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:

Billings Mustangs Overall Record: 11-9 Manager: Pat Kelly No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI 6 Kurtis Muller CF .279 1 8 23 Juan Silva LF .238 0 3 11 Devin Lohman SS .288 3 11 16 Robert Maddox 1B .242 4 9 39 Sean Buckley DH .333 5 12 15 Kyle Waldrop RF .260 0 9 23 Junior Arias 3B .176 0 5 34 Nick O’Shea C .302 2 4 4 Sammy Diaz 2B .275 0 6 27 Wes Mugarian RHP

Missoula Osprey Overall Record: 11-9 Manager: Hector De La Cruz No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI 30 Chris Ellison RF .307 3 12 14 Josh Parr SS .275 2 10 19 Ryan Court 3B .247 2 10 35 Jon Griffin 1B .273 2 12 11 Tom Belza 2B .388 1 5 38 Stephen Cardullo LF .327 2 12 23 Fidel Pena DH .288 1 11 24 Roidany Aguila C .260 3 10 18 Justin Bianco CF .216 1 6 37 Robby Rowland RHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Billings Mustangs W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg. Wes Mugarian 1-2 5.85 4-4 20.0 24 17 13 9 25 4 .293

Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg. Robby Rowland 0-1 6.75 3-3 13.1 23 12 10 2 9 3 .383

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:

Billings Mustangs Overall Record: 11-8 Manager: Pat Kelly No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI 6 Kurtis Muller CF .298 1 8 23 Juan Silva LF .243 0 3 21 Drew Poulk RF .374 2 8 16 Robert Maddox 1B .242 4 9 39 Sean Buckley 3B .321 4 10 24 Junior Arias DH .167 0 5 4 Sammy Diaz 2B .278 0 5 19 Yovan Gonzalez C .237 1 9 17 Cirstobal Rodriguez SS .308 0 0 57 Ismael Guillon LHP

Missoula Osprey Overall Record: 10-9 Manager: Hector De La Cruz No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI 30 Chris Ellison RF .288 3 9 14 Josh Parr SS .276 2 9 19 Ryan Court 3B .261 2 10 35 Jon Griffin 1B .278 2 12 38 Stephen Cardullo LF .333 2 12 12 Eric Groff 2B .279 0 7 23 Fidel Pena C .292 1 11 18 Justin Bianco CF .186 1 4 16 Bryan Henry DH .143 1 2 43 Raymond Hernandez RHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Billings Mustangs W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg. Ismael Guillon 0-1 8.44 3-3 10.2 12 12 10 14 8 3 .300

Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg. Raymond Hernandez 2-0 2.77 3-1 13.0 8 4 4 2 10 3 .174

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):

Team	Pct.
Missoula	.975
Orem	.970
Great Falls	.969
Helena	.965
Billings	.957
Casper	.949
Ogden	.946
Idaho Falls	.943

First… the lineup sheet:

Helena Brewers Overall Record: 9-9 Manager: Joe Ayrault No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI 82 Robbie Garvey CF .262 0 4 16 Adrian Williams 2B .262 0 4 54 Nick Ramirez 1B .294 0 6 68 Parker Berberet DH .340 3 11 30 Max Walla RF .286 1 7 49 Tyler Roberts C .190 0 2 15 Yadiel Rivera SS .250 4 13 79 Mike Nemeth 3B .167 0 0 6 John Dishon LF .152 2 5 56 Andy Moye RHP

Missoula Osprey Overall Record: 9-9 Manager: Hector De La Cruz No. Player Pos. Avg. HR RBI 30 Chris Ellison CF .290 2 8 14 Josh Parr SS .278 2 9 19 Ryan Court 3B .258 2 10 35 Jon Griffin 1B .250 1 11 11 Tom Belza LF .409 1 5 38 Stephen Cardullo DH .317 2 12 23 Fidel Pena 2B .295 0 8 7 Jeremia Gomez RF .305 1 7 24 Roidany Aguila C .239 2 9 29 Conrad Flynn RHP

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Helena Brewers W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg. Andy Moye 2-0 1.93 3-3 14.0 12 3 3 1 16 1 .231 vs. Missoula 0-0 9.00 1-1 3.0 5 3 3 1 4 1 .357

Missoula Osprey W-L ERA G-GS IP H R ER BB K HRA Avg. Conrad Flynn 2-0 2.92 4-0 12.1 11 4 4 3 15 0 .239 vs. Helena 1-0 0.00 1-0 4.0 3 0 0 0 4 0 .214

Umpires for tonight’s game — Home Plate: Ben Guttenberger 1st Base: James Rackley

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.

