Category: Recap
AMBER Alert: Boise Hawks’ bats missing in road opener
Emeralds 5, Hawks 4. (Rosario, 0-1)
In their first game of a five-game road series, the Hawks fell to the Eugene Emeralds 5-4, to start the season in Eugene, OR.
Despite reaching base by way of eight walks as a team, Boise was only able to earn three hits in the game, while the top four hitters in the lineup went 0-for-8 with six strikeouts.
Arkansas native Ben Wells — a highly touted right-hander out of Bryant High School — threw five innings of quality work, allowing only two runs on five hits and two walks in his professional debut. The Hawks lost their 4-2 lead in the sixth, when a Wes Darvill error to lead off the inning was followed by a single, a pass ball, and three straight walks thrown by Jose Rosario.
The Hawks face off against the Emeralds again tonight, and can be heard on 1350 KTIK, The Ticket at 8:05 pm.
Don’t forget to check back daily for the latest on the Boise Hawks and Memorial Stadium!
Visit HAM Insider Laura Verillo’s blog for more! hawkshotcorner.mlblogs.com
Eighth inning surge not enough for Hawks to top Indians
With only a week left in the Northwest League baseball
season, the Boise Hawks (12-20) took on the Spokane Indians, who clinched the
East Division in the second half of the season, in one of the “dog days” of fall
at Memorial Stadium Tuesday. The Indians looked as excited as Kirstie Alley at
a salad bar.
Despite their lifeless play, Spokane managed to show why
they will be facing the Yakima Bears in the playoffs at the end of the series
in Boise. Literally no effort was yielded by the Indians in the first three
innings, yet they were still able to outscore the Hawks 4-0 on a flurry of
hits. Indians designated hitter Brett Nicholas blasted a line drive shot down
the right field line only to be called foul by the home plate umpire. It took
Nicholas nearly two minutes to stroll back to the batter’s box while receiving
a plethora of insults from the home crowd.
Though the season is all but over for the Hawks players, and
fans, Tuesday night attendees saw the return of Tarlandas Mitchell who spent
the majority of the second half of the season in Mesa, Ariz. for rehab with the
Arizona Rookie League Cubs. Mitchell threw two quality innings out of the
bullpen, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks after relieving
starter Juan Serrano.
While down five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the
Hawks rallied to spawn a late game comeback, scoring three runs on three hits,
a walk, and a hit by pitch. The revolt was ended abruptly on a devastating double
play on a Dustin Harrington ground ball to Spokane shortstop Jurickson Profar.
In the ninth, Colby Killian earned his seventh save of the
season for the Indians, striking out two to finish the game.
INJURY REPORT
Hawks shortstop Elliot Soto left the game Tuesday when he
injured his ankle on a hit by pitch in the eighth inning. Manager Jody Davis
immediately removed him from the game.
Alcantara, Na lead Hawks past Aquasox, 7-6
With Alvaro Ramirez out of the lineup and manager Jody Davis still under suspension, the Boise Hawks (6-11) had to look elsewhere for both leadership and production Saturday night against the Everett Aquasox.
Second baseman Arismendy Alcantar and center fielder Kyung-Min Na – with the help of four Everett errors – gladly filled the gaps. Alcantara’s two run home run in the sixth inning gave the Hawks a 6-4 lead, just as it seemed the game was slipping away from, while Na’s double in the seventh increased Boise’s lead by two after an Everett run in the top of the inning. Together the pair totaled six hits and three RBI in the club’s 7-6 victory over the Aquasox.
Pierre LePage and Jeff Vigurs also had two hit ball games, while three other Hawks finished with one hit.
Eric Jokisch got the start for the Hawks, but it was Dustin Fitzgerald who received the win for his four innings of work down the stretch, allowing one earned run on five hits and four strikeouts. Home-grown pitcher, Jordan Latham earned his first save on the season for his work in the ninth inning to close out the revolting Aquasox.
With radio announcer Mike Safford taking advantage of his off day, media relations assistant Chad Bates took over the mic and highlighted his skills as a future play-by-play man.
Sunday, the Hawks take on the Aquasox in the second game of a five game series against Everett, as they look to escape their East Division worst 6-11 record.
Slumps and Streaks: Hawks fall to third in the East, lose eight straight
It was about time.
After somewhat of a miraculous first half of the season, the
Boise Hawks have fallen to third place in the Northwest League East division
following eight straight losses by way Tri-City, Yakima and Vancouver.
On the season, the Hawks still sit at second place in the
NWL in batting, second only to the first-place Spokane Indians. Despite the
losing streak, however, Boise is only .021 off of their season average of .260.
Now that 41 games are in the books, the Hawks will have to
fight to maintain some composure for the first time in the 2010 season.
The key to their success: the little things. In those eight
games, five have been decided by one or two runs.
