A: Beloit 3, Clinton 2
CLI: 18-12... BEL: 12-18
Kenn Kasparek: 5.2 IP, 4 H, (3 R) 1 ER, 2 walks, 4 K, hit batter
Bobby LaFromboise: 1 IP, 1 H, walk
Blake Nation: 2.1 IP, 3 H, walk, 4 K
Maximo Mendez: 1-3, triple, R, K
Nate Tenbrink: 2-3, double, triple, RBI, walk, K
Mario Martinez: 2-4, solo HR, 2 K
Both teams finished their scoring by the 2nd inning. The Lumberkings tied the game at 1 in the 1st with TWO triples, one a leadoff triple from Maximo Mendez (his 5th!) and another an RBI triple by Nate Tenbrink (his 3rd!). Beloit themselves got a run from a triple in the 2nd by Adam Severino (206/286/302) and another on a sac fly, but Mario Martinez went deep in the bottom 2nd to make it 3-2.
And that was it. Both pitching staffs put the clamps down and gave each side too little to work with to score again. Kenn Kasparek settled down after the first two rocky frames and worked into the 6th inning.
Groundballs: 10
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 2 (plus 1 bunt)
Strikeouts: 4
A+: High Desert 6, Rancho Cucamonga 4
Mavs: 22-10... Quakes: 12-20
Juan Carlos Ramirez: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 walks, K
Michael Pineda: 2 IP, 1 H
Travis Mortimore: 1 IP, 1 H
Phillippe Aumont: 1 IP, K
Jamie McOwen: 1-4, R, RBI, 2 K
Edilio Colina: 2-4, R
Alex Liddi: 1-5, 2 RBI, SB
Kuo Hui Lo: 1-4, double, R, SB
Carlos Peguero: 1-4, triple, R, 2 K, SB
Ian Bladergroen: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, walk
Wind: 12 mph out to RF
I almost put off recapping this game until tomorrow due to the late finish: I'm now working a job that requires me to get up very early. But I ended up spending so long on the other games below that this game did in fact conclude and now you get a full recap. Be advised in the future that since the Mavs play so late into the night, some games may not get a proper recap until the following day.
Juan Carlos Ramirez did not have one of his better starts in general, and the Quakes finally got to him in the 3rd and 4th innings, taking a 4-3 lead before he left after the minimum:
Groundballs: 9 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 4
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 1
His reliever deserves note: Michael Pineda made his triumphant return:
6th: Groundout, lined single, flyout, groundout
7th: Groundout, flyout, groundout
Looks like he'll be back to owning Cal League lineups in no time.
The Mavs took advantage of some crappy Quakes defense and an Alex Liddi 2 run single in the 7th to cash in three runs and give themselves the 6-4 lead. Travis Mortimore then defied character and netted three groundouts in a scoreless 8th before Phillippe Aumont worked a perfect 9th for his 6th save. Hey, maybe call THAT guy up to help the Mariners bullpen :P
AA: West Tenn 1, Tennessee 0
WTN: 12-17... TEN: 14-14
Kyle Parker: 7 IP, 3 H, 3 walks, 3 K, hit batter (83 pitches, 49 strikes)
Mumba Rivera: 2 IP, 2 walks, K (30-18)
Johan Limonta: 2-3, double, walk
Jeff Dominguez: 1-4, RBI, K
rest of DIAMOND JAXX lineup: 3-25, 3 walks, 6 K
With the temp around 68 degrees at game time, maybe it got a bit cool in central Tennessee and helped keep the score low. Neither starting pitcher did a particularly impressive job of corraling the opposing lineup. Kyle Parker in particular had trouble throwing strikes (as usual) but managed what had to be his best start of the season line-wise. As for balls in play, he certainly got a share of groundballs but otherwise didn't look at all dominant.
Groundballs: 9 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 7
Line Drives: 2
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 3 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 3
Jonathan Papelbon's brother choked yet again, as Jeremy Papelbon gave up the only run of the game in the 9th to a soft one out liner up the middle from Jeff Dominguez that cashed in Matt Mangini.
One other line of note: Starting at SS for the DIAMOND JAXX today was Leury Bonilla, who made his 2009 debut yesterday, going 0 for 6. After a fitful 2008 stint in High Desert, the org has decided to push the 24 year old Leury to AA, though his bat isn't quite ready for the level yet and may never be. Leury may also be playing to spell Oswaldo Navarro, who may be day to day with some sort of injury as he hasn't played since May 8, at SS, as Leury is a utility guy with decent range. That said, believe it or not Leury's debut at SS yesterday was his first action at SS since 2007 with Wisconsin. In High Desert last year, Leury played 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, RF and even pitched in one game, but never took the field at SS. His middle infield range is meh but the real reason he didn't play there was because the Mavs had Carlos Triunfel there, plus Ogui Diaz behind him.
The only other option for SS is 1B/3B Ronnie Prettyman, who is really out of position at SS, and Jeff Dominguez, who was permaslotted at 2B to get his terrible range off of SS (the M's haven't punted him because he's 22, has been playing since 2004 and there's some hope he could be a useful utility guy someday).
AAA: Tacoma 9, New Orleans 7
TAC: 17-15... NOR: 12-20
Doug FISTER: 4 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 K (81-58)
Steven Shell: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER (HR), 2 K (28-21)
Justin Thomas: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 walks (36-20)
Randy Messenger: 1 IP (16-12)
Prentice Redman: 2-6, 2 doubles, R, K
Jeff Clement: 3-5, double, 2 run HR, K
Chris Shelton: 1-3, 2 R, sac fly RBI, walk
Mike Morse: 2-4, 2 run HR, 2 R
Bryan LaHair: 3-5, solo HR, solo HR, K
Guillermo Quiroz: 2-5, double, 2 RBI
Doogie FISTER M.D. had a rocky 1st start thanks to some misfortune: Four groundballs got through for hits in the 2nd. Two more got through in the 4th and a wild pitch plus a 2 run triple by Cameron Maybin indicated FISTER was starting to lose control, but he got two strikeouts after that to escape and he called it a day after 81 pitches.
Groundballs: 11
Flyballs: 6
Line Drives: 1
Walks: 0
Strikeouts: 3
With some better infield defense, FISTER could easily go the minimum and probably could have tried to finish six innings. But instead, he gets an ugly line and those who don't look closely enough will be quick to point out how this shows he can't be a good start. To the contrary, he walked no one and got a lot of groundballs.
Speaking of looking beyond, cue the Clement Bandwagon trumpeting the 2 XBH game as proof of how ready he is to replace Rob Johnson while conveniently forgetting he was 5 for his previous 34 ABs (with 10 K) or that the big day brings his season line to an unimpressive 229/330/458 in 5... 4... 3.... Seriously, though, he'll need to tattoo the ball consistently, while catching (he was the DH today), before he is closer to ready than unready. Remember that he started the season in Tacoma because his catching was poor and the work thereupon began to affect his hitting. That didn't suddenly cease to be an issue.
Meanwhile, Steven Shell came in for the 5th and gave up a solo home run to Manuel Mayorson (who now has 9 career home runs in over 3500 AB; this was his 1st of the season) to tie the game. Bryan LaHair, however, led off the 6th with a solo shot of his own to give the Rainiers the lead for good. A two run double by Guillermo Quiroz in the 7th made it 8-5 to create sufficient cushion.
BONUS:
So, as they tend to do when the Rainiers play in New Orleans, the New Orleans Zephyrs remind me of this:
The Zephyrs play at Zephyr Field, an outdoor park where the oppressive, humid conditions of New Orleans can slow down play. And indeed, offense at Zephyrs Field is a bit muted.
