Greetings from Beloit

In my humble opinion, Beloit is the worst place to go in the Midwest League.

The hotel (Rodeway Inn) is miserable.  The ballpark is a glorified high school park.  The press box is a trailer set on top of metal bleachers.  I'm just praying that the internet service is reliable for the broadcast.

Then again, a place like this is a throwback to the way Minor League Baseball used to be.  Cities like Fort Wayne and Dayton with their huge ballparks didn't exist years ago.  So let's call this a throwback series, shall we?

If you want an idea of what the ballpark looks like, click this link for my blog posts from two years ago when we were here:  http://owensbaseballblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Pohlman%20Field

Former Hawks and Midwest Leaguers in All-Star Game

My thanks to Ryan Foutty for putting together the following report:

Three Former Hawks Among Midwest League Alums in MLB All-Star Game

Justin Upton, Miguel Montero & Jose Valverde to Play in 2011 Mid-summer Classic

South Bend, IN – Former South Bend Silver Hawks Justin Upton, Miguel Montero, and Jose Valverde will play in the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game hosted by the South Bend parent club Arizona Diamondbacks.  Twenty-four other former Midwest League players join Upton, Montero and Valverde in this year’s mid-summer classic.

Upton will represent the Arizona Diamondbacks as a reserve for the National League team.  The outfielder played for the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2006, his first season in professional baseball. The former number one overall pick has posted a .297 batting average with 15 homers, 46 RBI’s, 23 doubles, and 14 stolen bases in his fifth Major League season.  Upton was a National League All-Star in 2009. 

Montero will also represent Arizona as a National League reserve.  The catcher spent the 2004 season with South Bend.  Montero is batting .272  with 10 home runs, 45 RBI’s, and 22 doubles for the Diamondbacks in 2011.  The former Silver Hawk was named to the NL All-Star team as a replacement for the injured Placido Polanco.

Valverde earns his second straight All-Star Selection and third overall.  The closer, in his second season with the Detroit Tigers, pitched for the Silver Hawks in 1999 and 2000.  In 2011, Valverde is a perfect 23 for 23 in save opportunities, having appeared in 41 total games.  The righty has a 2-3 record with a 2.77 ERA for the Tigers.  Valverde was a National League All-Star in his final season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. 

The former Hawks are just three of twenty-seven former Midwest League players selected to play in the 2011 MLB All-Star Game.  Pitcher Tyler Clippard (Washington Nationals) was a member of the Battle Creek Yankees in 2004.  Former Beloit Snappers and current Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder and second baseman Rickie Weeks will both play for the National League team.  Fielder spent time with Beloit in 2002 and 2003, while Weeks played for the Snappers in 2003.  Former Cedar Rapids Kernels second baseman Howie Kendrick and pitcher Jordan Walden will represent the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on the AL squad. Kendrick played for Cedar Rapids in 2004, while Walden played for the Kernels in 2008.  The Dayton Dragons have two former players on the NL team: Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto played for Dayton in 2003 and 2004, while Reds outfielder Jay Bruce spent 2006 with the Dragons.  Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer was a member of the 1998 Fort Wayne Wizards, now known as the TinCaps. 

Meanwhile, the Kane County Cougars have four former players in the All-Star Game: pitcher Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox) played in 2000, first basemen Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) and Adrian Gonzalez (Boston Red Sox) in 2001, and outfielder Andre Eithier (Los Angeles Dodgers) in 2003.  Former Great Lakes Loons pitcher Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) play for the National League squad.  Kershaw pitched for the Loons in 2007.  Outfielder Carlos Beltran (New York Mets) spent part of the 1996 season with the Lansing Lugnuts and will play for the NL as well.  Placido Polanco, who played for the Peoria Chiefs in 1995, is one of five Philadelphia Phillies selected for this year’s MLB All-Star Game.  Catcher Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals) was a member of the 2002 Peoria Chiefs.  Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez pitched for the Quad Cities River Bandits in 2006. 

In addition, West Michigan alums playing in this year’s mid-summer classic include 2006 outfielder Matt Joyce (Tampa Bay Rays) and 2008 catcher Alex Avila (Detroit Tigers).  Finally, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have five former players on the AL All-Star team: Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) played in 1994, DH David Ortiz (Red Sox) in 1996, pitcher Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners) in 2003, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (Indians) in 2005, and pitcher Michael Pineda (Mariners) in 2008.

