Tonight's Lineup - August 29th vs. Lake County

Ender Inciarte - CF
David Narodowski - SS
Raywilly Gomez - C
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Marc Bourgeois - LF
Roberto Ortiz - RF

Bradin Hagens - P
Pregame interview with Ender Inciarte.  First pitch at 6:30 PM.  Pregame coverage at 6:10 PM.

Graduation Day

Today was graduation day for the Latin players who have been taking English classes all season.  Many people don't realize that they take classes in the morning all summer long, well before the rest of the players arrive to the ballpark.  The dedication from these players is remarkable, not only towards baseball but in becoming engrained in the American culture that they are very much a part of.

Congratulations to the guys who have done an excellent job learning the English language and culture, and well done on their presentation today.

Those that were part of the ceremony today include:

Victor Capellan
Eury De La Rosa
Raywilly Gomez
Jhoan Pimentel
Ramon Castillo
Gerson Montilla
Ender Inciarte
Roberto Rodriguez

Jersey Photos from Last Night

Thought some of you might like to see the jerseys that the players wore on Pirate Night at the Cove last night.  Photos courtesy of Matt Tomenko.  Thanks Matt!

All-Star Game Updates

I've received the following news on the All-Star Game this week.

First of all, Ender Inciarte will start now due to the promotion of Lake County outfielder Anthony Gallas.  Congratulations to him for moving into the starting role.

Secondly, Yazy Arbelo will participate in the home run derby on Monday night.  Below is the text of the press release from Quad Cities announcing the participantsm, but note the fact that it's not a true home run derby.  I don't know why teams mess with the derby...or at the very least, don't call it a home run derb if it's going to truly be a skills competition:

As the host of the 2011 Midwest League All-Star Game, the River Bandits are honored to announce the participants in the 2011 Midwest League Home Run Derby.

Participants from each division were chosen based on their individual statistics in the categories of home runs, batting average, RBI, stolen bases and a wild card spot. Five players were chosen from each division and will compete along with one local media participant that will be rewarded for winning a Quad Cities media-wide home run contest.

The players selected are listed below with the category for which they were selected:

West Division Hitters (Team) – Category (Stat)
Mike Walker (Wisconsin) – Home Runs (10)
Greg Rohan (Peoria) – Average (.346)
Daniel Ortiz (Beloit) – Runs Batted In (41)
Travis Witherspoon (Cedar Rapids) – Stolen Bases (27)
Cody Stanley (Quad Cities) – Wild Card

East Division Hitters (Team) – Category (Stat)
Yazy Arbelo (South Bend) – Home Runs (16)
Marcus Knecht (Lansing) – Average (.341)
Derek Dietrich (Bowling Green) – Runs Batted In (33)
Michael Crouse (Lansing) – Stolen Bases (19)
Jake Blackwood (Fort Wayne) – Wild Card

The 2011 Midwest League Home Run Derby will differ from competitions of the past in that it will be more of a hitting display than simply a home run hitting contest. Sponsored targets will be set up around the outfield that will reward hitters with points and prizes for themselves and fans or charities when specific targets are struck. Players will still be heavily rewarded for home runs but will also receive points for different areas of the field, as well as having points deducted for hitting foul balls or not making contact with a pitch. In the end, total points will determine the winner in the three-round contest.

All-Star Thoughts

I'm sure by now you've heard the announcement or seen it on www.silverhawks.com that the Silver Hawks will be sending six players to the Midwest League All-Star Game. 

The players that made the team are listed below with a few of my comments:

Yazy Arbelo - Not a surprise that Arbelo got the starting nod at first base.  He leads the league in homers, RBIs, extra base hits, slugging percentage, and total bases.  He has been an absolute beast at the plate and deserves the starting honors.

Matt Helm - Some might be a bit surprised by this, but he has just been the model of consistency at the plate.  The average has hovered in the .270 - .300 range all season long, and he has been a RBI machine, particularly with two outs 

Ender Inciarte - Again, perhaps a slight surprise given that he didn't start the year with South Bend, but with an average over .300, solid defense, and good speed, Inciarte was a logical candidate for a reserve outfielder.

Zach Walters - Speaking of consistent players, how about Walters?  Just plugging away with a .300+ average, six homers, and 36 RBIs to rank first or second on the team in most offensive categories.  Not only that, he can play second, third, short, and DH, shining at all positions.

David Holmberg - You might not have guessed it when Holmberg was 0-3, but he is certainly deserving of an all-star nomination now that he is 5-3 with a 3.14 ERA.  A bulldog on the mound, Holmberg gives the Silver Hawks a strong chance of winning every time to the hill.

Tyler Green - Another player who has had a great start to the season, despite missing some time on the DL.  Even more impressive is when you factor in that this is his first season in professional baseball.

And a few notes on some guys that could have made it, but didn't for various reasons:

Mike Freeman - Started his hot streak way too late to make the All-Star team, but if they were voting again now, he'd had a good chance of being elected.

Raywilly Gomez - Catchers don't get a lot of publicity, especially those without a lot of power.  However, Gomez has a great approach at the plate and routinely puts the bat on the ball.

Patrick Schuster - Same numbers of wins and the same ERA as David Holmberg, yet Schuster gets left behind.  Arguably one of the bigger snubs on the team.

Dan Taylor - If he didn't have the one start where he allowed four earned runs in 4.0 innings, Taylor would be 2-1 with a 0.71 ERA while holding opponents to a .106 batting average.  Translation:  ALL STAR.

