Barnstormin’

	Eric Ackerman 3-4, 3.63 ERA		Jim Magrane 1-6, 7.89 ERA

At this point you can only wonder what’s going to happen next for the Barnstormers. There hasn’t been a meteor shower at Clipper Magazine Stadium, yet. Locusts haven’t swarmed the field. Other than that, the team has endured just about every possible misfortune.

Jose Cabrera’s meltdown is the latest chapter in the season gone awry. Although manager Von Hayes and head of baseball operations Keith Lupton didn’t want to make an immediate decision Tuesday night, it’s hard to envision Cabrera ever stepping onto the mound in a Barnstormers uniform again. If he has reached the end of his time in Lancaster, there’s a giant hole in the bullpen to match the giant holes in the lineup.

With the second half only a week away, the roster is in greater disarray than ever. DH Greg Blosser’s strained calf, coupled with 3B Ivanon Coffie’s sprained wrist, means the Barnstormers are back to nine healthy position players until 2B Juan Francia returns – most likely Thursday.

So we’ll probably see Kevin Kotch back at 3B tonight, even though it’s obvious he hasn’t played there much. We’ll also see Dave Adamchick in the lineup, most likely at DH, even though he is 4-for-27 with 12 strikeouts. This is assuming none of the injured players are available and there isn’t a miracle signing.

The bullpen is also a mess at the moment. If you include Yamel Guevara’s spot start Sunday, the relievers have thrown 20 innings in the past three games. Starter Eric Ackerman is going to have to pitch deep into this game, regardless of how well he’s throwing.

The Barnstormers need to find solutions in a hurry. While they have been unable to upgrade their roster, other teams have kept moving forward. York added 3B Shea Hillenbrand Tuesday. Camden signed C Alberto Castillo today. Both have considerable big-league time.

Lancaster doesn’t have the talent to match. A lot of that is because of injuries. Some of it is because the Barnstormers haven’t been able to find viable alternatives. In some instances, the gap between the home team and its rivals has become extraordinary.

UPDATE:

The Atlantic League has suspended Cabrera indefinitely and has fined him $1,000. Manager Von Hayes and head of baseball operations Keith Lupton are scheduled to meet with Cabrera Friday to determine his future with the team. It’s safe to say Cabrera is finished playing Lancaster.

Lineups …

(36-28 )	(28-37)
Sean Smith, CF	Lloyd Turner, 3B
Gera Alvarez, 2B	Mike Woods, LF
Brandon Larson, 3B	Danny Gonzalez, SS
Matt Hagen, LF	Matt LeCroy, 1B
Vito Chiaravalloti, 1B	Manny Mejia, DH
Elliott Ayala, RF	Jutt Hileman, CF
Ryan Radmanovich, DH	Jordan Herr, RF
Teuris Olivares, SS	Kevin Kotch, C
Jason Belcher, C	Juan Francia, 2B

Scoring summary …

WP: Jim Magrane (2-6)
LP: Eric Ackerman (3-5)

FINAL: Patriots 11, Barnstormers 2

Patriots 1st: Smith scores on Francia’s throwing error. Chiaravalloti’s home run scores Hagen.
Somerset leads 3-0.

Patriots 2nd: Smith’s double scores Radmanovich. Belcher scores on wild pitch. Alvarez’s double scores Smith. Larson’s double scores Alvarez. Chiaravalloti’s single scores Larson.
Somerset leads 8-0.

Stormers 4th: Kotch’s double scores LeCroy.
Somerset leads 8-1.

Patriots 5th: Ayala’s single scores Chiaravalloti.
Somerset leads 9-1.

Stormers 6th: Herr’s double-play grounder scores LeCroy.
Somerset leads 9-2.

Patriots 8th: Larson’s home run scores Smith.
Somerset leads 11-2.

Box score:

RECORD: 28-38

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Vito Chiaravalloti

Somerset’s first baseman went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. The former Road Warriors All-Star went 7-for-15 with four homers in this three-game series. He’s part of an impressive lineup, perhaps the best in the league.

“I would say so,” manager Von Hayes said. “They have righthanders, lefthanders and their bench in case they’re in a tight game and they’ve got to use some pinch hitters. That’s a pretty deep team.”

The pitchers:

*Eric Ackerman took one for the team:

With the bullpen worn out, and with the score 8-0 after two innings, Ackerman had to stay in the game even when he wasn’t effective early. He settled down after the dreadful beginning and lasted into the eighth. The lefty’s record fell to 3-5 and the 16 hits he allowed were a team record for a single game.

“It was embarrassing,” Ackerman said. “I let the team down. I let myself down.”

*Paul Thorp retired 11 of the 12 batters he faced in this series.

The hitters:

*Good thing Matt LeCroy is still around. The first baseman belted two more doubles and scored two runs. He’s hitting .419 since his return. It’s frightening to think where the offense would be without him.

*Kevin Kotch was a bright spot with a pair of doubles and a single. Kotch is hitting .276 with five extra-base hits in seven games since his arrival from York.

*Juan Francia was activated from the DL. He was out since June 23 because of a strained hamstring. It’s nice that Francia’s name was back in the lineup, but his value is tied to his speed and he didn’t look like he was at full strength running.

The bottom line:

What can you say? When you field two lineups that aren’t comparable, you’re going to see some blowouts. At least Newark’s fans didn’t have time to get their hopes up.