Jerod Edmondson, Nick Serino Players of the Week

The Tornadoes shined over the weekend, sweeping a double header against the Rockland Boulders to move out of last place in the Canadian American Professional Baseball League. None shined brighter though, than Jerod Edmondson and Nick Serino, two critical pieces in the twin-bill broom job.

When the Tornadoes were in a tight spot and needed a run last week, Jerod Edmondson was the one that came to the rescue. Not only did he have two runs and four RBI in the three game series against the Rockland Boulders, but also hit the go ahead RBI in the bottom of the seventh in Game 2 of the series. He finished the week with a .273 average as the tornadoes went 2-4 for the week.

If there is anyone that skipper Chip Plante has depended on the most for the Tornadoes, it would definitely be Nick Serino. The Snipe pitched in four of the six games last week, and got the results to show for it. Serino recorded a win in Game 1 of the double header on Sunday, as well as a save in Game 2. He is also on a streak of 22 consecutive appearances with a strikeout.

Nick Serino Interview 7/29 | Worcester Tornadoes Baseball

Catching Up With Johnny Welch

We caught up with Johnny Welch last Friday to talk to him about his five-game hitting and RBI streak during the Tornadoes most recent road trip. Welch unfortunately went down with a hand injury Friday night after being hit by a pitch and is currently on the disabled list.

The tall third baseman leads the Tornadoes in home runs with 15 and is second place on the team with 42 RBI.

Tornadoes Game Notes July 31st: Worcester Looks To End Jackals Run

The Tornadoes efforts to earn their first three-game win streak of the season fell a bit short on Monday, as the Jackals exploded for 18 runs in their 18-5 win. Worcester will look to end their eight-game slide against the Jackals Tuesday behind southpaw Mike Gedman who is making his sixth start of the season.

Here are your daily Tornadoes tidbits:

1. Nunez Lighting Up The Scoreboard: Alex Nunez was the biggest bright spot for the Tornadoes on Monday night going 2-for-4 with a season-high three RBI. The three RBI were his season-high and the first time that he’s had multiple RBI in a single game this year. Last season Nunez had nine multi-RBI games, but the three RBI from last night tied his career-high over the past two years with the team.

2. Bright Spots In Relief: While the Tornadoes bullpen struggled mightily Monday night, two relievers pitched extremely well against the Jackals. Kyle Regnault continued his strong July pitching a scoreless inning to push his ERA over his past 10 outing to 2.70 with three runs allowed in his past 10 innings. Bryan Leigh pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third scoreless outing of the season-his second in a row against the Jackals.

3. Rewriting the 2012 Record Books: The Jackals 18 runs and 21 hits were season-highs for both the Jackals offense and the Tornadoes pitching staff. While the game was close through six innings (6-2), New Jersey exploded for nine runs in the seventh and tacked on three more in the eighth inning to blow the game open.

July 31st Tornadoes Game Notes vs. Jackals

Tornadoes Game Notes July 30th: Tornadoes Look For First Three-Game Win Streak

Happy Monday Tornadoes fans! It’s a beautiful Monday in Worcester and the Tornadoes have a chance to do something for the first time all season long-win three games in a row. What will they have to do to make it happen? Take down the Jackals for just the second time all season, as New Jersey has won seven in a row against Worcester and eight out of nine in a row.

Here are your daily Tornadoes tidbits:

1. Doubleheader Magic: Worcester earned their first doubleheader sweep of 2012 Sunday behind some clutch hitting late in both contests. The Tornadoes rallied from a 5-4 deficit in Game One before earning a walk-off win on a Jerod Edmondson single and fell behind 1-0 in Game Two before scoring three of the final four runs to come away with the 3-2 victory. For Worcester it was just their second doubleheader sweep in the past 15 doubleheaders they’ve played dating back to 2010.

2. Welcome to the show Mr. Jacobs. Matt Jacobs had a fantastic professional debut, reaching base four times with two hits and two singles, and scored twice. The 2010 UMass Lowell graduate had an RBI single in his first at-bat driving a ball into left field to give the Tornadoes a 2-0 lead in Game One. Jacobs later played a pivotal role in the Tornadoes game-winning seventh inning rally, as he walked to put runners on first and second before being wiped out on a fielder’s choice.

