O’FALLON, Mo. — Southern Illinois dropped its Tuesday game at River City, 5-2, but stayed in sole possession of first place in the Frontier League West.  Jeremy Dow (0-1) lasted five innings and allowed three earned runs — all with two outs — in his first appearance as a Miner.  Tim Dorn finished with three base hits, an RBI and a run scored.

River City scored three runs off Dow in the third inning on a bases-loaded balk and Andrew Sweet’s two-run single.  The Miners loaded the bases in the fourth after back-to-back doubles by Tim Dorn and Brandon Jones and Randy Rosa’s hit by pitch.  Mike Scanzano’s base-on-balls plated Dorn to cut River City’s lead to 3-1, but back-to-back strikeouts from Bradley Goldsmith and Tyler Lairson preceded Kevin Koski’s inning-ending 6-4 fielder’s choice.

The Rascals plated two more two-out runs off reliever Brian Wilburn in the seventh on Andrew Sweet’s single and a bases-loaded walk to Jeff Miller.  Tim Dorn’s eighth-inning double scored Willie Keene from second base for the Miners’ final tally.

Southern Illinois brought the tying man to the plate twice in the ninth, but Kevin Koski popped out and Eric Suttle was retired on a called third strike.

Score by inning     R H E
SIL    000 100 010 - 2 9 0 
RCY  003 000 20X - 5 9 1 

E - Stone. DP - Rascals 1. LOB - Miners 9; Rascals 7. 2B - Keene; Dorn 2; Jones; Basom. HBP - Suttle; Rosa. SH - Stone. SB - Koski; Hough; Wehrle. CS - Stone.

SI Miners
Dow………5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 BK, 19 AB, 21 BF
Wilburn….1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 7 AB, 11 BF
Starnes…..1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 4 AB, 4 BF

River City
Clem…….7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 2 HP, 28 AB, 31 BF
Lee……….0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2 AB, 2 BF
Miller…….1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5 AB, 5 BF

HBP - by Clem (Rosa); by Clem (Suttle). BK - Dow. PB - Sweet. Pitches/strikes: Dow 89/57; Wilburn 50/22; Starnes 19/13; Clem 113/70; Lee 10/7; Miller 21/13.
Strikeouts - Koski; Suttle; Scanzano; Goldsmith 2; Lairson 2; Laurent; Hough;Miller,Je; Newman 3. Walks - Scanzano; Laurent; Hough 2; Miller,Je; Wehrle.

Umpires - HP: Don Novak  1B: Steve Dunahue  3B: Larry Donovan Start: 7:06   Time: 3:00   Attendance: 2003

7:09 p.m.

O’FALLON, MO – The Southern Illinois Miners placed closer Travis Hope on the Retired List and assigned all-star second baseman Tony Roth to the 14-day Injured Reserve before Tuesday’s game at River City.  the team also released left-handed pitcher Chris Tierney, who was placed on the Retired List before the season began.

Hope (0-1, 2.45 ERA) injured the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder in a June 5 appearance.  He appeared in seven games before the Miners assigned him to the Injured Reserve list on June 7.  The 26-year-old Marion native seemed to be progressing in his rehabilitation, but was forced to shut down his Sunday bullpen session after he experienced discomfort in his throwing shoulder.  Miners manager Mike Pinto said the team could resign Hope in 30 days.

Hope will meet with a doctor when the team returns to Marion Thursday after its six-game road trip.  Hope and all-star slugger Tim Dorn were the last two members of the Miners’ 2007 opening day roster.

Roth, 25, has battled both a balky back and a tailbone bruise for the better part of the last month.  He left Monday’s game after taking his fifth-inning at-bat.  Roth had a .300 batting average, four home runs and 19 RBIs in 43 games.  Southern Illinois received Roth in a March 7 trade with Evansville. 

Tierney, a 25-year-old left-handed pitcher, signed with the team during the offseason but was placed on the Retired List before the Miners opened play on May 21.  

O’FALLON, Mo. — Southern Illinois looks to pick up its third straight series win when it faces off with River City in tonight’s 7:05 p.m. game.  The Miners also have a chance at making history at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.  A win tonight would put Southern Illinois eight games over .500 for the first time in the franchise’s existence.  

One of the biggest reasons for Southern Illinois’ first-place season has been its play on the road.  The Miners 17-8 record away from home is the best in the Frontier League.  Southern Illinois has an FL West-best 31-24 record as a result. 

Click here for bench coach Bart Zeller’s thoughts on the Miners’ most recent travels in this week’s edition of “Bart’s Diary.”

Click here for the pre-series notebook.  Click here for last night’s (late) post-game wrap.

Click here for tonight’s lineups.

Lineup notes:  Switches abound tonight.  2B Tony Roth will miss tonight’s game.  Tyler Lairson will take over for Roth in the field and bat ninth.  Eric Suttle will start in right field and bat second.  Joey Metropoulos gets the night off with a sore groin.  Tim Dorn will play first base and bat cleanup.  Usual 1B Brad Miller will miss tonight’s game with a sore left shoulder.  Willie Keene will DH and bat third.  Randy Rosa will start in place of Brendan Akashian and bat sixth.  Bradly Goldsmith will play left and bat eighth.  Brandon Jones moves up to fifth in the batting order.    

Roster note:  The Miners will add right-hander pitcher Jeremy Dow to the roster today.  Click here for the exclusive Miner Details brief.  We’ll update the brief and add a note when manager Mike Pinto releases a pitcher to make room for Dow on the 24-man roster.  Dow pitched for Midwest until his July 14 release.  Dow will make his first start as a Miner in tonight’s game.

Roster note II:  Click here for a brief on River City’s all-star closer Mike Benacka signing with the Oakland A’s Class A affiliate.  

