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Sky Sox Notes 5/11 @ Nashville

  • LeMAHIEU’S HOT START TO MAY: Sky Sox infielder DJ LeMahieu was the only player in last night’s game to record multiple hits, and has totaled 13 hits in his eight May games while also knocking in 8 RBI so far this month.  LeMahieu ranks seventh in all of Triple-A with 42 hits, and is one of two Sky Sox players that has totaled 20 RBI this season and one of three current Sky Sox players with an average above .300 (.318).
  • SOX AND LAST AT-BATS: With the Sounds scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning last night, it now makes four straight games for the Sky Sox where the game-winning run (or runs) have been scored in the winning team’s last at-bat, and five of the last six games for Colorado Springs.  The Sox are 2-4 in their last six games.

Tonight’s Sky Sox Starter: RHP Edgar Gonzalez

  • The only pitcher who has made both a start and a relief appearances this season for the Sox
  • Gonzalez has made two starts this season, one tossing four scoreless innings, but has received a no decision in both starts (Sky Sox are 2-0 in games he has started).  Has allowed three earned runs in his nine innings as a starter.
  • Only pitcher on 2012 roster who has previous starts for Sky Sox, has pitched five seasons in the PCL
  • Has played in the Majors with Arizona and Oakland and owns a career Major League record of 14-25 with a 5.90 ERA in 109 appearances (41 starts)

Sky Sox Notes for 5/10 @ Nashville

Observations from yesterday’s game: 6-2 Loss in Nashville, Series at 1-1

  • RECORD-SETTING RELIEVER: Before he allowed three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday, the 1-2-3 seventh inning by Colorado Springs reliever Mike Ekstrom set a new Sky Sox record for scoreless innings to start a season at 19.1 innings.  The previous record was 18.2 innings, set by Matt Reynolds in 2010.
  • TRIPLE-A LEADER McBRIDE: Even though Sky Sox utility player Matt McBride has gone 0-for-9 in the first two games of this series, he continues to lead all of Triple-A with 46 hits this season.  McBride’s .359 batting average ranks fifth in all of Triple-A, and also fifth in the PCL.  McBride has appeared in every Sky Sox game this season.
  • SOX ROTATION TO ROX ROTATION: In back-to-back days, 2012 Sky Sox starters Alex White and Christian Friedrich posted quality starts for the Rockies after being recalled to Colorado in their series with the San Diego Padres.  White tossed 6.1 innings and allowed two runs while striking out five, but suffered the loss as the Rockies posted one run of support.  In his MLB debut, Friedrich allowed one earned run (two runs) while striking out seven Padres in his six innings of work to notch his first MLB win.  Four of the five pitchers in the original Sky Sox rotation have been called up to the Rockies.
  • FEW HOMERS FOR SOX AND SOUNDS:  Colorado Springs and Nashville have allowed the least home runs in the league, at 18 and 22 respectively.  The two teams have also hit the least home runs, with the Sox hitting 21 and the Sounds hitting 18 so far this season.

Tonight’s Sox Starter: Rob Scahill (3-3, 6.00 ERA)

  • Team leader in strikeouts with 36, team leader in walks with 16
  • Only starter from the original 2012 Sky Sox rotation that has yet to be called up to the Rockies
  • Undefeated in his three road starts, with 3.31 ERA compared to his 9.22 ERA at Security Service Field

Sky Sox Notes for 4/30 @ Sacramento

Observations from yesterday’s 3-4 Loss in Series Finale at Fresno:

  • STELLAR STARTERS:  Sky Sox starters have given up two earned runs or less in 18 of the 24 games this season (and only ten combined earned runs in their last six games).  Christian Friedrich, Carlos Torres and Alex White all have made at least four starts (with Torres making five starts) and in those starts they have all given up less than 10 earned runs.
  • PITCHING PROWESS: The Sky Sox pitching staff continues to be the story of the Sox 13-11 start, with Colorado Springs becoming the first team in the PCL to reach 200 strikeouts (currently totaling 204 coming in to tonight’s game) giving up the least home runs at 11 while also being tied for the most shutouts as a team with three and the fewest walks issued at 62.  The Colorado Springs staff has also allowed the fifth fewest earned runs at 88 (Sacramento has allowed the four fewest earned runs at 87).
  • PACHECO’S HOT STARTS WITH SKY SOX: In his first twelve games with the Sky Sox this season catcher/infielder Jordan Pacheco has collected a hit in ten of the twelve games he has started (including eight multi-hit games) and is hitting .438 (21-for-48) with two doubles, two home runs and seven runs scored.  During the 2011 season, Pacheco also collected a hit in ten of his first twelve games with the Sky Sox as well as scoring seven runs during those twelve games last year.
  • SERIES STREAK ENDS: The Sox had not lost a series this season until losing three of four to Fresno over the weekend, and now the only PCL teams yet to lose a series in 2012 are Fresno, Omaha and Sacramento.

