AAA
Record this week: 4-3. Overall: 48-39, one game back of Toledo (DET).
6/26: Rain-delayed to the point where I’d assumed it was cancelled, but, unfortunately for the Bats, it wasn’t. Rochester (MIN) got five shutout innings from Johan Santana trade acquisition Phil Humber as the Red Wings beat the Bats, 4-1. Rehabbin’ Fogg had rolled in to make a rehab start and he hurled a complete game- ten hits, four runs, three earned, one walk, six strikeouts, 111 pitches. C Ryan Hanigan poked three singles in four trips (.289).
6/27: Our Man Homer is pitching himself right out of the attention-grabbing nickname. Toledo (DET) smacked Homer around (L 4-6, 4.41, 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR) and beat the Bats easily, 6-1. Tyler Pelland struck out five over two scoreless (5.28) and LF Drew T. Anderson poked three hits, including a triple (.277).
6/28: Louisville scored three in the top of the ninth (on 3B Adam Rosales’ sixth homer; he finished three for five) to tie the Mud Hens at six, then piled on four more in the top of the eleventh and withstood a frantic comeback to win it, 10-8. Anderson had three more hits (.282) and drove in three to go with it. Two of those came on a rally-capping single in the 11th and provided the margin of victory. Josh Roenicke pitched a scoreless tenth to win it (W 1-0, 2.70, 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and Jon Adkins survived the eleventh. Marcus McBeth turned in two hitless innings of relief (8.59, 1 BB, 3 K) earlier in the ballgame in relief of Justin Mallett (5.12, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 HR).
6/29: Two of three over the heavy-hitting Hens- Anderson pounded a two-run homer (#5, 2-for-4, 3 RBI, .285) and C Ryan Hanigan added a solo shot (#3) in a 4-2 win. Great complete-game three-hitter by Matt Maloney (W 8-4, 4.32, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 117 pitches, 83 strikes). Debuting RF Rob Mackowiak was 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored.
6/30: Five runs in the seventh for the Bats as they outslug Indianapolis (PIT), 12-8. Mackowiak wastes no time paying dividends, as he pounded a homer and two singles while scoring three and driving in two. Rosales doubled twice and tripled (3 R, 2 RBI); he’s now nineteen for his last fifty-three (.358) while hitting in eleven of his last thirteen games. His average is up to .244. C Alvin Colina drove in three with a single, triple, and sacrifice fly (.256). 2B Aaron Herr hit a two-run homer (#10). Starter Adam Pettyjohn made it back-to-back floggings (5.45, 4 IP, 7 H, 7 ER), although Todd Coffey got the win (2-2, 4.08, 2 IP, 1 ER, 3 K). Ramon Ramirez (5.19, 2 IP, 2 K) and Danny Herrera (2.60, 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) turned in scoreless work. Ex-Red Matt Kata hit a pair of solo homers for the Indians.
7/1: Rehabbin’ Fogg actually sorta kinda dominated in this one, firing eight sharp shutout innings while permitting just four hits to a fairly decent(for AAA) Indians lineup (prospects Neil Walker, Steve Pearce and Andrew McCutchen) in Louisville’s 5-0 win. CF Chris Dickerson showed some of his power that’s been absent most of 2008, pounding a grand-slam homer in the third (#4) off Jason Davis. He also tripled in a run to sweep the RBI count for the night (2-for-4, .263/.367/.411, .312 since June 1). SS Paul Janish was 2-for-2 with a HBP and two runs scored.
7/2: Five in the seventh off a hapless Matt Belisle (L 4-1, 6.14, 0.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB) pushed Indy past Louisville, 8-5. OMH did look fairly decent (4.31, 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K). 2B Aaron Herr’s three-run homer (#11) and Dickerson’s two-run blast (#5) accounted for the Bats’ scoring.
Notes: 6/27: UT Rob Mackowiak signed (released by Washington a few weeks previously) and added to the Bats’ roster. 6/30: OF Jerry Gil was demoted to Sarasota and OF BJ Szymanski was made temporarily inactive. Shaun Cumberland coming up from Chattanooga? Nope. 7/1: RHR Jon Adkins and C Ryan Hanigan were named International League All-Stars. 7/2: INF Andy Green was released. In 71 games, he hit .233 with five homers and 19 RBI. Green was signed by the Mets and assigned to AAA New Orleans. OF BJ Szymanski was activated.
