A fresh start: Iorg's Toledo debut is going well so far

"I've said all along that if I got moved up [to Triple-A] I was going to prove I could handle it," Iorg said before the Hens' 8-3 loss to Louisville Wednesday night. "I knew that if I could have a fresh start, that would be a good start for me."

The 24-year-old Iorg went hitless in four at-bats last night, but he has made good on his promise, posting a solid .271 batting average in his first 12 Toledo games with a home run, eight RBIs and five runs scored.

"He's got some things he's working on, but every day he's getting better and better at them," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "He's using the whole field, not striking out a lot. When we watch him, we wonder, 'how in the world did he only hit .200?' "

And yet he has, entering this season with a .235 career batting average despite never having played above the Double-A level. Iorg was considered one of the top prospects in the Tigers organization before batting .222 for Double-A Erie last year.

His .211 batting average with the SeaWolves this season is deceiving, because he had an eight-game hitting streak shortly before his promotion.

"I just wanted to keep what I had going in Erie working up here," said Iorg, the son of former major leaguer Garth Iorg. "I just wanted to show I could improve and get better despite moving up to a higher level."

Iorg admitted he has caused some of his hitting problems.

"A lot of my struggles have come from over-thinking things and putting a lot of pressure on myself," Iorg said. "I just tried to relax, take a deep breath, and let the natural things take over."

The good news is that Iorg has never allowed his hitting troubles to affect his play at shortstop, where his glove is considered major-league ready.

"I don't think there's ever been any question about Iorg's ability to play shortstop," Parrish said. "He's got a great arm, great range, and a live body.

"His bat has always been the question mark."

Iorg wasn't the only Hen to struggle last night against Louisville starter Ben Jukich, who allowed just three hits in seven scoreless innings. Jukich allowed just one runner to reach second and finished with seven strikeouts.

"It looked like [Jukich] had a pretty good curveball, and that kept us off his fastball," Parrish said.

Meanwhile the Bats built a big league against Toledo starter Ryan Ketchner and the bullpen. Louisville broke on top with a first-inning run, then added a run in the fifth.

The Bats broke the game open with four runs in the sixth.

Wladimir Balentien hammered his 26th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh off Josh Rainwater, to complete the Bats' scoring.

The Hens avoided the shutout in the ninth when Mike Bertram belted his second home run in as many nights, a three-run shot off reliever Jordan Smith.

NOTES: With the loss of RHP Robbie Weinhardt and C Max St-Pierre to Detroit, the Mud Hens added RHP Enrique Gonzalez, LHP Fu-Te Ni and C Andy Bouchie to the roster. Gonzalez rejoined after the Hens after the Tigers designated him for assignment last week, while Ni went on the disabled list in early August with left elbow problems. Bouchie has split time between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie.