Today's Lineup

Early game today, so not a lot of posts this morning. I'll try to get more up tomorrow.

Here's today's lineup:

Duffy - DH
Navarro - SS
Marte - LF
Diaz - CF
Elmore - 2B
Perez - C
Ramirez - 1B
Asencio - RF
Estevez - 3B

Morgan - SP

Daniel Schlereth and Tonight's Lineup

Daniel Schlereth called up to the majors. He will be in uniform for the D'Backs tonight.

Schlereth was a 2008 Silver Hawks pitcher, going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 7 relief appearances.

He is the son of ESPN football analyst Mark Schlereth.


Tonight's Lineup:
Duffy - CF
Elmore - 2B
Marte - LF
Parker - 3B
Diaz - DH
Perez - C
Ramirez - 1B
Asencio - RF
Navarro - SS

Sinclair - SP

Talked to Hales for tonight's pregame interview.

Jeff Dietz...

...is going to double-A.

Dietz was a Silver Hawk in 2008, going 1-2 with a 2.18 ERA.

This season in high-A he was 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 16 relief appearances.

Still Time Left

South Bend has 23 games left in the first half, and they are 6.0 games out of a wild card spot (8.5 out of first).

The Silver Hawks are currently 4th in the east, but a look at the schedule shows that the Silver Hawks have a lot of time to make up ground, particularly with 16 head-to-head matchups with teams ahead of them.

In order...
3 games vs. Clinton (Western Division)
4 games @ Dayton (5th in the East)
2 games @ Fort Wayne (2nd in East)
2 games vs. Fort Wayne (2nd in East)
4 games @ West Michigan (1st in East)
4 games vs. Great Lakes (3rd in East)
4 games vs. Fort Wayne (2nd in East)

Keep the faith.

College World Series

I want to use this post as a forum, to get your thoughts on the College World Series (use the comments link below to leave your thoughts). I always enjoyed watching some of the games, but never followed college baseball all that closely. Now that I work in Minor League Baseball, I pay more attention because many of these stars will get drafted in June. Yet at the same time, I work so much that I don't have much time to watch many games.

So my questions (you can respond to all if you'd like, or just answer one if you'd rather):

1) How closely do you follow college baseball in general?
2) For the relatives (parents/siblings/grandparents/etc.) of the current Silver Hawks, now that your son/brother/grandson/etc. is no longer in college baseball, do you care at all about NCAA baseball anymore?
3) Would you like to receive college baseball updates over the next few weeks during Silver Hawks radio broadcasts?

Leave your thoughts below.

Tonight's Lineup

Duffy - LF
Navarro - SS
Diaz - CF
Parker - 3B
Perez - DH
Elmore - 2B
Ramirez - 1B
Davis - C
Asencio - RF

Moorhouse - SP

(I'll probably have one more post after the game tonight, assuming that tonight's game doesn't go four hours like the last two have. Tuesday's rain delays made the total length of the game as 4 hours and one minute, while last night's 15 inning contest was 3 hours and 54 minutes. Those are two long days at the park).

Former Hawks in MLB Update

Wow...I haven't done one of these in a long time. So let's update you on what some former Hawks are doing at the major league level. This will be for teams other than the D'Backs, since I cover Arizona in the Farm System Report. Again, since it's been a while, feel free to let me know if I've missed anyone.

Boston Red Sox
Brad Penny ('97): 5-1, 5.96 ERA, 9 G, 48.1 IP

Florida Marlins
Emilio Bonifacio ('04-'05): .246, 1 HR, 11 RBI
Dan Uggla ('02): .216, 9 HR, 32 RBI

Houston Astros
Jose Valverde ('99-'00): 0-1, 5.63 ERA, 8 G, 8.0 IP -- On the DL

Milwaukee Brewers
Mike Cameron ('92-'93): .285, 9 HR, 22 RBI

New York Yankees
Brian Bruney ('00-'01): 2-0, 3.00 ERA, 10 G, 9.0 IP -- On the DL

Oakland Athletics
Brett Anderson ('07): 2-4, 4.98 ERA, 8 GS, 43.1 IP
Jack Cust ('98): .255, 7 HR, 25 RBI

Pittsburgh Pirates
Ross Ohlendorf ('05): 5-4, 4.20 ERA, 9 GS, 55.2 IP

San Diego Padres
Scott Hairston ('02): .326, 5 HR, 20 RBI
Duaner Sanchez ('00): 1-1, 9.00 ERA, 12 G, 11.0 IP -- Released on May 15th

