2008 Toledo Mud Hens Season Tracker

(July 7) The crowd of 9,515 on Sunday, July 6 gave the Mud Hens their seventh straight sellout and 10th sellout in 11 games, dating back to June 13. The longest sellout streak in the history of Fifth Third Field took place in the park's inaugural season; when each of the last eight games of the season were sellouts. In 2006 the Hens also sold out seven straight games.

Tigers' IF Brandon Inge to Continue Rehab Assignment in Toledo on Tuesday, July 8!(July 6)
MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that IF Brandon Inge will go on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo starting on Monday, as the Tigers' utilityman works his way back from a pulled left oblique muscle. He is expected to remain with the Hens until the All-Star break. For Mud Hens ticket information call 419-725-HENS or click here

Inge to begin rehab stint Monday

Utilityman likely won't be activated until after All-Star break

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Brandon Inge will go on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo starting on Monday, as the Tigers' utilityman works his way back from a pulled left oblique muscle.

Inge, who went on the 15-day disabled list two weeks ago after trying to play through the injury for a few weeks, went through a full session of batting practice and infield practice before Saturday's game against the Mariners at Safeco Field. It's the same place where he first pulled his oblique little more than a month ago while taking batting practice and then checking his swing during a game.

Though he could play in the field with just minor trouble, swinging a bat became an increasing problem for him until the pain became excruciating. It was no problem on Saturday, when he took several big swings and was still pain-free.

"I didn't feel a thing," Inge said. "I let them go, too."

The progress was impressive enough that head athletic trainer Kevin Rand cleared Inge for game action.

Manager Jim Leyland said Sunday morning that he still expects that Inge will not be activated until after the All-Star break. At the very least, this assignment gives him plenty of at-bats before the break, when the Mud Hens are off for three days as well.

Another injured Tigers utilityman, Ramon Santiago, is on track to rejoin the Tigers when they resume play at home on Tuesday. Santiago is on the 15-day DL with a separated left shoulder but has spent the past week on a rehab assignment with Toledo. He entered play Sunday having gone 2-for-21 with a double and two runs scored in six games, but the key for the Tigers is simply health.

Santiago's return likely will have Michael Hollimon headed back to the Hens, Leyland said. Hollimon entered Sunday having gone 6-for-23 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in 10 games for the Tigers, but club officials want the young prospect to have everyday at-bats to continue to hone his game.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Chris Lambert has started almost 90 games during his five-year career in the Minor Leagues. He finally finished one on Monday night.

The 25-year-old right-hander allowed an unearned run on three hits en route to his first career complete game as the Toledo Mud Hens rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Fifth Third Field.

Lambert (8-5), who struck out four and walked one, won for only the third time in his last 11 starts. He yielded a two-out single in the third inning before retiring 10 straight batters entering the sixth.

The Yankees finally broke through against Lambert in the seventh when Alberto Gonzalez singled, took second on a throwing error by right fielder Timo Perez, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on a groundout by Cody Ransom.

Selected 19th overall by St. Louis out of Boston College in the first round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Lambert was traded to Detroit on Aug. 30, 2007, as part of the deal that sent Mike Maroth to the Cardinals. He compiled a 1-4 record with a 7.49 ERA in 28 appearances, including nine starts, between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis before the trade.

Lambert's best season came in 2005, when he went 7-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 10 starts for Class A Advanced Palm Beach to earn an invitation to the Futures Game. He was 5-1 with a 2.21 ERA in his first seven starts this year, but has struggled to maintain that consistency.

Ramon Santiago went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, rehabbing Tigers infielder Brandon Inge belted a three-run homer and Brent Clevlen collected two hits and scored twice for the Mud Hens (50-42), who snapped a six-game losing streak.

Yankees starter Jeff Karstens (3-4) surrendered six runs on eight hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 5 1/3 frames.

Gregory Porter went 2-for-3 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (53-39).

Steve Conley is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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An Opportune Performance, Lambert Stuns Yankees; Toledo Ends Skid, Win 8-1

Monday was redemption night for the Toledo offense. After collecting ten or more hits in seven of the last ten games, Toledo brought in a six-game losing streak and a 2-8 record in their last ten games into the night versus the Yankees.

Toledo looked to climb back from the losing streak riding the arm of proven starter RHP Chris Lambert (8-5). Lambert has had trouble finding consistency as of late, allowing 12 runs in his last 14.2 innings pitched. Taking on RHP Jeff Karstens (3-4), the Hens' lineup needed to push all of the right buttons. Karstens owned Toledo in his last start, holding them to two hits in 6.2 innings of work. On the other hand, Lambert lasted 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs in his only start versus the Yankees.

Lambert simply dazzled.

The team leader in quality starts absolutely shut down his opposition when his team needed a boost the most. Lambert brilliantly attacked the strike zone and pitched to contact so effectively that he allowed only four baserunners - on three hits. He hurled nine dominant innings and allowed only one unearned run on the way to his eighth win of the season. It was his first career complete game.

He was given plenty of run support - eight runs, six of which were charged to Karstens. On injury rehab, DH Brandon Inge (1) belted a three-run blast for a 3-0 lead in the third. The Toledo offense poured it on for the rest of the game, streaming twelve hits off of Yankees' pitching. C Max St-Pierre had three RBI, including a two-run home run. Also on MLB rehab, SS Ramon Santiago went 4-4 and added two RBI.

Notables:
Welcome Back: The Hens welcomed back 2B Michael Hollimon on Monday after his stint with the Detroit Tigers. The Toledo offense will surely welcome his bat back - along with his 14 home runs - in the recent skid. He went 0-3 in his return.
Toledo also greeted Brandon Inge for the first time since 2003 while on injury rehab. He is scheduled to make at least three more appearances for the Mud Hens.

Big Hitting: On the season, the Mud Hens are 28-14 (.667) in games when they have 10 or more hits. However, prior to Monday night's win, in the last ten games, the Hens are 2-8 despite having 10+ hits in seven of the ten games. During the season-high six game losing streak, Toledo has had 10+ hits in five of the six games. Conversely, the Hens are 22-28 (.440) when they have 10 or fewer hits.

Avoiding Tragedy: This potent Toledo offense almost made it into the record books - for the wrong reason. Before Monday's win over the Yankees, Toledo had a five game home losing streak, one short of the record six set in 2004. With the win, they avoid that tainted mark.

All-Star Rocks!: CF Brent Clevlen has quite the influence on the Hens' success. After a triple in Monday night's game, Toledo's record when he reaches base is 41-24 and when he gets a hit it is 35-20; when he does not do either, the team is 4-7.

The Mud Hens stranded 13 base-runners last night. Toledo manager Larry Parrish didn't mind.

The Hens also didn't hit any home runs. No problem for Parrish.

And his starting pitcher didn't get to the fifth, while his bullpen gave up two runs in the ninth. Parrish just laughed.

Of course, it's easy to chuckle when your team claims a laugher like the Mud Hens did last night in a 10-2 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Fifth Third Field.

"We stranded 13 runners?" Parrish said. "For us, this was a laugher. We had to use a bunch of pitchers, but they just kept getting outs. And our offense kept adding runs.

"This was a game where I didn't have to do a lot of thinking, and that was good."

The game was scoreless until the fourth, when the Mud Hens broke through with a pair of runs off Yankees starter Ian Kennedy.

Brent Clevlen led off with a double off the right-field fence, and Michael Hollimon doubled down the right-field line to score the first run. Max Leon sacrificed Hollimon to third, and he came home on a two-out single by Brandon Inge.

The Hens broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning that included seven hits, including three with two outs, off two Scranton/Wilkes-Barre relievers. Freddy Guzman's two-out, two-run single was the big hit in the inning, which marked the third time this season the Hens had scored six times in one inning.

Even better were the single runs in the seventh and eighth to expand the team's cushion.

"When one guy left runners on, the next guy seemed to get a hit," Parrish said. "Before [during the team's six-game losing streak] it was out-out, and we left them out there."

Toledo finished with 17 hits as every batter in the lineup had at least one. Hollimon had three hits, scored twice and had a pair of RBIs to lead the way.

"It's all about sustaining rallies," Hollimon said. "Perhaps early in the game we were a little too anxious to get big hits. But later in the game we settled down, stuck to our plan, and were successful."

That was more than enough offense for the Mud Hens pitching staff.



Zach Miner, making his first start since May 22 of last season, threw four scoreless innings, and relievers Ian Ostlund and Jeremy Johnson each added two shutout innings.

By the time Brian Rogers allowed a two-run homer to Ben Broussard in the ninth, the game was out of reach.

"It was four innings, but it was four innings without any runs [allowed]," Parrish said of Miner's start. "Then Ian Ostlund came in with two solid innings, and by then we had scored a lot of runs."

NOTES: Erick Almonte was in the Mud Hens' original lineup but was scratched. He was suffering from dizziness after having a tooth pulled earlier in the day. … Fernando Seguignol remains day-to-day after suffering a bruised heel Sunday. He did not play last night. … Leon reached base on catcher's interference for the second time in three days.

Contact John Wagner at:
jwagner@theblade.com
or 419-724-6481.

Quote :

Zach Miner, making his first start since May 22 of last season, threw four scoreless innings

GO ZACH!! HURRY BACK!!!

Article published Thursday, July 10, 2008
Changing plans part of game for Inge as Hens top Scanton
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The plan for rehabbing Detroit Tiger Brandon Inge changed prior to the Mud Hens' home game with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night.

After the game, the plan changed once more, and Inge will rejoin the Tigers today.

Inge originally was scheduled to catch the first five innings, then leave in what turned out to be a 2-1 win over the Yankees. But after catching the first four innings, Inge moved to third base, where he played the final five innings.

Inge was tested on the first play following the switch, when Greg Porter hit a hard grounder down the line. Inge snagged the ball behind third and threw out Porter at first.

"Playing third was one thing I requested - just in case," Inge said. "I don't know what [Detroit's] plans are, but I just wanted to make sure every position was pain-free.

"I had a swing and a miss, a checked swing, and plenty of contact, and all of my questions were answered."

Following the contest Inge revealed the second change - that he will return to the Tigers immediately. Originally he was scheduled to accompany the Hens to Indianapolis, where they will begin a four-game serieswith the Indians tonight.

"I was happy to come down here, see my boys, hang out and play a little bit," Inge said. "But I'll be happy to go back up there [Detroit], too.

"Once I knew I was pain-free, it was about getting timing down. And it was a good challenge, because I got pitched tough down here."

The Mud Hens won all three games Inge played in Toledo, although last night's contest was a nail-biter that wasn't decided until the final pitch in the bottom of the ninth.

With the score tied 1-1, Brent Clevlen led off with a single off Scranton/Wilkes-Barre reliever Kei Igawa. Michael Hollimon sacrificed Clevlen into scoring position, and Clevlen scored the winning run when Max St-Pierre poked a two-out single to left on a 1-2 pitch by Chris Britten.

"I was trying to get a good pitch to hit," St-Pierre said. "I thought he would throw me some sliders, but he threw some good pitches. Finally he hung a split-finger, I put it in play and got lucky."

Toledo had little offense until the ninth, scoring its lone run when Timo Perez cranked Igawa's first pitch in the fourth over the fence in right for his 10th home run of the season.

The hit by St-Pierre was Toledo's only hit with a runner in scoring position all night after six failures.

"It couldn't have come at a better time," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "Maybe we were due. All's well that ends well, right?"

Those two runs stood up because starter Virgil Vasquez and reliever Francisco Cruceta both threw well. Vasquez struggled in the first, giving up three singles but keeping Scranton/Wilkes-Barre off the board because Inge at catcher threw out Matt Carson trying to steal second.

The right-hander was in command after that, allowing just two hits after the first and retiring nine Yankees in a row at one point.

The Yankees finally tied the game in the eighth when Carson sliced a one-out triple into the gap in right-center, then scored on a single by Alberto Gonzalez. After a single by Juan Miranda - his third hit in the game and 18th in 34 at-bats against the Hens this season - Vasquez was replaced by Cruceta, who struck out Cody Ransom and coaxed Ben Broussard to hit a grounder back to the mound to end the threat.

"I thought we got away with the first inning, but after that he pitched well," Parrish said of Vasquez. "I was a little worried in the seventh, because they hit all three balls hard - deep fly balls. I wondered if he was running out of gas a little bit, but it's hard to take a guy out when he's throwing a shutout."

Contact John Wagner at:
jwagner@theblade.com
or 419-724-6481.

Article published Friday, July 11, 2008
Martinez, Almonte lift Hens over Indianapolis
By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - Five International League All-Stars suited up for the opener of the four-game Mud Hens-Indians series in Indianapolis. But the heroes of Thursday's 3-1 Toledo victory turned out to be three players who won't be in Louisville for next week's I.L.-Pacific Coast League classic.

Hens starter Anastacio Martinez turned in his best outing of the season, doling out five hits and a walk while striking out five in eight innings. Designated hitter Erick Almonte drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.

Indianapolis starter Jason Davis matched Martinez's effort through seven and two-third innings, but wasn't involved in the decision. "Both guys, Davis and Martinez, pitched a good game," said Almonte. "Martinez was keeping the ball down and throwing a lot of strikes, and that was the key to the game."

Toledo (53-42) has now won four straight after snapping a six-game losing streak. The win, coupled with a loss by I.L. West-leading Columbus to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Louisville's win over Buffalo, keeps the Hens in a tie with the Bats for second place. Toledo and the Bats now trail the Clippers by half a game.

Martinez (2-1) was pleased with his performance. "It was my best start of the year," said the Dominican right-hander. "I was in control of all my pitches, like I could throw strikes any time I wanted to - my fastball, changeup, and my sinker, too."

The Hens took a 1-0 lead in the second. Brent Clevlen drew a one-out walk and was forced at second by Almonte. Max St. Pierre followed with a grounder up the middle that eluded second baseman Josh Wilson and shortstop Brian Bixler. Almonte scampered to third on the play and flew home on Max Leon's single to right.

The Indians (44-51) evened the score in the third. Matt Kata opened the frame with a double to left-center off Martinez, who was making his fourth start. When Josh Wilson followed with a bloop single past short, Kata came around to make it 1-1.

