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Quad Cities' Goodwin plates eight

Cardinals' second-base prospect leads rally with career night
September 1, 2010
Devin Goodwin and the Bandits probably wish the season wasn't on the verge of ending.

Goodwin drove in a career-high eight runs to help Class A Quad Cities overcome a six-run deficit in a 16-10 slugfest victory over Cedar Rapids on Tuesday.

The Cardinals' 33rd-round pick in the 2009 Draft, Goodwin fell a triple shy of the cycle for the Bandits (39-24). He doubled his previous career best of four RBIs, set on Aug. 23 against the Kane County Cougars.

The 23-year-old second baseman didn't pick up his first hit until his third plate appearance in the fourth inning, when he hit a bases-loaded double. Goodwin's three-run homer in the fifth gave the Bandits an 11-10 lead, their first of the game. Goodwin, who missed the previous two games after fouling a ball off his foot, capped his night with a two-RBI single in the seventh.

"My first two at-bats, I was trying to get my rhythm and see the ball again," he said. "I just got into a good count in my third at-bat and was looking for a fastball to hit because the bases were loaded.

"My fourth at-bat, I was looking for his fastball and something over the plate because people don't like to pitch in with runners on second and third. I fell behind and I didn't want to get painted up on the outside corner. He hung a slider, I saw it well and put a good swing on it."

The Alabama native is ending his season on a strong note, batting .319 in 26 August games. He's also driven in 25 runs and drawn 23 walks, more than doubling his season total. Goodwin credited a change he made in his stance on Aug. 10.

"We were in Peoria earlier in the month, and I wasn't feeling terrible at the plate, but I just felt like I wasn't driving those pitches I was used to driving," Goodwin said. "I was just hitting singles and a home run every now and then, I wasn't happy with the way I was swinging.

"I decided to do something unconventional for me and made some adjustment to help with my timing and opened up my stance. I just get ready early and try to put an aggressive swing early. I didn't know how it would pay off, but the first night I went 2-for-3. For some reason something about it makes me see the ball better. I just know it's made me more comfortable."

The top of the Bandits order set the stage for Goodwin's night. Luis Mateo, Rainel Rosario and Alan Ahmady combined to reach base 12 times and scored 11 runs. Rosario also slugged a two-run homer. Ahmady, an 11th-round pick in 2009, missed the first 50 games of the season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He joined the Bandits in July, and has hit .324 in 35 games.

Starter Joe Kelly was roughed up early, allowing nine runs on 10 hits and struck out three over 3 1/3 innings. Chris Corrigan (3-0) allowed an unearned run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings of relief for the win. The Bandits' bullpen contributed 5 2/3 frames of two-hit baseball.

Kernels leadoff hitter Jean Segura was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, while center fielder Matt Long scored three times and stole his 23rd base.

Robert Emrich is a contributor to MLB.com.