In what appears to be a major team announcement from Foxtrot University (good ol' FU), the team responded to the Valencia front office after the trade of Miller Shed and Jonathan Bryant to different teams by going into Sacramento and taking 2 of 3 games from the Mad Poops.
The series started out with Shiro Takahashi taking the mound for Valencia. He pitched 6.1 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits enroute to a 5-1 win. Relievers Siua Hooheno and Luis Perez pitched 2.2 shutout innings after Shiro exited the game.
On the offensive side of things, Rule 5 pickups Juan McCurry had a two-run homer in the top of the fifth and Ryan Cason scored twice while Miller Shed replacement Sumiteru Okubo knocked in two more runs in the first inning to account for most of the scoring.
In the second matchup of the series, it took extra innings but the Stars came out on top once again after 13 innings by a score of 4-3.
Juan Garcia and Don Jordan were locked up in a pitcher's duel with the score being tied at 1-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Although Garcia gave up two runs in the bottom of the 7th, the Valencia bullpen held Sacramento scoreless for the next 6.1 innings to allow the Stars to catch up with two runs in the 8th inning and another in the 13th.
Vincente Rivera had three doubles on the night while Tim Barlett hit the game winning double to score the game-winning run.
In the series finale, the empire struck back with a 4 to 0 win as Sacramento shut out Valencia.
Popes' pitchers Michihiro Tanaka, Steve Warren and Jeff Locke limited the Stars to 3 hits on the day.
Overall, the Stars went 4-3 last week after the trades were made. Maybe they should make a movie based on this resurgence. One could maybe even talk Charlie Sheen to play the role of Eduardo Moreno.
