October 12, 2007: NLDS Game 4

Left fielder Alfonso Soriano touched them all and had 4 RBI as the Bloomington Bees defeated the Fleetwood Walkers 4 to 3 at John Locke Field.

Soriano provided the offensive punch. He tripled resulting in a run in the 6th inning and clubbed a three-run home run (his 1st of the season) in the 8th inning to give Bloomington a late one-run lead. For the game Bloomington out-hit Fleetwood 9 to 6.

Johan Santana (2-0) was the winner allowing 3 runs in 7 innings. Santana got relief help from B.J. Ryan who gained credit for his 2nd save. Trevor Hoffman (0-1) absorbed the loss in relief.

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Bloomington Bees At 2007 Fleetwood Walkers          10/12/2007
 
  Bees               AB  R  H RBI AVG     Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  I.Suzuki CF         4  0  1  0 .235     W.Aybar 2B          3  1  1  0 .235  
  H.Ramirez SS        4  2  2  0 .313   A-M.Giles 2B          2  0  0  0 .111  
  J.Thome DH          3  0  1  0 .200     D.Wright 3B         5  0  0  0 .270  
F-F.Lopez PR,DH       0  1  0  01.000     B.Bonds LF          2  0  1  0 .385  
  A.Soriano LF        4  1  2  4 .313   B-M.Cabrera PR,LF     1  0  0  0 .267  
G-R.Santiago 2B       0  0  0  0 ----     M.Cabrera DH        3  0  0  0 .324  
  N.Swisher 1B        3  0  0  0 .100     C.Beltran CF        3  0  1  0 .212  
  A.Beltre 3B         4  0  1  0 .188     C.Jackson 1B        2  1  1  1 .150  
  G.Matthews Jr RF    4  0  1  0 .200   C-B.Crosby SS         1  0  0  0 .000  
  R.Hernandez C       4  0  0  0 .214     M.Redmond C         3  0  0  0 .143  
  J.Castillo 2B       2  0  0  0 .333   I-A.Burnett PR        0  0  0  0 ----  
E-M.Thames PH         1  0  0  0 .333   J-E.Santana PR        0  0  0  0 ----  
H-A.Escobar LF        1  0  1  01.000     N.Markakis RF       3  1  1  1 .250  
                                          J.Bartlett SS       2  0  1  1 .400  
                                        D-D.Lee 1B            1  0  0  0 .313  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      34  4  9  4                 Totals      31  3  6  3
 
A-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Aybar In 5th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Bonds In 5th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Jackson In 6th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Bartlett In 6th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Castillo In 8th Inning
F-Pinch Ran For Thome In 8th Inning
G-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Soriano In 8th Inning
H-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Thames In 8th Inning
I-Pinch Ran For Redmond In 9th Inning
J-Pinch Ran For Burnett In 9th Inning
 
Bees............ 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 3 0  -  4  9  0
Walkers......... 1 0 0  2 0 0  0 0 0  -  3  6  0
 
Bees (3-1)               IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
J.Santana WIN(2-0)        7       6   3   3   3   6   0   3.14  A1 D3
B.Ryan SAVE(2nd)          2       0   0   0   1   2   0   0.00  D4
Totals                    9       6   3   3   4   8   0
 
Walkers (5-4)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
D.Bush                    7 1/3   5   1   1   2   6   0   2.14  A1 C9
J.Rincon HOLD(1st)        0 1/3   2   2   2   0   0   0  16.87  D1 D3
T.Hoffman L(0-1) BS(1st)  1       2   1   1   2   1   1   2.70  D4 E1
K.Foulke                  0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0  10.80  E2
Totals                    9       9   4   4   4   7   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 16,063 DATE- Friday, October 12th 2007 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
T- 3:25
LEFT ON BASE- Bees: 7  Walkers: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Bees: 1  Walkers: 0
DOUBLES- C.Jackson(1st)
TRIPLES- A.Soriano(1st), N.Markakis(1st)
HOME RUNS- A.Soriano(1st)
STOLEN BASES- H.Ramirez(3rd)
CAUGHT STEALING- J.Castillo
SACRIFICE HITS- N.Markakis
WALKS- I.Suzuki, H.Ramirez, J.Thome, N.Swisher, M.Cabrera, C.Beltran, C.Jackson,
       D.Lee
HIT BY PITCH- B.Bonds, M.Redmond
STRIKE OUTS- H.Ramirez, J.Thome, N.Swisher-2, G.Matthews Jr, R.Hernandez-2,
             W.Aybar-2, M.Giles-2, D.Wright, M.Cabrera, C.Jackson, J.Bartlett
GIDP- M.Cabrera
PASSED BALLS- R.Hernandez

October 11, 2007: NLDS Game 3

A.J. Burnett went 9 strong innings as the Fleetwood Walkers defeated the Bloomington Bees by the score of 5 to 0 at John Locke Field.

Fleetwood jumped out to the early lead in the first inning scoring 3 runners on 2 hits. That early scoring held up. Fleetwood banged out 8 on the night.

Burnett (2-0) was credited with the shutout. Matt Cain (0-1) was the losing pitcher. He was knocked around pretty good, giving up 4 runs in 3 and 2/3 innings.

'When Burnett is on like that it is a tough game to play, no doubt about it,' Vaughn Nuest said. 'He always pitches well against us.'

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Bloomington Bees At 2007 Fleetwood Walkers          10/11/2007
 
  Bees               AB  R  H RBI AVG     Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  I.Suzuki CF         4  0  0  0 .231     J.Bartlett SS       5  1  3  1 .393  
  H.Ramirez SS        4  0  1  0 .250   E-B.Crosby PR,SS      0  0  0  0 .000  
  J.Thome DH          4  0  0  0 .143     D.Wright 3B         5  0  2  1 .313  
  A.Soriano LF        4  0  0  0 .250     B.Bonds LF          3  1  0  0 .375  
  N.Swisher 1B        2  0  0  0 .143   A-M.Cabrera LF        1  0  0  0 .286  
  A.Beltre 3B         3  0  0  0 .167     M.Cabrera DH        5  1  1  0 .355  
  G.Matthews Jr RF    3  0  1  0 .182     C.Beltran CF        2  0  0  0 .200  
  R.Hernandez C       3  0  1  0 .300     D.Lee 1B            4  1  1  1 .333  
  J.Castillo 2B       2  0  1  0 .429     N.Markakis RF       1  0  0  0 .238  
C-M.Thames PH         1  0  0  0 .500     M.Giles 2B          3  1  0  0 .125  
D-R.Santiago 2B       0  0  0  0 ----     J.Valentin C        4  0  1  0 .200  
                                        B-M.Redmond C         0  0  0  0 .182  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      30  0  4  0                 Totals      33  5  8  3
 
A-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Bonds In 7th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Valentin In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Castillo In 8th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Thames In 8th Inning
E-Pinch Ran For Bartlett In 8th Inning
 
Bees............ 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  4  2
Walkers......... 3 0 0  1 1 0  0 0    -  5  8  0
 
Bees (2-1)               IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
M.Cain LOSS(0-1)          3 2/3   4   4   1   3   5   1   2.45  A1 C2
C.Young                   1       1   1   1   1   0   1   9.00  C3 C7
D.Wheeler                 3 1/3   3   0   0   2   2   0   0.00  C8
Totals                    8       8   5   2   6   7   2
 
Walkers (5-3)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
A.Burnett WIN(2-0)        9       4   0   0   1   5   0   1.17  A1
Totals                    9       4   0   0   1   5   0
 
ATTENDANCE- 10,233 DATE- Thursday, October 11th 2007 TIME- Night WEATHER- Bad
T- 2:58
LEFT ON BASE- Bees: 4  Walkers:11
DOUBLE PLAYS- Bees: 0  Walkers: 1
ERRORS- H.Ramirez, R.Hernandez
DOUBLES- M.Cabrera(5th)
HOME RUNS- J.Bartlett(1st), D.Lee(2nd)
STOLEN BASES- H.Ramirez-2(2nd), D.Wright(1st), M.Giles(1st)
WALKS- N.Swisher, C.Beltran-2, N.Markakis-3, M.Giles
HIT BY PITCH- B.Bonds
STRIKE OUTS- J.Thome-2, N.Swisher, A.Beltre, G.Matthews Jr, J.Bartlett-2,
             C.Beltran, D.Lee-2, M.Giles-2
GIDP- J.Castillo
WILD PITCHES- A.Burnett

October 9, 2007: NLDS Game 2

Adrian Beltre had 2 base hits and 4 RBI at The Hive where the Bloomington Bees beat the Fleetwood Walkers 5 to 4.

Dennys Reyes (1-0) was the winning pitcher in relief. He was reached for 2 hits and no walks in 1 and 1/3 innings. Bloomington rapped out 9 hits for the night.

Reyes was helped out by B.J. Ryan who recorded his 1st save. Ervin Santana (2-1) was hit with the loss. He gave up 5 runs and 7 hits in 5 and 2/3 innings.

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Fleetwood Walkers At 2007 Bloomington Bees           10/9/2007
 
  Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Bees               AB  R  H RBI AVG
  J.Bartlett SS       4  2  2  0 .348     I.Suzuki CF         5  0  1  1 .333  
  D.Wright 3B         4  0  0  0 .296     H.Ramirez SS        3  1  1  0 .250  
  B.Bonds LF          3  1  1  4 .429     J.Thome DH          1  1  0  0 .333  
A-M.Cabrera LF        1  0  0  0 .308   C-T.Hall PH           1  0  0  0 .000  
  M.Cabrera DH        4  0  1  0 .385     A.Soriano LF        4  1  1  0 .375  
  C.Beltran CF        4  0  1  0 .214   G-D.McPherson PH      1  0  0  0 .000  
  C.Jackson 1B        4  0  0  0 .111   H-A.Escobar LF        0  0  0  0 ----  
  N.Markakis RF       3  0  0  0 .250     N.Swisher 1B        2  1  0  0 .200  
  M.Giles 2B          3  0  2  0 .154     A.Beltre 3B         5  0  2  4 .222  
  J.Valentin C        2  1  0  0 .182     G.Matthews Jr RF    4  0  1  0 .125  
E-D.Lee PH            0  0  0  0 .364     R.Hernandez C       4  1  1  0 .286  
F-M.Redmond C         0  0  0  0 .182     J.Castillo 2B       3  0  1  0 .400  
                                        B-F.Lopez PH          1  0  1  01.000  
                                        D-R.Santiago 2B       0  0  0  0 ----  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      32  4  7  4                 Totals      34  5  9  5
 
A-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Bonds In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Castillo In 7th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Thome In 7th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Lopez In 8th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Valentin In 8th Inning
F-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Lee In 8th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Soriano In 8th Inning
H-Subbed Defensively (LF) For McPherson In 9th Inning
 
Walkers......... 0 0 0  1 0 3  0 0 0  -  4  7  4
Bees............ 0 0 2  1 0 2  0 0    -  5  9  0
 
Walkers (4-3)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
E.Santana LOSS(2-1)       5 2/3   7   5   5   5   4   0   3.54  A1 D4
J.Duchschere BS(1st)      0 2/3   1   0   0   1   0   0   3.86  D5 D8
S.Downs                   0 2/3   1   0   0   1   0   0   0.00  D9 E3
K.Foulke                  1       0   0   0   1   0   0  12.00  E4
Totals                    8       9   5   5   8   4   0
 
Bees (2-0)               IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
R.Halladay                5 2/3   5   3   3   0   0   0   4.76  A1 C2
D.Reyes WIN(1-0) BS(1st)  1 1/3   2   1   1   0   0   1   5.40  C3 C8
B.Ryan SAVE(1st)          2       0   0   0   1   4   0   0.00  C9
Totals                    9       7   4   4   1   4   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 10,528 DATE- Tuesday, October 9th 2007 TIME- Night WEATHER- Bad
T- 3:15
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 2  Bees:13
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 2  Bees: 2
ERRORS- J.Bartlett, D.Wright-2, J.Valentin
DOUBLES- J.Bartlett-2(3rd), M.Cabrera(4th), A.Beltre(1st), F.Lopez(1st)
HOME RUNS- B.Bonds(1st)
STOLEN BASES- D.Lee(1st)
WALKS- D.Lee, H.Ramirez-2, J.Thome-3, N.Swisher-3
STRIKE OUTS- J.Bartlett, D.Wright, M.Cabrera, C.Beltran, A.Soriano-2, N.Swisher,
             A.Beltre
GIDP- C.Jackson, J.Valentin, H.Ramirez, A.Beltre
WILD PITCHES- R.Halladay, D.Reyes, B.Ryan

October 8, 2007: NLDS Game 1

Center fielder Ichiro Suzuki had 2 base hits as the Bloomington Bees outscored the Fleetwood Walkers 3 to 2.

Fleetwood fell behind quickly as the Bloomington offense came through in the first inning when they scored 2 runs on 3 hits. The highlight belonged to Nick Swisher who electrified The Hive when he doubled bringing in two baserunners. Fleetwood had a chance in the 9th but they came up short.

The winning pitcher was Johan Santana (1-0) who allowed 2 runs in 7 and 1/3 innings. J.J. Putz gained credit for his 1st save. Dave Bush (1-1) was the loser.

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Fleetwood Walkers At 2007 Bloomington Bees           10/8/2007
 
  Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Bees               AB  R  H RBI AVG
  W.Aybar 2B          4  0  1  0 .214     I.Suzuki CF         4  0  2  1 .500  
A-M.Giles 2B          0  0  0  0 .000     H.Ramirez SS        5  1  1  0 .200  
  D.Wright 3B         4  1  2  0 .348     J.Thome DH          2  1  1  0 .500  
  B.Bonds LF          3  0  2  1 .444   B-F.Lopez PR,DH       0  0  0  0 ----  
D-D.Lee PH            1  0  0  0 .364     A.Soriano LF        4  0  2  0 .500  
E-M.Cabrera LF        0  0  0  0 .333   C-A.Escobar LF        0  0  0  0 ----  
  M.Cabrera DH        4  0  1  0 .409     N.Swisher 1B        3  0  1  2 .333  
  C.Beltran CF        3  1  1  1 .208     A.Beltre 3B         4  0  0  0 .000  
  C.Jackson 1B        4  0  1  0 .143     G.Matthews Jr RF    4  0  0  0 .000  
I-B.Crosby PR         0  0  0  0 .000     R.Hernandez C       3  1  1  0 .333  
  M.Redmond C         3  0  0  0 .182   G-R.Santiago PR,2B    0  0  0  0 ----  
J-J.Valentin PH       1  0  0  0 .222     J.Castillo 2B       2  0  1  0 .500  
  N.Markakis RF       4  0  1  0 .294   F-M.Thames PH         1  0  1  01.000  
  J.Bartlett SS       3  0  2  0 .316   H-T.Hall C            0  0  0  0 ----  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      34  2 11  2                 Totals      32  3 10  3
 
A-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Aybar In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Thome In 7th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Soriano In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Bonds In 8th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Lee In 8th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Castillo In 8th Inning
G-Pinch Ran For Hernandez In 8th Inning
H-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Thames In 9th Inning
I-Pinch Ran For Jackson In 9th Inning
J-Pinch Hit For Redmond In 9th Inning
 
Walkers......... 0 1 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  -  2 11  0
Bees............ 2 0 0  1 0 0  0 0    -  3 10  0
 
Walkers (4-2)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
D.Bush LOSS(1-1)          6 2/3   8   3   3   5   2   0   2.63  A1 D4
T.Hoffman                 1       2   0   0   1   1   0   1.59  D5 E1
J.Duchschere              0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   5.40  E2
Totals                    8      10   3   3   6   3   0
 
Bees (1-0)               IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
J.Santana WIN(1-0)        7 1/3   9   2   2   1   7   1   2.45  A1 D2
D.Reyes HOLD(1st)         0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  D3 D3
B.Ryan HOLD(1st)          0 1/3   2   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  D4 D6
J.Putz SAVE(1st)          1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D7
Totals                    9      11   2   2   1   8   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 20,305 DATE- Monday, October 8th 2007 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average
T- 3:17
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 6  Bees:11
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 1  Bees: 3
DOUBLES- D.Wright(4th), B.Bonds(2nd), M.Cabrera(3rd), N.Markakis(2nd),
         N.Swisher(1st)
HOME RUNS- C.Beltran(3rd)
WALKS- C.Beltran, I.Suzuki, J.Thome-2, N.Swisher, R.Hernandez, J.Castillo
STRIKE OUTS- W.Aybar, D.Wright, M.Cabrera, C.Beltran, C.Jackson, M.Redmond,
             J.Valentin, N.Markakis, A.Soriano, A.Beltre, G.Matthews Jr
GIDP- W.Aybar, M.Cabrera, N.Markakis, A.Beltre

October 2, 2007: NL Wild Card Game 5

NL Wild Card Game 5 – Fleetwood at Springfield

A.J. Burnett (10-7, 3.92 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (12-10, 4.44 ERA)

Game 5 of the NL Wild Card Series truly was a must-win situation for Springfield. The Isotopes had fallen in 3 of the first 4 games of the series, and now looked to extend the series and send it back to Fleetwood for a Game 6. To do so, the young Joe Blanton would need to outduel Fleetwood veteran A.J. Burnett.

Things looked bleak for Springfield very quickly, however. Jason Bartlett led off the game with a double, and David Wright and Barry Bonds followed with singles. When Miguel Cabrera drew a walk, the based were loaded with nobody out and the Walkers appeared ready to break the game wide open.

Showing great moxie, Blanton battled back. First, he struck out Carlos Beltran. He then retired Conor Jackson on a sacrifice fly for the inning's second out. The run had given Fleetwood a 2-0 lead, but Blanton prevented further damage by retiring Nick Markakis on a fly out to end the inning.

Springfield answered back quickly in the 2nd inning. With two out and a runner on 1st, Ray Durham drew a walk. Former Walker David Ross then hit a single to load the bases. Tony Graffanino, a hero in Game 3 of this series, came through again with a two-out, two run single. The game was now tied.

Burnett would struggle again in the 3rd inning. With two outs, Moises Alou smacked a double into the gap. Burnett then uncorked a wild pitch, sending Alou to third. And when Burnett misplayed a Justin Morneau ground ball into an error, Springfield had grabbed a 3-2 lead.

The score remained unchanged in the 4th and 5th innings as both pitchers settled into a groove. Fleetwood broke through in a big way in the 6th inning, though. After lead-off singles by Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Beltran, Nick Markakis followed a Derrek Lee line out with a deep 3-run homer to straight-away center field. What had been a 3-2 Springfield lead quickly turned into 5-3 run deficit.

The Isotopes looked to battle back in the 7th inning when Orlando Cabrera and pinch-hitter Ryan Garko delivered one-out singles. With the go-ahead run coming to the plate in Moises Alou, Fleetwood manager Rube Foster made an early call to his relief ace Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman responded by striking out both Alou and Justin Morneau to end the threat.

Perhaps inspired by Hoffman's performance, Fleetwood added an insurance run on an 8th-inning sacrifice fly from Mike Redmond. The Walkers now lead 6-3, and the Isotopes were down to their last 6 outs.

Hoffman made quick work of Springfield in the 8th, setting the site down in order. After a scoreless top of the 9th inning, the Isotopes neeed a 3-run rally to keep their season alive.

Hank Blalock led off versus Hoffman, but grounded out. Having thrown more than his typical number of pitchers, Fleetwood manager Rube Foster reluctantly patted Hoffman on the back and brought in Keith Foulke to finish the job.

Things started well for Foulke when he retired Mike Cameron on a fly out. Red-hot Orlando Cabrera was next, though, and he delivered again with a single. Springfield needed one more baserunner to send the tying run to the plate.

A wild pitch by Foulke added to the drama, but Foulke retired reserve outfielder Ben Johnson to end the game. Springfield's season was over, but not without a valiant fight. Meanwhile, Fleetwood had earned a ticket to Bloomington where they will face the Bees in a National League Divisional Series.

MVP honors were extended to Fleetwood pitcher Ervin Santana (2-0, 1.84 ERA, 14.2 IP, 3 BB, 14 K), wit honorable mention going to Fleetwood's Miguel Cabrera (8-18, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI) and Springfield's Orlando Cabrera (9-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI).

Final score: Fleetwood 6, Springfield 3.
W: Burnett (1-0). L: Blanton (0-1). SV: None.
HR: Markakis (1).

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Fleetwood Walkers At 2007 Springfield Isotopes       10/2/2007
 
  Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Isotopes           AB  R  H RBI AVG
  J.Bartlett SS       3  1  1  0 .250     M.Cameron CF        5  0  0  0 .095  
D-W.Aybar PH          1  0  0  0 .200     O.Cabrera SS        5  0  2  0 .474  
E-B.Crosby SS         0  0  0  0 .000     R.Ibanez LF         3  0  0  0 .167  
  D.Wright 3B         4  1  2  1 .316   F-R.Garko PH          1  0  1  01.000  
  B.Bonds LF          3  0  1  0 .400   G-B.Johnson LF        1  0  0  0 .000  
C-M.Cabrera LF        2  0  1  0 .333     M.Alou RF           4  1  2  0 .263  
  M.Cabrera DH        3  1  2  0 .444     J.Morneau 1B        4  1  1  0 .222  
  C.Beltran CF        5  1  1  0 .190     J.Willingham DH     3  0  1  0 .176  
  C.Jackson 1B        1  0  0  1 .100   H-S.Choo PH           1  0  0  0 .000  
A-D.Lee PH,1B         2  1  1  0 .400     R.Durham 2B         3  1  0  0 .188  
  N.Markakis RF       5  1  2  3 .308     D.Ross C            3  0  2  0 .222  
  M.Giles 2B          4  0  0  0 .000   I-D.Ward PH           1  0  0  0 .500  
  J.Valentin C        2  0  0  0 .250   J-M.Lieberthal C      0  0  0  0 .375  
B-M.Redmond PH,C      1  0  0  1 .250     T.Graffanino 3B     3  0  1  2 .556  
                                        K-H.Blalock PH        1  0  0  0 .000  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      36  6 11  6                 Totals      38  3 10  2
 
A-Pinch Hit For Jackson In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Valentin In 6th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Bonds In 6th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Aybar In 7th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Ibanez In 7th Inning
G-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Garko In 8th Inning
H-Pinch Hit For Willingham In 8th Inning
I-Pinch Hit For Ross In 8th Inning
J-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Ward In 9th Inning
K-Pinch Hit For Graffanino In 9th Inning
 
Walkers......... 2 0 0  0 0 3  0 1 0  -  6 11  1
Isotopes........ 0 2 1  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  3 10  0
 
Walkers (4-1)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
A.Burnett WIN(1-0)        6 1/3   8   3   2   1   8   0   2.84  A1 D2
S.Downs                   0       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  D3 D3
T.Hoffman HOLD(1st)       2       0   0   0   0   2   0   1.93  D4 D9
K.Foulke                  0 2/3   1   0   0   0   0   0  18.00  E1
Totals                    9      10   3   2   1  10   0
 
Isotopes (1-4)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
J.Blanton LOSS(0-1)       5 1/3   7   5   5   2   2   1   8.44  A1 C7
B.Bray                    0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   6.75  C8 C9
C.Ray                     1       2   1   1   1   1   0   4.50  D1 D6
J.Walker                  1       1   0   0   1   0   0  10.80  D7 E2
D.Weathers                1       1   0   0   1   0   0   8.10  E3
Totals                    9      11   6   6   5   4   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 42,224 DATE- Tuesday, October 2nd 2007 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
T- 3:41
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers:10  Isotopes: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 0  Isotopes: 0
ERRORS- A.Burnett
DOUBLES- J.Bartlett(1st), M.Cabrera(1st), M.Cabrera(2nd), M.Alou(1st)
HOME RUNS- N.Markakis(1st)
SACRIFICE FLIES- C.Jackson, M.Redmond
WALKS- B.Crosby, D.Wright, M.Cabrera-2, D.Lee, R.Durham
STRIKE OUTS- M.Cabrera, C.Beltran-2, M.Giles, M.Cameron, R.Ibanez-2, M.Alou-2,
             J.Morneau, J.Willingham, R.Durham, D.Ross, T.Graffanino
WILD PITCHES- A.Burnett-3, K.Foulke

October 1, 2007: NL Wild Card Game 4

NL Wild Card Game 4 – Fleetwood at Springfield

Ervin Santana (19-6, 3.58 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (17-6, 3.04 ERA)

Fresh off their Game 3 win, the Springfield Isotopes looked to repeat the feat with their ace Cliff Lee taking the mound. Fleetwood counted with Ervin Santana, winner of Game 1. A pitchers' duel appeared imminent.

