2008 Toledo Mud Hens Season Tracker

Article published Friday, July 25, 2008
Red Wings, rain douse Mud Hens
By JIM MANDELARO
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - It seemed simple enough.

With rain falling lightly in the top of the fifth inning yesterday, Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish signaled to Dane Sardinha to lay down a bunt to move Erick Almonte to second.

Parrish was trying to break a 1-1 scoreless tie and put Toledo ahead in case rain washed out the game.

No cigar. The plan failed.

Sardinha put down a sacrifice bunt OK. But, Derek Wathan lined into an inning-ending double play, and Rochester answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth as the rain intensified. By the time the inning was over, the Red Wings were ahead 6-1 and Frontier Field looked like a pond.

"The whole infield was completely unplayable," Hens third baseman Mike Hessman said. "It was a mess."

The umpires called for the tarp, but after a 66-minute rain delay, the game was called, giving Rochester the win and its third straight victory over Toledo.

"We were told the rain was coming, and once it came the odds were that it would be here for a long time," crew chief Adam Dowdy said later. "The idea was we would play for as long as we could."

It was the last meeting between the Mud Hens and the Wings, but Dowdy said had no intention of keeping the teams around all day.

"By the time the rain stopped, and they got the field in shape, we were looking at starting around 7 or 7:30 [p.m.],'' he said.

Up-and-down Toledo has been on the road for its last 12 games: 3 wins, 3 losses, 3 wins, 3 losses.The Mud Hens will open a seven-game homestand at Fifth Third Field tonight against the Pawtucket Red Sox.

"It will be good to get home and get into a regular routine,'' Hessman said.

Michael Hollimon put the Mud Hens on top with a solo homer to right with two outs in the second inning.

It was the shortstop's 14th homer.

Sergio Santos tied it for Rochester with a homer to left off Chris Lambert, leading off the third. Lambert entered the game with a 0.90 ERA over his last three starts.

As the rain intensified in the bottom of the fifth inning, Alejandro Machado drilled a double to the warning track in left, then moved to third on Jeff Christy's sacrifice bunt as Sardinha tried in vain to throw Machado out.

Jason Pridie struck out, but Adam Everett - on a rehab assignment from the Minnesota Twins - laced a single into left field. Machado came home with the go-ahead run, and Christy scored on Darnell McDonald's single to center.

Garrett Jones then supplied the big blast, a three-run homer to right that pushed Rochester's lead to 6-1.

The Mud Hens just finished an eight-game road trip following the All-Star break, and the team's 3-5 record on that trip was the result of an inconsistent offense.

In Toledo's three wins - the final two games in Pawtucket, then the first contest in Rochester - the Hens scored 27 times, never fewer than six. In the five losses the Hens gathered just 14 runs, and 12 of those came in just two games.

Manager Larry Parrish said the team's biggest offensive shortcoming recently is scoring runners from second and third. Last night that trend continued as Toledo was hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position, striking out three times and hitting into a double play.

"That's what we've been struggling with lately - coming up with that big hit with runners in scoring position," he said. "In the eighth and ninth [last night] we had a few chances to snatch a win out of this, and we just couldn't get a hit."

In the eighth inning Derek Wathan was on third base after hitting an RBI triple with one out. Pawtucket played its infield back, conceding the run to get an out, but the Hens failed to take advantage as Freddy Guzman popped out and Timo Perez flied out.

"A lot of times, that's a mental approach," Parrish said about having success with runners in scoring position.

"You can talk about it, but it has to come from the guys themselves wanting to be in that situation.

"At the same time, you can't think too much. You have to keep it simple. It's just you and the pitcher. If you can win that battle, the RBIs will be the result."

In the previous three games Toledo went 3-for-27 (.111) with runners in scoring position.

COMINGS AND GOINGS: Since the Hens left town July 9 the team has added several familiar faces.

Jeff Larish was promoted to Detroit that day but already has returned to the Hens. Dane Sardinha, Clete Thomas and Eddie Bonine also have come back to Toledo since that road trip began.

One newcomer is Kody Kirkland, who joined the Hens July 17 when Max Leon went on the disabled list with a left shoulder subluxation.

Among those who have departed since July 9 are Nick
Trzesniak and Fernando Seguignol, both of whom were granted unconditional releases. Zach Miner was promoted to Detroit and catcher Adrian Casanova was sent to Single-A West Michigan.

THREE-DOT DATA: Timo Perez singled in the sixth to extend his hit streak to seven straight games. … Lefty Ian Ostlund threw two scoreless innings, marking his seventh straight scoreless outing.

Article published Saturday, July 26, 2008
Pauley puzzles Hens
Toledo: no hits until fifth, no runs until eighth
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The Mud Hens were anything but pretty in pink last night.

Of course, recently the Hens' offense has been generally dreadful no matter what color uniform the team has been wearing.

So don't think the pink jerseys, which were auctioned off to raise funds for breast cancer research, were the cause of the Hens' 3-2 loss to Pawtucket at Fifth Third Field.

"We've been struggling the last few games. The pink uniforms have nothing to do with that," said Clete Thomas, who had two of the Hens' seven hits. "We're just chasing pitches. We just have to pick up our concentration and get after them [today]."

Pawtucket starter David Pauley retired the first 10 Mud Hens he faced last night and kept Toledo hitless until the fifth, when Mike Hessman beat out a slow roller down the third-base line for an infield single.

Thomas followed with his first hit, a liner to center, that gave the Hens runners on first and second with none out. But Pauley retired the next three hitters, striking out two, and wasn't challenged again until Derek Wathan's one-out triple in the eighth scored Max St-Pierre.

"I was much better getting ahead early, and I didn't get away from my sinker as much as I did last time," said Pauley, who struggled in a start against the Hens five days ago, surrendering eight hits and five runs in just 31/3 innings. "I tried my best to keep my pitches in the strike zone and make them hit my pitch. The defense behind me did a great job, too."

Pauley, who saw a personal nine-game winning streak snapped when he lost to Toledo July 20, gave up just five hits and one walk last night while tying his season high with nine strikeouts in 72/3 innings.

"Early in the game we had the Toledo shadows - everyone was swinging and missing except for one ball," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "There weren't even many loud outs made by either team.

"But our guy [Yorman Bazardo] mixed it up and threw pretty well, too."

In that inning Bazardo got a double play before walking Brandon Moss on four pitches. He then gave up a two-run homer to right by Chris Carter that proved to be the difference in the game.

That "one ball" was a home run Bazardo gave up to Pawtucket's Joe Thurston in the first. Other than that mistake Bazardo sailed through the Red Sox lineup, not allowing a runner past second base until encountering trouble in the sixth.

"I worked on first-pitch strikes," said Bazardo, who threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 28 batters he faced. "I was mixing my pitches well, and they were uncomfortable out there. They were hitting my pitches."

Bazardo finished with just six hits and four walks allowed in seven innings, striking out six in one of his better starts this season.

Toledo avoided the shutout with Wathan's hit. But with Wathan on third, only one out and the infield back, the Hens still were unable to score. That proved especially painful when they got a run in the ninth off Pawtucket closer Chris Smith.

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

Article published Sunday, July 27, 2008
MUD HENS NOTEBOOK
Team won’t forget its Olympians
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The bat of the Mud Hens’ Jeff Larish was sawed off in his hands in the fourth inning of last night’s game with Pawtucket. He did not get a hit in this time at-bat, but later collected one.

In a few days, the clubhouse crew for the Mud Hens will “close” the lockers of Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal. They plan to cover the lockers with wood, then make the wood look like an American flag.

The symbolism is obvious: the lockers of the two Mud Hens that will represent the United States in the 2008 Olympics will be unused while they play in Beijing.

Both players look forward to all the opportunities the Olympic experience will afford them.

“My dad and my uncle were in China twice, and they just loved it,” Hessman said. “They had a good time over there, saw a bunch of cities and things like that.

“I’ve always been the adventure-type, so I’m looking forward to going and seeing different things.”

Both players said earning a spot on the Olympic team was something they never considered until about a month ago.

“I was worried about getting a job in March,” Neal said. “But I’ve been lucky to play with a team that has had great success, and that has allowed me to have some success.
And then the Olympic thing came up.

“Hearing about the Olympic team certainly was exciting. ‘Hess’ and I both talked about how cool it would be to be on the team, and finding out I was on the team was the ultimate thrill.”

Hessman and Neal said their excitement grew as the date of the announcement drew closer.

“At the beginning I didn’t know what to expect,” Hessman said. “As the decision came closer, it was something I became more anxious and excited about. It’s something I really wanted to do.

“Getting the call to be a part of this really is something special.”

They will remain with the team until tomorrow, when they will fly to California to join their teams. After a brief orientation period the team will play a series of exhibition games against the Canadian Olympic in Durham, N.C., before traveling to Beijing.

They are expected to return to the Mud Hens on Aug. 25.

“It’s just something about representing your country and wearing that flag across your chest,” Hessman said. “It’s just something to be proud of.”

Both were honored in a ceremony before yesterday’s game, during which Mud Hens general manager Joe Napoli and manager Larry Parrish handed the pair Olympic jerseys and caps.

“I think I can speak for Hess when I say that, to get this type of honor, it’s very special,” Neal said. “To get the chance to wear that uniform with the flag across your chest is an honor.

“First, I’ve never really been out of the country. Then to see the ceremonies and events that you see on TV is something to look forward to as well.”

THREE-DOT DATA: The home run by Perez gives him at least one hit in eight straight games. Last night’s crowd of 11,158 was the Mud Hens’ 21st sellout this season, the 196th full house in the seven-year history of Fifth Third Field.

Article published Sunday, July 27, 2008
Bonine, Perez lead Hens to victory over Pawtucket
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The 500th Mud Hens game at Fifth Third Field wasn't a whole lot different than the first 499.

There was a full house last night, which was to be expected. There was plenty of strong defense and good pitching by Toledo, which isn't uncommon. And there was a Hens home run - by Timo Perez - which has become a staple.

There also was a 1-0 victory by the home team over Pawtucket, the 293rd victory by Toledo in seven seasons.

The biggest reason the Hens were able to claim a win in the historic contest "and snap a four-game losing streak" was a fine effort by starter Eddie Bonine, who shut down the Red Sox on one hit over seven innings.

"We beat a great team, so this is good for our confidence," Bonine said. "I was trying to mix up my pitches, and they hit a lot of balls at people.

"Me and [catcher] Max [St-Pierre] did a good job of mixing up speeds, and when they hit the ball it was at someone. That's the way it goes some times."

Bonine struck out seven and walked only one. The win was his 11th for the Mud Hens this season and his second since a promotion to Detroit shortly before the All-Star break.

"I'd like to feel I'm not [different], but when you go up there you go through some really nervous games," Bonine said. "There's a different confidence that you have when you come back down, knowing you've gone through some things you never thought you'd go through."

The closest Pawtucket came to scoring off Bonine was in the second, when the right-hander hit leadoff man Gil Velazquez with a pitch and Jonathan Van Every sacrificed Velazquez to second.

But Bonine struck out Jeff Bailey and got Joe Thurston to pop out, the first two of nine consecutive batters Bonine retired.

The Red Sox also had a chance to score in the seventh when Bonine hit Keith Ginter with two outs, but Clete Thomas made a fine diving catch of Jeff Corsaletti's sinking liner to keep Pawtucket off the board.

"It would be all God's work if I threw a one-hitter," Bonine said. "We played some great defense, so I never thought about that. I just thought about pounding the strike zone and giving our team the best chance to win."

Bonine threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 25 hitters he faced and threw 60 of his 98 pitches for strikes.

"He was aggressive in and out, and had late movement on the ball," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "When you give him a game plan, he can implement it."

The game's only run came in the fourth, when Perez cranked the first pitch of the inning by Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden into the Roost for his 12th home run of the season.

Otherwise Toledo managed just seven hits and missed out on scoring chances in the first, fourth and eighth.

Thanks to Bonine and relievers Francisco Cruceta and Blaine Neal, each of whom threw a scoreless inning, that wasn't a problem.

"We scored just enough," Parrish said. "Our offense wasn't good, but it was good enough. That's because Bonine was really good, and the bullpen did a good job."

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

Article published Monday, July 28, 2008
MUD HENS NOTEBOOK
Parrish wants no ’04 redux
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

By the time you read this, Mud Hens Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal will have left Toledo to begin their odyssey with the U.S. Olympic baseball team.

You’ll excuse Toledo manager Larry Parrish if he’s not excited about it.

Oh, he’s pleased that Hessman and Neal will get a chance to enjoy that once-in-a-lifetime experience. But Parrish and the Hens lost two players — shortstop Danny Klassen and pitcher Adrian Burnside — to the Olympics in 2004, and that didn’t work out very well.
“That year we didn’t get hit: We were blindsided,” Parrish said. “In a span of three or four days we lost [Nook] Logan and [Marcus] Thames, who were hitting first and third. [Joe] Vitiello, our fourth hitter, left the team and [Andy] Barkett, who was hitting fifth, got a rib injury.

“Then Klassen, who was hitting sixth, left for the Olympics. And we were dead in the water.”

Indeed. The Hens, who began the month of August in first place in the IL’s West Division, won just six of their last 34 games and finished with the worst record in the International League at 65-78.

“God I hope [we don’t repeat that], because that was the longest month I ever spent in the game,” Parrish said.

How will the parent Tigers replace Hessman and Neal? With a couple of players from Double-A Erie, as pitcher Casey Fien and shortstop Danny Worth will join the Hens today for their noon contest against Pawtucket.

Fien is 3-3 with 12 saves and a 2.96 ERA as the SeaWolves’ closer, but he’s not expected to take over for Neal, the IL leader with 25 saves, as the Mud Hens’ closer.

“Right now we’ll probably give a couple guys a chance [to close],” Parrish said. “[Francis] Beltran will get a chance, and [Francisco] Cruceta will get a chance. It will be a matter of who takes [the job].”

Worth, 22, began last season in Single-A Lakeland before playing for Erie in the playoffs.

This season Worth hit .254 with five homers and 33 RBIs in 79 games for the SeaWolves. Much of that action came before a shoulder injury that occurred near the end of June; Worth has played in five games since the injury, and Parrish said he will start at shortstop for Toledo today and tomorrow.

“We’ll give him a couple of days, then see where he’s at physically,” Parrish said. “Hopefully he’ll be ready to take a majority of the games at shortstop.

“What we’ll do at third base is more of a question. We’ll need somebody to step up.”

The possibilities include Kody Kirkland, who played in 73 games at third for Erie and hit .244 with seven homers and 40 RBIs before a promotion to Toledo July 18, and infielders Erick Almonte and Derek Wathan.

Almonte has played in nine games at third for the Hens this season, while Jeff Larish has played there four times.

Wathan has not played third for the Hens this season, but he did make 28 starts at third for Triple-A Omaha last season.

“There’s no way we can replace his bat [in the lineup],” Parrish said of Hessman. “There’s no one out there who’s going to replace 30 homers. And it’s going to be tough to replace his defense.

“We just want the guy who replaces him to be solid. Hopefully we’ll be able to get contributions from the guys who replace him.”

Article published Monday, July 28, 2008
Hens lose fifth out of 6
Vasquez struggles in gameof missed opportunities
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

There were a lot of “what ifs” attached to the Mud Hens’ 8-5 loss to Pawtucket at Fifth Third Field last night.

What if Dane Sardinha’s two-out double in the seventh were hit about three feet higher? It would have scored two more runs.

What if Brent Clevlen’s double-play grounder in the eighth had been a base hit? It did score a run, but it could have helped the Hens score more than one run and rally for a victory instead of suffering the team’s fifth loss in the last six games.

“That’s a lot of ifs,” Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. “There are ifs, but we had chances to get back in it, and we didn’t.”

The biggest “what if” of the night centered on Toledo starter Virgil Vasquez. Unfortunately, the “what if” was, “What if he had pitched better?” as the right-hander, who won 12 games last season, struggled for the third straight start.

Vasquez gave up a homer to Brandon Moss in the first, a homer to George Kottaras in thesecond, and back-to-back homers by Moss and Chris Carter in the third. The Red Sox batted around in the third.

Vasquez finished with a line of eight hits and six runs allowed in 21/3 innings. In his last three starts he has yet to pitch out of the fourth, giving up 24 hits and 18 runs in 91/3 innings.

“It looked as if he had no confidence out there at all,” Parrish said of Vasquez. “He was sort of slump-shouldered in the first. It looks like he’s beat-up mentally right now.”

But the Mud Hens found a way to make things interesting. Pawtucket scored a run in the seventh on a Gil Velazquez sacrifice fly to make the score 8-2 before a Hessman homer and a run-scoring double by Sardinha — a fan reached out over the fence in left to catch the ball, making it look like a home run, and the umpires ruled that Erick
Almonte had to return to third instead of scoring — cut the deficit to 8-4.

“I thought the sacrifice fly Gil Velazquez got in the seventh, for our eighth run, was huge because it added to our cushion,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “I know what’s in [Toledo’s] dugout — they’re a hit, a walk and a bomb away from getting three runs.

“And the ball that Sardinha hit turned out to be huge [because it cost them at least one run].”

Toledo got another run in the eighth, but a three-hit rally was blunted by a double play by Clevlen that scored the only run of the inning.

The only positive “what if” for the Hens was, “What if the bullpen hadn’t pitched well?” Jeremy Johnson was solid in four innings of long relief, while Brian Rogers came on with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and gave up only one run before Clay Rapada pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

“J.J., Rogers and Rapada kept us close,” Parrish said. “If we could have gotten to 8-7, who knows? But that’s another ‘if’.”

NOTES: Timo Perez singled in the eighth to extend his current hit streak to nine games. … With last night’s loss the Hens are 10-14 in July. Unless Toledo wins its final four games this month, the Hens will finish with their first losing record for a month since April, 2007. … Last night’s crowd of 10,850 was the Mud Hens’ 22nd sellout this season.

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

Article published Monday, July 28, 2008
Hens' Bonine named IL pitcher of the week
BLADE STAFF

Mud Hens pitcher Eddie Bonine was named the International League’s pitcher of the week on Monday.

In two starts last week Bonine won twice, beating Rochester June 21 and then shutting out Pawtucket for seven innings five days later. In his two starts, Bonine allowed just six hits and four runs, only two of which were earned, in 14 1/3 innings.

On the season, Bonine is 11-2 with a 3.96 ERA for the Hens.

Bonine gives the Mud Hens a weekly IL award winner for the third straight week. Outfielder Brent Clevlen was the league’s player of the week last week, and Chris Lambert won the pitcher’s award two weeks ago.

Article published Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mud Hens auditioning for closer
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The Mud Hens began auditions for the closer’s role yesterday, and the two top candidates for the job both fared well in Toledo’s extra-inning win over Pawtucket.
Francis Beltran and Francisco Cruceta both threw well in their first appearances since closer Blaine Neal left to join the Olympic team yesterday. Both covered two innings in helping the Hens claim a 5-4 victory.

Beltran covered the eighth and ninth, holding the Red Sox hitless and striking out two while walking one. The batter he walked, Gil Velazquez, scored an unearned run thanks to a two-out error by shortstop Derek Wathan, one of three errors the Hens made behind him.

