Doc. Scott
08-03-2011, 06:29 PM
A blah week in the system, as everyone lost more than they won except the AZL Reds. Dayton cratered to 1-6 after winning eight in a row. Billings finished second in the Pioneer League’s first half. Louisville, Carolina, and Bakersfield are sliding slowly down the ranks.
AAA Louisville Bats
This week: 3-4.
Overall: 58-54, tied for second place, 11.5 games behind Columbus (CLE) . Down one from last week.
7/27: Edinson Volquez fired six shutout innings (2.18, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K) and Brad Boxberger allowed Rochester (MIN) no hits in the next two (4.72, 1 BB, 2 K), but the Red Wings scored the game’s only two runs off Jordan Smith (L 0-2, 3.09, 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) in the tenth and won the game. Louisville got just four hits and four walks to go with two Rochester errors- and stranded everyone.
7/28: Scott Carroll finished a rough July with another not-so-good night (L 6-7, 5.20, 5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) as the Red Wings win again, 7-3. Nick Christiani (6.05, 1 IP, 1 BB) and Carlos Fisher (2.81, 2 IP, 4 K) pitched well in relief. RF Denis Phipps drove in two of those runs with a single, while CF Dave Sappelt was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and run scored (.305). C Devin Mesoraco added two singles (.306).
7/29: Finally the Bats beat Rochester, a squad that came into this series with the worst record in their division. Louisville takes it 8-3 behind a seven-run second, three hits from LF Jeremy Hermida (.314) and two RBIs apiece from Phipps (2-for-5, .346), Mesoraco, and 1B Mike Costanzo (1-for-4, .210). Sappelt was 3-for-5 with a run scored and 3B Chris Valaika had homer #3 (.234, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB). RF Felix Perez, just promoted from Carolina after assembling a very strong July, was 2-for-4 with a RBI in his International League debut. Starter Matt Maloney stretched out to four innings (3.92, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) and fellow injury-rehabbin’ Jared Burton took the W with 1.2 scoreless (1 H, 2 BB, 2 K).
7/30: Travis Wood had done one thing really well- not walking people- in his AAA stint to date. However, that didn’t happen here. Louisville nipped Pawtucket (BOS), 3-2, despite Wood walking eight in five innings (W 2-1, 3.35, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 106 pitches/51 strikes). Jerry Gil (4.20, 2 IP, 1 BB, 4 K), Fisher (2.70, 1 IP, 1 K) and Smith (2.84, save #4, 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) permitted the PawSox just one hit over the final four innings. Phipps drove in two of the three runs and threw out a runner at home plate to save a 2-2 tie in the fifth. 2B Kris Negron (2-for-4, RBI, .204) then singled in Valaika for the tiebreaker in the top of the sixth. Sappelt raised his average to .314 with two hits, a walk, and run scored.
7/31: Seventeen hits from his offense propelled Daryl Thompson to a 7-2 win. Thompson gave up just four hits to the other side over 6.2 innings (W 3-1, 3.02, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K). Sappelt lashed four more hits, jumping his average another nine points to .323. Costanzo had two doubles and a single (.239), Phipps was 2-for-4 with a double (.343, RBI, BB), 1B Danny Dorn had a pair of doubles (.258) and Hermida popped homer #11.
8/1: Game three of the series in Pawtucket with Edinson Volquez opposing righty Kyle Weiland (8-7, 3.15, 18 GS), just down from the big leagues. The Bats led 3-1 after five, with Volquez pitching very well through the middle innings especially. He gave up solo homers in the third and sixth and departed after seven with a 3-2 lead (2.23, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 111 pitches/69 strikes). Brad Boxberger threw a 1-2-3 eighth (4.02, 1 K). Jordan Smith came on for the ninth:
Pawtucket Bottom of the 9th
• Pitcher Change: Jordan Smith replaces Bradley Boxberger.
• Nate Spears singles on a line drive to center fielder Denis Phipps.
• Luis Exposito grounds out, third baseman Mike Costanzo to first baseman Daniel Dorn. Nate Spears to 2nd.
• Brent Dlugach pops out to first baseman Daniel Dorn in foul territory.
• Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Daniel Nava replaces Ronald Bermudez.
• Daniel Nava walks.
• Che-Hsuan Lin hit by pitch. Nate Spears to 3rd. Daniel Nava to 2nd.
• Jose Iglesias walks. Nate Spears scores. Daniel Nava to 3rd. Che-Hsuan Lin to 2nd.
• Ryan Lavarnway walks. Daniel Nava scores. Che-Hsuan Lin to 3rd. Jose Iglesias to 2nd.
Phipps was 3-for-4 with a double (.385) but was left on base each time. Valaika was 2-for-3 with homer #4 (.239) and Dorn hit #14.
8/2: Man! Another ninth-inning loss, this time when Carlos Fisher gave up a two-run homer to Pawtucket’s Nate Spears. PawSox win again, 4-3. Fisher fell to 2-1. Jared Burton (0.00, 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K) and Jerry Gil (4.11, 1 IP, 2 BB) had preceded him in relief of Scott Carroll (5.14, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Hermida hammered two solo homers (#12 and #13) and both Valaika and Mesoraco were 2-for-4 (.300).
Transactnotes: 7/28: OF Felix Perez promoted from Carolina. 7/29: RHR Jared Burton added from the AZL Reds on a rehab basis ( no roster spot used).
AA Carolina Mudcats
This week: 3-4.
Overall: 17-21, fourth place, 5 games behind Chattanooga (LAD). Overall 40-68.
7/27: The Mudcats lose their sixth straight in frustrating fashion, scoring two in the ninth to cut Jacksonville (FLA)’s lead to 5-4, but SS Didi Gregorius was thrown out at home trying to score the tying run on 3B Eric Campbell’s single. 1B Neftali Soto then struck out swinging to end the game. Matt Klinker started (L 6-7, 5.12, 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 3 HB), then went on the DL afterwards. Clayton Shunick (4.86, 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K) , Justin Freeman (5.61, 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) and James Adkins (5.40, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 K) made the comeback possible. RF Josh Fellhauer was 2-for-3 with a walk (.222).
