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jamus23 · 06-19-2007, 04:54 PM

7/27/2081 to 7/29/2081

The Denver Broncos (57-45)

AT

The Memphis Grizzlies (58-44)

Pitching Matchups:

RH Tony Rivera (6-5, 5.28 ERA) VS. RH Clarence Fiol (3-5, 5.83 ERA)
LH Robert McNett (11-6, 4.64 ERA) VS. RH Jose Padula (11-8, 5.99 ERA)
RH Larry Waltz (1-4, 3.45 ERA) VS. RH Roy Kelemen (9-7, 3.48 ERA)

Having slipped back into third place, this three game series against the second place Grizzlies took on added importance as the trading deadline rapidly approached. Only a series win would prevent the Broncos from losing ground on Memphis. Could it be accomplished?

Roy Chouinard put the Broncos in a big hole in the third inning of the first game by hitting a grand slam. The Broncos got back into the game with a 2 run fourth inning, but Memphis opened up an even bigger lead by scoring three runs in the sixth inning to go ahead, 7-2. Denver made things interesting with two runs in the ninth, but would lose, 7-4.

Tony Rivera got knocked around for 7 runs in 5 2/3 innings. He walked 4 and gave up 2 home runs. Asbel Fuentez was the lone bright spot with 2 hits and 2 RBI.

******

The second game went much better for the Broncos. Denver jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning, and made it 6-0 after two innings. A two run homer from Booker Romero in the sixth inning made the score 8-1. Armando Navarro put the finishing touches on the 10-2 Denver victory, with a two run homer of his own in the 8th inning.

Robert McNett pitched 7 1/3 strong innings, with only 2 runs allowed. Mark Bakke provided 3 hits, while Tomas Sato drove in three runs.

*******

Denver "Mounting" An Attack?
7/29/2081
Al Vincent
Staff Writer

In the midst of an important series against the Grizzlies, and with the trading deadline looming, the Broncos GM, John Mounts, has pulled off what could be a major deal, and may be the final piece to put the Broncos over the top.

With both Memphis and Tucson making important trades in the last two weeks- the Grizzles added closer Jonah Alvarado from New Jersey and the Diamondbacks added slugging 3B Raymond Stair from Atlanta- it would have been unthinkable for the Broncos, who have struggled just to keep themselves in the playoff race all season, to stand by silently. Well, they didn't stand by silently.

The Broncos have added 29 year old, right handed starting pitcher Ray Lockridge from Nashville. Lockridge, who comes with a hefty price tag of just under $8 million, has gone 5-6 with a 4.08 ERA this season. He has 117 career victories and a 3.51 ERA. Lockridge was excited at joining a team in the playoff race. "I loved playing for Nashville, but any time you get to go from a team in in the bottom of the division to one with a great chance at making the postseason.... well, it's hard to be unhappy."

Heading to Nashville are four players: 28 year old starting pitcher, Tony Rivera. Rivera has gone 6-6 with a 5.77 ERA this season, but has a very good 3.92 ERA on the road. Nashville is hoping that getting Rivera out of Denver will improve his numbers. At least one member of the Denver organization, pitching coach Ervin Wright, agrees: "Denver is not an easy place to pitch, for any pitcher. Tony's got good stuff, but he just hasn't adjusted well to this park. I think he'll do a lot better for Nashville."

Rivera may not be nearly as good of a pitcher as Lockridge, but the Predators are a team severely strapped for cash. The dropoff from Lockridge's salary to Rivera's may be more significant to the team than the dropoff in ability, especially if Rivera can pitch closer to his road numbers than his overall numbers.

The next player headed to Nashville is the Broncos' backup catcher, Eric Fudge. The 32 year old Fudge has hit .265/.351/.457 in 162 at bats this season, and should bolster the weak catching that Nashville has put up with this season. Replacing Fudge on Denver's roster as the backup catcher will be 36 year old Michael Grace. Grace, a veteran catcher who has hit .266/.344/.396 in his major league career, has spent this season at AAA, where he has hit .356/.440/.503. Grace is not the best defensive catcher, but he is versatile enough to play both the corner infield and outfield positions, and has a fairly solid bat.

The Broncos also gave up two prospects in the deal. First, outfielder Robert Perkins, who went 2 for 8 in a brief callup for the Broncos not too long ago. The 24 year old Perkins has hit .340/.375/.453 at AAA this season but found himself blocked at the major league level in Denver. John Mounts was reluctant to part with Perkins but said, "Robert needs to be playing at the major league level right now, on an every day basis. I don't think we can provide him with that opportunity, but Nashville might. You hate to part with a young talent like him, but this may the best thing for both Robert and the Denver organization."

The second prospect was 24 year old relief pitcher Angel Fajardo. Mounts referred to Fajardo as a "very good ground ball pitcher, who throws a lot of strikes." Fajardo is in only his second professional season, and has posted a 4.33 ERA at AA this season.

In addition to Lockridge, the Broncos also acquired 21 year old outfielder Arlie Raines. Raines, described by Mounts as being "very toolsy", is in his third season at A ball. He has hit .333/.397/.507 this season.

In the three way battle going in in the Central Division, the addition of another quality starting pitcher, combined with the subtraction of what has been the weakest link in the rotation, may be enough to push the Broncos ahead of at least the Grizzlies. If the bats can keep swinging well, and the erratic bullpen can settle down, this Broncos team may even have enough to challenge the first place Diamondbacks.

******

With the fans and team buzzing after the acquisition of Ray Lockridge, the chance to move back into a tie with Memphis in second place was an opportunity that the Broncos could ill afford to squander. But squander it they did.

The Grizzlies struck early in the third and final game of the series, scoring two runs in the first inning, and another in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Memphis starter Roy Kelemen proceeded to quiet the Denver bats completely. Not until Asbel Fuentez led off the 9th inning with a triple and was driven in, would the Broncos even get on the scoreboard. That would be the only run they mustered, in a 3-1 defeat.

Kelemen held Denver at bay, allowing only 4 hits. Larry Waltz had a solid performance in the defeat, with 3 runs allowed in 7 innings. He struck out 4 batters.

With the loss, the Broncos slipped to two games behind Memphis.

