JETHAWK REPORT : Van de Weg Keeps the Ball Down, JetHawks Too

It should have been predictable: Ryan Van de Weg pitches, the JetHawks don’t hit. Simple as that.

Van de Weg, a Rancho Cucamonga right-hander, has a 2.06 earned-run average in five games against the JetHawks. Against the rest of the league, he has a 4.84 ERA.

So it was no surprise that Van de Weg gave up two runs in seven innings, striking out 10, in the Quakes’ 4-3 victory over the JetHawks on Monday night.

“He’s got good stuff when he keeps the ball down,” Rancho Cucamonga Manager Mike Basso said. “And it just so happens the games he’s kept the ball down have been against the JetHawks.”

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Catcher Scott Steinmann has joined the JetHawks from Class-A Everett, Wash., to provide insurance while Dusty Wathan is out with a bruised left elbow.

To make room for Steinmann, relief pitcher Eric Clifford was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Friday.

X-rays on Wathan’s elbow were negative, and he could return to action in the next few days, trainer Rob Nodine said.

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JetHawk pitchers took batting practice before Monday night’s game, and the highlight was left-hander Jeff Pearce’s home run over the scoreboard in right field, a shot of about 450 feet.

It was like old times for Pearce, who played at Rancho Cucamonga in 1993, when he was an outfielder in the San Diego Padres’ system.

“I used to hit them over at will in [batting practice] here,” Pearce joked.

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Basso and Quake pitching coach Saul Soltero went into the stands to get Fred Lynn’s autograph before the game. Lynn, a former American League rookie of the year and most valuable player, was the guest for the Quakes’ Sports Hero Night.

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Tonight’s Game:

JetHawks (Brett Hinchliffe, 10-10, 4.35) at Rancho Cucamonga (Keith Davis, 6-14, 5.69), 7:15.