7/28: Four straight losses to Jacksonville and seven overall, 6-5. One in the eighth and three in the ninth for the Suns, as Chris Mobley (L 1-4, 8.15, BS #4, 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR) blew another one. Starter Brandon Hynick scattered nine hits over six (4.06, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). C Yasmani Grandal socked homer #2, a two-run blast, and Soto whacked #19 (2-for-4, 2 R, .277). Fellhauer had three more hits (.385, R, RBI).
7/29: Finally Carolina wins! They stop the streak with a 6-2 triumph. New acquisition Bill Rhinehart was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Soto homered again (#20, 2-for-4, 2 R) and Grandal had two hits, two runs scored, a pickoff at third base, and a RBI (.291). James Avery started (4.13, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) but it was Justin Freeman who picked up the win in relief (W 2-3, 5.32, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 4 K).
7/30: The Mudcats ended up salvaging two of the six-game set, picking up a 4-2 win. Rhinehart, who’d slammed 21 homers in 89 games for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in the Eastern League, hit a two-run shot for his first Southern League jack. 2B Henry Rodriguez had two hits (.287, BB) and CF Quintin Berry was 1-for-3 with a walk, a RBI, a run, and steal #21 (.278). SS Didi Gregorius, struggling since his promotion at 3-for-18, had a triple, run scored and walk. Kyle McCulloch permitted just three hits over seven (W 5-5, 5.11, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K). Tim Gustafson got the final four outs for save #2 (5.47, 2 H).
7/31: Carolina is held to two hits by Huntsville’s (MIL) Wily Peralta, pretty much the final prospect in the entire Milwaukee system these days, and bullpen. The Stars win, 1-0. Justin Lehr, down from Triple-A for the Matt Klinker-replacing start, threw five shutout innings (3.57, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K). Clayton Shunick took the loss (L 0-1, 4.91, 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
8/1: It’s good to have a blowout like this once in a while, especially in a season as rough as this one. Carolina rolled, 13-1, as everything went right with everyone. Soto was 4-for-6 with two homers (#21, #22) and six RBI. Rhinehart was 3-for-5 with his second Mudcats homer (and 23rd overall). Slumping Didi Gregorius lashed three hits and drove in two (.222). Grandal hit homer #3 and Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with three runs scored (.286). Starter Pedro Villareal cruised through six (W 5-2, 4.42, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K).
8/2: Hynick lacked the Tom Browning touch this time around (L 1-3, 4.75, 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) and Huntsville whooped the Mudcats 8-1. Campbell was the only hitter who showed up (3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, .267). And look who showed up (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=PH&sid=t249&t=p_pbp&pid=407785) to pinch-hit for the Stars!
Transactnotes: 7/28: RHS Matt Klinker placed on the 7-day DL with a strained intracostal muscle. OF Felix Perez to Louisville. 7/29: C Chris Denove, out the entire season, activated and sent to the AZL for rehab. 7/31: INF Carlos Mendez back to Bakersfield. RHS Justin Lehr down from Louisville. 8/1: RHR Clayton Shunick down to Bakersfield; RHS Curtis Partch up from the Blaze.
Baseball America named 1B Neftali Soto its Prospect Hitter of the Day (http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/08/daily-dish-neftali-soto-homers-twice-prospects-debut-with-new-teams/) after Soto crushed two homers on the 1st.
High-A Bakersfield Blaze
This week: 3-4.
Overall: 18-20 second half, fourth place, five games behind Stockton (OAK) and Modesto (COL). 53-55 overall.
7/27: Bakersfield gets back to winning after having its nine-game winning streak snapped, beating Modesto 6-2. Or, do it this way. (http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110728&content_id=22410024&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&sid=t423) JC Sulbaran got another win (W 7-2, 4.17, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HB, WP). Derrik Lutz retired five of seven (2.16, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0-2 IRS) in relief. 2B Brodie Greene launched a grand-slam homer (#10) and drove in all six Blaze runs (!). The 3-for-4 gave him a line of .294/.354/.440 after a 24-for-50(.480) over his last 12 games.
7/28: Curt Partch turned in a quality start (L 6-11, 5.25, 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) but Bakersfield lost 5-1. Eight of the nine starters in the lineup got a hit, but only SS Devin Lohman’s double got a run home. 1B Chris Richburg had two knocks to raise his average to .282.
7/29: Modesto takes a wild slugfest, 11-10, by scoring three in the top of the thirteenth inning to wipe out the two the Blaze had gotten. The losing three-run homer came off Doug Salinas (L 4-2, 5.11, BS #4, 0.1 IP, 3 ER). Scott Gaffney had preceded him with three scoreless innings (6.15, 2 H, 5 K). Chris Manno struck out three in his inning, although he allowed an unearned run after hitting a batter. Starter Tim Crabbe worked 5.1 (4.08, 10 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). LF Dayne Read had three hits and two RBI (.270). CF Ryan LaMarre added two hits and two RBI (.280) as did 2B Brodie Greene (.295, steal #28). DH Jorge Jimenez hit a two-run homer in the top of the 13th to give Bakersfield a 10-8 lead (.184, 2-for-5, 3 R).
7/30: Again the Nuts win, 7-3. They took the final three of the four-game set. Josh Ravin fell to 2-8 (4.61, 6.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR).
7/31: Lancaster (HOU) comes to Sam Lynn Stadium and takes game one, 4-3, despite committing four errors. Mark Serrano has great control but serves up wayyyy too many belt-high fastballs (L 3-7, 5.02, 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 3 HR). Greene and RF Stephen Hunt (.310) each had two hits.
