Mariners Minor League Wrap-Up for June 26

With nine teams to cover now, I'll try to do recaps when appropriate but generally expect these to move more quickly, and expect me to avoid recaps when there just isn't much to discuss, such as straightforward results in the rookie level games.

Also, tomorrow the Wrap-Up hibernates for the week as I head over to Mariner Central to take over the Farm Report for the next week. Format's similar, so go check it out.

VENEZUELA~! Rainy weather stopped the VSLMs game with the VSL Cards in the 2nd. The game will be resumed on July 10th, when the VSLMs are on the VSL Cards' field again. Unlike the DSL, the VSL teams actually play in separate locales.

Dominican: DSL Mariners 6, DSL Phillies 1
DSLMs: 18-6... DSL Phils: 10-14

Henry Perez: CG!, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 6 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Randy Perez: 1-5, R, RBI, 2 K
George Drullard: 2-2, R, RBI
Hector Mercedes: 1-2, double, R, RBI, K
Westlonder Marcelino: 2-3, double
Luis Matias: 1-4, RBI

The DSLMs scored five runs in the 9th, and Henry Perez finished off a TWO HITTER for the complete game. Supposedly, Henry's still on the island because his stuff isn't the best, but the 19 year old keeps getting his peers out in start after start.

Groundballs: 13
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 3
Pop Ups: 3
Walks: 2 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 6

AZL: Royals 5, Mariners 2
AZLMs: 2-3... AZL Royals: 3-2

Miguel Celestino: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER (HR), 2 walks, 3 K
Jorden Merry: 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 walks, 4 K, wild pitch, hit batter (Age 22, 40th round pick 2009)
Brian Cloud: 1.1 IP, 4 K (Age 23, Undrafted rookie)
Mark McGonigle: 2-4, 2 doubles, R (Age 23: 297/397/396 with GCL Mets)
Jetsy Extrano: 1-4, R, RBI
Hector Jacobo: 1-4, double, RBI, K

Rk+: Elizabethton 14, Pulaski 4
PMs: 0-4... Liz Twins: 4-0

Yao Wen Chang: 3.1 IP, 6 H, (7 R) 3 ER (HR), walk, K
Colin Buckborough: 1 IP, 3 H, (3 R) 2 ER, 2 walks, 2 wild pitches
Brandon Josselyn: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, walk, 3 K
Eric Thomas: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), K
Dwight Britton: 2-5, 2 doubles, R, RBI, K
Fred Bello: 3-4, double, triple, R, 2 RBI, K
Tommy Johnson: 1-3, double, walk, K
Tim Morris: 1-4, RBI, 2 K

Thing was, Yao Wen Chang wasn't as horrid as the line indicates. Oh, he was still not too good, giving up a fair share of flyballs and four line drives in only 3.1 innings. But he got eaten up by a few ill timed errors in the 3rd, which certainly didn't help. Three line drives and a dropped flyout in the 4th finished him off.

Groundballs: 5 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 5 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 4
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 1

Talking about the rest of this game is an exercise in masochism so we'll move along.

A-: Everett 5, Spokane 1
EVE: 4-3... SPO: 3-4

Nick Czyz: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 walks, 6 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Christian Staehely: 1.2 IP, 2 K
Andrew Carraway: 2 IP, 1 H, 4 K (Age 22, 12th round pick 2009)
Hawkins Gebbers: 3-4, 2 run HR, 2 R
Mario Martinez: 3-4, triple, R, RBI
Guy Welsh: 2-3, 2 doubles, RBI, walk
Welington Dotel: 2-3, RBI
Jose Rivero: 0-4, 4 K: The Golden Sombrero

The Aquasox pounded home four runs in the 1st and that was all they needed. Hawkins Gebbers continued his hot start with a two run blast in the 1st and was followed by four straight line drive singles, the Northwest League equivalent of a gang beating.

Lefthander Nick Czyz had a decent six inning outing in Vancouver last Sunday and picked right up where he left off, pitching into the 6th while shaking off a shaky 4th where he allowed his only run of the night.

Groundballs: 9
Flyballs: 1
Line Drives: 3
Walks: 3 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 6

A: Clinton 4, Beloit 3
CLI: 2-0... BEL: 0-2

Maikel Cleto: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 walks, 3 K
Ryan Moorer: two outs, 1 H, (1 R) 0 ER, K
Bobby LaFromboise: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 3 K
Stephen Penney: 1 IP, 2 H, K
Ruben Flores: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Kris Sanchez: 2-3, walk, K
Steve Moss: 1-4, RBI, 2 K
Nate Tenbrink: 2-4, solo HR, K, SB
Denny Almonte: 2-3, solo HR, 2 R, K, SB
Jacob Shaffer: 1-3, RBI, K

The highly anticipated return of detained prospect Maikel Cleto came to Clinton, where it's presumed the top-end prospect will spend the rest of this season. After a rocky 2009 debut in Peoria, Cleto gave it his best go while pitching into the 5th inning.

1st: Strikeout, walk, flyout, flyout
2nd: Groundout, strikeout, infield single, (stolen base) walk, groundout
3rd: Strikeout, lined single, flyout, (caught stealing)
4th: Flyout, groundout, groundout
5th: Groundout, walk, end

Groundballs: 6
Flyballs: 4
Line Drives: 1
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 3

The Lumberkings gave him some help. Denny Almonte led off the bottom 3rd with a solo homer, and though Ryan Moorer gave up two runs in the 5th after relieving Cleto, the Lumberkings picked him up again: Nate Tenbrink led off the bottom 5th with a solo HR, and Denny Almonte came around to score on a Jacob Shaffer single up the middle to make it 3-2 Lumberkings.

Curiously enough, Bobby LaFromboise, apparently displaced from the rotation by Cleto's arrival, came on to start the 6th and eventually gave up the tying run on a two out double from Nate Hanson. LaFromboise did finish the 6th otherwise unscathed and did go strikeout, flyout, groundout in the 7th, but walked the leadoff batter in the 8th and Stephen Penney somehow overcame loading the bases to get out of the 8th unharmed.

Snappers reliever Bruce Pugh did not escape the bottom 8th unharmed. Scott Savastano drew a two out walk, took 2nd on a wild pitch and scored on a lined single from Steve Moss to give Clinton the lead for good 4-3.

A+: High Desert 3, Bakersfield 1
Mavs: 1-1... Blaze: 1-1

Steven Hensley: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, walk, 11 K
Steven Richard: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Edilio Colina: 1-3, RBI
Jamie McOwen: 1-4 (34 game hitting streak!)
Joe Dunigan: 1-4, double, 2 K
Carlos Peguero: 1-4, double, R, K
Jeff Dominguez: 3-3, 2 doubles, R, RBI

The Mavs didn't need much at the plate because Steven Hensley was DEALING.

1st: Groundout, strikeout, strikeout
2nd: Strikeout, strikeout, strikeout
3rd: Strikeout, strikeout, flyout
4th: Ground single, sac bunt, (caught stealing) strikeout
5th: Strikeout, pop out, strikeout
6th: Groundout, ground single, ground double play
7th: Groundout, strikeout, lined single, groundout
8th: Walk, groundout, lined double, groundout, flyout

Groundballs: 9 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 2
Line Drives: 2
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 11

Jeff Dominguez's leadoff double in the 2nd eventually led to a run. Alex Liddi walked and scored on a wild pitch in the 7th before Dominguez struck again with an RBI double to score Carlos Peguero. And Jamie McOwen barely kept his hitting streak alive at 34 by getting a ball into right field in the 8th for his only hit.

AA: West Tenn 9, Mobile 3
WTN: 2-3... MOB: 3-2

Justin Souza: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER (HR), 2 walks, 2 K (88 pitches, 58 strikes)
Nick Hill: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), 3 K (29-16)
Anthony Varvaro: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, 3 K (25-13)
Dan Christensen: 1 IP, walk, K (16-9)
Ezequiel Carrera: 1-4, R, RBI
Greg Halman: 2-5, double, R, 2 RBI, K
Marshall Hubbard: 2-5, 2 run HR, 2 K
Yamid Haad: 1-3, solo HR
Johan Limonta: 4-5, double, R
Oswaldo Navarro: 1-3, RBI, K
Mel Stocker: 1-4, double, R

Apparently Greg Halman's mental health holiday in Peoria is over after only three games, as he returned to the JAXX yesterday, hit a solo home run and had two hits today.

The JAXX quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a two run rally in the 2nd sparked by a Johan Limonta double, and two more in the 3rd from a two run shot by Marshall Hubbard.

Justin Souza had himself another strong effort, pitching into the 6th inning. He tried to finish the 6th after responding to two baserunners with a double play, but a lined single to score a run and a walk ended his night.

Groundballs: 6
Flyballs: 6 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 3
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 2

Military Man Nick Hill picked off Yunesky Sanchez at 2nd to get out of the frame. he gave up a solo homer to Sean Coughlin in the 7th to make it 4-3, but the JAXX got a solo homer from Yamid Haad in the 8th, watched Anthony Varvaro escape a bases loaded jam in the bottom 8th, then blew it open with four runs in the 9th, powered by a two run base hit down the middle from... Greg Halman.

AAA: Tacoma 8, Las Vegas 7
TAC: 36-38... LVS: 32-43

Doug FISTER: 6 IP, 11 H, (5 R) 4 ER (2 HR), 4 K (108 pitches, 77 strikes)
Jesus Delgado: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 2 K, hit batter (43-25)
Eric Hull: 1 IP (10-7)
Michael Saunders: 2-5, double, R, K
Jeff Clement: 2-5, triple, 2 R, RBI, 2 K
Mike Morse: 2-4, solo HR, walk, K
Bryan LaHair: 3-5, R, RBI, 2 K
Jerry Owens: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB #11

An old guy named David Dellucci took Doug FISTER deep in the 1st, and a Chris Shelton error sparked a 51's rally for another run in the 2nd.

Smallball and a few flukes helped the Rainiers plate three runs in the 2nd. Two of the runs came off a Jerry Owens wormburner to the right side that ricocheted off the glove of the 2B and a double steal produced a run later in the frame when 2B Joe Inglett missed the throw to get Callix Crabbe at 2nd. They added a 4th in the 3rd when Mike Morse of all people went yard solo.

Vegas got a run in the 4th on a hot grounder from some guy named Michael Barrett that Shelton couldn't glove, allowing JP Arencibia to make it 4-3. Dellucci struck again in the 5th, taking FISTER deep to tie the ballgame, and JP Arencibia's double led to the go-ahead run off a single from PCL veteran Kevin Howard.

