Tonight's Lineup - May 31st vs. Cedar Rapids

In the least surprising news of all time, it's currently raining in South Bend.  That being said, the thunderstorms are just scattered and we are certainly thinking we can get tonight's game in.

Below is tonight's lineup

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - DH
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Ramon Castillo - C
Chris Jarrett - LF
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Raul Navarro - SS

Patrick Schuster - P

The pregame interview is with manager Mark Haley.  Pregame show at 6:40 PM.  First pitch at 7:00 PM.

Playoff Race - 18 To Play

With 18 games to play in the first half, here are how the playoff races shape up (only teams still mathematically alive will be included).

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Lansing	29	20	--
Bowling Green	28	24	-2.5
Great Lakes	27	24	-3.0
Dayton	26	25	-4.0
South Bend	26	25	-4.0
Fort Wayne	23	27	-6.5
Lake County	23	28	-7.0
West Michigan	21	30	-9.0

Mathematically Eliminated: None

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Burlington	36	16	--
Peoria	28	23	-7.5
Quad Cities	27	24	-8.5
Wisconsin	27	24	-8.5
Cedar Rapids	26	25	-9.5
Beloit	24	27	-11.5
Kane County	23	28	-12.5
Clinton	14	38	-22.0

Mathematically Eliminated: None, although Clinton has been eliminated from the top spot, they still have not been mathematically eliminated from the wild card yet.

Today's Lineups - May 30th

Game One Lineup

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - DH
Raywilly Gomez - C
Ramon Castillo - 1B
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Chris Jarrett - RF
Raul Navarro - SS

Jeff Shields - SP

Game Two Probable Lineup

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - DH
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Roberto Rodriguez - LF

Tyler Green- SP

Weather Update (3:52 PM)

After waiting out the tornado warning downstairs in the basement of the Cove with the rest of the fans, I can report that today's second game has been postponed due to the inclement weather.

We will try again with a doubleheader tomorrow at 12:00 PM Eastern Time.  Pregame coverage at 11:40 AM Eastern Time.

Be safe!

Doubleheader Lineups

Game One Lineup

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - SS
Zach Walters - 2B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - DH
Roberto Ortiz - LF
Chris Jarrett - RF
Jhoan Pimentel - C

David Holmberg - SP

Pregame interview is with Jeremy Erben. First pitch is at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Pregame coverage at 12:40 PM Eastern Time.

Game Two PROBABLE Lineup

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - DH
Raywilly Gomez - C
Ramon Castillo - 1B
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Chris Jarrett - RF
Raul Navarro - SS

Tyler Green - SP

Updated Pitching Rotation

Once again, the rainouts are causing chaos on the rotation.  Here's the updated rotation for the rest of the home stand:

Game One Today - LHP David Holmberg
Game Two Today - RHP Tyler Green
Monday - RHP Jeff Shields
Tuesday - LHP Patrick Schuster
Wednesday - RHP Bradin Hagens
Thursday - RHP J.R. Bradley
Friday - LHP David Holmberg
Saturday - RHP Tyler Green/RHP Jeff Shields (Piggyback)
Sunday - LHP Patrick Schuster

Rained Out Again on Saturday

I can't even muster the energy to write a good post about tonight's rainout.  Just go to www.silverhawks.com for the information on tomorrow's doubleheader.

Tonight's Lineup - May 28th vs. Dayton

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - SS
Zach Walters - 2B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - DH
Roberto Ortiz - LF
Chris Jarrett - RF
Jhoan Pimentel - C

David Holmberg - SP

Pregame interview is with Jeremy Erben.  First pitch is at 5:30 PM Eastern Time.  Pregame coverage at 5:10 PM Eastern Time.

What Do You Want From the Home Stand?

The Silver Hawks were scheduled to play 13 games on this home stand, but one was rained out.  Knowing where the Hawks are in the standings, knowing that they are already 2-1 in this set, what do you think is good enough?

Leave your comments below.

I think 8-4 or better would be obviously outstanding.  I'd settle for 7-5 at the bare minimum, but knowing that the Hawks have some ground to make up, I think I would be happy with eight wins.

