AAA Louisville Bats

Record this week: 4-3.

Overall: 34-39, last place, 9.5 games behind Columbus (CLE).

6/17: Righty Chad Reineke, an offseason free agent signee who’s toiled in obscurity behind the Chapmans of the world all season, hasn’t missed much of a beat since moving into the starting rotation a month ago. He fired seven shutout innings (W 3-5, 2.54, 1 BB, 3 K, 110 pitches/75 strikes) to beat Durham (TB), 2-0. Carlos Fisher (2.63, 0.2 IP), Bill Bray (0.00, 1 IP, 1 H) and Jon Adkins (save #10, 0.1 IP) cleaned up. CF Chris Burke was 2-for-4 with a run scored and steal #13 from the leadoff slot (.228).

6/18: Aroldis Chapman is the victim of some control lapses and bad defense, as the Bulls get to Jared Burton for two tiebreaking runs in the seventh. Chapman saw the first two batters of the seventh reach on infield errors before departing (L 5-5, 4.11, 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 106 pitches/71 strikes). He did pick off two runners, which is impressive. Burton wasn’t charged with an actual run (5.56, 1 IP, 1 H) although Phil Valiquette (in his IL debut) walked a pair of batters that later scored off Enerio Del Rosario. Jesus Delgado gave up two more Durham runs in the ninth as they wrapped up an 8-2 win. 1B Yonder Alonso (.245, 2-for-4, R), 3B Drew Sutton (.298, 2-for-2, 2 BB) and DH Juan Francisco (.269, 2-for-4, 2B, R) led the offense.

6/19: RF Wladimir Balentien got Burke in with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, pushing the Bats past the Bulls 5-4. Adkins got the win with a scoreless top of the ninth (W 1-4, 6.20). Fisher, Burton, and Bray all turned in scoreless work in relief of Ben Jukich (4.14, 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, 2 HR). Burke was 2-for-4 with two runs scored (.229), SS Zach Cozart was 2-for-4 with a RBI and steal #15 (.241) and Francisco 2-for-4 with two RBI (.277).

6/20: Durham splits the series by taking the fourth game, 5-1. Again Travis Wood pitched well and again he lost (L 4-6, 3.40, 6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 3 WP, 109 pitches/72 strikes). Del Rosario was whacked for four hits and three runs in his inning (3.38). Burke had two hits for the third time in four games (.234).

6/21: Toledo (DET) to town, and they get eight shutout innings from just-acquired starter Billy Buckner to win, 6-0. Matt Maloney shut the Mud Hens out for the first four innings, but fell apart in the fifth and sixth (L 6-4, 3.52, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). Burton gave up two unearned in 1.1 (4.61) but Valiquette (1 IP, 1 K) and Fisher (2.25, 1 IP, 2 K) were excellent. Burke doubled twice (.238) but nobody could get him home.

6/22: Reineke now has back-to-back wins! He threw eight innings this time on just 85 pitches (W 4-5, 2.51, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR) and Bray set the Hens down in order in the ninth for the save (#1, 2 K). Cozart smacked a RBI single (2-for-4, .246) to score 2B Chris Valaika (2-for-3, .303) in the bottom of the seventh to snap a 2-2 tie and give the Bats the 3-2 advantage. LF Todd Frazier (#8) and Alonso (#3) hit solo homers.

6/23: Rehabbin’ Edinson Volquez (W 1-0, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 80 pitches/49 strikes) got thirteen hits and seven runs of support from the offense in a 7-3 win. After Fisher gave up a run in the sixth, Chapman came on to pitch two innings of relief with decent results (4.12, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Francisco was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs (,.281) and Frazier homered again (#9, a two-run blast). He’s still at .216 after a 2-for-4 night, however. Cozart drove in three more runs with a single and triple (.249).

Transactions and Notes: 6/17: LHR Phil Valiquette promoted from Carolina; RHR Federico Baez and LHR Joe Krebs dispatched to the Mudcats. 6/18: RHS Edinson Volquez added for rehab reasons. 6/19: OF Luis Terrero placed on the DL retroactive to 6/16 with a right calf strain. 6/22: OF Chris Dickerson activated for rehab reasons, although he had to be scratched from his first game due to soreness from batting practice.