Toronto Blue Jays
Lyle Overbay ('00): .274, 5 HR, 22 RBI

Washington Nationals
Alberto Gonzalez ('04-'05): .271, 1 HR, 5 RBI -- Now in Triple-A

Tonight's Lineup

Estevez - SS
Elmore - 2B
Marte - LF
Parker - 3B
Diaz - CF
Perez - C
Gomez - 1B
Davis - DH
Asencio - RF

Rodriguez - SP

Pregame interview guest tonight is Wade Miley

From the Notes - May 27th

South Bend Silver Hawks (21-22)
vs. Beloit Snappers (16-28)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 6:30 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 1-0 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 1-0 Silver Hawks
@ Pohlman Field: 0-0 Tie
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .253 – T-9th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.88 ERA – 6th
Snappers Team Hitting: .254 – T-7th
Snappers Team Pitching: 5.37 ERA – 14th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: The Silver Hawks jumped out to a 4-1 lead when the rains came in the 8th, washing away the rest of the game and allowing South Bend to defeat the Snappers in game one of the series. Wade Miley (WP, 2-3) allowed just one run on five hits over 6.0 innings to pick up the victory in the starting role. T.J. Hose (SV, 4) pitched the seventh and the eighth, striking out three to pick up the save in the rain shortened contest. Offensively, Justin Parker was 2-for-3, while Jake Elmore, Nelson Gomez, and Chris Davis each picked up RBI for South Bend. Isaias Asencio extended his hitting streak to a personal best seven games, while Alfredo Marte has hit safely in six straight games for the Hawks. The loss was pinned on Daniel Berlind, dropping his record to 1-4 for the Snappers.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend is 12-7 at home, and 9-15 on the road, including 3-1 against Wisconsin teams (2-1 vs. T-Rattlers, 1-0 vs. Snappers)
· Beloit is currently in last place in the Western Division, 11.5 games behind Kane County.
· South Bend’s 14 home runs this season are last in the Midwest League.
· Silver Hawks pitchers have walked just 116 batters, the fewest in the Midwest League this season.
· A win today would even the record at .500 again, for the first time since May 18th.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Brendan Duffy ranks 5th in the league with a .333 batting average and 4th with a .427 On-Base Percentage.
· Jake Elmore had reached base in 24 consecutive games until Sunday – third longest streak in the MWL this season.
· Current Offensive Leaders: AVG – Duffy (.333); HR – Diaz (5); RBI – Marte (25)
· Isaias Asencio (7 games) and Alfredo Marte (6 games) have established personal season highs with their current hitting streaks.

Tonight's Start Time...

...is now 6:45 PM. Delayed because of some rain, but still will be some baseball tonight at the Cove. Come on out if you have a ticket. If not, come on out anyhow, tickets are available.

Tuesday's Lineups

Sorry about the lack of posts today. First day back off the road is usually a busy time. There is some rain the area, but we should be able to play tonight (I hope). Anyhow, here's the lineup:

Duffy - LF
Navarro - SS
Marte - DH
Parker - 3B
Diaz - CF
Elmore - 2B
Gomez - 1B
Davis - C
Asencio - RF

Miley - SP

Rained Out

Today's game has been rained out.

Rain Delay

We are officially in a rain delay. I will give updates every 20 minutes. For those of you listening online, a reminder: if the stream drops out ever, please call 1-877-913-9739.

I remind you of this because when rain delays happen, sometimes the streaming company thinks the game is over or cancelled when they hear national programming. So if you lose the feed, call the number, tell them it's in a rain delay, and they'll get the feed going again for you.

Today's Lineup -- Rain

A lot of rain in the Peoria area. I'm not holding my breath for a 1 PM Eastern Time start. It's the type of rain that had the game already started, they'd play through it, but since it hasn't, it'll likely be delayed at the start. I'll have updates throughout the pregame show.

Duffy - LF
Navarro - SS
Marte - DH
Parker - 3B
Diaz - CF
Elmore - 2B
Gomez - 1B
Davis - C
Asencio - RF

Miley - SP

Happy Memorial Day

As we remember, let us also say "Thank You" to those that allow us to celebrate our freedoms. What better way to celebrate America than with a baseball game.

Poll Results

A bit late on this, but here we go:

27 total responses to "What do you think about Manny Ramirez getting suspended for 50 games for using performance enhancing drugs?"

12 - I'm not shocked, but I'm disappointed.
7 - 50 games isn't enough. It should be longer.
5 - It's just another example of Manny being Manny.
2 - I'm shocked. I thought he was clean.
1 - Everyone did it, so they should just make it legal.

New poll question is up, vote to the right.

Also, tomorrow is going to be limited with the posts. Late bus, early game, then back to South Bend. I'll try to get the notes and lineups up, but not promising anything.

Photos From Peoria - Part Four

My view from the press box. I think I took this about the 7th or 8th inning last night, between pitches. It's amazing how I can talk and take photos at the same time. I'm multi-talented. So if you were listening last night and heard what sounded like a camera in the background, this was it.


The view from the Silver Hawks dugout on the third base side. No railing to protect you, so be careful if you are chasing a foul ball by the dugout.


I'm not a big Cardinals fan (see my post in part three about being a Reds fan), but you can't deny that Albert Pujols is one of the greatest players in the game right now. He's also a former Chiefs player, back when they were still with the Cardinals.


The lawn section beyond the left field fence has palm trees planted. More for decoration than for shade, but yeah, I can get on board with palm trees.


I don't even know what this is. It's a sun room I guess, but what it's doing on a baseball concourse is beyond me. I think it's more of an advertisement for a company, but if you are going to do this, shouldn't it be placed somewhere that fans could sit in it and watch the game? It's pushed so far back on the concourse that you really wouldn't have a good view of the game from it, so I guess it's just there for advertising purposes.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of O'Brien Field.

Photos From Peoria - Part Three

The Bradley University Braves play games at O'Brien Field as well, and this is an area on the concourse devoted to the team. The most famous Bradley alum is probably Kirby Puckett, and his number is retired and hanging on the outfield wall. Peoria has really done a nice job including a number of former Bradley players, including those that have played in the majors and minors, in this area.


This is a statue behind home plate of Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen giving a baseball to a young fan. Vonachen is in the Peoria Baseball Hall of Fame, and has won numerous awards for his work in minor league baseball. I had a chance to meet him during an inning break last night, and it was a pleasure to talk with him. Pete's son Rocky runs the team now, but you can tell that Pete really has had a tremendous impact on the Chiefs and their relationship with the Peoria community.


A nice touch at the ballpark is that they covered all the concrete support pillars with former Peoria players who have gone on to play in the majors. I didn't take pictures of all of them, but I couldn't resist taking this one, since it features two of my favorite players from my childhood. I think deep down, I wanted to be a speedy centerfielder like Devon White and Jerome Walton. Instead, I was a second baseman.


For anyone who grew up watching Cubs baseball on WGN during the daytime hours, you'll know why I took this photo. These guys were awesome. I have always been a lifelong Reds fan, but again, with the Cubs games on during the day all the time, I have a special place in my heart for the Cubs of the late 80's and early 90's. Too bad I can't stand the Cubs anymore. Joe Girardi now manages the Yankees, while Mark Grace is a commentator for the Diamondbacks.


The stadium, from centerfield.

Photos from Peoria -- Part Two

The picnic area beyond the right field fence, and the scoreboard from a side angle.


The centerfield fence has ivy on the top of it, a tribute to Wrigley Field's ivy covered walls.


Just a general shot of the stadium from down the right field line. This gives you an idea of the seats and suites layout.


This is an area called "Wrigleyville" which is adjacent to the first base bag. Aside from the ivy, it's just a place to sit on barstools and watch the game.


This is another area, closer to home plate, like "Wrigleyville" above although this one isn't called Wrigleyville. I am a fan of these areas, because it is a different way to watch a game (leaning against a bar-top or sitting in bar stools) as opposed to just sitting in your hard back seat.

Photos from Peoria - Part One

Here are some photos of O'Brien Field in Peoria. It's a very nice ballpark, and you'll notice a lot of ties back to the parent club (The Cubs) and former players (both Cubs and Cardinals). They really embrace the team history here, which is nice to see.


Just a general shot of the stadium taken during batting practice. I was standing on the concourse behind the seats when I took the photo. Notice the downtown buildings in the background. If you have a downtown skyline, it's always good to incorporate it when you are building a ballpark.


This is near the main entrance to the stadium. Again, a link to some former Peoria Chiefs. Click on the photo to make it larger and see all the names.


Part Two -- See above.


