SERIES #15 vs ST LOUIS - Sliders Hot, Stouts Not

Mike Parker brings his St. Louis Sliders bunch to town for a three game set against the Stouts.  The two teams are heading in the opposite direction in the standings coming into play.  St. Louis is hot of late, winners of eight of their last 11.  They are currently five games back of both Seatlle and Colorado in the Expansion League's Western Division.  Baltimore, on the other hand, is in a bit of a mini-slump, having lost seven of their last 11. They sit only two games behind Continental Division leading Milwaukee despite bringing a 19-23 record into play.

Game 1
Memorial Stadium

May 17, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Louis Sliders (21-22)	2	0	2	0	2	1	1	0	1		9	14	0
Baltimore Stouts (19-24)	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0		6	11	2
	W: L. Hernandez (3-4)   L: K. Rueter (3-2) SV: B. Koch (9)

HR: M. McGwire (19, 1st inning off K. Rueter 1 on, 1 out)
HR: T. Helton (10, 1st inning off L. Hernandez 1 on, 1 out), E. Perez (3, 8th inning off L. Hernandez 2 on, 0 out)

The Sliders Mark McGwire wastes no time announcing his arrival in town, launching his MBL leading 19th home run of the season in his very first at-bat.  Todd Helton responds in turn, belting a two-run blast of his own in the bottom of the 1st to tie the game at two apiece.  That was the end of the drama as St. Louis pushed two more across in the 3rd off of Stouts starter Kirk Reuter, then another two in the 5th to take a commanding 6-2 lead, one that they would never relinquish.  Livan Hernandez pitched into the 8th inning to pickup his third win on the season.  Billy Koch threw 1.2 innings in relief to notch his 9th save.  Eric Owens, playing for the injured Larry Walker in right field, went 4-5 with a double for the losers.


Game 2
Memorial Stadium

May 18, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Louis Sliders (22-22)	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	1	0		5	12	0
Baltimore Stouts (19-25)	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0		3	13	0
	W: M. Remlinger (3-1)   L: A. Embree (1-3) SV: B. Koch (10)

HR: L. Berkman (8, 8th inning off M. Wohlers 0 on, 1 out)

Game two of the series was a back-and-forth affair.  St. Louis jumped out in front in the 3rd when Doug Mirabelli drove home Alex Ramirez with a two out double.  The Stouts responded in their half of the inning, scoring a single run to tie the game.  The Sliders went up a run in the 5th when Greg Vaughn knocked home Ken Caminiti with a two out single.  Baltimore strikes right back once again, scoring another single run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game back up.  With the game now in the bullpen's hands, the Sliders went on the offensive, scoring two in the 7th and another in the 8th to take a commanding 5-2 lead.  Lance Berkman belted his 8th homer in the 8th to cut the lead to two.  Billy Koch came in for the Sliders in the 9th, and despite putting the tying runs on second and third, he recorded the save by getting Eric Owens to strike out to end the game.  Mike Remlinger wins the game in relief.  St. Louis looks for the series sweep in the finale.

Game 3
Memorial Stadium

May 19, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Louis Sliders (22-23)	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	3		6	11	0
Baltimore Stouts (20-25)	0	0	0	1	3	1	1	5	X		11	17	0
	W: B. Rekar (2-3)   L: J. Witasick (1-2)

HR: A. Ramirez (2, 4th inning off B. Rekar 0 on, 1 out), J. Valentin 2 (7, 5th inning off B. Rekar 0 on, 1 out; 9th inning off A. Alfonseca 2 on, 0 out)
HR: T. Helton (11, 5th inning off J. Witasick 2 on, 2 out), A. Belle (3, 8th inning off L. Painter 2 on, 1 out)

Baltimore was looking to avoid the series sweep in this one, but once again the Sliders strike first when Alex Ramirez hit a solo homer in the 4th.  The Stouts respond in their half of the inning.  Todd Helton and Lance Berkman opened with singles.  Eduardo Perez then knocked a single of his own to plate Helton.  With runners on first and third with nobody out, Garret Anderson flew out to center.  Berkman tried to score but was nailed at the plate on a strong throw by Ramirez.  Berkman would be thrown out by Ramirez later in the game as well.  Robert Fick grounded out to end the inning, and the Sliders had escaped giving up only one run.

