Hens' Bazardo rocked in debut

[RSS Feeder]

LOUISVILLE - Two pitchers made their Triple-A debut at Louisville Slugger Field last night.

More... (http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070409/SPORTS07/704090403/-1/RSS07)

[redshark63]

And the article from the Hens' website:

http://www.mudhens.com/view_news.asp?id=375

A Not So Happy Easter For The Hens, Lose By Ten In Louisville

After pounding out 18 hits in a huge win over the Louisville Bats a night ago, the Mud Hens were silenced on Easter Sunday by the score of 13-3. A ten-run third inning by the Bats was enough for the home team to cruise to the easy win. The Hens dropped three of four to the Reds top affiliate in the season opening series.

A high bouncing infield single to third base by leadoff man Tyrell Godwin got Louisville started early in the home half of the first. Godwin was immediately driven in with a triple to right field by Bubba Crosby in the next at bat. Crosby wouldn’t roam the base paths long, after a double to left and a fielding error by Ryan Raburn put Joey Votto on third. After right fielder Brent Clevlen couldn’t track down a fly ball to right off the bat of Aaron Herr, Votto came home on the double. Starting pitcher Yorman Bazardo’s struggles, along with the Hens shaky outfield defense put the Bats up 3-0 after one.

After a quiet second inning, back came the Bats in the third. Aaron Herr slapped the second infield single of the game for Louisville, again to Mike Hessman at third base. A Bazardo walk of Mark Bellhorn followed, Bazardo’s fourth of the evening. Dewayne Wise then hit a ground rule double, bouncing over the fence in the left-center gap scoring Herr from second, leaving Bellhorn at third. A second straight ground rule double by Jeff Bannon, bouncing into the right field stands along the line, plated two more for Louisville to make it 6-0 Bats. That would be the end of a short outing for Bazardo, surrendering six hits. He would end up being charged with six earned runs while walking four in two-plus innings of work.

Lefty Corey Hamman came in in relief, and immediately committed an error trying to cover first on a ground ball to Chris Shelton off the bat of Anderson Machado. Then, a sky-high pop-up by Dan Conway dropped right in front of the plate, because of a miscommunication between Shelton and catcher Andrew Graham. The cheap single loaded the bases for a Tyrell Godwin single that moved everyone up one base, making it 7-0 in favor of the home team. After Hamman struck out Bubba Crosby, he proceded to give up back to back homers, a grand slam to right field by Votto, followed by a blast to the right-center gap by Herr. It was the first round tripper of the season for each. After a Bellhorn line-out to second, Dewayne Wise made it three homers in four batters for the Bats off Hamman, a solo-shot once again to right field. A Bannon single and a Machado ground out to first ended a third inning that saw 14 Louisville batters, and ten runs off Bazardo and Hamman to make it 13-0. Hamman was on the hook for six of those runs, four of them earned.

The Mud Hens would finally respond in the fourth, as former New York Met Timo Perez stroked his second homer of the season with one out and no one on. Perez also hit a solo-shot in last night’s 14-2 Toledo win at Louisville Slugger Field. The blast was Toledo’s first hit and made the score 13-1. Hamman quickly settled down after that disastrous third inning, setting down the Bats in order in the fourth and fifth. With Jason Karnuth and Vic Darensbourg tossing a perfect sixth and seventh, Mud Hen hurlers retired 15 Bats in a row between the ten-run third and the eighth. An Aquilino Lopez walk with two out in the eighth ended the streak, but the Bats did not pick up a hit after the tumultuous third inning. Unfortunately for the Hens, they didn’t need to.

The top of the eighth saw Brent Clevlen get things going with a single to right off lefty Brian Shackelford. After an Andrew Graham fly-out, David Espinosa doubled to left, moving Clevlen to third. After a walk of Chris Shelton loaded the bases, Timo Perez drove in his second run of the game with a sac-fly to center. A wild pitch to next batter Mike Hessman scored Espinosa from third, and a Hessman ground out to short ended the half inning with the score 13-3 in favor of Louisville.

Louisville starter Homer Bailey, making his first Triple-A start, would go five and a third innings giving up just one earned run, the Perez homer, while walking three and striking out four. The right-hander Bailey improved to 19-11 as a minor league starter. Bailey was the Reds top selection in the 2004 draft, and is just 20 years old. Bazardo was the losing pitcher for the Hens.

Notes: The Mud Hens now head to Indianapolis for a three game series to finish off the season opening seven-game road trip, first pitch is slated for 7 p.m. at Victory Field Monday night…RHP Ron Chiavacci, former Indianapolis Indian, will get the start for Toledo…The Mud Hens offense truly was “Jekyl and Hyde” against Louisville, collecting 13 hits on Thursday, just two on Friday, 18 on Saturday, and then only five this evening.

[baseball3]

Wonder if the Reds would consider bringing up Votto early in this year? He seems to be quite the hitter.......

[estrepe1]

He's their #3 prospect. Tigs #3 is Clevlen. I'm game. 6'3" 200 L-L. Throw in Neifi, and it's perfect.

Clevlen is not the Tigers #3 prospect.

[209A12]

I was using the BA Handbook. You're looking for an argument. Bye.