by Ben Catley

First of all, I am wondering what it would be like if we had an Arizona Diamondback in town on a rehab assignment. What a media crush – six TV cameras (including TV reporters from Denver and Colorado Springs) and a handful of beat writers on hand for the Todd Helton press conference. It was interesting to say the least.

Secondly, the Osprey could care less who is here. Really. They want to win a few on this road trip, and if they manage to win a couple while Helton is in the lineup opposite of them, well, so be it.

It will be interesting to see how both teams preform in the lights of the moment and with the big crowd expected – both nights, they’re saying 5,000-6,000 may be on hand, or about double a normal crowd here in Grand Junction. Thanks to our fans, our guys will be ready.

By the way, more on our newest Osprey player tomorrow … for now, though, here are tonight’s starting lineups. Pre-game guest is starting pitcher for Saturday’s game, Chris Pack. We’re on again at 6:45 tonight, first pitch slated for 7:05, on AM 930 and on MissoulaOsprey.com

Missoula (14-16)
14 Pedro Ruiz 2B
35 Evan Marzilli DH
18 Jake Lamb 3B
7 Michael Perez C
19 Socrates Brito RF
17 Ty Linton LF
33 Rudy Flores 1B
21 Breland Almadova CF
12 John Leonard SS
24 Ross Gerdeman RHP

Grand Junction (15-15)
2 Juan Ciriaco 2B
21 David Dahl CF
17 Todd Helton 1B
25 Jeff Popick LF
12 Matt Wessinger 3B
10 Julian Yan RF
11 Jason Stolz SS
29 Chris Cowell C
18 Max White DH
36 Ryan Warner RHP

by Ben Catley

Well, there were a couple of surprises awaiting us when we arrived here at Sam Suplizio Field today in Grand Junction, Colo. … one was trying to get in (turns out we were in the right spot, but no one told us we were, so we went to where I knew how to get it to get in …). The other is Todd Helton.

Yes, THAT Todd Helton will be in the lineup the next couple of days as he gets a rehab assignment with the closest club to the parent Colorado Rockies, at least that’s not Triple-A (Colorado Springs is a LOT closer, come to think of it).

So when you see his name in the blog tomorrow, no, it’s not a misprint!

Anyway, here are tonight’s lineups. Andy Green is the pre-game show guest. We will start a little later than planned tonight as well, 6:45 on the air instead of 6:40, on AM 930 KMPT and online at MissoulaOsprey.com.

Missoula (14-15)
14 Pedro Ruiz SS
35 Evan Marzilli LF
18 Jake Lamb 3B
7 Michael Perez C
19 Socrates Brito CF
9 Danny Pulfer 2B
33 Rudy Flores 1B
17 Ty Linton DH
15 Justin Bianco RF
37 Jared Ray RHP

Grand Junction (14-15)
2 Juan Ciriaco 2B
21 David Dahl CF
5 Ashley Graeter 3B
25 Jeff Popick LF
35 Jose Briceno C
10 Julian Yan DH
40 Ben Waldrip 1B
11 Jason Stolz SS
18 Max White RF
45 Matt Carasiti RHP

by Ben Catley

It’s that time, not far away from the start of tonight’s Osprey game against Orem, the finale of four-game series with the Owlz and finale of the seven-game homestand. It’s another warm one tonight, but should be a great night for baseball.

The Osprey are eager to win. The clubhouse had a different feeling today – one of ready to have a ball on the field and let it all go. Same feeling we had in Helena in the game before the day off. I’m not calling for a 12-run outburst, but we’ll see what happens.

Here’s your lineups for tonight, and the game notes as well … which includes an Alumni Update.

