Cats fall to Bowie; Wings upend Iron Pigs

New Britain 5 at Bowie 7

W: F. Romero (7-3, 3.04); L: J. Rainville (8-9, 6.50); SV: J. Manon (26)
HR: NBR: D. Martin (8). BOW: J. Tucker (5).

A three-run home run by Jonathan Tucker in the fifth inning helped lift the Bowie Baysox to a 7-2 win over the New Britain Rock Cats Thursday night.

Back-to-back doubles by Carlos Rojas and Nolan Reimold in the bottom of the first inning saw Sebastien Boucher, who'd led off with a single, and Rojas cross the plate to give the Orioles' affiliate an early 2-0 lead.

David Winfree singled his way onto the basepaths. Dustin Martin would strike out, but Felix Molina and Matt Moses hit back-to-back singles that plated Winfree. Drew Butera then doubled the pair of runners in to make it 3-2 Rock Cats in the top of the 2nd. Toby Gardenhire would take a walk, but Steve Tolleson went down on strikes and Brian Dinkelman ground into a force out to end the inning.

Brock Peterson doubled to lead off the top of the 3rd, then moved to 3rd on a wild pitch by Brad Bergesen. Winfree would strike out before Dustin Martin put his eighth home run of the season over the right field fence. That made it 5-2 Rock Cats and signaled a pitching change that brought Felix Romero out to the mound. The new hurler would get Felix Molina to ground out and Matt Moses to strike out to end the top of the set.

The bottom the fifth saw Rojas doubled and Reimold single. Matt Wieters' sac-fly plated Rojas. Ryan Finan took a walk before Jay Rainville got Steve Torrealba to fly out. Jeff Nettles then gave up a double that scored Reimold. Tucker would go yard at that point, bring in 3 for the game winning run, plus an insurance marker.

The Cats would only manage six hits in the contest, all limited to the first 2.1 innings, with Peterson, Winfree, Martin, Molina and Moses, all going 1-for-4 with a run. Peterson would add a double, Martin a pair of runs scored and Moses an RBI. Butera finished up 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

It was Rainville's ninth loss of the season. Jason Miller would work the last three inning, giving up a pair of hits while fanning one.

The two teams rematch Friday at Prince George's Stadium for a 7:05 PM contest. RHP David Hernandez (6-4, 2.60 ERA) throws out the first pitch for Bowie against Rock Cats LHP Ryan Mullins (7-8, 4.56 ERA).

Box
Log
Baysox
Wednesday:
NB Herald
Gazette
Tuesday:
NB Herald
NB Herald: Meja



Lehigh Valley 7 at Rochester 11

W: J. DePaula (2-5, 6.33); L: T. Blackley (5-9, 5.47); SV: B. Korecky (19)
HR: LHV: J. Knott (18), A. Tracy (18). ROC: G. Jones (16), L. Hughes (1).

Garrett Jones and Luke Hughes each hit 2-run homers in the 3rd inning to help propel the Rochester Red Wings over the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Thursday at Frontier Field.

Andy Tracy doubled in Jason Jaramillo in the top of the first to give the Iron Pigs one run early. Hughes, Matt Macri and Trevor Plouffe all hit singles in the bottom of the 2nd to tie up the contest.

Jason Pridie would lead off the bottom of the 3rd with a triple and Alejandro Machado would single him in. Michael Cuddyer double to plate Machado before Jones went yard to make it 5-1 Wings. Howie Clark singled and Luke Hughes put his first AAA home run over the center field wall to make it 7-1 Cats.

Tracy and Jon Knott hit back-to-back solo shot home runs off Phillip Humber. It was the 18th of the year for both players. Oscar Robles and Joey Hammond both singled before Humber got Rouse to pop out. T.J. Bohn singled to plate Robles, which finished up Humber's tenur on the hill. Julio DePaula would replace him getting Brandon Watson to pop out before walking Rich Thompson to load the bags. Jaramillo would ground out however to leave the runners stranded.

For some reason, the Iron Pigs left Travis Blackley on the mound for the bottom of the fourth. Machado would single and Cuddyer double. Jones grounder to center scored the pair. Clark's single moved Jones to 3rd and, following a strike out to Hughes, Macri would sacrifice him in. Plouffe would take a walk before the Pigs finally trotted Jason Anderson out to the mound to get Jeff Christy to strike out and end the inning.

Hughes singled in the bottom of the 6th and one out later, Trevor Plouffe doubled him to 3rd. A sac fly by Christy got the Aussie across the plate for the final Wings run.

The Pigs would take 3 off of Carmen Cali in the top of the 9th, with Bohn tripling and Watson doubling him in. Thomspon singled. Jaramillo hit into a ground out, but Tracy singled to bring in Watson. Knott's grounder scored Jaramillo before Bobby Korecky came in to replace Cali, getting Robles to fly out and Hammond to strike out to end the contest.

Hughes would finish off 3-for-4 with a walk, 3 runs and a pair of RBIs. Machado was 4-for-4 in the designated hitter roll with pair of walks, a pair of runs and a run scored. Pride, Jones and Clark were all 2-for-5, each with a run except for Jones, who had two. Pridie added a walk and a triple, and Jones recorded 4 RBIs. Plouffe was a modest 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and a RBI, while Macri and Christy were both 1-for-4, missing out on the one hit wonder title by picking up a RBI each.

The Indy Indians come to Frontier Field on Friday, August 8, for a 7:05 PM contest. RHP Kevin Mulvey (4-8, 3.85 ERA) gets the start for the Twins against Indians RHP Ross Ohlendorf (1-1, 4.61).

Box
Log
Red Wings
Iron Pigs
RD&C
RD&C
Morning Call

Alejandro Machado now has a 16-game hitting streak, batting .426 (26-for-61) during the streak. It's the second longest streak by a Red Wing this season (Randy Ruiz, 24-game hitting streak).

Jason Pridie hit his league-leading 15th triple.

The Wings won their eighth straight home game.

Luke Hughes had three hits, three runs scored and two RBI, and is now hitting .323 at Triple-A.

Despite the Red Wings' 58-63 record they’ve outscored their opponents 577-559.

Twins OF Michael Cuddyer continued his rehab assignment with the Wings; Cuddyer had a pair of doubles and a walk in five plate appearances.

Brian Duensing is blogging about Beijing and the Olympics. You can read his exploits on MLB Blogs.

