For a heartbroken pitcher, James Avery more than held his own Monday night for the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Avery allowed one run in five innings in leading the Lookouts to a 4-3 Southern League win over West Tenn at AT&T Field.

The 25-year-old from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was hoping this would be one of his final starts before representing Canada next month in the Olympics, but he learned last weekend that he likely will not be going to Beijing.

“A couple of weeks ago, they sent me all the forms to fill out,” Avery said. “I had to send them pictures for my Chinese visa and everything, and then they called a couple of nights ago and told me they are only taking four starters and that I’m not one of them. One of the guys they are taking hasn’t played organized baseball in a year and a half.

“It just hurts because I was their No. 1 or No. 2 starter the last two years.”

Though Avery thinks the decision is final, he did say Canadian National Baseball Team officials could call today with a last-minute invitation. After playing all season with dreams of ending his summer in Beijing, he isn’t sure what response he would give.

Cincinnati Reds officials want to know so they can adjust Chattanooga’s rotation accordingly.

“He would have a decision to make,” Lookouts pitching coach Chris Bosio said. “He would be in a unique situation to play for his country, and that’s quite an honor for him just being mentioned.”

Battling a blister Monday night, Avery relied on a double play with the bases loaded to get out of a first-inning jam. The only run he allowed came on a Mike Wilson homer to left field in the fourth inning, and another double play in the fifth helped cap his night.

Chattanooga, which is 6-7 in the second half of the season, built a 3-0 lead in the second inning on RBIs by Craig Tatum, Sean Henry and Shaun Cumberland and made it 4-0 in the third on an Eric Eymann sacrifice fly to right field. The four runs came at the expense of West Tenn starter and 2005-06 Lookouts pitcher Travis Chick.

Wilson got the Diamond Jaxx within 4-2 in the eighth on an RBI single down the left-field line. Johan Limonta’s RBI single to right with one out in the ninth made it 4-3, but Derrik Lutz answered by striking out Wilson and getting Jon Nelson to ground out.

The Lookouts won a 15-inning game Sunday in Jacksonville and did not arrive home until 4:30 Monday morning.

“That was definitely nice to get out early and jump ahead,” shortstop Chris Valaika said. “We played 15 yesterday, but that’s our job, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Said Bosio: “The guys are showing some good resiliency.”

Ben Jukich (7-3, 2.78 ERA) is scheduled to start tonight’s 7:15 game for the Lookouts, with Brodie Downs (3-0, 4.60) scheduled for the Diamond Jaxx.

A Royal trade

Before Monday’s game, the Reds traded Lookouts utility outfielder Cody Strait to the Kansas City Royals. In 73 games with the Lookouts this season, Strait hit .257 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.

Strait was traded for a player to be named later. Taking his spot on Chattanooga’s roster is expected to be former Lookouts outfielder B.J. Szymanski from Triple-A Louisville.

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