Team USA Splits A Pair Of Weekend Games

Complete Coverage of USA Baseball

By John Manuel
October 19, 2003

It was a busy weekend in the desert for USA Baseball's Olympic qualifying club.

Team USA's six-game winning streak came to an end Saturday with a 7-5 loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions. The streak had been extended Friday in an 11-1 win against Grand Canyon as Braves lefthander Horacio Ramirez, who should be the team's ace after winning 12 games as a big league rookie this season, pitched three shutout innings.

And the team had other news. It officially lost righthander Jeremy Fikac (Athletics), another pitcher with big league experience, when his elbow tendonitis prompted the A's to remove him from the roster. Fikac had pitched one inning for Team USA and was expected to fill a middle relief role.

That leaves Team USA with 30 players overall and just 14 pitchers. USA Baseball also pushed back the announcement of its final 24-man roster for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Panama, which begins Oct. 30. The roster was to have been announced Oct. 24, but instead USA Baseball and manager Frank Robinson will wait to announce the roster until Oct. 28, after a pair of exhibition games against Team Canada.

Through eight games in the Arizona Fall League, Team USA is 6-2. The second loss came Saturday, 7-5 to Scottsdale, as Team USA's three-run ninth-inning rally fell short.

Team USA used four pitchers, and the Scorpions pounded them for 15 hits. Meanwhile, righthander Dustin Nippert (Diamondbacks) limited the qualifying club to two hits and one run over the first five innings to earn the victory.

Righthander Ryan Madson (Phillies) got the start and gave up a leadoff homer to Scott Hairston (Diamondbacks), putting Team USA behind in a game for the first time in 54 innings.

Hairston was in the middle of two other rallies for the Scorpions, scoring in the third inning on a RBI single by Stephen Smitherman (Reds) and scoring again in the fifth after he doubled off reliever Andy Pratt (Braves). A two-out single by Dallas McPherson (Angels) plated Hairston that time to make it 3-0.

Team USA got a run in the fifth when Justin Leone (Mariners) doubled and scored on an error, and pulled within 3-2 in the sixth on a solo homer by second baseman Chris Burke (Astros). Scottsdale, however, scored four runs (three earned) off Pratt in 3 1/3 innings, and trailed 7-2 going into the ninth.

In that frame, Terrmel Sledge (Expos) ripped a run-scoring double, and Mike Lamb (Rangers) chipped in a two-run single off reliever David Gil (Reds). But Gil retired Koyie Hill (Dodgers) on a fly ball to end the game, notching his second save.

Team USA's top hitter again was first baseman Graham Koonce (A's), who went 2-for-2 in the loss. Koonce went 5-for-5 in Friday's victory and is hitting a team-leading.714 (15-for-21) with 10 RBIs.

His 5-for-5 day backed Ramirez, who was making his first spot after being sidelined by an upper respiratory problem. Reliever Derrick Turnbow (Angels) worked two innings to earn the victory, giving up an unearned run. John Grabow (Pirates), Brian Bruney (Diamondbacks), Royce Ring (Mets) and Todd Williams (Devil Rays) each tossed one scoreless inning to finish the game.

Outfielder Grady Sizemore (Indians) added three hits, including a triple. Outfielders Sledge and J.J. Davis (Pirates) each added two-run homers.

Team USA was off Sunday and plays the Mesa Desert Dogs on Monday with righthander Adam Wainwright (Braves), who has a 9.00 ERA in six innings so far this fall, getting the start.