	Orem Owlz
	Overall: 13-15
	Manager: Tom Kotchman
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
2	Wendell Soto					SS	.388	3	18
4	Sherman Johnson					2B	.235	1	8
29	Michael Snyder					DH	.374	5	25
33	Jonathan Walsh					RF	.267	3	13
8	Michael Bolaski					3B	.273	4	14
25	Chevy Clarke					CF	.391	1	4
6	Andrew Ray					LF	.313	1	10
9	Jarrod Parks					1B	.235	2	11
10	Sam Mulroy					C	.163	1	5
45	Gabriel Perez	4-1	4.94	5-5		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Missoula Osprey
	Overall: 14-14
	Manager: Andy Green
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
14	Pedro Ruiz					SS	.366	1	6
35	Evan Marzilli					CF	.381	0	3
26	Yosbel Gutierrez					C	.372	1	5
7	Michael Perez					DH	.338	3	20
19	Socrates Brito					RF	.258	0	12
21	Breland Almadova					LF	.303	0	8
33	Rudy Flores					1B	.294	0	14
30	Tyler Bream					3B	.250	0	8
12	John Leonard					2B	.187	0	3
48	Yoimer Camacho	0-1	2.13	3-3		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Umpires:	Home Plate				Clinton Vondraic
		First Base				Mitchell Morgan

The Skinny: The Osprey  will conclude their four-game series with the Owlz, and their second seven-game homestand of the season, tonight at Ogren Park Allegiance Field. Last Time Out: Four Orem Owlz pitchers combine to scatter six hits and shut down the Missoula Osprey offense on Monday here at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, giving the Owlz a 6-0 win in front of 2,846 fans. Orem jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first two innings off of Missoula starter Karl Triana (2-2). However, that would be all Triana would allow, as he would pitch six innings, scattering nine hits and a walk while striking out six. Triana allowed just three hits in his last four innings of work. Dexter Price allowed an unearned run in his two innings of work, while Bobby O’Neill pitched out of a jam in the top of the ninth inning to escape with a scoreless outing for the Osprey. Pedro Ruiz singled twice and tripled, collecting three of the six Osprey hits in the contest. Socrates Brito added a double and a pair of walks, while Michael Perez and Breland Almadova also singed for Missoula. For the Owlz, it was their first shutout as a pitching staff since they blanked Casper, 1-0, on September 2, 2010. Power Drought: It’s a different Osprey offensive team than in years past, and the past 10 games is evidence of that. In that time, the Osprey have hit just two home runs – both by Justin Bianco in one game at Helena. The Osprey have gone the entire homestand to date without hitting a roundtripper – which if the drought continues through tonight’s game, would be the first time the O’s went homerless at home for more than one series since they moved into what is now known as Ogren Park Allegiance Field in 2004. They have hit three home runs in their last 12 games (Yosbel Gutierrez in the opener at Great Falls on July 4), and the last home run hit at home was by Ty Linton, back on July 3 against Billings. Still streakin’: Even though he has played in 24 games, Pedro Ruiz has an intact streak of 23 straight games reaching base. He was brought in defensively in a game but never made a plate appearance. He also has the longest hit streak by an Osprey player this season (11). On the Mound Tonight: Missoula will send right-hander Yoimer Camacho to the hill as he continues to work his way back from an early-season ankle injury. Camacho (0-1, 2.13) took the loss in his first start, despite allowing just an earned run in 4 2/3 innings of work. He left that start at Billings with a sprained ankle, but has been solid since his return. In eight innings of work, spanning two starts, Camacho has allowed just a pair of runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out 13 batters. Camacho left his last start in line for a win against Grand Junction, surrendering just four hits and a run, on a solo home run, while striking out seven Rockies. The Owlz will counter tonight with right-hander Gabriel Perez, whose numbers don’t tell the whole story of his 2012 season. Perez (4-1, 4.94) has had one bad outing – where he surrendered eight runs on 10 hits in a loss at Grand Junction. Other than that outing on June 26, Perez has been solid, giving up just five total runs in his four other starts, all of them wins, including road outings at Ogden and Billings. Perez is 3-0 in the month of July with a 2.40 ERA and a .175 opponent’s batting average. Perez has also struck out 17 in 15 July innings.

