Monday, August 31, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 31st

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Marte - LF
Wheeler - 1B
Parker - 3B
Perez - C
Conner - DH
Diaz - RF
Estevez - 2B

Cook - SP

For tonight's pregame show, I'll interview Loons broadcaster Brad Golder about his team, and how some of the players who played at high-A last year are handling this experiment with being sent back to low-A this season.

From the Notes - August 31st

South Bend Silver Hawks (29-33 Second Half, 56-74 Overall)
vs. Great Lakes Loons (37-26 Second Half, 77-56 Overall)

Dow Diamond, Midland, Michigan – 7:05 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 13-2 Loons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 7-1 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 6-1 Loons
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .245 – 11th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.01 ERA – 8th
Loons Team Hitting: .262 – 4th
Loons Team Pitching: 3.71 ERA – 6th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: For the third straight game, the Silver Hawks were held to just three hits as they fell to the Great Lakes Loons 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. Anthony Hatch and Jerry Sands each homered for Great Lakes, as the Loons won their fourth in a row. Eric Smith (ND) allowed two runs over 4.1 innings, with Bryan Woodall (LP, 3-5) allowing the final two runs to suffer the defeat. Robert Boothe (WP, 2-3) allowed an unearned run, but still was credited with the win for Great Lakes. Alfredo Marte had two hits to pace the Silver Hawks offensive attack, including picking up his 65th RBI with a single in the fourth.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (7 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· South Bend leads Dayton by one game for the wild card spot. Great Lakes has clinched the second half title.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria has clinched a spot in the West, with BUR leading the wild card. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend has just nine hits in the series with Great Lakes, three in each game (losing all three).
· The Silver Hawks have scored just two runs in 27.0 innings against the Loons in this series.
· The remaining 7 games will all be against other playoff hopefuls (1 @ GL, 1 vs. LAN, 3 @ DTN, 2 vs. LAN).
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Reynaldo Navarro extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the eighth inning Saturday night. DNP yesterday.
· Alfredo Marte has five of the team’s nine hits in the series with Great Lakes.
· Victor Capellan lowered his ERA to 0.84 with a scoreless inning of relief Thursday night.

One Week Remains

The season ends next Monday, so here's your daily update:

-Loons wrapped up the East top seed for the second half
-Peoria clinched the West top seed for the second half
-One spot remains in each division

Eastern Division Playoffs
West Michigan vs. Great Lakes
Fort Wayne vs. TBD

Western Division Playoffs
Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria
Kane County vs. TBD

Today's Matchups with Playoff Implications
South Bend @ Great Lakes
Lansing @ Dayton
Quad Cities @ Clinton
Burlington @ Beloit

Race for Second Half Wild Card in East
................W...L...PCT..GB
South Bend...29..33...468..--
Dayton........28..34...452..1.0
Lansing.......25..37...403..4.0

Magic Number
South Bend magic number for the wild card spot: 7

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
Off Day
2 vs. Lansing

Games Left for Dayton (In order):
1 vs. Lansing
Off Day
3 vs. South Bend
3 @ Great Lakes

Games Left for Lansing (In order):
1 @ Dayton
1 @ South Bend
3 vs. West Michigan
Off Day
2 @ South Bend

West Division Update
First Half Champion: Kane County Cougars
First Half Wild Card: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Second Half Champion: Peoria Chiefs
Burlington leads the wild card by 3 games over Clinton.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Today's Lineup - August 30th

Pollock - CF
Elmore - 2B
Wheeler - 1B
Parker - 3B
Perez - C
Marte - LF
Conner - DH
Diaz - RF
Estevez - SS

Smith - SP

Pregame show will be a standings update, and an early look at the scoreboard since most games in the league start at 2, whereas the Silver Hawks will start at 3:05 PM.

Playoff Race - 8 Remain

Great Lakes clinched a playoff spot last night. So three teams fight for the remaining playoff spot.

I've added some new parts to this post, so make sure you look at the bold print above each section.

Today's Matchups
South Bend @ Great Lakes
Lansing @ Dayton
Fort Wayne @ West Michigan

Race for Second Half Title
................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..36..26...581..--
South Bend...29..32...475..6.5

Race for Second Half Wild Card
................W...L...PCT..GB
South Bend...29..32...475..--
Dayton........27..34...443..2.0
Lansing.......25..36...410..4.0

Magic Numbers
Great Lakes magic number for the second half #1 seed: 2
South Bend magic number for the wild card spot: 7

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
2 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
Off Day
2 vs. Lansing

Games Left for Dayton (In order):
2 vs. Lansing
Off Day
3 vs. South Bend
3 @ Great Lakes

Games Left for Lansing (In order):
2 @ Dayton
1 @ South Bend
3 vs. West Michigan
Off Day
2 @ South Bend

West Division Update
First Half Champion: Kane County Cougars
First Half Wild Card: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Peoria has clinched a spot, and should wrap up the second half title today or tomorrow.
Burlington leads the wild card by 3 games over Clinton.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 29th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - C
Parker - 3B
Conner - 1B
Marte - LF
Asencio - RF
Estevez - DH
Elmore - 2B

Rodriguez - SP

Pregame interview tonight is with manager Mark Haley.

Playoff Chase - 9 Games Left

Great Lakes continues to be a tough opponent for the Hawks, as South Bend fell last night 8-0.
However, Dayton lost to Lansing, so the Silver Hawks are still three games up for the wild card with 9 to play. Here's the breakdown for today:

Today's Matchups
South Bend @ Great Lakes
Lansing @ Dayton
Fort Wayne @ West Michigan

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..35..26...574..--
South Bend...29..31...483..5.5
Dayton........26..34...433..8.5
Lansing.......25..35...417..9.5

Great Lakes magic number for a playoff spot: 1
Great Lakes magic number for the second half #1 seed: 4
South Bend magic number for the wild card spot: 7

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
3 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
Off Day
2 vs. Lansing

Games Left for Dayton (In order):
3 vs. Lansing
Off Day
3 vs. South Bend
3 @ Great Lakes

Games Left for Lansing (In order):
3 @ Dayton
1 @ South Bend
3 vs. West Michigan
Off Day
2 @ South Bend

From the Notes - August 29th

South Bend Silver Hawks (29-31 Second Half, 56-72 Overall)
vs. Great Lakes Loons (35-26 Second Half, 75-56 Overall)

