi hit game. Argenis Reyes rejoined the team from the Mets.

Coming Up: The Zephyrs open their final homestand on Friday night, the final Fireworks Friday of the season. The Z’s will start LH Jon Niese against Nashville LH Sam Narron at 7:05. The Z’s have adjusted Saturday’s game time to a 1PM start. RADIO: AM 690 WIST.

Binghamton
Ambiorix Concepcion drove in two and scored twice in the Binghamton Mets’ 5-0 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium Thursday. The victory moves Binghamton to within one game of the Portland Sea Dogs for the EL Northern Division’s final playoff spot.

The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Binghamton (72-66) put two on the board. Shawn Bowman hit a leadoff double off Marty McLeary before Salomon Manriquez bunted him to second. Concepcion followed with a base hit to score Bowman with the game’s first run. After walking Jonathan Malo, McLeary (0-1) was replaced by Daryl Harang, who yielded a sacrifice fly to Caleb Stewart that brought in Concepcion.

The B-Mets put the game away in the ninth against New Hampshire’s Seth Overbey. Bowman began the threat with a one-out single before Manriquez walked. Concepcion’s single plated Manriquez. Malo followed with a walk before Stewart’s single brought in Manriquez and Concepcion.

Starter Tobi Stoner went the first five innings for the B-Mets. Relievers Joe Hietpas (3-5), Casey Hoorelbeke, Al Reyes and Tim Lavigne each followed with a scoreless inning.

Friday, the Binghamton Mets play the first of four in the final series of the season against the New Britain Rock Cats. Dillon Gee (2-0, 1.35) will start for Binghamton against Jay Rainville (9-9, 5.98) of New Britain. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at New Britain Stadium with the radio broadcast beginning at 6:50 on Newsradio 1290 WNBF.

Notes: New Britain defeated Portland 2-0...Binghamton turned in their 13th shutout of the season, tying them with Connecticut for second-most in the EL.

St. Lucie
St. Lucie eeked out a 2-1 win over Palm Beach. Ruben Tejada banged out two hits in the win.

Gnats
After winning three straight, the Sand Gnats (60-73) have now dropped two in a row, losing a 10-5 contest tonight to the Columbus Catfish in the second to last game in the franchise's history at Golden Park. Brad Burns (0-4) suffered the loss in his first starting effort of 2008.

Things seemed to go Savannah’s way early on as the Gnats opened up a 2-0 advantage in the second inning. Newly activated Sand Gnat Stefan Welch singled to begin the frame and would come around to score on Michael Parker’s third home run of the season.

Starting pitcher Brad Burns (0-4) set down the ‘Fish in order in the first but would run into trouble in the second. Greg Sexton, Stephen Vogt, and Quinn Stewart all singled to start the stanza and give the Catfish their first run. Burns would walk Mike McCormick to load the bases and then proceed to walk Seth Dhaenens to tie the game at two. After Omar Luna struck out, Maiko Loyola singled in Stewart to give Columbus the 3-2 lead.

Savannah answered back in the top half of the third when Jefferies Tatford hit his second home run of 2008 to right field to tie the game at three apiece.

In see-saw fashion, Columbus roared right back in the bottom half of the inning to re-take the lead for good. A balk by Burns allowed Loyola to score the go-ahead run.

The ‘Fish wouldn’t surrender the lead the rest of the way. Burns lasted three innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits. He also walked four while striking out four.

Mike Power was effective in his Sand Gnats debut, throwing two scoreless innings of relief. Samuel Martinez also made his debut in a Gnats uniform, allowing three runs in two innings. Martinez also allowed a home run to McCormick.

Welch, who finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored in his full-season debut, and Tatford led the Sand Gnats with two hits apiece. B.J. Hubbert and Parker each drove in two runs. The Sand Gnats struck out 11 times while allowing eight walks and four stolen bases.

Jesse Darcy (8-3) picked up the win for Columbus and improved to 4-0 against the Sand Gnats this season. His four wins against the Sand Gnats account for half of his 2008 win total.

The short series concludes tomorrow at 7 p.m. from Golden Park in Columbus. Le Moyne College alum Eric Beaulac (1-1, 2.11) takes the ball for Donovan Mitchell’s Sand Gnats as they look to stop a two-game losing streak. In the franchise’s final regular season game at home, the Columbus Catfish send RHP Jeremy Hall (9-3, 4.62) to the hill.

Clones
The Cyclones used a five-run third inning to help shut out the Oneonta Tigers 6-0 on Thursday night. It was the sixth shutout of the season for Brooklyn and the fourth shutout in August, with the last one taking place on August 21 against Lowell. Thursday's game also marked the sixth straight game in which Brooklyn got at least nine hits.

The Cyclones' offense erupted for 12 hits, including four players with at least two hits. In his first game in Brooklyn this year, SS Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI single. 3B Eric Campbell, C Jordan Abruzzo, and 1B Ike Davis all got two hits apiece, while RF Kirk Nieuwenhuis added a double of his own. DH Juan Lagares also hit an RBI single and CF Sean Ratliff singled to right field to lead off the third inning and help ignite the five-run outburst.

RHP Jenry Mejia made his tenth start of the season for Brooklyn. Mejia (pictured, by George Napolitano) worked five innings and allowed four hits and three walks with six strikeouts. It was the second straight start that Mejia did not allow a run, as he pitched six scoreless innings against Lowell on August 23. RHP Wendy Rosa then came on to pitch 3.2 innings of solid relief, giving up only two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts before RHP Erik Turgeon closed out the game with a strikeout of his own to seal the victory.

The Cyclones wrap up their series with the Oneonta Tigers on Friday, August 29 at 7:00 pm when it will be Fireworks Night.