Tartabull Sent to AAA, Snopek Struggles at Short April 26, 1998
Laurel, Maryland--The Lynx split a pair with the Hamsters to stay 3 games over .500 at 11-8.
Both games involved 8th inning comebacks. Galena scored 4 in the 8th in
game one to win 4-3, while Laurel score 2 in the 8th in the second game to
win 2-1. Manager Floyd Hoerst was happy with the effort saying "We really
wanted to avoid the sweep, after we wasted Karsay's start, we feel really
fortunate to win the second game of the series". Once in the doghouse
reliever Frank Castillo improved to 2-0 with a solid relief performance.
Danny goes down
In a morning press conference, the Lynx announced that the team is sending
veteran OF Danny Tartabull to AAA and recalling LF Tony Birdsall. Laurel
manager Floyd Hoerst stated "We are committed to the platoon of Bubba
Trammel and Brooks Kieschnick in LF. Danny isn't getting consistent at
bats, so we decided to add a guy with greater speed and contact to the
bench."
The move means that at 36, 3B Garry Gaetti is the only player over the age
of 30 on the major league roster. The oldest pitcher with the Lynx is
veteran right handed starter Armando Reynoso, age 29.
So he's not exactly Ozzy Smith...
It's not a surprise, but Chris Snopek continues to struggle defensively at
SS. Hoerst said, "He and Gaetti are two of the hottest hitters on the club
now. Having Chris at SS is the only way we can keep both of them in the
line-up." The Lynx are expected to step up efforts to acquire a natural SS
that can provide more offense than the team's late inning defensive
replacement Mike Bordick. GM Sean Dawson said "We thought we were close to
making a deal earlier in the week involving one of our outfielders for two
players, but unfortunately the deal wasn‰t completed."
Contenders?.. NOT!
Based on the team's start, GM Sean Dawson was asked if the Lynx were
considering deals for some of the veterans rumored to be available such as
LHP Randy Johnson and OF Reggie Sanders. Dawson said, "Of course we are
playing well now, but compare our roster to other teams and we are not a
playoff caliber team. Sure, we have had a great start considering the team's performance last year, but we are only 19 games into a 162 games season."
The Laurel Crush?
You wouldn't expect it looking at the every day line up, but the team is
still leading the majors in home runs with 29 in 19 games. Major power
sources have included 1B Jeff Bagwell (11 HR on pace for a total of 93), SS
Chris Snopek (5), DH Jermaine Dye (4), and RF Jacob Brumfield (4). The LF
platoon of Trammel and Kieschnick has also combined for 5 shots.
