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Sometimes
you can pitch poorly and fluke a win, but today our SIMON
BERESFORD bounced back superbly from a couple of wayward
outings with a tremendous effort for his team today... but he took a
hard-luck loss! 'Si' could just as easily have been the hero when he
blitzed the Peoria Chiefs in the 10th and 11th innings. Beresford
struck out three in two innings and allowed only one hit from a
"not too bad" pitch... and he also "pinged" a
hitter. On this basis he hardly deserved to allow the winning run as
the Chiefs squeaked his Beloit Snappers 7-6 after 11-innings. Forget
the losing result, we hear that Simon was back near his best today. |
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In a
remarkably similar scenario PETER
TAUTOR joined Simon as an unlucky addition to the loss
column when he also allowed only one hit from two innings yet he
also allowed the Clinton Lumber Kings to grab the winning run in
late innings to win 2-1 over his Swing of the Quad Cities. Pete was
again "solid in the strike zone" today with 2.0ip 1h 1er
0bb 1k and, like Beresford, he should not be too concerned with the
negative result. |
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As he has
been more than once this season, Waverley's GRANT KARLSEN was
caught in the midst of a team hitting drought when his Batavia Muckdogs
were three-hit in their 7-1 loss to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Grant was just one of the several 'M-Dogs' who struggled to hit the
Scrappers' pitching with his 0-3 today. |
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PETER
TAUTOR continues to come on strong lately with another
impressive effort today, closing the game for the Swing of the Quad
Cities with an overpowering 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 2k. It was just a pity
that his team were shutout 3-0 by the Clinton Lumber Kings, but we
could not ask any more of 'Big Pete' on this occasion! |
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Although he
would be glad that his Beloit Snappers were able to rally late for a
6-5 win over the Peoria Chiefs, Waverley's SIMON
BERESFORD has hit a "speed bump" in what has been
an otherwise tremendous season in 'A' ball. All of a sudden, Simon
has inexplicably struggled for the control that typified his
improvement this season and, according to our correspondent from the
US, he appears to have "tinkered" with the smooth action
that had made him look so impressive at most times this season. No
question that 'Si' would be very frustrated with allowing two runs
on no hits today, pitching 1.0ip 0h 2er 4bb 2k. He has the stuff,
maybe he is trying too hard? |
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One of the
great things about being a "late innings spot pitcher" is
that you can bounce back from a rough game quickly and this was
thankfully so for our own PETER
TAUTOR who took the mound again today. Although his Swing of
the Quad Cities were topped 8-6 again by the Clinton Lumber Kings,
'Big Pete' closed the final inning for his team with a very
workmanlike 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k... you can't do much more than that! |
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If big 'Si'
Beresford had a tough day yesterday, then it must be catching among
the Waverley boys in the Midwest League as PETER
TAUTOR also took a painful loss today, pitching 0.0ip 1h 1er 1bb
0k. Pete was brought into a deadlocked 2-2 game, but a walk and a
hit later he had allowed the winning run as his Swing of the Quad
Cities were "pipped" 3-2 by the Clinton Lumber Kings. It
can happen to anyone Pete! |
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SIMON
BERESFORD had a tough day at the office today when he
struggled to control most stuff other than his fastball and he took
the loss as his Beloit Snappers were whacked 9-1 by the Burlington
Indians. Back in the starting role again after relieving recently,
Simon had problems with the umpire's zone and he was forced to rely
on his fastball thrown over the fat part of the plate. This made him
a lot more hittable than usual although he still managed to
overpower four batters. Beresford was saddled with 4.0ip 6h 5er 2bb
4k, taking his record to 4-3. |
|
 |
We could
hardly be more delighted than to herald the return of DAVID McWATTERS
to the winner's circle, especially with news that he produced a
SPECTACULAR complete game shutout for the Kalamazoo Kings in their
3-0 defeat of the Richmond Roosters in the early game of a 7-innings
double-header. I'm sure that 'D-MAC' would not mind us commenting
that he has "not been himself" recently with too many hits
and walks for his liking, but he returned to his his sensational
best with eleven big strikeouts today. He pitched 7.0ip 4h 0er 3bb
11k for his 5-8, 4.50ERA record. As he would be quick to tell all
aspiring young pitchers, if you keep doing things the right way and
you never give up it will eventually turn around for you. GOOD ON
YOU DAVE!! |
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PETER
TAUTOR also did all that could be asked of him yesterday,
closing out the Swing of the Quad Cities 8-4 win over the Peoria
Chiefs. Only the fact that he had one too many runs to play with
deprived him of another save. 'Big Pete' produced a no-fuss 1.0ip 0h
0er 0bb 0k to make sure there were no comebacks! |
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Great to see
Waverley's GRANT KARLSEN back among the hitters today when
he, typically, did his best to help the Batavia Muckdogs in their
6-3 loss to the Auburn Doublejays. Grant batted 1-3 with a walk and
a run scored and, although he would obviously like better, his .274
on base percentage is respectable. |
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SIMON
BERESFORD has been used in a variety of roles this year and
he was again in excellent form today collecting his first save of
the year with a terrific long-relief / closers job, nailing down the
Beloit Snappers 7-2 win over the Kane County Cougars. Simon may have
been called upon to set-up the closer, but he was so efficient that
he was left to finish the job? Looking more and more confident as
the year progresses, Simon pitched 3.1ip 1h 1er 2bb 3k today... It
certainly doesn't hurt to be versatile! |
 |
DONAVON HENDRICKS
did a reasonable job pitching in middle-relief for the Kissimmee
