MOABS TAKE TWO, PULL INTO TIE WITH REELING SQUIRRELS

MOABS TAKE TWO, PULL INTO TIE WITH REELING SQUIRRELS

Brooklyn—Brian McCann drilled a pair of homers, including a one-out walkoff job off Joe Nathan in the bottom of the tenth, and with new skipper Mike Scioscia calling the shots on a more aggressive offense, the Moabs swept a twi-night doubleheader with the visiting Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels, sending Andrew Haynes’s troops to their fifth straight loss and allowing the previously-downtrodden Brooklynites to reach .500 .....and pull into a share of second place in the increasingly-unpredictable Eastern Division!

In the opener, Scott Baker (2-0, 1.59) wasn’t as dominant as his last start against the Squirrels (a seven-hit shutout), but he did improve to 4-1 lifetime against the divisional rival with eight strong frames, helped immensely by early homers off the bats of McCann and Chase Utley, who both took rookie Armando Gallaraga (4-5, 5.37) deep early in the game. The Squirrels made some noise with two runs in the sixth, but Baker got a key double-play ball from pinch-hitter Jayson Werth, and the Moabs went on to win 6-3 thanks to ‘K-Rod’s ninth save of the season.

In the nightcap, Tim Lincecum was solid, allowing just two hits through six and taking a 4-1 lead into the seventh courtesy of Nate McLouth’s three-run blow off struggling (4.45 ERA) Moabs ace Roy Oswalt. Lincecum put two on with two out, but Russ Springer got Mark Teahen to fly out harmlessly to end the threat.

In the eighth, however, Springer gave up a scratch single to Jacoby Ellsbury. Jermaine Dye walked to put two on and Ryan Howard followed one out later with a bullet double to score Ellsbury. Just-activated B.J. Ryan came on to pitch to the left-handed hitting McCann, but the ground ball he induced went through the legs of Mark DeRosa. Joe Nathan had to be summoned in the eighth to stop the bleeding, but by then the damage was done: the game was tied.

Neither club threatened in the ninth, with Nathan getting three quick outs and Jeremy Affeldt quickly anesthetizing the Squirrels by getting Carlos Pena to hit into a DP. Joel Zumaya worked an uneventful tenth, but with one down in the bottom of the frame McCann put a charge into a Nathan slider, somehow tomahawking a pitch that was high and tight....over the wall! A walkoff shot! Moabs win! Moabs win! Another improbable finish in the Eastern Division in a season that already stands out for wild doings! By working a scoreless tenth, Zumaya (1-1, 1.29) picked up the win.

Meanwhile, what can you say about Joe Nathan except that the talented closer seems to be snake-bit? Consider: Nathan has posted an 0.86 ERA in 19 appearances, the best mark of any closer in the league. Among all relievers, Nathan is second to Black Mesa’s Jonathan Papelbon with 11 saves and second to setup man Takashi Saito with 21 strikeouts. And yet, somehow, he is 1-3.

In other BARB action:

POTTSYLVANIA 5, LAS VEGAS 0

WP: Cliff Lee (4-2, 3.19)
LP: Ervin Santana (0-2, 5.34)

Ervin Santana, just activated from the DL, pitched well (8 IP, 3 ER) against a club that is not hitting much, but a pair of errors by 2B Kelly Johnson and a no-hitter bid by Cliff Lee pretty much doomed him and the visiting Luchadores from the get-go. Scott Rolen singled sharply under Lee’s glove to start the seventh to end the no-no, but Lee pretty much dominated Vegas the rest of the way, retiring the last eight hitters he faced while going the distance on 101 pitches.

The Creepers will need that kind of effort with LF Ryan Ludwick joining Rick Ankiel and Aramis Ramirez on the disabled list. Scuffling SS Jose Reyes is also a concern, despite leading off the game with a boundary belt off Santana.

WORCESTER 6, FRESNO 3

WP: Eric Bedard (4-2, 2.75)
LP: Derek Lowe (3-3, 5.50)
SV: Bell (3)

Eric Bedard gave up three first-inning runs on a double by Carlos Lee, but then settled down the rest of the way to earn the win with a little help from Grady Sizemore, who rapped out three hits to raise his average above his weight and trigger a pair of rallies. Heath Bell came on with the bases loaded and two down in the eighth against Grant Balfour and got the last four hitters for his third save. Despite being reactivated from the DL, it appears that Brandon Morrow will not be placed back in the pen for now by the BARB-leading (31-14) Eliminators, who won their fourth straight contest.

YUMA 4, ST. FRANCIS 3

WP: C.C. Sabathia (4-3, 4.15)
LP: Jamie Moyer (2-4, 4.95)

Ryan Braun capped a three-run seventh with a two-run double, and C.C. Sabathia went all the way, as the workhorse won a duel of southpaws with vintage lefty Jamie Moyer. The Friars led the ballgame 1-0 for the first five frames on Casey Blake’s RBI single but couldn’t muster enough hits to get to Sabathia, who allowed a pair of late runs but still needed only 106 pitches to go all the way. With the win, Yuma (23-19) moves a game ahead of Black Mesa in the West, now only four games back of the division-leading Finches.

DARWIN 6, LOS ANGELES 3

WP: Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.63)
LP: John Maine (1-4, 5.98)
SV: Sanchez (1)

Just-activated Josh Hamilton gave the Finches a lead with a sixth-inning grand slam off reliever Octavio Dotel, and the Unnatural Selections would hold on for the win despite a wild (3 BB) outing in relief by wanna-be starter Jonathan Sanchez.

BLACK MESA 2, CASSELTON 0

WP: Jarrod Washburn (2-2, 4.37)
LP: A.J. Happ (1-2, 1.83)
SV: Papelbon (12)

Veteran Jarrod Washburn outdueled rookie A.J. Happ with lots of help from Jonathan Papelbone, who earned his BARB-leading 12th save of the season against the punchless Horned Toads. One wonders when Casselton GM Landon Bolt will make a deal for a little more offense, given the way his pitching staff is keeping him in so many games. Eleventh in the league in scoring, the Toads fell short to one big fly from Justin Morneau, but remained tied for a share of first in the moribund Central with a 19-16 mark.