Dow Diamond, Midland, Michigan – 7:05 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 11-2 Loons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 7-1 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 4-1 Loons
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .247 – 11th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.98 ERA – 8th
Loons Team Hitting: .261 – 4th
Loons Team Pitching: 3.76 ERA – T-6th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Two costly Silver Hawks errors led to five unearned runs for the Loons, and Great Lakes routed the Silver Hawks 8-0 on Friday night. Anthony Hatch had a bases loaded double, driving in three after an error kept the bottom of the fourth inning going. Six runs were charged to South Bend starter Brett Moorhouse (LP, 5-13), but only two of them were earned in his four innings of work. Jerry Sands also drove in two runs for the Loons. The Silver Hawks were held to just two hits – two singles by Alfredo Marte and one single by Reynaldo Navarro. JonMichael Redding (WP, 15-3) benefitted from all the runs, but also pitched 6.0 scoreless innings.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (9 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 5.5 games. South Bend leads Dayton by three games for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria has clinched a spot, Burlington is leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend did not get a runner to second base until there were two outs in the ninth inning last night.
· Silver Hawks relief pitchers combined for 10.1 innings of one run ball in the series against Dayton.
· The remaining 9 games will all be against other playoff hopefuls (3 @ GL, 1 vs. LAN, 3 @ DTN, 2 vs. LAN).
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Reynaldo Navarro extended his hitting streak to five games with a one out single in the ninth last night.
· Jake Elmore has six hits and five RBIs in the Dayton series, including the walk off double Tuesday night.
· Victor Capellan lowered his ERA to 0.84 with a scoreless inning of relief last night.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 28th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - DH
Parker - 3B
Conner - 1B
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Davis - C
Elmore - 2B

Moorhouse - SP

On tonight's pregame show, we'll do a two part interview again with Brian "The Crippler" Costello. He's the on-field emcee for South Bend, and his big event "Clash at the Cove 11" is tomorrow night. I've played this interview once before, but I assured him that I would play it the night before the event, and I encourage anyone in South Bend to check out the wrestling matchup tomorrow. It's rather fascinating, and if you are/were a fan of wrestling, you'll enjoy it because it has a lot of big names participating.

10 To Go

Huge sweep for South Bend over Dayton. Two of the four remaining teams will qualify. Here's your daily update:

Today's Matchups
South Bend @ Great Lakes
Lansing @ Dayton
Fort Wayne @ West Michigan

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..34..26...567..--
South Bend...29..30...492..4.5
Dayton........26..33...441..7.5
Lansing.......24..35...407..9.5

Great Lakes magic number for a playoff spot: 3
Great Lakes magic number for the second half #1 seed: 6
South Bend magic number for the wild card spot: 8

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Tonight's Lineup

Running a bit behind, so didn't get a lot posted today. My apologies. Since I didn't post the standings recap in the blog today, I'll go through it on the pregame show and also updated the remaining schedules for both South Bend and Dayton, since those are the two teams in the mix for the wild card.

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

Sosa - SP

From the Notes - August 27th

South Bend Silver Hawks (28-30 Second Half, 55-71 Overall)
vs. Dayton Dragons (26-32 Second Half, 54-74 Overall)

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

Season Series: 6-5 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 5-2 Silver Hawks
@ Fifth Third Field: 3-1 Dragons
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .248 – T-10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.00 ERA – 8th
Dragons Team Hitting: .260 – 5th
Dragons Team Pitching: 4.47 ERA – 12th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Ryan Cook (ND) struck out nine in five innings and the South Bend Silver Hawks defeated the Dayton Dragons 3-1 on a wet Wednesday night. Cook established both a personal high and a new South Bend high for 2009 with the nine K’s, but did not receive a decision as the Silver Hawks rallied late. A.J. Pollock scored twice, Clayton Conner had two doubles, while Jake Elmore and Justin Parker each drove in a run to lead South Bend offensively. Daniel Vasquez (WP, 4-1) pitched 2.0 hitless innings for the win. Justin Mace (SV, 10) pitched a perfect ninth for the save. The loss was pinned on Dayton starter Jordan Hotchkiss (LP, 3-5)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (11 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 4.5 games. South Bend leads Dayton by two games for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Burlington leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend pitchers combined to strike out 14 batters last night, tying the team high for 2009.
· South Bend tries for a sweep tonight. They have not swept a four game series this year (3 games vs. CR and vs. QC).
· Silver Hawks relief pitchers have combined for 9.0 innings of one run ball in this series.
· The remaining 11 games will all be against other playoff hopefuls (1 vs. DTN, 4 @ GL, 1 vs. LAN, 3 @ DTN, 2 vs. LAN).
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Jake Elmore has six hits and five RBIs in the first three games of the series, including the walk off double Tuesday night.
· Victor Capellan lowered his ERA to 0.87 with a scoreless 2.0 innings of relief Tuesday night.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Tonight's Lineup

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - C
Parker - DH
Conner - 1B
Diaz - LF
Estevez - 3B
Asencio - RF
Elmore - 2B

Cook - SP

Tonight's pregame interview is with last night's hero: Jake Elmore.

A Dozen Remain

Another big win for the Silver Hawks last night to move ahead of Dayton for the final playoff spot. Two of the four remaining teams will qualify. Here's your daily update:

Tuesday Results:
South Bend beat Dayton.
Great Lakes took down Fort Wayne.
Lansing held off West Michigan.

Today's Matchups
Dayton @ South Bend
Fort Wayne @ Great Lakes
West Michigan @ Lansing

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..33..25...569..--
South Bend...27..30...474..5.5
Dayton........26..31...456..6.5
Lansing.......23..34...404..9.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
2 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 25th

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

Eric Smith - SP (Silver Hawks debut)

Going to go through the postseason all star team instead of an interview tonight. Not everyone that listens reads the blog, so if you've already looked at it, you'll just have to sit tight during the 3rd segment of the pregame show.

Thanks.

MWL Post-Season All-Stars

Announced today. Silver Hawks were shut out.

First Base - Rebel Ridling (Peoria)
Second Base - Alexi Amarista (Cedar Rapids)
Third Base - Josh Vitters (Peoria)
Shortstop - Dee Gordon (Great Lakes)
Outfield - Kyle Russell (Great Lakes); Kyler Burke (Peoria); Josh Harrison (Peoria)
Catcher - Tony Delmonico (Great Lakes)
Designated Hitter - Billy Nowlin (West Michigan)
Right Handed Starter - Kenny Smalley (Kane County)
Left Handed Starter - Casey Crosby (West Michigan)
Right Handed Reliever - Brad Brach (Fort Wayne)
Left Handed Reliver - Andrew Taylor (Cedar Rapids)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS: Dee Gordon and Kyle Russell (Both with Great Lakes)
PROSPECT OF THE YEAR: Dee Gordon (Great Lakes)
MANAGERS OF THE YEAR: Doug Dascenzo (Fort Wayne) and Marty Pevey (Peoria)

Playoff Chase - 13 Remain

Huge win for the Silver Hawks last night to draw into a tie with Dayton for the final playoff spot. Two of the four remaining teams will qualify. Here's your daily update:

Monday Results:
South Bend beat Dayton.
Fort Wayne beat Great Lakes.
Lansing lost to West Michigan.

Today's Matchups
Dayton @ South Bend
Fort Wayne @ Great Lakes
West Michigan @ Lansing

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..32..25...561..--
Dayton........26..30...464..5.5
South Bend...26..30...464..5.5
Lansing.......22..34...393..9.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
3 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Monday, August 24, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 24th

A little late with this tonight. Sorry!

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - C
Parker - 3B
Marte - LF
Conner - 1B
Diaz - RF
Estevez - 2B
Elmore - DH
Rodriguez - SP

Playoff Chase - 14 To Go

Again, the top two of the four listed below will make the playoffs. The remaining 14 games will all be against playoff hopefuls.

Sunday Results:
South Bend fell to Great Lakes.
Dayton lost to West Michigan.
Lansing lost to Fort Wayne.

Today's Matchups
Dayton @ South Bend
Fort Wayne @ Great Lakes
West Michigan @ Lansing

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..32..24...571..--
Dayton........26..29...473..5.5
South Bend...25..30...455..6.5
Lansing.......22..33...400..9.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

From the Notes - August 24th

South Bend Silver Hawks (25-30 Second Half, 52-71 Overall)
vs. Dayton Dragons (26-29 Second Half, 54-71 Overall)

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

Season Series: 5-3 Dragons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-2 Tie
@ Fifth Third Field: 3-1 Dragons
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .246 – 11th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.06 ERA – 8th
Dragons Team Hitting: .261 – T-4th
Dragons Team Pitching: 4.47 ERA – 12th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: The Silver Hawks left the tying run on base in each of their final four at-bats, falling to the Great Lakes Loons 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. The Loons raced out to a 3-0 lead on a two run single by Kyle Russell in the first and a solo home run from Jaime Pedroza in the fifth. South Bend had a RBI double by Reynaldo Navarro and a RBI groundout by Rossmel Perez in the sixth to draw within one. Brett Moorhouse (LP, 5-12) allowed the three runs in 5.0 innings to suffer a tough loss. JonMichael Redding (WP, 14-3) allowed the two runs, both unearned, in the sixth and earned his league leading 14th win of the season. Cole St. Clair (SV, 13) got the save.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (14 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 5.5 games. DTN leads SB by 1 game for the wild card, with Lansing 4.0 game back.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Burlington leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend his just .183 in the series against the Great Lakes Loons (21 hits in 115 at-bats).
· With yesterday’s loss, the Silver Hawks are 19 games under .500 in the overall record for the first time this season.
· The remaining 14 games will all be against other playoff hopefuls (4 vs. DTN, 4 @ GL, 1 vs. LAN, 3 @ DTN, 2 vs. LAN).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· With two hits yesterday, Victor Estevez has brought his average up to .264 after it dipped as low as .179 on June 9th.
· Ryan Cook is 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA in his last six starts, after losing 9 of his previous 10 starts.
· Victor Capellan lowered his ERA to 0.93 with a scoreless 1.1 innings of relief yesterday afternoon.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Today's Lineup - August 23rd

This is my third post in the last 5 minutes, so scroll down to see them all.

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - C
Parker - DH
Conner - 1B
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Estevez - 3B
Elmore - 2B
Moorhouse - SP

In the third segment of today's pregame show, we'll explore the roster move that was made today in detail. We'll also take a look at the updated playoff race.

Today's Roster Move

LHP Wade Miley promoted to high-A Visalia.

RHP Eric Smith joins team from Rookie level Missoula.

Much more on this roster move at www.silverhawks.com and on today's pregame show.

Playoff Picture - 15 to play

Again, the top two of the four listed below will make the playoffs. The remaining 15 games will all be against playoff hopefuls.

Saturday Night Results:
South Bend fell to Great Lakes.
Dayton again beat West Michigan.
Lansing beat Fort Wayne.

Today's Matchups
Great Lakes @ South Bend
West Michigan @ Dayton
Lansing @ Fort Wayne

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..31..24...564..--
Dayton........26..28...481..4.5
South Bend...25..29...463..5.5
Lansing.......22..32...407..8.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 22nd

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

Sosa - SP

Pregame show will have a standings/scoreboard update.

Playoff Chase - 16 Remaining

Again, the top two of the four listed below will make the playoffs. The remaining 17 games will all be against playoff hopefuls.

South Bend beat Great Lakes last night.
Dayton again beat West Michigan.
Lansing lost to Fort Wayne.

Tonight's Matchups
Great Lakes @ South Bend
West Michigan @ Dayton
Lansing @ Fort Wayne

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..30..24...556..--
South Bend...25..28...472..4.5
Dayton........25..28...472..4.5
Lansing.......21..32...396..8.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
2 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Friday, August 21, 2009

Tonight's Lineup

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

Cook - SP

Pregame interview with Hales tonight.

Poll Results and My Ballpark Rankings

Okay, so the last poll was hijacked by people who didn't take it seriously, because there is no one that can make the argument that Pohlman Field in Beloit is the best stadium in the MWL. Even still, here are the results, with Pohlman Field finishing a close second to Fort Wayne's new park.

Fort Wayne's Parkview Field - 13 votes
Beloit's Pohlman Field - 12 votes
Great Lakes' Dow Diamond - 5 votes
West Michigan's Fifth Third Ballpark - 4 votes
Kane County's Elfstrom Stadium - 4 votes
Dayton's Fifth Third Field - 3 votes
Burlington's Community Field - 2 votes
Clinton's Alliant Energy Field - 1 vote
Wisconsin's Fox Cities Stadium - 1 vote
Lansing's Oldsmobile Park - 0 votes
Cedar Rapids' Veterans Memorial Stadium - 0 votes
Peoria's O'Brien Field - 0 votes
Quad Cites' Modern Woodmen Park - 0 votes

My rankings, based on nothing specific, but rather just the overall feel I get from the stadium. Feel free to argue if you'd like, but this is just one man's rankings. And I cheated with having a tie for number one, but I just can't say one is better than the other. They are both phenomenal.

1-Tie) Dow Diamond -- Great Lakes
1-Tie) Parkview Field -- Fort Wayne
3) Fifth Third Field -- Dayton
4) Fifth Third Ballpark -- West Michigan
5) Veterans Memorial Stadium -- Cedar Rapids
6) O'Brien Field -- Peoria
7) Oldsmobile Park -- Lansing
8) Fox Cities Stadium -- Wisconsin
9) Elfstrom Stadium -- Kane County
10) Modern Woodmen Park -- Quad Cities
11) Alliant Energy Field -- Clinton
12) Community Field -- Burlington
13) Pohlman Field -- Beloit

Playoff Chase - 17 to go

Again, the top two of the four listed below will make the playoffs. The remaining 17 games will all be against playoff hopefuls.

South Bend got routed by Great Lakes last night 18-4.
Dayton scored four in the bottom of the ninth last night to defeat West Michigan 5-4.
Lansing beat up on Fort Wayne 15-7.

Tonight's Matchups
Great Lakes @ South Bend
West Michigan @ Dayton
Lansing @ Fort Wayne

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..30..23...566..--
South Bend...24..28...462..5.5
Dayton........24..28...462..5.5
Lansing.......21..31...404..8.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
3 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

From the Notes - August 21st

South Bend Silver Hawks (24-28 Second Half, 51-69 Overall)
vs. Great Lakes Loons (30-23 Second Half, 70-53 Overall)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 8-1 Loons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 5-0 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 3-1 Loons
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .248 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.08 ERA – 8th
Loons Team Hitting: .261 – T-4th
Loons Team Pitching: 3.88 ERA – 7th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: The Silver Hawks established new season highs for runs and hits allowed, falling in blowout fashion to the Loons 18-4 on Thursday night. The Loons raced out to a 13-0 lead at one point, taking the series opener convincingly. Joe Becker had four hits to pace the Loons offensive attack, with Jerry Sands scoring four runs. Sands, Anthony Hatch, and Alfredo Silverio all homered for Great Lakes. Rossmel Perez had three hits for South Bend, and Isaias Asencio had three RBIs. Wade Miley (LP, 5-9) allowed six runs in 3.0 innings to suffer the loss. Josh Walter (WP, 9-4) benefitted from all the support to earn the win.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (17 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 5.5 games. DTN and SB are tied for the wild card, with LAN 3.0 games back.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with CLN and QC tied for the wild card spot. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend has allowed at least five runs in an inning for each of the last four games, losing all four.
· The remaining 17 games will all be against other playoff hopefuls (3 vs. GL, 4 vs. DTN, 4 @ GL, 1 vs. LAN, 3 @ DTN, 2 vs. LAN).
· South Bend is 18 games under .500 for the fourth time this year, tying the low mark for the season.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Jake Elmore pitched an inning yesterday, allowing three runs. He was the first position player to pitch for South Bend in 2009.
· Reynaldo Navarro’s nine game hitting streak game to an end Thursday, but still represents a personal high.
· Jordan Meaker has thrown 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings, a season high for him.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 20th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - C
Parker -3B
Conner - DH
Diaz - LF
Gomez - 1B
Asencio - RF
Estevez - 2B

Miley - SP

See the post below this one for information about the pregame interview tonight.

Tonight's Pregame Show

Tonight's pregame show is going to be a little bit different. We'll still have the intro at the beginning and the lineups at the end, but the middle two segments will be a lengthy interview with author Richard Doster. He sent me a copy of his book "Safe at Home", and I've been working my way through it on road trips.

In addition to being a well written book about the integration of Minor League Baseball, he also tells of some stories he learned while researching for the book. It's a good interview, and I hope you all enjoy it.

I also encourage you to pick up a copy of the book "Safe at Home" if you enjoy reading about baseball. It's a fictional book, but many of the stories in the book are based on events that really happened. As a fan of minor league baseball, you'll enjoy the book.

From the Notes - August 20th

South Bend Silver Hawks (24-27 Second Half, 51-68 Overall)
vs. Great Lakes Loons (29-23 Second Half, 69-53 Overall)

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

Season Series: 7-1 Loons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 4-0 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 3-1 Loons
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .248 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.99 ERA – 8th
Loons Team Hitting: .259 – 6th
Loons Team Pitching: 3.88 ERA – 7th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME (Tuesday): West Michigan raced out to a 9-0 lead on their way to a 9-2 victory over the Silver Hawks on Tuesday night in Michigan. Jordan Lennerton had a two run homer, Brent Wyatt had a two run double, and five other Whitecaps drove in one run to pace the West Michigan rout. Casey Crosby (WP, 10-4) tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for the win. Randy Rodriguez (LP, 4-9) allowed all nine runs over his 3.2 innings on the mound. Reynaldo Navarro had a two run double to score the only two runs for South Bend. Jordan Meaker (ND), Victor Capellan (ND) and Justin Mace (ND) combined for 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (18 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 4.5 games. South Bend leads Dayton by 1.0 game for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· The Silver Hawks allowed five runs in an inning in each of the final three games against the Whitecaps, losing all three.
· The remaining 18 games will all be against other playoff hopefuls (4 vs. GL, 4 vs. DTN, 4 @ GL, 1 vs. LAN, 3 @ DTN, 2 vs. LAN).
· South Bend is 17 games under .500 for the year. The season low is 18 games under .500 (on three different occasions).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Clayton Conner had his six game hitting streak snapped Tuesday. He had at least one hit in his first six games with South Bend.
· Reynaldo Navarro has established a new season high with a nine game hitting streak (15 for his last 39).
· Jordan Meaker has thrown 9.2 consecutive scoreless innings, a season high for him.

Playoff Chase - 18 to go

Again, the top two of the four listed below will make the playoffs. The remaining 18 games will all be against playoff hopefuls.

First, here are the matchups for the next four days:

Great Lakes @ South Bend
West Michigan @ Dayton
Lansing @ Fort Wayne

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..29..23...558..--
South Bend...24..27...471..4.5
Dayton........23..28...451..5.5
Lansing.......20..31...392..8.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 18th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - DH
Parker -3B
Conner - 1B
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Davis - C
Elmore - 2B
Rodriguez - SP

Tonight's pregame interview guest is Rossmel Perez. As I say a lot with these interviews, English is not his first language. He does a good job answering the questions, but at times you have to listen closely to pick up what he's saying through the accent. At one point, he talks about "Perfect Game". That's a training facility/team in Orlando, Florida for those that aren't aware of that.

Lansing...Throwing in the Towel?

The Lugnuts promoted the following players today:

OF Brian Van Kirk
SS Tyler Pastornicky
LHP John Anderson
RHP Matt Daly

To recap, that's a starting outfielder, the starting shortstop, a starting pitcher, and the closer.

This move sounds a lot like Toronto is saying "Well Lansing isn't going to make the playoffs. Let's promote a few guys and get them some experience at the next level."

Playoff Chase - 19 Left

Hard to believe only 19 games remain in the regular season. Here's the playoff chase entering play today:

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..29..22...569..--
South Bend...24..26...480..4.5
Dayton........23..26...469..5.0
Lansing.......19..31...380..9.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

From the Notes - August 18th

South Bend Silver Hawks (24-26 Second Half, 51-67 Overall)
vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (30-21 Second Half, 73-48 Overall)

Fifth Third Ballpark, Grand Rapids, Michigan – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 13-5 Whitecaps
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-2 Tie
@ Fifth Third Ballpark: 11-3 Whitecaps
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .249 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.94 ERA – 8th
Whitecaps Team Hitting: .275 – 2nd
Whitecaps Team Pitching: 3.60 ERA – 3rd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: A five run third inning broke open a 1-1 game, leading the Whitecaps to an 8-3 victory over South Bend on Monday night. Ben Guez’s two run double highlighted the third inning, as the Whitecaps scored five runs on four hits to chase Brett Moorhouse (LP, 5-11) from the game. Alden Carrithers and Mike Gosse each had two RBIs for the Whitecaps as well, as they improve to 25 games over .500 for the season. Moorhouse allowed six runs (five earned) in 2.0+ innings to suffer his 11th defeat. Adam Wilk (WP, 2-1) gave up only one run in 6.2 innings for the win. Rossmel Perez had two hits and a RBI, with Reynaldo Navarro adding the other RBI for the Silver Hawks.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (19 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 4.5 games. South Bend leads Dayton by 0.5 game for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· Like Sunday, West Michigan’s big inning on Monday started with a two base error.
· This is both the second straight and final road trip to Grand Rapids. The Whitecaps have clinched the season series.
· The remaining 19 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including the final 18 against other playoff hopefuls.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Clayton Conner has hit in all 6 games since joining SB, including a walk-off single on Thursday and a grand slam on Saturday.
· Reynaldo Navarro has established a new season high with an eight game hitting streak (14 for his last 35).
· Brett Moorhouse suffered his 11th loss yesterday; which is the third most losses in the league this season.