“Beltran seems to be the unluckiest guy we’ve got,” Toledo manager Larry Parrish said. “We make errors when he pitches, and I don’t know what it is. It’s like a starter who pitches every time his team doesn’t score.
Beltran pitches when we’re due to make an error.

“It’s been like that all year, and usually he gets an ‘L’ for it.”

Cruceta held Pawtucket scoreless in the 10th and 11th, pitching around a one-out double in the 10th and two walks in the 11th.

“That’s the hesitation we have with Cruceta — the walks,” Parrish said. “Beltran throws more strikes.”

Ian Ostlund gave up just one walk in two scoreless innings before Beltran and Cruceta, marking his eighth consecutive scoreless appearance. Ostlund has logged 122/3 innings in that span, giving up just five hits and three walks while striking out out 16.

Newcomer Casey Fien got the win in his first Triple-A appearance. Fien walked the first batter he faced, Velazquez, but struck out two others and got help when catcher Max St-Pierre caught Velazquez stealing.

BACK BEHIND THE MIC: Long-time Mud Hens broadcaster Frank Gilhooley was at the ballpark yesterday and was involved with the radio broadcast for all 12 innings.
Gilhooley, who has been a part of Mud Hens radio broadcasts for the previous 21 years, has been sidelined by health issues.

BONINE WINS AWARD: Eddie Bonine was named the IL pitcher of the week.

In two starts last week Bonine won twice, beating Rochester June 21 and then shutting out Pawtucket for seven innings five days later. In his two starts, Bonine allowed just six hits and four runs, only two of which were earned, in 141/3 innings.

On the season, Bonine is 11-2 with a 3.96 ERA for the Hens.

WORTH WAITS: Shortstop Danny Worth was in the original lineup yesterday but was scratched because of shoulder stiffness. Worth missed roughly a month of playing time for Double-A Erie because of the injury, coming off the disabled list last week.

“Being an early game, he didn’t have time to stretch it out,” Parrish said of Worth. “Hopefully [today] we’ll have more time and he’ll be ready to play.”

THREE-DOT DATA: Timo Perez singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. … The Hens now are 4-2 in extra-inning games, while Pawtucket is 8-3. …
Yesterday’s crowd of 9,905 was the Toledo’s 23rd sellout this season and the 198th in the seven-year history of Fifth Third Field. The Hens have played in front of a full house in their last five home games.

Article published Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mud Hens strike up a victory
Walk-off whiff in 12th appropriate finish
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Here’s all you need to know about the Mud Hens’ 5-4 win over Pawtucket at Fifth Third Field yesterday afternoon: The winning run scored on a walk-off strikeout.


That’s right, a walk-off strikeout.

“I think that’s the way that game should have been won,” Toledo manager Larry Parrish said. “We ended up congratulating a guy after a nice strikeout. That was a crazy game.”

The game-winning rally began when Freddy Guzman singled off reliever Lincoln Holdzkom with one out in the 12th. Guzman stole second on the first pitch to Clete Thomas, causing the PawSox to intentionally walk Thomas.

Guzman and Thomas executed a double-steal before Holdzkom struck out Brent Clevlen. Then Holdzkom struck out Timo Perez on a wicked curve ball inside, but the ball bounced past Pawtucket catcher Dusty Brown and rolled to the backstop.

Guzman scored easily, and Perez just beat Brown’s throw to first to give the Hens their second win in the last seven games.

“Guzman getting on base was a key for us,” Parrish said. “He created havoc on the bases, and without his steal of third, that strikeout isn’t a run.”

Guzman finished with four steals, marking the third time he has done that this season. He has 35 steals with the Hens and 46 including his month with Double-A Erie, one of the highest totals in the minors this year.

“When I got the base hit, I was going to try and put the winning run on second,” Guzman said. “When I was at second, I wanted to put the winning run on third. They threw the wild pitch, and it was good for us.”

Things didn’t look good for the Hens early, as starter Anastacio Martinez spent five innings weaving in and out of danger.

Pawtucket’s Dusty Brown lined a bases-loaded double off Martinez for a pair of runs in the first, and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Joe Thurston scored a run in the second.

But Martinez limited the damage, stranding five runners in the first two innings and nine over five innings. And the Mud Hens bullpen was terrific, allowing just one hit and one unearned run in seven innings to keep the Hens in the game.

Problem was, the Hens weren’t able to take advantage of their opportunities due to a variety of miscues spread throughout the game. The most telling mistakes came in the fifth, when Guzman singled with two runners on base, but Max St-Pierre wasn’t able to score from second.

He advanced only to third, then was thrown out at the plate when Brown tracked down a potential wild pitch and threw to Pawtucket starter Devern Hansack covering home.

“Maxie didn’t read the ball [on the Guzman single], but I still could have sent him because the right-fielder threw the ball to second instead of the cutoff man,” Parrish said.
“Then he tried to score on a ball that didn’t get very far away from the catcher.”

Thomas bailed out St-Pierre with a two-run double that tied the game. The PawSox scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth, but Erick Almonte slammed a two-out homer off Hunter Jones to retie the game.

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

I just got home from the game. We won. It was cool.

Rapada got thrown out of the game, then continued arguing and getting in the umpires face so he had to be held back, at which point he tried to get away. It was a good game though

Article published Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Kirkland hits 2 homers in Mud Hens' win over Indianapolis
Lambert, Rapada have strong outings
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

There are several adjectives that could be used to describe the Mud Hens' a 5-3 victory over Indianapolis at Fifth Third Field last night.

"Sloppy" certainly qualifies, since the Hens made two errors and several other misplays that helped the Indians score their runs.

"Contentious" would work, since there also were several arguments with umpires and an ejection of Toledo shortstop Derek Wathan.

But "noteworthy" probably would be the best choice, since it took some notable performances to claim the victory. The Mud Hens got a pair of home runs by Kody Kirkland, not to mention three runs manufactured by some good situational hitting.

That and a strong pitching performance by Chris Lambert and Clay Rapada helped the Hens win for the second straight game.

"We actually played through our mistakes," Parrish said. "We gave up some runs after making errors we shouldn't have made. A couple of the arguments happened because we misplayed plays."

Kirkland was one of the heroes after slamming long home runs in the second and fourth off Indianapolis starter Ross Ohlendorf. Despite playing third base in place of Mike Hessman, who has joined the U.S. Olympic team, Kirkland said he's not trying to be another Hessman.

"I'm not a guy who's going to hit 32 home runs like Hessman," Kirkland said. "Those are some big shoes to fill. I'm just going to go out there, play hard, and try to play my game."

The Mud Hens used a similar formula to score single runs in the first and third innings. Both times Clete Thomas got on base, then stole second before coming home on two-out doubles by Timo Perez.

"Base hit, steal base, move a guy over, bring him in," Parrish said.

"And we got two two-out hits, and that has been missing lately."

That was enough offense for Lambert, who retired the first nine Indianapolis batters he faced before surrendering a run in the fourth - a run that comes with an asterisk. Nyjer Morgan led off with a walk, then stole second before Lambert struck out Andrew McCutchen and coaxed Neil Walker to lift a fly to deep center.

Thomas was in position to make the catch, but he dropped the ball, allowing Morgan to take third and Walker to reach second. Morgan scored on a single by Ryan Mulhern, but Lambert escaped further damage by getting Luis Ordaz to hit into a double play.

Defensive struggles also led to a two-run Indians rally in the seventh. Mulhern led off with a liner to shortstop that bounced off Wathan's glove for an error, and Luis Ordaz doubled Mulhern to third.

Josh Wilson hit a sinking liner to right that went under Brent Clevlen's glove for a double that scored Mulhern and moved Ordaz to third. Ordaz scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Kata.

Rapada set down Indianapolis in the eighth, but not without controversy.

With one out McCutchen walked, but Rapada picked McCutchen off first. McCutchen ran to second, and Jeff Larish threw to Wathan as McCutchen ran by - and umpire David Uyl called McCutchen safe.

Wathan later was ejected by another umpire, David
Rackley. Wathan declined comment on the ejection by Rackley, who an inning earlier had called Wathan's long fly into the Roost a fair ball, a call that later was reversed.

Rapada worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his first save.

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

Article published Thursday, July 31, 2008
MUD HENS NOTEBOOK
Wathan penalty leaves bench thin
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Mud Hens infielder Derek Wathan was suspended for two games by the International League yesterday as a result of an incident that took place in Toledo's win over Indianapolis Tuesday.

Wathan was not on the bench for last night's contest and also will not be available for today's game after his "aggressive behavior and contact with an International League umpire," according to the IL.

The ejection was sparked by Wathan's at-bat in the seventh inning Tuesday. Wathan pulled a pitch down the right-field line into the Roost that originally was called fair by first-base umpire David Rackley, a call that was overruled by home-plate umpire Pete Pederson.

"I know it was a tough call, because I was at first base at the time and I couldn't tell," Wathan said of the call. "The first-base ump had the best view, and he was closer than anyone, so I thought it would stand.

"They overturned it because apparently the guy at home plate had a better view, and that doesn't make any sense at all - he's about 100 yards further away from the play."

But Wathan wasn't ejected then; the play that caused the ejection came with the Hens in the field in the eighth. Toledo pitcher Clay Rapada picked Andrew McCutchen off first, and first baseman Jeff Larish forced the runner towards second. Larish threw the ball to Wathan, who tried to sweep-tag McCutchen as he ran past, but third-base ump David Uyl ruled McCutchen safe.

"After that, I lost my cool and it was a mess," Wathan admitted. "I didn't think the ump [who made the call] had the best view, because I was between him and the runner."

Wathan is the second Mud Hen suspended this year. The first was manager Larry Parrish, who received a four-game suspension for arguing a home-run-ruled-foul-ball in mid-June. But Wathan said he thinks the number of ejections these days is fewer than in years past.