Braves in their 11-0 shutout loss to the Clearwater Phillies,
considering that he was required to stem the torrent of runs allowed
by the Braves' starter who was hammered for seven runs from two
innings! Young Donnie did manage to put the brakes on the runaway
train to some extent by pitching 4.0ip 5h 3er 0bb 1k today. |
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DAVID McWATTERS
was consigned to his 8th loss of the season in a rather strange
start for the Kalamazoo Kings who were torched 12-2 by the
Evansville Otters yesterday. In an eventful 4.1 innings, 'D-MAC'
struck out eight but he also allowed six hits and he walked four. He
pitched 4.1ip 6h 7er 4bb 8k on this occasion. |
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Our
apologies to GRANT KARLSEN because we missed his last
appearance for the Batavia Muckdogs during the distraction of our
semi-final baseball triumph at the Athens Olympics. The stats seem
to indicate that he batted 0-4 and he supplied a sacrifice hit
(bunt?). |
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SIMON
BERESFORD would have enjoyed the opportunity to make his 4th
start of the year with a very useful four innings of one-hit
pitching although he would rue the vagaries of minor league baseball
that deprived him of a near certain win when he was relieved earlier
than necessary to give others an opportunity. Apart from a first
innings home run from the only pitch he left up in the zone, 'Big
Si' was a very mean customer today, keeping the ball down for the
most part and mixing three walks with three strikeouts as his Beloit
Snappers cruised away 8-3 from the Peoria Chiefs. He pitched a most
effective start with 4.0ip 1h 1er 3bb 3k. |
|
PETER
TAUTOR also made his 37th relief appearance for the Swing of
the Quad Cities efficiently closing their 8-3 win over the Wisconsin
Timber Rattlers with a "no fuss" 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k
performance today. Our reporter tells us that 'Big Pete' has
maintained good velocity throughout this year and when his fastball
is finding the edges and he throws his changeup for strikes he is most
effective in his usual late-relief or closers role. |
|
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Waverley
teenager DONAVON HENDRICKS collected his second win of the
season today when he anchored the Kissimmee Braves 8-4 win over the
Clearwater Phillies. Although he did not start the game, he may as
well have, entering the game after one innings then pitching the
next six! Although Donnie allowed four runs on seven hits, he very
significantly struck out six, while walking NONE. He pitched 6.0ip
7h 4er 0bb 6k for his very handy 2-0, 4.76ERA record. He'll have
plenty to offer back at Napier Park this summer! |
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DAVID McWATTERS
must be wondering if he has done something to upset his Kalamazoo
Kings team mates who simply refuse to score runs while he
"busts himself" to keep them in games as a very reliable
starting pitcher! Yet again our 'D-MAC' was consigned to a hard-luck
"no decision" even though the Kings went on to edge the
Chillicothe Paints 3-2. He pitched a rather typical 5.2ip 11h 1er
3bb 2k... OK, his numbers for hits and walks would be somewhat up on
what he might prefer but not to win after allowing one earned run...
I ask you! |
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GRANT KARLSEN cooled
off from his prolific hitting last outing with a "mixed"
0-3 game for the Batavia Muckdogs in their tight 4-2 loss to the
Jamestown Jammers. Grant once again showcased his excellent
"catch and throw" skills, but he could only manage a
couple of strikeouts and a walk at the plate today. |
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Being the
competitor he is, Waverley's DONAVON HENDRICKS
probably wouldn't have enjoyed his game today pitching the last
couple of innings for the Kissimmee Braves on their way to their 5-2
loss to the Lakeland Tigers. While Donnie didn't do too much wrong,
a couple of errors conspired to prolong what might have been a
pretty impressive day at the office. In the end, Don had conceded
three runs, all UNEARNED, with 2.1ip 2h 0er 1bb 1k. |
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PETER
TAUTOR did a decent job of closing any already lost cause,
pitching 2.0ip 2h 1er 0bb 2k to end the agony for his Swing of the
Quad Cities who were hammered 11-4 by the Fort Wayne Wizards. |
|
SIMON
BERESFORD was probably due for a rough outing after his recent
standout form for the Beloit Snappers and he clearly battled in
what we have been told were "terrible" conditions in
their 13-10 away win at West Michigan Whitecaps. Although we have no
report from the game, Simon may have struggled for location with
more hits and walks than he would issue on a good day... and all of
the pitchers struggled! He followed
the Snappers' starter who departed early with five runs after three
innings and, although he couldn't stem the tide, the Snappers
rallied to win in extra innings. Beresford pitched 2.1ip 5h 4er 3bb
2k... Can't win 'em all 'Big Fella'! |
|
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PETER
TAUTOR again had the sometimes difficult task of closing the
final innings of a heavy defeat today for his Swing of the Quad
Cities who had been pummelled 11-5 by the Beloit Snappers. As can
happen in these situations Pete seemed eager to get back into the
clubhouse and, after allowing a couple of hits, he found it a
tedious task to get the required outs to end the Snappers' run
spree. He pitched 1.0ip 2h 1er 1bb 1k today. |
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Even though
David McWatters was very good, we must give "top billing"
to young Waverley catcher GRANT KARLSEN who exploded with the
bat yesterday, just in time to remind everyone what a dangerous
offensive player he can be! Although his Batavia Muckdogs were
outslugged 15-9 in a wild one by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers,
Grant could hardly be blamed for not doing his bit, batting 4-5 with
three big RBI's on the day. We have mentioned many times how Karlsen
has had to maintain his focus with irregular starts, but he has done
a sterling job defensively and he really deserves his big hitting
success yesterday... NICE ONE GRANT! |
|
Fair dinkum,
our DAVID McWATTERS
must have run over that proverbial Chinaman some time since leaving
Waverley last summer and the start of this Frontier League season?