1B Yonder Alonso and LHR Phil Valiquette will be on the World team of the Futures Game this season. Congrats to the Cuban and the Quebecer (?)

AA Carolina Mudcats

Record this week: 1-5.

Overall: 30-39 (first half) last place, 12 back of Tennessee (CHC). 0-2 (second half).

6/17: Mississippi (ATL) wrecks three of the five Carolina pitchers- Travis Webb (L 2-5, 6.14, 2.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER), Daryl Harang (7.66, 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB), and Federico Baez (2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER) en route to a 17-8 bushwhacking. Lee Tabor worked 2.2 scoreless (2.70, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K) and Jerry Gil managed 1.1 (4.63, 2 BB, 1 K). Anyway, C Brandon Yarbrough drove in four runs with a bases-loaded double and groundout. 2B Jake Kahauleilo hit homer #7 and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI (.278). CF Dave Sappelt had three hits (.344, 3B). LF Sean Henry continued his hot streak with two hits, two runs scored, and steal #10 (.308).

6/18: RBI singles by Sappelt and RF Denis Phipps got the Mudcats the two runs they needed in the bottom of the ninth to win in walk-off fashion, 5-4! Phipps, struggling at the plate most of the year, was 3-for-4 with a walk (.247). 2B Jose Castro was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored (.239). LF Sean Danielson started the ninth-inning rally with a double and finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, RBI, and walk (.262). Scott Carroll pitched seven solid (2.21, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR). Joe Krebs survived a ninth-inning jam and got the victory (3-1, 3.60, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K).

6/19: Neither side scored after the first inning; sadly for Carolina, it was Mississippi who got more. The Braves win 2-1, erasing a fine pitching performance from Tom Cochran (L 3-3, 2.58, 8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 84 pitches/53 strikes). SS Kris Negron was 2-for-3 with a solo homer (#5, .227).

6/20: Carolina got single runs in each of the last three innings, but fell one short after leaving runners in scoring position in two of those innings. The Braves hang on, 5-4. Matt Fairel took the loss (L 1-3, 7.15, 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 93 pitches/53 strikes). Henry hit homer #4 in the first inning and finished 2-for-4 with two runs and a triple (.306). 3B Eric Eymann had a pair of doubles (.260, R, RBI, BB).

6/21: Off-travel day. The first half ended (see above) and the second half began.

6/22: Tennessee (CHC) rallied from a 3-1 deficit with two in the seventh and one in the eighth off Lee Tabor (3.43, BS #1, 1 IP, 2 ER, 1 HR) and Jerry Gil (L 3-2, 4.75, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). Ace Matt Klinker went six (1.79, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Devin Mesoraco returned to the lineup after missing a few games and managed a pinch-hit sacrifice fly.

6/23: Again with the one-run losses, as the Mudcats got three in the final two but fell one short because the Smokies had beaten on relievers Jeremy Horst (2.91, 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER) and Joe Krebs (L 3-2, 4.50, 1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER) for five in the seventh and eighth. Tennessee wins again, 6-5. The game ended with Jose Castro thrown out at home trying to score the tying run on Sappelt’s fly ball. Mesoraco hit a two-run homer, #5, and scored a pair of runs (.222). Castro had three hits and two RBI (.251). Travis Webb was better but still shaky with the baserunners (5.58, 6 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 90 pitches/54 strikes).

Transactions and Notes: 6/17: RHR Federico Baez and LHR Joe Krebs down from Louisville; LHR Phil Valiquette up to the Bats. 6/21: INF Carlos Mendez up to Carolina from Lynchburg to replace INF Jake Kahauleilo, who was placed on the DL with a left wrist sprain. RHS Daryl Thompson activated and sent to the AZL for rehab.

Former Reds draftee Abe Woody, a reliever out of Baylor, was released by San Diego.

High-A Lynchburg Hillcats

Record this week: 2-3.