Toledo's solid defensive work thwarted Indianapolis in the sixth. Nyjer Morgan started the inning with a bunt single and took second on a wild pitch. As the next batter, Andrew McCutchen, looked at ball four, Morgan took off for third. But St. Pierre nailed him with a strong throw from home to third baseman Mike Hessman.

Neil Walker followed with a single to left that sent McCutchen streaking toward third with an eye on the plate. But McCutchen held up when Hens left fielder Freddy Guzman quickly corralled the ball and heaved it to the cutoff man. The inning ended when Martinez got Indians cleanup hitter Steve Pearce to bounce into a 5-4-3 double play.

Davis, who beat Toledo here on May 31, also turned in a pair of defensive gems, both at Guzman's expense. In the third, the Indians right-hander rifled a throw to first from a sitting, sliding position to gun down the Hens leadoff hitter.

When Guzman again tried to bunt his way on in the eighth, Davis legged toward first and shoveled the ball to Pearce for the out. Davis, who gave way to Franklyn German with two gone in the seventh, allowed five hits and a walk while striking out five.

German (1-1) put himself in a hole in the ninth. Hessman led off with a walk, and Clevlen followed with a bunt that the Indians right-hander couldn't handle. Almonte followed with a line single that brought in Hessman with the lead run. "I was just trying to make good contact, and the ball went into left field," said Almonte.

After a sacrifice bunt by St. Pierre, Leon walked to load the bases. Clevlen rode home on Derek Wathan's fly to right to give Toledo a 3-1 advantage. Blaine Neal pitched a one-hit, scoreless ninth for his league-leading 23rd save of the season.

Neal, Clevlen and Hessman have been named to this year's I.L. All-Star squad, along with McCutchen and Bixler of the Indians.

The series continues Friday with Yorman Bazardo (2-5) going for the Hens. The Indians have not announced a starter.

Article published Saturday, July 12, 2008
Mud Hens bang out 11 hits to romp to victory over Indians on Friday, 7/11/08
By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - On the day he turned 24, Yorman Bazardo took the mound for the Toledo Mud Hens against the host Indianapolis Indians.

Dan Reichert, making his first appearance for Indianapolis yesterday, was a day short of his 32nd birthday.

An 11-3 Hens romp, their fifth win in as many games, gave Bazardo (3-5) reason to celebrate.

The Hens punched out 11 hits in support of the Venezuelan right-hander - five of them for extra bases - while the Indians presented Barzardo with seven unearned runs.

"A win, yeah, that's a big gift," said Bazardo, "especially since I haven't been going good lately. Hopefully, next time it'll be the same way.

Reichert (0-1 with the Indians, 1-4 overall) came to Indianapolis earlier in the day from the Buffalo Bisons, the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A affiliate. The right-hander gave up four runs before his new teammates had a chance to bat.

Leadoff man Freddy Guzman opened with a walk and Michael Hollimon followed with a grounder to first baseman Steve Pearce. Pearce's throw to second wasn't in time to get Guzman, who scored on Timo Perez's line single as Hollimon took third. Hollimon raced home when Mike Hessman sent a checked-swing dribbler toward Pearce, whose errant throw pulled catcher Michel Hernandez off the plate. Perez came in and Hessman went to second on Brent Clevlen's base hit.

After Erick Almonte grounded into a double play, Max St-Pierre singled home Hessman to give the Hens a 4-0 advantage.

Indianapolis got a run back in the fourth. Hernandez opened the frame with a double and moved to third on Nyjer Morgan's single. Neil Walker's sacrifice fly scored Hernandez to make it 4-1.

Reichert gave up another run in the fourth. Back-to-back doubles by St-Pierre and Leon stretched Toledo's lead to 5-1.

The Indians stormed back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Brian Bixler started the rally with a two-out bloop single.

Consecutive triples by Hernandez and Morgan cut the Indians deficit to 5-3.

After walking Hollimon with none out in the fifth, Reichert gave way to Chris Hernandez. The right-hander retired the first three batters he faced, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Almonte led off with a single and was safe at second when St-Pierre grounded to shortstop Bixler, who failed to get the ball to second in time for the out. Leon followed with a sacrifice bunt. All hands were safe when Walker, the Indianapolis third baseman, muffed the play.

Derek Wathan cleared the bases with a two-bagger to right that made it 8-3. Two outs later, Perez doubled home Wathan. Jesse Chavez came in to pitch for the Indians, and Hessman greeted him with his 29th home run of the year to give Toledo an eight-run lead.

Barzardo gave up seven hits, a walk and hit a batter in six innings while striking out three. Clay Rapada pitched shutout ball in the seventh while Francis Beltran blanked the Indians in the eighth. Jeremy Johnson closed out the three-hour, eight-minute contest with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Hens have been short a player since Thursday, when Detroit recalled first baseman Jeff Larish.

The series continues today with right-hander Chris Lambert (8-5) starting for Toledo versus Tom Gorzellany (0-0).

The first place Toledo Mud Hens are proud to announce that they will be sending three players to the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 16 in Louisville, KY.

The Toledo players selected to the team are:

-3B Mike Hessman
-OF Brent Clevlen
-RHP Blaine Neal

The trio was elected by the league’s managers, league general managers, media members and fans. Both Hessman and Clevlen will start in the game. The International League today announced the members of its 2008 All-Star team. The squad of 28 IL standouts will take on the Pacific Coast League’s best in the 21st annual Triple-A All-Star Game, slated for July 16 in Louisville, Kentucky. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. eastern daylight time and can be seen live on ESPN2.

Mike Hessman is having a sensational year for the Mud Hens. The 30-year-old third baseman is tied for first in the I.L. for home runs (26) and runs scored (67). Hessman became the fastest player to hit twenty home runs in thirty years, slugging number twenty on May 28. He also is second in extra-base hits (45), third in slugging percentage (.595), and tied for fifth in RBI (53). Hessman will be playing in the Triple-A All-Star game for the second consecutive year. Hessman went 1-2 with a two-run HR in last year’s game at Albuquerque, NM.

Brent Clevlen earned his first selection to the team after piecing together a break-out first half of the season. Clevlen had an I.L. best 44 game on-base streak from April 20 through June 21 in which he batted .358 (57-159) with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs, and 49 RBI with 31 runs scored. The 24-year-old’s offensive performance throughout the year ranks him second in RBI (60) and fifth in slugging percentage (.565).

Blaine Neal has been dominant as Toledo’s closer. The 30-year-old righty began the season on a tear, not allowing a run through his first 9 games. He was a perfect 17-17 in save opportunities to start the year. Neal leads the I.L. in saves (22) and has struck out 32 batters in his 28.2 innings of work. This will be Neal’s first Triple-A All-Star game.

The International League will look to pick up its third consecutive win at the mid-summer classic after coming out victorious in the 2006 All-Star Game held in Toledo, Ohio and the 2007 Game in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This will be the 11th showdown under the current IL vs. PCL format, as the first 10 contests pitted All-Stars selected from National League affiliates against those from the American League. The IL and PCL are currently tied 5-5. The winning League this year will once again earn the right to have its champion play as the “home team” at the Triple-A Championship Game – the Bricktown Showdown – in Oklahoma City this September.

