Archive for July, 2010

The dogs were on parade at Eastwood Field for Saturday’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers game.  Bark At The Park drew about 35 canine’s all barking and yapping.  The Scrappers did their best to give the fans plenty to bark and yap about as well.  It worked, for about four innings.  A series of errors and unearned runs doomed the Scrappers who gave up ten total runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, and Vermont coasted home and bolstered their record to 17-5 with a 10-4 walloping.

Giovanny Urshela (above) came through with a big hit in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Scrappers a 2-0 lead. Urshela’s big  hit knocked in Tyler Cannon and Chase Burnette. Carlos Moncrief followed that with a solid single that plated Urshela and pushed the lead to 3-0, all of the damage to Lake Monster starting pitcher Taylor Jordan took place with two outs in the frame.

Vermont responded in the top of the fifth when Kevin Keyes blooped a single over the second basemen’s head that plated two Lake Monsters.  Vermont then tied the game when Wade Moore singled to left off of reliever Clayton Ehlert.  Ehlert relieved starter Alex Kaminsky who threw 82 pitches without giving up a run.

In the top of the sixth, two Scrapper errors on the same play opened the floodgates for Vermont.  2B Kevin Fontanez let a ground ball go through his legs into right and then Moncrief made a throwing error.  Later in the same inning, C Diego Seastrunk deflected a ball just about ten feet to the right of home plate and then took his time getting to it allowing the runner from third base to score.  On the next pitch, Urshela let a play he makes 99% of the time at third scoot by into left.  Four errors, four runs, 7-3 Vermont.

Vermont tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh on one hit to raise the score to 10-3.  The Scrappers bullpen struggled to get outs and didn’t have much help defensively giving up 10 runs over a three inning stretch.  Dale Dickerson was effective getting the final out in the seventh and pitching a scoreless eighth for Mahoning Valley.

The Scrappers manufactured a run in the eighth to make it 10-4, but everything seemed to work against Fryman’s boys tonight.  Too many bloops and errors.

The Scrappers welcome Hudson Valley to Niles for a Sunday game, first pitch is at 5 o’clock.

Asdrubal Cabrera is set to do a rehab stint with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Cabrera will be in the lineup for the Scrappers on Monday and Tuesday.  Indians Manager Manny Acta said he would like Cabrera to get about 30 or so at-bats before he rejoins the Indians.  After Tuesday, Cabrera will finish his rehab assignment in Akron with the AA Aeros.

Cabrera injured his arm and was placed on the 60-day DL on May 18.  Cabrera is currently with the Indians in Tampa and has been taking batting practice.  The rehab starts with the Scrappers will be his first live game-action in the rehab process.  If all goes well, the Indians should activate him right after the All-Star Break.

It happened.  The announcement was made Thursday at around 9:35 p.m. that Lebron James would be leaving the nest to fly South and play with his friends.  The announcement and ESPN hype show that aired took over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers game for a brief moment.  PA Announcer John Brown aired the decision to the audience and was greeted by a loud chorus of boos.  Not only that, but it happened to be buck night, so some of the booing was vulgar and malicious.

Travis Fryman spent some time in Cleveland as an Indian and although he confessed he does not follow other sports very closely, “the decision” that Lebron made is another black eye to Cleveland.  “Although my opinion on the subject doesn’t really mean squat, it disappoints me.  I have always admired a player like Alan Trammel who spent his entire career with one organization.  Loyalty, to me, means that both sides give up something. The team was willing to pay the guy, but the player should want to give something back to that organization.  He certainly gave his best effort while he was here.”

“We are gonna win here, we are gonna lose here, either way, I am a Cleveland player.  I like that mentality”, said Fryman.  “I felt that way when I was in Detroit until somebody traded me, so then I decided to feel that way about Cleveland.  I am sure it was not an easy decision for him.”

Fryman also added, “It’s tough.  It’s been tough on Browns, Indians and Cavs fans for the last several years.  Cleveland deserves a winner, hopefully sooner than later.  It’s been awhile and it seems like Cleveland is chasing the Cubs. It’s a great place to play and there are some great fans there. They deserve a winner too, every now and then.”