3. Nick Salotti Returns Part Two: The last time Salotti was at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, the former Tornado hit a game-winning two-run home run to give the Jackals a series sweep over the Tornadoes. In six games thus far against the Tornadoes, Salotti is hitting .458 (11-for-24) with six runs, seven RBI and the one home run. As a Jackal, Salotti is hitting .286 with 10 RBI and seven runs in 16 games.

July 30th Tornadoes Game Notes vs. Jackals

Wrapping Up The Rockland Series: Tornadoes Earn Third Series Win Of The Year

If you didn’t manage to make it out to one or more of the Tornadoes three-game set against the Rockland Boulders we’ve got you covered with our Tornadoes weekend recap. Worcester took two of three games to earn their third series victory of the season behind a doubleheader sweep on Sunday. Jerod Edmondson had himself a monster series with three hits on Friday night and three RBI Sunday including a walk-off single in Game One of the doubleheader. Tony Patane went 3-for-8 with three runs and three RBI and Nick Serino made appearances in all three games, earning a win, a save and five strikeouts while not allowing any baserunners in three perfect innings.

Friday July 27: Rockland 5, Worcester 4

Rockland jumped out to a 4-0 lead after four innings behind a two-run home run from Phillip Cuadrado and a Billy Alvino single but the Tornadoes would come roaring back. Cam Kneeland, Chris Torres and Edmondson each had RBI singles and Patane added an RBI double to tie the game at four after six innings. The Rockland Ryan’s would prove too much for the Tornadoes and losing pitcher Matt McDonald as Ryan Scoma led off the eight inning with a triple and Ryan Mollica plated him two batters later. Worcester would load the bases in the bottom of the ninth with one out but Adrian Martin closed the door for Rockland.

Game Highlights: Rockland 5, Worcester 4 July 27

Ryan Brockett Interview 7/27

Sunday July 29: Worcester 6, Rockland 5

After losing a thriller Friday night the Tornadoes turned things around in a big way on Sunday. The Tornadoes jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind RBI singles from two new faces in the lineup, cleanup hitter and designated hitter Mike Gedman and recently added UMass Lowell graduate Matt Jacobs. Rockland would tie the game at 2-2 and later grabbed a 5-4 lead in the fifth but Worcester answered right back. Gedman doubled to lead off the fifth and came in from third on a single from Cam Kneeland. Kneeland would play a big part in the Tornadoes winning rally, when he walked and moved over to third with two outs, before crossing the plate on Edmondson’s slow grounder up the middle that Brandon Pinckney had no play on.

Game One Highlights: 6 Tornadoes, 5 Boulders

Jerod Edmondson Interview After Game One 7/29

Sunday July 29: Worcester 3, Rockland 2

Keith Brachold opened up the scoring in Game Two of the day with a first inning home run just over the left-field fence to make it 1-0 Boulders. After failing to put a runner on base in the first two innings, Worcester put two runs on the board in the third inning when Edmondson added another RBI single and Ryan Brockett added a sacrifice fly to plate Cameron Monger. Rockland tied the game at two in the fourth inning when Phillip Cuadrado hit a single to the left-center-field gap and Mollica came into score. But Patane would add some more theatrics for Worcester with a solo blast over the left field fence to make it 3-2. McDonald and Serino came out of the pen to close the door, as Walker McKinven earned his first career win and Serino picked up his seventh of the year.

Game Highlights: Tornadoes 3, Boulders 2

Tony Patane 7/29 After Game Two

Nick Serino 7/29 After Game Two

Tornadoes Game Notes July 29th: Tornadoes and Boulders Set For Doubleheader Starting at 3:05

After a rainy Saturday, the Tornadoes are hoping to get in two games this afternoon against the Rockland Boulders to finish off their scheduled three-game set. The series began with a bang Friday night with a back-and-forth contest that saw the Tornadoes fall behind 4-0 after four, but come back to score four runs and tie the game at 4-4 after seven. Unfortunately the Tornadoes couldn’t come away with the W after Rockland scored a single run in the eight and Adrian Martin shut down the Tornadoes bases-loaded, one out rally in the bottom of the ninth.

