4/29 Minor League Scores

Louisville faces Columbus again. Luis Castillo, in his second rehab start, pitches for the Bats. That's exciting. Perhaps all the AAAA guys will respond behind a real major league ace. Or perhaps they'll get shut out again.

Chattanooga got smacked around last night. Let's hope they're ready to fight back tonight. No clue who the pitcher might be. Aside from it not being Luis Castillo.

Dayton got shut out last night. Tonight, they turn to Conner Phillips to right the ship. He's been hot and cold-- too many free passes but a lot of Ks. Perhaps good Conner shows up.

Daytona won-- the only farm team to grab the win. Alex Johnson will toe the rubber for the 'Tugas. He's been more than acceptable so far in his young career. Well, he's actually been a Red since 2019, but he's only thrown a handful of innings. I do wonder how baseball will handle those players with six years of service time but only five years of professional baseball under their belt. Johnson will have to move two levels per year to get to the majors by the time he should be ready for the majors. He'll make it only if he's very, very lucky.

Louisville lost, 8-4.

Good news:

- Luis Castillo threw 3.2 innings of shutout baseball with 5 Ks. (The two hits and three BBs we'll avoid talking about.) Still, healthy-- as far as we know. So, yay.

- Lorenzo Cedrola is back over .300 with a 3-5 night, including his 6th double.


Bad news:

- 3 for 15 with RISP. Oof.

- Diomar Lopez gave up 4 runs in a third of an inning. Detwiler gave up 3 runs in an inning. The Louisville pen is the gift that keeps on giving... run... to the opposing team.

Connor Phillips, have yourself a game. Dragons win a barnburner, 1-0. Phillips goes six innings, gives up 3 hits, no walks, 10 K. Dayton picks up the deserved win, though it doesn't go to Phillips.

Tortugas drop back under .500 at 9-10 after losing 4-3.

Jay Allen stole his 10th base on the young season and went 1-3. He was also HBP twice. Hendrick had a double, but Ked three times. (That's been a troubling development over the last few games-- that jump in Ks. Again.)

Chattanooga was up 7-5 heading into the 9th. A TJ Hopkins HR, his 5th of the season. (He also committed an error.)

Then the Chattanooga infield struck. Robbie Tenorwicz couldn't make the play on an infield "single." The most egregious bonehead was a tailor-made double play grounder booted by Quincy McAfee. (That guy seems to make at least one dumb play per game. He's got the opposite of baseball IQ, it seems.) To top it all off, a passed ball by Eric Yang meant Chattanooga trails 8-7.

Just a brutal display of bad baseball at the worst possible time.

Lookouts tie it up but continue to make really stupid mistakes.

Isiah Gilliam makes the last out at 3B on an attempted steal. A strike 'em out, throw 'em out later, we go to extras.

Sigh.

Chattanooga won in the 10th. Urbaez singled home Rivas. That was one of two singles (and a walk) for the former UDFA who's scuffled so far this season. Perhaps this gets him on-track. Isiah Gilliam also had two hits.

Red affiliates go .500 on the day.

To no one's surprise, Connor Phillips wins the Mace Memorial Minor League Player of the Day for his masterful outing blanking the Fort Wayne Tin Caps. Three hits scattered over 6 innings, with 10 Ks and no walks.

The no walks is especially nice. A quick glance at the alarming number of Red minor (and major) league pitchers who give up tons of free passes indicate Cincinnati seems to struggle to develop control-- or perhaps has a franchise philosophy to throw your pitches and let batters get themselves out. Which totally works in low A and High A (for the most part). As hitters develop and move up the ladder, however, that philosophy tends to become less effective. Cincinnati has, in recent years, chosen to acquire and develop prospects who have great spin rates. That tends to result in low H/9 but high BB/9. That's the trade-off for great stuff. Luis Castillo makes that work.

That said, I'd like to see a few guys who can control the ball better.

Luis Castillo looked good. Had very good control of his breaking ball. Was his bread and butter pitch whenever he needed to make a pitch to get out of trouble. A lot more efficient this time. Announcer said he was going to get 55 pitches so it sounds like he may get another rehab start.

McLain's double was a rocket to the wall in center.

TJ Hopkins oppo shot to RF was a 3-2 FB rocket shot to left center. A no doubter.

The Chattanooga 9th Tenorwicz made a back hand snag down the line made a 1 hop throw to first that the 1st baseman dropped for infield single. McAfee booted a routine grounder to load them up.

Batter then hits one to Siani for a 2 run single. Siani I thought had the runner going to 3rd. Pitcher then throws a FB up and inside the catcher could not hold on to. Announcer called it a wild pitch, I agree. He nearly hit the batter.

McAfee got the 9th going with a 1 out walk. Gilliam hit a foul that just missed going out down the line. Comes back and draws a walk. Lloyd's 1 out single scores McAfee. Gilliam next pitch tries to steal 3rd for the second out. Tenorwicz K's for 3rd out.

Chattanooga 10th Rivas pinch runner at 2nd for Tenorwicz. Urbaez dribbles one through the middle for walkoff single.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bourgeois Zee

Chattanooga was up 7-5 heading into the 9th. A TJ Hopkins HR, his 5th of the season. (He also committed an error.)

Then the Chattanooga infield struck. Robbie Tenorwicz couldn't make the play on an infield "single." The most egregious bonehead was a tailor-made double play grounder booted by Quincy McAfee. (That guy seems to make at least one dumb play per game. He's got the opposite of baseball IQ, it seems.) To top it all off, a passed ball by Eric Yang meant Chattanooga trails 8-7.

Just a brutal display of bad baseball at the worst possible time.

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We wonder how or why is it that the players who do make it up the big club lack fundamental basics. Baseball IQ. Then you read some of these reports from the minors. Oh no wonder they lack baseball basic fundamentals and some knowledge of what it takes to win or grind out games.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

We wonder how or why is it that the players who do make it up the big club lack fundamental basics. Baseball IQ. Then you read some of these reports from the minors. Oh no wonder they lack baseball basic fundamentals and some knowledge of what it takes to win or grind out games.

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With some of the guys mentioned above it is likely just a lack of talent.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mitri

With some of the guys mentioned above it is likely just a lack of talent.

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Rising to the moment is absolutely a thing, IMO. It seems as if many Red minor leaguers (and major leaguers) lack that talent/ ability/ innate sense of... something.

Votto has it. India does too. Stephenson looks like he might.

Beyond that? Who do you trust to come through in clutch situations? Who do you want the ball hit to when you need an out?