Category: General News

Starting Lineups, notes and DL updates

First, tonight’s starting lineups in Great Falls:

Missoula (24-12)
Ellison RF
Parr SS
Court 3B
Griffin 1B
Groff 2B
Cardullo DH
Linton LF
Bianco CF
Henry C
Burgos RHP

Great Falls (16-20)
Millender CF
Herbek SS
De Pinto 2B
Haddow RF
Earley DH
Smith C
Medina 1B
Patino 3B
Thorpe LF
Walters LHP

Josh Parr is the pre-game show guest. We’re on the air at 6:40 tonight.

Now to the notes of the day:
– Jeremia Gomez has been placed on the 7-day Disabled List with an injured left hand. There is something more to the injury than what was originally thought, so the D-backs’ training staff wanted to take a closer look at the situation.

Looking at the minor league leaders in the top stat categories, you’ll find the following current/former Osprey:
– Paul Goldschmidt (2009) leads the minors in not only home runs, but entering tonight’s games, he also leads in RBIs (93).
– Eric Groff is tied for the lead in all of rookie ball with a .689 slugging percentage.
– Raymond Hernandez is in the top 5 in all of rookie ball in both WHIP and Average Allowed.

Notes and more to share …

Ahh, to know that you will be in the playoffs … well, another team headed to the postseason could be the Mobile BayBears. More here on former Osprey pitcher Jarrod Parker (2007) in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.

The Skinny:
The Osprey, who have won six in a row, eight of nine and nine of their last 10 at home, finish up a three-game series with the Idaho Falls Chukars. The Osprey will also be looking for their first seven-game win streak in nearly a decade.Last Time Out: Roidany Aguila’s single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Eric Groff with the game-winning run as the Missoula Osprey rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Idaho Falls Chukars, 4-3, and clinch the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title in front of 2,226 fans. The Osprey trailed 3-0 before mounting a comeback with a run in the eighth, which scored on a Justin Bianco groundout, and three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jon Griffin plated a run with a groundout and Fidel Pena tied it with a RBI single before Aguila hit a 0-2 pitch just inside the third-base bag for a fair ball and the walk-off winner. Another pitcher’s duel broke out, as was the case in the opener of the series, as Idaho Falls left-hander Brennon Martin and Missoula right-hander Dexter Price spent the first four innings matching zeroes on the scoreboard. The Chukars finally broke through in the fifth, on a three-run home run by Runey Davis, to take the 3-0 lead. Seth Simmons (1-0), the last of the three Missoula pitchers used, pitched a scoreless inning of relief to pick up the win. Price allowed just five hits in five innings of work, while Raymond Hernandez struck out four in three hitless innings of relief. The Osprey out-hit the Chukars, 11-5, including three hits each for Groff and Pena.

The streak continues … : Eric Groff extended his current hitting streak to 14 straight games with a base hit in the bottom of the second inning, then added two more hits for a 3-for-4 night. During the 14-game streak, Groff is 26-for-57 at the plate (.456), with seven doubles, a triple, six home runs and 15 RBIs. Groff has also collected eight multi-hit games during what is now his longest career hitting streak. Groff put together a 10-game streak from June 23-July 6 earlier this season, and has hit in 26 of the 30 games he has played in this season. Groff will have an off-day on Wednesday.

On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Robby Rowland to the mound to wrap up the homestand. Rowland (2-2, 7.31) picked up a win in his latest outing, on Friday night over Casper, where he allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over five innings of work. It was the first time since June 20 – the season-opener at Helena – that Rowland had not allowed five runs in a start. Teams have hit .371 against Rowland, but he managed to keep the ball down for much of his outing on Friday, a sign that things could be getting back into form for the former 3rd-round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. Rowland’s now part of a staff which leads the Pioneer League in ERA. The Chukars counter tonight with right-hander Kellen Moen, who has a win over Missoula already this season, and who has overcome a shaky opening start – six of the seven batters he faced in his first start of the season, vs. Orem, reached, with five of them scoring – to post a 1-1 mark with a 4.50 ERA. In his outing against the Osprey at Melaleuca Field on July 16, Moen allowed five hits in a walk in five innings of work, allowing three runs (two earned) in five innings of work, with eight strikeouts.

Stat of the Day: Former Osprey infielder Emilio Bonifacio (2003) is currently enjoying a 24-game hit streak for the Florida Marlins. Florida did not play on Monday. Bonifacio is hitting .400 (36-for-90) during the hitting streak, which is the third-longest in Marlins history, and the second-longest hit streak in the Major Leagues this season (Andre Ethier, 30 games).

Pitching Probables
Thursday, July 28 – Off Day

Friday-Sunday, July 29-31
at Great Falls
FRI – RHP Enrique Burgos vs. GF LHP Blair Walters
SAT – RHP Jesse Darrah vs. GF LHP Pete Gehle
SUN – RHP Conrad Flynn vs. GF LHP Jarrett Casey

Tidbits: The Osprey lead the Pioneer League in ERA (4.50), edging ahead of Billings, Ogden and Helena … Ty Linton had over a month between hits, but has a hit in each of his first six games played this season … Missoula is 11-2 in their first 13 games against the South Division … The Osprey now have the second-best home (12-6) and best road (11-6) records … Missoula now carries the best record in the Pioneer League by two games over Ogden, who lost to Billings again on Tuesday … The Osprey are 19-5 in the month of July, and are two wins away from tying the club record for most wins in a month (21, set in July and August, 2001) and have to go just 2-2 over the final four games of the month to set a new mark via win percentage (.734, set in June 1999).

Coming Soon:
July 29-31 – Three game series at Great Falls.
August 1-2 – Two-game series at Billings.
August 3-7 – Osprey back home for five-game homestand.

Osprey Alumni Update/Minor League Report:
The AZL D-backs (11-17) took Tuesday off, as the league switches from night games to morning games.

The DSL D-backs (19-30) rallied past the DSL Padres on Tuesday, 6-3.

Yakima (0-1, 13-26) lost to Tri-City on Tuesday, 6-3. Raul Navarro (2010) and David Narodowski (2009) each drove in a run, while Alex Capaul (2011) pitched well enough, allowing three runs in six innings of work, but took the loss. Sammy De Los Santos (2009-10) pitched 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, with three strikeouts.

South Bend (12-18, 46-53) took Tuesday off, as they get ready for their latest venture out on the road.

Visalia (12-19, 43-58) also had an off-day as they prepare to start a homestand, opening up against the current North Division wild-card leaders, the Stockton Ports, who also lead the North in the second half.

Mobile (23-8, 61-40) crushed Mississippi on Tuesday, 14-6, scoring eight times in the top of the third inning to blow the game open. Paul Goldschmidt (2009) hit his minor-league leading 30th home run, a two-run shot in the top of the first inning. Goldy walked three times and scored three runs on the evening. Adam Eaton (2010) had two hits, two runs scored  and three RBIs, Taylor Harbin (2007) had two hits and scored twice, while Jake Elmore (2008) also drove in a run.

Reno (62-41) broke a 4-4 tie with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third inning and rolled to a 10-5 win over Las Vegas on Tuesday. Randy Hamrick (2010) and Jordan Norberto (2006) combined for three shutout innings of relief.

Schedule:
AAA Reno vs. Las Vegas
AA Mobile at Mississippi
A Adv. Visalia vs. Stockton
A South Bend at Great Lakes – Jeff Shields (2010) will get the start tonight for the Silver Hawks.
SS-A Yakima at Salem-Keizer
AZL D-backs vs. AZL Mariners
DSL D-backs vs. DSL White Sox

Starting Lineups for July 27

Here are tonight’s lineups for the final game at home in the first half for the First-Half North Division Champion Missoula Osprey, and the final game in the season series with the Idaho Falls Chukars.