Here are your daily Tornadoes tidbits:

1. The Tornadoes lineup did something they had only done once in their first 64 games of the season Friday night: three Tornadoes hitters had three hits. Ryan Brockett, Chris Torres and Jerod Edmondson each had three hits in the contest as Worcester piled on 14 hits in the loss. The feat came over a month after Alex Nunez, Alex Trezza and Nick Salotti all had three hits in the Tornadoes 12-11, 10 inning victory over Newark on July 23rd.

2. Our front office continues to stay busy, as the Tornadoes made two roster moves on Saturday during the storm. Brendon Kelliher has been activated after missing 15 games with a shoulder injury and Johnny Welch was sent to the disabled list. Welch was hit by a pitch on his left hand Friday night in the ninth inning of the game and broke his pinky. The Tornadoes will look to replace Welch’s spot in the order with Ryan Brockett and their newest signing-Matt Jacobs, a 2012 graduate of UMass Lowell. Jacobs was a speedy center fielder for the RiverHawks finishing with 203 hits and 74 steals in his four-year career and added a Gold Glove as well. The Tornadoes created Jacob’s roster spot by releasing catcher Kyle Nisson.

3. Nick Serino continues to blow by his opponents, as he’s now struck out at least one batter in each of his past 20 appearances. Serino has at least one strikeout in 23 of his 24 appearances and has the fourth highest strikeout-per-nine ratio in the CanAm League at 12.48. In 26 and two-thirds innings, Serino has struck out 37 batters against just 12 walks.

Worcester Tornadoes July 29th Game Notes

Tornadoes Game Notes July 27th: Tornadoes And Boulders Begin Three-Game Set

By Seth Orensky

After a disappointing road trip to the Tri-State Area the Tornadoes return home to the HIP for Fireworks Friday trying to create some theatrics for the home crowd. Worcester has struggled mightily to being their second half of the season but they hope that the recent hot streaks from a couple of players are a sign of good things to come.

1. Johnny Welch, the Tornadoes cleanup hitter and third baseman, is going through another one of his power surges. Welch has a team-best five-game RBI streak coming in to Friday’s game and also carries a five-game hitting streak as well. Over the past five games, Johnny has hit .421 (8-for-19) with four extra-base hits, including three of of his 13 doubles. His 15 home runs put him in third place in the CanAm League and he’s second on the Tornadoes with 42 RBI.

2. Fans at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field will get to see their fifth former major leaguer of the season (Jose Canseco, Daryle Ward, Brian Myrow and Angel Berroa) when former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Gustavo Chacin takes the mound for Rockland. Chacin spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays and the Astros and accrued a record of 27-17 with a 4.23 ERA. He last pitched in the major leagues in 2010 as a reliever, before being released by the organization in 2011. Chacin still has connections to the majors, as his second cousin once removed is Colorado Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin.

3. Last but not least the Tornadoes made one more roster move since we last posted, when the team signed former University of Michigan (’10) pitcher Erik Katzman. The left-handed reliever pitched a handful of games with Pittsfield last season and threw a dozen games the London Rippers in the Frontier League. He made his Tornadoes debut Wednesday when he threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Worcester’s 5-2 loss to the Jackals.

July 27th Game Notes

An Off Day?

By Nick Gagalis

Phew! The players can relax a little now. We got back from our bus trip to Rockland and New Jersey last night around 7pm because of the morning game, and it couldn’t have worked out any better. The team has its first day off since July 11, but its first day off without any traveling since early June!

The team is back home for a week, so there’s no bus to catch, packing to do, or game to play tonight. That means the guys can take a break from everything baseball, if they want to.

I overheard a few guys on the bus saying they might be hitting the cages at some point today. Others wanted a baseball-free break, like a day at the golf course or whatever you might do on a relaxing summer day.

I didn’t take the day off, but I figured playing a little catch-up with some of the media team’s long term projects would work well. I slept in a bit and worked from home instead.

