Tag Archives: MLB

29 Sep

down the stretch

Tony Sipp was sharp, Lance Lynn wasn’t, but both Mississippians were on the winning side in big games on Monday night. Brian Dozier went hitless but produced a sacrifice fly as his team won. Mitch Moreland was 1-for-4, but it wasn’t enough to help his club get a W. With the pressure building in the last week of the MLB season, Sipp was up to his task for Houston. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star entered in the seventh inning against Seattle and promptly picked a runner off first base. He then retired all five batters he faced, notching his 13th hold while preserving a 3-2 Astros lead that held up. Houston gained a game on first-place Texas in the American League West and is now 1.5 games back. The Astros are a half-game up on the Los Angeles Angels for the second wild card and 1.5 games ahead of Minnesota. The Twins, with the aid of Southern Miss alum Dozier’s 76th RBI, beat Cleveland 4-2. Former Mississippi State star Moreland and the Rangers lost to Detroit 7-4. In the National League, St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 3-0 with a three-run ninth inning and moved 4 games up on the second-place Pirates in the Central. Ole Miss product Lynn started for the Cardinals and went five innings, throwing 96 pitches. He allowed four hits and four walks — but nary a run. Buckle your seatbelts. Six days left. P.S. Statistically, Jonathan Papelbon had a good year: 24-of-26 in save opps, 4-3 record, 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP. But no one will remember that. What they’ll remember is that the State alum finished the season on suspension, three games for hitting an opposing batter and four for attacking a Washington teammate. His off-season will be interesting.

27 Sep

by the numbers

100 – Runs this season for Brian Dozier, the former Southern Miss star who scored again in Minnesota’s big (aren’t they all now?) win over Detroit on Saturday. Dozier has reached the 100-run mark each of the last two years.
22 – Years since Toronto last made the postseason, a drought that has ended on the watch of manager John Gibbons, the second former Jackson Mets catcher to get a team into the 2015 American League playoffs. (Ned Yost of Kansas City is the other. Former JaxMets skipper Clint Hurdle has his Pittsburgh team in the National League postseason, and the New York Mets are in, too, as NL East champs, though there are no former OJMs with the team in any capacity.)
12 – Holds by Tony Sipp, the ex-Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star who notched his latest for Houston on Saturday in a crucial win against Texas in their AL West scrap.
5 – Hits by Corey Dickerson, the former Meridian CC standout, in Colorado’s two wins over NL West leader Los Angeles Dodgers in their current series. Dickerson, batting .323, also has three RBIs and three runs in the two games.
2 – Hits by Fred Lewis, the Gulf Coast CC product who added an RBI in Southern Maryland’s Freedom Division series clincher against Lancaster on Saturday. Jackson native Stan Cliburn’s club next plays for the independent Atlantic League championship.
0 – At-bats for Ed Easley, the former Mississippi State star, since St. Louis recalled him to the majors on Sept. 11. Easley is still seeking his first big league hit.

25 Sep

only the beginning

Oh, the Kansas City Royals celebrated on Thursday night. The video evidence is there. Much champagne and beer were spilled after the 10-4 win against Seattle. The Royals – and Mississippians Jarrod Dyson and Louis Coleman — are American League Central champs. But this celebration was different from last year’s, when the Royals claimed a wild card and made the postseason for the first time in 29 years. “We expected this from the first day of the season,” manager Ned Yost, the ex-Jackson Mets catcher (1976-77), told the Kansas City Star, adding that he has “eyes on a much bigger prize.” That would be the World Series crown, which KC was one victory from taking last season. The oft-criticized Yost still has a losing record as a big league manager (919-967) and is under .500 as the Royals’ skipper (462-465). But he has now produced three straight winning seasons, and note that many predictions did not have the Royals as a playoff team in 2015. Yost, third in the AL manager of the year voting in 2014, might be due for that honor. … Dyson, from McComb, and Coleman, from Schlater, didn’t play in Thursday’s clincher. Dyson, the pinch-running and defensive specialist, wasn’t needed, and Coleman reportedly is nursing an arm injury. Dyson has 28 runs, 26 steals and eight outfield assists in 83 games. Coleman, a recent call-up, has worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings but none since Sept. 13. P.S. The spotlight tonight should be on Houston, where the Astros and Texas Rangers begin a three-game series that could settle the AL West. Houston, long the front-runner in the division, now trails red-hot Texas by 3.5 games. Former Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland from Amory has been a force in the heart of Texas’ lineup. Tony Sipp, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College alum out of Pascagoula, is a lefty specialist in the Houston pen. The pair could meet in a big moment this weekend.

