MINNEAPOLIS – Former Winnipeg Goldeyes reliever George Sherrill has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In one of the biggest moves at this year’s waiver-wire deadline, the Baltimore Orioles closer was traded to the Dodgers in exchange for slugging third base prospect Josh Bell and pitcher Steve Johnson. Both players are outstanding prospects.
Bell, who is 22, is ranked by Baseball America as the Dodgers' No. 8 prospect. A switch-hitter, he hit .296 with 11 home runs and 17 errors in 94 games at Double-A Chattanooga.
Johnson, 21, is ranked as the Dodgers' No. 15 prospect. He is the son of former Orioles pitcher Dave Johnson. He is 8-4 with a 3.82 earned-run average at Class A Inland Empire, with 42 walks and 102 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers will use Sherrill as “an eighth and ninth inning guy,” the set-up man for closer Jonathan Broxton. However, while he was disappointed to leave Baltimore, he will be going to a team with a legitimate chance to win the World Series.
"It's tough," Sherrill said. "It was fun getting to play in Baltimore. This is where I got to be a closer. It was one of those things where it was flattering to be involved in trade talks, but I liked Baltimore. I enjoyed coming here and getting to pitch in this division and getting to know the team and seeing the direction it is going in. I wanted to be part of this team’s development into a championship team.”
This will be Sherrll’s second move in 17 months. He was acquired by the Orioles from Seattle two seasons ago in the Erik Bedard trade. In Orioles spring training in 2008, Chris Ray was injured and Sherrill won the closer’s job. His 31 saves in 2008 tied him for second most by a first-year Oriole behind Lee Smith. He was a fan-favourite in Baltimore for two reasons: (1) the often wild and dramatic way in which he closed out games and (2) the odd way in which he wore his cap, cocked to one side without bending the brim. All of that earned him the nickname “The Brim Reaper.”
Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said last week that he couldn’t understand why Baltimore would want to rid itself of an experienced 32-year-old closer who could also serve as a set-up man or a situational lefthander.
“He’s a good lefthander and I don’t know why a team would want to trade away a good lefthander,” said Forney, who as the team’s pitching coach, played a major role in Sherrill’s move from the Goldeyes to the Majors in 2002 and 2003. “I think George can do so many things. I just don’t understand why they’d want to trade him away.”
This season in Baltimore, Sherrill had a 2.40 earned run average with 20 saves in 42 appearances.
"I enjoyed my time in Baltimore and I’m sad to go,” Sherrill said. “But I’m happy to have a shot to go to the playoffs."
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
July 30: Diaz Becoming a Huge Fan Favourite
Marvin Perrault hails from Kenora, Ont. His family comes from Eagle Lake First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. He’s been a baseball fan most of his life, but only this year, as he starts a small business in Winnipeg, has he become a fan of the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
Last Sunday, as he watched Juan Diaz, hit two homers – one a grand slam and one a two-run shot – to lead the Fish past the Gary SouthShore RailCats 7-4, Perrault admitted he had joined a growing number of Goldeyes supporters and become a stand-on-your-feet-and-cheer fanatic for the team’s giant DH.
“I love that big guy,” Perrault said, with a wide smile on his face. “I love the way he swings the bat. It’s a short little swing and he kind of just jerks it over the fence. He’s really fun to watch. Every time he comes up, people just get excited. I love these games.”
Perrault has jumped on a bandwagon that is getting more crowded every day. As August arrives and Juan Diaz’s bat heats up, Goldeyes fans are pumped every time he comes to the plate.
“It’s because they know something exciting can happen,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney.
And that’s very true. On Wednesday night, Diaz banged out his 17th home run of the year, a three-run shot that helped the Goldeyes win the suspended game from June 24 by a 6-5 score. With the homer and three RBI, Diaz moved toward the top of the Northern League in both categories.
Diaz is now second to Kansas City’s Ryan Fox in homers (Fox has 18) and with 58 RBI, he’s second to Fargo’s Nic Jackson (Jackson has 60). He’s also second to Jackson in slugging percentage (.585 to Diaz’s .568) and with a .312 batting average, he’s moved near the Top 10 in the NL for the first time this season.
“For a guy to hit for average and power the way Juan does, well that’s really impressive,” said Goldeyes third baseman Brent Metheny last weekend. “He’s a professional hitter.”
And that professionalism has been noticed by Goldeyes’ fans. Whenever Diaz steps to the plate, the fans rise and give him an ovation, hoping that something truly exciting will take place before their eyes.
“It’s funny. The crowd cheers his announcement to the plate and then, once he steps into the batter’s box, the crowd goes really quiet,” said Goldeyes fan Kris Row, who sits in the front row, right behind the Goldeyes dugout. “Then when he’s at the plate, his own teammates all run up to the top of the dugout steps just to watch him hit. The crowd, at least the crowd around me, will be talking among themselves and they’ll all stop talking to watch him. I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
(Note: Watch for a feature on Juan Diaz – where did he come from and how did he get here -- in the next issue of Fish Lines Series Magazine, available only at Goldeyes games next week.)
Last Sunday, as he watched Juan Diaz, hit two homers – one a grand slam and one a two-run shot – to lead the Fish past the Gary SouthShore RailCats 7-4, Perrault admitted he had joined a growing number of Goldeyes supporters and become a stand-on-your-feet-and-cheer fanatic for the team’s giant DH.
“I love that big guy,” Perrault said, with a wide smile on his face. “I love the way he swings the bat. It’s a short little swing and he kind of just jerks it over the fence. He’s really fun to watch. Every time he comes up, people just get excited. I love these games.”
Perrault has jumped on a bandwagon that is getting more crowded every day. As August arrives and Juan Diaz’s bat heats up, Goldeyes fans are pumped every time he comes to the plate.
“It’s because they know something exciting can happen,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney.
And that’s very true. On Wednesday night, Diaz banged out his 17th home run of the year, a three-run shot that helped the Goldeyes win the suspended game from June 24 by a 6-5 score. With the homer and three RBI, Diaz moved toward the top of the Northern League in both categories.
Diaz is now second to Kansas City’s Ryan Fox in homers (Fox has 18) and with 58 RBI, he’s second to Fargo’s Nic Jackson (Jackson has 60). He’s also second to Jackson in slugging percentage (.585 to Diaz’s .568) and with a .312 batting average, he’s moved near the Top 10 in the NL for the first time this season.
“For a guy to hit for average and power the way Juan does, well that’s really impressive,” said Goldeyes third baseman Brent Metheny last weekend. “He’s a professional hitter.”
And that professionalism has been noticed by Goldeyes’ fans. Whenever Diaz steps to the plate, the fans rise and give him an ovation, hoping that something truly exciting will take place before their eyes.
“It’s funny. The crowd cheers his announcement to the plate and then, once he steps into the batter’s box, the crowd goes really quiet,” said Goldeyes fan Kris Row, who sits in the front row, right behind the Goldeyes dugout. “Then when he’s at the plate, his own teammates all run up to the top of the dugout steps just to watch him hit. The crowd, at least the crowd around me, will be talking among themselves and they’ll all stop talking to watch him. I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
(Note: Watch for a feature on Juan Diaz – where did he come from and how did he get here -- in the next issue of Fish Lines Series Magazine, available only at Goldeyes games next week.)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July 29: Metheny Starting To Heat Up With A Month To Go
It has been a struggle for Brent Metheny.
Winnipeg’s best hitter in 2008 with a sparkling .357 average scuffled out of the gate this year, injured a calf muscle and seemed to lose his patience at the plate.
For weeks, the third-year Goldeyes third baseman and seven-year pro couldn’t crack the .240 mark (he was hitting .235 on July 5). He just didn’t feel right at the plate or comfortable on the bases. However, he knew two things: (1) in baseball, all situations – good and bad – eventually even out and (2) he hadn’t lost his skills.
“I was just banged up,” he said. “I missed more than two weeks with that muscle tear. I mean I was hurt for much of the first half of the season. It sure didn’t help that I was trying to swing on a torn muscle in my back leg, my power leg.
“But I’m better now and that’s the difference. I’m still not swinging the bat as well as I have, but I can run the bases now. I can steal bases and score from first and that makes a big difference. I can stretch a single into a double. Now that I’m healthy again, things that I’ve done naturally are starting to get a little easier.”
That’s certainly the way it was during Winnipeg’s most recent home stand. Although Metheny was 0-for-6 in Saturday’s 4-3 win over Gary in 13 innings, he was 7-for-15 in the other five games, with four runs scored and three driven in. Now hitting .259, he’s starting to climb back – by his lofty standards, at least – to respectability.
Not surprisingly, the Goldeyes won all six games during that stretch, moved back into first place – three games ahead of second-place Gary – and, like Metheny, appeared to leave their troubles behind.
“I’m starting the hit the ball to all fields again and when I’m doing that, I know I’m getting my stroke back,” Metheny said. “I said a couple of years ago after I hit all those home runs (21 In 2007), that I was really just a doubles hitter, who hit a lot of line drives and sprayed the ball gap-to-gap. I can still hit home runs (he has seven this season), but when I’m at my best, I’m hitting line drives all over the park.”
And when Metheny’s at his best, Northern League pitchers should beware.
Winnipeg’s best hitter in 2008 with a sparkling .357 average scuffled out of the gate this year, injured a calf muscle and seemed to lose his patience at the plate.
