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Waverley's
newest pro player DANIEL BERG continues to look more
comfortable in a tough competition, even though he still misses odd
games and he is asked to play unfamiliar positions. He played as
catcher today and did the job with the bat, smacking his 4th 'jack'
of the season while batting 1-4 for his Elizabethton Twins in their
7-0 shutout win over the Burlington Indians. Berg sat out the
previous game after batting 0-4 as first baseman the day before in
their 5-4 win over the Bristol Sox. 'Bergie' batted 1-3 as catcher
one day earlier as the Twins went down 2-7 to the Bristol Sox.
Daniel should have done enough to earn himself another
"look" next year!? |
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Young
Wildcats' leftie DONAVON
HENDRICKS is not being given much opportunity to show his best
with the Danville Braves again this season as he makes spot
appearances out of the bullpen and often in tough situations. In his
most recent game 'Donnie' has pitched 0.1ip 1h 1er1bb 0k in the
Braves 0-2 loss to the Bluefield Orioles. Before that he threw a
solid 2.0ip 1h 0er 2bb 0k in their 4-10 loss to the Pulaski Blue
Jays. Unfortunately, his previous outing saw him blow a save with a
home run ball allowed in his 0.1ip 1h 2er 1bb 0k as Danville were
overrun 2-3 by those same Blue Jays' minor leaguers. |
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Sadly, it
has to be said, we cannot be entirely surprised that Waverley favourite DAVID McWATTERS seems
to have lost his starting job after failing to put up enough zeroes
for his new Independent League team the El Paso Diablos this year.
'D-MAC' has been typically "tidy" but he would be the
first to admit that he has traded his outs for way too many hits
this season. As a consequence, he has been cast in the role of a
"pick-up guy" lately, taking some lumps for the ballclub,
as they say! He was asked to soak up the final two innings of the
Diablos 5-16 massacre by the Pensacola Pelicans and he didn't escape
the agony, pitching 2.0ip 7h 4er 0bb 1k, including a couple of home
runs. Before that he pitched 1.0ip 3h 1er 0bb 0k in late relief
during El Paso's 2-12 loss to the Lincoln Saltdogs! Surely life
would be much more enjoyable back in Australia (at Waverley) Dave!?? |
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Once again
we mention the "vagaries" of the US minor league system
when a player like Wildcat DANIEL BERG can find himself
"platooned" after a hot hitting streak, with a game on the
sidelines and a pinch hit appearance earlier in the week. But, after
being re-inserted into the stating lineup, 'Bergie' once again
showed that he deserves more attention... and how!!! Danny exploded
with a 3-3 game with FOUR RBI's coming via a double and a home run
while playing at first base in the Elizabethton Twins 6-5 win over
the Kingsport Mets. He followed this by batting 1-4 as the DH in the
'Twinkies' 4-2 win over the Mets' affiliate. Of course he may have
turned on one of his better performances for parents Jim and Liz who
our spies tell us may have been in attendance!? |
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Waverley's DONAVON
HENDRICKS has also been steadily lowering his ERA lately with a
couple of tidy performances after a rough trot for the Danville
Braves. 'Donnie' got the final out for Danville, pitching 0.1ip 0h
0er 0bb 0k in their 6-7 loss to the Bluefield Orioles. This came
after his superb relief performance when he closed a combined
shutout for the Braves in their 8-0 blanking of the Johnson City
Cardinals. In this game he struck out three of the four batters he
faced in a 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 3k stunner! |
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Many of us
might never have seen Waverley favourite DAVID McWATTERS pitch
in relief and, on the evidence of this experiment, we might never
hear of it again. Having struggled as a starter this season, it may
be that the El Paso Diablos have lost faith in 'D-MAC' at the
moment, but they didn't do his confidence much good asking him to
"mop up" what was already well on the way to a 1-16
massacre at the hands of the Shreveport Sports. His rare appearance
out of the bullpen yielded an ugly 1.2ip 7h 4er 0bb 0k... not much
more to say is there! |
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Wildcats
pitcher DONAVON
HENDRICKS continues to be afforded spot appearances out of the
bullpen for the Atlanta Braves rookie league affiliate Danville.
