Game 58- Charlotte Knights (26-32) @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (31-26)
Good evening Yankees fans, this is Shawn Murnin here at PNC Field for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Knights. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 7:05 tonight.
Game Notes brought to you by Mike Vander Woude
ON DECK…
The Yankees continue the second half of an eight game home stand with the third game of a four game series against the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Knights picked up an 8-2 win in the opening game of the series on Tuesday night with the Yankees coming back on Wednesday with a 1-0 win. The Yankees and Knights split a four game series at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, South Carolina from April 26th-30th, with SWB taking the first two games of the series and Charlotte winning the final two games. The Yankees are 11-14 at home on the season and are 6-11 at PNC Field since May 5th. Since the Yankees affiliation moved to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to the 2007 season, the Yankees and Charlotte have played 37 times with SWB holding the edge at 22-15, including an 12-5 mark at PNC Field. The Yankees swept the 2010 series over the Knights 4-0 and have won seven of eight games dating back to 2009.
LAST TIME OUT…
The Yankees made it six of seven against the Knights at PNC Field dating back to 2009 picking up a 1-0 shutout win on Wednesday night. Gustavo Molina had two of the Yankees four hits including the game winning single to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning off Tyson Corley (L, 0-1) with two outs scoring Kevin Russo who had reach on a fielder’s choice and went to second on a ground out. David Phelps (ND) threw 7.0 innings of shutout baseball allowing five hits with 3BB and 8K’s in a no decision. Miguel Socolovich (ND) making a spot start for Charlotte blanked SWB for 4.0 innings in his first start of the season. Tim Norton (W, 1-0) just called up from Double-A Trenton earlier in the day made his 2011 SWB Yankees debut and picked up the win with a scoreless eighth. Kevin Whelan (S, 18) picked up the save with a perfect ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts.
NOW PITCHING FOR THE SWB YANKEES…
Adam Warren is in search of his fourth win of the season and looks to tie David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell for the team lead with his second start of the season against Charlotte. Warren got no decision against the Knights in Fort Mill on April 26th allowing 5R (4ER) on 7H in 5.1 innings with 2BB and 4K in a game won by the Yankees 8-5. He suffered his second loss of the season on Saturday night against Toledo allowing 3ER over 6.0 innings on 8H with a walk and five strikeouts.
The right hander has put up comparable numbers in terms of ERA in both starts at PNC Field and on the road. Warren is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts at PNC Field with a .259 average against. He is 2-0 in six starts with a 3.89 ERA and a .275 average against on the road. The Yankees have won seven of the 11 games started by Warren in 2011.
ALONE AT THE TOP FOR A QUARTER OF AN HOUR…
The Yankees picked up their IL best sixth shutout of the season on Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Charlotte. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre sat atop the league in the shutout department for a grand total of 14 minutes, until IL North leading Lehigh Valley put the finishing touches on its sixth shutout with a 6-0 blanking of Durham.
BY THE SLIMEST OF MARGINS…
The Yankees picked up their second 1-0 win in a week on Wednesday edging by the Charlotte Knights in the second game of a four game series at PNC Field. SWB opened the month of June with a 1-0 win on the 1st at Indianapolis. In both cases, the Yankees got the winning run home in the eighth inning. Since the Yankees began play in Moosic in 2007, they have played 11 1-0 regular season games in the team’s brief history and are 9-2 in those contests. The two regular season losses came to Rochester on May 15, 2007 and to Charlotte on May 12, 2009. The Yankees are also 1-1 in 1-0 post games beating Durham in 13 innings on their way to the Governors’ Cup on September 10, 2008. Two years later on the same date, Columbus beat the Yankees at PNC Field 1-0 on their way to the IL title.
AVOIDING THE HAT TRICK…
The Yankees committed a single error for the second straight game on Wednesday in the 1-0 win over Charlotte marking just the sixth time this season that the team has posted an error in back-to-back games. The Yankees will try to avoid three straight games with a miscue which has taken place twice in 2011 from April 11-13 and May 7-9. With 27 errors on the year, the Yankees are the top defensive unit in all of minor league baseball. Salt Lake City of the PCL has the next fewest in the minor leagues with 32.
A STRETCHED OUT STREAK…
Greg Golson has hit safely in all five games (6-18, .333) he has played in since coming off the DL missing 27 SWB team games with a pulled Hamstring suffered in a May 2nd game at Gwinnett. The outfield picked up an infield single to start the Yankees rally in their 1-0 win over Charlotte on Wednesday and had now hit in six consecutive games (.348 (8-23), R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 6K) dating back to the game in which he departed in the top f the seventh due to the injury. The six game streak over 37 days is not the most drawn out for Golson who had a 13 game hit streak to open the 2011 season that actually began on August 24, 2010 that ran through April 11, 2010.