Somehow, Doug FISTER finished the 6th inning and called it a night after a rather rough outing where the 51's just teed off on him, in line for the loss with a 5-4 deficit.

Groundballs: 9
Flyballs: 8 (2 HR)
Line Drives: 7
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 0
Strikeouts: 4

More flukes in the 7th allowed the 51's to plate two runs and make it 7-4. Dellucci beat out a grounder to 2nd, Arencibia got plunked and Kevin Howard's grounder up the middle took a fortuitous deflection off Jesus Delgado to get past the infield into center to score a run before Aaron Mathews sac flied home another run.

The Rainiers did get help in the 7th when Jeff Clement tripled with two out and reliever Bryan Bullington (how the once mighty prospect has fallen) uncorked a wild pitch to let him in and make it 7-5.

But the Rainiers came up in the bottom 9th down 7-5. Prentice Redman led off with a walk and Michael Saunders doubled him to 3rd before Clement got a grounder into right to cash in Redman and make it 7-6. Then closer Brian Wolfe uncorked a wild pitch to let in Saunders and TIE THE BALLGAME at 7. Wolfe wasn't right and after walking Chris Shelton, he left the game with an injury. Mike Morse got a grounder into left to load the bases and Bryan LaHair got a grounder into right to seal the deal on the walkoff win.

Mariners Minor League Wrap-Up for June 24

VENEZUELA~! The VSLMs had today off.

Dominican: DSL Mariners 6, DSL Athletics 5

George Mieses: 5 IP, 4 H, (2 R) 0 ER, walk, 4 K, hit batter
Ariel Alcantara: 3.1 IP, 4 H, (3 R) 2 ER, 2 walks, 5 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Bruno Mercedes: two outs, K
Randy Perez: 2-5, double, R
George Drullard: 2-4, R, RBI, walk, 2 K
Jose Martinez: 1-3, R, RBI, walk, 2 K
Mario Flores: 2-4, K
Hector Mercedes: RBI single

AZL: Indians 6, Mariners 5

Cesar Jimenez: 1 IP, K
Anthony Fernandez: 5 IP, 4 H, (2 R) 1 ER, 2 walks, 3 K, wild pitch
Jose Valdivia: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER (HR), K
Kenta Suda: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Richard Ortiz: two outs, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, K
Daniel Carroll: 0-4, R, walk, 4 K: The Golden Sombrero
Jetsy Extrano: 1-5, double, R, K
Hector Jacobo: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, walk
Greg Halman: 1-4, triple, R, walk, 2 K
Evan Sharpley: 2-5, double, R, RBI, K
Joel Mendez: 2-4, double, RBI, K, SB
Efrain Nuñez: 2-4, 2 K

Rk+: Danville 7, Pulaski 6

Brandon Maurer: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 walks, 6 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Anthony Vasquez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, (2 R) 1 ER, 2 walks, K(Age 22, 18th round pick 2009)
Brandon Josselyn: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, 3 K (Age 22, 25th round pick 2009)
Brandon Haveman: 3-4, double, RBI
Fred Bello: 1-4, RBI, walk, 3 K
Jharmidy De Jesus: 2-5, 2 RBI
Jarrett Burgess: 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, walk, K, SB

A-: Spokane 18, Everett 9

Taylor Stanton: 3.1 IP, 7 H, (8 R) 5 ER (3 HR), 3 walks, 4 K, 2 wild pitches
Eddy Hernandez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, (5 R) 2 ER (HR), 5 walks, 3 K
Jose Rios: 3 IP, 4 H, (5 R) 3 ER, walk, 3 K
Phillip Roy: 1 IP, K
Blake Trinkler: 1-3, RBI, K
Juan Fuentes: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, walk, 2 K
Welington Dotel: 2-5, R, 2 K
Ben Billingsley: 3-4, double, 2 R, RBI
Jose Rivero: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, K, SB

A: Clinton is off for the MWL All Star Break.

A+: High Desert is off for the Cal League All Star Break.

AA: Mobile 10, West Tenn 4

Luis Muñoz: 4 IP, 6 H, (4 R) 2 ER, 5 walks, hit batter (93 pitches, 55 strikes)
Nick Hill: 2 IP, 2 H, walk, hit batter (21-11)
Anthony Varvaro: 1.2 IP, 5 H, (6 R) 1 ER, walk , hit batter (42-25)
Dan Christensen: one out, 1 H, walk (5-1)
Ezequiel Carrera: 2-3, double, R, 2 walks, SBs #13 and 14
Marshall Hubbard: 2-4, R, walk
Colt Morton: 1-5, R, RBI, K
Matt Mangini: 1-4, RBI, K
Brent Johnson: 1-3, RBI
Oswaldo Navarro: 1-3, RBI, walk, K

AAA: Las Vegas 4, Tacoma 1

Chris Seddon: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 walks, 3 K (97 pitches, 58 strikes)
Eric Hull: 2.1 IP, 1 ER, walk, 2 K (38-22)
Justin Thomas: two outs, 2 H, 1 ER, K (18-11)
Michael Saunders: 2-4, solo HR, 2 K
rest of Rainiers lineup: 2-27, 3 walks, 10 K

Mariners Minor League Wrap-Up for June 23

VENEZUELA~! VSL Mariners 3, VSL Mets 2

Erasmo Ramirez: 5 IP, 4 H, 4 K
Yoervis Medina: 2 IP, K, hit batter
Reynaldo Sabala: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Manuel Campos: 1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, walk, K
Rafael Torrealba: 2-4, R
Felipe Burin: RBI double
Carlos Ramirez: 0-2, sac fly RBI, walk, K
Jorge Agudelo: 2-4

Dominican: DSL Mariners 2, DSL Phillies 1

Victor Duarte: 6 IP, 3 H, (1 R) 0 ER, 6 K
Fray Martinez: 1 IP, 2 K, hit batter
Bruno Mercedes: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Nelson Germocen: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K
DSLMs lineup: 1-27, 2 walks, 10 K

Despite getting one hit, the DSLMs won after scoring both runs in the 5th on a wild, their lone single from Bryan Brito, a wild pitch and a horrid three base error by the Phils 2B to score both runs.

