Rayborn helps ease promotion of Matos

By TERRY JOHNSON
Valley Press Assistant Sports Editor

Given a chance to start following Matos' promotion to Class-AA New Haven, Rayborn did a pretty good imitation of Lancaster's most consistent starter Sunday in the JetHawks' 12-6 victory over Visalia at The Hangar.

After a shaky start, the converted reliever allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings. Backed by a 15-hit attack that included four home runs, Rayborn improved to 5-1 and kept the JetHawks unbeaten in second-half play at 4-0.

"Kenny's started his whole career, so we figured he'd do a great job today," said catcher Scott Maynard, whose second-inning homer tied the score at 2-2. "He was a rock coming out of the bullpen and we didn't expect anything less as a starter."

Rayborn gave up two first-inning runs on a hit, walk, error and a hit batter. He was bailed out of a big jam when third baseman Bo Robinson snared a line drive with two men on and turned it into a rally-busting double play. Then Rayborn settled down and gave the JetHawks' offense a chance to regain control of the game.

Lancaster came back in the bottom of the first with an estimated 430-foot home run by Terrmel Sledge and tied it on Maynard's fourth homer of the year. Antonio Perez's fifth homer, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning gave the JetHawks a 5-2 lead against loser Javier Calzada (3-2).

Juan Silvestre's California League-leading 17th home run keyed a five-run fifth off Visalia reliever Jared Jensen.

Rayborn had matched the offense's aggressiveness by then and the game quickly got out of hand.

"It was kind of weird because I wasn't used to coming in like that," said Rayborn, who had made 20 relief appearances. "I wasn't really nervous, just kind of tentative. I tried to pace myself and wasn't being aggressive enough.

"I knew what I was doing in the first inning. I just had to get in a groove. If it hadn't been for that double play, I might have given up six runs and been out of the game in the first inning. Sledge hitting that home run turned around the whole momentum of the game. It fired me up."

JetHawks Manager Mark Parent said he got a little fired up listening to the jeers among the 1,876 in attendance while Rayborn was struggling.

"I was very pleased with his outing," Parent said. "I was a little disappointed with the crowd saying, `Get his (butt) out of there,' in the first inning. The guy pitched his (butt) off for us, and he gives up a couple runs and they want him out of there. He had as much to do with us winning the first half as anyone. It was horrible.

"But he showed them, in Kenny Rayborn fashion. He held his head up and did the job."

Perez finished with three hits and three RBI. Sledge, Craig Kuzmic and Maynard drove in two runs each.

Aaron Looper followed Rayborn to the mound and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Visalia gave the JetHawks a mild scare in the ninth by scoring three runs off left-hander Denny McDaniel. McDaniel was a victim of his own wildness, particularly when he threw away two potential doubleplay balls at second base. With two men on and one out, Omar Obando took over and got the last two outs.

Rayborn will remain in the rotation. He'll be joined by Scott Atchison, who was called up to Class-AAA Tacoma, but was returned to Lancaster Sunday.

"Kenny has what it takes to be a solid starter," Maynard said. "With the way our pitching is shaping up, we should be pretty solid for the second half."