Tonight's Lineup - August 12th vs. Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF

David Narodowski - DH

Raywilly Gomez - C

Yazy Arbelo - 1B

Matt Helm - 3B

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Roberto Ortiz - RF

Marc Bourgeois - LF

Niko Gallego - SS

Jeff Shields - P

No pregame interview tonight. Instead, we'll talk about life in the Minor Leagues. Pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. First pitch at 7 PM.

Playoff Race - 24 To Play

The Silver Hawks lost a game to everyone except West Michigan last night on the roughest night for the team in quite some time (in terms of playoff race)
Here are the standings with 24 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	30	15	--
Great Lakes	26	20	-4.5
West Michigan	24	22	-6.5
Fort Wayne	24	22	-6.5
South Bend	21	25	-9.5
Lake County	18	27	-12.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	27	19	--
Clinton	24	22	-3.0
Beloit	21	25	-6.0
Wisconsin	19	27	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	19	27	-8.0
Peoria	19	27	-8.0

Tonight's Lineup - August 11th vs. Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF

David Narodowski - 3B

Raywilly Gomez - C

Yazy Arbelo - 1B

Matt Helm - DH

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Marc Bourgeois - LF

Roberto Rodriguez - RF

Niko Gallego - SS

Mike Bolsinger - P

The pregame interview is with David Narodowski. Pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. First pitch is at 7 PM.

Playoff Race - 25 To Go

The Hawks are still hanging around in the playoff race, but not making up any ground right now.

Here are the standings with 25 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	29	15	--
Great Lakes	25	20	-4.5
West Michigan	24	21	-5.5
Fort Wayne	23	22	-6.5
South Bend	21	24	-8.5
Lake County	18	26	-11.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	27	18	--
Clinton	24	21	-3.0
Beloit	20	25	-7.0
Wisconsin	19	26	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	18	27	-9.0
Peoria	18	27	-9.0

Tonight's Lineup - August 10th vs. Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF

David Narodowski - SS

Raywilly Gomez - C

Yazy Arbelo - DH

Matt Helm - 3B

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Roberto Ortiz - RF

Ramon Castillo - 1B

Roberto Rodriguez - LF

Tyler Green - P

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

Today's Roster Move - August 10th

OF Marc Bourgeois has joined the Silver Hawks from Yakima.

He takes the place of Chris Jarrett, who retired from professional baseball on Sunday.  Bourgeois is a left-handed bat and was hitting .268 for the Bears.  He didn't have a homer, but eight doubles and five triples isn't too shabby.

I'm guessing his name is pronounced Boo-zhwah (the French Canadian pronounciation), but I'll find out for sure when he arrives this afternoon.
Full story on www.silverhawks.com in the headlines section.

Today's Lineups - August 9th DH vs. Bowling Green

Ender Inciarte - CF

Niko Gallego - SS

Matt Helm - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Jhoan Pimentel - C
David Narodowski - DH

J.R. Bradley - P

The pregame interview is with Kable Hogben (recorded but not played yesterday). Pregame show begins at 11:40 AM. First pitch at 12 Noon.

 

Game Two Probable Lineup (Not official until confirmed between games)

Ender Inciarte - CF

David Narodowski - SS

Raywilly Gomez -DH

Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - 3B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Ramon Castillo - C

Patrick Schuster - SP

 

Doubleheader Scheduled for Tuesday

Monday's scheduled game between the South Bend Silver Hawks and Bowling Green Hot Rods at Coveleski Stadium has been postponed due to rain in the South Bend area. The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. The gates will open for Tuesday's game at 11:30 AM Eastern Time.

Both games will be seven innings in length, per Midwest League rules. Starting pitchers for tomorrow's doubleheader are still to be announced.

Pregame show on Sportsjuice.com scheduled to begin at 11:40 AM.

Tonight's Lineup - August 8th vs. Bowling Green

Ender Inciarte - CF

Niko Gallego - SS

Matt Helm - 3B

Yazy Arbelo - 1B

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Roberto Ortiz - RF

Roberto Rodriguez - LF

Ramon Castillo - C

David Narodowski - DH

J.R. Bradley - P

The pregame interview is with Kable Hogben. Pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. First pitch at 7 PM.

Playoff Race - 28 To Play

The Hawks are hanging around in the playoff race, hoping to get hot and make a run.

Here are the standings with 28 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	27	15	--
Great Lakes	23	19	-4.0
West Michigan	23	19	-4.0
Fort Wayne	22	20	-5.0
South Bend	19	23	-8.0
Lake County	18	24	-9.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	25	17	--
Clinton	22	20	-3.0
Beloit	19	23	-6.0
Cedar Rapids	17	25	-8.0
Wisconsin	17	25	-8.0
Peoria	17	25	-8.0

Today's Lineup - August 7th vs. Bowling Green

Ender Inciarte - CF

Niko Gallego - SS

Matt Helm - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
David Narodowski - DH
Jhoan Pimentel - C

Bradin Hagens - P

There are some thunderstorms in the South Bend area that may impact the pregame show schedule.  We'll play along as the weather dictates.  They are saying that they should be cleared out by about 2, so we'll see what happens.  Pregame show begins at 1:40 PM. First pitch at 2:00 PM.

Today's Roster Move - August 7th

Pitcher Blake Cooper has been promoted to high-A Visalia.  No corresponding move has been announced yet.

Full story can be found on www.silverhawks.com in the headlines section. 

Analysis:  They needed a reliever in Visalia, and Cooper has some of the better numbers with South Bend.  Aside from a rough spell in early July, he's been solid -- particularly at the back end of the bullpen. 

I would assume South Bend would add someone tomorrow.

Tonight's Lineup - August 6th vs. Bowling Green

Ender Inciarte - CF

David Narodowski - SS

Matt Helm - 3B

Yazy Arbelo - DH

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Roberto Rodriguez - LF

Roberto Ortiz - RF

Ramon Castillo - 1B

Jhoan Pimentel - C

Jeff Shields - P

No pregame interview tonight. Instead, we'll do a Midwest League standings update and take a look at the Major League scoreboard. Pregame show begins at 5:10 PM. First pitch at 5:40 PM.

Tonight's Lineup - August 5th at Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF
Niko Gallego - SS
Matt Helm - DH
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Roberto Rodriguez - LF
Ramon Castillo - C
David Narodowski - 3B

Mike Bolsinger - P

The pregame interview tonight will be with Tyler Green. First pitch at 7:05 PM Eastern Time. Pregame show at 6:45 PM.

From the Notes - August 5th

South Bend Silver Hawks (17-22 Second Half, 51-57 Overall)
@ Lansing Lugnuts (25-14 Second Half, 63-43 Overall)

Cooley Law School Stadium, Lansing, Michigan – 7:05 PM Eastern Time

                                                                                   

Season Series: 7-6 Lugnuts
@ Coveleski Stadium: 4-3 Lugnuts
@ Cooley Law School Stadium: 3-3 Tie

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .242 – 14th                                 
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.63 ERA – 5th

Lugnuts Team Hitting: .254 – T-6th                                       
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 3.85 ERA – T-10th

LAST GAME:  Michael Crouse doubled to start the bottom of the tenth inning and later scored the game winning run on a K.C. Hobson sacrifice fly as the Lansing Lugnuts knocked off the South Bend Silver Hawks 2-1.  The late rally against Jeremy Erben (LP, 3-2) improved Lansing to 8-0 in extra inning contests while the Hawks fell to 4-1.  Yazy Arbelo provided South Bend’s lone run with a solo homer in the second inning – his 25th of the year.  Shawn Griffith (WP, 4-0) earned the win in relief for Lansing.  Tyler Green (ND) tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for South Bend.

TEAM NOTES:

·          Last night was the first extra inning loss for the Silver Hawks in five tries this season.

·          South Bend has lost six of the last seven home series dating back to the final series of the first half. 

·          South Bend is just 11-for-66 (.167) with RISP over the last nine games, but have managed a 5-4 record in that time.

·          The Silver Hawks are in a stretch of 14 straight games against Lansing & Bowling Green – both playoff qualifiers already (currently 1-2).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Roberto Ortiz is on an eight game hitting streak – his highest of the year.  He’s also hit in 13 of his last 14, raising avg from .180 to .223.

·          Gerson Montilla has committed just one error in 33 games for the Silver Hawks this season. 