Tonight’s Sky Sox starter: Rob Scahill (2-2, 7.11 ERA)

  • Has won both of his road starts for the 2012 season, allowing only two earned runs in each start.
  • Collected his first Triple-A win his first Triple-A start, the only Sky Sox starting pitcher to win their first start of the 2012 season.
  • Set a Sky Sox record for strikeouts in a loss, striking out 11 Tucson Padres in the Sky Sox 10-2 loss, their only loss in the series with Tucson.  Scahill allowed only one earned run in the game, but was saddled with the loss.

Sky Sox Notes for 4/24 @ Las Vegas

Observations from last night’s 14-2 win in Las Vegas:

  • GRAND SLAM HISTORY: With Matt McBride’s grand slam in the eighth inning to cap the Sky Sox 14-2 rout of Las Vegas, the Sky Sox have hit two grand slams so far in the series with Wil Nieves grand slam on Saturday, the first time the Sky Sox have ever hit multiple grand slams in the same series ion the road in their 25-year history.  The 2011 Sky Sox made team history last year by being the first team to hit two grand slams on the same roadtrip, with Eliezer Alfonzo hitting one against Tacoma on June 22, 2011 and Ian Stewart smacking one against Salt Lake on June 26th, 2011.
  • CLEANING MAN: Matt McBride’s 4-for-5 performance last night with 5 RBI, a grand slam and two doubles improved his already impressive average at the cleanup spot in the lineup to .462 (18-for-39).  On the season McBride is slugging .744 and has an OPS of 1.231 batting fourth, as well as totaling 14 of his 18 RBI and collecting at least a hit in eight of the nine games where he has batted from the cleanup spot.  Other Sky Sox players who have hit fourth in the lineup this season (Andrew Brown, Chad Tracy) are batting a collective .226 (7-for-31).
  • ONE WITHOUT DOUBLE-DIGIT RUNS:  With the 14-run outburst by the Sky Sox last night, the Nashville Sounds are now the only team in the PCL that has yet to score double-digit runs in a game this season.
  • SOX STINGY WITH HOMERS: The Sky Sox have allowed only one home run in their last ten games (Travis Snider’s solo home run in the 5th inning of Saturday’s 9-8 loss) and are the only team left in the Pacific Coast League that has not allowed double-digit home runs as a team.  During the same stretch of ten games, the Sky Sox have hit nine home runs and six in the last three games.

Tonight’s Sky Sox starter: Rob Scahill (1-2, 8.56 ERA)

  • Set a Sky Sox record for strikeouts in a loss, striking out 11 Tucson Padres in the Sky Sox 10-2 loss on April 19th, their only loss in the series with Tucson.  Scahill allowed only one earned run in the game, but was saddled with the loss.
  • In the 2012 home opener for the Sky Sox Scahill retired the first eight Las Vegas batters of the game, but a two-out rally resulted in a grand slam for 51s outfielder Travis Snider in the 3rd inning.  Scahill allowed six hits in the fourth inning before being pulled, and was charged with 10 runs in the start.

Pacheco to Make 2012 Debut Behind the Plate

Jordan Pacheco has started at third base in all four appearances with the Sky Sox in 2012, as well as playing either third base or first base in his four starts for the Rockies before being optioned down to Colorado Springs, but Pacheco will return to catcher for tonight’s homestand finale against the Tucson Padres.

Pacheco started 86 of his 97 games with the Sky Sox as a catcher, and led the Pacific Coast League in fielding percentage for catchers at .991.  He also posted the fifth best caught stealing percentage in the league at 20.5%, or throwing out 25 of the 122 steal attempts.   Pacheco’s last appearance as a catcher was in the September 28th Season Finale for the Rockies when he enjoyed a late season callup, and his last appearance behind the plate for the Sky Sox was on September 3rd, 2011.

Tonight’s Lineup against Tucson is as followed:

1 – 2B   DJ LeMahieu

2 – C   Jordan Pacheco

3 – CF   Charlie Blackmon

4 – LF   Andrew Brown

5 – RF   Matt McBride

6 – SS   Tommy Field

7 – 3B   Brandon Wood

8 – 1B   Chad Tracy

9 – SP   Alex White

Sky Sox Notes for 4/20 vs Tucson

Observations from yesterday’s game: 10-2 Loss to Tucson, Snaps 5-Game Win Streak

  • STRIKEOUTS IN LOSS: Sky Sox starter Rob Scahill set a Sky Sox record yesterday for most strikeouts in a losing effort with 11 K’s in his 5.1 innings of work against Tucson.  The total was one shy of the home record of 12, set by Nate Minchey vs Tucson on June 4, 1997 and matched by Mike Saipe against Vancouver on May 15, 1998.  Also the performances by Scahill and Guillermo Moscoso just two days apart is a new Sky Sox record for time period between two double-digit strikeout performances, breaking the previous record of 10 days apart set in 1998.  The last time multiple Sky Sox pitchers had 10 or more strikeouts in a game in the same season was 2002 (Bryan Rekar, Victor Santos, Jason Young).
  • NO RUNS RELIEVER: With his 1.1 scoreless innings yesterday, Sky Sox reliever Mike Ekstrom has still yet to allow a run this season.  Ekstrom has pitched 9.1 innings on the year, the second most scoreless innings of any pitcher in the Pacific Coast League behind Rob Delaney of New Orleans (11 innings).
  • BASES LOADED STRUGGLES: The Sky Sox only managed one run out of two bases loaded situations in yesterday’s loss, and for the season Colorado Springs has only one hit (McBride triple in the ninth inning against Tacoma on April 12) and are batting .091 (1-for11) with the bases loaded this season.
  • DOUBLE-DIGIT RUNS: The Sky Sox have given up double-digit runs three times this season, tied for second most in the Pacific Coast League, but are one of four PCL teams that has yet to score double-digit runs this season (Memphis, Nashville, Reno).

Tonight’s Sky Sox Starter: RHP Alex White (0-1, 4.32 ERA)

  • Only Sky Sox starter yet to record a win, starter in Sky Sox first home win on 4/14 vs Las Vegas
  • Has allowed two earned runs in each of his first two starts
  • Made seven starts for the Rockies at the end of last season, going 2-4 with a 8.42 ERA (36.1 IP, 34 ER) with 24 strikeouts and 16 walks

Sky Sox Notes: 4/18 vs Tucson

Observations from last night’s game: 8-1 Rout of Tucson in Series Opener

  • MOSCOSO’S K’S: Sky Sox starter Guillermo Moscoso notched his first win of the season, going 6.2 innings and striking out 10 Tucson Padres, the most strikeouts of any Sox starter this season.  The ten strikeouts is the most by a Colorado Springs starter since July 17th, 2004, when Jeff Francis struck out 12 New Orleans Zephyrs at New Orleans.  The ten strikeouts were the most at Security Service Field since Jason Young mowed down 11 Iowa Cubs on August 29th, 2002.
  • SOX STREAKING: The Sky Sox have currently won four straight, and five of their last six games, and during the streak the Sky Sox have allowed just six total runs.  Sky Sox starters have an ERA of 1.59 in their 22.2 combined innings pitched during the win streak, and have allowed just two earned runs in the last 17.2 innings.  Before last night’s seven-run win, the largest margin of victory for the Sky Sox in 2012, Colorado Springs had won the previous three games by a combined three runs with two last at-bat wins.
  • ROOM ABOVE .500: With last night’s 8-1 win, the Sky Sox now sit at 8-5, the most games above .500 the Sky Sox have been since May 12, 2010 when they were 18-15.
  • THREE OR LESS:  The Sky Sox have held their opponent to three runs or less in eight of the 13 games this season, and the Sox are undefeated in those games (8-0). Colorado Springs has not won a game when they allow more than three runs (0-5).

Today’s Sky Sox Starter: Carlos Torres (0-0, 4.00 ERA)

  • Torres has never faced the Tucson Padres or any Tucson franchise in his career, as he is making his third career PCL start in tonight’s game.
  • Only regular Sky Sox starting pitcher (Friedrich, Moscoso, Scahill, White) that the Sky Sox are undefeated when starting.
  • Leads the Sky Sox in walks with six, issuing five in his first start of the 2012 season.
  • Named the Triple-A Starting Pitcher of the Year by MiLB.com in 2009 while with the Charlotte Knights.

Sox Notes for 4/17 vs Tucson

Observations from last night’s games: Sox Sweep Doubleheader

  • Yesterday’s 2-1 win in the first game of the doubleheader featured two pitchers who notched complete games, Las Vegas right-hander Jesse Chavez and Sox left-hander Christian Friedrich, the first complete games by any PCL pitchers so far this season.  The complete game was the first complete game by a Sky Sox pitcher since August 8, 2010 (Alan Johnson) and the first complete game win since June 5, 2010 (Chaz Roe).
  • Sky Sox outfielder Andrew Brown ended the first game in dramatic fashion with a walk-off home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh inning.  Not only the first walk-off hit for a Sky Sox player, but it was also the first RBI for a Sky Sox DH this season
  • After allowing 14 runs and 18 hits in the series opener against Las Vegas, the Sky Sox pitching staff held the 51s to five runs and 16 hits in the last three games of the series combined.
  • Sky Sox infielder DJ LeMahieu had his team-high nine game hitting streak snapped in the second game of the doubleheader.  LeMahieu hit .405 during the streak with a HR and 5 RBI.

Tonight’s Sky Sox Starter: Guillermo Moscoso (0-2, 11.05 ERA)

  • Moscoso has only faced the Tucson Padres once in his three years in the PCL, in 2011 as a member of the Sacramento River Cats.  Moscoso suffered the loss by giving up five earned runs, including a two-run home run in the first inning, in a 7-5 loss on April 25, 2011.
  • Second start of 2012 lasted only 2.1 innings, with Moscoso giving up 12 hits, seven earned runs in the Sky Sox 5-15 loss at Tacoma April 11th.
  • Lost first start of 2012, but struck out six Reno Aces and retired 10 of the last 12 batters he faced after giving up two runs in the first inning.
  • While with the Oakland A’s last season, Moscoso ranked second among AL rookies in ERA and third in opponents batting average (.212), based on a minimum of 81.0 innings pitched, while also ranking fifth among AL rookies in wins, sixth in games started and innings pitched (128.0) and tied for eighth in strikeouts (74).

Sky Sox Notes for 4/14 vs Las Vegas

Observations from last night’s game: 14-0 Loss to Las Vegas in 2012 Home Opener

  • The 14-0 loss in the Sky Sox home opener was the worst home opener loss in team history, doubling the previous record of seven runs, and is the only time the Sky Sox have been shut out in the home opener. 
  • In the last seven games played at Security Service Field between the 51s and the Sky Sox, at least one team has scored double-digit runs in six of the seven games.  In those seven games the two teams have combined to score 102 runs, with the Sky Sox totaling 60 of the 102 runs.
  • Infielder DJ LeMahieu extended his hitting streak to seven games with his single in the sixth inning of last night’s game, and is batting .367 (11-for-30) during the streak after not recording a hit in the first two games of the season.

Tonight’s Sky Sox starter: RHP Alex White (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

  • Lost first career PCL start of his career by allowing two runs in the first inning against Tacoma on April 9th, but did not allow a hit the rest of his 3.1 inning start.
  • Made 10 starts in the Major Leagues last season, his first season in the Majors, recording three starts as a Cleveland Indian and seven starts as a member of the Colorado Rockies after being traded.
  • One of two pitching prospects acquired in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade last July.

Observations from last night’s game: 2-0 Shutout of Tacoma

  • The Sky Sox held the Rainiers to three total hits, the first time since Colorado Springs have held an opponent to three hits or less since August 22, 2010 against the Fresno Grizzlies.  The blanking of Tacoma also matched the Sky Sox total for shutouts all of last season (1)
  • Last night’s starting pitcher Christian Friedrich and catcher Wil Nieves were two of the main factors in last night’s win, and did so with performances that were a bit unordinary based on their  career statistics.  In his first Triple-A win of his career Friedrich pitched 7.1 innings, only the second time he had pitched more than seven innings in a game in 78 career starts, and allowed no earned or unearned runs, a feat he had pulled off only twice in his last 52 MiLB starts dating back to the 2009 season.  Nieves, who provided a clutch insurance run with his solo homer in the ninth inning, has only 53 home runs in 3,642 career minor league at-bats (one every 68 at-bats) and had only two home runs in 208 at-bats last season.
  • DJ LeMahieu leads the PCL with five steals in the first six games of the season.  The infielder had nine all of last season in 145 games across three levels with the Chicago Cubs (4 with Double-A Tennessee in 50 games, 5 with Triple-A Iowa in 58 games and none with the Cubs in 37 games).

Tonight’s Sky Sox starter: Guillermo Moscoso

  • Lost first start of 2012, but struck out six Reno Aces and retired 10 of the last 12 batters he faced after giving up two runs in the first inning.
  • Moscoso has faced the Rainiers once in his professional career, last year in the second game of the 2011 season for the Sacramento River Cats.  In that start, the right-hander gave up an early run, the only run he allowed, in the first inning on an RBI triple by Matt Tuiasosopo.  Moscoso allowed only three more baserunners the rest of his five-inning start after the first, getting the no decision in the Rainiers 3-1 win.
  • Has a career Minor League record of 44-29 with a 3.19 ERA (676.2 IP, 240 ER) in 142 appearances and 103 starts.
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