9/4/2081 to 9/6/2081
The Green Bay Packers (41-96)
AT
The Denver Broncos (79-58)
Pitching Matchups:
RH Raymond Labat (9-5, 4.25 ERA) VS. RH Kenny Pillsbury (15-9, 3.89 ERA)
LH Keven Landon (4-12, 6.46 ERA) VS. LH Robert McNett (17-7, 4.28 ERA)
RH Daniel Jackson (6-12, 6.35 ERA) VS. RH Larry Waltz (5-7, 3.67 ERA)
Kenny Pillsbury entered this game having pitched three consecutive shutouts and the owner of a 29 inning scoreless streak. That streak ended two batters into the series opener against the Packers, as Pillsbury gave up back to back doubles to start the game, and Green Bay drew first blood.
Lee Chappel ripped a two run homer in the bottom of the first to give Denver a 2-1 lead. That lead was short-lived; the Packers tied up the game in the third inning.
In the sixth inning, Green Bay went ahead 4-2, but Chappel tripled and scored in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3. In the seventh inning, the Denver offense erupted, methodically bringing home seven runs to take a 10-4 lead. The Packers scored a run in the eighth inning, but
Alexis Vazquez and
Asbel Fuentez hit back to back homers in the bottom of the inning to push Denver's lead to 12-5. Green Bay managed to get two more runs in the ninth inning, but it was too little, too late, and
the Broncos won 12-7.
Pillsbury gave up 4 runs in 7 innings, and struck out 8 batters. Fuentez had 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Chappel,
Tomas Soto, and Vazquez all had 2 hits and 2 RBI.
******
For six innings,
Robert McNett's knuckleball had the Green Bay hitters looking foolish. By the time they finally figured it out, it was too late. The Broncos jumped on Packers' starter
Keven Landon quickly, with a run in the first inning and two runs in the second inning. In the third inning,
Michael Stennis smacked a two run homer to put Denver up 5-0.
Joseph Swayze continued the onslaught with a grand slam in the fourth inning, and Stennis added his second home run of the game in the fifth inning to put the Broncos up 10-0.
McNett, meanwhile, mowed down the Packers' lineup, en route to a career high 12 strikeouts, for six innings. In the seventh, the Packers finally got to him, scoring five runs.
Mark Bakke hit a solo homer in a three run eighth inning to give Denver a 13-5 lead. Green Bay managed only one more run, and
Denver prevailed 13-6.
McNett finished with 5 runs allowed and 12 strikeouts in 7 innings of work.
Russell Thomas had 2 hits, a walk, and 3 runs scored. Bakke had 3 hits, 1 walk, 2 RBI, and a run scored. Stennis had 2 hits, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored.
******
In his previous start,
Larry Waltz went 8 strong innings against the first place Diamondbacks. Facing the worst team in the league, Waltz crumbled. Green Bay scored a run in the first, a run in the second, and a run in the third. After Denver got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, Green Bay struck for three runs in the fourth inning to go up 6-1. The Broncos kept themselves in the game with a three run fifth inning, but Waltz collapsed once again; the Packers scored 3 runs in the sixth inning. The Broncos crept back into the game, with a run in the sixth, a solo homer from
Ellis Bolling in the seventh inning, and a run in the ninth inning, but were unable to complete the comeback,
falling 9-7.
Waltz lasted 6 innings, with 15 hits and 9 runs allowed.
Asbel Fuentez had 3 hits, 1 walk, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored.
Russell Thomas had 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored.
Michael Phillips doubled twice, walked once, and scored two runs.
******
Lee Chappel: Player Of The Week
9/7/2081
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
Denver catcher Lee Chappel was named the American League Player of the Week today. Chappel went 9 for 21 in the past week, with a triple, 5 home runs, 11 runs batted in, 9 runs scored, and 7 walks against one strikeout.