BACK IN THE MIX…
Hector Noesi is back with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will be in uniform for the third game of the series against the Charlotte Knights after rejoining SWB from his second stint with the NY Yankees. With the big club in 2011, the right hander went 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA in four games allowing 11H, 3R, 3ER in 15.1 IP. Noesi walked five and struck out six and held the American League to a .208 average against. He most recently threw 6.0 innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday night allowing 3H and 2ER with a HR, BB and a K. To make room for Noesi on the SWB roster, Tim Notron, who picked up the win for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday night was placed on the 7-Day DL.
Tonight’s Lineups:
Charlotte Knights
#7 Alejandro De Aza LF
#10 Jim Gallagher RF
#24 Dayan Viciedo 1B
#17 Tyler Flowers C
#8 Dallas McPherson 3B
#43 Michael Restovich DH
#15 Jordan Danks CF
#6 Andrew Garcia 2B
#3 Eduardo Escobar SS
#20 Gaby Hernandez SP
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
#13 Austin Krum CF
#19 Ramiro Pena SS
#38 Jorge Vazquez 1B
#10 Brandon Laird 3B
#8 Jordan Parraz DH
#2 Greg Golson RF
#5 Kevin Russo 2B
#3 Dan Brewer LF
#22 P.J. Pilittere C
#28 Adam Warren SP
Update 6:46- First pitch has been pushed back to 7:30 PM due to rain. The grounds crew is on the field and taking the tarp off now.
First Pitch: 7:32 Game Time Temperature: 68 degrees
Update: 1st Inning
Top Half:
Adam Warren faces 4 batters, giving up one hit to Jim Gallgher and ending the inning by striking out Tyler Flowers. Austin Krum will lead off the bottom half of the inning here at PNC Field.
Bottom Half:
The Yankees go down in order to close out the bottom half of the first, with Jorge Vazquez striking out to end the inning. Dallas McPherson is due up for the Knights headed into the second inning.
Update: 2nd Inning
Top Half
The Knights go down in order as McPherson strikes out while Restovich and Danks both ground out to second base. Laird Parraz and Golson will be due up in the bottom half of the inning to start something for the Yankees.
Bottom Half:
The Yankees break out early in this half inning, with Laird reaching on a throwing error from the third baseman, Jordan Parraz lined a screaming double into center field. With Parraz on second, Greg Golson flew out to center, but Kevin Russo quickly singled home Parraz, and advanced to second on the throw. Dan Brewer drove in Kevin Russo, and P.J. Pilittere would walk to futher extend the inning. Tyler Flowers would be charged with a pass ball during Krum’s AB which caused Pilittere and Brewer to advance to 2nd and 3rd. Ramiro Pena would walk to load the bases, but Jorge Vazquez struck out to end the inning. the Yankees get 3 runs off of 3 hits, with the Knights committing one error. The Knights will try and close in on a 3-0 Yankee lead as they send Andrew Garcia to the plate to lead off the top half of inning 3 here at PNC Field.
Update: 3rd Inning
Top Half:
Adam Warren retires the side in order again by getting Garcia to strike out, Escobar grounds into a great bare-hand play by Laird. Alejandro De Aza ends the inning by grounding out to Russo at second base. So far the Knights have mustered 1 hit over three innings. Brandon Laird will lead off the bottom half for the Yanks.
Bottom Half:
Brandon Laird reaches by getting hit by a pitch, and Jordan Parraz gets good wood on a ball but SS Eduardo Escobar climbs the ladder and pulls down a sure-fire base hit from Parraz. Greg Golson walks which moves over Brandon Laird to second base. Kevin Russo brings in a run after he singles, and Golson moves to third on an error by the left fielder. Hernandez was wild most of the inning, but found his compsure striking out Dan Brewer, and then Getting P.J. Pilittere looking at strike three. SWB picks up one more run on one hit this inning, bringing the score to 4-0 headed into the 4th inning.
Update: 4th Inning
Top Half:
Jim Gallagher leads off the inning with a deep fly ball to center field which is caught by Austin Krum for the first out of the 4th. Dayan Viciedo Singles to right fiend, but Tyler Flowers hits into the inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The line-up turns over for the Yankees as Austin Krum heads to the plate to lead off the 4th inning for the Yankees.
