by Ben Catley

It’s a warm one again tonight at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, as the Osprey get ready for game two of their three-game set with the Grand Junction Rockies. Fans are encouraged to head to the Osprey Online Box Suite, especially if you are listening online, to check in with other Osprey fans from around the globe, as well as participate in the “You Make the Call” as well as other fun things.

Tonight, we’re on the air at 6:50, with the first pitch at 7:05 on AM 930 KMPT and online here. We’ll have the second part of the interview with D-backs Field Coordinator Jeff Pico in the pre-game.

	Grand Junction Rockies
	Overall: 10-13
	Manager: Tony Diaz
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
18	Max White					CF	.123	1	2
2	Juan Ciriaco					2B	.387	0	8
12	Matt Wessinger					3B	.301	2	11
40	Ben Waldrip					1B	.258	4	12
32	Ryan Garvey					LF	.306	2	9
10	Julian Yan					RF	.253	3	12
35	Jose Briceno					DH	.167	0	0
11	Jason Stolz					SS	.263	0	11
15	Franmy Pena					C	.125	1	5
46	Eddie Butler	1-1	5.00	3-2		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Missoula Osprey
	Overall: 13-10
	Manager: Andy Green
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
14	Pedro Ruiz					SS	.359	1	5
35	Evan Marzilli					RF	.464	0	2
18	Jake Lamb					3B	.333	1	12
7	Michael Perez					C	.344	3	17
19	Socrates Brito					CF	.250	0	10
33	Rudy Flores					1B	.296	0	11
17	Ty Linton					LF	.203	4	12
15	Justin Bianco					DH	.224	2	10
12	John Leonard					2B	.203	0	3
48	Yoimer Camacho	0-1	2.35	2-2		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Umpires:	Home Plate				Mitchell Morgan
		First Base				Clinton Vondraic

The Skinny:
The Osprey and Rockies continue their three-game series at Ogren Park Allegiance Field after playing a tough nip-and-tuck affair in the opener on Wednesday, won late by the home club.

Last Time Out:
Socrates Brito hit a two-run triple that broke an eighth-inning tie as the Missoula Osprey beat the Grand Junction Rockies on Wednesday, 6-3, at Ogren Park Allegiance Field in front of 2,419 fans. With the win and a Great Falls loss to Ogden, the Osprey (13-10) jumped into a tie for first place in the Pioneer League’s North Division with both the Voyagers and the Billings Mustangs, who beat Orem on Wednesday. Brito lined a 0-1 pitch deep to center field to chase home Pedro Ruiz and Michael Perez with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning, snapping a 3-3 tie. Brito would then score on a balk by Rockies pitcher Raul Fernandez (0-1) to account for the final margin. After Julian Yan homered to give Grand Junction (10-13) a 1-0 lead, the Osprey answered with a pair of runs in the second, on a Justin Bianco two-run single. Michael Perez plated a run with a single in the bottom of the third to push the lead to 3-1. Grand Junction would scratch across a run in the top of the fifth and tied the game in the top of the eighth on a solo home run by Matt Wessinger. Karl Triana pitched a solid five innings, scattering five hits and two walks, surrendering two runs (one earned) while striking out five batters. Michael Rivera pitched two shutout innings of relief. Chris Capper (1-1) allowed the Wessinger homer in the eighth, but minimized the damage with a pair of strikeouts to pick up the win. Justin Thompson struck out the side in the top of the ninth to earn his third save in four chances. The Osprey had just seven hits on the night, three of them by left fielder Evan Marzilli. Breland Almadova added a single to the Osprey effort at the plate.

Notes from the Nest:
The Osprey now have six players with 10 or more RBIs (Perez 17, Lamb 12, Linton 12, Flores 11, Bianco 10, Brito 10) … On their current pace, the 2012 Osprey will set a new team standard for doubles in a season. The current mark of 165 was set in 2005 … The O’s are also on pace to crush the current triples record of 35, set last season … Missoula also leads the league in defense (.975).

