Baseball – Page 63 – North Platte Post Archive

CWS Teams Reflect Competitive Balance in Baseball

Posted on June 10, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) The array of teams set for the College World Series beginning this week could leave the impression that college baseball has become an equal-opportunity sport.

UC Irvine coach Mike Gillespie said that’s not a bad thing. He said when he was an outfielder for USC in the early 1960s, there were only a handful of teams playing at an elite level. He said now there probably are more than 100.

But Skip Bertman, who coached LSU to five national titles, said scholarship and roster limits and bat standards that reduced offense have “watered down” the game.

The CWS starts Saturday with Gillespie’s Anteaters playing Texas, which is making its record 35th appearance in Omaha.

Floyd Pitches Braves past Rockies 3-1

Posted on June 9, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Gavin Floyd pitched effectively into the seventh inning for his first win since returning last month from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, leading the Atlanta Braves past the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on Monday night.

Floyd, who was limited to five starts last season while with the Chicago White Sox before undergoing Tommy John surgery, allowed one run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings in picking up his first victory since beating Cleveland on Oct. 3, 2012. Signed by Atlanta as a free agent last December, Floyd (1-2) snapped a career-long six-game losing streaking dating to April 2013.

Chris Johnson had three hits, including two RBI singles, to help the Braves beat the Rockies for the 15th time in 18 games since 2012. Evan Gattis had an RBI groundout and singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games.

Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his 17th save in 20 chances.

Rockies put OF Cuddyer, RHP Butler on 15-Day DL

Posted on June 9, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have put outfielder Michael Cuddyer and right-hander Eddie Butler on the 15-day disabled list and selected the contract of right-hander Christian Bergman.

Bergman is scheduled to start Monday night’s game against Atlanta in his major league debut.

Cuddyer is out because of a strained left shoulder and Butler has inflammation in his right rotator cuff.

This is Cuddyer’s second stint on the DL after missing 28 games with a strained left hamstring. He is hitting .317 with five home runs this season.

The 23-year-old Butler allowed six runs and 10 hits in 5 1-3 innings in his major league debut during Friday’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Bergman was 4-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 starts for Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The Rockies also recalled righty Chad Bettis from Triple-A and designated reliever Wilton Lopez for assignment.

Yankees-Royals Postponed Because of Rain

Posted on June 9, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The game between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals scheduled for Monday night has been postponed because of rain.

No makeup date was immediately announced.

This was set to be the wrapup of a four-game series between the teams. The Yankees are not scheduled to visit Kansas City again this season.

First Nationals Split Four Games over the Weekend

Posted on June 9, 2014June 9, 2014

The North Platte First Nationals hosted Canon City, Colo. and JC Brager during a rainy weekend and went 2-2.

North Platte (10-8) and Canon City were supposed to meet on Friday night at Bill Wood Field, but because of the rain the game was postponed until Sunday morning. The First Nationals and Canon City also played on Saturday. North Platte played JC Brager on both Saturday and Sunday as well.

The First Nationals began Saturday with a 4-0 shutout win over Canon City. North Platte led 1-0 in a pitchers dual until they scored three runs in the fifth inning to pull away. Darian Allberry led the way at the plate by going 1-3 with a double and two RBI. Ty Brockmoller was dominant on the mound by throwing a complete game shutout. Brockmoller gave up just five hits and struck out seven batters without walking anyone.

The second game of the day for North Platte was the opposite as they got shutout by JC Brager 7-0. The game was shaping up to be a pitchers dual before JC Brager scored six runs in the top of the fourth inning. The First Nationals were only able to muster one hit against JC Brager’s Noah Kulhanek, who pitched a complete game shutout. Levi Nekuda took the loss on the mound for North Platte after giving up seven runs, six earned, on eight hits in three plus innings pitched. Devan Hovden came in, in relief for the final four innings and gave up five hits, but no runs.

The First Nationals returned to winning Sunday morning against Canon City, 9-1. Jack Kenny led the way at the plate for North Platte going 2-2 with a double and two runs scored. Brockmoller and Alex Harms each had two runs batted in during the game. Allberry was the overall star as he three a five-inning complete game from the mound. Allberry gave up one run on six hits and struck out five batters. He also went 1-2 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored.

The final game of the weekend for North Platte was another loss to JC Brager, 10-8. The First Nationals had an 8-7 lead in the top of the seventh inning before JC Brager scored three runs to take the lead and get the win. Drew Callaghan and Marcos Silos both had a big game at the plate for North Platte. Callaghan went 3-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Silos was 3-4 with three RBI. Riley Vierya pitched a complete game for the First Nationals. He gave up 10 runs, seven earned, on 12 hits.

North Platte’s next game is Tuesday, June 10 at Hastings. The First Nationals will play a Cornhusker League doubleheader against Hastings with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 5:30 pm.

