Laurel, Maryland - "It was a lot different than the previous four games". That is how Lynx manager Floyd Hoerst described his team's performance in following a four game winning streak by dropping back to back games to Deadwood and Galena.
SS Chris Snopek said the 15-13 loss to Deadwood was "Just *^%$#@ unbelievable!" The Lynx turned a 5-3 lead into a 12-5 deficit by allowing an 8 run 7th inning and a 1 run in the 8th. Starter Frank Castillo couldn't get the last out in the 7th and saw his ERA balloon by giving up 9 ERs in six and two-thirds innings. Recently acquired reliever Matthew Jacobs, who had pitched well for the team before today, added gas to the fire in getting tagged for 3 ERs in two and one-third innings of work.
Faced with a 7 run deficit Laurel rallied for 2 in the 8th and 5 in the 9th to send the game into extra innings tied at 12. Rookie Todd Noel pitched relatively well allowing one run on just one hit, a solo homerun to Brian McRae in the 12th, in his 3 innings. However, Julio Santana continued a string of poor performances and took the loss by giving up 2 in the 14th inning, and fell to 1-4 on the season.
"The wind was blowing out and the ball just carried well" explained LF Tony Birdsall, who had another impressive performance in going 4 for 7 that included a solo HR that tied the game at 13 in the botom of the 12th. The teams combined for 37 hits that included 10 doubles and 7 home runs.
After the game, Hoerst announced that up and down rookie Todd Noel has earned another shot in the starting rotation and that Frank Castillo would return to his more comfortable role of long reliever. He stated "it looks like Todd is back on track and we want him to get as many innings under his belt as possible this season."
Laurel carried a 1-0 lead into the six in the match-up with Galena, but in what seems to always be in case in Lynx-Hamster match ups, the Hamsters scored often late and coasted to a 5-1 victory. Bartolo Colon threw just 39 pitches before complaining of lingering pain from being smashed in the face with a line drive in his previous start. Colon has not allowed an ER in his two Laurel starts, unfortunately they have lasted just 1 and 4 innings respectively. Phil Vaughn was asked to pick up the slack from Colon's early departure and a bullpen depleted from the 14-inning game with Deadwood. He cruised through a scoreless 5th before allowing the Galena 4 run rally in the 6th and another run in the 7th.
The offense really sputtered, as the Lynx managed just 7 hits and struck out 10 times against a trio of Hamster pitchers. Most importantly, the 3-4-5 spots in the batting order combined to go 0 for 11 with four strike outs. LF Tony Birdsall had another multi-hit game, including a double.
