Results tagged ‘ Brad Knox ’
Thrilling finish gives 51s a needed victory
The 51s haven’t won many games yet this year, but they’re making their victories memorable.
For the fifth time in 2009, Las Vegas came from behind to win Thursday night, with J.P Arencibia‘s walkoff RBI double in the 11th inning giving the team a 4-3 triumph over the Salt Lake Bees.
“We definitely do play until the final out,” said second baseman Howie Clark, who tied the game at 3 with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. “It’s nice that we’ve shown character and been able to come back.”
Through the first seven-and-a-half innings, pitching ruled the day, with Bees starter Brad Knox pitching seven innings of shutout baseball, helped out by the 51s hitting into four double plays.
“(Knox) was mixing pitches and hitting corners and he did a great job. He got groundballs when he needed them,” Clark said.
The 51s’ newest addition kept them in the game while Knox was shutting down Las Vegas. Fabio Castro, called up Wednesday from AA, started for the 51s and threw 5 1/3 solid innings, holding the Bees to three runs on five hits and three walk while striking out five.
“My command of my pitches today wasn’t very good, but I did OK and hopefully I will get better,” Castro said after the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Clark – The 51s played like they didn’t want to score for the first seven innings, hitting into double plays at every opportunity. With runners on first and second and one out in the eighth, Clark stood in against Kevin Jepsen with the chance to hit into another double play and pretty much end the game.
Jepsen, who started the season in the big leagues with the Angels, was throwing as hard as 98 MPH and showcasing a wicked breaking ball. Clark was looking for the heat.
“(Jepsen) struck out (Angel) Sanchez with a good curveball and I think his plan was to get ahead with the fastball and get to that breaking ball because it was really nasty. He just threw one that was hittable, and he supplied the power,” Clark said.
SCOUTING REPORT
Castro will likely stick in the 51s rotation thanks to his success in AA and his start tonight. He relies on locating his fastball, which was clocked from 89 to 92 MPH on Thursday night. He did a good job of moving it both in and out and up and down and mixing in his changeup to keep hitters off-balance. He used his curveball more in the fourth and fifth innings; the breaking pitch is much slower than his changeup, clocked mostly in the mid-70s without much break. He told 51s Today that he’ll use the breaking ball more in the future, when he feels better about his command than he did tonight.
Castro was traded to the Blue Jays last year by the Phillies for OF/1B Matt Stairs, who proved very useful to Philadelphia on their run to the World Series. He was 2-0 with 0.83 ERA in four starts with AA New Hampshire so far this season, with 24 strikeouts and only three walks in 21 1/3 innings.
NOTES: 51s Today caught up with two injured players after the game. Russ Adams, who was used as a pinch runner for the third straight game Thursday, said he hopes to be able to bat and play the field by the end of this four-game series. Joe Inglett, however, said he has had a setback with his injured hamstring and won’t play until the next road trip, if then. … Randy Ruiz singled in the bottom of the first, extending his batting streak to 11. … Pitcher Dirk Hayhurst spent most of the game on the radio, sparring with Russ Langer on the broadcast.
Off the road again
While 51s Today was taking a sidetrip to New York, the 51s were burying themselves in a last-place hole. Apparently, Randy Ruiz and company should have been sneaking into the NFL Draft with this reporter, above, instead of swimming in the River Cats’ stream.
Most teams perform better at home than on the road, but after a four-game sweep in Sacramento, the 51s are looking downright agoraphobic. Las Vegas now has a 1-10 road record, with their only win coming in a seven-inning affair that capped a doubleheader at Salt Lake City.
At home, the Blue Jays’ boys have a 4-4 record from their only homestand of the year so far, giving them a PCL-worst 5-14 record overall. In a league that has 16 teams, that is truly a dubious distinction.
But, for the optimistic fans out there, there are bright spots. Three of the 51s’ four losses in Sacramento were by one run, including a 13-inning affair that ended in a 2-1 win for the River Cats. The starting rotation seemed to improve, with Brett Cecil giving them a quality start (6 IP, 3 R, 4 hits, 5 Ks) and Brad Mills cruising into the sixth inning on Monday with only one run scored before giving up two more and taking the loss.
The problem seems to be the offense and pitching being unable to produce in the same games. The four-game set had scores of 9-8, 2-1, 7-4 and 3-2. In the games the pitchers stepped up, the offense sat down; when the hitters found their groove, the pitchers were grooving fastballs right down the middle for the River Cats.
So the talent to win games is obviously there if the team can just put it together. This is why every player 51s Today speaks with takes time to point out how much talent there is on the club and predicts that they will win eventually.
Hopefully, “eventually” begins tonight.
A couple of notes: Tonight is the second Dollar Beer Night of the year, so get out to the ballpark and down some cold ones, but please remember to have a designated driver so our trusty, sober 51s Today writer doesn’t die on his way home. And the title of this post is an obvious rip-off of a famous Willie Nelson tune for a reason: Cashman Field will be hosting a concert this summer featuring the Red-Headed Stranger, along with Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp. Obviously, Bob Dylan is the headliner, but this reporter is more excited about hearing Nelson’s rendition of “Blue Skies” under the stars in Las Vegas. Tickets are less than $70 for the Aug. 12 show and go on sale May 30th; check out the press release here.
There should be a long feature on what we’ve learned as the first month of the season comes to a close posted tonight or tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are some players to watch tonight in the first game of a four-game set against the Salt Lake Bees.
LAS VEGAS (5-14, fourth place in PCL Pacific South)
Brett Harper, 1B/DH — The mountainous slugger had the best road trip on the team, going 6-for-18 with a home run and 2 RBI in the four games. If the 51s manage to get more runners on base for him, his hot bat could do some more damage.
Randy Ruiz, 1B/DH — Ruiz did not manage a home run in Sacramento, but still drove in three runs with a 5-for-18 performance that included at least one hit in each game, giving him a 10-game hitting streak.
Jonah Bayliss, P — No word yet on who will start tonight for the 51s, as normal starter Dirk Hayhurst has apparently been sent to the bullpen. But no matter who starts, Bayliss has been the pitching star for the 51s this year: he has yet to give up an earned run in seven appearances spanning 14 innings. The hard-throwing right-hander has allowed only six hits in six walks while striking out a healthy 18 batters, giving him the kind of stats that make general managers drool. Get a good look at him before he’s spittin’ seeds in the Toronto ‘pen.
SALT LAKE (13-6, tied for first in PCL Pacific North)
Brad Knox, P — The right-handed starter controlled the 51s in his first start against them, giving up two runs in five innings during a start in Utah on April 15. But that is the 26-year-old’s only win so far this season, and he was brutalized in his last journey to the mound, giving up six runs in three innings against Tacoma on Friday. The former Oakland Athletics prospect had a darn good winter, however, leading the Tigres de Aragua to the Carribean World Series title.
Chris Pettit, OF — Cashman Field may be a couple degrees hotter than the rest of Vegas once this guy takes the field. In his last seven games, the 2006 draftee is 16-for-27 with a home run, eight RBI and seven runs scored. He also looks amazingly like former MLB second baseman Bret Boone, without the steroids.
Sean Rodriquez, 2B — With Brandon Wood swinging his powerful bat in Anaheim, Rodriguez is the guy to watch out for if the wind is blowing out tonight. He leads the Bees with six home runs and 19 RBI, despite a batting average of just .231.
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