And a duel it was. Both pitchers were on their game early, with only one run scoring in the first 4 innings. That run came thanks to a two-out double in the 4th by Ray Durham.

In the 5th inning, however, Fleetwood's bats came alive. Mike Redmond and Melky Cabrera both collected one-out singles. Following a Jason Bartlett lineout, second baseman Willy Aybar delivered another single to plate one run. David Wright then followed with a two-run double to give the Walkers a 3-1 lead.

That score held until the top of the 8th when a two-base error by Hank Blalock allowed Fleetwood to score another run. It did not take Springfield long to respond, however, as the Isotopes scored two runs on their own in the bottom of the frame thanks to an Orlanda Cabrera home run. The score was now just 4-3 in favor of Fleetwood.

The late-inning see-saw affair continued in the top of the 9th when Derrek Lee hit a homer of his own, extended Fleetwood's tenuous lead to 5-3. The hometown crowd was silenced, but now for long.

In the bottom of the 9th, Springfield faced Fleetwood closer Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman retired Justin Morneau to begin in the inning, but a Josh Willingham walk and a Daryle Ward pinch-hit single suddenly put the tying run on 1st and the winning run at the plate. Reserve outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was not up the challenge, though, striking out. Next up was the red-hot Orlando Cabrera.

Cabrera maintained his torrid hitting, rapping an RBI single and cutting Fleetwood's lead to just 1 run. Having entered in the 8th inning, Hoffman was obviously running on fumes. Fleetwood manager Rube Foster kept him in the game, however, to face Ray Durham. Hoffman made Foster look smart by coaxing Durham into a groundout, and the exciting game was over. Fleetwood now led the series 3 games to 1.

Final score: Fleetwood 5, Springfield 4.
W: Santana (2-0). L: Lee (0-2). SV: Hoffman (2).
HR: D. Lee (1), O. Cabrera (2).

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Fleetwood Walkers At 2007 Springfield Isotopes       10/1/2007
 
  Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Isotopes           AB  R  H RBI AVG
  W.Aybar 2B          3  0  1  1 .222     R.Durham 2B         5  0  1  1 .231  
A-M.Giles PR,2B       1  2  0  0 .000     M.Cameron CF        4  0  0  0 .125  
  D.Wright 3B         4  0  1  2 .267     R.Ibanez LF         4  0  1  0 .200  
  B.Bonds LF          3  0  2  0 .417     M.Alou RF           4  0  1  0 .200  
B-N.Markakis RF       0  0  0  1 .250   G-M.Lieberthal C      0  0  0  0 .375  
  M.Cabrera DH        4  0  1  0 .400     J.Morneau 1B        4  0  0  0 .214  
  C.Beltran CF        4  0  0  0 .188     J.Willingham DH     3  1  0  0 .143  
  C.Jackson 1B        3  0  0  0 .111     H.Blalock 3B        2  0  0  0 .000  
D-D.Lee 1B            1  1  1  1 .375   H-D.Ward PH           1  0  1  01.000  
  M.Redmond C         4  1  1  0 .286     D.Ross C            2  0  0  0 .000  
  M.Cabrera RF,LF     4  1  1  0 .300   F-S.Choo PH,RF        1  1  0  0 .000  
  J.Bartlett SS       2  0  0  0 .231     O.Cabrera SS        4  2  3  3 .500  
C-J.Valentin PH       1  0  0  0 .333                                          
E-B.Crosby SS         1  0  0  0 .000                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      35  5  8  5                 Totals      34  4  7  4
 
A-Pinch Ran For Aybar In 5th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (RF) For Bonds In 5th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Bartlett In 7th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Jackson In 7th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Valentin In 7th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Ross In 8th Inning
G-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Alou In 9th Inning
H-Pinch Hit For Blalock In 9th Inning
 
Walkers......... 0 0 0  0 3 0  0 1 1  -  5  8  0
Isotopes........ 0 0 1  0 0 0  0 2 1  -  4  7  1
 
Walkers (3-1)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
E.Santana WIN(2-0)        7       3   1   1   1   5   0   1.84  A1 C7
J.Rincon                  0       0   1   1   0   0   0  11.57  C8 C8
J.Duchschere HOLD(1st)    0 2/3   1   1   1   0   1   1   6.75  C9 D2
T.Hoffman SAVE(2nd)       1 1/3   3   1   1   1   1   0   3.37  D3
Totals                    9       7   4   4   2   7   1
 
Isotopes (1-3)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Lee LOSS(0-2)           6       6   3   3   0   5   0   4.97  A1 C6
J.Speier                  0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  C7 C8
P.Neshek                  0 2/3   0   1   0   0   0   0   0.00  C9 D2
J.Walker                  0 2/3   1   0   0   0   0   0  27.00  D3 D5
D.Weathers                1       1   1   1   0   0   1  11.57  D6
Totals                    9       8   5   4   0   6   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 40,427 DATE- Monday, October 1st 2007 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good
T- 2:26
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 4  Isotopes: 6
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 0  Isotopes: 0
ERRORS- H.Blalock
DOUBLES- D.Wright(3rd), B.Bonds(1st), R.Durham(1st)
TRIPLES- R.Ibanez(1st)
HOME RUNS- D.Lee(1st), O.Cabrera(2nd)
SACRIFICE FLIES- N.Markakis
WALKS- J.Willingham, H.Blalock
HIT BY PITCH- S.Choo
STRIKE OUTS- D.Wright, M.Cabrera, C.Beltran, C.Jackson, M.Cabrera-2, M.Cameron,
             M.Alou, J.Morneau, J.Willingham-2, S.Choo, O.Cabrera
WILD PITCHES- E.Santana
WEB GEMS- Bot 3rd: Carlos Beltran robbed Mike Cameron of an extra base hit.
          Bot 7th: Bobby Crosby robbed Josh Willingham of a base hit.

September 30, 2007: NL Wild Card Game 3

NL Wild Card Game 3 – Fleetwood at Springfield

Kelvim Escobar (12-11, 4.26 ERA) vs. Vicente Padilla (17-8, 4.35 ERA)

Springfield dropped both games at Fleetwood, but its fans gave the team a warm welcome in their return to Duff Stadium. It was a must win for the Isotopes, as losing the contest would bury the team in a 0-3 hole in this best-of-seven series.

Tony Graffanino put Springfield on the board the 2nd inning. Following lead-off singles by Moises Alou and Justin Morneau, Graffanino hit an RBI double off Fleetwood starter Kelvim Escobar. The Isotopes added another run in the 3rd inning on back-to-back doubles by Orlando Cabrera and Raul Ibanez.

Fleetwood answered back in the 4th inning when Carlos Beltran hit a 2-run homer. Javier Valentin gave Fleetwood another run with a solo home run in the 5th inning, making the score 3-2 in favor of the visiting Walkers.