The Miners’ last 10 games:  The Miners are 7-3 in their last 10 games.  Southern Illinois has averaged 5.3 runs per game over that stretch.  The team is batting .279 with nine home runs and 48 RBIs.  The Miners’ pitching staff has an unbelievable 1.68 ERA and has given up only 17 earned runs in 91 innings. 

Miners’ bats in the last 10 games:  C Brendan Akashian has a .321 batting average (9-for-28) with two RBIs and four runs scored in the last 10 games…DH/1B Tim Dorn (.289 BA) is tied for the team lead with 11 hits…Dorn has two home runs, seven RBIs and six runs scored…CF Kevin Koski (.297 BA) has 11 hits in nine games with six runs scored and four RBIs…1B Brad Miller (.286 BA) leads the team in runs scored (8)…Miller has 10 hits, one home run and seven RBIs…SS Mike Scanzano has 10 hits, a .333 batting average, five runs scored and four RBIs in nine games…OF Eric Suttle owns a team-best .360 average with one home run and four RBIs in nine games…INF Tyler Lairson has a .350 batting average (7-for-20), one home run, six runs scored and four RBIs in nine games…3B Brandon Jones has a .205 average (8-for-39) with three RBIs…RF Joey Metropoulos (.258 BA) leads the team with three home runs.

Miners’ pitchers in the last 10:  RHP Ryan Bird is 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three starts…Bird has 31 strikeouts, seven walks and 13 hits and one earn run allowed in 21.0 innings…RHP Chris Allen is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two starts…RHP Chris Little is 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts…Little has 14 strikeouts, one walk and 10 hits allowed in 17 innings…RHP Armando Carrascao is 0-1 with four earned runs allowed in five innings over four appearances…All Carrasco’s earned runs came on a grand slam…RHP Brett Scarpetta (Wednesday’s starting pitcher) has a 5.58 ERA after allowing six earned runs on 12 hits in two no-decisions…RHP Griffin Bailey has a 0.00 ERA in 6.2 innings of relief over four appearances.

Tonight’s weather forecast:  Widely scattered thunderstorms then partly cloudy with a low temperature around 65 degrees.  Winds will come from the north-northeast at five to 10 miles per hour with a 30 percent chance of rain.

Tonight’s starting ptichers:
Right-hander Jeremy Dow (2-7, 7.48 ERA) makes his 10th start of the season tonight.  The Miners signed Dow earlier today.  Dow allowed 36 earned runs with 34 strikeouts and 34 walks in 41.1 innings for the Midwest Sliders before coming to the Miners.  Dow pitched in the Frontier League in 2006 and 2007 for Kalamazoo, Gateway and Traverse City.  He entered the 2008 season with a 4-5 record and 4.84 career ERA in 29 appearances.  His former manager at Midwest, Eric Coleman, said the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Dow has a high-80s fastball, a curve and a changeup.   

River City right-hander Chris Clem (3-5, 6.48 ERA) makes his 14th appearance tonight.  Clem will start his 10th game.  Opponents are batting .343 against Clem, who’s given up 42 earned runs on 85 hits in 58.1 innings.  Clem has 46 strikeouts and 23 walks.  He’s given up six home runs.  Clem is 0-2 with a 17.05 ERA versus the Miners in two appearances.  He allowed eight earned runs in 3.1 innings in a July 5 start at Rent One Park.  Clem gave up four earned runs in a three-inning relief appearance at T.R. Hughes Ballpark on June 21.  The 6-foot, 220-pound Clem has a high-80s four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a curveball and a changeup. 

We’ll be back with lineups and any breaking news as it comes in here at T.R. Hughes Ballpark…

First pitch, strike, 7:09 p.m.

First inning:
River City starter Chris Clem gave up a pair of two-out hits but got out of the inning unscathed.  Center fielder Kevin Koski grounded out, 4-3, on a 0-2 pitch.  Right fielder Eric Suttle sent a 1-2 offering back to Clem for a 1-3 putout.  Designated hitter Willie Keene lined a 3-1 pitch to left for a single.  First baseman Tim Dorn legged out an infield single on a slow roller to third base.  Third baseman Brandon Jones lifted a 0-2 offering to right field for the final out. 

New Miners starter Jeremy Dow got first-pitch strikes on every batter in a 1-2-3 inning.  Center fielder Luke Barganier sent a 1-1 offering to the warning track in right field for a fly-out.  Catcher Andrew Sweet flied-out to right on a 1-2 changeup.  Right fielder Phil Laurent went down swinging on a 1-2 fastball.  0-0.

Second inning:
Clem retired the Miners’ side in order.  Catcher Randy Rosa grounded out, 4-3, on a two-ball, two-strike offering.  Shortstop Mike Scanzano grounded into a 6-3 putout on a full-count pitch.  Left fielder Bradley Goldsmith grounded out, 6-3. 

Clem gave up a one-out double in a scoreless second inning.  Third baseman Brad Hough was called out on strikes in three pitches.  Left fielder Jeff Miller lifted a 1-0 offering to center for a fly-out.  First baseman Will Basom doubled to right field.  Clem has had some problems with the landing area on the T.R. Hughes mound with designated hitter Carlos Newman at the plate.  Newman struck out swinging.  0-0.

Third inning:
Southern Illinois got two base hits for the second time tonight and came up empty for the second time tonight.  Second baseman Tyler Lairson reached on Stone’s error at shortstop and was picked off first base.  Koski reached on a bunt single back to the pitcher.  Suttle popped-out to first base on a bunt attempt.  Koski stole second base during Keene’s at-bat.  Keene flied out to left on a 2-2 pitch.   

