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Yankees¹ Clippard tames Wizards

April 23, 2004 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Southwest Michigan Devil Rays News Release


FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Tyler Clippard tamed the Fort Wayne Wizards and the Battle Creek Yankees pounded out a season-high 17 hits in an 8-0 Midwest League victory on the road Thursday night. The Yankees snapped a three-game skid and return home to open a four-game series against the West Michigan Whitecaps on Saturday afternoon at C.O. Brown Stadium.

Clippard (1-1) didn¹t allow a hit until two outs in the fifth and allowed just two hits in eight innings of work. He walked just one and struck out six in facing just 27 batters. Paul Thorp pitched the ninth, allowing a two-out double, for Battle Creek.

Eight different players collected hits for the Yankees, led by Willie Vasquez and Estee Harris with three each. Harris entered the game hitting just .111.

The Yankees took a 2-0 lead as singles by Erold Andrus and Eric Duncan, and a walk to John Urick, loaded the bases. Hector Made drove in the first run with a single, and Pito Santos added a sacrifice fly.

Rafael Rodriguez slugged a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Yankees ahead 4-0. Harris doubled with one out to set the stage for Rodriguez¹ blast.

A two-out single by Harris, a walk to Rodriguez and a RBI double by Vasquez made it 5-0 in the sixth.

The Yankees pushed their lead to 8-0 in the eighth. Singles by Harris and Rodriguez, and a walk to Vasquez, loaded the bases. Andrus ripped a two-run double for a 7-0 lead. Urick slugged an RBI single to make it 8-0.

Fort Wayne won the first three games of the series by a combined score of 12-7. Both teams are now 6-9 on the season.

Roster moves - Right-handed relief pitcher Mike Gardner will join the Battle Creek Yankees on Saturday as the team opens a four-game homestand against the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Yankees placed right-handed relief pitcher Adam Wheeler on the disabled list with a sore shoulder.

Gardner was a 13th-round pick in June 2003 and spent last season with the Staten Island Yankees. He appeared in 23 games, finishing with a 1-4 record and a 1.93 ERA in 37.1 innings of work. He joins the Battle Creek Yankees from extended spring training.

Wheeler is 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA and one save in five relief appearances for Battle Creek. In 6.1 innings, Wheeler walked two and struck out eight.

BATTLE CREEK YANKEES vs. WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS Saturday - LHP Chase Wright (1-1, 1.45) vs. RHP Andy Baldwin (2-1, 1.50), 2 p.m. Sunday - RHP T.J. Beam (1-2, 2.30) vs. RHP Jordan Tata (0-3, 3.38), 2 p.m. Monday - RHP Brandon Harmsen (2-0, 2.25) vs. RHP Virgil Vasquez (2-0, 4.41), 6 p.m. Tuesday - LHP Abel Gomez (0-0, 5.68) vs. RHP Brian Rogers (0-1, 2.95), noon



Midwest League Stories from April 23, 2004


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