"When you see the old clips of the '70s and '80s, I think it [ejecting players] was more predominant then," Wathan said. "Earlier in the year it was the same kind of deal - they overturned a call when the guy who made the call had the best angle.

"I can understand it if there's a circumstance where an ump said he was blocked by a player or something like that, but to overturn it in this circumstance doesn't make sense."

EMPTY BENCH: An unintended result of Wathan's ejection was the Mud Hens were left with no one on the bench yesterday.

Before the game the parent Tigers promoted catcher Dane Sardinha to replace Pudge Rodriguez following the trade with the Yankees. Wathan was suspended, and shortstop Danny Worth was not available because of continued shoulder problems.

"Obviously I regret [the suspension] - especially now, since we're thin," Wathan said. "The last thing I want to do is make our team thin. Hopefully we can get through it."

Parrish said Worth will have an MRI on his shoulder today, and his status is uncertain.

Parrish said that pitcher Chris Lambert would have been used had the Hens needed another hitter or position player, and that outfielder Freddy Guzman would have caught if Max St-Pierre had been injured.

Batting practice pitcher Joe Hall, a former Mud Hen, served as the team's bullpen catcher yesterday.

The Mud Hens will get catcher Dusty Ryan from Double-A Erie today to replace Sardinha. Ryan has hit .251 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs in 82 games for the SeaWolves.

THREE-DOT DATA: Timo Perez singled in the ninth to extend his current hit streak to 12 games. … Last night's crowd of 8,981 was the 200th sellout in Fifth Third Field history. The full house was the Hens' 25th this year. … Oak Harbor's Wade Ishmael claimed the title in the finals of the Mud Hens' home run derby following yesterday's game.

Article published Thursday, July 31, 2008
Mud Hens too aggressive on bases in loss to Indianapolis
Toledo goes 1-for-12 with men in scoring position
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The new aggressive offense of the Mud Hens came up short in a 2-1 loss to Indianapolis at Fifth Third Field last night.

Toledo put nine men on base against starter Tom Gorzelanny and the
Indians' bullpen, more than enough to score more than once. But several
assertive baserunning moves backfired, and a 1-for-12 effort with runners in scoring position sealed the Hens' sixth loss in the last nine games.

"We got some guys in scoring
position," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "But we had a couple of times where we had runners on third and we couldn't get them in."

One of those times came in the bottom of the first, when Freddy Guzman reached on an error and quickly stole second before Clete Thomas popped out. Guzman stole third and, with the infield in close, was thrown out at the plate on Brent Clevlen's slow roller to second.

"I told [Guzman] to read the ball," Parrish said. "If it was hit hard I wanted him to stay, and if it was hit soft I wanted him to go.

"It was hit off the end of the bat, but it was hit right to [Josh Wilson]. If [Wilson] had to take one step to the right or left, it would have worked."

Wilson admitted that he didn't think he would be able to throw Guzman out.

"[Guzman] is really fast, so I knew my release would have to be quick," Wilson said.

"[Indians catcher Carlos] Maldonado did a real nice job with the tag to keep that run from scoring.

"It wasn't a textbook play, but I'm fortunate things worked out to our advantage."

Guzman's speed gave the Hens a run in the sixth. With one out he singled, then stole his way to third on Gorzelanny's first two pitches to Thomas. Guzman, who finished with four stolen bases on the night and is tied for the International League lead with 39, trotted home when Thomas doubled into the left-center gap.

But when Clevlen hit a grounder to third, Thomas was thrown out trying to advance in what Parrish called a questionable baserunning decision.

"It was just the wrong time to go," Parrish said. "The third baseman caught the ball moving toward [Thomas] and pushed him back towards third.

"The old saying is, you don't make the third out at third base."

The Hens had chances in both the eighth and ninth, getting two runners on base in both innings. But Toledo hitters struck out in four of their last five at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The only reason the game remained close was because Indianapolis was struggling to mount any offense against Toledo's Yorman Bazardo. The Indians' first run came in the fifth, when Wilson launched his fifth home run of the season just over the fence in left-center.

The Tribe's winning run came in the seventh, when Bazardo gave up a double off the right-field wall to Wilson with two outs, and Wilson scored on a single by Luis Cruz.

"[Bazardo] had two outs, and instead of getting the ball away from the batter he overcranked and instead threw it up-and-in," Parrish said of Wilson's double.

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

Article published Friday, August 1, 2008
Mud Hens coast to shutout win over Indianapolis
Bonine gains 12th win as Toledo collects 15 hits
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

It took seven games, but the Mud Hens finally got to play a laugher at Fifth Third Field.

After six consecutive home games that were decided by three or fewer runs - including four one-run decisions - Toledo claimed a relatively easy 8-0 victory over Indianapolis last night.

"It was a nice birthday present for [hitting coach Leon] 'Bull' [Durham]," Hens manager Larry Parrish said of his team's 15-hit attack. "That was a nice game, and we haven't had many of those lately.

"We scored a bunch and we shut them down."

It looked as if the Mud Hens were going to continue their struggles hitting with runners in scoring position when their first three batters - Freddy Guzman, Clete Thomas and Brent Clevlen - collected hits to load the bases in the first, but Toledo managed just one run.

Timo Perez lifted a sacrifice fly to right that scored Guzman and sent Thomas to third. On a 3-2 pitch, Clevlen was running from first when Jeff Larish struck out, and the Tribe executed a rundown that eventually nabbed Thomas at the plate.

Back-to-back leadoff singles by Max St-Pierre and Guzman in the third didn't result in a run after a double play, but the Hens finally got to Thompson in a three-run fourth.

Perez led off with a double, then came home on a one-out double by Erick Almonte. A double off the wall in right-center by Michael Hollimon plated Almonte, and a two-out single by St-Pierre scored Hollimon.

Toledo finished the game 7-for-14 when hitting with runners in scoring position, a far cry from the team's 8-for-53 effort (.151 average) in those situations in the first six games of this homestand.

"I know I've had several opportunities with guys on third and less than two outs and haven't gotten the hit to drive them in - or even a sacrifice fly," said Clevlen, who finished with four of the Hens' 15 hits. "I thought we did a better job of fouling pitches off or hitting the ball the other way to get the guy in.

"It's been awhile since we've come through, so it's great to get that off our shoulders."

That outburst was more than enough offense for Hens starter Eddie Bonine, who shut out the Indians on five hits over seven innings to claim his third consecutive win with Toledo and improve his season record here to 12-2.

"He locates the ball well," Parrish said of Bonine. "He moves the ball in and out. And he throws that knuckleball, which is kind of a weird pitch - and you don't see it enough to zero in on it.

"And he doesn't panic when he's in trouble. He doesn't throw harder, get behind and have to throw a fastball down the middle. He doesn't get out of his game plan. He just executes."

Bonine weaved through trouble before retiring the final six Indianapolis hitters he faced. The Indians advanced runners to third in both the second and third innings before the right-hander got the outs he needed to avoid damage.

He nearly wasn't as fortunate in the fifth, when a single by Michel Hernandez and a one-out walk to Andrew McCutchen put two runners on. Then with two outs, Luis Ordaz lined a single to center, but Thomas threw out Hernandez at the plate to save the shutout.

"I made a few mistakes, and they got some singles and doubles," Bonine said. "But then I got some groundballs, and the next thing you know I got out of it.

"I just tried to make pitches. I told [catcher Max ] St-Pierre in the dugout after the inning where we scored three that we had to treat it like a 0-0 ball game and keep pitching."

Brian Rogers relieved Bonine and held the Indians off the board in the final two innings.

NOTES: An MRI revealed a cyst in Danny Worth's right shoulder, and it's not certain when or if Worth will play again this year. … Yesterday Max Leon took batting practice from the right side for the first time since his injury … Perez extended his current hit streak to 13 games with his double in the fourth. …Last night's crowd of 10,403 was the Mud Hens 26th sellout this season and the 201st in the seven-year history of Fifth Third Field. … It also marked the third time in ballpark history that every game in a homestand has sold out. It was "Tribute to Bobs Night"at the field last night. Every player was given the first name "Bob" by the night's public-address announcer, former Mud Hens - and current Tigers - P.A. man Bobb Vergiels.

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

Article published Saturday, August 2, 2008
Vasquez ends victory drought
By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - Right-hander Virgil Vasquez won for the first time since June 24 and Kody Kirkland drove in all the runs Toledo needed as the Mud Hens topped the Indianapolis Indians 3-0 last night.

It was the second consecutive shutout for the Hens, who blanked the Indians 8-0 Thursday at Fifth Third Field.

The Mud Hens scored twice in the second inning off Daniel McCutchen. Michael Hollimon worked a two-out walk and moved to third on Dusty Ryan's double. Both scored when Kirkland followed with a two-base shot off the right field wall.

"It was a good night," said Kirkland. "I was fortunate enough to put a ball in play with a few runners in scoring position. That always works out good."

McCutchen (0-2) was making his second start for Indianapolis since coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The right-hander came over in the July 26 trade that sent outfielder Xavier Nady and pitcher Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees.

Vasquez (7-11) held the Indians hitless through the first three innings. Indianapolis designated hitter Luis Ordaz led off the fourth with a double and took third on Ryan Mulhern's fly ball to center. With the infield drawn in, Jason Delaney sent a line drive toward second that Hollimon snared. The threat ended when Luis Cruz flied to left.

Clete Thomas made it 3-0 in the third, driving McCutchen's first pitch over the right field wall for his eighth homer.

The victory snapped a personal five-game losing streak for Vasquez. After the fourth-inning double by Ordaz, the Indians didn't have another hit until a Cruz single in the seventh.