The Mud Hens beat the rain and the Indians on a soggy night in Indianapolis. 2B Michael Hollimon scored the only run of the contest as he was driven in on a RF Timo Perez single. That extended his hit streak to a season high 15 games.

RHP Chris Lambert earned his ninth win of the year as he pitched the short game of only 5.0 innings. He threw a 3-hit shutout, while striking out four.

Article published Sunday, July 13, 2008

BOBBY MURCER, 1946-2008
Ex-Yankee outfielder played with Hens

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK - Bobby Murcer, a five-time all-star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive, and announcer, died yesterday in an Oklahoma City hospital. He was 62.

The Yankees said death was caused by complications from brain cancer.

Murcer was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Christmas Eve, 2006, after suffering from headaches.

The only person to play with Mickey Mantle and Don Mattingly, the popular Murcer hit .277 with 252 home runs and 1,043 RBIs in 17 seasons with the Yankees, San Francisco, and the Chicago Cubs. He made the all-star team in both leagues and won a Gold Glove. Murcer played for the Toledo Mud Hens during the 1966 season.

"All of Major League Baseball is saddened today by the passing of Bobby Murcer, particularly on the eve of this historic All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, a place he called home for so many years," commissioner Bud Selig said. "Bobby was a gentleman, a great ambassador for baseball, and a true leader both on and off the field. He was a man of great heart and compassion."

Always a fan favorite in New York and known for his folksy manner as a broadcaster, Murcer won three Emmy Awards for live sports coverage. His most dramatic words came on one of the saddest days in Yankees history.

Murcer delivered one of the eulogies in Ohio after captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in August, 1979. The team flew home after the funeral and, that night, Murcer hit a three-run homer and then a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to beat Baltimore 5-4.

A tearful Murcer fell into the arms of teammate Lou Piniella after the game and gave his bat to Munson's wife.

"There is no way to explain what happened," Murcer said. "We used every ounce of strength to go out and play that game. We won it for Thurman."

Touted by many in New York as the next Mantle, Murcer made his major league debut as a 19-year-old in 1965.

After serving in the U.S. Army during the 1967-68 seasons, Murcer homered on opening day in front of President Nixon in 1969 at Washington to launch a career as a full-time player.

Murcer moved from shortstop to third base to begin that year, but soon was playing in center field, Mantle's old spot. Murcer also took over Mantle's locker.

Murcer spent most of his career in pinstripes. He was traded to San Francisco for Bobby Bonds after the 1974 season and was still with the Giants when the Yankees won the World Series in 1977 and 1978.

After a stint with the Cubs, Murcer came back to the Yankees during the 1979 season. He had a pinch-hit grand slam in the 1981 opener and was a part-time player when he reached the World Series for the only time later that year, with New York losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During his career, Murcer had a three-homer game, hit for the cycle, and once homered in four straight at-bats.

Murcer is survived by his wife, Kay, his children, Tori and Todd, and his grandchildren.

Article published Sunday, July 13, 2008

Hens win sixth straight

By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - The Toledo Mud Hens edged the Indianapolis Indians 1-0 in a rain-shortened five-inning game last night.

It was the sixth consecutive triumph for the Hens, who remain tied with Louisville for first place in the International League West Division.

"Five innings, I mean, it's over," said Toledo hitting coach Leon Durham, who was filling in for manager Larry Parrish "We got the 'W.' We couldn't do anything about Mother Nature. It worked out on our behalf, so we were happy about it."

Parrish flew from Indianapolis to New York yesterday for the Futures Game today at Yankee Stadium.

"I'm not bragging or anything, but that's my fifth win," added Durham with a laugh. "Larry was suspended earlier for four days, so he's basically ready for me to continue to do this."

Toledo starter Chris Lambert turned in another solid performance. Lambert (9-5), who tossed a complete-game win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre his last time out, allowed three hits and a pair of walks and four strikeouts.

Tom Gorzelanny, optioned to Indianapolis by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, made his first start for the Indians. The left-hander struck out three batters in the first inning, but fell behind 1-0 when Michael Hollimon ripped a one-out double and scored on a base hit by Timo Perez.

Lambert survived a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning. Nyjer Morgan led off with a single and took second on Lambert's wild pickoff attempt. Morgan moved to third on a single by Brian Bixler, who stole second. Lambert got Neil Walker to pop up and struck out cleanup hitter Steve Pearce. Adam Boeve walked to load the bases, but Lambert retired Matt Kata on a foul out to catcher Max St-Pierre.

Gorzelanny (0-1), celebrating his 26th birthday, was on a three-inning limit. Right-hander Evan Meek replaced him in the fourth.

The rain started in the top of the fourth. It reached deluge proportions by the end of the fifth, when crew chief Adam Dowdy halted play. The game was called officially at 10:05 p.m.

The series concludes today with right-hander Zach Miner (0-0) making his third appearance since Detroit optioned him to the Hens on July 2. Righty Jimmy Barthmaier (2-1) will start for Indianapolis.

After today's game third baseman Mike Hessman, outfielder Brent Clevlen and reliever Blaine Neal will head to Louisville, where they'll play for the IL in the Triple-A All-Star game against the Pacific Coast League.

Article published Monday, July 14, 2008
Hens' streak ends
Hessman takes 30 homers into All-Star break
By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Indians edged Toledo 4-3 yesterday before a crowd of 11,100 to snap the Mud Hens' six-game win streak.

The loss leaves Toledo one game behind Louisville in the International West Division heading into the Triple-A All-Star break. The Hens' next game is Thursday at Pawtucket.

Mike Hessman, Toledo's all-star third baseman, warmed up for tonight's Triple-A home run derby with his 30th round-tripper of the year. Hessman, who went 2-for-4, leads the league in homers, extra-base hits (52) and runs scored (76).

"Yeah, one game out - that's great," said acting Hens manager Leon Durham. "We took three out of four, so that was perfect."

Durham was in charge while skipper Larry Parrish attended yesterday's Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

The Hens nicked Indians starter Jimmy Barthmaier for a pair of runs in the first inning. With two out, Timo Perez extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a double to right. Then Hessman homered to left.

"It was a 1-0 breaking ball, down and away," said Hessman, "and I just hooked it enough."

The 13-year pro said he's hoping for a strong second half to "see what happens at the end of the season."

Toledo starter Zach Miner (0-1) struck out the first three Indians, but hit a bump in the second. Steve Pearce opened the inning with a single and stole second. One out later, Pearce raced home on Matt Kata's hit. Kata took third on a double by Ryan Mulhern, but Miner ended the threat by striking out the next two batters.

In the third Freddy Guzman led off with a bunt single and stole second. One out later, Guzman took off for third and when Perez singled to left, the Hens took a 3-1 advantage.

Indianapolis scored again in the bottom of the third. Nyjer Morgan beat out a hit, stole second and went to third on Brian Bixler's infield single. Neil Walker's sacrifice fly scored Morgan to make it 3-2.