They've named the suites after former players. The Sandberg Suite is the largest suite of them all. Ryne Sandberg managed Peoria for two seasons, and everyone here loves him. Heck of a ballplayer, but never took the Chiefs to the playoffs in his two seasons as a manager. That could be more to do with the players than his managing ability, but I just thought I'd point it out.


The large lobby area on the suite level as you exit the elevator. The players on the wall on the far left of the picture is Albert Pujols, a former Peoria Chiefs player when they were affiliated with the Cardinals.

Two in a Row

Two very strong starting pitching performances and good bullpen work in a row leads to two wins. Amazing how that works huh?

A lot of times, a pitcher can get very frustrated moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation and back again. Taylor Sinclair has taken it all in stride and has pitched strongly in both roles, capped by tonight's 6.0 inning performance to earn his first win of the year. Congrats to Taylor.

I took photos of Peoria's stadium, and will post them tomorrow before the game. I was hoping to get them up tonight, but I did my media notes for tomorrow instead. Rather ambitious of me, I know.

I also thoroughly enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream from Perkins. At the Super 8 in Peoria, you basically have two restaurants within walking distance: Perkins and Cheddars. It was Perkins today, and probably Cheddars tomorrow night after the game. Between eating out all the time and ballpark food, it's a miracle I remain as skinny as I am.

Have a good night, I'll check in tomorrow morning with photos.

Comments are always welcome in the comments below or you can email me at oserey@silverhawks.com. I enjoy hearing from fans, blog readers, parents of players, etc. Send me a note sometime if you are so inclined.

Tonight's Lineup

It's a bit overcast at the park and there is some rain in the area, but it looks like they are isolated storms and nothing too serious. We should be set for a 7:30 eastern time start unless something unexpected pops up on the radar.

Duffy - CF
Navarro - SS
Marte - LF
Parker - DH
Diaz - RF
Elmore - 2B
Ramirez - 1B
Davis - C
Estevez - 3B

Sinclair - SP

Pregame interview tonight is Nelson Gomez.

One other note: Very good to see Ramon Ramirez in the lineup tonight. If you listened last night, you know that he was struck in the head during batting practice with a line drive. He was scratched from the lineup last night, but everything's okay and he's back in there tonight.

Hello from Peoria -- Roster Move

Got in shortly after midnight last night, and after a mix up with the team hotel, everyone ended up with a place to sleep (even if it was 3 guys to a room in some cases, spread out over two or three hotels). Life in the minors...gotta love it.

Below is the info on today's roster move. Lineups a bit later tonight. Pictures of the stadium coming tomorrow after the game most likely.

In conjunction with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the South Bend Silver Hawks have announced that right-handed reliever Bryan Woodall has been placed on the disabled list with a strained bicep. Taking Woodall’s spot on the roster will be right-handed reliever Victor Capellan.

Woodall is 1-3 with a 6.52 ERA in 11 relief appearances for South Bend in 2009. He last pitched Thursday against Burlington, allowing two runs on four hits in 1.0 inning. Woodall was selected in the 21st round of the 2008 draft out of Auburn University.

Capellan joins the Silver Hawks from extended spring training and is expected to be in uniform for Saturday’s game against Peoria. Signed as a non-drafted free agent on January 18, 2008, Capellan had 15 relief appearances for Missoula last season. He compiled a 0-1 record with a 6.18 ERA, allowing 36 hits over 27.2 innings with 22 strikeouts and 13 walks. Capellan is originally from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.

Tonight's Lineup - (Updated 6:45 PM Eastern)

Navarro - SS
Marte - LF
Diaz - CF
Parker - DH
Elmore - 2B
Perez - C
Ramirez - 1B --SCRATCHED
Gomez - 3B -- NOW BATTING 7TH AT 1B
Asencio - RF -- NOW BATTING 8TH
Estevez - 3B -- INSERTED IN THE LINEUP AT 3B, BATTING NINTH

Moorhouse - SP

NOTE: This is subject to change tonight. An injury concern may scratch one of the players. If I have time to update the blog if the lineup changes, I will. If not, I'll have the new starting lineup for you in the pregame show. I'm suspecting a change, but we will wait and see.

UPDATE: Ramon Ramirez was scratched from the lineup after being hit by a line drive in batting practice. By all indications, he's going to be fine, but as a precautionary measure, he will sit out tonight and will likely be back in the lineup tomorrow.

