It’s the final day before the All-Star Break. Who finished the first half on a high note? Find out below!
ORLANDO CALRISSIANS 4, JACKSONVILLE DRAGONS 3
All the pieces were in place for the Jacksonville Dragons to exit the first half with a win. Their ace had pitched 8 masterful innings, and their bats had provided a lead against the Orlando Calrissians. All they needed was for their newly anointed closer, Blueberry Jackson, to record three outs and the Dragons would head into the All-Star Break in style.
Instead, Jackson collapsed in stunning fashion, allowing three home runs and turning a seemingly sure victory into a 4-3 gut-punch of a defeat.
Dragons manager Harlan Davidson reportedly responded to the defeat by trashing his office and then holding a 25-minute closed-door meeting in which he used “every curse word I’ve ever heard, and a few that I hadn’t heard of,” in the words of one player. Davidson refused to speak to the press after the game.
Even the normally happy-go-lucky Jackson was subdued in his postgame comments. “It’s a big disappointment, obviously,” said the lefty reliever. “I don’t know what happened, but everything just went all cattywampus as soon as I stepped on the hill.”
For the first 8 innings of the game, the Dragons appeared to have things comfortably in hand. For a team hoping to make a second-half surge and get back in contention, it was a hopeful sign. McGee limited the Calrissians to one run on three hits, along with six strikeouts.
“I know you’re not supposed to talk about how awesome you were after a game like this, but I was awesome,” said McGee, who received the All-Star nod he’d been lobbying for. “I was damn fine. They should have just kept me in, ‘cause those suckers couldn’t buy a hit off me.”
Meanwhile, the Dragons took advantage of a missed fly ball by Orlando LF Lauren Hartl in the 3rd inning to score three unearned runs. McGee had made that lead stand up, and then Jackson entered to finish things off.
But Calrissians C Amos McCormack led off the inning with a home run. Jackson got one out on a roller to first, but then 1B Brooks Defoor planted a flat slider in the right-field stands. One out later, RF Bart Law launched a third homer run to right, near the same spot where McCormack and Defoor had hit theirs. Suddenly, the lead was gone. A stunned silence fell over the crowd as Tesla Field as Davidson came to remove Jackson (5-2) from the game.
The Dragons closer denied that he was hiding an injury, although something has appeared off with his delivery in recent appearances. “Sometimes as a closer, you have bad days,” said Jackson. “This was a hella bad day for me, and now I got a week off to think about it.”
Jackson’s collapse allowed Orlando starter Charles McNally (2-6) to collect the win. McNally, who was cut by the Dragons in spring training, pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing only the three unearned runs from the 3rd.
“I believe in karma,” said McNally. “If you ask me, it seems totally fitting. Everything seemed fine right until the end, and then boom, it all goes to hell. I definitely recall that storyline. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of guys.”
Orlando lefty Ian Grazier recorded the final out for his first save.
Despite the win, the Calrissians (22-51) remain mired firmly in the Eastern basement. The Dragons (30-41) sit in third, 14 1/2 games behind first-place Knoxville.
6/27/2015, ORL15-JAX15, Tesla Field
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2015 Calrissians 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 4 6 1 2 0
2015 Dragons 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 7 1
Calrissians AB R H BI AVG Dragons AB R H BI AVG
Hartl lf 4 0 1 0 .278 Leon cf 5 1 2 0 .267
Defoor 1b 4 2 2 1 .241 Kapoor 1b 3 0 0 0 .318
Buendia ss 4 0 1 1 .293 Teachout c 3 0 0 0 .357
Law rf 4 1 1 1 .276 Hopps rf 3 1 0 0 .292
Figeroa 3b 3 0 0 0 .253 Hartley lf 4 1 0 0 .255
Crofoot 2b 4 0 0 0 .201 Parker lf 0 0 0 0 .206
Nabors dh 3 0 0 0 .178 Esquivel dh 4 0 2 2 .260
Elias cf 2 0 0 0 .192 Herdt ss 4 0 0 0 .228
McCormack c 3 1 1 1 .214 Taliaferro 3b 4 0 1 0 .183
31 4 6 4 Popejoy 2b 2 0 0 0 .214
Mount 2b 1 0 1 0 .213
33 3 6 2
Calrissians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
McNally W 2-6 8.2 6 3 0 3 2 133 83 9.56
Grazier S 1 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 8.06
9.0 6 3 0 3 2 135 84
Dragons INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
McGee 8.0 3 1 1 1 6 98 63 2.91
Jackson BS 2, L 5-2 0.2 3 3 3 1 0 18 11 3.12
Avallone 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 4.81
9.0 6 4 4 2 6 121 77
JAX: Mount inserted at 2b in the 8th
Parker inserted at lf in the 9th
E-Hartl. 2B-Defoor(14), Buendia(9), Taliaferro(3). HR-Defoor(16), Law(10),
McCormack(1). RBI-Defoor(44), Buendia(43), Law(24), McCormack(9),
Esquivel 2(19). CS-Hartl. K-Law 2, Figeroa, Crofoot, Nabors, Elias, Leon 2.
