3 homers not enough
Pitching, at least good pitching, was in short supply at Security Service Field on Monday.
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox hit three home runs and had 14 hits but lost 13-7 to the Portland Beavers.
Five Sky Sox pitchers allowed a season-high 18 hits, four by Beavers leadoff man Craig Stansberry, who doubled twice and had five RBIs. Jack Cust, who played for the Sky Sox in 2002, had two solo homers and a double.
Cust, who had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists before the 2006 season, said he played two seasons with numbness in his hands but felt his power return last year. This was Cust’s second two-homer game in four days and he leads the Pacific Coast League with eight homers.
“I started off slow, real slow,” said Cust, who has an 11-game hitting streak. “But I’m starting to get rolling now.”
Sky Sox outfielder Sean Barker hit his third homer in three games, a solo shot in the fifth inning. Catcher Edwin Bellorin had a three-run homer and Ryan Spilborghs a two-run shot, both in the fourth inning when the Sky Sox cut their deficit to 8-5.
The Beavers answered with four runs in the fifth inning as Stansberry pounded his second two-run double. Stansberry singled twice to center while doubling to left and right.
“He uses the whole field,” Cust said. “He’s great on defense.”
The Sky Sox (5-11) had a two-game winning streak snapped. Portland (8-11) had six doubles, three in the second inning when the Beavers grabbed a 3-0 lead after a 63-minute rain delay.
Sky Sox starting pitcher Eric DuBose (0-1) lasted 3q innings and gave up eight hits and eight runs. DuBose, 30, said the delay was detrimental to his performance.
“It throws your rhythm off a little bit,” he said. “It’s part of the game but I was never able to get back my rhythm. I was never able to establish my fastball.”
The rain delay ended the pitching night for Portland starter Cesar Carrillo after one inning. Carrillo, 22, is the top prospect in the San Diego Padres organization.
Sky Sox notes
Nix stole second for the third straight game. . . . Sky Sox infielder Frank Menechino went on the disabled list with a strained hamstring and infielder Tim Olson was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to replace him. Olson was hitting .290 (9-for-31) with a triple, homer and eight RBIs. Olson played for the Sky Sox in 2005 and hit .298 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs in 98 games. . . . Former Sky Sox pitcher Kevin Meier has an unwanted link to New York Yankees pitcher Chase Wright, who gave up four consecutive home runs to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Meier allowed a PCL record four homers in a row to Albuquerque’s Ron Coomer, Billy Ashley, Todd Hollandsworth and Mike Busch on Aug. 29, 1994, at Sky Sox Stadium.
TODAY
Portland (Germano 2-0, 2.65 ERA) at Colorado Springs (Kaiser 0-1, 5.73), 10:35 a.m., 1460 AM