Idaho Falls Chukars
Overall Record: 15-20
Manager: Brian Buchanan
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
1 Darian Sandford LF .270 0 14
4 Luis Piterson 2B .200 0 4
3 Daniel Mateo DH .321 1 18
26 Mark Threlkeld 3B .252 1 13
20 Henry Moreno 1B .243 4 16
41 Edul Escobar C .344 3 9
6 Runey Davis CF .337 4 19
5 Adrian Martinez SS .223 0 7
9 Justin Fradejas RF .267 1 3
7 Kellen Moen RHP
Missoula Osprey
Overall Record: 23-12
Manager: Hector De La Cruz
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
14 Josh Parr SS .302 3 16
30 Chris Ellison RF .263 5 19
19 Ryan Court DH .273 3 20
38 Stephen Cardullo 3B .330 2 15
11 Tom Belza 1B .330 5 16
23 Fidel Pena 2B .280 2 16
17 Ty Linton LF .381 0 1
18 Justin Bianco CF .214 1 14
16 Bryan Henry C .238 2 4
37 Robby Rowland RHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Idaho Falls Chukars W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Kellen Moen 2-1 7.08 6-4 20.1 26 18 16 8 26 0 .306

 

Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Robby Rowland 2-2 7.31 6-6 28.1 46 25 23 6 23 4 .371

Game time temperature should be in the 70s with plenty of sunshine. Bring a jacket, though, it will chill off a bit before it’s done. Unless we have another game last 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Starting Lineups for July 26

Magic Number to clinch PL North First-Half title: 1

Either an Osprey win or a Billings loss will decide it tonight. Should be an interesting pitching matchup as well. Here are tonight’s lineups:

Idaho Falls Chukars
Overall Record: 15-19
Manager: Brian Buchanan
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
15 Tyler Chism LF .276 5 18
24 Chris Elder RF .360 0 5
21 Dean Espy 1B .308 4 20
3 Daniel Mateo 3B .330 1 18
20 Henry Moreno DH .243 4 16
41 Edul Escobar C .348 3 9
2 Luis Piterson 2B .222 0 4
6 Runey Davis CF .337 3 16
4 Michael Liberto SS .358 0 7
30 Brennon Martin LHP
Missoula Osprey
Overall Record: 22-12
Manager: Hector De La Cruz
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
30 Chris Ellison RF .263 5 19
14 Josh Parr SS .304 3 16
19 Ryan Court 3B .281 3 20
35 Jon Griffin 1B .268 5 25
12 Eric Groff DH .356 7 23
23 Fidel Pena 2B .260 2 15
24 Roidany Aguila C .272 7 21
17 Ty Linton LF .389 0 1
18 Justin Bianco CF .211 1 13
28 Dexter Price RHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Idaho Falls Chukars W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Brennon Martin 2-2 4.63 6-6 35.0 38 22 18 3 29 8 .270
Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Dexter Price 1-0 6.26 6-4 23.0 23 16 16 4 18 4 .258

Game time temperature is expected to be around 78 degrees, with some wind and clouds tonight. The Osprey can’t wait to see you out at Ogren Park Allegiance Field tonight!

Game Notes for July 26

Earlier with this than usual … but we’re trying to get the docket cleared so that we can focus on more stat analysis, and other things of note.

So … on with the show ….

The Skinny: The Osprey, who have won five in a row, seven of eight and eight of their last nine at home, continue a three-game series with the Idaho Falls Chukars, who had a three-game win streak snapped on Monday by Missoula. The Osprey also will attempt to clinch the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title with either a win or a Billings loss.

Last Time Out: The Osprey were glad to see Brian Peacock leave the game on Monday night at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, and celebrated with a four-run seventh inning to beat the Idaho Falls Chukars, 4-1, and clinch at least a tie for the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title. The 2,021 fans in attendance watched quite the pitcher’s duel for six innings, as Peacock – who had held Missoula hitless for a 10-inning stretch in two appearances, spanning two seasons – was at it again on Monday, baffling Osprey hitters to the tune of allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Taylor Siemens nearly equaled his left-handed counterpart, allowing just two hits and a walk in five innings of work, but Darian Sandford hit a bloop single to lead off the third inning, stole second base, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch to give the Chukars (15-19) a 1-0 lead.

That score held up until the home half of the seventh, when the Idaho Falls bullpen was called upon to hold the Osprey in check. Stephen Cardullo induced a leadoff walk from reliever Robert Penny (1-4), moved to second on a ground ball and scored on Ty Linton’s RBI single to knot the game at 1-all. Linton then rode home on Fidel Pena’s two-run home run to deep right field, giving the Osprey the lead for good. Missoula would add a run on a double steal by Josh Parr and Chris Ellison. Parr scored when Chukars catcher Edul Escobar threw off target to third base, allowing Parr to score and give the Osprey the 4-1 lead.

