Monday 7/2/2012 Minor-League Updates

[mace]

Bryson Smith has quickly worked himself into the three-hole in the Pensacola lineup, with Beau Mills behind him cleaning up. Brodie Greene has been moved from the third spot to leadoff. Vidal, Fellhauer and Means are not a bad lower end of the order, it would seem. And Henry Rodriguez should be on his way very soon. I still think that the Blue Hoos are well-positioned for the second half.

And for tonight, with Cingrani pitching.

[mace]

The DSL Reds lead their division by two games, with a record of 16-9. They're paced by SS Yonaton Suero, with a slash line of .386/.475/.506/.981, plus 8 SB (in 24 games). He's 19 and has just one more strikeout (15) than walks (14).

The redoubtable Reds/Dbacks team checks in at 3-22.

[mace]

Cingrani through two: 3K, nothing else. Mills has the only Wahoo hit.

[Scrap Irony]

The DSL Reds lead their division by two games, with a record of 16-9. They're paced by SS Yonaton Suero, with a slash line of .386/.475/.506/.981, plus 8 SB (in 24 games). He's 19 and has just one more strikeout (15) than walks (14).

I'm surprised Suero hasn't been moved to Billings. Brandon Dailey is a utility guy at best. If he continues to hit like this, I do believe he will.

[mace]

I'm surprised Suero hasn't been moved to Billings. Brandon Dailey is a utility guy at best. If he continues to hit like this, I do believe he will.

I'd guess that if he were brought over here, he'd report to the AZL Reds. But who knows.

I've always liked Brandon Dailey, but I keep hearing that Billings is weak on the infield. Is he a liability up the middle?

[mace]

In the top of the sixth, Cingrani singled and then, after Brodie Greene was HBP, scored the first run of the game on a double by Gregorius. Greene was thrown out at home on a ground ball to short by Bryson Smith.

Cingrani's line so far: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. His Southern League ERA stands at 1.83.

[Scrap Irony]

D'oh. That's what I meant, mace. There's no one in the AZL either. Ronald Bueno is another utility guy with less than inspiring numbers elsewhere. Same age as Suero, too.


Interesting the lack of SS in the Rookie Leagues. And Dayton, for that matter. (Might be a comment on the Cincinnati opinion of Hamilton vis a vis position.)

[mace]

The Bats, behind Villarreal, have one hit through five and trail 1-0.

[mace]

The Hoos added one more in the same inning, on a single by Peacock, and lead 2-0 after six.

[mace]

Dayton is delayed at Bowling Green. Jacob Johnson is scheduled to start.

[mace]

Cingrani also has two sacrifice bunts on the night.

[mace]

I assume it was due to pitch count (he had 97, with 59 strikes) that Cingrani came out before he could finish the seventh. He had walked two and struck out two in the inning. His line: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 K. ERA: 1.75.

Justin Freeman finished the inning. It's still 2-0.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Another day, another dominant outing from Cingrani.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Cingrani also has two sacrifice bunts on the night.

One sac bunt and a base hit ... but who's counting? Haha.

Cingrani is now batting .500 with the 'Hoos. There's nothing he can't do. (OK, so he's only 3-for-6, but I'll take it.)

[Blitz Dorsey]

And that's a final: Pensacola wins 2-0. Cingrani gets the win and Justin Freeman pitches 2.1 innings for the save.

[mace]

And that's a final: Pensacola wins 2-0. Cingrani gets the win and Justin Freeman pitches 2.1 innings for the save.

A combined 2-hitter.

[mace]

Down 3-0, Louisville has pulled even at 4-4 with a power surge. Homers by Phipps, Soto and Rhinehart did the trick. Villarreal gave up three runs but only one earned in 6.1 IP. The game is headed to the ninth.

[mace]

Dayton, starting late, is scoreless in the third. Juan Silva had a hit his first time up, but then left the game.

[mace]

Drew Cisco gave up a long ball in the second. Billings trails 1-0.