Bowie boinks Cats; Wings Zinked in Pawtucket

New Britain 1 at Bowie 9

W: F. Romero (6-3, 3.25); L: R. Mullins (7-8, 4.49)
HR: BOW: M. Wieters (6), S. Torrealba (4).

Four different Bowie pitchers scattered nine hits over nine innings, holding the declawed New Britain Rock Cats to only 1 run.

After blanking the Cats on Monday, the Baysox wasted no time going after the Rock Cats starter Ryan Mullins. Matt Wieters doubled to lead off the second inning, and Steve Torrealba went yard, sending his fourth home run of the season over the left field fence. Despite singled to Jeff Nettles and Sebastien Bouchers, and a walk to Alex Cintron, the Cats were able to keep Bowie in check for the remainder of the inning.

Louis Montanez singled in the bottom of the 3rd and came home on a Nolan Reimond double, coupled with a throwing error by shortstop Toby Gardenhire that sent Reimold to 3rd. Wieters singled to bring in the runner and Torrealba drew a walk. Nettles ground into a double play however, and Jonathan Tucker went down on strikes to end the inning.

Zach Ward replaced Mullins in the bottom of the 4th, and walked Boucher. Alex Cintron singled out and tried to stretch it for a double. Boucher would make it to 3rd, but Cintron would be taken out at 2nd. Carlos Rojas went down on strikes before Montanez's line drive plated Boucher. A wild pitch move Montanez to 2nd and Reimold took a walk before Weiter launched his sixth home run of the season over the left field fence, adding 3 more to the Baysox total.

Despite an attempt by Dustin Martin to get some scoring going in the first inning, and getting David Winfree all the way to 3rd in the top of the fourth, nothing would happen for the Rock Cats until the top of the 6th. Winfree singled and advanced to 2nd on a balk by Felix Romero. Erik Lis' ground out saw him to 3rd and a Brock Peterson triple plated the Cats' outfielder. Peterson would be left stranded though as Steve Tolleson and Toby Gardenhire both went down on strikes.

Frank Mata would take over the mound from Ben Julianel in the top of the 8th and hit Rojas with a pitch to lead out. Montanez ground into a force out that took Rojas down, but Reimold followed up with a single. Wieters sent a grounder out to right to score Montanez to give the Baysox their ninth run of the night.

Winfree was 3-for-4 for the Cats with a run, Martin was 2-for-3 with a walk. Tolleson and Palacios, both 1-for-4, and Hughes, 1-for-5, had hit singles for the Cats, while Peterson finished up 1-for-4 with a triple and a RBI.

Game three of the four-game series is Wednesday at Price George's Stadium, with the first pitch due at 7:05 PM.

Box
Log
Baysox
Courant



Rochester 3 at Pawtucket 5

W: C. Zink (13-3, 2.76); L: R. Barrett (3-5, 3.21); SV: C. Smith (13)
HR: PAW: G. Velazquez (6).

Charlie Zink lead the Pawtucket Red Sox to yet another win over the Rochester Red Wings, although the Wings did manage to wiggle three runs from the stingy Mr. Zink.

Kevin Mulvey took the start for the Red Wings and the Pawsox jumped on him in the first inning with Jeff Baily doubling then moving to 3rd on a wild pitch. Mulvey then hit Jeff Natale with a pitch, but got Brandon Moss to hit into a force out. Bailey would score on the play that took Natale out at second base, but a throwing error by 2nd baseman Trevor Plouffe allowed Moss to advance to 2nd. Mulvey would then get Chris Carter to fly out and George Kottaras to line out to strand Moss.

Jason Pridie would double in the 3rd and Alejandro Machado followed up with a single. Matt Macri singled to bring in Pridie and Garrett Jones also singled to plate Machado. Randy Ruiz then doubled to drive in Macri. Jones would try to go home as well and would be taken out at the plate on the throw, which moved Ruiz to 3rd. But Howie Clark ground out, ending the inning.

That would be it for the Wings though as Zink allowed 9 hits and a walk while striking out 2 over seven innings for his 13th win of the season.

Former Red Wing Gil Valazquez homered, his sixth of the year, for the Pawsox in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the Cat's lead to one.

Jeff Corsaletti doubled in the bottom of the 7th and that would do it for Mulvey, who left the mound after allowing six hits and striking out 4 in 6.1 innings. Ricky Barrett took over, and allowed a single to Valazquez that plated Corsaeltti. Jonathan Van Every tripled to drive in Velazques, putting the Pawsox on top. Tim Lahey was then invited to step to the mound, and after a brief coaching visit, saw Jeff Bailey smack a line drive out to left to score Van Every for the insurance run.

Barrett would pick up both the blown save, his 2nd of the season, and the loss, his fifth.

Pridie, Machado and Ruiz were all 2-for-4, Pridie and Machado with runs and Ruiz with a RBI. Macri and Sergio Santos were both 1-for-4, Macri with a run and a RBI. Jones was 1-for-3, with a walk and a RBI.

The series continues Wednesday afternoon with newly promoted Anthony Swarzak making his first AAA start for the Wings. He will face David Pauley (12-3, 3.39). First pitch is due at 12:05 PM at McCoy Stadium.

Box
Log
Pawsox
Red Wings
PawTimes
R-News
RD&C
Pawsox Blog

The Red Wings' 20-37 record away from Frontier Field this season is the 2nd worst road record in the International League (Richmond has the worst road record 19-35). Rochester has lost nine of their last 11 road games.

Despite the Red Wings' 52-60 record they’ve outscored their opponents 526-525.

Jason Pridie photo courtesy of Nancy Zinni.

Defenders, weather, claim games from Rock Cats

Saturday: New Britain 7 at Connecticut 8

W: R. Ray (4-1, 3.31); L: A. Gabino (5-5, 3.26); SV: J. Hedrick (5)
HR: CT: P. Sandoval (6).

The New Britain Rock Cats came back from a 6-1 deficit to tie Saturday's game against the Connecticut Defenders, but a pair of runs in the 7th inning doomed to them in the end.

Danny Valencia singled and David Winfree doubled to bring him home, giving the Rock cats a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

The bottom of the 3rd saw Simon Klink take a single off Rock Cat's starter Jeff Manship. After David Marout flew out to center, Kyle Haines singled and Antoan Richardson took a walk to load the bags. Ben Copeland would go down on strikes and it looked like Manship might get himself out of the jam when Pablo Sandoval saw something he liked and connected for a grand slam, his sixth home run of the season going over the right field wall.