The Rule From Last Night

I finally found the official rule that allowed the Silver Hawks to win the game last night.  It is 4.12(b) and then from there, you have to go to subsection 4 and 4-i.  Here it is....

(4) Any suspended game not completed prior to the last scheduled game between
the two teams during the championship season shall become a called game. If
such game becomes a called game and

(i) has progressed far enough to become a regulation game, and one team is
ahead, the team that is ahead shall be declared the winner;

Weather Update (11:12 PM)

10 PM Update - For those of you that follow this, tonight's game is still in a rain delay.  We are going to wait this out for a while.  I am off the air because the lightning is so severe that I don't want to risk a strike doing damage to my equipment.  I will update again when I know more.

10:35 PM Update - Still waiting.  Umpires are talking with both managers, league president, Dragons operations staff, etc.  This might be a while.  Just so you know, this is a unique situation because South Bend just took the lead and the Dragons didn't get a chance to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning.  They are trying to determine who, if anyone, might win this game.  Do you revert back to the last full inning?  Do you give the Silver Hawks the win because they have the lead regardless of the fact that Dayton didn't bat?  Or do you wipe it out entirely?  Perhaps, you just sit and wait.
Also, the lightning has slowed down so I've resumed the rain delay music.  You can reconnect to the broadcast now.

11:00 PM Update - Game is over.  Yet oddly, we still don't know who, if anyone, actually won this game.  I had to sign off the air because I have to pack up equipment.  I'll try to update the blog from the bus, and also, more information will be available at www.silverhawks.com when it becomes available to us.  Thanks!

11:12 PM Update - It's official.  Silver Hawks win!  Full story going up now on www.silverhawks.com 

Tonight's Lineup - July 11th at Dayton

Ender Inciarte - CF
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Matt Helm - DH
Roberto Rodriguez - RF
Niko Gallego - 3B
Chris Jarrett - LF

J.R. Bradley - SP

Since yesterday's pregame show didn't air due to internet problems in the Dayton press box, I'll replay my interview from yesterday with manager Mark Haley. First pitch at 7:00 PM. Pregame coverage at 6:40 PM.

Today's Roster Move - July 10th

And here we go again...

LHP Dan Taylor promoted to high- A Visalia.
RHP Kable Hogben joins team from short-season A Yakima.

Analysis:  Taylor has been phenomenal and deserves to go up.  At the same time, by promoting him the bullpen weakens a bit and the team loses a veteran presence during the roughest stretch of the season.  On the positive side, Hogben has been absolute dominant for Yakima and it is nice to see him get another chance in South Bend.  Full story here.

Today's Lineup - July 10th at Dayton

Ender Inciarte - CF
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Raywilly Gomez - DH
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Chris Jarrett - LF
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Niko Gallego - SS

Bradin Hagens - SP

 

Today's pregame interview will be with manager Mark Haley.  First pitch at 4:00 PM.  Pregame coverage at 3:40 PM.

Tonight's Lineup - July 9th at Dayton

Ender Inciarte - CF
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Matt Helm - 3B
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Niko Gallego - DH

Jeff Shields - SP

Tonight, the Dayton Dragons will set the American record for consecutive sellouts with their 815th in a row.  I will talk about that more during the pregame show instead of doing a pregame interview.  I feel like I can add a bit more to that since I worked here with the Dayton Dragons for three seasons.  There will also be a long pause before the sixth inning starts for an on-field celebration.  I plan on turning up the crowd microphone and letting you listen in.

Pregame show at 6:40 PM.  First pitch at 7:00 PM.

From The Notes - July 9th

LAST GAME:  The Great Lakes Loons completed a three game series sweep and handed the Silver Hawks their six consecutive loss with a 4-1 victory on Friday night.  Leon Landry hit a two run homer as the only hit allowed by Mike Bolsinger (LP, 2-3) over six innings, but it was enough to send the South Bend starter to a loss.  Greg Wilborn (WP, 1-0) allowed just one unearned run in 5.0 innings to earn the win, and the Loons bullpen held the Hawks to just one hit over the final four innings.  Ender inciarte had two hits for South Bend and Matt Helm had the team’s only RBI.

