from Bill Hass, with ‘Bill on Baseball’ at www.gsohoppers.com:
Sluggish Hoppers try for better approach
Some games don’t merit much post-game attention and frankly, Monday’s was one of them.
The Hoppers lost to West Virginia 5-1 and need to turn the page on that one quickly. After taking three of four games in Asheville in a series between the first-half winners, they were sluggish against the Power, managing just three hits.
The damage came early when Greensboro starter Josh Hodges gave up two singles and a three-run home run to the first three batters. He pitched fine after that but with an anemic offense behind him, that was all the Power would need.
The Hoppers’ only run came on a homer by Josh Adams. Every other promising inning was short-circuited — two double plays hurt; so did back-to-back strikeouts with runners in scoring position.
“Awful,” was manager David Berg’s assessment. “We had a bad approach (at the plate). Their guy (Zack Von Rosenberg) made some pitches but we made him look like Cy Young.”
Center fielder Brent Keys, out three weeks with a sore hamstring, returned to the lineup but went 0-for-4 and just didn’t look as smooth as usual. Right fielder Ryan McIntyre has also been activated. To make roster room, outfielder Rand Smith and infielder Terrence Dayleg were sent to Jupiter. Smith had really hit well since the all-star break and Dayleg is valuable because he can play all four infield positions. He was moved up because shortstop Danny Black, who was here in 2011, hurt his wrist.
Austin Brice, who has battled through illness recently and lost 10 pounds in a week, will pitch Tuesday night for the Hoppers.
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