Outlaws split with Jamboree, finish at .500

Wrapping up the first month of the 2019 season, the Flagstaff Outlaws need to at least split against the Bear Country Jamboree to maintain their streak of non-losing months, which current sat at 7.

Game 1: Rodon v. Wacha – The Outlaws manage to load the bases in the bottom of the first with one out. George Springer lines a ball to center that Leonys Martin absolutely botches for an error, scoring two. Jonathan Villar follows with a single and the Outlaws are up 3-0.

From that point, it’s a losing battle for Bear Country as Michael Wacha throws seven innings of zeroes, scattering five hits and a walk. Flagstaff shutouts the Jamboree, 5-0.

W: Wacha (2-3)
L: Rodon (1-2)
Sv: None
HRs: BCJ – none; FLG – Span (2).

Game 2: Rodriguez v. Chirinos – Up 1-0 after six, the Bear Country offense explodes for nine runs over the final three innings, as the Jamboree blow out the Outlaws in a 10-0 shutout.

Daniel Palka hit a solo homer in the second, the only blemish on the scoreboard over the first two-thirds of the game. In the seventh, a one out error by Andrelton Simmons ends up extends the inning, allowing Palka the chance to crush a two-out homer that wouldn’t have happened without the error.

A Justin Smoak two-run homer adds on off of mop-up reliever Nick Kingham. Kingham continues to struggle, giving up five runs in the ninth.

Derrick Rodriguez through seven innings, giving up just four hits and two walks to earn his first win of the season.

W: Rodriguez (1-2)
L: Chirinos (1-2)
Sv: None
HRs: BCJ – Palka (7, 8), Smoak (3); FLG – none.

Game 3: Castillo v. Johnson – After back-to-back games with shutouts, both teams put the chances of a third whitewashing out of reach early as both teams trade runs over the first four innings, leaving the score at 2-2.

In the sixth, two singles start the frame for the Jamboree. Elvis Andrus grounds weakly to third and the throw has to go to first to get an out, moving both runners up. Luis Castillo helps himself, rocking a long fly ball to center, good enough to score Smoak from third.

Castillo ends up getting through seven, keeping the lead intact. Joaquin Soria and Tony Watson team up to get the final six outs and Bear Country wins a close game, 3-2.

W: Castillo (2-0)
L: Johnson (2-2)
Sv: Watson (2)
HRs: BCJ – none; FLG – none.

Game 4: Urena v. Romero – George Springer blasts a 2-run homer in the second inning off of Jose Urena to give the Outlaws an early 2-0 lead.

Fernando Romero took that lead and ran with it, throwing eight scoreless innings. Turning the game over to his closer, Ryan Pressly in victimized by another error.

Jeff McNeil led off the ninth with a grounder that Simmons boots, putting him on. Martin grounds out, moving McNeil up. Then Andrus follows with an RBI single that gets the home crowd murmuring. But Daniel Murphy flies out and Smoak strikes out to end it, giving Flagstaff a split with a 2-1 decision.

W: Romero (3-1)
L: Urena (2-2)
Sv: Pressly (11)
HRs: BCJ – none; FLG – Springer (6).