Explorers' Francisco goes to 4-0
By Terry Hersom, Journal sports editor | Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Lincoln’s Luis Perez makes it safely back to first as Sioux City’s Juan Camacho waits for the throw Tuesday at Lewis and Clark Park. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
Sooner or later, the rest of the Sioux City Explorers' pitching rotation will probably have impressive stretches of their own.
As of now, however, the X's are just 2-13 when the starting hurler is anyone other than righthander Alexander Francisco, who improved to 4-0 in four starts Tuesday night at Lewis and Clark Park.
Francisco hasn't done it all on his own, of course. And, in a 5-4 victory over the Lincoln Saltdogs, he owed a particularly big debt of gratitude to Brett Reid, the closer who came to pre-season camp hoping for a shot as a starter.
Striking out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth inning, Reid picked up his fifth save for a team that can blame much of a disappointing 6-13 record on an offense that came into the game with just 59 runs -- 22 fewer than anyone else in the 10-team American Association.
"We know we've got a good team,'' said Reid, a 28-year-old Liberty, Mo., native. "We haven't clicked on all cylinders yet, but we know we're going to break out.''
"This was probably (Francisco's) worst start of all of them, but he's done a heck of a job giving us a chance to win,'' said X's Manager Les Lancaster.
Outhit 9-8 in the opener of a three-game series, the Explorers got a helping hand from a costly Lincoln throwing error that paved the way to three unearned runs in the sixth inning.
It was the kind of break Lancaster's team has seen all too seldom in the season's first three weeks.
Rookie shortstop Sam Walker, who had the X's only multi-hit game, singled to lead off the home half of the sixth. One out later, after Lincoln's fleet Jonny Kaplan missed on a diving try at Juan Camacho's double to left-center, Walker could advance no further than third.
Chad Gabriel's one-out bouncer was fielded by Lincoln third baseman Eduardo Rios, who had plenty of time to gun down Walker, streaking toward the plate. However, the throw by Rios was offline and catcher Joe Dempsey couldn't make the play, letting the X's tie the game at 3-3.
Lincoln starter Brian Campbell gave way to lefthander Vince Davis, who uncorked a wild pitch, letting Camacho put the hosts in front 4-3. Then, after striking out Alex Llanos, Davis couldn't glove a sharp comebacker from Luke Hetherington, who was credited with an RBI single as the carom reached shortstop Anthony Contreras too late for a throw.
Kaplan, the Saltdogs' impressive leadoff man, tightened things up with a two-out solo homer in the seventh inning. And, the Dogs put two more runners on base before Ty Marotz preserved Francisco's chance at the win, getting the final out of the seventh and three more in the eighth.
Then, it was up to Reid, who has yearned to be a starter like he was in college at Avila University. After No. 9 hitter Joe Dempsey dumped a one-out double in front of a diving Gabriel in left field, Reid struck out Kaplan and Contreras, Lincoln's 1-2 hitters.
"Ever since I was drafted (15th round by the Expos in 2003), I've been a closer,'' said Reid. "But I was always a starter in college. So, we talked over the winter about having me start. It just worked out we had enough starters and this was where they needed me.''
"With his makeup, he's exactly what you look for in a closer,'' said Lancaster, who has seen Reid pitch 7.2 innings of scoreless relief in six appearances, striking out 11 batters.
On a cool and rainy night, things didn't start terribly well for Francisco, who had yielded just two runs in 18 innings over his first three starts -- a nifty 1.00 ERA.
However, he worked around three first-inning hits to limit the Saltdogs to a single run, getting help from a baserunning error by Dustin Yount, and he overcame two more baserunners in the second with help from a double play. The 27-year-old Dominican also didn't get burned on two third-inning errors, one of them his own.
The X's finally backed him up in the fourth after Walker and Chris Grossman led off the frame with back-to-back doubles, tying it up at 1-1. Two outs later, with Grossman at third, Llanos poked an RBI single through the middle for a 2-1 lead.
After retiring nine batters in a row, Francisco walked Contreras on four pitches to start the Lincoln sixth. Yount's grounder, barely out of reach for a diving Camacho at first base, rolled down the right-field line for a double. That let Mario Delgado's grounder tie the game and the Dogs took the lead on a base hit by Luis Perez.
X's AND OH's: Lancaster said his hitters have been more aggressive since his close friend, Raffael Melchione, a hitting instructor for the Angels, joined the team Saturday night to provide some of his expertise. "He's been a big help,'' said the X's skipper. "We're swinging the bats better the last two games.''....
Only Pensacola, with 35 miscues prior to Tuesday, had committed more errors than the Explorers, tied with Fort Worth at 28. The X's, who have been error-free just three times in their first 19 games, added two more errors Tuesday, both in the third inning, but neither proved costly....
In stark contrast to St. Paul (18 of 20) and Lincoln (19 of 21), Sioux City base stealers haven't fared too well thus far, succeeding just 16 times in 31 attempts. They were two of three Tuesday, getting the first two steals of the season from Alex Llanos, but Chad Gabriel was gunned down for the fourth time in six tries....
Lancaster said injured centerfielder Jason Tuttle (see separate story) won't be rushed back into action before he's fully healed up from a sprained right shoulder. "We know it feels better, but we're not going to rush him,'' he said....
