Last Tuesday, Goldeyes starter Bear Bay had a terrific outing against the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
Bay was praised by manager Rick Forney for bouncing back after a rough outing against Kansas City the previous Friday, when in chilly
temperatures, Bay was drilled in a no-decision that turned out to be a 13-12 10-inning Goldeyes loss.
On Tuesday, however, Bay worked an almost perfect start.
He allowed only two runs on six hits over six-plus innings, improved to 2-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 4.96 as the Fish beat Gary 5-2.
“It all starts with your starting pitcher and Bear got off to a fast-paced start,” Forney said. “He came out, worked fast, threw strikes and got our defence back into the dugout quickly. Bear didn’t waste a lot of time. He gave us a great start.
“I let Bear go out to start the seventh just to stretch out his body and if he’d gotten the first out I probably would have left him in there, but we were only up 4-2 at the time and I wasn’t going to let him take the loss in that one.”
For Bay, who admitted he could barely feel his fingers on the ball in last Friday night’s freeze-fest at Canwest Park, a return to form was not unexpected. He’s often bounced back after a rough outing
“I felt great out there,” said the Goldeyes 25-year-old right-hander. “I had my command. And I threw everything tonight. I threw the fastball, curveball, change-up and splitter. I can’t wait to get back at it in Joliet this weekend.”
Last season, Bay went 8-7 with a 5.28 ERA. This year, now that he and wife Kelly are brand new parents of a young daughter named Jerzie, he expects to be considerably better. He certainly has a bright new incentive to pitch well.
Hopefully, Tuesday night’s performance was a sign of good things to come. It’s likely he’ll get the ball on Sunday.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
May 28: West Hits Two Bombs, Says Off-Season Weight Loss a “Payback to a Great Organization.”
During this past off-season, Kevin West lost 25 pounds and got back into “rookie shape.” Lean and mean, he came to training camp ready to rip it up.
Wednesday night, after an occasionally rocky first 10 games of the season, West exploded. The big right fielder pounded out a three-run homer, a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly, drove in six runs and scored two as the Goldeyes beat Gary 7-5.
With the win, the Fish won their second-straight, improved to 8-3 on the season and remained in sole possession of first place in the Northern League.
For a guy who feasts on fastballs, West hit his two homers on off-speed pitches from RailCats ace Tony Cogan, a former reliever with the Kansas City Royals.
“The first home run was off a curve ball and the second was a change-up,” West said. “That guy (Cogan) is tough, maybe one of the best pitchers in our league, but there was no secret to what happened. I just stayed back on the pitches and got the barrel of the bat on the ball. I didn’t swing any harder than I normally do. I just got the barrel of the bat on it.”
West’s first home run was a three-run bomb that tied the game 4-4. The second, a two-run shot, gave Winnipeg a 7-4 lead.
So far this season, West – who hit .317 with 18 homers and 74 RBI last year – is hitting .279 with four homers and 13 RBI. Still, we’re only 11 games into a gruelling 96-game season and the 6-foot-2, 200-pound, 29-year-old from Florida is slimmer and better prepared for a long campaign.
“I didn’t prepare last year like I normally prepare because I had no idea what independent ball was,” said West. “I didn’t understand it, didn’t know how good it was and I didn’t realize what I was coming into. I was just lucky that I had a good year in 2008.
“I mean, I was so fortunate that this place fell in my lap. The owner, the staff, the entire organization, I just can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I can’t imagine anyplace else outside of organized baseball that anyone would want to play.
“At the end of last season I figured the least I could do to pay back this organization was to prepare and dedicate myself to the game as if I was playing big league ball. I just figured I owed it to the people here.
“And now I’ve come into a situation in which the team is so much better than last year’s team. I’m not calling anybody out, but this year, we’re not in a situation where Brent Metheny and Kevin West have to produce big numbers every night in order for us to win. How many games have we already won this season because the seventh, eighth and ninth hitters have won it for us? This is a good team in every respect.”
Immediately following Wednesday’s game, the Goldeyes boarded the bus for Joliet, where they’ll open a seven-game road trip Friday that will also take them to Kansas City.
* * *
RICHARDSON READY TO PLAY ON A WINNER
There is no question where catcher Dustin Richardson stands when asked about this year’s Goldeyes team.