8/1: Time to break a four-game losing streak. And Ken Griffey Jr. could count on Juan Carlos Sulbaran, who seems to have taken a real step forward in 2011. The 21-year-old righty out of Curacao didn’t show a ton of improvement in his numbers from 2009 to 2010 while he was repeating Dayton, but after a 5.12 April ERA and a 5.96 May he’s taken off. In June he turned in a 4.06 in six starts with 39 Ks in 31 IP. Last month, then, he was 3-0, 1.54 in four starts- just four earned runs and five walks in twenty-three innings. And so JC played Blaze stopper in this one, scattering eight hits over seven innings and striking out ten JetHawks (W 8-2, 4.06, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 WP) as Bakersfield won 4-3. Chris Manno bailed Derrik Lutz out of a bases-loaded eighth-inning jam when the lefty and catcher Jordan Wideman managed to catch the runner on third trying to “steal home”, trapping him in a rundown to end the inning. Manno then pitched a scoreless ninth for save #1. Read was 3-for-4 with a solo homer (#3) from the leadoff slot, running his average to .311. LaMarre added two hits, a walk, steal #39, and a run scored. Greene drove in two runs and stole bag #29.
8/2: Dan Renken’s Cal League debut was memorable. Bakersfield sadly had the extra point blocked after their third touchdown and had to settle for a 20-7 win over Lancaster. Renken pitched five decent frames (W 1-0, 1.80, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K). LaMarre was 3-for-4 with four runs scored, steal #40, and homer #6. LaMarre is now hitting .287/.367/.390; the only issue for me is power. Read also scored four while going 3-for-5 with two RBI (.340). DH Alex Buchholz was 4-for-5 with a grand-slam homer (#7) to raise his overall line to .303/.348/.432. C Kevin Coddington, Jimenez, and Lohman each lashed three hits.
Transactnotes: 7/28: LHR Chris Manno activated. He was effectively promoted from Low-A to High-A immediately following the trade with Washington. This was wise, as Manno was dominating Low-A while being older than most of the hitters he was facing. RHR Jason Braun to the AZL. 7/31: INF Carlos Mendez back from Carolina. 8/2: RHR Clayton Shunick sent down from Carolina for the second time this year. RHS Dan Renken promoted from Dayton on merit (3.18 ERA in 20 starts, 141 K and only 39 BB in 113.1 IP, .234 BAA).
Low-A Dayton Dragons
This week: 1-6.
Overall: 23-14, tied for first place with Lansing (TOR). Overall 58-49.
7/27: Josh Smith was 7-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 13 pre-All-Star starts. He’s now 2-2, 5.68 in six post-All-Star outings, as Fort Wayne (SD) nipped the Dragons 5-4 to end Dayton’s eight-game winning streak. Smith worked five innings (L 9-5, 2.82, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Dayton got a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to bounce back from a 5-0 deficit, but SS Billy Hamilton was caught stealing in the seventh and 3B David Vidal was left at second base in the eighth. TinCaps closer Kevin Quackenbush retired the Dragons in order in the ninth to end the game. Hamilton did poke two singles and drive in a run, raising his average to .254. He’s hitting .330/.414/.402 with fourteen walks in 24 July games. He had two caught-stealings overall, giving him 15 overall. With 74 steals, that’s still an excellent 83% success rate. LF Juan Duran had two doubles and two RBI (.258) and 2B Ronald Torreyes had two hits and a walk (.412). Luca Panerati retired six straight in relief (3.71, 1 K) and Dan Wolford faced the minimum six over two innings (1.49, 1 BB, 1 K).
7/28: Dan Renken pitched 5.2 innings of three-hit ball (W 6-8, 3.18, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) for what is hopefully his final Midwest League start (he was promoted to High-A a few days later). Dayton whipped Fort Wayne, 6-1. Blaine Howell (2.08, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K) and Drew Hayes (1.61, 1 IP, 1 K) finished up. 3B David Vidal hammered a pair of home runs and finished 3-for-4 with four RBI (.298, #12 and #13). DH Jaren Matthews had a single, double, RBI, and scored twice (.221). Hamilton had a single and triple and run scored along with steal #75 (.256).
7/29: Five TinCaps pitchers held Dayton to just one run and five hits in a 2-1 Fort Wayne victory. Starter Tanner Robles, back from the AZL, did manage two scoreless innings (6.88, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K) before yielding to Mitchell Clarke, who pitched decently again but this time suffered the defeat (L 1-1, 2.00, 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB). Brian Pearl dominated the final three, whiffing seven and permitting just two hits (2.02).
7/30: Bowling Green (TB) whomped Pat Doyle for five runs in the sixth to beat the Dragons, 9-3. Doyle fell to 6-3 (3.90, 1.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) in relief of Stalin Gerson (3.48, 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER). Vidal homered again (#14) and CF Theo Bowe reached base three times from the #9 slot (.265, 2-for-3, R, BB) although he committed two errors in the outfield.
7/31: So dominant to this point in the second half, the Dragons instead skidded to their fourth loss in five, 3-1. Daniel Corcino turned in a quality start (L 9-5, 3.41, 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR). Vidal was 2-for-4 to wrap up a .337/.413/.596 July with five homers and 20 RBI; overall the 21-year-old (an eighth-round pick last year out of Miami-Dade CC) at .296/.354/.507 with 14 HR and 63 RBI in 95 games. Hamilton had a single and double and scored the only Dayton run (.258/.319/.344) but also got picked off first once. RF Yorman Rodriguez left the game after his first at-bat (Juan Duran replaced him and went 1-for-3 with a RBI); he went back on the DL on the 2nd.
8/1: Make that five losses in six. The Dragons scored six runs in the top of the ninth to cut an eight-run deficit to two, but could get no further than the tying run at the plate. They fall, 8-6. C Chris Berset hit a two-run homer, his first of the year. Vidal doubled in three runs. Starter Josh Smith still hasn’t fixed it (L 9-6, 3.10, 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K).
8/2: Six in seven. Again Dayton scores a ton in the ninth to make a blowout look close. Four in the ninth left them three short, 9-6. Starter Tanner Robles pitched very well for four innings but fell apart in the fifth (L 3-8, 6.83, 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Two throwing errors by the lefthander certainly didn’t help. Brian Pearl struggled after dominating his last time out (3.94, 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). Vidal bashed homer #15, a two-run shot, and Torreyes was 2-for-3 with two runs scored (.390).