Dow fell apart with two outs in the third.  Second baseman Ryan Wehrle lined-out to right field after fouling off two full-count pitches.  Shortstop Greg Stone fouled off three 0-2 pitches before he flied-out to a running Goldsmith in center.  Barganier lined a 1-0 pitch to right for a single.  Sweet grounded a single between Lairson and Dorn on the right side of the infield.  Dow walked Laurent on seven pitches.  Pitching coach Brad Hall, Scanzano and Rosa all met with Clem on the mound after he loaded the bases.  Dow balked Barganier home for a 1-0 Rascals lead.  Sweet moved to third base, Laurent advanced to second.  Hough cleared the bases with a line-drive single to center past Dow’s outstretched glove.  Miller flied-out to left.  3-0 Rascals.

Fourth inning:
The Miners got a run in the fourth but have to feel disappointed that it was all they got.  Dorn doubled a full-count pitch to right-center.  Jones followed with a double off the right field wall.  Dorn had to hold close to second, but advanced to third when the ball bounced off the wall.  Clem hit Rosa with a 2-0 pitch to load the bases.  Clem’s base-on-balls to Scanzano scored Dorn from third and cut the Miners’ deficit to 3-1.  Jones went to third, Rosa advanced to second.  Goldsmith struck out swinging on three pitches.  Lairson struck out swinging and Koski grounded into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to end the threat. 

Dow ran into more two-out trouble but an alert defensive play from Dorn helped him out of the inning.  Basom grounded out to first, unassisted.  Newman grounded out, 1-3.  Wehrle took a base-on-balls.  Stone reached on an infield single on a groundball to Scanzano, whose throw was late to the bag.  Wehrle got caught by Dorn as he rounded third base.  Dorn went across the infield and tossed to Jones, who tagged out Wehrle.  3-1 Miners.

Fifth inning:
Clem allowed a leadoff baserunner after hitting Suttle with a pitch, but the defense bailed him out.  Keene grounded into a 6-4 fielder’s choice.  Dorn followed with a 6-4-3 double play. 

Dow cruised through the Rascals’ in order in the fifth.  Barganier grounded out, 4-3.  Sweet’s popup to third represented the second out.  Laurent grounded out, 4-3.  3-1 Rascals.

Sixth inning:
An apparent blown call at first blew up what could have been a leadoff runner in the sixth.  Jones bunted down the first base line and was called out on a 3-1 putout, but he appeared to beat the pitcher and the ball to the bag.  Rosa lined-out to shortstop.  Scanzano grounded out, 3-1. 

Manager Mike Pinto replaced Dow with lefty Brian Wilburn (0-0, 2.89 ERA), who held the Rascals scoreless in the sixth.  Wilburn walked Hough on five pitches.  Wilburn retired Miller with a swinging strikeout.  Hough stole second during Basom’s at-bat.  Basom’s 4-3 groundout advanced Hough to third.  Newman struck out swinging.   3-1 Rascals.

Seventh inning:
Clem struck out the side in the seventh.  Goldsmith, Lairson and Koski all went down swinging.  

Two out runs killed the Miners again in the seventh.  Wehrle reached on a bounding infield single to Scanzano on a full-count pitch.  Stone’s 2-3 sac bunt moved Wehrle to second base.  Barganier popped-out to Dorn in foul territory.  Sweet stoked a 1-1 curveball to center that scored Wehrle from second for a 4-1 lead.  Laurent’s single to right advanced Sweet to third base.  Right-hander Nick Starnes tossed in the Miners’ bullpen as Wilburn walked Hough on four pitches to load the bases.  Wilburn’s eighth straight ball walked Miller and scored Sweet from third to put the Miners in a 5-1 hole.  Pinto replaced Wilburn with Starnes (1-4, 7.17 ERA), who got Basom to ground out, 4-3.  5-1 Rascals.
Dow’s line:  5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO.
Wilburn’s line:  1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO.    

Eighth inning:
The Miners got a run, but no more in the eighth.  Keene hustled into second on a broken-bat double to right-center.  Dorn’s ground-rule double scored Keene from second and cut the Miners’ deficit to 5-2.  River City manager Toby Rumfield replaced Clem with right-hander Gary Lee (2-0, 4.56 ERA).  Jones grounded out, 6-3.  Dorn advanced to third on Sweet’s passed ball with Rosa at the plate.  Right-hander Jake McMurran warmed up in the Miners’ bullpen.  Rosa grounded out, 6-3.
Clem’s line:  7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 2 HP. 

Starnes held the Rascals scoreless in the eighth.  Newman struck out swinging for the third time.  Wehrle flied out to center.  Stone reached on a bunt single.  Rosa gunned down stone as he tried to steal second during Barganier’s at-bat.  5-2 Miners.

Ninth inning:
Right-hander Jonathan Miller (2-5, 4.08 ERA) relieved Lee in the ninth and closed out the game.  Scanzano struck out swinging on a 2-2 changeup.  Brad Miller (.309 BA) came in as a pinch hitter for Goldsmith and grounded a single past third base.  Joey Metropoulos (.277 BA) entered as a pinch hitter for Lairson and lined a 0-1 offering for a single to left.  Koski was retired via the infield fly rule with Miller on second and Metro on first.  Suttle was called out on strikes to end the game.  Final score:  5-2 Rascals.
Lee’s line:  0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO. 

O’FALLON, Mo. — River City all-star closer Mike Benacka was signed Tuesday by the Oakland Athletics.  Benacka, 25, will join the Stockton Ports, Oakland’s high Class A California League affiliate later this week. 

“That’s what we were hoping for, going straight to ‘A’ ball,” River City manager Toby Rumfield said.  ”I think he’ll go right in there, show them what he’s got, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he made it to Double A before too long.”

Benacka was arguably the top closer in the Frontier League, with 13 saves and a 0.35 ERA.  He struck out 51 and walked 17 in 26.0 innings over 22 appearances.  Benacka allowed only one earned run and 10 hits while holding opponents to a .127 batting average.  He was a unanimous selection to the 2008 Frontier League All-Star Game.  

“He’s got a ‘plus’ changeup,” Rumfield said.  ”It’s his strikeout pitch and he throws two different ones.  He’s got one he can throw for a strike and then he throws another one he moves back in his hand a little bit to get more downward tilt on it.  That’s more of the Trevor Hoffman changeup that strikes everybody out.”

Rumfield added that Benacka had a fastball that can touch the low 90s on a radar gun and a pretty effective curveball.  Plus, Rumfield said, Benacka had the intangibles managers crave.

“He’s got the makeup, too,” Rumfield said.  ”He’s a great kid and he’s tough and that’s what’s going to get him where he needs to be.”

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Benacka, a native of Algonquin, saved 20 games in 22 chances in 2007, a franchise record.  He also owns River City’s career saves record, with 33.  

Benacka’s signing leaves River City a little short in the back end of its bullpen, but Rumfield expected right-handed setup man Jonathan Miller to step in and fill Benacka’s role.

“We’ll just play it out,” Rumfield said.  ”That’s what we have to do.”

O’FALLON, Mo. — The Southern Illinois Miners will sign former Midwest Sliders right-handed starting pitcher Jeremy Dow to a contract Tuesday before their 7:05 p.m. game with River City.

Dow’s signing fills the hole left in Southern Illinois’ starting rotation left after the team traded left-handed pitcher Reid Price to Ottawa of the independent Can-Am League on July 8.  

Dow will make his first start for the Miners tonight.  

“We had a chance to see Jeremy twice earlier this season and we were really impressed with his stuff,” Pinto said.  ”He came in and threw a bullpen for us on Sunday and he’s a good fit for what we’re looking for at this point.”

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Dow went 1-1 in two starts versus the Miners.  He beat Southern Illinois on June 13 when he struck out four, walked five and allowed two unearned runs.  Dow lost his June 6 meeting with the Miners after allowing three earned runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Dow was 2-7 with a 7.84 ERA in nine starts for Midwest before being released on July 14.  He allowed 36 runs and struck out 34 with 34 walks in 41.1 innings with the Sliders.  Opponents had a .309 batting average against.

Dow pitched in the Frontier League in 2006 and 2007 for Kalamazoo, Gateway and Traverse City.  He entered the 2008 season with a 4-5 record and 4.84 career ERA and .259 batting average against in 29 appearances. 

Midwest manager Eric Coleman said Dow has a high-80s fastball, a slider and a changeup.

O’FALLON, Mo. — Sorry we’re so late getting this post-game wrap posted on Miner Details.  I left T.R. Hughes ballpark without my wireless Internet card and could not post from my hotel room.  We’ve got a new Bart’s Diary entry from the Miners’ much less erotic male version of famed diarist Anais Nin, coach Bart Zeller.  Click here to read Bart’s thoughts on the Miners’ recent road trip and the team.  

Here’s a quick rundown of last night’s game:

Southern Illinois beat River City, 6-2, behind eight innings from starting pitcher Chris Little and Kevin Koski’s tie-breaking two-run single in the seventh inning.  The win improved Southern Illinois’ record to 31-24, the best record in the Frontier League West.  The Miners also got to seven games over .500 for the second time in franchise history.

Little rallied from two unearned runs in the first two innings and shut out the Rascals in the next six innings.  Little gave up seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts on his way to a 6-2 record.   He out-dueled River City’s Adam White, who went 6.1 innings with eight hits and three earned runs allowed.  White struck out five and walked two in dropping his first FL start.  Armando Carrasco tossed a perfect ninth to preserve the win. 

Koski had a 2-for-4 night at the plate with a run scored and two RBIs.  He saw 10 pitches in his game-winning seventh inning at-bat and drove in Mike Scanzano and Brendan Akashian with a line drive to center field.  Scanzano had two errors, but drove in Brandon Jones, who reached on a two-out double, for a 1-0 lead in the second inning.  Scanzano had two hits in four at-bats.

Akashian’s throwing error on a stolen base attempt with runners on the corners in the second inning allowed River City to tie the game, 1-1.  Akashian had two hits in three at-bats and scored twice.  Five Miners, including Brad Miller, Jones, and Tim Dorn had two hits each.  Tyler Lairson’s 6-3 putout scored Akashian from third base in the ninth inning for a 5-2 lead.  Miller’s run-scoring single plated Koski for the Miners’ final tally off reliever Luis Estrella.

Will Basom had two hits for the Rascals and Luke Barganier drove in their only RBI.  The Miners and Rascals (25-30) hook up in a 7:05 p.m. game at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

Score by inning    R H  E
SIL   010 100 202 - 6 11 4
RCY 110 000 000 - 2  7  3

E - Jones; Scanzano 2; Akashian; Barganier; Miller,Je; Stone. DP - Miners 2; Rascals 1. LOB - Miners 8; Rascals 8. 2B - Jones; Basom. HBP - Laurent; Deboer. SB - Hough.

SI Miners
Little………8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 2 HP, 31 AB, 34 BF
Carrasco…1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3 AB, 3 BF

River City
White…….6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 26 AB, 28 BF
Miller…….1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6 AB, 6 BF
Estrella….1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 6 AB, 7 BF 

HBP - by Little (Deboer); by Little (Laurent). Pitches/strikes: Little 109/72; Carrasco 12/7; White 107/67; Miller 20/15; Estrella 21/13.

 Strikeouts - Lairson; Miller; Metropoulos 2; Dorn 2; Jones; Suttle; Sweet; Laurent; Miller,Je 2; Wehrle; Deboer. Walks - Miller; Akashian; Suttle; Laurent.

 Umpires - HP: Larry Donovan  1B: Don Novak  3B: Steve Dunahue.  Start: 7:06   Time: 2:44   Attendance: 1351

July 21,

Greetings from River City.  This has been one long road trip. The coaches plus our All Stars left Marion on July 13 for Traverse City, Mich., site of the 2008 All-Star Game.  The trip was long, but very exciting. 

