MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Smith drives in two more

Published on August 27, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits were officially knocked out of the 2008 playoff race on Wednesday night, failing to hold three separate one-run leads in a 4-3 loss to the Burlington Bees at Community Field.

Quad Cities (32-33, 65-64) fell below .500 for the first time since July 3 and will miss the post-season for the first time since becoming a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate in 2005. Burlington (41-23, 71-62) was led offensively by Royals' top prospect Mike Moustakas, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI while keying all three Bees rallies.

After the two clubs traded blowout wins in the first two games of the series, they traded single runs in the early innings on Wednesday.

Adron Chambers reached base in the top of the first on a single and an error, scoring on a two-out, broken bat single by Curt Smith to put Quad Cities on top. The Bees answered in similar fashion in the bottom half of the frame, as Johnny Giavotella doubled and crossed the plate on a base hit by Moustakas to even the score at 1-1.

In the top of the third, the River Bandits jumped back on top. Tommy Pham opened the inning by beating out an infield single to third and Chambers followed with a drag bunt that was perfectly laid down the first base line for a hit. Pham then got a great read on a blooper by Francisco Rivera that dropped just in front of the center fielder, as the runner scored easily from second for a 2-1 lead.

After Moustakas doubled and scored to tie the game in the fourth, Quad Cities recaptured the lead in the next half inning. In the middle of the rally once again, Chambers was hit by a pitch with one away and advanced to third on a bouncing ball single by Rivera. Smith then drove home Chambers for the second time, notching his seventh RBI through the first three games of the series with a sacrifice fly to left for a 3-2 advantage.

But the Bees seemed to have an answer for everything Wednesday night, and they struck back with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Leadoff hitter David Lough drew a walk to get it started and Giavotella followed with a liner to right-center that bounced past Pham and turned into a run-scoring triple. On the very next pitch, Moustakas gave Burlington their first lead of the game with a broken bat grounder that snuck into center for a run-scoring single and a 4-3 advantage.

That score held because neither bullpen allowed a run over the remaining four frames.

Jacob Rodriguez (1-0) tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit ball to earn the win in his Midwest League debut after being called up by the Bees earlier in the day. Brandon Sisk (2) added two hitless frames and three strikeouts to take it the rest of the way and earn the save.

Scott McGregor and Jared Bradford combined for 3.1 shutout innings of relief for Quad Cities, while Jameson Maj (0-2) was touched for four runs on seven hits over 4.2 frames in the loss.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits wrap up a series against Burlington at Community Field on Thursday before returning to Modern Woodmen Park on Friday for PRIZE-A-PALOOZA, a season-ending four-game homestand against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers that will be jam packed with exciting giveaways! It begins on Friday night with a Stadium Cup Giveaway thanks to the Life Fitness Center, while the River Bandits will wear St. Louis Cardinals' jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game to benefit the Genesis Compassion Fund. A 6:00 p.m. game on Saturday features a Rick Ankiel Bobblehead Giveaway brought to you by US Cellular and Fox-18 as well as a live post-game concert by "Tri" on a Rockin' Saturday. A U.S. Bank Family Sunday follows with a Pepsi T-shirt Giveaway before the 5:00 p.m. start and will also include player autographs and the opportunity for kids to run the bases post-game. Lastly, the 2008 regular season comes to a close with a 1:00 p.m. matinee on Labor Day as Modern Woodmen of America kicks off Life Insurance Awareness Month with a Stadium Replica Giveaway. The ballgame will also be FANtastic Fan Appreciation Day, featuring giveaways and prizes throughout the afternoon! Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 27, 2008


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