Tonight's Lineup - May 27th vs. Dayton

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - DH
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Raul Navarro - SS

J.R. Bradley - P
First pitch at 7:00 PM.  Pregame coverage at 6:40 PM.  Interview tonight is with Mike Freeman.

Hard To Believe This Was 20 Years Ago

Thanks to official scorer Pete Yarbro for the link on this.  I can't believe this was 20 years ago when Rodney McCray crashed through the wall.  The best part of this story is that I actually have one of the bobbleheads (aka bobble walls) that they talk about at the end.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Rodney-McCray-s-wall-crash-celebrates-20-years-o?urn=mlb-wp7876

From the Notes - May 27th

South Bend Silver Hawks (23-24 Overall)
vs. Dayton Dragons (25-22 Overall)

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

                                                                                   

Season Series: 2-1 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 0-0 Tie
@ Fifth Third Field: 2-1 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .249 – 5th                  
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.79 ERA – 9th

Dragons Team Hitting: .236 – T-12th                    
Dragons Team Pitching: 3.30 ERA – 4th

LAST GAME:  A scheduled doubleheader turned into only one game for the South Bend Silver Hawks and Lake County Captains as Mother Nature washed out the nightcap.  However, South Bend managed to rally from an early 1-0 deficit and score the 5-1 victory in the completed game, pushing their current winning streak to four.  Ramon Castillo and Roberto Rodriguez each had two RBIs for the Silver Hawks to lead the offensive attack.  Bradin Hagens (WP, 4-3) allowed just one unearned run on two hits over 5.0 innings to get the win.  Jeremy Erben (SV, 4) recorded the final six outs for the save.  South Bend swept the rain-shortened series two games to none.

TEAM NOTES:

·         The Hawks are in the second series of a scheduled 13 game home stand.  Currently 2-0 in the stretch with one rainout.

·         The Silver Hawks are within one game of .500 for the first time since they started the year at 0-1.  They have never been at .500.

·         A win tonight would tie the Silver Hawks longest winning streak of the season. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·         Yazy Arbelo is the reigning MWL Hitter of the Week, going 10-22 (.455) with 3 homers, 7 RBIs, and 5 runs scored last week.

·         Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs, 38 RBIs, .619 Slugging PCT, 27 XBH, and 99 Total Bases. 

·         Matt Helm is hitting .514 (19-for-37) with two outs and runners in scoring position. 

·         Mike Freeman’s 11 game hitting streak ended yesterday as he went 0-for-3 in the first game of the scheduled DH.

Another Big Series

Here we go again, with another big series for the South Bend Silver Hawks.

The Hawks took 2 out of 3 from then-second place Lansing.
The Hawks took 3 out of 4 from then-first place Great Lakes.
The Hawks took 2 out of 2 from Lake County, who was tied with South Bend in the standings.

So now the Silver Hawks are alone in fifth place, five games out of first, three games out of the wild card, and two games behind the fourth place Dayton Dragons -- the opponent for the next four days.

If the Silver Hawks can take three out of four from Dayton, they'll tie the Dragons in the standings. 

Time to get it done and make some noise.  Please come out over the holiday weekend and make some noise.  The players would love some extra support at the Cove!

From the Notes - May 26th

Let's play two today!

South Bend Silver Hawks (22-24 Overall)
vs. Lake County Captains (20-24 Overall)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 4:00 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 3-1 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 1-0 Silver Hawks
@ Classic Park: 2-1 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .249 – 5th                  
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.86 ERA – 11th
Captains Team Hitting: .259 – 3rd                        
Captains Team Pitching: 3.84 ERA – 10th

LAST GAME:  The Silver Hawks once again jumped out to a big lead, going ahead 4-0 and then cruising to an 8-1 victory over the Lake County Captains on Tuesday night.  Patrick Schuster (WP, 3-2) allowed only two hits and one unearned run in 6.0 innings to earn his second straight victory.  Kyle Blair (LP, 2-3) gave up seven runs over 4.0 innings to suffer the loss.  Ender Inciarte led South Bend’s offense with three hits and three RBIs, while also stealing two bases and scoring two runs.  Zach Walters added two hits and five other players contributed a RBI as the Hawks took game one of their 13 game home stand in convincing fashion.