Young 'Donnie' hasn't done much wrong recently, pitching 0.2ip 0h
0er 0bb 0k in Danville's 9-4 win over the Pulaski Blue Jays and
0.1ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k to close their 6-7 loss to the Bluefield
Orioles. However, the brief appearances don't give him much chance
to lower his ERA! |
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After
winning 'Flintoff & Dunn's Pro Player of the Week' it is hard to
understand why Waverley's hot-hitting DANIEL BERG has
suddenly found himself in and out of the team for the Elizabethton
Twins this week... barring an injury that we are not aware of, it is
a strange move indeed! Under these circumstances, 'Bergie' can be
excused for cooling off a bit lately batting 1-4 in the Twins' 7-5
win over the Johnson City Cardinals and 0-5 in their 4-5 loss to the
Greenville Astros. |
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Wildcat favourite DAVID McWATTERS continues
to ride the emotional roller-coaster with another tough day on the
mound for the El Paso Diablos. It has been very much a rarity for
'D-MAC' not to provide a quality start for his team, but he was
given the hook early in the Diablos 5-6 loss to the Pensacola
Pelicans. David pitched just 2.2ip 6h 4er 1bb 1k in his most recent
start, including two home runs that did most of the damage! |
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Waverley's
new "master blaster" DANIEL BERG exploded with a
slightly uncharacteristic power surge in his most recent game as the
undoubted star of his Elizabethton Twins 11-3 massacre of the
Johnson City Cardinals. Unless our information deceives us, 'Bergie',
who has played almost exclusively third base, second base or in the
outfield for the Wildcats, has recently made his home at first base
with the Twins and then found himself playing as catcher in this
game? In any case, it certainly didn't hurt his hitting when he...
wait for it... batted 2-5 (.234) with six big RBI's coming via TWO
home runs. Danny smacked a two-run shot in the third inning and then
followed with his "party piece" GRAND SLAM bomb in the
seventh... we can't wait for this summer 'Danny Boy'! |
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Absolutely
delighted to see Wildcat favourite DAVID McWATTERS return to
the winner's circle after some torrid times this year, anchoring his
El Paso Diablos to a solid 5-2 victory over the Fort Worth Cats. In
a much more "D-MAC like" performance, Dave scattered the
Cats' hits with 6.0ip 9h 2er 0bb 3k to improve his record to a still
under-par 3-7, 6.17ERA. We know how strongly he can finish a season
and we hope he does it again! |
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To round off
a good report for Waverley fans, our young pitching star DONAVON
HENDRICKS also did little wrong with an effective inning of
relief for the Danville Braves in their 4-6 loss to the Burlington
Indians. 'Donnie' certainly did the job asked of him with 1.0ip 1h
0er 0bb 1k (6.75ERA), but we still can't wait for him to be given
the long-awaited opportunity to start! |
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Wildcat DANNY BERG
has finally found a flat spot after his recent red-hot form with
the Elizabethton Twins, seeing his batting average slump slightly.
But, typical of his "team orientated" batting he has also
managed to raise his on base percentage to a pretty healthy .323...
he may not have hit up a storm over the weekend, but he has managed
to draw walks, get on base and to score runs. He batted 0-3 in a 1-0
win over the Kingsport Mets after batting 1-3 with a walk and
scoring twice in a tight 6-5 win over the Mets affiliate. |
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Waverley ace DONAVON
HENDRICKS found the going tough in his latest outing, almost
coughing up a six-run lead in the fourth inning of his Danville
Braves' 6-4 win over the Bluefield Orioles. Used in middle-relief
again, 'Donnie' couldn't find his best stuff on this occasion,
pitching 0.2ip 4h 3r 2er 1bb 0k. Keep at it 'Donnie'! |
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It would be
a gross understatement to say that Wildcats
favourite DANIEL BERG is starting to "run hot"
lately... he is BLISTERING for the Elizabethton Twins after a quiet
start to the season. 'Bergie' has been the undoubted offensive star
for the Twins over the past two games, playing at first base. He
batted 3-3 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI's in their
most recent 10-3 win over the Bristol Sox. This followed his
3-4 effort with two doubles, a run and a RBI in their 5-3 win over
the Sox. The Bristol team will be sick of him!! |
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Unfortunately,
we cannot bring quite the same positive news about DAVID McWATTERS who
is really battling to impose himself in the new American Association
Independent League. Our 'D-MAC' has always been a most tidy and
efficient pitcher, but he suddenly finds himself too easily hit and
unable to get on top of a tough hitting league. McWatters was