In the baseball world, there aren’t too many opportunities to step away for a while, so even a minor break here and there goes a long way. The same goes for those of us who don’t hit or throw the ball for a living, but still work for the team. Here’s hoping a time away energizes everybody involved, whether it’s the players or us in the booth too!

Tornadoes Game Notes July 23rd: Tornadoes Play First Series At Jackals In 2012

 

(Photo Courtesy of Matt Noonan)

The Tornadoes will continue their seven-game road trip Monday when they play their first game at Yogi Berra Stadium in 2012. After taking one of four against the red-hot Rockland Boulders, the Tornadoes will look to take their first series of the year against the Jackals after going just 1-6 against New Jersey thus far at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

Here are some quick hits for this series:

1. Johnny Welch will look to build off his huge series against the Boulders as the series begins Monday. Welch went 6-for-15 (.400) in four games against Rockland with six runs, two home runs and four RBI. Welch became the first Tornado all season long to hit three doubles, when the big third baseman went 3-for-5 with three two-baggers Sunday.

The other big note from the Rockland series was that the Tornadoes did something no other professional team had done since 1949. Chip Plante used a different pitcher in every inning of Friday night’s 12-3 loss to the Boulders, setting a bit of history. Tornadoes fan Darryl Hunt pointed out that the last time a professional team had used a different pitcher in every inning of a game was October 2, 1949, when the St. Louis Browns did it against the Chicago WhiteSox.

2. The Tornadoes continue to be busy with roster moves, as the team made a handful of moves during the course of the Rockland Series. Worcester added rookie pitcher Walker McKinven-a 2012 Georgia College product. McKinven spent his first two seasons with Division 1 Binghamton University in upstate New York, before spending his final two years as a reliever with the the Bobcats. With the addition of McKinven, the Tornadoes placed outfielder Brendon Kelliher on the disabled list retroactive to July 11th, as the left fielder is dealing with a right shoulder injury. Worcester also pulled off its first trade of the season,  adding former Brockton Rox infielder Melvin Falu in a deal that sent second baseman Brandon Pinckney to the Boulders.

3. Worcester will get its first look at Yogi Berra Stadium this season, the home of the Jackals and the Montclair State Red Hawks. Located in Berra’s hometown (Montclair, New Jersey), the stadium holds just under 4,000 fans and is only 15 years old. Located just across from the stadium is the Yogi Berra Museum and all the dimensions in the park end in eight, in honor of Berra.

July 23rd Tornadoes Game Notes

Tornadoes Game Notes July 19, 2012: Tornadoes Start 4-Game Set With Boulders

Worcester will take to the road looking for some better results after a tough homestand that resulted in a 1-6 record with six straight losses. The Tornadoes will be playing in Rockland for the third and final time this season after taking two of the first six games, Worcester and the Boulders will begin a four-game set Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Here are some Tornadoes updates:

1. Brandon Pinckney and Ryan Brockett two of the smallest players in stature on the Tornadoes roster both had huge home-stands. Pinckney hit .414 on the homstand (12-for-29) and extended his on-base streak to 27 games and his hitting streak to 11 games. The Tornadoes second baseman is second in the league in batting average by three points at .348 (Nick Giarraputo .351) and is second in on-base percentage by just two percentage points at .409 (Qualon Millender .411).

Brockett started in all seven games of the homestand in left field and extended his hitting streak to 9 games, while boosting his batting average by almost 50 points to .245. The rookie infielder also made a series of running catches in left field and recorded his first multi-RBI and multi-hit game as a Tornado with a 2 hit, 2-RBI contest Wednesday.

2. Brendon Kelliher and Phil Negus are both out of action right now due to injury. Kelliher suffered a right shoulder injury in the final game of the El Paso series on a diving catch. The Tornadoes left fielder is day-to-day and is hoping to be back within a week or two. Negus is dealing with an arm injury and his recovery timetable is still uncertain.

3. The Tornadoes 3-game sweep at the hands of the Jackals marked the first time this season that the Tornadoes have been swept at home this season. Worcester has only been swept three times this season (Amarillo and Laredo on the Texas trip) with all three series sweeps occurring in month of July.

July 19th Game Notes vs. Rockland Boulders