BB-Figeroa, Elias, Kapoor, Teachout, Hopps. SH-Popejoy. WP-Grazier.
GWRBI: Law
Temperature: 70, Wind: none.
SILVER CITY OUTLAWS 8, MILWAUKEE BEAR CLAWS 7
The Milwaukee Bear Claws have cut a wide swath through the competition in the first half, leaving their division rivals gasping in their wake and dominating the East’s best in inter-division play as well. Therefore, it was a bit shocking to see the Bear Claws end the first half with a thud, blowing a huge lead and suffering an 8-7 loss to the Silver City Outlaws.
“Obviously not the way we wanted to go into the break,” said Bear Claws manager Poss Horton. “But hell, it’s only one game.”
The Bear Claws batted around in the 1st against Outlaws starter Juan Carlos Lopez, scoring five runs. They chased him from the game in the 3rd, and by the end of the inning they led 7-0.
Normally, a lead that size in the hands of Lou Mallory would be a sure thing for Milwaukee. But the extreme New Mexico heat seemed to affect the Bear Claws ace, who allowed a pair of two-run homers to Outlaws 2B Marlon Hintz and RF Nathaniel Wason before departing in the 5th with cramping issues. Mallory was treated for dehydration, but is expected to make his next start.
Reliever Chris Karnik (3-2) followed Mallory, but reverted to his poor early-season form. He opened by allowing a double and a triple, and before departing after the 6th, he allowed a two-run bomb to 3B Rusty Brewmaker, completing the Milwaukee collapse.
“I feel awful that I couldn’t hold the lead for Lou,” said Karnik. “Thank God he’s going to be okay.”
Meanwhile, the Outlaws bullpen, recently nicknamed the “Dirt Hogs” by manager John Jarha, performed almost flawlessly in relief of Lopez. Five relievers combined to allow one run on four hits over the final 7 innings. Jamaal Sapp (4-0) got credit for the win, while Go Matsumoto collected his 18th save.
“That’s why I love those dirt hogs,” said Jarha. “Down seven, up seven, tie game, they treat it all the same. They just go out and do a job.”
The Outlaws (41-33) head into the break in third place in the West, trailing the first-place Bear Claws (55-21) by 13 games.
6/27/2015, MIL15-SCO15, The Corral
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2015 Bear Claws 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 9 2 5 0
2015 Outlaws 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 x 8 9 1 4 0
Bear Claws AB R H BI AVG Outlaws AB R H BI AVG
Petitt ss 5 1 1 0 .323 Brewmaker 3b 4 2 1 2 .277
Iddings 2b 4 1 0 0 .278 Cardona cf 4 0 0 0 .224
Mateo 1b 4 1 0 0 .356 Wason rf 4 1 1 2 .290
Suzuki 3b 3 1 1 1 .305 Elliott 1b 4 1 2 0 .302
Mealey lf 3 1 1 0 .308 Whittier dh 4 1 2 1 .247
Raine dh 4 1 3 2 .258 Ivey lf 4 0 0 0 .258
Trumbauer rf 4 1 2 3 .257 Burt ss 4 2 2 0 .230
McGuigan c 4 0 1 1 .283 Hintz 2b 4 1 1 2 .222
Dipalma cf 4 0 0 0 .222 Jeffreys c 3 0 0 0 .263
35 7 9 7 35 8 9 7
Bear Claws INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Mallory 4.2 4 4 2 1 2 80 56 3.39
Karnik L 3-2 1.1 4 4 3 0 1 28 17 5.79
Abernathy 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 23 14 2.73
8.0 9 8 5 1 5 131 87
Outlaws INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Lopez 2.0 5 6 5 2 0 44 29 3.73
Foster 2.0 1 1 1 1 0 29 17 8.44
Menard 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 15 8 2.61
Sapp W 4-0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 3.64
Humphrey H 4 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 28 20 3.68
Matsumoto S 18 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 9 6 2.17
9.0 9 7 6 3 1 131 83
E-Iddings, Mateo, Wason. 2B-Trumbauer(20), Elliott(27). 3B-Whittier(1).