Tonight’s game will feature the Battle of the Caribbean when
Cuban defect, and Hawks pitcher, Juan Serrano, faces the Canadians’
left-hander, Anvioris Ramirez in the fourth game of the series.
Hawks say goodbye to star closer, win third straight
It was just a matter of time. The one consistent component
of the Hawks pitching staff, Corey Martin, was promoted to Class A Peoria on
Thursday, after earning seven saves in as many chances for Boise.
In nine innings, Martin gave up five hits, no walks and one
earned run; all-the-while recording an ERA of 1.00 throughout the eight games.
One of the many downsides to the brutal life of minor league
baseball once again surfaces: consistent, strong players don’t stick around for
long.
Martin began the 2010 season with the Peoria Chiefs, but was
sent down to short season Boise after going 1-1 with a 10.38 ERA in only seven
appearances.
The loss of Martin will leave a vacant spot in the closer
position, most likely to be filled by Aaron Kurcz, who received his first save
against the Emeralds on Thursday.
Thursday was a day of movement for the Chicago Cubs
organization. Five new players were added to the Hawks roster, four of which
were 2010 draftees. Pitchers Brent Ebinger, Matthew Loosen and Eduardo Figueroa
each joined the team Thursday, with Figueroa making his second stint with the
club.
Position players Elliot Soto and Matt Szczur also joined the
team, while outfielder Runey Davis was released by the organization after
hitting .174 with two home runs and three RBI in 14 games to go with 19
strikeouts.
Two players were demoted to the Arizona Rookie League’s Mesa
Cubs as well. Joe Zeller was 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA in only four appearances,
while Yao-Lin Wang went 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA, allowing 19 hits in 14 innings.
Offensive juggernaut Brandon May was placed on the 7-Day
Disabled List after hitting three home runs and driving home 14 RBI for the
Hawks this season. May will rehab his injured left knee along with pitcher
Tarlandus Mitchell, who strained a muscle during the pregame workouts in
Spokane on Monday.
GAME NOTES:
Offense was plentiful for the Boise Hawks on Friday Night,
allowing the team to recover after one disastorous inning – the fifth – and maintain
their East Division lead over the Spokane Indians, who defeated the Everett
Aquasox.
Despite a relatively sound first three innings of work by
Hawks pitcher John Mincone couldn’t find his first win of the season. Mincone
received a no-decision after being removed in the fifth inning in the midst of
a Eugene offensive surge.
Though the Emeralds scored six runs against one of the worst
statistical offenses in the Northwest League, Boise was able to hold onto the
lead after two four run innings, allowing them to defeat Eugene 9-6.
Alvaro Ramirez and Arismendy Alcantara both had multi-hit
ball games Friday, finishing 3-for-5 and 3-for-3 respectively. In his first
game with the Hawks, Elliot Soto had one hit in three tries, driving in two
runs in the fourth for the club.
Brent Ebinger received the win for the Hawks after taking
over for Mincone, throwing 2.2 innings while giving up four hits and walking
two Eugene hitters.
In the stead of Corey Martin, Daniel Keefe was called on to
close for Boise, throwing one inning and striking out the side in the top of
the ninth.
Hawks take one from the Indians, falter in Spokane
Although the Boise Hawks (10-9) have been on the road in
Spokane for the last three games against the Indians, that doesn’t mean there
hasn’t been plenty of notable baseball news for Hawks fans.
After losing two or three games against the Indians, the Hawks
have once again joined the Yakima Bears (10-9) as co-leaders of the Northwest
League’s East Division. Though the series may be viewed as a failure in the
form of wins and losses, it is still a mystery why Boise is even in the
position of division-leading contention.
Boise is currently last in the NWL in hitting with a
combined .219 batting average and a seventh ranked (out of eight) run
production at 72. Only Vancouver has fewer runs this season with 58. The
Canadians are also in a three-way tie for the worst record in the league.
The secret to their “success” isn’t their pitching either –
save the consistency of closer Corey Martin. Boise has a combined ERA of 4.23,
third worst in the NWL, while Martin has an ERA of 1.00 in nine innings
pitched, with a league leading seven saves to match. The next closest pitcher
is Vancouver’s Mike Hart who has four in seven innings.
Tuesday, Austin Kirk earned his second win of the season, and
second in a row, striking out three and allowing four hits in five innings.
Richard Jones tied Brandon May for the team lead in home runs after he belted
his third of the season in the eighth inning of the final game against Spokane,
adding another insurance run to their 4-2 win to salvage a small piece of the
series.
Six Hawks hitters had multi-hit games against the Indians –
Alvaro Ramirez, Pierre LePage, George Matheus, Runey Davis, Richard Jones and
Jesus Morelli – while six also had multi-strikeout games: Micah Gibbs, Jose
Guevara (2), Arismendy Alcantara, Kyung-Min Na, Jones and Morelli.
