Week twenty began with a rain out that really shouldn’t have been and two loses which could have easily been wins. It rained Friday fairly heavy for awhile during the day and right up until close to game time but the field at Lynx Stadium drains very well. An examination of the forecast that indicated more heavy storms were on the way lead the umpiring crew to cancel the game with Pawtucket with no makeup game being scheduled. However, the additional rains never came and the sun broke through the clouds. No game, sunshine everywhere and the fans left wondering why. Strangely similar to the first two games against Buffalo. Eerily similar to the way the 2007 season has gone for Ottawa. If something could go wrong, it usually does.

Buffalo won the game the next evening 10-6 although it wasn’t nearly as close as the score might indicate. This game featured an inside the park home run by Buffalo and a bizarre triple play turned by Ottawa. As if that wasn’t enough for one game, Buffalo second baseman Joe Inglett was involved in both plays. This game also featured a total of twenty seven hits, (fourteen by Ottawa but only three extra base hits). Ottawa had ten hits in the first five innings off of Buffalo starter John Koronka, (2-3), but could score only three runs. Fabio Castro, (5-5), was charged with the loss, pitching four innings and giving up eight runs, (five earned). Buffalo scored three in the third and four in the fourth, jumping to an 8-3 lead after four. Bad base running hurt Ottawa in the first as with Javon Moran on second and Joe Thurston on first, (both hitting singles), Moran tried to steal third but was easily thrown out. Although Thurston did get to second base, a subsequent walk and a single produced only one Lynx run.

“Moran has the green light and he was being aggressive, ” said John Russell. “Sometimes you have to be aggressive. It’s a good play if it works and unfortunate if it doesn’t.” In the second Ottawa had runners on first and second with only one out, (again both were singles), but couldn’t score.

The Buffalo third saw Joe Inglett hit an inside the park home run on a long high fly ball to right which took a strange bounce off the right field wall all the way to centre into no man’s land, a three run shot which put Buffalo up 8-2.

“I hit it well and I just kept running, “explained Inglett. “I got to third and was waved home and was able to beat the throw.”

In the sixth inning, things got even stranger in a game which had already been strange. With runners on first and second and no one out, Ben Francisco hit a very weak pop up to Joe Thurston. A very late infield fly call by the umpires led to mass confusion on the bases. Thurston let the ball drop in front of him . Inglett then advanced to third and was thrown out by Thurston, (out number two), and after some hesitation, Keith Ginter took off from first and was thrown out by Brennan King.

Joe Thurston explained, “I was thinking about trying to get a double play on the pop up. The umpire signalled late that the infield fly rule was in play. I don’t think anyone heard the call.”

Inglett added, “We didn’t hear the umpire call infield fly and decided we had better try and advance because the force play might still be on.”

Ottawa were down 10-3 after seven innings and although scoring one in the eighth and two in the ninth, (Gary Burnham home run number eleven), the game had long been lost. Ottawa left ten runners on base.

You have to give our guys credit,” said Russell. “They kept getting on base and they never gave up but we got too far behind, too early.”

Game two in this four game series involved another strange play, another game in which Ottawa were ineffective on offense, and another Ottawa loss, this time by a score of 3-2. This game also once again high lighted the teams’ crippling lack of power and team speed . Starter Landon Jacobsen, (2-7), had another shaky outing but managed to work his way out of a couple of jams and kept the game close as he pitched five innings and gave up all three Buffalo runs, (only two earned). Buffalo twice had the opportunity to put the game away early as Jacobsen either couldn’t find the plate, or found far too much of it. In the second inning he allowed two runs but Buffalo could have easily scored four as after having already counted two, they had runners on first and third with two out. Jacobsen, however, caught Ben Francisco looking for the third out of the inning having already thrown nearly sixty pitches. Jacobsen allowed another run in the fifth but stranded runners on second and third this time.

“I didn’t want to leave him in the game as long as I did but with Hernandez getting called up we were one pitcher short,” said Russell. “He did a good job working his way out of a couple of jams today.”

Ottawa crept to within one run scoring to make the game 3-2 in the eight on a ground out by Dusty Wathan. Ottawa, however , could have gotten more as they had runners on second and third with one out but Matt Padgett swung at the first pitch and grounded weakly to first. The Lynx had loaded the bases on three straight singles in the third inning and the sixth inning but failed to score even a single run. The lack of team speed and power was crippling in this game as all they could do was play station to station and it seemed hit into the inevitable double play. Going first to third and second to home have been all too rare events this season and rarely have Ottawa forced the issue and been aggressive on the bases.

Then came the ninth inning and in a game which should have seen many more Ottawa runs scored, the Lynx ended the game on another strange play, highlighting the bad luck they have often had this season. It always seems that when a team is playing badly, the only luck they have is bad. Moran had singled with one out and got himself into scoring position by aggressively stealing second base. Buffalo then issued the intentional-unintentional walk to Gookie Dawkins, setting up a potential game ending double play. The strategy worked but not as planned and only a lucky bounce for Buffalo gave them the game. Brennan King hit a vicious one hopper through the middle and off the pitchers leg. But this baseball which looked like the game tying single and which should have been the game tying single bounced off the pitchers’ leg into the glove of the short stop who had moved over beside second base, hoping to field the up the middle ground ball. The short stop then merely had to step on second and with an easy throw to first, the game was suddenly over.