Quite honestly, 'D-MAC' has had more good starts than bad, yet he
owns a losing record and every time he pitches well he lacks run
support. McWatters produced yet another quality start for the
Kalamazoo Kings today pitching 6.2ip 7h 3er 0bb 2k to finish with
another "no decision" when his Kings went on to lose 7-6
to the Chillicothe Paints. The only real blemish on a very good
performance was that two of the three hits he allowed left the
yard... Keep smiling David! |
|
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Waverley
powerhouse SIMON
BERESFORD was anything but easy to handle today for the Swing
of the Quad Cities hitters who he sat down in short order, even
though his Beloit Snappers were 4-1 losers today. Once again seeming
to work a little quicker than earlier in the season, 'Si' ripped
through the last three innings like a hurricane with an "unhittable"
rising fastball mixed superbly with some very nasty breaking and
off-speed stuff. Our reporter said that Beresford was "as good
as anything I've seen this season" today and we reckon that
this is saying a fair bit for a non-Snappers fan who studies the
Midwest league. He pitched 3.0ip 1h 0er 1bb 4k... nice! |
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Young DONAVON HENDRICKS
proved his undoubted talent again today when he, albeit temporarily,
stopped the bleeding for the Kissimmee Braves in their heavy 7-2
loss to the Lakeland Tigers. Donnie was called upon in early middle
relief after the Braves starter had allowed six hits and five runs
in 3.1 innings, but he immediately applied the brakes with an
excellent 2.2ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k effort. Our "mail" is that
Hendricks is starting to enjoy himself as a professional after a
nervous start and his body language suggests that his confidence is
growing! |
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PETER
TAUTOR had a terrific game today, even though the same can't
be said for his Swing of the Quad Cities who were shut out 7-0 by
the runaway Lansing Lugnuts. 'Big Pete' closed the game most
effectively and only one long ball blemished a very strong 2.0ip 3h
1er 0bb 4k performance. |
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Delighted
to report that our DAVID McWATTERS
may not be quite back to his sparkling best, but he made a big step
towards it after some rugged outings recently. McWatters dazzled the
Evansville Otters with 8 K's in 6.1 innings to help the Kalamazoo
Kings on the path to a 10-7 victory, although he again missed out on
the win as the Kings' hitters didn't while he was on the mound! Dave
has been knocked around with too many safe hits lately and we would
excuse him for being a little "careful" with four free
passes in 6.1ip 6h 4er 4bb 8k. |
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Not even
having GRANT KARLSEN in the lineup could save the Batavia
Muckdogs from a 5-1 loss to the Lowell Spinners today. In another
low-scoring game by the 'M-Dogs' Grant struggled in the batters box
with 0-4, but he was again first class in defence behind it. Despite
the inconsistent playing time Karlsen has been a pretty regular
hitter in most games this season, but we bet he would like to
replace a few of those strikeouts with walks! |
|
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SIMON
BERESFORD was back on the hill as closer today for the Beloit
Snappers, bringing a swift end to their 9-2 win over the Dayton
Dragons. Just as his manager would have asked, 'Si' apparently
worked quickly and threw a high percentage of strikes, allowing one
hit, but not much threat with an efficient 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k. |
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PETER
TAUTOR was also back near his efficient best today facing the
minimum four batters in middle relief for the Swing of the Quad
Cities in their 5-2 win over the South Bend Silver Hawks. 'Pete' was
finding the edges with his fastball today and he pitched
impressively with 1.1ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k. |
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Waverley's DONAVON HENDRICKS
was only one of several pitchers to take some punishment in a
"wild" Gulf Coast League game today, but he won't be
worrying too much about that as he picked up his first professional
win when his Kissimmee Braves outslugged the Clearwater Phillies
13-7. On a day when the hitters were "hacking", Donnie
finally allowed a couple of runs on seven hits, but he also showed
the he could overmatch some hitters with four strikeouts in three
innings. Hendricks pitched 3.0ip 7h 2er 1bb 4k, for his 1-0 record. |
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Oh, how our
emerging young catcher GRANT KARLSEN must wish that he had
more opportunity to display his talents, but we take our hat off to
him that he remains an excellent contributor for the Batavia
Muckdogs in spite of the fact that he has to platoon with two other
catchers. It was the usual story today when the "up and
down" Muckdogs recorded another victory with Grant marshalling
the defence in an 11-2 win over the six-hit Aberdeen Ironbirds. He
also had another terrific offensive day batting 1-3 with a walk and
a run scored. |
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SIMON
BERESFORD continues to do a very good job of riding the roller
coaster of relief pitching in the minor leagues. He was a "bit
of a mixture" today in long middle-relief for the Beloit
Snappers in their 6-2 defeat by the Swing of the Quad Cities. Our
reporter suggests that it was more good news than bad for Simon
today when he showcased a sizzling fastball and his impressive variety of
pitches for four solid innings and four strikeouts. He gave up only
two hits, unfortunately including one long ball, and he may have
pitched a little fine in walking three, but his strikeout v walk
ratio remains in the very high class for a power pitcher. 'Si'
pitched 4.0ip 2h 2er 3bb 4k. |
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DAVID McWATTERS
made his 15th start of the season and again found himself doing it
tough for the Kalamazoo Kings in their 9-3 hammering at the hands of
the Springfield/Ozark Ducks. David was hit around again and rocked
for a couple of "big flys" as he faced the rare
disappointment of an early exit after just five innings. We won't
make excuses for one of our favourite sons, but his psyche would not
have been helped by the four unearned runs his team allowed behind
him! He took his 7th loss today pitching 5.0ip 7h 5er 3bb 2k. |
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The all too
familiar pattern was maintained today when our GRANT KARLSEN took
his turn to start for the Batavia Muckdogs with a familiar result...
