FLYERS STREAK REACHES FIVE

FLYERS STREAK REACHES FIVE

Los Angeles----‘Break Up The Flyers!’ A sarcastic rallying cry for Los Angeles’s foes, who as recently as two weeks ago had them floundering, a sub-.500 club. But since that time, the PF Flyers have played some very good ball against divisional foes, especially veterans Orlando Cabrera and Jim Thome, as the club has won five straight and eleven of their last fifteen. Backup C Jeff Mathis kept the ball rolling on Game Day 61, delivering a one-out knock in the bottom of the tenth off Fernando Rodney (3-3, 2.92) for a 6-5 win in extra frames.

Early on, Texas had put together a gritty rally. Former Horned Toad Aaron Harang had outlasted rookie Derek Holland and took a 5-2 lead into the eighth, but Jeremy Hermida hit a game-tying HR off Octavio Dotel, leading to extra frames (one of three such barnburners in the league on this date). A shaky Brad Lidge put two more runners on in the top of the tenth, but got superstar Alex Rodriguez to ground into a slick 5-4-3 double play to end the threat. In the bottom of the frame, Rodney (perfect in the ninth, and only eight pitches) fanned Jim Thome, but that was the only hitter he would get. Mark Reynolds would walk and pinch-hitter Mike Lowell would double to put runners on the corners. Mathis then dropped a soft single in front of a charging Andre Ethier for the game.

It was ironic that Thome had whiffed, because he and Cabrera have been a house afire for two weeks. Not only has Thome hit the long ball in the 15-game stretch (4 HR, 12 RBI), but he has done it when it counted: six game-winning RBI. Cabrera, batting near the bottom of the order, has also chipped in three of the other five games, a remarkable stretch. But how long can this continue? The only consistent starters are Oakland products Justin Duscherer and Joe Blanton and the bullpen appears to be a constantly-shifting committee with so-so numbers.

In other BARB action:

FRESNO 6, BROOKLYN 2

WP: Josh Beckett (4-5, 3.93)
LP: Chris Volstad (3-7, 4.73)

The up-and-down heroics of young Chris Volstad hit another speed bump, as Brandon Phillips had three hits, including his seventh bomb of the season, to back a solid (7.1 IP, 2 ER) effort by Beckett. Ryan Howard hit his BARB-leading 20th HR of the season in the loss.

CASSELTON 5, POTTSYLVANIA 4 (12 innings)

WP: Steven Shell (1-1, 1.76)
LP: Brian Fuentes (0-2, 4.50)

Derek Lee’s smash through a drawn-in infield scored Torii Hunter, who reached base after being plunked with one out by Brian Fuentes, the third Creepers reliever, as the Horned Toads (29-21) pushed the visitors a game back in the standings of the so-so Central.


YUMA 3, DARWIN 1

WP: Roy Halladay (7-3, 2.82)
LP: Josh Johnson (8-2, 3.24)
SV: Soriano (2)

Vladimir Guerrero homered in his first two at-bats to help deny the Finches and Josh Johnson, who was bidding to become the loop’s first nine-game winner....but to win, they needed a big effort from Rafael Soriano, who struck out Cristian Guzman with the bases juiced in the ninth to save the day for the Firebirds (31-25).

FROSTBITE FALLS 10, WORCESTER 9 (11 innings)

WP: John Grabow (1-1, 3.08)
LP: Heath Bell (1-1, 1.59)

Adam Wainwright and Felix Hernandez both got thumped out of a slugfest before the fifth, as IF Mark DeRosa drove in six runs with three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, forcing extra frames in a wild game that saw three lead changes before the bottom of the tenth. DeRosa’s bomb knocked out Wainwright, and his RBI single in the eighth off Grant Balfour kept his club alive.

Los Angeles----‘Break Up The Flyers!’