The Indians (45-53) tied the score in the fourth. With one out, Mulhern lashed a single. After Josh Wilson flew out, Mulhern rode home on a two-base hit by Carlos Maldonado that barely eluded center fielder Brent Clevlen.

"I didn't get a real good read off the bat," said Clevlen, also an IL all-star. "It carried well, just out of my reach."

Miner began to fade in the fifth, giving up a one-out base on balls to Walker followed by a single by Pearce. With runners at the corners, Ian Ostlund came in from the bullpen. The left-hander uncorked a wild pitch that brought in Walker, putting the Indians ahead 4-3.

Barthmaier (3-1) lasted six innings, striking out six along with a walk and three hits. Marino Salas, Juan Perez, Franklyn German and Matt Miller - who recorded his eighth save of the year - combined to blank the Hens the rest of the way.

Perez's streak is the longest of the year by a Mud Hen. The right fielder went 2-for-3 yesterday, lifting his average to .298. Since beginning the spree against Louisville on June 28, Perez has gone 25-for-63 (.397).

Article published Monday, July 14, 2008
Mud Hens pitcher and Bisons infielder recognized by International League
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

A Toledo Mud Hen and Buffalo Bison, both potential call-ups in the coming days and weeks, were recognized today by the International League for their recent, on-field performances.

Mud Hens pitcher Chris Lambert and Bisons infielder Asdrubal Cabrera were named the IL’s pitcher and batter of the week, respectively,for the period from July 7-13. Lambert is hoping to claim the Detroit Tigers’ vacant No .5 slot in their starting rotation and Cabrera is trying to rejoin the Cleveland Indians’ infield.

Lambert tossed a complete-game and logged all five innings of a rain-shortened affair in his two outings last week, picking up two wins. He allowed an unearned run on three hits in a nine-inning, 8-1 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre July 7 and pitched five scoreless frames in a 1-0 triumph over Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Lambert, 25, has to be a candidate to claim the Tigers’ last spot in their rotation, which was vacated when they sent Eddie Bonine to Double-A Erie Wednesday night. Detroit will need a fifth starter July 21 in Kansas City.

Cabrera batted .394 with three homers and six RBIs in eight games to earn recognition. Since joining the Bisons last month, he’s batting .326 in 34 games.

Cabrera, 22, was the Indians’ second baseman down the stretch and in the playoffs last year, and opened the 2008 season in the same spot. But with his battering average stuck at .184 after play June 8, he was optioned to Buffalo to regain his stroke.

Also, the Tigers announced catcher Dane Sardinha cleared waivers and was outrighted to Toledo.

Sardinha batted .167 with a triple and two RBIs in five games for the Tigers before he was designated for assignment last week. He was filling in for Brandon Inge as backup to Pudge Rodriguez.

Sardinha spent most of this season with the Hens, batting .206 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 48 games.


Contact Joe Vardon at:
jvardon@theblade.com
or 419-410-5055.

Article published Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Lambert, Cabrera earn honors from IL
By BLADE STAFF

A Toledo Mud Hen and Buffalo Bison, both potential call-ups in the coming days and weeks, were recognized yesterday by the International League for their recent, on-field performances.

Mud Hens pitcher Chris Lambert and Bisons infielder Asdrubal Cabrera were named the IL's pitcher and batter of the week, respectively, for the period from July 7-13.

Lambert is hoping to claim the Detroit Tigers' vacant No .5 slot in their starting rotation and Cabrera is trying to rejoin the Cleveland Indians' infield.

Lambert tossed a complete-game and logged all five innings of a rain-shortened affair in his two outings last week, picking up two wins.

He allowed an unearned run on three hits in a nine-inning, 8-1 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre July 7 and pitched five scoreless frames in a 1-0 triumph over Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Lambert, 25, has to be a candidate to claim the Tigers' last spot in their rotation, which was vacated when they sent Eddie Bonine to Double-A Erie Wednesday night.

Detroit will need a fifth starter July 21 in Kansas City.

Cabrera batted .394 with three homers and six RBIs in eight games to earn recognition.

Since joining the Bisons last month, he's batting .326 in 34 games.

Cabrera, 22, was the Indians' second baseman down the stretch and in the playoffs last year, and opened the 2008 season in the same spot.

But with his batting average stuck at .184 after play June 8, he was optioned to Buffalo to regain his stroke.

Also, the Tigers announced catcher Dane Sardinha cleared waivers and
was outrighted to Toledo.
Sardinha batted .167 with a triple and two RBIs in five games for the Tigers before he was designated for assignment last week.

He was filling in for Brandon Inge as backup to Pudge Rodriguez.

Sardinha spent most of this season with the Hens, batting .206 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 48 games.

Article published Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tigers sending Thomas back to Hens
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The Tigers optioned outfielder Clete Thomas to Toledo to make room for Magglio Ordonez, who will come off the disabled list for Detroit's game in Baltimore tomorrow.

Thomas, who is batting .284 with a homer, nine doubles, a triple and nine RBIs in 40 games with the Tigers is rejoining the Hens' regular roster for the second time this year.

Toledo will resume its schedule after the All-Star break tomorrow in Pawtucket.

Ordonez, the American League's reigning batting champ, has been sidelined since June 29 with a pulled oblique.

By sending Thomas to the Hens, the Tigers can keep Matt Joyce in the big leagues. Joyce was called up from Toledo to fill in for Ordonez, and has hit four homers in his last five games. He was named the AL Player of the Week for play ending July 13.

Article published Wednesday, July 16, 2008
2 Mud Hens to represent U.S. in Olympics
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Two Toledo Mud Hens will represent the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Third baseman Mike Hessman and closer Blaine Neal, who are both in Louisville, Ky., for tonight's Triple-A All-Star game, were chosen for Team USA manager Davey Johnson's final roster.

Hessman, 30, leads the International League with 30 homers. Neal, 30, leads the IL with 23 saves. Both will make their first appearances as Olympians.

"It's an honor for both of them to be selected," said Dave Dombrowski, general manager for the Detroit Tigers. "It's a tremendous honor when anybody is selected to represent their country in the Olympics, which is why in my career we've never stood in a player's way in those situations.

"The only way we would stand in a player's way is if for their health, going to the Olympics wasn't the right thing to do. Being the major league club, there are mixed feelings that sometimes go into these things because for our minor league affiliates, the Olympics don't carry the best timing. But we want to honor the individual's wishes, and it's ultimately their decision to make."

Also on Johnson's 24-man roster is outfielder Matt LaPorta, the key component for the Cleveland Indians in the deal they made to send CC Sabathia to Milwaukee.

Team USA has its first exhibition game Aug. 1 in North Carolina against Canada. Olympic play lasts from Aug. 13-23.

Article published Thursday, July 17, 2008
IL all-stars blow lead in ninth
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOUISVILLE — A.J. Ellis hit a two-run double to cap a ninth-inning rally by the Pacific Coast League and it held off the International League 6-5 in the Triple-A All-Star game last night.

For most of the night the PCL hitters hardly seemed inspired playing a few blocks away from the home of the Louisville Slugger. The PCL managed three hits and appeared off balance through eight innings.

The IL wasn’t much better as the teams combined for an All-Star record 23 strikeouts.

