On deck: Hens vs. Ottawa Lynx
5/17/2004When: Today, 6:30 p.m.; tomorrow and Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.; Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
TV: Tomorrow and Wednesday, BCSN
Radio: 1470 AM
Affiliation: Ottawa, Baltimore Orioles.
Pitching probables (Hens listed last): today, RH Dave Borkowski (4-3, 3.00 ERA) vs. RH Shane Loux (3-4, 3.00); tomorrow, LH Bruce Chen (0-0, 4.00) vs. LH Andy Van Hekken (2-2, 5.80); Wednesday, RH Sean Bergman (3-3, 4.81) vs. RH Pat Ahearne (3-2, 3.44); Thursday, RH Kurt Ainsworth (first appearance) vs. LH Adrian Burnside (1-1, 4.15).
Lynx letters: Ottawa earned a wild-card berth in the IL playoffs last season but stands in the middle of the pack in the North Division this year. ... Manager Tim Leiper played for the Mud Hens in parts of four different seasons, while pitching coach Steve McCatty served as the Hens' pitching coach in the second half of 1999. ... The Lynx rank second in the league with a .274 team batting average but are last in both team ERA (5.67) and walks allowed (165). ... In the last 10 games 3B Jose Leon has hit .481 with five home runs. ... OF Pedro Swann, a former Hen, ranks fifth in the league with a .348 batting mark. ... C-1B Carlos Mendez, another former Hen, is hitting .252 in 28 games. ... The Lynx pitching staff includes a pair of former Hens in Dave Borkowski and Sean Bergman. ... With the promotion of Darwin Cubillan to Baltimore, Rodney Ormond is the only Ottawa pitcher with a save.
Hen happenings: Toledo returns home after winning one of four games in Louisville over the weekend. ... Last year the Mud Hens won only twice in eight games against the Lynx, splitting four games at Fifth Third Field. ... 1B-DH Joe Vitiello, who was an IL all-star while playing for Ottawa in 2002, currently ranks second in the league with a .358 batting average. ... OF Marcus Thames stands third in the IL with 10 home runs. ... OF Nook Logan leads the league with 15 stolen bases. ... SS Danny Klassen hit .367 against the Lynx last season. ... RH Shane Loux threw a three-hit shutout in beating Ottawa here a year ago.
Special events: Tomorrow and Wednesday will be the third and fourth “School Celebration Days” of the season, with area schoolchildren in attendance.
Next home series: vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, Friday through Sunday.