24 Sep

turn up the heat

As if there weren’t enough tension in the current Baltimore-Washington series, leave it to Jonathan Papelbon to inject some more on Wednesday. The Beltway rivals are hanging by a thread in their respective playoff quests, and the Orioles’ 4-3 win – which turned on a Manny Machado homer in the seventh inning – was a punch to the gut for the Nationals. In the ninth, ex-Mississippi State standout Papelbon plunked Machado and was promptly ejected. Machado was irate about getting hit, calling it “coward stuff,” among other things. Papelbon, who went up and in twice on Machado before hitting him in the shoulder, denied it was intentional. O’s manager Buck Showalter said of Papelbon, his fellow MSU alum, to The Associated Press: “He kind of reminds me of the wrestlers who pull somebody’s hair and then they throw their hands up.” Nats star Bryce Harper said he expects to get hit in today’s series finale. Stay tuned. … In other Magnolia State news, Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier hit his 28th homer – his first to the opposite field in 2015 – in Minnesota’s win. Southwest Mississippi Community College product Jarrod Dyson stole his 26th base and hit a game-tying sac fly in the ninth as Kansas City rallied to win. Former Ole Miss star Lance Lynn notched his 12th win with six shutout innings for St. Louis. Meridian CC alum Corey Dickerson had three hits, including his seventh homer, in Colorado’s loss to Pittsburgh, which clinched a playoff berth. Clint Hurdle, the former Jackson Mets skipper, has his Pirates club in the postseason for the third straight year. And former Mississippi Braves hurler Arodys Vizcaino notched his seventh save as Atlanta beat the New York Mets. In Vizcaino, who has a 1.86 ERA, the Braves may have found their closer for 2016.

23 Sep

it’s a battlefield

A little rest may have done Brian Dozier a lot of good. The former Southern Miss star had an RBI double and scored a run for Minnesota in a 3-1 win over Cleveland on Tuesday night. Dozier, battling a slump for several weeks, was out of the Twins’ lineup on Sunday for just the fourth time all season; the team was off on Monday. Despite his recent struggles, Dozier now has 98 runs and 71 RBIs – 169 runs accounted for (always a telling stat) in 146 games. Tuesday’s crucial win moved the Twins within 2 games of Houston for the second American League wild card. Ah, but there were games that mattered all over the AL landscape on Tuesday, and Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland played a prominent part in one of them. His two-run homer tied the score for Texas in the sixth inning and the Rangers went on to beat Oakland 8-6. Moreland has 23 homers on the year, matching his career-high, and has four homers and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games, of which Texas has won eight. Texas now leads the AL West by 2 games over Houston, which lost to the Los Angeles Angels, who are a half-game back of Minnesota in the wild card standings. Meanwhile, ex-Ole Miss standout Seth Smith went 1-for-3 with a run as Seattle beat Kansas City, which is battling to hold onto the AL’s best record. Toronto, the AL East leader, is just 1½ games back of the Royals in the best record race even after a loss on Tuesday to the New York Yankees, who hold the second wild card and are still in the East Division race, as well. Yes, it gets confusing. But that’s the fun of September these days. P.S. Ole Miss alum Alex Presley had two more hits – that’s 19 in the postseason – scored twice and drove in a run to help Fresno beat Columbus in the Triple-A championship game. Presley hit .413 over 10 games as Fresno, a Houston affiliate, marched to the Pacific Coast League pennant and then took Tuesday’s one-game Triple-A showdown in El Paso, Texas.

22 Sep

around the horn

Ed Easley, the former Mississippi State star still seeking his first big league hit, might get some opportunities now that St. Louis’ No. 1 catcher, Yadier Molina, is out for an undetermined time with a thumb injury. Easley has played nine pro seasons but has just two MLB at-bats. Tony Cruz is the Cardinals’ interim starting catcher, and they’ve added another backstop in Travis Tartamella. Neither Easley nor Tartamella played in St. Louis’ 2-1 win against Cincinnati on Monday night. … The Reds’ Billy Hamilton reportedly will have season-ending shoulder surgery, putting the ex-Taylorsville High star on the lengthy list of Mississippians whose season was halted by injury. (See Zack Cozart, Aaron Barrett, Kendall Graveman, Desmond Jennings, Jacob Lindgren, Cliff Lee.) … Meridian Community College alum Corey Dickerson, who has done three stints on the DL, went 2-for-3 on Monday to boost his average to .302. He has played just 54 games for Colorado. … Ole Miss product Stuart Turner had an RBI double and scored a run as Chattanooga beat Biloxi 4-0, denying the Shuckers a Southern League championship in their first season. (The Jackson Mets won their first pennant in their seventh season, the Generals in their third and the Mississippi Braves in their fourth.) … Southwest Mississippi CC alum Kade Scivicque and Madison Central High product Spencer Turnbull celebrated a Midwest League championship as West Michigan beat Cedar Rapids 3-2. Turnbull, who started Game 1 of the 5-game series, did not pitch in the clincher. Scivicque was behind the plate, as he was for all of the Whitecaps’ 10 playoff games. Scivicque, drafted in the fourth round by Detroit this June, also was the regular catcher this season for LSU during its College World Series run. … Through the first four scrimmages of State’s fall ball schedule, Brent Rooker is 7-for-12 with two homers, seven RBIs and five runs. The Bulldogs scrimmage again today.

20 Sep

play ball

Yes, there was baseball on Saturday. Even in Oxford and Starkville, where Ole Miss and Mississippi State held scrimmages. There was baseball in Chattanooga, Tenn., where the Biloxi Shuckers moved within one victory of a Southern League championship in their inaugural season. There was baseball in Fresno, Calif., where ex-Ole Miss star Alex Presley, batting .389 in the postseason, had a hit and a run as the host Grizzlies forced a deciding fifth game in the Pacific Coast League finals. There was baseball in Minneapolis, where an error — just the seventh of the year by Southern Miss product Brian Dozier – helped the Los Angeles Angels beat Minnesota 4-3 in the 12th inning. “Bad play by me,” Dozier told The Associated Press. The Twins also lost Game 2 of the twinbill and fell 1½ games behind the Angels for third place in the American League wild card race. There was baseball in Houston, where the Astros, clinging to the second AL wild card, snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Oakland 10-6 with the help of Evan Gattis’ 25th home run. Atlanta fans must wince every time Gattis, the former Mississippi Braves star whose story is such a great one, gets a big hit for Houston, and he’s had a bunch. There was baseball in Detroit, where Southwest Mississippi Community College alum Jarrod Dyson threw out a Tigers runner, Ian Kinsler, at the plate – upon further review – to send the Kansas City-Detroit game into extra innings. Alas, Ned Yost’s scuffling Royals lost the game in 11 on a Kinsler homer. There was baseball in Washington, where the Nationals got a home run from Tyler Moore (No. 5) in a rare start and a save from Jonathan Papelbon (No. 24), both ex-State stars, in a win over Miami. But there isn’t much joy in Washington, home of MLB’s most disappointing team. There was baseball in Tampa Bay, but Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings didn’t play. Oral surgery has ended his injury-marred season; he played 28 games. There was baseball in Milwaukee, but ex-Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton wasn’t there. He was in Cincinnati, having his injured shoulder examined. MLB’s base-stealing leader (with 57) may be shut down for the year. There was baseball also in Sugar Land, Texas, but Rafael Palmeiro didn’t play for the independent Skeeters. After going 2-for-4 on Friday in his first game in 10 years, the 50-year-old MSU alum got a day off. So, yes, there was baseball on Saturday. And, hey, there will be baseball today, too.