TEAM NOTES:

·         The Hawks are in the first series of a 13 game home stand.  Currently 1-0 in the stretch.

·         South Bend stole a team high six bases on Tuesday.  They have 52 for the season after stealing only 58 total in 2010. 

·         The Silver Hawks are within two games of .500 for the first time since they started the year at 1-3.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·         Yazy Arbelo was named MWL Hitter of the Week, after going 10-22 (.455) with three homers, seven RBIs, and five runs scored.

·         Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs, 38 RBIs,.618 Slugging PCT, 26 XBH, and 97 Total Bases. 

·         Mike Freeman has hit in 11 straight games, establishing a new team high for 2011. 

·         Matt Helm is hitting .528 (19-for-36) with two outs and runners in scoring position. 

Wednesday Game - Rained Out

Wednesday's game has been officially rained out.  Doubleheader Thursday at 4:00 PM with pregame coverage at 3:40 PM.

Today's Lineup - May 25th vs. Lake County

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Chris Jarrett - RF
Ramon Castillo - DH
Roberto Rodriguez - LF

Bradin Hagens - P
First pitch at 10:30 AM.  Pregame coverage at 10:10 AM.  No pregame interview today.

Tonight's Lineup - May 24th vs. Lake County

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - DH
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Chris Jarrett - LF
Ramon Castillo - C
Raul Navarro - SS

Patrick Schuster - P
Tonight's pregame interview is with Jeff Shields.  First pitch at 6:30 PM.  Pregame coverage at 6:10 PM.

From the Notes - May 24th

South Bend Silver Hawks (21-24 Overall)
vs. Lake County Captains (20-23 Overall)

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

Season Series: 2-1 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 0-0 Tie
@ Classic Park: 2-1 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .246 – T-6th               
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.96 ERA – 13th

Captains Team Hitting: .261 – 2nd                                   
Captains Team Pitching: 3.73 ERA – 9th

LAST GAME:  The Silver Hawks jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back in a 8-3 victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Monday night.  Matt Helm went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Silver Hawks offense, while Raywilly Gomez and Chris Jarrett each hit solo homers as well.  Ender Inciarte added two hits and a RBI while Mike Freeman pushed his hitting streak to 10 games to round out the South Bend attack.  Jeff Shields (WP, 2-4) allowed just two runs over 5.0 innings for the win, while Derek Cone (LP, 1-4) gave up five runs in 3.0 innings for the loss.  Chris Jacobs had two RBIs for the Loons.

TEAM NOTES:

·         The Silver Hawks went 5-2 in their seven games against the top two teams in the East (2-1 vs. Lansing, 3-1 vs. Great Lakes).

·         South Bend has stolen 46 bases already this season.  The Hawks stole a total of 58 in 2010.

·         A win tonight would put the Silver Hawks within two games of .500 for the first time since they were 0-2.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·         Yazy Arbelo was named MWL Hitter of the Week, after going 10-22 (.455) with three homers, seven RBIs, and five runs scored

·         Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs, 37 RBIs, .617 Slugging PCT, and 95 Total Bases. 

·         Mike Freeman has hit in 10 straight games, establishing a new team high for 2011. 

·         Matt Helm is hitting .514 (18-for-35) with two outs and runners in scoring position. 

Tonight's Lineup - May 23rd at Great Lakes

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Roberto Ortiz - LF
Ramon Castillo - DH
Chris Jarrett - RF

Jeff Shields - P
Tonight's pregame interview is with Mark Haley.  First pitch at 7:05 PM.  Pregame show at 6:45 PM.

Arbelo's Award and a Roster Move

I have been one busy Media Relations Director today.

First, I sent out a press release about a roster move.  Then, I received notification that Yazy Arbelo was awarded Midwest League Hitter of the Week, so that resulted in another press release. 

