Daily Recap: 9/1

And with that, the minor league regular season has finished. Wow, did that go quickly or what? Technically the minor league season is still ongoing since Mahoning Valley plays through next weekend, but the regular season for the Indians' other five affiliates in Buffalo, Akron, Kinston, Lake County and the GCL are now done.

With the regular season finished, the playoffs commence for Akron and Lake County with Game 1 in both of their series' on Wednesday. Also, in the coming days we will likely get a resolution to the Buffalo-to-Columbus move of the Indians Triple-A affiliate.

Dixon Leads Aeros Past SeaWolves, 4-1

ERIE, PA – Kevin Dixon closed the regular-season on a high note, notching his team-leading 16th quality start of the year as Akron defeated Erie 4-1 before 4,876 fans at Jerry Uht Park on a glorious Monday afternoon. The Aeros (80-62) closed the regular-season with five wins in their last seven games and reached the 80-win plateau for the fourth straight season, while the SeaWolves finished the year 68-74.

Akron scored first in all four games of the series, as Ryan Goleski socked a solo home run in the second for a 1-0 lead. Stephen Head delivered an RBI single in the top of the third to make it 2-0, but Erie’s Brandon Douglas took advantage of a rare mistake from Dixon in the bottom of the frame, driving a solo homer of his own to cut the lead in half.

Dixon did well to keep the lead intact in the next two innings, stranding a runner at second in the fourth and then striking out Casper Wells and Wilkin Ramirez to end the fifth after a single and a walk put men at first and second with one out.

The Aeros then got two key insurance runs in the sixth, as Brandon Chaves delivered a two-out single to center with runners at first and second. The hit, which would have scored Carlos Santana easily, ended up skipping past Wells and going to the warning track as Goleski raced home as well to make it 4-1.

That was plenty for Dixon (9-11), who held the Wolves to just a run and three hits in seven outstanding innings. He walked a pair and struck out seven. Erie left-hander Danny Christensen (7-10) also turned in a quality start but suffered the loss, allowing all four runs (three earned) and eight hits in six innings. Erik Stiller struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth and Tony Sipp was perfect in the ninth for his first save to close it out. Goleski paced the offense with a 2-4 day, while Head also delivered two hits and Matt Whitney reached base all four times on two singles and two walks.

The Aeros are off Tuesday before starting the best-of-five Southern Division Championship Series Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. in Bowie. Akron will send left-hander Scott Lewis (6-2, 2.33 ERA) to the hill against Bowie’s Jason Berken (12-4, 3.58 ERA). Lewis went 2-0 with a 5.02 ERA in three starts against the Baysox this year; Berken was 2-2 with a 1.71 ERA in six starts against Akron. The game broadcast begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

Kinston Beat By Pelicans in Final Game of 2008

A walk-off home run by the Pelican’s Tyler Flowers in the bottom of the 10th inning sent Kinston into the off-season with a 5-4 loss. The K-Tribe finishes the season with a 72-65 overall record (37-32 second half), the third best record in the Carolina League, but will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2000. The K-Tribe’s seven consecutive playoff appearances is a Carolina League record.

Kinston erased a 2-1 deficit in the top of the sixth inning when Indian shortstop Carlos Rivero hit a three-run home run, his eighth round tripper of the season. Kinston kept the lead into the late innings, when Myrtle Beach scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to cut the score to 4-3. With two-outs in the ninth inning the Pelican’s Travis Jones hit an RBI double, his fourth hit of the night, driving in pinch hitter Jason Heyward and tying the score at four. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Flowers hit his home run to left field off of Kinston’s Vinnie Pestano for the walk off win. Pestano (1-2) picked up the loss for Kinston, giving up three hits and two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. Cory Gearrin (3-1) got the win for Myrtle Beach.

CAPTAINS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON WITH A WIN

(Hagerstown, MD) – Chris Nash had three hits including his fifth home run of the year and drove in four runs and Mark Thompson had three doubles and two RBI’s as the Lake County Captains closed the curtain on the 2008 season defeating the Hagerstown Suns 12-8 on Monday. The Captains ended the second half with a record of 34-36 and an overall record of 75-65. The Captains ended the season winning 18 of their last 30 games after starting the second half at 16-24.

The Captains got on the scoreboard in the first inning when Thompson doubled off of Suns starter Terrance Engles and then went to third on an error on the left fielder Bryan Miller. Two batters later Matt McBride singled and Thompson scored and it was 1-0. The lead did not last long when with two outs, Tim Pahuta singled off of Captains starter Ryan Miller and came home on a two run home run by Jesus Valdez and the Captains trailed 2-1. The Captains came right back in the top of the second when Nash hit his home run to tie it up at 2-2.

