One series is officially done in 2011 for the Gateway Grizzlies. The Miners took two of three from Gateway over the weekend. The Grizzlies fell in two close games and won in convincing fashion in the other. We got a glimpse on Saturday night of just how good this Grizzlies lineup can be. The Grizzlies banged out 16 hits and scored 15 runs on Saturday, with Charlie Lisk going 3-for-4 with 7 RBIs, tying a franchise single game mark. Less than 24 hours later, the Grizzlies were shut out by three Miners hurlers in a 2-0 loss, wasting an outstanding outing by Josh Whitlock, who struck out 11 in six innings.
The Grizzlies are back at it tonight in River City against the defending league Champion Rascals (or should I say, former Grizzlies?? The Rascals have four former Grizzlies on their roster; Brandon Johnson, Bobby Burk, Stephen Holdren and Chris McLendon). Remember, you can catch all of the games on the Grizzlies Radio Network (590 AM KFNS, 1400 AM KJFF, gatewaygrizzlies.com and kfns.com; Budweiser Pregame Show starts at 6:50 CT all series long; I'm going to try to have former Grizzlie Stephen Holdren as a guest on Thursday..he's always a great interview).
The Grizzlies enter play at T.R. Hughes Ballpark 1-2 while the Rascals are 2-1 after a season opening home series with Normal. Phil Warren is going with the same lineup again tonight. The Grizzlies have now used the same order in all four games this season (Cresswell and Bloom no AB's so far).
The Grizzlies and Rascals split the 12 games last season with both teams going 3-3 at their home ballpark. The Grizzlies are 62-74 all-time against their rivals from across the river (27-41 @ T.R. Hughes).
I'll check back in later on this week. After River City the Grizzlies head to Evansville for three. Now that we are going on the road I'll have a little more time to post. Hope all is well Grizzlies fans!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Grizzlies Win Another In Exhibition Play
After getting rained out on Saturday at River City, the Grizzlies picked up a rain-shortened 9-5 victory over the Rascals in Exhibition play at GCS Ballpark Sunday night. The two teams played seven innings before rain halted play. The Grizzlies flexed their muscles and put on a power display, hitting three homers en route to their third Exihibition win in four games. Here are some of the highlights from Sunday night.
*Logan Parker and Chris Sedon both smacked a homer to right field. Parker also hit a solid single. The homer for Sedon was his second in Exhibition play. The former University of Pittsburgh star has been impressive at the plate and in the field during the Preseason.
The Grizzlies are back in action Wednesday evening for their final preseason tuneup. Phil Warren's crew welcome in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars to Sauget. SIUE, a Division I school, has been the spot for many of the Grizzlies spring training activities because of high school and college games ongoing at GCS Ballpark. The Cougars are having a really good season as they continue to make the transition to DI. It should make for a great night of baseball!
Admission is free on Wednesday. Fans can also catch the broadcast of the game on the radio. We'll be broadcasting the Grizzlies final EXH game as I team up with former Grizzlies and current SIUE Voice Joe Pott. We go on the air at 6:00 for the 6:05 start.
The Grizzlies get underway for real on Friday when they welcome in the 2010 West-Division Champion Southern Illinois Miners. Can't wait! Until next time..
*2010 Frontier League MVP Charlie Lisk (Pictured right: Photo courtesy of Action Imaging) had a 3-for-4 night with a homer, single and double, falling a triple short of the cycle.
*Logan Parker and Chris Sedon both smacked a homer to right field. Parker also hit a solid single. The homer for Sedon was his second in Exhibition play. The former University of Pittsburgh star has been impressive at the plate and in the field during the Preseason. *Right-handed hurlers Mark Brackman and Aaron Shafer once again anchored the Grizzlies pitching staff. Both guys threw three shutout innings. Brackman gave up just one hit, striking out four and walking no one. Shafer had to work around some trouble in his three innings, allowing three hits and walking two while striking out two.
*The two teams were scheduled to play 13 innings since the Saturday night matchup got rained out at River City, but instead rain once again played a role and forced the game to be shortened. Therefore, all of the Grizzlies reserves didn't get into the game. The Grizzlies are back in action Wednesday evening for their final preseason tuneup. Phil Warren's crew welcome in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars to Sauget. SIUE, a Division I school, has been the spot for many of the Grizzlies spring training activities because of high school and college games ongoing at GCS Ballpark. The Cougars are having a really good season as they continue to make the transition to DI. It should make for a great night of baseball!
Admission is free on Wednesday. Fans can also catch the broadcast of the game on the radio. We'll be broadcasting the Grizzlies final EXH game as I team up with former Grizzlies and current SIUE Voice Joe Pott. We go on the air at 6:00 for the 6:05 start.
The Grizzlies get underway for real on Friday when they welcome in the 2010 West-Division Champion Southern Illinois Miners. Can't wait! Until next time..