Conrad Flynn (3-1) pitched three innings of two-hit relief, striking out a pair of batters along the way to pick up the win, while DJ Johnson pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth to collect his second save of the season.

The streak continues … : Eric Groff extended his current hitting streak to 13 straight games with a double in the bottom of the second inning, then added another double in the fourth. During the 13-game streak, Groff is 23-for-53 at the plate (.434), with seven doubles, a triple, six home runs and 15 RBIs. Groff has also collected seven multi-hit games during what is now his longest career hitting streak. Groff put together a 10-game streak from June 23-July 6 earlier this season.

On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Dexter Price, to the mound as they look to clinch the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title. Price (1-0, 6.26) has been splendid since giving up seven runs in a July 4 start at Billings. In three appearances since, including one start, Price has allowed just three runs in 11 innings of work (2.45 ERA), allowing just four hits and two walks while fanning 11 batters.  Price will be followed by Raymond Hernandez, who held the league lead in ERA until he fell out of qualifying – and teammate Taylor Siemens (1.95) took over the lead following his start on Monday. The Chukars counter tonight with left-hander Brennon Martin, who is still trying to recover from a rough outing on July 9 at Orem, in which he allowed 10 runs (seven earned). In two starts against Helena, Martin went 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA, winning his road start in his latest outing. He has the capability to go deep into a game – in two June starts (1-0, 3.21) Martin pitched seven innings in each outing.

Stat of the Day: Former Osprey infielder Emilio Bonifacio (2003) is currently enjoying a 23-game hit streak for the Florida Marlins. Florida did not play on Monday. Bonifacio is hitting .386 (34-for-88) during the hitting streak, which is the third-longest in Marlins history, and the second-longest hit streak in the Major Leagues this season (Andre Ethier, 30 gms.).

Tidbits:
Ty Linton had over a month between hits, but has a hit in each of his first five games played this season … Missoula is 10-2 in their first 12 games against the South Division … The Osprey now have similar home (11-6) and road (11-6) records … Missoula now carries the best record in the Pioneer League by a game over Ogden, who lost to Billings on Monday … The Osprey are hitting .287 as a team, good enough for third in the Pioneer League (Ogden leads with a .306 team batting average) with a league-best 43 home runs, while the pitching staff is third with an ERA of 4.54 – one-tenth of an earned run behind league leader Helena (4.44) … The Osprey are 18-5 in the month of July, and have the best ERA (4.17) in the league for the month, while their .292 batting average is tied for second-best with Orem (Ogden, at .305, as the best average in the league in July).

Coming Soon:
Wednesday – Bang For Your Buck Night, Senior Wednesday, Game Show Night

Osprey Alumni Update/Minor League Report:
The AZL D-backs (11-17) beat the AZL Padres on Monday, 8-3.

The DSL D-backs (18-30) beat the DSL Twins on Monday, 11-1. Alan Santiago (2009) was held hitless, but still drove in a run, his 19th of the season. Santiago has tailed off a bit at the plate, as his average has fallen to .237 on the season.

Yakima (13-25) dropped a 9-3 decision to Tri-City on Monday. Westley Moss (2011), Raul Navarro (2010) and David Narodowski (2009) each had a base hit for the Bears.

South Bend (12-18, 46-53) lost to Kane County on Monday, 4-2. Matt Helm (2009-10) homered in the setback for the Silver Hawks, while Kable Hogben (2009) and Eury De La Rosa (2009) combined for three shutout innings of one-hit relief.

Visalia (12-20, 43-58) fell to San Jose, 8-6, on Monday. Chris Owings (2009) had two hits and a run scored, while Bobby Borchering (2009) hit a three-run homer in a five-run, ninth-inning rally that fell short. David Nick (2009) added a hit and a RBI, while Rossmel Perez (2008) and Keon Broxton (2009) added base hits for the Rawhide, who also received two scoreless innings of relief from left-hander Mike Belfiore (2009).

Mobile (22-8, 60-40) had an off-day on Monday. The BayBears start a five-game series at Mississippi on Tuesday.

Reno (61-41) was rocked by Sacramento on Monday, 10-1. Tom Layne (2007) surrendered eight runs on nine hits and four walks in six innings of work to suffer the loss.

