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EL1 Chesapeake Baysox

Pair Of Baysox Make Strong First Impressions

August 7, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


(BOWIE, MD) - Left-handed pitcher Chris Waters and outfielder Lou Montanez both made their major league debuts Tuesday. Both are products of the 2000 first year player draft and opened the 2008 season with the Bowie Baysox.

Waters was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round of the draft in 2000 and played six seasons for the Braves organization, starting in Rookie League and making his way up to AA Mississippi. The Orioles signed him as a minor league free agent in October of 2006.

Montanez was the third overall pick in the 2000 draft, selected by the Chicago Cubs as an infielder. Lou played four years in the Cubs system as an infielder before switching to the outfield. He spent three years in the outfield between Class-A Peoria, AA West Tennessee, and AAA Iowa, before parting ways with the Cubs. The Orioles signed Montanez as a minor league free agent in January of 2008 and Lou split time between Bowie and AAA Norfolk last season.

Waters was the big story in Bowie at the beginning of the year, winning five out of his first six starts and posting a scorching 1.69 ERA before being promoted to Norfolk. After a rough start in AAA, Waters went 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in six starts in the month of July. The lefty spent almost the entire 2007 season in Bowie, posting a record of 8-9 with a 4.47 ERA in 27 starts for the Baysox. He allowed three runs or less in nine straight starts from April 19 to May 31.

Baltimore called Waters up Tuesday, and he made his major league debut against the Anaheim Angels. Waters got to start against one of the best teams in the majors and he dazzled, holding the potent lineup to one hit over eight innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. The one hit he conceded was a bloop single by Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero.

Montanez spent most of the game watching his Baysox teammate before making his own big league debut as a defensive substitute in the bottom of the ninth inning. Lou had been promoted from Bowie earlier in the day. He caught a ball in left field to record the first out of the inning before the game ended.

Montanez got the call to start on Wednesday and was inserted in the eighth spot in the lineup, playing left field. The slugger wasted little time in his first at bat, drilling the second pitch he saw in the Majors over the wall in left-center for a solo homerun. With the blast, Montanez became the second player in Orioles history to hit a homerun in his first Major League at bat. He came up again with the bases empty in the fifth inning and worked a 1-2 count to full before ripping a base hit over short. Both hits came against All-Star hurler Ervin Santana, making his day even more impressive. He finished 2-for-4 with a homerun and two runs scored. Montanez is will likely get a good look in Baltimore with Orioles outfielder Adam Jones on the disabled list.

The Bowie Baysox are in their 16th season as the "AA" affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Baysox individual game tickets, season ticket plans, group outings, picnics and birthday parties are currently available for booking by calling the Baysox front office at (301) 464-4880.

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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.

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