"I had a great time," said Vasquez. "I had great support from the team. We had the new catcher out there, Dusty Ryan, and he did a fabulous job.

"Hollimon kept talking to me out at second base, making me smile all night."

Vasquez gave up two hits, three walks and two hit-batters with a pair of strikeouts. Francisco Cruceta pitched the eighth and Francis Beltran worked the ninth for his third save.

Toledo manager Larry Parrish praised his pitchers for shutting down Nyjer Morgan, the speedy Indianapolis leadoff hitter. "We've kept him off base pretty much the last couple of nights," said Parrish. "He creates a lot when he gets on base."

Timo Perez went 0-for-5, snapping a 13-game hitting streak.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

"I had a great time," said Vasquez. "I had great support from the team. We had the new catcher out there, Dusty Ryan, and he did a fabulous job.

"Hollimon kept talking to me out at second base, making me smile all night."

Vasquez gave up two hits, three walks and two hit-batters with a pair of strikeouts. Francisco Cruceta pitched the eighth and Francis Beltran worked the ninth for his third save.

Aww I love Virgil and Michael!

Article published Sunday, August 3, 2008
Indy due to pound Mud Hens
Toledo pitchers had blanked Indians for 20 consecutive innings
By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - Held scoreless for 20 consecutive innings by Toledo pitchers, the Indianapolis Indians erupted for 18 hits last night in an 11-3 triumph over the Mud Hens.

All 10 Indians who batted in the game contributed at least one hit. Matt Kata led the rout with three runs batted in on four hits, including a double and a home run.

Toledo had blanked the Indians in two consecutive games. Indianapolis hadn't scored since the eighth inning of Thursday's game at Fifth Third Field.

"We'd shut them out a couple of games in a row," said Toledo manager Larry Parrish. "They were due to score some runs. We didn't expect it to be 18 hits and 11 of them, though."

The Indians broke through for a run in the first inning off the Hens' Anastacio Martinez (2-4). Brian Bixler led off with a single to center and Andrew McCutchen followed with an infield single to short. Erick Almonte's throw to first was in the dirt for an error, allowing Bixler to take third. When Nyjer Morgan grounded to second, Bixler sped home to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.

Indianapolis made it 6-0 in the second. The first run came on back-to-back, one-out doubles by Jason Delaney and Kata. After Kata stole third, Michel Hernandez smashed a 1-0 pitch over the right-center field fence for his third homer of the season.

Bixler singled, but was caught stealing. After a walk to McCutchen and a hit to left by Morgan, Indianapolis had runners at the corners and Parrish went to his bullpen.

Jeremy Johnson came on to face Luis Ordaz, who ripped a single up the middle. McCutchen came in to score with Morgan taking third. Johnson drilled Ryan Mulhern on a 2-2 pitch to load the bases and, when the first pitch to Luis Cruz was in the dirt, all three runners advanced.

The onslaught continued in the third. Delaney led off with a walk, then Kata drilled a 91-mph fastball over the right field wall to give the Indians an 8-0 advantage.

While Martinez's night shut down after 12/3 innings, Indians starter Corey Hamman (2-2) breezed through the first three.

Toledo scored a pair of runs in the fourth. Brent Clevlen opened the inning with a walk and went to third on Jeff Larish's two-base hit. Clevlen scored on Almonte's infield out, and when Dusty Ryan followed with a triple off the wall in the right field corner, the score was 8-2.

The Indians added three more in the fifth. With two away, Bixler singled off Larish's glove at first. After Bixler stole second, McCutchen walked and Morgan tripled to left-center. Ordaz then grounded to third, but when Kody Kirkland threw wildly to first, Morgan strolled home to make it 11-2.

Kirkland got a run back for Toledo in the sixth. Michael Hollimon walked, took second on defensive indifference, and then came home on Kirkland's triple to close out the scoring.

Hamman, who struck out seven, walked three and gave up five hits in six innings, gave way in the seventh to Evan Meek for two innings and Marino Salas worked the ninth.

Casey Fien and Ian Ostlund finished up for Toledo, also combining for three scoreless innings.

Freddy Guzman stole second in the third inning - his 40th swipe of the year.Guzman entered the game tied with Wayne Lydon of Syracuse for the International League lead.

The series wraps up this afternoon. Chris Lambert (11-6) will start for Toledo against Russ Ohlendorf (1-2). Lambert's 3.38 earned run average is eighth in the IL.

Article published Monday, August 4, 2008
Indy pitcher too fast for Mud Hens

By PETE CAVA
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

INDIANAPOLIS - Relying on a fastball in the mid-90s yesterday afternoon, Indianapolis right-hander Ross Ohlendorf fanned nine Toledo Mud Hens over 72/3 innings en route to an 8-4 Indians home victory.

Ohlendorf (2-2), who joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in a late July trade with the New York Yankees, scattered six hits and walked a batter. Sixty-one of his 95 pitches were strikes.

The Princeton alum vastly improved on his last outing, a 5-3 loss last Tuesday at Fifth Third Field.

"He looked like he was throwing very well today," said Hens manager Larry Parrish. "His fastball was up around 97 today for about the first four innings. He got his breaking pitch over better today than he did at our place."

Right-hander Chris Lambert, who had won four of his last five decisions, started for Toledo and surrendered a pair of runs in the third. Andrew McCutchen started the rally with a one-out double, followed by a base hit by Nyjer Morgan that gave the Indians their first score. After Morgan stole second, Neil Walker blooped a single to right that made it 2-0.

Indianapolis added two more in the fifth. McCutchen drew a one-out base on balls and scored on a double by Morgan, who took third on a wild pitch. Morgan scored on Walker's sacrifice fly to give the Indians a 4-0 edge.

Lambert (11-7) lasted five innings, notching five strikeouts and giving up seven hits, four earned runs and a walk. Brian Rogers replaced him in the sixth.

Toledo got on the board when Jeff Larish led off the seventh with his 18th home run.

The Indians stormed back with three more in the bottom of the frame. McCutchen and Morgan got aboard with infield hits and, as Walker struck out, Morgan stole second. Both runners came around on Jason Delaney's single to center. Matt Kata followed with a triple down the right field line that made it 7-1.

Clay Rapada, back with Toledo after three days with the parent Detroit Tigers, relieved Rogers and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

The Hens got two back in the eighth when Freddy Guzman cracked a one-out double and Clete Thomas launched his ninth homer of the year to make the score 7-3.

Ohlendorf struck out the next batter and then made way for left-hander Juan Perez. Perez's day ended just two batters later. Timo Perez greeted the left-hander with a double and went to third on a wild pitch. Larish's single to center plated Perez for a 7-4 score.

Jesse Chavez came in from the bullpen and struck out Dusty Ryan to end the inning.

Indianapolis went up 8-4 in the eighth. Carlos Maldonado reached first on a bad-hop infield hit and took second on a wild pickoff attempt. Bixler reached base on a bunt single that put runners at the corners, but was caught stealing. After McCutchen fanned, Morgan poked a single to left that scored Maldonado

Morgan was 4-for-5 with three runs batted in to lead the Indianapolis offense. Chavez picked up his 10th save.

Toledo finished the season with 12 wins in 21 games with Indianapolis.

The Hens open a four-game series at Louisville today. Yorman Bazardo (4-7) starts for Toledo against Ben Jukich (1-1). The Bats are in first place in the International League West.

"We're glad to get out of town and go down to Louisville and see what we can do down there," said Parrish.

Article published Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Louisville breezes by Mud Hens

By JOSH COOK
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

LOUISVILLE - Aaron Harang hung six shutout innings on Toledo as the Louisville Bats blistered the Mud Hens 11-0 last night.

The crowd of 8,820 at Louisville Slugger Field witnessed the second-most lopsided loss of the season for the Hens, who were routed at Rochester 13-0 July 22.

The defeat dropped the Mud Hens six games back of International League West-leading Louisville.

Harang, sent down from Cincinnati on a rehab assignment after going on the disabled list in early July with a strained right forearm, handled the Mud Hens with ease.

"He threw very well. His fastball had life to it," Louisville manager Rick Sweet said. "He was free and easy and he felt good. Whether he's ready to go back, that's their call. But he looked healthy to me."

Meanwhile, Toledo starter Yorman Bazardo had trouble finding the strike zone as the Bats rocked him for 10 runs on eight hits over 31/3 innings.

Louisville finished with 13 hits to Toledo's seven.

"We had a tough time getting them out," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said.

Bazardo's control problems began in the second inning. He walked three to load the bases, then on a full-count pitch with two outs he hit No. 9 hitter Paul Janish to force in a run. The next batter, Chris Dickerson, cleared the bases with a double to right field as Louisville took a 4-0 lead.

The Bats scored once in the third. Adam Rosales used three bats, he broke the first two, for a leadoff double to center field. He moved to third on Kevin Barker's groundout, then scored on Drew Anderson's single.

The Bats' onslaught continued in the fourth. Michael Griffin singled with one out, then Janish doubled down the third base line to score him. Dickerson followed with his fourth RBI of the game on a single to center. Then Rosales delivered an RBI double to chase Bazardo (4-8).

Ian Ostlund came on in relief and walked the first batter he faced, struck out the second, then gave up a two-run single to Ryan Hanigan. The runs were charged to Bazardo.

It was the third straight loss for Bazardo, but the thing that made this a bizarre outing was the four walks. He had walked a combined six in his last five starts, and he hadn't allowed more than four runs in any of those outings.

Two plays in the sixth inning epitomized the night for the Mud Hens.

In the top of the inning Freddy Guzman grounded out to second, but he never got out of the batter's box. He slipped and watched the throw to first from his knees.

Then in the bottom of the inning right fielder Brent Clevlen lost a fly ball in the twilight and it hit the ground behind him.

