June 2012
Sky Sox 6/26 Lineup vs Tacoma
1 – #32 DJ LeMahieu – 3B
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – RF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – LF
4 – #40 Matt McBride – 1B
5 – #23 Brandon Wood – SS
6 – #28 Chad Tracy – DH
7 – #29 Brendan Harris – 2B
8 – #6 Brandon Roberts – CF
9 – #38 Wilkin Castillo – C
SP – #34 Rob Scahill – RHP
BROWN WINS PCL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sky Sox outfielder Andrew Brown was awarded the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week yesterday for his offensive onslaught in the week of June 18 to June 24, the first Sky Sox player to win the honor since outfielder Cole Garner won the award in July 12th-18th, 2010. During the week, Brown hit for the “Triple Crown” as he led the league in average (.520), home runs (3) and RBI (14) and his 13 hits and 10 runs scored also topped the PCL. His biggest night came on 6/22 versus the Bees as he had three hits, including a home run for the third night in a row, and six RBIs in Colorado Springs’ 15-5 victory.
SOX STARTER NOTES: Scahill picked up first win at Security Service Field in last start vs Salt Lake (won two straight decisions after losing previous six). Team leader in strikeouts with 84, fourth in the PCL and one of only nine pitchers in the league with at least 70 strikeouts
CURRENT WIN STREAK: Yesterday’s win extended the Sky Sox win streak to five games, equaling their longest streak of the season when Colorado Springs won five straight against Las Vegas and Tucson during the first homestand of the season. During the streak the Sky Sox have outscored their opponents 42-20 and out hit them 58-55.
SOX AND SWEEPS: The Sky Sox will look for their first sweep of the season with a win today, and the Sox are the only team in the Pacific Coast League that has yet to either sweep a team or be swept by a team. Colorado Springs is one of six teams without a sweep (Memphis, Nashville, Round Rock, Tacoma, Tucson) and one of seven teams that has yet to be swept (Albuquerque, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Omaha, Reno, Sacramento).
Sky Sox 6/24 Lineup vs Tacoma
1 – #32 DJ LeMahieu – 2B
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – RF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – LF
4 – #40 Matt McBride – 1B
5 – #5 Tommy Field – SS
6 – #28 Chad Tracy – DH
7 – #6 Brandon Roberts – CF
8 – #25 Omir Santos – C
9 – #24 Jimmy Cesario – 3B
SP – #51 Drew Pomeranz – LHP
Sky Sox 6/23 Lineup vs Tacoma
1 – #5 Tommy Field – SS
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – RF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – LF
4 – #40 Matt McBride – DH
5 – #23 Brandon Wood – 2B
6 – #28 Chad Tracy – 1B
7 – #29 Brendan Harris – 3B
8 – #6 Brandon Roberts – CF
9 – #25 Omir Santos – C
SP – #10 Brandon Hynick – RHP
SKY SOX VS TACOMA: The Sky Sox and Rainiers split their first series of 2012 in Tacoma early in April, and splitting is something these two teams do best. The 2011 series between the two Pacific Northern Division teams was split 8-8, the second time in the last three seasons the two teams have split the season series. The all-time record between the two teams in split in the 300 total games played at 150-150, but Colorado Springs owns the edge at Security Service Field at 82-59.
WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR THE SKY SOX: Sky Sox outfielder Andrew Brown set a single game high for the Sky Sox this season with 6 RBI in last night’s smashing of Salt Lake while hitting his 11th homer of the season, his third consecutive game with a homer. Brown is second in the PCL in RBI with 63, and since May 1st Brown has totaled the most RBI of any player in Triple-A with 56 in 45 games, while totaling the second most extra-base hits in Triple-A during that same span with 32 (behind Iowa’s Anthony Rizzo). Brown leads Colorado Springs in runs (47), and at-bats (248) while ranking third in hits with 72 behind Matt McBride (82) and Hernan Iribarren (73).
BIG MAC: Sky Sox utility player Matt McBride collected four RBI in last night’s win, and became the first player on the Sky Sox to reach 80 hits this season which ranks 13th in the PCL. Since the beginning of the series with Reno on June 11, McBride has totaled 20 hits in 11 games with 13 extra-base hits and 39 total bases, all of which are the most in the PCL during that time frame.
Sky Sox 6/22 Lineup vs Salt Lake
1 – #5 Tommy Field – SS
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – RF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – DH
4 – #40 Matt McBride – LF
5 – #23 Brandon Wood – 3B
6 – #28 Chad Tracy – 1B
7 – #29 Brendan Harris – 2B
8 – #6 Brandon Roberts – CF
9 – #38 Wilkin Castillo – C
SP – #13 Tyler Chatwood – RHP
SOX STARTER NOTES: Chatwood has never faced Salt Lake in his career, as he did not pitch in the first series between the two teams this season, but Chatwood was a member of the Bees for portions of the 2010 and 2011 seasons making five total starts, his only career Triple-A starts before this season. In his last start he recorded eight strikeouts, a Triple-A career high, and the most Chatwood has amassed in a game since 5/5/2010 (Totaled nine in a start with Advanced A Rancho Cucamonga). He is the only Sox starter with five or more starts to not have a win, but tossed four innings of one of the Sky Sox four shutouts this season against Fresno on April 27th.
DOUBLING UP: The Sox offense had three doubles in last night’s win, their fifth consecutive game with at least three doubles, and in the month of June the Sky Sox lead all teams in the Pacific Coast League with 61 doubles. First baseman Chad Tracy leads the team this month with 10 doubles, while utility player Matt McBride and outfielder Andrew Brown are tied for fourth most in the PCL with 22 doubles. Colorado Springs ranks fourth in the league in team doubles at 161.
WOOD ON THE BALL: Sox infielder Brandon Wood led the team with three RBI in last night’s win, and is tied with outfielder Andrew Brown for the team lead in RBI this month with 18 which ranks sixth in the PCL during that time frame. Wood has the second best average on the team in June at .349 (Tim Wheeler is batting .350) and has recorded a RBI in seven of his last nine games.
Sky Sox 6/21 Lineup vs Salt Lake
1 – #5 Tommy Field – SS
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – RF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – DH
4 – #40 Matt McBride – 1B
5 – #2 Hernan Iribarren – LF
6 – #23 Brandon Wood – 3B
7 – #24 Jimmy Cesario – 2B
8 – #6 Brandon Roberts – CF
9 – #38 Wilkin Castillo – C
SP – #34 Rob Scahill – RHP
HIT PARADE: The Sky Sox racked up 12 hits in a losing effort last night, their seventh time the team has totaled double-digit hits in their last nine games (4-3 in those seven games), and the eleventh time this month the Sox have reached the double-digit hit mark. Colorado Springs has totaled 191 hits in June, which is tied with Omaha for third most in the PCL during the month and only trails Reno’s 219 hits and Las Vegas’ 199 hits, who are the only two teams with team batting averages above .300 this season in the Pacific Coast League.
MULTI-HOMERS MISSING: The Sky Sox have yet to have a player this season go deep more than once in a game this season, the longest Colorado Springs has gone in to a season without that feat in franchise history. The previous record was 64 games back in the 2004 season until Andy Tracy hit two bombs on June 15, 2004. The Sky Sox have went yard only 41 times this season, the least in the PCL.
Sky Sox 6/20 Lineup vs Salt Lake
1 – #5 Tommy Field – SS
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – CF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – LF
4 – #40 Matt McBride – 1B
5 – #2 Hernan Iribarren – RF
6 – #23 Brandon Wood – 2B
7 – #28 Chad Tracy – DH
8 – #29 Brendna Harris – 3B
9 – #25 Omir Santos – C
SP – #7 Carlos Torres – RHP
SOX STARTER NOTES: Torres has allowed only seven earned run in his last 16.1 innings with the Sky Sox, and in nine starts with the Sox, he has allowed more than three runs in a game just once (one run or less in six starts). Sky Sox won in Torres’ first four starts this season (2-4 in last six starts). Torres has never faced the Salt Lake Bees in his career, as this is his first season in the Pacific Coast League and Torres was with the Rockies during the first meeting between the Sox and the Bees in late May and early June.
WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR THE SKY SOX: Sky Sox outfielder Andrew Brown led the team with two RBI in last night’s win, upping his team-leading RBI total to 53 on the season and he is just one of seven players in the PCL to hit the half-century mark in RBI this season. Since May 1st Brown has totaled the most RBI of any player in Triple-A with 46. Brown leads Colorado Springs in runs scored (41), doubles (22) and at-bats (240) while ranking third in hits with 64 behind Matt McBride (76) and Hernan Iribarren (71).
HARRIS’ HOT BAT: Sox infielder Brendan Harris had two doubles in yesterday’s win, and has totaled six extra-base hits in his last five games. During his current five-game hitting streak, Harris is batting .444 (8-for-18) with seven RBI, six runs, four doubles and two homers. Harris had nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI in his first 39 games.
SOX STARTERS, RELIEVERS VERY SIMILAR: Colorado Springs starters and relievers have identical 4.70 ERAs this season, even though starters total 343 innings and relievers have totaled 266.1 innings.
Sox Fall Two Outs Short of Team History
In last night’s series-opening 8-2 win against the Salt Lake Bees, Sky Sox starter Drew Pomeranz earned his first win since May 18 by holding the Bees hitless through six innings while totaling a season-high eight strikeouts, the longest start of the Rockies top prospects career without allowing a run (Pomeranz went three hitless innings for the Tulsa Drillers on September 5, 2011 in his last minor league start before making his major league debut on September 11). Despite not allowing any hits, Pomeranz did work out of a no-out bases loaded jam in the fifth set up by two walks and a throwing error on a force attempt without a strikeout and a double play in consecutive batters.
Sky Sox reliever Mike Ekstrom took over for Pomeranz and set down Salt Lake in order in the seventh, then Zach Putnam pitched a perfect eighth inning. Putnam returned for the ninth and allowed two Salt Lake batters to reach base on a fielding error and a walk, then Bees third baseman Luis Jimenez blooped a single just out of the reach of Colorado Springs second baseman Brendan Harris to end the no-hitter bid and scored the first run of the game for Salt Lake. The Bees added another hit in the inning which scored a second run, but despite the no-hitter being lost two outs short of completion, the Sox did set a season-best by holding the Bees to just two hits.
The near no-no would have been the fifth in Sky Sox history, and first since the Sox posted two in 2009. 8.1 innings was the third longest in a game the Sky Sox have gone before giving up their first hit, as Colorado Springs lost two no-hitters late in games in the span of eight days in their first year of affiliation with the Rockies in 1993. Ryan Hawblitzel went 9.1 innings against Vancouver on July 27 (and suffered the loss in the extra-inning game) and three pitchers (Mo Sanford, Terry Wells, Keith Shepherd) went 8.2 innings against Calgary on July 19.
The no-hitter would have been the fourth combined no-hitter in team history.
Sky Sox Lineup 6/19 vs Salt Lake
1 – #5 Tommy Field – SS
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – CF
3 – #12 Andrew Brown – LF
4 – #40 Matt McBride – 1B
5 – #2 Hernan Iribarren – RF
6 – #23 Brandon Wood – 3B
7 – #28 Chad Tracy – DH
8 – #29 Brendan Harris – 2B
9 – #25 Omir Santos – C
SP – #51 Drew Pomeranz – LHP
SKY SOX VS SALT LAKE: In their first meeting of the season the Salt Lake Bees took three of four from the Sky Sox, with the lone win for Colorado Springs coming in their 22-8 victory on May 30, and the Sky Sox are still the only team in the Pacific Coast League to score more than 20 runs in a game this season (the 27 hits are also the highest by any PCL team in a game this year). The Sky Sox took 10 of the 16 games with the Bees last season, who finished last in the Pacific Northern Division, and the 10-6 record included taking six of eight games at Security Service Field. The Bees own the edge in the all-time record at 110-130, but the two teams have split 116 games played in Colorado Springs at 58-58.
HOT WHEELZ: Sky Sox outfielder Tim Wheeler extended his team-high hitting streak to 15 games with a 2-for-6 performance in Sunday’s game. The 15-game streak is the longest hitting streak a Sky Sox player has strung together in 2012 and is also the third double-digit Sox hit streak in 2012. His current 12-game home hitting streak is tied for the second longest in the PCL (two other PCL players have 13-game streaks at home). Since returning from a hand injury on June 1, Wheeler has the most hits on the team with 23 in 16 games and has a hit in every game except for the first game on June 1 in Salt Lake. During that span, Wheeler has raised his average from .200 to .304.
HARRIS HOT IN VEGAS: Sky Sox infielder Brendan Harris went to Vegas and cashed in. While in Sin City, Harris recorded a hit in all four games hitting .429 (6-for-14) with two homers, two doubles, four runs and seven RBI. On 6/17, Harris set season-highs with three hits and three runs while tying the Sky Sox season-high with five RBI.
Sky Sox 6/13 Lineup vs Reno
1 – #21 Hernan Iribarren – 2B
2 – #17 Tim Wheeler – CF
3 – #2 Troy Tulowitzki – SS
4 – #12 Andrew Brown – RF
5 – #40 Matt McBride – 1B
6 – #23 Brandon Wood – 3B
7 – #6 Brandon Roberts – LF
8 – #25 Omir Santos – C
9 – #51 Drew Pomeranz – LHP
TULO IN THE SPRINGS: Rockies All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will join the Sky Sox for today’s game as part of a Major League Rehab assignment for his injured groin he suffered on May 30 against the Astros. This will be Tulowitzki’s third appearance for the Sky Sox in his professional career, as he has completed rehabs in the 2008 season and the 2010 season. Tulowitzki made the jump from Double-A Tulsa to the Majors in 2006 as a prospect.
TOP PITCHING PROSPECTS: Today’s game features a matchup between the top pitching prospect from the Rockies organization in Drew Pomeranz and the top pitching prospect from the Diamondbacks organization in Trevor Bauer, according to both Baseball America and MLB.com prior to the 2012 season. Both pitchers were top-five picks in their respective drafts, with Pomeranz going third overall in the 2010 Draft to the Cleveland Indians and Bauer selected fifth overall in the 2011 Draft. Both are top-20 prospects in all of baseball according to MLB.com.
WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR THE SKY SOX: Sky Sox outfielder Andrew Brown hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season in last night’s loss, and leads the team with 48 RBI this season. Since May 1st Brown has totaled the most RBI of any player in Triple-A with 41 (Reno’s Jake Elmore ranks second with 37 while Ryan Wheeler ranks third with 36). Brown also leads Colorado Springs in home runs, runs scored (35), total bases (107), at-bats (215) while ranking third in hits with 58 behind Matt McBride (64) and Hernan Iribarren (63).
Troy Tulowitzki to Rehab with the Sky Sox 6/13!
Colorado Rockies All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who has been working to get back to the Rockies since injuring his groin in a May 30th game with the Houston Astros, will take one of the final steps in his road of recovery as he is set to make his third career appearance at the friendly confines of Security Service Field on June 13.
Tulowitzki will complete a Minor League Rehab Assignment with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in their series finale with the first-place Reno Aces on Wednesday June 13, the first appearance by the standout shortstop since July of 2010 when he appeared in two games for the Sky Sox against the Sacramento RiverCats, then will attempt to rejoin the Rockies sometime during their nine-game roadtrip which begins June 15.
Tulowitzki made the jump from Double-A Tulsa straight to the Major Leagues in 2006, and skipped Triple-A entirely when rising up the ranks as a top prospect. Tulowitzki has appeared in four total games with the Sky Sox in his professional career, and made his debut with the Sky Sox on June 17, 2008 against the Salt Lake Bees. He has notched at least one hit in three of the four games he has appeared in.
Come out to see one of the Rockies franchise players at your hometown ballpark starting at 12:35 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon!
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