Sinclair Update

I mentioned this on the air the other day, but if you didn't catch it, here it is again:

Taylor Sinclair did not make the trip to Grand Rapids with the team, and has returned to Arizona to rehab.

I'm no expert, and I have no inside information to back this up, but my thought is that if he's back in Arizona already, then he's not going to pitch again this season.

From what I understand, he tore a muscle in his chest. Given that he's a pitcher, that's a major injury.

Monday, August 17, 2009

20 To Go

Hard to believe only 20 games remain in the regular season. Here's the playoff chase entering play today:

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..28..22...560..--
South Bend...24..25...490..3.5
Dayton........23..26...469..4.5
Lansing.......19..30...388..8.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
2 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

From the Notes - August 17th

South Bend Silver Hawks (24-25 Second Half, 51-66 Overall)
vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (29-21 Second Half, 72-48 Overall)

Fifth Third Ballpark, Grand Rapids, Michigan – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 12-5 Whitecaps
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-2 Tie
@ Fifth Third Ballpark: 10-3 Whitecaps
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .249 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.91 ERA – 8th
Whitecaps Team Hitting: .275 – 2nd
Whitecaps Team Pitching: 3.60 ERA – 3rd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Billy Nowlin hit two home runs, driving in three, to lead the West Michigan Whitecaps to a 7-5 victory over the Silver Hawks on Sunday afternoon. Nowlin hit a solo shot in the second inning and added a two run homer as part of a five-run sixth inning for the ‘Caps. Nowlin’s big day overshadowed Justin Parker of South Bend, who had two hits and 3 RBIs. Clayton Conner added two hits and two RBI as well. Keny Sosa (LP, 0-2) allowed four runs over 5.1 innings to suffer his second straight loss. Anthony Shawler (WP, 6-3) gave up only two runs in seven innings.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (20 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 3.5 games. South Bend leads Dayton by 1.0 game for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with CLI and QC tied for the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· The Silver Hawks committed four errors in a game yesterday for the second time in the last five games.
· This is both the second straight and final road trip to Grand Rapids. Whitecaps have clinched the season series.
· The remaining 20 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including the final 18 against other playoff hopefuls.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Clayton Conner has hit in all 5 games since joining SB, including a walk-off single on Thursday and a grand slam on Saturday.
· Brett Moorhouse has a team-high 10 losses, but none since July 16th.
· Reynaldo Navarro has established a new season high with a seven game hitting streak (13 for his last 31).

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Today's Lineup - August 16th

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

Sosa - SP

Pregame will be our normal Sunday routine -- update the playoff chase, and give some early MLB scores. Back to the interviews tomorrow.

Playoff Chase - 21 Remaining

With three straight wins, the Silver Hawks are back in front of Dayton to lead for the wild card. Here are the updated standings (top two of the four teams remaining will be second half qualifiers).

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..28..21...571..--
South Bend...24..24...500..3.5
Dayton........23..25...479..4.5
Lansing.......18..30...375..9.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
3 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Tonight's Lineup

Game time was pushed back to 7:10 PM because they are expecting a very large walk-up crowd for fireworks. We'll start the pregame show at 6:50 PM because of this. Thanks!

Navarro - SS
Elmore - 2B
Pollock - CF
Conner - DH
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Gomez - 1B
Davis - C
Estevez - 3B

Cook - SP

An odd twist for the pregame show. Justin Parker has been bugging me all season to switch things up and let him interview me -- so we did that tonight.

Game Time Change

Tonight's game will start at 7:10 PM Eastern Time.

We'll start the pregame show at 6:50 instead of 6:40 as originally planned.

Thanks for understanding!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 14th

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

Miley - SP

A farm system report in today's pregame show.

From the Notes - August 14th

South Bend Silver Hawks (22-24 Second Half, 49-65 Overall)
vs. Lansing Lugnuts (18-28 Second Half, 44-71 Overall)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 11-6 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 5-4 Silver Hawks
@ Oldsmobile Park: 6-2 Silver Hawks
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .248 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.92 ERA – 8th
Lugnuts Team Hitting: .252 – 8th
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 4.77 ERA – 14th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Clayton Conner’s walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth scored Justin Parker from second base, lifting the Silver Hawks to a 5-4 win in game three of the four game series. Conner, playing in only his second game with South Bend this season, pulled the ball past the shortstop to pin the loss on Jason Roenicke (LP, 1-2). Alfredo Marte had earlier tied the game at 4-4 with a three run homer in the sixth inning, his sixth long ball of the season. Yonata Ortega (ND), Bayron Zepeda (ND) and Justin Mace (WP, 2-2) tossed 2.0 innings of scoreless relief each, after South Bend starter Randy Rodriguez (ND) had allowed four runs over the first four innings.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (23 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 2.5 over Dayton. The Dragons lead the Silver Hawks by 1.0 game for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend has played extra inning games in back-to-back days for the first time this season (3-4 overall in extras).
· Yesterday’s win clinched at least a split of the season series with LAN, needing one win in last five games to win season matchup.
· The remaining 23 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including four against Lansing (all four at the Cove).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Alfredo Marte’s 3 run homer last night gives him a team-best 61 RBIs, and extends hitting streak to a personal best 10 games.
· Reynaldo Navarro went 2-for-5 yesterday and is now hitting .414 against Lansing this season – best on the team.
· Clayton Conner hit a walk-off single last night in just his second game with the Hawks this season.

Playoff Standings - 23 Left

Great Lakes won, but Dayton lost. So basically, the Silver Hawks are back to the same spot they were in when the series with Lansing began.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..26..21...553..--
Dayton........23..23...500..2.5
South Bend...22..24...478..3.5
Lansing.......18..28...391..7.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 13th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - DH
Parker - 3B
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Conner - 1B
Davis - C
Elmore - 2B

Rodriguez - SP

Pregame interview with Mark Haley.

West Michigan Series Probables

Saturday: RHP Ryan Cook vs. LHP Casey Crosby
Sunday: LHP Keny Sosa vs. RHP Anthony Shawler
Monday: RHP Brett Moorhouse vs. LHP Adam Wilk
Tuesday: RHP Randy Rodriguez vs. RHP Luke Putkonen

Note: I was told that Sosa is still the probable for Sunday, so that means Taylor Sinclair is going to miss at least one more start...if not more. I do not know the full extent of the injury, as details of injuries aren't often released to the media relations director. Again, if I find out more, I'll let you know.

Playoff Chase - 24 Left

Tough loss last night, combined with the Dragons winning in extra innings, and the Silver Hawks have dropped another game in the standings. Here's the update for the playoff race (top two teams qualify):

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..25..21...543..--
Dayton........23..22...511..1.5
South Bend...21..24...467..3.5
Lansing.......18..27...400..6.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
2 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 12th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - C
Parker - 3B
Marte - DH
Diaz - LF
Conner - 1B
Asencio - RF
Estevez - 2B
Moorhouse - SP

Another playoff chase update in the standings, and also a look at the scoreboard b/c there were some early games in the majors today.

Jarrod Parker Shut Down

More from Steve Gilbert about former Silver Hawks pitcher Jarrod Parker being shut down for 4-6 weeks, with surgery still a possibility if he doesn't improve.

Story here.

More Draft Picks Signed

Steve Gilbert has a story about two more draft picks that signed, and a report that the Diamondbacks are getting closer to signing 16th overall pick Bobby Borchering.

Read it here.

Playoff Chase - 25 to go

Good News: Both Great Lakes and Dayton lost as well last night, so the Silver Hawks didn't lose any ground.

Bad News: Both Great Lakes and Dayton lost as well last night, so the Silver Hawks didn't gain any ground.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..25..20...556..--
Dayton........22..22...500..2.5
South Bend...21..23...477..3.5
Lansing.......17..27...386..7.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
3 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tonight's Lineup

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

Sosa - SP

Pregame interview guest tonight is hitting coach Franciso Morales. During the game, I'll be joined in the booth by Jack Lorri, legendary Notre Dame broadcaster and former South Bend broadcaster.

The Dumbest Rule in Baseball Strikes Again

The "automatic strike" struck the Cedar Rapids Kernels last night (Pun intended).

Click here for the story.

I maintain that it's the dumbest rule in all of sports. Why are umpires so quick to call a strike when a guy steps out after taking a strike, yet he's allowed to step out without penalty after swinging and missing, or a variety of other situations.

In fact, here's the rule for those that want to understand it better:

6.02
(d) The following rule shall be in effect for all National Association Leagues:
(1) The batter shall keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout the batter’s time at bat, unless one of the following exceptions applies, in which case the batter may leave the batter’s box but not the dirt area surrounding home plate:
(i) The batter swings at a pitch;
(ii) The batter is forced out of the batter’s box by a pitch;
(iii) A member of either team requests and is granted "Time";
(iv) A defensive player attempts a play on a runner at any base;
(v) The batter feints a bunt;
(vi) A wild pitch or passed ball occurs;
(vii) The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching mound after receiving the ball; or
(viii)The catcher leaves the catcher’s box to give defensive signals.
If the batter intentionally leaves the batter’s box and delays play, and none of the exceptions listed in Rule 6.02(d)(1)(i) through (viii) applies, the umpire shall award a strike without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch. The ball is dead, and no runners may advance. The umpire shall award additional strikes, without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch, if the batter remains outside the batter’s box and further delays play.
Rule 6.02(d)(1) Comment: The umpire has the discretion to issue a warning to a batter in lieu of calling an automatic strike for the batter’s first violation of Rule 6.02(d)(1) in a game, so long as the batter’s violation is judged to be brief and inadvertent. The umpire shall give the batter a reasonable opportunity to take his proper position in the batter’s box after the umpire has called a strike pursuant to Rule 6.02(d)(1) and before the umpire calls a successive strike pursuant to Rule 6.02(d)(1).

From the Notes - August 11th

South Bend Silver Hawks (21-22 Second Half, 48-63 Overall)
vs. Lansing Lugnuts (16-27 Second Half, 42-70 Overall)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 10-4 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 4-2 Silver Hawks
@ Oldsmobile Park: 6-2 Silver Hawks
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .247 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.94 ERA – 8th
Lugnuts Team Hitting: .252 – 8th
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 4.81 ERA – 14th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: South Bend jumped out to a 5-1 lead and held on for a 5-4 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Monday night, taking three out of four games in the series. Ryan Cook (WP, 9-9) allowed just one run in 6.0 innings to earn his team-leading ninth win of the season. Justin Mace (SV, 8) recorded the final out after giving up a two run homer to Allan Dykstra to preserve the one run victory. South Bend’s offense was led by A.J. Pollock’s three run triple in the second inning. Justin Parker homered in the third, and Rossmel Perez added an RBI single in the seventh to round out the scoring for the Hawks. Erik Davis (LP, 11-6) suffered the loss for the TinCaps.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (26 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 2.5. Dayton leads the Silver Hawks by 1.0 game for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend had lost 15 out of 16 against Fort Wayne until taking 3 of 4 in the just-completed series.
· From game one Saturday until Sunday’s second inning, the Silver Hawks pitchers had 14.0 scoreless innings – a new team high.
· The remaining 26 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including seven against Lansing (all 7 at the Cove).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· LHP Keny Sosa starts tonight for the first time since the all-star break. Sosa has thrown 7.0 scoreless innings for the Hawks.
· Alfredo Marte extended his hitting streak to seven games yesterday, tying his season high for 2009.
· Justin Mace had a 15.2 inning scoreless streak snapped last night in the top of the ninth inning.

Today's Roster Move

Good News: The Silver Hawks have added some power to their lineup with the addition of Clayton Conner.

Bad News: It comes at the expense of Ramon Ramirez, who has been released from the Diamondbacks organization.

Story can be read here.

It's always tough when you see a player get released, especially one who is as nice and friendly as Ramon Ramirez. At the same time, it's a calculated decision by the Diamondbacks, and they just didn't feel like Ramon fit into their future plans anymore. We all wish him the best of luck.

Daily Playoff Race Update - August 11th

Great series with Fort Wayne, winning 3 out of 4. Unfortunately, Great Lakes swept West Michigan and Dayton swept Lansing so the Silver Hawks actually lost a game in the playoff chase. Here's the update. Top two go to the playoffs.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..25..19...568..--
Dayton........22..21...512..2.5
South Bend...21..22...488..3.5
Lansing.......16..27...372..8.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
4 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Monday, August 10, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 10th

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

Cook - SP

We'll switch things up a bit during the pregame interview, and talk to Dan Watson (Fort Wayne's broadcaster) as to why the TinCaps have been so good this season and whether the fans truly appreciate the fact that the team is playing better than any other team in Minor League Baseball.

From the Notes - August 10th

South Bend Silver Hawks (20-22 Second Half, 47-63 Overall)
vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (32-11 Second Half, 77-36 Overall)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 16-3 TinCaps
@ Coveleski Stadium: 8-3 TinCaps
@ Fifth Third Ballpark: 8-0 TinCaps
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .247 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.94 ERA – 8th
TinCaps Team Hitting: .266 – 3rd
TinCaps Team Pitching: 3.34 ERA – 2nd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Fort Wayne responded from being swept in a doubleheader to shutting out the Silver Hawks 4-0 on a steamy Sunday afternoon. Dexter Carter (WP, 1-1) blanked the Hawks for 6.2 innings to earn his first Midwest League win, while a trio of relievers combined to complete the shutout. South Bend was held to just three hits in the loss. Brayden Drake had a two-run homer as part of a three RBI game to pace the TinCaps offense. Kevin Hansen added the other RBI for the TinCaps who improved to 16-3 against the Silver Hawks this season.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (27 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 2.5. Dayton leads the Silver Hawks by 1.0 game for the wild card spot.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· The Silver Hawks were shut out for the 10th time this season last night, and third time in the last seven games.
· The Silver Hawks were 1-15 against Fort Wayne before Saturday’s doubleheader sweep.
· From game one Saturday until yesterday’s second inning, the Silver Hawks pitchers had 14.0 scoreless innings – a new team high.
· The remaining 27 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including one more against Fort Wayne.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Alfredo Marte extended his hitting streak to six games yesterday, one shy of his season high.
· Justin Mace hasn’t allowed a run in his last 15.0 innings pitched (2nd longest on team in 09).