On the Mound Tonight:
Missoula will send right-hander Yoimer Camacho to the hill as he makes his Ogren Park Allegiance Field Debut tonight. Camacho (0-1, 2.35) has made both of his starts on the road so far this season, pitching well in each. He last pitched at Helena on Sunday, limited to three innings of work to be able to come back on three day’s rest. It was his first start since his Osprey debut on June 21, when he sprained an ankle while covering home plate in what would be a 3-0 loss at Billings, allowing just one earned run in 4 2/3 innings pitched. In 7 2/3 innings, Camacho has fanned 10 batters.

The Rockies will counter tonight with right-hander Eddie Butler, who is coming off of his best outing of the young season. Butler (1-1, 5.00) pitched four scoreless innings at home against Idaho Falls on Friday, allowing just two hits while collecting three strikeouts. His lone road start of the season came at Orem on July 1, when he surrendered four runs on five hits and a walk in three innings of work in a loss. Butler is one of the 1^st-round picks on the Grand Junction roster (OF David Dahl the other), selected out of Radford University this past June.

By The Numbers:

Current Streak:	W2	Extra Innings:	3-2	Team Hitting:	.285
First Half:	13-10	Lead After 5:	9-2	PL Rank:	3rd
Second Half:	0-0	Tied After 5:	3-2	Team Pitching:	4.00
June:	7-6	Trail After 5:	1-6	PL Rank:	2nd
July:	6-4	One-run games:	4-3	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:	8-4	+3-run games:	6-5	Pitching K total:	205
Score Last:	7-2	Shutout Record:	1-1	Pitching K/9IP Ratio:	8.81

D-backs Minor League Report/Osprey Alumni Update:

AZL D-backs	Alumni Briefing: Alan Santiago (2009) is hitting just .143 in five games (14 at-bats) for the AZL D-backs.
Record: 6-9
Next: At AZL Indians
DSL D-backs	Update: The DSL D-backs are currently two games back of the DSL Rockies in the DSL Boca Chica Baseball City standings.
Record: 18-15
SS-A Yakima	Alumni Briefing: Blake Perry (2010) pitched six effective innings, with Frank Santana (2011) and Victor Capellan (2009) providing an inning each of scoreless relief in Yakima’s 8-7 win over Samel-Keizer.
Record: 16-10
Next: at Salem-Keizer
Class A South Bend	Alumni Briefing: Andrew Barbosa (2012) allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in his Hawks debut, which ended up in a 3-0 loss to Kane County. Matt Sample (2011) and Keith Hessler (2011) pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings behind Barbosa. Bryan Henry (2011) had two of South Bend’s four hits in the game, while Ryan Court (2011) added a base hit.
Record: 10-9, 45-44
Next: at Kane County, with Archie Bradley (2011) getting the start for the Silver Hawks
Class A Advanced Visalia	Alumni Briefing: The game with Lancaster was postponed due to rain.
Record: 13-6, 44-45
Next: vs. Lancaster, with Andrew Chafin (2011) getting the call for the Rawhide.
Double-A Mobile	Alumni Briefing: David Nick (2009) singled and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as the BayBears knocked off Huntsville, 3-2. Rossmel Perez (2008) contributed a sacrifice bunt to the key 10th inning, and also was hit by a pitch, scored a run and (along with Nick) stole a base. Eury De La Rosa (2009) came on to pick up a key out in the top of the eighth inning, retiring the only batter he faced.
Record: 9-11, 49-41
Next: vs. Huntsville
Triple-A Reno	Alumni Briefing: Both Jake Elmore (2008) and Adam Eaton (2010) collected a single and a run scored as the Pacific Coast League beat the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game, 3-0.
Record: 53-38
Next: vs. Salt Lake

Former Osprey with the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Paul Goldschmidt (2009)	.302 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI, .920 OPS	Gerardo Parra (2006)	.276 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, .774 OPS
Miguel Montero (2002-03)	.272 BA, 8 HR, 45 RBI, .797 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: 42-43, 3rd in NL West, 4 GB … 4 GB in wildcard

We’re back home, as the Missoula Osprey open a seven-game homestand against the Grand Junction Rockies tonight. It’s three against the Rox and four against the Orem Owlz over the next week at Ogren Park Allegiance Field.