TEAM NOTES:

·          South Bend has lost six in a row for the first time this season.  They went 0-6 at home over the past week against Dayton and the Loons. 

·          Dayton will set the American sports record with their 815th consecutive sellout tonight.  They’ve sold out every game since 2000.

·          With 39 home runs this season, the Silver Hawks rank last in the league in team homers.  Yazy Arbelo has 20 of the 39 for South Bend.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 20 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 43 XBH.  He is second in total bases and slugging and third in walks.

·          Zach Walters ranks eighth with a .309 average.  He’s also first with 92 hits, second in runs, and third in total bases.

·          Second Half struggles: Arbelo .135, Castillo .154, Gomez .224, Helm .217, Inciarte .172, Jarrett .229, Ortiz .133, Pimentel .214

Tonight's Lineup - July 8th vs. Great Lakes

Ender Inciarte - CF
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Zach Walters - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - DH
Raywilly Gomez - C
Roberto Rodriguez - RF
Niko Gallego - SS
Chris Jarrett - LF

Mike Bolsinger - SP

Pregame interview is with Zach Walters. Pregame show at 7:10 PM. First pitch at 7:30 PM.

Tragedy in Arlington

"You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time" - Jim Bouton

By now, I'm sure you have all heard about the fan who fell over the railing while reaching for a ball thrown by Josh Hamilton at the Rangers game last night.  Sadly, the fan who was attending the game with his son passed away shortly after being taken from the stadium on a stretcher.

I don't know if it's because it happened in baseball or because the man was with his son or some other reason, but news of this has really stopped me in my tracks both last night and today.  Unfortunately, there is no good explanation for why things like this happen and to try to come up with one just leaves you even more confused.

The thing that bothers me the most of all is that this man was just trying to get a ball for his son.  That's it.  The very same thing that fathers have done for their sons for years and years.

I can't help but think back to the time that my dad came home from a Cincinnati Reds game and handed me a foul ball off the bat of Hal Morris.  It didn't matter that I wasn't at the game, and it didn't matter that it was actually someone with my dad that caught it and handed it over to him to give to me.  MY DAD JUST HANDED ME A HAL MORRIS FOUL BALL!  As a kid, it does not get any cooler than that.

I also think back to early 2009 when I was in the radio booth at West Michigan.  A foul ball off the bat of Chao Ting Tang came screaming into the radio booth, ricocheting off my hands and bouncing around behind me.  I gathered the loose ball, leaned out the window, and tossed it to a young kid below me in the stands.  The look on his face was one of pure joy, despite the fact that he has no idea who I am and the fact that Chao-Ting Tang is a largely forgettable ballplayer (other than his name).

That is what baseball is all about.  The chance that you might go home not only with a stomach full of hot dogs and peanuts, but also the chance to take a souvenir home.  A foul ball.  A piece of the game itself that will sit on your bookshelf and become a source of increasingly fishy tales of just how dramatic your catch was on that momentous day at the stadium. 

Last night, a father and son had that chance -- a moment that will unite them and the game of baseball for all eternity.  And now, in the simple act of losing one's balance, that same family will be united forever with the game of baseball in a way that is horribly tragic. 

Baseball is not supposed to feel like this.

Let's Talk About Last Night

Okay, so an interesting game last night at Coveleski Stadium.  Let's pick things up in the top of the fifth...

Chris Jacobs plowed Ramon Castillo at the plate to score the 7th run of the night for the Loons.  Castillo was airborne to catch a high throw and defenseless and it appeared that Jacobs went out of his way to run him over when a simple slide would have easily scored the run.

I said last night that I felt it was a dirty play, but the intent was not to hurt Castillo.  It's a play that should not have happened, but Jacobs certainly did not want to injure Castillo or give him a concussion (which after the game I found out Castillo went to the hospital with concussion symptoms).

Fast forward to the seventh inning, and Chris Jacobs comes back to the plate.  Basically, everyone in the stadium knew that he was going to get hit.  I am not a big fan of intentionally hitting a batter, but in baseball, the players basically police themselves and Patrick Schuster had to stand up for his teammate.  Schuster hit Jacobs in the legs (and I applaud him for not going head hunting) and home plate umpire Mike Patterson immediately tossed Schuster.