But believe it or not, the Louisiana Superdome, typically a football and special sporting venue, does have a baseball configuration and has been used on several occasions for baseball. The New Orleans Penguins of the old American Association played there in 1977 (players on that AAA Houston Astros affiliate included Tony LaRussa and Jim Riggleman), and the dome's been host to several college tournaments, though isn't used anymore. To get an idea of how the venue played, below are highlights of the 1987 Busch Challenge.
The game always plays faster on Astroturf, but it seems that despite the Astrodome-like spacious dimensions, home runs and offense were easy to come by in the venue.
- The 1977 Pelicans (affiliated with the Astros) led the league in home runs allowed even though the staff finished 3rd in strikeouts and was middle of the pack in walks allowed.
- Their hitters, despite the lowest average and OBP in the Association, finished 4th of 8 teams in home runs with 111.
- Jim Riggleman posted the highest HR per AB of his long minor league career.
- Benny Ayala's 18 HR and .500 slugging were the highest of his six year Triple A career.
- John Tamargo's 10 HR marked the only year of his 8 year minors career that he hit double digit home runs, and accounted for over a quarter of his 36 career home runs.
- Tommy Sandt's 10 HR were easily a career high in a 14 year career where he hit 270/338/343.
- Leading pitcher Steve Dunning's career HR/9 was 0.73, but his HR/9 spiked to 0.95 in New Orleans, only to drop to 0.64 the following season in Hawaii (which was a career collapse year, in fact: he retired after that season in Hawaii).
The Superdome was a launchpad, and the only real obstacle to playing there was a lack of a drawing card. Note the empty seats in that video. The Pelicans likely moved to Springfield in 1978 because of an inability to fill the giant dome, creating a mausoleum effect even with the upper deck tarped off. They would have had to sell 25,000 to 30,000 tickets a game to fill the joint, and with a bad minor league team they never came close.
It's been years since the baseball format was used there and if anyone can help it, they may never play there again.
- They don't have FieldTurf for a baseball layout
- The stadium has concrete warning tracks
- The New Orleans Saints and various college teams play football there, plus the Superdome remains a very popular convention and special events site. This makes scheduling games very difficult.
- The city's economic makeup, which wasn't great to begin with, is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
- The demand for baseball there isn't that great and the Zephyrs already do a good job of cornering what little of a baseball market there is, plus have a home field just for that.
- Like other older parks, the seating is a bit distant for baseball and fans who trek to the Superdome may find the experience a bit detached, especially if there's a lot of empty seats.
Still, it's a major curiosity of mine as to how the Superdome would have played had an MLB or minor league team entertained the possibility of playing there, even in exhibition games.
Showing posts with label Juan Carlos Ramirez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Juan Carlos Ramirez. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Mariners Minor League recap for 4/25/09
Sorry this is late. I wish I could say I was out partying or something last night, but actually, I was simply distracted with other projects.
This recap will be bare bones and brief, mainly stats. For more details, check out the Farm Report at Mariner Central and Jay Yencich's coverage at Mariner Minors.
A: Burlington Bees 3, Clinton 1
CLI: 8-6… BUR: 4-10
Adam Harben: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 walks, K
Walter Suriel: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K
Blake Nation: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 2 K
Cheyne Hann: one out, K
Maximo Mendez: 1-4, RBI, K
Denny Almonte: 2-4, K
Scott Savastano: 2-4, triple
Adam Harben:
Groundballs: 8
Flyballs: 1
Pop Ups: 3
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 1
A+: San Jose 5, High Desert 3
Mavs: 12-5… Little Giants: 12-5
Juan Carlos Ramirez: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER (HR), 2 walks, 4 K
Natividad Dilone: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, 2 K, wild pitch
Travis Mortimore: 2 IP, walk, 2 K, wild pitch
Jake Wild: 1 IP, K
Tyson Gillies: 2-5, double, R
Alex Liddi: 2-4, 2 K
Joe Dunigan: 2-4, K
Travis Scott: 1-4, solo HR
Juan Carlos Ramirez:
Groundballs: 8
Flyballs: 5 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 4
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 4
Ramirez had probably his worst game of the young season, though yet again he still strung together a lot of groundballs. He did get hit early and often and did not finish the 5th. I will also note that, while I plan to post season stat lines later, Ramirez’s K rate has dropped accordingly with the rise in level. He’s still having a good year so far thanks to all the groundballs minimizing the damage, but days like today show he is still vulnerable when he can’t keep his stuff down in the zone.
AA: West Tenn 3, Mississippi 1
WTN: 7-9… MIS: 8-8
Robert Rohrbaugh: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, walk, 4 K (97 pitches, 63 strikes)
Mumba Rivera: 2 IP, 2 H, K (19-14)
Josh Fields: 1 IP, 3 K (16-11)
Adam Moore: 1-4, RBI
Jeff Dominguez: 1-3, RBI
Rest of DIAMOND JAXX lineup: 3-20, 3 R, 3 walks, 6 K
Robert Rohrbaugh:
Groundballs: 1
Flyballs: 7
Line Drives: 8
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 4
Robert Rohrbaugh did not record a groundball until the 6th inning, his last inning. Go figure it was a base hit up the middle.
Also, by striking out the side in the 9th, top draft pick Josh Fields recorded his first professional save.
AAA: Colorado Springs 2, Tacoma 1
TAC: 9-8… COL: 11-5
Garrett Olson: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 4 K, hit batter (91 pitches, 60 strikes)
Denny Stark: 1.2 IP, 1 H, K (20-14)
Prentice Redman: 1-4, solo HR, walk
Chris Shelton: 2-3, double, walk
Rest of Rainiers lineup: 5-28, walk, 9 K
Garrett Olson:
Groundballs: 10 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 3
Line Drives: 2 (both among final four batters faced)
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 4
Can you believe this game was played in Colorado Springs? While it looks like the Rockies have procured a humidor for the AAA club, there was also a steady 9 mph wind in from LF, and Garrett Olson had a fine effort with plenty of groundballs. Sadly it came apart in a two run 7th to give the Sky Sox the win.
Prentice Redman’s home run led off the game.
This recap will be bare bones and brief, mainly stats. For more details, check out the Farm Report at Mariner Central and Jay Yencich's coverage at Mariner Minors.
A: Burlington Bees 3, Clinton 1
CLI: 8-6… BUR: 4-10
Adam Harben: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 walks, K
Walter Suriel: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K
Blake Nation: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 2 K
Cheyne Hann: one out, K
Maximo Mendez: 1-4, RBI, K
Denny Almonte: 2-4, K
Scott Savastano: 2-4, triple
Adam Harben:
Groundballs: 8
Flyballs: 1
Pop Ups: 3
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 1
A+: San Jose 5, High Desert 3
Mavs: 12-5… Little Giants: 12-5
Juan Carlos Ramirez: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER (HR), 2 walks, 4 K
Natividad Dilone: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, 2 K, wild pitch
Travis Mortimore: 2 IP, walk, 2 K, wild pitch
Jake Wild: 1 IP, K
Tyson Gillies: 2-5, double, R
Alex Liddi: 2-4, 2 K
Joe Dunigan: 2-4, K
Travis Scott: 1-4, solo HR
Juan Carlos Ramirez:
Groundballs: 8
Flyballs: 5 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 4
Walks: 2
Strikeouts: 4
Ramirez had probably his worst game of the young season, though yet again he still strung together a lot of groundballs. He did get hit early and often and did not finish the 5th. I will also note that, while I plan to post season stat lines later, Ramirez’s K rate has dropped accordingly with the rise in level. He’s still having a good year so far thanks to all the groundballs minimizing the damage, but days like today show he is still vulnerable when he can’t keep his stuff down in the zone.