The Sliders got back at it once again, going up 2-1 off a solo blast by Jose Valentin in the 5th.  But to the delight of Stouts fans everywhere, the Baltimore bats finally awoke in the bottom of the inning when Todd Helton launched a three-run blast to give them their first lead of the series.  The Stouts scored one more in the 6th, another in the 7th, then five more in the 8th to blow the game open 11-3.

Antonio Alfonseca, of course, made it interesting in the 9th inning.  He faced four batters, all of which recorded hits.  Jose Valentin's hit was a three-run homer to cut the lead to five.  Armando Benitez was brought into the game in a non-save situation to secure the victory.  The Stouts avoid the sweep, and got their offense in gear in the process, smacking 17 hits in the contest.

Next up, a trip out west to battle the MBL's best team, the San Francisco Quakers.  Hopefully the Baltimore bats stay hot.

SERIES #14 vs BOSTON - Blown Games and Blowouts

The Stouts return home after dropping four of six on their trip to New York.  Awaiting them is a date with another foe from the Classic League's Metro Division, the Boston Beaneaters.  Matt's squad currently resides in the penthouse of their division, a full five games ahead of both Brooklyn and the New York Bombers with a 23-16 record.  But after reeling off four straight victories earlier in the week, they come to Baltimore having lost three of their last four.  The Stouts, for their part, are playing quite similarly.  After a stretch where they won four of five games, they then lost four in a row before winning their last two prior to this series.  Both teams had a day off prior to action so hopefully the lineups are well rested.  Let's see how things shook out.

Game 1
Memorial Stadium

May 14, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11		R	H	E
Boston Beaneaters (24-16)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	2		4	9	0
Baltimore Stouts (18-22)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	3	1
	W: R. Garces (5-2)   L: L. Hawkins (1-3) SV: B. Wickman (2)

HR: M. Alou (10, 6th inning off E. Dessens 0 on, 0 out)

Game one can only be described as a missed opportunity for Baltimore.  Despite only registering three hits in the contest, the Stouts should have locked this game down in the win column.  They had the lead 2-0 off a quick rally in the 4th inning when Fernando Vina singled, followed by a walk to Eric Owens and a double by Todd Helton to score them both.  Baltimore starter Elmer Dessens gave up a solo homer to Moises Alou in the 6th to cut the lead to one.  The game was turned over to the bullpen in the 7th, and Antonio Osuna set down the Beaneaters in order.  Felix Rodriguez entered the game in the 8th, and again, retired the side in order.

As the game headed into the 9th, a pair of managerial errors by Stouts skipper Robbins ended up proving costly.  First off, he had had closer Armando Benitez still warming up in the bullpen to start the inning.  Rodriguez allowed leadoff hitter Tomas de la Rosa to rip a double to deep right.  Homer Bush was then inserted as a pinch-runner.  After a Mitch Meluskey strikeout, Bush stole 3rd base to put the tying run 90-feet away.  Benitez finally entered, and Deivi Cruz was announced as a pinch-hitter.  The second managerial mistake by the Baltimore skipper had the infield defense playing at their normal positions.  This allowed Cruz to execute a perfect sacrifice squeeze play to score Bush and knot the game at two apiece.  The blown save was hung on Benitez even though he retired the only two batters he faced.

The game went into extra innings, and the Baltimore bats just never could get going.  The Beaneaters plated two in the 11th, which proved to be more than enough as the Stouts went down in order in the bottom half of the inning to end the game.  Boston had stolen one on the road.  Their pitching was phenomenal.  Starter Tim Hudson only allowed the two hits in his five innings of work.  The Beaneater bullpen was even better, allowing only one hit in six full innings.