So here are the lineups and such for tonight …

		Grand Junction Rockies
		Overall: 10-12
		Manager: Tony Diaz
	No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
	12	Matt Wessinger					3B	.286	1	9
	2	Juan Ciriaco					2B	.394	0	8
	21	David Dahl					CF	.329	1	14
	25	Jeff Popick					LF	.359	3	9
	10	Julian Yan					RF	.254	2	11
	11	Jason Stolz					SS	.250	0	11
	18	Max White					DH	.163	1	2
	39	Correlle Prime					1B	.200	0	1
	29	Chris Cowell					C	.273	0	0
	33	Johendi Jiminian	0-0	4.50	3-3		RHP
		Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
		Missoula Osprey
		Overall: 12-10
		Manager: Andy Green
	No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
	14	Pedro Ruiz					SS	.373	1	5
	35	Evan Marzilli					LF	.417	0	2
	18	Jake Lamb					3B	.349	1	12
	7	Michael Perez					C	.350	3	16
	19	Socrates Brito					CF	.247	0	8
	21	Breland Almadova					DH	.338	0	8
	33	Rudy Flores					1B	.308	0	11
	15	Justin Bianco					RF	.218	2	8
	9	Danny Pulfer					2B	.255	1	9
	29	Karl Triana	2-1	6.28	3-3		RHP
		Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
		Umpires:	Home Plate				David Marcoe
			First Base				Mitchell Morgan

The Skinny:
The Osprey open up a seven-game homestand against South Division foes Grand Junction and Orem with a three-game series with the newfound Rockies, who moved from Casper during the off-season.

Last Time Out:
Justin Bianco hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs as the Missoula Osprey snapped a two-game slide with a 12-2 win over the Helena Brewers on Monday in front of 865 fans here at Kindrick Legion Field. Bianco, who finished with three hits and three runs scored, became the 26th player to have a multi-home run game in Osprey history. The right fielder hit a solo shot in the third and a three-run blast in the top of the fourth to give Missoula a 4-2 lead. The Osprey (12-10) then proceeded to score two runs in each of the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings to cruise to the victory. Chris Pack (2-1) pitched five strong innings to get the win on the mound, combining with Dexter Price, Vince Spilker and Chase Stevens on a five-hitter. Pedro Ruiz had four of Missoula’s 15 hits in the contest, and drove in a pair of runs, while Ty Linton and Evan Marzilli added two hits each.

On the Rockies:
Grand Junction comes in on a three-game losing streak, but posted a 4-3 homestand at Sam Suplizio Field heading into the North-South swing. Offensively, they’re lead by second baseman Juan Ciriaco, who is hitting at a .394 clip, while outfielder David Dahl leads the Rox with 14 RBIs while hitting.329. As a team, the Rockies are hitting .282. Their pitching staff has an ERA of 5.80.

Barbosa heads to the ‘Bend:
Osprey pitcher Andrew Barbosa, who recently claimed the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending July 2, has been promoted to Class A South Bend. Barbosa was 1-0 with a 0.41 ERA, just giving up his first run of the season in a no-decision against Great Falls on July 5, ending a stretch of 16 scoreless innings. In 22 innings of work, Barbosa struck out 28 batters, and still currently leads the PBL in both ERA and strikeouts.

On the Mound Tonight:
Missoula will send right-hander Karl Triana to the hill as he looks to continue his current string of solid starts. Triana (2-1, 6.28) has won each of his last two starts, and is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in the month of July. The opposition has hit just .200 off of Triana in his last two starts. Before Triana had a struggle in his Osprey debut against Helena, he fired five innings of four-hit, 10-strikeout ball in his lone start in the Arizona Rookie League last month. Triana is in his second pro season – he was 3-5 with a 3.06 ERA in the Dominican Summer League in 2011.

The Rockies will counter tonight with right-hander Johendi Jiminian, who has worked three innings or less in each of his starts this season. Jiminian (0-0, 4.50) is coming off of a three-inning scoreless stint against Idaho Falls, while allowing two hits and three walks. Jiminian allowed two runs in each of his prior two starts, but has still left the game with his team either tied or in the lead. The Dominican Republic native spent his first two professional seasons in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 9-8 record with a 3.68 ERA for his career entering the season.