Louisville forced Toledo to use five pitchers.

"We've got a couple scouts in town and they've seen everybody in the bullpen, some of them twice," Parrish quipped.

Article published Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Mud Hens go deep, but fall to Louisville

By JOSH COOK
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

LOUISVILLE - After Monday night's 11-0 loss to Louisville, Mud Hens manager Larry
Parrish considered his team's upcoming pitching prospects.

"We need a pitcher to go deep. Real deep," Parrish said.

Last night, Toledo ace Eddie Bonine couldn't go deep enough. The right-hander, who came in tied for second in the International League with 12 wins, gave up nine hits and six runs in 61/3 innings. Then the Hens' bullpen didn't do him any favors, yielding four runs over the final 12/3 innings as Louisville overcame a quartet of Toledo two-run homers for a 10-8 win in front of 8,945 at Louisville Slugger Field.

The loss dropped Toledo seven games behind the Bats in the IL West. It also marked the Mud Hens' fourth four-game losing streak of the season. Toledo lost six straight from July 1-6.

Timely hitting was the name of the game last night as 11 runs were scored with two outs, including the first seven.

Five of the six runs Louisville scored against Bonine came with two out.

"Bonine wasn't sharp," Parrish said. "He gave up some runs early, then we put him back out there in the seventh, but we probably shouldn't have. But he only left one guy on first and they scored three runs [after he left]. We didn't get a very good job from our bullpen tonight."

Toledo kept it close, though.

Jeff Larish hit a pair of two-run homers and Brent Clevlen and Dusty Ryan each hit one.

"We stayed in it, we had some guys come to hit pretty good, but we just never caught up," Parrish said.

Kevin Barker's two-run homer to left-center in the first gave Louisville a 2-0 lead.

The Bats doubled their lead in the third with three straight two-out hits.

However, hot-hitting call-up Ryan got Toledo back into the game in the fourth with a two-out, two-run home run to straightaway center field. It was the first Triple-A homer for Ryan.

Louisville added another run in the fourth on a two-out RBI-single by Danny Richar.

The Mud Hens cut the Louisville lead to 5-4 in the sixth on Larish's one-out, two-run homer off the foul pole in right field. It was the 19th home run of the season for Larish, who came in hitting .125 (6-for-48) against the Bats this season, and the first two runs of the game scored when there weren't two outs.

The loss dropped Bonine to 12-3 and two of those setbacks have been to the Bats.

Clay Rapada came on in the seventh and gave up an RBI triple to Anderson and a two-run single to Luis Bolivar. The Bats added two more in the eighth.

Clevlen's 20th home run of the season in the ninth accounted for the final score.

Article published Thursday, August 7, 2008
Dayton, Toledo tops in the minors
BLADE STAFF

There is a very valuable minor league baseball franchise in Ohio.

In fact, it's ranked the sixth most-valuable in all of minor league baseball.

And the team plays at Fifth Third Field.

No, it's not the Mud Hens.

The Dayton Dragons, the Cincinnati Reds' Class A affiliate, are estimated to be worth $22.1 million, according to Forbes.

But don't feel bad, the Hens come in at No. 9 on a top 20 list released by Forbes.com.

The Detroit Tigers' Triple-A team here in Toledo is estimated to be worth $21.5 million, with revenue of $9.7 million and operating income of $2 million.

The most valuable of the 160 teams in either Class AAA, AA or A (excluding rookie leagues) is the Sacramento River Cats, an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics owned by Art Savage and estimated to be worth $29.8 million. The River Cats drew more than 700,000 fans last season. An average of about 10,000 a game.

They play in Raley Field, built eight years ago and considered among the best stadiums at any level in baseball.

One characteristic of a valuable franchise is a recently built stadium.

The Mud Hens went from sparse crowds to full houses when they moved from Skeldon Stadium to Fifth Third Field in 2002.

The only team among the top 10 with a stadium built before 2000 is the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Their venue was built in 1989,and they come in at No. 8 on the list with a value of $21.7 million.

According to Forbes.com, the Dragons highlight a big difference between the major and minor leagues. For the former, winning is the key to filling the ballpark.

For the latter it is affordability (it costs a family of four about $50 for tickets, food and parking for a game - less than one-third of the cost of a big league game) and nonbaseball entertainment (an abundance of contests for fans and play areas for children).

Here is Forbes' top 10, including value, league affiliation (AAA unless noted) and parent club:

1. Sacramento River Cats, $29.8 million, Pacific Coast League, Oakland Athletics.

2. Memphis Redbirds, $26.1 million, Pacific Coast League, St. Louis Cardinals.

3. Frisco Rough Riders, $24.6 million, Texas League (AA), Texas Rangers.

4. Round Rock Express, $24.2 million, PCL, Houston Astros.

5. Indianapolis Indians, $22.2 million, International League, Pittsburgh Pirates.

6. Dayton Dragons, $22.1 million, Midwest League (A), Cincinnati Reds.

7. Louisville Bats, $21.8 million, IL, Cincinnati Reds.

8. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, $21.7 million, IL, New York Yankees.

9. Toledo Mud Hens, $21.5 million, IL, Detroit Tigers.

10. Albuquerque Isotopes, $21.3 million, PCL, Florida Marlins.

Article published Thursday, August 7, 2008
Louisville piles up 15 hits against Hens
By JOSH COOK
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

LOUISVILLE - Toledo began its four-game series with Louisville in the Bats' rearview mirror.

Now the Mud Hens are barely visible.

Louisville topped Toledo for the third straight game last night - 8-4 in front of 8,280 fans at Louisville Slugger Field - to move eight games ahead of the Mud Hens in the International League West Division.

"We've got it in high-speed reverse right now," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said. "Every time that we close the gap they go back out there and open it back up again."

Toledo lost its fifth straight game, and its fifth in a row to Louisville.

Pitching was again the problem for the Mud Hens. Starter Virgil Vasquez (7-12) gave up four runs in the first six innings, then three relievers combined to give up four more. The quartet of Mud Hens hurlers tallied just four strikeouts as the Bats pounded 15 hits, led by catcher Ryan Hanigan's 5-for-5 night.

Toledo, which came in leading the IL in home runs, took a 1-0 lead in the third with some small ball. But the Mud Hens could've had more.

Kody Kirkland led off with a walk, then Max Leon singled up the middle when Toledo had the hit-and-run on. Derek Wathan lined out to second before leadoff batter Freddy Guzman hit a weak bouncer in front of the pitcher's mound that Louisville starter Justin Mallett (5-2) fielded, then flipped to Hanigan, who tagged Kirkland out at the plate.

Parrish briefly protested, but to no avail.

Timo Perez followed with a line drive RBI-single that Louisville left fielder Drew Anderson dived for, but missed. It gave the Mud Hens their first lead of the series.

Brent Clevlen then struck out looking. It was a sign of things to come. Clevlen, who went 4-for-4 and reached base in all five at-bats Tuesday, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts last night.

Toledo's lead was short-lived. The Bats answered in the bottom of the inning as No. 9 hitter Paul Janish led off with a double to the gap in left-center, then

Chris Dickerson followed with an RBI-single.

The Bats took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Hanigan singled with one out, then moved to second on Shaun Cumberland's ground out. Rob Mackowiak's single to center scored Hanigan.

Louisville increased its lead to 4-1 in the fifth as Vasquez struggled to find the strike zone. Dickerson led off with a single, then Vasquez walked two of the next three batters to load the bases. Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly before Hanigan added a RBI-single to center. The next batter, Cumberland singled, but right fielder Cleven threw Kevin Barker out at home.

The Mud Hens rallied for two runs in the sixth. Perez led off with a walk, then stole second before Cleven grounded out. Mallett walked Jeff Larish before being replaced by reliever Carlos Fisher. Dusty Ryan greeted Fisher with an RBI-single to score Perez. Clete Thomas then grounded into a fielder's choice - Ryan broke up Louisville's double-play try - to score Larish.

Francisco Cruceta started the seventh inning for the Mud Hens and Adam Rosales said hello with a triple. He scored three later on Hanigan's second RBI-single.

Larish hit a solo home run in the eighth - his third of the series - to trim Louisville's lead to 5-4.

But the Bats answered in the bottom of the inning on a three-run homer by Anderson.

Article published Friday, August 8, 2008
Louisville keeps Mud Hens reeling
By JOSH COOK
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

LOUISVILLE — In the last three years Toledo might have won a game like last night’s with Louisville.

But not this year, not right now.

Ryan Hanigan’s RBI-single in the bottom of the 10th gave the Bats a 2-1 win over the Mud Hens.

“They’re going good and we’re not right now,” Toledo manager Larry Parrish said. “We make one error tonight and it leads to their first run. Then, we start off the last inning with a bad hop ground ball that goes through.”

The loss, in front of 9,435 fans at Louisville Slugger Field, equaled the Mud Hens’ longest losing streak (six games) of the season.

And the win gave Louisville a nine-game lead over the three-time defending IL West champs, as well as the franchise’s first four-game sweep of Toledo.

After three games of robust offense, much of last night’s game was a pitchers’ duel between Toledo’s Anastacio Martinez and Louisville’s Ramon Ramirez.

Martinez had struggled mightily in his previous outing, he lasted only 12/3 innings while allowing five earned runs and seven hits Aug. 2 against Indianapolis. In Martinez’s previous four starts he had yielded 23 earned runs in 17 1/3 innings. Last night he went 61/3 innings and gave up just four hits and an unearned run, but got a no decision.

“He did a very nice job,” Parrish said. “I think because of [the previous outings] he had a little more zip on his fastball tonight.”

The Bats took a 1-0 lead in the third. Leadoff hitter Michael Griffin started the inning with a shot that was too hot for Toledo shortstop Max Leon, who misplayed the ball.
Danny Richar singled Griffin to third before Kevin Barker’s one-out sacrifice fly gave the Bats the lead.