Game 2
Memorial Stadium

May 15, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Boston Beaneaters (25-16)	0	2	0	1	5	2	1	1	0		12	19	1
Baltimore Stouts (18-23)	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0		4	10	0
	W: T. Glavine (6-4)   L: B. Rekar (1-3)

HR: G. Jenkins (9, 4th inning off B. Rekar 0 on, 0 out), R. Klesko (4, 5th inning off B. Rekar 1 on, 0 out), E. Chavez (7, 8th inning off A. Osuna 0 on, 1 out)

Tom Glavine took to the bump for the Beaneaters in the second game of the series, opposed by Baltimore starter Bryan Rekar.  If the game looked like a mismatch on paper, it certainly lived up to its billing as Boston took the lead early, expanded on it in the middle innings, and coasted in the end for a 12-4 triumph.  Glavine went the distance, and although he allowed ten hits and four runs, his lead was never in question.  Boston rapped out 19 hits off Baltimore pitchers, including nine extra-base hits.  Rookie Mitch Meluskey did the most damage, going 3-3 with a walk, two runs scored and five RBI.  All of his hits were doubles.  Boston has come to Baltimore and taken the first two of their three game set.  The Stouts will look to salvage the finale and get their sleepy bats in gear.

Game 3
Memorial Stadium

May 16, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Boston Beaneaters (25-17)	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1		4	5	0
Baltimore Stouts (19-23)	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	X		5	10	1
	W: F. Rodriguez (2-2)   L: D. Wall (5-3) SV: A. Benitez (10)

HR: M. Alou (11, 8th inning off F. Rodriguez 0 on, 0 out)
HR: T. Helton (9, 1st inning off O. Fernandez 1 on, 0 out), L. Berkman (7, 8th inning off D. Wall 0 on, 1 out)

Baltimore struck early in this one, pushing two runners across in the 1st inning off Osvaldo Fernandez, who was making his first start for Boston.  The Beaneaters struck right back by getting solo runs in both the 2nd and 3rd innings to tie the game at 2-2.  The game remained that way into the 7th.  After the stretch, the Stouts struck for a single run when Robert Fick rapped a two-out triple to score pinch-runner Donnie Sadler.  Baltimore led 3-2 heading into the 8th.

Moises Alou belted two
homers in the series

As has been the case throughout the year, the Baltimore bullpen could not hold down the lead.  Felix Rodriguez replaced starter Kevin Appier to begin the inning.  The first batter he faced, Moises Alou, promptly launched a 450-foot monster blast to left to tie the game.  Another game, another blown save.  The story remains the same.  Rodriguez was able to get out of the inning without allowing any more damage.  Game tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th.

Donnie Wall opened on the hill for Boston, and he got Todd Helton to fly out to center to open the inning.  Unfortunately for him and the Beaneaters, that was the only out he could record.  The next batter, Lance Berkman, launched a solo homer to right to give the Stouts back the lead.  Bill Mueller then laced a triple to right center, and then scored on a Garrett Anderson single.  Wall was replaced by Mike Stanton who retired the next two batters, but the damage had been done.  Stouts now lead 5-3 heading into the 9th.

Jason McDonald drew five
bases-on-balls in the series finale

As usual, no easy 1-2-3 ending for the good guys.  Armando Benitez took over on the mound, but he walked Jason McDonald to open the inning.  This was McDonalds fifth walk of the contest.  He then stole second as Deivi Cruz was striking out.  The next batter, Eli Marrero, walked to put the tying run on base.  Tony Graffanino pinch-hit for Homer Bush, but he struck out for the second out of the inning.  Pinch-hitter Sandy Alomar Jr. then stepped to the plate.  Benitez coaxed him to hit a ground ball on the infield, where the normally slick fielding Ricky Gutierrez booted the ball, allowing McDonald to score from third and leaving runners on first and third.  Thankfully for the Baltimore faithful, the next batter Adrien Brown struck out to end the game.  Benitez struck out the side to register his 10th save on the season.  The Stouts got the game they needed to avoid the sweep.