they beat the Jamestown Jammers 2-0 after Grant assisted the
pitchers in delivering a three-hit shutout. Once again Karlsen was
to the fore offensively as well, batting 1-3 and "taking
another one for the team" with a hit by pitch to raise his on
base percentage. Our correspondent is not sure whether Grant gets to
call all of the pitches himself during the game, but his
"receiving is little short of splendid" and he must give
his pitching staff tremendous confidence... as he does at Waverley! |
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PETER
TAUTOR also made his 32nd relief appearance for the Swing of the
Quad Cities, closing out their 5-3 loss to the Burlington Bees
yesterday. 'Big Pete' managed to stay away from the walks that hurt
him last time out, but his performance was still a "bit of a
mixture" with 2.0ip 3h 1er 0bb 1k, including a hit batter. |
|
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Growing
rapidly in stature as a US pro rookie is our own DONAVON HENDRICKS
who would have enjoyed his longest outing of the season pitching a
mightily impressive 4.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 2k to close the Kissimmee
Braves 12-0 shutout loss to the rampant Clearwater Phillies. Donnie
was the only Braves' pitcher to escape the carnage as he STILL has
not given up a run since his debut NINE games ago... we keep
mentioning it while it works!! |
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Perhaps the
strain of a tough season with the Kalamazoo Kings is taking its toll
on one of our favourite players DAVID McWATTERS
who took his 6th loss of the season as the Kings were dumped 11-4 by
the Washington Wild Things. Some of us never thought we'd see the
day that 'D-MAC' walked five batters in a 5.0ip 5h 5er 5bb 3k
performance on this occasion. We wish you luck as we know you will
bounce back soon Dave! |
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After his
fine performance last time, PETER TAUTOR fell back to earth
with a thud yesterday when he struggled for control and could find
no love with "balls and strikes", pitching a disappointing
0.1ip 0h 2er 4bb 1k in a game where his Swing of the Quad Cities
were romping to a 10-5 victory over the Burlington Bees. |
|
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For once SIMON
BERESFORD may have had a little luck with run support going his way
today when pitched at just the right time to collect his fourth win
for the Beloit Snappers in their comeback 10-8 win over the Clinton
Lumber Kings. Although we are yet to receive a report, the stats
suggest that 'Si' may not have been at his very best today with
1.1ip 3h 3er 0bb 1k, but then you have to take some good luck with
the bad in relief pitching! |
|
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Awesome is
an overused word in sport, but how else do you describe the effort
of Waverley's PETER TAUTOR who struck out FIVE of the West
Michigan Whitecaps hitters in his two innings of relief pitching
today? Unfortunately, Pete's efforts were too late to help his Swing
of the Quad Cities who were already well on their way to a 5-1
defeat. He would have to be very happy with his ERA lowering 2.0ip
1h 0er 1bb 5k... GREAT JOB! |
|
Also
enjoying another excellent relief outing was DONAVON HENDRICKS
who still has not allowed a run since his uncharacteristic debut
game. Donnie pitched 2.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 1k today for the Kissimmee
Braves to slow down the rampant Tampa Yankees who were on their way
to a 6-1 win. He won't like to be reminded that he allowed nine runs
in one innings on debut, but he has not allowed another run in 9.1
innings since!! |
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Ever noticed
how many games the Batavia Muckdogs win when Waverley's GRANT KARLSEN gets
a start in their lineup? There he was again today helping their
pitchers to dominate the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in a 6-2 victory.
Although he is still platooning behind the dish and not getting much
chance to groove his swing against live pitching, Grant still
delivered one of Batavia's seven hits today, batting 1-4. |
|
We will
excuse our SIMON
BERESFORD a rare wayward effort today when he took the loss pitching
in relief for the Beloit Snappers in their tough 3-2 defeat by the
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. In a display that was not typical of his
MUCH improved control in 2004 'Si' issued a couple of walks and a wild
pitch in a 2.1ip 2h 1er
2bb 2k effort. Once again we hear that Simon had plenty of velocity
on his fastball, but he may have struggled to control the unusually
large amount of movement he had on some of his pitches? In any case
he allowed only one earned run (courtesy of Beloit's closer) and only two hits so it was hardly a
disappointing performance. |
|
25
JULY:
Young
DONAVON HENDRICKS may have been the happiest of the Wildcats in the US
pro leagues today after what was not the best day we have enjoyed so far
this year. Donnie continues to lower his ERA with another very good relief
display for the Kissimmee Braves and he would have enjoyed being asked to
pitch more than his recently typical single inning. Although a routine
dropped fly by an outfield team mate cost him a (later) hit and a couple
of runs, the runs were unearned as he pitched a most effective 2.0ip 2h
0er 0bb 3k today.
GRANT KARLSEN typically found a
way to contribute for his Batavia Muckdogs, even though he couldn't find a
safe hit, he scored a run after "taking one for the team" when
he was hit by a pitch. Grant batted 0-3 in a rare hitless game.
DAVID McWATTERS had a tough "day at the office" when he
took his 5th loss of the season as the Florence Freedom rocked his
Kalamazoo Kings 10-2 today. Our 'D-Mac' would be disappointed that he is
allowing hitters to get too much wood on him lately allowing eight hits,
including three damaging long balls, although he struck out five in his
13th start of the season. Dave finished the day with 4.2ip 8h 7er 2bb 5k,
while his record slumps to an unflattering 4-5, 3.98ERA.
PETER TAUTOR was also the victim of the long ball when two "big
flys" did most of the damage in his latest outing for the Swing of
the Quad Cities. 'Big Pete' still managed to strike out four in a 2.1ip 4h
3er 0bb 4k performance. |
24
JULY:
If he has been distracted by his unfortunate
omission from the initial Australian Olympic team selection then our SIMON
BERESFORD certainly isn't showing it as he continues to go from
strength to strength in his pro career. 'Big Si' may have taken some angst
out against the Cedar Rapids Kernels when he earned his third win of the
season with a quite superb middle relief performance today. Simon anchored
his Beloit Snappers to a big 4-2 victory pitching 4.0ip 2h 0er 1bb 1k,
while taking his very good record to 3-1, 3.71ERA. Knowing his family as
we do, Simon would have been advised to concentrate on only those things
that are in his control... and he's certainly doing that in tremendous
fashion... nice job 'Big Fella'!
DONAVON HENDRICKS too must be starting to enjoy his fledgling pro
career with the
Kissimmee Braves, even though they were beaten 10-6 by the Lakeland Tigers.
He is slowly acclimatising to the surroundings and his all too brief
outings as a relief pitcher... it is a difficult adjustment for a guy who
has been starting and throwing a lot of innings for our Wildcats over the
past couple of years! Young Donnie pitched 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k today as,
dare we repeat it, he still has not allowed another run since his
"shell-shocked" debut on US soil... nice going young man! |
22
JULY
GRANT KARLSEN has become a bit
of a barometer for success for the Batavia Muckdogs, once again playing a
vital role for his team in an epic 13-innings 1-0 victory over the Oneonta
Tigers. Grant was the 'general' behind the plate in a game where his
pitchers allowed only two hits from 40 at bats, only being given a
breather late in the game. Also, in another game where safe hits were like
"hen's teeth", our Grant came through with another knock,
batting 1-5 today.
PETER TAUTOR proved once again what a fickle game baseball can be,
especially for a pitcher, when he was saddled with a "hard luck"
loss for the Swing of
the Quad Cities who went down in a "squeaker" 6-5 to the Peoria
Chiefs. Pete fell victim to a team mate's error then found himself burnt
badly, allowing a couple of long balls after he should have been out of
the innings! In the end he maybe didn't get due reward for his effort,
pitching 1.2ip 3h 0er 0bb 2k. Although his record slumps to 2-4, he can be
slightly thankful that his ERA actually reduced as none of the four runs
he allowed were earned this time! |
21
JULY
DAVID McWATTERS produced what for him
could be regarded as a near "prototypical" performance, allowing
only one run but having to settle for a no-decision in a great pitcher's
duel before his Kalamazoo Kings finally emerged as 2-1 winners over the
Washington Wild Things in 10-innings. In somewhat typical fashion, the
always tidy McWatters was able to be hit (perhaps a few times more than he'd prefer!),
but his poise enabled him to "tiptoe" around the hits with five
strikeouts helping the cause. 'D-MAC' actually emerged with a lower ERA
after his 12th start recorded 5.1ip 11h 1er 2bb 5k today. |
19
JULY (After Weekend)
GRANT KARLSEN was one of the
stars for the Batavia Muckdogs in their thrilling 10th innings 3-1 win
over the Vermont Expos yesterday. Not only was he back to his brilliant
best handling the pitchers for the entire game, but he was also a star
offensively, batting 2-4 with one the vital RBI's that ensured his team
the narrow win... way to go Grant!
SIMON
BERESFORD was also a star today with three most impressive scoreless
innings as a closer, even though his heroics were not able to inspire his
team mates into a late inning rally for the Beloit Snappers in their 3-1
loss to the Lansing Lugnuts. Simon had most of his good stuff working
beautifully in an overpowering 3.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 3k
performance.
PETER TAUTOR may not have enjoyed his recent inactivity with his first
ineffective appearance for some time. Called upon to relieve the Swing of
the Quad Cities starter, Pete was hit hard and took the loss as his team
went down 10-5 to the Battle Creek Yankees. Tautor pitched 1.1ip 5h 3er
1bb 2k and was saddled with his third loss of the season on Saturday. |
16
JULY:
We don't need to make excuses for big SIMON
BERESFORD, but our correspondent today tells us that he was ready to
applaud another outstanding performance from the right-hander until he was
rocked for two ninth innings home runs... and at least one of these (if
not both?) was from a pretty good pitch! Also, Simon may have tired a
fraction after throwing very hard and being asked to go a fourth innings
to finish the game for the Beloit Snappers who were on the 11-9 losing end
to the Fort Wayne Wizards. This aside, Beresford continues his recent
trend to stay away from walks and he was very consistent in the strike
zone today in what was still a mighty encouraging performance. He pitched
4.0ip 6h 2er 0bb 3k.
GRANT KARLSEN helped his Batavia Muckdogs to reverse their fortunes
4-3 against the tough Auburn Doublejays with a most valuable hit and he
scored a run in the tight 12-innings affair. Grant did not have his
tidiest day with the glove but he still played a vital role behind the
plate in the prolonged game, also contributing offensively with his 1-5
effort today.