Burlington Photos - Part Three

The outside of the stadium. Again, an odd structure at the top, just added in 2005. Very unique, and it adds a little character to the ballpark.


My view from the radio booth.


From the dugout, looking to right field. A well maintained field is always nice.


The players sit deep inside the dugouts. Most will lean against the railings during the game for a better view.


Another look at the first base picnic area. Up the steps leads to another picnic area. People in Burlington really like picnics.

Burlington Photos - Part Two

A picnic area adjacent to the first base bag. This was full of school kids for Thursday's game.


I took this picture for two reasons. First of all, it gives you an idea of how great the weather was in Burlington. Look at those beautiful skies and picturesque clouds. Secondly, look at the lights. They are old style, as it looks almost like a radio tower with lights on top of it.


Just a small playground for the kids, but at least they put a net over top of it so that those going down the slide don't get konked in the head with a foul ball. Nice thinking Bees!


A picnic area underneath the seats behind home plate. You cannot see the game from here at all. The railing in the foreground leads you up to the seats. This would give you some more shelter during rain delays however.


A beer stand down the third base line called "Homer's @ Third". I like the name, and it has some table tops to lean on, or you can lean on the retaining wall of the field while sipping your beverage. A reminder, frost brewed Coor's Light is the World's Most Refreshing Beer. Please drink responsibly.

Burlington Photos - Part One

Finally, I'm posting some photos of Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, the home of the Bees. There's nothing terribly special about the park, but it serves it's purpose. Stupidly, I didn't take any pictures at the hotel -- known as the Best Western Fun City Pzazz -- which features a water park, arcade, bowling alley, casino, indoor go-kart track, and plenty of restaurants.

You may be thinking, "Owen, why in the world wouldn't you take pictures of this awesome hotel?" The answer, aside from just simply not thinking about it, is because I was too busy dominating the blackjack table. Let's put it this way: I turned my meal money from McDonald's and Subway into a nice steak dinner (or two, or three, or maybe four or five). Cha-ching!

On to the photos:

A shot from the third base side of the press box and the oddly designed roof/overhand they put over top of it in 2005. It is more of a modern art look, and I have another photo of it taken from outside the park in another post.

The concession stand. Pretty much the only concession stand. Reminds me of something you'd see at a high school or small college. Not trying to rip on Burlington here, because it serves the purpose of the number of fans they get. It's just a smaller scale here.


A new addition to the ballpark this year -- the hung some banners commemorating the championships they've won here. The one on the right is from 2008. Also, the ballpark is not slanted. Apparently I can't hold a camera straight.


From right behind home plate. Let me just say that the field is in great shape. Perhaps the best manicured field the Silver Hawks have played on this year (except maybe Great Lakes), particularly for an older ballpark.


Just a general shot of the stadium towards left field. No seats or lawn sections in the outfield. In fact, home run balls disappear into the trees.

The D'Backs System - May 22, 2009

Every Friday, I'll try to give a quick update on the D'Backs system. I'll include some former South Bend players at each level (this will not be a complete list of all the former Hawks, just a few per team).

A quick note before we start: Clay Zavada is back to the D'Backs. He was called up for a day, sent back for a few days, and now has been called back up.

MLB -- Arizona Diamondbacks (17-24, 4th place, -11.5 Dodgers)
-Justin Upton is batting .306 with 9 homers and 26 RBI
-Mark Reynolds with 12 home runs and 23 RBI
-Gerardo Parra is batting .333, 1 HR, 7 RBI in seven game at the major league level
-Tony Pena is 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA
-Clay Zavada is 1-0, with one scoreless inning in the bigs

AAA -- Reno Aces (15-25, T-3rd place, -8.0 Sacramento)
-Billy Spottiswood is 0-0 with a 3.68 ERA in five games
-Unfortunately, no other former Silver Hawk is doing much to speak of at this level

AA -- Mobile BayBears (22-19, 2nd place, -6.0 Birmingham)
-Orlando Mercado hitting .291
-Ricardo Sosa hitting .285 with 4 HR and 24 RBI
-Barry Enright is 2-3 with a 3.92 ERA
-Jarrod Parker is 2-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 4 games
-Daniel Schlereth is 0-0 with a 1.76 ERA

Hi-A -- Visalia Rawhide (26-15, 1st place, +1.0 Modesto)
-Collin Cowgill hitting .298 with 5 HR and 27 RBI
-Taylor Harbin batting .275 with 4 HR and 19 RBI
-Ollie Linton batting .307 with 17 RBI
-Ryne White at .298 with 22 RBI
-Chase Christianson is 1-0 with a 3.33 ERA in 14 games
-Josh Collmenter is 5-2 with a 3.86 ERA
-Jeff Dietz is 0-1 with a 2.42 ERA
-Trevor Harden is 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA in 2 games
-Bryan Henry is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA
-Patrick McAnaney is 4-1 with a 3.83ERA
-Jordan Norberto is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 15 games
-Leyson Septimo with a 2.53 ERA in 13 games

Remember Mat Latos?

