2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- Players and Pitchers of the Month for August

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MBL news: August 1 -- Rookies of the Month for August and standings

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- American League leaders

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MBL news: Sept. 1 -- National League leaders

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Walkers news: Sept. 1 -- Team statistics for August

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Walkers news: Sept. 1 -- Team individual statistics on Sept. 1

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Player of the Month: Hector Tavarez -- The River Walkers top rookie prospect had a big month batting .269 with four homers, 23 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 28 games. He got on base at a .310 clip and slugged .403.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Xavier Wigfall -- The right-hander made just two starts but won both of them while posting a 1.54 ERA. He pitched a total of 16.2 innings, during which he struck out 14 and had a 1.20 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Luke Dunkin -- The right-hander got into 13 games and pitched a total of 16.1 innings. He struck out 15 and had a 0.67 WHIP.

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Record: 61-73, 6th, 22 GB Des Moines
Nathaniel Dixon connected on a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a three-run inning and lift St. Louis to a 4-3 win over Ann Arbor at Busch Stadium (2006).
Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, Nick Shaw started the rally for the River Walkers with a lead-off single off reliever Jon Kunda.
Kunda retired the next two batters.
But Jared Thomas got things rolling again with a single.
Pinch-hitter Jovan Gill added another single to load the bases.
Chris Duncan made it three consecutive single, scoring two to tie the game.
Dixon then won it with a single to right on a 1-1 pitch, as Gill crossed the plate.
The Wolf Pack jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Jared McNaboe for three runs on just one hit in the top of the fifth.
McNaboe walked the game first two batters, then after a strike out, Ryan Wibbenmeyer ripped a double to put Ann Arbor ahead 1-0.
Troy Smallwood then reached on an error by third baseman Freudis Nova, as another un scored.
Steve Gibbons made it 3-0 with a flyball which scored Wibbenmeyer.
The Walkers got their first run in the bottom of the third off Wolf Pack starter Josh Walker.
Izaac Pacheco singled with one out.
He then stole second and reached third on a throwing error by catcher Josh Pettiford.
Pacheco then scored on a bunt by McNaboe.
McNaboe went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked two.
Scott Rissler (2-4) followed with two scoreless inning, not allowing a base runner.

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Record: 62-73, 6th, 22 GB Des Moines
Angel Tibruicio allowed one run over seven innings, he also hit a home run as St. Louis downed Ann Arbor 3-1 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Tiburcio (8-8) allowed one run on five hits during his time on the mound. He struck out six and didn't issue a walk.
The River Walkers offense came in the form of single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Izaac Pacheco scored the third-run inning run after he led off with a single off Wolf Pack starting pitcher Josh Downer.
A Downer wild pitch moved Pacheco to second.
Tiburcio then got down a bunt to land him at third.
Nathaniel Dixon made it 1-0 with a single.
Hector Tavarez did the honors in the fourth inning, leading off with a homer off Downer.
In the fifth it was Tiburcio with the long ball, it came with one out and also was off Downer.
The lone run for the Wolf Pack came int he seventh.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer reached on an error by shortstop Izaac Pacheo.
A Roman Montes moved Wibbenmeyer to second.
A wild pitch moved him up another base.
Steve Gibbons scored Wibbenmeyer with a ground ball.
Luke Dunkin (0.1 IP) and Zachary Stella (0.2) combined for a scoreless eighth.
Nick Ruffalo handled the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced for his 10th save.

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Record: 62-74, 6th, 23 GB Des Moines
Adam Wilkes limited St. Louis to one run over the first six innings, and Ann Arbor defeated the River Walkers 6-1 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win allowed the Wolf Pack to split the four-game series.
Making just his second start of the season, after going to he mound 17 imes as a reliever, Wilkes (1-0) scattered nine hits during his six innings. He struck out six and walked one.
The lone run Wilkes allowed came in the bottom of the third, when Nick Shaw connected on an RBI single to tie it at 1-1.
It stayed tied until the top of the sixth, when the Wolf Pack took the lead for good.
Ramon Montes led off the inning with a single off St. Louis starter Shane Drogo.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer followed with a double, moving Montes to third.
Steve Gibbons snapped the tie with a single, Wibbenmeyer moving to third.
Andy Machacek made it 3-1 with a fly ball to center field.
Machacek made it 5-1 with a two-run homer off Stephen Von Lehmden in the eighth.
Ann Arbor piled it on with two more runs in the sixth.
Steve Gibbons earned both the RBIs with a two-out single off Oscar Martinez.
Edgar Lamas worked a scoreless seventh for the Wolf Pack.
Jose Leclerc did the rest by not allowing a base runner in the eighth or ninth.

