Going for the K, Swan Song, & A roster move — Game Notes

Today’s Preview: The Clinton LumberKings (A, Mariners) meet the Quad Cities River Bandits (A, Astros) for the fourth and final time this season with the finale of a three-game series. The LumberKings last faced the River Bandits in Quad Cities and combined to go 0–6, failing to win a game in Davenport in 2018. The futility at Modern Woodmen Park marks just the second time in franchise history that Clinton will fail to win a game in QC, Clinton went 0–5 in Quad Cities in 1967. The LumberKings took two of three from the River Bandits in their only meeting at Ashford University Field this year. In the head-to-head meetings going back to 1960, the LumberKings trail the head-to-head series 415 to 459. Since becoming a Seattle Mariners affiliate in 2009, the LumberKings trail the head-to-head meetings 73 to 79.
LumberKings Starter: Stephen Moyers, 24, makes his 21st appearance and seventh start of the season for the Clinton LumberKings. The Connecticut native, worked in relief his last time out; turning in three innings against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Over his time out he held Wisconsin scoreless on just one hit while walking none and striking out two. Moyers has yo-yoed back and forth this season for Clinton between reliever and starter and he makes. As a starter this year he is 3–1 with a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings of work while as a reliever he has gone 1–0 with a 3.24 ERA over 41.2 innings of work. Moyers has faced the River Bandits once before this year. On August 1st at Modern Woodmen Park he logged 3.2 innings surrendering one run on four hits while walking two and striking out two. He has also pitched at every full season affiliate of the Seattle Mariners this year. Moyers has pitched with the Clinton LumberKings, High-A Modesto Nuts, Double-A Arkansas Travelers, and Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers this season as both a reliever and starter. Some of his best work this season has come as a starter where he is 3–0 this year to go with a microscopic ERA of 1.88 over 24 innings of work. Moyers was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners on June 22nd in 2016 out of the University of Rhode Island.
River Bandits Starter: Chad Donato, 23, makes his 12th appearance and 10th start of the season for the Quad Cities River Bandits. The Texas native, earned his fifth straight win his last time out for a 5.2 inning outing against the Burlington Bees at Community Field. He allowed two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out 10. This will be Donato’s second start of the year against Clinton. He earned the win against the LumberKings on August second at Modern Woodmen Park for a six inning outing in which he allowed two runs on five hits while walking one and striking out six. The Houston Astros selected him in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB Draft and signed him for $100,000. He did not make his professional debut until 2017 due to an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2016 season. Donato pitched collegiately at the University of West Virginia where he helped in a Big-12 Championship game run for the Mountaineers. He grew up in the Houston area a “big fan of the Astros” which made his 2016 draft selection a “lifelong dream come true.”
Last Time Out: Clinton LumberKings batters went down 18 times by way of the strikeout in a 7–4 loss to the Quad Cities River Bandits on Thursday night at Ashford University Field. A LumberKings (28–38, 67–69) three-run third inning did not hold up against the River Bandits (37–29, 77–59) steady stream of offense. Tyler Jackson started for Clinton and worked into the sixth inning for the first time this season, as a starter. Over his 5.1 innings of work he allowed seven runs, five earned, on nine hits while walking none and striking out five. After an unearned run by the River Bandits in the top of the second, the LumberKings stormed back to take the lead with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third. Billy Cooke leadoff with a single to center and moved to third following a Joseph Rosa single and Keegan McGovern walk. A wild pitch scored Cooke and Onil Pena then slammed a double off the wall in right to bring home two more runs and give Clinton a brief 3–1 lead. The final runs of the night for Quad Cities came across in the top of the sixth. An unearned run opened the frame before Trey Dawson singled home the second run with a line drive to right. The LumberKings added their final run of the evening in the bottom of the sixth on a Juan Camacho sacrifice fly to center. Clinton will try for the series win on Friday night in the final home game of the 2018 season.

Going for the K: Thursday night’s game between the River Bandits and LumberKings featured the strikeout. Of the final 15 batters of the game, 12 were set down via the strikeout. LumberKings pitching combined to fan 11 River Bandits while Quad Cities compiled 18 strikeouts of Clinton batters. The total matched a season high for strikeouts by an opponent facing the LumberKings this year and meant for 29 total strikeouts between the two teams.
Swan Song: Friday night marks the final home game of the season for the Clinton LumberKings. On Saturday they will open their final series of the year on the road in Burlington before the season ends on September 3rd. Last year, the LumberKings had history made at their expense when Kane County Cougars starter Connor Grey threw a nine inning perfect game against the LumberKings on the final home contest of the year. The perfecto was and is the only time a perfect game has been thrown by a visiting pitcher in Clinton.
History: With Ryne Inman’s fourth strikeout of the game on Sunday of Gilbert Lara the Clinton LumberKings set a new franchise record for strikeouts in a single season. The LumberKings went on to strikeout nine in the contest to bring their season total to 1,193, good for second most in the Midwest League behind the River Bandits. The strikeout milestone passed the 1987 Clinton Giants mark of 1,188 that had stood for over thirty year.

Roster Move: The Clinton LumberKings will likely play the remaining four games of the season a man down following a roster move that sent LumberKings starter Scott Boches to the High-A Modesto Nuts. Although he began the season in the bullpen, Boches moved to the starting rotation which is where he will pitch with the Nuts when he makes his California League debut in San Jose, California against the Giants on Friday night.
This date in baseball history: On this date in 1990, Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. become the first father and son to play in the same major league lineup. The 40 year-old left fielder and his 20 year-old offspring both score a run in the Mariners’ 5–2 victory over the Royals at the Kingdome.
Broadcast Information: Erik Oas returns for his second season as the “voice” of LumberKings baseball. All games will be broadcast live on 100.3 FM WCCI and online at LumberKings.com via the TuneIn Radio App.