Transactnotes: 7/27: LHS Tanner Robles back from the AZL, where he had a 2.77 ERA in thirteen innings. We’ll see if he can improve upon the 7.16 mark (and 46 BB in 49 IP) he turned in with the Dragons in the first half. 8/2: RHS Dan Renken promoted to Bakersfield. OF Yorman Rodriguez returned to the DL (bruised shoulder) after returning for just a couple of games. OF Drew Poulk up from Billings (.354/.386/.626 with 6 HR and 19 RBI in 24 G with the Mustangs, 7-for-25 for Dayton earlier this year), and rightfully so.
Rookie-Pioneer Billings Mustangs
This week: 2-4.
Overall: Finished first half at 20-18, second place, five games behind division champ Missoula (ARI). Second half 1-2. Overall 21-20.
7/27: Ah, the Pioneer League. RF Drew Poulk hammered a three-run homer (#5, 3-for-6, .363) in the top of the first, but Ogden (LAD) mauled Kyle McMyne (12.54, 2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER) for two in the first and four more in the second. Billings then scored in each inning from the fifth through the ninth, but the Raptors got three in the bottom of the ninth, including two homers off Brooks Pinckard (6.75, 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER) to tie the score at 11 and send us to extras. If Poulk hadn’t thrown out a runner trying to score, the game would have ended there. The Mustangs went quietly in both the tenth and eleventh. Righty Pat Quinn (L 1-2, 4.05) threw a scoreless tenth, but walked the first Raptor he faced in the bottom of the 11th. A two-run homer later and Ogden had the 13-11 victory. SS Cristobal Rodriguez homered (#1), doubled, and drove in three (.264) while RF Kyle Waldrop had two doubles, a run knocked in, and a walk (.236). 2B Ryan Wright managed to score three runs while going 0-for-4 with a walk.
7/28: Off.
7/29: Helena (MIL) built a 9-0 lead through six, although Billings fired off a seven-spot in the sixth to get back in the game. But they got just one baserunner after that as the Brewers hung on, 10-7. Wes Mugarian struggled (L 2-4, 7.00, 3.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K). C Nick O’Shea hit a three-run homer (#5, 2-for-4, .280) and Poulk hit another three-run bomb (#6).
7/30: Sean Buckley hit a two-run homer, his Pioneer League-leading 10th, in the bottom of the eleventh to push Billings past the Brewers, 4-2. Starter Tony Cingrani worked four (2.08, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K). El’Hajj Muhammad took care of the final two for the win (1-1, 5.04, 1 H, 3 K).
7/31: Two Helena runs in the top of the ninth off Ryan Kemp (L 2-1, 2.89, 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER) gave the Brewers a 6-4 win. Starter Radhames Quezada lasted five-plus (4.35, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). C Dayan Vicioso (3-for-4, .275) singled to start the bottom of the ninth to bring pinch-hitter Josh Garton to the plate as the tying run, but the Mustangs got no further. Waldrop drove in three runs with a single and triple (.241) and Buckley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk, and a triple (.328). 3B Junior Arias was 2-for-4 with homer #3 (.218).
8/1: Missoula (ARI) got four in the first and five more in the fourth. Billings got five of its own in the bottom of the fourth and single runs in the sixth and seventh, but fell two short, 10-8. They had two runners on base in the eighth and one on in the ninth. Ismael Guillon may need some R&R in Arizona (L 0-4, 7.09, 3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR). Vicioso homered (#1) and drove in three, Waldrop was 3-for-4 with two runs scored (.255) and Arias had a double, triple, and walk (.231).
8/2: Kyle McMyne was much better this time around (9.45, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and the Mustangs got a three-run homer (#6) and five RBI from O’Shea in a 7-4 victory. Muhammad relieved McMyne in the fifth and got the win (2-1, 5.13, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K). James Allen got save #5(1.74, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Buckley drove in the two Billings runs O’Shea didn’t.
Transactnotes: 8/1: OF Spencer Dickinson promoted from the AZL Reds. 8/2: OF Drew Poulk promoted to Dayton.
Sean Buckley was quite rightfully named the Pioneer League Batter of the Week for July 25-31; he went 9-for-24 with four homers, ten RBI and nine runs scored.
Rookie-Arizona AZL Reds
This week: 4-2.
Overall: 19-16, tied for first place with the Dodgers.
7/27: The Dodgers pitchers held the Reds to five hits (plus our boys went 0-for-9 with men in scoring position) in a 2-1 loss. LF Brennan May was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases (6, .323). Starter Rehabbin’ Matt Fairel worked 4.1 (L 1-1, 3.46, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) while Carlos Gonzalez dominated in relief (6.38, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 6 K).
7/28: Off.
7/29: The Cubs win, 24-4. Good lord. Let’s not dwell on the 24 hits by the Cubs or the six errors by the Reds. Starter Joel Bender took the loss (L 1-3, 4.97, 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Rehabbin’ Juan Francisco was 3-for-4 with a double and 2B Brandon Dailey 2-for-3 with a run scored and walk (.350).
7/30: Give the Reds credit, they bounced back from the beating by scoring four runs in the eighth to come from behind and nip the Brewers, 7-5. Dailey drove in three runs with a single and triple and steal #7 and SS Juan Perez (.356) and 3B Gabriel Rosa (.206) each had two hits. Eliezer Beard lasted five (4.30, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K). Chris Joyce worked the next three for the win (0.00, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Alejandro Chacin gave up a run on a hit and two walks, proving his humanity (0.73). He did still notch save #6.
7/31: C Wagner Gomez singled home CF Spencer Dickinson (in the latter’s final AZL game) to win it for the Reds over the Indians, 3-2. RF Jon Matthews was 2-for-4 with a triple and RBI and steal #12 (.248). Justice French pitched seven strong (2.78, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Randy Yard took care of the final two for the win (1-0, 8.31, 1 BB, 3 K).
8/1: Five runs in the seventh got the Reds past the Angels, 8-4. Rehabbin’ Chris Denove had a home run and RBI double and two runs scored. 1B Carlos Sanchez was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and RBI (.264). RF Steven Selsky drove in three runs in his pro debut. Lucas O’Rear walked seven in 4.1 innings, but got out of it with only one earned run (6.18, 4 H, 2 R, 4 K). Eric Alessio worked the next 2.2 for the win (1-0, 4.91, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K).