consigned to his seventh loss of the year after an uncustomary brief
start when he pitched 4.0ip 10h 6er 2bb 2k, including two home runs
as his El Paso Diablos were beaten 5-7 by the Pensacola Pelicans. We
wish Dave all the best as we know he won't stop trying to bring his
season around! |
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Young
Waverley star DONAVON
HENDRICKS had the distinction of combining for a SHUTOUT when
his Danville Braves shutout the Johnson City Cardinals 9-0. Our
'Donnie' did a most effective job as the closer of the last inning
with a no-fuss 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 2k (5.40ERA) performance. |
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Wildcats
favourite DANIEL BERG is still having to deal with the
"coin toss style" defensive positioning of the
Elizabethton Twins. Most recently Danny has played at the unfamiliar
first base while also sharing time as a pinch-hitter and designated
hitter. 'Bergie' batted 0-1 in a 5-3 win over the Bristol White Sox,
0-4 in a 1-7 loss to the Burlington Bees, then a solid 1-4 with a
walk and two runs scored in a 9-3 win over the Bees. |
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DAVID McWATTERS again
supplied his team a "quality start" in his last outing but
he ran out of arm in the seventh inning of a 0-9 shutout defeat of
his El Paso Diablos by the Shreveport Sports. McWatters had matters
in control with a 0-1 deficit after six frames before the walls
caved in when the Sports put up an "eight spot" in the
seventh dig. McWatters was consigned to his sixth loss with 6.1ip 8h
5er 3bb 2k for his 2-6, 6.01ERA record. |
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Waverley
favourite DANNY BERG seems to be settling in nicely with the
Elizabethton Twins, with his batting average steadily rising while
he is delivering some clutch performances for his team. It would not
surprise the Wildcats faithful that his team value has far
outweighed his statistics so far this season. In his most recent
games 'Bergie' has batted 1-1 with his pinch-hit RBI tying the game
for his team in their 3-2 win over the Johnson City Cardinals. In
the most recent series against the Greeneville Astros he has batted
0-4 with a run scored in a 5-4 win, then 2-5 with a run scored in their
3-11 loss yesterday. Hang in there Danny, it's coming around for
you! |
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DAVID McWATTERS finally
got the slice of luck he has deserved with some solid run support
helping to earn him a win in a game where he, once again, served up
many more hits than he would prefer. Dave pitched 6.0ip 12h 5er 2bb
3k to anchor his El Paso Diablos to a big 14-6 victory over the Fort
Worth Cats. Although he has endured a testing season so far in the
new league we hope that 'D-MAC' has his season heading in the right
direction now with his record standing at 2-5, 5.90ERA. |
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Waverley's
DANNY BERG is once again finding himself in a
"unsettled" situation, shuffling between DH and 3B for the
Elizabethton Twins recently. 'Bergie' went 0-3 as the designated
hitter for the Twins in their 5-0 win over the Johnson City
Cardinals, but then he crushed a double to bat 1-3 in their 2-5 loss
the 'Cards' Rookie team. |
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Wildcats
lefty DONAVON
HENDRICKS was by far the best of the pitchers for the Danville
Braves on a tough day when they were smacked 5-12 by the Greenville
Astros. 'Donnie' pitched three strong innings of middle-relief to
stop the rot for his team quite effectively, pitching 3.0ip 2h 2er
4bb 5k (6.75ERA). |
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DAVID McWATTERS suffered his fifth loss of the season today,
but this time he could justifiably blame lack of run support rather
than his own generosity. 'D-MAC' pitched a pretty decent start with
5.0ip 6h 4er 4bb 3k but it was not enough to get the better of the
Sioux Falls Canaries when his El Paso Diablos fell in a squeaker
6-7. Dave's record slumps to a rather unflattering 1-5, 5.73ERA but
we know he is MUCH better than that! |
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Waverley's DONAVON
HENDRICKS made his first appearance for the 2006 season
yesterday and he could not escape unscathed from the hammering his
Danville Braves took at the hands of the Greenville Astros. 'Donnie'
pitched the last inning of the Braves 9-1 defeat, pitching 1.0ip 2h
1er 0bb 1k (9.00ERA). We hope to see young Donnie given more
opportunities to start this season and to show his full value. |
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Waverley's
DAVID McWATTERS finally got his season heading in the right
direction with his first win for his new club coming after a
terrific performance for the El Paso Diablos in their 5-3 win over
the Lincoln Saltdogs. It was more like the 'D-MAC' we know, keeping
the bases relatively clear and allowing only two runs via a couple
of solo homers in his controlled 7.0ip 6h 2er 1bb 3k quality start
that improves his record to 1-4, 5.58ERA. |
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Waverley's
DANNY BERG was just starting to find his feet with
Minnesota's 'A' team Beloit when the rookie league seasons resumed
and he was reassigned to their Elizabethton Twins. In a couple of
games there he has yet to make an impact offensively, but we won't
judge him on just two performances. |
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Our sincere
apologies to Waverley favourite DANNY BERG that we somehow
managed to miss his recent promotion to 'A' ball with the Minnesota
Twins' Beloit Snappers. After taking some time to adjust to his new
surroundings, Danny has come on strong lately. In his most recent
series again the South Bend Silver Hawks, Berg batted 0-3 in
yesterday's loss, but prior to that the talented third baseman
batted 1-2 with a triple and two runs scored in a 9-4 win and 2-3
with a run scored in a tight 2-1 victory. We won't miss following
him from now on! |
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DAVID McWATTERS
took his fourth loss and his second in succession when his lowly El
Paso Diablos were stung 5-10 by the St.Joe Blacksnakes. American
Association batters are finding Dave a bit too easy to hit lately as
he was once again knocked around more than he would like. McWatters
pitched 6.0ip 10h 4er 0bb 3k (0-4, 6.07ERA) as he still does a
decent job of giving his team a chance and it should be noted that
only four of the seven runs he allowed were earned. |
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Waverley's DAVID McWATTERS
had a really rough outing today when he was torched by the
Shreveport Sports to the tune of 13 hits in his 5.1 innings start.
Our 'D-MAC' is finding life difficult with the cellar-dwelling El
Paso Diablos and he posted his third loss of the season when they
went down 6-8. Typically, David is very stingy when it comes to
walks, but he would be the first to admit that 13 hits is way too
many. His record slumped to 0-4, 6.08ERA after pitching 5.1ip 13h
7er 0bb 0k. |
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It would not
surprise anyone who knows Waverley's DAVID McWATTERS that
he bounced back hard after a couple of disappointing starts with one
of his best for the season, but he was again consigned to a
"hard-luck" no decision when his El Paso Diablos were
overrun 6-8 by the Pensacola Pelicans. 'D-MAC' pitched a typically
controlled 8.0ip 5h 3er 2bb 2k and he left the game with a 5-4 lead,
only to see the Diablos' closer cough up four runs in the ninth
inning to lose the game. McWatters is left to lament an unflattering
0-2, 5.12ERA record. |
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Knowing
Waverley's DAVID McWATTERS as we do, the last thing he
would expect of us here is to try to put a positive spin on a
performance I'm sure he'd want to forget and, knowing Dave, there
would be few excuses. Quite simply, while he would not like allowing
nine hits over his four innings, he would have liked even less the
most unusual five walks he issued. His 4.0ip 9h 7er 5bb 3k (5.70ERA)
is not a typical 'D-MAC' outing and it did not help his
cellar-dwelling El Paso Diablos in their 2-12 loss to the top placed
Coastal Bend Aviators. |
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Somewhat
similar to the slow starts and hard luck he has experienced in
recent years, former Wildcat DAVID McWATTERS added his
first loss of the season to his two previous 'no decision' starts
when his El Paso Diablos were punished 3-11 by the hot-hitting
Pensacola Pelicans. Dave was knocked around for a few too many hits
on this occasion, pitching 5.2ip 10h 5er 2bb 3k as his record slumps
to 0-1, 3.66ERA. |
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Waverley's
reliable DAVID McWATTERS returned to the mound today for the
El Paso Diablos and he was again unfortunate to end up with a 'no
decision' after another quality start in his team's 6-13 loss to the
Fort Worth Cats. On this occasion 'D-MAC' left the game after
pitching 7.0ip 9h 2er 1bb 5k (1.93ERA) with his team trailing 0-2.
The Diablos rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the
seventh to put Dave in line for the win before the dam broke late in
the game with a flood of runs for the Cats. |
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With some
re-alignment of Independent Leagues and teams coming into 2006,
Waverley's ever popular DAVID McWATTERS finds himself, once
again, moving on from the San Angelo Colts to the new American
Association having signed with the El Paso Diablos.
Our 'D-MAC' was handed to ball for the opening day start and,
typically, he did not let the team down producing his usual
effective, quality start that gave his ballclub every chance of
victory. David left the game having pitched 7.0ip 6h 1er 0bb 2k
(1.29ERA) with the game deadlocked at 2-2, but he was consigned to a
'no decision' when the Coastal Bend Aviators rallied late for a 3-2
win. |
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