Saltdogs win fifth straight
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BY TOMMY DAHLK / Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Saltdogs manager Tim Johnson was thrilled to have his ace back Tuesday.
After struggling during his first two starts, pitcher Jarrett Gardner looked like his old self Tuesday night at Haymarket Park, giving up only one run in seven innings as the Saltdogs beat the Sioux Falls Canaries 5-2.
“Gardy has been struggling,” Johnson said. “He’s been with (Jim) Haller in the bullpen and that was the old Jarrett. He’s been the ace of our staff, and he looked like himself and looked relaxed.”
What Went Right: After struggling during his first two starts, Saltdog pitcher Jarrett Gardner gave up only one run and five hits in seven innings of work. Gardner gave up 10 runs and lasted a combined six innings during his first two starts.
What Went Wrong: In the bottom of the sixth, the Saltdogs had a 3-1 lead and runners on second and third base with no outs. With a chance to put the game out of reach, neither Corey Harrington, Shawn McGill or Ben Tinius could drive newly acquired designated hitter Mario Delgado home from third.
Dog Bytes: Former MLB All-Star Felix Jose was released Tuesday. Jose hit .282 in nine starts as the Saltdogs' designated hitter.
Although he won't be playing for the Saltdogs, Johnson said the 43-year old will stay with the Saltdogs and be a part of his staff.
"He's going to help me coach now," Johnson said. "He's a big part of this club and has tremendous credibility and was a star in the big leagues. It's time sometimes to start doing things the other way, like coaching. Felix is going to help us a lot."
In his first two outings, Gardner gave up 10 runs and couldn’t get past the fourth inning in either game. Tuesday, Gardner gave up only one run, five hits and struck out three in seven innings. Gardner said he simply had better mechanics Tuesday night.
“I worked on a better leg drive and tried to get ahead in the count,” Gardner said. “In my first two outings, I was behind in the count and wasn’t locating well. Today, it seemed like I was always up on somebody. If you can get ahead, you can make them chase some stuff.”
The Saltdogs wasted no time getting Gardner a lead. Center fielder Jonny Kaplan led off the bottom of the first with a triple and came home on shortstop Anthony Contreras’ single. The triple extended Kaplan’s hitting streak to 10 games.
The Saltdogs added another run in the second. Ben Tinius’ double scored Shawn McGill from first base.
Gardner started off the game by pitching four scoreless innings. The Canaries finally got to him in the top of the fifth, when former Saltdog Josh Patton hit a solo home run to right-center field.
That was all the Canaries could score off Gardner, last year’s most-dependable Saltdogs starter. After Patton’s homer, he gave up only one more hit before leaving the game after the seventh.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Saltdogs extended their lead.
Eduardo Rios led off the inning with a towering solo home run to left field. Newly acquired Mario Delgado followed the homer with a single and was moved over to third on a Luis Perez double. Despite having two runners in scoring position with none out, the Saltdogs failed to score again in the sixth.
The Saltdogs rallied again in the eight, loading the bases and scoring two more runs on Tinius’ two-out single.
“We just played all-around good baseball,” Johnson said. “Our defense played outstanding, and Ben (Tinius) had those two big base hits.”
Reach Tommy Dahlk at 473-7431 or tdahlk@journalstar.com.
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