3-17. That's what Richmond's record was on May 3rd at the end of their 15 game losing streak. 3-17. This morning they're on a bus following a highly successful 6-1 homestand that has brought their record up to just 2 games away from .500, at 21-23. And they ended that homestand in style.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out the video of the Kelby Tomlinson walk off single! <a href="http://t.co/X2GxvioB37">pic.twitter.com/X2GxvioB37</a></p>— #VoteRVA (@GoSquirrels) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoSquirrels/status/604118510596427776">May 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
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That's organizational swiss army knife Ryan Lollis diving into home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th, driven in by latest over-achieving MI Kelby Tomlinson's ground single to right. Here's to you Squirrels! It takes a lot of keeping your mind right to make this kind of comeback from a 3-17 start.
HIGHLIGHTS: Jarrett Parker went 2 for 2 with a BB and a HR. Ryder Jones went 2 for 4 with a HR.
Sacramento lost to Nashville (A's), 3-2
getting swept in the 4 game series 0-4, and the homestand 0-8
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
BA |
LF |
Jarrett Parker |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.274 |
1b |
John Bowker |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.252 |
|
Rest of team |
24 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
Kevin Correia |
7.0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.58 |
Steven Okert, BS1, L |
0.2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3.80 |
Mike Broadway |
1.1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.21 |
Oh, Sacramento! The RiverCats losing streak extends to 9 games now, second longest in the org this year. They were so close to ending their woebegotten homestand on a happy note, but it wasn't to be. The offense, going up against minor (and briefly major) league journeyman Brad Mills and ambidextrous Pat Venditte, was held to two solo HRs, John Bowker's 2nd of the year and Jarrett Parker's 9th, a bomb to straightaway CF.
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But it appeared that would be all they needed thanks to Kevin Correia's strong start, going 7 scoreless innings and handing the ball to Sacramento's normally capable bullpen. But in six batters, Steven Okert fumbled away the lead and the game. Okert has appeared in 17 games this year (21.1 IP) and in 14 of them he's been unscored upon. But in two of his outings, he's allowed 8 runs (of 9 on the year) in only 0.2 IP combined. Yesterday was a bad time to have his second blowup outing of the year. He got two quick outs, sandwiched around a HB, but then back to back singles set up the key moment of the game:
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That doesn't really look like that bad of a result to me. Either they had Bowker playing the LHH Pridie way off the line, or John's range at 1b is maybe a little substandard. Anyway, the end result was a two-run triple that decided the game.
Correia pitched well and it seems pretty likely to me that he'll take his opt out on Monday and find himself a major league job somewhere. Juan Gutierrez also has a June 1 opt out, though his prospects may not be quite so good. We'll see.
As you might guess, A's fans were quite gleeful to see their AAA affiliate come to Sacramento and sweep.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After the <a href="https://twitter.com/nashvillesounds">@nashvillesounds</a> swept the <a href="https://twitter.com/RiverCats">@RiverCats</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SoundsRamento?src=hash">#SoundsRamento</a>, changing affiliates was very bad for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sacramento?src=hash">#Sacramento</a>. <a href="https://t.co/14BJxIcU8U">https://t.co/14BJxIcU8U</a></p>— Mike Barnbaum (@SacKingRepublic) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacKingRepublic/status/604042818609385472">May 28, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Richmond beat Harrisburg (Nats), 3-2 in 10 innings
sweeping the three game series, 3-0
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
BA |
2b |
Kelby Tomlinson |
5 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.327 |
SS |
Rando Moreno |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.326 |
LF |
Devin Harris |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.301 |
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
Kelvin Marte |
0.1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.82 |
Edwin Quirarte |
4.2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2.13 |
Stephen Johnson |
3.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.52 |
Jose Casilla, W, 2-2 |
2.0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.13 |
The game had about as ominous an opening as you could ask for. Harrisburg loaded the bases in the top of the 1st, and then the rains came. After about an hour and a half delay, Richmond was looking at a bases loaded, one out situation and they'd lost their SP, as Marte didn't return following the delay. Edwin Quirarte, Indy Ball refugee, came on and gave the Squirrels a yeoman's effort. While he did allow a single to let 2 of Marte's runners score, he locked it down the rest of the way and got the team through 5 innings with just those two runs. Stephen Johnson and Jose Casilla added 5 more scoreless innings, giving Richmond the chance for a comeback on a day when their offense struggled to get untracked.
For most of the game, the only offense was Devin Harris' solo HR (his 4th). Harris is, in some ways, a poor man's Jarrett Parker. He's athletic with power, speed, and a strong arm, and he can turn on an inside fastball and put a serious jolt into it. And he also has a career K rate in the high 20s%.
