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EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Johnson Tames Squirrels to Split Series

July 26, 2010 - Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


The Bowie Baysox defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-3 Sunday evening to split a four-game series with their southern rivals. The win caps off a quality home stand for the Baysox, who won five games out of seven, including a three-game sweep of the Binghamton Mets.

At 55-47, the Baysox move to eight games over .500, their high-water mark so far, for the fourth time this year. They hold steady in second place in the six-team Eastern League Western Division, 4.0 games behind the Altoona Curve and one game ahead of Akron for the West's final playoff spot.

Right-handed Baltimore native Steve Johnson earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits through 6.0 innings and winning back-to-back starts for the first time this year. Johnson seems to have regained his poise on the hill after a trying June, in which he posted an 8.76 ERA with 10 home runs allowed.

"My command has been struggling for a while," Johnson said. "To have these last couple starts as consistent as I was with my curveball [was great]. My slider and changeup are still works in progress, I got some of them over, but I still need to work on them. For the most part, I'm throwing a lot of first pitch strikes and at least getting ahead, staying ahead. That's something I did today that I didn't do as well I thought in the last game."

"He pitched down in the zone and he's throwing more strikes," Pitching Coach Kennie Steenstra said. "The walks and home runs were what hurt him there in that tough stretch. He looks a little more comfortable out there, his delivery is getting in a little bit more in rhythm. He's just doing a better job of throwing strikes and keeping the ball down, keeping the ball inside the ballpark."

July is shaping up to be Johnson's best month of the year so far, in spite of a seven-run, 10-hit, 2.2 inning start at Erie on July 8. Through five starts, he has pitched to a 4.01 ERA in July in 24.2 innings with one home run allowed.

"I hope he's getting a little confidence built up over these last two starts and he can carry it over into the next one, but that's one of those things where if things start falling apart on you for a few hitters, it can go away from you again," Steenstra said. "He's got to stick with what he's trying to do, and the adjustments he's made in his delivery, and hopefully he's seen some fruits of his labor these last few times out and he can continue that."

The Baysox jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. First baseman Joe Mahoney hit a bloop single to center field on a broken bat to record hits in five consecutive at-bats after going 4-for-4 with two home runs in Saturday's victory. Mahoney advanced to second on third baseman Brandon Waring's groundout and scored when center fielder Jonathan Tucker lifted a single into right field.

Designated hitter Greg Miclat opened the bottom of the third inning with a single to left field, and second baseman Ryan Adams followed with a single to right-center field that put runners on the corners. Right fielder Joel Guzman pushed his team-leading RBI count to 69 with a one-out broken-bat single to right field that plated Miclat and moved Adams to second base. Adams rounded third and scored on Waring's single to left field for a 3-0 Baysox lead.

Johnson entered the fifth inning with four strikeouts after retiring the previous nine batters and facing just one over the minimum, but ran into trouble as Richmond's Conor Gillaspie hit a double off the wall in right field. Gillaspie scored on shortstop Brad Boyer's single to center field that left Boyer at second base after an attempted throw to catch Gillaspie at the plate. Boyer moved to third base on a groundout by Sharlon Schoop.

Squirrels catcher Tyler La Torre drew Johnson's first walk of the evening before right fielder Clay Timpner plated Boyer with a sacrifice fly to center field. Johnson worked himself into deeper trouble as his control of the strike zone faltered, and he walked Darren Ford and Nick Noonan in consecutive at-bats to load the bases. Johnson then regained his composure and struck out Thomas Neal on three pitches to end the inning on a high note after the Flying Squirrels cut the Baysox lead to 3-2.

"He got a little bit out of rhythm, jumped back into his old ways for a little bit," Steenstra said. "I just went out and reminded him what he was doing. He walked the next guy, but he was down in the zone again and he made some pitches to get out of it."

"It was good [to get that strikeout]," Johnson said. "I'm never worried when I get into trouble. I'd rather have hit into trouble, then get myself into trouble but I'm never worried."

The Baysox created some breathing room in the bottom of the fifth inning, which Adams led off with a double down the first base line. Guzman advanced Adams to third on an infield single to third base, as he narrowly beat the throw to first to put runners on the corners. Mahoney notched his 15th RBI in as many games with a fielder's choice ground ball to third as Guzman was forced out at second and Adams scored to put the Baysox up 4-2.

The Squirrels tightened the gap in the eighth inning against Baysox reliever Raul Rivero. Rivero walked Ford to open the inning and Ford moved from first to third base on Noonan's groundout to shortstop. Neal joined Ford on base with a walk to put runners on the corners, and first baseman Brandon Belt drove Ford across the plate with a single to left field, leaving the Flying Squirrels down a run at 4-3. Eastern League All-Star Pedro Beato took over after the run scored and put a stop to the rally with two quick outs.

After the Baysox struck out in order in the bottom of the eighth, Beato returned to seal the win in the ninth inning. His tenth save of the year did not come easily, though, as he walked Schoop to start the final frame. Schoop moved to second on La Torre's sacrifice bunt, and Beato struck out Timpner for the second out. Ford hit a hard ground ball that seemed sure to plate Schoop for the tying run, but the play was cut short by an outstanding play by shortstop Carlos Rojas. Rojas ranged far to his right and dove hard to snare the ball at the edge of the infield dirt, a game-saving play that held Schoop at third base and limited Ford to a single. As the crowd at Prince George's Stadium rose to its feet in support of Beato, he struck out Noonan on four pitches to seal the win.

"We're feeling good," Adams said. "We're just trying to take it one game at a time and it looks like we've got a good shot at the playoff race. We're just gonna try to finish up strong and hopefully things work out."

After the game, the Baysox loaded the team bus and headed toward Ohio for a three-game series with Akron that is sure to have a significant impact in the Western Division standings. They return to Bowie Thursday, July 29, for a four-game series with Eastern Division cellar dwellers New Britain that features fireworks on Friday and Saturday. The first game back, on Thursday, is the Baysox "Salute to ‘The Dude,'" a tribute to the cult classic film The Big Lebowski. Fans who come dressed as The Dude get $4 off a lower-reserved ticket, and any fan with nine toes will get a free lower-reserved ticket. On Saturday, July 31, the Baysox will attempt to break several world records, including most people sitting on whoopee cushions at the same time. Sunday's game will feature the finale of the Baysox Kids' Summer Concert Series, with a pre-game performance by Rocknoceros and a special appearance by PBS's Super Why and Alpha Pig. Fans can purchase a $10 ticket for the Rocknoceros concert that includes a general admission seat for the game. Think Outside The Box with the Baysox in 2010. The Baysox 18th season as the class Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles is underway. Catch all the action in Natural Definition! Baysox full-season and partial-season ticket packages are available now at www.baysox.com or by calling the group sales department at (301) 464-4880.

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