Welcome to Coop Scoop coverage of the 2012 season! The Hens finish their brief homestand at Fifth Third Field by hosting Columbus in the final game of a four-game series tonight at 7 p.m. We’ll get the in-game blog rolling with lineups, update and news on the Mud Hens, and much more. Most-recent posts are at the bottom, so let’s roll!
6:00 p.m. – I am within sight of vacation – it’s like a light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m pretty sure it’s not an oncoming train. So let’s get to work on baseball and get today’s blog started with lineups …
6:05 p.m. –The Mud Hens lineup for manager Phil Nevin ... Leading off and playing CF is Justin Henry, followed by Danny Worth at 3B, Rob Brantly at C, Ben Guez in LF, John Lindsey at DH, Ryan Strieby at 1B, Matt Young in RF, Argenis Diaz at SS, Cale Iorg at 2B and LHP Adam Wilk as the starting pitcher. Columbus lineup is next ...
6:10 p.m. -- The Columbus lineup of manager Mike Sarbaugh ... Leading off and playing CF is Ezequiel Carrera, followed by Cord Phelps at 2B, Vinny Rottino in LF, Matt LaPorta at 1B, Russ Canzler in RF, Chad Huffman at DH, Gregorio Petit at SS, Matt Pagnozzi at C, Ryan Rohlinger at 3B and RHP Jeanmar Gomez as the starting pitcher.
6:17 p.m. -- OK, a few notes for today's game ... starting with the weather. There was tarp on the field until a very short time ago (obviously that means neither team took BP on the field) and the tarp has been removed. There are potential "cells" of rain to the west, but at this point all indications are we will start on time.
6:24 p.m. -- Good news for the Mud Hens ... OF Matt Young passed through waivers today and officially was added to the Toledo roster. He quickly has been re-inserted into today's lineup. The Mud Hens had just 24 players on the roster the past few days, so adding Young brings them back to the International League maximum of 25.
6:31 p.m. -- For those who are interested in such things, the Mud Hens posted their rotation coming out of the All-Star Break ... It's a continuation of the Toledo rotation as we hit the break. That means LHP Andy Oliver will start Thursday, July 12, when the team begins a four-game series at Rochester, followed by LHP Adam Wilk Friday, LHP Casey Crosby Saturday, RHP Jacob Turner Sunday and RHP Thad Weber Monday when the Hens travel to Buffalo to begin a four-game set.
6:39 p.m. -- And yes, anticipating that next tweet ... the rest of the rotation for the three-game series at Louisville begins with LHP Casey Crosby Friday, followed by RHP Jacob Turner Saturday and RHP Thad Weber Sunday in the final game before the break.
6:47 p.m. -- Here are a few links before the start of the game ... Click here to read the in-game blog from Wednesday's contest. Click here to read the game story from Wednesday's game, which features Danny Worth on his return to the Hens.
6:55 p.m. -- Going to sneak a little food before the start of the game ... check you at the middle of the first inning!
7:06 p.m. -- Mud Hens starter Andy Wilk retired the Clippers in order in the first, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Wilk threw 13 pitches, 11 of which were strikes. His fastball sat at 88-90 mph (four at 88, one at 89, two at 90) while his change-up sat at 81-83 mph (two at 81, one at 83) and his curveball ranged beteen 70 (once) to 78-79 (one at each). There's no score as the Hens come to bat in the bottom of the first.
7:12 p.m. -- Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez retired the Hens in order in the first, striking out one. Gomez threw 10 pitches, seven of which were strikes, with his fastball sitting in the 89-92 mph range (one at 88, one at 89, two at 90, one at 91 and one at 92), while his slider sat at 85-86 mph (three at 85, one at 86). No score as we head to the second.
7:24 p.m. -- "The Mayor," John Lindsey delivers a two-run homer in the second inning ... a long homer that just missed the scoreboard in left and instead landed on Monroe Street. That's Lindsey's second home run with the Mud Hens this season.
7:44 p.m. -- Toledo's Adam Wilk faces a little turbulence in the third, walking a pair of hitters, but gets an inning-ending groundout to avoid trouble. Wilk has thrown 51 pitches through three innings, but 23 of them came in the third inning. The two walks will skew Wilk's balance of balls and strikes thrown ... but the good news is the Hens are still winning 2-0.
8:19 p.m. -- Sorry, must admit that I'm pretty proud I was able to get this photo with my camera and put it on the blog. Not bad for an old fuddy-duddy, eh?
8:29 p.m. -- Racing With The Stars update ... Jamie Farmadillo and Jim Flealand were neck-and-neck until they made the turn at third, and Farmadillo was able to pull away to claim the victory. Kitty Holmes trailed by a lot early and never made up the distance ... tough week for her, I guess.
8:37 p.m. -- OK, back to baseball ... We're in the bottom of the sixth, and the Mud Hens still lead 2-0. Adam Wilk has limited the Clippers to just one hit through six innings, but he has issued a season-high three walks. Meanwhile the Hens have just three hits, but John Lindsey and his two-run homer are the difference at this point.
8:44 p.m. -- Nice piece of two-strike hitting by Ryan Strieby produces two runs for the Mud Hens in the sixth. Strieby fell behind 0-2, but lined a pitch into the gap in right-center for a double. Matt Young followed with a single to right that scored Strieby, and Young took second on the throw home. That proved valuable when Argenis Diaz ground a single into the hole between first and second that scored the speedy Young from second. Mud Hens lead 4-0 as we head to the seventh.
8:55 p.m. -- Luis Marte comes on in relief of Adam Wilk, and one batter later the shutout is gone as Russ Canzler lines a pitch from Marte off the scoreboard in left for a home run. The next batter singled, but Marte nipped that threat in the bud by starting a double play. Mud Hens come to bat in the bottom of the seventh leading 4-1.
9:18 p.m. -- John Lindsey gives the Mud Hens some cushion with his second home run of the night! This one landed just to the right of the batter's eye in dead centerfield, more than 400 feet away from home plate. Lindsey came advertised as a power hitter, and today he certainly has delivered. Toledo now leads 6-1 and is still batting in the bottom of the eighth.
9:35 p.m. -- And the Mud Hens close out a 6-1 victory in their final home game before the All-Star break. Heading to the clubhouse, so I'm going to close tonight's blog. Thanks for following along!
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