Baltimore's tour of the Classic League's Metro Division saw them finish with a 5-7 record against the four clubs.  They exit the series with a record of 19-23, yet are only two games back of the Continental Division leading Milwaukee Phantoms, who are only 21-21.  Next up is a home set with the red-hot St. Louis Sliders, winners of seven of their last eight, including a three-game road sweep of the Classic League's leading team, the Miami Panthers.  The Stouts follow that up with a road date against the Expansion League's top team, the San Francisco Quakers.  Wins are needed, and they will be hard to come by.

TRANSACTION - Brian Schneider Back In Baltimore

Brian Schneider has made his way back to the Baltimore Stouts after his recent acquisition.  He takes the roster spot of Gary Bennett, who has used up all of his ABs against left-handed pitching.  Schneider was released last month to make room for Bennett, who hit .391 with a .995 OPS in his short time wearing a Baltimore uniform.  Schneider will be called upon to take the spot batting against LHP in a platoon with Ed Taubensee.  He is very limited at-bat wise, so his second stay with the Stouts may not last much longer than his first.  As soon as Ivan Rodriguez is able to return from injury, it is likely that Schneider will be released back into the player pool.

SERIES #13 @ BROOKLYN - Unit Tosses Shutout. Stouts Escape With Two.

Baltimore makes it's way to Brooklyn for a much anticipated three game set with Daryl and the Broken Arrow Bums.  This will be the only trip of the season the Stouts will make to historic Ebbets Field.  With its cozy confines and short 297 foot distance to the right-field fence, the left-handed power bats of Garrett Anderson, Lance Berkman, Todd Helton and Larry Walker have been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time.  Baltimore is also looking to get their offense going after being swept by the New York Bombers in their last series.  The Stouts come in with a 16-20 record, three games behind Milwaukee in the Continental Division.  Brooklyn brings a 17-19 record into action.  They are in 2nd place in the Classic League's Metro Division, five games back of the Boston Beaneaters.  Both teams are struggling of late.  Baltimore has lost three in a row.  Brooklyn has lost three of their last four.

Game 1
Ebbets Field

May 10, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (16-21)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	0
Brooklyn Broken Arrow Bums (18-19)	0	0	0	4	4	0	0	2	X		10	9	1
	W: R. Johnson (5-2)   L: J. Bere (0-1)

HR: A. Ochoa (6, 4th inning off J. Bere 1 on, 0 out), R. Ventura (5, 5th inning off L. Hawkins 2 on, 2 out)

Brooklyn manager Daryl Holloman rested staff ace Randy Johnson in their last series to save him for this spot to take on the Stouts.  Needless to say, the rest paid off as Johnson was superb, holding the powerful Baltimore lineup to just four hits while striking out 15 in his complete game shutout.  Jason Bere was called up from Indianapolis to make his first official start for the Stouts, and he pitched well for three innings, holding the Bums scoreless.  But the wheels fell off in the 4th as Brooklyn exploded for four in the inning.  They came back with another four in the 5th to seal the victory.  Alex Ochoa and Robin Ventura both went yard for the Bums, but the game was really all about the Big Unit.  The shutout was Johnson's second on the young season.  His ERA sits at 2.61 through eight starts, with 87 strikeouts in only 62 innings of work.  He has to be considered the early front-runner for Pitcher-of-the-Year in the Classic League.

Game 2
Ebbets Field

May 11, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (17-21)	3	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	1		7	15	0
Brooklyn Broken Arrow Bums (18-20)	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0		4	7	1
	W: A. Osuna (4-0)   L: S. Spencer (2-4) SV: A. Benitez (8)

HR: L. Berkman (6, 1st inning off S. Spencer 2 on, 1 out)
HR: J. Snow (7, 1st inning off K. Rueter 1 on, 2 out), P. Reese (3, 8th inning off F. Rodriguez 0 on, 0 out)

The Baltimore bats finally awoke early in this one as Lance Berkman blasted a three-run homer in the 1st inning off Bums starter Stan Spencer.  Brooklyn would bounce right back though with a pair of their own in the bottom half of the inning off Stouts starter Kirk Rueter, who was actually injured serving up a homer to JT Snow and had to leave the game.  The Bums pushed another one across in the 3rd off Antonio Osuna to tie it up at 3-3.

