| better than I could imagine starting out of
the gate," Lansing pitching coach Mike Anderson said. "They
made good adjustments early and took their game plans right in. For the
most part, I couldn't be more happy with how the starters have thrown
the ball."
The most impressive starter has been Marshall,
who has gone 17.2 innings without surrendering an earned run.
Marshall has struck out a
team-best 35 batters and walked just three all year. He's 1-0 in five
starts, but has taken no-decisions in the last four because the bullpen
has failed to hold late leads.
"The guys are doing what they can do right now and some bad
things have been happening," Marshall
said. "It's been unfortunate, but they are going out there to try
their best. It's not like anybody is trying to throw the game or
anything."
But you might think otherwise when looking at the numbers.
The Lugnut relievers have a combined record of 2-5 with a 4.34 ERA in
62.2 innings of work.
Despite the poor statistics, the Lugnuts coaching staff is not
concerned about the bullpen's performance.
"I have a lot of confidence in the bullpen," Garcia said.
"I think we have a very good bullpen. It's just at this point a
bunch of one- and two-run games could have gone either way."
An 11-run debacle in a ninth-inning collapse against Dayton on
Friday, and four extra-inning losses already this season, are prime
examples of that tough luck.
"If you take away a couple of three-run home runs that happened
late in the game and what went on Friday, the relievers are probably not
real far off the starters," Anderson said. "They've done an
outstanding job, too."
Adalberto Mendez finished the month of April with a league-best seven
saves and has the long-term potential to turn into a solid closer.
"He's still a young kid and he's learning," Garcia said.
"I think he's going be a pretty good closer. He has to develop his
other pitches, but the unfortunate thing about being a closer is that
it's tough to develop them. Because when they get in the game they are
just trying to compete and get guys out."
THE NEW GUY: Kris Gross, Lansing's newest bullpen addition, is now
with the team and expected to contribute immediately.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander from Lee's Summitt, Mo., spent time with
the Mesa (Ariz.) Cubs and Boise (Idaho) Hawks last year. He went 2-2
with a 2.98 ERA in 22 games in his first professional season after
signing with Chicago as a non-drafted free agent in 2003.
"He's got a nice little sinker, a curve, a slider and a
change," Anderson said. "He's a welcome addition to the
bullpen."
Gross is replacing Jermaine Van Buren, who was promoted to Double-A
West Tennessee of the Southern League on April 20. In three games with
the Diamond Jaxx, Van Buren has not allowed a run in 5.1 innings. He's
struck out six and picked up two saves.
STREAKING: Catcher Alan Rick and shortstop Carlos Rojas currently
have the two longest hitting streaks for the Lugnuts.
Rick has collected a base hit in six consecutive games, while Rojas
has a hit in five straight.
Outfielder Chris Walker and catcher Jake Fox set team-highs for the
season at seven games
The streak couldn't have come at a better time for Rick, who
struggled with a 1-for-21 slump to start the year. He is 8-for-22 since
then.
"I didn't even know I had a streak going," Rick said.
"It's good though because I had a real bad start. I've been coming
in and working real hard on my swing to get something going."
COMING BACK: Justin Jones, a 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher chosen in
the second round of the 2002 draft, is expected to report to Lansing
after he is finished rehabilitating his shoulder.
"They are trying to build him up enough so that when he comes
here, he can go four to five innings or something of that
magnitude," Garcia said.
Jones, who is listed as Chicago's No. 2 prospect by Baseball America,
spent the entire year in Lansing last season. He posted a 3-5 record in
16 starts with a 2.28 ERA.
"He's got quality stuff," Garcia said. "He's got three
good pitches and for the most part he's was able to command them. It
would be nice to get him back.
"
Where are they now?
Andy Sisco
Baseball America's No. 4 minor -league prospect in the Chicago Cubs
organization is off to a very rough start with the Daytona (Fla.) Cubs
of the Florida State League. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound lefty is 0-3 in
five starts with a 5.47 ERA. He has allowed 26 hits, 11 walks and 16
earned runs in 26.1 innings.
Sisco, a second-round pick in 2001 and a $1 million bonus baby, spent
all season in Lansing last year, posting a 6-8 record with 99 strikeouts
in 94 innings. He missed two months of the season with a broken hand
from punching a wall in frustration, but finished the year strong and
did not allow an earned run in two playoff starts as Lansing won the
Midwest League championship. |