SEASON OPENER
Rk+: Danville 8, Pulaski 3

Opening Day Lineup (with ages and 2008 numbers, or draft position):

LF - Dwight Britton (Age 21: 253/312/424 in Pulaski)
2B - Cesar Fuentes (Age 22: 266/321/365 in AZL)
1B - Jharmidy De Jesus (Age 19: 309/376/530 in AZL and Everett)
DH - Tim Morris (11th round pick 2009)
3B - Vincent Catricala (Indians' 50th round pick 2006, no pro experience)
RF - Julio Morban (Age 17, International signee)
C - Brandon Bantz (Age 22, 30th round pick 2009)
SS - Gabriel Noriega (Age 18: 238/266/291 in Pulaski)
CF - Jarrett Burgess (Age 18: 227/297/293 in AZL)
SP - Nolan Diaz (Age 18: 59 IP, 0 HR, 4 BB, 39 K, 2.75 ERA in VSL)

Nolan Diaz: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER (HR), walk, 5 K, hit batter
Colin Buckborough: two outs, 3 H, 1 ER, hit batter
Jeroen de Haas: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 K
Eric Thomas: 1.2 IP, 1 H, K, 2 hit batters (Age 22, 19th round pick 2009)
Brandon Haveman: pinch RBI single (Age 23, Undrafted rookie)
Cesar Fuentes: 1-5, double, 3 K
Tim Morris: 1-4, double, RBI, K
Julio Morban: 2-4, R, 2 K
Gabriel Noriega: 2-4, double, K

A-: Spokane 4, Everett 3, 10 innings

Chris Kirkland: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, 7 K, wild pitch, 2 hit batter
Christian Staehely: 2 IP, 1 H, 4 K
Daniel Cooper: 1 IP, 1 H, walk (Age 22: 21st round pick 2009)
Brad Reid: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER (HR), K
Brandon Pullen: two outs, K
Anthony Phillips: 1-4, RBI, walk, 2 K
Kalian Sams: 2-4, solo HR, solo HR, 2 K
Welington Dotel: 2-4, double, solo HR, 2 R, K

A: Clinton is off for the MWL All Star Break.

A+: High Desert is off for the Cal League All Star Break.

AA: Mobile 9, West Tenn 2

Kyle Parker: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 walks, 2 K, hit batter (61 pitches, 33 strikes)
Mumba Rivera: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 walks, 2 K (70-45)
Patrick Ryan: one out, 1 H (6-6)
Josh Fields: 1 IP, K (10-7)
Mel Stocker: 2-2, R
Marshall Hubbard: 1-3, RBI, walk, 2 K
rest of JAXX lineup: 1-25, 4 walks, 8 K

AAA: Tacoma 14, Las Vegas 4

Ryan Rowland-Smith: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, 3 K, hit batter (63 pitches, 37 strikes)
Jesus Delgado: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER (HR), walk, K (48-28)
Denny Stark: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), walk (19-10)
Brodie Downs: 1 IP, K (8-6)
Prentice Redman: 1-5, double, RBI, K
Michael Saunders: 1-4, sac fly RBI
Kenji Johjima: 2-4, 2 R
Jeff Clement: 3-5, double, 2 run HR, 4 R, K
Chris Shelton: 2-3, 2 run HR, 3 R, 2 walks
Mike Morse: 1-4, double, R, 2 RBI, K
Bryan LaHair: 1-5, R, RBI, K
Erick Monzon: 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, K
Jerry Owens: 2-4, R, RBI

Mariners Minor League Wrap-Up for June 22

VENEZUELA~! The VSLMs game with the VSL Pirates was postponed due to rain and will get made up as part of a doubleheader on 6/29.

Dominican: DSL Mariners 18, DSL Cardinals 7

Ambioris Hidalgo: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 walks, 3 K, wild pitch, balk, 2 hit batters
Richard Vargas: 3.1 IP, 1 H, walk, 3 K
Oscar Bravo: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER (HR), 2 walks, K
George Drullard: 0-4, 3 R, 3 walks, 2 K
Jose Martinez: 3-5, 3 R, RBI, walk, K, SB
Mario Flores: 4-6, triple, GRAND SLAM, 3 R, 7 RBI (!)
Hector Mercedes: 3-3, 3 R, RBI, 3 walks
Janelfry Zorrilla: 3-6, 3 R, 2 RBI
Robert Rodriguez: 2-6, 2 doubles, 5 RBI, K

AZL: Mariners 9, Rangers 2

Jeff Zimmerman: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, 2 K
Luis Peña: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 walks, 4 K, wild pitch
Leonardo Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K
Jetsy Extrano: 2-4, double, 2 R, 2 RBI, K
Hector Jacobo: 2-4, 2 R, walk
Greg Halman: 1-4, 2 RBI, 3 K
Hassiel Jimenez: 1-3, double, R, 3 RBI, walk, K
Evan Sharpley: 2-4, double, R, RBI, K (50th round pick 2009)

A-: Vancouver 7, Everett 1

Luke Burnett: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K
Phillip Roy: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, walk, 3 K, hit batter
Kyle Brown: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 walks, K, wild pitch
Christian Staehely: one out, K
Kalian Sams: 1-3, double, walk, K, 2 SB
Hawkins Gebbers: 1-3, RBI, walk, K
rest of Aquasox lineup: 2-25, 5 walks, 7 K

A: Clinton is off for the MWL All Star Break.