·          Yazy Arbelo has hit in five straight games, including his league leading 25th homer on Thursday night. 

MILESTONE WATCH:

·          Yazy Arbelo has tied Billy Martin (2000) for the single season record with 25 homers.  He’s tied for third on the career home run list.

·          Arbelo also needs two RBIs to tie for ninth on the single season RBI leader board with 82.  The team record is 108.

Today's Roster Move

Just was told Raywilly Gomez was put on the DL, retroactive to August 1st, with a sore wrist. 

No corresponding move is expected.

Tonight's Lineup - August 4th at Lansing

A bit of a change at the top tonight...

Niko Gallego - SS
Roberto Rodriguez - CF
Matt Helm - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
David Narodowski - DH
Jhoan Pimentel - C
Chris Jarrett - LF

Tyler Green - P

The pregame interview tonight will be with Niko Gallego.  First pitch at 7:05 PM Eastern Time.  Pregame show at 6:45 PM.

Niko Gallego the Movie Star

Curt Rallo of the South Bend Tribune published this piece in today's paper about Niko Gallego and his role in the movie Moneyball. 

Always an interesting story when you talk about ballplayers being actors and actors playing sports.  My goal is to grab Niko for a pregame interview today as well, so we may dive into this more on the pregame show if he's available for an interview after batting practice.

A Mention of the Hawks in Crooked Numbers

Every month, Benjamin Hill of MiLB.com does a column titled Crooked Numbers with all the oddities that happened around Minor League Baseball over the past month.

In the latest column, I noticed that the Silver Hawks were mentioned for having five batters hit by a pitch in the game against Dayton on July 5th.  What wasn't mentioned is the fact that technically Niko Gallego was hit twice -- remember that was the game where Mark Haley got ejected because they ruled Gallego made no effort to get out of the way of the ball. 

Being the astute Media Relations Director that I am, I felt that Mr. Hill needed this information.  Not only did he add it to his column, he gave me a mention as well.  I can now cross "getting mentioned in a MiLB.com column by Ben Hill" off of my baseball bucket list.  Combine that with meeting Dan Shulman from ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball at the stadium yesterday, and I'm having a solid week.

Tonight's Lineup - August 3rd at Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF
Niko Gallego - DH
Matt Helm - 3B
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
David Narodowski - SS
Ramon Castillo - C
Chris Jarrett - LF

J.R. Bradley - P

Tonight's pregame interview is with manager Mark Haley. Pregame show begins at 6:45 PM. First pitch at 7:05 PM.

Update on 2011 Silver Hawks on Different Teams Now

Originally I was just going to post about Zach Walters and update you on what he did, but I figured I should turn this into an update on all the players who have played with South Bend that are now on different teams.

Keon Broxton  - .233, 4 HR, 27 RBIs, 20 SB, but 96 K's with high-A Visalia.

Raul Navarro - .197, 0 HR, 8 RBIs in 33 games with short-season A Yakima.

Zach Walters - Went 1-for-3 in his debut with the high-A Potomac Nationals yesterday.

Brian Budrow - 4-2, 5.35 ERA in 20 relief appearances for high-A Visalia.

Enrique Burgos - 3-3, 7.07 ERA in 8 starts for rookie Missoula.  38 K's in 35.2 IP.

David Holmberg - 2-2, 5.01 ERA in 6 starts for high-A Visalia.  28 K's in 32.1 IP.

Greg Robinson - 0-4, 6.75 ERA in 13 relief appearances for short-season A Yakima.

Dan Taylor - 0-0, 4.73 ERA in 6 appearances (1 start) for high-A Visalia.  12 K's in 13.1 IP.

Playoff Race - 33 To Play

The Hawks have won five of their last seven and trying to make some noise in the playoff race. 