AA: West Tenn 3, Mississippi 1
WTN: 7-9… MIS: 8-8
Robert Rohrbaugh: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, walk, 4 K (97 pitches, 63 strikes)
Mumba Rivera: 2 IP, 2 H, K (19-14)
Josh Fields: 1 IP, 3 K (16-11)
Adam Moore: 1-4, RBI
Jeff Dominguez: 1-3, RBI
Rest of DIAMOND JAXX lineup: 3-20, 3 R, 3 walks, 6 K
Robert Rohrbaugh:
Groundballs: 1
Flyballs: 7
Line Drives: 8
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 4
Robert Rohrbaugh did not record a groundball until the 6th inning, his last inning. Go figure it was a base hit up the middle.
Also, by striking out the side in the 9th, top draft pick Josh Fields recorded his first professional save.
AAA: Colorado Springs 2, Tacoma 1
TAC: 9-8… COL: 11-5
Garrett Olson: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 4 K, hit batter (91 pitches, 60 strikes)
Denny Stark: 1.2 IP, 1 H, K (20-14)
Prentice Redman: 1-4, solo HR, walk
Chris Shelton: 2-3, double, walk
Rest of Rainiers lineup: 5-28, walk, 9 K
Garrett Olson:
Groundballs: 10 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 3
Line Drives: 2 (both among final four batters faced)
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 4
Can you believe this game was played in Colorado Springs? While it looks like the Rockies have procured a humidor for the AAA club, there was also a steady 9 mph wind in from LF, and Garrett Olson had a fine effort with plenty of groundballs. Sadly it came apart in a two run 7th to give the Sky Sox the win.
Prentice Redman’s home run led off the game.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Mariners minor league recap for 4/15/09
A: They played two in Clinton, IA.
Game 1: Clinton 4, Cedar Rapids 3, 7 innings
Adam Harben: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 4 K
Ruben Flores: 2 IP, walk, K
Ryan Moorer: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, hit batter
Juan Fuentes: 1-3, triple, K
Scott Savastano: 1-3, R, RBI, SB
Ben Billingsley: 1-3, double, RBI
Each team scored two runs in the 1st, but Scott Savastano lined home Nate Tenbrink with two out in the bottom 4th to give the Lumberkings a 3-2 lead… and he got thrown out trying to 2nd. Smooth move, kid.
Adam Harben gave the Lumberkings 4 decent innings, which for a 7 inning game is like going 6 innings in terms of how much you need to use the bullpen, except for that whole ‘we need to play 7 more innings after this’ thing. Given that Harben gave up two line drives and four flyballs, don’t get too excited about the 4 strikeouts to one walk. His job was to fill in, and he did that fine.
Ruben Flores helped out the pen with two hitless innings, a huge bounceback after his initial struggles. But Ryan Moorer ran into trouble: Angel Castillo got a groundball into RF to lead off, then Moorer plunked Matt Crawford. Anel De Los Santos bunted them over for one out and the dangerous Darwin Perez lined a single to right to tie the ballgame, but Almonte got it back in and prevented Crawford from scoring. Fortunately for the Lumberkings, Perez drifted too far off the bag, allowing Moorer to pick him off before Tyson Auer harmlessly grounded out.
However, Clinton would prevail: Despite a one out Juan Fuentes triple producing no runs when Terry Serrano got thrown out on a fielder’s choice, Scott Savastano would come around to score on a Ben Billingsley walkoff double.
Game 2: Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 3, 7 innings
Walter Suriel: 2.2 IP, 1 H, (4 R) 1 ER (HR), 3 walks, 5 K
Jose Jimenez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, (1 R) 0 ER, 2 walks, K
Blake Nation: 2 IP, K
Terry Serrano: 1-2, 2 RBI, walk
Scott Savastano: 3-3, R
Gavin Dickey: 1-2, double, R, walk
Luis Nuñez: 0-2, sac fly RBI
After the good bullpen fortune in Game 1 with a spot starter, Clinton’s Lumberkings ironically ran into trouble in game 2 with an actual starter, as Walter Suriel got wild, served up a 3 run homer to Jon Townsend, and could not finish the 3rd, forcing the Lumberkings to scramble for pitching to finish the nightcap. He wasn’t expected to go too far anyway, as he had started the year in the pen, but the walks and home run complicated matters.