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MBL news: Week 20 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 62-74, 6th, 24 GB Des Moines
Jose Mercano didn't last long enough to earn the win, but he did pitch 4.2 shut-out innings to set the tone in Chicago's 5-0 win over St. Louis at Wrigley Field (1938).
Mercano allowed two hits while striking four and walking one.
He exited after allowing a two-out single to River Walkers pitcher Xavier Wigfall.
Michael Steinberg took over and struck out Nathaniel Dixon to end the inning.
Steinberg (2-3) earned the win by pitching all of the sixth inning, and getting the first out of the seventh.
Mason Montgomery replaced Steinberg after Izaac Pacheco singled with one out.
Montgomery retired the next two, keeping the score at 5-0.
Daniel Espino pitched a scoreless eighth, and returned to the mound in the ninth when he allowed three straight hitters to reach base after one out.
Jeremy Bouchard took over, and got Jared Thomas to hit into a double play.
Freudis Nova scoring on the play to make it 5-2.
Bouchard struck out Dixon to end it, and earn his 32nd save.
The G-Men wasted no time jumping on Walkers starter Xavier Wigfall scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first.
Afrter retiring Brian Gonyon to open the inning, Wigfall sandwiched a pair of walks around an Jarred Kelenic single toload the bases.
Tony Nolasco then scored two with a single.
Chicago added three more runs in the fourth.
Ken Turner doubled with one out and scored on a single by Mercano.
Gonyon did the rest with a two-run homer.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have announced that infielder Jovan Gill will be lost for the season with a rib injury.
GIll, 32, suffered the injury in a Sept. 1 win over Ann Arbor.
It has not been a good season for Gill, who in 93 games has hit just .206 with two homers and 11 RBIs.
No call up is expected to be made until AAA Memphis ends its season.

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Record: 62-75, 6th, 25 GB Des Moines
Adam Stewart drew a bases-loaded walk from St. Louis reliever Zachary Stella in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Chicago a 3-2 win at Wrigley Field .
Brian Gonyon opened the bottom of the 10th with a single.
A one-out single by Jarred Kelenic followed by a walk to Jorge Alvarado later loaded the bases.
Stella then threw four straight ball to Stewart to bring in Gonyon with the winning run.
The G-Men had tied it at 2-2 when Matt Walczak hit a one-out homer off River Walkers reliever Justin O'Rourke in the bottom of the ninth.
Chicago starting pitcher Brandon Birdsell lasted six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out three and didn't issue a walk.
After that, it was an inning apiece from Ben Harris, Erik Perry, Jerry Krajancic and Mike Goodkin.
Goodkin (3-1) earned his third win of the season.

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Record: 62-77, 6th, 25 GB Des Moines
Trailing 3-0, Chicago pummeled St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the G-Men went on to defeat the River Walkers 9-6 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The win gave the G-Men a sweep of the three-game series.
St. Louis Chris Duncan hit a solo homer in the first inning and Wayne McHaney had a two-run single in the third, both off G-Men starter Joel Wisniewski, as the Walkers snatched an early lead.
That vanished in a nightmarish fourth for McNaboe.
Chicago had six hits in the inning and benefitted from a hit by pitch and a throwing error by catcher Jared Thomas, which led to a run scoring.
Matt Walczak had the first big hit with a two-run single.
George Phelps hit a two-run homer.
Adam Stewart and Brian Gronyon both hit run-scoring double.
Nolasco pushed that lead to 9-3 in the fifth, hitting a two-run homer off reliever Zachary Stella.
St. Louis made it interesting by scoring three runs in the eighth -- Nathaniel Dixon drove in all three runs with a bases-loaded double off Jerry Krajancic.
But Jeremy Bouchard pitched a scoreless ninth for his 33rd save.
Before that, Wisniewski lasted just 3.2innings, allowing three runs on four hits.
Michael Steinberg (3-3) earned the win by finishing the fourth inning, and following up with the fifth and sixth.
Mason Montgomery pitched a scoreless seventh, but was responsible for two runs in the eighth.
Krajancic finished off the eighth.