Spencer, pitching in the final game of his career, lasted into the 5th, but his final inning was an unforgettable one as he allowed three Baltimore base-runners to cross the plate.  It could have been worse if not for two runners thrown out on the base-paths.  Berkman was gunned down at home for the second out of the inning as he tried to score on a Bill Mueller single to center.  Ricky Gutierrez, who had walked to load the bases, was thrown out at third to end the inning after a single by Eduardo Perez.  But the damage had still been done.  Baltimore now leads 6-3 heading into the final half.

The Baltimore bullpen actually performed quite well in this contest.  Osuna went 3.1 innings in relief of Rueter and only gave up the one run in the 3rd.  He was replaced by Antonio Alfonseca, who pitched the 5th and 6th innings without incident.  Felix Rodriguez tossed the 7th and 8th, and despite allowing one run, he was able to get the ball into the hands of Armando Benitez in the 9th with the lead.  Brooklyn was unable to get a runner on base in their final turn and the Stouts had taken game two 7-4.  Osuna picked up his fourth win in relief.  Benitez racked up his 8th save.

Game 3
Ebbets Field

May 12, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (18-21)	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0		4	10	0
Brooklyn Broken Arrow Bums (18-21)	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		3	9	2
	W: S. Estes (5-2)   L: M. Redman (2-3) SV: A. Benitez (9)

John Halama was originally scheduled to pitch in this spot for Brooklyn, but he suffered an injury the series prior and is unable to throw.  Jose Lima would logically get the call to take his spot in the order for this game, but Lima Time is on the sidelines serving a suspension.  Darren Oliver, another candidate, is on the DL.  So Mark Redman gets the call for only his second start of the season.

The Bums get on the board first, plating three runs of Stouts starter Shawn Estes in the 1st inning.  But that would be it for Brooklyn as Estes and three relievers shut down the Bums the rest of the way.  Baltimore scored their runs one at a time, plating single runs in the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th innings.  They led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 6th.  Brooklyn put runners on first and second with one out in that inning, but pitcher Tim Worrell was allowed to bat and ended up grounding into an inning ending double-play.  Alex Ochoa singled with two outs in the 7th, but Alan Embree relieved Estes and struck out JT Snow to end the inning.  In the 8th, the Bums got runners on first and second once again with only one out, but this time Felix Rodriguez got Brad Ausmus to ground into the rally killing double play.  And in the 9th, Armando Benitez walked Peter Bergeron with one out.  The next batter, Pokey Reese, struck out swinging.  Bergeron attempted to steal on the play and could have been the final out, but his attempt was successful.  He stood on second as the tying run as Alex Ochoa stepped to the plate.  Ochoa was 5-11 in the series with a homer in game one.  But this time Benitez got him to fly out to deep center to end the game.  A hard fought 4-3 victory for the Stouts.


Both teams exit the series with identical 18-21 records.  And the explosive offensive display that was expected never really materialized.  Only five home runs were hit in the three games, and only one of them by a Baltimore player (Berkman game two).  The Stouts scored only 11 runs in the three game set.  And they only accomplished the 11 in the final two games after being shutout in the opener.  After averaging 6.8 runs through the season's first 33 games, Baltimore has managed just 3.5 per game in their last six.  They look to turn things around as they head back home to take on Matt and the Beaneaters from Boston, who currently hold down the best record in the Classic League with a 23-16 mark.

SERIES #12 @ NEW YORK BOMBERS - Baltimore Suffers Sweep. Walker and Belle Both Injured.

Baltimore heads to New York for a three game set with Benny and the Bombers at Old Yankee Stadium.  The Stouts have been playing pretty well of late, winners of four of their last five.  They enter with a 16-17 record and are only two games back of Milwaukee in the Continental Division.  The Bombers are also playing well, coming off a series sweep of Walt's Minnesota Millers.  They enter action with a 14-19 record on the season.  Let's get to the action.