“We’re going to win,” Richardson said the other day. “I mean it. This is a great team. We can hit, play defence and the pitching is really good. I really believe this team is good enough to win the league championship.”
Based on his play through the first 11 games of the campaign, there are a number of people around the team who wonder if Richardson is going to last the season in Winnipeg.
“If Dustin Richardson is still here with us at the end of the season,” said teammate Kevin West, “it’s an injustice to Dustin. That guy can flat out play ball.”
If he does remain in Winnipeg for the season, no one should wake him up. After going two-for-three with a home run and two runs scored on Wednesday, the 24-year-old is now hitting .436 with 17 hits, six doubles and a home run.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people and like anybody else here, I’d like to sign with an organization,” he said. “But I need to put up some numbers. I lost last season (with a serious head injury). I need to catch a lot of games and show the scouts I can play a full season. I’d also like to win. It never hurts to play on a winner and I think this will be the year.”
Wednesday night, after an occasionally rocky first 10 games of the season, West exploded. The big right fielder pounded out a three-run homer, a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly, drove in six runs and scored two as the Goldeyes beat Gary 7-5.
With the win, the Fish won their second-straight, improved to 8-3 on the season and remained in sole possession of first place in the Northern League.
For a guy who feasts on fastballs, West hit his two homers on off-speed pitches from RailCats ace Tony Cogan, a former reliever with the Kansas City Royals.
“The first home run was off a curve ball and the second was a change-up,” West said. “That guy (Cogan) is tough, maybe one of the best pitchers in our league, but there was no secret to what happened. I just stayed back on the pitches and got the barrel of the bat on the ball. I didn’t swing any harder than I normally do. I just got the barrel of the bat on it.”
West’s first home run was a three-run bomb that tied the game 4-4. The second, a two-run shot, gave Winnipeg a 7-4 lead.
So far this season, West – who hit .317 with 18 homers and 74 RBI last year – is hitting .279 with four homers and 13 RBI. Still, we’re only 11 games into a gruelling 96-game season and the 6-foot-2, 200-pound, 29-year-old from Florida is slimmer and better prepared for a long campaign.
“I didn’t prepare last year like I normally prepare because I had no idea what independent ball was,” said West. “I didn’t understand it, didn’t know how good it was and I didn’t realize what I was coming into. I was just lucky that I had a good year in 2008.
“I mean, I was so fortunate that this place fell in my lap. The owner, the staff, the entire organization, I just can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I can’t imagine anyplace else outside of organized baseball that anyone would want to play.
“At the end of last season I figured the least I could do to pay back this organization was to prepare and dedicate myself to the game as if I was playing big league ball. I just figured I owed it to the people here.
“And now I’ve come into a situation in which the team is so much better than last year’s team. I’m not calling anybody out, but this year, we’re not in a situation where Brent Metheny and Kevin West have to produce big numbers every night in order for us to win. How many games have we already won this season because the seventh, eighth and ninth hitters have won it for us? This is a good team in every respect.”
Immediately following Wednesday’s game, the Goldeyes boarded the bus for Joliet, where they’ll open a seven-game road trip Friday that will also take them to Kansas City.
* * *
RICHARDSON READY TO PLAY ON A WINNER
There is no question where catcher Dustin Richardson stands when asked about this year’s Goldeyes team.
“We’re going to win,” Richardson said the other day. “I mean it. This is a great team. We can hit, play defence and the pitching is really good. I really believe this team is good enough to win the league championship.”
Based on his play through the first 11 games of the campaign, there are a number of people around the team who wonder if Richardson is going to last the season in Winnipeg.
“If Dustin Richardson is still here with us at the end of the season,” said teammate Kevin West, “it’s an injustice to Dustin. That guy can flat out play ball.”
If he does remain in Winnipeg for the season, no one should wake him up. After going two-for-three with a home run and two runs scored on Wednesday, the 24-year-old is now hitting .436 with 17 hits, six doubles and a home run.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people and like anybody else here, I’d like to sign with an organization,” he said. “But I need to put up some numbers. I lost last season (with a serious head injury). I need to catch a lot of games and show the scouts I can play a full season. I’d also like to win. It never hurts to play on a winner and I think this will be the year.”
