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Sarbaugh's Aeros lose home opener to Komminsk's Baysox
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Apr 11, 2008
Mike Sarbaugh and Brad Komminsk talk frequently, usually at least once a week or so by phone. So it was a rare opportunity to catch up in person Thursday, as Sarbaugh's Aeros took on Komminsk's Bowie Baysox in the home opener Thursday at Canal Park.
''Seeing him over there on that side is going to be weird,'' said Sarbaugh, who was the Aeros' hitting coach when Komminsk became the first Akron manager to lead the franchise to an Eastern League Championship in 2003. ''He's one of my best friends in baseball.''
They put their longtime friendship aside for a couple of hours while Komminsk led the Baysox to a 7-5 victory.
Winning in Akron is nothing new to Komminsk, who spent eight seasons (1999-2006) with the Indians' organization, leading the Aeros to back-to-back Eastern League Southern Division titles in 2002 and 2003.
His 2002 team posted 93 wins as he earned the league's manager of the year honor. He was also selected as a coach for the MLB All-Star Futures game in 2002 and 2003.
After he came out of the
dugout to a loud round of applause during introductions, Komminsk's team took a first-inning lead on Nolan Reimold's two-out home run.
But the Aeros quickly evened the score when Matt Whitney singled with two outs, then came home on a triple to center field by Michael Aubrey in the bottom of the inning.
Bowie dominated the next seven innings, posting three more runs against Aeros starter David Huff, the Tribe's sandwich pick (39th overall) in the 2006 draft out of UCLA. The left-hander lasted just 42/3 innings, allowing the four runs on six hits, but he struck out five and did not issue a walk.
''I've been going deep into counts after getting up early and using a lot of pitches,'' Huff said. ''I really need to work on going after guys and not messing around. I need to let them get themselves out instead of being too fine.''
The Baysox tacked on two seventh-inning runs and an eighth-inning lead-off homer by Jeff Nettles against left-handed reliever Shawn Nottingham.
But with two outs in the ninth inning, the Aeros rallied for four runs. Whitney doubled home two runs, Aubrey drove in his second of the night with a double and Wes Hodges poked a bouncer back through the middle before Ryan Goleski's fly ball to left ended the threat.
''We had trouble getting the bats going early, but it was good to see us come back and fight to the end,'' Sarbaugh said. ''I'd like to see a different outcome, but it's something to build off.''
Crowe goes on DL
The Aeros' first roster move came Thursday afternoon, when left fielder Trevor Crowe (who sat out the last four games) was placed on the disabled list with lower-back tightness.
''It's something that's been bothering me since spring training,'' Crowe said. ''But it feels better already just sitting out the last few games.''
In Crowe's place, outfielder Stephen Head was added to the roster from extended spring training. Head, who hit .276 in 26 games with the Aeros last season, needed a little extra time recovering from right shoulder surgery in the offseason.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
Mike Sarbaugh and Brad Komminsk talk frequently, usually at least once a week or so by phone. So it was a rare opportunity to catch up in person Thursday, as Sarbaugh's Aeros took on Komminsk's Bowie Baysox in the home opener Thursday at Canal Park.
Get the full article here.
