X's rack up 5th win in a row
Another come-from-behind triumph hikes road win streak to 7
Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2007
LINCOLN -- The never-say-die Sioux City Explorers made it five wins in a row here Tuesday night, rallying for four ninth-inning runs to stun the Lincoln Saltdogs 7-4 in front of 2,777 at Haymarket Park.
The biggest hard-luck story throughout American Association baseball's first-half schedule, the Explorers improved to 6-2 in second-half action, extending a victory streak that has seen them come from behind to win five nights in a row.
It was the seventh straight road win for Sioux City, which has claimed four of those triumphs at Haymarket Park, where Lincoln's first-half North Division champs boasts a phenomenal 18-2 mark in its other 20 home appearances.
"They're playing with a lot of enthusiasm and this time it's working,'' said X's Manager Ed Nottle. "It's a lot of fun right now.''
"There's no understating some of the huge difference we've seen from some of the pitching we've picked up,'' said Nottle, whose pitching staff includes six hurlers that we're with the team at season's outset.
Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, the X's started their comeback with a leadoff single from Jason Tuttle, facing Nathan Staggs, the third Lincoln pitcher of the night.
After Billy Cox failed for the second time to execute a sacrifice bunt, striking out, Jake Daubert's single to right field was fumbled by Seth Pietsch, letting Tuttle race to third.
With Jorge Moreno at the plate, Daubert moved up on a wild pitch by Staggs. However, Tuttle, stumbling as he broke toward the plate, had to retreat to third and it looked for a time like that might deny Sioux City a golden opportunity to tie the game.
Moreno was walked intentionally, loading the bases with one out, but Mark Roberts, taking over for Staggs, coaxed a pop-out by Alex Llanos, Monday's hero with a two-run homer in the ninth.
That's when things got interesting.
One out from a win, Roberts hit Pete Pirman with a pitch, forcing home the tying run. Then, working a 0-2 count to Brandon Jones, Roberts surrendered a two-run single that sent the visitors in front, 6-4.
For good measure, Nick McCoola's bouncer was booted by shortstop Tony Garcia, letting another run cross the plate.
Earlier, the X's failed to take advantage of the second straight quality start from newcomer Brian Buchanan, a 30-year-old lefthander who was picked up after posting a snakebitten 1-6 record with St. Joseph.
Buchanan, a former second-round draft pick by the New York Yankees, went 6 1/3 innings, yielding just two earned runs and leaving with the score tied 3-3. In two starts for his new team, the Orlando, Fla., native is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.
Brett Reid, another newcomer, worked out of a seventh-inning jam, but lost the lead in the eighth, issuing a leadoff walk to Jay Yaconetti and surrendering a two-out RBI single by Garcia.
Reid, though, picked up the win for the second night in a row after the ninth-inning uprising and a perfect bottom of the ninth for rookie lefthander Joel Schmal.
Rookie lefthander John Kaminski, making just his third start for the Saltdogs, failed to last three innings, adding six walks to the 13 he'd issued in 15.1 previous innings for the Dogs.
The Explorers, though, failed to make the most of several early opportunities.
In the first inning, two walks and an infield error loaded the bases with nobody out. Kaminski got out of that jam by allowing just a one-out RBI single to Llanos.
After Lincoln's Seth Pietsch tied the game with a leadoff homer in the second, Kaminski issued three consecutive one-out walks in the third, then surrendered a two-run single by Pete Pirman.
The young southpaw issued yet another walk with two outs in the inning, but Johnny Thompson came out of the bullpen to fan Ray Navarro and leave the bases full, then blanked the X's for four more innings before turning it over to Staggs.
X's AND OH's: Former X's catcher Chris Grossman, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals' Class A Midwest League affiliate, The Swing of the Quad Cities, has homered three times in his last two games while driving in six runs. Grossman has flourished in an everyday role after starting the season as the backup catcher, raising his average to .278. In 64 games, he has six home runs and 42 runs batted in, second on the team....
The 5-for-5 performance by Alex Llanos on Monday vaulted Sioux City's veteran second baseman into seventh place among the league's batting leaders with a .345 average. Batting just .267 prior to June 20, when he was battling a leg injury, the 30-year-old Llanos has had 11 multi-hit performances in 18 games and gone 32-for-69, a torrid .464 clip....
Brad Guy, the American Association's hard luck pitcher of the year, is the league's runaway leader for innings pitched with 99, well ahead of El Paso's Greg Wiltshire, second at 86.1. Guy, of course, is 1-6 in 13 starts despite a very reputable 3.82 earned run average. Seven of his 13 outings have produced quality starts (six or more innings with three earned runs or less)....
After the series finale tonight, the X's return home to host four games, Thursday through Sunday, with St. Joseph, then have a two-day break for next Tuesday's American Association All-Star Game in Sioux Falls before heading to St. Paul for four games in a Wednesday-through-Saturday set July 18-21....
First baseman Julian Benavidez, who has missed 11 games with a pull rib cage muscle, could be activated on Thursday, as might lefthanded reliever Mike Nunes, who has made just four appearances this season....
Ty Marotz, who has gone 17 games since his last start on June 21, will try to throw in the bullpen today. Nottle said he may have to make a move if Marotz is not ready to rejoin the staff....
Although the Explorers have the league's worst home record at 8-21, they are now a very respectable 13-14 on the road after Tuesday's win.
The biggest hard-luck story throughout American Association baseball's first-half schedule, the Explorers improved to 6-2 in second-half action, extending a victory streak that has seen them come from behind to win five nights in a row.
It was the seventh straight road win for Sioux City, which has claimed four of those triumphs at Haymarket Park, where Lincoln's first-half North Division champs boasts a phenomenal 18-2 mark in its other 20 home appearances.
"They're playing with a lot of enthusiasm and this time it's working,'' said X's Manager Ed Nottle. "It's a lot of fun right now.''
"There's no understating some of the huge difference we've seen from some of the pitching we've picked up,'' said Nottle, whose pitching staff includes six hurlers that we're with the team at season's outset.
Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, the X's started their comeback with a leadoff single from Jason Tuttle, facing Nathan Staggs, the third Lincoln pitcher of the night.
After Billy Cox failed for the second time to execute a sacrifice bunt, striking out, Jake Daubert's single to right field was fumbled by Seth Pietsch, letting Tuttle race to third.
With Jorge Moreno at the plate, Daubert moved up on a wild pitch by Staggs. However, Tuttle, stumbling as he broke toward the plate, had to retreat to third and it looked for a time like that might deny Sioux City a golden opportunity to tie the game.
Moreno was walked intentionally, loading the bases with one out, but Mark Roberts, taking over for Staggs, coaxed a pop-out by Alex Llanos, Monday's hero with a two-run homer in the ninth.
That's when things got interesting.
One out from a win, Roberts hit Pete Pirman with a pitch, forcing home the tying run. Then, working a 0-2 count to Brandon Jones, Roberts surrendered a two-run single that sent the visitors in front, 6-4.
For good measure, Nick McCoola's bouncer was booted by shortstop Tony Garcia, letting another run cross the plate.
Earlier, the X's failed to take advantage of the second straight quality start from newcomer Brian Buchanan, a 30-year-old lefthander who was picked up after posting a snakebitten 1-6 record with St. Joseph.
Buchanan, a former second-round draft pick by the New York Yankees, went 6 1/3 innings, yielding just two earned runs and leaving with the score tied 3-3. In two starts for his new team, the Orlando, Fla., native is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.
Brett Reid, another newcomer, worked out of a seventh-inning jam, but lost the lead in the eighth, issuing a leadoff walk to Jay Yaconetti and surrendering a two-out RBI single by Garcia.
Reid, though, picked up the win for the second night in a row after the ninth-inning uprising and a perfect bottom of the ninth for rookie lefthander Joel Schmal.
Rookie lefthander John Kaminski, making just his third start for the Saltdogs, failed to last three innings, adding six walks to the 13 he'd issued in 15.1 previous innings for the Dogs.
The Explorers, though, failed to make the most of several early opportunities.
In the first inning, two walks and an infield error loaded the bases with nobody out. Kaminski got out of that jam by allowing just a one-out RBI single to Llanos.
After Lincoln's Seth Pietsch tied the game with a leadoff homer in the second, Kaminski issued three consecutive one-out walks in the third, then surrendered a two-run single by Pete Pirman.
The young southpaw issued yet another walk with two outs in the inning, but Johnny Thompson came out of the bullpen to fan Ray Navarro and leave the bases full, then blanked the X's for four more innings before turning it over to Staggs.
X's AND OH's: Former X's catcher Chris Grossman, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals' Class A Midwest League affiliate, The Swing of the Quad Cities, has homered three times in his last two games while driving in six runs. Grossman has flourished in an everyday role after starting the season as the backup catcher, raising his average to .278. In 64 games, he has six home runs and 42 runs batted in, second on the team....
The 5-for-5 performance by Alex Llanos on Monday vaulted Sioux City's veteran second baseman into seventh place among the league's batting leaders with a .345 average. Batting just .267 prior to June 20, when he was battling a leg injury, the 30-year-old Llanos has had 11 multi-hit performances in 18 games and gone 32-for-69, a torrid .464 clip....
Brad Guy, the American Association's hard luck pitcher of the year, is the league's runaway leader for innings pitched with 99, well ahead of El Paso's Greg Wiltshire, second at 86.1. Guy, of course, is 1-6 in 13 starts despite a very reputable 3.82 earned run average. Seven of his 13 outings have produced quality starts (six or more innings with three earned runs or less)....
After the series finale tonight, the X's return home to host four games, Thursday through Sunday, with St. Joseph, then have a two-day break for next Tuesday's American Association All-Star Game in Sioux Falls before heading to St. Paul for four games in a Wednesday-through-Saturday set July 18-21....
First baseman Julian Benavidez, who has missed 11 games with a pull rib cage muscle, could be activated on Thursday, as might lefthanded reliever Mike Nunes, who has made just four appearances this season....
Ty Marotz, who has gone 17 games since his last start on June 21, will try to throw in the bullpen today. Nottle said he may have to make a move if Marotz is not ready to rejoin the staff....
Although the Explorers have the league's worst home record at 8-21, they are now a very respectable 13-14 on the road after Tuesday's win.
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