06-19-2007, 04:54 PM	#64 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 567	7/27/2081 to 7/29/2081 The Denver Broncos (57-45) AT The Memphis Grizzlies (58-44) Pitching Matchups: RH Tony Rivera (6-5, 5.28 ERA) VS. RH Clarence Fiol (3-5, 5.83 ERA) LH Robert McNett (11-6, 4.64 ERA) VS. RH Jose Padula (11-8, 5.99 ERA) RH Larry Waltz (1-4, 3.45 ERA) VS. RH Roy Kelemen (9-7, 3.48 ERA) Having slipped back into third place, this three game series against the second place Grizzlies took on added importance as the trading deadline rapidly approached. Only a series win would prevent the Broncos from losing ground on Memphis. Could it be accomplished? Roy Chouinard put the Broncos in a big hole in the third inning of the first game by hitting a grand slam. The Broncos got back into the game with a 2 run fourth inning, but Memphis opened up an even bigger lead by scoring three runs in the sixth inning to go ahead, 7-2. Denver made things interesting with two runs in the ninth, but would lose, 7-4. Tony Rivera got knocked around for 7 runs in 5 2/3 innings. He walked 4 and gave up 2 home runs. Asbel Fuentez was the lone bright spot with 2 hits and 2 RBI. **** The second game went much better for the Broncos. Denver jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning, and made it 6-0 after two innings. A two run homer from Booker Romero in the sixth inning made the score 8-1. Armando Navarro put the finishing touches on the 10-2 Denver victory, with a two run homer of his own in the 8th inning. Robert McNett pitched 7 1/3 strong innings, with only 2 runs allowed. Mark Bakke provided 3 hits, while Tomas Sato drove in three runs. *** Denver "Mounting" An Attack? 7/29/2081 Al Vincent Staff Writer In the midst of an important series against the Grizzlies, and with the trading deadline looming, the Broncos GM, John Mounts, has pulled off what could be a major deal, and may be the final piece to put the Broncos over the top. With both Memphis and Tucson making important trades in the last two weeks- the Grizzles added closer Jonah Alvarado from New Jersey and the Diamondbacks added slugging 3B Raymond Stair from Atlanta- it would have been unthinkable for the Broncos, who have struggled just to keep themselves in the playoff race all season, to stand by silently. Well, they didn't stand by silently. The Broncos have added 29 year old, right handed starting pitcher Ray Lockridge from Nashville. Lockridge, who comes with a hefty price tag of just under $8 million, has gone 5-6 with a 4.08 ERA this season. He has 117 career victories and a 3.51 ERA. Lockridge was excited at joining a team in the playoff race. "I loved playing for Nashville, but any time you get to go from a team in in the bottom of the division to one with a great chance at making the postseason.... well, it's hard to be unhappy." Heading to Nashville are four players: 28 year old starting pitcher, Tony Rivera. Rivera has gone 6-6 with a 5.77 ERA this season, but has a very good 3.92 ERA on the road. Nashville is hoping that getting Rivera out of Denver will improve his numbers. At least one member of the Denver organization, pitching coach Ervin Wright, agrees: "Denver is not an easy place to pitch, for any pitcher. Tony's got good stuff, but he just hasn't adjusted well to this park. I think he'll do a lot better for Nashville." Rivera may not be nearly as good of a pitcher as Lockridge, but the Predators are a team severely strapped for cash. The dropoff from Lockridge's salary to Rivera's may be more significant to the team than the dropoff in ability, especially if Rivera can pitch closer to his road numbers than his overall numbers. The next player headed to Nashville is the Broncos' backup catcher, Eric Fudge. The 32 year old Fudge has hit .265/.351/.457 in 162 at bats this season, and should bolster the weak catching that Nashville has put up with this season. Replacing Fudge on Denver's roster as the backup catcher will be 36 year old Michael Grace. Grace, a veteran catcher who has hit .266/.344/.396 in his major league career, has spent this season at AAA, where he has hit .356/.440/.503. Grace is not the best defensive catcher, but he is versatile enough to play both the corner infield and outfield positions, and has a fairly solid bat. The Broncos also gave up two prospects in the deal. First, outfielder Robert Perkins, who went 2 for 8 in a brief callup for the Broncos not too long ago. The 24 year old Perkins has hit .340/.375/.453 at AAA this season but found himself blocked at the major league level in Denver. John Mounts was reluctant to part with Perkins but said, "Robert needs to be playing at the major league level right now, on an every day basis. I don't think we can provide him with that opportunity, but Nashville might. You hate to part with a young talent like him, but this may the best thing for both Robert and the Denver organization." The second prospect was 24 year old relief pitcher Angel Fajardo. Mounts referred to Fajardo as a "very good ground ball pitcher, who throws a lot of strikes." Fajardo is in only his second professional season, and has posted a 4.33 ERA at AA this season. In addition to Lockridge, the Broncos also acquired 21 year old outfielder Arlie Raines. Raines, described by Mounts as being "very toolsy", is in his third season at A ball. He has hit .333/.397/.507 this season. In the three way battle going in in the Central Division, the addition of another quality starting pitcher, combined with the subtraction of what has been the weakest link in the rotation, may be enough to push the Broncos ahead of at least the Grizzlies. If the bats can keep swinging well, and the erratic bullpen can settle down, this Broncos team may even have enough to challenge the first place Diamondbacks. ** With the fans and team buzzing after the acquisition of Ray Lockridge, the chance to move back into a tie with Memphis in second place was an opportunity that the Broncos could ill afford to squander. But squander it they did. The Grizzlies struck early in the third and final game of the series, scoring two runs in the first inning, and another in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Memphis starter Roy Kelemen proceeded to quiet the Denver bats completely. Not until Asbel Fuentez led off the 9th inning with a triple and was driven in, would the Broncos even get on the scoreboard. That would be the only run they mustered, in a 3-1 defeat. Kelemen held Denver at bay, allowing only 4 hits. Larry Waltz** had a solid performance in the defeat, with 3 runs allowed in 7 innings. He struck out 4 batters. With the loss, the Broncos slipped to two games behind Memphis. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver