=== Daily Dugout Chatter - Tuesday, August 17th === (Games from Monday, August 16th)

From The My Sportsbook

OMAHA COOLS THE SPRINGS

Adrian Brown plated the game-winning run and Jed Hansen provided the insurance with a three-run home run as the Omaha Royals crowned the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, 7-3, in a Pacific Coast League Central Division game Monday afternoon. Winners of two consecutive, Omaha improved to 56-66 while Colorado Springs (63-59) lost for the second straight game. With the game tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Omaha took the lead on an RBI triple by Brown. Three batters later, Hansen hammered a three-run shot to left field setting the final score. Reliever Justin Huisman got the win. He improved to 4-2 for the season by working 1 2/3rd scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Losing pitcher Mike Bumatay (1-4) was touched for two runs on one hit in 1 1/3rd innings.

GREAT SCOTT

Luke Scott crushed two home runs and knocked in four runs DJ Houlton tossed 6 2/3rd shutout innings as the Round Rock Express ousted the Tulsa Drillers 6-1 Monday night. Scott finished 3-for-4, including a double to go with his two bombs, and scored three times to lead the Express offense. Houlton (9-5) scattered four hits over his 6 2/3rd innings, issuing two walks, and struck out 10 batters. Justin Hampson (9-7) took the loss for Tulsa after he allowed four earned runs in seven innings of work. Hampson gave up seven hits, including three home runs, and struck out five in the loss. Hector Gimenez homered and finished 1-for-4 in the win while Willy Taveras went 3-for-4 and scored two runs. Jayson Nix hit a meaningless ninth inning solo home run to account for Tulsa's only run of the game. The home was his 13th.

SIR LANCE-ALOT

Lance Caraccioli tossed seven strong innings while Jesse Gutierrez provided the game winning run as the Chattanooga Lookouts defeated the Greenville Braves, 9-1, in Southern League action Monday night. Chattanooga upped its record to 34-15 while Greenville fell to 28-21. Caraccioli scattered one run on four hits and struck out eight en route to improving his record to 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA. Paxton Crawford finished the game with two scoreless innings. Gutierrez blasted his 16th long ball of the season in the first inning giving the Lookouts 3-0 lead. Brian Anderson chipped in with two hits including a two-run triple for Chattanooga. Greenville's Ray Aguilar suffered the loss and fell to 1-1. Aguilar surrendered four runs, three earned , on five hits and three walks in six innings of work. Napoleon Calzado collected two hits while Andy Marte knocked in the only run of the game for the Braves.

INTIMIDATED? I THINK NOT

Antoin Gray tied the game with a solo shot and one batter later Carlos Lee won the game with a solo home run to power the Kannapolis Intimidators to a comeback 4-3 victory over the Charleston-SC RiverDogs in South Atlantic League action Monday night. Gray tied the score at 3-3 with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and Lee blasted his third bomb and finished 1- for-4. After allowing two runs in the top of the inning to give Charleston a 3-2 lead, Ehren Wasserman was picked up by the offense and improved his record to 2-3 on the year. Wasserman gave up two earned runs on one hit in one inning of work. Scott Vandermeer (5-2) took the loss for the RiverDogs after he gave up the two home runs in the ninth. Jason Pridie doubled home two runs in the ninth inning to give Charleston a brief 3-2 lead. Robert Valido gave Kannapolis a short 2-1 lead with a two-run homer in the eighth inning.

B-METS BLANKED

Gustavo Chacin tossed seven innings of shutout baseball and struck out eight to earn his 15th win, as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats blanked the Binghamton Mets, 4-0 in an Eastern League contest. Chacin scattered two hits and walked three as he improved to 15-2 on the season. Dan Jackson and James Vermilyea each went an inning in relief to preserve the shutout. John Hattig started the scoring for the Fisher Cats when he plated two runs in the first inning with a double. Dominic Rich and Aaron Hill each drove in a run in the win. Binghamton's Mike Meyers (0-2) was saddled with the loss. In four innings, he surrendered four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits and three walks. Wayne Lydon, Joe Hietpas, and Gil Velazquez each registered a hit in the loss.

COLUMBUS SAILS TO VICTORY

Alex Graman, Colter Bean and Juan Padilla combined to toss a four-hit shutout as the Columbus Clippers blanked the Richmond Braves, 2-0, on Monday night. Graman (10-4) held the Braves to two hits in six innings of work and picked up the win. He fanned eight and walked four. Bean struck out four Braves in two innings in relief and allowed just one hit. Padilla closed out the game by recording his second save for the Clippers. Columbus got both of its runs in the bottom of the first inning. Donzell McDonald doubled home a run in the inning and Jeff Deardorff slapped an RBI single to left field three batters later. San McConnell (7-6) allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings and suffered the loss. Dan Meyer struck out five in three shutout innings in relief.

DANVILLE SCALPS THE DEVIL

Carl Loadenthal and Brandon Jones each knocked in three runs and Chris Vines tossed six innings of two-hit baseball to lead the Danville Braves to a blowout 15-0 win over the Princeton Devil Rays in Appalachian League action Monday night. Loadenthal doubled, homered, and scored four runs to lead the Danville offense. He finished 5-for-6 on the day. Jones went 4-for-5 with a double, triple, and one run scored in the win. Vines (4-3) gave up just two hits, walked one, and struck out seven batters in six innings of work. Joseph Muro (1-2) was rocked for eight earned runs in just 2 2/3rd innings of work to take the loss for Princeton. Muro gave up seven hits, including three home runs, and walked two batters in the loss. Mark Jurich and Carlos Moreta both homered for the Braves. Van Pope went 1-for-5 with a double and three RBI in the win. Danville cranked out 20 hits in the game. Danville (32-22) has won three straight and sit in a tie with Pulaski for first place in the East Division while Princeton (20-35) lost their second straight and remain in the basement of the East.

REYES FANS 15

Anthony Reyes tossed seven strong innings in which he struck out 15 of a possible 21 batters and picked up the win as the Tennessee Smokies defeated the Jacksonville Suns, 5-1, in Southern League action Monday night. Both teams are now 20-28 in the second half of the season. Reyes (5-2) held the Suns to one run on five hits and only one walk. He also broke a personal record of 11 strikeouts back on July 26th with his 15 tonight. Chris Duncan provided all the offense the Smokies would need with two-run game winning single in the bottom of the fifth. Dan Moylan chipped in with two runs scored for Tennessee. Jacksonville's Glenn Bott suffered the loss and fell to 3-9. Bott was shelled for four runs on six hits and five walks in his five innings of work. Catcher Edwin Bellorin went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for the Suns.