Lebron choosing Miami over Cleveland also brings to mind that three stars who like their numbers and their press have to share the ball.  One piece of corn, three pigs, you do the math. How cool would it be to see the Cavs, Knicks, or Bulls, knock Miami out of the playoffs?

The Lake Erie Monsters came to Eastwood Field with a 17-4 record, a reflection of the direction that their parent club, the Washington Nationals, seems to be headed.  With most of their top draft picks signed and in uniform, the Lake Monsters would seem to overmatch the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on paper.  This game was not decided on paper, however, and the Scrappers staged a great last at-bat rally to come from behind and win, 6-5 on a pair of passed balls.

“Kind of reminiscent of last year’s team, wasn’t it?”, remarked Travis Fryman after the thrilling come-from-behind finish.  “We won a lot of games like that.  We don’t have a lot of offense this year and we have to capitalize on their errors, and they helped us there with four errors and a couple of wild pitches.”

The Lake Monsters wasted little time picking at Scrappers starter, Jordan Cooper. In the top of the first, Russell Moldenhauer hit a towering home run to right center  with one man on.  Vermont added single runs in the third and fifth innings to race out to a 4-0 lead.

The Scrappers fought back putting up three runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Wyatt Toregas started the frame with a double.  Chase Burnette followed up with an RBI-double plating Torregas.  Giovanny Urshela hit a ball to Lake Monsters SS Jason Martinson who threw the ball wildly to first and allowed Burnette to touch home.  Kevin Fontanez hit a sac fly scoring Urshela.

Vermont tacked on a run in the top of the eighth to push their lead to 5-3.  The Scrappers battled again in the bottom of the ninth inning as Carlos Moncrief knocked in Burnette to plate the tying run with one out.  The next batter, Fontanez was issued a free pass from Lake Monsters closer Dustin Crane, who was left in the game despite blowing the save.  Crane then threw a couple of wild pitches with two outs to allow Moncrief to advance to third, and one pitch later, trot home with the winning run.

Fryman praised Moncrief’s effort.  “You may know some of his story.  Carlos was a pitcher and said he did not want to pitch anymore so he came to camp as a position player and is in right field.  He has really been working hard and is taking baby steps in his improvement.”

The Scrappers and Lake monsters lock horns again Friday, first pitch is at 7:05 and the game will be followed with a grand display of fireworks.

Chase Burnette was drafted by the Cleveland Indians this past June.  The Indians seem to have gotten their money’s worth by nabbing Burnette in the 18th round of the draft.  The 22 year-old Buford, Georgia native has been the most consistent power threat the Scrappers have introduced, arguably, in franchise history.  Heading into Friday’s game, Burnette was leading the team in home runs (4), RBI (12), and has done a good job in the field bouncing around first base and the outfield.  Last year, a Scrapper did not have four home runs until August.  I recently had a chance to meet Burnette and asked him the tough questions.

Paneech: You played your college ball at Georgia Tech. What persuaded you to attend that school?

Burnette: It was nice to have a big Division I school like Georgia Tech recruiting me because it was right in my area where I grew up.  It was also nice for my parents to come and see my games.  My Freshman year, I was the first left-handed bat off of the bench, and our coach liked to pinch hit so I got some at-bats.  My Sophomore year, I got a few starts in the outfield, and by the midway point I was starting at DH the rest of the year.

Paneech: You have shown versatility by playing first base and in the outfield, where are you most comfortable?

Burnette: I spent most of my time playing in the outfield in college, that is where I feel most comfortable.  I feel like I can play wherever I am needed, but I say I am most comfortable in the outfield because of my time spent there.

Paneech: You are on pace to hit 20 bombs this season, a very good total for short-season baseball.  Are you keeping up with it?

Burnette: I really don’t pay attention to statistics.  Home runs never come when I try to hit one. The only time I seem to hit a home run is when I really just try to make solid contact with the ball.  I’m just gonna go out there and keep trying to square the ball up and what happens, happens.

Paneech: Growing up near Atlanta, were you upset that the Braves bypassed you a few times before Cleveland stepped up and chose you?

Burnette: (laughing) No, not at all.  I did grow up near Atlanta a Braves fan.  I was thrilled to get drafted and didn’t care by who as long as the phone rang, I was pumped.  I found out I was drafted in a pretty unique way.  I was watching the draft throughout the day and the wife and I decided to go do something and get out of the house for a bit.  We rode over to Target, and I was actually in the fitting room when my phone rang.  It was my buddy’s brother calling from Texas.  When I answered he was like ‘ Aaay, congratulations on being drafted’.  I was like, really?  By who?  He said, ‘Cleveland Indians’, and I was like ‘cool!’  That’s how I found out and the scout was beeping in on the call waiting.

Paneech: What is it like to play under Travis Fryman?

Burnette: It’s great, I remember playing video games when I was a kid and using him.  It’s awesome to have someone like him to learn from with so much knowledge and experience.  You also learn about the way he approaches the game and the way he conducts himself.  I think it is an awesome opportunity.

Paneech: Tell me what you think of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley so far?

Burnette: It’s a lot different from down South.  I’m staying with a host family in a small town called Newton Falls, and I am loving it so far.  I am kind of used to the whole host family experience thing, so that is nothing new.  I got married January 1 of this year, so the wife is staying with the host family too.  I have known her since we were six years old.

Paneech: Realistically, how far can you go with this, how far do you want to go?

Burnette: I believe that God has a plan for all of us. I’ll play this out as long as I can and see where it takes me.  I’ll see where God wants me to go with it.  I’m in it for as long as I can have fun and do the best that I can.  I majored in management in college and my father has an insurance business, so once I finish up a couple of semesters at Tech, I can fall back into a thriving and lucrative family business.  Baseball also has a way of presenting opportunities off of the field, so I may be fortunate and land something.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal of The Day: Dinner.

Fast Food: Taco Bell.

Favorite Movie: Matrix.

Favorite Soft Drink: Coke.

Favorite TV Show: Lost.

Favorite Music: Country — Blake Shelton.

Least favorite Music: Jazz.

Biggest Phobia: Spiders.

Worst Habit: I talk a lot.

Dave Lubich is only 22 years old and is in a position to prosper.  He was awarded the Mahoning Valley Scrappers radio gig earlier this season and seems to be gaining valuable experience that will help him get to another level someday.  Lubich is still in college at Akron and will be done soon, but for now, realizes the opportunity in his home town of Niles, Ohio  is golden and is trying to work hard and take advantage of his unique situation.  I met with Lubich before a recent home game to discuss the past, present, and future.

Paneech:  You now have a major time commitment, as well as newfound traveling, that you must put in.  How are you adjusting?

Lubich:  At first, it all kind of caught me off guard.  I think I am starting to adjust and  I am getting used to the day-to-day routine.  I enjoy calling the games every day.  I have called football and basketball in the past but seem to like baseball more than everything else because it is slower paced and you have more time to talk.

Paneech:  What is your exact role with the team and what responsibilities are you handling?

Lubich:  It is important to have everything ready and making sure that Travis [Fryman] has updated stuff.  I am also responsible for putting together game notes before each game, handling all of the media to make sure they can get interviews, and writing press releases following the game and sending that out. 

Paneech:  What is the part of your job that you like the least? 

Lubich:  The cram time that you have when leaving to go on a roadtrip or leaving one opposing stadium to go to another is tough.  You want to call the game and be prepared and sometimes there is little time to get ready.  Everything else has time devoted to it.  How many people can say that they did what so many greats have done?  I’m not Vin Scully or Ernie Harwell, but it is enjoyable to do what they have done.

Paneech:  Is this a stepping stone to get to the next level?

Lubich:  It’s hard to say right now.  I enjoy the games.  Having done the faster paced basketball stuff, you don’t really get to enjoy the game like you can with baseball.  I have written and done television for all three major sports.  If it came down to me calling baseball for the next however many years, I would enjoy it.

Paneech:  Having seen this team play all of their road games too, who stands out as someone who may have a chance to make it to the majors?

Lubich:  There are a bunch of top picks that still have not signed.  Of those who are here, I think that Chase Burnette has a real chance to become a big-time power hitter.  He is a guy who has shown versatility on defense and has really swung the bat well.  Tyler Cannon, the twelfth round pick, has come in and hit the ball really well.  I also think Giovanny Urshela has a chance to be a great third basemen.  He is making highlight reel plays as well as the routine ones. 