Schedule:
AAA Reno vs. Las Vegas
AA Mobile at Mississippi
A Adv. Visalia – off-day
A South Bend – off-day
SS-A Yakima vs. Tri-City – Alex Capaul (2011) gets the start for the Bears
AZL D-backs – off-day
DSL D-backs vs. DSL Padres

 

Some stat analysis …

The question has been posed – with the Osprey at 18-5 in the month of July, is this the best month ever? Well, it can be looked at in two ways – by win percentage, and by total number of wins. So, here we go …

First, the record for the number of wins in a month – based on what we have been able to gather, thanks in part to Stats, Inc., is 21. That has happened twice, in the same season – 2001, when the Osprey opened 8-7, then rolled off back-to-back 21-win months in July (21-8) and August (21-9) on their way to a club-best 52-24 mark.

(We’re in the process of processing all of the games to date, which will be done shortly. The Stats, Inc. files were incredibly helpful for us, and will make the task a lot easier than first thought.)

For the 2011 Osprey to break that mark … they would have to run the table, which would mean a nine-game win streak, something that they haven’t done since … we believe … 2001. Again, we’ll be able to answer that fully in a few days.

Now, to best win percentage in a month … that is actually much more of a realistic goal. The current mark (for months with at least 10 games) is June 1999, when the Osprey started their run in Missoula with an 11-4 mark, or .733 winning percentage. For the current club to achieve that mark, all they would have to do is split the next four games, which would put them at 22-7 for the month, or a .741 win percentage.

More info coming soon … stay tuned!

Game notes for July 25

Off the top … OF Breland Brown is in good spirits, but sore after getting hit in the face by a pitch during Sunday’s game against Casper. The good news is that there were no broken bones, but Brown’s cheek and eye remain swollen, and will be for a few days.

OK, now to the rest of the story …

The Skinny:
The Osprey, who have won four in a row, six of seven and seven of their last eight at home, begin a three-game series with the suddenly red-hot Idaho Falls Chukars, who have won three straight and four of their last five games. The Osprey also will attempt to reduce their magic number to clinch a Pioneer League playoff berth, which currently stands at two over Billings and one over Great Falls.

Last Time Out:
Josh Parr had three hits, Eric Groff hit his second home run in as many nights, and Justin Bianco collected two hits and three RBIs as the Missoula Osprey knocked off the Casper Ghosts on Sunday, 7-4, before 2,323 fans at Ogren Park Allegiance Field. Stephen Cardullo also had two hits for Missoula, who collected 12 safeties on the night. The Osprey jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind the pitching of Jesse Darrah (2-0), who allowed just three hits and three walks in six innings of work, striking out eight batters in the process. Osprey pitchers fanned 12 batters on the night, and have struck out 28 batters in the past two games. Casper (9-24) would rally against the Missoula bullpen, getting a run off of Frank Santana in the eighth and then three more in the ninth off of Matt Sample – the first earned runs he had allowed all season – but could not pull off any more dramatics, dropping their sixth straight game overall.

The streak continues … :
Eric Groff extended his current hitting streak to 12 straight games in style, again, hitting a second-inning home run to get the Osprey on the board. During the 12-game streak, Groff is 21-for-49 at the plate (.429), with five doubles, a triple, six home runs and 15 RBIs. Groff has also collected six multi-hit games during what is now his longest career hitting streak. Groff put together a 10-game streak from June 23-July 6 earlier this season. Groff, in fact, as collected at least one base hit in 24 of the 28 games he has played this season, and currently also has a 14-game road hitting streak.

Tidbits:
The Osprey remain tied with Ogden for the Pioneer League’s best record with the win. Both teams are 21-12, and both beat Casper seven times in the first half of the season … Missoula also now leads the league in home runs, with 42 roundtrippers on the season … The Osprey pitching staff also leads the Pioneer League in strikeouts (342). Idaho Falls is second (316).

