Didn't See This One Coming

The Kane County Cougars have ended their affilliation with the Oakland A's and have linked up with the Kansas City Royals for 2011 and beyond.

You can read the article here.

You might be wondering why I say I didn't see this one coming in the headline. Well, usually when an affiliation ends, one party is not happy with the other.

But the Oakland A's have always given the Cougars good players, enough so that they make the playoffs basically every year and have won quite a few championships. And on the flip side, the Cougars draw a good crowd, have a nice ballpark, and provide the players with what they need, so why would Oakland not be happy? Seems odd to me.

Anyhow, this now means that the Burlington Bees are without an affiliate because they were previously with the Royals. I've not seen an announcement yet as to whether they will go with the A's, or if someone else might be available.

One obvious advantage of Kane County going with Kansas City...they both are "KC" teams so it could be a merchandise bonus.

Monday's Playoff Results

This has been a fascinating postseason in the Midwest League thus far. Let's get to last night's results:

Lake County 7, Great Lakes 6 - Series tied 1-1
The Captains chased Allen Webster after just 2.2 inning, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. They then held off the Loons rally, and Lake County forced a deciding game three with a 7-6 victory. Two lefties will go in game three tonight with Greg Wilborn facing off against Vidal Nuno at Dow Diamond in Michigan.

Clinton 4, Kane County 1 - LumberKings win series 2-1
The LumberKings advance to the Midwest League Finals for the first time in 17 years with a 4-1 defeat of Kane County. Mickey Wiswall had a two run homer to lead the Clinton offense and Tom Wilhelmsen pitched 7.0 scoreless innings for the L-Kings.

Sunday's Playoff Results

Hope everyone enjoyed their first weekend without Silver Hawks baseball. I know it's a weekend too early, but it's just what we have to deal with this year. Here are last night's results around the Midwest League Playoffs:

Great Lakes 10, Lake County 8 -- Loons lead series 1-0

Summary: The final score made the game appear closer than it really was, as Great Lakes at one point led 8-2 and took a 10-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth before holding on for the win. Brian Cavazos-Galvez had four hits (including a home run and triple) and five RBIs to lead the Loons offense. Jonathan Burnette had two homers for the Captains to bring them back into the game, but it wasn't enough. The series shifts to Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan on Monday night.

Clinton 6, Kane County 2 -- Series is tied 1-1

Summary: The LumberKings protected their home field and avoided elimination with a strong showing on Sunday evening. Mario Martinez went 4-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Clinton at the plate and force a deciding game three on Monday night. The LumberKings will host tonight with the winner moving on to the Midwest League Finals.

Saturday's Playoff Results

The first night of the division finals was Saturday evening, let's see how it turned out:

Great Lakes @ Lake County, PPD Rain
Summary: The rain that poured on South Bend all morning and early afternoon made it's way to Lake County last night, keeping the two teams from getting started. They will have game one today.

Kane County 4, Clinton 0
Summary: Daniel Straily struck out 11 in 7.0 shutout innings, leading the Cougars to a series opening win at home. Michael Choice (three run shot) and Rashun Dixon (solo homer) went back-to-back in the first inning, giving Kane County the only runs they needed. They'll continue the series in Clinton on Sunday.

Playoff Recap - Round One, Game Three

The first round wrapped up last night, here's what happened (with a quick summary today because it's my first weekend off of work since early April):

Great Lakes 6, Fort Wayne 4
Quick Summary: The TinCaps couldn't hold on to the 3-2 lead on the road, and the Loons rallied to eliminate the defending champions. Rafael Ynoa had a homer and two RBIs to lead the Loons.

Lake County 3, West Michigan 2
Chris Kersten had two RBIs and Jason Smit had a solo homer as the Captains escaped the Whitecaps in Lake County. Preston Guilmet worked 2.2 innings for the save -- his second of the series.

Up Next: Great Lakes will be at Lake County in game one of the series tonight. Josh Wall battled Giovanni Soto in the pitching matchup.

Clinton 6, Cedar Rapids 2
The LumberKings lost game one at home, but then won two on the road to knock off the Kernels. Tyler Kehrer was an emergency starter for Cedar Rapids, but didn't get out of the first inning giving up three runs on two hits and three walks. No official word yet on what happened to their scheduled starter Stephen Locke.

Kane County 15, Quad Cities 7
The Cougars did the same as Clinton -- lose game one at home then win two on the road. They routed the River Bandits last night, with eight different players picking up a RBI.

Up Next: The Cougars host the LumberKings in game one of the Western Division finals tonight. Dan Straily on the mound for Kane County against Clinton's Taylor Stanton.

Playoff Recap - Round One, Game Two

Well, well, well, isn't this interesting? All the losers from game one came back and won game two. All four matchups are going to a deciding third game tonight. Below are last night's results...

