'HAWKS BACK TO NORMAL ON MOUND R. CUCAMONGA 9, JETHAWKS 4.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer LANCASTER - With more consistent pitching, there's little doubt that the JetHawks should be able to contend for a first-half title. After an abysmal performance for most of this month - the staff combined for a 7.40 ERA through the first 161 2/3 innings in May - there was reason to be hopeful that the JetHawks staff was headed in the right direction after it combined to allow just four runs over its previous 23 1/3 innings going into Tuesday. But the JetHawks took a step backward Tuesday and the bad pitching figured prominently in a 9-4 loss to Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga (răn`chō k  'kəmäng`gə), city (1990 pop. 101,409), San Bernardino co., S Calif. at Lancaster Municipal Stadium. JetHawks starter Keith Whatley (1-4) allowed seven runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three, walked three and hit one batter. What made Whatley's outing especially tough to take from a JetHawks standpoint was a fourth-inning implosion implosion /im·plo·sion/ (im-plo´zhun) see flooding. im·plo·sion n. 1. . Whatley allowed five runs that inning after Lancaster's four-run third, which was highlighted by Carlos Quentin's two-run homer to left field, his 11th of the season. ``It looked to me like he was trying to aim the ball in the fourth,'' JetHawks manager Wally Backman Despite the loss, the JetHawks (24-20) stayed 2 1/2 games behind In sports, the phrase games behind, often abbreviated as GB in tables, is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division. first- place Inland Empire In·land Empire A region of the northwest United States between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, comprising eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Farming, lumbering, and mining are important to the area. (27-18) in the Southern Division leaders. --Note: Corey Myers was promoted to Triple-A Tucson (Ariz.). Myers had a hit in all 10 games since being assigned to Lancaster, plus 43 of his past 44 California League The California League is a minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth games going back to 2002. ... JetHawks manager Wally Backman was fined an undisclosed sum by the league for tossing a garbage can full of plastic cups onto the field after being ejected during Sunday's 7-2 victory over Inland Empire. ... Lancaster resident Karen Thrasher thrasher: see mimic thrush. thrasher Any of 17 species (family Mimidae) of New World songbirds that have a downcurved bill and are noted for noisily foraging on the ground in dense thickets and for loud, varied songs. was selected as the JetHawks' lucky fan, and he will split a $500 prize with Quakes outfielder Ryan Budde Ryan Dean Budde (born August 15, 1979, in Midwest City, Oklahoma) is a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. He is currently the team's back-up catcher. because Budde hit a homer off a designated billboard in left field. --Matchup: Left-hander Jared Doyle (0-1, 18.90 ERA) will pitch for the JetHawks when they play host to Rancho Cucamonga tonight at 6:30. Right-hander Jean Toledo (1-4, 6.50) will pitch for the Quakes. Gideon Rubin (818)713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: MINOR LEAGUE REPORT - Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion