If NBC had its way, you’d be reading these game notes around 2 AM, hours after the series opener in Woodbridge concluded. Thankfully, today’s pregame reading is posted below in a timely manner.

First pitch at 7:05 as the Salem Sox wrap up a tough month of June.

Keith Couch wanted to trade me for Michael Kay. Sorry, Keith. I’m still here.

*****

July 31, 2012 7:05 Salem Red Sox (54-52-1, 13-24) vs Potomac Nationals (50-57, 19-18) Game #108

Pfitzner Stadium                     Woodbridge, VA                          Road Game #55

Probable Starters: RHP Keith Couch (7-8, 3.89) vs LHP Matt Grace (6-9, 5.51)

July Concludes: With a 10-17 record, the Salem Sox have lost more games this month than any other Carolina League club.  While the Red Sox have the league’s second-best batting average in July, the team ERA is 3rd worst in the circuit. Salem has also endured seven one-run losses in July,  dropping four other games by two or three runs. If the Red Sox fail to win on Tuesday night, Salem’s full season record will sit at just one game above .500 for the first time since May 1 when the Sox were 12-11.

Comfortable Couch: Keith Couch retakes the mound for the Sox on Tuesday night, six days after dealing the first nine-inning complete game in the four-year history of Salem Red Sox baseball. Couch used 95 pitches to complete his performance, capitalizing on 11 ground-outs and four double plays, a season-high for the Salem defense. It was Couch’s second complete game of the season and the sixth since 2009 for Salem. Couch also received credit for a complete game when he tossed six innings and lost in Potomac in game one of a doubleheader on June 8. Only four other Salem pitchers have tossed complete games: Brock Huntzinger, Mark Holliman, Chris Hernandez, and Matt Barnes. All were either six or seven innings.

Designated Success: Sean Coyle returned to the Red Sox lineup on Friday following a three-game absence. He grounded out meekly in his first two at-bats, but doubled and singled in his second two trips, driving in runs in each. Coyle’s RBI double in the sixth gave Salem a 4-3 lead, while his single in the eighth drove in one and scored another in the aftermath of a Hillcats fielding error. In four games as the DH this season, Coyle has gone 10-for-17 (.588) with four doubles and five RBI. Since the All-Star Break, Coyle is batting .333, a steep improvement from his .211 clip from the first half. After missing games with a minor hamstring tweak on Saturday and Sunday, Coyle is back in the lineup on Tuesday night.

A Fantastic Fortnight: In his last 14 games, Michael Almanzar has recorded 25 hits for the Red Sox, batting .464 with four homers and 12 RBI.  Almanzar’s 11-game hitting streak was snapped on Friday, and he only hit .250 (3-for-12) in the three games against Lynchburg. Despite that, Almanzar’s .313 season average is second among active players in the Carolina League, trailing only Winston’s Carlos Sanchez. From Sunday, July 22 thru Wednesday, July 25, Almanzar reached base in 16 consecutive plate appearances, with 12 hits, three walks, and one hit-by-pitch equaling Ted Williams’ major league record set 55 years ago for Boston.

Bogaerts’ Bombs: With his 15th round-tripper of the season in the ninth inning on Sunday, shortstop Xander Bogaerts is one home run shy of matching is 2011 total. Despite LewisGale Field’s reputation as a tough place to go yard, Bogaerts has blasted nine of his 15 bombs at home. Overall, he’s hitting .309 in 49 home games compared to .266 in 48 road games. He enters tonight riding a six-game hitting streak, in which he’s batting .409 (9-for-22). Bogaerts is batting .325 in 13 games against Potomac, with three HR in 40 AB.

You can read plenty more about Michael Almanzar’s incredible achievement below, but the top of this post is devoted to Salem pitcher Keith Couch, who tossed his second complete game of the season on Wednesday night. Since 2009, when the Red Sox affiliation began in Salem, there have been only four complete  games by pitchers not named Keith Couch.

1) Brock Huntzinger, 7/12/10

2) Mark Holliman, 9/5/10

3) Chris Hernandez, 8/20/11

4) Matt Barnes, 6/9/12

That’s it. And by the way, each of  those complete games were either six or seven innings.

Enter Couch, who tossed 70 of his 95 pitches for strikes on Wednesday night. He threw mostly two-seam  fastballs, inducing 11 ground-outs, four of which became double plays. He felt best about his slider, which sizzled for a strike 19 times in 22 deliveries. Perhaps most impressive was his efficiency. Batters knew he would throw strikes, which enabled him to work deep into the game. In fact, 24 of the 34 batters he faced needed three pitches or fewer.

Interestingly, Couch said he threw five nine-inning complete games in college. Pitching at Adelphi University, a Division II program on Long Island, Couch recalled throwing between 120-130 pitches in a game. No chance he’d be able to do that in the Carolina League, but with his economic approach and uncanny strike-throwing ability, he doesn’t need to.

For more on Couch, scroll below and listen tonight… 7:05 first pitch on NewsTalk 960 AM & FM 107.3 WFIR and online at www.salemsox.com…

Timothy Busfield’s character was a doofus,

Evan

*****

July 26, 2012 7:05 Myrtle Beach Pelicans (56-47, 20-13) vs. Salem Red Sox (53-49-1, 12-21) Game #104

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #50

Probable Starters: RHP Randol Rojas (8-2, 2.99) vs RHP Brandon Workman (7-6, 3.40)

Field of Dreams: Although it’s doubtful that Michael Almanzar will ever be known as “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived,” Salem’s third baseman belonged in the same sentence as Ted Williams on Wednesday night. With a fifth inning single on an 0-2 pitch, Almanzar reached base for the 16th consecutive plate appearance, matching Williams’ modern day major league record. Williams reached in 16 straight in 1957, while Almanzar used 12 hits, three walks, and one hit-by-pitch to match him 55 years later. Currently riding a 10-game hitting streak in which he’s batting .553 (21-for-38), he owns the best average in the minors since July 16, when the streak began. In his last ten games, Almanzar has eight extra-base hits, including four homers, and 11 RBI. He’s walked seven times and has  only struck out three times since July 16 and is now batting .316 on the season, the #1 average among active players in the Carolina League.

Go The Distance: The Red Sox were relaxed with Keith Couch on the mound on Wednesday night, as the righthander tossed his first professional nine-inning complete game in Salem’s 6-1 win over Myrtle Beach. It was the first time all season that a Salem pitcher went nine innings. In fact, it was the first nine-inning complete game for Salem since the Red Sox relationship returned to the Roanoke Valley in 2009. The official stat portal has complete game details since 2006, and no Salem pitcher has tossed a nine-inning CG since then. Couch used 95 pitches to complete his performance, capitalizing on 11 ground-outs and four double plays, a season-high for the Salem defense.

Ease His Pain:  During his marvelous June, shortstop Xander Bogaerts enjoyed one stretch of 74 at-bats with eight home runs. But entering Tuesday night, Bogaerts had gone 66 at-bats without a bomb.  With round-trippers in the seventh inning on Tuesday and in the third frame on Wednesday (two homers in four at-bats!), Bogaerts now owns 14 dingers on the season. It’s the second time this season that Bogaerts has gone yard in back-to-back games, a feat he also accomplished on June 23 in Lynchburg an June 24 in Winston-Salem. The 19-year-old Aruba native has not gone deep in three straight games yet in his career.

The Boat Rocker:  Infielder Heiker Meneses managed just one hit yesterday, but made his presence felt in many ways. He stole two bases (and was also caught once), recorded an assist on three of Salem’s four double plays, scored Salem’s first run, and drove in a run to help the Red Sox prevail. After going hitless in consecutive games over the weekend, Meneses has four hits, four runs scored, and six RBI in three games against Myrtle beach this week.

If You Build It, He Will Come: In order to build anything, you usually need a work man. Salem sends Brandon Workman to the mound on Thursday with the Sox looking to make it three out of four against Myrtle Beach. He has been a heavy-lifter for Salem, pitching at least six innings in each of his last eight starts. His 3.40 ERA is currently fifth best in the Carolina League, while his .242 batting average against is third in the circuit.

July 25, 2012 7:05 Myrtle Beach Pelicans (56-46, 20-12) vs. Salem Red Sox (52-49-1, 11-21) Game #103

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #49

Probable Starters: RHP Randy Henry (5-5, 2.36) vs RHP Keith Couch (6-8, 4.17)

Missed Opportunities: Despite recording double-digit hits for the eighth time in the last nine games, the Red Sox fell 6-5 on Tuesday night, the eighth one-run loss since the All-Star Break. Incredibly, Salem only dropped five one-run games in the entire first half. The Sox left 12 men on base on Tuesday, including stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. The dozen runners left does not include a pair of runs lost at home plate in the first inning when Xander Bogaerts was thrown out at home and Michael Almanzar was said to not touch the dish before Christian Vazquez was tagged at third on the final out of the frame. Only twice in 2012 have the Salem Sox stranded more than 12 men on base.

Try To Get Him Out: Michael Almanzar is currently in the midst of a ridiculous streak of 13 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. In his last three games, Almanzar has gone 8-for-8 with four walks and one hit-by-pitch, raising his average to .310. He has hit in nine straight games overall, going 18-for-34 (.529) during this outrageous stretch with four homers and 11 RBI. In 93 games, he has recorded 104 hits, a .310 average that is currently third among active players in the league. Contrastingly, in 111 games in 2011 between Salem and Greenville, Almanzar mustered just 79 hits for a paltry .199 clip. He’s hitting .352 at LewisGale Field this season, although six of his nine homers have come on the road.

Slumping Shaw?: It’s a seemingly bizarre assertion, particularly considering that Travis Shaw still leads the Salem Sox with a .311 average and is tops in the league in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, runs scored, and total bases. He’s also third in home runs and tied for first in RBI. However, for the first time all season, Shaw enters tonight’s action without a hit in his last three games. Shaw is 0-for-10 with one walk and five strikeouts in his last three games. Before that, Shaw went 11-for-20 in the previous six games. With 72 RBI on the season, he’s tied for the league lead with Frederick’s Aaron Baker (promoted to Double-A Bowie last week) and Winston-Salem’s Trayce Thompson, but Shaw only has one RBI in his last six games.

