A.J. Reed and Ryan Bottger each homer to help Quad Cities win 4-0 game following 7-3 loss
DAVENPORT, Iowa (August 5, 2014) - For the second time in three weeks, right-hander Michael Feliz pulled the Quad Cities River Bandits out of a six-game losing streak with a brilliant starting effort, pitching a career-high eight shutout innings and striking out a season-high nine batters in a 4-0 win over the Burlington Bees in front of 3,358 at Modern Woodmen Park Tuesday night.
Following a 7-3 loss in the completion of Monday's suspended game, Quad Cities (22-21 second half, 57-56 overall) got its longest starting pitching performance in more than two years. After pitching seven shutout innings July 19 to beat Lake County and snap his team's six-game losing streak, Feliz (7-4) pitched eight innings for the first time since he did so July 6, 2012, for the Gulf Coast League Astros. Feliz's start Tuesday was the longest by a River Bandit since Kyle Hald pitched a nine-inning game in a 6-2 win over Burlington June 4, 2012.
Feliz out-dueled fellow 2014 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game pitcher Victor Alcantara (6-6), who struck out a career-high 11 batters in six innings, allowing three runs - one earned - on five hits. Bees left-hander Cole Swanson struck out five batters in two innings, and River Bandits right-hander Keegan Yuhl struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning. Quad Cities batters struck out a season-high 16 times, and the two teams combined for 27 strikeouts among 51 total defensive outs. There were no walks in the game - a first for Quad Cities and an opponent since April 18, 2010, when the River Bandits won 4-3, over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Modern Woodmen Park.
Feliz worked three times through the Bees batting order, allowing one hit each time. In the first inning, he allowed a two-out double by shortstop Zach Houchins before recording his first strikeout of Bees first baseman Eric Aguilera. Second baseman Kody Eaves hit a two-out triple in the third inning, but Feliz got left fielder Bo Way on a groundout to first base. Feliz retired nine in a row before Way hit a two-out single in the sixth inning, but Feliz struck out Houchins to end the inning. He set down the final seven batters he faced, including his ninth strikeout - matching the most by a River Bandit this season - to end the eighth inning.
Alcantara retired the first seven batters of the game to extend a string of 20 River Bandits retired in order by Burlington (20-24, 58-55), which also did not allow hit for 10 2/3 innings until River Bandits second baseman Marc Wik lined a third-inning, one-out single to center field. Wik reached second base when center fielder Mike Fish bobbled the ball and scored on a two-out single by center fielder James Ramsay. Designated hitter A.J. Reed hit his fourth home run in nine Midwest League games in the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead. In the fifth inning, catcher Brett Booth and Wik hit consecutive singles, and two Bees throwing errors scored Booth. Wik was thrown out trying to score on a pitch that escaped Bees catcher Stephen McGee with rehabbing Astros outfielder George Springer at the plate to end the inning. Springer grounded out to third base twice and made one catch in five innings in right field in his second game with Quad Cities. Left fielder Ryan Bottger added his first Midwest League home run in the seventh inning off Swanson for a 4-0 River Bandits lead.
The teams resumed Monday's game with a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth inning, and River Bandits left-hander Blaine Sims (2-4) allowed four earned runs on two hits, three walks and a hit batter in the seventh inning. Bees right-hander Alex Blackford (1-3) was perfect in four innings, and Bees right fielder Ranyelmy Mendoza finished 4-for-5 in the game. Houchins had three RBIs for the Bees, who had 15 hits, including 14 singles, to snap their eight-game losing streak and briefly extend the River Bandits' streak to match a season-high six games.
Quad Cities hosts Burlington for the rubber match of the three-game series at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Modern Woodmen Park. River Bandits right-hander Edison Frias (7-5) is scheduled to face Bees right-hander Harrison Cooney (8-5), who leads the league with a 2.19 ERA.
