Pacific Coast League Notebook

Albuquerque Isotopes (Florida Marlins) (6-5)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: IF Jason Wood has hit .412 in his first nine games with four homers, seven RBI and 10 runs scored -- all tops on the team. ... While the Isotopes have a team batting average of .289, the team has four players hitting .200 or below: Tom Wilson (.200), Mike Colangelo (.194), Scott Seabol (.192) and Jason Stokes (.182).

OUCH! THAT RECORD HURTS: Mike Colangelo was hit by three pitches from New Orleans pitcher Andrew Good in the Isotopes' 9-2 victory April 15. Colangelo's three hit-by-pitches tied a Pacific Coast League record. Colangelo has been hit by five pitches in 10 games this season, and when three walks are added in it helps the outfielder post a .341 on-base percentage despite a .194 batting average.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I think [Yusmeiro Petit] still has a little trouble putting guys away. He gets two strikes and gives up more than he should. But he used all his pitches well, and used both sides of the plate well." -- Isotopes Manager Dean Treanor told the Omaha World-Herald after Petit gave up just four hits in six innings of Albuquerque's 10-1 win over the O-Royals April 12.

Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Rockies) (5-7)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: OF Ryan Spilborghs is batting .341 in his first 12 games with seven runs scored. Six walks help him to a .420 on-base percentage. ... While SS Omar Quintanilla has a .190 batting average in 12 games, he has scored 11 runs thanks in large part to seven walks drawn. ... Starters Sandy Nin and Zack Parker have struggled to start the season. Nin, a right-hander, is 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA in his first two starts, while Parker, a lefty, is 0-1 with an 11.37 ERA in two starts.

WHO'S HE?: Colorado Springs baseball fans may not recognize Jeff Baker, who hit .303 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 61 games for the Sky Sox last season. That's because the 24-year-old Baker has lost 20 pounds since last season and now weighs 205 pounds. He also has switched positions, moving from third base to right field. So far this season Baker is among the team leaders with a .302 batting average, a home run, 13 RBIs and four runs scored in 12 games.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It was a game we should've won. We had a big crowd, so I wish we could've given them a win. It's a bitter taste." -- Sky Sox OF Ryan Spilborghs told the Colorado Springs Gazette after his team blew a four-run lead and suffered an 9-8 loss in 11 innings to Tucson in the home opener April 14.

Fresno Grizzlies (San Francisco Giants) (4-6)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: LHP Michael Tejera has earned a pair of victories in his first five appearances, allowing just four hits and one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings. ... The Grizzlies are batting just .246 as a team and have four position players hitting at .200 or less: Todd Linden (.200), Tomas De La Rosa (.171), Yamid Haad (.125) and Anthony Labarbera (.125).

FULL OF COMEBACKS: The Grizzlies fell behind host Tucson 5-0 early on April 13, yet fought back to take a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth of that contest. That meant Fresno needed one more rally, and the Grizzlies did just that in the 12th with 3B Jed Hansen striking a key two-run triple.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I'd be playing if I could. I can't grip a bat or catch with the hand. I'm just glad it isn't worse. I'll miss 80-90 at-bats. It's not a big deal. I'll be back." --OF Todd Linden told the Fresno Bee after suffering a sprained left thumb while diving for a ball on defense April 11 at Tucson. Last season Linden hit 30 home runs for the Grizzlies; he expects to be sidelined a month by the injury.

Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) (6-5)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: OF Felix Pie has hit .326 in his first 11 Triple-A games with three doubles, two triples, a home run and 14 RBIs. ... RHP Robert Brownlie has struggled to start this year, allowing 12 hits and six earned runs in his first four innings for an 0-2 record and 13.50 ERA.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The I-Cubs went 22 innings without scoring before Jeff Deardorff led off the eighth inning of their April 13 game against Nashville with a home run. Later that inning Michael Restovich had an RBI single, and those two runs proved to be enough in a 2-1 victory over the Sounds.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "That kinda pitching will make you look like a real good manager. [Rich Hill] threw the ball well all night. He looked like the guy we saw here last year. We've seen signs of that in the last month or two at Spring Training and here, but I haven't seen it as consistent as it was for 100 pitches tonight. That's really encouraging." -- Iowa manager Mike Quade told the Des Moines Register after Hill beat Round Rock April 15. Hill allowed just one run on four hits while striking out 10 Express batters.

Las Vegas 51s (Los Angeles Dodgers) (7-3)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: IF Willy Aybar is hitting .400 in this young season with three homers, 13 RBIs and seven runs scored. ... RHP Jonathan Broxton is 1-0 with two saves in his first four appearances, having allowed just three hits and no walks while fanning eight in four innings. ... As a team the 51s are batting .301 and have only two regulars batting below .250: Jon Weber (.192) and Jeff Duncan (.111).

IT'S A START: The 51s posted a 57-86 record last season, the worst mark in the PCL. This season began with Las Vegas winning its first six games, the best mark since the club moved to this city in 1983. "It's a little different from last year," 51s manager Jerry Royster told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I'm impressed with [Chad Billingsley]. He threw as good a breaking ball as you'll see anywhere. Nobody has a breaking ball that tight. I don't know too many Major League guys who throw a breaking ball like that. " -- 51s manager Jerry Royster told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In his first two starts this season, Billingsley is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 10 innings.

Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) (1-10)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: C Michel Hernandez is batting .400 in his first 11 games but has no homers, only one RBI and six runs scored. ... RHP Dennis Tankersley is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in two starts. But three relievers have a higher ERA than Tankersley: LHP Tyler Johnson (10.12), RHP Alan Benes (10.38) and RHP Matt Smith (11.05).

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We were in seven of [the first] eight ball games. You lose five games in your last at-bat, what are you gonna do? We've played OK at times and we've given a few away because of defense and we didn't get guys in when we should have. The hard part is when everybody struggles at once. Hopefully we're over that bump." -- Redbirds manager Danny Sheaffer told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal after his team suffered its season-opening ninth-straight loss April 14 by a 10-4 score to Omaha.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK, PART TWO: "If [playing here is] what I have to do, that's what I have to do. That's all I have control over is the way I play the game. I don't mean to sound rude or harsh, but I really don't want to talk about Spring Training anymore. ... It's insignificant. I'm just playing the game now.'' --Redbirds 2B Junior Spivey told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. Spivey was expected to start at second for St. Louis but instead found himself in Memphis after batting .147 with five errors in Spring Training. He is batting .262 with two errors in 11 games for the Redbirds.

Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) (6-5)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: RHP Ben Hendrickson has allowed just two hits and six walks in his first 11 innings split between two starts. He currently is 1-0 with seven strikeouts. ... OF Dave Krynzel has hit .353 in his first 11 games with seven runs scored and six stolen bases. ... While the Sounds have a 2.50 team ERA, LHP Justin Thompson has a 7.94 ERA in two starts.

ON THE RUN: The Sounds have been aggressive on the basepaths early this season, stealing 21 bases in the team's first 11 games. But that shouldn't come as much of a surprise: last season OF Tony Gwynn Jr. stole 34 bases at Double-A Huntsville, while IF Zach Sorensen stole 21 bases with Salt Lake and IF Jermaine Clark had 14 at Sacramento. Among the returning players, OF Dave Krynzel had 24 for the Sounds while OF Nelson Cruz had 19 between Huntsville and Nashville.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You try not to think about it too much and just go after the next hitter. But it's hard not to think about it." -- Sounds LHP Dana Eveland told The (Nashville) Tennessean after retiring the first 15 Oklahoma batters he faced in Nashville's home opener April 14. Eveland saw the perfect game attempt end when he gave up a hit in the sixth, but still picked up the victory in the Sounds 11-1 win. Strangely, the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in Nashville history, John Wasdin, is a member of the RedHawks and watched the game from the opposing dugout.

New Orleans Zephyrs (Washington Nationals) (7-4)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: 1B Larry Broadway has started the season batting .359 with a homer, nine RBIs and three runs scored in 11 games. ... OF Tyrell Godwin is hitting just .205 in his first 10 contests. ... While LHP Bill Bray leads the PCL with three victories, he has a 6.75 ERA after allowing eight hits -- including three home runs -- and five earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.

BEEP! BEEP!: The Zephyrs may have the speediest team in the PCL, having already stolen 23 bases in their first 11 games. Bernie Castro leads the league with seven steals, while OFs Kenny Kelly (five) and George Lombard (four) also rank among the leaders. New Orleans has stolen three bases in an inning, executed a squeeze play and executed a double steal this year.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Hopefully, we can continue, can use our weapons. We have four or five guys in the lineup every day who can steal a bag anytime. We pretty much know how to play the game. When you're in Triple-A, you should know how to steal a bag. A lot of times when the manager holds you back, guys get timid on the base paths." --Zephyrs OF Kenny Kelly told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Kelly has five stolen bases, two behind team leader Bernie Castro, as the Z's lead the PCL with 23 thefts.

Oklahoma RedHawks (Texas Rangers) (6-5)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: 1B Jason Botts has hit .310 in his first 11 games with three homers, 12 RBIs and six runs scored. ... Most of the Oklahoma rotation has struggled to start the season: RHP Rob Tejeda (6.43 ERA), RHP R.A. Dickey (6.97), LHP John Rheinecker (9.31) and RHP Jon Leicester (10.00) have combined for a 7.95 ERA.

ON THE REBOUND: The only RedHawk starter with a solid ERA this season is RHP Edinson Volquez, who is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA in his first two starts. Volquez started poorly against Round Rock April 13; he allowed two hits and a run while throwing 30 pitches to just four batters in the first inning. The next five innings Volquez turned things around: he fanned seven and allowed only three hits in a game Oklahoma won 3-2.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I guess we're not going to go undefeated. I don't think [the winning streak] mattered much tonight. I guess everyone here has lost a baseball game before." -- RedHawks manager Tim Ireland told The Oklahoman after his team saw its season-opening five-game winning streak end with a 7-3 loss to Round Rock April 11.

Omaha Royals (Kansas City Royals) (7-4)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: 2B Ruben Gotay has a .341 batting average in his first 11 games with a stolen base and four runs scored. ... 3B Mike Aviles has hit just .087 in his first eight games. He also has made four errors.

A TALE OF TWO STARTS: RHP Runelvys Hernandez struggled in his first start, allowing four walks and seven hits -- including a pair of home runs -- in three innings of a loss to Nashville April 9. But Hernandez was much stronger in winning at Memphis April 14, giving up just seven hits and three earned runs in a 10-4 victory.

TRUMPED: Omaha saw Memphis score five times in the eighth inning to tie up the two team's April 16 contest at 6-6. But Jared Price responded with a home run in the top of the ninth to give the O-Royals a 7-6 victory.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I don't really like saying anything [about a low team batting average] to them, because then all of a sudden you turn around and they're swinging at everything. I know it's just a matter of these guys starting to feel comfortable up there, and it will start to work itself out." -- O-Royals manager Mike Jirschele told the Omaha World-Herald after his team, which entered its April 12 contest batting just .204, roughed up Albuquerque for 14 hits in an 11-5 win.

Portland Beavers (San Diego Padres) (6-5)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: 3B Justin Leone has jumped out to a torrid start, batting .463 in his first 11 games with six home runs, 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Leone also has a .532 on-base percentage thanks to six walks. ... The Beavers have a .253 batting average but have eight position players hitting .214 or lower.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW: LHP Ryan Meaux couldn't wait for Colorado Springs to leave Portland after suffering a pair of losses to the Sky Sox April 10 and 12. In the April 10 loss Meaux allowed three hits and a walk while not retiring a batter in a 5-4 loss. Two days later he gave up six hits, including two home runs, as well as a walk that resulted in six earned runs in a 12-6 loss. Meaux has a 60.75 ERA against Colorado Springs and a 13.50 for the rest of the season, giving him a 29.25 ERA for the young season.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "That's happened to so many guys in this game. It's nice to win a game, but you don't ever want to wish that on anybody -- but we'll take it, no question." -- Portland manager Craig Colbert told The (Portland) Oregonian after Colorado Springs' 3B Bo Hart misplayed a foul popup off the bat of Justin Leone, allowing the pop to drop. Two pitches later Leone slugged a home run that gave the Beavers a 3-2 win April 11.

Round Rock Express (Houston Astros) (5-6)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: OF Mike Rodriguez has hit .394 with four RBIs and five runs scored in his first nine games this year. ... The Express hasn't had much production from its corner infielders. 1B Royce Huffman has started the season with a .189 batting average, while 3B Cody Ransom (.243) and Joe McEwing (.154) have combined to bat just .222. The trio has yet to hit a home run this year.

"BORK" AT WORK: RHP Dave Borkowski had one bad outing as the team's closer, surrendering four hits and two runs while suffering the loss to New Orleans April 7. Borkowski has three saves in his other four appearances, though, having given up one hit and one walk in 4 2/3 innings. For the season Borkowski has a 3.60 ERA.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "No, he can't hit. Nobody was more proud just to make contact." -- Round Rock manager Jackie Moore told the Austin American-Statesman when asked about RHP Roberto Giron's hitting April 14. But Giron was strong on the mound, allowing just five hits in 4 2/3 innings of an emergency start in place of Ezequiel Astacio to give the Express a chance to claim a 6-4 victory over Iowa.

