Sea Dogs Put Knights To Rest, Sweep Series July 31, 1998
And you thought the Duluth series was something.
The Washington Sea Dogs came out firing away against the Larimer Knights
yesterday, blasting a team-record 28 hits to pound Larimer into
submission, 21-4. The win marked a series sweep for Washington in which
they again scored at least 12 runs in each game.
"My goodness, twenty-one runs," Chuck Knoblauch, who was placed on the
15-day DL yesterday, said. "Maybe they don't need me after all."
Washington jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on a Mike Stanley two-run homer
in the second followed by a solo shot from Harold Baines later in the
inning.
But it was the fourth inning when the Sea Dogs blew the game wide open,
scoring seven runs and chasing Larimer starter Bill Sullivan. Sullivan's
line? 3 innings, 6 hits, six runs.
"Sullivan's just a kid," said second baseman Mariano Duncan, who had three
doubles and five RBI. "But kid or no kid, he sure caught us on the wrong
day."
Former starter Bob Bliss came in for Larimer and immediately proceeded to
get smashed, giving up the final four runs in the fourth inning and
following it up with three more in the sixth and two more in the eighth
before leaving the ballgame. John Santry then came in, and gave up six
runs in the ninth to mark the final score.
"It's unfortunate that the game had to be that much of a blowout,"
manager Aaron Weiner said, "but the game doesn't pull starters if you're
ahead. And my guys don't give up at-bats."
Shawn Estes was the recipient of the run-scoring, but pitched very well,
giving up only five hits and four walks through seven innings. He didn't
allow a run until the fourth inning, when the game was safely in hand.
"They were talking about keeping me out for another day's worth of rest,"
Estes said, "but I wasn't going to hear about it."
Incidentally, the 28-hit performance by the Sea Dogs did not include a hit
from Ernie Young, who walked once and scored two runs. Only one other Sea
Dog, shortstop Barry Larkin, had less than three hits.
"It's a little embarrassing to watch every one of your teammates get a hit
and get shut out," Young said, "but I don't think I mind it so much when
we win."
Catcher Mike Stanley said that it was almost going to be a downer to go
home after this 3-game series in which the Sea Dogs outscored the
Knights 48-14.
"We're so pumped up now, I'm not sure we WANT to go home," Stanley said.
"This series has been great for team morale."
The Sea Dogs will go home to face last-place Chicago in hopes of extending
their five-game winning string. They still lead the wild-card race by 4.5
games over Springfield, who won yesterday.
"We're just hoping we can take the Hoersts," third baseman Bill Mueller
said. "We have to face the strength of their rotation, and we're nervous
about it."
Washington will start John Burkett in Game 1 against the Hoersts' AJ
Sager.
Notes and Quotes:
"Some people have called our offensive outburst electric. It's not
electric. It's nuclear."
--Chris James
* * *
While Washington already has a probable Rookie of the Year on their
pitching staff with Mackenzee Leefenhaufenhauz, much attention should be
paid to catcher Ben Petrick.
Petrick, who was the 15th overall selection in this June's amateur draft,
has been the player who has experienced the most immediate success.
With a .333 average and two homers in 90 AB, Petrick has wrested the
starting catcher job away from veteran Mike Stanley.
"I'm trying to make up for not being selected to the rookie game," Petrick
said in jest. "Seriously, I'm just trying to help the team out, do
anything I can."
Petrick is quick to note that he realizes that while he has performed at a
very high level, he isn't even the top rookie.
"Somebody told me about Jose Cruz when they traded Chuck Finley," Petrick
said. "This guy's incredible." Cruz is hitting .300 with 20 homers and
63 RBI for the Edmonton Oil Kings, and is certainly going to be the Rookie
of the Year in the Enterprise League.
Petrick, however, leads all rookies in batting average and on-base
percentage so far. However, that hasn't been his major contribution
according to manager Aaron Weiner.
"It's his baserunning skills," Weiner said. "This guy's as fast as Johnny
Damon, he's as smart as Barry Larkin. He's a natural on the basepaths;
it'll take him a while to start stealing bases, but it'll happen."
* * *
Speaking of Leefenhaufenhauz, the young pitcher seems to have a little
competition brewing. Although there is no position player capable of
comparing with Leefenhaufenhauz, the Springfield Atoms' Livan Hernandez is
close, with 10 wins and a 3.38 ERA.
"Hernandez has been awesome," manager Aaron Weiner said. "Though we're
not too sorry he's not ours; we got Dennis Abreu out of the FA draft."