Pitching Probables Wednesday, July 18 Off-day Thursday, July 19 MIS RHP Jared Ray (1-2, 3.91) at GJ RHP Matt Carasiti (1-1, 4.56) Friday, July 20 MIS RHP Ross Gerdeman (1-2, 5.29) at GJ RHP Josh Mueller (2-3, 8.38) Saturday, July 21 MIS RHP Chris Pack (2-1, 4.98) vs. GJ RHP Alving Mejias (1-4, 7.50)   Pitcher’s Best Friend: In his first four outings this season, Ross Gerdeman did not induce a single grounded into double play. In his last two starts, he has induced six of them, including four on Saturday night. It’s believed the five total DP tied a long-standing league record of five, done twice.

By The Numbers:

Current Streak:	L2	Extra Innings:	3-2	Team Hitting:	.279
First Half:	14-14	Lead After 5:	9-3	PL Rank:	4th
Second Half:	0-0	Tied After 5:	4-2	Team Pitching:	4.39
June:	7-6	Trail After 5:	1-9	PL Rank:	3rd
July:	7-8	One-run games:	4-4	Longest Winning Streak:	3 games
August:	0-0	Two-run games:	1-1	Longest Losing Streak	3 games
September:	0-0	Three-run games:	3-1	HR total at home:	7
Score First:	8-6	+3-run games:	6-8	Pitching K total:	238
Score Last:	8-3	Shutout Record:	1-2	Pitching K/9IP Ratio:	8.42

D-backs Minor League Report/Osprey Alumni Update:

AZL D-backs	Alumni Briefing: The AZL D-backs were off on Monday.
Record: 8-11
Next: vs. AZL Brewers
DSL D-backs	Update: The DSL D-backs have been on their All-Star Break.
Record: 20-16
SS-A Yakima	Alumni Briefing: The Bears had two shots to take home a win, but the Boise Hawks rallied twice and won the game in walk-off fashion on Monday, 6-5. Blake Perry (2010) was solid, allowing just a pair of runs in five innings, scattering seven hits and a walk while striking out four batters. However, his ERA went up to 1.97. Enrique Burgos (2009, 11) allowed a run in his two innings of work.
Record: 19-12
Next: at Boise
Class A South Bend	Alumni Briefing: Eric Groff (2010-11) had a day, going 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and three RBIs, while Chris Ellison (2011) added a two-run shot and four RBIs total in the Silver Hawks’ 10-4 win at Clinton on Monday. Roidany Aguila (2009-11) added a pair of hits, two runs scored and a RBI. Andrew Barbosa (2012) did not survive the fifth inning, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out eight batters. Matt Sample (2011) came on and scattered three hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings pitched to earn the win.
Record: 12-12, 47-47
Next: Off-day
Class A Advanced Visalia	Alumni Briefing: The Rawhide had a rough go of it on Monday, falling at San Jose, 5-1. Anthony Meo (2011) allowed just two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, but was charged with all five runs in taking the loss. Meo scattered six hits and four walks while striking out six batters. Conrad Flynn (2011) provided 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Keon Broxton (2009) was the lone former Osprey to collect a base hit in the game.
Record: 15-9, 46-48
Next: at Modesto
Double-A Mobile	Alumni Briefing: It happened in the ninth inning, and nearly again in the 14th inning, but the BayBears managed to hold off Montgomery, 8-7, after blowing a 5-0 lead in the ninth on Monday. David Nick (2009) had three hits including a home run, and drove in three runs to pace the BayBears, while Rossmel Perez (2008) added three hits and Chris Owings (2009) chipped in with a pair. Eury De La Rosa (2009) pitched three shutout innings in relief, then was touched up for a pair of runs, but only surrendered a hit and a walk in his four innings of work to get the win, while striking out seven batters.
Record: 12-13, 52-43
Next: at Montgomery
Triple-A Reno	Alumni Briefing: The Aces had their game suspended due to rain on Monday at Tucson. It will resume in the top of the fourth inning.
Record: 56-39
Next: at Tucson