Another Bomb for Bogey: With a titanic shot to straight-away center, Xander Bogaerts launched his 13th home run of 2012 in the last of the seventh last night. He had failed to go deep in 17 straight games before the dinger on Tuesday; it had been since June 28 against Potomac. Bogaerts was named the Carolina League Player of the Month in June, when he hit .337 with eight homers and 24 RBI. In July, Bogaerts is hitting .250 with one homer and six RBI.

Doubling Up: Adalberto Ibarra mustered just three doubles in his first 142 at-bats this year for the Sox, recording 33 singles among his first 36 hits over 46 games. In his last four games, however, Ibarra has cracked four hits in 15 at-bats, all doubles. Before his seventh inning double against Frederick on Tuesday, Ibarra had not recorded an extra base hit since May 31. The catcher/DH is hitting .297 in 21 games at LewisGale Field, however at home he owns 11 strikeouts and three walks. On the road, he’s hitting .226, but with 18 strikeouts and 21 walks.

July 24, 2012 7:05 Myrtle Beach Pelicans (55-46, 19-12) vs. Salem Red Sox (52-48-1, 11-20) Game #102

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #48

Probable Starters: RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-8, 2.71) vs RHP Matt Barnes (5-3, 3.18)

Deep Reasoning: The Salem Sox rediscovered victory at LewisGale Field for the first time since July 11 on Monday night, slamming the Pelicans 11-5 in the opener to the four-game series. Salem’s scoring began with a pair of solo home runs from Brandon Jacobs and Michael Almanzar. Within a span of three batters, the Sox had transformed a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and never trailed again. Home runs have consistently served as a catalyst for the Sox in 2012, with Salem recording a 33-10 record when hitting a homer. On the other hand, the Sox have gone 19-38-1 when failing to go deep. After hitting just 28 homers in 50 games through April and May, the Sox  have clocked 48 dingers in the last 51 contests since June 1.

40 Days, 40 Nights: Since Matt Barnes last tasted victory on June 14, 40 days have passed. The righthander has gone 0-2 in his last five starts, surrendering 15 earned runs in 16.1 innings, an ERA of 8.27. With that said, the righthander has permitted just one earned run in his last eight innings in his last two starts, with nine strikeouts and three walks. For the entire season, Barnes has gone 7-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 18 starts, yielding 23 earned runs on 67 hits in 89 innings with 110 strikeouts and 20 walks. Interestingly, Tuesday night will be just his fifth start at LewisGale Field and his sixth home start overall.

Midsummer Production: Brandon Jacobs has already driven in 15 runs in July, the most RBI for any month this season. The outfielder from Lilburn, GA is batting .319 this month with eight multi-hit games. Six different members of the Salem Sox have registered double-digit RBI in July, with Jacobs and Sean Coyle leading the way with 15 apiece. Travis Shaw owns 14, Michael Almanzar has 13, while Heiker Meneses, and Shannon Wilkerson each have 12. Christian Vazquez, batting .370 this month, has nine RBI in July.

The Hot Corner: Regardless of whether Michael Almanzar has played first base or third, the offense has been worthy of any position. The 21-year-old infielder is currently riding a eight-game hitting streak, in which he is batting .467 (14-for-30) with four home runs and 10 RBI. In 92 games, he has recorded 100 hits, good for a .302 average. Contrastingly, in 111 games in 2011 between Salem and Greenville, Almanzar mustered just 79 hits for a paltry .199 clip. He’s hitting .323 at LewisGale Field this season, although six of his nine homers have come on the road.

Trends Through 100: That the Sox reached win #40 in game #68 and secured win #50 in game #96 suggests that the baseball is a game of tall peaks and scary valleys. But through 100 games, some interesting statistical minutiae can be uncovered. For instance, Salem scored first in exactly half of its games through 100, going 36-13-1 in the 50 contests in which the Sox scored the premier run, while going 15-35 when the opponent strikes first.  Remarkably, in 60% of Salem’s games, one of the two teams has led after the first inning, with Salem going 22-7-1 when leading after one and 8-22 when trailing after one. The Sox have held opponents to three runs or fewer 42 times while scoring three or fewer 44 times.

July 22, 2012 4:05 Wilmington Blue Rocks (43-56, 14-15) vs. Salem Red Sox (51-47-1, 10-19) Game #100

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #48

Probable Starters: RHP Brooks Pounders (2-3, 6.49) vs RHP Miguel Celestino (6-5, 4.22)

Salvaging Sunday: After a slow start to the homestand, the Salem Sox hope to rally behind Miguel Celestino and avoid being swept by the Blue Rocks on Sunday afternoon. Wilmington is seeking its first three-game winning streak on the road all season. While the Blue Rocks are just a game out of first place in the second half standings, the Red Sox remain eight back of Myrtle Beach, the sixth straight day that the Sox have been eight games out. The Red Sox are also looking to avoid being swept in a series at LewisGale Field for the first time in 2012. Salem has not been swept in a series at home since July 13-16 of last year when Myrtle Beach won four in a row in the Roanoke Valley.

Another Dynamite Day: After recording Salem’s only multi-hit performance on Friday, Travis Shaw followed with three hits and a walk on Saturday, including his 16th round-tripper of the season.  Shaw’s .320 batting average is #1 among active Carolina Leaguers, and he also leads the league in slugging percentage (.572), extra-base hits (49), runs scored (67), and total bases (191). With 16 homers, he’s third in the circuit, his 72 RBI are tied for first in the league, and his 54 walks are tied for second. Shaw carries a seven-game winning streak into Sunday afternoon, having gone 12-for-24 (.500) with seven walks in his last six games.

Coyle’s Charge: Salem second-baseman Sean Coyle labored through a first half batting .211, but has turned things around dramatically since the break. With three more hits on Saturday, he’s not hitting .316 in the second half with 12 extra base hits in 26 games. He delivered 21 extra base hits in 62 contests in the first half. Over his past five games, Coyle has gone 11-for-20 with eight RBI and five runs scored.

Celestino’s Surge: After a nightmare four start stretch in which he surrendered 22 earned runs in 14.2 innings pitched, Miguel Celestino has rediscovered his early season form in his last two outings. In fact, he has put up goose eggs in 12 of his last 13 innings on the mound. While he allowed three earned runs in the first frame five days ago in Frederick, Celestino rebounded to make it through five, not allowing a run from the second through the fifth and retiring the final ten batters he faced. Eleven days ago, Celestino delivered perhaps the most impressive start of the 2012 season for any Salem starter, dominating Lynchburg with eight scoreless innings, yielding just two hits. In three starts against Wilmington this season, Celestino is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA. Most recently, he tossed seven scoreless against Wilmington on June 11.

Not Exactly Seventh Heaven: In the first two games of the series, Wilmington has done most of its scoring in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. The Blue Rocks scored five of their six runs in the final three innings on Friday and six of their seven in the final three in Saturday. Wilmington has outscored Salem 11-3 in the final three  frames the past two nights. Saturday was the fifth time this year that Salem lost when leading after six.

Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times

July 21, 2012 6:05 Wilmington Blue Rocks (42-56, 13-15) vs. Salem Red Sox (51-46-1, 10-18) Game #99

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #47

Probable Starters: RHP Matt Ridings (2-1, 2.75) vs RHP Brandon Workman (7-5, 3.25)

In the Rough: Salem broke up the shutout in the ninth, but it was little consolation in the opener of a ten-game homestand on Friday night. After going 10-for-27 with runners in scoring position the previous two days, Salem went 0-for-5 in those situations on Friday evening. The Sox missed an opportunity to move within a game of first place Myrtle Beach, who also lost last night in Potomac. Everyone in the Carolina League has precisely 30% of the regular season remaining, with 42 games left. In one week, we will reach the midway mark of the second half.

Top of the Leaderboard: Salem’s only multi-hit performance on Friday belonged to first-baseman Travis Shaw, the Ohio native who leads the team with 26 multi-hit games on the season. Shaw’s .315 batting average is #1 among active Carolina Leaguers, and he also leads the league in slugging percentage (.558), extra-base hits (47), runs scored (65), and total bases (184). With 15 homers, he’s third in the circuit, and his 71 RBI are second in the league, one behind Frederick’s Ty Kelly, who was recently promoted to Double-A. Shaw carries a six-game winning streak into Saturday night, having gone 9-for-20 (.450) with six walks in his last six games.

Xander Bogey: Although he picked up his 51st RBI of the season on Friday, Salem’s shortstop endured his second straight hitless ballgame. His RBI total is sixth-most in the league, but his offense has cooled a bit in July. After being named the Player of the Month in the Carolina League in June with a .337 clip, Bogaerts is batting just .205 in July. For the entire season, Bogaerts has been a much better hitter when there have been men on base. He’s hitting .182 when leading off and .241 with the bases empty compared to .321 with runners on base.

Going Low: Brandon Workman makes his 17th Carolina League start on Saturday, coming off a career-best ten strikeouts in his last outing in Frederick. Opponents are hitting just .233 this year against Workman, the lowest opposing average for any starter in the circuit. The former Texas Longhorn owns the fourth best strikeout per nine innings ratio (8.63) among starters and his third in the category of fewest baserunners per nine innings (9.74). He currently is the only member of the Salem Sox with more than six wins, and he’ll try to earn his eighth victory against Wilmington tonight. In his only appearance against the Blue Rocks this season, Workman tossed six dominant innings, permitting  just one run on three hits in Salem’s 2-1 victory on May 2.  Workman has tossed at least six innings in each of his last seven starts.

It’s a Birdie, It’s an Eagle, It’s a Cowboy Monkey!: The Team Ghost Rider mania continues on Saturday evening at LewisGale Field, the second night of the two-day Cowboy Monkey Rodeo extravaganza. Friday featured a highly intelligent capuchin monkey throwing out the first pitch, then riding around the outfield saddled to a dog after the fourth and seventh innings. After the game, the grand finale featured the monkeys herding goats into a stable.

Get ready, Salem Sox fans!

Tonight, a Lepard is bringing his sheep-dog riding monkeys to LewisGale Field.