[mace]

J.J. Hoover struck out the side in the ninth. The Bats go to bat against Evan Meek.

[mace]

Beau Amaral doubles and comes around to score for Billings, evening the game at 1-1 in the top of the third. Winker has walked twice.

[JaxRed]

One sac bunt and a base hit ... but who's counting? Haha.

Cingrani is now batting .500 with the 'Hoos. There's nothing he can't do. (OK, so he's only 3-for-6, but I'll take it.)

I'm counting. It was 2 Sac's and a hit. I was there.....

[mace]

A 2-run HR by Sean Buckley has put Dayton ahead 3-2 in the eighth. Jacob Johnson went six innings.

[mace]

Louisville still tied 4-4 going into the 13th. Hoover and Joseph each threw two scoreless.

[mace]

Amaral has two hits. Winker has three walks. Billings leads 2-1 in the seventh. Cisco went three innings in his best start. Langfield went two scoreless and Amezcua has thrown one.

[mace]

Bakersfield is tied 1-1 in the fourth. The only run against Jamie Walczak was unearned. Travis Mattair, Juan Duran and Niko Vasquez have doubles.

[11larkin11]

Hamilton on first after a walk. No one in front of him, 2 away from 100.

[11larkin11]

#99! Throw goes off his helmet and he goes to third on the error, so no 100 yet for Billy. Theo Bowe lines out to left, so no chance for Billy to steal home for #100

[mace]

Michael Dennhardt and Carlos Contreras finish it off for Dayton's 3-2 victory.

[mace]

Louisville falls in 14, 6-4.

Billings loses 5-2.

[nate1213]

#99! Throw goes off his helmet and he goes to third on the error, so no 100 yet for Billy. Theo Bowe lines out to left, so no chance for Billy to steal home for #100

It has to be a sin to walk Hamilton.

[mace]

Hamilton singled and swiped No. 100, but Bakersfield fell short and lost 3-2, squandering a nice start from Jamie Walczak.

One hundred steals. On July 2. Wowsers.

[corkedbat]

Yorman Rodriguez was 1-4 tonight, but the best news might be that he didn't K for at least the third game in a row. Baby steps.

[klw]

Article on Cingrani's outing
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120702&content_id=34356506&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb
C
ingrani (3-1) issued four walks as he lowered his Southern League ERA to 1.75.

"The off-speed wasn't really there, again," he said. "I just used the fastball and threw a breaking ball there when I needed to. It wasn't too bad."

Cingrani retired the first 10 batters he faced before yielding a one-out single to Paul Gran in the fourth inning. He gave up a single and a walk in the fifth and sixth, then came out after issuing a pair of free passes in the seventh.

Though his secondary pitches were inconsistent at times, the southpaw still tried to use them to keep Jacksonville off balance.

And on Hamilton's feat.
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120703&content_id=34365342&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb


Hamilton jokingly told MiLB.com in May that his goal is to double last year's mark of 103. But next up is Nixon's Cal League record and just beyond that is Vince Coleman's Minor League best of 145, also set in 1983, in the South Atlantic League. The Mississippi native seemed confident that he could potentially reach both numbers before season's end. "I mean, it's possible," he said. "I think 144 is possible, but I'm not saying I'm going to go out and get 144. I knew [103] would be tough to double, but I didn't set any goals. I just want to get better, come work on my jump and whatever happens, happens."

[lollipopcurve]

I saw an inning or two of Cingrani's start -- 6th and 7th. Jacksonville did not put a single ball in play over that time. Either Ks or BBs. I think the ump was squeezing him, too. Riggleman went to the mound, and when the ump went out to break up the confab, Riggleman seemed to have several choice words for him. Overall, Cingrani was overmatching the hitters with the fastball, and they just starting taking. Secondary stuff looked OK -- a little better than the earlier start I saw. With the deception/explosion/command he's got of the fastball, the secondary stuff just needs more consistency. I don't think he needs to improve the quality of those pitches much, if at all -- just be able to throw them for strikes with some regularity.