The full releases can be found on www.silverhawks.com, or you can just read below for a summary:

First of all, the award is no surprise for Arbelo, who hit .455 with three homers and seven RBIs over the past week.  It's the first weekly award for a Silver Hawks player this season.

Secondly, the roster move is as follows:

RHP Tyler Green activated from DL
RHP Chris Odegaard promoted to Visalia
RHP Enrique Burgos sent to extended spring training camp
RHP Gregory Robinson joins team from extended spring training camp

Analysis:  Green getting healthy and Burgos going back to extended spring training was planned all along.  Burgos was just here to fill the gap until Green was healthy again.  On the other side of the move, Odegaard gets a chance to go back to Visalia again.  He struggled there to start the season, but tossed 7.2 scoreless innings with the Hawks.  Robinson was good last season in Yakima, and he joins the already solid bullpen.

I Think We Have Our Answer

This is what I wrote on Tuesday afternoon, hours before the Silver Hawks began the series with the Lansing Lugnuts:

I realize that there are still 32 games remaining in this half, but I think the next 7 days will define whether the Silver Hawks are contenders in the first half or not.

I wrote that because the next 7 games were against the second place Lugnuts and the first place Loons.  To this point, the Silver Hawks are 4-2 in that stretch of games, guaranteeing a winning week.

I'm trying not to get greedy, but a win today would be huge.  Even with a loss, the Silver Hawks have put themselves within striking distance with 26 games remaining on the first half schedule. 

Even more important is that the Silver Hawks have tied for fifth place and are actually percentage points ahead of the Lake County Captains -- their next opponent.  Anytime you can put another team behind you in the standings, that's a very good thing!

Yazy Arbelo Article Link

Curt Rallo is the beat writer that covers the Silver Hawks for the South Bend Tribune.  This week, he wrote a story detailing Yazy Arbelo's power and his past.  You can read it for the next seven days for free at this link:  http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/sbt-south-bend-silver-hawks-going-long-staying-strong-20110522,0,6828894.story  After seven days, it goes to the paid archives.

Today's Lineup - May 22nd at Great Lakes (Edited 1:24 PM)

Ender Inciarte - CF
Roberto Ortiz - LF
Zach Walters - 2B
Yazy Arbelo - DH
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Ramon Castillo - 1B
Roberto Rodriguez - RF
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Raul Navarro - SS

David Holmberg - P

Typical Sunday with no pregame interview.  Instead, we'll do a scoreboard and standings report.  Pregame starts at 1:45 PM.  First pitch at 2:05 PM.

Edit - Raywilly Gomez scratched with an injury.  Jhoan Pimentel will catch and hit 8th. 

From the Notes - May 22nd

South Bend Silver Hawks (19-24 Overall)
@ Great Lakes Loons (25-16 Overall)

Dow Diamond, Midland, Michigan – 2:05 PM Eastern Time

Season Series: 5-3 Loons

@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-1 Loons

@ Dow Diamond: 3-2 Loons

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .245 – 6th                   
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.96 ERA – 14th

Loons Team Hitting: .244 – T-7th                         
Loons Team Pitching: 3.38 ERA – 4th

LAST GAME:  Three walks, two hits, and a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth gave the Great Lakes Loons a 6-4 victory over the South Bend Silver Hawks on Saturday night.  The Silver Hawks took a 4-3 lead to the 8th inning, but Enrique Burgos (LP, 0-2) and Jeremy Erben (BS, 2) had trouble finding the strike zone as the Loons rallied.  Meanwhile, the Loons bullpen pitched 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, led by Pete Budkevics (WP, 1-3) and Logan Bawcom (SV, 3).  Casio Grider was 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run for the Loons.  Mike Freeman had three hits for South Bend, while Matt Helm added two hits and two RBIs.

TEAM NOTES:

·          The pitching staff allowed seven walks last night – tying for the most this season.

·          Last night was only the second time this season the Hawks have taken a lead to the 8th inning only to lose the game.

·          South Bend has stolen 41 bases already this season.  The Hawks stole a total of 58 in 2010.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Mike Freeman has hit in nine straight games, establishing a new team high for 2011.  Arbelo is on a six game streak and Walters has hit in five straight.

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs, 37 RBIs, .637 Slugging PCT, 25 XBH, and 93 Total Bases.

·          Zach Walters is tied for second in the league with 30 runs scored this season.

Tonight's Lineup - May 21st at Great Lakes

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - DH
Chris Jarrett - RF
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Raul Navarro - SS

J.R. Bradley - P

I'll talk to Bradin Hagens for tonight's pregame interview.  First pitch is once again at 7:05 PM.  Pregame show begins at 6:45 PM.

From the Notes - May 21st

South Bend Silver Hawks (19-23 Overall)
@ Great Lakes Loons (25-16 Overall)

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

Season Series: 4-3 Loons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-1 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 2-2 Tie

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .243 – T-7th               
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.92 ERA – 14th

Loons Team Hitting: .244 – 6th                           
Loons Team Pitching: 3.37 ERA – 5th

LAST GAME:  Bradin Hagens (WP, 3-2) pitched the best outing of his pro career with 7.0 scoreless innings in leading the Silver Hawks to a 4-0 victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Friday evening.  Hagens also struck out a career high eight batters while allowing just two hits and two walks.  Dan Taylor and Chris Odegaard completed the Silver Hawks first shutout of the year by tossing a scoreless relief inning each.  Zach Walters homered and drove in two to lead South Bend offensively, with Ramon Castillo picking up the other RBI for the Silver Hawks. 

TEAM NOTES:

·         Yesterday’s shutout was the team’s first of 2011.  The offense has been blanked five times this year.

·         The Silver Hawks bullpen has allowed just 14 earned runs in the last 77.0 innings pitched (1.64 ERA since April 28th).

·         South Bend has stolen 41 bases already this season.  The Hawks stole a total of 58 in 2010.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·         Mike Freeman has hit in eight straight games, establishing a new team high for 2011.

·         Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs, 36 RBIs, .634 Slugging PCT, 24 XBH, and 90 Total Bases.

·         Zach Walters is tied for second in the league with 29 runs scored this season.

·         Blake Cooper is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities this season.

Bradin Hagens Article from Last Night

Here's the link to the article by MiLB.com on Bradin Hagens and his stellar pitching performance last night.  Nice write up for Bradin after a stellar outing.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110520&content_id=19343766&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

Tonight's Lineup - May 20th at Great Lakes

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - DH
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Chris Jarrett - RF
Ramon Castillo - 1B
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Bradin Hagens - P

Tonight's pregame interview is with reliever Chris Odegaard. The pregame show begins at 6:45 PM and the first pitch is at 7:05 PM.

From the Notes - May 20th

Loons lead season series 4-2, including 2-1 at Dow Diamond.

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .244 – T-7th                
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.02 ERA – T-14th

Loons Team Hitting: .247 – 5th                            
Loons Team Pitching: 3.38 ERA – 5th

LAST GAME:  Patrick Schuster (WP, 2-2) struck out a career high eight batters to lead the South Bend Silver Hawks to a 5-2 win over the Lansing Lugnuts on Thursday evening at Coveleski Stadium.  Schuster gave up a run in the first and second, but settled down to pitch 6.1 innings in earning the win.  Eury De La Rosa (ND) and Blake Cooper (SV, 6) completed the game to give South Bend the series win.  Mike Freeman, Zach Walters, Yazy Arbelo, and Matt Helm all had RBIs for the Silver Hawks.  K.C. Hobson has three hits for Lansing but was thrown out at the plate in the second inning in a turning point in the game.

TEAM NOTES:

·          Today’s Roster Move: OF Bobby Stone placed on DL yesterday; OF Roberto Ortiz joins team from extended spring training.

·          The Silver Hawks bullpen has allowed just 14 earned runs in the last 75.0 innings pitched (1.68 ERA since April 28th).

·          South Bend turned two double plays yesterday, giving them 41 DPs in 41 games.  The Hawks rank 3rd in the league in DPs.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Mike Freeman has hit in seven straight games, establishing a new team high for 2011.

