8/6/2081 to 8/8/2081
The Green Bay Packers (33-79)
AT
The Denver Broncos (62-50)
Pitching Matchups:
RH Raymond Labat (8-2, 3.74 ERA) VS. RH Christopher Kirk (14-7, 4.74 ERA)
LH Keven Landon (3-10, 6.81 ERA) VS. LH Robert McNett (13-6, 4.36 ERA)
RH Daniel Jackson (3-11, 8.26 ERA) VS. RH Larry Waltz (2-5, 3.14 ERA)
What better cure for a offense that has gone cold than the worst team in baseball? The Broncos' hitters agreed with that sentiment. With the Packers leading 1-0 in the bottom of the third, light-hitting SS
Booker Romero stepped to the plate with two outs. He promptly ripped a game tying home run.
Asbel Fuentez and
Russell Thomas followed with singles, and then
Lee Chappel applied the coup de grace, blasting a homer of his own to give the Broncos a 4-1 lead. The Broncos wouldn't stop there, striking for 5 runs in the 4th inning.
Joseph Swayze hit a two out, two run homer, and Chappel provided a 2 run double.
The Packers would make things interesting, as they scored 2 runs apiece in the 6th and 7th innings, bringing the score to 9-5 in favor of Denver. But Chappel appeared on the scene again, with a double in the 7th inning which was followed by an
Ellis Bolling single to make the score 10-5. Chappel then capped an impressive performance by hammering a three run home run in the 8th inning to complete
the 13-5, Denver victory.
Chappel finished with 4 hits (two doubles and two homers), 8 runs batted in, and 3 runs scored. Thomas provided 4 hits and 3 runs scored. Fuentez collected 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored.
Christopher Kirk had a mediocre outing, with 7 innings pitched, 12 hits allowed, 5 runs (though only 3 were earned), and 2 HR allowed.
******
Robert McNett got off to a poor start in the second game of the series, with home runs allowed in both the first and second innings to put the Broncos in an early 2-0 hole. Fortunately for him, the Denver bats took control quickly.
Joseph Swayze tied the game with a two run homer in the bottom of the second, and
Ellis Bolling put the Broncos in the lead with a two run blast in the 3rd inning.
After the Packers got to within a run in the 4th inning,
Michael Grace led off the bottom of the 4th with a home run. The Broncos picked up another run in the inning to give themselves a three run lead. That lead held, and
the Broncos were victorious, 6-3.
After the shaky start, McNett's knuckler had the Packers hitters baffled. He racked up 8 strikeouts in 6 innings of work.
James Virgen notched his 7th save of the season with 3 scoreless innings of relief.
Russell Thomas delivered 3 hits in the contest.
******
Larry Waltz has quickly gained a reputation as being unlucky. Despite pitching very well since moving into the rotation, he just can't seem to pick up many wins. No one would have expected this contest to have followed that trend. Pitching against the worst team in baseball, and with the opposing pitcher possessing an ERA comfortably above 8.00, it should have been an easy victory for the Broncos and Waltz.
Waltz had no problems through the first three innings, and though a runner had gotten aboard in the 4th inning, there were two outs. Getting out of the inning with no damage shouldn't have been a problem. But Waltz made one mistake pitch, and Green Bay's
Robert Quirk made him pay, blasting a two run homer.
Still, it was only two runs, and the Green Bay pitcher,
Daniel Jackson, was among the worst in the league. Surely the Denver bats would get to him eventually. They didn't, and when the Packers added a third run in the 7th inning, all hope was lost. Jackson came into the game with a record of 3-11 and an ERA of 8.26. He left with his 4th victory, and a 6 hit shutout, as
the Broncos were blanked, 3-0.
Waltz pitched 8 innings and struck out 8 batters, but 3 runs allowed was 3 runs too many.
Russell Thomas managed 2 hits, and
Lee Chappel managed a hit and two walks in the loss.