8/2: Off
Transactnotes: 7/29: C Chris Denove activated for rehab. 7/30: OF Steven Selsky activated. Selsky was this year’s 33rd-round pick out of the University of Arizona.
AAA Louisville Bats
This week: 3-4.
Overall: 58-54, tied for second place, 11.5 games behind Columbus (CLE) . Down one from last week.
7/27: Edinson Volquez fired six shutout innings (2.18, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K) and Brad Boxberger allowed Rochester (MIN) no hits in the next two (4.72, 1 BB, 2 K), but the Red Wings scored the game’s only two runs off Jordan Smith (L 0-2, 3.09, 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) in the tenth and won the game. Louisville got just four hits and four walks to go with two Rochester errors- and stranded everyone.
7/28: Scott Carroll finished a rough July with another not-so-good night (L 6-7, 5.20, 5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) as the Red Wings win again, 7-3. Nick Christiani (6.05, 1 IP, 1 BB) and Carlos Fisher (2.81, 2 IP, 4 K) pitched well in relief. RF Denis Phipps drove in two of those runs with a single, while CF Dave Sappelt was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and run scored (.305). C Devin Mesoraco added two singles (.306).
7/29: Finally the Bats beat Rochester, a squad that came into this series with the worst record in their division. Louisville takes it 8-3 behind a seven-run second, three hits from LF Jeremy Hermida (.314) and two RBIs apiece from Phipps (2-for-5, .346), Mesoraco, and 1B Mike Costanzo (1-for-4, .210). Sappelt was 3-for-5 with a run scored and 3B Chris Valaika had homer #3 (.234, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB). RF Felix Perez, just promoted from Carolina after assembling a very strong July, was 2-for-4 with a RBI in his International League debut. Starter Matt Maloney stretched out to four innings (3.92, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) and fellow injury-rehabbin’ Jared Burton took the W with 1.2 scoreless (1 H, 2 BB, 2 K).
7/30: Travis Wood had done one thing really well- not walking people- in his AAA stint to date. However, that didn’t happen here. Louisville nipped Pawtucket (BOS), 3-2, despite Wood walking eight in five innings (W 2-1, 3.35, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 106 pitches/51 strikes). Jerry Gil (4.20, 2 IP, 1 BB, 4 K), Fisher (2.70, 1 IP, 1 K) and Smith (2.84, save #4, 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) permitted the PawSox just one hit over the final four innings. Phipps drove in two of the three runs and threw out a runner at home plate to save a 2-2 tie in the fifth. 2B Kris Negron (2-for-4, RBI, .204) then singled in Valaika for the tiebreaker in the top of the sixth. Sappelt raised his average to .314 with two hits, a walk, and run scored.
7/31: Seventeen hits from his offense propelled Daryl Thompson to a 7-2 win. Thompson gave up just four hits to the other side over 6.2 innings (W 3-1, 3.02, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K). Sappelt lashed four more hits, jumping his average another nine points to .323. Costanzo had two doubles and a single (.239), Phipps was 2-for-4 with a double (.343, RBI, BB), 1B Danny Dorn had a pair of doubles (.258) and Hermida popped homer #11.
8/1: Game three of the series in Pawtucket with Edinson Volquez opposing righty Kyle Weiland (8-7, 3.15, 18 GS), just down from the big leagues. The Bats led 3-1 after five, with Volquez pitching very well through the middle innings especially. He gave up solo homers in the third and sixth and departed after seven with a 3-2 lead (2.23, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 111 pitches/69 strikes). Brad Boxberger threw a 1-2-3 eighth (4.02, 1 K). Jordan Smith came on for the ninth:
Pawtucket Bottom of the 9th
• Pitcher Change: Jordan Smith replaces Bradley Boxberger.
• Nate Spears singles on a line drive to center fielder Denis Phipps.
• Luis Exposito grounds out, third baseman Mike Costanzo to first baseman Daniel Dorn. Nate Spears to 2nd.
• Brent Dlugach pops out to first baseman Daniel Dorn in foul territory.
• Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Daniel Nava replaces Ronald Bermudez.
• Daniel Nava walks.
• Che-Hsuan Lin hit by pitch. Nate Spears to 3rd. Daniel Nava to 2nd.
• Jose Iglesias walks. Nate Spears scores. Daniel Nava to 3rd. Che-Hsuan Lin to 2nd.
• Ryan Lavarnway walks. Daniel Nava scores. Che-Hsuan Lin to 3rd. Jose Iglesias to 2nd.
Phipps was 3-for-4 with a double (.385) but was left on base each time. Valaika was 2-for-3 with homer #4 (.239) and Dorn hit #14.
8/2: Man! Another ninth-inning loss, this time when Carlos Fisher gave up a two-run homer to Pawtucket’s Nate Spears. PawSox win again, 4-3. Fisher fell to 2-1. Jared Burton (0.00, 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K) and Jerry Gil (4.11, 1 IP, 2 BB) had preceded him in relief of Scott Carroll (5.14, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Hermida hammered two solo homers (#12 and #13) and both Valaika and Mesoraco were 2-for-4 (.300).
Transactnotes: 7/28: OF Felix Perez promoted from Carolina. 7/29: RHR Jared Burton added from the AZL Reds on a rehab basis ( no roster spot used).
AA Carolina Mudcats
This week: 3-4.
Overall: 17-21, fourth place, 5 games behind Chattanooga (LAD). Overall 40-68.
7/27: The Mudcats lose their sixth straight in frustrating fashion, scoring two in the ninth to cut Jacksonville (FLA)’s lead to 5-4, but SS Didi Gregorius was thrown out at home trying to score the tying run on 3B Eric Campbell’s single. 1B Neftali Soto then struck out swinging to end the game. Matt Klinker started (L 6-7, 5.12, 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 3 HB), then went on the DL afterwards. Clayton Shunick (4.86, 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K) , Justin Freeman (5.61, 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) and James Adkins (5.40, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 K) made the comeback possible. RF Josh Fellhauer was 2-for-3 with a walk (.222).