The North Platte Juniors team also had a 2-2 weekend. The Juniors played in Kearney and started 2-0 with wins over Lincoln Southeast, 7-2, and Elkhorn South, 10-0. North Platte lost the final games of the weekend to Creighton Prep, 7-4, and Omaha Gross, 6-4. The First Nationals Juniors are now 12-3 on the season and next play Tuesday, June 10 at home against Hastings in a doubleheader that starts at 5:30 pm.

Dodgers Beat Rockies in Rain-Shortened Game

Posted on June 8, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Hanley Ramirez homered, Clayton Kershaw struck out nine and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1 Sunday in a game cut short by rain in the sixth inning.

The Dodgers broke open the game with four runs in the top of the sixth. The game was then delayed 1 hour, 35 minutes before it was called.

Matt Kemp had a triple and two RBIs for the Dodgers, who played without outfielder Yasiel Puig and second baseman Dee Gordon, both of whom sustained hip injuries Saturday.

Chone Figgins singled and also scored a run filling in for Gordon at the top of the lineup.

Rain started falling in the second inning and was steady for the rest of the afternoon. The moisture appeared to affect Kershaw (5-2) when he faced Brandon Barnes in the bottom of the third. He threw one pitch high to the backstop and then bounced the next one in front of the plate.

Shields Pitches Royals to 2-1 Win over Yankees

Posted on June 8, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Shields kept making critical pitches to escape trouble, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas drove in runs and the Kansas City Royals squeaked out a 2-1 win over the Yankees on Sunday.

The Royals have won the last seven games that Shields (7-3) has started, and he’s earned the win in four of those. The veteran right-hander lasted six innings in his latest effort, giving up six hits to the punchless Yankees but only allowing only one unearned run.

The Royals scored both of their runs off Hiroki Kuroda (4-4) in the second inning. That was enough for Shields, who turned the 2-1 lead over to his stingy bullpen and watched it hold up.

Aaron Crow escaped a jam in the seventh inning, and Wade Davis recorded the 500th strikeout of his career during a perfect eighth before Greg Holland survived a shaky ninth for his 18th save.

Perez Leads Royals to 8-4 Victory over Yankees

Posted on June 7, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer, Eric Hosmer also went deep and the Kansas City Royals cruised to an 8-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday night.

Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Nori Aoki drove in a run apiece as the Royals bounced back from an offensively inept performance in a 4-2 series-opening loss Friday night.

Aaron Crow (3-1) retired one batter in the sixth in relief of starter Danny Duffy, and breezed through the seventh to earn the victory. Kelvin Herrera and Michael Mariot finished it off.

David Phelps (1-4) allowed seven runs on 10 hits and two walks in 5 2-3 innings.

Barnes, Rockies End 8-Game Skid, Top Dodgers in 10

Posted on June 7, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Brandon Barnes hit a winning triple off the center-field wall in the 10th inning and the Colorado Rockies snapped an eight-game losing streak, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 Saturday.

The defeat capped a tough day for the Dodgers, who saw outfielder Yasiel Puig and second baseman Dee Gordon leave early because of injuries.

Gordon left in the fourth inning because of discomfort in his right hip and was listed as day to day.

Puig was day to day with a strained right hip flexor. He walked in the fifth, slid hard into second on a double-play grounder and didn’t take the field in the bottom half.

Chris Perez (0-3) allowed a one-out single to Justin Morneau in the 10th. He fanned Michael McKenry before Barnes hit a deep drive to end it.

Franklin Morales (4-4) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings.

Three Huskers Picked on Final Day of MLB Draft

Posted on June 7, 2014

Lincoln – Three members of the 2014 Nebraska baseball team, along with two Husker signees were picked on the final day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Saturdayafternoon.

Pat Kelly, Aaron Bummer and Zach Hirsch were each picked on Saturday after helping the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament in 2014 for the first time since the 2008 season. Husker signees Luis Alvarado and Garett King were also selected, joining fellow signees Monte Harrison and Jakson Reetz, who picked on Thursday and Friday.

Kelly was the first to hear is name called when he was picked by his home state Minnesota Twins with the fifth pick in the 12^th round. A three-time All-Big Ten selection, including first-team honors the past two seasons, Kelly is a native of Red Wing, Minn.

Kelly is the first Husker selected in the top-15 rounds of the draft since 2011, when Cody Asche was a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies. Kelly is also the third Husker taken by the Twins in the last three drafts, joining Chad Christensen (2013) and Travis Huber (2012).

Bummer and Hirsch were both taken in the 19^th round, with Bummer being selected with the third pick by the Chicago White Sox, while Hirsch went eight picks later to the Milwaukee Brewers. Hirsch was the second player with Husker ties picked by the Brewers, as Milwaukee snagged Harrison with the 50^th overall pick in the second round on Thursday night.

Alvarado became the third Husker signee picked in the draft when the Boston Red Sox took him with the second-to-last pick in the 33^rd round. King then came off the board as the 10^th pick in the 36^th round by the New York Mets.

Saturday marked the first time since 2010 that the Huskers have had three players taken in the first 20 rounds of the draft. Michael Mariot (8th – Kansas City), Ryan Hughes (16^th– Oakland) and Mike Nesseth (17^th – Philadephia) were each picked in the first 20 rounds of the 2010 draft.

Kelly’s selection marked the 36-straight year that at least one Husker has been picked in the MLB Draft.

Pat Kelly | JR | 2B (Minnesota Twins – 12^th Round)

Kelly has been one of the top hitters in the Big Ten the last two seasons, while also ranking as one of the best infield defenders in the league. He led the Huskers in hits (76), RBIs (55) and home runs (4) in 2014. Kelly led the Huskers in hits each of the past two seasons and his 55 RBIs in 2014 were the most by a Husker since 2010 when Adam Bailey drove in 57 runs. Defensively he committed just three errors all season in 315 chances, a fielding percentage of .990.

Kelly became the 22^nd player in school history to notch 200 career hits, and ended his junior year ranked 20^th in school history with 212 hits. He has also started the past 135 straight games for the Huskers, including every game of the past two seasons.

Aaron Bummer | JR | LHP (Chicago White Sox – 19^th Round)

Saturday marked the second time Bummer has been selected in the draft, as he was a 31^st-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2011 out of high school, but instead chose to come to Nebraska.

Bummer worked as a reliever during his freshman season in 2012 and started in the bullpen as a sophomore before joining NU’s weekend rotation during Big Ten play in 2013. The 6-2 lefty worked exclusively as a starter in 2014, throwing 89.0 innings over 15 starts. He led the Huskers in 2014 in strikeouts with 56, including a team-best 16 strikeouts looking.

Through his junior season, Bummer has posted a 11-6 record with a 3.06 ERA. He also tossed his first career complete game during the 2014 season, as he capped a series sweep of Ohio State at Hawks Field.

Zach Hirsch | SR | LHP (Milwaukee Brewers – 19^th Round)

After working as a starter during his sophomore season in 2012, Hirsch made the move to the bullpen in 2013 and was one of the top relief arms in the country this season. A third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014, Hirsch was also one of 50 relievers nationally to be named to the Midseason Stopper-of-the-Year List.

Hirsch led the Huskers with a 1.72 ERA in 2014 and held opposing batters to a .193 average. The 6-4 lefty’s 31 appearances were the most by a Husker since Brett Jensen made 33 appearances in 2005.

Hirsch struck out a career-high 50 batters in 52.1 innings of work, while posting a 5-2 record and four saves. His 50 strikeouts ranked third on the team to starters Aaron Bummer (56) and Chance Sinclair (52).

Luis Alvarado | HS (Puerto Rico Baseball Academy) | RHP/INF/OF (Boston Red Sox – 33^rd Round)

Alvarado was a late addition to Nebraska’s signing class, as he signed a letter of intent in April. The 6-5 native of Salinas, Puerto Rico, has an athletic frame and could play in the field or pitch for the Huskers.

Tabbed as an second-team underclass All-American in 2013 by Perfect Game, Alvarado earned first-team All-Canada/Puerto Rico honors in 2014. The scouting service ranked Alvarado as the No. 3 high school player in Puerto Rico and the No. 165 high school recruit overall.

Alvarado attended Montverde Academy in Florida in 2013, before returning to Puerto Rico for his senior season.

Garett King | HS (Orange County Lutheran) | RHP (N.Y. Mets – 36^th Round)

The Nebraska coaching staff was able to pull King away from Anaheim, Calif., to sign with the Huskers last fall. The 6-3 righty was tabbed as the No. 18 right-handed pitcher in the state of California by Perfect Game and the No. 187 righty in the country. King was a 2014 California Region honorable-mention pick by Perfect Game in 2014 after earning underclass high honorable-mention All-American honors last season.

As a junior in 2013, King helped the Lancers to a runner-up finish in the Trinity League in after the team won the title in 2012. He also competed at the 2013 PG WWBA World Championships with Team Evoshield in Jupiter, Fla.

2014 MLB Draftees

Monte Harrison | Round 2 (Milwaukee Brewers)

Jakson Reetz | Round 3 (Washington Nationals)

Pat Kelly | Round 12 (Minnesota Twins)

Aaron Bummer | Round 19 (Chicago White Sox)

Zach Hirsch | Round 19 (Milwaukee Brewers)

Luis Alvarado | Round 33 (Boston Red Sox)

Garett King | Round 36 (New York Mets)