For weeks, the third-year Goldeyes third baseman and seven-year pro couldn’t crack the .240 mark (he was hitting .235 on July 5). He just didn’t feel right at the plate or comfortable on the bases. However, he knew two things: (1) in baseball, all situations – good and bad – eventually even out and (2) he hadn’t lost his skills.
“I was just banged up,” he said. “I missed more than two weeks with that muscle tear. I mean I was hurt for much of the first half of the season. It sure didn’t help that I was trying to swing on a torn muscle in my back leg, my power leg.
“But I’m better now and that’s the difference. I’m still not swinging the bat as well as I have, but I can run the bases now. I can steal bases and score from first and that makes a big difference. I can stretch a single into a double. Now that I’m healthy again, things that I’ve done naturally are starting to get a little easier.”
That’s certainly the way it was during Winnipeg’s most recent home stand. Although Metheny was 0-for-6 in Saturday’s 4-3 win over Gary in 13 innings, he was 7-for-15 in the other five games, with four runs scored and three driven in. Now hitting .259, he’s starting to climb back – by his lofty standards, at least – to respectability.
Not surprisingly, the Goldeyes won all six games during that stretch, moved back into first place – three games ahead of second-place Gary – and, like Metheny, appeared to leave their troubles behind.
“I’m starting the hit the ball to all fields again and when I’m doing that, I know I’m getting my stroke back,” Metheny said. “I said a couple of years ago after I hit all those home runs (21 In 2007), that I was really just a doubles hitter, who hit a lot of line drives and sprayed the ball gap-to-gap. I can still hit home runs (he has seven this season), but when I’m at my best, I’m hitting line drives all over the park.”
And when Metheny’s at his best, Northern League pitchers should beware.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 28: Forney Assesses His Ball Club After 60 Games
The Winnipeg Goldeyes have already done just about everything manager Rick Forney could ask of them. In fact, if you base the season so far on how things turned out the last couple of years in the Northern League, the Goldeyes only need to win eight or nine more games to guarantee themselves a spot in the post-season.
Let’s be honest, though, the last thing Forney wants is to have his team go 9-27 down the stretch, but the fact remains, the Goldeyes have been so good so far, they don’t have a lot of pressure on them heading into the final month of the season.
“I can’t wait until the playoffs start,” said third baseman Brent Metheny. “Then we can play some games that really matter.”
After the first 60 games of this year’s 96-game schedule, the Fish are a rock-solid 37-23 and have moved back into first place in the Northern League. They went 19-5 over the first quarter of the season, have played .500 ball since (despite injuries and a major post-all-star-game slump) and have not only won six-straight games, but have pulled three games ahead of the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the race for first.
For Forney, there is still a lot of baseball left, but he’ll be the first to tell you that the first 60 games have been a pleasure.
“We have a lot of talented baseball players, that’s obvious,” Forney said. “More importantly, it’s a really good group of guys. It’s a special group. Every day, I keep my fingers crossed and hope that we don’t have any more serious injuries.”
Yes. One serious injury is enough, thank you. Just before the all-star game, the team’s most valuable player, shortstop Wes Long, went to tag Schaumburg catcher Richard Mercado at second base when Mercado suddenly changed direction, ran out of the baseline with his spikes high and broke Long’s left ankle.
With Long out of the line-up, the Goldeyes scuffled for almost two weeks. After building up as much as an eight-game lead, the Fish fell a half-game back of red-hot Gary in the standings. But by winning a series against the RailCats last week, Winnipeg moved back into top spot and appeared to put their troubles behind them.
“It was a great week (last week) and I’m proud of all the guys,” Forney said following last week’s six-game sweep of Kansas City and Gary. “All I do is write out the line-up card and let them do what they do. Sure, I’ll change a pitcher or two or send out a pinch-runner, but I don’t have to do too much. I just put them out there and let them play the game.”
And they do play the game pretty well.
“Our starting pitching has been pretty solid,” Forney said. “Of course, it never hurts to play good defence behind your pitchers and that’s another thing I like about this team. All teams make mistakes, but outside of that slump after the all-star game, when we make mistakes, we’ve been able to overcome them.
“What can I say? They’re not perfect, nobody’s perfect, but overall, they have been a joy to watch.”
Let’s be honest, though, the last thing Forney wants is to have his team go 9-27 down the stretch, but the fact remains, the Goldeyes have been so good so far, they don’t have a lot of pressure on them heading into the final month of the season.
“I can’t wait until the playoffs start,” said third baseman Brent Metheny. “Then we can play some games that really matter.”
After the first 60 games of this year’s 96-game schedule, the Fish are a rock-solid 37-23 and have moved back into first place in the Northern League. They went 19-5 over the first quarter of the season, have played .500 ball since (despite injuries and a major post-all-star-game slump) and have not only won six-straight games, but have pulled three games ahead of the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the race for first.
For Forney, there is still a lot of baseball left, but he’ll be the first to tell you that the first 60 games have been a pleasure.
“We have a lot of talented baseball players, that’s obvious,” Forney said. “More importantly, it’s a really good group of guys. It’s a special group. Every day, I keep my fingers crossed and hope that we don’t have any more serious injuries.”
Yes. One serious injury is enough, thank you. Just before the all-star game, the team’s most valuable player, shortstop Wes Long, went to tag Schaumburg catcher Richard Mercado at second base when Mercado suddenly changed direction, ran out of the baseline with his spikes high and broke Long’s left ankle.
With Long out of the line-up, the Goldeyes scuffled for almost two weeks. After building up as much as an eight-game lead, the Fish fell a half-game back of red-hot Gary in the standings. But by winning a series against the RailCats last week, Winnipeg moved back into top spot and appeared to put their troubles behind them.
“It was a great week (last week) and I’m proud of all the guys,” Forney said following last week’s six-game sweep of Kansas City and Gary. “All I do is write out the line-up card and let them do what they do. Sure, I’ll change a pitcher or two or send out a pinch-runner, but I don’t have to do too much. I just put them out there and let them play the game.”
And they do play the game pretty well.
“Our starting pitching has been pretty solid,” Forney said. “Of course, it never hurts to play good defence behind your pitchers and that’s another thing I like about this team. All teams make mistakes, but outside of that slump after the all-star game, when we make mistakes, we’ve been able to overcome them.
“What can I say? They’re not perfect, nobody’s perfect, but overall, they have been a joy to watch.”
Monday, July 27, 2009
July 27: Diaz Brings Fans To Their Feet As Goldeyes Sweep RailCats
Even by Juan Diaz’s lofty standards, it was a big day.
A pair of Diaz home runs – a grand slam in the third and a two run blast in the seventh – gave the Goldeyes all they needed in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Gary SouthShore RailCats on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Fish swept Gary out of Canwest Park this weekend, won their sixth-straight game, improved to 37-23 after 60 games and moved three games in front of Gary in the race for first in the Northern League.
Diaz, who went three-for-five with two homers, two runs scored and six runs batted in, has been a monster at the plate for the past week. With Sunday’s performance, he is now batting .312 with nine doubles, 14 homers, 42 runs scored and 53 RBI. His slugging percentage is now .546. He has moved into a tie with teammate Kevin West for second place among the Northern League’s home run leaders. He’s also moved past West into second place (53) on the league’s RBI leaders list.
What was even more impressive on Sunday, however, was the way the fans at Canwest Park got excited whenever Big Juan strolled into the batter’s box. In fact, there is now a buzz in the crowd when Diaz steps into the on-deck circle.
“These fans are getting excited because they know whenever Juan is at the plate, there is a real chance something big will happen,” Forney said. “It’s no different than fans who went to NFL games and watched for Walter Payton to get the ball or Tony Dorsett or why baseball fans want to see Alex Rodriguez. They want to know what all the excitement is about. They want to see something special. And right now Juan is swinging the bat so well, when he steps in there, something exciting could happen.”
It was sure exciting on Sunday. When Diaz came up in the third with the bases loaded, Gary pitching coach Jamie Bennett went out to talk to starter Garret Holleran. At the time, Gary was leading 1-0 and obviously the RailCats wanted to be careful with Diaz, a guy they walked intentionally on two occasions on Saturday night.
That’s why it was so shocking that Diaz got a belt-high fastball right over the middle of the plate on Holleran’s first pitch and he immediately deposited the ball over the left field fence onto Waterfront Drive.
“I was standing in the dugout and I looked at West,” said Goldeyes third baseman Brent Metheny. “I think I saw two fastballs in the strike zone in the entire series with Gary. West just looked at me and shrugged. What can you say? Nobody believed Juan would see that pitch, a fastball right down the heart of the plate, especially with the bases loaded.”
As spectacular as Diaz was on Sunday, the game-winning RBI did not come off his bat. Metheny singled, stole second and came home on a base hit by Dee Brown.
“I’m just really proud of all the guys,” Forney said. “You just can’t draw it up any better. It was a great finish to a great homestand. We had great starting pitching in all six games, we got some timely hits – three walk-off home runs this week was pretty impressive. And it was nice to have that instant offence (15 homers in the last six games at home – seven against Gary and eight against Kansas City). It’s pretty hard to beat a team that’s getting great pitching and hitting a lot of home runs at the same time.
“We went through a tough patch after the all-star game, but the guys have really responded. It was a great week.”