...He's the Fort Wayne pitcher who had a great outing against the Silver Hawks earlier in the week, lowering his ERA to 0.36 in the process. Yeah, he's been promoted to double-A.

A Bunch of Former Hawks in One Game

Obviously, the Diamondbacks have a handful of former Silver Hawks on the team, but Florida has a couple of them as well, and a lot of them performed well tonight. Here's the rundown, or click here for the box score.

For Arizona:

-Clay Zavada gets the win for Arizona in his major league debut. One inning, two strikeouts, no hits, no walks. Nice work by Zavada.

-Mark Reynolds with a two run home run and 3 total RBI

-Justin Upton with a walk and a run scored

For Florida:

-Emilio Bonifacio with two hits and a run scored

-Dan Uggla with a solo home run

Always good to see the alumni doing well. Full D'Backs system report tomorrow (Friday) along with pictures from Community Field in Burlington

Metal Bleachers and School Kids Do Not Mix

About 2,000 school kids are expected at the game today in Burlington, and they will all be sitting on metal bleachers directly in front of, and to the left and right of the press box. The first group just arrived and I already feel the urge to pop some Advil. The beauties of minor league baseball. It makes it fun though, and it'll be a lot nicer to play in front of a full house instead of the reported 647 (actually about 300) fans for last night's game.

Oh, one other note. I forgot to charge the battery of my digital camera, so the pictures of Community Field will not be up until tomorrow afternoon before the game. Sorry.

Now, for today's lineup.

Duffy - LF
Marte - DH
Diaz - CF
Parker - 3B
Perez - C
Asencio - RF
Ramirez - 1B
Estevez - 2B
Navarro - SS

Rodriguez - SP

Updated Rotation

For those of you wondering what the rotation will be with Ryan Cook on the DL, here's how it projects for the next five days:

Today @ Burlington: RHP Randy Rodriguez
Friday @ Burlington: RHP Brett Moorhouse
Saturday @ Peoria: LHP Taylor Sinclair
Sunday @ Peoria: RHP Sean Morgan
Monday @ Peoria: LHP Wade Miley

From the Notes - May 21, 2009

South Bend Silver Hawks (18-20)
vs. Burlington Bees (15-23)

Community Field, Burlington, Iowa – 12:30 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 1-0 Bees
@ Coveleski Stadium: 0-0 Tie
@ Community Field: 1-0 Bees
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .250 – T-9th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.00 ERA – 7th
Bees Team Hitting: .227 – 14th
Bees Team Pitching: 4.22 ERA – 8th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Burlington scored six times in the eighth inning to turn a relatively close game into a rout, winning 11-3 in the series opener Wednesday night. Nick Van Stratten went 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Bees offensively, while Nick Francis added three RBI and Sean McCauley had two – including a solo home run. Tim Melville (WP, 1-0) earned the win in his professional debut, allowing just one run on two hits in 6.0 innings. Wade Miley (LP, 1-3) allowed four runs in 5.0 innings for the loss, while Houston Summers (ND) was touched up for seven runs in 2.2 innings. Brendan Duffy went hitless, but had two RBI while Chris Davis scored two runs and Justin Parker added two hits for South Bend. Carson Bryant (SV, 2) pitched the final 3.0 innings for the save.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· The current five game losing streak is the longest of 2009 for the Silver Hawks.
· The Silver Hawks have been held to six hits or less in each of the last four ballgames.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Brendan Duffy ranks 7th in the league with a .331 batting average.
· Chris Davis scored two runs and drove in the third yesterday, despite not picking up a base hit (two walks, sacrifice fly).

Hello from Burlington, Iowa

After a lengthy bus ride, and a longer than expected stop at a Bob Evans somewhere in Illinois (the service was horrible), we've arrived in Burlington, unloaded the bus, and are at the ballpark. Silver Hawks are currently taking BP, and I'm getting my scorebook set for tonight's game (7:30 Eastern Time first pitch).

