Friday Notes (7/1)

It’s a “show-and-go” day here in the Quad Cities for your LumberKings, so please excuse the lateness and briefness of this post.  The Kings earned their first win in the QC this season by scoring at least a run in six-straight innings and pitching well in relief last night, defeating the River Bandits 8-5.  Stefen Romero’s 2-for-3, three-RBI performance included a much-debated two-run homer down the left-field line in the third inning (from the press box angle it appeared to be foul, but home plate umpire Garrett Patterson indicated it had hooked fair) that gave the Kings a lead they would not relinquish.  Seven runs backed 5.0 decent innings from right-hander George Mieses (4 runs, 3 earned on 8  hits), who won for the first time since April 30 at Wisconsin.  Right-hander Tyler Blandford yielded a run over 2.0 innings, lefty Nate Reed turned in a scoreless eighth and righty Jonathan Arias worked out of a bases-loaded jam for his second save in the ninth.

Highlights:  Romero Debated 2-R HR (#5) 6.30.11  |  Arias Strikes Out Klein for 2nd Save 6.30.11

Obviously, the huge news today is the promotion of James Paxton to double-A Jackson.  I’ll likely be talking with pitching coach Rich Dorman on this subject and others in an upcoming interview segment, but as for tonight, no new interview for you. 

Tonight’s Game Notes:  7.1.11 kingsnotes

Ground ball artist Anthony Fernandez (2-2, 4.22) starts against Rock Falls native Seth Blair (4-3, 4.65) in the middle game of this series tonight, first pitch scheduled for 7:00 PM at Modern Woodmen Park.  Listen to the broadcast online at 1390kcln.com.

-DL