Metcalf shines in front of big crowd

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Metcalf shines in front of big crowd
09/01/2008 12:29 AM ET
By Alan Friedman / Special to MLB.com

Travis Metcalf has had a better day, but he's never had a better game.
Metcalf homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs Sunday to power the playoff-bound Oklahoma RedHawks to a 10-7 triumph over the Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone Park.
The 26-year-old third baseman entered the night with three homers and 30 RBIs in 69 Pacific Coast League games. But he belted a grand slam in the fourth inning and a three-run blast in a six-run ninth that enabled Oklahoma (76-67) to withstand a late Memphis rally.
"I was just looking to get a couple more hits and finish [the season] strong," he said. "I think this will give me some good momentum going into the playoffs. I hope to build on it."
It was the fourth time since he was selected in the 11th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft that Metcalf has hit homered twice in a game. Three of those games were in the Minors, two with Class A Advanced Bakersfield in 2005 and one with Double-A Midland in 2006.
The fourth came on Aug. 20 with the Texas Rangers, when he homered twice and drove in three runs against the Detroit Tigers.
"You can't control what goes on," said Metcalf, who played in 16 games for the Rangers this season. "You want to do as well as you can, bear down and drive in some runs."
While the seven RBIs represented a career high, the University of Kansas product drove in eight runs during a doubleheader -- four in each game -- against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 22, 2007.
Before a record crowd of 18,620 on Sunday, Metcalf launched a changeup for his first grand slam of the season, the deposited a fastball over the left-field fence in the ninth.
"The first one went into a gap where there's some wind, and I wasn't sure it was going out," he said. "On the second one, I had a 3-1 count, squared up on the pitch and really hit it solid."
Reliever Joselo Diaz (2-6) tossed a hitless innings for the win, despite allowing one run on four walks.
Kelvin Jimenez (1-6) surrendered six runs -- one earned -- on six hits and a walk while striking out two over 1 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Brendan Ryan doubled twice, homered and drove in two runs, while David Freese hit a three-run shot for Memphis (74-67).
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.