A+: High Desert is off for the Cal League All Star Break.

AA: Mobile 7, West Tenn 6

Steve Bray: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER (HR), K (66 pitches, 54 strikes)
Patrick Ryan: 1 IP, 2 H, (1 R) 0 ER (16-10)
Ricky Orta: 2 IP, walk (30-18)
Phillippe Aumont: one out, 3 H, 1 ER (13-8)
Ezequiel Carrera: 3-4, solo HR, sac fly RBI
Mel Stocker: 1-5, double
Colt Morton: 1-4, solo HR, 2 K
Matt Mangini: 3-4, solo HR, 2 R, SB
David Espinosa: 1-3, solo HR, 2 R, walk, K
Brent Johnson: 1-4, RBI, K, SB #10

AAA: The Rainiers had today off.

Mariners Minor League Wrap-Up for June 21 (stats for now)

(This time you can blame not exhaustion, but my friend Kevin, who had tickets for great seats to the Mariners games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Otherwise, these would have been up earlier this week. I regret none of this. I will attempt to fill in with recaps and ball in play stats later. All posts are backdated.)

VENEZUELA~! VSL Rays 7, VSL Mariners 3

Yovanny Olivero: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER (HR), 2 walks, K
Jose Campos: 2 IP, 3 H, (4 R) 3 ER (2 HR), walk, wild pitch, hit batter
Oberth Guanire: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K
Carlos Ramirez: 2-4, R, RBI
Jose Hernandez: 1-2, double, R, RBI
Roberto Velasquez: 1-3, RBI

Dominican: The DSLMs had today off.

SEASON OPENER
AZL: Dodgers 17, Mariners 3

Opening Day Roster (with age and 2008 numbers):
CF - Daniel Carroll (Age 20: 216/295/278 in AZL, Wisconsin and High Desert)
2B - Jetsy Extrano (Age 20: 279/359/433 in VSL)
RF - Jose Rivero (Age 19: 251/336/368 in Pulaski)
DH - Greg Halman (Age 21: 274/327/531 in High Desert, West Tenn and Kinheim)
C - Henry Contreras (Age 23: 323/369/406 in AZL and Everett)
LF - Efrain Nuñez (Age 18: 267/387/441 in DSL)
SS - Angel Zapata (Age 21: 230/299/242 in DSL)
3B - Blake Trinkler (Age 21: 206/320/313 in Pulaski)
1B - Rudy van Heydoorn (Age 20: 266/460/435 in DSL)
SP - Cesar Jimenez (Age 24: 38 IP, 3 HR, 8 BB, 47 K, 3.55 ERA in Tacoma)
SP - Maikel Cleto (Age 20: 135.2 IP, 8 HR, 34 BB, 81 K, 4.25 ERA in Savannah)

Cesar Jimenez: 1 IP, K, 2 hit batters
Maikel Cleto: two outs, 3 H, (6 R) 1 ER, walk, K, hit batter
Yao Wen Chang: 4.1 IP, 10 H, 10 ER (2 HR), 2 walks, 6 K, balk
Richard Ortiz: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 walks, 3 K
Daniel Carroll: 1-5, double, RBI
Jetsy Extrano: 2-4, solo HR
Jose Rivero: 1-4, triple, K

A-: Vancouver 3, Everett 1

Nick Czyz: 6 IP, 4 H, (2 R) 1 ER, 3 walks, 6 K
Brandon Pullen: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, K
Anthony Phillips: 1-4, double, 2 K
Gerardo Avila: 3-4, double
Hawkins Gebbers: 2-4, K

A: Clinton 6, Cedar Rapids 4

Bobby LaFromboise: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER (HR), walk, K
Stephen Penney: 1.1 IP, 2 H, walk
Cheyne Hann: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Ruben Flores: 1 IP
Luis Nuñez: 2-5, R
Steve Moss: 4-4, R, 2 RBI, walk
Denny Almonte: 2-5, 3 run HR, K
Mario Martinez: 1-4, double, K

A+: Inland Empire 6, High Desert 0

Jake Wild: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER (2 HR), 3 walks, 3 K
Steven Hensley: two outs, 1 H, 2 K
Natividad Dilone: 1 IP
Travis Mortimore: two outs, 1 H, walk, K
Joey Newby: 1 IP, walk, 2 K
Jamie McOwen: 2-4
Jose Yepez: 2-3, double
rest of Mavs lineup: 3-23, 3 walks, 9 K

AA: The JAXX had today off.

AAA: Reno 11, Tacoma 2

Andy Baldwin: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 2 hit batters (93 pitches, 62 strikes)
Eric Hull: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, K, wild pitch (38-23)
Josh Hall: 2 IP, 5 H, (4 R) 3 ER, walk, 3 K (49-33)
Randy Messenger: 1 IP, 2 H, walk (21-13)
Chris Shelton: 1-4, solo HR
rest of Rainiers lineup: 3-27, 2 walks, 6 K

Mariners Minor League Wrap-Up for June 20

I'm back from my week covering the minors with Mariner Central! They're fun to work with and I invite you to check out one of the better hubs for Mariners info you'll find on the net.

At right is a familiar face catching for the Rainiers. More on this later.

VENEZUELA~! VSL Phillies 5, VSL Mariners 2
VSLMs: 15-14... VSL Phils: 11-18

Mayckol Guaipe: 2 IP, 3 H, (4 R) 3 ER, 2 walks, K, 3 hit batters
Jesus Pirela: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, walk, 2 K
Ricardo Pereira: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Manuel Campos: 1 IP
Kenny Hart: 2-3, 2 doubles
rest of VSLMs lineup: 2-28, 3 walks, 7 K

Dominican: DSL Mariners 1, DSL Athletics 0
DSLMs: 13-6... DSLAs: 6-13

Henry Perez: 5 IP, 3 H, 4 K
Enrique Rosario: 4 IP, 2 H, walk, 8 K
Randy Perez: 1-4, RBI, 2 K
George Drullard: 1-4, double, K
Bryan Brito: 1-3, triple, R, K

SEASON OPENER
A-: Everett 10, Vancouver 1
EVE: 1-0... VAN: 0-1

Opening Day Lineup (with age and 2008 numbers):

SS Anthony Phillips (Age 19, 186/283/251 in Pulaski, Everett & High Desert)
LF Ryan Royster (Age 23, 196/337/268 in Everett)
1B Gerardo Avila (Age 22, 238/279/338 in Wisconsin & High Desert)
CF Kalian Sams (Age 22, 204/295/528 in Pulaski)
C Guy Welsh (Age 24, 297/410/430 in Pulaski)
RF Welington Dotel (Age 23, 277/339/436 in Everett)
DH Ben Billingsley (Age 22, 227/308/381 in Everett)
3B Hawkins Gebbers (Age 22, 33rd round pick in 2009 draft)
2B Fred Bello (Age 21, 284/366/321 in Peoria & Pulaski)
SP Taylor Lewis (Age 21, 35.2 IP, 4 HR, 18 BB, 32 K, 4.54 ERA in Pulaski)

Taylor Lewis: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER (HR), 3 walks, 6 K, balk, hit batter
Brad Reid: 1 IP, 1 H, K
Jose Rios: 2 IP, 3 H, 3 K
Ryan Royster: 4-5, double, 2 R, 3 RBI
Gerardo Avila: 2-5, R
Kalian Sams: 3-5, 3 run HR, 3 R, K
Guy Welsh: 3-4, double, R, RBI, walk
Hawkins Gebbers: 2-5, RBI
Fred Bello: 2-3, 2 doubles, 3 R, 2 walks, K

You may not want to get attached to the current Aquasox lineup. As Jay Yencich has noted, visa concerns led Everett to scramble for anyone in the M's org who had valid documentation to make the trip north of the border into Vancouver, which led to some fish out of water. Once the Aquasox return stateside, look for some roster moves before Everett settles on their true 2009 lineup.

They may want to stick with this crew, though, because they kicked the Canadians' butts tonight.

A: Clinton 6, Cedar Rapids 0
CLI: 39-30... CDR: 40-29

Alfredo Venegas: 7 IP, 2 H, walk, 3 K
Blake Nation: 1 IP
Greg Moviel: 1 IP, walk, 2 K
Luis Nuñez: 1-3, double, 2 R, walk, K
Scott Savastano: 1-3, double, R, 2 RBI, walk
Steve Moss: 0-3, sac fly RBI
Denny Almonte: 0-3, sac fly RBI, 2 K
Ogui Diaz: 1-3, triple, R, walk

Scott Savastano doubled home a run in the 4th, Luis Nuñez's leadoff double in the 6th led to another, and Ogui Diaz's leadoff triple in the 7th set up yet another, as Alfredo Venegas had easily the best start he's had since getting demoted to the MWL, spearheading a 2 hit shutout, though he still gave up a ton of flyballs and got a ton of luck on those.

Groundballs: 6 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 13
Line Drives: 0
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 3

A+: High Desert 15, Inland Empire 2
Mavs: 43-26... Empire: 31-38

Nathan Adcock: 8 IP, 2 H, 4 walks, 8 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Steven Richard: 1 IP, 2 H, (2 R) 0 ER, walk, K
Tyson Gillies: 1-3, R, 3 walks, SB #17
Jeff Dominguez: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 walks, K
Jamie McOwen: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, walk
Joe Dunigan: 3-5, GRAND SLAM, 2 R, walk
Alex Liddi: 3-6, 2 doubles, 3 R, 2 RBI
Carlos Peguero: 1-6, solo HR, 4 K: The Golden Sombrero
Travis Scott: 3-3, 2 doubles, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 walks
Ian Bladergroen: 1-5, double, 2 RBI, 3 K

The entire lineup came to the plate for the Mavs in a four run 5th to give the Mavs a comfortable 6-0 cushion and Nathan Adcock pitched himself a fine game, no runs allowed, despite a few shaky moments.

Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 8
Line Drives: 2
Walks: 4 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 8

But it went from a stomping to a full-out rout in the 9th, as four Mavs came to the plate twice and five Mavs had extra base hits in a nine run 9th inning to make the score 15-0. Joe Dunigan had the biggest hit of all, hitting a one out grand slam, though Carlos Peguero started the rally with a solo shot. Steven Richard gave up a couple runs to Empire in the 9th, presumably because he felt bad for them.

Not to be outdone, Ian Bladergroen reached base all six times he came to the plate.

AA: They played two in Jackson, because why not.

Game 1: Montgomery 4, West Tenn 3, 7 innings

Justin Souza: 4 IP, 4 H, (3 R) 2 ER, walk, K, 2 hit batters (76 pitches, 55 strikes)
Anthony Varvaro: 2 IP, walk, 2 K (35-20)
Phillippe Aumont: 1 IP, (1 R) 0 ER, K (9-6)
Ezequiel Carrera: 1-3, RBI
Colt Morton: 2-3, double, 2 run HR

In his 3rd game with the JAXX, Colt Morton had two hits, a double and 2 run HR, while starting behind the plate. After getting cut following 11 forgettable games with Lake Elsinore (and a forgettable 6.5 year career) in the Padres system, the M's picked him up and dispatched him to West Tenn to add some depth after Guillermo Quiroz skated off to join the M's.

Also notable in this game is the AA debut of Phillippe Aumont, who Jack Zduriencik's crew deemed fit for a promotion from High A. Correspondingly, the struggling Marwin Vega was sent back to High Desert.

Justin Souza had a curiously short outing, taking more pitches than he would have liked to struggle through four frames. he has struggled a bit lately after a hot stretch through much of May and June.

Groundballs: 6
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 3
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1 (plus 2 hit batters)
Strikeouts: 1

Game 2: West Tenn 2, Montgomery 1, 7 innings
WTN: 27-43... MON: 33-37

Steven Shell: 5 IP, 2 H, (1 R) 0 ER, 6 K (70 pitches, 50 strikes)
Nick Hill: 1 IP, 3 K (11-9)
Ricky Orta: 1 IP, K (7-5)
Marshall Hubbard: 1-3, double, R, K
Yamid Haad: 1-3, RBI
Oswaldo Navarro: 1-1, RBI, 2 walks, SB

Interesting are the three pitchers used in this 2-1 victory.

First of all, after being brought in as a dispatched reliever from the Nationals org, Steven Shell follows his demotion to AA by making a surprise start and giving the JAXX five surprisingly strong innings. Shell, 26, a 3rd round pick by the Angels in 2001, was a starter while working up the Angels system, but never quite cut the mustard in AAA and had moved to the bullpen when the Nats picked him up in 2008.

This was Shell's first start since he was last with the Angels in 2007. Could this be a return to the rotation for Shell? The JAXX, if they weren't seriously considering it before, may entertain it after this start.

Groundballs: 4
Flyballs: 4
Line Drives: 2
Pop Ups: 1 laughable bunt
Walks: 0
Strikeouts: 6

Secondly, his relief help was Nick Hill, the Military Man who originally was slated to serve with the military and left for that on May 26. However, he's back, and he returned to the active list (with Joey Newby getting sent to High Desert to open up the roster spot), striking out the side in the 6th. Welcome back, Military Man! The JAXX took the lead in the bottom 6th, netting Hill to win to boot.

And finally, Ricky Orta shut the game down in the 7th. Since returning from injury on June 5, the JAXX have used Orta as a reliever, but hadn't test driven him in a closer situation until tonight. Orta handled it, going flyout, pop out, strikeout to end the game.

AAA: Reno 2, Tacoma 1
TAC: 34-35... RENO: 34-36

Doug FISTER: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER (HR), walk, 4 K, hit batter (92 pitches, 61 strikes)
Denny Stark: 2.2 IP, 1 H, walk, 4 K (46-32)
Justin Thomas: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, 2 K (26-13)
Mike Morse: 2-5, R, K
Bryan LaHair: 1-4, triple, RBI, K
Brad Nelson: 2-3

FISTER actually pitched himself a decent game, but just didn't get any run support, taking his first AAA loss of the season.

Groundballs: 8 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 8 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 0
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 4

Never minding the Reno freaking Aces having Tacoma's number, notable in this game isn't Brad Nelson waking up and having another decent game, but Kenji Johjima seeing his first live action since breaking his toe, starting behind the plate and going five innings before ceding to Adam Moore. Joh singled on a groundball to left in the 2nd and flew out to right in the 4th.

Mariners Minor League teams, parks and meta

While not necessarily a Seattle Mariners blog, Dead Cat's Bounce will feature daily coverage of the Mariners’ minor league organization. Each day, I will recap games within the system, and sometimes delve into details concerning certain players and organizations.

Other web resources also contain additional insider information from scouts and other personnel. Two such helpful resources include Jay Yencich’s Mariners Minors (which also includes daily recaps, more general but with more inside info as Jay gets it) and Jason Churchill’s Prospect Insider. I will admit I don’t possess the insider contacts of these two, and welcome you to read them both in addition to my recaps to learn more about our organization’s prospects.

I will also write with and participate in discussions on Mariner Central, a comprehensive message board focused on thoughtful discourse between members about the Seattle Mariners organization. I invite you to participate if interested.

