The starting pitching continued to be mostly brutal for the first part of week thirteen but three solid efforts from the starters might be a ray of hope. This despite Ottawa’s discouraging play that continued to sink them deeper and deeper into last place in the Northern Division with the possibility of a playoff appearance in 2007 more and more unlikely,. With Philadelphia looking more and more towards Reading for pitching help, the likelihood of the discovery of any pitching saviour for the starting rotation was becoming more desperate with each game. It seems that all manager John Russell can do is hope that somehow this team remembers it’s successes of last season and starts to consistently put things together. A couple of the players have intimated that the team needs to get to the All-Star break, sit back, take a deep breath, look in the mirror and begin to get things done. Week thirteen saw two well played games, (one win-one loss), two games almost too embarrassing to watch, and a Lynx win in series finale and two losses in Rochester.

Friday June 29^th was the final game of a four game set with Toledo and the Lynx gained a split and their second win in a row with a 2-1 victory. Recently promoted starter Landon Jacobsen, (1-0), pitched six innings of shutout ball, allowing six hits and Ryan Cameron and Jason Anderson, (earning his first save of the season), held the lead. Each team managed only four hits, one of the Lynx hits being a solo home run by Brennan King, (his seventh), in the fourth inning. Ottawa next returned home for short four game series against the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Yankees before going back out on the road until the all-star break.

The Lynx dropped game one against the Yankees 2-0. The game was another fine pitching dual as the starting pitching for Ottawa made it two strong efforts in a row but Scranton Wilkes/Barre starter Chase White, (5-3), pitched even better, pitching seven shutout innings and allowing only four hits. Lynx starter Bubba Nelson, (2-4), was almost as effective, tossing six innings, giving up single runs in the first and fifth and only five hits, but getting the loss. Both teams played solid and at times spectacular defence throughout the game.

“That’s how you win games-pitching and defence,” remarked Yankees manager Dave Miley after the game. “Ottawa has some good hitters and you need pitching and defence if you’re going to beat them. We had both tonight.”

Game two of the series was not quite as pretty as the Lynx starters returned to what has unfortunately this season become their standard outing. Eude Brito, (1-5), saw his ERA balloon to 9.19 as he allowed twelve hits and nine runs in five innings. Brito put the Lynx in a deep hole early in the game, giving runs in all five innings he worked, leaving Ottawa with a 9-1 deficit early in the game. Scranton eventually won this one 12-1 knocking out nineteen hits to six for Ottawa. The Lynx looked lethargic and lost on this day, never mounting much of anything offensively or defensively and falling further into last place. The effort didn’t seem to be there and it certainly showed.

Game three saw more of the same as Scranton once again embarrassed Ottawa, this time by a score of 11-5. This time Scranton blew the game wide open with six runs in the fourth inning. Ottawa answered with three of their own in the fifth to pull to 7-4 but the Yankees scored three more times in the sixth putting an end to any Lynx comeback hopes. Heath Totten, (1-5), lasted only four innings and gave up seven runs, bringing his ERA to 7.09, his third straight poor outing. Jason Anderson surrendered four runs in 1.1 innings in relief. The Lynx knocked out eleven hits as Joe Thurston and Jason Jaramillo each went 2-5, Thurston hit two triples, but Ottawa pitching gave up sixteen Scranton hits, dropping the Lynx record to 33-47.

“The team hitting is around .270 but the starting pitching is putting us in too deep of a hole almost every time out,” remarked John Russell. “You can’t keep asking the offense to pick us up almost every game. The bullpen has been good but they’re getting overworked.”

Joe Thurston added, ” We have to bear down and start taking advantage when we get an opportunity and start doing what needs to get done. We need to bear down in situations where we need it. The pitching, hitting and defence all need to get better.”

Ottawa did just that in the fourth and final game of this series with Scranton Wilkes/Barre, using an excellent start by the guy who is becoming their most consistent pitcher this season, Charles Weatherby III, defeating Scranton 4-3. Weatherby has started and relieved and has been getting the job done.

“Weatherby has been pitching like he is determined to stay here since his promotion from A ball,” offered Russell. “He’s been getting the job done almost every time out. Hopefully his outings will be a challenge to the other starters and we can finally get something going.”

Weatherby pitched six innings giving up two runs and left with the scored tied at 2-2. Both teams scored single runs in the seventh inning setting up the Lynx dramatic win. After a perfect ninth inning by John Ennis, (4-2), Carlos Leon lead off the Ottawa ninth with a walk. An infield hit by Chris Roberson and a walk to Joe Thurston loaded the bases with none out. Brennan King then hit a shallow, tailing fly to right field scoring Leon with the winning run.

Ottawa hit the road again, this time for two games in Rochester and a rematch four game series in Scranton/Wilkes Barre. These six games would take the Lynx into the All-Star break and would give them a chance to gain some ground in the Northern Division race and go into the three day break on a positive note.

The starting pitching for Ottawa was solid for the second game in a row and Lynx rookie Landon Jacobsen, (1-0), was again solid, going five innings and allowing only two runs. But Ottawa couldn’t hold a 3-0 early lead and this time it was the bullpen who couldn’t get the job done as Geoff Geary, (0-1), blew his first save chance of the year and was charged with his first loss of the season. Geary gave up a pair of runs in the seventh inning, allowing Rochester to win the game 4-3. Randy Ruiz drove in all three of the Lynx runs with his first home run of the season.

The second and final game of this short two game series saw Ottawa get another solid outing from a starter but for the second game in a row the offense wasn’t there and the bullpen couldn’t get the job done. Bubba Nelson, (2-5), threw six innings allowing only two runs, five hits and striking out four. Kane Davis pitched the seventh and eighth but gave up two runs in the eighth. Ottawa rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth but came up short, 4-2 as Rochester starter David Gassner, (3-9), pitched 8.1 innings allowing only two runs and six hits. Both teams managed only seven hits with Joe Thurston getting two for the Lynx. At the conclusion of week thirteen, Ottawa is 34-49, 13.5 games back of Buffalo in the Northern Division and currently have a two game losing streak.

Lynx Notes: J.A. Happ was activated July 3^rd and returns to the starting rotation after a one game start for Philadelphia, (his major league debut), facing Scranton/Wilkes Barre in game one of a four game series. Geoff Geary was added to the Lynx roster July 2^nd from Philadelphia and Ryan Cameron was transferred to Double A Reading. Lynx manager John Russell will be managing the IL league All-Stars next week in Albuquerque. Lynx catcher Jason Jaramillo will be joining him.