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06/20/2007 12:26 AM ET
Scram, MWL East All-Stars scoot past West
Most Valuable Player award goes to Whitecaps speedy left fielder
By Lisa Winston / MLB.com
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 Deik Scram waltzed off with the Midwest League All-Star Game Star of Stars bat as MVP. (Paul Gierhart/MLB.com)
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GENEVA, Ill. -- Detroit Tigers prospect Deik Scram has spent all season hitting out of the leadoff spot or the two-hole and, as a top-of-the-order hitter, he knows his job.
"To get on base, steal bases and score runs," Scram explained.
He performed that task to perfection Tuesday night, setting the tone for the Eastern Division All-Stars' 8-2 victory over their Western counterparts in the 43rd annual Midwest League All-Star Game at Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Kane County Cougars.
The West Michigan Whitecaps left fielder/designated hitter led off the game by singling up the middle against starter Jeff Manship of the Beloit Snappers. Scram promptly stole second and, after moving to third on a groundout, was in position to score the first run of the game on a soft infield single.
Although the West tied the game in the second, Scram once again started the next rally, which led to a lead that the East would not relinquish.
Thus, in a game in which the victors collected 15 hits and every player except one had at least either a hit, a run or an RBI, Scram was the near-unanimous choice for the game's Star of Stars as its Most Valuable Player.
It was no surprise that Scram got the nod as leadoff hitter from manager Donnie Scott of the Eastern Division first-half champion Dayton Dragons (Reds). Scram's .347 average has paced the league and his .427 on-base average ranks second.
An 18th-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2006, the left-handed hitter has been consistent in every facet of his game so far in his first full season.
He knew he had his work cut out for him when he came up to face Manship, who has been masterful for the Snappers (Twins), leading the league with a 7-1 record and 1.49 ERA.
"Everyone is here to have fun," he said of the All-Star Game, "but when I stepped in, I just wanted to work the pitcher, work the count, get on base and score."
Among the other key contributors to the Eastern victory were Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays) catcher Mike Liuzza, who had two hits and an RBI and South Bend Silver Hawks (Diamondbacks) left fielder Joey Side, who was 2-for-5 with an RBI. They were the only two Eastern players with two hits.
While Scott got all 16 of his position players into the game, he used just nine of his 18 pitchers, each for one full inning. Of that group, five of them tossed hitless innings to pitch in for the true team effort win.
Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) ace Clayton Kershaw, the 19-year-old wonder who had allowed just one earned run in his last 30 innings coming into the night, earned the official win.
Ironically, Kershaw actually allowed the evening's lone home run in the second, a game-tying rocket shot to right field by designated hitter Matt Sweeney of the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Angels). But Kershaw pitched his way out of trouble in masterful fashion, striking out the dangerous Chris Pettit of Cedar Rapids looking, and he was the pitcher of record when the East rallied for three runs in the top of the third.
Scram led off the third with a walk, coming around to score on a double by Dayton's Justin Turner into the left-field corner. Turner scored on a sacrifice fly by his double-play partner Chris Valaika. After Lansing's Travis Snider drew a walk, West Michigan center fielder Gorkys Hernandez completed the scoring when he cued a single past a diving Brandon Buckman at first base to plate Snider for a 4-1 lead.
Buckman, the first baseman for the Swing of Quad Cities (Cards), has been the top Triple Crown contender in the league with a .341 average, 14 homers and 52 RBIs, and he showed why as he went 2-for-3 with an RBI on the night. He smacked an RBI double to the center-field wall in the third, scoring Johnny Whittleman to cut the East's lead in half, 4-2. But the West would get no closer.
After a sloppy sixth inning that saw the East tack on another pair of runs on five singles, an error and a wild pitch, the winners completed their scoring with two runs in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Liuzza and an RBI single from Side, one of the few players to remain in the game for the duration.
While Kershaw got the win, Omar Poveda of the Clinton LumberKings (Rangers) took the loss, giving up all three runs in the pivotal third.
Lisa Winston is a reporter for MLB.com.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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