9-News: 39.059 – Thomas Heats Up, Nine Beat Seattle Again

[RonCo]

GUERREO WINS ON SHORT REST Don’t look now, but the Yellow Springs Nine—winners of nine games in their last thirteen—are playing some pretty good baseball. They continued that string today, beating the Seattle Storm 8-3 behind the bats of Lucas McNeill and recently beleaguered third baseman Rob Thomas, Thomas homering for the second consecutive day.

The game also held merit for being another strong outing for newly acquired starter Juan Guerrero (1-1), who went strong into the seventh inning, striking out five and scattering 6 hits—most notably, none being homers. “It felt good,” Guerrero said after making that kind of impact on only 82 pitches. “Bill told me I wasn’t going to go long at the beginning because I was on short rest, which is good with me.” Rookie Jose Sanchez finished the game.

The damage was done during a 5-run fifth inning that saw Lucas McNeill blast a three run homer after a pair of bases on balls, then Dong-po Thum triple in a run after another. Thum would later score on a Aaron Stone base hit.


THOMAS EXPLODING?

While the team was focusing on McNeil, who also stole base and was named player of the game, several insiders were chatting up Rob Thomas, and while some of that may be self-serving given that the team has been open about attempting to trade him, most of it is well-deserved. After a horrid start, Rob Thomas’s bat is sizzling. His numbers by the last three months:

• June: 13 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, .277/.318/.530
• July: 6 doubles, 3 HR, .297/.348/.531
• August: 1 triple, 2 HR, .385/.385/1.000

“When he’s on, Rob Thomas has the ability to almost carry a team,” said Frankie Franklin one of the team’s young broadcasting duo. “The problem is that he’s a streaky kind of guy.”

Perhaps so, but the fact is that after the long desert of the spring and early summer, Rob Thomas appears to be streaking. In a good way. That’s what happens when you threaten to send a guy back to the minors, I guess.

The fact is that it couldn't have come at a better time, as the Nine are pushing to drive a stake into the hearts of their division rivals. It's early August, and the team is up by 8 games. Every day that goes by where that number stays the same, the closer they are to a second straight division title under the helm of Bill Inkster.


SOPER DFAed

After the game, the Nine announced they had designated relief pitcher Brian Soper for assignment, and recalled Emilio Gutierrez.