DONAVON HENDRICKS struck out the last batter in the game for the
Kissimmee Braves today, closing their 8-5 loss to the Lakeland Tigers with
an all too brief 0.1ip 0h 0er 1bb 1k. Donnie still hasn't allowed a run
since his nightmare debut! |
14
JULY:
DAVID McWATTERS produced more of his brilliant best yesterday in his
11th start for the season, anchoring the Kalamazoo Kings to a 16-2
massacre of the Richmond Roosters. 'D-MAC' was cruising along with a
masterly six innings shutout when he was relieved after securing his 4th
win of the year, although he was surely headed for a complete game. David
pitched 6.0ip 6h 0er 1bb 5k for his superb 4-4, 3.55ERA record under
trying circumstances so far.
GRANT KARLSEN was again unfortunate to run into a "buzz saw"
along with his Batavia Muckdogs team mates who were unable to solve the
Auburn Doublejays pitching in a three-hit 12-1 loss today. Grant went 0-3
on this occasion.
DONAVON HENDRICKS seems to be getting used to his unfamiliar
"short relief" role with another scoreless innings for the
Kissimmee Braves, helping them to nail down a 4-3 win over the Tampa
Yankees. Donnie pitched around a couple of hits and would have been
credited with a hold, pitching 1.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k. |
13
JULY
Hard to blame our
GRANT KARLSEN for being a
little "out of touch" at the plate yesterday as it seems an
eternity since his last start. Grant was excellent behind the plate for
the Batavia Muckdogs in their 7-3 loss to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers,
but he had a rare hitless game, going 0-4... the entire Batavia team
managed only five hits against the Scrappers! |
12
JULY
A couple of Waverley's big boys were in
action as closers in the Midwest 'A' League yesterday.
SIMON BERESFORD was a model of efficiency closing the Beloit Snappers'
6-1 loss to the Battle Creek Yankees. Not for the first time this year he
was asked to "stick a finger in the dyke" in relief of the
starting pitcher who had already surrendered nine hits, but Simon did his
job admirably, challenging the hitters with 2.0ip 1h 0er 1bb 1k.
PETER TAUTOR also had the job of closing a losing cause as his Swing
of the Quad Cities were already well and truly beaten 9-1 by the Kane
County Cougars. Pete has become a mighty effective "single innings
man" pitching 1.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 2k. |
11
JULY
DONNIE HENDRICKS continues to settle in his new environment, proving
that he can work his way out of a pressure situation yesterday with
another scoreless innings of relief for the Kissimmee Braves in their 8-4
loss to the Clearwater Phillies. Donnie managed to pitch around a hit and
a couple of walks with an encouraging 1.0ip 1h 0er 2bb 1k performance. |
8
JULY
PETER TAUTOR was rewarded for his
terrific consistency lately with his first save of the season coming when
he closed the win for the Swing of
the Quad Cities 6-3 over the Dayton Dragons. Pete seems to be enjoying his
regular late relief role with his 25th appearance for the season, pitching
1.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 0k.
DONNIE HENDRICKS will be enjoying his life in the pro leagues much
more after his third outing for the Kissimmee Braves in their tight 2-1
loss to the GCL Tampa Yankees. Hendricks was very efficient in middle
relief today pitching 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k as he continues to erode the ERA
that was unfortunately blown out in his debut game. |
7
JULY:
The tide of run support finally turned for
DAVID McWATTERS yesterday when had, by his lofty standards, a moderate
start, allowing nine hits and seven runs, but the Kalamazoo Kings bats
finally came alive for him with 16 runs to provide him the win in their
16-7 drubbing of the Evansville Otters. 'D-MAC' struck out seven, but
allowed three long balls in his 7.2ip 9h 7er 3bb 7k performance, taking
his season record to 3-4, 3.86ERA.
SIMON BERESFORD was very strong again today, doing everything he could
to keep the Beloit Snappers in the game in what turned out to be a tight
2-1 loss to the South Bend Silver Hawks. 'Big Si' shut down the Hawks in
the last two innings of the game but his team was unable to rally. Our
report is that Beresford was "not mucking around" yesterday with
a healthy predominance of strikes and, although he allowed three
hits, he had few problems working around them with a couple of big outs
when they were needed. He pitched 2.0ip 3h 0er 0bb 2k... once again two
more strikeouts and NO WALKS!
PETER TAUTOR continues to have his ERA moving in the right
direction, closing the 8-3 victory for the Swing of the Quad Cities over
the Dayton Dragons. Pete worked around two hits with another effective
1.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k effort today. |
3
JULY
PETER TAUTOR has done very little
wrong lately as he continues to lower his ERA, today helping the Swing of
the Quad Cities to dump the Kane County Cougars 8-2. Pete closed the easy
win with a most impressive 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 2k. |
2
JULY
GRANT KARLSEN continues to supply his usual "team oriented"
game both offensively and defensively for the Batavia Muckdogs in their
latest 7-4 win over the Jamestown Jammers. Grant batted 1-4 with a liner
to left-field producing another RBI and he scored a valuable run. Although
he is sharing starts, Grant has hit in three of his four games this
season!
DAVID McWATTERS didn't do too much
wrong, but he would still not be happy with his 'no decision' start for
the Kalamazoo Kings in their 7-5 loss to the Richmond Roosters today.
'D-MAC' uncharacteristically walked four and suffered from a home run in
his 5.0ip 6h 3er 4bb 2k performance... some would be quite satisfied with
that! |
29
JUNE - A GREAT DAY FOR WAVERLEY BOYS!