It stayed 1-0 until the seventh when Clete Thomas led off with a single, but was then caught stealing by Hanigan. It was costly because on the next pitch, Erick Almonte hit a home run to right field.

“It was a hit and run and we swung through it,” Parrish said of the caught stealing. “I thought if he threw a breaking ball Clete had a chance to steal it, but he got thrown out. The guy made a good throw.”

That was the final inning for Ramirez, who gave up just four hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters.

The game remained tied until the 10th. Reliever Francisco Cruceta, the Mud Hens’ third pitcher of the game, struck out Richar before Adam Rosales singled past third baseman Jeff Larish.

The ball took an odd hop as Larish prepared to field it, so it was ruled a base hit.

Cruceta then walked Barker before being replaced by Clay Rapada. Rapada struck out Drew Anderson before Hanigan hit a low liner to center. Thomas tried to dive for the ball but could not reach it.

Louisville and Toledo face off again next week (Aug. 13-14) in a two-game series in the final regular-season meetings between the teams.

The Bats lead the season series 12-7.

Article published Saturday, August 9, 2008
Hens' playoff chances very slim
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The Mud Hens' just-completed 1-6 road trip, which included four straight losses to Louisville, has put a severe crimp in Toledo's playoff hopes.

In fact, right now the Hens' focus is just on winning games, not winning division titles.

"We're just trying to take things a day at a time right now," manager Larry Parrish said. "We'd like to put together a few wins in a row. Right now that's all we're trying to do."

While the Hens won last night, so did the Bats, keeping Toledo nine games behind Louisville in the International League West standings.

Since June 28, Louisville has gone 30-9 and has pulled away from the rest of the West, giving them a magic number to win the division of 15.

What's more, if Louisville merely goes 11-12 the rest of this season, the Hens will need to finish 20-3 just to tie the Bats in the standings and force a playoff.

"They seem to be a club that does whatever it takes to win," Parrish said of the Bats. "They beat us 10-8 and 2-1. That's what happens when you're playing well - you win the high-scoring game, and you win the low-scoring game."

Toledo is one of just three teams in the 125-year history of the International League to win three straight division titles - Columbus (1990-92) and Durham (1998-2000) are the others - and is looking to become the first franchise to win four straight.

Here's a better bet for the Hens. They need to win nine of their remaining 23 games to finish above .500 for the fourth consecutive season. The last time this franchise turned that trick was from 1941-44.

The Hens' chances to win the wild card are equally dismal. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has gone 21-6 since July 10 to pass Pawtucket for the top spot in the IL North, but the Red Sox remain the leader in the wild card hunt.

The nearest challenger to the PawSox for the wild card is Toledo, but the Hens are nine back of Pawtucket.

The magic number for the Red Sox to win the wild card is 14 after Pawtucket rallied to beat Charlotte last night.

"We can't worry about those other teams," Parrish said. "We have to play well. If we play ourselves back into it, fine. But we just have to focus on playing well."

THREE-DOT DATA: With his two hits last night, Dusty Ryan now has at least one hit in his first six Hen games. … Jeremy Johnson earned the save by pitching three innings, the first three-inning save by the Hens this year.

Article published Saturday, August 9, 2008
Mud Hens rebound after team meeting
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish called a team meeting before yesterday's home game with Norfolk.

"We just discussed approach to the game," was all Parrish would say about the meeting.

"We talked about going about your business the right way - hustling balls out and stuff like that," catcher Dusty Ryan said. "It's simple stuff."

Whatever the topic of conversation was, the result of the meeting was positive. The Mud Hens, who had lost six straight before last night, claimed a 9-3 victory over the Tides at Fifth Third Field.

The benefits of that talk weren't immediately apparent as Norfolk scored a pair of runs in the first inning, helped in part by some struggles by the Toledo defense. Eider Torres singled with one out, and Oscar Salazar doubled him to third on a fly into the right-field corner that eluded Brent Clevlen.

A groundout by Mike Costanzo scored Torres, and Salazar came home on a bloop double to left that fell in front of Timo Perez.

But the Hens erased the deficit with three in the bottom of the first off Norfolk's Randy Keisler.

"To me, that was the turning point. After giving up two in the first, and not making some plays, to score three," Parrish said. "That changed the momentum for us."

With one out Perez was hit by a pitch, and he took second on a single by Clevlen. With two outs Ryan slammed a triple to straightaway center that plated both runners, and Ryan came home on a single by Clete Thomas.

"I noticed [Keisler] was throwing a lot of off-speed stuff, a lot of change-ups," said Ryan, who finished with a pair of hits, three runs scored and two RBIs. "I was just trying to stay back and trying to hit something up. He left a change-up up, and I got it."

Norfolk tied the game in the third when Torres singled, stole second and scored on Salazar's second double of the night. But Hens starter Chris Lambert kept the Tides at bay despite allowing seven hits and three walks in six innings.

"I thought Lambert did a good job of pitching despite not having his best stuff," Parrish said. "He was missing [spots], his breaking ball wasn't as good, but he was battling."

Jeremy Johnson relieved Lambert and allowed just two walks in three scoreless innings to claim his first save of the year.

"The bullpen needed that," Parrish said of Johnson's effort.

Meanwhile the Toledo offense was giving Lambert and Johnson some breathing room, scoring twice in the third, fourth and eighth innings.

Clevlen plated both Toledo runs in the fourth when he slammed his 21st home run of the season off the scoreboard in left.

And the Mud Hens capped the scoring in the eighth thanks to a run-scoring double by Thomas and an RBI groundout by Freddy Guzman.

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

Article published Sunday, August 10, 2008
Ryan overlooked among prospects
BLADE STAFF

When Baseball America magazine ranked the Tigers' top prospects before this season, Dusty Ryan wasn't on the list.

But if the Mud Hens' new catcher continues to play as he has, he definitely will earn a spot among the 30 best prospects in the organization.

"He's a big kid, and he's been swinging the bat well for us," manager Larry Parrish said of Ryan. "He's been impressive for us. So far, he's handling himself very well."

Ryan, who was not in the Toledo lineup for last night's game against Norfolk, has hit .391 in his first six games with the Hens with a home run and six RBI. Before his promotion, Ryan hit .253 with 15 homers and 50 RBIs in 82 games for Double-A Erie.

"Actually, when I was in Erie I was in a little bit of a slump [before I left]," Ryan admitted. "But so far up here I'm been seeing the ball well and swinging at good pitches, and that's when good things happen."

Not a lot of good things have happened for Ryan at the plate before this year. The 6-4, 220-pounder had a .225 career batting average entering this season and had not hit above .245 in any full season.

Last year he played in just 52 games and hit just .214 with Single-A Lakeland, although he was tied for the Florida State League lead with four home runs at the end of April.

"Last year I was off to a good start, but I tore my meniscus and missed three months," Ryan said. "This year I wanted to stay healthy and do what I can do, and so far I've done it."

The 23-year-old Ryan said he also made some changes to his swing in spring training.

"My stance is completely new," Ryan said. "I widened my stance, and I started a [front toe] tap, and I have a little bit of a wrap in my hands. It's stuff that's clicking right now."

It also helps that Ryan has long been considered a fine defensive catcher. He ranked third in the Eastern League after throwing out 39 percent of the baserunners who tried to steal and he has thrown out four potential base-stealers with the Hens.

"He's got a lot of arm strength, and he's always had that," Parrish said. "The thing with him has been the bat. His bat is improving every year."

NEW GUY ON THE ROSTER: Before yesterday's game the Mud Hens added pitcher Gary Glover to the roster.

Glover began the season with Tampa Bay, where he was 1-2 with a misleading 5.82 ERA in 29 appearances. Glover had a 3.34 ERA before his final two games, where he allowed nine hits and 10 runs in 12/3 innings before going on the disabled list July 11 with a left calf strain.

Glover, who has pitched in the big leagues with four other teams besides Tampa Bay, was designated for assignment by the Rays and released Aug. 2.

Parrish said Glover has not pitched in a game since going on the disabled list, so he won't have a defined role until he pitches some innings.

To make room for Glover on the roster, the Mud Hens released pitcher Brian Rogers, who was 0-1 with a 7.65 ERA in 16 games.

THREE-DOT DATA: Freddy Guzman stole a base in the first inning to give him 41 steals with the Hens this season. He leads the IL despite having not joined Toledo until May 7. … With last night's crowd of 10,879 at Fifth Third Field, the Mud Hens have sold out 28 games this season, including the last 10 in a row and 21 times in the last 24 home games.

- John Wagner

Article published Sunday, August 10, 2008
Slumping Mud Hens unable to turn Tides, rain
By JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Some call it "buzzard's luck." Last night it was called "Mud Hens' luck."

Toledo struggled against a Norfolk offense that saw roughly half of its hits stay in the infield. Tides starter Andy Mitchell held the Hens in check, giving up seven hits in seven innings but thwarting several rallies with double plays.

And the one time it looked as if the Mud Hens might get things rolling, the game was delayed 1 hour, 45 minutes by rain.

The result was a 5-2 loss to the Tides, Toledo's seventh loss in the last eight games.

"That's not something we could have controlled," Hens second baseman Michael Hollimon said of his team's bad fortune. "We battled back, we definitely fought, but it just wasn't our night."

The Mud Hens offense certainly struggled against Mitchell. The submarine-style right-hander gave up at least one hit in six of the seven innings he worked, but he wiggled out of trouble nearly every time.

Mitchell coaxed three double plays among his 12 ground-ball outs, and the Hens were 1-for-7 when hitting with runners in scoring position.