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Grizzlies Continue Exhibition Season
The Grizzlies opened up the home portion of their 2011 Exhibition Schedule this afternoon. What was supposed to be a nice, sunny day at the ballpark didn't turn out as planned. Playing through three different spurts of rain, the Grizzlies fell to the Southern Illinois Miners 8-1. Despite the rain, 1200+ youngsters showed up for the day game and the Grizzlies drew roughly 3,000 for their Exhibition home opener. The play on the field wasn't as good as it was on Saturday for the Grizzlies, but we were still able to find some bright spots.
Here are positive notes from today's game:
*Logan Parker (pictured right) went 2-for-3 today. Logan, a former Reds farmhand, is as talented as they come and will be a key part of the Grizzlies offense once again this season. Parker spent spring training with the Rockies, and despite playing well, ran into unfortunate luck which brings him back to Gateway. Parker is a doubles machine with really good pop. After watching him in BP a couple of times, you can just tell that the ball comes off his bat different. It always has zip and it seems so easy to him. It's almost as if he is using no effort. I'm really looking forward to watching Parker on a daily basis.
*The Grizzlies only had 4 hits as a team in the 10-inning EXH game. Parker had half of those 4 and Ryan Khoury had another. The former Red Sox prospect has been as good as advertised so far. Khoury is now 3-for-5 in two games. He is doing a good job in the No. 2 spot. He sees a lot of pitches and gets on base at a high clip. His offensive production is going to be critical in front of the big boppers (Parker, Lyndon Estill, Charlie Lisk, Jason Patton, etc.)
*Grizzlies pitching struggled a little bit today, but for the second straight outing Mark Brackman and Aaron Shafer threw the ball really well. Brackman is picking up right where he left off last season. The 6-7 right-hander has started both Exhibition games, throwing two scoreless innings in both games. Shafer was once again the second pitcher used. He followed up his scoreless inning on Saturday with two scoreless innings today. Here's the scouting report on Shafer (as told by Lisk). 88-93 MPH with his fastball..great sink to the fastball (I could tell the incredible movement from the pressbox)..free and easy with his delivery...great breaking ball and plus changeup..can throw all of his pitches for strikes and with confidence. Lisk raved about Shafer, as is everyone else. Brackman and Shafer could form an unbelievable 1-2 punch in the starting rotation. You add in B.J. Dail and the Grizzlies should have a dynamite top of the rotation.
So that's the story from today's EXH game. The Grizzlies are back at it tomorrow morning @ Southern Illinois. It's a 10:00 start and I won't be traveling with the team for that game.
Grizzlies have a road EXH game on Sat. night @ River City and then the Grizz play @ home against RC on Sunday. Don't forget next Wednesday (May 18th) the Grizzlies will play Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in an EXH game. Joe Pott, the former Voice of the Grizzlies and current SIUE Play-by-Play man, and I will have the call on 590 AM KFNS.
Regular season opener next Friday @ home against Southern Illinois. Myself and Alex Cohen, my radio partner in 2011, will have the call on the Grizzlies Radio Network (590 AM KFNS, 1400 AM KJFF, gatewaygrizzlies.com, kfns.com). If you can't make it to GCS Ballpark, I hope you tune in!
Here are positive notes from today's game:
*Logan Parker (pictured right) went 2-for-3 today. Logan, a former Reds farmhand, is as talented as they come and will be a key part of the Grizzlies offense once again this season. Parker spent spring training with the Rockies, and despite playing well, ran into unfortunate luck which brings him back to Gateway. Parker is a doubles machine with really good pop. After watching him in BP a couple of times, you can just tell that the ball comes off his bat different. It always has zip and it seems so easy to him. It's almost as if he is using no effort. I'm really looking forward to watching Parker on a daily basis.*The Grizzlies only had 4 hits as a team in the 10-inning EXH game. Parker had half of those 4 and Ryan Khoury had another. The former Red Sox prospect has been as good as advertised so far. Khoury is now 3-for-5 in two games. He is doing a good job in the No. 2 spot. He sees a lot of pitches and gets on base at a high clip. His offensive production is going to be critical in front of the big boppers (Parker, Lyndon Estill, Charlie Lisk, Jason Patton, etc.)
*Grizzlies pitching struggled a little bit today, but for the second straight outing Mark Brackman and Aaron Shafer threw the ball really well. Brackman is picking up right where he left off last season. The 6-7 right-hander has started both Exhibition games, throwing two scoreless innings in both games. Shafer was once again the second pitcher used. He followed up his scoreless inning on Saturday with two scoreless innings today. Here's the scouting report on Shafer (as told by Lisk). 88-93 MPH with his fastball..great sink to the fastball (I could tell the incredible movement from the pressbox)..free and easy with his delivery...great breaking ball and plus changeup..can throw all of his pitches for strikes and with confidence. Lisk raved about Shafer, as is everyone else. Brackman and Shafer could form an unbelievable 1-2 punch in the starting rotation. You add in B.J. Dail and the Grizzlies should have a dynamite top of the rotation.
So that's the story from today's EXH game. The Grizzlies are back at it tomorrow morning @ Southern Illinois. It's a 10:00 start and I won't be traveling with the team for that game.