Blake Cooper/Jeremy Erben/Mike Bolsinger/Eury De La Rosa - Four members of the bullpen from the start of the season with phenomenal numbers, but unfortunately just not enough room on the team to include them.

Tonight's Lineup - May 7th vs. Fort Wayne

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

Tyler Green - P
Jeff Shields - Piggyback Pitcher

Pregame interview is with Ender Inciarte.  The first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM Eastern Time.  Pregame coverage at 5:10 PM Eastern Time.

From the Notes - August 24th

Season Series: 8-5 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 5-1 Silver Hawks
@ Bowling Green Ballpark: 4-3 Hot Rods

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .245 – 15th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.43 ERA – 14th
Hot Rods Team Hitting: .258 – T-7th
Hot Rods Team Pitching: 4.32 ERA – 13th

LAST GAME: Andrew Wolcott (WP, 2-3) pitched seven innings allowing just one run and Ender Inciarte drove in three to lead the South Bend Silver Hawks to a 6-4 victory over Bowling Green on Monday night. Bobby Borchering tacked on a solo homer – his 12th of the season – to guarantee the Hawks at least a split of the series. Brian Budrow (SV, 4) got the final two outs to earn the save. Tomas Francisco had two RBIs to lead the Hot Rods while the loss was pinned on Bowling Green starter Kyle Lobstein (LP, 8-7).

PLAYOFF RACE:
• With 14 games remaining, the Hawks are currently 4.5 games behind West Michigan for the final playoff spot.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
• Keon Broxton continues to lead all of baseball with 19 triples. He has tied the MWL record for most triples in a season (established in 1954 by John Wyre of the Clinton Pirates).
• Ender Inciarte has hit in 10 straight games, tying his career long.
• Reliever Brian Budrow has not allowed a run in his last 15.2 innings pitched – a season high for him.

OTHER: Tyler Skaggs is expected to pitch 2-4 innings tonight, and be followed in relief by Derek Eitel.

Tonight's Lineup - July 29th

Keon Broxton - CF
David Nick - 2B
Bobby Borchering - 3B
Matt Davidson - DH
Ramon Castillo - 1B
Errol Hollinger - C
Matt Helm - LF
Victor Estevez - SS
Ender Inciarte - RF

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 Eastern. Pre-game interview will be Ender Inciarte, as he talks about his heroics from yesterday's game. Pre-game show starts at 6:45 Eastern.

From the Notes - July 29th

TEAM NOTES:

• With 39 games remaining in the second half, the Silver Hawks are currently 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.

• Yesterday’s win was only the team’s fourth this season when trailing after eight innings.

• The Silver Hawks have played three straight 4-3 games (won two, lost one).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

• Ender Inciarte had his first three hit game, his first homer, and his first three RBI game of the season yesterday.

• Matt Davidson leads the Midwest League with 63 RBIs.

• Yonata Ortega ranks first in the Midwest League with 22 saves – one better than Fort Wayne’s Nick Schumacher.

• David Nick has raised his batting average 23 points in the month of July from .237 to .260 on the season.

Wow

The word "Wow" is about all I can say about today's win over Fort Wayne. I think (and hope) my call of Ender Inciarte's homer expressed both excitement and surprise that he took a two-out, two-strike pitch over the wall in right field was his first home run this season, lifting the Silver Hawks to a 4-3 lead (and eventual win).

Ender will get all the praise, and rightfully so. He had a tremendous day with three hits and three RBIs. Casey and I had talked earlier in the game about getting the bottom of the lineup to produce, and they came through in a big way today.

One overlooked part of today's win is the bullpen work. Four scoreless innings of relief gave the Silver Hawks a chance to win by keeping the game within striking distance.

As we always say, it's just one victory out of a 14o-game schedule, so let's not make it out to be a monumental win. However, let's see how both teams respond over the next two days and see if there has been a momentum swing for either team.

Featured Silver Hawk - Ender Inciarte

This week's Featured Silver Hawk is outfielder Ender Inciarte. Ender talks about the adjustments of moving to America from Venezuela upon being signed by the Diamondbacks as well as what the moment was like when he first got the news that he'd be playing professional baseball. The article can be read by clicking this link.

English Graduation and The Ketchup Remix

Seven current Silver Hawks players recently graduated from an English class taught by Higher Standards Academy, LLC. As part of their graduation ceremony, the players performed a song called "The Ketchup Remix" that helped them practice their English skills. From right to left in the video, the players are: Victor Estevez, Yonata Ortega, Ender Inciarte, Ramon Castillo, Rafael Quezada, Diogenes Rosario, and Randy Rodriguez.

July 7th Roster Move

OF Alberto Diaz promoted to high-A Visalia.

OF Ender Inciarte rejoins the Silver Hawks from short-season A Yakima.

Full story can be read at www.silverhawks.com.

Inciarte brings a little bit more speed and defense to the Silver Hawks, and hopefully a stint with Yakima will help his average. He was hitting just .140 with South Bend earlier this season.

First Roster Move of the Season

Greetings from the Quality Inn of Fort Wayne. The bus arrived at 12:55 PM Eastern Time, and we'll depart for the field at 3:00 PM.

The Silver Hawks have their first roster move of the season.

Catcher Tyson Van Winkle has joined the club from extended spring training.
Outfielder Ender Inciarte has been sent to extended spring training.

The full story can be read here.