The Salem Sox are back for a 10-game homestand after three straight wins to wrap up the road trip, but baseball might take a backseat to the sophisticated absurdity that is a monkey exclaiming “giddy-up” to its pup express.

The “Team Ghost Riders” are a product of Tim “Wild Thang” Lepard, a 44-year old rodeo entertainer who endured nine bull-fighting related surgeries. No longer physically able to compete, he has devoted his life to a much more worthy cause: inspiring minor league baseball fans with his primate canine shennanigans.

I can’t wait!

First pitch tonight is at 7:05 as the Sox look to make it four in a row, and your daily dose of game notes are below.

Daydream believing,

Evan

*****

July 20, 2012 7:05 Wilmington Blue Rocks (41-56, 12-15) vs. Salem Red Sox (51-45-1, 10-17) Game #98

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Road Game #54

Probable Starters: RHP Elisaul Pimentel (1-1, 5.06) vs RHP Keith Couch (6-7, 4.35)

The Magic of Three: The Red Sox return home after three consecutive victories over the Keys, with the last two coming by the combined score of 25-5. Each of the three wins was highlighted by three home runs, including four three-run bombs in the series. Salem bashed 10 home runs in the four-game series, winning the final three after a slim 7-6 loss in the series opener. Michael Almanzar led the Red Sox with three homers in the series, while Travis Shaw and Sean Coyle each went yard twice. Brandon Jacobs, Christian Vazquez, and Shannon Wilkerson also hit home runs the past four nights at Harry Grove Stadium.

Life’s Good at the LG:  After playing 19 of the first 27 second-half games on the road, the Red Sox are ready for a long stretch in the Roanoke  Valley. Friday night marks the beginning of a ten-game homestand and the start of 16 of the next 19 at LewisGale Field. Through 97 games, the Sox have gone 24-18 at home and 27-27 on the road, hitting 26 points better in Salem. Outfielder Brandon Jacobs returns home having reached base in each of his last 29 contests at Salem Memorial Ballpark. In his last 29 at home, Jacobs is hitting .342 with an on-base percentage of .413.

Be Like Mike (In Frederick): While Michael Almanzar has been a completely different player in 2012 than he was a year ago, his greatest success has taken place in Maryland. Almanzar went 7-for-18 (.389) with three homers and eight RBI in the four-game series against Frederick, giving him a .292 average, eight homers, and 38 RBI for the season. In nine games this season at Harry Grove Stadium, Almanzar hit .368 (14-for-38) with five bombs and 15 RBI. He also belted a homer against the Keys at LewisGale Field, giving him 75% of his round-tripper output against Frederick.

Power Uncoiled: After belting five home runs in his first 131 at-bats, Sean Coyle went over two months without crushing another round-tripper. Over the past two days, however, Coyle launched a pair of three-run homers, snapping a homerless skid of 197 at-bats in the process. In his past three games, all Salem wins, Coyle has gone 8-for-13 with five extra base hits, six RBI, and five runs scored. After hitting .211 in the first half, Coyle has bounced back to hit .308 since the All-Star Break.

He’s On Fire: Since June 23, Salem catcher Christian Vazquez has hit .406 (28-for-69), a stretch that has enabled the Puerto-Rican backstop to bring his season average from .220 to .269. Vazquez has seven doubles and four homers sprinkled in to this 18 game stretch, in which he’s registered the second-best batting average in the Carolina League. 

Cowboy Up: The Salem Sox are proud to welcome the world famous Cowboy Monkey Rodeo to LewisGale Field on Friday and Saturday nights. “Team Ghost Riders” will make their first ever appearance in Salem, with “the best sheep dog riding monkeys in the business,” according to their website TeamGhostRiders.com.

The end of our ‘Dreams’ trilogy arrives with Salem second-year Pitching Coach Kevin Walker. The native Texan broke into the big leagues with the San Diego Padres, met a California girl, and now resides a couple hours from PetCo Park in the offseason.

Another day, another cool story. Walk will take it from here:

Pitching Coach Kevin Walker- Made MLB Debut on April 14, 2000 for the San Diego Padres

“My struggles were in A-Ball. In the Fall League, I figured it out in ’99. Started 2000 in Double-A, but only pitched three games and I got the call to the big leagues. It was outstanding.  I was only there thinking I was gonna be there for a day or two, but the pitcher that supposedly was gonna be there needed surgery, so I stayed, and the rest is history.

“I was in Mobile, Alabama. Our manager was Mike Basso. He called me in and the first thing [on my mind] was, ‘what did I do wrong?’ cause obviously [going to the big leagues] was the furthest thing from my mind at that moment. But he said there was a need at the big league level for a lefthander and ‘You’re the guy.’ This being my dream my whole life, I’m not gonna lie, I had tears in my eyes. I literally cried because sometimes you think that the dream is so far away, and all those times it’s right under your nose. Moral of the story, you gotta keep grinding and gotta believe in yourself.

(On sitting in the bullpen every day with Trevor Hoffman, one of the great closers in baseball history)

“I learned everything from that guy. We became close friends. The way he approached the game mentally, physically, I’ve never seen anybody do that before. I learned so much from him: how to handle games regardless of good or bad and how to stay even keel. The guy’s an ultimate professional, a Hall-of-Famer, and I was lucky enough to learn everything from him, and now that I can pass it on to [Salem’s pitchers], it’s invaluable.”

Salem takes the field at high noon today in Frederick. The broadcast is live on www.salemsox.com and will be heard at 7 PM tonight on NewsTalk 960 AM & FM 107.3 WFIR.

Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

July 19, 2012 12:00 Salem Red Sox (50-45-1, 9-17) vs Frederick Keys (39-57, 12-14) Game #97

Harry Grove Stadium                          Frederick, MD                   Road Game #54

Probable Starters: RHP Matt Barnes (5-3, 3.34) vs LHP Trent Howard (2-5, 4.44)

Getting Over the Hump: If Salem can follow up its victorious Wednesday with a triumphant Thursday, the Sox will earn their first series win over Frederick this season. They Keys garnered each of the first four series 2-1, but the Sox have turned the tide behind an explosive offense that compiled five multi-run innings on Wednesday evening. The Sox have put runners on base in 23 of the 27 innings in the first three games of the series, scoring 26 runs on 37 hits. Salem has crushed seven home runs in the series, including three apiece on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Will the Real Matt Barnes Please Stand Up?: In his first 13 starts (five with Greenville and eight with Salem), Barnes had surrendered just eight earned runs in 72.2 innings pitched, an ERA of 0.99, with 95 strikeouts and 12 walks. In has next three starts, however, Barnes allowed 14 earned runs in just eight and a third innings pitched, an ERA of 15.12, with only six strikeouts and five walks. Last time out, Barnes began to rite the ship, yielding just one earned run in five innings in his first start in 11 days. Barnes threw two pitches in the MLB Futures’ Game in Kansas City on July 8, recording two outs with two 95 mile per hour fastballs.

Homer Heaven: Travis Shaw has enjoyed a remarkable series thus far, aggregating to four hits in eight at-bats with two doubles, two homers, six walks, a hit-by-pitch, and five RBI. All together, Shaw has reached base in 12 of his 16 opportunities at the plate. The prolific stretch has given Shaw 15 home runs on the season, third most in the league, and 71 RBI, second most in the circuit just behind Frederick’s Aaron Baker, who has 72. Shaw leads the league in extra-base hits, slugging percentage, runs scored, and total bases.

He’s On Fire: Since June 23, Salem catcher Christian Vazquez has hit .422 (27-for-64), a stretch that has enabled the Puerto-Rican backstop to bring his season average from .220 to .271. Vazquez has seven doubles and four homers sprinkled in to this 17 game stretch, in which he’s registered the best batting average in the Carolina League. Vazquez also owns a .500 on-base percentage during this stretch, with 10 walks mixed in to his 17-game hot streak.

It Goes Up to 11: On Tuesday night, righthanded pitcher Stephen Fife became the 11th member of the 2009 Salem Sox to make his major league debut. Fife, dealt to the LA Dodgers at the Trade Deadline last year, opposed Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay on the mound at Chavez Ravine last night and outpitched the two-time Cy Young Award Winner. Fife tossed six strong innings and allowed just one run in the top of the first, departing in the seventh with a 2-1 lead. The Dodgers bullpen could not hang on, however, and Fife received a no-decision for his superb effort. The other members of the 2009 Salem Sox to have made the big leagues are Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, Yamaico Navarro, Robert Coello, Kyle Weiland, Anthony Rizzo, Tim Federowicz, Luis Exposito, and Kris Negron. Salem’s ‘09 club finished the regular season with a below .500 mark, but made it to the Mills Cup Championship series by sweeping the Dash in the first round.

If you missed it on Tuesday, read about Salem skipper Billy McMillon’s recollections on being called up to the big leagues for the first time: http://salemsox.mlblogs.com/2012/07/17/remembering-dreams-come-true-part-i/

Today, our attentions turn to Rich Gedman, who caught a Dennis Eckersley one-hitter in his first ever start for the Boston Red Sox.  That was September 26, 1980, Gedman’s 21st birthday. But 19 days before that, he arrived to the Show for the first time.

Hitting Coach Rich Gedman- Made MLB debut on September 7, 1980 for the Boston Red Sox

“[It was] business as usual. You come to the ballpark [in Triple-A Pawtucket], you go out to the field, taking batting practice, and somebody said, ‘Hey, [Manager] Joe [Morgan] wants to see you in his office.’ I was like, ‘what did I do now?’ We had an incident earlier where 8-or-10 of us were called into his office and got fined for doing some stupid stuff on the road. To make a long story short, I go walking in thinking, ‘I don’t remember doing anything, but I must have done something.’ Joe just kind of looked at me and said ‘Congratulations.’  And I’m like, ‘For what?’ ‘You’re getting called up the big leagues.’ I about started to cry. What a boost it was to me. I was probably hitting about .230 and I didn’t think I warranted a chance to go to the big leagues. But it just goes to show you, when you’re one step away, you never know what they see or what they want to see. So the opportunity was there.