Former Osprey with the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Paul Goldschmidt (2009)	.300 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI, .911 OPS	Gerardo Parra (2006)	.273 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, .757 OPS
Miguel Montero (2002-03)	.275 BA, 9 HR, 49 RBI, .808 OPS	Bryan Shaw (2008)	1-3, 2 saves, 3.19 ERA, 27 K in 36.2 IP
Lyle Overbay (1999)	.299 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .851 OPS	TEAM: 43-46, 3rd in NL West, 6 GB … 6 GB in wildcard

 

It’s Monday, and the Osprey are already out hitting – with the Local Heroes Night Softball Game happening at 6 p.m., the teams are taking batting practice early so that they can make way for the real heroes – those people who protect and serve us on a daily basis by fighting fires and enforcing the law. And they play softball every year here on Local Heroes Night. Continue reading →

The weather has turned a bit cooler here in Missoula – which is a welcome sight since the temps have been in the 90s for the past week or so.

On the air at 4:50 we’ll be on AM 930, KMPT, and online at MissoulaOsprey.com, with a pre-game show including highlights from last night and a look around the Pioneer League. Over the next two days, pre-game interviews will include Brandon Marcus, the radio voice of the Orem Owlz, and Alex Herrenberger, a former Osprey catcher who is now the team’s Video Coordinator.

Lineups, please …

	Orem Owlz
	Overall: 11-15
	Manager: Tom Kotchman
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
17	Joel Capote					LF	.475	0	9
4	Sherman Johnson					2B	.267	1	8
35	Wade Hinkle					1B	.294	6	25
29	Michael Snyder					DH	.344	2	17
2	Wendell Soto					SS	.372	3	17
18	Caleb Bushyhead					3B	.263	0	8
3	Kyle Johnson					RF	.308	1	7
25	Chevy Clarke					CF	.375	0	1
7	Adrian Gutierrez					C	.222	0	3
44	Jairo Diaz	2-2	4.71	4-4		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Missoula Osprey
	Overall: 14-12
	Manager: Andy Green
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
14	Pedro Ruiz					SS	.349	1	5
35	Evan Marzilli					CF	.405	0	3
18	Jake Lamb					3B	.347	1	14
7	Michael Perez					C	.338	3	19
19	Socrates Brito					RF	.231	0	10
9	Danny Pulfer					2B	.226	1	9
33	Rudy Flores					1B	.295	0	13
17	Ty Linton					LF	.207	4	12
15	Justin Bianco					DH	.219	2	10
44	Chris Pack	2-1	3.99	5-5		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Umpires:	Home Plate				Clinton Vondraic
		First Base				Mitchell Morgan