By The Numbers:

Current Streak:	W1	Extra Innings:	3-2	Team Hitting:	.287
First Half:	12-10	Lead After 5:	8-2	PL Rank:	3rd
Second Half:	0-0	Tied After 5:	3-2	Team Pitching:	4.09
June:	7-6	Trail After 5:	1-6	PL Rank:	3rd
July:	5-4	One-run games:	4-3	Longest Winning Streak:	3 games
August:	0-0	Two-run games:	0-1	Longest Losing Streak	3 games
September:	0-0	Three-run games:	2-1	HR total at home:	7
Score First:	8-4	+3-run games:	6-5	Pitching K total:	192
Score Last:	6-2	Shutout Record:	1-1	Pitching K/9IP Ratio:	8.63

D-backs Minor League Report/Osprey Alumni Update:

AZL D-backs	Alumni Briefing: Alan Santiago (2009) is hitting just .143 in five games (14 at-bats) for the AZL D-backs.
Record: 6-9
Next: Off-day
DSL D-backs	Update: The DSL D-backs are currently two games back of the DSL Rockies in the DSL Boca Chica Baseball City standings.
Record: 18-15
SS-A Yakima	Alumni Briefing: Josh Parr (2011) is currently hitting .245 with six home runs and 17 RBIs, leading the Bears in both homers and RBIs … Jesus Abreu (2012) is 4-for-10 since moving to Yakima from Missoula … Perry is 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four appearances, including three starts, which includes a 9-inning complete game … Victor Acosta (2010) and Victor Capellan (2009) have combined to go 3-1 on the mound and convert three saves in three opportunities.
Record: 15-10
Next: at Salem-Keizer, with Blake Perry (2010) getting the start.
Class A South Bend	Alumni Briefing: Andrew Barbosa (2012) will make his debut tonight for the Silver Hawks … Seth Simmons (2011) has been the most effective former Osprey pitcher in the Silver Hawks staff, going 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA, and 56 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. Keep an eye out for JR Bradley (2010), who is 4-1 with a 3.28 ERA since June 1 … Ryan Court (2011) has heated up in July, hitting .378 in nine games this month with a team-high seven RBIs.
Record: 10-8, 45-43
Next: at Kane County, with Andrew Barbosa (2012) making his Hawks debut with a start.
Class A Advanced Visalia	Alumni Briefing: Ender Inciarte (2009) and Jon Griffin (2011) are the current cogs of the Rawhide offense, with recent promotions made over the past month. Griffin is hitting .301 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs, while Inciarte is batting .324 in 18 games since his promotion. The pleasant surprise may be the now-healthy Jeremy Erben (2010), who started the season on the disabled list, but has produced in the Rawhide bullpen, posting a 2.96 ERA and striking out 36 batters in 27 1/3 innings pitched. Also keep an eye on Bradin Hagens (2009), who now has tossed 12 consecutive scoreless innings, including a pair of starts where he has allowed a total of five hits.
Record: 13-6, 44-45
Next: vs. Lancaster, with Andrew Chafin (2011) getting the call for the Rawhide.
Double-A Mobile	Alumni Briefing: Chris Owings (2009) has settled down after a rough start, and is now hitting .258 in 19 games since being called up from Class A Advanced Visalia, with six extra-base hits and 16 RBIs. David Nick (2009), meanwhile, continues to be consistent at second base, hitting .259 with 25 RBIs. Chase Anderson (2009) continues to be strong on the mound, going 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Record: 8-11, 48-41
Next: vs. Huntsville
Triple-A Reno	Alumni Briefing: Both Jake Elmore (2008) and Adam Eaton (2010) will be busy tonight, as they will start for the Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Both Elmore and Eaton have been at the top of the Pacific Coast League hitting charts for much of the season. Eaton enters the All-Star Break with the lead in batting, toting a .385 batting average. Elmore is second with a .382 mark. The tandem are also 1-2 in on-base percentage with Elmore (.465) just ahead of Eaton (.457); and also the top two in runs scored (Eaton leads, 90-81), and in the top five in stolen bases (Elmore 25, Eaton 23, and are 3rd and 4th in the PCL). Eaton is tied for the PCL lead in doubles (31) and leads the league in hits (121), while Elmore is in the top five in triples (seven) while ranking third in hits (118).
Record: 53-38
Next: Off-Day (All-Star Break)

Former Osprey with the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Paul Goldschmidt (2009)	.302 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI, .920 OPS	Gerardo Parra (2006)	.276 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, .774 OPS
Miguel Montero (2002-03)	.272 BA, 8 HR, 45 RBI, .797 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: 42-43, 3rd in NL West, 4 GB … 4 GB in wildcard

by Ben Catley

Tonight, you have our permission to have your ears on Osprey baseball and your eyes on Carlos Gonzalez (2003), who is participating in the State Farm Home Run Derby tonight.

First though, stop here and vote for Socrates Brito in the 6th Annual MiLB Monkier Madness.

Here are tonight’s lineups from Helena, as the O’s look to salvage one at Kindrick Legion Field. By the way, if attitude won games before you start, then the Osprey would be up 10-0 out of the chute. They are ready to play tonight.

Missoula (11-10)
14 Pedro Ruiz SS
35 Evan Marzilli LF
18 Jake Lamb 3B
21 Breland Almadova CF
33 Rudy Flores 1B
26 Yosbel Gutierrez C
17 Ty Linton DH
15 Justin Bianco RF
12 John Leonard 2B
44 Chris Pack RHP

Helena (7-14)
13 Tyrone Taylor DH
8 Alfredo Rodriguez SS
3 Chris McFarland 2B
9 Adam Giacalone 1B
2 Emmanuel Quiles C
6 Michael Reed CF
5 Raul Mondesi, Jr. RF
29 Mike Nemeth 3B
22 Ruben Ozuna LF
17 Mike Schaub RHP

Pre-game tonight … well, still up in the air. We will hear from someone tonight at 6:40. My secret … listen in on AM 930 KMPT and online at MissoulaOsprey.com.

First to some injury updates … there is good news and better news. The good news is that Michael Perez, who was crossed up on a pitch late in last night’s game in Great Falls, seems to be much better this afternoon. He was hit on the joint of his left thumb. The plan is to take it easy with Perez, but it’s likely that he will not play this weekend in Helena. However, you never know …

The news is much better for Evan Marzilli, who also left last night’s game with a leg injury. He’s getting today off, and will likely be back in the lineup tomorrow.

Speaking of the lineups, here are the lineups for tonight’s game in Helena:

Missoula (11-8)
14 Pedro Ruiz SS
19 Socrates Brito CF
18 Jake Lamb 3B
33 Rudy Flores 1B
26 Yosbel Gutierrez C
30 Tyler Bream DH
17 Ty Linton LF
15 Justin Bianco RF
12 John Leonard 2B
37 Jared Ray RHP

Helena (5-14)
6 Michael Reed CF
8 Alfredo Rodriguez SS
3 Chris McFarland 2B
9 Adam Giacalone 1B
2 Emmanuel Quiles C
29 Mike Nemeth 3B
5 Raul Mondesi, Jr. RF
15 Michael Turay DH
11 Yonki Hernandez LF
26 Tyler Wagner RHP

Breland Almadova is the pre-game show guest – since we did not really have a pre-game show last night. Unless it rains hard again here in Helena (which is did for about two minutes earlier today), we’ll be starting at 6:40 with the pre-game, and the first pitch will be at 7:05, on AM 930 KMPT and on MissoulaOsprey.com.

 

First, to the news of the day … former Osprey infielder Pedro Ciriaco (2005) has been called back up to the Major Leagues. The Boston Red Sox recalled Ciriaco when they placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb injury. Ciriaco was scheduled to play in the Triple-A All-Star Game, but that appearance will now not happen with the promotion. Ciriaco was among the International League leaders in batting this season, currently 10th in batting with a .301 average.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups in Great Falls, where a storm is trying to settle in … and considering the last two games of the half between these two teams are in Missoula, there will be a push to get this one in, if at all possible.

Missoula (10-8)
35 Evan Marzilli CF
21 Breland Almadova DH
9 Danny Pulfer 2B
18 Jake Lamb 3B
7 Michael Perez C
30 Tyler Bream 1B
17 Ty Linton LF
15 Justin Bianco RF
12 John Leonard SS
29 Karl Triana RHP

Great Falls (10-8)
6 Adam Heisler CF
9 Justin Jirschele SS
3 Micah Johnson 2B
22 Kyle Robinson RF
31 Abe Ruiz 1B
39 Mike Marjama C
34 Patrick Palmeiro LF
10 Tyler Williams 3B
24 Bryce Mosier DH
33 Brandon Parrent LHP

Osprey outfielder Breland Almadova is our guest on the pre-game show, which begins at 6:40 p.m. on AM 930 KMPT and on MissoulaOsprey.com.

Back at Centene Stadium and looking to get the bad taste of a loss out of the mouth, as the Osprey take on the Great Falls Voyagers in game two of their three-game set here.

It also will be the first good test for starting pitcher Andrew Barbosa. For the crafty lefty, he was in a good matchup with both Billings and Helena because they are more aggressive at the plate, and chase more bad pitches. And there is no one on the Osprey staff that can make hitters look bad than Barbosa. Great Falls has a different approach – they have more plate discipline throughout much of the order. So we’ll see how Barbosa adjusts.

At any rate, here are tonight’s lineups:

Missoula (9-8)
Pedro Ruiz SS
Evan Marzilli CF
Socrates Brito RF
Jake Lamb 3B
Michael Perez C
Rudy Flores 1B
Breland Almadova LF
Ty Linton DH
Danny Pulfer 2B
Andrew Barbosa LHP

Great Falls (10-7)
Adam Heisler CF
Justin Jirschele SS
Micah Johnson 2B
Kyle Robinson RF
Brent Tanner C
Yoandy Barroso LF
Abe Ruiz 1B
Tyler Williams DH
Thomas McCarthy 3B
JC Casey RHP

Andy Green is on the pre-game tonight at 6:40, with the first pitch coming at 7:00. You can listen in on AM 930, KMPT, or online at MissoulaOsprey.com.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups from Great Falls …

Missoula (9-7)
Pedro Ruiz 2B
Evan Marzilli CF
Socrates Brito RF
Jake Lamb 3B
Kyle Koeneman 1B
Breland Almadova LF
Yosbel Gutierrez C
Justin Bianco DH
John Leonard SS
Chris Pack RHP

Great Falls (9-7)
Adam Heisler CF
Justin Jirschele SS
Micah Johnson 2B
Kyle Robinson RF
Brent Tanner 1B
Yoandy Barroso LF
Mike Marjama DH
Tyler Williams 3B
Zac Fisher C
Thomas Royse RHP

We’re on the air at 6:40, with Osprey hitting coach JR House tonight’s pre-game show guest. Talk to you in a few …

We’ll have lineups here in a moment, but first, two things to bring you up to speed on that have been developments over the past 24 hours.

– The Osprey have a new addition – he’s 8th round pick Evan Marzilli. Marzilli will likely make his Osprey debut during the three-game series at Great Falls.

– Billings infielder Brandon Dailey did suffer a left knee injury during the fifth inning in Monday’s game. However, it may not be as serious as first feared. Nothing definite will be known until he gets examined further in a couple of days. We wish him the best and hope it’s a speedy recovery for him. The Osprey won’t see Billings again until August 10 here at Ogren Park Allegiance Field.

OK … lineups and notes time!!