HR-Brewmaker(16), Wason(32), Hintz(3). RBI-Suzuki(61), Raine 2(40),
Trumbauer 3(38), McGuigan(29), Brewmaker 2(53), Wason 2(67), Whittier(10),
Hintz 2(8). SB-Trumbauer(5). K-Trumbauer, Brewmaker, Wason 2, Hintz,
Jeffreys. BB-Iddings, Mateo, Mealey, Jeffreys. SF-Suzuki. PB-McGuigan.
GWRBI: Brewmaker
Temperature: 103, Field: wet, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 1 MPH.
CALIFORNIA SHARKS 7, SALT LAKE SAMURAI 5
The California Sharks will head into the All-Star Break with a smile. The Sharks’ surprisingly potent offense was firing on all cylinders again today, and their pitching survived a wobbly 9th to notch a 7-5 win over the Salt Lake Samurai, completing a sweep of the four-game series.
Though the Sharks still trail the Milwaukee Bear Claws by a significant margin in the West, manager Eduardo Aponte remains upbeat about the team’s chances. “We remain behind the fastest gazelle,” said Aponte, “but the lion has not yet eaten us.”
California used a patient approach to rack up a steady stream of hits against Samurai starter Logan Morris (4-9). They drove him out of the game in the 4th after collecting five straight base hits and a total of four runs. In the 6th, the Sharks capitalized on an error by Salt Lake RF Romeo Martinez to plate three unearned runs against reliever Jimmy Okamura.
California starter Kevin Conner (5-5), who has had an uneven first half, turned in one of his finer performances through the first 8 innings of this game. Conner scattered eight hits and held the Samurai to two runs over that time. He ran out of gas in the 9th, and Aponte had to bring in reliever Jan Arzola and closer Eugene Grace to get them out of it. Despite allowing two hits, one of which brought in a run, Grace held on for his 15th save.
Aponte said that he intends to re-evaluate his bullpen usage over the break. He has generally preferred to let starters pitch as deep into games as they can. But this policy has allowed some starters, especially Conner, to stumble late in games. Meanwhile, several California relievers are suffering from sporadic work.
“We have a fine bullpen,” said Aponte. “Perhaps I can use them more. But I also have great confidence in our starters, and I trust them to work out of difficult situations. It is important to find that difficult balance.”
The Sharks (43-29) end the first half in second place in the West, 10 games behind first-place Milwaukee and three ahead of third-place Silver City. The Samurai (18-60) remain in a distant last place, although they showed signs of improvement over the last couple weeks.
6/27/2015, SLC15-CAL15, Blue Note Stadium
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2015 Samurai 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 5 14 1 9 1
2015 Sharks 1 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 x 7 10 1 5 1
Samurai AB R H BI AVG Sharks AB R H BI AVG
Motonari ss 5 1 2 1 .245 Corona rf 3 0 0 1 .302
Whitworth dh 5 0 1 0 .273 Suarez cf 4 1 1 0 .240
Cosgrove cf 4 0 3 1 .283 Smyth ss 4 0 2 0 .374
Martinez rf 4 0 2 1 .291 Mader lf 4 0 1 1 .337
Thomas 1b 5 0 0 0 .218 Nix dh 3 1 1 0 .326
Sparks lf 4 1 2 0 .266 Mote 3b 3 2 1 0 .236
Turnbull c 4 0 1 0 .121 Oller 2b 2 2 2 1 .284
Davidson 3b 4 2 1 1 .194 Puffer 2b 0 0 0 0 .170
Montalvo 2b 4 1 2 0 .207 Gerke 1b 4 0 1 1 .196
39 5 14 4 Carpenter c 4 1 1 1 .227
31 7 10 5
Samurai INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Morris L 4-9 3.0 9 4 4 1 0 51 34 5.28
Okamura 5.0 1 3 0 3 3 57 30 7.94
8.0 10 7 4 4 3 108 64
Sharks INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Conner W 5-5 8.1 11 5 5 2 6 128 87 5.45
Arzola H 6 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 8 7 0.96
Grace S 15 0.1 2 0 0 0 1 13 8 4.10
9.0 14 5 5 2 7 149 102
CAL: Puffer inserted at 2b in the 9th
E-Martinez, Mader. 2B-Martinez(10), Smyth(18), Oller(12). HR-Davidson(2).
RBI-Motonari(28), Cosgrove(29), Martinez(26), Davidson(16), Corona(35),
Mader(61), Oller(45), Gerke(7), Carpenter(8). K-Martinez 2, Thomas 2, Sparks,
Turnbull 2, Suarez 2, Carpenter. BB-Cosgrove, Martinez, Nix, Mote, Oller 2.
SF-Corona. PB-Carpenter. WP-Okamura.
GWRBI: Oller
Temperature: 77, Sky: cloudy, Wind: in from right at 3 MPH.
Patriot League 