Two things happened next that I felt escalated the situation.  First of all, Jacobs reacted like he couldn't believe they threw out him.  I think that he should have expected it because of his dirty play, dropped the bat, and run to first base.  Instead, he reacted aggessively which resulted in the benches emptying.

The next thing that happened is something I found out after the game.  Manager Mark Haley asked umpire Mike Patterson why Schuster was ejected (benches had not been warned).  Apparently, the umpire told Haley that Schuster mouthed-off after hitting Jacobs and that's why he got tossed.  However, that simply cannot be true because everyone saw Patterson eject Schuster immediately.  That's why Mark Haley argued to the point of being tossed -- he felt the umpire lied to him.

Here's hoping cooler heads prevail today.  I would imagine that Jacobs might get a day off.  By the way, I applaud Loons manager John Shoemaker for the way he handled everything.  I thought he showed a lot of class in showing concern for the injured Castillo and for the way he tried to calm Jacobs down.

Just my thoughts...your mileage may vary.

Tonight's Lineup - July 7th vs. Great Lakes

Ender Inciarte - CF

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - DH
Ramon Castillo - C
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Roberto Ortiz - RF

Tyler Green - SP

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

From the Notes - July 7th

South Bend Silver Hawks (5-8 Second Half, 39-43 Overall)
vs. Great Lakes Loons (7-6 Second Half, 46-36 Overall)


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

                                                                                   

Season Series: 6-5 Loons
@ Coveleski Stadium: 3-1 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 4-3 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .247 – 9th                                
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.58 ERA –4th
Loons Team Hitting: .241 – 12th                                         
Loons Team Pitching: 3.65 ERA – 5th

LAST GAME:  Two unearned runs helped the Great Lakes Loons to a 3-1 victory over the South Bend Silver Hawks on Wednesday evening.  After South Bend built a 1-0 lead in the second, the Loons took advantage of two errors by Niko Gallego to score in the fourth and fifth innings for a lead they wouldn’t give back.  J.R. Bradley (LP, 2-12) suffered a tough luck loss yet again for the Hawks.  Garrett Gould (WP, 9-3) picked up his league-leading ninth win for the Loons with six innings of one run ball.  Ramon Castillo had the lone RBI for the Silver Hawks.

TEAM NOTES:

·          South Bend has lost four in a row for the third time this season.  They have not lost five straight in 2011. 

·          The Hawks and Loons are tied for second with a .971 team fielding percentage.  Both teams committed two errors yesterday.

·          Silver Hawks pitchers have walked just 210 batters on the year – 12 fewer than the next lowest team in the Midwest League.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, .548 Slugging PCT, and 43 XBH.

·          Zach Walters ranks 2nd with 89 hits, 2nd with 58 runs scored, T-2nd with six triples, and 3rd with 146 total bases.

·          Raywilly Gomez has struck out only 21 times this season – his 12.00 PA/K ratio is the second best in the Midwest League.

MILESTONE WATCH:

·          Yazy Arbelo is T-5th on Hawks single season leader board with 20 homers.  He needs one to tie Craig Ansman and Cesar Nicolas for third and six to break Billy Martin’s (2000) record of 25.  Arbelo is T-9th on Hawks’ career home run leader board.

·          Chris Jarrett has 10 career triples with South Bend.  He needs one more to tie for ninth on the team’s career leader board.

Today's Research Project - Run Support

Since J.R. Bradley took another tough loss last night, I went back through all 82 games and determined how many runs the Silver Hawks scored in each game started by the various pitchers.  The results are below in alphabetical order.

Mike Bolsinger (2 starts) - 3, 1
Total Runs: 4
Runs Per Start: 2

J.R. Bradley (16 starts) - 8, 3, 0, 1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 1, 8, 7, 1, 4, 0, 4, 1
Total Runs: 53
Runs Per Start: 3.3

Enrique Burgos (1 start) - 0
Total Runs: 0
Runs Per Start: 0

Tyler Green (10 starts) - 1, 4, 4, 7, 5, 3, 6, 2, 4, 15
Total Runs: 51
Runs Per Start: 5.1

Bradin Hagens (13 starts) - 19, 1, 4, 5, 4, 7, 3, 4, 5, 7, 3, 4, 5
Total Runs: 71
Runs Per Start: 5.5