7/28: Four straight losses to Jacksonville and seven overall, 6-5. One in the eighth and three in the ninth for the Suns, as Chris Mobley (L 1-4, 8.15, BS #4, 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR) blew another one. Starter Brandon Hynick scattered nine hits over six (4.06, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). C Yasmani Grandal socked homer #2, a two-run blast, and Soto whacked #19 (2-for-4, 2 R, .277). Fellhauer had three more hits (.385, R, RBI).
7/29: Finally Carolina wins! They stop the streak with a 6-2 triumph. New acquisition Bill Rhinehart was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Soto homered again (#20, 2-for-4, 2 R) and Grandal had two hits, two runs scored, a pickoff at third base, and a RBI (.291). James Avery started (4.13, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) but it was Justin Freeman who picked up the win in relief (W 2-3, 5.32, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 4 K).
7/30: The Mudcats ended up salvaging two of the six-game set, picking up a 4-2 win. Rhinehart, who’d slammed 21 homers in 89 games for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in the Eastern League, hit a two-run shot for his first Southern League jack. 2B Henry Rodriguez had two hits (.287, BB) and CF Quintin Berry was 1-for-3 with a walk, a RBI, a run, and steal #21 (.278). SS Didi Gregorius, struggling since his promotion at 3-for-18, had a triple, run scored and walk. Kyle McCulloch permitted just three hits over seven (W 5-5, 5.11, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K). Tim Gustafson got the final four outs for save #2 (5.47, 2 H).
7/31: Carolina is held to two hits by Huntsville’s (MIL) Wily Peralta, pretty much the final prospect in the entire Milwaukee system these days, and bullpen. The Stars win, 1-0. Justin Lehr, down from Triple-A for the Matt Klinker-replacing start, threw five shutout innings (3.57, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K). Clayton Shunick took the loss (L 0-1, 4.91, 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
8/1: It’s good to have a blowout like this once in a while, especially in a season as rough as this one. Carolina rolled, 13-1, as everything went right with everyone. Soto was 4-for-6 with two homers (#21, #22) and six RBI. Rhinehart was 3-for-5 with his second Mudcats homer (and 23rd overall). Slumping Didi Gregorius lashed three hits and drove in two (.222). Grandal hit homer #3 and Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with three runs scored (.286). Starter Pedro Villareal cruised through six (W 5-2, 4.42, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K).
8/2: Hynick lacked the Tom Browning touch this time around (L 1-3, 4.75, 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) and Huntsville whooped the Mudcats 8-1. Campbell was the only hitter who showed up (3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, .267). And look who showed up (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=PH&sid=t249&t=p_pbp&pid=407785) to pinch-hit for the Stars!
Transactnotes: 7/28: RHS Matt Klinker placed on the 7-day DL with a strained intracostal muscle. OF Felix Perez to Louisville. 7/29: C Chris Denove, out the entire season, activated and sent to the AZL for rehab. 7/31: INF Carlos Mendez back to Bakersfield. RHS Justin Lehr down from Louisville. 8/1: RHR Clayton Shunick down to Bakersfield; RHS Curtis Partch up from the Blaze.
Baseball America named 1B Neftali Soto its Prospect Hitter of the Day (http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/08/daily-dish-neftali-soto-homers-twice-prospects-debut-with-new-teams/) after Soto crushed two homers on the 1st.
High-A Bakersfield Blaze
This week: 3-4.
Overall: 18-20 second half, fourth place, five games behind Stockton (OAK) and Modesto (COL). 53-55 overall.
7/27: Bakersfield gets back to winning after having its nine-game winning streak snapped, beating Modesto 6-2. Or, do it this way. (http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110728&content_id=22410024&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&sid=t423) JC Sulbaran got another win (W 7-2, 4.17, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HB, WP). Derrik Lutz retired five of seven (2.16, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0-2 IRS) in relief. 2B Brodie Greene launched a grand-slam homer (#10) and drove in all six Blaze runs (!). The 3-for-4 gave him a line of .294/.354/.440 after a 24-for-50(.480) over his last 12 games.
7/28: Curt Partch turned in a quality start (L 6-11, 5.25, 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) but Bakersfield lost 5-1. Eight of the nine starters in the lineup got a hit, but only SS Devin Lohman’s double got a run home. 1B Chris Richburg had two knocks to raise his average to .282.
7/29: Modesto takes a wild slugfest, 11-10, by scoring three in the top of the thirteenth inning to wipe out the two the Blaze had gotten. The losing three-run homer came off Doug Salinas (L 4-2, 5.11, BS #4, 0.1 IP, 3 ER). Scott Gaffney had preceded him with three scoreless innings (6.15, 2 H, 5 K). Chris Manno struck out three in his inning, although he allowed an unearned run after hitting a batter. Starter Tim Crabbe worked 5.1 (4.08, 10 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). LF Dayne Read had three hits and two RBI (.270). CF Ryan LaMarre added two hits and two RBI (.280) as did 2B Brodie Greene (.295, steal #28). DH Jorge Jimenez hit a two-run homer in the top of the 13th to give Bakersfield a 10-8 lead (.184, 2-for-5, 3 R).
7/30: Again the Nuts win, 7-3. They took the final three of the four-game set. Josh Ravin fell to 2-8 (4.61, 6.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR).
7/31: Lancaster (HOU) comes to Sam Lynn Stadium and takes game one, 4-3, despite committing four errors. Mark Serrano has great control but serves up wayyyy too many belt-high fastballs (L 3-7, 5.02, 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 3 HR). Greene and RF Stephen Hunt (.310) each had two hits.
8/1: Time to break a four-game losing streak. And Ken Griffey Jr. could count on Juan Carlos Sulbaran, who seems to have taken a real step forward in 2011. The 21-year-old righty out of Curacao didn’t show a ton of improvement in his numbers from 2009 to 2010 while he was repeating Dayton, but after a 5.12 April ERA and a 5.96 May he’s taken off. In June he turned in a 4.06 in six starts with 39 Ks in 31 IP. Last month, then, he was 3-0, 1.54 in four starts- just four earned runs and five walks in twenty-three innings. And so JC played Blaze stopper in this one, scattering eight hits over seven innings and striking out ten JetHawks (W 8-2, 4.06, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 WP) as Bakersfield won 4-3. Chris Manno bailed Derrik Lutz out of a bases-loaded eighth-inning jam when the lefty and catcher Jordan Wideman managed to catch the runner on third trying to “steal home”, trapping him in a rundown to end the inning. Manno then pitched a scoreless ninth for save #1. Read was 3-for-4 with a solo homer (#3) from the leadoff slot, running his average to .311. LaMarre added two hits, a walk, steal #39, and a run scored. Greene drove in two runs and stole bag #29.
