=== Daily Dugout Chatter - Saturday, July 17th === (Games from Friday, July 16th)
HOWARD BREAKS RECORD, BUT R-PHILS FALL
Neal McDade tossed seven strong innings and struck out seven Reading Phillies, while Chris Duffy stroked a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the Altoona Curve to a 7-3 win. Ronny Paulino went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored for the Curve. Nate McLouth had three hits, including two doubles, knocked in a run and scored a run for Altoona, who improved to 55-37 and hold a 5 1/2 game lead over Erie in the Southern Division. McDade improved to 3-1 with the win. He allowed just one run on four hits. Keith Bucktrot (3-3) was shelled for seven runs on 13 hits in 5 2/3rd inningsto absorb the loss. Russ Jacobson contributed a solo home run in the loss, as Reading fell to 42-48. On an otherwise dismal night for Reading, Eastern League All-Star Ryan Howard was able to make some history. Trailing in the ninth, Howard stepped to the plate and crushed a 1-0 fastball to left field off of Altoona's Jeff Miller for his 34th home run of the season - passing Greg Luzinski, who hit 33 in 1970, for the Reading Phillies single season record. Howard is on pace to break the Eastern League record of 41, which was set by Hazleton's Ken Strong in 1930 and matched by Buffalo's Rick Lancellotti in 1979. Howard now has 34 home runs and 92 RBI on the year, leading all of the minors in both categories.
A BAKER'S DOZEN PLUS ONE
Scott Baker was downright overpowering, as he struck out 14 batters in six innings to pick up his fifth win, leading the New Britain Rock Cats to a 5-3 win over the Binghamton Mets. Garrett Jones hit a two-run home run, his 15th of the season, in the fourth inning for the Rock Cats, who improved to 42-49. James Tomlin and Luis Maza had an RBI each in the win. Baker (5-3) scattered four hits and allowed just a run. His ERA lowered to a solid 2.43. The Eastern League All-Star now has 72 strikeouts on the year, to just 13 walks, a dominant ratio of almost 7-to-1. Travis Bowyer picked up his first save, working 2/3rds of an inning without allowing a run. Ken Chenard was saddled with the loss despite a solid outing. Chenard allowed two runs on three hits in six innings of work. His record dropped to 6-2. Chris Basak, Gil Velazquez, and Justin Huber each had an RBI in the loss for the Mets, who dropped to 53-39. Binghamton now holds a two game lead over New Hampshire in the Northern Division. New Britain sits in the cellar of the North, 10 1/2 back of the Rock Cats.
WHAT A NIGHT FOR CARLOS RAMOS
Carlos Ramos had a game hitters dream about, going 3-for-3 with a triple, two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored to propel the Princeton Devil Rays to a 16-11 win over the Bristol White Sox in an Appalachian League shoot-out. Ramos had a three-run home run in the 4th, an RBI triple in the sixth, a two- run blast in the seventh, and a sacrifice fly in the eighth to account for his tremendous night. He also walked twice. Joseph Muro (1-0) picked up the win for Princeton. He allowed four unearned runs on two hits in two innings of work. Ryan Royster had three RBI and scored twice in the win. Nick Lemon (2-2) suffered the loss for Bristol. He allowed five runs on four hits in two innings. Michael Swain and Jose De Los Santos had two RBI apiece for the White Sox in a losing effort.
KARSTENS ON POINT
Jeff Karstens had a dominant outing, tossing a two-hit complete game to lead the Tampa Yankees to a 3-0 win over the Palm Beach Cardinals in Florida State League action. Karstens had nine strikeouts and improved to 3-6 on the season. Shelley Duncan, Omir Santos, and JT Stotts each drove in a run for the Yankees. Eric Verbryke went 3-for-4, including a triple and had a run scored in the win. Mike Wodnicki had a decent outing but was out-dueled by Karstens and took the loss. Wodnicki allowed two runs on nine hits in seven innings and struck out six. His record dropped to an even 2-2. Andy Schutzenhofer and Kevin Estrada had the only two hits for the Cardinals.
AGUILA, AGUILA, AGUILA
Chris Aguila hit three home runs and Matt Blank won his third game of the season as the Albuquerque Isotopes beat the Oklahoma RedHawks, 9-5, in the Pacific Coast League Friday night. Aguila started his home run derby in the third with a two-run shot. He followed that up in the sixth with a solo home run and capped it off with another two-run shot the following inning. Brian Banks went 2-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI for the 'Topes. Blank (3-2) surrendered five runs on seven hits and walked three over five innings of work. Pete Hartmann, Clint Sodowsky, Juan Alvarez and Toby Borland combined to pitch the final four innings and did not give up a run for the Isotopes. Oklahoma's Billy Sylvester took the loss and fell to 1-2. Sylvester gave up five runs on six hits in 1 1/3rd innings of work and saw his ERA jump to 6.57 for the season. Chad Allen went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored . Jeff Pickler finished the night 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored for the RedHawks. Marshall McDougall, Santiago Perez and Jeff Smith scored one run apiece in the win for Oklahoma.
LYNX TAKE IT IN 12
Pedro Swann's ground ball to second base scored Chad Mottola with the game winning run as the Ottawa Lynx defeated the Norfolk Tides, 3-2 in 12 innings. The Lynx have now won four straight contests to improve to 44-50. The Tides fell to 41-49. Mottola reached base in the 12th inning on a throwing error by Norfolk's Vic Darensbourg. Edward Guzman then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Mottola to second. Guzman stole third and scored two batters later when Swann delivered the winning hit. Darnell McDonald went 2-for-5 with a home run in the win. Mark Difelice went one inning to pick up the win in relief. Difelice didn't allow a run. Vic Darensbourg suffered the loss in 1 1/3rd innings. He walked two and allowed the winning run to cross the plate, although it was unearned. Norfolk's Craig Brazell went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the loss.
ANOTHER LAST AT-BAT WIN
Jermaine Clark singled home Ray Olmedo in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win as the Louisville Bats edged the Syracuse SkyChiefs, 4-3. The Bats (44-49) have alternated wins and losses in their last seven games, while the SkyChiefs (41-53) lost for just the third time in ten contests. Clark's only hit of the game chased home Olmedo who scored for the second time in the contest. Olmedo went 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI in the win. Robert Stratton chipped in a three-hit performance with a run scored. Brian Mallette (1-0) went one inning to record the win in relief. Starter Dustin Moseley lasted 6 1/3rd innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits. Moseley walked two and struck out three in the no-decision. Adam Peterson (2-1) suffered the loss for the SkyChiefs. In just 1/3rd of an inning he allowed Olmedo to cross the plate on Clark's centerfield single. The SkyChiefs' Glenn Williams knocked a double and drove in a run in the loss.
MORSE CODE
Michael Morse went yard and drove in five runs as the San Antonio Missions beat the Round Rock Express, 11-3, in a Texas League West Division game Friday night. With the win, San Antonio improved to 15-8 while Round Rock fell to 11-12. Aside from Morse's five RBI, San Antonio got solid offensive games from Dustin Delucchi, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and scored two runs, and Jaime Bubela, who had two hits, two RBI and scored. The runs supported Felix Hernandez, who notched his first victory. He allowed two runs on four hits and struck out six in five innings. Losing pitcher Jared Gothreaux (5-5) was touched for six runs - two earned - on eight hits in five innings. Round Rock and San Antonio are scheduled to play again Saturday