First of all, there were several members of our front office staff who accompanied us on the 11-hour bus trip.  When we left, they were saying that this was really fun and that there was nothing to traveling by bus.  After four hours, they were like your children on long car trips.  ”How much further?” was the most used question.  Yes, they did get a taste of what life on the road is all about. The All-Stars representing the Southern Illinois Miners did an exceptional job in the game and in the skills competition.  It was a lifelong memory and the entire Wuerfel family, which owns the Traverse City Beach Bums, should be thanked for their hospitality.

We left Traverse City the next morning for Windy City and we actually had six of their players on our bus.  All-Star games are fun in that you get to meet the opposing players in a less competitive nature than the norm.  Usually we only see the opposition in a negative light because they beat us with a hit or do well pitching against us.  The bottom line is that the majority of them are nice guys trying to play the great game of baseball. 

We had a very good series in Chicago and I had the chance to spend some time with my son and grandchildren, which I have found out is what life is all about.  Family and friends are what counts in this life and the true measure of one’s worth is not in their dollars but in their list of true friends.

We got off to a very good start in River City last night winning the game 6-2.  Chris Little pitched a heck of a ball game, which he has done for the past several starts. 

What I love most about this team is that there is not a lot of “rah-rah” amongst the players.  They have confidence, but are not “cocky” and there is a big difference in those two terms.  Confidence spreads throughout the team and it is contagious, while a cocky player usually is not liked by his teammates nor the opponents. 

I have not written a blog since we left for this ten-day road trip.  You see, we are all superstitious and don’t like to do anything different.  For instance, our coaching staff will only wear one pair of turf shoes for the game if we are in a winning streak…but we all know that it has nothing to do with the outcome of the game!  Players will wear the same undershirts or get dressed in the same manner while the streak goes on…and it has nothing to do with the outcome of the game!   Players sit in the same seats on the team bus when we are winning and they will eat at the same place if we are winning…but it has nothing to do with winning the game!  

You see, this game is very much a battle of the “mental” and anything that is inserted in one’s mind that is negative can cause negative results.   So not to take any chances, we continue to do the same thing, sit in the dugout in the same area, eat at the same restaurants, wear the same shoes so we don’t stop the winning streak. 

For those of you who do follow the Miners on a regular basis, it should be noted that Brad Hall has done an exceptional job in developing one of the most solid pitching staffs in the league.  One month ago, we were the 10th rated staff and today we are in 2nd place.  It is a credit to Brad and also to his pitchers who were not satisfied with mediocrity and poor performance.  As I have said before, it is not easy to let players go, but sometimes for the betterment of the team, it has to be done. Brad has made those changes and the results have been very positive. 

Well, time to let you go and I do thank the fans who have given me feedback on my blogs.  That makes it all worthwhile for me.  It is just great meeting such nice people from the Southern Illinois area and I do thank you for your support.  I look forward to seeing your smiling faces at Rent One when we return. 

Bart Zeller, Coach
Southern Illinois Miners

O’FALLON, Mo. — We’re going to be brief tonight.  The road trip from Chicago to O’Fallon, Mo., took a little longer than expected.

Starting pitcher Chris Little and the Southern Illinois Miners look to keep a couple streaks alive in tonight’s 7:05 p.m. game at River City.

The first-place Miners (30-24) are riding a four-game winning streak and Little picked up a win in his last start.

“I just want to keep this streak going,” Little said.  ”We’ve pitched extremely well the last couple of nights and I definitely want to keep that momentum going.”

Little will face a pitcher in Adam White who is making his first Frontier League start.  River City manager Toby Rumfield needs a quality start out of his new acquisition.  The Rascals have dropped two straight and sit five games behind the Miners in the FL West standings.

“He looks good,” Rumfield said.  ”He throws three pitches for strikes (fastball, curveball, changeup) and he’s a big kid…I’ve seen him pitch in the bullpen, but I’ve never seen him pitch in a game so this is going to be new for me, as well.  All the reports I have gotten on him are good.”

One Rascal the Miners won’t have to worry about is A.J. Van Slyke, who retired during the all-star break.

New arm:  Southern Illinois will sign a right-handed starter to fill in the fifth spot in the rotation on Tuesday.  Pinto will drop at least one pitcher off his roster to make room for the signing.  

Chris Little:  Little missed his scheduled start Sunday because he tweaked his left groin in the All-Star game.  Little said he felt fine before the game, but hoped River City would keep things on the left side of the infield so he wouldn’t have to cover first base too many times.  

Here’s a link to the pre-series notebook.

Here are tonight’s lineups.

Roster notes:  2B Tony Roth is back in the lineup and batting second in the order.  Roth missed Sunday’s game at Windy City with a pesky tailbone bruise that’s bothered him for a couple weeks.  SS Mike Scanzano will bat seventh.  Eric Suttle will play left field and bat ninth.  

Tonight’s weather:  It’s a miserable, hot and sticky 95 degrees here at the ballpark at 6:45 p.m.  Humidity is at 44 percent and the wind is practically nonexistent.  We’ve got a 60 percent chance of strong thunderstorms and an expected low of 71 degrees with winds (hopefully) from the east at five to 10 miles per hour.  

Tonight’s starting pitchers:
Right-hander Chris Little (5-2, 2.96 ERA) makes his 11th start of the season tonight.  Little is 1-0 in two starts against the Rascals.  He has one complete game.  Little has given up 22 earned runs on 57 hits in 67.0 innings.  Opponents are hitting .229 against Little, who has 57 strikeouts and 20 walks.  The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Little has a low-to-mid-90s fastball, a changeup, a curveball and a slider.  

River City counters with right-hander Adam White (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who makes his first Frontier League start tonight.  White pitched two shutout innings of relief over two appearances at Wichita of the independent American Association.  The 6-foot-6, 260-pound White has a fastball, a curveball and a changeup.

We’ll be back after the Miners take their first-inning at-bats unless we melt before the game starts… 

First pitch, strike, 7:08 p.m.