8/2: Dan Renken’s Cal League debut was memorable. Bakersfield sadly had the extra point blocked after their third touchdown and had to settle for a 20-7 win over Lancaster. Renken pitched five decent frames (W 1-0, 1.80, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K). LaMarre was 3-for-4 with four runs scored, steal #40, and homer #6. LaMarre is now hitting .287/.367/.390; the only issue for me is power. Read also scored four while going 3-for-5 with two RBI (.340). DH Alex Buchholz was 4-for-5 with a grand-slam homer (#7) to raise his overall line to .303/.348/.432. C Kevin Coddington, Jimenez, and Lohman each lashed three hits.
Transactnotes: 7/28: LHR Chris Manno activated. He was effectively promoted from Low-A to High-A immediately following the trade with Washington. This was wise, as Manno was dominating Low-A while being older than most of the hitters he was facing. RHR Jason Braun to the AZL. 7/31: INF Carlos Mendez back from Carolina. 8/2: RHR Clayton Shunick sent down from Carolina for the second time this year. RHS Dan Renken promoted from Dayton on merit (3.18 ERA in 20 starts, 141 K and only 39 BB in 113.1 IP, .234 BAA).
Low-A Dayton Dragons
This week: 1-6.
Overall: 23-14, tied for first place with Lansing (TOR). Overall 58-49.
7/27: Josh Smith was 7-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 13 pre-All-Star starts. He’s now 2-2, 5.68 in six post-All-Star outings, as Fort Wayne (SD) nipped the Dragons 5-4 to end Dayton’s eight-game winning streak. Smith worked five innings (L 9-5, 2.82, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Dayton got a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to bounce back from a 5-0 deficit, but SS Billy Hamilton was caught stealing in the seventh and 3B David Vidal was left at second base in the eighth. TinCaps closer Kevin Quackenbush retired the Dragons in order in the ninth to end the game. Hamilton did poke two singles and drive in a run, raising his average to .254. He’s hitting .330/.414/.402 with fourteen walks in 24 July games. He had two caught-stealings overall, giving him 15 overall. With 74 steals, that’s still an excellent 83% success rate. LF Juan Duran had two doubles and two RBI (.258) and 2B Ronald Torreyes had two hits and a walk (.412). Luca Panerati retired six straight in relief (3.71, 1 K) and Dan Wolford faced the minimum six over two innings (1.49, 1 BB, 1 K).
7/28: Dan Renken pitched 5.2 innings of three-hit ball (W 6-8, 3.18, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) for what is hopefully his final Midwest League start (he was promoted to High-A a few days later). Dayton whipped Fort Wayne, 6-1. Blaine Howell (2.08, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K) and Drew Hayes (1.61, 1 IP, 1 K) finished up. 3B David Vidal hammered a pair of home runs and finished 3-for-4 with four RBI (.298, #12 and #13). DH Jaren Matthews had a single, double, RBI, and scored twice (.221). Hamilton had a single and triple and run scored along with steal #75 (.256).
7/29: Five TinCaps pitchers held Dayton to just one run and five hits in a 2-1 Fort Wayne victory. Starter Tanner Robles, back from the AZL, did manage two scoreless innings (6.88, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K) before yielding to Mitchell Clarke, who pitched decently again but this time suffered the defeat (L 1-1, 2.00, 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB). Brian Pearl dominated the final three, whiffing seven and permitting just two hits (2.02).
7/30: Bowling Green (TB) whomped Pat Doyle for five runs in the sixth to beat the Dragons, 9-3. Doyle fell to 6-3 (3.90, 1.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) in relief of Stalin Gerson (3.48, 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER). Vidal homered again (#14) and CF Theo Bowe reached base three times from the #9 slot (.265, 2-for-3, R, BB) although he committed two errors in the outfield.
7/31: So dominant to this point in the second half, the Dragons instead skidded to their fourth loss in five, 3-1. Daniel Corcino turned in a quality start (L 9-5, 3.41, 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR). Vidal was 2-for-4 to wrap up a .337/.413/.596 July with five homers and 20 RBI; overall the 21-year-old (an eighth-round pick last year out of Miami-Dade CC) at .296/.354/.507 with 14 HR and 63 RBI in 95 games. Hamilton had a single and double and scored the only Dayton run (.258/.319/.344) but also got picked off first once. RF Yorman Rodriguez left the game after his first at-bat (Juan Duran replaced him and went 1-for-3 with a RBI); he went back on the DL on the 2nd.
8/1: Make that five losses in six. The Dragons scored six runs in the top of the ninth to cut an eight-run deficit to two, but could get no further than the tying run at the plate. They fall, 8-6. C Chris Berset hit a two-run homer, his first of the year. Vidal doubled in three runs. Starter Josh Smith still hasn’t fixed it (L 9-6, 3.10, 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K).
8/2: Six in seven. Again Dayton scores a ton in the ninth to make a blowout look close. Four in the ninth left them three short, 9-6. Starter Tanner Robles pitched very well for four innings but fell apart in the fifth (L 3-8, 6.83, 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Two throwing errors by the lefthander certainly didn’t help. Brian Pearl struggled after dominating his last time out (3.94, 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). Vidal bashed homer #15, a two-run shot, and Torreyes was 2-for-3 with two runs scored (.390).
Transactnotes: 7/27: LHS Tanner Robles back from the AZL, where he had a 2.77 ERA in thirteen innings. We’ll see if he can improve upon the 7.16 mark (and 46 BB in 49 IP) he turned in with the Dragons in the first half. 8/2: RHS Dan Renken promoted to Bakersfield. OF Yorman Rodriguez returned to the DL (bruised shoulder) after returning for just a couple of games. OF Drew Poulk up from Billings (.354/.386/.626 with 6 HR and 19 RBI in 24 G with the Mustangs, 7-for-25 for Dayton earlier this year), and rightfully so.