Lefthander Tim Layden gets the starting nod tonight against Lincoln's Ryan Trytten (1-1, 4.20). Layden is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA, but he has yielded just one earned run in each of two starts since a rough debut for the X's.
As of now, however, the X's are just 2-13 when the starting hurler is anyone other than righthander Alexander Francisco, who improved to 4-0 in four starts Tuesday night at Lewis and Clark Park.
Francisco hasn't done it all on his own, of course. And, in a 5-4 victory over the Lincoln Saltdogs, he owed a particularly big debt of gratitude to Brett Reid, the closer who came to pre-season camp hoping for a shot as a starter.
Striking out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth inning, Reid picked up his fifth save for a team that can blame much of a disappointing 6-13 record on an offense that came into the game with just 59 runs -- 22 fewer than anyone else in the 10-team American Association.
"We know we've got a good team,'' said Reid, a 28-year-old Liberty, Mo., native. "We haven't clicked on all cylinders yet, but we know we're going to break out.''
"This was probably (Francisco's) worst start of all of them, but he's done a heck of a job giving us a chance to win,'' said X's Manager Les Lancaster.
Outhit 9-8 in the opener of a three-game series, the Explorers got a helping hand from a costly Lincoln throwing error that paved the way to three unearned runs in the sixth inning.
It was the kind of break Lancaster's team has seen all too seldom in the season's first three weeks.
Rookie shortstop Sam Walker, who had the X's only multi-hit game, singled to lead off the home half of the sixth. One out later, after Lincoln's fleet Jonny Kaplan missed on a diving try at Juan Camacho's double to left-center, Walker could advance no further than third.
Chad Gabriel's one-out bouncer was fielded by Lincoln third baseman Eduardo Rios, who had plenty of time to gun down Walker, streaking toward the plate. However, the throw by Rios was offline and catcher Joe Dempsey couldn't make the play, letting the X's tie the game at 3-3.
Lincoln starter Brian Campbell gave way to lefthander Vince Davis, who uncorked a wild pitch, letting Camacho put the hosts in front 4-3. Then, after striking out Alex Llanos, Davis couldn't glove a sharp comebacker from Luke Hetherington, who was credited with an RBI single as the carom reached shortstop Anthony Contreras too late for a throw.
Kaplan, the Saltdogs' impressive leadoff man, tightened things up with a two-out solo homer in the seventh inning. And, the Dogs put two more runners on base before Ty Marotz preserved Francisco's chance at the win, getting the final out of the seventh and three more in the eighth.
Then, it was up to Reid, who has yearned to be a starter like he was in college at Avila University. After No. 9 hitter Joe Dempsey dumped a one-out double in front of a diving Gabriel in left field, Reid struck out Kaplan and Contreras, Lincoln's 1-2 hitters.
"Ever since I was drafted (15th round by the Expos in 2003), I've been a closer,'' said Reid. "But I was always a starter in college. So, we talked over the winter about having me start. It just worked out we had enough starters and this was where they needed me.''
"With his makeup, he's exactly what you look for in a closer,'' said Lancaster, who has seen Reid pitch 7.2 innings of scoreless relief in six appearances, striking out 11 batters.
On a cool and rainy night, things didn't start terribly well for Francisco, who had yielded just two runs in 18 innings over his first three starts -- a nifty 1.00 ERA.
However, he worked around three first-inning hits to limit the Saltdogs to a single run, getting help from a baserunning error by Dustin Yount, and he overcame two more baserunners in the second with help from a double play. The 27-year-old Dominican also didn't get burned on two third-inning errors, one of them his own.
The X's finally backed him up in the fourth after Walker and Chris Grossman led off the frame with back-to-back doubles, tying it up at 1-1. Two outs later, with Grossman at third, Llanos poked an RBI single through the middle for a 2-1 lead.
After retiring nine batters in a row, Francisco walked Contreras on four pitches to start the Lincoln sixth. Yount's grounder, barely out of reach for a diving Camacho at first base, rolled down the right-field line for a double. That let Mario Delgado's grounder tie the game and the Dogs took the lead on a base hit by Luis Perez.
X's AND OH's: Lancaster said his hitters have been more aggressive since his close friend, Raffael Melchione, a hitting instructor for the Angels, joined the team Saturday night to provide some of his expertise. "He's been a big help,'' said the X's skipper. "We're swinging the bats better the last two games.''....
Only Pensacola, with 35 miscues prior to Tuesday, had committed more errors than the Explorers, tied with Fort Worth at 28. The X's, who have been error-free just three times in their first 19 games, added two more errors Tuesday, both in the third inning, but neither proved costly....
In stark contrast to St. Paul (18 of 20) and Lincoln (19 of 21), Sioux City base stealers haven't fared too well thus far, succeeding just 16 times in 31 attempts. They were two of three Tuesday, getting the first two steals of the season from Alex Llanos, but Chad Gabriel was gunned down for the fourth time in six tries....
Lancaster said injured centerfielder Jason Tuttle (see separate story) won't be rushed back into action before he's fully healed up from a sprained right shoulder. "We know it feels better, but we're not going to rush him,'' he said....
Lefthander Tim Layden gets the starting nod tonight against Lincoln's Ryan Trytten (1-1, 4.20). Layden is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA, but he has yielded just one earned run in each of two starts since a rough debut for the X's.
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