A pair of Diaz home runs – a grand slam in the third and a two run blast in the seventh – gave the Goldeyes all they needed in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Gary SouthShore RailCats on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Fish swept Gary out of Canwest Park this weekend, won their sixth-straight game, improved to 37-23 after 60 games and moved three games in front of Gary in the race for first in the Northern League.
Diaz, who went three-for-five with two homers, two runs scored and six runs batted in, has been a monster at the plate for the past week. With Sunday’s performance, he is now batting .312 with nine doubles, 14 homers, 42 runs scored and 53 RBI. His slugging percentage is now .546. He has moved into a tie with teammate Kevin West for second place among the Northern League’s home run leaders. He’s also moved past West into second place (53) on the league’s RBI leaders list.
What was even more impressive on Sunday, however, was the way the fans at Canwest Park got excited whenever Big Juan strolled into the batter’s box. In fact, there is now a buzz in the crowd when Diaz steps into the on-deck circle.
“These fans are getting excited because they know whenever Juan is at the plate, there is a real chance something big will happen,” Forney said. “It’s no different than fans who went to NFL games and watched for Walter Payton to get the ball or Tony Dorsett or why baseball fans want to see Alex Rodriguez. They want to know what all the excitement is about. They want to see something special. And right now Juan is swinging the bat so well, when he steps in there, something exciting could happen.”
It was sure exciting on Sunday. When Diaz came up in the third with the bases loaded, Gary pitching coach Jamie Bennett went out to talk to starter Garret Holleran. At the time, Gary was leading 1-0 and obviously the RailCats wanted to be careful with Diaz, a guy they walked intentionally on two occasions on Saturday night.
That’s why it was so shocking that Diaz got a belt-high fastball right over the middle of the plate on Holleran’s first pitch and he immediately deposited the ball over the left field fence onto Waterfront Drive.
“I was standing in the dugout and I looked at West,” said Goldeyes third baseman Brent Metheny. “I think I saw two fastballs in the strike zone in the entire series with Gary. West just looked at me and shrugged. What can you say? Nobody believed Juan would see that pitch, a fastball right down the heart of the plate, especially with the bases loaded.”
As spectacular as Diaz was on Sunday, the game-winning RBI did not come off his bat. Metheny singled, stole second and came home on a base hit by Dee Brown.
“I’m just really proud of all the guys,” Forney said. “You just can’t draw it up any better. It was a great finish to a great homestand. We had great starting pitching in all six games, we got some timely hits – three walk-off home runs this week was pretty impressive. And it was nice to have that instant offence (15 homers in the last six games at home – seven against Gary and eight against Kansas City). It’s pretty hard to beat a team that’s getting great pitching and hitting a lot of home runs at the same time.
“We went through a tough patch after the all-star game, but the guys have really responded. It was a great week.”
Sunday, July 26, 2009
July 26: Crowell The Hero As Goldeyes Win On 13th Inning Bomb
Kurt Crowell pulled no punches. And why should he? He swung, the ball flew high and deep and when it landed, there was absolutely no doubt about it.
“I went up there looking for a fastball,” Crowell said. “He threw me a fastball right down the middle. I crushed it.”
Indeed he did. And after he crushed it and the ball flew over the screen in left field, he got a hero’s welcome at home plate by his teammates as Crowell’s dramatic 13th inning bomb gave Winnipeg a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
“It was great,” Crowell told Shaw TV’s Jim Toth in the post-game interview. “I’ll do anything I can for this team. That was just great.”
At that point, he was pied, on live television, by clubhouse manager Jamie Samson.
For the third time this week, the Goldeyes won on a game-winning home run. On Tuesday against Kansas City, Cody Ehlers was the hero with a two-run bomb in the bottom of the ninth to give the Fish a 10-8 win. On Thursday against Kansas City, it was Adam Frost, who hit a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth in a 1-0 thriller. Saturday night, it was Crowell’s turn, as the Goldeyes won their fifth-straight and moved two games ahead of Gary in the race for first in the Northern League.
But while Crowell turned out to be the extra-inning hero, starting pitcher Bear Bay did a sensational job through seven-plus innings. In fact, Bay didn’t allow a hit until the fifth – and that was a bad-hop grounder that went off third baseman Brent Metheny’s shoulder.
“It was a good week for me,” said Bay, who pitched two great games but didn’t get the decision in either (that 10-8 win over KC and last night). “I had really good stuff all week. In both games, they couldn’t catch up to my fastball.
“But I’m not worried that much about getting the wins. The important thing was we had two walk-off homers to win. I pitched well enough to give the team a chance to win and right now, it’s the wins that matter.”
The final game of this three-game series with Gary goes this afternoon at 1:30 at Canwest Park. It will be righthander Mark Michael’s turn to give his team a chance to win.
“I went up there looking for a fastball,” Crowell said. “He threw me a fastball right down the middle. I crushed it.”
Indeed he did. And after he crushed it and the ball flew over the screen in left field, he got a hero’s welcome at home plate by his teammates as Crowell’s dramatic 13th inning bomb gave Winnipeg a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
“It was great,” Crowell told Shaw TV’s Jim Toth in the post-game interview. “I’ll do anything I can for this team. That was just great.”
At that point, he was pied, on live television, by clubhouse manager Jamie Samson.
For the third time this week, the Goldeyes won on a game-winning home run. On Tuesday against Kansas City, Cody Ehlers was the hero with a two-run bomb in the bottom of the ninth to give the Fish a 10-8 win. On Thursday against Kansas City, it was Adam Frost, who hit a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth in a 1-0 thriller. Saturday night, it was Crowell’s turn, as the Goldeyes won their fifth-straight and moved two games ahead of Gary in the race for first in the Northern League.
But while Crowell turned out to be the extra-inning hero, starting pitcher Bear Bay did a sensational job through seven-plus innings. In fact, Bay didn’t allow a hit until the fifth – and that was a bad-hop grounder that went off third baseman Brent Metheny’s shoulder.
“It was a good week for me,” said Bay, who pitched two great games but didn’t get the decision in either (that 10-8 win over KC and last night). “I had really good stuff all week. In both games, they couldn’t catch up to my fastball.
“But I’m not worried that much about getting the wins. The important thing was we had two walk-off homers to win. I pitched well enough to give the team a chance to win and right now, it’s the wins that matter.”
The final game of this three-game series with Gary goes this afternoon at 1:30 at Canwest Park. It will be righthander Mark Michael’s turn to give his team a chance to win.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
July 25: Forney Says Sliding the Difference. Huh? Sliding?
Winnipeg manager Rick Forney considers himself a student of the game. He’s always watching, Always observing the intricacies that separate winning from losing.
After his Goldeyes played an almost-perfect game in a 9-3 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Friday that vaulted the Fish back into first place in the Northern League, Forney considered the elements that gave his team the victory.
1.) He got a great, complete-game pitching performance from Ace Walker.
2.) He got home runs from Brent Metheny and Dee Brown.
3.) He even got a steal of home by Metheny...
Ahh, yes, that thrilling steal of home.
“Isn’t it funny, this game?” asked Forney rhetorically. “Tonight, sliding made the difference.
“We had a number of great slides into second base, especially (Brent) Metheny’s slide that led to a run. Then there was Metheny’s steal of home. That was a super slide. We had all sorts of super slides in that game.
“For us, it was risk-reward baserunning out there and tonight we were rewarded. Amazing isn’t it? Sliding. It really was the difference in that game.”
Even if a fan missed all the other intricate slides during the Goldeyes comeback victory over the RailCats, nobody missed Metheny when he came tearing down the third base line, failed to beat the ball to the plate and then slid around – and actually over – Gary catcher Brett Wallace.
“That was not called from the dugout. That was Brent’s decision on his own,” Forney said. “But it was a good decision. Their pitcher had a pretty high leg kick and even Kevin (West) said that he thought about trying to steal home. Brent saw the leg kick, figured it was probably an off-speed pitch and took off. It was sure exciting.”
For the most part, the entire game was exciting.
Gary picked up two quick runs off Walker – both unearned – in the top of the second inning and it was starting to look like the last time the RailCats were in town, when Gary swept a three-game set.
But Dee Brown homered in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 2-1 and the Goldeyes started to get their act together.
After Gary’s Mike Massaro homered in the top of the third, the Goldeyes came back with three in the bottom of the third including Metheny’s steal of home plate – the steal that turned out to be the winning run – that gave the Fish a 4-3 lead.
Winnipeg added five more in the seventh, sparked by Metheny’s two-run bomb, as the Fish cruised to their fourth-straight victory, took over sole possession of first place and improved to 35-23 on the season.
“This was just a really good ball game,” said Forney. “We got out of the gates kind of slow and they built that 2-0 lead, but we got it back after Dee’s home run – that was a huge home run – and the guys played really well.
“Brent (Metheny who went two-for-four with two runs scored and three RBI) really looked good tonight and if wasn’t for a few inches here and there – the long fly ball that would have been a home run if it hadn’t gone a few inches foul down the right field line and then the flare he hit later that just missed falling in fair territory – he might have had six or seven RBI.
“I was really pleased with the effort. We’ll just have to go back out on Saturday and do it again.”
The middle game of this important three-game series goes tonight at 6:00 at the downtown ballpark.