Ryan Rohlinger would start out the bottom of the fourth with a single. After Klink went down on strikes David Marout reached on a force attempt. A double error on short stop Felix Molina, one for the fielding, one for throwing, put Rohlinger on 3rd and Marout on 2nd. Kyle Haines singled out to left to score the pair. Haines would try for 2nd base, but was taken down by Luke Hughes. A Richardson fly out ended the inning.

Toby Gardenhire singled to lead off the top of the 5th, then scampered over to 3rd on a Drew Butera line drive. Matt Moses and Steve Tollenson would both go down on strikes before Dustin Martin single to plate Gardenhire. Valencia followed that up with a line drive single to put Butera over the plate, and a fielding error by Richardson allowed Martin to score as well. Valencia ended up at 3rd. Winfree would take a walk before Ben Snyder's time on the Connecticut mound was ended. Ronnie Ray joined the game for the Giant's affiliate. He'd give up a double to Hughes that put Valencia and Winfree over the plate for two more runs, before getting Felix Molina to ground out, ending the inning.

Snyder left the game after giving up six runs, all earned on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out 2 over 4.2 innings worth of work. Manship would work six allowing six runs, 4 earned, on 7 hits and 2 walks while fanning four.

Dustin Martin lead off the top of the 7th inning with a double and would come home, one out later, on a David Winfree single to put the Cats up by one.

It was short lived.

With Armando Gabino on the hill for New Britain, Marout drew a walk. Haines would go down on strikes and Richardson ground into a force out. Copeland singled, and Richardson advanced to 3rd on a fielding error by Martin. Sandoval's single scored Richardson, and Adam Witter's line drive to right brought in Copeland, putting the Defenders on the top again.

Paul Oseguera took three Cats batters down on strikes in the eighth, and Justin Hedrick used a combination of outs to finish off the game.

Gabino would get hit with both the blown save, his first of the season, and the loss, his fifth.

Winfree finished up the contest 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and a pair of runs scored. Martin and Valencia were both 2-for-5 with a pair of runs and a RBI each. Hughes (1-for-3 with a walk) and Moses (1-for-4) both added doubles, Hughes with a pair of RBIs as well, while Gardenhire and Butera were each 1-for-4 with a run.

Box
Log
Rock Cats
Defenders
Courant
Bulletin
NB Herald: EL Notebook

Sunday: New Britain at Connecticut - Canceled

The Connecticut Defenders and the New Britain Rock Cats final matchup of the season was postponed due to wet grounds and unsafe playing conditions on Sunday afternoon.

The two teams will not make up the game in accordance to Eastern League rules. In great appreciation to the fans that showed up for the game, the Defenders are awarding two (2) tickets redeemable for any remaining 2008 home game in exchange for one ticket to Sunday's contest.

Defenders
Bulletin

Fourth inning dooms Rock Cats

Reading 7 at New Britain 3

W: F. Castro (8-1, 4.20); L: R. Mullins (7-7, 4.28)
HR: REA: B. Harman (9). NBR: D. Martin (7), D. Valencia (1).

Home runs by Dustin Martin and Danny Valencia were not enough to overcome the Reading Phillies, who used a 4-run fourth inning to top the New Britain Rock Cats 7-3.

Valencia homered - his first in a Rock Cats uniform - in the bottom of the 2nd inning with one out on the board. Luke Hughes followed that up by bunting his way to base, and Felix Molina took a walk. Toby Gardenhire's fly out moved Hughes to 3rd, and he'd come home on a Drew Butera single to give the Rock Cats an early 2 run lead.

Ryan Mullins was back as a starter after a stint in the bulllpen and allowed singles to Clay Harris, Jake Blalock, Mike Spidale and Jason Donald in the top of the 3rd, to give the Phillies one. Blalock would try to go home as well, but was taken out at the plate. Greg Golson would strike out to end the scoring threat.

Lou Marson started out the top of the 4th with a walk for the Phils, then after Jeremy Slayden went down on strikes, Neil Sellers doubled. Brad Harmon blasted his 9th home run of the season over the left field wall to give Reading a two run lead. Harris walked and moved to 2nd on Blalock's single. After a pop out to Mike Spidale, Donald walked to load the bags. Jason Miller then walked out to the mound to replace Mullins, whose name was recently mentioned as being a candidate for promotion to AAA when Brian Duensing goes to the olympics. Miller would walk Golson to force in a run before getting Marson to strike out swinging.

Valencia would single in the 4th and make it all the way to 3rd, only to be stranded when Gardenhire popped out and Drew Butera ground out. He was then removed from the game, with Erik Lis replacing him in the line up, which also sent off a chain reaction switch amongst the infielders.

Slayden would single to start out the top of the fifth, and Sellers took a walk. Harman would go down on strikes before Harris walked to load the bags. Miller would then take Blalock down on strikes and get Spidale to fly out to get out of the inning safely.

He would not fair so well in the top of the sixth with Donald tripling and Golson walking. Golson then stole 2nd and Marson would go down on strikes before Slayden reached on a fielder's choice. the play at the plate didn't work however, as Butera never had control of the ball, and Donald scored on a controversial call that saw Rock Cats field manager Bobby Cuellar ejected from the game. Sellers would reach on a force attempt that scored Golson, and caused a pitching change, with Kyle Aselton replacing J-Mill. Aselton would take Harmon down on strikes and get Harris to fly out to retire the side.

Jason Anderson would replace Fabio Castro in the bottom of the 8th. Castro left after allowing a pair of runs, earned, on 5 hits and walk while fanning five. Anderson would get Steve Tolleson to ground out before giving up a home run to Dustin Martin, who smacked a line drive over the right field fence. It was the sluggers 7th of the year for New Britain.

It was also all the Rock Cats could manage.

Mullins took the loss, his 7th of the season. Hitting wise, Hughes was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run, while Valencia was 2-for-2 with a run and a RBI. Martin, Winfree, and Butera were each 1-for-4, Martin with a run and a RBI, Butera with a RBI leaving Winfree to be the one hit wonder of the contest.

The Cats fall to 42-62 on the season, 5th in the six team Northern Division, 22.5 games behind division leading Trenton. They now head over to Norwich for a series against the Connecticut Defenders, a team they trail by only 11 games.

Box
Log
Rock Cats/OSC
R-Phils
Courant
Eagle
Philly Inquirer
Phuture Phillies Blog

New Britain clubs Fisher Cats, 15 - 3

New Britain 15 at New Hampshire 3

W: J. Rainville (7-7, 6.27); L: J. Machi (0-4, 6.03)
HR: NBR: D. Butera (5). NHM: B. Jeroloman (5).

The New Britain Rock Cats must have rested well during the All-Star break, as they came back to work ready to go, destroying the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 15-3 at Merchantsauto.com Stadium.

New Hampshire's Brett Cecil worked 3 innings, with Dustin Martin taking a double off of him in the top of the 3rd. A wild pitch moved Martin so 3rd, and David Winfree singled to plated him. After Erik Lis went down on strikes, Winfree moved to 3nd on a passed ball, and Brock Peterson would take a walk. Toby Gardenhire would go down on strikes however to give the Fisher Cats a chance.

With two outs on the board, David Smith doubled off Jay Rainville. Brian Jeroloman then went deep, sending a home run over the right field wall to make it 2-1 Fisher Cats.

Keny Rodrgiuez replaced Cecil in the top of the fourth and following a pop out to Drew Butera, Felix Molina and Dustin Martin hit back-to-back singles. A wild pitch by Rodrigues advanced the pair. Danny Valencia ground into a force out that took a Molina out at home, but a throwing error by J.P. Arencibia allowed Hughes to score and advanced the runners. Winfree would walk to load the bags before Lis flew out to left.

For the fifth inning, Jean Machi would take over for the Fisher Cats, and allowed a lead off walk to Peterson. Gardenhire singled and Butera advanced the pair on a sac bunt. Molina double to drive the two runners in. Hughes flew out to left before Martin singled a ground ball to right that plated Molina, for a 5-2 Rock Cats advantage.

Zach Ward took over for Rainville in the sixth, and walked Jeroloman. Butler singled to move the slugger to 3rd and Andrew Pinchney ground into a double play that saw him home, for the Fisher Cats 3rd run.

Jared Gothreaux replaced Machi in the sixth inning and allowed a walk to Molina in the seventh. Hughes walked and Martin singled to load up the bags. Danny Valencia double to clean them off and Winfree's single moved the Florida native over to 3rd. Lis would fly into a double play that took out out Winfree, but allowed Valencia to score, making it 9-3 Rock Cats.

Gardenhire took a walk off Orlando Roman in the top of the 7th, moved to 2nd on Butera's single to third when Hughes was plunked by a pitch. Martin was then walked by Orlando to force in a run.

The Fisher Cats looked to Seth Overbey to get them out of this game, but Overbey walked Winfree and Lis. Peterson singled in Winfree and Gardenhire followed that up with his own single to load the bags. Butera then lifted a ball over the left field wall for a grad slam home run. Julio Pinto was finally called in to get three outs, while Frank Mata was tagged to finish things up for the Rock Cats.

Martin was 4-for-4 with 3 walks, a pair of run and a pair of runs scored. Gardenhire was 3-for-5 with a pair of walks and 3 runs, While Butera and Molina were each 3-for-5 Butera with a run and 4 RBIs and Molina with a walk, a pair of runs and a pair of RBIs. Winfree went 2-for-3 with 3 walks, a run and a run scored.

Game two of the series is Friday at 7:05 PM. Ricky Romero (5-5, 5.61) gets the nod for the Fishers on the mound vs. Anthony Swarzak (3-7, 5.99) for the Rock Cats.

Box
Log
Rock Cats
Fisher Cats/OSC
Union Leader
Courant
Dog Days with the Cats

---

Norfolk 4 at Rochester 7

W: F. Liriano (8-2, 3.34); L: H. Penn (4-5, 5.40); SV: B. Korecky (13)
HR: ROC: G. Jones (10).

Francisco Liriano is reportedly unhappy to still find himself in the minors after pitching quite well recently. Liriano picked up the win, allowing only 1 run on 7 hits and striking out 8 over 8 innings. Ricky Barrett would be tagged for three on two runs and a walk in .2 innings as the Rochester Red Wings rose above the Tide, 7-4.

Trevor Plouffe walked and Darnell McDonald doubled out to right. Garrett Jones would sacrifice in Plouffe, and Randy Ruiz extended his hit streak by singling in McDonald. To give the Red Wings an early lead.

Jones homered to lead off the bottom of the 4th and following a Ruiz ground out, Clark singled then stoled second base. Matt Macri took a walk before Sergio Santos doubled to plated Clark and Macri. After Ryan Jorgenson ground out, Jason Pridie doubled to bring in Santos.

The Wings finished off their scoring in the bottom of the 8th with Ruiz doubling off Jim Miller, then coming home on a Howie Clark single.

Ruiz was 2-for-4 with a run and a run scored, while Clark was 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and a RBI.

The series continues Friday at 6:05 PM with post game fireworks at Frontier Field. Rochester's Danny Graves (3-3, 5.18 ERA) will take on the Tides LHP Randy Keisler (0-1, 4.18).

Box
Log
Red Wings
Tide
RD&C
RD&C Notes
R News
Virginia Pilot
Extra Bases Blog

With Ruiz' hitting streak at 23 games, we note that Michael Jones of the Greenville Drive (Class A South Atlantic League, Boston affiliate) had a 28-game streak, tops in the minors so far this season. (Ah, our old GCL buddy Michael Jones!)

The Red Wings' 45-54 record at the All-Star break is the first losing record Rochester has had at the All-Star break since 2003.

Cats and Dogs; Gardy's performance highlights doubleheader

The New Britain Rock Cats lost both sides of a double header Saturday night to the Portland Sea Dogs, but redeemed themselves on Sunday by topping the Dogs, 5-4, to even up the series. They will play the rubber match on Monday, July 14th at 12:05 PM before heading into the All-star break.

Saturday: Portland 8 at New Britain 6

W: C. Rhoades (3-3, 4.91); L: Z. Ward (2-6, 3.76); SV: B. Vaughan (13)
HR: NBR: D. Martin (6), D. Butera (4).

Zach Ward pitched four good innings but didn't make it through the 5th, allowing 5 runs, 4 earned on 9 hits and a walk while striking out 4.

New Britain had taken the early lead on Dustin Martin's homer in the bottom of the first, his sixth of the season over the right field wall.

They'd add to it in the bottom of the 3rd with Drew Butera hitting his fourth home run of the year over the left field wall. Following a ground out to Brock Peterson, Erik Lis singled. Danny Valencia would go down on strikes before Matt Moses and David Winfree both drew walks off Portland's Kyle Jackson. With the bases loaded, Jackson would hit Toby Gardenhire with a pitch to force in a run and would walk Rocky Palacios for yet another one before getting Martin out on strikes.

Needless to say, he was not invited to take the mound the following inning, and was replaced by Chad Rhodes.