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs, 36 RBIs, .640 Slugging PCT, 24 XBH, and 89 Total Bases.

·          Zach Walters is tied for second in the league with 28 runs scored this season.

·          Blake Cooper is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities this season.

Today's Roster Move - May 20th

The team has made it to Midland, Michigan, where we get the day of posting started with a roster move.

OF Bobby Stone placed on the DL, retroactive to yesterday.
OF Roberto Ortiz joins team from extended spring training.

Stone injured his arm throwing out the runner at the plate in Tuesday's game vs. Lansing.  He will hopefully only miss the one week minimum, but you never know with arm injuries.

Ortiz has a lot of speed, stealing 23 bases in 27 tries last season with Yakima.  He figures to play off and on in left field with Roberto Rodriguez.

Tonight's Lineup - May 19th vs. Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - DH
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Chris Jarrett - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Raul Navarro - SS
Patrick Schuster - P

Tonight's pregame interview is with manager Mark Haley.  The pregame show begins at 6:10 PM and the first pitch is at 6:30 PM.

Rain Delay Theater...College Baseball Style

Came across this gem today while browsing for some baseball stories for the blog.  Props to Clemson and Davidson for their creativity.

From the Notes - May 19th

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .243 – T-7th                
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.08 ERA – 14th

Lugnuts Team Hitting: .244 – 6th                         
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 3.63 ERA – T-7th

LAST GAME:  Yazy Arbelo’s two homers and three RBIs were not enough for the Silver Hawks in a 5-3 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday morning.  Lansing broke the 3-3 tie with two runs in the top of the eighth inning against reliever Mike Bolsinger (LP, 2-1) to even the series at a game apiece.  The Lugnuts spread the wealth offensively with six different players having one hit, five different players scored a run, and three different players picked up a RBI.  Danny Barnes (WP, 3-0) got the win for Lansing, allowing one run in 2.0 relief innings.  Steve Turnbull (SV, 10) tied for the league lead in saves by pitching a scoreless ninth. 

TEAM NOTES:

·          The Silver Hawks bullpen has allowed just 14 earned runs in the last 72.1 innings pitched (1.74 ERA since April 28).

·          South Bend turned another double play yesterday, giving them 39 DPs in 40 games.  The Hawks rank 3rd in the league in DPs.

·          Lansing stole four bases yesterday in five tries – the most by an opponent against South Bend in 2011.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs.  He has homered in three straight games including two yesterday.

·          Zach Walters is second in the league with 27 runs scored this season.

·          Mike Freeman has tied his and the team’s longest hitting streak this season with hits in six straight.

A Protested Game Upheld (Updated May 19th)

Here's an interesting story about a game between West Michigan and Bowling Green.  I think this is the first time I've ever seen a protested game upheld.  Click the link for the full story:

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110518&content_id=19229588&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

My comments:  It is my understanding that if they had thrown directly to first base while still in the play, then it would be a double play with no runs scored.  However, because it is an appeal play, the two runners count because an appeal is a different play from the ones that scored the runs.

I was wrong on my comments from last night.  The reason the runs counted is not because an appeal is a different play, but rather because it's not considered a force out at first base.  Therefore, the timing of the runs crossing the plate compared to the out at first base makes the difference.  The two runs scored before the appeal to first, thus they should have counted.

Today's Lineup - May 18th vs. Lansing

Good morning!

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Ramon Castillo - DH
Bobby Stone - LF
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Chris Jarrett - RF

Jeff Shields - P

No pregame interview due to the early start today.  Instead, we'll do the Midwest League and Major League standings updates.  Pregame coverage at 10:15 AM.  First pitch at 10:35 AM.

Arbelo's Homer

Here are two views of the scoreboard where Arbelo's homer went. It banged off the Pepsi logo on the upper right side of the scoreboard.

You can click on the pictures to view them larger.

Notice the umpire to get an idea of how high that actually is!