David Holmberg (14 starts) - 1, 2, 4, 1, 8, 6, 6, 7, 10, 3, 4, 5, 5, 7
Total Runs: 69
Runs Per Start: 4.9

Patrick Schuster (13 starts) - 0, 0, 3, 4, 1, 6, 4, 5, 8, 8, 9, 1, 5
Total Runs: 54
Runs Per Start: 4.2

Jeff Shields (12 starts) - 9, 1, 1, 3, 3, 8, 4, 3, 12, 1, 1, 4
Total Runs: 50
Runs Per Start: 4.2

Dan Taylor (1 start) - 0
Total Runs: 0
Runs Per Start: 0

As you can see, of the regular starters, Bradley is receiving nearly a run less per game than everyone else.  As I said last night, he deserves to be much better than 2-12 on the season. 

Tonight's Starting Lineup - July 6 vs. Great Lakes

Roberto Rodriguez - CF

Niko Gallego - 2B

Zach Walters - SS

Yazy Arbelo - 1B

Matt Helm - 3B

Raywilly Gomez - C

Ramon Castillo - DH

Chris Jarrett - LF

Roberto Ortiz - RF

J.R. Bradley - SP

Pregame interview is with Bradin Hagens. Pregame show at 6:40 PM. First pitch at 7:00 PM.

From the Notes - July 6th

South Bend Silver Hawks (5-7 Second Half, 39-42 Overall)
vs. Great Lakes Loons (6-6 Second Half, 45-36 Overall)

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

                                                                                   

Season Series: 5-5 Tie
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-1 Loons
@ Dow Diamond: 4-3 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .248 – 8th                                
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.62 ERA – T-4th

Loons Team Hitting: .241 – T-12th                                     
Loons Team Pitching: 3.68 ERA – 7th

LAST GAME:  The Dayton Dragons rallied again on Tuesday afternoon, turning a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 victory over the South Bend Silver Hawks.  Dominic D’Anna had four RBIs to lead the Dayton comeback while Billy Hamilton walked twice, stole two bases, and scored two runs.  Victor Capellan (LP, 0-1) allowed two runs in 0.2 innings to take the loss.  Chad Rogers (WP, 2-3) pitched 2.1 perfect innings in relief for Dayton to earn the win while Blaine Howell (SV, 8) closed it out over the final two innings for a save.  Zach Walters had three RBIs to lead the Hawks’ offense.

TEAM NOTES:

·          The South Bend bullpen allowed 13 runs over the last three games, blowing two saves and taking the loss twice as well.

·          South Bend has lost three in a row for the first time since losing four straight June 10th – 14th. 

·          Five Silver Hawks were hit by a pitch from Kyle Lotzkar yesterday – tying a league record for most HBP by one pitcher in a game.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, .554 Slugging PCT, 43 XBH, and second with 153 Total Bases. 

·          Zach Walters ranks 10th with .304 avg, T-2nd with 87 hits, 2nd with 58 runs scored, T-2nd with six triples, and 3rd with 144 total bases.

·          Raywilly Gomez has struck out only 20 times this season – his 12.40 PA/K ratio is the second best in the Midwest League.

MILESTONE WATCH:

·          Yazy Arbelo is T-5th on Hawks single season leader board with 20 homers.  He needs one to tie Craig Ansman and Cesar Nicolas for third and six to break Billy Martin’s (2000) record of 25.  Arbelo is T-9th on Hawks’ career home run leader board.

·          Chris Jarrett has 10 career triples with South Bend.  He needs one more to tie for ninth on the team’s career leader board.

Today's Lineup - July 5th vs. Dayton

Ender Inciarte - CF
Niko Gallego - 2B
Zach Walters - SS
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Raywilly Gomez - DH
Roberto Rodriguez - RF
Gerson Montilla - 3B
Chris Jarrett - LF
Jhoan Pimentel - C

Bradin Hagens - SP

No pregame interview today.  First pitch at 1:00 PM.  Pregame show starts at 12:40 PM.

Lost Feed Issues

I realize we have been having some issues with dropping the streaming audio feed lately, and for that I apologize.  However, I must ask again that you please, please, please email me at oserey@silverhawks.com if you lose the feed.  Do not assume that someone else will.  No one emailed me in the ninth inning last night so I had no idea it had dropped.  Again, I'd rather receive 1,000 emails than none at all.