On the Mound Today:
Missoula will send out left-hander Taylor Siemens, to the mound as they look to clinch at least a tie for the Pioneer League North Division First-Half title. Siemens (2-0, 1.99) has been very effective as a starter – posting a 2-0 record with a 1.56 ERA in his four prior starts this season – and okay as a reliever (3.38 ERA in two relief outings, including one against Idaho Falls). In July, Siemens has been better than that – 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA, with all four runs (three earned) charged to him coming as a reliever. The Chukars counter tonight with a left-hander of their own in Brian Peacock, who has been a Jeckyl-and-Hyde pitcher against the Osprey in his two Pioneer League seasons. At home, he had a run of 10 consecutive no-hit innings against Missoula, which lasted until the fifth inning of his win on July 19. At Ogren Park Allegiance Field, Peacock (1-3, 1 save, 4.41) allowed four runs and 12 hits in five innings of work in his lone start in Missoula in 2010.

A Club First:
Sunday’s win enabled the Osprey to sweep not only the four-game series with the Ghosts, but the season series as well. It’s the first time since the franchise moved to Missoula in 1999 that they have swept an opponent in an entire season series. They had previously lost just once to an opponent in a season – to Casper in 2005 (6-1), and to Medicine Hat in 2001 (15-1).

Coming Soon:
Tuesday – Bike to the Ballpark, KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets
Wednesday – Bang For Your Buck Night, Senior Wednesday, Game Show Night

Osprey Alumni Update/Minor League Report:
The AZL D-backs (10-17) lost in a rain-shortened game to the AZL Dodgers on Sunday, 5-3. Domingo Soriano (2010) went 1 for-3 at the plate, raising his batting average for the season to .242.

The DSL D-backs (17-30) had Sunday off.

Yakima (13-24) lost on Sunday to Tri-City, 10-4. Teo Guiterrez (2010) struggled in the start, allowing eight runs on nine hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. David Narodowski (2009) homered, while Henry Zabala (2009) and Raul Navarro (2010) also collected base hits for the Bears.

South Bend (12-17, 46-52) dropped a 7-5 decision to the Kane County Cougars on Sunday. Chris Jarrett (2010) led the Silver Hawks at the plate with two hits and two runs scored, while Patrick Schuster (2009-10) had his best relief stint since being moved into the bullpen – 4 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K – and lowered his ERA to 3.54 for the season.

Visalia (12-19, 43-57) lost a pair to San Jose on Sunday, 7-3 and 5-0. David Nick (2009) hit a solo home run, while Keon Broxton (2009) had a base hit and a run scored in the opener. In the nightcap, Chris Owings (2009) and Bobby Borchering (2009) each had a single, while Taylor Sinclair (2008) pitched two innings of scoreless relief.

Mobile (22-8, 60-40) lost a 2-1, 10-inning decision to Birmingham on Sunday. Jarrod Parker (2007) pitched a solid game, allowing just a run on four hits while striking out four batters in six innings of work. Clay Zavada (2006) pitched around two hits and a walk to finish off a scoreless seventh inning. Paul Goldschmidt (2009) (single, double, stolen base) and Jake Elmore (2008) (two doubles) each had two hits for the BayBears. By the way, Goldy’s 29th home run of the season, which he hit on Saturday, set a new Mobile franchise record for roundtrippers in a season.

Reno (61-40) dropped an 11-10, 11-inning contest to Sacramento on Sunday.  Esmerling Vasquez (2004) allowed the first two batters to reach in the bottom of the 11th after 2 1/3 solid innings of relief. Jordan Norberto (2006) then came on and, after getting a strikeout, allowing a walk and inducing a force out, surrendered a base hit for the walk-off setback.

Schedule:
AAA Reno at Sacramento – Tom Layne (2007) gets the start for the Aces.
AA Mobile – off-day
A Adv. Visalia at San Jose
A South Bend vs. Kane County
SS-A Yakima vs. Tri-City
AZL D-backs vs. AZL Padres
DSL D-backs vs. DSL Twins

Starting Lineups for July 25

Magic Number to clinch: 2
This could be the best-pitched game of the homestand. Brian Peacock held the Osprey hitless for 10 1/3 consecutive innings (dating back to 2010), and Taylor Siemens hasn’t allowed an earned run as a starter during the month of July. More on that with the Game Notes entry, coming soon.

First, to today’s lineups – including the return of one of the members of the June 23 MASH unit.