The Skinny: The Osprey  continue their four-game series with the Owlz as they look to improve on their 2-2 homestand, and gain ground on first-place Great Falls in the Pioneer League North Division race. Last Time Out: Rudy Flores hit a key two-run double with two out in the bottom of the sixth inning to help the Missoula Osprey snap a brief two-game slide with a 4-2 win over the Orem Owlz on Saturday at Ogren Park Allegiance Field. The 2,142 fans in attendance witnessed Welcome to the Major Leagues Night – where both teams wore the uniforms of their parent clubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They were also witnesses to five double plays turned by the Missoula defense, including a strikeout-pickoff twin-killing that helped the Osprey seal the win in the top of the ninth inning. Flores hit a fly ball to left with two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth deep to left, which carried to the left-field fence then caromed away from left-fielder Joel Capote, allowing both Socrates Brito and Yosbel Gutierrez to score on the play, snapping a 2-2 tie in the sixth. The bullpen made the run-scoring double stand up, as both Chris Capper (2-1) and Justin Thompson kept things quiet enough to finish off the win. Thompson picked up his fourth save of the season, but it wasn’t easy, as the first two batters reached against him to lead off the top of the ninth. However, Thompson managed to strike out Michael Bolaski, and catcher Michael Perez picked off Wendell Soto from first to get the first two outs on the board. Chevy Clarke would then fly out to center field to end the game. The Owlz took a 1-0 lead in their half of the first on a RBI single by Michael Snyder, but the Osprey responded with a two-run home half of the inning. Jake Lamb’s RBI triple and a sacrifice fly by Perez to put the Osprey in front, 2-1. Orem would tie the game with a Capote RBI groundout in the top of the fifth. Lamb and Flores combined for four of the six Osprey hits on the night. Gutierrez and Evan Marzilli – who had reached on a base hit in each of his first nine games as a professional baseball player – added base hits for Missoula. On the Mound Tonight: Missoula will send right-hander Chris Pack to the mound to continue to build his resume of solid outings. Pack (2-1, 3.99 ERA) won in his last start on Monday in Helena, allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out four batters in what was his shortest outing of the season. Pack has pitched into the sixth on each of his four other starts, and has a season-best outing of seven innings. Teams hit .226 off of Pack, with right-handers (.210) having a tougher time than lefties (.250). Pack is one of a handful of Osprey pitchers who had professional experience prior to this season, pitching for the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League in 2011. Pack was a reliever for the Slammers, and helped them win their first-ever division title that season. The D-backs purchased the rights to Pack this past spring. The Owlz will counter tonight with right-hander Jairo Diaz, who has been a workhorse this season for Tom Kotchman’s pitching staff. Diaz (2-2, 4.71) has surrendered 19 runs in 21 innings pitched this season – only 11 of which were earned – but has given up only four walks in his four starts. Diaz has been solid at Brent Brown Ballpark, posting a 2.87 home ERA, but in one road start, gave up six earned runs (seven total) in a loss at Grand Junction. Diaz, from Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, signed as a free agent in 2007, and started his 2012 season with Class A Cedar Rapids, where he was 2-7 with a 7.70 ERA in 13 starts.

Pitching Probables Monday, July 16 MIS RHP Karl Triana (2-1, 5.12) vs. ORM RHP Pat Lowery (0-2, 10.80) Tuesday, July 17 MIS RHP Yoimer Camacho (0-1, 2.13) vs. ORM RHP Gabriel Perez (4-1, 4.94) Upcoming road trip Thurs.-Sunday, July 19-22 At Grand Junction Monday-Wed., July 23-25 At Orem Hitting and Winning: The Osprey have a hit plateau to reach for when they want to win games – 11. On the eight times Missoula has collected 11 or more hits, they have an 8-0 record. Oddly enough, they are 0-4 when they finish with exactly 10 hits in a game. If they are under 11 hits in a game, they are now 6-12 on the season.

By The Numbers:

Current Streak:	W1	Extra Innings:	3-2	Team Hitting:	.278
First Half:	14-12	Lead After 5:	9-3	PL Rank:	T-4th
Second Half:	0-0	Tied After 5:	4-2	Team Pitching:	4.11
June:	7-6	Trail After 5:	1-7	PL Rank:	2nd
July:	7-6	One-run games:	4-4	Longest Winning Streak:	3 games
August:	0-0	Two-run games:	1-1	Longest Losing Streak	3 games
September:	0-0	Three-run games:	3-1	HR total at home:	7
Score First:	8-5	+3-run games:	6-6	Pitching K total:	228
Score Last:	8-3	Shutout Record:	1-1	Pitching K/9IP Ratio:	8.68

D-backs Minor League Report/Osprey Alumni Update:

AZL D-backs	Alumni Briefing: The AZL D-backs beat the AZL Royals on Saturday, 4-2.
Record: 8-10
Next: vs. AZL Giants
DSL D-backs	Update: The DSL D-backs picked up a game and are now just a game back of the DSL Rockies in the DSL Boca Chica Baseball City standings, beating the Rox 1-0 on Friday.
Record: 20-16
SS-A Yakima	Alumni Briefing: The Bears beat Salem-Keizer on Saturday, 4-0. Josh Parr (2011) had two hits, while Victor Capellan (2009) pitched two shutout innings in relief to close out the game.
Record: 18-11
Next: at Salem-Keizer
Class A South Bend	Alumni Briefing: The Silver Hawks dropped a 5-3 decision at Clinton on Saturday. Chris Ellison (2011) had a solid effort, with a pair of doubles, a walk and three runs scored. He was also driven in each time by former Osprey – Matt Helm (2009-10) had two hits and two RBIs, while Ryan Court (2011) added a run-scoring single. JR Bradley (2010) took the loss, while Jesse Darrah (2011) provided 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief.
Record: 11-11, 46-46
Next: at Clinton
Class A Advanced Visalia	Alumni Briefing: The Rawhide scored all of their runs in the middle innings as they won at San Jose on Saturday, 8-3. Raywilly Gomez (2009) singled, doubled and walked; while Ender Inciarte (2009) and Jon Griffin (2011) drove in runs for Visalia. Inciarte added a base hit (moving his average to .350 for the season) and a stolen base. Taylor Siemens (2011) picked up the win on the mound with six hits and a walk allowed, surrendering just one run while striking out eight batters. DJ Johnson (2011) pitched a scoreless ninth.
Record: 15-7, 46-46
Next: at San Jose
Double-A Mobile	Alumni Briefing: Chris Owings (2009) and David Nick (2009) split four of the BayBears’ eight hits in a 6-0 loss at Montgomery on Saturday. David Holmberg (2010) allowed all six runs – only three earned – in 5 2/3 innings pitched to take the loss.
Record: 10-13, 50-43
Next: at Montgomery
Triple-A Reno	Alumni Briefing: Adam Eaton (2010) went 2-for-4 at the plate as the Aces lost to Salt Lake, 4-3. Charles Brewer (2009) had a solid outing, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out three in seven innings pitched.
Record: 55-39
Next: vs. Salt Lake

Former Osprey with the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Paul Goldschmidt (2009)	.304 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI, .919 OPS	Gerardo Parra (2006)	.279 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, .775 OPS
Miguel Montero (2002-03)	.264 BA, 8 HR, 45 RBI, .773 OPS	Bryan Shaw (2008)	1-3, 2 saves, 3.28 ERA, 26 K in 35.2 IP
Lyle Overbay (1999)	.317 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .900 OPS	TEAM: 42-45, 3rd in NL West, 5.5 GB … 7 GB in wildcard

Ready for another game tonight here at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, as the Osprey get ready to take on the Orem Owlz in a few minutes. More info below as well …

		Orem Owlz
		Overall: 11-14
		Manager: Tom Kotchman
	No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
	17	Joel Capote					LF	.514	0	8
	4	Sherman Johnson					2B	.259	1	8
	35	Wade Hinkle					1B	.301	6	25
	40	Michael Snyder					DH	.349	2	16
	33	Jonathan Walsh					RF	.260	3	13
	2	Wendell Soto					SS	.356	3	17
	57	Michael Bolaski					3B	.274	4	14
	25	Chevy Clarke					CF	.333	0	1
	48	Adrian Gutierrez					C	.286	0	3
	39	Aaron Newcomb	0-0	4.91	4-3		RHP
		Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
		(BOLD: Special Jersey Number for Welcome to the Major Leagues Night)
		Missoula Osprey
		Overall: 13-12
		Manager: Andy Green
	No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
	6	Evan Marzilli					CF	.424	0	3
	16	Danny Pulfer					2B	.240	1	9
	35	Jake Lamb					3B	.340	1	13
	7	Michael Perez					C	.353	3	18
	19	Socrates Brito					RF	.241	0	10
	9	Yosbel Gutierrez					DH	.366	1	5
	34	Rudy Flores					1B	.276	0	11
	25	Breland Almadova					LF	.317	0	8
	9	John Leonard					SS	.200	0	3
	36	Ross Gerdeman	1-2	5.74	5-4		RHP
		Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
		Umpires:	Home Plate				Mitchell Morgan
			First Base				Clinton Vondraic

The Skinny:
The Osprey open a four-game series against the Orem Owlz after losing their second straight series, the first time that has happened this season. The O’s have lost four of their past six games, and will attempt to get back on track against an Owlz squad who has bounced back from a 1-8 start to win 10 of their last 16 games.