Thanks for your cooperation and your continued support.

Tonight's Lineup - July 4th vs. Dayton

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

Jeff Shields - SP

Pregame interview is with manager Mark Haley.  Pregame show at 7:10 PM. First pitch at 7:30 PM.

Holmberg Update

Former Silver Hawks pitcher David Holmberg made his first start with Visalia last night, and it was met with mixed results.

He gave up five runs in 5.1 innings, but three of those runs were players that he put base who scored after he turned it over to the bullpen.

MiLB.com has a full recap of his outing here.

Today's Roster Move - July 3rd

And here we go with another roster move:

INF Mike Freeman placed on DL retroactive to July 2nd.
INF Niko Gallego joins team from AA Mobile.
OF Bobby Stone removed from roster and sent to Arizona for further evaluation.

Analysis:  Freeman injured his knee on the rundown play in Lake County.  Hopefully, he will not miss too much time but I think the concern is whether there is any damage to the ligaments.  Gallego was not playing much at all in Mobile, so he gets a chance to come to South Bend and play a bit more often.  Stone hasn't played since mid-May and he keeps having setbacks in his recovery from an arm injury.  They are going to fly him back to Phoenix for more rehab and evaluation.

Tonight's Lineup - July 3rd vs. Dayton

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

Mike Bolsinger - SP

Pregame interview is with Yazy Arbelo.  Speaking of Yazy, here's an article that MiLB.com did on him after his six RBI performance last night.

Pregame show at 7:10 PM.  First pitch at 7:30 PM.

Upton and Valverde named All-Stars

Congrats to former South Bend Silver Hawks outfielder Justin Upton on being named a reserve for the National League All-Stars and former Silver Hawks pitcher Jose Valverde for being named a pitcher on the American League squad.

Full rosters for both teams can be found here.

Tonight's Lineup - July 2nd at Lake County

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

Tyler Green - P

No pregame interview tonight. Pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. First pitch at 7:00 PM.

From the Notes - July 2nd

South Bend Silver Hawks (4-4 Second Half, 38-39 Overall)
@ Lake County Captains (5-3 Second Half, 33-44 Overall)

Classic Park, Eastlake, Ohio – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

                                                                                   

Season Series: 5-2 Silver Hawks
@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-0 Silver Hawks
@ Classic Park: 3-2 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .250 – T-7th                             
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.57 ERA – 4th

Captains Team Hitting: .253 – 6th                                       
Captains Team Pitching: 4.05 ERA – 14th

LAST GAME:  The struggles for J.R. Bradley (LP, 2-11) continued on Friday night as he allowed seven runs over 4.0 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Lake County Captains.  Giovanny Urshela had a three run homer and Alex Monsalve added a solo blast to pace the Captains’ offensive attack.  Roberto Rodriguez homered for South Bend while four other players had two hits, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the big deficit.  J.D. Reichenbach (WP, 4-1) allowed just two runs over 5.1 innings for the win and Dale Dickerson (SV, 2) picked up the save for Lake County. 

TEAM NOTES:

·          Silver Hawks pitchers have walked just 200 batters this season – the fewest in the MWL.

·          South Bend has hit just 36 home runs this season, the second fewest in the league.  Yazy Arbelo has 19 of the team’s 36 homers.

·          The Silver Hawks are batting just .208 in the second half of the season (54 hits in 259 at-bats).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 19 home runs, 59 RBIs, .551 Slugging PCT, 41 XBH, 146 Total Bases, and 90 strikeouts. 

·          Zach Walters ranks T-third with 80 hits, T-second with 51 runs and fifth with 131 total bases.

·          Second half struggles: Arbelo (3-30, .100), Castillo (1-10, .100), Freeman (3-18, .167), Gomez (5-24, .208), Helm (6-25, .240), Inciarte (7-34, .206), Ortiz (4-17, .235), Pimentel (2-9, .222), Rodriguez (Walters (5-32, .156)

MILESTONE WATCH:

·          Yazy Arbelo is T-9th with Mark Reynolds on Hawks single season leader board with 19 homers.  He needs one to tie for fifth.

·          Chris Jarrett has 10 career triples with South Bend.  He needs one more to tie for ninth on the team’s career leader board.

