Opponent: Eugene Emeralds
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Pitchers: Everett left-hander Paul Fagan (3-2, 3.60 earned-run average) vs. Eugene left-hander Fabian Jimenez (0-0, 0.00)
Frog Food
If the saying “You are what you eat,” really holds true, then the Everett AquaSox should be a massive pile of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Every day between batting practice and the game, the Frogs chow down on a platter of PB &J, among other healthy snacks.
“You get used to it,” Everett infielder Ron Prettyman said Monday before grabbing his grub. “It’s not lobster, but it does the job.”
According to AquaSox trainer Spyder Webb, who assembles the buffet, players can also have ham sandwiches and fruit before home games. PowerBars are a staple on the road diet.
Webb said the AquaSox menu has stayed consistent over the years, with an emphasis on nutrition despite a limited budget. The Seattle Mariners pay for the food.
“Their bodies are their livelihood,” Webb said of the importance of providing healthy snacks for the Frogs. “We try to treat them as best as we can with premium fuel.”
Webb has seen plenty of bad examples. Just a few home series ago, he watched the opposing team’s star pitcher scarf two hot dogs less than two hours before game time.
Everett players seem fairly content with their pre-game menu.
“You learn to love it,” Prettyman said. “It’s substantial and it’ll keep you going until the end of the game.”
However, Prettyman won’t complain if any local eateries feel the need to offer their services.
“If there are any restaurants that want to cater for us, that’d be nice,” he joked.
Stance and deliver: Everett outfielder Mike Saunders is on an offensive tear, having piled up nine hits in his past 19 at-bats (.474) through Sunday. He attributes the success to a small tweak in his batting stance.
Previously a very upright left-handed hitter, Saunders recently started leaning over the plate a bit in order to reach pitches on the outside corner. The experiment has worked remarkably. Opposite-field hits, once a rarity for Saunders, have come in bunches. Last week the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Saunders had seven hits to left field.
“It makes it a lot easier to reach the outside ball and hit it the other way,” Saunders said of his new approach.
Birthdays: Prettyman is one of five Frogs who have August birthdays. The Los Alamitos, Calif., native celebrated his 24th birthday last Thursday while Everett was in Yakima.
“It’s a little tough to be on the road,” said Prettyman, who had a small celebration with teammates at an Applebee’s restaurant in Yakima. “But the guys on the team make it pretty good.”
Prettyman got plenty of phone calls from friends and family last Thursday and had several cards waiting for him when he returned to Everett. But he said it was strange not celebrating with his parents, who haven’t been able to watch him play yet this summer.
Prettyman’s family is in transition because his father, also named Ron, was hired March 31st as athletic director at Indiana State University. The elder Prettyman previously held the same position for California State University at Dominguez Hills (Carson, Calif.).
Other AquaSox players with August birthdays:
* Edgar Guaramato, Aug. 5 (21)
* Roman Martinez, Aug. 9 (21)
* Brian Schweiger, Aug. 21 (23)
* Rob Hudson, Aug. 31 (22)
Short hops: Rollie Gibson, a left-handed pitcher, and infielder Reed Eastley will miss today’s series finale against Eugene, according to Webb. Gibson has a sore left elbow and Eastley has a lower-back strain. … Pitcher Joe Woerman rejoined the team. The right-hander briefly joined Class AAA Tacoma and missed Everett’s road series at Yakima.
Mike Cane, Herald writer
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