Duffy Wins Fourth
DANNY DUFFY won his fourth game of the season Saturday night as the Burlington Bees downed the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 5-3.
Duffy gave up just one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two while lowering his Midwest League Earned Run Average to 3.43, but he did not have the same easy seven-inning cruise that he had on Monday. For that reason this victory may have been even more impressive than its predecessor.
This time Duffy had to scuffle with base runners in four of his five innings. In so doing he burned through his pitch limit two innings earlier than Monday.
In the first a single and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position with one out but on a strikeout Burlington catcher Ryan Eigsti caught the runner stealing at third.
In the second a single, a walk and a wild pitch placed Rattler runners at second and third with no outs, but Duffy bore down and recorded the first out on a strikeout. He got the second on a sacrifice fly (giving up his first earned run in his last 13 innings) and the third on another “K.”
In the third he gave up a double and a walk and in the fourth a single. Finally in the fifth Wisconsin was retired 1-2-3.
Duffy is now 4-3 with his last three decisions all being victories.
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Church Returns Sunday
NEW YORK -- Two former college teammates met by chance on Saturday morning in the corridor under the stands that connects the bullpens and clubhouses at Shea Stadium. And Darrell Rasner inquired about the health of RYAN CHURCH.
DANNY DUFFY won his fourth game of the season Saturday night as the Burlington Bees downed the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 5-3.
Duffy gave up just one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two while lowering his Midwest League Earned Run Average to 3.43, but he did not have the same easy seven-inning cruise that he had on Monday. For that reason this victory may have been even more impressive than its predecessor.
This time Duffy had to scuffle with base runners in four of his five innings. In so doing he burned through his pitch limit two innings earlier than Monday.
In the first a single and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position with one out but on a strikeout Burlington catcher Ryan Eigsti caught the runner stealing at third.
In the second a single, a walk and a wild pitch placed Rattler runners at second and third with no outs, but Duffy bore down and recorded the first out on a strikeout. He got the second on a sacrifice fly (giving up his first earned run in his last 13 innings) and the third on another “K.”
In the third he gave up a double and a walk and in the fourth a single. Finally in the fifth Wisconsin was retired 1-2-3.
Duffy is now 4-3 with his last three decisions all being victories.
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Church Returns Sunday
NEW YORK -- Two former college teammates met by chance on Saturday morning in the corridor under the stands that connects the bullpens and clubhouses at Shea Stadium. And Darrell Rasner inquired about the health of RYAN CHURCH.
"Feelin' pretty good," was Church's response.
"You going to play today?" Rasner said.
"Nah, probably tomorrow," Church said. "That's the plan."
Said Rasner: "Why don't you take a few more days off?"
The next interaction between the two products from the University of Nevada-Reno is likely to be on Sunday afternoon. Church will be the Mets' right fielder again and Rasner will be the Yankees' starting pitcher. They won't be talking.
Church is to return after missing 27 of the team's 35 most recent games because of the aftereffects of the concussion that he suffered on May 20 in Atlanta. After playing the outfield in two rehab games with the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones, Church said he is completely recovered and fully capable of resuming what had appeared to be a breakout season. He said on Saturday that his legs feel strong again; his leg strength and stamina had been issues.
Church might have returned on Saturday, but the Mets reasoned there was little sense in subjecting a left-handed hitter to Andy Pettitte when he would benefit from one more day of baseball activities and free from the strains of competition.
Manager Jerry Manuel characterized Church as a "real nice piece we've missed," and he noted that he relieves some of the pressure on Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado to produce runs. The manager noted he saw Church as capable of batting almost anywhere in the batting order -- second, fifth and sixth -- and he suggested that he might have planned to use Church as the No. 2 hitter, as Willie Randolph did 13 times, if Luis Castillo were not going to be available for the final game of the series against the Yankees.
"Hopefully, he can continue having the year he was having," Manuel said.
Church is batting .300 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs in 180 at-bats. He has had four hits in 19 at-bats since the concussion and before his assignment to the disabled list. Before the injury, Church was the lone Met having "a good year for us," Randolph said before his dismissal.
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com.
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Shipman Clean Again
In Little Rock, Arkansas ANDY SHIPMAN posted his fourth straight clean relief appearance in Midland’s 4-3 loss to the Arkansas Travelers. Shipman pitched one and two-thirds innings and gave up two hits but no runs. He lowered his Texas League ERA to 5.10.
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White Hitless
In Oneonta, New York CHRIS WHITE’s Oneonta Tigers downed the Tri-City Valley Cats 4-2 in a New York-Pennsylvania League game. Unfortunately White went 0-for-3 at the plate to see his average dip to .176.
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