First inning:
The Miners wasted a leadoff single of River City starter Adam White.  Center fielder Kevin Koski sent a 0-1 pitch to left for a base hit and was picked off first base during 2B Tony Roth’s at-bat.  Roth flied-out to short center field.  First baseman Brad Miller lifted a 1-2 pitch to center for the final out. 

Starter Chris Little has said he likes pitching angry.  An unearned run might get him fired up.  Center fielder Luke Barganier lined out to shortstop Mike Scanzano with a hard shot on a 0-1 pitch.  Catcher Andrew Sweet reached on an infield single off Scanzano’s glove.  Little walked right fielder Phil Laurent on four pitches.  Scanzano slid and fielded Brad Hough’s sharp grounder behind second base and flipped to Roth for a 6-4 forceout.  Sweet advanced to third base.  Hough stole second during first baseman Jeff Miller’s at-bat and catcher Brendan Akashian threw the ball into center field which allowed Hough to cruise home for a 1-0 lead.  Miller struck out swinging on three pitches.  1-0 Rascals.

Second inning:
Southern Illinois got the run back in the second.  Right fielder Joey Metropoulos swung through a full-count pitch for a strikeout.  Designated Tim Dorn struck out swinging on three pitches.  Third baseman Brandon Jones yanked a double down the left field line.  Scanzano’s single up the middle scored Jones from second for a 1-1 tie.  Akashian’s popup to first base closed the Miners’ half. 

River City has taken several pitches back up the middle on Little and the Miners find themselves down a run.  Third baseman Ryan Wehrle grounded out, 6-3.  Designated hitter Will Basom reached on Scanzano’s fielding error.  Little hit second baseman Jacob DeBoer on his first pitch.  Shortstop Greg Stone singled up the gut to load the bases.  Barganier grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice and just beat Scanzano’s throw to first base to avoid a double play.  Basom scored from third.  DeBoer advanced to third.  Stone was erased at second base.  Sweet grounded out, 6-3, when Scanzano ranged behind second base, bobbled the ball and made a strong throw to first.  2-1 Rascals.

Third inning:
White pitched around a leadoff walk to left fielder Eric Suttle in a scoreless third.  Koski grounded into a 4-6-3 double pay.  Roth grounded out, 5-3.  

Little retired the side in order for the first time tonight in a scoreless third.  Laurent struck out swinging.  Hough flied-out to center.  Miller lifted a 2-2 offering into a flyout in center field.  2-1 Rascals. 

Fourth inning:
The Miners got an unearned run back in the fourth and tied the game.  Miller worked a 0-2 count into a base-on-balls.  Miller moved to second base on first baseman Jeff Miller’s error on a pickoff throw.  Metropoulos popped-up to second base.  Barganier dropped Dorn’s line drive to center.  Dorn reached second and Miller scored from second on the error.  Jones flied-out to center.  Dorn advanced to third.  Scanzano grounded out, 6-3. 

The Miners held River City scoreless for the second straight inning.  Little retired Wehrle on a called third strike.  Basom doubled off the base of the right-center wall.  Little gassed DeBoer with a high fastball for a swinging strikeout.  Jones fielded Stone’s short hop and fired to first for the final out.  2-2.

Fifth inning:
Southern Illinois missed an opportunity after a leadoff base hit.  Akashian pulled a full-count pitch to right for a single.  Suttle struck out swinging after pushing a bunt attempt foul, watching a strike and swinging through an outside pitch.  Koski popped-out to third on a 1-0 pitch.  Roth grounded out, 4-3.   

The Miners committed their third error of the night but held the Rascals scoreless in the fifth.  Tyler Lairson (.389 BA) took over for Roth at second base.  Barganier grounded out to first base, unassisted.  Sweet grounded into a broken-bat, 4-3 putout.  Little hit Laurent with a 0-1 offering.  Hough reached on an infield single.  Laurent went to third base on Jones’ throwing error to first base.  Miller struck out swinging.  2-2.

Sixth inning:
Southern Illinois put a leadoff runner on for the second straight inning and came away with nothing for the second straight time.   Miller lined a single to center.  Metropoulos swung through a 0-2 offspeed pitch for a strikeout.  Dorn hit a towering fly-out just shy of the warning track in center.  Jones struck out swinging on a full-count fastball.  

Two hits added up to zero runs as the Miners held River City scoreless for the fourth straight inning.  Wehrle flied-out to left on a 0-2 pitch.  Basom grounded Little’s 0-2 offering up the middle for a single.  DeBoer’s infield single moved Basom to second base.  Stone flied-out to left.  Barganier grounded out, 4-3.  2-2.

Seventh inning:
Kevin Koski put in a professional at-bat and gave Southern Illinois its first lead of the night.  Scanzano lined an opposite-field single to right.  Akashian reached on a bunt single down the first base line.  Suttle’s butcher-boy groundout advanced both runners into scoring position.  Koski had the best at-bat I’ve seen him take this season.  He stood in the box for nine pitches and scalded the 10th for a line drive to center that scored Scanzano from third and Akashian from second for a 4-2 lead.  Koski reached second on Barganier’s throw to the plate.  Right-hander Jon Miller (2-5, 4.19 ERA) relieved White and struck out Lairson and Miller on six pitches.

Late-inning Little strikes again in a scoreless seventh.  He struck out Sweet on three pitches.  Laurent flied-out to center.  Hough grounded out, 4-3, for the final out.  4-2 Miners.

Eighth inning:
The Miners were silent in the eighth.  Wehrle barehanded Metropoulos’ grounder for a nice 5-3 putout.  Dorn watched strike three for the second out.  Jones pounded a short-hopper to short for an infield single.  Scanzano grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice. 