Springfield responded quickly, bookending a walk with two doubles in the bottom of the 5th inning to reclaim the lead. The last double was by Tony Graffanino, giving him 3 consecutive two-baggers through 5 innings.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Springfield scored again on doubles from Mike Lieberthal and Orlando Cabrera. In all, the Isotopes had collected 10 hits off of Escobar through 5.1 innings...and 8 of those hits were doubles!

Meanwhile, Vicente Padilla turned in a workman-like performance for the Springfield faithful. He surrendered just 7 hits and 0 walks through 7 innings, and handed the game over to his bullpen with a 5-3 lead. Justin Speier and Chris Ray pitched two perfect innings to complete the game, and Springfield had earned its first win of the season.

Final score: Springfield 5, Fleetwood 3.
W: Padilla (1-0). L: Escobar (0-1). SV: Ray (1).
HR: Beltran (2), Valentin (2).

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Fleetwood Walkers At 2007 Springfield Isotopes       9/30/2007
 
  Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Isotopes           AB  R  H RBI AVG
  W.Aybar 2B          3  0  0  0 .167     M.Cameron CF        4  0  0  0 .167  
B-M.Giles 2B          1  0  0  0 .000     O.Cabrera SS        4  1  2  1 .400  
  D.Wright 3B         3  0  1  0 .273     R.Ibanez LF         4  1  2  1 .182  
  B.Bonds LF          2  1  1  0 .333   C-B.Johnson LF        0  0  0  0 .000  
A-M.Cabrera PR,LF     1  0  0  0 .333     M.Alou RF           4  1  1  0 .182  
  M.Cabrera DH        4  0  0  0 .455     J.Morneau 1B        2  1  1  0 .300  
  C.Beltran CF        4  1  1  2 .250     J.Willingham DH     4  0  0  0 .182  
  D.Lee 1B            4  0  2  0 .286     T.Graffanino 2B     4  0  3  3 .667  
  N.Markakis RF       4  0  1  0 .250     H.Blalock 3B        4  0  0  0 .000  
  J.Bartlett SS       4  0  0  0 .273     M.Lieberthal C      4  1  1  0 .375  
  J.Valentin C        3  1  1  1 .400                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      33  3  7  3                 Totals      34  5 10  5
 
A-Pinch Ran For Bonds In 5th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Aybar In 5th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Ibanez In 9th Inning
 
Walkers......... 0 0 0  2 1 0  0 0 0  -  3  7  0
Isotopes........ 0 1 1  0 2 1  0 0    -  5 10  0
 
Walkers (2-1)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
K.Escobar LOSS(0-1)       5 1/3  10   5   5   2   2   0   8.44  A1 D2
J.Rincon                  2       0   0   0   0   2   0   7.71  D3 D8
K.Foulke                  0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0  27.00  D9
Totals                    8      10   5   5   2   5   0
 
Isotopes (1-2)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
V.Padilla WIN(1-0)        7       7   3   3   0   0   2   3.86  A1 D2
J.Speier HOLD(1st)        1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D3 D5
C.Ray SAVE(1st)           1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D6
Totals                    9       7   3   3   0   2   2
 
ATTENDANCE- 40,583 DATE- Sunday, September 30th 2007 TIME- Night WEATHER- Bad
T- 3:00
LEFT ON BASE- Walkers: 5  Isotopes: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Walkers: 0  Isotopes: 0
DOUBLES- D.Wright(2nd), D.Lee(1st), N.Markakis(1st), O.Cabrera-2(2nd),
         R.Ibanez-2(2nd), T.Graffanino-3(4th), M.Lieberthal(1st)
HOME RUNS- C.Beltran(2nd), J.Valentin(2nd)
CAUGHT STEALING- D.Wright
WALKS- J.Morneau-2
HIT BY PITCH- D.Wright, B.Bonds, M.Cameron
STRIKE OUTS- C.Beltran, N.Markakis, M.Cameron-3, J.Morneau, J.Willingham
PASSED BALLS- J.Valentin

September 28, 2007: NL Wild Card Game 2

NL Wild Card Game 2 – Springfield at Fleetwood

Clay Hensley (12-8, 4.51 ERA) vs. Dave Bush (14-12, 3.28 ERA)

Fresh off a win in Game 1, Fleetwood came out shooting in Game 2. Following a Barry Bonds single, Miguel Cabrera hit his second home run of the series and gave the Walkers an early 2-0 lead.

Mike Cameron and Josh Willingham respond quickly for Springfield though. Willingham's sacrifice fly followed a one-out triple by Cameron, and the Walkers' lead was cut to 2-1.

Fleetwood's Javier Valentin again made it a 2-run game with a solo home run to lead off the 3rd inning. Meanwhile, Dave Bush cruised through the sixth inning without giving up another run.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Jason Bartlett and David Wright led off with a single and a walk. Barry Bonds was next, and hit a groundball to second. However, not only did Ray Durham not convert the ball into a double-play, he also failed to get even one out. The error loaded the bases, and Fleetwood capitalized in a big way. The Walkers hit 5 singles before Springfield could finally end the inning. In the process, Fleetwood had scored 7 runs.

When the Walkers added another run in the 7th on a Carlos Beltran home run, the game appeared to be a laugher.

However, the Isotopes bats always keep them in the game. In the top of the 9th, Springfield followed a lead-off HBP with a single, a strikeout, another single, a double, one more single, and then back-to-back home runs by Ray Durham and Orlando Cabrera. In toal, the Isotopes scored 6 runs before Scott Downs finally retired pinch-hitter Ben Johnson to end the game. The Isotopes had fallen, but not without a fight. And now they were headed home to Duff Stadium.

Final score: Fleetwood 11, Springfield 7.
W: Bush (1-0). L: Hensley (0-1). SV: None.
HR: Durham (1), O. Cabrera (1), Mig. Cabrera (2), Beltran (1), Valentin (1).

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Springfield Isotopes At 2007 Fleetwood Walkers       9/28/2007
 
  Isotopes           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  R.Durham 2B         4  1  1  2 .250     J.Bartlett SS       4  1  2  1 .429  
  O.Cabrera SS        4  1  2  1 .333   C-M.Redmond C         0  0  0  0 .333  
  R.Ibanez LF         4  0  0  0 .000     D.Wright 3B         3  1  0  0 .250  
G-D.Ross PH           1  0  0  0 .000     B.Bonds LF          3  1  1  0 .286  
  M.Alou RF           3  0  0  0 .143   A-B.Crosby PR,SS      1  1  0  0 .000  
F-S.Choo PR           0  1  0  0 ----     M.Cabrera DH        4  2  2  3 .714  
H-B.Johnson PH        1  0  0  0 .000     C.Beltran CF        4  2  2  3 .250  
  J.Morneau 1B        4  1  2  0 .250     C.Jackson 1B        3  1  1  1 .167  
  M.Cameron CF        4  1  1  0 .250   D-M.Cabrera LF        1  0  0  0 .400  
  J.Willingham DH     3  1  1  2 .286     N.Markakis RF       4  1  1  1 .250  
  H.Blalock 3B        2  0  0  0 .000     M.Giles 2B          3  0  0  0 .000  
E-T.Graffanino PH,3B  2  0  1  2 .500     J.Valentin C        2  1  1  1 .500  
  M.Lieberthal C      4  1  2  0 .500   B-D.Lee PH,1B         2  0  0  1 .000  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      36  7 10  7                 Totals      34 11 10 11
 
A-Pinch Ran For Bonds In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Valentin In 6th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Bartlett In 7th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Jackson In 7th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Blalock In 7th Inning
F-Pinch Ran For Alou In 9th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Ibanez In 9th Inning
H-Pinch Hit For Choo In 9th Inning
 
Isotopes........ 0 1 0  0 0 0  0 0 6  -  7 10  1
Walkers......... 2 0 1  0 0 7  1 0    - 11 10  1
 
Isotopes (0-2)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Hensley LOSS(0-1)       5       4   5   5   1   3   2   9.00  A1 C2
J.Walker                  0       3   4   2   0   0   0   ----  C3 C6
B.Bray                    2       3   2   2   0   1   1   9.00  C7 D6
P.Neshek                  1       0   0   0   0   2   0   0.00  D7
Totals                    8      10  11   8   1   6   3
 