“I went up for a month in 1980, and it was great. Joe Morgan came up to me after and said, ‘It’s like you got a shot of adrenaline. You’re a whole different guy in this last month of the season that I’ve watched you.’ I said, ‘Thanks, I don’t know why.’ You know why, but you can’t help it. There are 30,000 people there every night, and you gotta have your best foot forward, and tired’s not an option. It was just kinda neat. I didn’t get to play much, but it sure was a wonderful experience. The older guys were great to me. I got to hear a lot of stories about a lot of ways to go about your business. I got to play a few times. I got to start on my birthday. The first time around was a good one.

(On his first major league at-bat, in which he pinch-hit for Carl Yastrzemski)

“It really didn’t come down that way. That’s the way it looks in the books. Yaz was DHing and he had had a bad back or a sore back. I’d probably been there for 10 days, maybe even longer. And I think he just went up to [Manager] Don Zimmer and said ‘Why don’t you just let Gedman DH the rest of the day?’ That’s not factual; that’s just a guess. But he was really good to me. The rest was kind of history. I got to pinch-hit in my first at-bat. I get to start my first game on my birthday. It was a treat.

“The first day I went [to Fenway Park], I was there early. I went and looked at my locker. I get my uniform on. I go outside. And as I’m walking up the stairs, you can see the Green Monster in front of ya. It’s spectacular. It’s everything you think it’s gonna be, and more. And the field is the greenest green that you’ve ever seen. It’s the flattest flat. It’s just absolutely incredible to be there.”

Next up: Salem Pitching Coach Kevin Walker

Until then, enjoy tonight’s action as the Salem Sox look to make it to in a row over the Keys. First pitch at 7 PM on NewsTalk 960 AM & FM 107.3 WFIR and www.salemsox.com.

Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

July 18, 2012 7:00 Salem Red Sox (49-45-1, 8-17) vs Frederick Keys (39-56, 12-13) Game #96

Harry Grove Stadium                          Frederick, MD                   Road Game #53

Probable Starters: Yeiper Castillo (0-1, 1.38) vs RHP Scott Copeland (3-7, 6.42)

Playing the Full Nine: In each of the past two ballgames, the team that scored three runs in the first inning tasted defeat when the night was over. The Sox fell 7-6 despite a three-run first on Monday, while Salem prevailed 6-4 on Tuesday after trailing 3-0 early. In 95 games, Tuesday was just the eighth time that Salem won when trailing after the first inning. The Sox are 8-20 when trailing after one and 20-7-1 when leading after one. All together, 56 of Salem’s 95 games have featured one of the teams ahead following the first inning.

Like Shooting Free Throws: In the first two games of the series, Travis Shaw has made reaching base look as easy as a Ray Allen free throw. Salem’s All-Star first-baseman has reached nine times in  ten trips, going 2-for-3 with a double, a three-run homer, six walks, and one hit-by-pitch. He also popped to the shortstop in the ninth inning on Monday, the only time in the last two games he failed to reach first. Shaw’s on-base percentage for the season is .413, fifth in the circuit, but second among active Carolina Leaguers. With 14 homers, Shaw is tied for third, and his 70 RBI are good for second in the league.

Another Day, Another Homer: If Michael Almanzar produced home runs against every team like he did against Frederick, the Salem third baseman would lead the league with 35 bombs. Alas, he owns five home runs against the Keys and just two against the rest of the league. Almanzar’s solo blast in the ninth inning on Tuesday was his fourth dinger at Harry Grove Stadium this season,  while he also owns one home run against the Keys at LewisGale Field. Almanzar also went deep at Wilmington on May 1 and on June 28 vs. Potomac.

He’s On Fire: Since June 23, Salem catcher Christian Vazquez has hit .422 (27-for-64), a stretch that has enabled the Puerto-Rican backstop to bring his season average from .220 to .271. Vazquez has seven doubles and four homers sprinkled in to this 17 game stretch, in which he’s registered the best batting average in the Carolina League. Vazquez also owns a .500 on-base percentage during this stretch, with 10 walks mixed in to his 17-game hot streak.

It Goes Up to 11: On Tuesday night, righthanded pitcher Stephen Fife became the 11th member of the 2009 Salem Sox to make his major league debut. Fife, dealt to the LA Dodgers at the Trade Deadline last year, opposed Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay on the mound at Chavez Ravine last night and outpitched the two-time Cy Young Award Winner. Fife tossed six strong innings and allowed just one run in the top of the first, departing in the seventh with a 2-1 lead. The Dodgers bullpen could not hang on, however, and Fife received a no-decision for his superb effort. The other members of the 2009 Salem Sox to have made the big leagues are Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, Yamaico Navarro, Robert Coello, Kyle Weiland, Anthony Rizzo, Tim Federowicz, Luis Exposito, and Kris Negron. Salem’s ‘09 club finished the regular season with a below .500 mark, but made it to the Mills Cup Championship series by sweeping the Dash in the first round.

Baseball players have to answer so many questions about minor things. What were you thinking in that at-bat? How did you feel on the mound today? Are you excited for the season?

Generic questions often produce generic responses: I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit. I felt good and was able to command my fastball for strikes. Yes, very excited and looking forward to what’s ahead.

Ask a former major leaguer about the day they “made it,” and that query almost always generates an emotional and fascinating answer. Each story is a snowflake, unique and usually brilliant.

