=== Daily Dugout Chatter - Friday, August 27th === (Games from Thursday, August 26th)
From The My Sportsbook
NO RUNS, NO HITS, NO PROBLEM
Jason Vargas, Nathan Nowicki and Carlos Martinez combined to toss a no-hitter as the Greensboro Bats shut down the Savannah Sand Gnats, 3-0, in South Atlantic League action on Thursday night. Vargas tossed seven dominant innings and tallied 10 strikeouts before being relieved by Nowicki. Nowicki got into some trouble when Marcos Yepez reached on an error and Trey Webb and Jerry Owens walked to load the bases. Nowicki pitched out of the jam and got Reggie Fitzpatrick to ground out to end the inning and keep the no-hit bid in tact. Martinez closed out the game and the no-hitter by picking up his fifth save. Kevin Randel collected two hits and drove in two runs for the Bats, who improved to 24-35 in the second half and won their sixth straight game. Vargas, who made his 2nd start since being promoted from Jamestown of the New York-Penn League, is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA for the Bats.
COMEBACK KIDS
Josh Barfield's two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning plated the tying and winning runs as the Mobile BayBears made a furious comeback to beat the Birmingham Barons 6-5 Thursday. Barfield went 2-for-5 on the day with two RBI to lead the BayBears offense. Dale Thayer (1-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3rd scoreless innings of relief work. Thayer allowed one hit and walked one batter in the win. Josh Fields (3-3) was tagged for four earned runs in just 2/3rds of an inning to take the loss for the Barons. Fields gave up three hits and walked two in the outing. Rico Washington chipped in a double and two RBI in the win while Ben Johnson added an RBI and two runs scored. Scott Bikowski homered and knocked in three runs Normand Martel hit a solo home run and went 2-for-4 in the loss.
BAZZELL CONTINUES TEXAS LEAGUE DOMINANCE
Shane Bazzell spun 8 2/3rd dominant innings and lead the Midland RockHounds to a 5-1 win over the Frisco RoughRiders on Thursday night. Bazzell (13-3) fanned 11 Frisco hitters and picked up the win. He held the RoughRiders to a run on four hits and did not walk a batter. The lone run that Frisco managed against Bazzell came on a solo home run off the bat of Juan Senreiso in the eighth inning. Midland took a 4-0 lead in the first. Steve Jackson and Omar Quintanilla smacked two-run singles in the inning. Ben Kozlowski (2-2) allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits in five innings and suffered the loss. Frisco had its five-game winning streak snapped with the loss. The series continues on Friday at 8:30 PM (ET).
FISHER CATS IN ANOTHER LEAGUE
Brandon League worked five strong innings and New Hampshire got solid relief pitching as the Fisher Cats beat the Portland Sea Dogs, 6-2, in an Eastern League Northern Division game Thursday night. On a four-game winning streak, New Hampshire improved to 76-53 while Portland, losers of three straight, fell to 62-69. League (6-4) gave up two runs on four hits and struck out four in five innings to earn the win. Out of the bullpen for the Fisher Cats, Ryan Houston struck out six in three scoreless innings and Jordan DeJong worked a scoreless ninth. Dominic Rich went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Aaron Hill added a two-run double to power the Fisher Cats. Losing pitcher Ryan Cameron (4-5) was touched for six runs on nine hits in 3 2/3rd innings. Up next, Portland, winners of nine out of its last 10, will play Norwich while New Hampshire will tangle with Erie.
ETHERTON SPINS GEM AS LOUISVILLE NIPS TOLEDO
Seth Etherton tossed eight solid innings and struck out nine, while Stephen Smitherman knocked in both Louisville runs, as the Bats defeated the Toledo Mud Hens, 2-1. Etherton allowed just a run on two hits to improve to 5-6 on the year. Etherton also did not allow a walk. Todd Coffey picked up his third save, tossing a scoreless ninth. Smitherman knocked in both runs with a double in the fourth inning for the Bats, who improved to 62-72. James Baldwin suffered the loss and fell to 5-5. Baldwin allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings, with seven strikeouts and one walk. Andy Barkett drove in the lone Mud Hen run, with a single in the seventh inning that plated Rich Gomez. Toledo has dropped three straight, and sit at 63-70.
BRAVES BLOW LEAD, THEN GAME TO MUDCATS
Ryan Minor doubled home Josh Willingham with the winning run as the Carolina Mudcats edged the Greenville Braves 7-6 after blowing a four-run lead in the ninth inning. Minor went 2-for-6 with a double, one RBI, and one run scored for the Mudcats while Willingham went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, two RBI, and three runs scored. Ryan Baker (5-3) picked up the win with two scoreless innings in relief. Baker gave up one hit and struck out two in his solid outing. Matt Coenen (2-5) allowed the run in the 11th to take the loss for Greenville. He gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out two in two innings of work. Andy Rohleder added two RBI and finished 1-for-5 with a double for Carolina. Chip Ambres chipped in a solo homer, his 17th, and scored twice. Andy Marte's three-run homer and Lee Evans' RBI single in the ninth inning tied the game at 6-6 to send it to extra frames. Carolina (29-30) has won two straight while Greenville (32-26) lost their second in a row.
COLUMBUS CLIPS INDIANS AND WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT
Alex Graman tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just five hits to pick up his 11th win, as the Columbus Clippers defeated the Indianapolis Indians, 3-1. Graman struck out five while allowing one walk, to raise his record to 11-5. Bret Prinz earned his ninth save, as he allowed a run on two hits in one inning of work. Andy Phillips knocked in two runs for the Clippers, who sit atop the West Division at 73-61. Phillips drove in John Rodriguez with a double in the seventh inning that supplied the winning run. Gary Glover suffered the loss. He allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3rd innings to drop to 2-3. Jeff Liefer drove in the lone run for the Indians, who fell to 60-74.
REDBIRDS WIN BY A FIELD GOAL
Adrian Gonzalez and Ken Huckaby each drove in four runs to pace the Oklahoma attack, as the RedHawks fought off a furious Memphis rally to defeat the Redbirds, 17-14, in a PCL shoot out. Eight players from each team drove in at least a run in this wild affair, as the two teams combined for 31 runs and 33 hits. Oklahoma's Jeff Pickler had three RBI and scored three times. Jason Conti chipped in with an RBI and three runs scored. Chad Allen added a two-run home run in the win for the RedHawks (77-56), who had a nine-run second inning and a five-run sixth. Sam Narron picked up the win, as he allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings to improve to 8-2. Bart Miadich picked up his second save, tossing 1/3rd of an inning without allowing a run. RedHawk reliever Ken Stamler had a night to forget, allowing nine runs -- six earned -- on eight hits in 2/3rds of an inning. Memphis starter Nerio Rodriguez was banged up for eight runs -- five earned -- on six hits in 1 1/3rd innings. Reliever Evan Rust didn't fair much better, as he allowed seven runs on six hits in 2 1/3rd innings. Kevin Witt went 4-for-5 with a three-run home run and two runs scored in the loss. Colin Porter added a two-run home run and an RBI single, both in a nine-run ninth inning, for the Redbirds (67-66).
BLAZE OF GLORY: HAMMEL FANS 14
Jason Hammel struck out 14 batters in seven innings and the Bakersfield Blaze defeated the Visalia Oaks, 4-2, in California League action on Thursday. The Blaze completed a three-game sweep of the Oaks with the win. Hammel was perfect through the first three innings and fanned eight, but K.J. Hendricks led off the fourth with a single. He scored on a passed ball later in the frame. Bakersfield tied the game in the home half of the inning on Elijah Dukes's solo home run. The Blaze took the lead in the fifth on Matthew Maniscalco's RBI single. Jesus Feliciano knocked in the eventual game-winner on an RBI ground out later that inning. Justin Lincoln added a home run in the seventh. Jonathan Asahina (3-8) suffered the loss.
TRI-CITY CLUBS JAMESTOWN AND WINS EIGHTH STRAIGHT.
Mario Garza drove in six runs to pace the Tri-City ValleyCats' 12-2 win over the Jamestown Jammers on Thursday night. Garza singled home a run in the first, added a two-run homer in the third and knocked in three on a double in the seventh as the ValleyCats pounded out 14 hits in the win. Ben Zobrist contributed with four hits and Francisco Caraballo went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Andrew Alvarado (3-3) picked up the win in five innings of work. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. Allen Baxter (0-4) suffered the loss.
