EL1 Chesapeake Baysox

Runaway McBride Breaks Baysox Hearts

Published on July 1, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


BOWIE, Md. - Akron Aeros first baseman Matt McBride hammered Bowie Baysox starting pitcher Ryohei Tanaka with three home runs in his first three at-bats Thursday as the Baysox fell to the Aeros 5-0. It was the seventh time the Baysox have been shut out this season, snapping a five-game home win streak after Bowie swept the Erie SeaWolves in four games earlier in the week.

All five of the game's runs were charged to Tanaka, who allowed eight hits through 6.0 innings and a pair of strikeouts. It was the second time in his last three starts that Tanaka has given up three long balls.

"He made a couple mistakes," Baysox Manager Brad Komminsk said, of Tanaka. "He tried to sneak the cheese by the rat against a fastball hitter and he hit them."

"[Home runs] don't hurt you so much when they're solo home runs and you're not walking people," said Pitching Coach Kennie Steenstra. "Tonight was a tough night for him because we didn't get anything going with the bats. Everything is magnified a little bit more in those instances."

The Baysox remain in second place in the Eastern League's Western Division, with a 43-37 record, 8.5 games behind Altoona and 3.5 games ahead of the third place Aeros.

Tanaka opened the game by inducing a pair of ground outs before Akron third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall singled to right field. McBride then blasted the first pitch he saw over the left field wall to open a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

McBride went deep again to nearly the same place in the top of the fourth inning to put the Baysox down 3-0.

The Aeros added another run in the top of the fifth inning. Left fielder Tim Fedroff led off with a double down the right field line and scored when shortstop Cristo Arnal singled to left field to make it 4-0. With two outs and Arnal on first base, Akron second baseman Jason Kipnis lined a single to right field, but Baysox right fielder Jonathan Tucker made a great throw to get Tanaka out of the inning, nailing Arnal at third base for his sixth outfield assist of the season.

McBride returned in the sixth inning and homered once again, to left-center field, putting the Baysox in a 5-0 hole. He became the first player to hit three home runs in a game against the Baysox since Matt LaPorta did it for Akron on September 3, 2008, in game one of the Eastern League Divisional Series. His trio of bombs left Tanaka with 15 home runs conceded on the season.

"It always concerns me when a guy is giving up lots of home runs," Steenstra said. "He's a strike throwing guy. I think the biggest thing right now is just not realizing that [opponents] look at the stats. They know he's throwing lots of strikes and they're coming out swinging; you saw it tonight. I think he had 50 pitches through 5 innings. They're not taking pitches. They're looking for that one out over the plate trying to crush it from the very beginning. He's got to expand the zone a little bit and pitch down a little better than what he's doing right now."

Tanaka left the game after the sixth inning, replaced by right-handed reliever Josh Perrault. Perrault did a good job of preventing further damage, putting in two hitless innings with a pair of walks. It was an encouraging outing for the Baysox 2009 saves leader, who had given up nine runs in his previous 4.1 innings on the mound.

Unfortunately, the Baysox could not get much going offensively at any point in the evening, placing a runner at third base only once, in the bottom of the second inning. Center fielder Danny Figueroa was hit by a pitch for the eighth time this season after he nearly set a club record in 2009 when he was hit by 16 pitches.

Third baseman Tyler Henson had the best performance among the Bowie nine, going 2-for-4 with a double in the sixth inning. Henson, an Eastern League All-Star selection, continues to pace the Baysox at the plate, with a .293 batting average.

"I'm sticking to my plans during the at-bats," Henson said. "One of my at-bats I got it, another at bat I had to make some adjustments being down in the count. I've seen [Aeros pitcher Scott Barnes] before, I know he loves his off-speed."

The Baysox take the field for another crack at the Aeros Friday at 7:05 p.m., as the Baysox All-American Weekend begins, featuring three nights of fireworks. 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 to benefit AMVETS.

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Eastern League Stories from July 1, 2010


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