Game 1
Old Yankee Stadium

May 7, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (16-18)	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0		3	7	1
New York Bombers (15-19)	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	X		6	8	0
	W: R. White (3-2)   L: A. Embree (1-2) SV: D. Graves (4)

Kevin Appier takes to the hill for Baltimore in this one well rested, having missed his last turn after being suspended during his start on April 28.  His offense gave him an early lead with a run in the 2nd a two more in the 3rd.  He took a 3-2 advantage into the bottom of the 8th, but after opening the inning with a strikeout of Ramon Martinez, he walked Dave Martinez and was replaced on the mound by Alan Embree.

Now stop me if you've heard this before, but the Baltimore bullpen once again could not hold down a lead late in a game.  Embree faced on batter, Sean Casey, and he singled to left to move Martinez to third.  With runners on the corners, Baltimore summoned Felix Rodriguez into the game.  His first batter, Alex Rodriguez, promptly singled to tie the game.  After Torii Hunter was intentionally walked, pinch-hitter Dmitri Young singled to score two more.  By the time the inning was over, the Bombers had pushed across four runs to take a commanding 6-3 lead.  Danny Graves threw in the 9th to pickup the save.

The game will not be remembered so much by Baltimore fans for the bullpen blowing the game (which has become common news), but for the injury to right-fielder Larry Walker, who was knocked from the game in the 3rd when he collided at home plate with New York catcher Jeff Reed while scoring a run.  Both players had to leave the game, but Walker took the worst away of the altercation.  Reed will end up missing the rest of the series, but Walker will be down for a month, joining catcher Ivan Rodriguez on the disabled list.  Tough news, especially considering he had only been with the Stouts for two weeks.  Both All-Stars are expected back into the lineup in early June.



Game 2
Old Yankee Stadium

May 8, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (16-19)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		1	7	0
New York Bombers (16-19)	0	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	X		5	10	2
	W: B. Jones (1-2)   L: S. Estes (4-2)

HR: A. Belle (2, 6th inning off R. White 0 on, 1 out)

Game two of the three game set was never in question, as the Bombers led 4-0 after four and never were threatened.  Bobby Jones pitched his best game of the young season, tossing five shutout innings to pickup his first win.  Four New York relievers limited Baltimore to just three hits and one run.  Dmitri Young continued to swing a hot bat.  A day after knocking home the game-winner as a pinch-hitter, he goes 3-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored, raising his season average


Game 3
Old Yankeee Stadium

May 9, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (16-20)	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0		3	9	0
New York Bombers (17-19)	1	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	X		8	12	0
	W: S. Hasegawa (1-1)   L: E. Dessens (0-4)

HR: T. Hunter (2, 3rd inning off B. Rekar 1 on, 2 out)

Torii Hunter went 3-5 with a homer,
two runs scored and two RBI in game
three to lead the Bombers to victory

This game was never in question as the Bombers jumped all over Baltimore starter Elmer Dessens, scoring six runs in only 1.2 innings to chase him from the game.  New York led 8-0 after three and never looked back.  The Stouts were unable to mount any sort of a rally.  To make matters worse, Garrett Anderson and Albert Belle collided with one another in the 3rd inning trying to make a play on a Tom Prince hit to the gap.  Both players would have to leave the game.  Anderson's injury was minor, but Belle will miss nine days of action.  Considering he was already replacing Larry Walker, who was injured earlier in the series, the time missed will be costly for the Stouts.

The Baltimore bats could never get on track in this series, pushing only seven runs across the plate in the three games.  Considering they were averaging over seven runs a game coming into the series, it's not surprising they suffered the sweep.  Todd Helton, the MLBs leading hitter, went only 3-12 to drop his season average to .434.  Bill Mueller was 0-10.  Leadoff hitter Fernando Vina only 2-11.  Lance Berkman 1-8.  Ricky Gutierrez 2-10.

The Stouts will try to get their bats back on track with a visit to Ebbets Field to take on Daryl's Brooklyn Broken Arrow Bums.  It promises to be an exciting series.