April 17, 2006: A Pair of Aces

Today's game at John Locke Field pitted a pair of aces: Carlos Zambrano for Moline, Mark Buehrle for Fleetwood.

In the spirit of Earl Weaver's 1970s Baltimore Orioles, Moline's lineup features a number of nifty platoons. This will make them a tough matchup for right-handed pitchers and southpaws alike this season:

2006 Moline Cutters -- Platoon Players and Balance Ratings:
C: Victor Martinez (S 3R) and Todd Greene (R 3L) -- not used in today's Moline lineup
3B: Eric Hinske (L 4R) and Pedro Feliz (R 2L)
2B: Orlando Hudson (S 3R) and Junior Spivey (R 7L)
SS: Wilson Betemit (S 3R) and Chris Gomez (R 3L)
OF: Larry Walker (L 3R) and Jeff Francoeur (R 7L)

These platoons will definitely serve Moline well this year, although it may make the team a bit more prone to relief pitching on the road (since HAL, Strat-O-Matic's computer manager, doesn't always do a great job of pinch-hitting strategically late in games).

Moline's platoons paid off early in today's game when Francoeur hit a solo home run in the 1st inning. The Cutters also added a second run on a Brad Wilkerson RBI double.

Fleetwood countered in the bottom of the 2nd. Three consecutive doubles by David DeJesus, Ramon Castro, and Neifi Perez tied the game 2-2. When Jim Edmonds and David Wright hit solo home runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Fleetwood grabbed a 4-2 lead.

Ever resilient, Moline answered the bell in the top of the 5th. Following a Dave Roberts walk, lefty-masher Francoeur hit his second home run of the game. The score was now tied 4-4.

With Zambrano on the hill and a strong opposing bullpen, Fleetwood realized it would have to play for one run at a time. After a Junior Spivey error in the bottom of the 6th, Fleetwood thus decided to bunt a runner into scoring position. Ramon Castro made the decision pay off with a run-scoring single. Fleetwood now led 5-4 after six innings. It looked like a great finish was in store.

However, in the bottom of the 7th inning, the wheels fell off for Moline. On a flurry of hits and walks, Fleetwood plated an amazing 7 runs in the inning. Chris Gomez, not the most fluid shortstop in the league, added fuel to this fire with a costly error and some close-but-no-cigar dives in the field.

This potential pitchers' duel thus ended not with a bang but a whimper. Final score: Fleetwood 12, Moline 4.

Tomorrow's matchup: Moline (Livan Hernandez) at Fleetwood (Greg Maddux).

---

BOXSCORE: 2006 Moline Cutters At 2006 Fleetwood Walkers             4/17/2006
Gm 2: A tight game until Fleetwood breaks it open with a 7-run 7th inning.
 
  Cutters            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  D.Roberts CF        3  1  0  0 .000     M.Giles 2B          4  0  0  0 .125  
  J.Spivey 2B         3  0  0  0 .000   C-J.Phelps PH,1B      1  1  1  0 .357  
A-L.Walker PH         1  0  0  0 .200     J.Edmonds CF        4  1  1  1 .292  
B-O.Hudson 2B         0  0  0  0 .250   D-J.Closser PH        0  0  0  1 .200  
  J.Francoeur RF      4  2  2  3 .500   F-B.Crosby SS         0  0  0  0 .188  
  T.Glaus DH          4  1  1  0 .250     D.Lee 1B            3  1  2  0 .176  
  B.Giles LF          2  0  1  0 .600   E-L.Matos PH,LF       1  0  1  2 .462  
  B.Wilkerson 1B      4  0  1  1 .286     M.Cabrera 3B        4  0  0  0 .267  
  P.Feliz 3B          4  0  1  0 .250     D.Wright DH         5  2  2  2 .343  
  V.Martinez C        4  0  3  0 .500     J.Dye RF            4  2  2  0 .348  
  C.Gomez SS          4  0  0  0 .000     D.Dejesus LF,CF     3  2  2  2 .318  
                                          R.Castro C          4  2  2  2 .357  
                                          N.Perez SS,2B       5  1  1  1 .227  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      33  4  9  4                 Totals      38 12 14 11
 
A-Pinch Hit For Spivey In 7th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Walker In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Giles In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Edmonds In 7th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Lee In 7th Inning
F-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Closser In 8th Inning
 
Cutters......... 2 0 0  0 2 0  0 0 0  -  4  9  2
Walkers......... 0 2 2  0 0 1  7 0    - 12 14  1
 
Cutters (1-1)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Zambrano LOSS(0-1)      6 2/3  11   8   7   1   7   2   9.45  A1 D6
S.Torres                  1 1/3   3   4   0   4   0   0   0.00  D7
Totals                    8      14  12   7   5   7   2
 
Walkers (7-2)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
M.Buehrle WIN(2-0)        6 1/3   7   4   3   3   3   2   1.88  A1 D1
E.Gagne HOLD(1st)         0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D2 D3
J.Dominguez               2       2   0   0   0   0   0   3.60  D4
Totals                    9       9   4   3   3   4   2
 
ATTENDANCE- 38,306 DATE- Thursday, April 17th 2006 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
T- 3:23
LEFT ON BASE- Cutters: 5  Walkers: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Cutters: 0  Walkers: 3
ERRORS- J.Spivey, C.Gomez, N.Perez
DOUBLES- B.Wilkerson(1st), D.Lee(1st), D.Dejesus-2(2nd), R.Castro(1st),
         N.Perez(2nd)
HOME RUNS- J.Francoeur-2(2nd), J.Edmonds(3rd), D.Wright(2nd)
SACRIFICE HITS- D.Dejesus-2
WALKS- D.Roberts, B.Giles-2, J.Closser, D.Lee, M.Cabrera, J.Dye, R.Castro
STRIKE OUTS- J.Spivey-2, L.Walker, B.Wilkerson, M.Giles, D.Lee, M.Cabrera-3,
             D.Wright, D.Dejesus
GIDP- B.Giles, B.Wilkerson, C.Gomez
BALKS- M.Buehrle
WILD PITCHES- C.Zambrano