Clinton Lumberkings at Battle Creek Yankees
May 4th, 2004
| Clinton |
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0 |
1 |
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1 |
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0 |
0 |
0 |
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2 |
10 |
1 |
| Battle Creek |
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0 |
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3 |
1 |
E-Kinsler, Cabrera, LOB CLI-7, BC-6, 2B-Kinsler, Kreuzer, Grayson 3, SB-Senreiso, Made, CS-Senreiso, Cabrera
BB-Made, Urick, SO-Harris
Umpires, Robert Price, Dixon Struman, Luke Karczewski
T-2:37, A-458
Battle Creek Enquirer
by Howie Magner
Battle Creek isn't getting the breaks, and it sure isn't getting the runs.
Clitnon's 2-0 triumph Tuesday at C.O. Brown Stadium marked Battle Creek's third shutout loss in six games.
Yankee starting pitcher Tyler Clippard was the hard luck loser. He fell to 1-3 despite striking out eight while scattering seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
"We let a good pitching performance get away from us." said manager Mitch Seoane, whose Yanks are 10-15 after five losses in six games. "We just didn't swing the bats."
That's become a familiar refrain lately.
Dating back to a 20-0 loss at Kane County on Thursday, the Yankees have put runs on the board in only three of their last 54 innings. They've scored just five runs during that stretch, and three of them came in the ninth inning of Monday's game with Clinton already leading 11-0.
Strikeouts have haunted Battle Creek's offense, whcih had just three hits Tuesday. The Yanks whiffed 11 times in their latest outing, giving them 61 in the last six games.
And when the Yankees have hit the ball, luck has not been on their side.
With Clinton leading 1-0 in the fourth inning, Eric Duncan nearly tied things with a solo homer, but he missed getting it by about a foot.
Duncan drilled a pitch from Clinton starter Edinson Volquez off the 18 foot high centerfield wall, and if the ball had been a dozen inches further toward right field, it would've gone over the shorter fence for a homer.
Instead, Duncan was left with a one out double and was erased on a fielder's choice, getting caught too far off second on Willie Vasquez's hard grounder back to the pitcher.
The Yanks nearly tied it at 1-1 again in the fifth, but another bad break negated the run. Hector Made drew a leadoff walk and stole second while Estee Harris struck out for the second out. Bryce Kartler then dribbled a ball in front of the mound on a swinging bunt.
Relief pitcher Matt Farnum fielded and threw over to first, where the ball hit Kartler and bounded far enought away to allow Made to race home. But home plate umpire Robert Price called runner interference because Kartler was too far inside the base line, giving the Yankees three outs and keeping them scoreless.
Battle Creek had just four other baserunners and two came with two outs in the ninth. Vasquez reached on an error and John Urick followed with a walk, but Made's flyout to left ended the game.
"I think every team goes through this type of thing. You've just got to keep fighting." Seoane said of the offensive struggles. "They won't give it to us. We've got to earn it and work out way out of it."
Clinton (15-10) got it's runs on RBI doubles by Larry Grayson in the second and sixth innings.
Volquez gave up just two hits in four innings. Farnum (1-0) earned the win after 4 2/3 innings of work, while Joldy Watts got the final out for his second save.