Mickey Hall singled in the top of the fourth and Bubba Bell, who will be in the Eastern League All-star Derby, doubled him in. Tony Granadillo walked and Jeff Corsaletti doubled to bring in Bell and put runners on second and third. Aaron Bates reached on a throwing error by Gardenhire at short which served to score Granadillo, and Zach Daeges sacrificed in Corsaletti. Rock Cats field manager Bobby Cuellar then walked out to the mound to take the ball away from Ward. Jason Miller came in and Jorge Jimenez would hit a sac-fly off of him to plate Bates before he could get Iggy Suarez to pop out.

Much like an oldie's station, the hits kept coming for Portland. Hall and Bell both took walks of J-Mill and Granadillo doubled to bring in Hall. Corsaletti sacrificed in Bell. Bates double would plate Granadillo. A wild pitch saw Bates move to 3rd, but Miller would finally get Daeges out on strikes and induce Mark Wagner to hit into a ground out to retire the side.

Suddenly, it was the bottom of the 7th and the Cats needed to double up their run total. Lis and Valencia both singled of reliever T.J. Large before Moses flew out. Winfree then took a walk to load up the bags. Portland then got Beau Vaughan out of the bull pen to close out the game. Gardenhire would single to drive in Lis and Valencia but Palacios would ground into a double play, destroying the Rock Cat's chances.

Lis and Valencia were both 2-for-4 a the plate, Lis with a pair of run and Valencia with one run. Moses was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run. Gardenhire finished up 1-for-3 but with 3 RBIs.

On to the nightcap...

Box
Log

Saturday: Portland 2 at New Britain 1

W: D. Richardson (6-5, 5.62); L: K. Aselton (4-3, 4.23); SV: R. Lentz (1)
HR: POR: Z. Daeges (2). NBR: T. Gardenhire (1).

I'm not sure how to say this, but Toby Gardenhire hit a home run over the left field wall. It was the first of his professional career, the last one coming when he was with the University of Illinois in 2005, the year he was drafted. How amazing is that?

It was probably the high light of the night, but it didn't last long. Aaron Bates took a walk off Rock Cat's starter Kyle Aselton, and Zach Daeges went yard over the right field wall to to give the Dogs a pair of runs.

Portland's Dustin Richardson allowed the Cats only 2 hits and walk while striking out 4 to pick up the win. Richard Lentz earned the save, allowing only a double to Valencia in the bottom of the 7th.

Matt Moses took a pitch to his hand in the bottom of the fifth and would be replaced in the line up by Felix Molina. There is no indication as to how badly or how long he will be out with the injury.

Box
Log
Rock Cats/OSC
Rock Cats/OSC: Attendance
Sea Dogs
NB Herald
P-Press
Courant
Sox and Dawgs Blog

Sunday: Portland 4 at New Britain 5

W: Y. Pino (3-3, 4.00); L: A. Mills (0-2, 6.75); SV: B. Julianel (20)
HR: POR: J. Corsaletti (12), M. Wagner (9), Z. Daeges (3). NBR: E. Lis (10).

Portland opened up the scoring on this one, with Jeff Corsaletti homering in the top of the 4th. Aaron Bates would single and Zach Daeges would go down on strikes before Mark Wagener took another yard ball off New Britain starter Yohan Pino, going over the left field fence to give the Portland a 3 run lead.

The Cats answered back in the bottom of the inning however, with Erik Lis, Danny Valencia and David Winfree all singling to load the bags. Following a strike out to Brock Peterson, Felix Molina singled to plate Lis and Valencia, making it 3-2 dogs.

Drew Butera walked and Brian Dinkelman singled before Lis' bat went BOOM and sent a ball over the right field fence to make it 5-3 Cats.

Armando Gabino replaced Pino in the top of the six and would allow a homer to Daeges, this third of the year, which sent over the right field fence. The Cats then hung on for the remainder of the game, protecting their slim lead.

Bubba Bell would single in the ninth of Ben Julianel, move to 2nd on Kristopher Negron's sac bunt and to 3rd on a Jeff Corsaletti single before Julianel got down to business and struck out Bates and Daeges to end the contest.

Pino worked five innings, allowing 3 runs on six hits and walk while striking out six. Gabino gave up 5 hits, but only one run over the next 3 while striking out 4.

Dinkelman, Lis and Valencia were all 2-for-4 at the plate, Lis with a pair of runs and 3 RBIs, the other two with a run each. Molina was 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs while Winfree (1-for-4) and Gardenhire (1-for-3) shared the one hit wonder award. Martin was also 1-for-3, but added a walk to his performance.

Box
Log
Rock Cats/OSC
Rock cats/OSC: Attendance
Sea Dogs

Swarzak's road rocky at Reading

New Britain 3 at Reading 7

W: F. Castro (5-1, 4.94); L: A. Swarzak (3-6, 5.96)
HR: NBR: L. Hughes (14). REA: J. Slayden (11), J. Hammond (3), L. Marson (3).

Anthony Swarzak gave up six runs on 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4 over five innings. He received little support as well from the New Britain Rock Cats' batters as New Britain fell to Reading, 7-3.

New Britain got on the board early, when Luke Hughes lead off with a singled. He'd try to steal 2nd but would be caught by Lou Marson. Dustin Martin then singled, and moved to 3rd on a Danny Valencia double. Brock Peterson sacrificed Martin in.

Martin would triple in the 3rd and following a strike out to Valencia and walk to Peterson, he'd be plated by Erik Lis sac-fly.

The bottom of the 3rd though saw the beginning of Swarzak's troubles. He lead off with a pair of fly-outs, but gave up a single to Javon Moran. Jason Donald then doubled to drive in Moran for Reading's first of the night.

Marson would lead of with a walk in the bottom of the fourth. Directly thereafter, Jeremy Slayden hit one over the right field fence to give the Phillies the tying and go ahead runs all at the same time. Joey Hammond followed that up with a walk, then moved to 3rd on Neil Seller's line drive single. Sellers would try for a double, but would thrown out at 2nd by Matt Moses in left field. Jake Blalock then singled to plate Hammond, making it 4-2 R-Phils.

With two outs in the bottom of the 5th, Swarzak would nail Slayden with a 93 MPH pitch. Luke Appert would then come in as a pinch runner, as Slayden left the game with an injury. Joey Hammond went yard over the center field wall to really make it hurt, bringing in two more runs.

The Cats would get offensive minded again, briefly, in the top of the 7th, when Luke Hughes hit a fly ball over the left field wall for his 14th home run of the season.

In exchange, Frank Mata would give up a home run to Lou Marson in the bottom of the stanza to finish up the scoring.

Hughes was 3-for-5 with a run and a RBI. Martin was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs. Valencia had a double and a pair of strike outs, while David Winfree and Matt Moses were both one hit wonders.

The teams rematch on Wednesday at First Energy Stadium at 7:05 PM.

Box
Log
R-Phils
Eagle
Courant

Note: Mata limped out of the game in the seventh with what appeared to be an injury to his right hamstring. He will be re-evaluated today.



Lehigh Vally 12 at Rochester 5

W: L. Walrond (2-7, 3.92); L: P. Humber (4-7, 6.00)
HR: LHV: J. Jaramillo (5), R. Thompson (3).

Speaking of getting rocked, Phil Humber can tell you all about it. The right hander lasted only 2.2 innings, allowing 8 runs, earned, on 10 hits and a pair of walks. The Rochester Red Wings would go on to lose, 12-5 to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

The Wings were already down by 8 when Randy Ruiz singled in the bottom of the fifth with one out on the board. Matt Macri would draw a walk and Sergio Santos singled to drive in Ruiz. Alejandro Machado then singled to plated Macri. Following a fly out to Ryan Jorgensen, Tommy Watkins then singled to drive in Santos, giving the Wings 3.

Jorgensen took a walk in the bottom of the 7th, then came home on a Tommy Watkins double.

The bottom of the 8th saw Garrett Jones single, and move to second on a Macri single one out later. Santos's line dive to center plated Jones to top of the Wings scoring.

Watkins and Santos were both 3-for-4 in the game, Watkins with a pair of doubles to go with his pair of RBIs, and Santos with a run and 2 RBIs. Jones and Machado were 2-for-4 each, Jones with a run, Machado with a run scored. Ruiz and Macri each had a single, a walk, and a run.

Mario Gomez worked the 9th inning, the only pitcher not to give up a run to Lehigh in the contest, although he did surrender a hit and a walk.

Julio DePaula struck out six in 3 1/3 innings, tying his season best for strikeouts (April 16 vs. Richmond).

The Wings now head over to Buffalo to face the Bisons. Former Twin Juan Rincon pitched last night for the Bisons, giving up 3 runs on four hits and walk in .2 innings. He'd strike out only 1, taking the loss, his first, with his new team.

Box
Log
Red Wings
Iron Pigs
Morning Call
R-News
RD&C
RD&C II
Extra Bases Blog

Manager Stan Cliburn won his 200th game as manager of the Rochester Red Wings Monday night. Cliburn holds a 200-182 record as Red Wings manager; Stan became only the sixth manager since 1963 to compile 200 wins in his first three seasons. Only Joe Altobelli (1971-73, 241 wins), Greg Biagini (1989-91, 237 wins), Darrell Johnson (1963-65, 230 wins), Marv Foley (1995-97, 228 wins) and Phil Roof (2003-05, 216 wins) have compiled 200 wins in their first three seasons as Red Wings manager (Rich Miller was interim manager for Roof for most of the 2005 season).

Cats split pair with B-Mets

The New Britain Rock Cats split a double header with the Binghamton Mets on Sunday, with the B-Mets claiming game one and the Rock cats snagging the nightcap.

Binghamton 7 at New Britain 3

W: E. Brito (3-1, 2.78); L: A. Swarzak (3-3, 4.74)
HR: None.

No one was happier to see the rain on Saturday night than Rock Cat Anthony Swarzak who lasted just .2 innings against the B-Mets after giving up 6 runs, 4 earned, on 5 hits and a walk.

A fielding error by Matt Moses at 3rd allowed Eric Reed to reach. Nick Evans singled and Mike Carp walked to load the bags. Caleb Stewart's line drive to left brought in a pair of runners. Ambriox Conception singled to load the bags up again. This time, Salomon Manriguez went out to right field with a line drive, but the result was the same as two more came in. Josh Peterson singled out to center to drive in Conecption before Emmanuel Garcia ground into a double play, which also brought in Manriquez. Jason Miller would come out of the bullpen at that point, getting Jose Coronado to line out to end the inning.

In the top of the 2nd inning with one out, Evans would triple and Carp single to add another to the run to the B-Mets total. Miller would get Caleb Stewart to fly out, but allowed a single to Conception that moved Carp to 3rd. Happily, Miller got Manriquez to ground out, ending the inning.

The game would also end - at least for Saturday - after heavy rains the area made it necessary to call the contest.

When play resumed on Sunday, Eude Brito would replace Jose Sanchez on the hill for the B-Mets. Brito would work 4 innings, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk to the Rock Cats.

It was not until the 8th inning, with Robert Paulk on the mound that New Britain would find any offense. With one out on the board, Brock Peterson drew a walk and came in on Erik Lis' triple. A passed ball by Manriquez allowed Lis to score. Winfree would pop out, but Moses singled and Drew Butera doubled him in to give the Rock Cats three runs Joe Hetpas would come onto the hill for the B-Mets at that point, and allowed a single to Toby Gardenhire before Rocky Palacios flew out to end the inning.

That's where the game would stand at the end of the contest. Brock Peterson was 2-for-3 with a run and a pair of walks. Moses and Gardenhire were both 2-for-4, Moses with a double and a run, while Lis was 2-for-5 with a double a run and a run scored. Butera would go 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI.

It is a contest the Cats were happy to put behind them as they moved on to game two of Sunday's doubleheader.

Box
Log



Binghamton 1 at New Britain 5

W: F. Mata (1-0, 4.50); L: R. Parnell (5-4, 4.62)
HR: BIN: J. Malo (3). NBR: D. Martin (4).

Oswaldo Sosa worked 5 scoreless innings for the New Britain Rock Cats, allowing 4 hits and 4 walks while fanning 5 to help New Britain to a 5-1 win over the Binghamton Mets.

Dustin Martin would hit a solo shot home run to lead off the Rock Cats offense in the bottom of the first inning, staking the Cats to an early lead.

Frank Mata would replace Sosa on the mound in th top of the sixth, and following a pop out to Conception, saw Jonathan Mato take one of his pitches over the center field wall, tying up the game.

The Cats, amazingly enough, were up to the task. With a pair of outs on the board, David Winfree and Matt Moses hit back-to-back singles which were followed up by a Drew Butera double that plated the pair. Toby Gardenhire and Rocky Palacios would both single at the bottom of the order to drive in Butera. Eddie Camacho would be taken from the B-Mets bullpen to replace Robert Parnell. Dustin Martin greeted him with a double that drove in Gardenhire before Felix Molina would fly out to end the inning.

Despite a double in the top of the 7th, Ben Julianel was able to get the game closed in favor of the hometown team.

Martin finished up 3-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs, Winfree, Butera and Palacios were all 2-for-3 each with a run, except for Palacios who had run scored. Butera also had 2 RBIs. Gardenhire and Moses were each 1-for-3 with a run.

The Cats rest on Monday, letting their new players catch up to them, before traveling to Portland for a 3-game series that starts Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

Box
Log
Rock Cats/OSC
B=Mets
Press Connects
NB Herald
Courant

Cats squeek by Curve, 6-5

Altoona 5 at New Britain 6

W: K. Aselton (3-1, 3.98); L: Y. Herrera (3-7, 3.59); SV: B. Julianel (12)
HR: ALT: J. Pacheco (7). NBR: D. Martin (3).

The New Britain Rock Cats staved off a ninth inning rally by the Altoona Curve to hang on to win, 6-5 at New Britain Stadium.

It would be a bull pen start for the Cats, with Kyle Aselton on the mound, working through 5 innings, he'd give up 2 runs, earned on six hits and pair of walks.

Melvin Dorta doubled in the first inning with one out. Brad Corley would single out to center which was enough to get Dorta home, putting the Curve on the board.

New Britain answered back in the bottom of the 2nd inning, with Erik Lis hitting a lead off double. Following a pair of outs, Trevor Plouffe would double him in to tie up the game.

Steve Tolleson would double in the bottom of the third, and Dustin Martin would reach on a fielding error by Corley. Brock Peterson's ground out served to plate Tolleson, and sent Martin to 3rd. Lis would walk before David Winfree hit a single to left to drive in Martin.

Corley would double for Altoona in the top of the 4th, After a pair of outs that saw Corley move to 3rd, Aselton would unleash a wild pitch that brought Corley home, making it 3-2 Cats.

Martin hit his 3rd home run of the season in the bottom of the 5th, taking it over the right field fence.

The teams would exchange runs in the 7th inning, with Jason Miller on the mound for New Britain. Shelby Ford would double, then be tripled in by Dorta. Tolleson would double for the Cats, then be driven in by Martin's follow up double.

With Evan Meek on the Altoona Mound, Lis would single in the bottom of the 8th. David Winfree would be called out on strikes before a Matt Moses single moved Lis to 3rd. Plouffe would single to drive in Lis for the final New Britain Run.

Ben Julianel would walk Luis Cruz in the top of the 9th, but he would be taken on a force out by Pedro Powell. Jonel Pacheco then came off the bench to pinch hit, going yard over the left field wall. Ford would single, but Julianel would get Dorta to pop out and Jason Bowers to strike out to end the inning.

Lis was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. Tolleson, Martin, Winfree and Plouffe were all 2-for-4, Tolleson with a pair of runs and a pair of doubles. Martin also had a pair of runs a double, and home run, with 2 RBIs. Winfree had one RBI and Plouffe had a double and two runs scored. Matt Moses was the one hit wonder for the evening.

Altoona will send right-hander Josh Hill (4-6, 3.94) to the mound on Thursday for the rubber match, where he will face left-hander Ryan Mullins (5-4, 3.48).

Box
Log
Rock Cats
Curve
Altoona Mirror
Courant
NB Herald
Lip Service Blog

Durham 9 at Rochester 7

W: J. Niemann (3-2, 4.46); L: T. Lahey (3-5, 5.87); SV: S. Dohmann (3)
HR: DUR: J. Guzman (13), C. Richard 2 (10), J. Weber (6). ROC: R. Ruiz (9), R. Jorgensen (2).

A six run fifth inning would do in the Rochester Red Wings who could not catch up to the Durham Bulls, falling 9-7 at Frontier Field.

Sergio Santos was 3-for-4 for the Wings, all doubles, for 2 runs and 1 run scored. Jason Pridie finished up 2-for-5 with a run. Tommy Watkins tripled for the Wings in the seventh, hustling to get to third on a close play. Darnell McDonald, Garrett Jones, and Jose Morales all singled for the Wings.

Ryan Jorgenson and Randy Ruiz each had one hit, but it went yard, as they each drove in two runs. Ruiz has been scorching the ball the last nine games batting .378 (14-for-37) with one double, six home runs, 13 RBI and five multi-hit games during this nine-game stretch. He has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games.

Julio DePaula worked only 2.2 innings for the Wings, giving up 2 runs, earned, on 4 hits and a pair of walks while striking out 2. Rickey Barnett allowed one run on one hit and 3 walks in 1 inning, and Tim Lahey absorbed the loss after giving up 6 runs, all earned, on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1. Three different Bulls went yard on him.

Box
Log
Red Wings
Bulls
R-News
RD&C
Extra Bases Blog

OF Denard Span (DL, broken finger) threw in the outfield and took some swings in the indoor batting tunnel Wednesday afternoon.

Watkins and Chris Basak were guest instructors for a clinic earlier in the day, with guests from the School of the Holy Childhood enjoying time with the Wings.

New Britain Edges Thunder in pitcher's duel

Trenton 1 at New Britain 2

W: J. Rainville (5-5, 6.02); L: A. Aceves (1-1, 0.78); SV: B. Julianel (10)
HR: None.

Lots of pinstripes this weekend as the Fort Myers Miracle take on the Tampa Yankees, the Rochester Red Wings take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and of course the New Britain Rock Cats are hosting the Yankees AA farm team, the Trenton Thunder.

Jay Rainville has been excellent over his past couple of starts and he continued to carry that performance against the Eastern League's Northern Division leader. Not that the Thunder were lax in the pitching area, having Alfredo Aceves, who was recently named to the FSL All-star team, on the mound.

Edwar Gonzalez singled off Rainville to start out the top of the 2nd inning. Cody Ehlers would be taken out on strikes before Jose Tabata ground into a force out. Kevin Russo's single would move Tabata to 2nd, and Joseph Muich would hit a fly ball to left to plate him. Reegie Corona would draw a walk before Ramiro Pena flew out to end the inning.

Rainville would work 6.1 innings, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Zach Ward came in for 1.2 innings of relief, giving up only 2 hits to the Yankees farm. Ben Julianel worked the last inning for this 10th save of the season.

