Bruised Miners brace for final stretch of season

PALMER - The Mat-Su Miners are bruised.

There are the nagging injuries, inevitable during the final stretch of a busy summer of baseball that follows directly after a long college season.

But there are also the lingering effects of losing four times during a five-game series against the Peninsula Oilers in Kenai.

The losses kicked Mat-Su from first to third, and three games behind of the now front-running Oilers. But the Miners contend, they may be bruised, but with five games left, their hopes are certainly not broken.

&#8220Obviously the outcomes are not as good as what we wanted, or expected,” Mat-Su head coach Matt Dorey said from Kenai, where the Miners suffered a 3-2 loss to the Oilers Thursday night.

With the top three teams - Peninsula, the Anchorage Bucs and Mat-Su - separated by just three games with a full week of baseball remaining, a lot could change.

Heading into Saturday's action, Peninsula (18-10) stood in first. The Bucs (17-11) are just a game back. Mat-Su (16-14) trails the leaders by three. Even the Glacier Pilots (13-14) and the Goldpanners (12-14) are only four and five games back, respectively.

Only the 9-21 Fire are mathematically eliminated from the title hunt.

Mat-Su starts a two-game set with the Bucs today at 7 p.m. at Mulcahy Stadium. The Miners host Anchorage Monday at 7 p.m.

The Oilers started a four-game set in Fairbanks against the Goldpanners Saturday. They end the season hosting the Bucs in three games.

The Bucs, who played the Glacier Pilots Saturday, have one game against AIA, two against Mat-Su and three against Peninsula left on the schedule.

While trying to stay near the top of the Alaska Baseball League standings, Mat-Su has been trying to overcome injuries to a pair of infielders. John Hee and Cal Krenke have both seen limited action in the last week.

&#8220That's our two third basemen,” Dorey said.

Hee hurt his left shoulder and has missed three straight. Krenke is available to use as a designated hitter, but hasn‘t been able to play the field since hurting his right arm more than a week ago.

In their place, Dorey has had to turn to catchers Jay Ponciano and Kevin McMillen. They are the only extra position players still on the roster.

During the trip to Kenai, Dorey opted to mix up the batting order. Second baseman Travis Coulter, who had spent the entire season in the two-spot, is now Mat-Su lead-off hitter. Coulter slid up the order, when Dorey moved Joe Ercolano to the third

spot.

&#8220We wanted to shake things up a little bit,” Dorey said.

Dorey said both Ercolano, Mat-Su's team leader with a .333 batting average, and Coulter, fourth with a .281 average, are traditional lead-off hitters. He wanted to spread those players out. Left fielder Joey August was moved up to Coulter's spot, and right fielder Donald Brown is now in the clean-up spot.

Miners announce

promotions

The Mat-Su Miners have only three home games left on the 2006 schedule, but they'll be a busy trio of games.

In addition to the action on the field, the Mat-Su organization has teamed with businesses from around the Valley to offer special promotions.

Monday, Mat-Su hosts the Anchorage Bucs at 6 p.m. Wilder Construction and Wells Fargo are sponsoring a baseball card giveaway. The first 200 fans who arrive at the ballpark will receive free Mat-Su Miners baseball cards. It is also Matanuska Music Day at the Park. Free tickets are available at the Wasilla music store.

Wednesday, when the Miners hosts AIA at 6 p.m., is UPS Day at the Park. Free tickets are available at the UPS Store. It is also the Miners' fan appreciation night. The club will open the gates at 3:15 p.m., and allow fans to watch batting practice, score autographs of their favorite players or picture with their favorite players.

On Saturday in the regular season finale, the Miners host the Alaska Goldpanners at 5 p.m. Grandview Inn and Suites is the sponser of the day at the park.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com or 352-2273.