Last Time Out:
Yosbel Gutierrez had a pair of hits, but the Missoula Osprey could not muster enough offense to keep up with Grand Junction on Friday at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, as the Rockies took down a 10-1 win in front of 2,329 fans. Grand Junction (12-13) batted around and scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning off of Missoula pitchers Jared Ray (1-2) and Dexter Price to turn a 3-0 lead into a 10-0 cushion, and did not look back in taking two of three games in the series. The Osprey were held to just five hits, two of which were singles by Gutierrez. Ty Linton singled and scored the lone Osprey run in the bottom of the eighth inning, ending a span of 13 scoreless frames for Missoula. Justin Bianco and Jake Lamb also singled for the Osprey. Vince Spilker delivered the best pitching performance of the night, allowing just one hit while pitching a scoreless inning of relief.

Next up: Orem Owlz (11-14):
The Orem Owlz come calling on Ogren Park Allegiance Field for the next four games. Orem started the season by losing eight of its first nine games, but has bounced back and looked to make a run in the first half, only to drop two of three games at Billings – including a 22-6 contest on Friday which got out of hand late, as the Mustangs scored 16 runs from the seventh inning on. One stat oddity on the Owlz – they have been involved in a tie game from the fifth inning on only once this season. They are unbeaten when leading after seven innings (11-0) and winless when trailing after seven innings (0-14).

 

Hits=Wins?? Yes, indeed:
There are a bunch of different barometers you can use to see how a team’s wins relates to their performance in a certain stat category. For example – 10 or more hits for teams usually ends up in wins. The Osprey can attest to that theory, since they are 8-4 when they collect 10 or more hits. More than that, though, comes this nugget – entering the Orem series, if the O’s get 11 or more hits so far in 2012, they are 8-0.

On the Mound Tonight:
Missoula will send right-hander Ross Gerdeman to the hill as he looks to bounce back from a rough outing in Helena. Gerdeman (1-2, 5.74) pitched five innings of relief at Kindrick Legion Field on Sunday, allowing five hits and three walks, and five earned runs in a 6-2 setback. Gerdeman has been roughed up a bit in the month of July, to the tune of a 9.90 ERA in his two post-June outings. Before that, Gerdeman was 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA.

The Owlz will counter tonight with right-hander Aaron Newcomb, who has been solid at home but will be making only his second start on the road. Newcomb (0-0, 4.91) gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in just 2 2/3 innings pitched in that lone road outing at Grand Junction. He has not pitched more than three innings in an outing this season, doing that twice against Idaho Falls. The Delta State product was picked in the 19^th round by the Angels in the 2012 MLB Draft.

By The Numbers:

Current Streak:	L2	Extra Innings:	3-2	Team Hitting:	.280
First Half:	13-12	Lead After 5:	9-3	PL Rank:	3rd
Second Half:	0-0	Tied After 5:	3-2	Team Pitching:	4.20
June:	7-6	Trail After 5:	1-7	PL Rank:	3rd
July:	6-6	One-run games:	4-4	Longest Winning Streak:	3 games
August:	0-0	Two-run games:	0-1	Longest Losing Streak	3 games
September:	0-0	Three-run games:	3-1	HR total at home:	7
Score First:	8-5	+3-run games:	6-6	Pitching K total:	223
Score Last:	7-3	Shutout Record:	1-1	Pitching K/9IP Ratio:	8.83

D-backs Minor League Report/Osprey Alumni Update:

