Wild Card Lead Down to Just Three Games
August 18, 2012 - American Association (AA)
Winnipeg Goldeyes News Release
The Winnipeg Goldeyes team batting slump continues.
Saturday night in front of 5,772 spectators at Shaw Park, the Goldeyes were beaten 4-1 by the visiting St. Paul Saints. The Goldeyes have now scored only two runs in their past three games, all losses, as they slowly find themselves losing their grip on the American Association Wild Card.
With the loss, the Goldeyes fell to 48-37, have lost five of their last six and are now only three games ahead of St. Paul in the Wild Card race.
"We watched the same movie again and it's never better the second time," said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. "We have to start making adjustments at the plate. We have to be more pitch selective and more location selective. You can't drive the ball when you get behind early in the count and give up your at bat."
St. Paul scored a run in the first, two in the second and one more in the third off Goldeyes starter Matt Rusch and that's all they needed as Winnipeg was beaten 4-1 by the Saints for the second straight night.
The Goldeyes only run came in the bottom of the ninth when Mike Coles was hit by a pitch, Yurendell de Caster singled and sent Coles third and Josh Mazzola drove home Coles with a sacrifice fly.
"Their starter (Kyle Ruwe) did a nice job," said Forney. "He has deception in his delivery and he's got a lot of moxie. You have to be very selective against him. He throws the ball to both sides of the plate and he changes speeds. You don't see the ball over the middle of the plate in the same place very often. He pitched a helluva ball game.
"When you aren't getting hits, you press and then get impatient at the plate, You start getting yourself out and that's what happened to us a lot tonight."
In the end, Winnipeg had only five hits for the second straight game. The Fish got a runner as far as second base only twice in the ballgame.
St. Paul starter Kyle Ruwe (3-1, 2.17 ERA) pitched 8.2 innings and got the win while Rusch (8-3, 2.65 ERA) who went six complete innings, allowing four runs on six hits, suffered the loss. The Saints' Chris Odegaard pitched to one batter and got the save.
The Goldeyes and Saints will play the final game of this three-game weekend series this afternoon at Shaw Park. Lefty Todd Privett (5-5, 3.93 ERA) will get the start for Winnipeg while right-hander Robert Coe (10-4, 3.07 ERA) will toe the slab for St. Paul.
Game time is 1:30 p.m. and it can be heard live on TSN 1290 with Paul Edmonds calling the play-by-play. As well, the game will be televised on Shaw TV, Channel 9 in Winnipeg and Channel 11 in The Pas, Flin Flon and Thompson.
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