Against the Braves, nothing went right as the Lynx slid further and further into last place, the team once again reverting back to poor pitching and hitting. They were simply out of games early against the Richmond Braves and once again were swept in a double header. Richmond got off to a very hot start this season and have continued to hold first place all season. They’re hot start can be attributed to a very good pitching staff and the combination of Braves pitching and Ottawa hitting didn’t bode well for Ottawa. The first three games in Richmond were awful, really bad and awful. The fourth was closer but again another loss. J.A. Happ was awful, Bubba Nelson gave up seven runs, closer Brian Sanches had to start the second game of a double header, (he got hit but a booted inning ending double play grounder didn’t help), and Fabio Castro went 4.1 solid innings but lost and the Lynx didn’t hit, (again), four runs in four games.

Ottawa lost game one, 8-0, as Lynx starter J.A. Happ, (2-5), allowed seven Richmond runs in only two innings pitched. After seeming to have turned the corner finally in his last start, against Pawtucket with a solid six inning soft a win, couldn’t get anything working. Richmond starter Lance Cormier, (4-1), went all nine, giving up only one extra base hit and that was by reliever Kane Davis. Ottawa hit into five double plays and never seriously threatened the entire game. The lone bright spot was the Lynx bullpen which combined for six innings and only one run allowed, (unearned).

In the doubleheader on Wednesday Richmond outscored Ottawa 17-4 and easily took both ends of the double header, 7-2 and 10-2. Bubba Nelson, (3-7), gave up six runs in the first inning and while he threw a complete game and allowed only one more, the damage was done. Ottawa got both of their runs in the fifth off of Richmond starter Blaine Boyer, (2-1), but Joe Devine held Ottawa to only two hits the rest of the way. The big offensive blow for Richmond was a Corky Miller grand slam which capped off the six run first inning in which Nelson gave up four hits and walked two. Jason Jaramillo went 3-4 raising his average to .280

Reliever Brian Sanches, (2-3), started game two of the double header and lasted only 2.1 innings as Richmond swept the double header this time winning 10-2. Sanches allowed six hits, seven runs, (five earned), and Ottawa pitching gave up another big inning this time the third, as Richmond scored five times. The Lynx were down only 2-1 going into the home half of the third but Richmond took advantage of Joe Thurston’s error on a potential inning ending double play grounder. A double and then a single followed, chasing Sanches but reliever Joe Besinius allowed a single and a walk followed by a sacrifice fly putting the Lynx behind 7-1. Anderson Garcia came into the game in the fifth and let it get completely away from Ottawa as he allowed five hits and three runs over the final two innings. Richmond pitching once again held Ottawa in check, this time allowing only five hits. Brennan King hit home run number eight, a solo shot in the sixth.

Thursday’s game was a tight pitching dual but again Ottawa was defeated, this time 2-0. Fabio Castro, (4-3), had a solid if short outing, (4.1 innings), and left the game trailing 1-0. Dan Smith started for Richmond and was even better than Castro as he shut out the Lynx over his four innings of work and gave up only two hits. Richmond then used four relief pitchers over the final five innings and they held the Lynx to only one more hit and nothing else. A bases loaded walk surrendered by Kane Davis who walked four in the eighth gave Richmond their second run of the game. Despite allowing only two hits and a run on a sacrifice fly and another on a base loaded walk, the Lynx still managed to put another game in the loss column. The fifth and final game of this series is tonight. Ottawa then travel to Norfolk to play four games before returning home.

Lynx Notes: Ottawa are now 40-65, 19.5 games out of first place and 6.5 games behind fifth place Syracuse. Randy Ruiz was released by Philadelphia July 24^th.