Idaho Falls Chukars
Overall Record: 15-18
Manager: Brian Buchanan
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
15 Tyler Chism LF .277 5 18
24 Chris Elder RF .381 0 5
21 Dean Espy 1B .319 4 20
3 Daniel Mateo DH .340 1 18
26 Mark Threlkeld 3B .262 1 13
41 Edul Escobar C .349 3 9
2 Luis Piterson 2B .240 0 4
5 Adrian Martinez SS .229 0 7
1 Darian Sandford CF .269 0 14
23 Brian Peacock LHP
Missoula Osprey
Overall Record: 21-12
Manager: Hector De La Cruz
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
14 Josh Parr SS .311 3 16
30 Chris Ellison CF .269 5 19
19 Ryan Court 3B .290 3 20
35 Jon Griffin 1B .266 5 25
12 Eric Groff DH .351 7 23
38 Stephen Cardullo RF .350 2 15
24 Roidany Aguila C .273 7 21
17 Ty Linton LF .429 0 0
23 Fidel Pena 2B .247 1 13
41 Taylor Siemens LHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Idaho Falls Chukars W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Brian Peacock 1-3 4.41 6-5 32.2 35 21 16 5 35 3 .282

 

Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Taylor Siemens 2-0 1.99 6-4 22.2 18 7 5 9 26 0 .220

Game time temperature will depend on the cloud cover. Outside of a typical Missoula shower – which last about a minute and include large drops of rain – things are great here at the moment, and we will be a go for tonight.

Starting Lineups for July 24

Here are today’s starting lineups … kids are getting ready for the Kids Club Baseball Camp, which begins at 3:30 p.m. Then the big boys get to play …

Casper Ghosts
Overall Record: 9-23
Manager: Tony Diaz
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
1 Yafistel Roja 2B .308 1 5
29 Rosell Herrera 3B .277 4 14
14 Will Swanner DH .299 7 16
30 Harold Riggins 1B .282 2 9
20 Robert De La Cruz LF .215 3 12
3 Trevor Story SS .188 1 1
9 Carl Thomore RF .216 0 7
27 Julian Yan CF .210 1 11
13 Michael Ramirez C .200 1 5
41 Ben Hughes RHP
Missoula Osprey
Overall Record: 20-12
Manager: Hector De La Cruz
No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI
30 Chris Ellison RF .270 5 18
14 Josh Parr SS .297 3 16
19 Ryan Court 3B .294 3 20
35 Jon Griffin 1B .275 5 25
12 Eric Groff 2B .355 6 21
38 Stephen Cardullo DH .338 2 15
24 Roidany Aguila C .267 7 21
18 Justin Bianco CF .200 1 10
20 Breland Brown LF .250 0 2
26 Jesse Darrah RHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Casper Ghosts W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Ben Hughes 0-0 9.00 2-0 4.0 6 4 4 2 7 2 .333

 

Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg.
Jesse Darrah 1-0 4.97 6-6 29.0 34 16 16 8 26 3 .304

Game time temperature will be around 90 degrees … just three days removed from snow flying (and sticking) on mountain passes west of here. A cooling trend will hit on Tuesday and Wednesday.

More news and notes …

Catchin’ you up on all things Osprey:

The Skinny: The Osprey continue their four-game series with the Casper Ghosts tonight, as they seek their fifth win in their last six games overall, and will be seeking their sixth win in their last seven tries at home.  They also will attempt to reduce their magic number to clinch a Pioneer League playoff berth.Last Time Out: Jon Griffin hit a tie-breaking home run to snap a 3-3 tie, and the bullpen gave Robby Rowland enough relief to preserve a 4-3 Missoula Osprey win over the Casper Ghosts in front of 2,343 fans on Friday at Ogren Park Allegiance Field. The win, combined with a loss by Billings, gives Missoula (19-12) a four-game lead in the Pioneer League’s North Division over the other three teams – Billings, Great Falls and Helena, who each have a 15-16 mark. Both the Voyagers and Brewers won their games on Friday to jump into a three-way tie for second place. The Osprey now have a magic number of four over all three teams to clinch the first-half division title, which would be their first in the first half since 1999. Rowland (2-2) won for the second time in his last three starts, allowing three runs and six hits in five innings of work. Keith Hessler tossed two innings of one-hit relief, DJ Johnson pitched a perfect eighth and Matt Sample pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season. Griffin hit a 2-0 pitch from Casper reliever Jeremiah Sammy (1-1) well over 400 feet to deep left field to snap a 3-3 tie and give the Osprey a 4-3 lead.

