Monkeys Bust Slump Against Slumpbusters

Daniel Quinones and Frank Flores lead Monkey attack in 13-8 victory

By: JMU, Staff Writer

July 13, 2010

Fullerton, California.

The Monkeys bats came to life Tuesday evening at Lemon Park, giving the team a much-needed victory and snapping a frustrating two game losing streak.

After being pummeled by the Wheelchair Bandits in the Season Opener and turning in a lackluster effort in last week’s loss to a beatable Hackers team, the Monkeys took the field Tuesday evening hungry for a victory. The team had yet another new look, with rookies Ryan Dorigan starting in right field and Bernard Chang playing first. Ruben Quinones moved across the diamond to third base, and rookie Brian Castaneda played second base.

The Monkeys set the Slumpbusters down in order in the first and second innings, plating two runs themselves in the bottom of the second. The Slumpbusters took a four-two lead in the top of the third, but the Monkeys answered back with three of their own in the bottom of that frame. The score sea-sawed back and forth throughout the middle innings before the Monkeys began to pull away. The Monkeys took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth, and held the Slumpbusters scoreless in the final two innings to take claim victory.

Frank Flores lead the way offensively for the Monkeys with a 4-4 performance, driving in four runs and raising his league-leading batting average to a gaudy .909. Daniel Quinones went three for four while driving in five runs, and Bernard Chang was a single away from hitting for the cycle in a remarkable 3-for-3 league debut. Also chipping in with three hits apiece were Ruben Quinones, Matthew Beighley, and John Upton. Brian Castaneda contributed a single and a double.

“It is too early in the season to talk about “must win” games, but we really needed to win this one,” remarked Monkeys manager John Upton. “We certainly haven’t been playing to our potential, and while the five errors we committed tonight serve as a reminder that we still have some work to do, we definitely took some steps in the right direction.”

One of those steps would appear to be putting together a consistent lineup. “I think it would be fair to say that part of the problem this season has been that we have not been able to have the same guys playing the same positions week after week,” observed Upton. “We are still working on a few things, but I suspect that the lineup you see next game (July 27) will be more or less the same lineup that we will use for the remainder of the season.” When asked if Ruben Quinones’ move to third base would be permanent, Upton indicated that this would be likely. As to other moves, Upton told the assembled media that they would have until the 27th.

Monkey Notes:

The Monkeys were without utility-infielder John Maresca and right fielder Michael Barnett, both of whom were attending the Major League baseball All-Star game. Both are expected back in the lineup on the 27^th.

Next Game: July 27 2010. 9:15 pm, Lemon Park.. Monkeys at Sex Panthers.