JetHawks can't find any relief

So it's tough to win games with a struggling bullpen and no closer. Welcome to the frustrating world of the Lancaster JetHawks the past week.

In the JetHawks' 6-4 loss to Modesto on Wednesday, the bullpen collapsed for the fourth time in the last six games.

"I don't think there's too much I can do," said Coolbaugh, the JetHawks' manager. "What I've got is what I've got. We just have to keep working on it."

This time, Pete Sikaras allowed a three-run home run in the sixth and Javy Lopez allowed a three-run homer in the seventh, wasting a short but effective outing by JetHawks starter Daniel Castillo.

Sikaras entered the game in the sixth to protect a 3-0 lead. He struck out Nick Sosa, but allowed a walk and a single before Jesus Basabe hit a 1-and-0 pitch about 430 feet over the left-field wall.

"I just tried to get inside and I guess I didn't get inside enough," Sikaras said. "I should've thrown a two-seam (fastball) instead of a four-seam."

Basabe entered the three-game series batting .153, the worst on Modesto's team. He battered the JetHawks for four hits in the series opener Tuesday. His homer Wednesday was his second of the season.

Matt Kata's run-scoring single in the top of the seventh gave Lancaster a 4-3 lead and Coolbaugh brought in Lopez to protect the lead.

Lopez (0-1) walked two batters before surrendering a first-pitch home run to Gerald Laird on a slider down in the zone.

Entering the game, Sikaras and Lopez had pitched in a 6 2/3 combined innings and hadn't allowed a run.

Castillo pitched his typical game - effective but brief. He didn't allow a run in five innings, but pitched into jams in three of those five. In the first, second and fifth, the A's put two runners on base. In the second and fifth, they did it with no outs.

Castillo used good fielding and timely strikeouts to pitch out of the jams, but he did it at the cost of his pitch count.

He threw 44 pitches in the first two innings, and was up to 93 after five. Throughout the season, the JetHawks coaches have raved about his ability, but groaned about his inability to pitch deep into a game.

"Do you push him one more inning to get to 110 (pitches)?" Coolbaugh said. "I don't think so. He threw five shutout innings. You can't blame him."

Castillo let up three hits and three walks and struck out four.

Modesto starter Marcus Gwyn didn't allow a hit over the first three innings, but let up three runs on four hits in the fourth. Kata opened the rally with a double and John Melton finished it with a run-scoring double. Ryan Cullen (1-1) relieved Gwyn and got Tim Olson to ground out to end the inning.

Cullen allowed one run on five hits in 3 2/3 innings to pick up the win. He struck out four and walked one.

By taking the first two games of the three-game series, Modesto clinched just its second series victory of the season. This is the second time the A's have won two straight and the first time at home.

"We're playing good two nights in a row," Modesto manager Greg Sparks said. "For us, that's a streak."

Uploaded May 10, 2001