Toledo finally scored off Mitchell in the seventh when Erick Almonte walked with one out, and Hollimon - who had just three hits in his previous 41 at-bats - stroked a no-doubt home run to right, his 15th round-tripper of the season.

"I've been scuffling, but I'm not quitting," Hollimon said. "I'm working even harder now, because I know that's what I've got to do to get out of this funk - I've got to swing the bat.

"Working with a guy like [hitting coach Leon] 'Bull' [Durham] I know is going to help me a lot."

Hollimon's hit made the score 5-2, but any momentum was halted in the top of the eighth when soft rain turned into a hard rain that developed into a lengthy rain delay.

"The momentum sort of washed away," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "We got some hits, but the key to the game was the double play. Every time we got something going, we seemed to hit into a double play."

The Hens were behind because of a Norfolk offense that collected five infield hits against Toledo starter Yorman Bazardo, including three that turned into runs.

"They threw a lot of base hits at us - a lot of infield hits," Parrish said. "It was one of those games where, if the balls were directed better, Bazardo wouldn't have given up as many runs."

The Tides got on the board in the second when Luis Terrero slammed his 12th home run of the season, a long shot over the scoreboard in left.

Norfolk scored in the third when Tike Redman led off by lining a single off Bazardo, and Eider Torres followed with a high hopper over the head of first baseman Jeff Larish into right.

Hens right fielder Brent Clevlen overran the ball, though, and it rolled past him, allowing Redman to race home with an unearned run.

The Tides added a run in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Chris Roberson that scored Mike Costanzo, who had reached on an infield hit. They plated two more in the seventh on a rally that began with a one-out bunt single by Roberson, who moved to third on a single by Redman. Roberson scored on a wild pitch that pushed Redman to second, and he came home on a single to right by Torres.

Clevlen also overran that ball for his second error of the night, but his first errors since May 30.

"When you boot a couple balls in the outfield, it doesn't look good," Parrish said. "But on both balls [Clevlen] was playing them right - he just missed them.

"Sometimes those things happen. They're just part of the game."

NOTE: When the rains forced the grounds crew to put the tarp on the field, Mud Hens broadcaster Jordan Strack briefly fell under the tarp. He later was transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

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

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds made a surprise visit to AT&T Park last night during a special pre-game ceremony to honor former outfielders.

The ceremony was part of the Giants year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in the city.

Bonds' name was left off the official list of confirmed outfielders, although it was rumored Friday night that he would appear.

After the first 24 former outfielders were introduced, Willie Mays walked through the center field gates unannounced. The crowd rose as he walked slowly toward the infield.

A few moments later, Bonds jogged through the left field gates and joined his godfather on the slow walk. He was greeted by a thunderous ovation.

"I want to thank the Giants for inviting all these great guys," Bonds said. "It's weird for me not to be in uniform with the Dodgers right there. You heard me Torre, I beat you before and I can beat you again. I haven't retired. Thank you."

Los Angeles manager Joe Torre tipped his hat at the comment.

Bonds pointed toward the Dodgers' dugout, where former teammate Jeff Kent was among those who were at the top of the dugout stairs watching the ceremony.

Bonds joined Giants television commentators Mike Krukow and Duane Kieper in the booth for the first two innings, referring to Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand as "Scott Rowand."

Bonds told the broadcasters he did not confirm his attendance at the reunion because he was on vacation and could not guarantee his flights.

After leaving the booth, Bonds was escorted past a group of TV, radio and newspaper reporters and entered a secured elevator without comment. He was later seen in the first row of the stands.

Bonds hit .276 last year with 28 home runs, 66 RBIs and a major league-high 132 walks. He was the prime focus of the All-Star game last July when it was held at the Giants' waterfront ballpark, and he broke Hank Aaron's home run record of 755 the next month.

He also led the majors last season with a .480 on-base percentage and finished with 762 career home runs.

"I know the players and coaches enjoy seeing those guys again," said Bochy. "These players watched them and respected them. It gives the guys a chance to go through memories about great times in San Francisco."

Brett Butler, Darryl Hamilton, Dave Kingman, 1987 NLCS MVP Jeffrey Leonard, Darren Lewis, Candy Maldonado, Bill North and Terry Whitfield were also among the 26 who were in attendance.

Article published Monday, August 11, 2008
Mud Hens not the same; Heart of order goes 0-for-10 with 4 strikeouts
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The Mud Hens hitters - including the ones who were good enough to be called to the big leagues earlier this year - aren't trying to make outs in key situations.

The pitchers aren't intending to give up runs, and the defenders behind them would rather avoid making costly errors.

But good intentions aren't enough when the team is in a funk. And that's where Toledo is right now.

The Hens lost to Norfolk 7-6 last night for their eighth loss in nine games. They are 10 full games behind Louisville in the International League West with 21 to go.

"You saw tonight how we've been playing around here lately," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said.

Brent Clevlen is an all-star outfielder who enjoyed a tour with the Tigers earlier this year. Jeff Larish has slugged his way to two major league call-ups and performed admirably for Detroit.

So when those two hitters - batting, naturally, in the middle of Parrish's order - get three chances with runners in scoring position in four innings, one of them has to deliver, right?

Not last night. They went 0-for-6 with a runners at second base and 0-for-10 with four strikeouts overall last night.

"If this were April or May, one of those guys would've gotten a big hit," Parrish said.

Michael Hollimon, another former Tiger, is batting .158 (15-for-95) since he was optioned back to Toledo July 7. Larish is hitting .235 (19-for-81) since he returned to the Hens July 21, and Clevlen is at .260 (49-for-188) since the Tigers sent him down June 20.

Eddie Bonine, last night's losing pitcher, went 2-1 for Detroit in June and July. Against the Tides, he allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and left the game with one out in the fifth because of a sore shoulder.

These players, along with the likes of Matt Joyce, Dane Sardinha and Casey Fossum (all now with the Tigers), and Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal (currently with Team USA at the Olympics), led the Hens to one of the best starts in franchise history earlier this year.

But this is not the Toledo team that stormed out to a 33-17 record by May 24. It's a team that has made 111 roster moves, used five catchers (six, if you count Brandon Inge on a rehab assignment), and is just five games over .500 at 64-59.

"This is different than anything I've experienced in pro ball," said Larish, who, like Clete Thomas, Hollimon and Joyce, was drafted in 2005. "Clete and I have played together the past three years and been on teams that stayed consistent. We haven't had that revolving door like there's been this year."

Thomas, Larish and Hollimon are each in their first full seasons at Triple-A. Parrish believes the IL is starting to catch up with them, and they need to adjust.

Toledo's pitchers were staked to a 4-2 lead last night thanks to Max Leon's sacrifice fly, Freddy Guzman's RBI single and Timo Perez's two-run double in the second inning.

But a Larish throwing error from third base jump-started the Tides' four-run fifth in which Bonine and Ian Ostlund allowed a triple, double, single, and double to four consecutive hitters.

The Hens left runners on base in the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

"I don't have the answers," Parrish said. "It's just one little thing here or there that's making us lose them instead of win them right now."

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

Article published Monday, August 11, 2008
Hens eager to hear from Olympians
BLADE STAFF

There hasn't been much communication between Mike Hessman, Blaine Neal, and the Mud Hens they left behind for the Beijing Olympics.

But when Hessman and Neal return to Toledo after their stint with Team USA later this month, their Triple-A teammates will be eager to hear their tales from the Far East.

Of the Hens players polled yesterday by The Blade, only infielder Jeff Larish had heard from Hessman or Neal since they left Toledo to join Team USA July 28. Larish said he exchanged text messages with Hessman Aug. 4 - the night Hessman hit two homers in Team USA's 17-5 exhibition victory over Team Canada in Durham, N.C.

"He sent me a text just to see how everybody was doing, and I was asking him how it was going there," Larish said.

Brent Clevlen, an all-star outfielder, said he saw Hessman and Neal on TV during NBC's coverage of the opening ceremony Friday night. Clevlen said he could see their faces as they entered the stadium with the other American Olympic athletes.

"That would be pretty sweet to be over there," Clevlen said.

Ian Ostlund, a Hens reliever and friend to both Hessman and Neal, said he's sent text messages to them since they left for China but hasn't heard anything back. He said Hessman consulted him before departing the Hens about purchasing a digital camcorder.

"I can't wait to hear their stories when they come back," Ostlund said. "We'll all be gathered around watching those videos."

Hessman, Toledo's all-star third baseman, and Neal, the Hens' all-star closer, both saw action in Team USA's four exhibition games against Team Canada before leaving for Beijing. Hessman went 3-for-13 with three homers and six RBIs, and Neal allowed a run on a hit in 11/3 innings (two appearances).

Team USA will begin Olympic play Wednesday against Korea. Pool play will continue through Aug. 20, and the medal rounds take place Aug. 22-23.

LAST LOOK: Jim Olander, in Toledo for the Hens' series against Norfolk, is the last of the Tigers' four major league scouts to watch the Hens play this season.

The Tigers have each of their big league scouts watch their Double-A, Triple-A and major league clubs play a few games each year to assist in making decisions on September call-ups and the next season's 40-man roster.

TURNAROUND: Hens pitcher Virgil Vasquez, who is scheduled to start the finale of Toledo's four-game series against the Tides tonight, is 1-4 with an 8.96 ERA in his last five starts.

Of those five outings, his last two were definite improvements from the first three.

He tossed seven shutout innings on Aug. 1 in a 3-0 win over Indianapolis, and surrendered four runs on nine hits in six innings in an 8-4 loss to Louisville last week.

In a three-game stretch from July 17-27, Vasquez allowed 22 runs (18 earned) on 24 hits in 91/3 innings.

The right-hander is 7-12 with a 5.14 ERA overall this year.

- Joe Vardon