AA
Record this week: 4-3. Overall: 7-8, four games back of Tennessee (STL).
6/26: Ben Jukich was scorched by the Suns (LAD) for four runs in the second, thanks in part to throwing errors by both Jukich and 3B Eric Eymann. Only one was earned, but Ben was still gone after just four innings (L 7-3, 2.78, 4 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Jacksonville went on to take it, 6-4. SS Chris Valaika, earlier named to the USA team for the Futures Game, hit his fifth homer (.269). RF Sean Henry was the only Lookout with multiple hits (2-for-5, .299).
6/27: Chattanooga opened a whole flat’s worth of Cans O’ Whoopass, flogging the Suns 16-0. Where do I start? C Craig Tatum, suffering through a mediocre season offensively, drove in six runs with three hits, including a three-run homer (#4, .235). CF Shaun Cumberland was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI (.316), 3B Eric Eymann connected for a grand slam in the ninth (#3), 2B Justin Turner scored three runs and hit homer #2, and 1B Danny Dorn hit #5. Sam Lecure blitzed through seven (W 7-4, 3.46, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K); is he ready for AAA? Mike Hrynio continued his greatly-improved work by throwing two more hitless (6.85, 1 BB, 2 K).
6/28: Six Chattanooga errors and a bad start by Jordan Smith (L 1-4, 6.99, 2.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K) couldn’t be wiped out by a ninth-inning rally, as the Lookouts dropped an 11-9 slugfest. Pedro Viola pitched strong relief (6.09, 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K). Henry was 3-for-5 with three runs scored from the leadoff slot (.303). Turner doubled twice and scored three more (.250).
6/29: A fifteen-inning marathon finally ended when Turner homered (#3) in the top of 15 with Cody Strait aboard for the game’s only runs to that point, then Hrynio (W 2-0, 6.41, 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) survived a Suns rally to hang on, 2-1. Crazy! Travis Wood pitched five shutout in continuing his inconsistency (6.00, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K). Robert Manuel added three (1.27), Carlos Fisher two (3.63, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K), and Derrik Lutz two (5.66, 2 H, 2 K).
6/30: The Lookouts scored four in the first three innings, then took it down to the wire before Derrik Lutz quieted a ninth-inning rally by getting the last two outs and saved (#1) a 4-3 Chattanooga win over West Tenn (SEA). James Avery (W 5-5, 4.81, 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) has pitched well in six of his last eight starts. Mike Hrynio struck out four in two innings (6.28, 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB) , Sean Watson struck out a couple (10.61, 0.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) and Pedro Viola got out of an eighth-inning jam by leaving the bases loaded… just before he got hit to start the ninth (6.23, 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB). Starter and losing pitcher for the Diamond Jaxx was ex-Red Travis Chick (2-4, 4.72), now apparently back in a starting rotation.
7/1: Chattanooga stormed back from a 7-2 deficit to tie in the bottom of the eighth with five runs (four on LF Danny Dorn’s grand-slam homer, #6)- then West Tenn C Adam Moore homered off Pedro Viola in the top of the ninth with what turned out to be the decisive run in an 8-7 win. Viola had just pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, but wilted again in the pressure situation (L 1-5, 6.14, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K). Starter Ben Jukich had his second straight mediocre outing (2.96, 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Dorn finished 2-for-4 with a triple and the grand slam (.266/.372/.504 in 46 AA games).