“We could write the book on bad luck this season, ” offered Jason Jaramillo. ” It’s like this team has been snake bit this season.”

Manager John Russell put it this way after the game. “We had our opportunities. Jacobsen kept us in the game and we loaded the bases twice but we again couldn’t get that one big hit. The guys we had on base don’t have a lot of speed so it was tough to take any chances and be aggressive out there.”

Buffalo starter Andy Laffey, (9-3), went six innings and allowed one run for the win.

Ottawa came back Monday night and Tuesday afternoon , taking both games from Buffalo by scores of 5-3 and 4-2 and earning a split in the four game series.

A disappointed Buffalo manager Torey Luvello commented after game four.

“You’re usually happy with a split on the road but when we took the first two and we’re fighting for a playoff spot, we needed to get more. But we knew coming in that although Ottawa are having a tough season this year, they never quite and they can beat you anytime. They’re a good team.”

J.A. Happ turned in another strong performance and although he didn’t get the decision, his six innings gave Buffalo only two runs and he left the game with a 3-2 lead. Buffalo starter Cliff Lee gave up three runs, (two earned), in five innings. Ottawa scored their runs in the first and second innings by being very aggressive and they seemed much more patient at the plate.

“We could be aggressive because we had the right guys on base-we had some speed out there,” explained Russell.

Ottawa scored two in the eighth breaking a 3-3 tie, Thurston driving in Sandoval with the go ahead run from third with a sacrifice fly to right.

“I didn’t think the ball was hit hard enough to score Sandoval but he, (right fielder Jason Cooper), had to slide to get the ball and that might have been the difference, ” said Thurston.

Lynx closer Brian Sanches threw a perfect ninth inning in his first game back for his fifteenth save.

“Happ was having trouble keeping in sync but he got the job done,” said Russell. “The bases loaded jam he worked out of in the third inning was big for us.”

The next afternoon was an 4-2 Ottawa win which featured the second straight very solid start from John Ennis, a second straight save from Brian Sanches, and the second game in which Ottawa took advantage of Buffalo mistakes. Ennis pitched six innings giving up only four hits and two runs. He was in control the entire six innings and made only one mistake, a home run to Andy Marte in the second inning. Ennis also struck out five batters and allowed no walks.

“Ennis has been much more aggressive and he’s been forcing contact,” said Russell. “He has gotten away from nibbling and started throwing. “His pitch to Marte was just a bad pitch to a good hitter but that was his only mistake all day.”

Ennis was more modest in explaining his last outings. “I’ve been more aggressive but they’ve been hitting the ball right at our guys and they’ve been making all the plays behind me.”

Ottawa broke a 2-2 tie and took the lead for good in the seventh as the recent patience shown by Lynx hitters translated into an amazing five walks in a row issued by Buffalo reliever Rich Rundles, (2-4), all coming with two outs. Buffalo made two errors on successive ground balls to short stop Mike Rouse to lead off the inning but couldn’t take advantage of the Buffalo miscues but four runs proved to be enough. The Lynx bullpen of Geoff Geary, (two innings pitched), and finally Brian Sanches, (sixteenth save), held the Bisons scoreless and Ottawa earned the split in the series.

After an off day on Wednesday, Ottawa went to Syracuse for a double header Thursday to complete week twenty of the season. The Lynx dropped both games by scores of 7-3 and 7-1 ending the week on a losing note. Matt Childers, (7-3), threw a complete game but took the loss in game one despite beginning the game with a 3-0 lead. A two run home run by recently promoted David Corrente and a three run shot by John Hattig proved to be the winning hits for Syracuse in game one. Ottawa scored all their runs in the first on a Gary Burnham three run home run but Mike MacDonald, (5-8), shut them down the rest of the way, allowing only two singles after the first inning and no hits after the fourth. Game two was all Adam Lind as the Syracuse outfielder drove in four runs with a double, triple and a home run and Lynx starter Anderson Garcia, (1-3), lasted only two innings giving up four runs and Eude Brito pitched only three innings and allowed four runs, a 7-3 win and a double header sweep by Syracuse. Ottawa scored their only run in the sixth inning on a Brennan King single after falling behind 7-0 after five innings.

Lynx Notes: Yoel Hernandez was recalled by Philadelphia August 19^th. Ryan Cameron joined Ottawa from Reading August 20^th. On August 21^st Fabio C astro was recalled by Philadelphia, (an emergency start on Thursday due to Cole Hamels injury), and Brian Sanches was reactivated. On August 23^rd Chris Roberson was transferred from Philadelphia, pitcher Gary Knotts was transferred from Reading to Ottawa and Geoff Geary was recalled by Philadelphia