Here's the playoff chase with 33 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	23	14	--
Great Lakes	21	16	-2.0
West Michigan	20	17	-3.0
Fort Wayne	19	18	-4.0
Lake County	17	20	-6.0
South Bend	17	20	-6.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	22	15	--
Clinton	19	18	-3.0
Beloit	17	20	-5.0
Cedar Rapids	16	21	-6.0
Wisconsin	15	22	-7.0
Peoria	13	24	-9.0

Tonight's Lineup - August 2nd at Lansing

Ender Inciarte - CF

Niko Gallego - SS

Matt Helm - DH

Yazy Arbelo - 1B

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Roberto Rodriguez - LF

David Narodowski - 3B

Jhoan Pimentel - C

Roberto Ortiz - RF

 

Bradin Hagens - P

For tonight's pregame interview, we'll get a scouting report on the Lugnuts from their broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler. Pregame show begins at 6:45 PM. First pitch at 7:05 PM.

What Happened to the Field?!?!

Never a good sign when you are greeted by a field that looks like this:

Apparently they left the tarp on too long on a couple of hot, rainy days last week and burnt it out badly.  A little part of me dies when I see a field look this poorly.

From the Notes - August 2nd

South Bend Silver Hawks (16-20 Second Half, 50-55 Overall)
@ Lansing Lugnuts (23-13 Second Half, 61-42 Overall)

Cooley Law School Stadium, Lansing, Michigan – 7:05 PM Eastern Time
                                                                                   
Season Series: 5-5 Tie
@ Coveleski Stadium: 4-3 Lugnuts
@ Cooley Law School Stadium: 2-1 Silver Hawks

Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .244 – 13th                              
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 3.64 ERA – 5th
Lugnuts Team Hitting: .254 – 6th                                        
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 3.90 ERA – 10th

LAST GAME:  Former Diamondbacks farmhand Kevin Eichhorn (WP, 8-3) baffled his former teammates in a complete game four-hitter, leading the West Michigan Whitecaps to a 6-1 victory over the Silver Hawks on Monday evening.  Eichhorn allowed just one run in defeating the Silver Hawks for the second time this season.  Jeff Shields (LP, 7-10) pitched well for South Bend, allowing just three runs (one earned) over 7.0 innings.  Clay Jones had three hits for the Whitecaps, and Steven Moya added a two run homer.  Ender Inciarte had two hits for South Bend.

TEAM NOTES:

·          South Bend has lost six of the last seven home series dating back to the final series of the first half. 

·          The Silver Hawks had 19 homers in July, the most of any month.  They had 10 each in April and June, and 15 in May.

·          South Bend is just 9-for-53 (.170) with RISP over the last six games, but have managed a 4-2 record in that time.

·          The next 14 games are against Lansing and Bowling Green, playoff qualifiers from the first half.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

·          Matt Helm homered in three straight games both July 15-17 and July 24-27.  All seven of his home runs have come in the second half.

·          Roberto Ortiz is on a five game hitting streak – tying his season high.

·          Yazy Arbelo had two singles in Sunday’s game – the first time he’s had two singles since May 22nd. 

Tonight's Lineup - August 1st vs. West Michigan

Ender Inciarte - CF

Niko Gallego - SS

Matt Helm - 3B

Yazy Arbelo - DH

Gerson Montilla - 2B

Roberto Rodriguez - RF

Ramon Castillo - 1B

Chris Jarrett - LF

Jhoan Pimentel - C

Jeff Shields - P

Tonight's pregame interview is with Mike Bolsinger. Pregame show begins at 6:40 PM. First pitch at 7 PM.

Today's Roster Move - August 1st

With Saturday's trade of Zach Walters to the Washington Nationals organization, the Arizona Diamondbacks have announced today the promotion of infielder David Narodowski to the South Bend Silver Hawks. Narodowski joins the Hawks from short-season A Yakima.

Full story here.

Article on Bolsinger

As expected, MiLB.com wanted to talk to Mike Bolsinger after today's outstanding performance.  And why not, he tossed eight innings of one-hit ball.  You can read the article here.

Also, you heard me talk a lot on the air about the one hit and the debate over hit versus error.  To be honest, it was absolutely a hit as Ender Inciarte dove for it and had it go off his glove.  The only debate is because there was a potential no-hitter in progress, but the right call was made.  Everyone in the locker room agreed that it was a hit.

Today's Lineup - July 31st vs. West Michigan

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

Mike Bolsinger - SP

No pregame interview todayt, but we'll update the standings and do a MLB scoreboard look. Pregame show begins at 1:40 PM. First pitch at 2:00 PM.