Tonight's Lineup - May 17th vs. Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - DH
Raywilly Gomez - C
Bobby Stone - LF
Roberto Rodriguez - RF
Raul Navarro - SS

David Holmberg - P

Tonight's pregame interview is with Matt Helm, who has been on a tear lately with five double in the last three days.  Pregame show begins at 6:10 PM with the first pitch at 6:30 PM Eastern Time.

From the Notes - May 17th

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .243 – 8th                  
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.17 ERA – 15th

Lugnuts Team Hitting: .247 – 7th                         
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 3.69 ERA – 7th

LAST GAME:  A 3-3 tie into the sixth inning turned into a rout as the Bowling Green Hot Rods exploded late in a 10-3 victory over South Bend on Sunday afternoon.  Phil Wunderlich had two hits and four RBIs, while Cody Rogers contributed four hits and four runs and Kevin Kiermaier had three hits and three RBIs to lead the Bowling Green offensive attack.  The loss was pinned on J.R. Bradley (LP, 1-6), who allowed six runs in 5.2 innings.  Jimmy Patterson (WP, 3-0) got the win in relief with 3.0 scoreless innings.  Yazy Arbelo had his league leading 10^th home run and Matt Helm added two hits and a run for the Silver Hawks. 

TEAM NOTES:

·         The Silver Hawks bullpen has allowed just 12 earned runs in the last 66.1 innings pitched (1.63 ERA since April 28th).

·         The just completed eight-game, six-day road trip ended with three straight losses and a 3-5 mark.

·         South Bend managed to score just one of their season high 10 walks in Sunday’s loss at Bowling Green. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·        Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 10 home runs, second with 30 RBIs, and third with 20 XBH and 74 total bases.

·        Zach Walters is tied for second in the league with 26 runs scored this season.

·        Matt Helm doubled in four straight at-bats from Friday through Game One on Saturday, and had eight hits in the BG series.

·        Eury De La Rosa’s streak of 10.0 consecutive scoreless innings ended on Sunday, leaving him tied with Green for team high.

Refreshed and Ready for a Big Stretch of Games

Hello again loyal blog readers.

I hope everyone took some time to enjoy the off day (although I'm sure most of you worked yesterday), and are ready for this very important stretch of games.  The Silver Hawks play 20 games before the next off day, and I'm not sure they could be more important.

Consider....

16 of the 20 games are at home.
14 of the 20 are against teams ahead of the Silver Hawks in the standings.
The first 7 games are against the 1st and 2nd place teams in the division.

It's now time to either win and start moving up the standings, or lose and start looking ahead to the second half.  I realize that there are still 32 games remaining in this half, but I think the next 7 days will define whether the Silver Hawks are contenders in the first half or not.

Today's Lineup - May 15th at Bowling Green

Another cruddy day with cool weather and misting rain, but we should be able to play without any interruption.

Ender Inciarte - CF
Mike Freeman - 2B
Zach Walters - DH
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Chris Jarrett - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Raul Navarro - SS

J.R. Bradley - P

Pregame show begins at 2:45 PM Eastern with your standard Sunday scoreboard and standings update.  First pitch at 3:05 PM Eastern.

Tonight's Lineups - May 14th Doubleheader at Bowling Green

I made it back from my nephew's first birthday party!  Turns out it's about a two hour and 15 minutes drive (without stops) from Bowling Green to Lexington.  A big thank you to my fiancee Jenny for driving one way so I could take a little snooze on the way back. 

Anyhow, enough about that, here are tonight's lineups.

Game One
Inciarte - CF
Freeman - 2B
Walters - 3B
Arbelo - 1B
Helm - DH
Gomez - C
Jarrett - RF
Stone - LF
Navarro - SS

Hagens - P

Game Two - Probable Lineup
Inciarte - CF
Freeman - 2B
Walters - SS
Arbelo - 1B
Helm - 3B
Castillo - DH
Stone - LF
Pimentel - C
Rodriguez - RF

Burgos - P

Since I was a late arrival to the ballpark today, there will be no pregame interview (my apologies).  However, there is a lot of MLB action that we can update.

Pregame show at 5:45 PM Eastern.  First pitch of game one at 6:05 PM Eastern.