The
NEVADA DUSTERS
The Story of a Major League Baseball Franchise
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Spokane Indians (LAD) @ Bakersfield Bullets (NEV)
May 20-22, 1963
Evangeline Park (Bakersfield, CA)
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The bad news: Bob Bailey is out at least a month with an inflamed rotator cuff. The good news: that will give outfielders Jesus Alou and Paul Blair more playing time, as I'll keep Tony Perez at third base. George Banks has been called up from Salt Lake City. Last season, with the Tucson Stingers, Banks had a .267 average with 10 homers and 77 RBI. A right fielder, he can play third base in a pinch. More good news is that Ray Culp will be ready to start the second game of the series with Spokane, as will closer Ron Reed.
Standings (as of May 20)
 PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Bakersfield 29-14 .674 --- .275 3.55
San Diego 29-15 .659 0.5 .277 3.31
Tacoma 24-20 .545 5.5 .257 3.40
Spokane 15-28 .349 14.0 .243 4.57
Salt Lake City 11-33 .236 5.55
 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE
Buffalo 25-17 .595 --- .257 4.27
Arkansas 25-22 .532 2.5 .255 3.57
Oklahoma City 22-20 .524 .268 4.78
Atlanta 18-23 6.5 .439 .252 3.91
Columbus 19-25 7.0 .250 3.88
DL: Denis Menke (2b), ruptured knee ligament, 18 days. Bob Bailey (3b), inflamed rotator cuff, 35 days. Ray Culp (sp), elbow tendonitis, one day.
Spokane Indians: Cleo James (cf), Derrell Griffith (3b), Ken McMullen (rf), Al Ferrara (lf), Dick Nen (1b), Jim Campanis (c), Bart Shirley (ss), Dick Tracewski (2b), Nick Willhite (sp)
Bakersfield Bullets 28-14 Spokane Indians 15-27
Game 1, May 20
Dwight Siebler got his second start in the opener of this, our final series in this long home stand, and went five innings, giving up just one run -- an Al Ferrara solo homer -- on three hits, striking out four. A satisfactory outing for Dwight. We scored a run in the 1st off Spokane starter Nick Willhite, but after that it looked like Willhite was getting the better of us. Ferrara's roundtripper to lead off the Indians 2nd tied the game. In the 5th Derrell Griffith reached on an infield single, stole second, and scored on a Dick Nen single to put Spokane ahead. Willhite finally made a mistake in the 7th, walking Tony Perez before Paul Blair reached on an error and pinch hitter Jerry Grote singled in Perez. Then Willhite threw a passed ball, moving Blair and Grote to third and second respectively, and Blair scored when Jim Campanis allowed a passed ball, putting us on top 3-2. In the 8th Cleo James reached third with one out, but Jim Barbieri lined out and James was doubled off third to end the inning and the threat. Ron Herbel got the win and Hank Fischer his second save. The Padres won, too, and remain a half-game behind.
Lineup: Cardenal, Alley, Clendenon, Repoz, Pavletich, Perez, Rojas, Blair, Siebler
Record: 29-14
Bullets 3, Indians 2
Game 2, May 21
Ray Culp (5-0) returned to the rotation after missing a couple of starts to face Spokane's Jack Billingham. In the 2nd the Indians had men on second and third and Culp struck out his opposite number to end the threat; in the bottom of the 2nd we had men on second and third and Billingham struck out Culp to end the inning. Jerry Grote hit an RBI triple and then scored in the 4th to put us up 2-0 and so it remained until the 8th when, with Dick Kelley on the mound in relief, Roger Repoz in center muffed a line drive that put Cleo James aboard and James made it all the way home on a Derrell Griffith single to left, cutting our lead in half. Doubles by Dick Nen and Luis Alcarez in the 9th added up to another run and the game went into extra innings. We had a man in scoring position in the 10th but Jack Smith fanned Don Pavletich and Mack Jones to end the threat and Dick Nen's solo homer in the top of the 11th proved to be the game-winner. Ron Reed took the loss. Culp allowed no runs on four hits through seven, striking out six, Grote finished 2-for-5, and Cookie Rojas 2-for-4. Of course the Padres won again, and now we're a half-game behind them.
Lineup: Cardenal, Alley, Clendenon, Repoz, Perez, Rojas, Grote, Alou, Culp
Record: 29-15
Indians 3, Bullets 2
Game 3, May 22
With Phil Ortega on the DL the Indians pitted a 19-year-old rookie named Vicente Romo against Wade Blasingamd (3-1), and both men pitched well. Spokane scored first, as Derrell Griffith hit a two-run, inside-the-park home run in the 3rd. We tied it in the 4th when Romo walked a pair and Tony Perez singled to load the bases; one run scored on a Cookie Rojas grounder, another on a single by Wes Parker, who was starting at first base in lieu of Donn Clendenon. The game remained knotted 2-2 through nine, and in the bottom of the 12th Jesus Alou singled, Gene Alley drew his second walk of the day; Repoz grounded back to the pitcher and Alou reached third while Alley was forced at second, and then Tony Perez laced one down the right field line for two RBIs and the win. I used five men out of the bullpen -- Kelley, Herbel, Fischer, Reed and Roland, with the latter getting his first win of the season, and our pitching staff as a whole allowed seven hits while striking out eight. Perez went 2-for-6 with a run and two ribbies, Parker 2-for-5 with an RBI. We have a travel day tomorrow, heading to Spokane to take on these Indians again in their house, and since San Diego lost we're back atop the PCL by a half-game.
Lineup: Cardenal, Alley, Repoz, Perez, Pavletich, Rojas, Parker, Blair, Blasingame
Record: 30-15
Bullets 4, Indians 2
Scouting Report:
Bob Bailey (3B)
 Bob is a superior third baseman. Over 35 games in 1963 he has made 33 assists, or 1-1/3 assists per game. He is batting .276 with three homers and 21 RBI for the season. He is being groomed to take over third for the Nevada Dusters at some point in the future and I don't expect him to stay at the minor league level for very much longer.
Contact 72, Power 75, Speed 61, Eye 83, Arm 78, Range 78, Fielding 75, Health 81, Overall 75, Peak 90
222ab, 84h, 58r, 57rbi, 14hr, 50bb, 32k, 6sb, .378/.489/.640
Born: October 13, 1942 (Long Beach, CA)
Bats Right
Throws Right
6'0"
188
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