FSL Notebook: Barrett sharp, wins FSL award

Fort Myers Miracle reliever Ricky Barrett captured the Florida State League's Pitcher of the Week Award for the week of Aug. 9-16.

Barrett was one of two two-game winners last week. The only other pitcher to win two games last week? Miracle reliever Levale Speigner.

Barrett allowed just one hit and no runs, struck out seven and walked only one batter in 6 1/3 innings over two appearances during the Miracle's 4-2 week. Barrett held opponents to a .053 batting average as Fort Myers crept closer to .500.

Barrett's week started off with 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball in the second game of a doubleheader with Clearwater. He struck out one and didn't walk a batter as the Miracle rallied for a 2-0 victory.

Thursday night, Barrett came on in relief of Matt Yeatman and shut down the Tampa Yankees in four innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six as the Miracle won, 3-2.

Barrett is now 4-0 on the season with a 1.73 ERA in 13 games, all but one in relief.

YARD WORK: After two years of winning the best overall title in the Florida State League Sports Turf Crew Awards, the Miracle had to settle for a Florida State League Commendations.

It marked the sixth straight year the Miracle's field crew has been honored by the FSL.

The Best Overall Award went to the Clearwater Threshers, who opened play this season at brand new Bright House Networks Field. Threshers turf manager Opie Cheek was named Field Turf Manager of the Year.

NOTES: Miracle starting pitcher Jeff Randazzo is fifth in the league in innings pitched with 126.2. After surviving a rocky first half of the season (at one point, Randazzo was 2-9), the lanky right-hander is 5-10 with a respectable 4.33 ERA.

Alex Romero's hot second half has pushed his batting average to .296, eighth in the league. Romero is tied with teammate Danny Matienzo and Dunedin's Carlo Cota. Matienzo's 118 hits are tied for fourth in the league.

Doug Deeds is still second in the league in triples (10), trailing only Daytona's Adam Greenberg (12).

Former Miracle first baseman Garrett Jones, who started the season with the club, is hitting .299 with 24 homers at Class AA New Britain. Jason Kubel, a member of the Miracle Class of 2003, is still tearing it up at Class AAA Rochester. Kubel is hittting .348 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs in 77 games. Reliever Travis Bowyer, now at New Britain, is 3-2 with a 1.78 ERA and three saves.