On a most satisfactory day for Wildcats'
players SIMON BERESFORD was maybe the pick of the bunch with a
'Claxton Shield like' performance today in his third start for the season,
earning the win in his Beloit Snappers 5-2 defeat of the Burlington Bees.
Simon was allowed to go a little deeper than usual today, pitching a quite
superb 5.0ip 2h 0er 2bb 5k. 'Si' continues to maintain his excellent
strikeout v walk ratio, while taking his record to 2-1, 4.50ERA.
GRANT KARLSEN got another 'knock' today and delivered one of only two
RBI's for the Batavia Muckdogs who were punished 13-2 by the Tri-City
Valley Cats. As we all know him, Grant continues to hit for the team
rather than for his own average with a sac fly and a sac bunt among his
handful of plate appearances already this year... a very nice start!
GREAT to see young DONNIE HENDRICKS make a quick turnaround from
his horror debut in the US with a very efficient job today, closing the
Kissimmee Braves 8-2 loss to the Tampa Yankees. Don pitched 1.0ip 0h 0er
0bb 0k... that's better!
PETER TAUTOR also supplied another very positive performance in
middle relief to lower his ERA again despite his Swing of the Quad Cities
losing a "wild one" 12-9 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He pitched
a solid 1.2ip 1h 0er 1bb 1k today. |
28
JUNE
DAVID McWATTERS finally got some of
the plaudits (and some of the run support) he has deserved for a while with his second win of the season
coming as his Kalamazoo Kings broke the eleven game winning streak of the
Washington Wild Things 7-3. In his usual efficient way 'D-MAC' refused to
issue a walk in a 7.0ip 7h 2er 0bb 3k starting performance.
GRANT KARLSEN did not take long to register his first hit of the new
season, batting 1-4 in his second appearance for the Batavia Muckdogs
against the Tri City Valley Cats. |
26
JUNE
PETER TAUTOR continues to enjoy a
recent upswing in his fortunes when he added another most impressive
innings of work in middle relief for the Swing of the Quad Cities who
shutout the Cedar Rapids Kernels 11-0 today. Pete allowed two hits, but
also struck out two en-route to a 1.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 2k performance.
SIMON BERESFORD was just one of the Beloit Snappers' pitching arsenal
to feel the brunt of a hot-hitting Cane County Cougars today who pounded
his Snappers 12-1. Simon was again asked to slow down a runaway train
after the Cougars had already torched their starting pitcher. One long
ball did most of the damage as 'Si' was tagged for 1.1ip 3h 4er 1bb 1k. |
25
JUNE
Our hearts go out to young Waverley
pitching ace DONNIE HENDRICKS who has endured what could only be described
as a nightmare start to his professional career in the US. Donavon was
called upon to "stop the bleeding" for the Kissimmee Braves in
relief of their starter who had already been torched for seven runs in 2.1
innings by the Lakeland Tigers who were on their way to a 18-5 'blowout'
win. Unfortunately, young Donnie was given similar treatment in a very
nervous debut, pitching 1.0ip 9h 9er 2bb 1k. One thing is for sure Donnie,
things will improve and we all know that you are a LOT better than this...
don't be disheartened it is only a beginning of a long road! |
24
JUNE
Nice to report on one of Waverley's
favourite sons in the new season after GRANT KARLSEN made his first
appearance for 2004 in the US since being promoted to the Philadelphia
Phillies short-season 'A' club the Batavia Muckdogs.
Wildcats fans would not be surprised to hear that Grant was typically
"intimidating" behind the plate as he "hosed" one
would-be base stealer with a pinpoint throw. Also typically, Grant
delivered an important RBI via a sacrifice fly while batting 0-3 in the
Muckdogs' 10-8 win over the Jamestown Jammers. |
22
JUNE
After all the well justified
"hard luck" stories from this season,
DAVID McWATTERS finally
succumbed to the pressure of trying to carry a sputtering offence with
easily his worst performance of the year starting for the Kalamazoo Kings
in their 9-3 hammering at the hands of the Richmond Roosters. 'D-MAC' was
lit up for ten hits and seven runs, pitching 4.1ip 10h 7er 1bb 2k. As a testament
to his great season so far, this performance only bumped his ERA up to a
still very respectable 3.22! |
21
JUNE
SIMON BERESFORD was another to suffer from paltry run support today
when he took a "hard luck" loss in his second start today for the
Beloit Snappers in their 3-2 defeat by the Swing of the Quad Cities. Our
correspondent in the US tells us that 'Big Simon' was a mixture of "unhittable
and uncertainty" today when he allowed six hits, but also struck out
seven in his 3.2 innings! Apparently he challenged most of the batters he
faced today and he overmatched most, but he suffered from a few
"cheap" hits and a self-induced error, pitching 3.2ip 6h 2er 2bb
7k... actually lowering his ERA to 4.32. |
20
JUNE
PETER TAUTOR earned his second
win of the season with a terrific performance of relief pitching for Swing
of the Quad Cities in their 7-4 victory over the Beloit Snappers. 'Big
Pete' closed the last two innings most efficiently, facing one more than
the minimum, pitching 2.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k. Pete owns the "bragging
rights" over Si Beresford for the time being! |
17
JUNE
Only the fact that his team had a (one too
many) four run lead deprived our SIMON BERESFORD of a well deserved
save today when he closed the deal on a 6-2 win for his Beloit Snappers
over the Clinton Lumberkings. With his obvious improved emphasis on not
"pitching too fine" to the hitters, 'Si' is looking more deadly
than ever with 2.0ip 1h 0er 1bb 2k today.