Great Lakes 10, Fort Wayne 5
Main Storyline: The Loons scored eight runs in the eighth inning to rally from what was once a 3-0 deficit to post a 10-5 victory and keep their season alive.

Secondary Storyline: Both teams have won at home. The Loons host tonight.

Up Next: Game three is at Great Lakes tonight at 7:05 PM. RHP Jerry Sullivan goes for Fort Wayne against RHP Matt Magill for the Loons.

West Michigan 8, Lake County 0
Main Storyline: The Whitecaps avoided elimination by pounding out eight runs on 19 hits in a shutout of the Captains.

Secondary Storyline: Trevor Feeney (WP, 1-0) went 8.1 innings without allowing a run in the winning effort for the Whitecaps.

Up Next: Game three is at Lake County tonight at 6:30 PM. Neither team has won at home in this series. Jared Wesson goes for the Whitecaps against Jason Knapp for the Captains.

Kane County 5, Quad Cities 4
Main Storyline: Kane County had homers from Conner Crumbliss and Rashun Dixon as part of a five-run second inning, and then held on late to stave off elimination.

Secondary Storyline: The Cougars tried to blow the big lead, but stranded the tying run on base in the ninth. Kane County used three different pitchers in the ninth inning to stay alive.

Up Next: Game three is at Quad Cities tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Chris Mederos goes for the Cougars against Daniel Bibona for the River Bandits.

Clinton 8, Cedar Rapids 2
Main Storyline: Clinton methodically dismantled the Kernels by scoring runs in five of their nine at-bats to force a decisive game three.

Secondary Storyline: Like two other teams in the league, the Kernels failed to wrap up a series on their home field, and now must go against a tough pitcher in game three.

Up Next: Game three is at Cedar Rapids tonight at 7:35 PM Eastern Time. The pitching matchup will feature Erasmo Ramirez for Clinton and Stephen Locke for Cedar Rapids.

Greetings from Kane County

We aren't to the ballpark yet, but while I was doing some work at the hotel, I figured I'd go ahead and link you to pictures of the ballpark.

Remember, if you go to this link, these are pictures and descriptions from the ballpark that I took last season. If anything changes or I need to upate it, I'll take more pictures when we get to the ballpark.

I'll have more posts a little bit later on today. Thankfully there are no elevators I have to take in Kane County so I shouldn't be getting stuck anywhere today.

Thou Shalt Not Steal (Second Base)!

I thought I was finished blogging for the week, but every once in a while, a story arrives that is too good to not blog about.

Grant Desme, a 2009 Kane County Cougar and a talented prospect in the Oakland A's system, is retiring from baseball to become a priest. I'm certainly not making fun of someone who is pursuing a religious life and I have the utmost respect for Grant and his decision. It's just not a story you hear very often, particularly from someone who had a shot at playing in the majors.

Desme against the Silver Hawks in 2009? .300 avg (3-for-10), 2 doubles, 3 strikeouts, 3 stolen bases

UPDATE: Desme was also hit by two pitches against the Silver Hawks. Jordan Meaker and Brett Moorhouse might want to say a prayer asking for forgiveness, just in case :)

Angels and A's Top Tens

Just a couple of links this morning from Baseball America, where they are continuing to announce the top 10 prospects of every Minor League system.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were up a couple of days ago. They have a club in this league with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

The Oakland Athletics are up today, and they are tied in with the Kane County Cougars.

From The Notes - May 4th

South Bend Silver Hawks (11-12)
vs. Kane County Cougars (15-8)

Elfstrom Stadium, Geneva, Illinois – 7:00 PM

Season Series: 2-0 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 0-0 Tie
@ Eflstrom Stadium: 2-0 Silver Hawks
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .247 – 6th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.97 ERA – 7th
Cougars Team Hitting: .259 – 4th
Cougars Team Pitching: 3.11 ERA – 3rd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: The Silver Hawks scored three unearned runs in the first four innings on their way to a 7-3 victory Sunday afternoon over Kane County. Trevor Harden (WP, 4-1) allowed three runs in 6.2 innings to earn his fourth win of the season, putting him in a tie for the most wins in the Midwest League this season. Rossmel Perez drove in two and is now batting .444 this season. Nelson Gomez had two hits for the Silver Hawks and an RBI, his eleventh of the season. Alberto Diaz and Brendan Duffy each drove in a run as well. Kane County got a solo home run from Matt Ray, and had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning before Bryan Woodall (ND) slammed the door shut.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· South Bend has matched a season high with the current three game winning streak.
· The Silver Hawks will try to get to .500 for the first time this season. They are 0-3 thus far in attempts to reach the even mark.
· The Silver Hawks have stranded 50 runners in the last five games.
· Silver Hawks pitchers have issued just 57 walks this season, fewest in the league.
· South Bend has played 16 of their first 23 games on the road, and will play 17 of first 24 away from home.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Alberto Diaz has three home runs on the season, tied with Jake Elmore for the team lead. Both Diaz and Elmore have one grand slam.
· Justin Parker’s current ten game hitting streak is the longest on the team for 2009.
· Trevor Harden is tied for the MWL league lead with four wins and ranks first with 30.2 IP.
· Alfredo Marte ranks T-1st with nine doubles on the year and with T-4th with 12 extra base hits.