	Billings Mustangs
	Overall: 9-6
	Manager:Pat Kelly
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
41	Beau Amaral					CF	.444	0	0
23	Jesse Winker					DH	.413	0	8
21	Spencer Dickinson					LF	.370	1	7
16	Robert Maddox					1B	.293	2	8
40	Robert Ramirez					3B	.200	0	4
5	Taylor Wrenn					2B	.100	0	1
18	Brennan May					RF	.333	0	3
50	Fray Sosa					C	.333	0	4
11	Sammy Diaz					SS	.262	0	5
51	Joel Bender	0-0	9.39	3-0		LHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Missoula Osprey
	Overall: 9-6
	Manager: Andy Green
No.	Player					Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
14	Pedro Ruiz					2B	.347	1	3
21	Breland Almadova					CF	.340	0	6
18	Jake Lamb					3B	.357	1	8
33	Rudy Flores					1B	.303	0	9
7	Michael Perez					C	.333	3	14
26	Yosbel Gutierrez					DH	.333	0	3
17	Ty Linton					LF	.212	3	9
15	Justin Bianco					RF	.139	0	3
12	John Leonard					SS	.227	0	1
24	Ross Gerdeman	1-0	3.24	2-2		RHP
	Starting Pitcher Stats	W-L	ERA	G-GS
	Umpires:	Home Plate				Charlie Ramos
		First Base				Farris Pearson

The Skinny: The Osprey and Mustangs close out their four-game series tonight with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the Pioneer League’s North Division. The other team could be in a tie for second with Great Falls, who plays at Helena tonight. A large crowd is expected tonight, as a fireworks show is scheduled for after the game.Last Time Out: The Osprey continued their solid play at home on Monday with a 5-2 victory over the Billings Mustangs in front of 2,241 fans. Jake Lamb hit a two-run home run to cap a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning which gave the Osprey the lead for good. Missoula would add an insurance run on a Billings error in the bottom of the eighth to finish off the scoring. Once again, the Osprey pitching staff gave an all-around solid performance. Starter Jared Ray pitched into the sixth inning, allowing just two runs on four hits, but surrendered four walks. Michael Rivera (1-1) came on in relief and gave up just a hit and a walk in 2 2/3 innings of work to pick up the win in relief. Justin Thompson retired the final four batters, two of them with strikeouts, to earn his second save in three chances. Michael Perez staked the Osprey to a 1-0 lead with a long solo home run to right-center field. Billings tied the game in the top of the third and then scored a run in the top of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. John Leonard and Danny Pulfer led off the home half of the seventh inning with back-to-back walks. After a passed ball moved the runners to second and third, Socrates Brito grounded out to second to plate Leonard with the game-tying run. Lamb chased Pulfer home as he drilled a 2-2 pitch from Mustang reliever Tony Amezuca (0-2) over the right-center field wall, giving the Osprey a 4-2 lead. Ty Linton had three hits and scored the eighth-inning tally. O’s Sweep Player/Pitcher of the Week Honors: Osprey infielder Danny Pulfer and pitcher Andrew Barbosa claimed the Pioneer League Offensive Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on Monday. Pulfer is coming off a week where he ended an 0-for-15 slide with a cycle against Helena. Since the rough start, including Monday’s game, Pulfer has 11 hits in his last 18 at-bats. Barbosa has started his Osprey career with 16 scoreless innings (including 12 last week), and the lefty leads the Pioneer League in both ERA (0.00) and strikeouts (24). On the Mound Tonight: Missoula will send right-hander Ross Gerdeman to the hill as he tries to pick up his first win since Opening Night in Billings. Gerdeman (1-0, 3.24) pitched into the sixth inning at Dehler Park on June 18, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while collecting four strikeouts in a 13-3 Osprey win. Gerdeman has made two starts since then, both at home, and has struggled a bit, with an ERA of 4.09 in his past 11 innings. His longest stint was a 6 1/3 innings pitched outing against Great Falls on June 23 – ironically, also a fireworks night. The Mustangs will counter tonight with right-hander Wes Mugarian, who took the loss in the opener, and since then has a no-decision and a win. Mugarian (1-1, 3.21) allowed eight hits and three earned runs to Missoula in his first start of the season on June 18. Five days later, Mugarian tossed five shutout innings at Helena for a win. In his last start, on June 28 against Great Falls, Mugarian allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and a pair of walks in what turned out to be a no-decision. In four career outings against the Osprey, Mugarian is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA – and is 0-1 with a ERA of 9.00 in two starts at Ogren Park Allegiance Field. By The Numbers: Current Streak: W3 Extra Innings: 3-2 Team Hitting: .285 First Half: 9-6 Lead After 5: 6-1 PL Rank: 5th Second Half: 0-0 Tied After 5: 3-2 Team Pitching: 3.66 June: 7-6 Trail After 5: 0-3 PL Rank: 1st July: 2-0 One-run games: 4-3 Longest Winning Streak: 3 games August: 0-0 Two-run games: 0-1 Longest Losing Streak 3 games September: 0-0 Three-run games: 1-1 HR total at home: 6 Score First: 8-3 +3-run games: 4-1 Pitching K total: 138 Score Last: 3-1 Shutout Record: 1-1 Pitching K/9IP Ratio: 8.85 D-backs Minor League Report/Osprey Alumni Update: AZL D-backs Alumni Briefing: The AZL D-backs lost to the AZL Brewers on Monday, 14-7. Record: 4-6 Next: at AZL Padres DSL D-backs1/2 Update: The DSL D-backs won their game over the DSL Twins, 4-3, while the DSL D-backs/Reds lost to the DSL Pirates2 team, 10-2. Record: 15-11/3-23 Next: vs. DSL White Sox/vs. DSL Yankees1 SS-A Yakima Alumni Briefing: Josh Parr (2011) had two hits and two RBIs in the Bears’ 7-3 win over Spokane on Monday. Victor Capellan (2009) surrendered a run on three hits in two innings of work, but also struck out three batters. Record: 10-8 Next: vs. Spokane Class A South Bend Alumni Briefing: Raul Navarro (2010) singled home Eric Groff (2010-11) with the game-winning run with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Silver Hawks to a wild, 6-5 win over Lansing on Monday. Navarro and Groff each finished with two hits, while Ryan Court (2011) added two hits and two RBIs for the Hawks. Kable Hogben (2009) picked up the win in relief. Record: 6-5, 41-40 Next: vs. Lansing Class A Advanced Visalia Alumni Briefing: Ender Inciarte (2009) had a day for the Rawhide on Monday against Inland Empire, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, a stolen base and a RBI in a 13-12, 10-inning win. Jon Griffin (2011) added a pair of hits, while Keon Broxton (2009) chipped in with a hit, run scored, a stolen base and a RBI. The former Osprey pitching quartet struggled as Taylor Siemens (2011), Conrad Flynn (2011), Jeremy Erben (2010) and Blake Cooper (2010) combined to give up all 12 runs in a combined nine innings. Record: 7-5, 38-44 Next: vs. Inland Empire Double-A Mobile Alumni Briefing: Chris Owings (2009) collected a hit and a run scored in the BayBears’ 6-2 win over Mississippi on Monday. Chase Anderson (2009) was once again solid, allowing just a solo home run over five innings while striking out four batters. Eury De La Rosa (2009) pitched two scoreless innings behind him, striking out four batters. Record: 6-6, 46-36 Next: vs. Mississippi Triple-A Reno Alumni Briefing: Taylor Harbin (2007) had three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored as the Aces stormed back and beat Las Vegas, 15-8, thanks to an 8-run bottom of the 8th inning. Adam Eaton (2010) and Jake Elmore (2008) each had a hit and a RBI. Elmore added two runs scored. That rally managed to get Charles Brewer (2009) off the hook, as he surrendered eight runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. Ironically, a former Osprey took the loss – Jerry Gil (2000), who is an infielder-turned-pitcher. He surrendered seven of the eight runs in the 8th inning while getting just one out. Gil fell to 4-1 on the season, while his ERA ballooned to 4.42. Record: 50-35 Next: vs. Las Vegas Former Osprey with the Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt (2009) .297 BA, 11 HR, 36 RBI, .915 OPS Gerardo Parra (2006) .272 BA, 6 HR, 23 RBI, .771 OPS Miguel Montero (2002-03) .272 BA, 8 HR, 43 RBI, .794 OPS Bryan Shaw (2008) 1-3, 2 saves, 2.67 ERA, 26 K in 33.2 IP Lyle Overbay (1999) .321 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .910 OPS TEAM: 39-40, 3rd in NL West, 5.5 GB … 4 GB in wildcard