Ed: While it is much easier said than done, the message for Simon is
simple... "trust your stuff"! |
14
JUNE
PETER TAUTOR again got the final out
for the Swing of the Quad
Cities in their 5-2 loss to the Kane County Cougars today. Pete closed the
game with another "no fuss" 0.1ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k.
SIMON BERESFORD did not have his best day today pitching in relief for
the Beloit Snappers who were already well on the way to a 9-4 win over the
Cedar Rapids Kernels. Simon, who is concentrating on staying in or around
the strike zone, was tagged for two of the Kernels runs in a 1.0ip 3h 2er
0bb 1k effort today. |
13
JUNE
DAVID McWATTERS may be wishing
that he was still pitching for the Waverley Wildcats right at the moment!
Not that our beloved Wildcats don't have days when we find scoring runs
difficult, but we don't usually string so many low-scoring games together
when we get pitching like that supplied by 'D-MAC' so regularly for his
Kalamazoo Kings. Once again the silent bats of the Kings deprived Dave of
a win, although they did finally take advantage of his virtuoso 7.2ip 4h
1er 3bb 5k performance, beating the Chillicothe Paints 2-1 today. Of
interest to Victorian baseball fans was the fact that McWatters' Victorian
team mate Greg Wiltshire collected the win (after getting just one out!)
for the Kalamazoo team. |
12
JUNE
PETER TAUTOR got the final out
for the Swing of the Quad Cities today in their 7-1 defeat by the Cane
County Cougars in a 7-innings game. Pete continues to rally after
prematurely being "written off" with 0.1ip 0h 0er 1bb 1k today. |
11
JUNE
PETER TAUTOR was called to
action again for Swing of the Quad Cities in their 10-5 defeat at the
hands of the Peoria Chiefs. He did well to avoid damage to his ERA in a
game where the Chiefs racked up 16 hits against his 'Swing'. Pete relieved
the starter today and mixed four hits with two strikeouts in a decent
1.1ip 4h 0er 0bb 2k performance. |
9
JUNE
SIMON BERESFORD continues to go from
strength to strength lately with another very "mature" middle
relief performance for the Beloit Snappers in their 10-5 defeat of the
Dayton Dragons. In a high scoring game Simon rarely looked in any sort of
trouble with four big strikeouts and not a sign of any "free
passes". He pitched 2.1ip 2h 0er 0bb 4k today.
Also impressive was PETER TAUTOR who helped the Swing of the Quad
Cities to shutout the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-0 today. Pete closed the
game with a minimum of fuss, facing the minimum with 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k. |
8
JUNE
DAVID McWATTERS was once again
the victim of paltry run support and he was unfortunately consigned to his
second loss of the season when his Kalamazoo Kings fell 3-2 to the
Florence Freedom. In a typically effective performance, our 'D-MAC'
produced yet another quality start with 8.0ip 5h 3er 1bb 6k, to maintain
his tremendous ERA. At this rate you might like to have a bat as well
Dave!? |
6
JUNE
Although his Swing of the Quad Cities
were beaten 6-1 by the Peoria Chiefs, PETER TAUTOR was quick to
remind us that he is far from finished in the pros (sorry again Pete!)
with a most efficient middle relief performance today. Pete faced the
minimum four batters and lowered his ERA with a very neat 1.1ip 0h 0er 0bb
0k effort... nice one!
Making his first start for the season and
helping his Beloit Snappers to overcome the South Bend
Silver Hawks 4-3 was SIMON BERESFORD who was very solid once again
and could easily have been the winner had he been allowed to go a bit
deeper into the game. However, he did himself no harm at all with a
quality start of 3.0ip 2h 1er 2bb 1k. |
3
JUNE
Some of our avid subscribers may have read news published yesterday
indicating that our own PETER TAUTOR had been released by the
Minnesota Twins organisation... NOT TRUE! While we will protect our highly
regarded "sources", we can only apologise to 'Big Pete' and the
Tautor family for the inaccuracy of the news received. We can only wish
Peter future success for a long and prosperous professional career. We do
not retract our congratulations to him for having the talent to earn
selection to play with the pros in the USA or our wish that he might
return to Waverley Baseball Club some day! |
2
JUNE
We have seen DAVID McWATTERS perform
superbly for Waverley several times but, apart from his near NO-HITTER at
Newport last year, it would be hard to imagine a more spectacular
performance than his 8.0ip 3h 0er 1bb 10k effort today. 'D-MAC's'
three-hit shutout, with 10 big strikeouts was too much for the Richmond
Roosters when he anchored his Kalamazoo Kings to a 3-0 victory and he also
secured his first win for the season... Way to go Dave!
Also very good again was SIMON BERESFORD who
pitched 2.0ip 4h 0er 1bb 2k amid the "mayhem" of the South Bend
Silver Hawks piling on an 11-1 shellacking of his Beloit Snappers. Simon
did very well to escape without an earned run against him. |
31
MAY (after Weekend)
Sources very close to SIMON BERESFORD (and
it would be hard to get much closer than his father Ian!) advise us that
Si's first pitch of the game was dispatched for a home run when he
appeared in middle relief for the Beloit Snappers, helping them to a 4-3
win over the West Michigan Whitecaps. Thankfully, the rest of his
performance was excellent as he has stopped "tinkering" with his
mechanics for the time being at least. Beresford pitched 1.1ip 1h 1er 0bb 1k
yesterday.
PETER TAUTOR had a tidy outing for his Swing of Quad Cities, pitching
1.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 0k in middle relief to help them to topple the tough
Clinton Lumberkings 6-4. |
28
MAY
|