Here is tonight's lineup:

Duffy - CF
Marte - LF
Perez - DH
Parker - 3B
Elmore - 2B
Gomez - 1B
Davis - C (tonight's pregame interview)
Asencio - RF
Navarro - SS

Miley - SP

Pictures, and a lot more coming tomorrow. The game is at 12:30 Eastern Time tomorrow, so I'll get caught up with some things after the game tomorrow.

From the Notes - May 19th

Interesting tidbits from today's notes:

-Yesterday's 9-0 defeat is the largest margin of defeat for the Silver Hawks in 2009.

-Silver Hawks starter are 13-13. Silver Hawks relievers are 5-5.

-South Bend's defense has turned 37 double plays in 36 games this year.

-The Silver Hawks are 4-1 in games played on Tuesdays this year.

-The current three game losing streak ties the longest this season for South Bend.

Today's Roster Move

RHP Ryan Cook has been placed on the 7-Day DL with a blister on his pitching hand.

RHP Houston Summers joins the Silver Hawks from extended spring training.


My analysis: Losing Cook for any amount of time hurts, as his five wins is tied for second in the league. However, I speculated on the air last night that there was likely some issue for him to get pulled after just 3.0 innings. While a blister is an annoyance to the pitcher and get really have a tremendous impact, you have to be happy that it's nothing more serious than that.

Summers is a knuckleball pitcher who was originally drafted as a catcher, and converted to pitcher prior to the 2008 season. Knuckleball guys are always interesting, in that when they're on, they're great, and when they're not, they struggle mightily. I have not heard whether Summers will start or go into the bullpen as of yet.

Tonight's Lineup

Duffy - CF
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Parker - 3B
Perez - C
Elmore - SS
Ramirez - 1B
Estevez - 2B
Navarro - DH

Cook - SP

Justin Parker is tonight's pregame interview guest.

From The Notes - May 18, 2009

Some interesting tidbits from today's Media Notes:

-With 35 games completed, the Silver Hawks are halfway through the first half. South Bend will play only 69 games in the first half, as one game was cancelled due to rain.

-South Bend has lost two in a row for the first time since April 29th-30th at Quad Cities.

-A victory tonight for Ryan Cook would tie him for the Midwest League lead with 6 wins. Cook currently is tied for second with 5 wins.

-Fort Wayne starter Mat Latos has allowed just one run in 18.2 innings this season.

-T.J. Hose has not allowed a run over his last 9.1 innings.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Five

The press box. Notice the seats right in front of the windows. If a fan in the last row stands up, their head blocks my view of home plate. Good for the fans...bad for the broadcaster. I had a fan standing in front of me for about 5 pitches today, and it was simply awkward. To give you an idea of how close he was to me, if we both reached out our arms, we could have exchanged a hand shake without either one of us straining to reach the other person. Clearly, he was listening to every word I said.


Another slight oddity of the ballpark. I am standing on the field when I took this picture. This is the walkway that both teams and the umpires all use to get onto the field. It's located close to home plate, right next to the home dugout on the first base side. When building the stadium, the TinCaps couldn't build a tunnel on the third base side because of some underground pipes, so both teams have to use the same tunnel to go back to the locker rooms. This could make for some unique situations after particularly fiesty games. Oh, and if you are the visiting team, take the ramp and the door on the right.


The first row seats actually sit down a bit from the field, so you actually look up to the players on the field.


The team store, located directly behind home plate.


Finally, all the trash cans have TinCaps helmets on them. Nice touch.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Four

Tables down the left field line. Very similar to the right field picnic area, just different types of tables and seats.


One more look at the video board and the seats in right field.


Kids play area, with a rock climbing wall. The inflatable games weren't blown up at this time as it was well before the gates opened, but you can see them in a heap in the background. Definitely a fun time for the kids.


The field, from left.


The field, from center.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Three

A huge concourse beyond the centerfield fence, and a back entrance to the stadium (This is inside the stadium, which explains why the letters are backwards. They are obviously readable as you enter the stadium from the street).


A fountain that is within the ballparks gates in deep, deep, deep centerfield. Notice the huge concourse again. I think you could put up basketball goals and have enough room for a full court in this area beyond centerfield.


Standing on the concourse, shooting straight up at the huge video board.


A look at the lawn sections beyond the outfield wall.


The field, from beyond the right field fence.