Photos from Kane County - Part Three

From a suite on the first base side, giving you an idea of the seating layout.


From a suite looking out on the field.


The inside of one suite. These suites are brand new this season, and a lot still needs to be added (like pictures on the walls, TVs, etc). They are very nice suites, and if I am lucky enough to be back next season, I'm curious to see how they look when they are fully stocked and decorated.


From the Silver Hawks dugout to the outfield.


From the Silver Hawks dugout, towards home plate. Notice no railing -- the players in the dugout have to constantly be paying attention for foul balls. It also makes for some mighty fine stepping by the players as they are approaching the dugout in an attempt to catch foul pops.

Photos from Kane County - Part Two

Want to get from the dugout to the clubhouse? Be ready to go up some stairs.


Kids area behind the outfield wall. There is actually a lot of room back here.


From the right field picnic area towards home plate.


Right field picnic area.


I should have zoomed in more, but this is behind the outfield wall in the kids play area. On the right side of the screen is a large tram like you would see at a zoo or an amusement park. There are more inflatable games on the left and behind the tram. Again, if you click on the picture, it gets larger and you can see it better.

Photos from Kane County - Part One

From the first base concourse, towards home plate. The suites are new this year.


Taken down the third base line, shooting out to the left field wall. The error column on the scoreboard doesn't work. Not sure why. Nice picnic area though behind the left field fence.


Behind the third base dugout (visitor's dugout), just a general view of the field.


Same spot as above, just turned towards ome plate. That fan sitting in the second row got to the ballpark way early!


This is my view from the press box. Notice how close I am to the seats. Fans have a walkway right in front of the press box, and some have taken this opportunity to wave pennants in the air to try and block my view, while one kid yesterday stood up on the bleachers and made funny faces at me. I love Minor League Baseball!

Greetings from Illinois

This is the sixth different city the team has been in since the start of the season. Including all the trips back to South Bend, here are the cities in order: Grand Rapids, MI; South Bend, IN; Midland, MI; South Bend, IN; Lansing, MI; South Bend, IN; Davenport, IA; Naperville/Geneva, IL. 17 of the first 24 games will be on the road once the Hawks complete this three game series. Game time is at 6:00 Eastern tonight, 5:00 here in the Central Time Zone.

Here is some info from the Notes...

South Bend Silver Hawks (9-12)
vs. Kane County Cougars (15-6)

Elfstrom Stadium, Geneva, Illinois – 6:00 PM

Season Series: 0-0 Tie
@ Coveleski Stadium: 0-0 Tie
@ Eflstrom Stadium: 0-0 Tie
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .247 – 6th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.02 ERA – 7th
Cougars Team Hitting: .266 – 4th
Cougars Team Pitching: 2.86 ERA – 3rd
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: The Silver Hawks avoided a sweep and snapped a three game losing skid with a 7-3 victory over Quad Cities Friday night. Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, the Hawks scored five runs over the final three innings to break the game open. Ryan Cook (WP, 3-0) remained perfect on the year, allowing three runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings. Offensively, Justin Parker extended his hitting streak to a team best nine games with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI. Alberto Diaz went 3-for-5 and scored two runs, while Rossmel Perez picked up three hits and a RBI as well. Arquimedes Nieto (LP, 0-2) suffered the loss for Quad Cities, who had a six game winning streak come to an end last night.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· The Silver Hawks stranded 32 runners in the Quad Cities series (11 on Wednesday, 10 on Thursday, 11 on Friday).
· Silver Hawks pitchers have issued just 51 walks this season, fewest in the league.
· South Bend has played 14 of their first 21 games on the road, and will play 17 of first 24 away from home.
· The Silver Hawks best mark this season in one game under .500 – South Bend has lost three times trying to get to .500.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Justin Parker’s current nine game hitting streak is the longest on the team for 2009.
· Trevor Harden threw the first complete game shutout in the MWL Tuesday in game one, with seven scoreless innings.
· Ryan Cook ranks second in the league with 25.0 IP; Harden is tied for fourth at 24.0 IP.
· Bryan Woodall and Rafael Quezada are tied for the Midwest League lead with 3 losses.
· Alfredo Marte ranks T-2nd with eight doubles on the year and with 11 extra base hits. Jake Elmore ranks T-5th with 16 RBI.