A bright spot for the Hawks following the holiday break was
the return of center fielder Na, who was sidelined for three games after
suffering an elbow injury against the Emeralds in Eugene. Na had previously
played in 11 straight games before the injury.
Some rust was apparent with Na in Spokane, however. Na only
reached base in one plate appearance in 10 opportunities.
LePage continues to show off his various talents on the
field; both offensively and defensively. He went 4-for-13 against the Indians,
and is currently hitting .351 for the Hawks with 13 hits and 10 RBI.
The Hawks will face off against the Eugene Emeralds (8-11) in
their next home stand that begins on Thursday, with the routine fireworks show
on Friday, in an inter-division matchup. The series spans five games across the
weekend, and could pose as another exciting couple of games for Hawks fans. The
Emeralds are second in the league with a .266 batting average and 175 hits;
trailing only the explosive Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.
The French Revolution: LePage shines in Hawks debut
Once again, the French have come to our aid, and the
arrival couldn’t have come at a better time. At arrival of Pierre LePage – one of
four new players to arrive in Boise selected in the 2010 First-Year Player’s
Draft – the Boise Hawks (8-6) were the worst hitting team in the Northwest
League with a .216 batting average and a league low, 93 RBI heading into a new
three game home stand against the Yakima Bears (6-8). That’s all about to
change.
In only his fifth professional game since being
drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 13th round of the draft, Pierre LePage went
2-4 with two hits and four RBI for the Hawks in their 7-0 win over the Bears
Thursday.
With the score tied 0-0 in the bottom of the second
inning and the bases loaded, LePage hit a base-clearing triple to left field,
scoring George Matheus, Arismendy Alcantara and Alvaro Ramirez.
The added run support proved crucial to left-handed
pitcher, Austin Kirk’s success in his third start of the season. Kirk went five
complete innings, giving up only three hits, while fanning five Yakima hitters –
arguably one of the best starts by a Hawks starter thus far.
LePage boasts a high baseball IQ, as well as plus
speed and contact hitting ability. With this new charge to the lineup, the
Hawks could see continued success on the back of the University of Connecticut
product.
NOTES:
Right-handed relief man, Carlos Rojas, had another
successful outing for the Hawks, showing off his impeccable curveball,
finishing with two hits allowed and one strikeout in three innings pitched.
Rojas has a 1.54 ERA on the season.
Four Boise sluggers had two hit ball games in the
win; Alvaro Ramirez, Jesus Morelli, Runey Davis and LePage. Davis had a double
in the third and an opposite-field home run in the fifth inning.
LePage wasn’t the only player to make his Boise
debut; Micah Gibbs, the most anticipated prospect of the draftees who arrived
Thursday, went 0-4 with two strikeouts as a designated hitter for the club. However,
Gibbs is regarded as one of the best catchers chosen in the draft and will
flaunt his strengths defensively behind the plate in the ensuing games against
Yakima.
Lackluster effort leads Volcanoes past Hawks in landslide victory, 11-0
On Wednesday, a terrible crime took place at
Memorial Stadium in Garden City; the Boise Hawks were brutally murdered by the
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in an 11-0 drubbing in front of a nearly-sold-out crowd.
Luckily, no fans were drowned in the bloodbath last night.
Slightly resembling a Hitchcock thriller, the Boise
Hawks completely lost control of a feasible win against their rivals, the
Volcanoes. Despite his 8.22 ERA at nights end, John Mincone pitched four
quality innings for the club, giving up three “earned” runs while fanning three
Volcanoes hitters and only walking one.
In the fourth inning, Mincone suffered his first so-called
earned run after Daniel Brock of the Volcanoes singled to Hawks center fielder,
Runey Davis, who, instead of attempting a throw to home to catch the rounding
Jose Medina, double pumped and proceeded to lob the ball into the awaiting
cut-off. This was just the first of many lackluster plays by the home team.
Don’t be mistaken, the Volcanoes crushed the ball
all evening, but it was the lack of concern by the defense that made this game inexcusable.
In his fifth inning, Mincone was given a wild pitch, after Boise catcher, Jeff
Vigurs once again couldn’t squeeze the pitch, allowing Carlos Quintana of the
Volcanoes to score. On the next batter, with a runner on third, Mincone forced
Salem-Keizer second baseman, Raynor Campbell to hit a sharp grounder to Brandon
May at third base. Instead of attempting the double play – there was also a runner
on first who was close to the base to begin with because of Mincone’s strong
pick-off move – or gunning out the runner at home, May went for the easy play
at first base, leading to Mincone’s removal from the game.
Earlier in the season, manager, Jody Davis, told me
that the main goal for them was to “train players to get to Chicago” and “if we’re
winning past the sixth inning we try to win the game.” But when a pitcher has
such a positive outing, only to be ruined by complacent fielding, shouldn’t
there be some disciplinary action even at such a low level of professional
baseball?