Still, the IL seemed to have things in control after plating two runs in the bottom of the seventh behind Andrew McCutchen’s RBI infield single and a fielder’s choice RBI by the Mud Hens’ Mike Hessman.

The IL sent the Hens’ Blaine Neal to close it out. Neal, one of six players in the game who will play for Team USA in the Summer Olympics next month, has converted 23 of 25 save opportunities this year. But he didn’t come close against the PCL’s top hitters.

Nick Stavinoha led off with a hit, then scored three batters later on a single by Jamie D’Antona. A single by Matt Brown tied the game, and Matt Saccomanno gave the PCL the lead on a single up the middle.

By the time Ellis, a catcher for the Las Vegas 51s playing an hour from his hometown of Lexington, Ky., hit his double to center, it appeared to be more than enough for the PCL.

Then the IL rallied for three in the bottom of the ninth, including a two-run homer by Chris Carter. But Luis Pena, who earned the win, got Jonathan Van Every to fly out to right to end it.

Neal gave up six runs, five earned, four hits, a walk and a strikeout while recording just one out and taking the loss. The appearance marked the first time all year Neal gave up more than two hits in a game all season.

McCutchen, named the IL player of the game, finished with two hits and Joe Thurston added three for the IL.

Brown, the PCL player of the game, had two hits and an RBI.

Hens outfielder Brent Clevlen was 1 for 4 while Hessman went 0 for 5 with an RBI.

Article published Friday, July 18, 2008
Pawtucket crushes Hens with 5 homers
Boston's Ortiz really gets well at the plate
By MIKE SCANDURA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Playing the team with the International League's best record, which also is the team that ranks second in home runs and first in ERA is one thing.

But playing the Pawtucket Red Sox with a "ringer" in their lineup is another.

That was the challenge confronting the Toledo Mud Hens last night at McCoy Stadium as they came out on the short end of a 15-6 score.

Boston's all-star DH, David Ortiz, who's been on the disabled list since June 3 with a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, commenced a rehab assignment by igniting a seven-run, fourth-inning explosion.

Ortiz led off by roping a 1-2 fastball from Virgil Vasquez (6-9) into the visitors' bullpen in right field.

Before the carnage ended, Pawtucket had strafed Vasquez for seven hits, including two-run homers by George Kottaras and Jeff Bailey.

"It was like [Vasquez] got rattled," manager Larry Parrish said. "It was a tight ball game and it was like he didn't want to give up one to Ortiz. When he did, he couldn't get it back mentally."

While Pawtucket raked Toledo pitching for 14 hits, and a total of five home runs, the Mud Hens were stifled by Edgar Martinez (4-1).

Martinez allowed three runs on four hits and two walks and fanned five.

Toledo's Brent Clevlen hit home runs in the seventh and eighth to sandwich the Hens' other seventh-inning runs.

After Clete Thomas singled and Fernando Seguignol walked, Justin Masterson replaced Martinez. Toledo loaded the bases on Erik Almonte's single and Derek Wathan belted a grand slam.

Freddy Guzman's double in the first and his single in the fourth were the only hits Martinez allowed through 61/3 innings as he faced only two batters over the minimum. And to add insult to injury, Martinez picked off Guzman.

Jeremy Johnson, who relieved Vasquez in the fourth - and "retired" Ortiz on a rocket to first base - didn't fare any better as Pawtucket tagged him for seven runs (six earned) on five hits.

Jonathan Van Every's three-run homer highlighted a four-run fifth and Chris Carter's two-run shot in the sixth, after Ortiz drew a leadoff walk, upped Pawtucket's lead to a 13-0.

"They've got some guys in their lineup who can swing the bat," Parrish said. "Van Every's got 24 homers batting ninth. And the same thing with the guy leading off [Bailey]. You never see a leadoff guy and a No. 9 hitter both have 20 homers.

"You're going to have to make good pitches. I thought Vasquez was up the whole game but he got away with some of them because of the shadows in the first three innings. After that, they started hitting that high pitch."

The crowd got Ortiz charged up by chanting "Papi!"

"That's my game," Ortiz said outside the PawSox clubhouse, meeting with reporters in the seventh inning. "It feels good to be able to swing like that after an injury when I couldn't hold onto my bat."

Ortiz popped up to shortstop in his first time up before hitting the homer in the fourth.

"That's exactly what happens at Fenway," Ortiz said. "When they start chanting your name, it pumps you up and puts you in the mood."

The crowd of 11,460 - there are only 10,031 seats at McCoy Stadium - was the fifth-largest in the ballpark's history.

"We could have sold 20,000 tickets to this one," said PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless, who noted that there was extra attention because the Red Sox had the night off and because Ortiz had never played in Pawtucket before, having come up through the minors in the Twins' system.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Article published Saturday, July 19, 2008
Ortiz belts another as Mud Hens lose
By MIKE SCANDURA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - David Ortiz did it again, much to the chagrin of the Toledo Mud Hens.

Ortiz, who's on a rehab assignment with the Pawtucket Red Sox, ignited a seven-run fourth inning Thursday night with a solo home run and the PawSox routed the Mud Hens 15-6.

Pawtucket led 3-1 in the fifth inning last night when Ortiz walked to the plate with two on and one out.

Anastacio Martinez tried to slip a 1-1 fastball on the outside corner past Ortiz and Boston's all-star designated hitter crushed it into the left-field berm for a three-run homer that keyed a 6-1 victory.

The game was called with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning after a 45-minute delay when a rain storm and lightning rendered the field unplayable.

Ironically, Ortiz was working on taking pitches the other way during batting practice.

"Normally when I'm hitting, my game plan is to use the whole field," Ortiz said. "You've got to work on that in batting practice, obviously, so you can have it when you're in the game.

"Everybody knows that I'm the kind of guy that everybody tries to get me out away, so I've got to work on that."

Even more noteworthy was the fact that Pawtucket had runners on second and third in the fifth but Toledo manager Larry Parrish opted to pitch to Ortiz instead of issue an intentional walk.

"In a normal situation I probably would have walked [Ortiz] and tried to get a double play," Parrish said.

"We wanted to try and make a pitch and see if we could get him out. But, obviously, he took advantage of it."

Toledo's Martinez (2-2), who pitched for Pawtucket in all or part of three seasons from 2003-05, and Devern Hansack (5-9) gave every indication they would hook up in a pitcher's duel as they cruised through the first three innings.

That changed in the fourth when Ortiz drew a leadoff walk and Chris Carter and Dusty Brown followed with singles to load the bases.

Jeff Corsaletti, who was playing in only his second Triple-A game, lined a shot to center that Clete Thomas misplayed into a two-run double (Thomas broke in and then reversed direction). But Martinez avoided further damage thanks to a pair of dubious decisions by the PawSox.

Brown ran through a stop sign at third base and was thrown out on a relay from Thomas to shortstop Michael Holliman to catcher Max St-Pierre.

Then, Corsaletti tried to steal third and St-Pierre threw him out by a foot.

Toledo got one run back in the fifth when Holliman snapped a 2-for-22 slump by belting his 13th home run.

But that paled in comparison with what Pawtucket did in the fifth.