7/2: Lefty Camilo Vazquez, who spent 2007 in Chattanooga (going 4-8, 5.14 in 21 starts and earning a double demotion to the Sarasota bullpen for this season), came up from High-A to make the start. He’s got to pitch his way back into the team’s plans, as six-year free agency looms after this year. Camilo pitched decently through four, holding West Tenn to four hits and a run with five strikeouts- but the Lookouts couldn’t score… until the bottom of the third, when they put up a six-spot. Tatum knocked in two with a single, and Turner homered again (#4) for two more. Dorn and Cumberland both picked up RBIs. Big lead in hand, then, Vazquez made it stand up through the fifth (W 1-0, 1.80) and handed things over to Sean Watson… which wasn’t quite effective. Sean allowed three runs in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4, two on a home run (12.19 ERA in 11 AA appearances). Chattanooga made it 7-4 in the sixth as Sean Henry doubled in Tatum and Turner added a third single to go with his earlier homer. SL All-Star Robert Manuel pitched a scoreless seventh (1.24, 1 K). The Lookouts officially created a blowout in the seventh, as Tatum doubled in Dorn, Henry drove in two more with a single, and Turner singled yet again (5-for-5, 3 RBI average up from .250 to .282) to bring in run number eleven. Manuel went back out and calmly threw a scoreless eighth, just like always (1.21, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K). Derrik Lutz struggled a bit in the ninth, giving up a run (5.65), but on the whole it was an easy 11-5 Lookouts win.
Notes: 6/30: The Reds traded OF Cody Strait to the Kansas City Royals organization for a player to be named later. Taking Strait’s spot on the roster is BJ Szymanski, demoted from Louisville (after Rob Mackowiak became the newest Bat). Strait, 25, a 12th-round pick out of Evansville in 2004, looked to be on the fast track after batting .256/.323/.450 with 17 homers and 50 stolen bases at Sarasota in 2006, but suffered a freak eye injury early the next year after being hit with a piece of a broken bat and struggled badly at two levels in 2007. This year he hit .257/.305/.425 for the Lookouts in 60 games, but lost playing time this year to the fine hitting of younger trade acquisitions Shaun Cumberland and Sean Henry.
Also, four Lookouts were named Southern League All-Stars- LHS Ben Jukich, 3B Eric Eymann, RHR Robert Manuel, and OF Shaun Cumberland.
7/1: LHS Camilo Vazquez promoted from Sarasota to replace DL’ed RHS Sam Lecure (strained left knee).
High-A
Record this week: 2-3. Overall: 4-8, last place, 4.5 games behind Dunedin (TOR).
6/26: Five losses in a row for the Reds, as Vero Beach (TB) spanks ‘em, 6-1. Enerio Del Rosario started and lost (L 0-3, 7.84, 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K). Camilo Vazquez hurled three innings of shutout relief (4.80, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K). SS Todd Frazier slapped four hits in five trips and drove in the only Sarasota run (.297).
6/27: Vero Beach got two in the top of the 13th off Ruben Medina (L 1-4, 3.24, 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) to nip Sarasota, 3-1. Rafael Gonzalez pitched well for the first time in a while (6.84, 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and Phil Valiquette (3.95, 1.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), Terrell Young (3.52, 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K), and Ramon Geronimo (0.77, 2 IP, 1 H, 4 K) all held the tie. Frazier knocked in the only Reds run with a third-inning single (2-for-6, .299).
6/28: Misael DeJesus had by far his best start to date (W 1-3, 4.82, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K) as Sarasota finally whipped the Rays, 6-0. RF Chris Heisey spanked four hits, falling a home run short of the cycle (.279, 3 R, 2 RBI). He also threw a runner out at home plate. Frazier picked up three more hits himself (.310). CF Drew Stubbs, slumping as of late, was 2-for-4 with a RBI (.256).
6/29: Sarasota made it back-to-back wins, needing only three hits to beat Vero Beach, 2-1. Alex Smit permitted just two hits and an unearned run over six great innings (W 6-5, 3.58, 2 BB, 6 K). Valiquette threw a 1-2-3 seventh (3.68, 2 K), Young the eighth, and Geronimo picked up save #9 (0.75, 1 K). 3B Juan Francisco smacked homer #11 and SS Jose Castro tripled and scored the other run on a Heisey single. There’s your three hits. Stubbs drew a walk and proceeded to steal second as well as third (25), but wasn’t knocked in.
6/30: Off.
7/1: Bobby Livingston’s Rehab Tour never left Ed Smith Stadium- he moved from the GCL Reds to Sarasota here, and picked up the loss after five okay innings (5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) as the Reds’ bats went dead in a 7-0 loss to Dunedin (TOR). Stubbs did go 2-for-3 with a walk (.259); he was also caught stealing for the eighth time, which, while not great, is worlds better than the baserunning mess that was his 2007.
