AquaSox update
Published 11:19 pm Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Opponent: Boise Hawks
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Probable starters: Everett right-hander Doug Salinas (1-3, 3.96 ERA) vs. Boise right-hander Chris Huseby (1-2, 4.32)
Mixed fortunes
The Everett AquaSox got their pitching sorted out on their just-completed six-game road trip to Eugene and Salem-Keizer. Unfortunately for the Sox, while the pitching was up the hitting was down.
As a result, Everett came home with a losing record on the trip at 2-4.
Everett was in all six games on the trip, in large part because of its pitching. In the six games the Sox gave up just 16 earned runs, good for a 2.77 ERA. That lowered the team ERA to 4.20, which placed Everett third in the league.
The starters were particularly effective, with Nolan Gallagher leading the way. Gallagher tossed seven scoreless innings in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Salem-Keizer, earning his first professional win as well as Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honors.
But while Everett’s pitching shined, the Sox’s hitting stalled. Everett scored just 12 runs in the six games, batting a paltry .188. As a result Everett slipped to the bottom of the league in batting at just .227 as a team.
” (The pitching) was definitely solid the whole six-day road trip,” Everett manager Mike Tosar said. “We got a very good performance from all the starters, they kept us in the ballgame and they were all close ballgames. It’s just offensively we couldn’t put things together and get the runs when we needed to.
“Offensively we’ve still got some things we’re working on,” Tosar added. “It’s a work in progress and it’s something we’re attacking daily.”
Suspensions up: Both Everett and Boise have their entire rosters available again following the suspensions that resulted from the July 6 bench-clearing incident in Boise, precipitated by a hard slide at second base.
Everett second baseman Edilio Colina was back in the lineup Tuesday after serving his suspension the previous three games. First baseman Manelik Pimentel sat out the three games prior to that so as to stagger the suspensions.
Boise catcher Mario Mercedes also received a three-game suspension, which has been served.
Catchers swapped: Everett made one roster change during it’s road trip as catcher Danny Santin was traded to the Florida Marlins organization in a minor-league deal for catcher Blake Ochoa.
Santin was traded to the organization for which his father does some work. He spent parts of each of the past four seasons in Everett. This season he appeared in eight games for the Sox, batting .217.
Ochoa is a 21-year-old from Venezuela. The 6-foot, 180-pounder had been with Greensboro of the full-season Class A South Atlantic League, where in 33 games he batted .191 with two home runs and six RBI. He also played in three games for Carolina of the Class AA Southern League, going 1-for-5.
Short hops: Everett has a pair of players considered day-to-day with minor injuries. Third baseman Matt Mangini is nursing a sore lower back and catcher Craig Hurba is out with a shoulder injury. … Although Everett and Boise went into Tuesday’s game with identical 12-15 records, their positions within their respective divisions couldn’t be more different. Everett was in last place in the West Division, 10 games back, and Boise was in first in its division, two games out front. … Minority owner Jay Buhner is expected to attend two games during the current eight-game homestand. The former Seattle Mariners star is scheduled to attend today and Friday.
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