First, today’s starting lineups:

Helena Brewers Overall Record: 8-9 Manager: Joe Ayrault
No.	Player	Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
75	Ruben Ozuna	CF	.348	0	1
16	Adrian Williams	2B	.263	0	4
54	Nick Ramirez	1B	.333	0	6
68	Parker Berberet	C	.347	2	10
30	Max Walla	RF	.288	1	7
15	Yadiel Rivera	SS	.253	4	12
31	Kyle Dhanani	3B	.255	1	7
7	Kenny Allison	DH	.286	0	4
82	Robbie Garvey	LF	.263	0	4
51	Chad Pierce	RHP

Missoula Osprey Overall Record: 9-8 Manager: Hector De La Cruz
No.	Player	Pos.	Avg.	HR	RBI
30	Chris Ellison	LF	.297	2	8
14	Josh Parr	SS	.284	2	8
19	Ryan Court	3B	.230	2	9
35	Jon Griffin	1B	.250	1	10
12	Eric Groff	2B	.304	0	7
11	Tom Belza	DH	.415	1	5
7	Jeremia Gomez	RF	.296	1	7
24	Roidany Aguila	C	.256	2	9
18	Justin Bianco	CF	.210	1	4
26	Jesse Darrah	RHP

OK, now for … the rest of the story:

The Skinny: The Osprey are coming off of a 4-1 road trip, and will carry a four-game win streak into the final two games of the first half against the Helena Brewers. The teams have each won three of the first six games, with only last night’s 5-2 Osprey win being decided by more than one run.

As the Belza Tolls: Tom Belza has hit his way into the regular starting lineup for the Osprey. Currently toting a six-game, multi-hit streak, Belza – who is currently three plate appearances shy of qualifying to be among the Pioneer League leaders in hitting – has a .415 batting average, with six doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs. Had it not been for a pinch-hit appearance, in which he was retired, the streak would actually be at eight games.

Big Time Road Run: The Osprey have been pretty good as of late on the road. Missoula has won six of their last eight games away from home, and improved their road mark to 6-4 with their recent 4-1 road trip. At home, the Osprey are 3-4, but have won their last two games at Ogren Park Allegiance Field.

On the Mound tonight: Missoula will send out right-hander Jesse Darrah in search of his first win of the season. Darrah (0-0, 6.75) has allowed six hits and three earned runs in each start, but the innings have been stretched each time. Darrah pitched effectively in his last outing at Billings, allowing six hits and three runs in five innings pitched, while striking out a season-high seven batters in what turned into a walk-off win for the Mustangs. The Brewers will counter with right-hander Chad Pierce, who allowed four runs on two hits and two walks in a 1/3 inning stint in Missoula on June 22. Pierce will be making his second start of the season, in the first, he surrendered two runs on a hit and two walks in two innings pitched to Great Falls.

The K Story: The Osprey have been much more proficient at home in striking out the opposition than on the road. Here are the numbers through the July 6 game at Helena:
Home: 67 IP, 91 Ks, 12.22 Ks per 9 IP
Road: 91 IP, 92 Ks, 9.10 Ks per 9 IP

Osprey Alumni Update/Minor League Report:
The AZL D-backs (5-6) lost a 5-3 decision to the AZL Angels on Wednesday. Blake Perry (2010) allowed five runs in five innings of work to drop his second straight decision. Victor Acosta (2010) pitched two innings of shutout relief, while Domingo Soriano (2010) had a 1-for-4 night with a run scored.

The DSL D-backs (10-21) lost to the DSL Reds, 6-0. Alan Santiago (2009) was 1-for-2 off the bench in Wednesday’s loss.