The Suns regained the lead in the bottom of the third inning when Robby Jacobsen tripled home Valdez and then scored on a single by Garrett Bass and it was 4-2. The lead went to 5-2 when Mark Gildea doubled home Bass in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Captains tallied for two runs in the sixth inning for six runs sending ten men to the plate. They got RBI’s from Dustin Realini, Nash, Ron Rivas, Adam White and Thompson. They scored another run on a wild pitch and had the lead 8-5.

It went to 10-5 when Nash doubled home two more runs in the seventh inning. The Captains added two runs in the eighth inning on another Thompson RBI double and a ground out by Matt McBride. The Suns put up three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Anillins Martinez to cut the lead to 12-8. Paolo Espino inherited the bases loaded with one out in the eighth and struck out two batters to end the inning and prevent further damage.

Miller (8-7) picked up his first win since May 18th going five innings allowing five runs on ten hits, walking three and striking out six. Eric Burger was activated from the disabled list and threw two hitless, scoreless innings. Martinez came on in the eighth inning and gave up three runs in .1 of an inning of work walking four along the way. Espino threw 1.2 scoreless innings of relief striking out four and picked up his first save of the year. Jamie Lehman took the loss in relief and his record fell to 1-3.

The Captains will take on the West Virginia Power in the South Atlantic League’s Northern Division Championship Series beginning on Wednesday September 3rd at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, WV with game time at 7:05 PM. The Power is the Class “A” Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Captains will send RHP Joey Mahalic (7-6, 4.19) to the mound to face the Power’s RHP R.J. Seidel (9-5, 4.51).

The series will be a best of three games with game two being played at Classic Park in Eastlake on Friday September 5th at 7:05 PM. Game three, if necessary, will be played on Saturday September 6th also at Classic Park at 7:05 PM. All Captains games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

The winner for the series will play the winner of Southern Division Championship series between the August GreenJackets and Asheville Tourists. The SAL Championship series is best of five games with the first two games being played in the Southern Division Champions stadium beginning of Monday September 8th.

Tickets for the Captains 2008 SAL home playoff games are on sale at the Classic Park box office, by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467) or at captainsbaseball.com. Tickets for the playoffs remain the same as regular season game tickets, $9 reserved seat, $7 bleachers, juniors, and seniors, $6 lawn. Lawn seats for the playoffs will only be sold once the reserved seats and bleachers are sold out. The $7 group rate will still apply to groups of 20 or more.

PITCHING AND CLUTCH HITTING LEADS SCRAPPERS TO 6-1 WIN AGAINST THE DOUBLEDAYS

AUBURN, NY- It took till the top of the fourth inning for either team to score a run on Monday night at Falcon Park in Auburn, NY. It was the Scrappers that plated two in the fourth on a RBI triple from Jeremie Tice and a RBI single from Brock Simpson making it 2-0 Scrappers after four.

In the sixth Lonnie Chisenhall doubled and then Tice followed with a RBI single and the Scrapper lead was now 3-0 Scrappers. The Doubleday’s scored in the bottom of the sixth on a Brian Van Kirk and the score was now 3-1 Scrappers after six.

Then in the seventh Chisenhall led off with a single, then stole second and scored all the way from second on a wild pitch, making the score 4-1 Scrappers.

In the ninth the Scrappers added on two more runs when Tim Fedroff delivered a two RBI double and it was 6-1 Scrappers going to the bottom of the ninth.

In the ninth Brain Grening retired the Doubleday’s and recorded his first save of the season in the Scrappers 6-1 victory. The Scrappers are now 3-1 this season at Falcon Park.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lonnie Chisenhall 3-4 3R, 2 2B, SB, BB
NOTE: CHISENHALLS TWO DOUBLES TONIGHT GIVE HIM 20 FOR THE SEASON AND PUT HIM TIED FOR FOUTH PLACE IN SINGLE SEASON SCRAPPERS HISTORY.

In Other Games...

- Buffalo lost 9-6. RHP Brian Bullington went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 10 hits, no walks and had 7 strikeouts. OF Trevor Crowe went 3-for-5 with a 2B, HR and an RBI. Catcher Chris Gimenez went 3-for-5 with a 2B, HR and 2 RBI. OF Brad Snyder, in what may be his final game in the Indians organization went 2-for-4 with a 2B and RBI.

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