Weeks & Pence go to Texas for Roberts & Bourn

Hunter Pence

May 5, 2008  –   In the first trade of the season the Yuma Scorpions sent the under achieving Rickie Weeks to Texas for a more solid professional player in Brian Roberts and it cost them their starting centerfield Hunter Pence. Weeks was taken in the draft with the understanding that he will grow into a good player soon but when Weeks started the season with only 5 hits in 58 at-bats and the teams patience quickly ran out so when the Yuma GM Bob Watson started to look for a solution he remembered that Brian Roberts lost the job in Texas to Ian Kinsler and only had 10 at-bats this season and would be a great player to plug in and give the team a true leadoff hitter. In Texas Bill Hall had been starting in centerfield and doing very little at the plate going for .228 average and is less than good in centerfield so when Watson called it didn’t take long to ask for Hunter Pence who is a little better in centerfield but is hitting .283 and 6 homeruns on the season in 27 games. The final player in the trade was Michael Bourn who will be the defensive outfielder in Yuma. On the day that Texas agrees to send Brian Roberts to Yuma Ian Kinsler got hurt and has been put on the 15 day DL so Weeks might get some playing time earlier then later.

Yuma loses the opener in the defense of Title!

Brandon Phillips

Cambridge Reapers At Yuma Scorpions             3/30/2008

Reapers……….. 0 2 0  0 2 0  2 0 2  0 0 3  – 11 10  2
Scorpions…….. 0 0 4  0 0 3  0 1 0  0 0 0  -  8 11  0
 
Second baseman Brandon Phillips hit a homerun and had 4 RBI at Citizen’s Bank Park as the Cambridge Reapers beat the Yuma Scorpions in 12 innings by the count of 11 to 8.  Both teams were tied at 8 runs apiece after nine innings. Cambridge was victorious in the 12th inning.  Todd Helton led off and started the attack as he drew a walk.  Phillips was next to the plate, but was promptly struck out. Matt Holliday then doubled.  Chipper Jones stepped in and he was walked intentionally to load the bases.  Matt Diaz got his turn next, but he was a strikeout victim.  Torii Hunter continued the rally and doubled plating three runs.  Cambridge finished with 10 hits in the victory. 

The win was credited to Kevin Gregg(1-0) who went 2 and 2/3 innings allowing no runs. Huston Street(0-1) was given the loss in relief.  He allowed Cambridge 5 runs in 3 and 2/3 innings of work. 

First baseman Paul Konerko rocketed 3 homeruns and had 4 RBI for Yuma but his effort was wasted in the loss.