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IronBirds in basement in 2010

Aberdeen at 5-8 in standings as of Thursday

By Dewey Fox

Posted 7/02/10

Over their last week’s worth of games, the Aberdeen IronBirds snapped a three -game losing streak by winning three out of five match-ups, ended their five-game home stand with a pair of losses, and hosted a Harford County native, who was playing on the visiting squad.

On Saturday night, Havre de Grace High School graduate Cody Holliday took the field at Ripken Stadium as the visiting Brooklyn Cyclones’ left fielder and leadoff hitter. The New York Mets’ 18th-round pick in last June’s MLB Amateur Draft, Holliday did not disappoint the family and friends there to see him play, going 2-for-4 with a double and scoring one of his team’s two runs in a 3-2 Brooklyn loss.

With a 3-4 record over the last seven games, Aberdeen’s 2010 record dropped to 5-8, placing the IronBirds in the cellar of the New York-Penn League’s McNamara Division. Heading into its Thursday contest, Aberdeen was four games behind first-place Brooklyn, 1.5 games behind second-place Staten Island, and trailing Hudson Valley by a half-game.

In the Wednesday night finale to their home stand, the IronBirds fought back to cut the visiting Staten Island squad’s four-run lead in half, but they did not have enough gas in the tank to even up with their guests, eventually losing the contest, 4-2.

With Aberdeen trailing 4-0 in the home half of the sixth, the IronBirds’ Zach Moore earned a one-out walk, and then moved over to second on Adam Gaylord’s base hit up the middle. Jeremy Nowak gave Aberdeen its first run of the game with a two-out single to center that allowed Moore to motor home.

In the next frame, Aberdeen’s Michael Rooney earned a one-out walk, and Trent Mummey followed with a two-bagger to center that moved his teammate over the third. With one man down, Kipp Schutz knocked a fly ball out to right field, allowing Rooney to tag up and score.

Aberdeen starter Justin Anderson was able to get out of a two-on, one-out jam in the second inning with a 1-6-3 double-play, but Staten Island got to him in the third inning, scoring twice after drilling four straight one-out hits.

Anderson was pulled in the sixth after allowing the first two hitters to reach base, and reliever Ashur Tolliver then allowed back-to-back base hits which brought home the Yankees’ final two runs.

In five innings of work, Anderson struck out three, walked two and was charged with four earned runs on seven hits. Tolliver went two innings, allowing two hits, striking out one and walking one. Bruno Sanchez closed out the game for Aberdeen, surrendering two hits, striking out three and walking one in three innings.

Nowak went 3-for-3 with one RBI, while Omar Casamayor and Mike Flacco both hit a pair of singles in the loss. The IronBirds struck out nine times against the Staten Island pitching.

‘Birds lose slugfest

Aberdeen and Staten Island combined for 18 runs and 24 hits on Tuesday night, but unfortunately for the IronBirds, their hot bats did not add up to a victory, as the visiting Yankees came out on top of the contest with a 10-8 victory.

The hit and run totals were the highest seen in any of the IronBirds’ games through Wednesday.

The IronBirds were hitting the ball well right out of the gates, with Mummey, Rooney and Schutz leading off the bottom of the first with three consecutive singles, the last of which brought home Aberdeen’s first run. Later in the inning, Flacco put Aberdeen up by three with a line drive single to left that scored Rooney and Schutz.

Staten Island tied the game up by scoring once in the second, and twice in the third frame.

Flacco picked up his third RBI of the contest, and put Aberdeen up by a run, in the third by pushing Schutz home with a two-out single to center.

After Staten Island took the lead in the top of the fourth with two more runs, Aberdeen evened things up once again when Austin Goolsby, who led off with a walk and moved over to third on Austin Knight’s double, scored when Auburn Donaldson grounded out to second.

Following a quiet fifth, the Yankees went up once again with a two-run outburst in the sixth.

In the bottom part of the seventh, Mummey led off with a walk, moved to third on a groundout and Schutz’s single, and shuffled home on a wild pitch, making the score 7-6 in Staten Island’s favor.

Neither squad plated a run in the eighth, but Staten Island scored three times on three hits and a hit batsman in the ninth to go up 10-6.

The IronBirds still had some offense left for their final at bat, as Schutz hit a liner to center that scored Auburn Donaldson, who had led off with by earning a base on balls. Rooney, who reached base via a single, later scored the IronBirds’ final run, coming home on a passed ball. With no men on and two down, David Anderson and Gaylord struck out to end the game.

Aberdeen’s Jason Gurka took the loss after tossing 2 1/3 innings of relief in which he allowed four earned runs on two hits and two walks. IronBirds’ starter Blake Mechaw lasted three innings, struck out two, walked one and surrendered three earned runs on five hits. Mike Gonzalez struck out two, walked zero and allowed three hits in 1 1/3 frames of scoreless relief, while Will Startup also held Staten Island scoreless in 1 1/3 of relief work. Brian Parker came to the mound for Aberdeen in the ninth, and allowed three earned runs on three hits.

‘Birds rally late

In Monday’s game, the IronBirds’ battled back from a late-inning deficit for the second time in three days to knock off visiting Staten Island, 4-2.