Pawtucket sandwiched walks to Gil Velazquez and Jeff Bailey around a strikeout of Jonathan Van Every, and Joe Thurston ripped an RBI double down the right field line for a 3-1 lead.

That brought up Ortiz who did what he does best, hit clutch home runs.

Hansack, meanwhile, was virtually untouchable.

Other than Holliman's homer, the only other Mud Hen to reach base was Thomas, who doubled in the second. Hansack thus allowed the one run on two hits and no walks, and fanned eight.

"We've played pretty good here the first three innings both nights," Parrish said with a smile. "I told the umpire at third that we were going to play the first three innings and take a siesta and start over again.

"Basically, we didn't do anything tonight."

Article published Sunday, July 20, 2008
Hens rough up Pawtucket ace
Thomas grand slam helps Toledo
By KEN CASTRO
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - For the third consecutive night, Pawtucket Red Sox faithful squeezed into McCoy Stadium eager to catch a glimpse of rehabbing slugger David Ortiz.

And while the personable designated hitter didn't disappoint by hitting a towering solo homer in his second at-bat, his third of the series, it was the Mud Hens who flaunted their offensive prowess in a 13-5, 16-hit win over the Eastern Division leaders.

Held to a pair of hits the previous night, the Mud Hens, bolstered by homers from Erik Almonte and Clete Thomas, exploded for nine runs through the first two innings, paving the way for their first win of the four-game set. Toledo improved to 1-4 against the Paw Sox on the season.

The Mud Hens struck early against knuckleballer Charlie Zink, getting a one-out, RBI single from Brent Clevlen in the top half of the first to take a 1-0 edge. Later in the inning, Almonte took Zink deep to left center with two on base. Zink, who began the day as the International League's ERA leader with a 2.22 mark, ran into trouble again in the following inning, giving up an RBI single to Derek Wathan before Thomas unloaded a grand slam to right center for a 9-0 advantage. Zink worked 12/3 innings before being pulled in favor of righty Jose Vaquedano.

"We got out quickly against him," Parrish said. "Obviously he's been pitching much better than that, but tonight we came out and hit him. We hit a lot of knuckleballs during BP, but I don't know if that had anything to do with it."

Thomas finished with three hits and five RBIs to lead the Mud Hens.

"He's the key for us right now," said Parrish of Thomas. "We're short a few players now and we need him to step up, and he did that tonight."

Toledo was again without Mike Hessman, who didn't make the trip because of the death of his grandmother.

Toledo starter Chris Lambert entered the game with a streak of 14 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. The righty worked six innings, allowing nine hits while striking out eight in earning the win.

"They swing the bats, they have good stats, and I think a couple of our [pitchers] were being awful careful," said Parrish. "This is a good hitters ballpark, and when you put that together with a team swinging the bats, you better be more aggressive."

Toledo pushed two runs across in the top half of the seventh, receiving and RBI base hit from catcher Dane Sardinha and a sacrifice fly from Kody Kirkland. Toledo added to the rout with a pair of runs in the seventh and tacked on solo runs in the following two innings.

With the score 9-2 in the last half of the third, Ortiz touched up Lambert for his third home run of the series, lifting a 3-1 offering to right center field and narrowing the Hens lead to six.

Lambert fanned Ortiz (1 for 4, with two strikeouts) with one on and one away in the last of the fifth before George Kottaras laced an RBI single in the fifth, closing the gap to 9-4.

Article published Monday, July 21, 2008
Hens' Guzman steals PawSox blind
Ties own team record of 4 SBs, scores 3 runs in win
By MIKE SCANDURA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - On a sweltering Sunday afternoon at McCoy Stadium, Toledo's Freddy Guzman "burned" the Pawtucket Red Sox on the base paths.

Guzman stole a team record-tying four bases (he initially broke the record on June 3 at Louisville) and scored three runs as the Mud Hens salvaged a split of their four-game series with the PawSox by winning 8-4.

Guzman has 26 steals on the season while Brent Clevlen stole his sixth base.

"We've got a few guys that can run and today the right guys got on base so we could do some things and try to create some runs," manager Larry Parrish said. "We lead off Guzman because he's a guy, who if he gets on base, helps out the guys behind him. Because of his speed, the other guys are going to see more fastballs.

"He can manufacture runs for you."

Just as admirable as Guzman's performance was that of Toledo starter Yorman Bazardo.

With the game-time temperature at 92 degrees and humidity almost so thick the 10,315 fans in attendance could see it, Bazardo (4-5) pitched 62/3 innings and allowed four runs on only four hits.

He walked two, struck out five and threw a commendable 66 of 101 pitches for strikes.

"Bazardo had a better slider than he's had all year," Parrish said. "It was the best he's thrown for us in a couple of months.

"It was a hot, humid day and he was able to throw 100 pitches and really did a heck of a job for us. We felt fortunate to get that far with a starting pitcher today and this club, obviously, has a lot of left-handed weapons so we decided to make the switch and try to hold them down right there."

Parrish summoned Ian Ostlund who combined with Francis Beltran to toss 21/3 innings of two-hit, scoreless relief. The duo also struck out a total of four PawSox.

The Mud Hens emulated their Saturday performance in that they jumped to an early lead - in this case 4-0 after 2 1/2 innings and relied on their pitching to keep the International League's most potent offense under control.

Guzman set the tone in the first inning when he led off with a single off David Pauley (11-3), stole second, advanced to third on Mike Holliman's groundout to first and scored on Timo Perez's single.

Guzman also figured in a second-inning run.

Kody Kirkland singled, Guzman drew a two-out walk and Holliman followed with an RBI single.

Toledo gave Bazardo some breathing room in the third when Clevlen walked, stole second and scored on Erik Almonte's double. Almonte raced home moments later on Max St-Pierre's single.

Pawtucket did get to Bazardo in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by Gil Velazques, plus RBI hits by Joe Thurston (single) and Sandy Madera (double).

Toledo chased Pauley in the third in large part because of Guzman.

After Guzman drew a leadoff walk, he stole second and raced home on Perez's double.

Toledo added two runs in the sixth, one on Clevlen's single.

Clevlen capped the scoring by belting his 17th homer in the ninth.

GO HENS

Article published Monday, July 21, 2008
Mud Hens outfielder named IL batter of week
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Mud Hens outfielder Brent Clevlen was named the International League Batter of the Week, making him the second consecutive Toledo player to be honored for weekly on-field performance.

Hens pitcher Chris Lambert was recognized as the IL Pitcher of the Week last week.

Clevlen was singled out for his play from July 14-20, a period shortened by the All-Star break. The Hens' All-Star outfielder batted .400 (6-for-15) with three homers, five RBIs, and six runs scored in four games.

Last year, Clevlen was also named the IL Batter of the Week for his play following the All-Star break.

Syracuse pitcher Scott Richmond earned honors as the IL's top pitcher for his work last week.

Also, the Tigers have recalled pitcher Zach Miner to start tonight's game in Kansas City. Taking his roster spot in Toledo will be infielder Jeff Larish, who was called up before the All-Star break to give Detroit an extra bat.

