First, and this will be mentioned in the Alumni Update portion of the program, but former Osprey Derek Eitel (2010) will make the start for  Triple-A Reno tonight at Sacramento. It’s the second time the Aces have used Eitel in a spot situation.

Now, on to the show … so to speak.

The Skinny: The Osprey continue their four-game series with the Casper Ghosts tonight, as they seek their fourth win in their last five games overall, and will be seeking their fifth win in their last six tries at home.

Last Time Out: The 2,116 fans in attendance at Ogren Park Allegiance Field on Thursday had plenty to cheer for as the Osprey took down the Casper Ghosts, 12-3. Jon Griffin had three hits, scored three times and drove in three runs, with a three-run home run that capped off a four-run seventh inning, and the Osprey scoring. Missoula (18-12) used the win and a 6-5 Billings loss at Orem to push their lead in the Pioneer League North Division to three games over the Mustangs, and four games over both Great Falls and Helena, who also dropped games on Thursday. The Osprey finished with 14 hits, including three by Eric Groff, who extended his current hitting streak to nine games and raised his batting average to a season-best .350. Justin Bianco and Tom Belza each added a pair of hits and two RBIs, Josh Parr had two hits and a RBI, while Chris Ellison and Ryan Court each added a base hit for Missoula. Raymond Hernandez (4-0) pitched five solid innings to pick up the win, as Osprey pitchers held the Ghosts to six hits on the night. Dexter Price allowed just a hit and a run in three innings of work, while Matt Sample worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the game.

The streak continues … : Eric Groff extended his current hitting streak to nine straight games, and he showed signs of being locked in on Thursday night, collecting three hits in five trips to the plate. During the nine-game streak, Groff is 17-for-38 at the plate (.447), with three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 12 RBIs. It was also his fifth multi-hit game in his last nine games. He also kept up his torrid July, hitting .400 for the month (16 games) It’s also not Groff’s longest streak of the season – he had a 10-game hitting run from June 23-July 6.

Tidbits: The Osprey are 14-5 in July, the best record in the Pioneer League, and have hit 26 home runs in the month … The Osprey are 12-6 in games decided by three or more runs … What influence does having Frank Santana and Matt Sample at the back end of games create? Game Over, almost – Missoula is 17-1 when leading after eight innings … Eric Groff also has a 14-game road hitting streak still in effect, the longest such streak in the league at the moment.

On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Robby Rowland, who is looking to find some sort of groove in what has been a rough month for the former third-round pick. Rowland (1-2, 7.71) has been hit around since his first start of the season, and has not pitched the same since suffering concussion-like symptoms after getting hit in the face with an errant toss during pitcher’s early work on June 23, and missing a start following that episode. He has allowed at least five earned runs in each of his last four starts.  The Ghosts will counter tonight with right-hander Danny Winkler, who will pitch against the Osprey for the first time this season. Winkler (1-0, 4.29) has fanned 21 batters in 21 innings of work, and the 20^th round pick by the Colorado Rockies out of Central Florida has allowed opponents to hit at a .294 clip so far this season.

More from today’s game notes … specifically the Minor League Report:

Hi … we’re back.

The Skinny: The Osprey continue their push for the Pioneer League North Division First-Half crown with the lidlifter to a seven-game homestand tonight, as the Casper Ghosts fly in to begin a four-game series. The Osprey outscored the Ghosts, 28-7, and hit .342 during a three-game series sweep last week.

Last Time Out: The Missoula Osprey suffered a 10-1 loss to the Idaho Falls Chukars in the finale of a seven-game road trip on Tuesday. Despite the setback, the Osprey maintained their two-game lead over the Billings Mustangs for first place in the Pioneer League’s North Division, with nine games to play, and completed a 5-2 road trip. The Osprey have won nine of their last 12 games on the road. The Osprey were held to just five hits by Chukars starter Brian Peacock and two relievers. Peacock (1-3), one of three pitchers to toss a no-hitter at Missoula a season ago, did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. Peacock pitched into the seventh to pick up his first career win. Josh Parr had two of the five Osprey hits, and scored the lone Missoula run, following a leadoff double in the top of the seventh. Parr eventually scored on a Jon Griffin sacrifice fly. Eric Groff, Stephen Cardullo and Bryan Henry each added a base hit for the Osprey. Conrad Flynn (2-1) suffered the loss for Missoula, allowing eight runs in four 1/3 innings pitched. The Osprey defense also struggled, committing four errors in the loss.

Groff’s a Road Warrior: Eric Groff is showing signs of being fully healed from a broken bone in his hand he suffered during Extended Spring Training. The former 44^th-round draft choice of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the 2010 MLB Draft, has put together an eight-game hit streak, including getting at least one base hit in all seven road games on the recent trip. Groff – who is hitting .400 on the road this season – hit .448 (13-for-29) on the road trip, with four home runs and nine RBIs.

Tidbits: The Osprey will see four right-handed pitchers against the Ghosts this series, and that’s a good piece of news. The Osprey hit .304 against right-handers, while they only bat .234 against lefties … The Osprey are 13-5 in July, the best record in the Pioneer League, and have hit 25 home runs in the month – second to Casper (26) … The Osprey are 11-6 in games decided by three or more runs … Missoula is 14-6 in games in which they score first, and scoring first in 20 games leads the league.

On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Raymond Hernandez, who is seeking his fourth win of the season. Hernandez (3-0, 2.14) has been electric as a starter, allowing just one earned run in 10 innings of work, while picking up a win in each of his two starts this season. The 48^th-round draft choice in the 2011 MLB Draft earned Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week honors for the Week ending July 10. Hernandez allowed a solo home run and a walk in three innings of work at Casper last Friday. The Ghosts will counter tonight with right-hander Alex Gillingham, who allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings of work in a loss on Friday to the Osprey. Gillingham (1-2, 6.16) has 21 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched, but opponents have hit .310 against the right-hander this season. Gillingham was picked in the 11^th round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Loyola Marymount.

Stat of the Day: Former Osprey infielder Emilio Bonifacio (2003) is currently enjoying a 19-game hit streak for the Florida Marlins. Bonifacio is hitting .389 (28-for-72) during the hitting streak, and is hitting .400 for the month of July.

Welcome to the first Sunday home game of the season .. the Osprey and Billings Mustangs to go at it beginning at 5 p.m. We’re on at 4:50 on AM 930, KMPT locally, and online at www.MissoulaOsprey.com.

Starting Lineups first, then to the notes of the day:

Now to the game notes:
The Skinny: The Osprey – winners of seven of their last 10 games – used a pair of big innings to beat the Mustangs and jump into a first-place tie atop the Pioneer League’s North Division. It was the first win for Missoula over Billings at home this season, and it tied the season series at three games apiece, with two more games between the two teams in the first half.

Last Time Out: Read the game story here.

Tidbits: Justin Bianco entered Saturday’s game just 2-for-18 against left-handed pitching, but went 1-for-2 with two RBIs against Billings left-hander Ismael Guillon … Chris Ellison’s 2-for-2 night lifted his batting average to .307, while his two walks (giving him a Pioneer League-leading 16) moved his on-base percentage to .424. Teammate Stephen Cardullo ranks second in the PL in that category (.460) … With his eighth appearance of the season on Saturday, Frank Santana moved into the lead in two categories – appearances as well as being tied for the lead in saves (Helena’s Alan Williams also has three) … With his start on Saturday, Raymond Hernandez now ranks second in the Pioneer League in Earned Run Average (2.00).

On the Mound Today: Missoula will send out right-hander Robby Rowland as he looks to build on his last outing, which ended up an Osprey victory.  Rowland (0-1, 6.75) did allow five runs (four earned) in five innings of work, but left the game with the lead on Tuesday in Helena. Rowland has allowed opponents to hit at a .383 clip this season, but he has also surrendered just two walks in 13 1/3 innings pitched. This will be his first start against Billings this season. The Mustangs will counter with right-hander
Wes Mugarian, who will be making his first start against the Osprey this season. Mugarian (1-2, 5.85), a 5^th-round selection by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 MLB Draft, was solid in his last outing, scattering four hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, while allowing just two runs and collecting six strikeouts in a win at Great Falls on Tuesday. In his first three starts of the season, he posted an 0-2 record and a 6.91 ERA. In 20 innings pitched, however, Mugarian has collected 25 strikeouts.

Did you Know?: The best defensive team in Osprey history played in their last Pioneer League Championship season, in 2006. That team led the PL with a .969 fielding percentage. Good “D” doesn’t always mean titles – the 1999 PL Championship squad had a .942 fielding percentage.

Welcome to the battle for first place in the Pioneer League North. Tonight’s lineups:

Now to the notes of the day:

The Skinny: The Osprey – winners of seven of their last nine games – knocked out Helena with a late home run, and now look to try and take on the Billings Mustangs, who have won both games here at Ogren Park Allegiance Field this season, but lost two of three at Dehler Park last weekend.

Griffin Heats Up: Jon Griffin is starting to get settled in at the plate. For the second time this week, Griffin collected three hits in a game, and has put together a modest four-game hit streak. Griffin is 8-for-20 on the week (that includes an 0-for-4 effort on July 4 at Billings), with a home run and five RBIs, helping the Osprey to four wins in those five games. Since the mini-streak began, Griffin has improved his batting average from .214 to .278, and is one of five Osprey players with double figures in runs batted in,
sharing the team-high honors with Stephen Cardullo with 12 each.

Tidbits: The Osprey are 1-4 in extra-inning games, with four of those five extended games coming against Helena … Despite his rocky outing on Friday, Osprey right-hander Conrad Flynn is now 4^th in the league among qualifying pitchers in opponent’s batting average (.224).

On the Mound Tonight: Missoula will send out right-hander Raymond Hernandez as he makes his first home start of the season, and second overall.  Hernandez (2-0, 2.77) has been solid in his 13 innings of work, allowing just four runs and eight hits, three of the runs were home runs, and has fanned 10 batters. He allowed just four hits in a five-inning start at Great Falls in his last start – which was his Osprey debut on June 25. He will alternate with right-hander Dexter Price (0-0, 9.75) for now in the starting rotation. The Mustangs will counter with left-hander Ismael Guillon, who has allowed 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings pitched. The Osprey scored six runs (four earned) in four-plus innings off of Guillon in Billings on July 4.

DEE-FENSE:

Here are the team fielding percentages in the Pioneer League
(through July 8):

First… the lineup sheet:

On to the notes:

The Skinny: The Osprey had their four-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Brewers on Thursday, and will look to even the season series with a win tonight in the final game the two teams will play against each other in the first half of the season. In the first seven games, Helena has won four of seven, and six of the seven have been decided by a single run.

Last Time Out: The Missoula Osprey had their chance to jump into a first-place tie in the Pioneer League’s North Division, but Parker Berberet and the Helena Brewers had other ideas on Thursday in front of 2,001 witnesses at Ogren Park Allegiance Field. The Brewers scored twice in the top of the seventh, and Berberet’s solo home run off of Victor Lara with two out in the top of the 11^th inning lifted Helena to a 4-3 win, and back into a tie for second place with the Osprey. It looked as though extra innings would
not be needed, thanks to a solid start by Osprey starter Jesse Darrah. In his best start as a professional, Darrah pitched six innings of four-hit ball, allowing just a single run and two walks while striking out a career high eight batters. Darrah has now fanned 15 batters in his last 11 innings of work. The Osprey would take a 2-0 lead in the third, thanks to a run-scoring single by Josh Parr, and a RBI single by Ryan Court, who would finish with three of Missoula’s nine hits on the night. After the Brewers manufactured a run in the fourth off of Darrah – on a walk, a groundout and two wild pitches – the Osprey would answer in the sixth, on back-to-back doubles from Court and Jon Griffin, giving the Osprey a 3-1 lead. Johan Jaime came on in the seventh for Missoula and struggled, giving up three straight hits that led to two Helena runs that tied the game. DJ Johnson made his Osprey debut in the eighth, and retired all six batters he faced.

Holding Court: Ryan Court had an off-day and watched his Osprey teammates win in Helena on Wednesday. He took advantage of getting placed back into the lineup on Thursday, and responded with a three-hit game. The effort bumped Court’s average to .258, and he also managed to collect his team-leading fifth double and 10^th extra-base hit in the contest. Court also joins Stephen Cardullo (12) and Griffin (11) with double-digit runs batted in, plating his 10^th run of the season in the third inning on Thursday.

Don’t Run On Me: The Osprey catchers have been quite successful throwing out potential base-stealers this season. In fact, Roidany Aguila leads the Pioneer League in that department, throwing out eight of a possible 14 base-stealers – recording outs at a 57.1% clip. Aguila threw out a pair of baserunners in the same inning (the top of the 5^th) on Thursday.

On the Mound Tonight: Missoula will send out right-hander Conrad Flynn as he makes his first start of the season.  Flynn (2-0, 2.92) has pitched effectively in his 12 1/3 innings of work, allowing just four runs while scattering 11 hits and three walks, with 15 strikeouts. He will alternate with left-hander Taylor Siemens (1-0, 2.19) in the starting rotation. Siemens will also pitch for the Osprey tonight. The Brewers will counter with right-hander Andy Moye, who is the reigning Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week. Moye (2-0, 1.93) has fanned 16 batters in 14 innings pitched, while scattering 12 hits and a walk, surrendering just three runs on the season. Both of Moye’s wins have come against Great Falls.