We can’t know who to currently expect to join the minor league squads, because prospects and other players have yet to be allocated and may not be so up to each team’s respective Opening Day. Part of the idea with Spring Training is to shake out who should play where, if there is any indecision. Some prospects, especially top prospects, already know what level they will play at, even if we as fans aren’t aware of where.

To start out, below is a basic primer of the home parks for the Mariners’ affiliates, along with the typical scoring environment for each league:

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA): Cheney Stadium is pitcher friendly for the offense-friendly Pacific Coast League. Hitters’ numbers won’t necessarily depress, as they’ll still play half their games in the other hitting-friendly PCL parks, the spacious outfield can allow for a greater chance at extra base hits, and best of all… PCL rotations and bullpens are full of tomato cans:

1) Past their prime veterans trying to salvage their careers (Recent local example: Denny Stark)
2) Minor league veteran never-weres who have maxed out and are too good for the lower ranks, but nowhere near good enough for the majors (Recent example: Sean White)
3) Younger prospects in a level over their head, whether overpushed due to excellence at the lower levels, being challenged by their organization, or thinness through the organization’s highest ranks forcing their promotion (Recent example: Joe Woerman).

West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (AA): Pringles Park is one of minor league baseball’s more neutral parks. We did see some good hitting at home from the Diamond Jaxx prospects, but the team also had some talented hitters (Prentice Redman, Michael Saunders), and the comfort of the home park, whether statistically discernible in general, cannot be discounted. The Southern League is fairly neutral in itself due to its humid locale near the Gulf and the Tennessee Valley… making it a good AA environment to see where your prospects stand.

High Desert Mavericks (A+): Mavericks Stadium is one of minor league baseball’s biggest launchpads, almost laughably so. The hot dry air of Adelanto, CA combined with the smallish dimensions of Mavericks Stadium makes home games a hitter’s dream and a pitcher’s hell. The org actively avoided sending most of its top prospects to High Desert, tried and failed to switch High A affiliations after last season and now remains in a place ill suited to developing hitters or pitchers: Pitchers of course can get destroyed (few put up an ERA that doesn’t look like the cost of a fast food dinner) and it can be tough to develop a pitcher while retaining his morale or gaining an accurate judgment of pitchers’ abilities. Hitters with any power hit so far better than they typically would that it’s likewise difficult to gauge how actually capable hitters are, plus there’s a similar ego risk of a player gaining an inflated sense of his own abilities as a result of the spike in XBHs and HRs. At the same time, this is a problem throughout the Cal League, most of whose teams play in higher altitude desert climates and thus see offense-friendly conditions.

Clinton Lumberkings (A): The new home of the full season A ball Mariners affiliate, after moving from Appleton, WI (which wanted to affiliate with the nearby Milwaukee Brewers). Most Midwest League parks trend similarly towards pitching and defense, and the end result is typically low offense, with hitters producing depressively low lines and pitchers putting up deceptively strong numbers. Expect the same in Clinton, with minor trend shifts indiscernible to casual fans.

Everett Aquasox (A-): The short season Northwest League (which starts a couple months after the above leagues, as do the leagues below) tends to slide towards offense in general, with a few outliers (Vancouver’s home park is nearly impossible to homer in, and the Tri Cities home park is very pitcher friendly for whatever reason). Everett Stadium, meanwhile, is very offense friendly, though many pitchers still capable of pitching well in offense friendly parks due to the fledgling power and hitting ability of most NWL players, many of whom are in their 1st and 2nd years of pro baseball. After the Mariners complete the 2009 Draft, a lot of those players will end up here.

Pulaski Mariners (Rk+): The Appalachian League tends to feature a lot of offense, and Pulaski is no exception. Like the Northwest League, a lot of Appalachian League hitters are young, new to pro ball and struggle in general, let alone against pitchers of reasonable ability. But pitching numbers tend to come out a bit more inflated in the App League, as do hitting numbers. Again, you’ll see a lot of draft picks land here.

Peoria Mariners (Rk): The Arizona Summer League is hitter friendly due to its presence in the dry, high-altitude Arizona desert. Most of the more ho-hum draft picks will end up here, as will rehabilitating players from higher levels and newly transplanted foreign prospects from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and other locales.

DSL Mariners (Rk): Dominican Summer League teams often share a complex with several other teams, and only play games against other teams in the complex unless they win their division. The Mariners share the Santo Domingo North complex in Yamasa, DR with four other teams. Being 18-19 years old, DSL pitchers tend to exhibit erratic control, which bloats the walk rates and OBP of most DSL hitters. This is where the Dominican catchphrase, “You don’t get off the island with a walk,” comes from. It’s easy for players to sport high OBPs just from taking pitches, but to impress scouts, they have to hit and show some power. Few do.

VSL Mariners (Rk): The Mariners play in the 8 team Venezuelan Summer League out of the small town of Aguirre. Pitchers here tend to put my impressive numbers due to the undeveloped 17-19 year old hitters they face hitting mostly groundballs and trying to run them out. These pitchers also tend to walk fewer batters: whether that’s from better control or Venezuelan kids swinging at more pitches than their Dominican counterparts isn’t clear. That said, VSL pitchers should be taken with a grain of salt when they run impressive lines. Some hitters do run decent looking lines, but rarely show great power. And it doesn’t necessarily get them out of South America either, though that could be attributed to the difficulty of granting visas and exporting players from the hostile nation.