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
May 27: The Great Thing About Baseball - From Clunker to Masterpiece in One Day
Every time his Goldeyes lay an egg, Rick Forney frowns for about a minute. That’s all.
“Play lousy baseball one day,” says Forney, “and come back and play great the next. That’s the great thing about this game. When you play 96 games in four months, there is always tomorrow.”
And on Tuesday, the Goldeyes were proof of that theory. After losing a 4-2 stinker to the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Monday, the Goldeyes came out Tuesday and played an almost perfect game in a 5-2 win.
Bear Bay pitched a six-inning gem, the bullpen was solid, Cody Ehlers and Josh Asanovich homered and the defence was flawless as the Goldeyes improved to 7-3 on the season and remained in sole possession of first place in the Northern League.
What a difference a day makes.
“It all starts with your starting pitcher and Bear got off to a fast-paced start,” said Forney. “He came out, worked fast, threw strikes and got our defence back into the dugout quickly. It gets you into an offensive rhythm. When guys are out on the field for long periods of time, it can hurt your offence. Bear didn’t waste a lot of time. He gave us a great start.”
But it wasn’t just Bay. Goldeyes pitching was strong from start to finish.
“Our pitching was effective,” Forney said. “I let Bear go out to start the seventh just to stretch out his body and if he’d gotten the first out I probably would have left him in there, but we were only up 4-2 at the time and I wasn’t going to let him take the loss in that one.
“(Derek) Feldkamp did a great job in the seventh, (Chris) Homer is settling into that eighth-inning set-up role and Matt Davis closed it out again (Davis now has three saves). Just a great job all around.”
Bay allowed two runs on six hits through six innings. Davis allowed a two-out single in the ninth, the only reliever to give up a hit.
Meanwhile, Ehlers homered and drove in a pair as he went two-for-four. Kevin West went one-for-three with a walk, drove in a run and scored a run.
The Goldeyes will try to win the series Wednesday night. Gary ace Tony Cogan (1-1, 1.69 ERA) will take the mound for the visitors while Ben Pfinsgraff (1-1, 6.10 ERA) gets the call for the Fish.
“Play lousy baseball one day,” says Forney, “and come back and play great the next. That’s the great thing about this game. When you play 96 games in four months, there is always tomorrow.”
And on Tuesday, the Goldeyes were proof of that theory. After losing a 4-2 stinker to the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Monday, the Goldeyes came out Tuesday and played an almost perfect game in a 5-2 win.
Bear Bay pitched a six-inning gem, the bullpen was solid, Cody Ehlers and Josh Asanovich homered and the defence was flawless as the Goldeyes improved to 7-3 on the season and remained in sole possession of first place in the Northern League.
What a difference a day makes.
“It all starts with your starting pitcher and Bear got off to a fast-paced start,” said Forney. “He came out, worked fast, threw strikes and got our defence back into the dugout quickly. It gets you into an offensive rhythm. When guys are out on the field for long periods of time, it can hurt your offence. Bear didn’t waste a lot of time. He gave us a great start.”
But it wasn’t just Bay. Goldeyes pitching was strong from start to finish.
“Our pitching was effective,” Forney said. “I let Bear go out to start the seventh just to stretch out his body and if he’d gotten the first out I probably would have left him in there, but we were only up 4-2 at the time and I wasn’t going to let him take the loss in that one.
“(Derek) Feldkamp did a great job in the seventh, (Chris) Homer is settling into that eighth-inning set-up role and Matt Davis closed it out again (Davis now has three saves). Just a great job all around.”
Bay allowed two runs on six hits through six innings. Davis allowed a two-out single in the ninth, the only reliever to give up a hit.
Meanwhile, Ehlers homered and drove in a pair as he went two-for-four. Kevin West went one-for-three with a walk, drove in a run and scored a run.
The Goldeyes will try to win the series Wednesday night. Gary ace Tony Cogan (1-1, 1.69 ERA) will take the mound for the visitors while Ben Pfinsgraff (1-1, 6.10 ERA) gets the call for the Fish.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
May 26: You Don’t Paint A Rembrandt Every Day. Fish Lose 4-2 to Gary
On a cold Monday night at the ballpark, the Goldeyes bats were as frigid as the spring air. Chalk it up to the fact that you just won’t paint a Rembrandt every day over a 96-game schedule.
In a game that just didn’t have the buzz of the Opening Weekend series with Kansas City, the Gary SouthShore RailCats came to town, lulled the Goldeyes and the crowd to sleep, and literally walked away with a 4-2 victory.
Goldeyes pitching allowed three leadoff walks and all three came home to score.
“We didn’t do enough to win,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “Leadoff walks, defensive mistakes and a lack of timely hitting. That’s what cost us.”
It wasn’t so much the Fish played badly. It’s just that they didn’t do enough of the things that helped them get off to a 6-2 start.
Winnipeg opened the scoring with a run in the second as Juan Diaz doubled and scored on a two-out single by Josh Asanovich, but the RailCats scored twice in the fifth and once in each of the seventh and eighth and that was plenty on this night.
Goldeyes starter Daniel Haigwood went five complete innings and threw 97 pitches. He allowed two runs on only five hits and left the game with the score tied 2-2.
Reliever Adam Odom, who pitched an inning-and-a-third, gave up one run and took the loss while Andrew Cruse gave up a run in the eighth and pitched two-and-two-thirds innings.
“I thought everyone threw pretty good – other than the leadoff walks,” Forney admitted. “Our pitching was good enough to win, we just didn’t get any timely hits.”
The Fish managed only seven hits on the night. Diaz, with a double and a single, and red-hot Dustin Richardson, who doubled twice, were the only Goldeyes to record a multi-hit game. In fact, the Goldeyes had five first-pitch outs.
“We were impatient,” said Forney. “Let’s face it, if you face a pitcher in our league, especially early in the season, you force him to throw five or six pitches in every at bat. Wear him down. We needed somebody to step up and we didn’t get it. Five first-pitch outs means too much impatience at the plate.”
The Goldeyes and RailCats go at it again tonight at Canwest Park. It’ll be Bear Bay for the Fish and Onan Masaoka for the Cats.
Tuesday Morning Humour
The Story of a Conductor (courtesy of Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame honoured member Wayne Seidler):
He was a mediocre conductor of a mediocre orchestra. He had been having problems with the basses; they were the least professional of his musicians. It was the final performance of the season, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which required extra effort from the basses at the end. Earlier that evening, he found the basses celebrating one of their birthdays by passing a bottle around. As he was about to cue the basses, he knocked over his music stand. The sheet music scattered. As he stood in front of his orchestra, his worst fear was realized:
It was the bottom of the 9th, no score and the basses were loaded.
In a game that just didn’t have the buzz of the Opening Weekend series with Kansas City, the Gary SouthShore RailCats came to town, lulled the Goldeyes and the crowd to sleep, and literally walked away with a 4-2 victory.
Goldeyes pitching allowed three leadoff walks and all three came home to score.
“We didn’t do enough to win,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “Leadoff walks, defensive mistakes and a lack of timely hitting. That’s what cost us.”
It wasn’t so much the Fish played badly. It’s just that they didn’t do enough of the things that helped them get off to a 6-2 start.
Winnipeg opened the scoring with a run in the second as Juan Diaz doubled and scored on a two-out single by Josh Asanovich, but the RailCats scored twice in the fifth and once in each of the seventh and eighth and that was plenty on this night.
Goldeyes starter Daniel Haigwood went five complete innings and threw 97 pitches. He allowed two runs on only five hits and left the game with the score tied 2-2.
Reliever Adam Odom, who pitched an inning-and-a-third, gave up one run and took the loss while Andrew Cruse gave up a run in the eighth and pitched two-and-two-thirds innings.
“I thought everyone threw pretty good – other than the leadoff walks,” Forney admitted. “Our pitching was good enough to win, we just didn’t get any timely hits.”
The Fish managed only seven hits on the night. Diaz, with a double and a single, and red-hot Dustin Richardson, who doubled twice, were the only Goldeyes to record a multi-hit game. In fact, the Goldeyes had five first-pitch outs.
“We were impatient,” said Forney. “Let’s face it, if you face a pitcher in our league, especially early in the season, you force him to throw five or six pitches in every at bat. Wear him down. We needed somebody to step up and we didn’t get it. Five first-pitch outs means too much impatience at the plate.”
The Goldeyes and RailCats go at it again tonight at Canwest Park. It’ll be Bear Bay for the Fish and Onan Masaoka for the Cats.
Tuesday Morning Humour
The Story of a Conductor (courtesy of Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame honoured member Wayne Seidler):
He was a mediocre conductor of a mediocre orchestra. He had been having problems with the basses; they were the least professional of his musicians. It was the final performance of the season, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which required extra effort from the basses at the end. Earlier that evening, he found the basses celebrating one of their birthdays by passing a bottle around. As he was about to cue the basses, he knocked over his music stand. The sheet music scattered. As he stood in front of his orchestra, his worst fear was realized:
It was the bottom of the 9th, no score and the basses were loaded.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 25: Ehlers Caps Huge Comeback with Two-Out RBI Single in 10th
During a 96-game baseball season, some wins are bigger than others. On Sunday afternoon, just about everyone in a Goldeyes uniform agreed that a gutsy, 6-5, come-from-behind win over the Kansas City T-Bones will be remembered as one of the bigger ones.
With two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth, the Goldeyes battled back from a 5-1 deficit to send the game to extra innings.
What made it all so sweet was the clutch, two-out game-winning single from first baseman Cody Ehlers in the 10th to beat the T-Bones in an absolute thriller. With the win, the Fish improved to 6-2 and regained sole possession of first place in the Northern League.
For Ehlers, the hero, it was just another day at the park: two-for-five, a double in the ninth, a run scored and an RBI single to win it in extra innings.
“He threw me a fastball,” said Ehlers, referring to the pitch he hit for the game-winning run. “I wasn’t even going to swing at it, but it was just too good to pass up.”
“Great hitter, lousy liar,” quipped catcher Dustin Richardson, when he heard Ehlers’s comment.
Both laughed. In fact, there is a lot of laughter in the Goldeyes clubhouse right now.
“It just seems like we’re never out of it,” said first base coach Rudy Arias. “No matter who goes up there, he’s a confident hitter. When you have confident hitters, there is always a chance something good can happen.”
True, but there is a lot more to this offence than just confident hitters and a few clutch hits. Right now, the Goldeyes have Wes Long, who went three-for-four with an RBI and a run scored on Sunday and is now hitting .447; Richardson, who was two-for-four with an RBI and a run scored on Sunday and is now at .414; and 35-year-old Juan Diaz, who was two-for-four with a run scored on Sunday, now hitting .313 and hustling like a rookie.
“On Sunday, Juan Diaz showed us the type of people we have on this team,” said Arias. “The way he hustled down the line after a strikeout and beat the throw to first, well that just said so much about this team. He’s a 35-year-old veteran slugger who isn’t asked to do that, but he did it anyway. That’s the kind of team we have.”
With two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth, the Goldeyes battled back from a 5-1 deficit to send the game to extra innings.
What made it all so sweet was the clutch, two-out game-winning single from first baseman Cody Ehlers in the 10th to beat the T-Bones in an absolute thriller. With the win, the Fish improved to 6-2 and regained sole possession of first place in the Northern League.
For Ehlers, the hero, it was just another day at the park: two-for-five, a double in the ninth, a run scored and an RBI single to win it in extra innings.
“He threw me a fastball,” said Ehlers, referring to the pitch he hit for the game-winning run. “I wasn’t even going to swing at it, but it was just too good to pass up.”
“Great hitter, lousy liar,” quipped catcher Dustin Richardson, when he heard Ehlers’s comment.
Both laughed. In fact, there is a lot of laughter in the Goldeyes clubhouse right now.
“It just seems like we’re never out of it,” said first base coach Rudy Arias. “No matter who goes up there, he’s a confident hitter. When you have confident hitters, there is always a chance something good can happen.”
True, but there is a lot more to this offence than just confident hitters and a few clutch hits. Right now, the Goldeyes have Wes Long, who went three-for-four with an RBI and a run scored on Sunday and is now hitting .447; Richardson, who was two-for-four with an RBI and a run scored on Sunday and is now at .414; and 35-year-old Juan Diaz, who was two-for-four with a run scored on Sunday, now hitting .313 and hustling like a rookie.
“On Sunday, Juan Diaz showed us the type of people we have on this team,” said Arias. “The way he hustled down the line after a strikeout and beat the throw to first, well that just said so much about this team. He’s a 35-year-old veteran slugger who isn’t asked to do that, but he did it anyway. That’s the kind of team we have.”
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