Yakima (6-14) lost a tough 3-2, 12-inning decision at Boise on Wednesday. Jae Yun Kim (2009-10) hit a game-tying home run in the top of the eighth inning – his second home run of the season – and had two hits, while Randy Hamrick (2010) allowed just an unearned run in his six innings of work.

South Bend (5-8, 39-43) lost to Great Lakes, 3-1, on Wednesday. Despite taking the loss, JR Bradley (2010) pitched a solid seven innings, allowing just one earned run on seven hits and a walk. Ramon Castillo (2009) had a hit and a RBI, while Roberto Rodriguez (2010), Matt Helm (2009-10) and Raywilly Gomez (2009) each added a base hit.

Visalia (7-7, 38-45) beat Inland Empire on Wednesday, 3-1. Trevor Harden (2008) picked up the win, while Yonata Ortega (2007) earned his ninth save of the season. In between Harden and Ortega, providing the bridge to the win on the mound were 2009 Osprey teammates Adam Worthington and Mike Belfiore. Chris Owings, also a 2009 alum, added two hits at the plate.

Mobile (10-4, 48-36) now holds the best record in the Southern League’s Southern Division, after beating Birmingham, 2-0, for their fifth straight win. Taylor Harbin (2007) broke a scoreless tie with a seventh-inning RBI single. By the way – since Adam Eaton (2010) received the promotion to Double-A, the BayBears are 5-0.

Reno (50-35) lost to Tucson on Wednesday, 6-3.

Schedule:
AAA Reno at Tucson
AA Mobile at Birmingham – Jarrod Parker (2007) gets the call for the BayBears tonight.
A Adv. Visalia at Lake Elsinore
A South Bend vs. Great Lakes
SS-A Yakima at Eugene
AZL D-backs vs. AZL Athletics
DSL D-backs vs. DSL Twins

Starting lineups in a moment … the Osprey have added right-handed pitcher DJ Johnson to the roster. The Arizona Diamondbacks bought Johnson’s contract from the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League.

Johnson will likely be used as a reliever for the Osprey. He will wear #48.

The Osprey will look to go to 4-1 as they wrap up this five-game road trip tonight in Helena. Here are tonight’s lineups:
Missoula (8-8)
30 Chris Ellison LF
14 Josh Parr SS
38 Stephen Cardullo 3B
35 Jon Griffin 1B
12 Eric Groff 2B
11 Tom Belza DH
7 Jeremia Gomez RF
23 Fidel Pena C
18 Justin Bianco CF
47 Enrique Burgos RHP 

Helena (8-8)
82 Robbie Garvey LF
16 Adrian Williams 2B
54 Nick Ramirez DH
49 Tyler Roberts C
30 Max Walla RF
79 Mike Nemeth 1B
15 Yadiel Rivera SS
31 Kyle Dhanani 3B
75 Ruben Ozuna CF
57 Kevin Shackelford RHP 

Pre-game guest is starting pitcher Robby Rowland. We’re on around 6:40 on AM 930, KMTP, as well as http://www.missoulaosprey.com.

It’s getaway day in Helena… and the Osprey are trying to do something that has been rare for them since the 2007 season – take four games on a road trip. In fact, the last time they won four or more games on a road trip was in 2009, when Missoula went 5-2 through a swing of Billings and Helena. The Osprey also went 5-2 in a swing through Casper and Idaho Falls during the 2007 season.

The best road trips, since 2007:
– August 3-9, 2010 – Osprey went 3-3 in Great Falls and Billings.
– August 28-September 3, 2009 – Osprey went 5-2 in Billings and Helena. That run started a streak of nine wins in the final 15 games, which enabled Missoula to clinch the wild-card berth for the Northern Division playoffs.
– June 28-30, 2008 – The Osprey won two of three in Helena, including winning 1-0 on a no-hitter on June 30. The Osprey would only win 17 more games the remainder of the season.
– July 11-17, 2007 –  The Osprey went 5-2 through Casper and Idaho Falls. This trip included the club’s first-ever triple play.

Other notes:
– The Osprey want Josh Parr at the plate against the Brewers – he’s hitting .400 (8-for-20) this season against the Brew Crew.