Starting today, we will share some stories from the major leaguers around us, beginning with our Salem Sox skipper in 2012, Billy McMillon.

Manager Billy McMillon- Made MLB debut on July 26, 1996 for the Florida Marlins

“I was in Triple-A in Charlotte. We played a doubleheader, and as I was warming up for game two, some fans said ‘Hey Billy, congratulations! I heard you’re getting called up.’ I thought it was just them being overly enthusiastic thinking that it was gonna happen pretty soon. But sure enough, after the second game, I showered and was heading out to get some dinner and the Manager said ‘Hey, you’ve been called up.’ He actually handed me a slip of paper with some flight information and it didn’t dawn on me what he was giving me until he said congratulations.

“I met the team in Miami, and we were playing the Dodgers the day I got called up. Hideo Nomo was pitching. The Marlins did something really cool. I didn’t play that first game because that was my first time ever really being on a major league field. So they just had this idea to let me get used to my surroundings, get used to how things work and then I started the next night. I don’t know how good I would have been that first night because in ’96 Nomo was really good and it was my first experience up there. My batting practice group consisted of Gary Sheffield, Andre Dawson, and Terry Pendleton. Anybody that’s been around baseball knows that Sheffield’s a pretty darn good player, Dawson’s a Hall-of-Famer, and Pendleton won an MVP, so it was kind of weird seeing those guys launch home runs in BP and I’m hitting singles to left field.

“I remember shaking [during my first at-bat]. My legs were shaking. I got a 2-0 count. Pitcher throws a strike, 2-1 count. I lined to the pitcher. L-1 for my first at bat. He kind of caught it behind his back. After that, things kind of settled down. I think I walked in my next [plate appearance]. My first hit came later that game. It was in the tenth inning. It was a single to right. I got pinch-ran for, they sacrificed him over, and the next guy got a single and we won the game.”

Coming tomorrow: Hitting Coach Rich Gedman remembers his major league debut at Fenway Park

Game notes below; the action begins at 7 PM tonight on NewsTalk 960 AM & FM 107.3 WFIR

Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

July 17, 2012 7:00 Salem Red Sox (48-45-1, 7-17) vs Frederick Keys (39-55, 12-12) Game #95

Harry Grove Stadium                          Frederick, MD                   Road Game #52

Probable Starters: RHP Miguel Celestino (6-5, 4.15) vs RHP Tyler Wilson (4-4, 3.31)

Maximum Aggravation: Salem dropped its fourth straight game on Monday night, the last  three of which have all come by exactly one run. In 24 games in the second half, Salem has six one-run losses, compared to just the five the Sox experienced in the 70-game first  half. While the Keys remain a Carolina League worst 39-55, Frederick owns a 9-4 record against the Sox and a 30-51 mark against the rest of the league. Salem has gone just 4-10 thus far in July and has lost 18 of its last 25 games dating back to the first half finale.

Missing In Action: A pair of Salem Sox were forced to leave Saturday’s game shortly after it started. In the first inning, Matty Johnson dislocated  his shoulder while attempting to steal second base. He was called out and Lucas LeBlanc replaced him defensively in the last of the first. Then, in the top of the second, Xander Bogaerts received a thrown baseball off his face while running toward second base on a grounder to short. Bogaerts was safe at second, but James Kang replaced him as a pinch-runner. On Monday, Johnson was placed on the disabled list, while Bogaerts remained on the active roster after receiving 11 stitches to his nose.

Almanzar or Nothing: If Michael Almanzar produced home runs against every team like he did against Frederick, the Salem third baseman would lead the league with 28 bombs. Alas, he owns four home runs  against the Keys and just two against the rest of the league. Almanzar’s two-run shot in the first inning on Monday was his third dinger at Harry Grove Stadium this season,  while he also owns one home run against the Keys at LewisGale Field. Almanzar also went deep at Wilmington on May 1 and on June 28 versus Potomac.

The Long and Winding Road: After going 20-15 away from LewisGale Field in the first half, the Sox have won just four times in 16 road games to begin the second half. It has not helped that Salem’s second half began with 19 out of 27 games away from home. Starting on Friday, however, Salem will play 16 of the next 19 at LewisGale Field.

Double Up: Travis Shaw’s first-inning double on Monday was his 28th of the season, breaking a tie at the top of the league leaderboard and moving Shaw into the top spot alone. While Shaw is hitting just .233 since the All-Star Break compared to .335 in the first half, he has sustained his doubles rate (eight in 23 games after recording 20 in 64 games in the first half). Shaw currently leads the league in extra-base hits and total bases, while he’s tied for third in homers and tied for second in RBI.

The Splendid Splinter: Since June 23, Salem catcher Christian Vazquez has hit .407 (24-for-59), a stretch that has enabled the Puerto-Rican backstop to bring his season average from .220 to .264. Vazquez has seven doubles and three homers sprinkled in to this 16 game stretch, in which he’s registered the second-best batting average in the Carolina League. Frederick’s Ty Kelly owns the only superior mark, hitting .421 in 21 games since June 23. Since the All-Star Break, Vazquez is hitting .387.