AZL D-backs	Alumni Briefing: The AZL D-backs lost to the Athletics in Arizona League play on Friday, 12-11.
Record: 7-10
Next: vs. AZL Royals
DSL D-backs	Update: The DSL D-backs picked up a game and are now just a game back of the DSL Rockies in the DSL Boca Chica Baseball City standings, beating the Rox 1-0 on Friday.
Record: 20-16
SS-A Yakima	Alumni Briefing: The Bears lost to Salem-Keizer on Friday, 6-4, but they still have a 3.5 game lead on Tri-City in the East Division of the Northwest League.
Record: 17-11
Next: at Salem-Keizer
Class A South Bend	Alumni Briefing: Eric Groff (2010-11) drove home Matt Helm (2009-10) with a double for the Silver Hawks’ lone run in a 2-1 setback at Kane County on Friday. Ryan Court (2011) and Tom Belza (2011) added a base hit each.
Record: 11-10, 46-45
Next: at Clinton
Class A Advanced Visalia	Alumni Briefing: The Rawhide split a doubleheader with Lancaster on Friday, winning Game 1, 7-2, and dropping a 13-3 decision to the JetHawks in the nightcap. In Game 1, Ender Inciarte (2009) had two hits, two runs scored and a RBI, while Jon Griffin (2011) added a base hit and a RBI. Raywilly Gomez (2009) also singled in the win. Blake Cooper (2010) pitched the final two innings to seal the win. In Game 2, Andrew Chafin (2011), Ray Hernandez (2011) and Conrad Flynn (2011) all were touched up for runs, while Inciarte had three hits, a run scored, a stolen base and a RBI, improving his average to .355 on the season. Inciarte also now has 12 stolen bases.
Record: 13-6, 44-45
Next: at San Jose, with Taylor Siemens (2011) getting the start for the Rawhide
Double-A Mobile	Alumni Briefing: The BayBears split a twinbill with the Huntsville Stars on Friday, winning game one, 2-1, while dropping a 4-2 decision in the nightcap. In Game 1, Chris Owings (2009) went 2-for-3 with a single and triple, while David Nick (2009) added a base hit. Chase Anderson (2009) pitched the first three innings, surrendering just two hits and collecting two strikeouts, while Eury De La Rosa (2009) pitched the seventh, striking out two of the three batters he faced, to pick up the save. In Game 2, Owings went 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Yonata Ortega (2007) pitched a scoreless inning of relief, striking out a pair of batters.
Record: 10-12, 50-42
Next: at Montgomery
Triple-A Reno	Alumni Briefing: Adam Eaton (2010) had three hits, including a leadoff home run, and scored three times in the Aces’ 7-2 win over Salt Lake on Friday. He also drew a pair of walks and stole three bases. The effort lifted Eaton’s batting average back to .390 for the season. Rusty Ryal (2005) went 1-for-4 and also stole a base, one of five the Aces would have on the night.
Record: 55-38
Next: vs. Salt Lake, with Charles Brewer (2009) getting the start for the Aces

Former Osprey with the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Paul Goldschmidt (2009)	.301 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI, .914 OPS	Gerardo Parra (2006)	.279 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, .780 OPS
Miguel Montero (2002-03)	.268 BA, 8 HR, 45 RBI, .796 OPS	Bryan Shaw (2008)	1-3, 2 saves, 3.38 ERA, 26 K in 34.2 IP
Lyle Overbay (1999)	.317 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .900 OPS	TEAM: 42-44, 3rd in NL West, 5 GB … 6 GB in wildcard

Today, we feature a video on Adam Eaton and what adjustments he has made in his professional baseball career to become the hitter he is today (read the Alumni Update section for the link), as well as our usual game-day fare, including a focus on defense.

At the moment, the park is quiet, sans the music and the sounds of leather catching rawhide. Shortly, the Osprey will begin batting practice, and the place will get a little more lively. Gates open at 5:30 tonight for Happy Hour Night, and remember it’s also T-Shirt Night, with the first 750 fans getting an Ollie Opsrey 10th Birthday T-Shirt, courtesy of Missoula Federal Credit Union and KPAX-TV. Continue reading →