Alaska Baseball League: Miners score win on road

July 27, 2007

By MATTHEW CARROLL/ Peninsula Clarion

KENAI - As of Sunday, the Peninsula Oilers owned the Alaska Baseball League's best ERA at 2.13, due mostly to the consistency of their bullpen.

Thursday night was another telling example of how solid the Oilers' bullpen has become, as five relievers combined to allow only four hits and one unearned run over 7 2/3 innings.

That means, though, that starter Matt Thomson lasted only 1 1/3 innings as the Oilers fell, 8-2, to the second-place Mat-Su Miners at Coral Seymour Memorial Park.

But if there's one thing fans, players and coaches alike can hang their hat on, it's that Oilers' relievers are tough to score on.

&#8220Our bullpen's been solid for us all year,” Peninsula manager Daniel Boyle said. &#8220They've done a great job of coming in and throwing strikes, getting outs when they needed to. And, again, they did it (Thursday). It's probably the only positive of the whole night.

&#8220We always have been able to depend on the bullpen.”

That's no consolation to Boyle, however, as, on an off night for one of his most reliable starting pitchers, his batters still struggled at the plate, limited to only six hits, all singles, by Miners' pitching in falling to 22-16 overall and 14-16 in the ABL.

&#8220I don't want to kick a dead dog, but as far as offense goes, we haven't had offense consistent this whole year. We've had a bunch of bad at-bats, non-team at-bats, just more individual at-bats,” he explained. &#8220As you see, towards the end of the year, it comes back to hurt you when you're not having guys just wanting to get on base, they're wanting to hit to get on, rather than do the little things to do baseball right.”

Boyle conceded that falling behind 5-0 in the first inning clearly makes things more challenging, but, regardless if the Oilers are mathematically eliminated from ABL championship contention and aren't likely headed to the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., he still expects his players to give everything they have - something he hasn't seen as of late.

&#8220They don't compete like they should. They don't do the things that competitive hitters will do,” he said. &#8220It's more of a summer hitter, rather than a hitter that is trying to get better and wanting to do something.

&#8220That's the whole thing. It doesn't matter with the race or not - you're coming out here everyday to play a baseball game,” he added. &#8220You're coming out here to win. And if that's not your attitude, let me know and I won't play you. But that's the attitude you have to come out with because everyday is a new day, it is baseball, but it is also life.”

Life for Thomson (4-3) on Thursday was anything but easy.

He surrendered five singles (Carl Uhl, Joey August, Ryan Conan, Chris McMurray, Jay McConnell), a sacrifice bunt and a walk to the first seven Mat-Su batters he faced, resulting in a five-run outburst the Oilers would never recover from.

Gunner Terhune then opened the second with another base hit and slid safely into second on a fielder's choice by Uhl. Following Dan Price's second sacrifice bunt of the evening, August made it 7-0 and ended Thomson's short outing with a single up the middle.

&#8220They were on his fastball,” Boyle said. &#8220They timed his fastball well and he just wasn't really hitting his spots.”

That's when the virtually impenetrable bullpen took over.

John Dunn - who entered the game with a 0.79 ERA - escaped a bases loaded jam in the third, sat down the side in the fourth and allowed only a single in the fifth before fanning Derek Helenihi, completing his longest effort of the season.

&#8220Dunn's done a great job for us all summer,” Boyle said. &#8220He may not, for as big as he is, may not have the velocity that you expect, but he mixes his speeds well and he throws all of his pitches over for strikes and that makes any guy tough to hit.”

The same goes for the usual closer Paul Smyth, who made things look easy in the sixth, striking out Terhune, Uhl and then Price on a nifty 2-and-2 pitch.

&#8220Paul Smyth's been the same guy all year. He does a good job competing. I love him out on the hill,” he said. &#8220He's the guy that if I were back playing, I'd love to play behind him. And that's what you want on the hill.”

Joey Haug and Hiarali Garcia - who owned the team's best ERA at 0.73 entering Thursday - worked the seventh and eighth, respectively, Garcia allowing an unearned run when a ball slipped through the legs of second baseman Juan Martinez with two outs. Kevin Epperheimer then pitched the ninth, giving up only a walk while inducing two fly outs and a ground out.

On the other side, Miners starter Jerod Eskew was flawless, scattering only four hits and one walk over six strong innings while striking out five.

Stranding a total of eight runners throughout the game and leaving the bases loaded in the seventh, the Oilers waited until the eighth to finally score when Toby Davis reached on a two-base error, advanced to third on a ground out and came home on another ground out by Jeremiah Mejia. They added another in the ninth when Martinez scored on a single by Ryan Wilkes, his second hit of the game.

With only five games remaining, including today's 6 p.m. tilt with the Miners, Boyle's hoping for better.

&#8220It doesn't matter if you're in the race, if you're out of the race - you come out everyday to play hard, get better and win,” he said. &#8220That's got to be your attitude everyday. If that's not going to be your attitude, then I don't want you in the lineup.”

Matthew Carroll can be reached at matthew.carroll

@peninsulaclarion.com.