Seriously People?

The fact that Pohlman Field leads the poll question on the right leads me to believe that either the Snappers front office got wind of this and are stacking the ballot box, or people are not taking this poll seriously. No offense to Pohlman Field, but it's a lot closer to the worst field in the league than the best field in the league.

Anyone want to seriously vote for a good stadium?

27 To Go - Playoff Update

I ignored the blog yesterday. A day game combined with a good friend visiting from home, and the blog got pushed to the back burner. I'll have a few more posts to come later today.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..24..19...558..--
Dayton........21..21...500..2.5
South Bend...20..22...476..3.5
Lansing.......16..26...381..7.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 vs. Fort Wayne
4 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Today's Lineup - August 9th

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

Miley - SP

Pregame show will have our Sunday standings glance.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Tonight's Lineups

Game One
Pollock - CF
Elmore - SS
Perez - C
Parker - 3B
Marte - LF
Diaz - RF
Ramirez - DH
Gomez - 1B
Estevez - 2B
Rodriguez - SP

Game Two (Subject to Change)
Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - DH
Parker - 3B
Marte - LF
Gomez - 1B
Asencio - RF
Davis - C
Estevez - 2B
Meaker - SP

What This Series Means

I've heard from a lot of different people over the past couple of days that are worried about getting swept in the series with Fort Wayne. Quite honestly, I'm one of them. They are a darn good ballclub, and they have swept South Bend three times already this season (and taken 3 out of 4 in the other series).

That being said, whatever happens in this series is not going to make or break the Silver Hawks. Yes, being swept would hurt. Yes, if the Silver Hawks could find a way to sweep Fort Wayne it would be huge. Heck, even going 2-2 against the TinCaps would be a victory at this stage for South Bend. But this division is not going to be decided with four games in early August.

Consider that after this series, South Bend still has 8 with Great Lakes, 7 with Dayton, and 7 with Lansing. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, those are the three teams that are battling with the Hawks for the playoffs spots.

Great Lakes is a solid team that everyone thinks is going to make the playoffs. Good for them if they do, but let's not just give it to them yet. They are full of experienced players who quite honestly have underachieved to some extent...and they still have a lot of games with West Michigan remaining.

Dayton has promoted half their pitching staff in the last two weeks. They are going to have some kinks to work out over the final month. They also can't beat Fort Wayne (1-14 versus the TinCaps).

Lansing struggles mightily against South Bend (amongst others). Every time they win two in a row, they seem to lose the next three in a row.

The Silver Hawks are dealing with injuries (Krauss, Sinclair) and have losing records against every Eastern Division team other than Lansing.

My point is...every team has strengths, every team has flaws, and every team will be playing every other team in the division still.

Let's not write off this series until the games are played, and let's not judge the second half until South Bend has a chance to go head-to-head with the teams they are fighting with for the playoff spots.

Playoff Chase - 30 to go for Hawks, 29 for Rest of League

Again, this is the playoff race, taking Fort Wayne and West Michigan out of the mix. The top two will go to the playoffs. Updated after last night's rain out (but everyone else in the league played)

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..22..19...537..--
Dayton........19..21...475..2.5
South Bend...18..21...462..3.0
Lansing.......16..24...400..5.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
4 vs. Fort Wayne
4 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Today's Roster Move

LHP Taylor Sinclair to the DL.

LHP Keny Sosa rejoined the team from Missoula.

Story is on www.silverhawks.com.

Also, a rotation change for tonight. It'll still be RHP Randy Rodriguez in game one, but RHP Jordan Meaker will make a spot start in game two.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Friday's Game Rained Out

Saturday will be a doubleheader beginning at 5:00 PM. Pregame coverage begins at 4:40 PM.

The Fireworks night will be rescheduled for Thursday, August 13th. The 13th will also feature the Famous Chicken.

Have a good night everyone.

Former Hawks on Other MLB Teams

Again, if I'm missing anyone, please let me know. Also, thanks to whoever pointed out my errors anonymously the last time I do this. Don't think I'll be mad...I want to have as complete a list as possible. (Updated on August 8th to include a few more)

Atlanta Braves
Greg Norton ('94): .140, 0 HR, 5 RBI

Boston Red Sox
Brad Penny ('97): 7-6, 5.20 ERA, 21 GS

Chicago White Sox
Tony Pena (’02): 1-0, 5.23 ERA, 11 G, 10.1 IP

Colorado Rockies
Carlos Gonzalez (’04-’05): .259, 2 HR, 7 RBI

Florida Marlins
Emilio Bonifacio ('04-'05): .246, 1 HR, 24 RBI
Dan Uggla ('02): .235, 20 HR, 57 RBI

Houston Astros
Matt Kata (’99-’00): .217, 0 HR, 5 RBI
Jose Valverde ('99-'00): 1-2, 2.90 ERA, 31 G, 31.0 IP, 13-17 in Saves

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Jason Bulger ('02): 4-1, 3.65 ERA, 45 G, 49.1 IP

Milwaukee Brewers
Mike Cameron ('92-'93): .253, 15 HR, 45 RBI

New York Yankees
Brian Bruney ('00-'01): 3-0, 6.10 ERA, 24 G, 20.2 IP

Oakland Athletics
Brett Anderson ('07): 6-8, 4.20 ERA, 20 GS, 93 K’s in 115.2 IP
Jack Cust ('98): .232, 16 HR, 50 RBI
Edgar Gonzalez ('02): 0-1, 4.75 ERA, 19 G, 41.2 IP
Scott Hairston ('02): .241, 3 HR, 13 RBI - Traded from Padres (.299, 10 HR, 29 RBIs)

Pittsburgh Pirates
Steven Jackson ('05): Just sent back down to triple-A. Had a 2-2 record.
Ross Ohlendorf ('05): 9-8, 4.29 ERA, 22 GS,

Texas Rangers
Dustin Nippert ('03):3-0, 2.73 ERA, 8 G, 4 GS

Toronto Blue Jays
Lyle Overbay ('00): .260, 11 HR, 44 RBI

Washington Nationals
Alberto Gonzalez ('04-'05): .269, 1 HR, 22 RBI
Garrett Mock (’04): 0-4, 6.75 ERA, 17 G

From the Notes - August 7th

South Bend Silver Hawks (18-21 Second Half, 45-62 Overall)
vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (31-9 Second Half, 76-34 Overall)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 15-1 TinCaps
@ Coveleski Stadium: 7-1 TinCaps
@ Fifth Third Ballpark: 8-0 TinCaps
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .246 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.97 ERA – 8th
TinCaps Team Hitting: .267 – 3rd
TinCaps Team Pitching: 3.32 ERA – 2nd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: A costly error and a late rally led to West Michigan’s 9-4 win over the Silver Hawks on Thursday night. Alfredo Marte’s error in a 4-4 tie allowed Alden Carrithers to take an extra base, ultimately leading to tie-breaking run in the seventh inning. West Michigan tacked on four insurance runs in the eighth to pin the loss on Bayron Zepeda (LP, 3-4). Carrithers went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored to lead the Whitecaps offensive attack. Rob Waite (WP, 1-0) pitched 5.0 scoreless innings to earn his first victory of the season. West Michigan won three out of four games in the series.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· The Hawks were held to just 25 hits in the four games against West Michigan, and only 13 hits combined in the three losses.
· South Bend pitching allowed three triples last night.
· West Michigan shut out the Hawks twice in the series (Monday and Wednesday). South Bend blanked WM on Tuesday night.
· The remaining 30 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Jake Elmore had a four game hitting streak snapped last night, going 0-for-1 in a late fill-in role.
· Justin Mace hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14.0 innings pitched (2nd longest on team in 09).