Fortunately, Jose Jimenez has long-man experience, finished the 3rd and got the Lumberkings through the 5th despite a hodge-podge of baserunners. Blake Nation went a little longer than he would typically expect and mopped up the last two frames without incident.
Unfortunately, thanks to Suriel’s wildness, the Kernels had a 5-0 lead by the middle 3rd that proved enough to take the nightcap.
A+: High Desert 7, Lake Elsinore 1
Juan Carlos Ramirez: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 3 walks, K
Juan Zapata: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), 2 walks, 3 K
Phillipe Aumont: 1 IP, 1 H, walk
Steven Richard: 1 IP, K
Tyson Gillies: 2-4, double, 2 R, walk, K, SB
Edilio Colina: 1-5, R, RBI, K
Jamie McOwen: 1-4, 2 run HR, walk
Ian Bladergroen: 2-5, solo HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Alex Liddi: 3-4, 2 doubles, triple, 2 R
Travis Scott: 1-4, RBI, K
Joe Dunigan: 1-4, double, RBI, K
Wind: 17 mph out to CF
Key: The wind blowing out to CF, and Juan Carlos Ramirez’s prowess for groundballs. Sure, he gave up a few flyballs, but how many of those weren’t just pop ups that drifted into the outfield with the wind? We can’t tell from here, but aside from a shaky 1st inning (two walks), Ramirez threw a solid outing, hit his pitch count and left the ballgame with one out in the 6th after allowing only a single hit.
Groundballs: 11
Flyballs: 3
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 1
Of course, the first batter reliever Juan Zapata faces takes him deep to put Lake on the board. Fortunately, it was the only run Zapata and the Mavs allowed, and the Mavs still had a 3-1 lead: Alex Liddi and Joe Dunigan hit doubles in the top 2nd to punch in a run, and after an Ian Bladergroen leadoff HR in the 4th, Alex Liddi tripled and scored off a Travis Scott line drive single shortly thereafter.
Did I mention Alex Liddi had a huge game yesterday? He also hit a two out double in the 6th that didn’t go anywhere, but after an RBI single from Edilio Colina, Jamie McOwen hit an inside the park home run with two out in the 7th to make it 6-1 and effectively put the game out of reach. Did the wind have something to do with this offense? Maybe, but if it did, it only shows how effectively Juan Carlos pitched given he only allowed a hit.
AA: Jacksonville 3, West Tenn 0
Ricky Orta: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 walks, 6 K, hit batter (88 pitches, 46 strikes)
Josh Fields: 1 IP, K (9-6)
Nick Hill: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, walk, hit batter (25-13)
Marwin Vega: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K (11-9)
Oswaldo Navarro: 0-1, 3 walks, K
Matt Mangini: 1-3, double, K
Rest of DIAMOND JAXX lineup: 3-22, walk, 10 K
6 foot 8, 22 year old lefthander Sean West owned the DIAMOND JAXX for six innings, striking out 9 as the Suns quietly staked a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish. West, one of the Marlins top prospects, allowed only four baserunners.
Ricky Orta, needless to say, wasn’t as sharp.
Groundballs: 2 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 1
Line Drives: 5
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 4 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 6
He was, in fact, all over the place from a shaky 1st inning where he needed a pep talk to escape with only one run allowed. He had enough stuff for six strikeouts in four frames, but he couldn’t hit his spots. Of the 21 batters he faced, only 10 put the ball in play, though five didn’t need to in order to reach base.
Speaking of not putting the ball in play, Oswaldo Navarro came to the plate four times and did not put the ball in play: he walked three times and struck out the other time.
AAA: Tacoma 5, Fresno 4
Garrett Olson: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 walks, 3 K (90 pitches, 50 strikes)
Jesus Delgado: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, K, wild pitch (46-25)
Randy Messenger: one out, 5 H, 2 ER, walk (27-16)
Denny Stark: one out (2-1)
Justin Thomas: two outs (3-2)
Chris Woodward: 2-3, double, R, sac fly RBI
Chris Shelton: 2-4, double, 2 RBI, 2 K
Mike Carp: 0-1 R, 3 walks, K
Mike Morse: 1-4, 2 run HR
Callix Crabbe: 1-4, double, R
The Rainiers actually built a 5-0 lead over the first six frames as Garrett Olson actually managed a passable outing. But Jesus Delgado caved in during the 7th and 8th, and it took an additional three relievers to escape with a 5-4 victory. Like Oswaldo Navarro in AA, Mike Carp also had 4 plate appearances with no balls in play: three walks and a strikeout for him as well, though he did come around to score once.
Game 1: Clinton 4, Cedar Rapids 3, 7 innings
Adam Harben: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, 4 K
Ruben Flores: 2 IP, walk, K
Ryan Moorer: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, hit batter
Juan Fuentes: 1-3, triple, K
Scott Savastano: 1-3, R, RBI, SB
Ben Billingsley: 1-3, double, RBI
Each team scored two runs in the 1st, but Scott Savastano lined home Nate Tenbrink with two out in the bottom 4th to give the Lumberkings a 3-2 lead… and he got thrown out trying to 2nd. Smooth move, kid.
Adam Harben gave the Lumberkings 4 decent innings, which for a 7 inning game is like going 6 innings in terms of how much you need to use the bullpen, except for that whole ‘we need to play 7 more innings after this’ thing. Given that Harben gave up two line drives and four flyballs, don’t get too excited about the 4 strikeouts to one walk. His job was to fill in, and he did that fine.
Ruben Flores helped out the pen with two hitless innings, a huge bounceback after his initial struggles. But Ryan Moorer ran into trouble: Angel Castillo got a groundball into RF to lead off, then Moorer plunked Matt Crawford. Anel De Los Santos bunted them over for one out and the dangerous Darwin Perez lined a single to right to tie the ballgame, but Almonte got it back in and prevented Crawford from scoring. Fortunately for the Lumberkings, Perez drifted too far off the bag, allowing Moorer to pick him off before Tyson Auer harmlessly grounded out.
However, Clinton would prevail: Despite a one out Juan Fuentes triple producing no runs when Terry Serrano got thrown out on a fielder’s choice, Scott Savastano would come around to score on a Ben Billingsley walkoff double.
Game 2: Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 3, 7 innings
Walter Suriel: 2.2 IP, 1 H, (4 R) 1 ER (HR), 3 walks, 5 K
Jose Jimenez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, (1 R) 0 ER, 2 walks, K
Blake Nation: 2 IP, K
Terry Serrano: 1-2, 2 RBI, walk
Scott Savastano: 3-3, R
Gavin Dickey: 1-2, double, R, walk
Luis Nuñez: 0-2, sac fly RBI
After the good bullpen fortune in Game 1 with a spot starter, Clinton’s Lumberkings ironically ran into trouble in game 2 with an actual starter, as Walter Suriel got wild, served up a 3 run homer to Jon Townsend, and could not finish the 3rd, forcing the Lumberkings to scramble for pitching to finish the nightcap. He wasn’t expected to go too far anyway, as he had started the year in the pen, but the walks and home run complicated matters.
Fortunately, Jose Jimenez has long-man experience, finished the 3rd and got the Lumberkings through the 5th despite a hodge-podge of baserunners. Blake Nation went a little longer than he would typically expect and mopped up the last two frames without incident.
Unfortunately, thanks to Suriel’s wildness, the Kernels had a 5-0 lead by the middle 3rd that proved enough to take the nightcap.
