EL1 Akron RubberDucks

Aeros Media Notes

Published on April 11, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


Game #4 - Home Game #4 - Saturday, April 11, 2009 - 1:35 P.M.

Akron Aeros (2-1) vs. Bowie Baysox (1-2)

Cleveland Indians Baltimore Orioles

Today's Starters: Akron - RHP Steven Wright (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4-3, 4.30 ERA with Akron in 2008)

Bowie - RHP Brandon Erbe (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 10-12, 4.30 ERA with Class A Frederick in 2008)

Upcoming Probables:

Sunday: OFF DAY

Monday: AKR LHP Chuck Lofgren (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. ALT LHP Daniel Moskos (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Tuesday: AKR RHP Hector Rondon (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. ALT LHP Tony Watson (0-0, 12.27 ERA)

Wednesday: AKR RHP Frank Herrmann (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. ALT RHP Brad Lincoln (0-0, 6.75 ERA)

The Book on Steven Wright (with Akron in 2008)...

- High Strikeouts - 7 (set three times), last 8/29 at Erie - Most Hits Allowed - 8 (set three times), last 8/17 vs. New Britain

- Longest Outing - 7.0 IP, set 8/1 vs. HAR and 8/6 at ALT - Most Walks Allowed - 3, set 6/29 vs. REA and 7/10 vs. BOW

- Shortest Outing - 4.0 IP, 7/4 at BIN and 7/10 vs. BOW - HR Allowed (Season) - 14

- Began last season in Kinston and went 2-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 14 starts to earn the mid-season promotion

Went winless at Canal Park in 2008 (0-3, 5.62 ERA in eight home starts; 4-0, 2.67 ERA in six road starts)

Throws a four-seam fastball between 88-92 mph, plus a two-seamer, curve, slider, and circle-change

Aeros were 8-6 when Wright started last season, while Kinston was 7-7 in Wright's starts

Last time out: Earned the WIN in a 3-1 victory at Erie 8/29 (6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HB, 2 GIDP)

UAEROS REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN ('09)

CURRENT STREAK................................ L1 LONGEST WINNING STREAK........... 2 (4/8 - 4/9)

LAST 5 GAMES............................................................. 2-1 LONGEST LOSING STREAK............................ 1 (4/10 - current) LAST 10 GAMES........................................................... 2-1 BEST RECORD............................................................. 2-0 (April 9th)

HOME RECORD............................................................ 2-1 WORST RECORD..................................................... 2-1 (April 10th)

ROAD RECORD...................................... SEASON vs. BOWIE............................................. 2-1

Aerodynamics...

A Happy Return...Baysox starter Troy Patton made his first start in roughly 18 months a memorable one, blanking Akron for five innings and earning the victory in Bowie's 3-0 win last night. Patton, who was considered Houston's best prospect when he made his Major League debut in August of 2007, survived a rocky bottom of the first inning and went on to retire nine in a row at one point before departing. The left-hander was helped by LF Jeff Fiorentino's laser to the plate to throw out Carlos Rivero and end the first, and then got a double play grounder in the fifth following a leadoff single from Niuman Romero. Patton was the centerpiece of the deal that sent All-Star Miguel Tejada to the Astros in December of 2007.

Power Outage...First of all, a plea for calm: In this minutiae-obsessed, instant-analysis, hit-the-panic-button, 24/7 news cycle we call American sports journalism these days, the following stat is not meant to induce discomfort or an over-the-top reaction that culminates with "So what have you done for me lately?". However, the fact remains that the Aeros have just seven singles over the last two games, and four of those singles failed to get out of the infield. Furthermore, Akron has not recorded an extra-base hit since the first inning of the season. In the bottom of the first inning Opening Night, C Carlos Santana belted a three-run homer and 3B Jared Goedert followed with a double two batters later. And even though the Aeros went on to collect eight more hits in that contest, they were all singles. Remember though, we still have 139 games to go.

Tomcat...Aeros starter Josh Tomlin deserved a better fate than he received last night, allowing just one run and three hits over five innings but still suffering the loss. Tomlin worked quickly and showed excellent command, as evidenced by his no walks against two strikeouts, and faced just one over the minimum through the first 3.2 innings before running into trouble with two down in the fourth. Bowie's Guillermo Rodriguez got into a long struggle with Tomlin and eventually doubled to right-center to keep the inning going, and Miguel Abreu followed with a seeing-eye single past a diving Rivero at short for the only run the Baysox would need.

Getting in the Game...Relievers Neil Wagner and Scott Roehl saw their first action of 2009 last night, with each right-hander pitching two innings. Wagner struggled from the outset with his command, beginning his outing with consecutive walks to open the sixth and eventually seeing both runners come in to score. Roehl, a Green Bay Packers fan, wasn't overly sharp either but survived three hits and an error over the eighth and ninth innings and did not allow a run.

Did You Know...On this date in 1966 (43 years ago today), Cleveland defeated the Washington Senators 5-2. The game featured the debut of umpire Emmett Ashford, the first African-American umpire in Major League history.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from April 11, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central