With his team down 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth and Mummey on base, Schutz knocked a pitch over the left field wall for a round-tripper that put the Birds up by one, 3-2.

“It feels great,” Schutz said after the game. “I wish I had hit [another] one that wasn’t right at everybody, but it felt great. Playing in front of these fans, hearing that roar after you hit one, it’s great. [The Staten Island pitcher] hung a slider to me and I hit it well. It got us the win, so I feel good.”

Flacco gave the IronBirds a two-run cushion when he doubled to the left field wall to knock in David Anderson. Flacco struck out in his previous two trips to the plate.

“He was getting his fastball in on me, then breezing me with the slider, [and] it made me a little uncomfortable up there,” Flacco said. “He left one just out enough across the plate, and I was able to get to it. I was looking for a slider.”

Trailing 2-0 in the fifth and having managed just one base hit off the Yankees’ starter, the IronBirds cut the visitors’ advantage in half when Casamayor slugged a two-out line drive to center that scored Joe Oliveira from first. Trying to stretch his hit into a triple, Casamayor beat the center fielder’s throw to third, but was tagged out after sliding past the base.

Tim Adleman started for Aberdeen but took a no decision after going 4 2/3 frames, striking out five, walking four and surrendering two earned runs on five hits.

Three IronBird relievers combined to hold Staten Island scoreless for the final 4 1/3 innings. Brandon Holloway (1-1) relieved Adleman and allowed one hit and struck out two in 2 1/3 innings to earn the win. T.R. Keating threw a one-hit eighth and David Walters picked up his second save of the season by setting the Yankees down in order in the ninth.

Brooklyn busts ‘Birds

The IronBirds lost 6-3 at home on Sunday to the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Making the start for Aberdeen was Gonzalez, who began his 2010 season as the Baltimore Orioles’ closer, but was sent down to the minors to rehab an injured shoulder after being placed on the 15-day disabled list in April. In his lone inning of work, Gonzalez (0-1) allowed a two-run homer.

Tyler Sexton took over for Gonzalez in the second inning and lasted five frames, striking out three, walking zero and surrendering three runs on eight hits. Jose Barajas struck out five and didn’t allow a walk in two innings on the mound, while Sanchez closed out the game for Aberdeen, surrendering one hit.

After taking a 2-0 lead, Brooklyn added one run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames to go up 5-0.

Gaylord put his team on the board in the home half of the sixth with a two-out single to left that scored Schutz from third.

Trailing by four in the seventh, the IronBirds got a one-out triple from Rooney, who scored on Mummey’s base hit to center. The two teamed up again in the bottom of the ninth, when they belted back-to-back doubles to push Aberdeen’s final run across.

Comeback victory

Aberdeen started off its five-game home stand Saturday night with a 3-2 win over the visiting Cyclones.

Heading into the eighth inning trailing their guests 2-1, Schutz started Aberdeen off with a single to left. Tyler Kolodny and David Anderson followed with back-to-back walks. Gaylord tied the game with a sacrifice fly to score Schutz from third. Two batters later, Casamayor knocked in the winning run with a base knock to left center field.

Casamayor was also responsible for the IronBirds early lead. In the bottom of the fourth, he grounded out with the bases loaded to score Anderson.

Brooklyn took a 2-1 lead in the sixth, scoring twice on four singles. One of the Cyclones’ sixth-inning base hits came off the bat of Havre de Grace native Cody Holliday, who is playing for Brooklyn after being drafted in last June’s MLB June Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. Holliday scored one of his team’s runs and finished the game 2-for-4 with a double.

Aberdeen’s Justin Moore went six innings in the start, striking out one and letting up a pair of runs on six hits without giving up a walk. Parker (1-0) came on in relief in the seventh and earned the win with two frames of three-hit, shutout pitching. Walters pitched a perfect ninth inning, retiring the Cyclones on a pair of groundouts and a pop fly to pick up his first save.

4-1 loss

After managing to plate just one run in last Friday’s with Staten Island, the IronBirds closed out a five-game road trip with a 4-1 defeat.

Aberdeen’s only tally came in the sixth, when Kolodny knocked home L.J. Hoes from second with a two-out single to right.

IronBird starter Scott Copeland (0-1) took the loss after going five innings in which he allowed three earned runs on four hits, struck out three and walked three.

Tolliver surrendered one earned run on two hits and had three strikeouts in two innings, while Startup threw one inning of no-hit relief.

Losing streak ends

The IronBirds corrected a three-game losing skid last Thursday night with a convincing 8-5, road-game victory over Staten Island.

Aberdeen led 5-1 heading into the seventh, but the hosts scored twice in the bottom of the inning, and evened things up in the eighth with another pair of runs.

With the score knotted 5-5 in the top of the ninth, Hoes blew things open with a two-RBI double that scored Austin Knight and Florimon. Flacco put the team up by three with a base hit that brought home Kolodny, who had singled, then stole second and third bases.

Walters (1-0) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief work, while Keating was charged with a blown save after allowing two earned runs on five hits in one frame. Justin Anderson made the start for Aberdeen and lasted 6 1/3 innings, surrendering two earned runs on five hits, striking out two and walking three.