Sacramento RiverCats (Oakland Athletics) (6-3)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: OF Doug Clark is hitting .457 with 10 runs scored in his first eight games. Clark, who has two doubles and three homers among his 16 hits, also has a .525 on-base percentage. ... RHP Kaz Tadano has struggled since coming to the Oakland organization from Cleveland. In his first three games Tadano has given up eight hits and four runs that have produced six runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Tadano has allowed at least one earned run in all three of his appearances.

GAUDY NUMBERS FOR GAUDIN: RHP Chad Gaudin has pitched well in his first two starts for the RiverCats. On Opening Day he allowed just two hits in five shutout innings at Portland, then won his second start by allowing just one earned run in six innings at Tacoma. For the season Gaudin is 1-0 with an 0.82 ERA.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Our pitching gave up 25 walks and 40 hits, and we ain't gonna win too many games doing that." -- River Cats manager Tony DeFrancesco told the Sacramento Bee after his team lost three of four in a season-opening series at Portland. Sacramento won 13-2 on April 8 and was outscored 28-14 in the three losses.

Salt Lake Bees (LA Angels of Anaheim) (6-5)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: As a team the Bees are hitting .311, with 2B Howie Kendrick (.449), OF Curtis Pride (.368) and SS Erick Aybar (.348) leading the way. Salt Lake has scored 74 runs in its first 11 contests, including 15 in a win over Portland April 15. ... So why are the Bees only 6-5? In its five losses the team has surrendered 33 runs. Four pitchers have ERAs greater than six, including starter Joe Saunders (1-1, 6.46).

BIG "D" IS STRUGGLING: 3B Dallas McPherson batted just .161 in spring training, and his struggles have continued early this season. McPherson is batting just .209 in his first 11 games and has 26 strikeouts in his first 43 plate appearances. Despite his struggles McPherson still ranks among the team leaders with 10 RBIs.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It was a fastball down the middle -- I was looking for a pitch to hit. Sweet." --Salt Lake SS Erick Aybar told the Salt Lake Tribune after slugging the first pitch in the Bees' season opener over the right-field fence for a home run. Aybar helped Salt Lake claim a 6-1 victory over Portland.

Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners) (5-4)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: IF Greg Dobbs has started the season batting .333 with three homers, eight RBIs and eight runs scored. He leads the team in each of those last three categories. ... The Rainiers have a very strong 2.49 ERA, so RHP Clint Nageotte's 4.91 ERA after two starts doesn't seem too good in the comparison.

WORK IN PROGRESS: OF Adam Jones opened the door for Fresno to score seven times in a 10-3 victory over the Rainiers April 15. Jones, who moved to the outfield from shortstop this year, dropped a two-out flyball from Yamid Haad that was followed by three RBI hits that resulted in seven unearned runs. In their first four losses the Rainers made eight errors that led to 16 unearned runs.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I know we're not going to play perfect baseball. Certainly, with the outcome, we didn't play very good baseball," --Rainiers manager Dave Brundage told the Tacoma News Tribune after his team lost to Sacramento 8-4 on April 10. In that loss Tacoma made three errors while its pitchers walked six and gave up hits. The Rainiers offense struck out 12 times and left nine runners on base.

Tucson Sidewinders (Arizona Diamondbacks) (4-8)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: While SS Stephen Drew is hitting just .229 in his first 12 Triple-A games, he also has a team-leading four home runs and 11 RBIs. ... The Sidewinders have a 5.30 ERA in large part because eight different pitchers have ERAs of five runs per game or higher.

GETTING THE CALL: Sidewinders manager Chip Hale is coaching third base for the parent Diamondbacks because Arizona's third base coach, Carlos Tosca, broke a toe when hit by an Eric Byrnes' line drive. Hitting coach Lorenzo Bundy is serving as manager of the 'Winders in Hale's absence.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Coaching third is coaching third. You have to know all the different variables of the other team. To me, that's one of the best jobs you can have -- coaching third. It's enjoyable. A lot of times the fans are on you, but that's a challenge. It's almost like being a player again." -- Tucson manager Chip Hale told the Tucson Citizen when asked about serving as third base coach for the parent Diamondbacks.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK, PART TWO: It's coming to the point where we're not doing enough offensively. When you are scoring runs, a bad pitch here and there or a missed defensive play can't hurt you. Right now, we're not scoring enough and taking advantage of the situations that we have." -- 'Winders interim manager Lorenzo Bundy told the Tucson Citizen after a 5-3 loss to Fresno April 11 dropped Tucson to 1-5 on the young season.