Paneech:  What is the best baseball movie ever made?

Lubich:  I’m a Yankees fan, so I will have to say ’61’.  Billy Crystal did a great job depicting that season.  It was the last legitimate race for a home run crown.  One of the all-time great Yankees [Mickey Mantle] and the Yankee that everybody gave a hard time [Roger Maris].  It was a great team… Elston Howard, Bobby Richardson, Mosse Skowran, Clete Boyer, I can go on and on about that Yankee team.  I also like Major League and Field of Dreams.  I did not care for Fever Pitch.

Paneech:  So far, the bullpen seems a bit shaky to me.  Do we chalk it up to the early season excuse or are we just weak there.

Lubich:  Take Doran Dickerson for example.  Travis likes the fact that he is a deceptive pitcher and location is important for a guy like that.  I say he is deceptive because he throws from the side.  In the middle to late innings of a game, if you throw a whole new look at the opposing team like Dickerson, it can be a tough adjustment.  The plan has not worked perfectly because Dickerson is just not hitting the spots he needs to yet.  He has put himself in a lot of hitters counts at 3-1, or 2-1, it allows the opposing batter to look for a specific pitch.

Paneech:  Give me some of the personals, the food and drink preferences, what you watch on television…

Lubich:  I like to eat at Vernon’s Cafe, I could eat their calamari for breakfast.  I also like to eat at the Hot Dog Shoppe.  As far as soft drinks go, I drink water, a lot of water.  On television, Entourage might be the best show ever made, I really like watching it.

 

 

 

The Jamestown Jammers got off of the bus in Niles on Thursday in first place, all by themselves.  After Friday night they found themselves in a tie with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, losing the first two games of the three game series.  When Saturday’s game was over the Jammers boarded the bus to go home back in first place after pasting the Scrappers, 13-3.

The Jammers raced out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the second.  Scrappers starting pitcher Michael Rayl (above) threw 31 pitches in the inning and seemed to struggle with his control.  For Jamestown,  Todd Muecklisch had an RBI single.  Aury Diaz then belted a two-run single.  Noah Perio closed out the scoring in the second with a tw0-run double.

Mahoning Valley fought back in the bottom of the third.  Jamestown made a couple of errors that allowed Dan DeGeorge and Jordan Casas to score.  Chase Burnette then connected with a clean RBI-single to right to make it a 5-3 game.

Jamestown manufactured a run in the fourth and tacked on three more in the fifth highlighted by a Sequoyah Stonecipher bomb to deep right center field to make the score 9-3 in favor of the visitors.

Not much seemed to go right for the Scrappers on this night.  Jamestown tacked on more runs in the seventh inning to take a 13-3 lead.

After the game, Travis Fryman commented on the effects of the loss.  “There wasn’t much good to take from this tonight.  I would be hard pressed to find anything positive to speak of.  Chase [Burnette] had three hits.  They [Jamestown] had five errors, but their hits offset that, obviously.  Everything they hit found a hole tonight.”

The Scrappers head to Connecticut before returning home for a six game home stand starting Thursday.

On an absolutely perfect night for a baseball game, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers looked to go above .500 and continue to improve.  The obstacle that stood between the Scrappers and that goal was Jamestown, first place Jamestown.  The Scrappers got good pitching and scratched out just enough offense to tie the Jammers for first place with a 2-1 win.

The Jammers scored first when Sequoyah Stonecipher homered off of Scrappers starting pitcher Jordan Cooper.  The solo shot was Stonecipher’s first of the 2010 season.

Mahoning Valley responded in the bottom half of the second inning to the the game at a run apiece.  Wyatt Toregas singled and moved to second when Tyler Cannon was issued a free pass.  Andrew Kinney (pictured at top) then doubled to right-center field knocking in Toregas and knotting the contest.

Chase Burnette (above) untied the score with one swing of the bat when he absolutely crushed an 0-1 pitch to very deep right-center to put the Scrappers ahead 2-1.  For Burnette, it was home run number three on the season.

In relief of Cooper, Dale Dickerson and Clayton Ehlert shut down the Jammers to preserve the win.  Nick Kirk came in with two down in the ninth to pick up his third save of the year.

Burnette talked about the fortunes of his team.  “Our pitching was great tonight.  For us to only get three hits and come away with a win is really fortunate.”  When asked about stepping into a leadership role, Burnette humbly deflected.  “I am a first year guy here and I am still learning how this all works, Wyatt [Toregas] is a veteran here and we respect him.”

Starting pitcher, Jordan Cooper, also shyly accepted congratulations after the game.  “My defense was great behind me tonight and me and Wyatt were on the same page.  I gave up a home run, but after that, I settled in and avoided mistakes.”

The win vaults Mahoning Valley into a tie with Jamestown with both teams at 8-7.  Saturday’s game is now a battle for first place.  It is also adult cap giveaway night… see you at Eastwood Field at 7:05!

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers promo department deserves props for a good turnout of 4,600 Thursday.  Not only was it buck night, but it was also the big “Keep Lebron in Cleveland” promo.  Scrapper pitching was also worthy of praise.  Mahoning Valley starter Owen Dew threw six perfect innings and the home team scratched out enough offense to win a 3-0 contest with Jamestown.

The Scrappers got on the scoreboard first when Giovanny Urshela (above) hit a line drive past shortstop knocking in Diego Seastrunk and Andrew Kinney.  With two outs in the inning, Jamestown starter Dallas Poulk walked Seastrunk and then gave up a ground-rule double to Kinney.  Urshela then connected for the two-out hit to put the Scrappers up 2-0.

Mahoning Valley pushed their lead to 3-0 in the sixth when Diego Seastrunk hit into a double play with nobody out.  Wyatt Toregas scored from third on the play.  Toregas walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Dew, who had one previous start, kept his ERA at 0.00.  At this level, where individual development is the primary focus, the pitchers are held to a very strict pitch count.  Dew, a 6′ 2″ righty,  was drafted earlier this year in the 21st round out of Central Florida.  “It felt good, I was hitting spots with my two-seamer tonight,” commeneted Dew.

“I’m sure I will eventually give up a run.  Credit the guys behind me for making some good plays.  There are some differences here compared to college.  In college ball, when you jam someone using an aluminum bat, the hits will drop more frequently than they do here with the wooden bats,” remarked Dew.

The perfect game attempt came to an end when Takafumi Nakamura yielded a single with one out in the seventh.  Marcell Ozuna got the clean hit to spoil the celebration.  However, the Scrappers got out of the inning with their 3-0 lead intact.

After the game, Scrapper Skipper, Travis Fryman, praised his young pitchers.  “Owen showed a lot of composure and got outs.  I think he was very sharp the first couple of innings.  Yesterday we dang near got no-hit ourselves, so the guys do feel good about this one tonight.”

With the win, the Scrappers improved to .500 at 7-7 on the young season.  Jamestown comes back to Eastwood Field Friday and Saturday nights.  First pitch is set for 7:05 both nights.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are holding a rally tonight as a theme for their regular season game.  The theme is centered around keeping Lebron James in Cleveland.

• Commemorative rally towel giveaway to the first 1,000 fans.
• Any fan wearing Cleveland Cavaliers or LeBron James gear will get a free lower box seat ticket for the game.
• Anyone wearing New York, Chicago, or Miami gear will be denied entry into the stadium.
• If the Scrappers score 6 or more runs during the game, all fans will receive a free ticket to either the July 2 or 3 Scrappers game.
• A poster will be available for fans to sign showing their support for LeBron. The poster will be sent to Cleveland following the game.
• If LeBron resigns with Cleveland, the Scrappers grounds crew will cut LeBron James yard for a year and the Scrappers cleaning crew will clean his house for a year.
• If LeBron resigns with Cleveland, the Scrappers will name a section of the lower seating area after him. 23 game tickets will be donated for each home game for the remainder of the season to area youth or community organizations.

 

July 1 is also Buck Night presented by the injury attorneys at Plevin and Gallucci and CD 93.3. General Admission tickets, hot dogs and 12 oz. drinks are just $1 each.