=== Daily Dugout Chatter - Saturday, August 28th === (Games from Friday, August 27th)
From The My Sportsbook
ROLL WITT IT
Kevin Witt and Dee Haynes knocked in four runs apiece while John Gall scored twice as the Memphis Redbirds out-slugged the Oklahoma RedHawks, 14-9, in the Pacific Coast League Friday night. Memphis upped its record to 68-66 while Oklahoma fell to 77-57. Witt slammed his 34th long ball of the season and finished the night 2-for-5 with a double and scored two runs. Haynes hit his 10th home run and also scored twice. Colin Port went 2-for-5 with a home run, his 10th, and two runs scored for the Redbirds. Alan Benes gave up eight runs but held on for the win and improved his record to 8-8. Benes tossed four innings and gave up 12 hits and three walks to go along with the eight runs. Oklahoma's Mike Bacsik suffered the loss and fell to 7-6. Bacsik surrendered four runs on five hits in just two innings. Andy Fox went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and three RBI for the RedHawks.
SEAWOLVES SWEEP
Kurt Airoso's solo home run was the difference as the Erie SeaWolves defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 1-0, in game two of their Eastern League doubleheader. Erie won game one by the score 4-3 and upped its record to 75-56 while New Hampshire fell to 76-55. Airoso finished the night 2-for-3 and provided the only offense of the night. Ryan Raburn tripled while Jack Hannahan reached base twice on walks for the SeaWolves. Chris Mears picked up the win and improved his record to 2-1. Mears walked two and struck out three in 2 2/3rd innings. Jorge Cordova started the game and held the Fisher Cats to three hits, four walks and struck out six in 4 1/3rd innings. New Hampshire's Jason Arnold pitched well but suffered the loss and fell to 0-1. Arnold gave up one run on four hits and walked two over 5 1/3rd frames.
MCCARTHY STILL PERFECT
Rob Sasser's three-run homer capped a six-run fifth inning and Brandon McCarthy hurled seven strong innings of one-run ball to lead the Birmingham Barons past the Mobile BayBears 8-1 in Southern League action Friday night. Sasser finished 1-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored for the Barons. McCarthy (3-0) scattered four hits and fanned nine BayBears to remain undefeated on the year. Brian Whitaker (7-9) was tagged for six earned runs in just 4 2/3rd innings of work to take the loss for Mobile. He allowed seven hits, walked one, and struck out two batters. Carlos Maldonado doubled and drove in two runs in the win. He went 2-for-4 and also scored one run. Chris Stewart finished the day 3-for-4 and scored three times for the Barons. Josh Barfield hit his 18th home run of the year. a solo shot in the second inning, to account for all of Mobile's offense.
DJ WINS 11TH
Kevin Orie and Todd Self each drove in two runs, while DJ Houlton tossed seven shutout innings, leading the Round Rock Express to a 6-0 shutout of the Tulsa Drillers. Orie went 3-for-4 with two doubles and also scored a pair of runs. Self also had two doubles, while David Matranga hit a solo home run and scored two runs for the Express, who improved to 35-26, three games up on San Antonio in the West Division. Houlton allowed just three hits and struck out six to improve to 11-5. Santiago Ramirez tossed the final two innings to preserve the shutout. Justin Hampson suffered the loss and fell to 9-9. He allowed four runs on six hits in 4 2/3rd innings. The Drillers managed just four hits on the night, and fell to 29-32.
BHK BLANKS BARONS
Byung-Hyun Kim threw five innings of shutout baseball and Adam Hyzdu drilled his 29th home run of the season, to lead the Pawtucket Red Sox over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, 7-0 in game two of their doubleheader. The Red Barons won game one 3-2 behind a solid effort by Paul Abbott. Kim allowed just one hit, walked one, and struck out sixth to earn his second victory of the year. Edwin Almonte completed the shutout with two innings of relief. Hyzdu capped a four-run third inning with an RBI single to score Earl Snyder. On the previous play, Snyder scored George Lombard with a double. Snyder finished the game with a pair of RBI. Hyzdu added his home run in the top of the seventh inning to close the scoring in the game. The Red Barons' Seung Lee (2-3) was saddled with the loss. In just three innings, he was touched for four earned runs on five hits and three walks. Shawn Wooten recorded two hits, including a double, in the loss for Scranton/W- B.
SANDOVAL LOOKS STRONG
Juan Sandoval tossed eight strong innings and Jesus Guzman knocked in three runs as the Inland Empire 66ers defeated the San Jose Giants, 7-1, in California League play Friday night. Sandoval held the Gianst to one run on three hits and struck out six while improving his record to 11-10. Guzman fell a home run short of the cycle and finished the night 3-for-5 with a run and is now hitting .300 for the season.
YO GARR
Garrett Jones hit his 26th home run and Francisco Liriano won his first game as the New Britain Rock Cats defeated the Bowie Baysox, 4-2, in Eastern League action Friday night. New Britain upped its record to 63-66 while Bowie fell to 67-65. Jones finished the night 2-for-4 with a double while Seth Davidson went 2-for-4 with a triple and scored a run for the Rock Cats. Liriano (1-2) held the Baysox to two runs on eight hits, two walks and struck out five in five innings of service. Bowie's Matt Bruback suffered the loss and fell to5-3. Bruback gave up four runs, three earned, on six hits and struck out seven. Keith Reed went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Bowie.
FRENCHY WINS IT
Anton French led-off the eleventh inning with his sixth home run of the season to lead the Syracuse SkyChiefs over the Buffalo Bisons, 3-2 in an International League battle. Eric Crozier started the scoring for the SkyChiefs when he chased home French with a double in the first inning. Buffalo's Sandy Martinez answered in the top half of the second with a solo home run, his first of two on the night. He led-off the fifth frame with his 16th blast of the year to give the Bisons a 2-1 advantage. Shawn Fagan tied the game at two in the seventh after he singled to score Howie Clark to make way for French's heroics in extra's. Micheal Nakamura recorded the win for the SkyChiefs. In three innings of relief, he didn't allow a run, walked one, and struck out four to improve to 3-1. Buffalo's David Lee (2-4) was saddled with the loss after he surrendered the game-winning home run to French
DUKE LEADS CURVE TO PLAYOFFS
Ray Sadler hit his 20th home run of the season and Mike Moriarty scored a run as the Altoona Curve defeated the Reading Phillies, 4-1, in the Eastern League Friday night and clinched a playoff berth. Altoona improved its record to 78-53 while Reading dropped to 58-74. Sadler got the Curve on the board in the first inning with a three-run blast off of Reading's Brandon Culp. Moriarty went 1- for-3 with a double and a walk while Brad Eldred chipped in with two hits and an RBI for the Curve. Zach Duke picked up the win and improved his record to 4-1. Duke gave up an unearned run on five hits and two walks. Jeff Miller pitched a perfect ninth inning en route to his 16th save. Culp (0-1) surrendered four runs on nine hits, three walks and struck out five over 6 2/3rd innings. Carlos Leon went 2-for-3 and scored a run for the Phillies.