A scoreless eighth was probably Little’s final inning.  Miller flied out to center.  Right-hander Armando Carrasco warmed up in the Miners’ bullpen.  Wehrle singled up the middle.  Basom grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.    
Defensive change:  Bradley Goldsmith took Metropoulos’ spot in the batting order and moved to left field.  Suttle went from left to right.
White’s final line:  6.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 SO. 

Ninth inning:
Right-hander Luis Estrella (0-0, 6.57 ERA) relieved Miller and the Miners made him pay.  Akashian took a base-on-balls.  Suttle turned a sac bunt attempt into a bunt single down the first base line.  Koski grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice after failing twice to put down a sac bunt.  Akashian moved to third.  Suttle was out at second.  Lairson’s broken-bat, 6-3 groundout scored Akashian from third for a 5-2 lead.  Miller’s first-pitch single to center scored Koski for a 6-2 advantage.  Miller took second on the throw home.  Goldsmith reached on Stone’s throwing error.  Miller advanced to third.  Dorn’s pop-up to first base ended the inning.

Right-hander Armando Carrasco (2-2, 5.96 ERA) nailed down the win with a scoreless ninth.  DeBoer reached on Scanzano’s error.  Stone flied-out to left.  Barganier grounded into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.  Final score:  6-2 Miners.

O’FALLON, Mo. — Southern Illinois is in River City for its second and final time this season, but they probably don’t expect to hear this song when they arrive at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.  

The Miners enter the series with the best record in the Frontier League’s West Division at 30-26.  The Miners’ 11-4 record in July is the league’s best and they’re coming off a three-game sweep of Windy City and riding a four-game winning streak, the longest in the league.

Things have definitely changed since the Miners took two of three games the last time they visited the Rascals.

“When we went there last time we were in last place,” manager Mike Pinto said.  Now we’re going there in first place.”

Don’t think the Miners forgot the reception they got from River City’s crowd, which chanted “Last place Miners!” during all three games.  Now it’s the Rascals who find themselves in last place with a 25-29 record after dropping two in a row at Rockford.

“It’s always important for both teams (to win a series), but for us it’s really important,” said River City skipper Toby Rumfield.  ”If we could win two of three games it would be a big boost for us.  If we happen to lose the series, we’ve put ourselves in a tough situation, but I’ve always told my players to stay within five (games) and try to get hot in some series down the stretch.”

The Miners are currently five games ahead of the Rascals with 42 games remaining.

Southern Illinois is six games over .500 for the second time in franchise history.  The team was 21-16 after a June 29 win at River City last season.  If the Miners win tonight, they will tie their franchise high of seven games above .500, which they reached on June 30, 2007 with a win over the Rascals at Rent One Park.

Here’s a quick notebook. 

Miners’ hitting:  Southern Illinois has the Frontier League’s No. 2 batting average (.282) and hits total (527).  The Miners’ 351 runs scored lead the league.  Southern Illinois has a .371 team on-base percentage (OBP) and a .440 team slugging percentage (SLG).  The Miners have 59 home runs.  The team leads the league in triples, with 17.  

Miners’ pitching:  Southern Illinois has the No. 2 team ERA (4.33) and shutout total (6) in the FL.  The Miners’ 40 home runs allowed is the second lowest total in the league.  The pitching staff has 411 strikeouts and 194 walks.  

Rascals’ hitting:  River City’s .262 team batting average ranks ninth in the 12-team league.  The Rascals have scored 274 runs and pounded out 471 hits.  River city has a .400 SLG and a .352 OBP with 49 home runs.   

Rascals’ pitching:  River City ranks eighth in the FL with a 5.07 team ERA.  Rascals pitchers have allowed 268 earned runs and 528 hits.  River City has 406 strikeouts and 230 walks.  

Notes from BLOOMINGTON
Miners vs. Rascals:  Southern Illinois leads the season series, 4-2.  The Miners took two games from River City the last time they played at T.R. Hughes Ballpark June 19-21.  River City took game one, 7-6.  The Miners won games two and three 15-10 and 9-7, respectively.  Southern Illinois took the first two games of a July 4-6 home series.  The Miners beat River City 2-0 and 13-2 before falling in game three, 7-1. 

Miners’ bats vs. Rascals’ pitching:  Southern Illinois has a .286 team batting average (61-of-213) with eight home runs and 41 RBIs in six games.  The Miners have scored 46 runs for a six runs per game average.  Joey Metropoulos has 12 hits in 24 at-bats against River City pitching with three home runs and nine RBIs.  Tony Roth has a .458 batting average, three home runs, nine RBIs, a .917 slugging percentage and 11 runs scored.  Willie Keene (.333 BA), Brandon Jones (.192 BA) and Eric Suttle (.278 BA) each have one home run and six RBIs.  

Miners’ pitching vs. Rascals’ bats:  Southern Illinois is 4-2 with a 5.41 staff ERA in six games with River City.  The Miners have allowed 31 earned runs on 60 hits and 21 walks.  Southern Illinois has 50 strikeouts in 54.1 innings.  RHP Chris Little is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA with 13 hits, six earned runs, four walks and 13 strikeouts in 12.2 innings over two starts.  RHP Griffin Bailey (1-1, 5.06 ERA) gave up three earned runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings over four appearances.  RHP Jake McMurran (3.00 ERA) allowed two earned runs on seven hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings in three appearances.  RHP Armando Carrasco, a former Rascal, pitched 3.1 shutout innings with one hit, one walk and one strikeout in two appearances.  

Rascals’ bats vs. Miners’ pitching:  River City has a .293 team batting average (60-for-205) with five home runs and 32 RBIs.  The Rascals scored 33 runs for a 5.5 runs per game average in six meetings with the Miners.  OF Luke Barganier (.478 BA) has 11 hits in 23 at-bats with four doubles, two triples and four RBIs.  OF A.J. Van Slyke has nine hits, a .360 average, three home runs and eight RBIs.  C Andrew Sweet(.250 BA) has four doubles and six RBIs.    

Rascals’ pitching vs. Miners’ bats:  River City is 4-2 with a 6.96 ERA.  The Rascals allowed 46 runs — 41 earned — on 61 hits.  River City has 41 strikeouts and 32 walks with a .288 batting average against in 53.0 innings.  

T.R. Hughes Ballpark dimensions:  Left field - 320 feet; center field - 382 ft.; right field - 299 ft.

Game times:
Mon. - 7:05 p.m.*
Tue. - 7:05 p.m.*
Wed. - 7:05 p.m.*
*Game broadcasts on WQUL 97.7 FM 

Weather forecast:
Mon. - Partly cloudy with a chance of late thunderstorms.  Chance of rain is 50 percent with a low temperature of 71 degrees and winds from the west-northwest at five to 10 miles per hour.
Tue. - Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms and a high temperature of 87 degrees.  Winds will come from the north at five to 10 miles per hour.
Wed. - Partly cloudy with stray thunderstorms and highs in the upper 80s with lows in the 60s.

Probable starters:
Mon. - RHP Chris Little (5-2, 2.96 ERA) @ RHP Adam White (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Tue. - TBA @ RHP Chris Clem (3-5, 6.48 ERA)
Wed. - RHP Brett Scarpetta (2-2, 4.45 ERA) @ LHP Scott Fogelson (2-5, 4.53 ERA) 

Space constraints clipped our game story from Sunday’s 4-0 win at Windy City on the Southern Illinoisan’s sports and on-line sports page.  Here’s the Miner Details extended version:

CRESTWOOD - A reporter once asked the late John McKay about his football team’s execution. His answer? “I think it’s a good idea.”

Southern Illinois manager Mike Pinto feels like the polar opposite of McKay after watching the Miners wrap up a three-game sweep of Windy City Sunday with a 4-0 win at Standard Bank Stadium.

“They seem to finding ways to do a lot of things right,” Pinto said.

Starter Chris Allen’s right arm gave the Miners 6 2/3 innings of six-hit, seven-strikeout pitching. The defense was right behind him when Mike Scanzano killed a ThunderBolts rally in the seventh inning. And the Miners offense executed right-way baseball for an early run and finished with a pair of eighth-inning singles that produced three runs.

“We’re doing little things that we really hadn’t done well in the first half (of the season),” Pinto said.

Sunday’s shutout was the Miners’ second in a row and extended the pitching staff’s scoreless streak to 21 1/3 innings.

Allen and catcher Brendan Akashian kept the ThunderBolts off balance all night as the right-hander stretched his record to 3-0 in three appearances.

“I had three pitches working for me today (the fastball, changeup and slider) that I was able to spot,” Allen said. “? Brendan calls a great game and I feel like he’s been catching me my whole life.”

Besides the shutout streak, Allen also helped the Miners get to 30-24, the best record in the Frontier League West. The win was Southern Illinois’ fourth in a row and sixth straight on the road.

Southern Illinois took a 1-0 lead in the second inning with back-to-back singles, a sacrifice bunt and Willie Keene’s run-scoring sacrifice fly.

Allen began to falter in the seventh, allowing a leadoff single, but Scanzano turned the momentum of a 1-0 ballgame back the Miners’ way. Scanzano dove to his left and snagged Josh Horn’s hard line drive near second base. Brett Amyx thought the ball was headed to the outfield and strayed from the bag.

“I fired (the ball to first) from my knees. It was a little (Derek) Jeter play, but whatever. It’s something I do everyday,” Scanzano joked.

Pinto wasn’t joking when he said Scanzano “made a hell of a play.” Allen was also dead serious when he described the play as huge. Windy City’s dugout thought the same.

“Oh, no doubt about it,” ThunderBolts manager Mike Kashirsky said. “At that time it’s a 1-0 game and he made an unbelievable play. That’s how it’s been rolling the last couple games.”

Southern Illinois rolled the ThunderBolts (26-27) late for the third straight game. The Miners scored two ninth-inning runs Friday. Saturday they plated three in the ninth to put away the game.

This time the Miners struck with three runs in the eighth to help hand Windy City starter Stephen Flake (5-2) his second loss of the season.

Akashian led off the eighth with a base-on-balls.  Tyler Lairson’s single moved Akashian to third base and Kevin Koski’s second hit of the night scored Akashian for a two-run lead.

“I knew there were no outs so I was just looking for a ball up in the zone to drive a run in,” Koski said.  “I stayed on top of it and drove the ball to center field.”

Scanzano’s second sacrifice bunt of the night moved Lairson to third and put Koski on second base.  Pinto went to left-handed batter Randy Rosa to pinch hit for the right-handed Brad Miller.  Kashirsky countered with left-handed reliever Isaac Hess.

“Pinto just gambled because there was a lefty in the bullpen and a righty on the mound,” Rosa said.  “If they stay with Miller, the righty stays out there.  If they go with me (Windy City) would go with the lefty.  (Pinto) stuck with me and I appreciate the opportunity.”

Rosa’s single to left drove in both runners and handed Flake his third and fourth earned runs of the game.  Flake pitched 7 1/3 innings, gave up six hits and two walks and finished with six strikeouts.

  Griffin Bailey relieved Allen in the seventh and tossed 1 1/3 perfect innings before handing the ball to Nick Starnes prior to the ninth.  Starnes retired two batters but allowed a hit and a base-on-balls before Pinto pulled him.   Jake McMurran walked the first batter he faced before inducing a groundout to end the game.

“We needed to get Mac in the ballgame pretty quick to shut things down, but we ended up with another shutout,” Pinto said.

Southern Illinois looks to keep things going in the right direction tonight at 7:05 p.m. in the first of three games at River City.

Note: Starting pitcher Ryan Bird broke the Miners’ single-season strikeout record in Saturday’s win. His 87 strikeouts surpassed Nick Tisone’s total of 79.