Walkers (2-0)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
D.Bush WIN(1-0)           7       3   1   1   1   7   0   1.29  A1 C8
J.Duchschere              0 2/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  C9 D2
J.Rincon                  0 1/3   1   2   2   0   0   0  54.00  D3 D5
K.Foulke                  0 2/3   5   4   4   0   1   2  54.00  D6 E2
S.Downs                   0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  E3
Totals                    9      10   7   7   1   8   2
 
ATTENDANCE- 40,603 DATE- Friday, September 28th 2007 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average
T- 2:55
LEFT ON BASE- Isotopes: 6  Walkers: 1
DOUBLE PLAYS- Isotopes: 0  Walkers: 0
ERRORS- R.Durham, D.Wright
DOUBLES- T.Graffanino(1st)
TRIPLES- M.Cameron(1st)
HOME RUNS- R.Durham(1st), O.Cabrera(1st), M.Cabrera(2nd), C.Beltran(1st),
           J.Valentin(1st)
SACRIFICE HITS- M.Giles
SACRIFICE FLIES- J.Willingham
WALKS- O.Cabrera, D.Wright
HIT BY PITCH- R.Durham, M.Alou
STRIKE OUTS- R.Durham-2, O.Cabrera, J.Morneau-2, M.Cameron, J.Willingham,
             H.Blalock, D.Wright, B.Crosby, N.Markakis, M.Giles-2, D.Lee
WILD PITCHES- S.Downs

September 27, 2007: NL Wild Card Game 1

NL Wild Card Game 1 – Springfield at Fleetwood

Cliff Lee (17-6, 3.04 ERA) vs. Ervin Santana (19-6, 3.58 ERA)

Each team sent out its top-winner from the regular season, and both pitchers were up to the challenge early. The game was scoreless through two innings, but Fleetwood drew first blood against Springfield's Cliff Lee on doubles by David Wright and Miguel Cabrera in the 3rd.

The Isotopes responded immediately, though, scoring twice in the top of the 4th. Key among this rally were two misplays by the usually reliable Fleetwood defense. First, Barry Bonds misplayed a Moises Alou hit into an RBI triple. On the next batter, pitcher Ervin Santana committed an error, allowing the second run to score from 3rd base. An RBI double by Mike Cameron one inning later made the score 3-1 in favor of Springfield.

Fleetwood pulled within one run when Mike Redmond's two-out RBI single scored Miguel Cabrera in the bottom of the 6th. Then, down 3-2 with 2 outs and 2 on in the bottom of the 7th, Cabrera launched a 3-run homer. The score was now 5-3 in favor of the Walkers.

Jason Bartlett added an insurance run for Fleetwood in the 8th inning, and Trevor Hoffman relieved Ervin Santana for the save.

Final score: Fleetwood 6, Springfield 3.
W: Santana (1-0). L: Lee (0-1). SV: Hoffman (1).
HR: Mig. Cabrera (1).

---

BOXSCORE: 2007 Springfield Isotopes At 2007 Fleetwood Walkers       9/27/2007
 
  Isotopes           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Walkers            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  R.Durham 2B         4  0  1  0 .250     W.Aybar 2B          3  0  1  0 .333  
  M.Cameron CF        4  0  1  1 .250   A-M.Giles PR,2B       1  1  0  0 .000  
  R.Ibanez LF         3  1  0  0 .000     D.Wright 3B         5  1  2  0 .400  
  M.Alou RF           4  1  1  1 .250     B.Bonds LF          4  0  1  0 .250  
  J.Morneau 1B        4  0  0  0 .000   B-N.Markakis PR,RF    0  1  0  0 ----  
  J.Willingham DH     4  0  1  0 .250     M.Cabrera DH        3  2  3  41.000  
  H.Blalock 3B        3  0  0  0 .000     C.Beltran CF        4  0  0  0 .000  
  D.Ross C            3  0  0  0 .000     C.Jackson 1B        3  0  0  0 .000  
  O.Cabrera SS        2  1  0  0 .000   C-D.Lee 1B            1  0  0  0 .000  
                                          M.Redmond C         3  1  1  1 .333  
                                          M.Cabrera RF,LF     4  0  2  0 .500  
                                          J.Bartlett SS       3  0  1  1 .333  
                                        D-B.Crosby PR,SS      0  0  0  0 ----  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      31  3  4  2                 Totals      34  6 11  6
 
A-Pinch Ran For Aybar In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Bonds In 7th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Jackson In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Ran For Bartlett In 8th Inning
 
Isotopes........ 0 0 0  2 1 0  0 0 0  -  3  4  0
Walkers......... 0 0 1  0 0 1  3 1    -  6 11  1
 
Isotopes (0-1)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Lee LOSS(0-1)           6 2/3   8   4   4   2   1   0   5.40  A1 D3
D.Weathers BS(1st)        1 1/3   3   2   2   0   2   1  13.50  D4
Totals                    8      11   6   6   2   3   1
 
Walkers (1-0)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
E.Santana WIN(1-0)        7 2/3   4   3   2   2   9   0   2.35  A1 D2
T.Hoffman SAVE(1st)       1 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D3
Totals                    9       4   3   2   2  10   0
 
ATTENDANCE- 39,570 DATE- Thursday, September 27th 2007 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
T- 2:22
LEFT ON BASE- Isotopes: 3  Walkers: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Isotopes: 1  Walkers: 1
ERRORS- E.Santana
DOUBLES- M.Cameron(1st), D.Wright(1st), M.Cabrera(1st)
TRIPLES- M.Alou(1st)
HOME RUNS- M.Cabrera(1st)
WALKS- R.Ibanez, O.Cabrera, W.Aybar, M.Cabrera
HIT BY PITCH- M.Redmond, J.Bartlett
STRIKE OUTS- R.Durham-2, M.Cameron, R.Ibanez, M.Alou, J.Willingham, D.Ross-3,
             O.Cabrera, D.Wright, C.Beltran, C.Jackson
GIDP- H.Blalock, C.Beltran
WILD PITCHES- E.Santana

NL Wild Card Series Preview: Springfield vs. Fleetwood

Springfield Isotopes - NL East Runner Up
96-66 (.593)

Offense: 5.80 runs per game (5th of 12)
Defense: 4.62 runs per game (5th of 12)
Pythagorean Record: 99-63 (.612)

Team Summary:
The 2007 NL Wild Card series pits brother against brother, as Jon Kjarsgaard's Springfield Isotopes face older brother Joal's Fleetwood Walkers. The long-standing rift between these once-close brothers is well-documented, but the story of each of these 2007 teams is not.

Springfield left the starting gate fast, posting an 18-10 record in April. The team never looked back, posting a winning record in every month except for a brief June swoon (13-15). The Isotopes proved equally strong both at home (47-34) and on the road (49-32), and excelled in extra inning contests (9-3).

The 2007 edition of the Springfield Isotopes will be best remembered for their strong, homer-heavy offense. The Isotopes scored 940 runs, good for 5th in the league despite playing most of its games in a sometimes-less-than-hitter-friendly ballpark. Springfield hit 234 home runs (2nd in NL) versus only 162 allowed (best in NL), and further proved its lack of "small-ball" ethos by collecting just 5 sacrifice hits during the season (fewest in NL).

Top performers at the plate were Mike Cameron (.292, 47 2B, 10 3B, 24 HR, 84 BB), Justin Morneau (.297, 33 2B, 36 HR, 126 RBI), and Josh Willingham (.295, 82 2B, 31 HR, 88 RBI).

On the mound, the team was led by left-handed ace Cliff Lee (17-6, 3.04 ERA). RHP Vicente Padilla (17-8, 4.35 ERA) was also a key member of the pitching rotation, while RHP Chris Ray (3.30 ERA, 27 SV) and Jamie Walker (5-3, 2.01 ERA) anchored the bullpen.

One of the team's key weaknesses throughout the season was its defense. The Isotopes converted just 65.8% of its x-chart chances into outs (2nd worst in NL). Its outfield corners in particular were suspect, as both Raul Ibanez (17 for 40 x-chart %) and Moises Alou (10 for 35 x-chart %) struggled to turn chances into outs.

To advance to the World Series, Springfield will rely on its long-ball offense, its ace Cliff Lee, and its versatile bullpen. At the same time, the team will need to cover its short-comings in the rotation and in the field in order to give its bats and its bullpen a chance.

Springfield Lineup:
1-Ray Durham (2B) .276/.346/.485, 21 HR, 80 RBI
2-Mike Cameron (CF) .292/.384/.540, 24 HR, 92 RBI
3-Raul Ibanez (LF) .296/.347/.516, 30 HR, 94 RBI
4-Moises Alou (RF) .269/.333/.487, 15 HR, 57 RBI
5-Justin Morneau (1B) .297/.352/.535, 36 HR, 126 RBI
6-Josh Willingham (DH) .295/.371/.548, 31 HR, 88 RBI
7-Hank Blalock (3B) .283/.348/.446, 20 HR, 67 RBI
8-David Ross (C) .223/.345/.574, 26 HR, 60 RBI
9-Orlando Cabrera (SS) .286/.357/.387, 6 HR, 72 RBI

Springfield Bench:
Shin-Soo Choo (OF) .351/.418/.527, 1 HR, 20 RBI
Ryan Garko (1B) .291/.377/.476, 7 HR, 31 RBI
Tony Graffanino (IF) .249/.319/.343, 2 HR, 39 RBI
Ben Johnson (OF) .331/.386/.534, 5 HR, 29 RBI
Mike Lieberthal (C) .260/.294/.404, 4 HR, 27 RBI
Daryle Ward (1B/OF) .355/.410/.682, 8 HR, 26 RBI

Springfield Rotation:
LHP Cliff Lee (17-6, 3.04 ERA, 204 IP, 123 K)
RHP Vicente Padilla (17-8, 4.35 ERA, 201 IP, 140K)
RHP Clay Hensley (12-8, 4.51 ERA, 190 IP, 122 K)
RHP Joe Blanton (12-10, 4.44 ERA, 187 IP, 89 K)

Springfield Bullpen:
RHP Chris Ray (3-5, 3.30 ERA, 57 IP, 27 SV)
RHP David Weathers (7-1, 4.33 ERA, 73 IP, 3 SV)
LHP Jamie Walker (5-3, 2.01 ERA, 49 IP, 0 SV)
RHP Pat Neshek (1-3, 2.12 ERA, 30 IP, 0 SV)
RHP Justin Speier (3-1, 2.42 ERA, 52 IP, 1 SV)
LHP Bill Bray (1-1, 4.20 ERA, 45 IP, 0 SV)

_______________________________________

Fleetwood Walkers - NL Central Runner Up
98-64 (.605)

Offense: 6.17 runs per game (6th of 12)
Defense: 3.66 runs per game (1st of 12)
Pythagorean Record: 102-60 (.631)

Team Summary:
While not as formidable as its 117-win team the year before, Fleetwood still fielded a strong team in 2007. It posted 98 wins on the season, including a dazzling 20 wins in its last 23 games. Fleetwood was a powerhouse at home in John Locke Field (55-26), but struggled at times on the road (43-38). The Walkers also showed a strong tendency to win the close games, posting a 9-2 record in extra innings and a 24-14 record in one-run contests.

Fleetwood's offense was a step behind the best in the league (including Springfield's), but still boasted intimidating weapons in DH Miguel Cabrera (.348, 46 2B, 28 HR, 102 RBI) and CF Carlos Beltran (.278, 47 2B, 38 HR, 110 RBI). The Walkers also held true to their nickname, collecting 636 bases-on-balls (2nd in NL).

On the other side of the ball, the Fleetwood Walkers really shined. Its pitching and defense allowed just 669, best in the NL. Starters Ervin Santana (19-6, 3.58 ERA) and Dave Bush (14-12, 3.28 ERA) led the staff, while relievers Trevor Hoffman (8-3, 3.48 ERA, 25 SV) and Juan Rincon (4-1, 2.82 ERA, 3 SV) anchored the bullpen. The team's defense also played a strong role in preventing runs, converting 74.4% of its x-chart chances into outs (T-3rd in NL).

For Fleetwood to win, it will need to its starting pitchers to keep the team in the game until its bullpen can match up in the late innings. The Walkers will also need to find offensive production from not just the top of its lineup, but from the bottom as well.

Fleetwood Lineup:
1-Jason Bartlett (SS) .308/.381/.366, 13 SB
2-David Wright (3B) .274/.336/.498, 31 HR, 112 RBI
3-Barry Bonds (LF) .256/.376/.517, 26 HR, 78 RBI
4-Miguel Cabrera (DH) .348/.426/.568, 28 HR, 102 RBI
5-Carlos Beltran (CF) .278/.389/.577, 38 HR, 110 RBI
6-Conor Jackson (1B) .272/.364/.410, 13 HR, 67 RBI
7-Nick Markakis (RF) .242/.304/.382, 14 HR, 56 RBI
8-Marcus Giles (2B) .249/.333/.331, 4 HR, 50 RBI
9-Javier Valentin (C) .253/.290/.402, 6 HR, 32 RBI

Fleetwood Bench:
Willy Aybar (2B) .288/.362/.342, 0 HR, 27 RBI
Melky Cabrera (OF) .280/.353/.373, 3 HR, 41 RBI
Bobby Crosby (SS) .227/.285/.322, 3 HR, 22 RBI
Ryan Doumit (C) .181/.282/.302, 1 HR, 19 RBI
Derrek Lee (1B) .249/.348/.463, 10 HR, 36 RBI
Mike Redmond (C) .337/.372/.411, 0 HR, 20 RBI

Fleetwood Rotation:
RHP Ervin Santana (19-6, 3.58 ERA, 214 IP, 145 K)
RHP Dave Bush (14-12, 3.28 ERA, 219 IP, 158 K)
RHP Kelvim Escobar (12-11, 4.26 ERA, 197 IP, 149 K)
RHP A.J. Burnett (10-7, 3.92 ERA, 142 IP, 119 K)

Fleetwood Bullpen:
RHP Trevor Hoffman (8-3, 3.48 ERA, 25 SV)
RHP Juan Rincon (4-1, 2.82 ERA, 3 SV)
LHP Scott Downs (4-3, 3.17 ERA, 77 IP, 3 SV)
RHP Keith Foulke (4-1, 1.74 ERA, 47 IP, 0 SV)
LHP Mike Stanton (4-2, 3.41 ERA, 63 IP, 2 SV)
RHP Justin Duchscherer (5-5, 4.72 ERA, 55 IP, 0 SV)

---

Primary Player Statistics For 2007 Springfield Isotopes Totals After 162 Games
 
 
NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
V.Rottino         .500   2   2   1   1  1  0  0   0   1   0  0  0  0   0  0  0
S.Choo            .351  74 148  26  52 11  6  1  20  16  39  1  0  0   7  4  2
B.Johnson         .331  74 118  24  39  5  2  5  29  12  29  0  0  3   3  0  0
D.Ward            .316  30  76  13  24  9  0  4  18   6  13  2  0  0   0  0  1
J.Morneau         .297 153 607 100 180 33  2 36 126  49  99  6  0 14   1  2 12
R.Ibanez          .296 147 568  89 168 23  6 30  94  46  90  0  0 21   2  2  1
J.Willingham      .295 143 518  85 153 32  3 31  88  44 108 22  0 15   2  0  5
M.Cameron         .292 152 561 129 164 47 10 24  92  84 123  4  0 12  17  9  4
R.Garko           .291  63 189  25  55 10  2  7  31  16  29 10  0  7   0  0  0
O.Cabrera         .286 162 594  85 170 38  2  6  72  66  70  3  2 21  23 10 15
H.Blalock         .283 141 502  77 142 10  6 20  67  51  92  2  0 18   0  2  8
R.Durham          .276 135 497  90 137 31  5 21  80  55  63  1  0 13   5  2  7
M.Alou            .269 103 353  64  95 30  1 15  57  33  38  3  0 10   1  0  6
M.Lieberthal      .260  70 208  20  54 16  1  4  27   7  21  4  1  5   0  0  3
T.Ishikawa        .250  10  20   2   5  2  0  0   0   3   6  0  0  1   0  0  2
T.Graffanino      .249 126 385  50  96 22  4  2  39  37  59  4  0  6   1  4 10
D.Ross            .223  99 256  48  57 10  1 26  60  42  76  7  2  5   0  0  7
A.Melhuse         .182  31  88  11  16  3  0  2   9   3  21  0  0  3   0  0  0
M.Maier           .125   8   8   1   1  0  0  0   0   2   6  0  0  0   0  0  0
ALL PITCHERS      ---- 162   0   0   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0 13
----------------- ---- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- -- --
TEAM TOTALS       .282    5698    1609    51    909     982     5     62    96
                       162     940    333   234     573     69   154     35
 
