Laurel, Maryland - The Lynx current slide hit four games and totally offset the previous four game winning streak that had pushed the team over the .500 mark for a single day. The bullpen again could not hold off the Galena attack as reliever Tris Johnson took the loss in each of the one run defeats. With the two losses, Johnson's record fell to 2-3 on the year and his ERA rose above the 3.00 mark and now stands at 3.40. Manager Floyd Hoerst said of his team's effort "Overall we played pretty well against a great team. It always seems to be the case against Galena that we either can't get the big out in the field or the big hit at the plate when we need it."
Game one, a 3-2 loss went 10 innings. Laurel trailed most of the game, but tied the score at 2 in the 7th inning on a solo HR by OF Jacob Brumfield (his 13th for the season). Starter Armando Reynoso, the subject of recent trade rumors, pitched 7 effective innings against the Hamsters allowing just two earned runs on six hits and no walks. Galena pushed a run across in the bottom of the 10th to win as SS Kevin Stocker lead off the inning against Johnson with a walk. He was replaced by pinch runner Luis Castillo, who stole 2nd base and scored easily on CF Kenny Lofton's hard single to right field.
Game two was another one run defeat by the score of 6-5. Laurel scored three in the first off Hamster starter Mike Morgan. Morgan pitched just 1/3 of an inning before leaving with soreness in his throwing elbow. The inning was highlighted by LF Tony Birdsall's single that was followed by RF Jacob Brumfield's 14th home run of the year. That was the only contribution that Birdsall would make in the game as he left in the 2nd inning after making a throw into the infield.
Birdsall said that something felt "loose" in his elbow, and X-rays revealed bone chips in the elbow of his throwing arm. Birdsall was scheduled for arthroscopic surgery tomorrow and will likely be out for the rest of the season. He had been a consistent performer in his 28 games since being called up >from AAA, as he lead the team with a .318 batting average while batting in the 2nd position in the order. Lynx manager Hoerst said, "It is obviously a big set back to the team, Tony was doing a great job for us at the top of the order. We will have to look at our options and make a decision on how we will replace his contributions."
The Lynx fell behind as starter Steve Karsay (5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER) gave up two runs in the 5th on RBI singles by 3B Jeff Cirillo and LF Wilton Gurerro, and reliever Tris Johnson gave up 2 in the 7th and 2 more in the 8th. The team made it respectable by scoring 2 in their half of the 9th to draw to within 6-5. Runs scored on RBI singles by SS Chris Snopek and C Bill Hassleman. However, 2B Wilson Delgado ended the game by striking out on a high 3-2 fastball from reliever Heathcliff Slocumb with Hassleman on first and Snopek on third.
Team Notes
Hoerst is toying with the idea of moving struggling leadoff man Jerome Allensworth lower in the batting order or n. Hoerst said, "We like his speed, but he hasn't been getting on base enough to use it." Hoerst indicated that a demotion is unlikely since the team would have few defensive options in CF. In his extended trial at the top of the order, Allensworth is batting just .237 with a paltry on base percentage of .294.
2B Wilson Delgado's average has plummeted to .218, but Hoerst has no intentions of benching the young infielder. "He's 19 an learning on the job at the major league level." The team's only other oprtion at this point is Mickey Morandi who has been atrocious in the field, committing 9 errors in 38 games for a percentage of .938. Of Morandini's performance Hoerst said "His defense has been inexcusable, and we see him a solely a late inning pinch runner at this point."
GM Sean Dawson stated that the team is debating several options on how to replace Birdsall's at bats, all indications are that the team will either:
Work Damon Buford into a three-player platoon that would include Bubba Trammell and Brooks Kieschnick and would cover two positions (1B and LF). In this scenario, the team would likely recall a player with major league experience to fill the roster spot; or
Recall amateur draftee Derrick Gibson from the minors and immediately move him into the LF position full time.