Tonight's Lineup - July 1st at Lake County

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

J.R. Bradley - P

Pregame interview tonight is with  reliever Dan Taylor. Pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. First pitch at 7:00 PM.

Minor League Transactions - Updated

Just received an email from the Diamondbacks announcing the following Minor League transactions:

Outright (trade) to Durham (TB) from Reno (ARI):  Matt Torra
Transferred from AAA Reno to AA Mobile:  Tom Layne
Transferred from AA Mobile to AAA Reno:  Wade Miley
Transferred from R Missoula to SA Yakima:  Westley Moss

The first three are former Silver Hawks.  I'm not sure who Torra was traded for with the Rays.  I'm trying to find out.  (UPDATE:  Found out Torra was traded for cash considerations.)
Bad news for Layne in that he's going backwards.  Good news for Miley, who pitched for South Bend in 2009.

From the Notes - July 1st

South Bend Silver Hawks (4-3 Second Half, 38-38 Overall)

@ Lake County Captains (4-3 Second Half, 32-44 Overall)

 

 

Classic Park, Eastlake, Ohio – 7:00 PM Eastern Time

                                                                            

Season Series: 5-1 Silver Hawks

@ Coveleski Stadium: 2-0 Silver Hawks

@ Classic Park: 3-1 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .249 – 7th                                

Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.51 ERA – 4th

Captains Team Hitting: .252 – 6th                                       

Captains Team Pitching: 4.07 ERA – 14th

 

 

LAST GAME:  The Silver Hawks scored four runs on one hit in the top of eighth inning, rallying to stun the Lake County Captains 4-2 on Thursday night.  Ramon Castillo had a RBI groundout and Ender Inciarte had a RBI single in the inning with the other two runners scoring on an error and three wild pitches.  Joey Mahalic (LP, 0-1) took the loss due to his wildness and ruined a great outing of 6.2 scoreless innings from Lake County starter Mike Rayl (ND).  Dan Taylor (WP, 3-2) earned the win in relief for South Bend with Blake Cooper (SV, 8) picking up the save. 

TEAM NOTES:

·          Silver Hawks pitchers have walked just 197 batters this season – the fewest in the MWL.

·          South Bend has hit just 35 home runs this season, the second fewest in the league.  Yazy Arbelo has 19 of the team’s 35 homers.

·          The Silver Hawks are batting just .193 in the second half of the season (43 hits in 223 at-bats).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Yazy Arbelo ranks 1st in the MWL with 19 home runs, 58 RBIs, .552 Slugging PCT, 40 XBH, 144 Total Bases, and 89 strikeouts. 

·          Zach Walters ranks eighth with a .302 average, T-third with 80 hits, second with 51 runs and fourth with 131 total bases.

·          Second half struggles: Arbelo (2-26, .077), Castillo (1-10, .100), Freeman (3-17, .176), Gomez (3-20, .150), Helm (4-21, .190), Inciarte (5-29, 172), Ortiz (4-17, .235), Pimentel (0-6, .000), Walters (5-28, .179)

 

MILESTONE WATCH:

·          Yazy Arbelo is T-9th with Mark Reynolds on Hawks single season leader board with 19 homers.  He needs one to tie for fifth.

·          Chris Jarrett has 10 career triples with South Bend.  He needs one more to tie for ninth on the team’s career leader board.

In Case You Missed It

In case you didn’t hear the game last night or read the recap online, this is how the Silver Hawks won against Lake County on Thursday night. 

-4-pitch walk. to Ortiz.

-1st pitch HBP to Rodriguez.
- Wild Pitch (runners to second and third).
-RBI groundout by Castillo (Ortiz scored, Rodriguez stayed at second).
-RBI single by Inciarte, he took second on throw home.
-Inciarte steals third base.
-With the infield in, Freeman hits a ground ball to second.  Throw home was wild for FC, E4.  Hawks lead 3-2.  Freeman ends up at second.
-On a 0-1 count, wild pitch moves Freeman to third.
-Pitching change with a 1-1 count!!!!
-New pitcher uncorks a wild pitch on first pitch he throws to score Freeman and make it 4-2.

So if you’re counting, that’s 4 runs on 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 HBP, 1 Error, and 3 wild pitches. 

At least it happened for the Silver Hawks, rather than to the Silver Hawks.  J