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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009

Baker save earns Nuts milestone

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Craig Baker tied the Modesto Nuts' franchise record for saves Sunday, but he didn't share the mark for long.

Baker came on with a two-run lead in the ninth and was dominant, striking out the three batters he faced to preserve Monday's 3-1 California League victory over Inland Empire.

It was Baker's 30th save of the season, one more than the 29 posted by Jim Brink in 1999 — when the Class A club was known as the Modesto A's.

The back-to-back saves was a return to normalcy for Baker, who had 27 consecutive saves before blowing two in a row. He saved Sunday's 4-2 victory over Visalia.

No one was more pleased than Modesto starter Christian Friedrich (3-0, 1.33 ERA), who struck out eight and gave up an unearned run in 6ª innings for the win. That raised his record to 2-0, with a 0.50 ERA since returning from the disabled list on July 13.

The 66ers arrived with plenty of star power, boasting the sons of two former major-league all-stars: Yankees' first baseman Don Mattingly and Andy Van Slyke, an outfielder with the Pirates and Cardinals.

Preston Mattingly hit in the No. 2 slot and was in left field, and cleanup hitter Scott Van Slyke was in right.

Van Slyke had an opportunity to spark the offensively challenged 66ers — the club arrived in Modesto with a seven-game losing streak, averaging 3.6 runs a game — with the bases loaded and no outs in the first. He struck out, however, then Friedrich got the next batter on a 10-pitch strikeout and ended the inning with a fly ball to center.

It was the first, but not the only time, that Friedrich was able to get himself out of trouble as the 66ers got a runner to third with two out in the second and another to second with one out in the fourth.

Two nifty plays from shortstop Hector Gomez ended the second, and Friedrich struck out the last two batters in the fourth. Friedrich ended the fourth by tossing a curve that left-handed hitting Jaime Ortiz stared at as it crossed the outside corner of the plate.

Of course, striking out is a familiar finish for many Inland Empire at-bats. The club top the minors — all leagues, from the Rookie League to Triple-A — with more than 1,000 strikeouts in 114 games.

Modesto had its own struggles for four innings, getting three runners in scoring position before finally breaking through for two in the fifth.

No. 9 hitter Brian Rike used a keen eye to draw an inning-opening walk — good work for a player who has drawn only 28 walks in 325 at-bats and leads the Nuts with 114 strikeouts — before Charlie Blackmon rolled a grounder deep into the left-side hole.

Shortstop Christian Lara got the ball, but a late throw to second — the runner was sliding in before the ball arrived — went into right field.

That put runners on second and third and, one out later, No. 3 hitter Jay Cox bounced one up the middle that got past a diving Lara. The ball continued to center, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead.

Friedrich got out of trouble again in the sixth. After getting two pop-ups, a walk and a single put runners on first and second. Friedrich ended the inning, however, by getting a swinging strikeout on a ball in the dirt.

The Nuts' defense sputtered in the seventh, though. After an inning-opening walk, the next batter lined out to second — but the throw back to first sailed into the dug out and the runner went to third.

Reliever Chris Malone, a Riverbank product, came on to get the second out on a short fly. The runner scored moments later on a wild pitch, however. The 66ers eventually put runners to second and third on an error and catcher's interference before Malone struck out Van Slyke to keep it 2-1.

Modesto got the run back on Matt Repec's pinch-hit, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.

Bee staff writer Richard T. Estrada can be reached at 578-2300 or restrada@modbee.com.