Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2009

Miners crank out 3 homers, bury Grizzlies in long ordeal

SAUGET -- Christian Castorri didn't have it Monday, and neither did the rest of the Gateway Grizzlies.

Making his first start for the Grizzlies since 2006, Castorri gave up four runs in the first inning at GCS Ballpark. It was a hole that only got deeper and uglier for Gateway, which lost 14-3 to Southern Illinois before 2,179 fans.

It was another long, long night in a season full of them for the Grizzlies (24-34), who lost their third straight game and fell 10 games below .500.

They surrendered three home runs, including mammoth three-run blasts to Jereme Milons and Adam Hale, and issued eight more walks. It was the 20th time Gateway has given up 10 or more runs.

Gateway pitchers have walked 266 batters, the highest total in the Frontier League. Last year, they led the league with 416 walks and are well on their way to surpassing that total.

Monday's game lasted 3 hours, 16 minutes and probably felt twice as long to Gateway manager Phil Warren.

"Long, ugly games with no tempo -- that's what it's been this season," Warren said. "The offense is in a whole all the time. It's not a good formula to win by. I wouldn't be surprised if we lead professional baseball as a whole in walks. We're probably second in errors.

"It's boring, it's ugly and it's been the death of us so far."

Castorri, who spent the last two years in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization, signed with the Grizzlies on Monday. It's his second tour of duty with Gateway; he was 3-4 with a 4.89 ERA in 23 appearances in 2006.

Castorri was dinged for four runs on three hits in the first inning as Joey Metropoulos had an RBI single, Brad Miller an RBI double and Hale a two-run double.

Splitting time between Class AA Altoona and Class A Lynchburg, Castorri was used strictly out of the bullpen, never going longer than four innings. He lasted 3 2/3 innings against the Miners, allowing four runs on six hits with three walks.

"He's polished enough and that's what he wants to do is start," Warren said "We went to that four-man rotation after the All-Star break and it hasn't worked out as well as we would have liked. He kind of gives the starters an extra day and hopefully, that will rebound the staff a little bit."

With three more long balls, Gateway has now yielded 80, the second-highest total in the league. The Miners (32-26) hit two of the longest home runs at GCS Ballpark this season.

Milons' three-run shot in the fifth off reliever Scott Kelly hit the brick building beyond the fence in left field, a laser that traveled an estimated 375 feet. In the seventh, Hale's three-run moon-shot cleared the back wall in right field and sailed out of the stadium.

"Again, it's nothing new that we haven't talked about," Warren said. "It's the same thing over and over and over again. It won't change until these guys start to play all three aspects of the game."

Southern Illinois starter Brett Scarpetta (3-3) silenced the Grizzlies on two runs on five hits in six innings, striking out six and walking two.

Stephen Holdren had a pair of RBIs on single and groundout.

Vancil tosses no-hitter

Florence Freedom pitcher Preston Vancil tossed the 14th no-hitter in Frontier League history Sunday night in a 5-0 victory over the Traverse City Beach Bums.

Vancil, a native of Sacramento, Calif., walked seven and hit a batter but held the Beach Bums hitless. Vancil fanned eight in the 149-pitch performance.

"It was tough," Vancil said. "Early on, I didn't have my good stuff but I just had to grit through it."

It was the second start of Vancil's professional career.