The Hens poured on four runs in the top of the second to go up 5-0 on the Red Wings. With both Kody Kirkland and Dane Sardinha on base off of singles, Freddy Guzman drove in Kirkland on a double down the right field line. Timo Perez would knock in Sardinha on the next at bat with a sac-fly. A night after stealing four bases, Guzman took third with Brent Clevlen at the plate. It didn't matter, as Clevlen hit his second home run of the night - 19th of the season - on a fly ball to right-center.
Eddie Bonine looked great in his first start as a Mud Hen since his recent stint with Detroit. He posted a 2-1 record (5.40 ERA) in his five games with the Tigers. Through seven innings of work, Bonine gave up only one earned run off of four hits. The righty recorded an out in the eighth, but gave up a home run to Jason Pridie, and would be replaced by the left-handed reliever Clay Rapada. Bonine would finish with 7.1 innings pitched, five hits, four runs, two earned, struck out five while walking none. Both earned runs were off of home runs.

With a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, the Hens brought in closer Blaine Neal. Rochester would get a runner to third, but he was left stranded as Neal was able to record his 24th save of the season.


Sixty Yard Dash

-- Freddy Guzman stole two bases in Monday night's game. This, a night after stealing four bases against Pawtucket (his second four stolen base game of the season).

-- Brent Clevlen was named Hitter of the Week in the IL last week (July 14-20) when he hit .400 with 3 HR, 5 RBI and 6 Runs. Clevlen had a great night at the start of the new week as he went 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 Runs.


-- Eric Boye, Toledo Mud Hens

Cool

Article published Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Liriano dominates Mud Hens as Rochester romps
By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Minnesota Twins say Francisco Liriano isn't ready to return to major league baseball.

The Toledo Mud Hens say the Twins are a little crazy.

Liriano dazzled and confounded Hens hitters last night, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 in seven innings, and the Red Wings breezed to a 13-0 victory over Toledo at Frontier Field.

"That's the most we've been shut down," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said.

The loss, as ugly as possible, dropped the Mud Hens two games behind Louisville in the International League West. They committed five errors and allowed 16 hits, including three each by Howie Clark and Trevor Plouffe.

"We didn't waste anything tonight - hits, pitching, defense," Parrish said. "It was one of those games where you go, oh, boy, that was a bad one."

A bad one when they were at the mercy of a great left arm.

Four months into his comeback from Tommy John surgery in 2006, Liriano has been dominating IL hitters since June. He is 9-0 with a 2.37 earned-run average in his last 10 starts. In the 35 innings that comprise his last five starts, he has allowed only one run, 19 hits and five walks while striking out 42.

Last night he was at his best. He struck out the side in the first, two more in the second and didn't allow a baserunner until Erick Almonte doubled into the corner in left with one out in the third.

The only other hit was a broken-bat bloop over third base by Jeff Larish in the seventh.

"I think the numbers speak for themselves," Larish said. "He proved why he had the success he had in the past."

The Twins haven't promoted Liriano because they haven't needed a starter. Their four kids

- Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, Glen Perkins and Nick Blackburn - as well as ageless veteran Livan Hernandez have been solid and kept them in contention in the American League Central.

"I'm ready, I'm just waiting for them to give me that opportunity," Liriano said.

His manager agrees that Liriano is ready for big-league hitters.

"Absolutely," Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn said when asked point-blank. "I don't think he can throw any more dominating than that, to do that - give up two hits and strike out 10 - with a lineup that's stacked with hitters.

"That's a big-league lineup over there. He got ahead with the fastball, he moved feet. You saw a lot of bent knees tonight."

Liriano was the IL rookie of the year in 2005 and was 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 2006 before injuring his elbow. His agent, Greg Genske, squawked loudly last week that the Twins needed to promote his client.

"You ask our guys and I think they'll tell you he's ready," Parrish said.

"He's ready, I think he's shown that," Plouffe said. "It's been a pleasure and I hope we don't see him back again."

The Hens second the idea.

Not that the Red Wings needed Liriano to dominate last night. They led 2-0 after their first two batters. Jason Pridie tripled off Virgil Vasquez (6-10) and Clark followed with a homer to right.

Three errors, a walk and doubles by Matt Macri and Alejandro Machado and Plouffe's sacrifice fly produced four unearned runs in the third, and four more hits in the fourth produced three runs for a 9-0 lead. By then the Hens had four errors.

"At that point I told them in the dugout, get it all out in one game," Parrish said.

Article published Thursday, July 24, 2008
Mud Hens fight back from 9-0 deficit to Rochester but lose
By JIM MANDELARO
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - That sound you heard from New York around 10 p.m. last night was Rochester Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn exhaling.

The Red Wings built a 9-0 lead through seven innings but had to hold off a late surge by the Toledo Mud Hens before prevailing 9-6 at Frontier Field.

Toledo scored six runs in the eighth and had the tying run at the plate in the ninth with one out, but Bobby Korecky struck out Kody Kirkland and Max St-Pierre to end it.

"That's a dangerous, dangerous club over there," Cliburn said. "No lead is safe."

Jason Pridie, who hit two homers for Rochester, agreed with Cliburn.

"They could hit 12 homers in a row," he said. "We're happy to get the win."

For much of the game, the Mud Hens were being thumped for the second night in a row. They lost 13-0 on Tuesday, managing just two hits while committing five errors.

Rochester's Alejandro Machado opened the bottom half of the third with a fly to center that was misjudged by Brent Clevlen for a double.

Ryan Jorgensen followed with a grounder to third. Mike Hessman fielded it with his bare hand and threw on the run, with the ball striking Jorgensen in the back.

Machado came home on the error.

"We misplayed that ball, then made that error, but after that [Rochester] just hit the ball," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said.

Pridie hit a two-run homer to lead Rochester's six-run fourth inning, and when Jorgensen and Pridie opened the seventh with homers off starter Anastacio Martinez, it was 9-0.

Martinez (2-3) allowed the nine runs on 11 hits in 61/3 innings.

The right-hander's earned-run average rose to 5.13.

Toledo's 21-inning scoreless streak ended with a six-run explosion in the eighth inning. Former Cincinnati Reds closer Danny Graves loaded the bases on two hit batsmen and a walk, and Michael Holliman's infield single brought in Toledo's first run since the fourth inning of Monday's 6-4 win over the Red Wings.

Graves mercifully was removed after walking Kirkland to force in another run. Graves threw 17 pitches - just four for strikes.

Tim Lahey induced St-Pierre to line into a double play, but Freddy Guzman ripped a three-run double to right-center and Timo Perez made it 9-6 with another double.

That brought up the dangerous Clevlen, who struck out against Korecky to end the big inning.

In the ninth, Hessman singled with one out and Hollimon followed with a double, but
Korecky fanned Kirkland and
St-Pierre for his 14th save.

"It was nice to see some runs," Parrish said. "Graves struggled, and that got us started."

The Mud Hens committed two more errors and have 10 in the first three games of this series, which concludes with an 11:05 game this morning.

Toledo's Chris Lambert (10-5, 3.10 ERA) takes on Kevin Mulvey (3-8, 3.97) in a matchup of right-handers.

The Mud Hens return to Fifth Third Field tomorrow night to take on the Pawtucket Red Sox, who own the best record in Triple-A at 63-41.