After his Goldeyes played an almost-perfect game in a 9-3 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Friday that vaulted the Fish back into first place in the Northern League, Forney considered the elements that gave his team the victory.
1.) He got a great, complete-game pitching performance from Ace Walker.
2.) He got home runs from Brent Metheny and Dee Brown.
3.) He even got a steal of home by Metheny...
Ahh, yes, that thrilling steal of home.
“Isn’t it funny, this game?” asked Forney rhetorically. “Tonight, sliding made the difference.
“We had a number of great slides into second base, especially (Brent) Metheny’s slide that led to a run. Then there was Metheny’s steal of home. That was a super slide. We had all sorts of super slides in that game.
“For us, it was risk-reward baserunning out there and tonight we were rewarded. Amazing isn’t it? Sliding. It really was the difference in that game.”
Even if a fan missed all the other intricate slides during the Goldeyes comeback victory over the RailCats, nobody missed Metheny when he came tearing down the third base line, failed to beat the ball to the plate and then slid around – and actually over – Gary catcher Brett Wallace.
“That was not called from the dugout. That was Brent’s decision on his own,” Forney said. “But it was a good decision. Their pitcher had a pretty high leg kick and even Kevin (West) said that he thought about trying to steal home. Brent saw the leg kick, figured it was probably an off-speed pitch and took off. It was sure exciting.”
For the most part, the entire game was exciting.
Gary picked up two quick runs off Walker – both unearned – in the top of the second inning and it was starting to look like the last time the RailCats were in town, when Gary swept a three-game set.
But Dee Brown homered in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 2-1 and the Goldeyes started to get their act together.
After Gary’s Mike Massaro homered in the top of the third, the Goldeyes came back with three in the bottom of the third including Metheny’s steal of home plate – the steal that turned out to be the winning run – that gave the Fish a 4-3 lead.
Winnipeg added five more in the seventh, sparked by Metheny’s two-run bomb, as the Fish cruised to their fourth-straight victory, took over sole possession of first place and improved to 35-23 on the season.
“This was just a really good ball game,” said Forney. “We got out of the gates kind of slow and they built that 2-0 lead, but we got it back after Dee’s home run – that was a huge home run – and the guys played really well.
“Brent (Metheny who went two-for-four with two runs scored and three RBI) really looked good tonight and if wasn’t for a few inches here and there – the long fly ball that would have been a home run if it hadn’t gone a few inches foul down the right field line and then the flare he hit later that just missed falling in fair territory – he might have had six or seven RBI.
“I was really pleased with the effort. We’ll just have to go back out on Saturday and do it again.”
The middle game of this important three-game series goes tonight at 6:00 at the downtown ballpark.
Friday, July 24, 2009
July 24: Frost The Hero As Goldeyes Move Back Into First With 1-0 Win
When Adam Frost came to the plate to open the bottom of the ninth on Thursday night, he had a plan.
And, man-oh-man, did that plan pay off.
Frost, the 22-year-old Goldeyes shortstop, was moved from the No. 8 hole up to the lead-off spot for the final game of a three-game series with the Kansas City T-Bones, but when he came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, he was 0-for-3 and trying to keep a nine-game hitting streak alive.
Well, he not only kept the streak alive, he hit the third pitch he saw from T-Bones starter Dustin Bolton over the left field wall to give the Fish a thrilling 1-0 victory.
“I was 0-for-3 and I’d been struggling up there the whole game,” said Frost, who has come off the bench to do a tremendous job in place of the injured Wes Long.
“I looked pretty awkward on that breaking ball he threw me, so I decided to sit back and wait for another one. Well, he came right back with another breaking ball and I hung back on it and got all of it. I felt like it might have been out as soon as I hit it.”
Frost was talking with a face full of shaving cream after being pied by his teammates right before his post-game interview with Shaw TV’s Jim Toth. His teammates were so thrilled with his ninth-inning bomb they all poured out of the dugout to meet him at home plate.
“It’s always great to do something like this, but for us, it’s just important to win,” Frost said. “Kansas City is a really tough team and their pitcher (Bolton) threw really well. It was a tough ball game. But after sweeping Kansas City we’re going in the right direction now.”
Thursday night’s game was an outstanding pitcher’s duel between Bolton and Goldeyes starter Andrew Cruse. Cruse allowed only four hits through seven innings and was picked up by Zach Baldwin and Chris Homer (who got the win thanks to Frost’s ninth inning heroics). Bolton gave up just three hits – only two until Frost’s bomb in the ninth.
With the win, the Fish swept Kansas City right out of Canwest Park. It was Winnipeg’s third-straight win and, with a record of 34-23, have moved back into a first-place tie with the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
And what do you know? The Goldeyes and RailCats will open a three-game series at the ballpark beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
And, man-oh-man, did that plan pay off.
Frost, the 22-year-old Goldeyes shortstop, was moved from the No. 8 hole up to the lead-off spot for the final game of a three-game series with the Kansas City T-Bones, but when he came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, he was 0-for-3 and trying to keep a nine-game hitting streak alive.
Well, he not only kept the streak alive, he hit the third pitch he saw from T-Bones starter Dustin Bolton over the left field wall to give the Fish a thrilling 1-0 victory.
“I was 0-for-3 and I’d been struggling up there the whole game,” said Frost, who has come off the bench to do a tremendous job in place of the injured Wes Long.
“I looked pretty awkward on that breaking ball he threw me, so I decided to sit back and wait for another one. Well, he came right back with another breaking ball and I hung back on it and got all of it. I felt like it might have been out as soon as I hit it.”
Frost was talking with a face full of shaving cream after being pied by his teammates right before his post-game interview with Shaw TV’s Jim Toth. His teammates were so thrilled with his ninth-inning bomb they all poured out of the dugout to meet him at home plate.
“It’s always great to do something like this, but for us, it’s just important to win,” Frost said. “Kansas City is a really tough team and their pitcher (Bolton) threw really well. It was a tough ball game. But after sweeping Kansas City we’re going in the right direction now.”
Thursday night’s game was an outstanding pitcher’s duel between Bolton and Goldeyes starter Andrew Cruse. Cruse allowed only four hits through seven innings and was picked up by Zach Baldwin and Chris Homer (who got the win thanks to Frost’s ninth inning heroics). Bolton gave up just three hits – only two until Frost’s bomb in the ninth.
With the win, the Fish swept Kansas City right out of Canwest Park. It was Winnipeg’s third-straight win and, with a record of 34-23, have moved back into a first-place tie with the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
And what do you know? The Goldeyes and RailCats will open a three-game series at the ballpark beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
July 23: Goldeyes Bullpen Terrific As Fish Shade T-Bones 5-4
It would be pretty hard to find a guy more modest than Goldeyes reliever Jordan Stewart.
After the Fish beat Kansas City 5-4 on Wednesday night at Canwest Park, Stewart didn’t want to take the credit, he wanted to praise the hitters. After all, a three-run homer by Cody Ehlers and a two-run bomb off the bat of Kevin West – his fourth homer in two games – was the difference on the scoreboard.
“It was great to get the save, but even better to get the win,” said Stewart. “We’ve been getting lots of hitting. It was nice to pick those guys up.”
After the Goldeyes bullpen blew up on Tuesday night and allowed eight runs in the eighth and ninth, the relievers were perfect on Wednesday night as Derek Feldkamp pitched two scoreless innings and Stewart, in his first official save situation as the team’s new closer, allowed only an infield hit in a scoreless ninth.
The pen not only “picked up” the hitters, but also got starter Mark Michael his first win of the season. Michael went six innings, giving up four runs (only three earned) and eight hits and left the game with the Fish ahead 5-4. That lead held up as Feldkamp and Stewart were almost perfect.
For manager Rick Forney, it was as much a relief as it was a thrill to watch his pitchers perform well under pressure. More than a dozen times this season, Forney’s bullpen has collapsed with the Goldeyes ahead.
“On Tuesday night, it was a pretty helpless feeling sitting in the dugout watching things unfold the way they did,” Forney told Goldeyes radio guy Paul Edmonds following the game. “It was great to see the guys come on and get the job done.”
With the win, the Goldeyes have won two straight, locked up the three-game series with Kansas City and improved to 33-23 on the season. However, with a double-header sweep of Schaumburg yesterday, the Gary SouthShore RailCats have taken over first place in the Northern League and now lead the Goldeyes by a half game.
“It’s going to be a tough race heading down the stretch,” said Stewart. “We have some great hitters on this team. It’s good to get the job done and get an important win for the team.”
The final game of this series goes tonight at 6:00 (notice the time change) at Canwest Park. First-place Gary comes to town Friday.
After the Fish beat Kansas City 5-4 on Wednesday night at Canwest Park, Stewart didn’t want to take the credit, he wanted to praise the hitters. After all, a three-run homer by Cody Ehlers and a two-run bomb off the bat of Kevin West – his fourth homer in two games – was the difference on the scoreboard.
“It was great to get the save, but even better to get the win,” said Stewart. “We’ve been getting lots of hitting. It was nice to pick those guys up.”
After the Goldeyes bullpen blew up on Tuesday night and allowed eight runs in the eighth and ninth, the relievers were perfect on Wednesday night as Derek Feldkamp pitched two scoreless innings and Stewart, in his first official save situation as the team’s new closer, allowed only an infield hit in a scoreless ninth.
The pen not only “picked up” the hitters, but also got starter Mark Michael his first win of the season. Michael went six innings, giving up four runs (only three earned) and eight hits and left the game with the Fish ahead 5-4. That lead held up as Feldkamp and Stewart were almost perfect.
For manager Rick Forney, it was as much a relief as it was a thrill to watch his pitchers perform well under pressure. More than a dozen times this season, Forney’s bullpen has collapsed with the Goldeyes ahead.
“On Tuesday night, it was a pretty helpless feeling sitting in the dugout watching things unfold the way they did,” Forney told Goldeyes radio guy Paul Edmonds following the game. “It was great to see the guys come on and get the job done.”
With the win, the Goldeyes have won two straight, locked up the three-game series with Kansas City and improved to 33-23 on the season. However, with a double-header sweep of Schaumburg yesterday, the Gary SouthShore RailCats have taken over first place in the Northern League and now lead the Goldeyes by a half game.
“It’s going to be a tough race heading down the stretch,” said Stewart. “We have some great hitters on this team. It’s good to get the job done and get an important win for the team.”
The final game of this series goes tonight at 6:00 (notice the time change) at Canwest Park. First-place Gary comes to town Friday.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22: Hitters Come Back to Beat Kansas City 10-8 After Bullpen Blows 7-0 Lead
Tuesday night was Donnie Smith Night at Canwest Park and the Goldeyes helped the celebration by beating Kansas City 10-8.
However, by the end of the evening, it was difficult to keep all the action straight.
Let’s review...
1) Smith, the former Goldeyes reliever who holds the Northern League record for most appearances, was honoured in a tremendous pre-game ceremony.
2) Bear Bay started for the Fish and pitched a dandy seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
3) Through the first seven innings, Kevin West hit two homers and walked twice, drove in two runs and scored four while Juan Diaz hit a two-run bomb as the Goldeyes cruised to a 7-0 lead.
4) In the final two innings, the Goldeyes bullpen blew up and allowed five runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth as Kansas City came all the way back to take an 8-7 lead.
5) But in the bottom of the ninth....
With one out, West hit his third solo homer of the game to tie the game 8-8. Then, with two out, Dee Brown hustled down the line to beat out a slow ground ball. For his effort, Brown is awarded an infield single, proving that hitters should always “run it out.”
That’s when Cody Ehlers came to the plate against T-Bones closer Nate Cotton and hit the first pitch he saw just inside the right field foul pole.
“I went up there looking for one pitch,” said the Goldeyes first baseman, right after being pied by his teammates on the post-game TV show. “I was looking for something off-speed and he threw it to me on the first pitch. It was a change-up right over the plate. It was exactly the pitch I was waiting for.”
West saw a lot of pitches he liked as well. His first two home runs went deep to left wall and the first almost hit the new Donnie Smith 21 sign. West’s third dinger traveled to right as he went to get an off-speed pitch from Cotton and took it the opposite way.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever hit three home runs in one game,” West said. “As long as it helped us win, that’s all that matters. We’ve been struggling and tonight the hitters were able to pick up the bullpen. We’re in a race with Gary now, and that was a big win for us.”
With the victory, the Goldeyes put a halt to a two-game losing skid, improved to 32-23 on the season and remained in a first-place tie with the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
The Goldeyes and T-Bones play Game 2 of this three-game series on Wednesday at Canwest Park. Game time is 7 p.m.
However, by the end of the evening, it was difficult to keep all the action straight.
Let’s review...
1) Smith, the former Goldeyes reliever who holds the Northern League record for most appearances, was honoured in a tremendous pre-game ceremony.
2) Bear Bay started for the Fish and pitched a dandy seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
3) Through the first seven innings, Kevin West hit two homers and walked twice, drove in two runs and scored four while Juan Diaz hit a two-run bomb as the Goldeyes cruised to a 7-0 lead.
4) In the final two innings, the Goldeyes bullpen blew up and allowed five runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth as Kansas City came all the way back to take an 8-7 lead.
5) But in the bottom of the ninth....
With one out, West hit his third solo homer of the game to tie the game 8-8. Then, with two out, Dee Brown hustled down the line to beat out a slow ground ball. For his effort, Brown is awarded an infield single, proving that hitters should always “run it out.”
That’s when Cody Ehlers came to the plate against T-Bones closer Nate Cotton and hit the first pitch he saw just inside the right field foul pole.
“I went up there looking for one pitch,” said the Goldeyes first baseman, right after being pied by his teammates on the post-game TV show. “I was looking for something off-speed and he threw it to me on the first pitch. It was a change-up right over the plate. It was exactly the pitch I was waiting for.”
West saw a lot of pitches he liked as well. His first two home runs went deep to left wall and the first almost hit the new Donnie Smith 21 sign. West’s third dinger traveled to right as he went to get an off-speed pitch from Cotton and took it the opposite way.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever hit three home runs in one game,” West said. “As long as it helped us win, that’s all that matters. We’ve been struggling and tonight the hitters were able to pick up the bullpen. We’re in a race with Gary now, and that was a big win for us.”
With the victory, the Goldeyes put a halt to a two-game losing skid, improved to 32-23 on the season and remained in a first-place tie with the Gary SouthShore RailCats.
The Goldeyes and T-Bones play Game 2 of this three-game series on Wednesday at Canwest Park. Game time is 7 p.m.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
July 14: Guehne Recalls His Toughest Out
When asked about his toughest out, Dan Guehne didn’t hesitate.
“Darryl Strawberry,” Guehne said with a shudder. “Wow! I got him out, but I was really nervous. It was just tough being on the mound facing him.”
Last Friday at Canwest Park, the honoured guest for the fifth installment of the Goldeyes “Flashback Fridays” program was former pitcher Dan Guehne.
Guehne was with the Goldeyes from 1996 to 2000 and put up some pretty fair numbers. In five seasons, he made 153 appearances, more than 30 per season on average. He finished 11-9 with 21 saves and struck out 131 batters in 156 innings.
However, despite his overall success, he was wary of facing Strawberry, the former New York Mets superstar who ended up with the Northern League’s St. Paul Saints in 1996.
“He was trying to make a comeback and signed with St. Paul,” Guehne said. “So the first time we went into St. Paul that year, I remember thinking, ‘Wow! I’m going to face Darryl Strawberry.’ I mean, for a St. Louis guy like myself, we just hated the Mets and Strawberry, so this was an amazing thing, getting to face the guy.
“But it turned out OK. I think I got him out pretty routinely that day, as I recall. Still, it was quite an experience for me. He was the toughest guy I faced, just because of who he was.”
“Darryl Strawberry,” Guehne said with a shudder. “Wow! I got him out, but I was really nervous. It was just tough being on the mound facing him.”
Last Friday at Canwest Park, the honoured guest for the fifth installment of the Goldeyes “Flashback Fridays” program was former pitcher Dan Guehne.
Guehne was with the Goldeyes from 1996 to 2000 and put up some pretty fair numbers. In five seasons, he made 153 appearances, more than 30 per season on average. He finished 11-9 with 21 saves and struck out 131 batters in 156 innings.
However, despite his overall success, he was wary of facing Strawberry, the former New York Mets superstar who ended up with the Northern League’s St. Paul Saints in 1996.
“He was trying to make a comeback and signed with St. Paul,” Guehne said. “So the first time we went into St. Paul that year, I remember thinking, ‘Wow! I’m going to face Darryl Strawberry.’ I mean, for a St. Louis guy like myself, we just hated the Mets and Strawberry, so this was an amazing thing, getting to face the guy.
“But it turned out OK. I think I got him out pretty routinely that day, as I recall. Still, it was quite an experience for me. He was the toughest guy I faced, just because of who he was.”
Monday, July 13, 2009
July 13: Goldeyes Bombed Again. Ready To Hit the Road.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes need a good road trip.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Canwest Park, the Goldeyes were mauled 16-4 by the Gary SouthShore RailCats to complete a three-game sweep.
“Man, those guys were locked in,” said catcher Dustin Richardson. “It didn’t matter who the pitcher was, what the count was or what kind of pitch it was, they just teed off on it. They also hit some to holes I never thought they’d find while we hit some rockets right at people. But that will turn around. It’s baseball.”
Despite three hits and two runs batted in from Kevin West and two-hit games from Richardson and Dee Brown, the Goldeyes were never in this one. They fell behind 6-0 after four innings and seemed resigned to the fact the RailCats had their number.
It was 8-1 heading into the ninth as Gary scored eight runs off of two relievers in its final at-bat.
With the loss, Winnipeg dropped its fifth-straight game to fall to 28-18, leading second-place Gary by only three games in the race for first in the Northern League.
Right after the game, the Fish boarded the bus and headed off to Schaumburg.
“We need a road trip,” Richardson conceded. “We had four days off and that didn’t help us. We need to get together on a long road trip and start playing a lot of games. I’m looking forward to going to Schaumburg.”
The Fish will play four games in Schaumburg and then four more in Fargo – it’s eight games in seven days – before returning to celebrate Donnie Smith Night at Canwest Park on July 21.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Canwest Park, the Goldeyes were mauled 16-4 by the Gary SouthShore RailCats to complete a three-game sweep.
“Man, those guys were locked in,” said catcher Dustin Richardson. “It didn’t matter who the pitcher was, what the count was or what kind of pitch it was, they just teed off on it. They also hit some to holes I never thought they’d find while we hit some rockets right at people. But that will turn around. It’s baseball.”
Despite three hits and two runs batted in from Kevin West and two-hit games from Richardson and Dee Brown, the Goldeyes were never in this one. They fell behind 6-0 after four innings and seemed resigned to the fact the RailCats had their number.
It was 8-1 heading into the ninth as Gary scored eight runs off of two relievers in its final at-bat.
With the loss, Winnipeg dropped its fifth-straight game to fall to 28-18, leading second-place Gary by only three games in the race for first in the Northern League.
Right after the game, the Fish boarded the bus and headed off to Schaumburg.
“We need a road trip,” Richardson conceded. “We had four days off and that didn’t help us. We need to get together on a long road trip and start playing a lot of games. I’m looking forward to going to Schaumburg.”
The Fish will play four games in Schaumburg and then four more in Fargo – it’s eight games in seven days – before returning to celebrate Donnie Smith Night at Canwest Park on July 21.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
July 12: Goldeyes Get Spanked. Now It’s a Slump.
It was an ugly game and Goldeyes manager Rick Forney knew it.
“We didn’t get any timely hits, we didn’t play defence very well and we didn’t pitch very well, either,” Forney said, shortly after the Goldeyes were blasted 14-4 by the Gary SouthShore RailCats Saturday night. “Put those three things together and that’s how you get blown out.”
With the loss, Winnipeg’s fourth-straight, the Goldeyes fell to 28-17 on the season, but still remained four games ahead of second place Gary in the race for first in the Northern League. But after going 19-5 through the first quarter of the season, the Goldeyes are now 9-12 in the second quarter with just three games left until the halfway point.
“The four-day break for the all-star game wasn’t a good thing for us,” Forney said. “We lost two games going into the all-star break and we’ve lost two coming out. The last thing you need when you’re not playing well is four days off. Now we’re just trying to pick up the pieces.”
The Goldeyes actually took an early 2-0 lead, but a three-run homer by Steve Haake and a solo blast by Brett Wallace put the RailCats in command.
Amazingly, the game was actually close until the ninth when Gary scored seven ugly runs against relievers Zach Baldwin and Cory Patton. In fairness to Patton, usually the Goldeyes centre fielder, he allowed only one earned run.
“Ace (starter Ace Walker) elevated two fastballs and I think that was the difference in the game,” Forney said. “When Haake hit the three-run homer, we were ahead 2-0 and playing pretty well. We couldn’t recover from that.
“We just have to go out on Sunday, play better and give Bear (starter Bay) some run support.”
“We didn’t get any timely hits, we didn’t play defence very well and we didn’t pitch very well, either,” Forney said, shortly after the Goldeyes were blasted 14-4 by the Gary SouthShore RailCats Saturday night. “Put those three things together and that’s how you get blown out.”
With the loss, Winnipeg’s fourth-straight, the Goldeyes fell to 28-17 on the season, but still remained four games ahead of second place Gary in the race for first in the Northern League. But after going 19-5 through the first quarter of the season, the Goldeyes are now 9-12 in the second quarter with just three games left until the halfway point.
“The four-day break for the all-star game wasn’t a good thing for us,” Forney said. “We lost two games going into the all-star break and we’ve lost two coming out. The last thing you need when you’re not playing well is four days off. Now we’re just trying to pick up the pieces.”
The Goldeyes actually took an early 2-0 lead, but a three-run homer by Steve Haake and a solo blast by Brett Wallace put the RailCats in command.
Amazingly, the game was actually close until the ninth when Gary scored seven ugly runs against relievers Zach Baldwin and Cory Patton. In fairness to Patton, usually the Goldeyes centre fielder, he allowed only one earned run.
“Ace (starter Ace Walker) elevated two fastballs and I think that was the difference in the game,” Forney said. “When Haake hit the three-run homer, we were ahead 2-0 and playing pretty well. We couldn’t recover from that.
“We just have to go out on Sunday, play better and give Bear (starter Bay) some run support.”
Saturday, July 11, 2009
July 11: Goldeyes Fall 5-3 to Gary in 15 Innings
Brent Metheny called it long. Of course, when you play 15 innings over five hours and 13 minutes, it truly is baseball at its longest.
“That’s the only way to describe it,” said Metheny, after the Goldeyes were beaten 5-3 in 15 by the visiting Gary SouthShore RailCats on Friday night. “That’s the only word for it: Long.”
With 6,587 outstanding Goldeyes fans looking on – and many stayed right until the bitter end – the Fish came back from a 3-1 deficit with two runs in the eighth, but just couldn’t get the important hits at the right time in extra innings to turn the game in the their favour.
“I thought it was a really well-played game,” said Metheny. “We went 15 innings and there wasn’t one error. That says a lot about the abilities of these two teams.
“The hitting struggled and that happens after a four-day layoff for the all-star break. We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it – including my strikeout with the bases load. But overall, both teams played well, I thought.”
Metheny had a rough night with runners in scoring position, but in the end, delivered one of the better efforts at the plate for the Goldeyes. He was two-for-six with a run scored, but was also stranded at third after a lead-off triple in the sixth.
Meanwhile, Kevin West went three-for seven, but struck out with Metheny at third. Juan Diaz went two-for-three with a homer, a run scored and two driven in, but was taken out of the game for a pinch runner in the eighth. No other Goldeyes had multi-hit games and two of the team’s better hitters, Josh Asanovich and Dee Brown, went 0-for-6 and 0-for-7 respectively.
“That was a really big win for us,” said Gary’s player of the game, leftfielder Jordan Czarniecki, who had two doubles and drove in the winning run in the 15th. “To come into Winnipeg and hang in there long enough to beat a team as good as the Goldeyes is a big deal for us.
“Now we’re only a few games out of first and our guys all believe that maybe we can catch Winnipeg.”
That certainly worries Metheny.
“It’s going to be a very tough second half,” he said. “When you’re in first place, people will be coming after you.”
The Fish and RailCats will play Game 2 of this three-game set tonight at 6:00 at Canwest Park.
“NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT”
It was one of the strangest plays most fans have ever seen. In fact, the same thing can be said for most of the players who were involved.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Metheny. “In fact, after it happened, I was waiting for the umpires to make some weird call, but they didn’t. I guess it’s just part of the game.”
“It” was a strange infield single by Brett Wallace in the top of the 14th of Friday night’s marathon match-up between the Goldeyes and RailCats.
Wallace, the RailCats catcher, had his bat sawed in two by a fastball from Goldeyes reliever Chris Homer. However, Wallace made contact and as the main piece of the barrel of the bat flew past the mound, the ball followed at a much slower pace. Just as Metheny went to bare-hand the grounder, the ball hit the chunk of bat and stopped dead. Metheny had no play and Wallace ended up with an infield single.
“If the ball hadn’t hit the bat, he would have been out,” said Metheny confidently. “I would have thrown him out. I could see the play unfold in front of me and I was about to make the play – a pick-up and a throw, all in one motion – but that’s when the ball hit the bat. There was nothing I could do.
“That guy must have had a very good four days off during the all-star break because the baseball gods were sure looking out for him.”
“That’s the only way to describe it,” said Metheny, after the Goldeyes were beaten 5-3 in 15 by the visiting Gary SouthShore RailCats on Friday night. “That’s the only word for it: Long.”
With 6,587 outstanding Goldeyes fans looking on – and many stayed right until the bitter end – the Fish came back from a 3-1 deficit with two runs in the eighth, but just couldn’t get the important hits at the right time in extra innings to turn the game in the their favour.
“I thought it was a really well-played game,” said Metheny. “We went 15 innings and there wasn’t one error. That says a lot about the abilities of these two teams.
“The hitting struggled and that happens after a four-day layoff for the all-star break. We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it – including my strikeout with the bases load. But overall, both teams played well, I thought.”
Metheny had a rough night with runners in scoring position, but in the end, delivered one of the better efforts at the plate for the Goldeyes. He was two-for-six with a run scored, but was also stranded at third after a lead-off triple in the sixth.
Meanwhile, Kevin West went three-for seven, but struck out with Metheny at third. Juan Diaz went two-for-three with a homer, a run scored and two driven in, but was taken out of the game for a pinch runner in the eighth. No other Goldeyes had multi-hit games and two of the team’s better hitters, Josh Asanovich and Dee Brown, went 0-for-6 and 0-for-7 respectively.
“That was a really big win for us,” said Gary’s player of the game, leftfielder Jordan Czarniecki, who had two doubles and drove in the winning run in the 15th. “To come into Winnipeg and hang in there long enough to beat a team as good as the Goldeyes is a big deal for us.
“Now we’re only a few games out of first and our guys all believe that maybe we can catch Winnipeg.”
That certainly worries Metheny.
“It’s going to be a very tough second half,” he said. “When you’re in first place, people will be coming after you.”
The Fish and RailCats will play Game 2 of this three-game set tonight at 6:00 at Canwest Park.
“NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT”
It was one of the strangest plays most fans have ever seen. In fact, the same thing can be said for most of the players who were involved.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Metheny. “In fact, after it happened, I was waiting for the umpires to make some weird call, but they didn’t. I guess it’s just part of the game.”
“It” was a strange infield single by Brett Wallace in the top of the 14th of Friday night’s marathon match-up between the Goldeyes and RailCats.
Wallace, the RailCats catcher, had his bat sawed in two by a fastball from Goldeyes reliever Chris Homer. However, Wallace made contact and as the main piece of the barrel of the bat flew past the mound, the ball followed at a much slower pace. Just as Metheny went to bare-hand the grounder, the ball hit the chunk of bat and stopped dead. Metheny had no play and Wallace ended up with an infield single.
“If the ball hadn’t hit the bat, he would have been out,” said Metheny confidently. “I would have thrown him out. I could see the play unfold in front of me and I was about to make the play – a pick-up and a throw, all in one motion – but that’s when the ball hit the bat. There was nothing I could do.
“That guy must have had a very good four days off during the all-star break because the baseball gods were sure looking out for him.”
Friday, July 10, 2009
July 10: Zimmerman Continues the Long Road to Recovery
The unlikely comeback of former Goldeyes starter Jeff Zimmerman is progressing slowly, but ever so surely, and it’s now reached the point where he has sights set on a return to the big leagues.
Speaking from his home in Arizona, Zimmerman said that while his comeback with the Seattle Mariners is “progressing a lot more slowly than I’d hoped,” it is progressing nonetheless and he hopes to be ready for a return to the Majors sometime next month.
“I finally got into a game, pitching against a team that was wearing a different-coloured uniform,” Zimmerman said. “I went two innings in an Arizona rookie league game the other night and while it wasn’t as good an outing as I’d hoped, it was another step forward.”
In Zimmerman’s first appearance with the Seattle’s Arizona League rookie affiliate, he started and went two complete innings, allowing one run on two hits. He also gave up a walk and struck out two.
It wasn’t a masterpiece, but for a guy who has been out of the game for almost eight years, it was a start.
“I still need a little more velocity on my fastball and a little more bite on the slider, but it was a good first step, finally getting back on the mound to pitch in a real game,” Zimmerman said. “I have no idea what Seattle’s plan is for me and right now I’m not worried about it. I’m still on a roster, the Mariners are still paying me and they haven’t cleaned out my locker yet, so I’ll just go to work every day and keep moving forward.”
Zimmerman, who will turn 37 in August, has spent his entire career battling the odds. But this time, the odds were so long, there were few people in baseball, outside his good friend John Wetteland on the Mariners, who believed he had anything left in the tank.
But the Canadian right-hander that drove from his home in Alberta to Winnipeg in the spring of 1997 just to attend a Goldeyes open tryout, has battled back from crippling arm injuries to get one last shot at the bigs.
Back in 1997, Goldeyes manager Hal Lanier fell in love with Zimmerman’s darting slider and signed him. While he didn’t tear up the Northern League immediately, he did pitch consistently enough to finish 9-2 with a 2.82 earned run average and a club-record 140 strikeouts. With that, he led all pitchers in ERA and won the Northern League Rookie Pitcher of the Year award.
More importantly, he signed a contract with Texas and, by April of 1999, had pitched himself into the big leagues.
With the Rangers, Zimmerman was an instant success. By mid-season, he was 7-1 with a 1.22 ERA and was selected to pitch in the all-star game in Boston. He was so good in his rookie season that he signed a three-year $10 million deal with the Rangers.
But just when it appeared that he was going to be one of the best young closers in the game, his arm gave out. It got so bad in 2001 that he couldn’t throw at all. He had not one, but two Tommy John surgeries. He had two other procedures and three scopes. In total, he had five invasive operations and seven procedures, but by 2005, it was apparent he’d never pitch again.
“I kind of gave up and admitted to myself that it was probably over,” he said this past winter. “So I just kind of went about the business of helping Andrea raise the kids and didn’t think much about it.”
But over the winter, Zimmerman grew tired of “getting in my wife’s way,” so in January he picked up a baseball again, just to see if he could throw it without any pain. What happened next was a shock.
“Right away, I was able to throw a baseball without any discomfort,” he said. “I sometimes find it hard to believe that after all that time, I was completely healthy again. I threw the ball in January and I had no trouble getting it into the high eighties.
“So I called my agent and asked if he could get me a shot with a big league organization. He called back and said he’d set up a tryout with Seattle. Long story short, they offered me a one-year contract.”
For the past four months, Zimmerman has been getting up every day, going to the Mariners compound in Peoria and working out. He lifts weights, does his arm exercises, runs and depending on the day, will throw long toss or off the mound. He’s not back yet but says he’s getting closer.
“The Mariners haven’t put any timeline on what I’m doing,” he said. “The kids have finished school, so my family is moving down here to Arizona. I know I’ll still be here for a while. I hope to be back in the majors in a month. But I know, I’ll be pitching somewhere on a regular basis in August.”
Speaking from his home in Arizona, Zimmerman said that while his comeback with the Seattle Mariners is “progressing a lot more slowly than I’d hoped,” it is progressing nonetheless and he hopes to be ready for a return to the Majors sometime next month.
“I finally got into a game, pitching against a team that was wearing a different-coloured uniform,” Zimmerman said. “I went two innings in an Arizona rookie league game the other night and while it wasn’t as good an outing as I’d hoped, it was another step forward.”
In Zimmerman’s first appearance with the Seattle’s Arizona League rookie affiliate, he started and went two complete innings, allowing one run on two hits. He also gave up a walk and struck out two.
It wasn’t a masterpiece, but for a guy who has been out of the game for almost eight years, it was a start.
“I still need a little more velocity on my fastball and a little more bite on the slider, but it was a good first step, finally getting back on the mound to pitch in a real game,” Zimmerman said. “I have no idea what Seattle’s plan is for me and right now I’m not worried about it. I’m still on a roster, the Mariners are still paying me and they haven’t cleaned out my locker yet, so I’ll just go to work every day and keep moving forward.”
Zimmerman, who will turn 37 in August, has spent his entire career battling the odds. But this time, the odds were so long, there were few people in baseball, outside his good friend John Wetteland on the Mariners, who believed he had anything left in the tank.
But the Canadian right-hander that drove from his home in Alberta to Winnipeg in the spring of 1997 just to attend a Goldeyes open tryout, has battled back from crippling arm injuries to get one last shot at the bigs.
Back in 1997, Goldeyes manager Hal Lanier fell in love with Zimmerman’s darting slider and signed him. While he didn’t tear up the Northern League immediately, he did pitch consistently enough to finish 9-2 with a 2.82 earned run average and a club-record 140 strikeouts. With that, he led all pitchers in ERA and won the Northern League Rookie Pitcher of the Year award.
More importantly, he signed a contract with Texas and, by April of 1999, had pitched himself into the big leagues.
With the Rangers, Zimmerman was an instant success. By mid-season, he was 7-1 with a 1.22 ERA and was selected to pitch in the all-star game in Boston. He was so good in his rookie season that he signed a three-year $10 million deal with the Rangers.
But just when it appeared that he was going to be one of the best young closers in the game, his arm gave out. It got so bad in 2001 that he couldn’t throw at all. He had not one, but two Tommy John surgeries. He had two other procedures and three scopes. In total, he had five invasive operations and seven procedures, but by 2005, it was apparent he’d never pitch again.
“I kind of gave up and admitted to myself that it was probably over,” he said this past winter. “So I just kind of went about the business of helping Andrea raise the kids and didn’t think much about it.”
But over the winter, Zimmerman grew tired of “getting in my wife’s way,” so in January he picked up a baseball again, just to see if he could throw it without any pain. What happened next was a shock.
“Right away, I was able to throw a baseball without any discomfort,” he said. “I sometimes find it hard to believe that after all that time, I was completely healthy again. I threw the ball in January and I had no trouble getting it into the high eighties.
“So I called my agent and asked if he could get me a shot with a big league organization. He called back and said he’d set up a tryout with Seattle. Long story short, they offered me a one-year contract.”
For the past four months, Zimmerman has been getting up every day, going to the Mariners compound in Peoria and working out. He lifts weights, does his arm exercises, runs and depending on the day, will throw long toss or off the mound. He’s not back yet but says he’s getting closer.
“The Mariners haven’t put any timeline on what I’m doing,” he said. “The kids have finished school, so my family is moving down here to Arizona. I know I’ll still be here for a while. I hope to be back in the majors in a month. But I know, I’ll be pitching somewhere on a regular basis in August.”
Thursday, July 2, 2009
July 2: Goldeyes Bullpen Implodes As Fish Fall 9-5 To Schaumburg
It looked like the Goldeyes had one in the bag after Dee Brown and Cory Patton hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh on Canada Day.
But that 4-2 lead didn’t last long as the Schaumburg Flyers put up seven runs in the top of the eighth and hung on to whip the hosts Goldeyes 9-5 in the final game of a three-game series at Canwest Park.
As close to 7,000 fans looked on, Goldeyes starter Zach Baldwin was solid through six innings, but relievers Jordan Stewart and Aaron Odom couldn’t hold the lead as Winnipeg fell to 27-13 on the season, but still led second-place Fargo-Moorhead and Kansas City by six-and-a-half games. After a day off Thursday, Winnipeg opens a three-game series before the all-star break.
“I thought we looked pretty good in this one,” said Winnipeg manager Rick Forney, “but we just couldn’t lock it down. We had an opportunity to sweep at home and that’s what you like to do in this league, but we just couldn’t finalize the deal today.”