Overall: 29-41, last place, 12 behind Frederick (BAL). Final first-half standings.

6/17: MAKEUP MADNESS! Lynchburg splits with Kinston (CLE), winning 2-0 but losing 8-1. RF Cody Puckett’s two-run homer (#9) was everything Rehabbin’ Edinson Volquez (5 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K), Sean Watson (3.00, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) and Donnie Joseph (save#3, 1.59, 1 IP, 3 K) needed in game one. James Avery (L 2-2, 4.40, 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR) struggled badly in the nightcap. Puckett was 2-for-3 (.284) as was CF Efrain Contreras (.263, RBI).

6/18: Potomac (WAS) got the winning run off Watson (L 1-3, 3.60, 0 IP) in the bottom of the tenth. 5-4 Nationals win. Jordan Hotchkiss started (1.80, 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Nick Christiani turned in two more scoreless (1.04, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) but Justin Freeman (4.60, 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) coughed up a 4-2 lead on a two-run homer. 3B Alex Buchholz hit a two-run homer of his own (#6, 2-for-4, .274). Struggling LF Josh Fellhauer was dropped to the bottom half of the lineup and responded with a pair of hits (.260).

6/19: The Nationals smash Mark Serrano (L 2-5, 4.38, 4 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR) and cruise, 9-2. 1B Carlos Mendez had a pair of doubles and RBI (.292) and Puckett was also 2-for-4 (.282).

6/20: The Hillcats close out a tough first half with a 3-0 shutout win. Lance Janke worked six (W 3-4, 5.87, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K) and Brad Boxberger (3.19, 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K), Freeman (4.45, 1 IP) and Joseph (save #4, 1.46, 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) closed things out. 1B Neftali Soto doubled in two (.258) and Mendez had a pair of hits (.296) in his final game before a promotion to Carolina.

6/21:Off- All-Star break.

6/22: The California League All-Stars beat the Carolina League All-Stars, 4-3, with a run in the top of the ninth. Lone Hillcat representative Brad Boxberger worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning for the Carolinas.

6/23: Off- All-Star break.

Transactions and Notes: 6/18 OF Brodie Greene, the Reds’ fourth-round pick this year, was signed and activated as a Hillcat. Interesting. 6/20: Injury-prone 3B Alex Buchholz placed on the DL. 6/21: Rehabbin’ Edinson Volquez headed for Louisville. INF Carlos Mendez up to Carolina.

Low-A Dayton Dragons

Record this week: 2-2.

Overall: 30-39, seventh place, 14 games behind Lake County (CLE). End first half.

6/17: A wild game, typical for this level. Dayton scored five runs in the top of the eighth to take a 5-4 lead, but gave two back to Fort Wayne (SD) in the bottom of the inning and lost anyway, 6-5. The Dragons committed six errors, making five of the TinCaps’ runs unearned. RF Josh Garton did connect for his seventh homer (.298, 2-for-4) and CF Ryan LaMarre drove in two. Justin Walker started (4.88, 6 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR). Mike Konstanty took the loss in relief (L 0-3, 6.75, BS #2, 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB).

6/18: Teenager Jake Johnson continues to improve! He evened his record to 4-4 with five solid innings (4.40, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) in Dayton’s 3-1 win. Tim Crabbe fired three shutout (1.62, 1 H, 3 K) and Chase Ware locked up save #7 (1.50, 1 IP, 2 K). Garton hit a two-run bomb (#8) and 1B Tommy Nurre connected for #2.

6/19:Great Lakes (LAD) scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 13th off Konstanty (5.40, 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) and Blair Carson (W 2-3, 1.87, 0.2 IP, 1 BB), but SS Didi Gregorius lashed a RBI double in the bottom of the inning to score C Chase Weems with the winning run! Weems had previously singled home 3B Frank Pfister to tie it. Gregorius had a triple to go with the double (.273) but LaMarre was even better, going 3-for-5 with his first professional home run (.250). Starter Pedro Villareal went five (3.34, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K). Scoreless work from Junior Martinez, Ezequiel Infante, and Jason Braun followed- but Ware coughed up a two- run lead. Konstanty pitched great for three innings before the 13th.

