McCullers pitches career-high 6 1/3 innings, Scott has game-high three hits and go-ahead single

DAVENPORT, Iowa (JULY 17, 2013) - Quad Cities River Bandits right-hander Lance McCullers lost a 2-0 lead on a seventh-inning home run by TinCaps shortstop Tyler Stubblefield, but center fielder Jordan Scott hit a bases-loaded single to break a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning that led the River Bandits to a 4-3 road victory at Parkview Field Wednesday night.

Quad Cities (14-10 second half, 52-41 overall) snapped a streak of six consecutive losses in series openers against Eastern Division opponents this season and snapped a four-game losing streak in one-run games.

McCullers pitched a career-high 6 1/3 innings and notched his eighth strikeout to open the seventh inning before allowing a single by designated hitter Corey Adamson and a two-run shot by Stubblefield to the left-field seats. McCullers departed with a no-decision for left-hander Mitchell Lambson (6-3), who worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the 2-2 tie into the ninth inning.

Fort Wayne (9-16, 52-42) brought in right-hander Roman Madrid (5-3) to start the ninth inning. Leading off, River Bandits right fielder Dan Gulbransen hit a fly ball that TinCaps right fielder Brian Adams misplayed, allowing Gulbransen to reach second base. Designated hitter Bobby Borchering drew a walk, and first baseman Jobduan Morales put down a sacrifice to move two runners into scoring position. Madrid intentionally walked second baseman Austin Elkins, and then Scott bounced a single past first baseman Diego Goris for his third hit to bring in Gulbransen. Shortstop Carlos Correa followed with a ground ball to third baseman Gabriel Quintana, whose errant throw to catcher Dane Phillips pulled the latter off home plate and allowed Borchering to score an insurance run.

With a 4-2 lead, right-hander Juan Minaya started the bottom of the ninth inning by allowing a single to Quintana, who reached third base when a grounder got past Correa. Adamson grounded into a fielder's choice that brought in a run, but Minaya fanned the next two batters with the tying run at first base to earn his third save in four chances this season. The victory also means The Captain's Table at 4801 River Drive in Moline will offer The Captain's Table Victory Discount on Thursday, July 18. Anyone who mentions the River Bandits victory can receive a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of two lunches or dinners with beverages on Thursday, July 18.

Quad Cities built its 2-0 lead against TinCaps right-hander Zach Eflin with single runs in the fourth and seventh innings. Scott led off the fourth with a bunt single, went to second base on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on left fielder Jesse Wierzbicki's sacrifice fly. In the seventh inning, third baseman Rio Ruiz hit an infield single, reached second base on an error, went to third on Gulbransen's sacrifice and scored on Elkins' two-out RBI walk.

Quad Cities and Fort Wayne will meet for the second game of the series at 6:05 p.m. Central Time Thursday. River Bandits right-hander Vincent Velasquez (6-3) will face TinCaps left-hander Max Fried (3-4).

UP NEXT: Modern Woodmen Park is a nominee for the "Best Minor League Ballpark" in the 2013 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, and fans can vote once per day at 10Best.com until the winner is announced Aug. 14. The River Bandits return to Modern Woodmen Park Tuesday, July 30. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at  563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is planned for next spring, along with a carousel and other new games and attractions. This season, the team just unveiled a new 300-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, a Mediacom Frog Hopper, and a number of new bounce houses . The team also boasts a new major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, and fans can see the first team in Minor League Baseball history with back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks - 2012 top pick Carlos Correa and 2013 top pick Mark Appel, as well as 2012 first-round draft choice Lance McCullers. With new rides, new attractions, new improvements, a new affiliate and future major league stars, the second half of this season is one every fan will not want to miss!

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Voting for "Best Minor League Ballpark" runs for four weeks at 10Best.com

DAVENPORT, Iowa (JULY 16, 2013) - Modern Woodmen Park is frequently recognized nation-wide as a unique destination for Minor League Baseball and family entertainment. Today, the home of the Quad Cities River Bandits was announced by USA TODAY as a nominee for "Best Minor League Ballpark" in the 2013 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards. The winner will be announced Aug. 14.

Nominees were chosen by a panel of experts from USA TODAY, 10Best.com, and other contributors and sources for other Gannett properties. Readers, fans and the general public can vote online once per day for four weeks. All voting is available on the 10Best.com website, for which www.riverbandits.com is providing a link.

"The River Bandits and Main Street Baseball are delighted for this recognition of Modern Woodmen Park and the Quad Cities community," said team owner Dave Heller. "As an organization, we seek to make our ballpark an integral part of the Quad Cities, maintaining its original charm while working to improve and beautify it each year, and keeping it among the finest, most iconic ballparks in the country."

Modern Woodmen Park, which opened in 1931 as Davenport Municipal Stadium and was previously known as John O'Donnell Stadium, is the oldest stadium used continuously by a current Minor League Baseball team for more than 50 years. The current Midwest League franchise has played in it continuously since 1960, and more than seven million fans have passed through its gates in that time.