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Record: 62-78, 6th, 25 GB Des Moines
Chris Nicholson beat out an infield single to drive in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, as Indianapolis downed St. Louis 4-3 at the Astrodome.
Nick Gonzalez scored the winning run, after he drew a lead-off walk from Josh Forgy in the bottom of the 10th.
Justin Flatten followed with a single, moving Gonzalez to thid.
Eric Watkins moved both runner up a base when he grounded out.
Forgy then struck out Tony Martinez for the second out.
Nicholson then hit a slow roller on a 1-1 pitch toward third baseman, and beat it out to Gonzalez.
The Racers had tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Nick Ruffalo had retired the inning's first two batters, before hitting Mike Lamoreux with a pitch.
Scott Rissler took over, only to allow back-to-back singles to Jimmy Thomas and Joel Pal, allowing Lamoreux to score.
Down 3-1, the Racers had pulled to within 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Nicholson scored this run with a lead-off homer off River Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio.
Indy starting pitcher Matt Loest worked the first 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Kevin Baker, who began his career in St. Louis, finished the sixth and worked scoreless seventh.
Vince Loyd followed suit in the eighth.
Eric Watkins (6-2) took care of the final two innings, earning himself the win.

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Record: 62-79, 6th, 26 GB Des Moines
Tied 3-3, Indianapolis scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to claim a 5-4 win over St. Louis the Astrodome.
It all happened with two outs, beginning with a single from Joel Pal off River Walkers reliever Luke Dunkin.
Mike Lamoreux followed with another single to put runners at the corners.
Josh Forgy took over for Dunkin, and didn't bring anything to the mound,
Danny Patino greeted him with a single, scoring Pal to put the Racers in front.
Tony Galvan connected for another single, this time with Lamoreux crossing the plate.
Down 3-0, the Walkers had rallied to tie the game with two runs in the top of the sixth.
A pair of wild pitches by Valentin Pino scored both runs.
And one run in the seventh.
Daniel Becerra singled with two outs.
An error by Lamoreux at shortstop moved Becerra to third.
Nick Shaw then singled off Pina, bringing in Becerra with the tying run.
Indy starting pitcher Paul Weaver worked five shutout innings, allowing just one hit. He struck out eight and walked three.
Bryce Jaksic got the first two outs of the sixth.
Pino (3-3), who earned the win, finished the sixth, and worked a scoreless seventh.
Drew Dillard pitched a scoreless eighth.
Eric Watkins did the same in the ninth for his 30th save.

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Record: 63-79, 6th, 26 GB Des Moines
Xavier Wigfall tossed a five-hit shutout to lead St. Louis to a 6-0 win over Indianapolis at the Astrodome.
The win ended a six-game losing streak for the River Walkers.
Wigfall (9-8) allowed five hits -- including a pair of doubles -- while striking out eight and issuing one walk.
St. Louis gave Wigfall a nice early cushion, with three runs in the first inning and two in the second.
Jose Segura hit a two-run homer in the first off Racers starting pitcher Danny Munos.
Just before Segura's homer, Nick Shaw had opened the scoring with an RBI double.
Hector Tavarez belted a two-run homer off Munos in the second, making it 5-0.
The Walkers got their sixth run in the eighth.
Segura scored the run after leading off with a single off Willie Calderon.
He later scored when Nathaniel Dixon hit into a fielder's choice.

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Record: 64-79, 6th, 25 GB Des Moines
Chris Duncan connected on a two-run, two-out single in the top of the 10th inning to help lift St. Louis to an 8-6 win over Indianapolis at the Astrodome.
The victory allowed the River Walkers to split their four-game series with the Races.
Daniel Becerra led off the top of the 10th with a single off Valentin Pino.
After a ground out moved Becerra to second, Nick Shaw placed him on third with a single.
Jean Segura was unable to advance the base runners when he grounded out.
But Duncan came through with a single up the middle on an 0-2 pitch, as both base runners scored.
Indy had tied the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Facing reliever Zachary Stella, Nick Gonzalez reached on an error by Daniel Becerra, at second base, to open the inning.
Pinch-hitter Justin Flatten followed with a single.
Jake Parker drove in Gonzalez with a single off Scott Rissler.
The Walkers had gone up 6-5 in the top of the seventh when Duncan scored on a wild patch by reliever Drew Dillard.
Duncan had led off the inning with a single.
He was followed by single by Dixon and Kevin Melendez.
Walkers starter Jim Martin lasted six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Five relievers followed Martin to the mound -- Zachary Stella (0.1 IP), Scott Rissler (1.1), Oscar Martinez (0.1), Luke Dunkin 1.0) and Nick Ruffalo (1.0) -- with Dunkin (1-2) earning the win.
Ruffalo collected his 11th save.

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MBL news: Week 21 -- Awards and standings