LYNX: LOU'S LABOUR WAS NOT LOST

Pitch-count obsessives would call this mildly Pyrrhic 5-4 victory (box, play-by-play) for our Ottawa Lynx: The bullpen needed 71 pitches to get through the last three innings, only 16 less than starter Matt Childers needed over six scoreless frames.

Yoel Hernandez, who got his second save in less than 24 hours, needed a 21-pitch ninth to nail it down after the Lynx scored twice in the eighth to retake the lead after a three-run Charlotte rally. Brian Sanches was left out for 42 pitches and got a big hit on his ERA for his effort after the Knights' Casey Rogowski cashed in a couple of the righty's inherited runners with a two-out, two-run single off John Ennis (who got the win in relief) which put Charlotte up 4-3.

The upshot is the bullpen's labouring has obscured some terrific efforts by the starters: Childers and J.A. Happ both threw scoreless ball, and ended up with no-decisions. As for resiliency, the Lynx did not go into a mope after coughing up the lead. In the home half of the eighth, Lou Collier got a leadoff hit for the second time in the game, and just as he had in the fourth, he came in to count. Jim Rushford cashed in the go-ahead run with a two-out hit off Charlotte's Paulino Reynoso.

By the way, talk about production from the catcher spot: Chris Coste, the 33-year-old vet, was 2-for-3 with two RBI while giving Jason Jaramillo a well-deserved rest after his solid outing on Wednesday. His counterpart, Wiki Gonzalez, ended up making a crucial error for the second time in this series, dropping a throw at the plate on the tying run.

Between the prospect of a four-game sweep in the first home series and the weather we're having here, there's no reason not to check out the game tomorrow. Hopefully more than the 791 who turned out today will agree.