Grizzlies have a road EXH game on Sat. night @ River City and then the Grizz play @ home against RC on Sunday. Don't forget next Wednesday (May 18th) the Grizzlies will play Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in an EXH game. Joe Pott, the former Voice of the Grizzlies and current SIUE Play-by-Play man, and I will have the call on 590 AM KFNS.
Regular season opener next Friday @ home against Southern Illinois. Myself and Alex Cohen, my radio partner in 2011, will have the call on the Grizzlies Radio Network (590 AM KFNS, 1400 AM KJFF, gatewaygrizzlies.com, kfns.com). If you can't make it to GCS Ballpark, I hope you tune in!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Grizzlies Exhibition Season Begins
Baseball season is finally here for the Gateway Grizzlies! I hope everyone stayed patient. I'm sure everyone is ready for the season to begin. I know I am!
Spring Training started this week and I was able to get out to the field to catch some of the action. With high school and college games going on at GCS Ballpark, the Grizzlies have been training at SIU Edwardsville. A lot of the players showed up prior to camp, but organized practice didn't start until Thursday. The Grizzlies only had two official practices before their Exhibition season started tonight. The Grizzlies took on the Southern Illinois Miners in the first EXH game for both teams at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, home of Southeast Missouri State. The Grizzlies were victorious by the score of 6-0 in a 10-inning ballgame. Grizzlies pitchers were outstanding, giving up just 6 hits. Everyone threw the ball well, which is very encouraging.
Here are some notes from the Grizzlies first Exhibition game of 2011:
*Mark Brackman got the start and looked sharp. The 6-7 right-hander went two innings, giving up just one hit and striking out two.
*Reiging Frontier League MVP Charlie Lisk threw out two runners trying to steal. He also stole a base himself.
*We got our first look at former Cubs prospect Aaron Shafer, who was a second round pick of the Cubs in 2008. Shafer threw a scoreless inning of relief. He will most likely be used as a starter for the Grizzlies.
*Ryan Khoury, a former Boston Red Sox prospect who had two stints at Triple-A Pawtucket, had a 2-2 night. Khoury had two singles and a walk.
*Josh Whitlock, Nick Walters, John Semel, J.R. Boling, Chris Enourato and Corey Davisson also worked scoreless innings for the Grizzlies.
*The big hit of the night was an 8th inning tie-breaking Grand Slam from former Detroit Tigers farmhand Chris Sedon. Sedon, who is fighting for a roster spot, made a good case for a spot with one swing of the bat. Sedon also made a couple of spectacular plays in the field.
*Former Ole Miss Runnin' Rebel David Phillips finished the night 2-2 with an RBI walk.
The Grizzlies are back in action Tuesday at home against the Miners in another Exhibition contest. First pitch is set for 11:35. We hope to see you at the ballpark for that one! I will start to post a lot more with the season now underway. More updates to come on Tuesday. Talk to you soon!
Spring Training started this week and I was able to get out to the field to catch some of the action. With high school and college games going on at GCS Ballpark, the Grizzlies have been training at SIU Edwardsville. A lot of the players showed up prior to camp, but organized practice didn't start until Thursday. The Grizzlies only had two official practices before their Exhibition season started tonight. The Grizzlies took on the Southern Illinois Miners in the first EXH game for both teams at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, home of Southeast Missouri State. The Grizzlies were victorious by the score of 6-0 in a 10-inning ballgame. Grizzlies pitchers were outstanding, giving up just 6 hits. Everyone threw the ball well, which is very encouraging.
Here are some notes from the Grizzlies first Exhibition game of 2011:
*Mark Brackman got the start and looked sharp. The 6-7 right-hander went two innings, giving up just one hit and striking out two.
*Reiging Frontier League MVP Charlie Lisk threw out two runners trying to steal. He also stole a base himself.
*We got our first look at former Cubs prospect Aaron Shafer, who was a second round pick of the Cubs in 2008. Shafer threw a scoreless inning of relief. He will most likely be used as a starter for the Grizzlies.
*Ryan Khoury, a former Boston Red Sox prospect who had two stints at Triple-A Pawtucket, had a 2-2 night. Khoury had two singles and a walk.
*Josh Whitlock, Nick Walters, John Semel, J.R. Boling, Chris Enourato and Corey Davisson also worked scoreless innings for the Grizzlies.
*The big hit of the night was an 8th inning tie-breaking Grand Slam from former Detroit Tigers farmhand Chris Sedon. Sedon, who is fighting for a roster spot, made a good case for a spot with one swing of the bat. Sedon also made a couple of spectacular plays in the field.
*Former Ole Miss Runnin' Rebel David Phillips finished the night 2-2 with an RBI walk.
The Grizzlies are back in action Tuesday at home against the Miners in another Exhibition contest. First pitch is set for 11:35. We hope to see you at the ballpark for that one! I will start to post a lot more with the season now underway. More updates to come on Tuesday. Talk to you soon!
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