6/20: Another crazy day in Low-A ball. Dayton, trailing 7-0 going to the bottom of the ninth, piled up five runs following a three-run homer by 3B Shane Carlson (.275, #1)! Then the next two batters quietly made outs to end the game. Ricky Bowen struck out eight but also served up three home runs (L 1-1, 5.48, 6 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB). Braun set down six straight (2.45, 3 K) and Carson pitched the ninth. Gregorius doubled twice and singled in four trips (.280). He deserved an All-Star mention- but only his double-play partner, Henry Rodriguez, actually got it

6/21: All-Star break.

6/22: 2B Henry Rodriguez slapped a two-run single in the second inning, putting the East All-Stars on top 5-0. They went on to win 6-2. Rodriguez flied out in the first and grounded out in the sixth.

6/23: All-Star break.


Rookie-Pioneer Billings Mustangs

Record this week: 1-2.

Roster

6/21: Opening Day for the Mustangs! They started things off in a big way, pounding Great Falls (CHW) 11-3. CF Yorman Rodriguez, returning from last year, was 3-for-5 with three RBI. (His compatriot, RF Juan Duran, was 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts.) 2B Jefry Sierra drove in four runs with a single and triple. 1B Donald Lutz was 3-for-4 with a triple, homer, and two RBI. SS Billy Hamilton tripled in a run. Starter Daniel Tuttle worked five for the win (3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR). Daniel Guerrero (yes, the same one who struggled badly through 2008 and missed almost all of 2009 with injury) gave up two runs over the final four for the long save.

6/22: The Voyagers and Mustangs played twelve innings before the game was suspended until the following day. Great Falls managed an unanswered run in the top of the 14th (after each side had scored in the 12th and 13th) to win it, 4-3. Loss to Daniel Wolford (2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER). Good work from starter Daniel Corcino (4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER), lefty Tzu-Kai Chiu (2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 K) and righty James Walczak (3 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K). Lutz hit another homer in the 13th.

6/23: In the day’s regularly-scheduled game, the Voyagers whacked the Mustangs 7-0. Two of the four Billings hits for Juan Duran (.167). Dominican righty Stalin Gerson started and pitched five scoreless (6 H, 1 BB, 3 K). Jesus Adames took the loss (2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER). The Mustangs did steal four bases, two for Sierra (3) and two for LF Theodis Bowe.


Rookie-Arizona League Reds

Record this week: 1-2.

Roster

6/21: Okay, so the AZL plays a *little* differently than the GCL. Sometimes in the GCL it was like watching soccer. Anyway, the Reds spanked the Dodgers, 9-3. Rehabbin’ Daryl Thompson started things off with three scoreless, then Dominican righty Carlos Contreras went four for the win (3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR). Righty Stephen Smith finished up(2 IP, 1 H, 3 K). Sixteen Reds hits included a double, triple, and three-run homer from 2009 ninth-rounder CF Juan Silva (2 R, 5 RBI) and three hits and three RBI from 1B Dominic D’Anna. C Yovan Gonzalez also had three hits.

6/22: The Dodgers got three in the top of the ninth off lefty Matthew Leonard (L 0-1, 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER) to come from behind and take it, 8-7. Starter Kyle Lotzkar, out since mid-2008, pitched three innings and allowed three hits and three runs. Fellow surgery recoveree Evan Hildenbrandt (sixth round, 2007) walked five in 2.1 innings but gave up just one earned run. DH Robert Maddox was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. SS Junior Arias was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI.

6/23: Case in point about the “plays differently” thing. The Brewers beat the Reds, 15-12. Too much happened to fully note, although starter Ismael Guillon (4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), Silva (4-for-6, 3B, 2 RBI), C Danny Vicioso (3-for-5, 2 RBI), RF Stephen Hunt (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Maddox (2-for-4, 3 R, 2 BB, RBI) stood out. Australian Nathan Driessen took the loss in relief (1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER). Taiwanese righty Po-Cheng Chi’s US pro debut didn’t go well (1 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K).