The Cats would manage 10 hits in total, but the only two runs came in the bottom of the 4th. With one out on the board, Brock Peterson doubled out to left. Steve Tolleson would pop out before David Winfree singled to move Peterson to 3rd. Dustin Martin then tripled to drive in the pair. Martin would be left stranded however, when Toby Gardenhire struck out.

Peterson and Winfree were both 3-for-4 in the contest with a run. Erik Lis, Tolleson, Martin and Gardenhire had the other four hits for New Britain.

The two teams rematch tomorrow at 6:35 PM. It's Yohan Pino's (1-2, 3.25) start, but as he seems to still be on the D.L., the Cats will likely go with lefty Errol Simonitsch (0-2, 10.67). Trenton will counter with southpaw Phil Coke (4-1, 3.38).

Boxscore
Log
Rock Cats
Thunder
NB Herald
Trentonian
NJ.com

Former Miracle honored by Eastern League

Former Miracle infielder Luke Hughes was honored by the Eastern League Monday when he was named the Bank of America Eastern League Player of the Week for the week ending April 27, 2008.

Hughes, a native of Perth, Australia, had an outstanding week for the New Britain Rock Cats, hitting .394 (13-for-33) with two doubles, six home runs, 10 RBI, five runs scored, two walks and a 1.000 slugging percentage in seven games. The 23-year old had at least one hit in each of the games he played in last week and hit a home run in all but two of the games that he played in, including a 4-for-5, two homer and five RBI performance in a 15-6 win against Reading last Wednesday.

With his home run outburst last week, the 6'0", 190 lb. slugger now leads the league with eight home runs and is also ranked among the league leaders in extra-base hits (14-tied 1st), slugging percentage (.689-2nd), hits (32-3rd) and batting average (.356-7th).

Hughes, who was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a non-drafted free agent on July 19, 2002, received an E.L. Player of the Week selection last season as well. In 2007, he batted .283 in 92 games and earned E.L. All-Star Game honors in his first season with New Britain.

Martin Making an impression in Double A

Dustin Martin started off the season on the bench as a reserve fourth outfielder. The Rock Cats returned speedster Brandon Roberts to center field and power hitters David Winfree and Matt Moses – both third basemen making the switch to the outfield – were penciled in at the corners. That left little room for Martin; that is, until he stepped up to the plate for the first time.

Martin made his Double-A debut on April 5, when he went 1-for-3 with a double. He went on to hammer out 13 hits in his first six games. That included a four-hit performance on the road in Portland on April 12 that put his then league leading average at .619 (13-21). Throw in plays like a perfectly placed leadoff bunt or a highlight-reel worthy catch in left field and it would be hard to argue how Martin could be kept out of the everyday line-up.

Martin, 24, has been an offensive force for the Rock Cats. The 6'2", 211-lb. left-hander may have cooled off a bit in the past few games but still ranks third in the league with a .368 average. He leads the Rock Cats in stolen bases, is second on the team in slugging percentage and is among the team leaders in runs (14), hits (25), and doubles (6). He ranks second on the club with a .410 on-base percentage.

If Martin continues at his current rate, he may make it three-for-three on All-Star Game appearances with a showing in the Eastern League Game. That is if he hasn’t played himself out of New Britain by July. Visit the New Britain Rock Cats website for an in depth look at the former Miracle outfielder.

Martin, who came to the Twins Organization as part of a trade with the New York Mets, was not in the line up last night, as the Rock Cats took on some of his fellow former teammates with New Britain playing in Binghamtom. Facing the soft pitching Jake Ruckle on the mound, the Cats jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and went on to win 7-1.

Matt Moses was 3-for-5 in the contest with 2 hits and 1 RBI, while former Miracle 1st baseman Brock Peterson was 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Erik Lis, one of Martin's teammates on last years Miracle squad, was 2-for-4 with 1 RBI. Hughes was 1-for-4 at the plate with a walk and run. Oswaldo Sosa picked up the win, allowing 1 run (earned) on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 in five innings worth of work. (Boxscore)

The Cats play 2 more in Binghamton before returning home on Friday to face New Hampshire.

Around the system...

The Beloit Snappers came out on top against the South Bend Silver Hawks. Newly promoted Brad Tippett picked up the win n the relief roll, as a fielding error by Silverhawk 3rd baseman Ramon Ramirez allowed Mark Dolenc, who'd drawn a talk to start the tenth inning, across the plate.

Dan Lehman was 3-for-4 at the plate in the contest with a triple, 1 run and 1 RBI. Ben Revere, who struggled a bit in his first outing on Monday, when 2-for-4 in this game, batting second in the line up behind fellow outfielder Joe Benson. Revere filled the center field position, while Benson shifted to right. (Boxscore)

Matt Williams earned a blown save when South Bend scored an unearned run on the Australian hurler in the 8th inning. Williams worked 3 innings, striking out three over that period and allowing only 1 hit. A wild pitch by Williams and a throwing error by Lehmann, the team's catcher, lead to run after Even Frey doubled his way onto base.

Triple-A Rochester topped Pawtucket 9-3 at home. Chris Basak was 2-for-3 with a walk and run (including a double), and Jason Pridie was 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Former Miracle Alexi Casilla was also 2-for-4 at the plate, with one run. Darnell McDonald was 3-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs. (Boxscore)

Brian Duensing allowed the Pawsox to pull to an early 3-0 lead, giving up three runs, all earned) on 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 4 over six innings. The Wings would begin their rally in the sixth, and scored the game winning run in the seventh to give reliever Phil Humber his first win of the season.

Former Ivy-Leaguer Tim Lahey picked up his 2nd save of the 2008 season on 1.2 innings worth of work, striking out 4 of the 5 batters he faced.

In Chicago, the parent Minnesota Twins topped the White Sox, 3-1. Boof Bonsor allowed 1 run (earned) on six hits and 1 walk in seven innings worth of work while striking out 8. Delmon Young was 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk and a run, while Mike Cuddyer was 2-for-4 with 1 run. Former Miracle outfield Jason Kubel put one over the right field wall to bring in Cuddyer for the game winning run. Young added an insurance point when Joe Mauer batted him in. (Boxscore)

After taking the night off, the Miracle return to action Wednesday at Hammond Stadium against the Clearwater Threshers. Clearwater continues to hold down the basement position in the West Division, but saw their record improve to 9 - 16 after winning their last 2. They are five games behind Fort Myers, who is tied for the top spot in the division with Dunedin. Game time is 7:05 for a Kid's Club and "Bing on the Berm" Wednesday night.