– Sans for a pinch-hit appearance, Tom Belza has been on fire as of late. The pinch-hit miss ended up in what would have been a seven-game hit streak, all of them the multi-hit variety. Including the pinch-hit appearance against Great Falls, Belza is 15-for-32 (.469 batting average) in his last eight games, and his current five-game hit stretch have all come with two hits or more in each.

– Helena has three players hitting over .300 against the Osprey … first baseman/DH Parker Berberet (.333 – who is not in today’s starting lineup for the Brewers), Robbie Garvey (.304) and Yadiel Rivera (.320, 3 HR).

– You will see an update on this tomorrow, but here is the comparison between road and home games for the Osprey pitching staff, as it relates to strikeouts:
Home: 67 IP, 91 Ks – 12.22 Ks per 9 innings pitched.
Road: 82 IP, 80 Ks – 8.78 Ks per 9 innings pitched.

Starting lineups coming shortly … as this gets posted, we’re about a half-hour away from departing the hotel and heading to Kindrick Legion Field. Remember, Robby Rowland is today’s pre-game interview.

by Ben Catley

We’re behind schedule yet on time … go figure … here are tonight’s starting lineup for Missoula at Helena:

Missoula (7-8)
Chris Ellison LF
Josh Parr SS
Ryan Court 3B
Jon Griffin 1B
Eric Groff 2B
Tom Belza DH
Jeremia Gomez RF
Fidel Pena C
Justin Bianco CF
Robby Rowland RHP

Helena (8-7)
82 Robbie Garvey CF
16 Adrian Williams 2B
54 Nick Ramirez 1B
68 Parker Berberet DH
30 Max Walla RF
79 Mike Nemeth 3B
15 Yadiel Rivera SS
73 Douglas Elliot C
6 John Dishon LF
95 Eric Arnett RHP 

OK – other notes:
– With the Great Falls win over Helena last night, the Osprey could be at least in second place with a win tonight.
– While the Osprey are 4-4 on the road, they have won four of their last six games away from Ogren Park Allegiance Field.
– Former Osprey reliever Jose Valverde (2000) was named to the AL All-Star squad on Sunday. Valverde – who had earned back-to-back All-Star nods with the Detroit Tigers – is 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 20 saves – tied for third-best in the AL.

I have a bunch more in the note department, but we’ll have to save it for a post tomorrow afternoon.

Pre-game interview is with starting pitcher Enrique Burgos. By the way, a big thanks to Steve and Emma, for making sure I have a snack if needed during the game. Gotta love apples … cut-up, even.

It’s hot in Billings. LEt’s hope the Osprey bats and Taylor Siemens can be as hot as the weather.

Missoula (5-8)
Chris Ellison LF
Roidany Aguila C
Stephen Cardullo SS
Jon Griffin 1B
Ryan Court 3B
Eric Groff 2B
Tom Belza DH
Jeremia Gomez RF
Justin Bianco CF
Taylor Siemens LHP

Billings (8-5)
Kurtis Muller CF
Dayne Read LF
Robert Maddox 1B
Sean Buckley 3B
Kyle Waldrop RF
Nick O’Shea C
Junior Arias DH
Adam Muenster 2B
Cristobal Rodriguez SS
Mitch Clarke LHP

No pre-game interview today … we’ll look around the Pioneer League instead. The rest of the road trip – pitching coach Gil Hererdia tomorrow, pitcher Enrique Burgos on Tuesday and we’re aiming for pitcher Robby Rowland on Wednesday. Subject to change.

Other news:
– Adam Eaton is now in Mobile.  The former Osprey outfielder (2010) was promoted on Saturday and made his debut on Saturday night, 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI in a 6-3 win over Montgomery. In that game, Paul Goldschmidt (2009) had a triple, RBI and run scored. Jarrod Parker (2007) went five innings, scattering four hits and allowing a run to pick up the win.

– Derek Eitel (2010) is telling his friends that he has been promoted to Triple-A Reno. Eitel will be among a number of roster changes involving pitchers in recent days – including former Osprey left-hander Tom Layne (2007) being sent back down to Double-A Mobile, which took place on July 1.

Last but not least …

Happy 4th of July everyone!