Rookie-Pioneer Billings Mustangs
This week: 2-4.
Overall: Finished first half at 20-18, second place, five games behind division champ Missoula (ARI). Second half 1-2. Overall 21-20.
7/27: Ah, the Pioneer League. RF Drew Poulk hammered a three-run homer (#5, 3-for-6, .363) in the top of the first, but Ogden (LAD) mauled Kyle McMyne (12.54, 2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER) for two in the first and four more in the second. Billings then scored in each inning from the fifth through the ninth, but the Raptors got three in the bottom of the ninth, including two homers off Brooks Pinckard (6.75, 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER) to tie the score at 11 and send us to extras. If Poulk hadn’t thrown out a runner trying to score, the game would have ended there. The Mustangs went quietly in both the tenth and eleventh. Righty Pat Quinn (L 1-2, 4.05) threw a scoreless tenth, but walked the first Raptor he faced in the bottom of the 11th. A two-run homer later and Ogden had the 13-11 victory. SS Cristobal Rodriguez homered (#1), doubled, and drove in three (.264) while RF Kyle Waldrop had two doubles, a run knocked in, and a walk (.236). 2B Ryan Wright managed to score three runs while going 0-for-4 with a walk.
7/28: Off.
7/29: Helena (MIL) built a 9-0 lead through six, although Billings fired off a seven-spot in the sixth to get back in the game. But they got just one baserunner after that as the Brewers hung on, 10-7. Wes Mugarian struggled (L 2-4, 7.00, 3.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K). C Nick O’Shea hit a three-run homer (#5, 2-for-4, .280) and Poulk hit another three-run bomb (#6).
7/30: Sean Buckley hit a two-run homer, his Pioneer League-leading 10th, in the bottom of the eleventh to push Billings past the Brewers, 4-2. Starter Tony Cingrani worked four (2.08, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K). El’Hajj Muhammad took care of the final two for the win (1-1, 5.04, 1 H, 3 K).
7/31: Two Helena runs in the top of the ninth off Ryan Kemp (L 2-1, 2.89, 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER) gave the Brewers a 6-4 win. Starter Radhames Quezada lasted five-plus (4.35, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). C Dayan Vicioso (3-for-4, .275) singled to start the bottom of the ninth to bring pinch-hitter Josh Garton to the plate as the tying run, but the Mustangs got no further. Waldrop drove in three runs with a single and triple (.241) and Buckley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk, and a triple (.328). 3B Junior Arias was 2-for-4 with homer #3 (.218).
8/1: Missoula (ARI) got four in the first and five more in the fourth. Billings got five of its own in the bottom of the fourth and single runs in the sixth and seventh, but fell two short, 10-8. They had two runners on base in the eighth and one on in the ninth. Ismael Guillon may need some R&R in Arizona (L 0-4, 7.09, 3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR). Vicioso homered (#1) and drove in three, Waldrop was 3-for-4 with two runs scored (.255) and Arias had a double, triple, and walk (.231).
8/2: Kyle McMyne was much better this time around (9.45, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and the Mustangs got a three-run homer (#6) and five RBI from O’Shea in a 7-4 victory. Muhammad relieved McMyne in the fifth and got the win (2-1, 5.13, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K). James Allen got save #5(1.74, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Buckley drove in the two Billings runs O’Shea didn’t.
Transactnotes: 8/1: OF Spencer Dickinson promoted from the AZL Reds. 8/2: OF Drew Poulk promoted to Dayton.
Sean Buckley was quite rightfully named the Pioneer League Batter of the Week for July 25-31; he went 9-for-24 with four homers, ten RBI and nine runs scored.
Rookie-Arizona AZL Reds
This week: 4-2.
Overall: 19-16, tied for first place with the Dodgers.
7/27: The Dodgers pitchers held the Reds to five hits (plus our boys went 0-for-9 with men in scoring position) in a 2-1 loss. LF Brennan May was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases (6, .323). Starter Rehabbin’ Matt Fairel worked 4.1 (L 1-1, 3.46, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) while Carlos Gonzalez dominated in relief (6.38, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 6 K).
7/28: Off.
7/29: The Cubs win, 24-4. Good lord. Let’s not dwell on the 24 hits by the Cubs or the six errors by the Reds. Starter Joel Bender took the loss (L 1-3, 4.97, 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Rehabbin’ Juan Francisco was 3-for-4 with a double and 2B Brandon Dailey 2-for-3 with a run scored and walk (.350).
7/30: Give the Reds credit, they bounced back from the beating by scoring four runs in the eighth to come from behind and nip the Brewers, 7-5. Dailey drove in three runs with a single and triple and steal #7 and SS Juan Perez (.356) and 3B Gabriel Rosa (.206) each had two hits. Eliezer Beard lasted five (4.30, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K). Chris Joyce worked the next three for the win (0.00, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Alejandro Chacin gave up a run on a hit and two walks, proving his humanity (0.73). He did still notch save #6.
7/31: C Wagner Gomez singled home CF Spencer Dickinson (in the latter’s final AZL game) to win it for the Reds over the Indians, 3-2. RF Jon Matthews was 2-for-4 with a triple and RBI and steal #12 (.248). Justice French pitched seven strong (2.78, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Randy Yard took care of the final two for the win (1-0, 8.31, 1 BB, 3 K).
8/1: Five runs in the seventh got the Reds past the Angels, 8-4. Rehabbin’ Chris Denove had a home run and RBI double and two runs scored. 1B Carlos Sanchez was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and RBI (.264). RF Steven Selsky drove in three runs in his pro debut. Lucas O’Rear walked seven in 4.1 innings, but got out of it with only one earned run (6.18, 4 H, 2 R, 4 K). Eric Alessio worked the next 2.2 for the win (1-0, 4.91, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K).
8/2: Off
Transactnotes: 7/29: C Chris Denove activated for rehab. 7/30: OF Steven Selsky activated. Selsky was this year’s 33rd-round pick out of the University of Arizona.