After Mincone’s removal, the flood gates opened
wide. Salem-Keizer scored two runs in the fifth inning, followed by six in the
sixth and two in the seventh, to improve their already sizeable lead to 11-0.
The Volcanoes had 18 hits on the night to match Boise’s tow. Surprisingly,
though, the Hawks only committed two errors in their worst lost of the season.
The small error total is most likely due to Davis’
decision to remove starting shortstop, Arismendy Alcantara from the lineup – he
has made four of the team’s 11 errors in 2010 – while sliding George Mathues
over from his third base position, and putting Brandon May at third.
An interesting side not, to start the game, it appeared
that Davis wasn’t looking for run support for his starting pitcher, Mincone
(0-2), after multiple Hawks hitters were either looking for the walk with timid
approaches, or attempting to bunt for an infield hit.
Whatever the outcome of last night’s game, there’s
always another one waiting tomorrow – the beauty of short season baseball. The
Hawks will play Salem-Keizer in the fourth game of their five game series in which
Boise looks to get their second win at home in 2010.
Hawks fall to Volcanoes in opener, lineup becomes more balanced
BOISE
— Typically, losing efforts are marked by distressed fans and heckling
critics, but in the Boise Hawks Monday night opener at Memorial Stadium,
baseball fans seemed satisfied with the Hawks 5-2 loss to the Salem-Keizer
Volcanoes. In the seventh inning, with a three run deficit, the sold out crowd
actively participated in their rendition of the timeless “Macarena” dance.
Austin
Kirk received the loss for Boise, going four innings and giving up five hits,
three runs and two walks. Though he gave up two homeruns in the game, Kirk
still showed strong movement on his pitches while earning five strikeouts.
Although
the loss can be disheartening to a young ball club, the Hawks season opener was
highlighted by a complete offensive attack throughout the batting order,
something absent in their previous series against the Yakima Bears. The Hawks
won their in Yakima, 2-1.
“Most
of those guys down at the bottom [of the order] are more speed guys, so we have
to create a little havoc down there, so that we can at least put a little
pressure on the defense,” said first-year manager of the Hawks, Jody Davis.
When
they played the Bears, Boise was carried by the offensive production of Brandon
May, Jesus Morelli and Wes Darvill at the bottom of the order. They combined
for nine of the team’s 11 RBIs, 14 of the team’s 21 hits and five of the team’s
12 runs.
Despite
a relatively calm first two innings, Kirk began to lose composure in the fourth
inning when he gave up back-to-back homeruns to Salem Keizer right fielder,
Jose Medina and designated hitter, Jesse Shriner, on consecutive pitches over
the right and left field walls respectively.
It
was clear that newly appointed Davis aimed at giving Kirk a set amount of
innings before the start of the game after he chose to leave Kirk to finish the
fourth following a visit to the mound.
“I
thought Kirk did a pretty good job even though he gave up those two home runs,”
said Davis. “We’re developing these guys, and they’re all on a pretty strict
pitch count and when they’re out there we expect to win some games. Developing
these guys and getting them to Chicago is the ultimate goal.”
Boise
narrowed the gap with the Volcanoes in the bottom of the fourth inning when
Richard Jones doubled to score Jesus Morelli from second after Morelli turned a
single into a double on an error by Salem-Keizer third baseman, Kyle Mach.
Jones was left on base to end the fourth with a 3-1 score in favor of the
Volcanoes. Jones was one of two Hawks left on base.
After
taking over for Kirk in the top of the fifth inning, right handed pitcher
Carlos Rojas took control of the game. Despite an error by Boise shortstop Arismendy
Alcantara that scored the Volcanoes’ fourth run, Rojas was able to force
Salem-Keizer into an inning-ending double play.
Rojas
finished with one walk, three strikeouts and one earned run in three innings.
Darvill – one half of the 6-4-3 double play in the fifth – was able to cut the
Volcanoes lead down to two in the sixth, when his ground ball out scored Alvaro
Ramirez from third following a sacrifice by Boise catcher, Jose Guevara.
The
final blow came by way of a pass ball in the top of the eighth inning, scoring
Kyle Mach of Salem-Keizer, increasing the lead to 5-2 Volcanoes.
Christopher
Huseby and Andres Quezada each pitched one inning for the Hawks. Huseby gave up
two hits and one run and had one walk with one strikeout.
Though
a loss wasn’t the desirable way to kick off the season for anybody, the
fireworks show to cap off the night was met by cheers and laughter from
thousands of fans, relieved that the true first day of summer had finally
arrived.
The
Hawks will try and once again emerge above the .500 mark with a win over the
Volcanoes tomorrow night. Game time is once again 7:15 pm, and gates will open
to fans at 6:45 pm.
Engel's Angle 