The streak continues … : Eric Groff extended his current hitting streak to 10 straight games, thanks to a 2-for-3 night at the plate on Friday, with both hits going for doubles. During the 10-game streak, Groff is 19-for-41 at the plate (.463), with five doubles, a triple, four home runs and 12 RBIs. It was also his sixth multi-hit game in his last 10 games. The streak equals one he had from June 23-July 6 earlier this season.

Tidbits: The Osprey have won 15 of 20 games since being a season-low three games under .500 (4-7) after their loss to Great Falls on June 30 … The Osprey have hit six more home runs on the road (22) than at home (16) this season … The Osprey pitching staff has slowed from its previous pace, but is still averaging close to 10 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. The ratio is 9.95 overall, and 10.77 Ks per 9 innings pitched at home.

On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Enrique Burgos, who is hoping to find some of the magic he has been able to bring to the mound earlier this season out for tonight’s start. Burgos (2-2, 6.83) allowed just three runs in 11 innings of work during his first two starts of the month, but has been touched up for 12 runs (10 earned) in 7 2/3 innings pitched over his last two starts. The native of Panama had his best start at home on July 1, allowing just three hits and a run in six innings of work against Great Falls. The Ghosts will counter tonight with right-hander Raul Fernandez, who has been streaky at best this season for the Ghosts. Fernandez (2-4, 10.66) is coming off of his best start of the season, against Helena on July 17, when he allowed just three hits and an earned run in five innings of work while picking up the win. Fernandez gave up 16 earned runs in his first two starts of the season, and 12 runs in the two starts prior to the outing against the Brewers.

Osprey Alumni Update/Minor League Report:
The AZL D-backs (10-15) nearly let one get away on Friday, but hung on for a 15-14 win over the AZL Giants. The rookie D-backs had an 11-1 lead after two innings. Blake Perry (2010) started, but did not make it through the fifth inning, allowing four runs in four innings.

The DSL D-backs (17-30) lost by a 3-2 margin to the DSL Reds on Friday.

Yakima (12-22) dropped another close game on Friday, falling 3-2 in 10 innings to Boise.  Both Raul Navarro (2010) and Westley Moss (2011) each collected a base hit for the Bears, while Miles Reagan (2008-09) pitched a shutout inning of relief.

South Bend (11-16, 45-51) dropped a 6-1 decision to Clinton on Friday. Ender Inciarte (2009) went 3-for-4, while Chris Jarrett (2010) added a base hit for the Silver Hawks, who only managed five hits behind starter Bradin Hagens (2009). Blake Cooper (2010) pitched two innings of shutout relief.

Visalia (12-16, 43-54) picked up a 7-3 win over Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. Keon Broxton (2009) doubled and scored a run, while Bobby Borchering (2009) drove in a pair of runs for the Rawhide. Three former Osprey also pitched well – Dan Taylor (2010) went four innings in a rare start this season, while Taylor Sinclair (2008) and Adam Worthington (2009) picked up the final four outs.

Mobile (21-7, 59-39) had its four-game win streak end courtesy of Birmingham, 8-7, on Friday. Paul Goldschmidt (2009) hit a two-run homer, tying him for the lead in all of minor league baseball with his 28th roundtripper of the season. He also added a base hit to a 2-for-4 night. Taylor Harbin (2007) added a base hit for the BayBears.

Reno (60-38) lost at Sacramento on Friday, 4-2. Derek Eitel (2010) delivered a strong showing, however, surrendering three earned runs (four total) in six innings of work, while striking out five batters. Esmerling Vasquez (2006) added an inning of scoreless relief.

Schedule:
AAA Reno at Sacramento
AA Mobile vs. Birmingham
A Adv. Visalia at San Jose – Trevor Harden (2008) will get the ball for the Rawhide tonight.
A South Bend vs. Kane County – JR Bradley (2010) gets the start today for the Silver Hawks.
SS-A Yakima at Boise
AZL D-backs at AZL Royals
DSL D-backs at DSL Reds