A+: High Desert 7, Lake Elsinore 1
Juan Carlos Ramirez: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 3 walks, K
Juan Zapata: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER (HR), 2 walks, 3 K
Phillipe Aumont: 1 IP, 1 H, walk
Steven Richard: 1 IP, K
Tyson Gillies: 2-4, double, 2 R, walk, K, SB
Edilio Colina: 1-5, R, RBI, K
Jamie McOwen: 1-4, 2 run HR, walk
Ian Bladergroen: 2-5, solo HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Alex Liddi: 3-4, 2 doubles, triple, 2 R
Travis Scott: 1-4, RBI, K
Joe Dunigan: 1-4, double, RBI, K
Wind: 17 mph out to CF
Key: The wind blowing out to CF, and Juan Carlos Ramirez’s prowess for groundballs. Sure, he gave up a few flyballs, but how many of those weren’t just pop ups that drifted into the outfield with the wind? We can’t tell from here, but aside from a shaky 1st inning (two walks), Ramirez threw a solid outing, hit his pitch count and left the ballgame with one out in the 6th after allowing only a single hit.
Groundballs: 11
Flyballs: 3
Line Drives: 1
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 1
Of course, the first batter reliever Juan Zapata faces takes him deep to put Lake on the board. Fortunately, it was the only run Zapata and the Mavs allowed, and the Mavs still had a 3-1 lead: Alex Liddi and Joe Dunigan hit doubles in the top 2nd to punch in a run, and after an Ian Bladergroen leadoff HR in the 4th, Alex Liddi tripled and scored off a Travis Scott line drive single shortly thereafter.
Did I mention Alex Liddi had a huge game yesterday? He also hit a two out double in the 6th that didn’t go anywhere, but after an RBI single from Edilio Colina, Jamie McOwen hit an inside the park home run with two out in the 7th to make it 6-1 and effectively put the game out of reach. Did the wind have something to do with this offense? Maybe, but if it did, it only shows how effectively Juan Carlos pitched given he only allowed a hit.
AA: Jacksonville 3, West Tenn 0
Ricky Orta: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 walks, 6 K, hit batter (88 pitches, 46 strikes)
Josh Fields: 1 IP, K (9-6)
Nick Hill: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, walk, hit batter (25-13)
Marwin Vega: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K (11-9)
Oswaldo Navarro: 0-1, 3 walks, K
Matt Mangini: 1-3, double, K
Rest of DIAMOND JAXX lineup: 3-22, walk, 10 K
6 foot 8, 22 year old lefthander Sean West owned the DIAMOND JAXX for six innings, striking out 9 as the Suns quietly staked a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish. West, one of the Marlins top prospects, allowed only four baserunners.
Ricky Orta, needless to say, wasn’t as sharp.
Groundballs: 2 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 1
Line Drives: 5
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 4 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 6
He was, in fact, all over the place from a shaky 1st inning where he needed a pep talk to escape with only one run allowed. He had enough stuff for six strikeouts in four frames, but he couldn’t hit his spots. Of the 21 batters he faced, only 10 put the ball in play, though five didn’t need to in order to reach base.
Speaking of not putting the ball in play, Oswaldo Navarro came to the plate four times and did not put the ball in play: he walked three times and struck out the other time.
AAA: Tacoma 5, Fresno 4
Garrett Olson: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 walks, 3 K (90 pitches, 50 strikes)
Jesus Delgado: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, K, wild pitch (46-25)
Randy Messenger: one out, 5 H, 2 ER, walk (27-16)
Denny Stark: one out (2-1)
Justin Thomas: two outs (3-2)
Chris Woodward: 2-3, double, R, sac fly RBI
Chris Shelton: 2-4, double, 2 RBI, 2 K
Mike Carp: 0-1 R, 3 walks, K
Mike Morse: 1-4, 2 run HR
Callix Crabbe: 1-4, double, R
The Rainiers actually built a 5-0 lead over the first six frames as Garrett Olson actually managed a passable outing. But Jesus Delgado caved in during the 7th and 8th, and it took an additional three relievers to escape with a 5-4 victory. Like Oswaldo Navarro in AA, Mike Carp also had 4 plate appearances with no balls in play: three walks and a strikeout for him as well, though he did come around to score once.
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