Bond escapes tight situation

Jason Bond and Kevin Gryboski provided strong relief for starter John Thompson as Lancaster beat San Bernardino to remain one game ahead of Modesto in the Valley Division wild-card race

Lancaster pitcher Jason Bond was fresh off his second stint on the disabled list this season because of a sore left elbow.

If that weren't enough, that elbow immediately got put to the test in a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday night.

Much like he did the first time he returned to the active roster, Bond hardly showed the effects of his time off. The left-hander worked his way out of the jam with minimal damage to help the JetHawks hold on for a 9-5 win over San Bernardino before 3,359 fans at Lancaster Municipal Stadium.

"When we got him up, it was 6-1," JetHawks manager Rick Burleson said. "We had to get him in tonight, but we wanted it to be a situation where there wasn't a lot of pressure. Obviously, that didn't happen. . . But he did a great job."

Bond, who rejoined the active roster Sunday, came in with the JetHawks' clinging to a 6-4 lead.

"Bases loaded and no outs, I never thought I would go in in that situation," Bond said.

But he immediately got Stampede leadoff batter Ramon Moreta to ground into a a 6-4-3 double play. Ricky Bell scored from third on the play to trim Lancaster's lead to one run, but the JetHawks were more than happy to trade the run for two outs.

Bond walked the red-hot Rich Saitta on four pitches, before inducing Wynter Phoenix to bounce out to second base, ending the San Bernardino threat and preserving a precious one-run Lancaster lead.

The JetHawks were relieved to hold on to the lead, because Modesto was a 12-3 winner over Visalia at Recreation Park. That win kept the A's one game behind Lancaster in the Valley Division wildcard race.

The appearance out of the bullpen was Bond's first of the season.

"I think your adrenaline is a little higher coming in from the bullpen," Bond said. "You've got to be pumped up for a situation like that, no matter how long you've been starting."

Bond came on in relief of John Thompson, who had his best outing as a JetHawk. Thompson, who joined Lancaster out of Class AA Orlando on July 9, held the Stampede to only one run through the first six innings, allowing Lancaster to build a 6-1 lead. Thompson walked one and struck out three in his six-plus innings of work.

The outing was the second consecutive strong one for Thompson (2-5), who picked up his first Cal League victory of the season five days earlier at Bakersfield after going five innings.

"I just tried to get ahead of hitters and throw strikes," Thompson said. "That's been the difference in my last two starts."

Thompson finally started to struggle in the seventh, though, when he allowed a leadoff single to Nick Leach and a two-run home run to Casey Snow.

Lancaster then had a sudden defensive lapse, committing three errors during the next three atbats. That, plus two more singles off Thompson, drew the Stampede within two runs and loaded the bases with no outs.

"We fell apart defensively in that inning," Burleson said. "There's no way we can keep doing that at this point in the season and keep winning."

That wasn't the only jam the JetHawks would see late in the game, though. Bond walked the leadoff batter in the eighth and gave up a one-out single to Bubba Crosby to put runners on the corners.

Kevin Gryboski, who has developed into Lancaster's closer, came on in relief of Bond and ended the threat.

Gryboski caught the Stampede in a double-steal attempt when Crosby took off for second base on a fake throw to third base. Leach tried to score the tying run from third while the JetHawks had Crosby in a rundown, but shortstop Ramon Vazquez fired to catcher Karl Thompson in time to tag out Leach.

"That pickoff play was huge," Burleson said. "We got the guy picked off at first, then made the good throw to get the guy at home."