Bottom Half:
Gaby Hernandez gets his 3rd straight strikeout when Austin Krum wiffs in his third at-bat of the night. Ramiro Pena hits a hard double into right-center field, and Jorge Vazquez finally connects tonight for his 20th dinger of the season. Brandon Laird continues the Yankees’ hot hitting with a frozen rope double. Jordan Parraz, the Designated Hitter, Flies out to left field. Greg Golson walks to put runners on first and second with two outs. Kevin Russo comes to the plate and hits a ground ball to the short stop, who flips it to second base to get Hernandez out of the inning. Gaby Hernandez has already thrown 108 pitches through 4 innings of ball. The Knights will send Michael Restovich to the plate to start a Charlotte Rally.
Update: 5th inning
Top Half:
Warren again has a 1-2-3 inning as he gets McPherson to ground out to second, Restovich strikes out, and Danks flies out in foul ground to Laird to end the inning. The Yankees will send Dan Brewer to the plate in the bottom half.
Bottom Half:
Pitching Change: #30 Anthony Carter for #20 Gaby Hernandez
Hernandez’s Stats: 4IP, 5K, 4BB, 7H, 6R, 5ER, 1WP
Carter comes in and retires the Yankees in order, striking out Dan Brewer, getting P.J. Pilittere to ground out to first base, and Austin Krum to fly out to left field in foul ground. Headed into the 6th inning, the Yankees lead this one 6-0.
Update: 6th Inning
Top Half:
After Warren retired the first two batters by way of fly ball to left and ground out to third, he walks De Aza, and Jim Gallagher drives De Aza in with a double. Warren strikes out Dayan Viciedo to get out of the inning. Score here at PNC Filed is now 6-1 with Ramiro Pena due up in the bottom half of the inning.
Bottom Half:
Ramiro Pena gets his second hit of the ball game (single) and advances to second on an error in right field. After Jorge Vazquez fought off a series of pitches, he smacks a double into left field that Pena scores on, increasing the Yankees lead to 6 runs. Brandon Laird flies out to right field for the first out of the inning, and Jordan Parraz walks. Greg Golson singles into center field after the ball is deflected off of pitcher Anthony Carter. Kevin Russo hits a fly ball into right field that scores Jordan Parraz for the second out, and Dan Brewer flies out to right field to end the inning. The Yankees score three more this inning to put the score at 9-1 going into the 7th inning. Knights catcher Tyler Flowers will lead the inning off.
Update: 7th Inning
Top Half:
After Tyler Flowers strikes out, Dallas McPherson singles to right field. Michael Restovich remains hit-less tonight as he flies out to right field. Jordan Danks gets an infield single on a ball just out of the read of Laird, moving McPherson to second base. Warren is able to get the final out though as he gets Andrew Garcia to ground out to second base to end the threat.
Bottom Half:
Pitching Change: #29 Wes Whisler for #30 Anthony Carter
Carter’s Stats: 2IP, 1K, 1BB, 3H, 3R, 3ER
P.J. Pilittere singles with a ground ball up the middle, and Austin Krum works a walk. Ramiro Pena grounds into a 5-3, but advances both Pilittere and Krum. Jorge Vazquez hits a sacrifice fly to left field that scores Pilittere and makes the score 10-1 with 2 outs. Brandon Laird breaks his bat swinging at a lot pitch that he sends to McPherson at third base, who throws him out to end the inning. One run on one hit and one man left on base as we head into the 8th inning.
Update: 8th Inning
Top Half:
Adam Warren has been stellar as he’s only thrown 89 pitching through 8 innings, getting three straight this inning by way of a fly-out to center, De Aza down looking, and Jim Gallagher grounding out to first base to end the inning. We’ll head to the bottom of the inning with Jordan Parraz leading off for the Yankees.
Bottom Half:
Pitching Change: #13 Josh Kinney for #29 Wes Whisler
Whisler’s Stats: 1IP, 0K, 0BB, 1H, 1R, 1ER
Jordan Parraz grounds out to short stop for the first out of the inning. Greg Golson reaches with a double into left field, but Josh Kinney Strikes out Kevin Russo and gets Dan Brewer to ground out to second base. The Knights are out of the inning, and are down to their last hacks of the night here at PNC Field.
Update: 9th Inning
Top Half:
After Warren gets Viciedo to fly out to center and Tyler Flowers to ground out to short, Dallas McPherson doubles to center field. Michael Restovich makes the final out of the game when he grounds out to Ramiro Pena. The Yankees win this one 10-1, and will play the last game of this home stand tomorrow at 7:05 PM.
Kinney’s Stats: 1IP,1K, 0BB, 1H, 0R, 0ER
WP- Adam Warren (4-2) 9IP, 7K, 1BB, 6H,1R, 1ER
LP- Gaby Hernandez (4-6)
Mike Vander Woude