18 Sep

numbers game

With a 3.17 ERA, 11 wins and 153 strikeouts in 156 innings this season, ex-Ole Miss standout Lance Lynn has good numbers. But the Chicago Cubs have had his number. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander is 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA against the Cubs heading into today’s big game at Wrigley Field. Lynn was KO’d early by the Cubs 11 days ago, leaving in the third inning down 6-0. He must be aching to strike back. The Cubs’ Chris Coghlan, a fellow ex-Rebel, is 2-for-5 career against Lynn. Starlin Castro has a .351 average and five RBIs against Lynn, Anthony Rizzo a .296 with two homers and seven RBIs. Those could be key matchups, but the wild card at Wrigley is always the wind: Which way is it blowing? Cardinals-Cubs has a lot of history, but it’s special when they meet in September with both in playoff contention. St. Louis leads the Cubs by 7 games in the National League Central, with second-place Pittsburgh 5 games out. The division title isn’t settled yet. “Do we have it in us? I think we do,” Coghlan said in a recent ESPN article. … Mitch Moreland was just 3-for-16 in Texas’ four-game series against Houston, but the former Mississippi State star certainly did some damage. He hit two homers and drove in six runs as the Rangers swept the Astros and jumped 2½ games up in the American League West. Moreland’s three-run homer ignited the Rangers’ 8-2 win on Thursday night. He is batting .283 (career mark .259), with 21 homers (career-best 23) and 77 RBIs (career-best was 60). Yes, it’s a career year.

16 Sep

name dropping

Another day, another big blow by Mitch Moreland. The former Mississippi State star hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth inning for Texas on Tuesday night, propelling the host Rangers past Houston 6-5 and into first place in the American League West. Moreland now has 74 RBIs on the season. The Rangers’ rally muted any celebration by Evan Gattis, who had put the Astros ahead 5-4 with a two-run single in the fourth. Gattis was one of a bundle of ex-Mississippi Braves who made their marks in Tuesday’s box scores, and some of them even play for Atlanta. To wit: Andrelton Simmons got the walk-off hit for the Braves, scoring Todd Cunningham and making a winner of Arodys Vizcaino. Julio Teheran allowed just two runs in 5 2/3 innings against heavy-hitting Toronto, Brandon Cunniff worked a scoreless inning and Daniel Castro chipped in a hit. Elsewhere, Kris Medlen (4-1, 3.92 ERA) got a win for Kansas City, David Hale got a win for Colorado (in a 14-inning affair) and Randall Delgado plucked a W (his sixth) for Arizona by getting one out. Michael Broadway got a hold for San Francisco and J.J. Hoover one for Cincinnati (his 17th, despite allowing a run). Blaine Boyer worked two scoreless innings for Minnesota, Chasen Shreve one for the New York Yankees and Luis Avilan and Ian Thomas one each for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their marathon battle with the Rockies. Jason Heyward went 3-for-4 with a homer (No. 12) as St. Louis won a big game against Milwaukee. Martin Prado had a hit, a run and an RBI as Miami stopped the New York Mets’ eight-game win streak. Tommy La Stella had a hit, a run and an RBI in the Chicago Cubs’ loss to Pittsburgh in Game 1 of a twinbill, and last but never least, Brian McCann got a knock for the Yankees.

15 Sep

western exposure

With the spotlight on the American League West on Monday night, a couple of Mississippians took star turns. At Arlington, Texas, former Mississippi State standout Mitch Moreland hit his 20th home run to help Texas beat Houston 5-3 and move within a half-game of the first-place Astros. The Rangers also kept their grip on the second AL wild card. In Seattle, ex-Ole Miss star Seth Smith hit his 11th homer and drove in three runs as the Mariners routed the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 and knocked L.A. 4.5 games behind Houston and 4 games back of Texas in the wild card race. (Minnesota, of the AL Central, also won and remained a game back of Texas for the second wild card.) P.S. State alum Jonathan Papelbon returned to Philadelphia, made a few controversial pregame comments about his time there — “I was one of the few (Phillies) to actually want to win” — and blew a save for the first time this season. He did get to win, however, as Washington prevailed 8-7 in extras. The Nationals are 20-24 since trading for Papelbon.