EL1 Chesapeake Baysox

Phillies Blast Past Johnson

Published on June 24, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


Bowie Baysox starting pitcher Steve Johnson's recent struggles continued on Wednesday as the Reading Phillies lit him up for three home runs in the first three innings en route to an 8-3 victory over the Baysox.

Johnson, the Eastern League leader in home runs allowed, left the mound after the third inning with six runs off nine hits. It was the second consecutive loss for Johnson, whose ERA has climbed to 5.20, highest on the Baysox starting rotation.

The Phillies hit Johnson hard in the first inning, as the first five batters reached base and opened a 4-0 lead. With runners on first and second, Reading right fielder Domonic Brown hit a double down the third base line that plated center fielder Quintin Berry for the game's opening run. Phillies first baseman Tagg Bozied then got behind in the count before he hammered Johnson's 0-2 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run home run.

The deficit widened when shortstop Freddy Galvis led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run that gave the Phillies a 5-0 lead.

Rizzotti, who hit a grand slam off of Johnson when the teams met on June 17, teed off on another homer in the bottom of the third inning to put the Baysox in a 6-0 hole.

The Baysox got their only meaningful offense in the top of the fourth inning, after Johnson had thrown his last pitch. Left fielder Tyler Henson led off the inning with a single to right field put him aboard with a hit in his 11th consecutive game, matching the season's best mark set by outfielder Matt Angle in May.

Designated hitter Joel Guzman, the Baysox leader in home runs and RBIs, hit a single up the middle of the diamond to join Henson on base for first baseman Robbie Widlansky's three-run homer to right field, his fourth long ball of the year. When the dust settled, the Baysox had cut the Reading lead down to 6-3.

The Phillies were unimpressed with the Baysox rally, and added another run in the bottom half of the inning, when left fielder Michael Spidale led off with a home run against reliever Josh Perrault.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Phillies iced the win by manufacturing a run of Baysox reliever Jim Hoey. Spidale hit a single up the middle and moved to second when Brown grounded out to second base. He then stole third base, from where he was able to score on Bozied's sacrifice fly to right field. It was the first run charged to Hoey in 16.1 innings of work, dating back to a five-run third of an inning on May 9, at Trenton. That run settled the game at 8-3, where it would finish.

The loss knocks the Baysox down to 36-35, though they remain in second place in the Eastern League's Western Division, 11.0 games behind league leaders Altoona.

Bowie and Reading face off one more time on Thursday, at 7:05 p.m. The club will then head west to Altoona to open a three-game set with the Curve and hopefully chip away at their lead in the division.

They return to Bowie on Monday, June 28, for eight games against the Erie SeaWolves and Akron Aeros. The series with Erie includes a doubleheader on Monday and Daddy/Daughter Date Night on Wednesday, June 30. Fathers and their daughters can get two reserved tickets and two hot dogs for $20, with additional tickets available for $10 each.

The Aeros roll in to town during the Baysox All-American Weekend, featuring fireworks shows on July 2, 3 and 4. Saturday, July 3, is Stress Less Saturday, with a chance to win a family vacation courtesy of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Sunday, July 4, is the Baysox Independence Day Celebration, with a spectacular extended fireworks show and an auction of special stars-and-stripes Baysox jerseys that will benefit AMVETS.

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.

Check out the Chesapeake Baysox Statistics

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



Eastern League Stories from June 24, 2010


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