Chase for the Playoffs - 30 Remain

Again, this is the playoff race, taking Fort Wayne and West Michigan out of the mix. The top two will go to the playoffs.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..21..19...525..--
South Bend...18..21...462..2.5
Dayton........18..21...462..2.5
Lansing.......16..23...410..4.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
4 vs. Fort Wayne
4 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Lineup - Start Time Change

Apparently tonight's game is a 7:10 PM start, which I was just told. I have no idea why. What does this mean? It means we will have to fill a bit longer than normal in the pregame show tonight. I don't think at this point since I've told everyone coverage begins at 6:40 PM, that it would be wise to change it up on everyone and start at 6:50 instead. So brace yourself for a 30 minute pregame show tonight instead of 20 as usual. Maybe....if.....I.....talk.....really.....slow.....the.....time.....will.....go......faster.

And in case you were curious, the person that told me of the change in start time was dressed up in a gorilla suit. I'm not making this up. Apparently it is 80's night at the ballpark and he's supposed to be Donkey Kong. The joys of Minor League Baseball. I can already tell this is going to be an odd night.

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - DH
Parker - 3B
Marte - LF
Gomez - 1B
Asencio - RF
Davis - C
Estevez - 2B
Moorhouse - SP

Tonight's pregame interview is with pitching coach Erik Sabel.

From the Notes - August 6th

South Bend Silver Hawks (18-20 Second Half, 45-61 Overall)
vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (24-15 Second Half, 67-42 Overall)

Fifth Third Ballpark, Grand Rapids, Michigan – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 10-4 Whitecaps
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-2 Tie
@ Fifth Third Ballpark: 8-2 Whitecaps
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .246 – 10th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.93 ERA – 8th
Whitecaps Team Hitting: .275 – 1st
Whitecaps Team Pitching: 3.42 ERA – 3rd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Casey Crosby (WP, 9-4) and two relievers combined to hold the Silver Hawks to just three hits as West Michigan shut out the Silver Hawks 3-0 on Wednesday night. Crosby threw 6.0 scoreless innings, while Victor Larez (ND) had two perfect innings and Tyler Stohn (SV, 17) stranded two runners in the ninth. Ben Guez homered in the first, his tenth of the season, as the only run the Whitecaps would need. Jordan Lennerton added two RBIs for the Whitecaps, who picked up their second shutout in the series. Taylor Sinclair (LP, 3-5) was the tough luck loser for South Bend, allowing two runs in 6.0 innings.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLAYOFF CHASE (31 Games Remaining in the Second Half – Top Two of Remaining Teams Qualify):
· Great Lakes leads the playoff chase by 1.5. South Bend and Dayton are tied for the Wild Card spot, with Lansing 2.0 back.
· Fort Wayne was the first half champion and West Michigan was the first half wild card in the East.
· Peoria leads the West race, with Clinton leading the wild card chase. Kane County and Cedar Rapids were first half qualifiers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· West Michigan has shut out the Hawks twice in this series (Monday and Wednesday). South Bend blanked WM on Tuesday night.
· South Bend has only scored in two of 27 innings in this series. West Michigan has scored in four of their 26 at-bats.
· The remaining 31 games will all be against Eastern Division opponents, including five more games at West Michigan.
· The Whitecaps have clinched the season series with South Bend, winning 10 of 14 with five still to go.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Jake Elmore went 3-for-4 Tuesday night, extending his hitting streak to four games (one shy of his season high).
· Justin Mace hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14.0 innings pitched (2nd longest on team in 09).

Chase for the Playoffs - 31 To Go

Again, this is the playoff race, taking Fort Wayne and West Michigan out of the mix. The top two will go to the playoffs.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..20..19...513..--
South Bend...18..20...474..1.5
Dayton........18..20...474..1.5
Lansing.......16..22...421..3.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Fort Wayne
4 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

(A scheduling conflict with a Notre Dame football game results in the split series against the Lugnuts at the Cove to end the season. More on that later in the year)

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Injury News - Jarrod Parker and Marc Krauss

We've talked about Justin Parker and his shoulder injury a lot this year, but now there is injury news on the other Parker brother, Jarrod.

He is going to have his right elbow examined because of some discomfort he felt in his last start.

Here's hoping that it is nothing too serious, and even if he has to shut it down for the year, that he can avoid surgery and be ready to go in spring training next year.

Also, as expected, Marc Krauss will have surgery on his ankle and will miss the rest of the season. He should be fine for spring training next year.

Tonight's Lineup - August 5th

Sorry about the lack of posts today. I needed a day off. I actually went to the outfield during batting practice and shagged some fly balls. I caught a couple, and didn't injure myself, so all-in-all, I'd say it was a productive afternoon.

A full day of posts tomorrow.

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Marte - DH
Parker - 3B
Diaz - LF
Gomez - 1B
Asencio - RF
Davis - C
Estevez - 2B
Sinclair - SP

Full standings and scoreboard update in the third segment of the pregame show today.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Tonight's Lineup - August 4th

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

Cook - SP

We'll talk to manager Mark Haley in the pregame interview tonight, and then we'll give him some time off from the interviews, and go through some more players and the coaches (Morales, Sabel) in the next week or so.

Court Decision from 2008 Brawl

Do you all remember the big brawl last season between the Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs at Fifth Third Field? It made national headlines because a pitcher for Peoria threw a ball towards the Dragons dugout, missed badly, and struck a fan in the head. He was arrested and charged with two different assault charges.

Today, he was found guilty on one of the charges. Click the link for the story.

Why am I posting this on a Silver Hawks blog?

1) I was broadcasting the game as a color commentator, and it turned out to be the wildest night/week of my professional career. The next day I had calls from more national media outlets than you could ever imagine wanting me to comment (ESPN, Fox News, Inside Edition, Etc.), and more friends than I knew I had wanting to know if I was broadcasting. We were not going to comment as members of the Dragons staff, and I still won't comment now because it's not my place. My opinion on the court case and the brawl is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

2) It involved the Midwest League, so I find it to be an important story in that regards.

3) It's a painful reminder of how a game can get too serious. You wouldn't think we'd need to remind ourselves that this is a game that we play/watch because it's fun and it takes our minds off of the problems in everyday life. LIke anyone, I get caught up and wins and losses, and certainly want my favorite sports teams to win. But ultimately, it's still just a game, and we need to remember that from time to time.