SERIES #8 vs SAN DIEGO VIPERS - Benitez Makes Immediate Impact, Saves Two

The Stouts are back home for a three game set with the visiting Vipers from San Diego.  The two teams sport identical 9-12 record coming into the series.  Baltimore comes home off a six-game road-trip which saw them split the action three wins and three losses.  Jeff is taking his Vipers on the road for the first time in nine games.  San Diego is also 3-3 in their last six so the teams are playing equally well.  Let's get to the action.

Game 1
Memorial Stadium

April 24, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
San Diego Vipers (10-12)	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		6	13	0
Baltimore Stouts (9-13)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	6	0
	W: J. Schmidt (1-2)   L: K. Appier (0-2)

HR: C. Johnson (7, 1st inning off K. Appier 2 on, 1 out)
HR: T. Helton (6, 1st inning off J. Schmidt 1 on, 1 out)

San Diego scored early and often in this one, plating three in the 1st off of a Charles Johnson homer, and then two more in the 2nd to chase Stouts starter Kevin Appier.  Jason Schmidt had his best outing of the young season, working 6.1 innings while only allowing two runs to lower his season ERA to 8.31.  The Viper bullpen of Onan Masaoka, Jose Santiago and Jason Christiansen hurled the final 2.2 innings without incident to preserve the game.  Ray Durham went 3-5, scoring a pair of runs from the leadoff spot for the victors.  Todd Helton continued his torrid pace for Baltimore, going 1-3 with a two-run blast in the first to account for the only runs for the Stouts.


Game 2
Memorial Stadium

April 25, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
San Diego Vipers (10-13)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		2	11	1
Baltimore Stouts (10-13)	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	X		6	10	0
	W: K. Rueter (3-1)   L: J. Speier (1-1) SV: A. Benitez (3)

HR: R. Sexson (6, 8th inning off K. Rueter 0 on, 2 out)

The Vipers opened the scoring once again in this one when starting pitcher Terry Mulholland singled home Ray Durham in the 2nd inning.  Baltimore came back in the 3rd on a two-run single by newly acquired right-fielder Larry Walker to take their first lead of the series.  The score remained the same until Richie Sexson blasted a two-out homer in the 8th off Stouts starter Kirk Rueter to knot the game at 2-2.  But the San Diego bullpen couldn't get the job done in this one, allowing the Stouts to plate four runs in the bottom half of the inning to go up 6-2.  Antonio Alfonseca opened on the hill in the 9th for the Stouts, but after a leadoff single to Jose Guillen and a walk to pinch-hitter Bobby Abreau, he was replaced by newly acquired Armando Benitez.  Acquired for just this situation, Benitez did nothing but impress in his debut for Baltimore, striking out the first two batters he faced before getting Jeff Conine to flyout to center to end the game.  Larry Walker goes 2-4 with a pair of RBI following his 0-4 debut the day before.  The series is knotted at a game apiece heading into the rubber game.


Game 3
Memorial Stadium

April 26, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
San Diego Vipers (10-14)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	6	0
Baltimore Stouts (11-13)	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	X		3	7	1
	W: S. Estes (3-1)   L: T. Wakefield (0-1) SV: A. Benitez (4)

HR: G. Anderson (9, 6th inning off J. Santiago 1 on, 2 out)

San Diego opened the scoring once again in this one, getting a run in the 1st off of Baltimore starter Shawn Estes.  But that's all they could manage as the Viper bats were silenced the rest of the game.  Estes went a strong 6.2 inning before giving way to the bullpen to pickup his third win on the season.  Latroy Hawkins and Steve Kline got the game to the 9th, and Armando Benitez closed out the game for his second save in as many days for his new team.  Garrett Anderson provided the game-winner with a two-run blast in the 6th after the Stouts had tied the game the prior inning.  Larry Walker had another 2-4 game for the victors.

The Stouts are edging ever closer to the .500 mark on the season after opening the year 0-6.  Next up is a date in Arizona with Tom and his Western Division leading Apaches.  This will be a meeting between the top-two offenses in the entire Millennium League so the series promises to be full of fireworks.