05/26/2007

Bummed Out

Cahill rips team after 8-2 loss to Kalamazoo

By JEFF PEEK

jpeek@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Kalamazoo Kings first baseman Keith Brachold narrowly tags out Traverse City’s J.T. Thomas during the Beach Bums’ home opener at Wuerfel Park on Friday.

TRAVERSE CITY — Even the friendly faces of 6,532 fans at Wuerfel Park couldn't help the Traverse City Beach Bums break out of their early-season slump.

The Bums committed five errors — including two on a bizarre play in which the batter circled the bases on a pop-up to the mound — and lost 8-2 to the Kalamazoo Kings in their home opener Friday night.

The loss dropped Traverse City to 0-3, while the Kings improved to 3-0.

The Bums weren't three games below .500 at any point in their inaugural baseball season in 2006.

Including Kalamazoo's two home victories on Wednesday and Thursday, the Kings have outscored the Bums 25-7. It's safe to say that Traverse City has never looked so poor defensively.

"I'm embarrassed for the fans. I'm embarrassed for everyone in the organization,” said manager Jon Cahill. "They deserved a lot more than they saw tonight.”

"We put on a show all right.”

The record-setting crowd cheered early, as the Bums held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, and they also cheered late, thanks to a postgame fireworks display. But in innings six through nine, their reaction was limited to mostly groans.

TC held a 2-1 lead with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the sixth when starting pitcher Steve Shippey, who had been solid to that point, walked Simon Williams. Keith Brachold followed with a two-run homer down the right-field line to give Kalamazoo a 3-2 lead and the Kings never trailed again.

"Shippey pitched great,” Cahill said. "But a two-out walk... Two-out walks and 0-2 hits, those are my pet peeves.

"No matter how many times you do it, the percentages say that guy's going to score. But I can't blame Shippey. He had to throw a lot more pitches than he should have.”

The worst was yet to come. In the top of the seventh, Kalamazoo plated its fourth run on Josh Mader's seemingly harmless pop-up to the center of the diamond. Third baseman Sam Orr circled under it, called off Shippey, then dropped it.

Mader scampered to second base as Orr scooped up the ball and fired it toward the bag. As shortstop Justin Holmes hurried over to cover, the ball sailed past him and then beyond Zack Kalter, who was charging in from centerfield.

Mader scored easily.

Orr also dropped an earlier pop-up, and Holmes and second baseman Jeff Brown muffed grounders.

"Entirely unacceptable,” Cahill said. "We've been fielding ground balls since Little League. We've been catching pop-ups since Little League.

"There's no excuse for it whatsoever. Either step up or step aside and let the next guy do it.”

Traverse City took its first lead of the season in the first inning on consecutive singles by Holmes, Brown and Brad Vericker.

Mike Russell's long home run to left tied the game for the Kings in the top of the fourth, but the Bums got it right back when Kalter doubled and scored on J.T. Thomas' single in the bottom half of the inning.

Shippey looked good to that point, allowing only three hits through five innings. But then the roof caved in.

Josh Ward, Daniel Hawkins and Jack Nelson followed him to he mound, allowing four more runs over the final two innings.

Russell paced the Kings, going 2-for-2 with a double, home run and two walks. He scored three runs.

Jeff Long (1-0) was the winning pitcher for Kalamazoo.

Robbie McClellan will take the hill for Traverse City tonight. The first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.