Baseball – Page 51 – North Platte Post Archive

Morales Helps Rockies to 2-1 Win over Padres

Posted on July 8, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run homer and Franklin Morales pitched effectively into the sixth inning, helping the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 Tuesday night.

Morales (5-4) turned in another solid outing since being reinserted into the starting rotation on July 3. The lefty surrendered four hits and one run before being removed for a reliever with two outs in the sixth.

Tyson Ross (7-9) was just as sharp, his only mistake a slider up in the zone to Blackmon in the third. Ross went six innings and allowed six hits.

Ross made the All-Star team, but won’t pitch since he’s scheduled to start Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Blackmon, also making his first appearance at the Midsummer Classic, had a double to go with his 13th homer of the season.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his 16th save in 17 chances.

Longoria has 2 RBIs, Rays Top Royals 4-3

Posted on July 8, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Evan Longoria drove in two runs, Jeremy Hellickson went 4 1-3 innings in his season debut, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Tuesday night.

The Rays opened the sixth with three consecutive hits, including a two-run single by Longoria off Jason Vargas (8-4), to take a 2-1 lead. Vargas, who allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, was coming off seven innings in the Royals’ 4-0 win Wednesday against Minnesota.

Hellickson, coming back after arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in January, gave up one run and six hits.

James Loney had an RBI double and Logan Forsythe hit a sacrifice fly as Tampa Bay took a 4-1 lead in the eighth.

Salvador Perez had three RBIs, including a two-run single off Jake McGee in the ninth that pulled the Royals within 4-3. Kansas City had at least one baserunner in all nine innings.

Bautista, Tulowitzki Add to HR Derby Lineups

Posted on July 8, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki have announced three members of their respective teams for Monday night’s Home Run Derby at Target Field.

Joining Bautista on the American League team are Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes, who was last year’s Derby winner, Baltimore’s Adam Jones and Brian Dozier of the host Twins.

Tulowitzki will have Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, who entered Tuesday leading the National League in homers, the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig and Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier on his side.

The final competitor in each league will be announced on Thursday.

Rockies Recall Kyle Parker from Triple-A

Posted on July 8, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies recalled utility player Kyle Parker from Triple-A Colorado Springs before their game Tuesday night against San Diego.

To make room for Parker, the team optioned left-handed pitcher Yohan Flande to the Sky Sox. Flande went 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in three starts since he was brought up.

This is the second time Parker has joined the Rockies this season. Parker, a first-round pick in 2010, is still searching for his first big league hit.

The infielder/outfielder hit .292 with 10 homers and 47 RBIs in Colorado Springs.

Royals Sign Saunders to Minor League Deal

Posted on July 8, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have signed veteran left-hander Joe Saunders, who was released by the Rangers last week, to a minor league contract and plan to assign him to Triple-A Omaha.

The Royals announced the move before their game Tuesday night at Tampa Bay.

The 33-year-old Saunders was 0-5 with a 6.13 ERA in eight starts for the Rangers before he was released on Friday. He also made four starts for their minor league affiliates.

Saunders was an All-Star with the Angels in 2008, when he won 17 games. But he’s bounced around the league the last few seasons, spending time with the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Mariners and Rangers. He is 89-86 with a 4.35 ERA in 10 seasons.

Three First Nationals Players to Participate in Cornhusker League All-Star Game

Posted on July 8, 2014July 8, 2014

The North Platte First Nationals will be well represented at the 2014 Cornhusker League All-Star Game in Grand Island Tuesday.

North Platte head coach Rick Ostergard will be coaching the West Team, which consists of North Platte, Columbus, Kearney, Grand Island, Hastings, Norfolk and Gretna. The East Team will be made up of players from the Lincoln teams. The head coach of the teams rotate each year.

The head coach selects the players for his team with input from the other coaches in the league. The First Nationals will have three players, Luke Volz, Darian Allberry and Jack Kenny, competing in Tuesday night’s game.

Volz leads North Platte with a .382 batting average and 12 doubles. He is also tied for the team lead with four triples this season to go along 33 RBI and 33 runs scored. Volz also pitches for the First Nationals and has a 3-0 record with one save and a 4.87 ERA. He has 12 strikeouts compared to 10 walks for the season.

Allberry leads North Platte in runs batted in with 34 so far this season. He is batting .286 with nine doubles and 36 runs scored. On the mound Allberry boasts a 2.39 ERA and a 3-2 record. He has 33 strikeouts compared to just 12 walks this season.

Kenny is second on the team with a .344 batting average and is tied for the team lead with four triples. He also has eight doubles, 21 RBI and 32 runs scored. Kenny has also pitched seven and one-third innings this season for the First Nationals. He has yet to give up an earned run and has a 1-0 record with three saves. He has seven strikeouts compared to three walks.

The roster for the West Team can be seen below.

The Cornhusker League All-Star Game will be played in Grand Island with a 7:00 pm first pitch Tuesday.

West Roster

MATT MOORE (KEARNEY)

PEYTON POCOCK (KEARNEY)

CHRIS LANGIN (KEARNEY)

CALVIN HEHNKE (GRAND ISLAND)

KEVIN CAHOY (GRAND ISLAND)

PHOENIX STEVENSON (GRAND ISLAND)

RILEY BAASCH (GRAND ISLAND)

TYLER MORTON (COLUMBUS)

BLAKE BUBAK (COLUMBUS)

LUKE VOLZ (NORTH PLATTE)

JACK KENNY (NORTH PLATTE)

DARIAN ALLBERRY (NORTH PLATTE)

ALEX PANGANIBAN (HASTINGS)

MASON SPILINEK (HASTINGS)

ZACH HOWELL (GRETNA)

JACOB BLANK (GRETNA)

Kennedy Pitches Padres past Rockies 6-1

Posted on July 7, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Ian Kennedy pitched seven sharp innings, Rene Rivera hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth and the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1 on Monday night in a game that included a 56-minute weather delay.

Chase Headley added four hits for San Diego, including a two-run triple in the seventh inning to break open a close game.

Kennedy seemed to gain strength the deeper he got into the game, striking out five of the last six batters he faced before wind, rain and lightning forced the delay heading into the eighth inning. Kevin Quackenbush stepped in for Kennedy when play resumed.

Kennedy finished with nine strikeouts, boosting his team-leading total this season to 125.

Sleeping Yankees Fan Sues TV Announcers

Posted on July 7, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — A Yankees fan has filed a $10 million lawsuit against two ESPN announcers contending they mocked him when he was caught on national television sleeping in his seat during a game at Yankee Stadium.

Andrew Robert Rector admits in court documents he “napped” during a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 13, but says commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an “avalanche of disparaging words” against him. The suit says they used words like “fatty” and “stupid.”

Rector says he suffered “substantial injury” to his “character and reputation” and “mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity.”

The lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court Thursday also names ESPN, Major League Baseball and the Yankees as defendants. They didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Royals’ Shields Fans 10, Shuts Down Rays

Posted on July 7, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kansas City’s James Shields sparkled in his return to Tropicana Field, limiting the Tampa Bay Rays to three hits and striking out 10 over seven innings and the Royals beat his former team 6-0 on Monday night.

Shields (9-4) spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Rays before being dealt to the Royals in December 2012 as part of a seven-player trade in which Kansas City sent 2013 AL rookie of the year Wil Myers and another top young prospect, Jake Odorizzi (4-8), to Tampa Bay.

The right-hander allowed singles to Ben Zobrist and James Loney in the first two innings, then worked through a jam in the third after giving up a one-out double to Kevin Kiermaier. He retired 10 straight, six by strikeout, before hitting Evan Longoria with a pitch leading off the seventh.

Boldt Earns Third Freshman All-America Honor

Posted on July 7, 2014

Lincoln – Nebraska freshman outfielder Ryan Boldt earned his third freshman All-America honor on Friday, as was a second-team pick by Perfect Game. Following a stellar freshman season in 2014, Boldt has also been named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was a second-team selection by Baseball America.

A native of Red Wing, Minn., Boldt is the 12th Husker freshman since 2000 to earn freshman All-America honors and the first do so since 2012 when Pat Kelly and Kyle Kubat were both tabbed as freshman All-Americans. Boldt’s selection by three different publications is the most since Kelly, when he was picked by four publications, including Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game and NCBWA.

Boldt is currently playing summer baseball for the Rochester Honkers in the Northwood’s League and earlier this summer he was invited to Team USA’s Collegiate National Team Training Camp.

An unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten Freshman team and a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree in 2014, Boldt started in center field in 55 of NU’s 62 games. The freshman hit leadoff for the Huskers 29 times on the year, including the final 28 games of the season. NU posted a 22-7 record on the year with Boldt in the leadoff spot.

Boldt finished the year third on the team with 74 hits, two shy of Kelly’s team-high 76 hits. Boldt led NU in runs scored (47), triples (6) and stolen bases (7). He ranked second on the team with 12 doubles and notched 31 RBIs, including a team-high 20 RBIs with two outs.

Tabbed as the No. 2 freshman in the country prior to the 2014 season by Baseball American, Boldt excelled in the postseason with a .462 average. With the Huskers playing in their first NCAA Regional since 2008, Boldt led the team in hits (6) and runs (5). Half of his hits in NU’s three games in Stillwater were for extra bases, as he roped a pair of triples and notched a double.