Hurley conquers 6th-inning woes, still suffers a defeat

By Bob Hersom

Published: August 1, 2007

Eric Hurley got his usual amount of RedHawks run support Tuesday night.

The Hawks didn't score while he was in the game, or even after he left.

For the first time this season, Hurley pitched more than six innings for the RedHawks, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Tacoma eventually won 5-0 at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, to win thrice in the four-game series. The Rainiers led 4-0 when Hurley left with one out in the seventh.

"He had some little flares on him early in the game and a couple runs scored, but other than that, I thought he threw the ball very well,” RedHawks manager Bobby Jones said.

The Texas Rangers' top prospect has a 2-4 record and 3.60 earned run average after his first seven Triple-A starts. He was 7-2 with a 3.25 ERA in Double-A before being called up June 25.

"I kept my pitch count down tonight, and I was pitching to contact a little better,” Hurley said. "That will get me deeper into games with the pitch count I have. I thought I made some good pitches. All in all, it was an all right outing.”

In Hurley's five losses and no-decisions, the RedHawks have scored only five runs — one per game — while he's been in the contest.

The sixth inning had been Hurley's biggest hurdle in his first six RedHawks starts. Opponents had scored nine of their 16 runs against Hurley in the sixth inning.

Going into Tuesday's game, batters had been 9-for-18 in the sixth inning against Hurley.

That trend changed this time, as Hurley pitched a scoreless sixth. The only Tacoma baserunner reached on an infield error.

The first batter Hurley faced in the game, Nick Green, tripled to deep center field and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Hurley then retired the 14 straight Rainiers, nine by strikeout or infield out.

That string was broken after two outs in the fifth inning, when Rob Johnson reached base on a slow roller to third. Then came a four-pitch walk and a run-scoring infield single, and Tacoma led 2-0.

Hurley threw 77 pitches in the first six innings and 16 more in the seventh.

"He's got a 95-pitch limit, and those guys were swinging early and he was throwing strikes,” Jones said, "so he got into the seventh inning. He's definitely making progress. He's made progress every time out.”

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