The Goldeyes hit four solo homers as Kevin West, Brown, Patton and Cody Ehlers all hit bombs, but that eighth-inning collapse spelled doom for a team that was on a three-game winning streak.
“That was a win we really needed,” said Schaumburg right fielder Victor Ferrante, who hit a three-run homer to fuel that seven-run eighth. “We’d lost six in a row and you just can’t afford to do that in this, or any other league. Maybe a big comeback like that will get us on a roll again.”
Meanwhile, injured Goldeyes shortstop Wes Long returned to the ballpark with his broken ankle in a cast, and said he would accompany the team to Gary and make an appearance at the All-Star Game in Joliet on Tuesday.
“My wife and I had made plans that she would come and meet me in Gary and stay for the All-Star Game in Joliet, then I would head back to Winnipeg and she’d go home,” Long said.
“Now, we’ll do it all for a different reason. We’ll meet up in Gary, go to Joliet, then she’ll go home and I’ll come back to Winnipeg for an MRI on my ankle. Hopefully, I’ll be fitted for a walking boot by then. After that, the team is on a long road trip, so I’ll go back to Seattle for a couple of weeks and then come back to Winnipeg in late July or early August. I’m still hoping I’ll be able to return for the playoffs.”
But that 4-2 lead didn’t last long as the Schaumburg Flyers put up seven runs in the top of the eighth and hung on to whip the hosts Goldeyes 9-5 in the final game of a three-game series at Canwest Park.
As close to 7,000 fans looked on, Goldeyes starter Zach Baldwin was solid through six innings, but relievers Jordan Stewart and Aaron Odom couldn’t hold the lead as Winnipeg fell to 27-13 on the season, but still led second-place Fargo-Moorhead and Kansas City by six-and-a-half games. After a day off Thursday, Winnipeg opens a three-game series before the all-star break.
“I thought we looked pretty good in this one,” said Winnipeg manager Rick Forney, “but we just couldn’t lock it down. We had an opportunity to sweep at home and that’s what you like to do in this league, but we just couldn’t finalize the deal today.”
The Goldeyes hit four solo homers as Kevin West, Brown, Patton and Cody Ehlers all hit bombs, but that eighth-inning collapse spelled doom for a team that was on a three-game winning streak.
“That was a win we really needed,” said Schaumburg right fielder Victor Ferrante, who hit a three-run homer to fuel that seven-run eighth. “We’d lost six in a row and you just can’t afford to do that in this, or any other league. Maybe a big comeback like that will get us on a roll again.”
Meanwhile, injured Goldeyes shortstop Wes Long returned to the ballpark with his broken ankle in a cast, and said he would accompany the team to Gary and make an appearance at the All-Star Game in Joliet on Tuesday.
“My wife and I had made plans that she would come and meet me in Gary and stay for the All-Star Game in Joliet, then I would head back to Winnipeg and she’d go home,” Long said.
“Now, we’ll do it all for a different reason. We’ll meet up in Gary, go to Joliet, then she’ll go home and I’ll come back to Winnipeg for an MRI on my ankle. Hopefully, I’ll be fitted for a walking boot by then. After that, the team is on a long road trip, so I’ll go back to Seattle for a couple of weeks and then come back to Winnipeg in late July or early August. I’m still hoping I’ll be able to return for the playoffs.”
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 1: Goldeyes Win Big But Lose All-Star Wes Long
Tuesday night at Canwest Park had all the ingredients for a perfect summer night in downtown Winnipeg.
There was an overflow crowd of 7,536 in attendance, the fireworks were primed and ready to be blown to the sky and the Goldeyes bats were booming. In fact, the Fish pounded out 18 hits and got a great start from Andrew Cruse en route to a 16-4 shellacking of the Schaumburg Flyers.
This was a night that could not be spoiled.
At least, not until the third inning.
That’s when Flyers catcher Richard Mercado took out Goldeyes shortstop Wes Long with a hard slide – Shaw TV replays showed Mercado was well inside the baseline and a long way off the bag – that broke Long’s ankle and sent the all-star shortstop to the sidelines for at least six weeks and perhaps for the rest of the season.
“I guess the guy (Mercado) was just playing the game hard,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “We just have to hope and pray for Wes, he’s a great player, maybe we can get him back by the end of the season.”
The injury occurred on a terrific double play started by first baseman Cody Ehlers. Ehlers backhanded a ground ball off the bat of Flyers centre fielder Travis Ezi. Ehlers stepped on first and threw a strike to Long covering second. With the force-out off, Long had to tag Mercado, but the throw arrived so early, Long had plenty of time to apply the tag and get out of the way.
But that’s when Mercado inexplicably slid away from the base and right through Long. Long went high into the air and landed in obvious pain. He was helped from the field and taken to Concordia Hospital where x-rays showed that his left ankle was fractured.
“Mercado couldn’t see what was behind him and he was just sliding in hard to break up the double play,” said Schaumburg manager Mike Busch. “He just plays the game hard. It was one of those things.”
Despite the devastating loss of Long, the first-place Goldeyes still played an outstanding ball game and with the win, improved to 27-12 on the season. Winnipeg remained six-and-a-half games ahead of second-place Fargo.
Winnipeg put up three runs in the first inning, eight more in the second and one in the third to take a quick 12-0 lead.
Designated hitter Juan Diaz had a big night, going two-for-four with three runs scored and three driven in; Kevin West had a solid game, going for three-for-four with three runs scored and two RBI and Dee Brown had another outstanding game, going two-for-four with three RBI. Brown, the current player of the week in the Northern League is also the league’s leading hitter with a .382 average.
Meanwhile, second baseman Josh Asanovich went four-for-six with four runs scored and Cory Patton went two-for-four with one run scored and two driven in. Every Goldeyes starter had at least one hit and everyone but Brown scored a run.
But perhaps the best story was written by young starter Andrew Cruse, who pitched seven strong innings, allowed only two runs on seven scattered hits and struck out seven while improving to 3-3 on the season. He did it, despite having to sit in the dugout for more than 30 minutes in the bottom of the second as the Goldeyes put up eight runs.
“It was great to get the win,” said Cruse, Shaw TV’s player of the game. “I had good command all night and felt great. Whenever it’s my turn, I just want to make sure I go out there and give my team a chance to win.”
The Goldeyes and Flyers will wrap up this three-game series this afternoon at Canwest Park with a 4:00 Canada Day start.
There was an overflow crowd of 7,536 in attendance, the fireworks were primed and ready to be blown to the sky and the Goldeyes bats were booming. In fact, the Fish pounded out 18 hits and got a great start from Andrew Cruse en route to a 16-4 shellacking of the Schaumburg Flyers.
This was a night that could not be spoiled.
At least, not until the third inning.
That’s when Flyers catcher Richard Mercado took out Goldeyes shortstop Wes Long with a hard slide – Shaw TV replays showed Mercado was well inside the baseline and a long way off the bag – that broke Long’s ankle and sent the all-star shortstop to the sidelines for at least six weeks and perhaps for the rest of the season.
“I guess the guy (Mercado) was just playing the game hard,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “We just have to hope and pray for Wes, he’s a great player, maybe we can get him back by the end of the season.”
The injury occurred on a terrific double play started by first baseman Cody Ehlers. Ehlers backhanded a ground ball off the bat of Flyers centre fielder Travis Ezi. Ehlers stepped on first and threw a strike to Long covering second. With the force-out off, Long had to tag Mercado, but the throw arrived so early, Long had plenty of time to apply the tag and get out of the way.
But that’s when Mercado inexplicably slid away from the base and right through Long. Long went high into the air and landed in obvious pain. He was helped from the field and taken to Concordia Hospital where x-rays showed that his left ankle was fractured.
“Mercado couldn’t see what was behind him and he was just sliding in hard to break up the double play,” said Schaumburg manager Mike Busch. “He just plays the game hard. It was one of those things.”
Despite the devastating loss of Long, the first-place Goldeyes still played an outstanding ball game and with the win, improved to 27-12 on the season. Winnipeg remained six-and-a-half games ahead of second-place Fargo.
Winnipeg put up three runs in the first inning, eight more in the second and one in the third to take a quick 12-0 lead.
Designated hitter Juan Diaz had a big night, going two-for-four with three runs scored and three driven in; Kevin West had a solid game, going for three-for-four with three runs scored and two RBI and Dee Brown had another outstanding game, going two-for-four with three RBI. Brown, the current player of the week in the Northern League is also the league’s leading hitter with a .382 average.
Meanwhile, second baseman Josh Asanovich went four-for-six with four runs scored and Cory Patton went two-for-four with one run scored and two driven in. Every Goldeyes starter had at least one hit and everyone but Brown scored a run.
But perhaps the best story was written by young starter Andrew Cruse, who pitched seven strong innings, allowed only two runs on seven scattered hits and struck out seven while improving to 3-3 on the season. He did it, despite having to sit in the dugout for more than 30 minutes in the bottom of the second as the Goldeyes put up eight runs.
“It was great to get the win,” said Cruse, Shaw TV’s player of the game. “I had good command all night and felt great. Whenever it’s my turn, I just want to make sure I go out there and give my team a chance to win.”
The Goldeyes and Flyers will wrap up this three-game series this afternoon at Canwest Park with a 4:00 Canada Day start.
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