As the River Bandits ownership, Main Street Baseball has brought the stadium several improvements - including the Sky Deck, Pepsi Loge Boxes, the Crop Production Services Corn Field, a new high-definition video board and LED ribbon board. Earlier this season, Main Street Amusements opened a FlyWire^TM dual zip line by Extreme Engineering, and a Mediacom Frog Hopper by S&S Worldwide, as part of a growing amusement lineup, including a new 112-foot tall Ferris Wheel, that will continue arriving through next season.

If you don't follow baseball, you may be unaware of the controversy simmering around Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig.  He came up from the minors less than two months ago, has played on a level comparable only to that of the early Joe DiMaggio, and has singlehandedly (okay, with both hands) lifted the Dodgers from the ignominy of overpaid underperformer status into credible pennant contenders.  Fans came within inches of writing him onto the All-Star team by online ballot.

Puig has played fewer than 40 games in the Major Leagues.  The Dodgers, who had a lot of money, now have a lot less, because they agreed to pay him $42 million over seven years.

Old school baseball players and their managers take offense to an All-Star designation for a player who has barely gotten his uniform sweaty.  But the people want Puig, and there's still an outside chance that they'll have him, when the All-Star Game takes place Tuesday in New York.

Baseball traditionalists believe that All-Star status is something one earns over time.  Casual fans couldn't care less about a player's body of work; they're just interested in stars, which Puig, at least for the short term, now is.  Sports talk radio commentators recognize that baseball has a phenomenon in Puig and that the All-Star game is a marketing showcase.  Failing to include Puig, therefore, would be an unpardonable offense.

Puig had the good fortune to come of age in the age of American Idol, when you can become a star literally overnight.  You don't have to spend years paying dues; you just go viral.   Consider the difference between yesterday's Frank Sinatra and today's Psy.  Sinatra toured with big bands for years before he hit; Psy, the Korean voice of Gangnam Style (two billion YouTube hits and counting) became a planetary legend with one video.  If extraterrestrials exist, they are probably on Alpha Centauri doing the horse dance and singing, "Hey, sexy lady!"

And so it is in sports.  LeBron got his $60 million deal with Nike before he stepped on an NBA court.  Andrew Luck signed to quarterback the Indianapolis Colts for $22 million prior to throwing a single NFL pass.  And now Yasiel Puig has parlayed eight undeniably great weeks into eight figures.

The veteran players may or may not begrudge Puig the money; they definitely resent his potential All-Star status.  That's because they come from a world where what you do over a long period of time defines who you are.  Puig, baseball's flavor of the month, leaves a sour taste in their mouths.

In baseball, hitters and pitchers "solve" one another.  Meaning that tendencies are analyzed and baseball experts do everything that can to drag outliers back to the mean.  In the sport's language, the goal is to create a "book" on a player: identify his weaknesses and capitalize on them.  The fastball hitter may have trouble with a slider; a particular pitcher may struggle to keep the ball down.  Once word gets out, it's much harder for a phenom to keep up that initial momentum.

This may or may not happen with Puig.  He could be the next Henry Aaron.  Or not.   He could also run into serious trouble.  If you listened to sports talk radio the week before the Dodgers elevated Puig to the majors, the topic was the fact that he had enormous trouble coping with authority.  Not quite "cancer in the clubhouse" material, but the verdict among baseball men was that he was too immature to handle the pressures of the big leagues.

So now they're putting him front and center at the All-Star Game.

There's something to be said for the old way of doing things, where you had to earn your stripes, pay your dues, work your way to the top.  That way allows people to make their mistakes in private, before all eyes are upon them.  Those of us who are a little older and come from that world are grateful that YouTube didn't exist when we were in our twenties or Facebook when we were in our teens.  We're very happy, thank you, that the mistakes we made in our callow years aren't on our permanent technological record.

I have no problem with Puig playing in the All-Star Game; he's definitely a star and baseball is the world's worst sport at marketing itself.  We've just seen what happens to people, especially those in the public eye, who receive too much too soon.  From Aaron Hernandez (New England Patriot accused of homicide) to Lindsey Lohan (actress accused of everything), it often turns out that sudden success is no gift from the gods.

I wish Yasiel Puig the greatest of success, personally and professionally, not that he's ever heard of me or cares about receiving my blessing.  I want him to stay on the baseball diamond and not the police blotter and enjoy his newfound celebrity.

It used to be that it took ten years to become an overnight success.  In today's world, it can take ten years to get over having been one.

Need a good way to cool down with friends and family this July? Davenport Parks and Recreation and QCAD - Quad Citians Affirming Diversity are partnering to hold a family and friends pool party for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Allied community.

The party is being hosted on Friday, July 19th at the Fejervary Family Aqautics Center at 1900 Telegraph Road, Davenport, IA 52802. The event will begin at 6 P.M. and will end at 8 P.M. Admission fee is $2 per person. This event is open to all residents of the Quad City area. All ages are welcome.

"We have had so many positive inquiries about this event!" said Marissa Osborne, an intern for Davenport Parks and Recreation. "So many people have shown support for diversity and we wanted to celebrate that!"

Davenport Parks and Recreation and QCAD have worked together in the past to host events for the local LGBT Teen population, and this is our first move into providing family activities for the LGBT community.  We are also planning a Family Ice Skating Event in December!