7/2: Rained out.
Notes: 6/30: OF Jerry Gil added from Louisville.
Low-A
Record this week: 3-3. Overall: 6-7, three back of Lansing (TOR) and South Bend (ARI).
6/26: SS Zach Cozart pounded a game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the tenth (#9, 2-for-5, .259) as Dayton finally at long last beat South Bend (ARI), 2-1. Starter Luis Montano did well (4.31, 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), then Derrick Conatser retired six of seven (3.20, 2 IP, 1 K). Zach Stewart stretched his scoreless streak to six innings with two more blanks (W 1-0, 0.00, 1 H, 1 K); he also chalked up his first pro win.
6/27: The Wizards of Fort Wayne (SD) slew the Dragons, 11-3. The game was tied at 3 until the sixth, when the Wizards pushed across seven runs against Jeff Jeffords (L 2-3, 4.57, 0.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). Starter Matt Klinker (4.13, 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) left a tie. C Devin Mesoraco was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk (.275) and RF Justin Reed socked homer #7 (.251).
6/28: REVENGE! Dayton smoked Fort Wayne 11-4, scoring six runs in the first. 3B Angel Cabrera drove in four runs with a three-run homer (#1) and single (.229). 1B Logan Parker (#8) and CF Brandon Menchaca (#3) hit solo homers. Daniel Guerrero couldn’t make it through five (11.37, 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) but Jeremy Horst picked up the victory in relief (W 3-2, 3.14, 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 K).
6/29: The Wizards ensorcelled Kyle Lotzkar (L 0-3, 6.19, 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K) and took the rubber match, 4-1. Derrick Conatser pitched the other four innings, allowing just one run (3.04, 3 H, 1 BB). LF Keltavious Jones was 3-for-4 with Dayton’s lone RBI (.274).
6/30: Another easy Fort Wayne victory, as Josh Ravin’s control fell apart (L 2-5, 6.11, 3.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 2 K) and he left in the fourth. Curtis Partch came on and then walked three more in a row. Tyler Rhoden (4.45, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K) and Stewart (0.00, 2 IP, 1 H, 4 K) kept the Wizards largely in check, but there was no comeback in a 6-2 loss. Anthony Gressick played third base(!?) and socked a solo homer (#3).
7/1: Dayton got some good pitching from starter Luis Montano (W 8-5, 4.27, 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) and stellar relief pitching from Jeffords, who retired twelve straight for the save (#3, 6 K, 4.17) in a 4-2 victory over Great Lakes (LAD). C Jason Bour hit his first MWL homer, a two-run shot, and added a RBI double.
7/2: Rained out.
Rookie-Pioneer
Record this week: 4-3. Overall: 10-6, tied with Helena (MIL) for first.
6/26: Helena (MIL) nipped Billings, 5-4. Fifth-round pick Clayton Shunick started (L 0-1, 6.75, 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), but it was Brandon Rice who was charged with the defeat (L 0-1, 1.80, 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER). 2B Jose Gualdron was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored (.192) and C Jordan Wideman drove in three with a single and double (.355). LF Tyler Stovall, a Loveland native and Central Michigan University product, continued his hot start by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an outfield assist at home. He’s hitting .455 (10-for-22).
6/27: The Brewers whacked the Mustangs, 8-2. Loss to starter Justin Freeman (L 0-1, 4.91, 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). 3B Carlos Mendez hit homer #2 (2-for-4, .361).
6/28: Billings bounced back with a 5-2 win over Great Falls (CHW), scoring four in the top of the ninth! After Wideman tied the score with a RBI double, SS Miguel Rojas doubled in both Wideman and DH Kyle Day for the decisive runs. 2B Alex Buchholz continued his fast pro start, going 2-for-5 with two RBI (.400). Aguido Gonzalez (W 1-0, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K- yes, including a WP) got the relief win. Starter Oscar Castro pitched five decent innings (4.24, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Jordan Hotchkiss got save #3.
6/29: The Sox took their revenge on Steve Otterness (L 1-1, BS, 2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB), scoring two in the seventh and two more in the eighth to win it, 6-4. Starter Lance Janke did well (3.86, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). Stovall was 2-for-3 to keep his average at a Playstation-ish .464.
6/30: It had eluded me that Billings is on a 14-game road trip to start the season while their new park is readied for use- which makes their 8-6 start to 2008 much more impressive. They got that eighth win by thwacking Great Falls, 8-3, behind a 3-for-4 night from Buchholz (.429), two RBI from Neftali Soto (2-for-5, .360) and six strong innings from Jamie Arneson (W 2-0, 4.50, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K).
7/1: After fourteen games, Billings finally got to play at Dehler Park. They did the new field’s opening right, too- holding off a frantic Great Falls rally to win, 9-7. Jordan Hotchkiss again proved rather inconsistent at the back end of the bullpen, allowing four runs in the ninth. But Aguido Gonzalez came on to get the final two outs, strand two, and get his second save (0.00). Starter Clayton Shunick looked strong, whiffing eight in five innings (W 1-0, 4.85, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB). RF Mike Konstanty (39th round, 2008) pounded the organization’s third and final grand-slam homer of the night (2-for-3, 2 R, .300). CF David Sappelt was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk (.333) and Soto added two more doubles (.364).
7/2: 1B Brett Bartles was 3-for-4 with two RBI and Soto doubled two more times as the combo of Leonardo Astorga (1.80, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and Justin Freeman (W 1-1, 3.97, 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) held Great Falls mostly in check. The result: a 3-2 Billings win. Aguido Gonzalez pitched the ninth for save #3.
Notes: Neftali Soto got a second mention in the Baseball America Prospects Blog (although the intern’s still learning how to get his facts straight, it appears). I think BA likes him.
Rookie-GCL
Record this week: 4-2. Overall: 7-4, a half-game back of the Twins.
6/26: The Reds completed a suspended game from the 21st- and since starter Efrain Contreras was available to pitch again, why not leave him in? That’s the only explanation for why Contreras pitched eight innings of the Reds’ 9-7, 13-inning loss. Efrain gave up fourteen hits and seven earned runs in those innings. Lefty Matteo Pizziconi, the Reds’ Italian signee from last year, pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings and Juan Rafael retired eight straight but righty Mike Bohana served up the deciding runs to take the loss. 3B Brody Pullen led the bats with three RBI.
The kids responded in game two, though, as nineteen-year-old lefty Shea Snowden fired six innings of one-hit shutout ball (W 2-0, 0.90, 2 BB, 3 K) and 2B Yen-Wen Kuo drove in three runs in a 9-3 win.
6/27: Off.
6/28: Reds beat the Pirates, 2-1. 3B Frank Pfister drove in one run while going 2-for-4 (.478), while DH Don Lutz picked up the other RBI. Evan Hildenbrandt made it back-to-back great starts, going 6.1 innings (0.73, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) although the win ended up with this year’s lowest-round signee, lefty David Torcise (W 1-0, 0.00, 1.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K, 47th round). Mike Bohana got save #1.
6/29: Three in the eighth push the Reds past the Orioles, 9-7. Combined eleven errors in this one, contributing to a total of nine unearned runs. Win to lefty Blaine Howell (W 1-0, 0.00, 2 IP, 3 H, 1 K). 2B Cody Puckett was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two walks, and two stolen bases.
6/30: A fourth consecutive win, as righty Juan Rafael threw six shutout innings and struck out seven to lead the Reds past the Red Sox, 6-0. 20-year-old CF Samuel Vasquez was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and stolen base #3 (.250).
7/1: Shea Snowden again pitched well (L 2-1, 1.20, 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) but his teammates couldn’t score any runs, falling to the Twins 4-0. One familiar face in the Twins’ lineup- rehabbing OF Brandon Roberts, who was the Reds’ 7th-round pick in 2005 out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and was traded to Minnesota on June 15, 2006 for Juan Castro. The 23-year-old Roberts spent 2007 with AA New Britain, batting .293/.355/.374 with 14 stolen bases, but made it to only eight games there in 2008 before falling victim to injury.
7/2: Off.
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