Heading to the bottom of the 9th down 2-1, the Squirrels sent it into extra innings when Rando Moreno and Mac Williamson worked walks, and after a FC groundout, Ricky Oropesa delivered a Sac Fly to tie it. Then in the 10th Ryan Lollis singled to open the inning, and with one out and the pitcher's spot up, they sent Jose Casilla to the plate (though they did have a couple more reserves left on the bench). Casilla successfully droppped a bunt in his first PA of the year (and the 9th of his career), and with two outs Kelby Tomlinson delivered the win as seen above. Then there were fireworks!
With the 9th inning walk, Mac Williamson extended his streak of reaching base in 17 consecutive games, and 26 out of the past 27.
As they head out on the road the Squirrels remind their fans to vote early and often for their logo and their All-Stars.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Voting Central: Best logo: <a href="http://t.co/rY5RDFauD2">http://t.co/rY5RDFauD2</a> All Star Ballot: <a href="http://t.co/3WeQF9mZC4">http://t.co/3WeQF9mZC4</a> Best track (RIR): <a href="http://t.co/dyJsSIvpWH">http://t.co/dyJsSIvpWH</a></p>— #VoteRVA (@GoSquirrels) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoSquirrels/status/603934190346838017">May 28, 2015</a></blockquote>
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San Jose lost at High Desert (Rangers), 12-2
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
BA |
RF |
Hunter Cole |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
.339 |
2b |
Austin Slater |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.321 |
3b |
Ryder Jones |
4 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.293 |
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
DJ Snelten, L 0-5 |
2.0 |
6 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4.84 |
Tyler Rogers |
3.0 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.24 |
Jake Smith |
2.0 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4.02 |
Ian Gardeck |
1.0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.52 |
The rolling SJ Giants hit a bit a bump in the road with this pounding in High Desert. Though they had a few scoring opportunities, in the end the only scoring they did on the night came on Ryder Jones' team-leading 4th HR of the year. In all they had 8 hits (7 singles), and 2 BBs against 9 Ks, so the singles attack wasn't quite out in full force on this night. Hunter Cole, playing RF in this game, dropped a fly ball in the 2nd inning that opened the floodgates for 4 unearned runs and the rout was on. Ryder Jones also had an error in this game (his 9th), however, it's been quite noticeable that in their recent hot streak the early defensive lapses had calmed down and they've been playing clean defensive games for the most part. Jones' HR extended his hit streak to 7 games.
DJ Snelten probably didn't deserve to have as bad a line as he ended up with. But it's also true that one dropped fly ball preceded a whole mess of hits. Snelten has probably been the least effective of SJs starters this year (not counting Luis Ysla who was demoted to the pen). His ERA and FIP are nearly exact matches, and his peripherals have been poor on the year as well, as he's had a lowish K9 (7.8) and a highish BB9 (3.5).
After a strong start to the year, Jake Smith has now allowed HRs in each of his past three appearances, and five HRs overall in 31 IP. High Desert's 16 hits was a season high for hits allowed in a game by the SJ staff. You can find SJ's game wrap and notes here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game Recap: Mavericks Rout Giants, Win Streak Snapped At Eight <a href="http://t.co/fgqJsvHfTo">http://t.co/fgqJsvHfTo</a></p>— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) <a href="https://twitter.com/SJGiants/status/604167545319510016">May 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
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And you can hear Manager Russ Morman discuss the team's recent fortunes with Joe Ritzo here:
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Augusta lost to Asheville (Rockies), 7-2
|
Name |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
BA |
2b-SS |
Travious Relaford |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.278 |
LF |
Cristian Paulino |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
.329 |
C |
Jared Deacon |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.192 |
1b |
Skyler Ewing |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.184 |
Name |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
HR |
HB |
WP |
ERA |
Nicholas Gonzalez, L, 1-3 |
3.2 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6.14 |
Rodolfo Martinez |
1.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.95 |
Carlos Diaz |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.46 |
The Greenjackets had 13 base runners in this game on 9 hits (3 XBH), 2 BBs, and 2 HB, but until the final couple of innings they weren't able to turn those runners into runs. Another lackluster start from Nicholas Gonzalez got them down big by the middle innings and they were never able to get themselves back into the game despite nice nights from Travious Relaford and, once again, Cristian Paulino who got on base 3 times, stole his 11 base of the year, and got one of 3 Augusta XBH on the night.
***
Pretty interesting night on the mound tonight with scheduled starters Ty Blach, Chris Stratton, Martin Agosta, and Jose Reyes. Blach takes on the elevation of Colorado Springs. Keep it down, Ty!