 
NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
J.Garcia          0.00  0  0  ----   6  0  0  0  0  10.0   6   2   0  0   3   9
J.Kinney          1.84  1  0 1.000  11  0  0  0  0  14.2  10   5   3  1   6  14
J.Walker          2.01  5  3  .625  50  0  0  0  0  49.1  33  13  11  2   6  33
P.Neshek          2.12  1  3  .250  41  0  0  0  0  29.2  20  10   7  3   7  36
J.Speier          2.16  2  0 1.000  19  0  0  0  1  16.2  10   4   4  2   4  11
R.Helling         2.55  1  0 1.000  21  0  0  0  0  35.1  24  11  10  5  18  30
C.Lee             3.04 17  6  .739  31 31  4  2  0 204.1 204  74  69 25  56 123
C.Ray             3.30  3  5  .375  52  0  0  0 27  57.1  60  23  21  8  22  48
B.Bray            4.20  1  1  .500  33  0  0  0  1  45.0  60  21  21  5  18  34
D.Weathers        4.33  7  1  .875  56  0  0  0  3  72.2  54  36  35 12  41  48
V.Padilla         4.35 17  8  .680  33 33  3  0  0 200.2 198 102  97 21  82 140
J.Blanton         4.44 12 10  .545  32 32  1  0  0 186.2 237 103  92 17  56  89
C.Hensley         4.51 12  8  .600  36 27  1  0  1 189.2 185 100  95 18  75 122
L.Kensing         4.84  2  2  .500  14  0  0  0  0  22.1  18  16  12  4  14  26
R.Seanez          5.40  1  0 1.000  27  0  0  0  3  48.1  53  30  29  7  30  55
J.Hirsh           5.40  3  1  .750   6  6  0  0  0  33.1  31  20  20  9  12  26
M.Batista         5.55  9 17  .346  33 33  2  1  0 193.0 230 127 119 17  81  97
M.Delcarmen       9.59  2  1  .667  22  0  0  0  0  35.2  60  40  38  6  18  29
M.Albers         16.87  0  0  ----   2  0  0  0  0   5.1  10  11  10  0   7   8
ALL NON-PITCHERS  ----  0  0  ----   0  0  0  0  0   0.0   0   0   0  0   0   0
Team                                          3                   -1
----------------- ---- -- -- ----- --- -- -- -- -- ----- --- --- --- -- --- ---
TEAM TOTALS       4.30    66       162    11    36      1503     692    556
                       96     .593    162     6   1450.0     748    162     978

---

Primary Player Statistics For 2007 Fleetwood Walkers Totals After 162 Games
 
 
NAME              BAVG  GM  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO HB SH DP  SB CS  E
C.Pena            .387   8  31   9  12  4  0  4  18   6   8  0  0  1   0  0  0
M.Cabrera         .348 162 618 117 215 46  3 28 102  73 128 12  3 22   2  1  1
M.Redmond         .337 112 175  18  59 13  0  0  20   7  20  4  2  4   0  0  1
J.Bartlett        .308 116 344  49 106 13  2  1  31  22  50 19  0  3  13  0 14
W.Aybar           .288  78 243  36  70 13  0  0  27  28  33  2  1  4   0  0  2
M.Cabrera         .280 136 397  67 111 24  2  3  41  44  49  1  3  8   4  3  1
C.Beltran         .278 160 539 113 150 47  0 38 110  94 112  7  6 11   9  0  0
D.Wright          .274 155 620  95 170 38  4 31 112  49 137 10  0 30  14  1 17
C.Jackson         .272 134 434  56 118 19  1 13  67  56  59 10  2 18   0  0  7
C.Iannetta        .262  19  61  16  16  4  0  3  13  13  12  1  0  2   0  0  1
B.Bonds           .256 141 429  62 110 28  3 26  78  75  71 10  1 19   2  0  2
J.Valentin        .253  76 194  21  49  7  2  6  32  11  24  0  0 10   0  0  6
M.Giles           .249 140 438  73 109 22  1  4  50  56  82  1  7  8   8  2  6
D.Lee             .249  81 177  29  44  6  1 10  36  28  47  0  0  2   5  1  7
N.Markakis        .242 155 500  60 121 18  5 14  56  43  82  5  2 16   1  1  2
B.Crosby          .227 115 255  36  58 13  1  3  22  21  63  0  4  5   0  1  9
R.Doumit          .181  61 149  15  27 11  2  1  19   9  43 12  0  2   0  0  3
J.Kubel           .000   3   1   0   0  0  0  0   0   1   1  0  0  0   0  0  0
ALL PITCHERS      ---- 162   0   3   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  0  0  0   0  0  3
----------------- ---- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- -- --
TEAM TOTALS       .276    5605    1545    27    834    1021    31     58    82
                       162     875    326   185     636     94   165     10
 
 
NAME               ERA  W  L   PCT   G GS CG SH SV    IP   H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
K.Foulke          1.74  4  1  .800  45  0  0  0  0  46.2  26  10   9  3   9  41
M.Corpas          2.63  1  0 1.000   9  0  0  0  1  13.2  13   4   4  1   3  10
J.Rincon          2.82  4  1  .800  71  0  0  0  3  70.1  71  24  22  3  24  63
C.Haeger          3.07  1  0 1.000   9  0  0  0  0  14.2  12   5   5  1  11  14
S.Downs           3.17  4  3  .571  62  0  0  0  3  76.2  59  29  27 11  19  62
D.Bush            3.28 14 12  .538  35 35  2  1  0 219.1 193  84  80 28  48 158
M.Stanton         3.41  4  2  .667  59  0  0  0  2  63.1  63  25  24  7  20  45
T.Hoffman         3.48  8  3  .727  54  0  0  0 25  62.0  57  26  24  6  13  55
E.Santana         3.58 19  6  .760  34 34  0  0  0 213.2 193  90  85 26  73 145
A.Burnett         3.92 10  7  .588  24 24  1  0  0 142.1 140  66  62 18  37 119
K.Escobar         4.26 12 11  .522  35 35  2  1  0 196.2 205 105  93 22  67 149
G.Maddux          4.55 15 10  .600  34 34  3  0  0 207.2 215 111 105 22  46  94
A.Rhodes          4.81  0  3  .000  29  0  0  0  2  33.2  35  19  18  2  20  32
J.Duchscherer     6.52  1  2  .333  15  0  0  0  0  19.1  25  14  14  7   1  14
C.Billingsley     6.85  1  3  .250  48  0  0  0  0  65.2  79  57  50  8  44  44
ALL NON-PITCHERS  ----  0  0  ----   0  0  0  0  0   0.0   0   0   0  0   0   0
Team                                         11                   +0
----------------- ---- -- -- ----- --- -- -- -- -- ----- --- --- --- -- --- ---
TEAM TOTALS       3.87    64       162     8    36      1386     622    435
                       98     .605    162    13   1445.2     669    165    1045