Minor League Highlights for Saturday, May 17
We apologize for the delay! It was a busy weekend.
Tacoma’s game in Edmonton was postponed not due to rain, but rather to sub-freezing temperatures. The two teams played a double header on Sunday.
El Paso 10, San Antonio 1. The Missions managed just one run on seven hits, six of them singles, scoring their lone run in the bottom of the 3rd to tie the game at one on a 3B Justin Leone homer. Things fell apart after that, as El Paso scored in five consecutive frames, including four in the 8th to really put the game out of reach. Infielder Rob Gandolfo stopped the bleeding by pitching a scoreless 9th (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) in relief of LHP Travis Blackley (4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB), who didn’t pitch all that poorly but took the loss. SS Luis Ugueto made three of San Antonio’s four errors, leading to seven unearned runs.
Inland Empire 3, Lake Elsinore 1 (DH Game #1). LHP Matt Thornton, it what turned out to be his last outing before being promoted to San Antonio, fanned nine in 4 2/3 innings (3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K), and combined with two relievers to hold Lake Elsinore to three hits. SS Jay Pecci, filling in for the injured Eddie Menchaca, was 2-3 with a run scored and another batted in to lead the offense. RHP Mike Steele closed things out to pick up his 9th save of the year (1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
Inland Empire 7, Lake Elsinore 2 (DH Game #2). The 66ers held Lake Elsinore to four hits in the game, shutting them down on just three runs and seven hits in the twin bill. RHP Enmanuel Ulloa was dominant (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), though he didn’t pitch quite long enough for the win. Offensively, 1B John Castellano and C Chris Collins each had a pair of hits, a run scored and an RBI, while DH Jason Van Meetren drove in two with a triple. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit, and each the team’s seven runs was scored by a different player.
Wisconsin 5, Peoria 3 (11 innings). The Timber Rattlers scored two runs in the top of the 9th to tie and two more 11th to win it, having trailed 3-1 after five. LHP Miguel Martinez, making his first appearance with the team, was the hero in middle relief (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and earned the win. RHP Bryan Heaston worked the bottom of the 11th (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) for his 5th save. DH Dustin Delucchi, having a big year in the leadoff spot, was 3-6 with three runs batted in, and 2B Corey Harrington had three hits in five trips, including two doubles.
Minor League Highlights for Saturday, May 10
Oklahoma 1, Tacoma 0. The Rainiers held Oklahoma to just three hits in the game, but unfortunately managed only three hits of their own and were unable to scratch out even a single run. LHP Craig Anderson (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) had yet another good start, lowering his ERA to 2.61 on the year. It took him a few starts at the beginning of the year, but he’s apparently figured out how to fool PCL hitters with his assortment of junk. RHP J.J. Putz (2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) took the loss in relief, as he allowed a run in the top of the 9th. 3B Luis Figueroa had two of Tacoma’s three hits.
Midland 6, San Antonio 4. The once-hot Missions have now lost two in a row, as RHP Clint Nageotte (4 2/3 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) was hit quite hard and took his first loss of the season. If you’re looking for a positive, it’s that he only walked one this time out; command is key to Nageotte’s success down the road. 1B A.J. Zapp led the offense with a homer and a double, and 3B Justin Leone walked three times to go along with his second homerun of the season. CF Michael Curry stole two bases to give him 18 on the year, by far the highest total in the system.
Lake Elsinore 5, Inland Empire 2 (DH Game #1). In typical 66ers fashion, the team scored just two runs despite having ten hits in the game. For comparison, Lake Elsinore scored their five runs on seven hits. 3B Hunter Brown and CF Sheldon Fulse each had a pair, and six other players chipped in with one hit each. LHP Glenn Bott (4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) took the loss in the abbreviated game, dropping his record to 0-2 on the season.
Lake Elsinore 3, Inland Empire 2 (DH Game #2). The 66ers were done in yet again by a poor offensive showing, this time managing just five hits. It should be noted that they also drew six walks; this team actually walks quite a bit, but for whatever reason they seem incapable of stringing together hits to score than just a single run here and there. It doesn’t help that they’re dead-last in the California League in homers, either. Getting back to the game, RHP Enmanuel Ulloa pitched very well (5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) and left with a 1-0 lead, only to see RHP Emiliano Fruto cough it up in a poor relief outing (1 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K).
Wisconsin 6, Battle Creek 2. LHP T.A. Fulmer (9 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) gave the Timber Rattlers their first complete game of the year, picking up his second win and lowering his ERA to 3.63. Fulmer took a no-hitter into the 4th inning, but allowed a two-out double followed by an RBI single which tied the game at 1. Wisconsin countered with a SS Michael Garciaparra solo homer in the bottom of the 4th, followed by a 3B Matt Hagen three-run shot in the 6th. Hagen and Garciaparra, hitting 8th and 9th in the batting order, combined to go 6-8 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBIs on the day.
Minor League Highlights for Saturday, May 3
Iowa 3, Tacoma 2. Iowa pitching held the Rainiers to just four hits, winning a one-run game for the second straight day. RHP Brian Sweeney (5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) took the loss, though he still has a 1.91 ERA and 30:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 28 1/3 innings on the year. RHP Allan Simpson put together a solid relief outing (3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and C Pat Borders had two of Tacoma’s four hits, including a double.
San Antonio 21, Wichita 5. If this team were any hotter, they’d be in danger of spontaneously combusting. The Missions have now won a Texas League record 14 straight games, outscoring their opponents 104-41 during the streak. In yesterday’s 25-hit blowout win, all nine starters had at least two hits and all but one scored at least two runs. C Jim Horner led the way with five hits in six trips including a homer, raising his season average to a robust .475. Amazingly, 20 of their 25 hits were singles. LHP Bobby Madritsch didn’t pitch well (5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 0 K), but picked up the win thanks to all that run support.
Modesto 6, Inland Empire 2. The 66ers were shut down at the plate once again, scoring just twice on seven hits. RHP Enmanuel Ulloa, recently sent down from San Antonio, got the start but couldn’t make it out of the 5th inning (4 1/3, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Still, it wasn’t a bad start for a guy who has worked almost exclusively in relief the past two seasons. LHP Ryan Ketchner (2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) took the loss in relief but added to his remarkable 37:4 K:BB ratio. Offensively, 1B John Castellano went 2-4, scored once and drove in a run. CF Greg Jacobs added a triple and a run scored.
Dayton 4, Wisconsin 3. The Timber Rattlers dropped their second straight following their eight-game winning streak, despite taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Dayton tied it up in the sixth, then took a 3-2 lead in the 8th. Wisconsin answered with a run in the top of the 9th to tie, but RHP Bryan Heaston (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) allowed the winning run in the bottom half of the inning. 1B Jon Nelson led the offense with two hits including a solo homer in the 1st. The Timber Rattlers made four errors in the game, one of which led to Dayton’s tying run in the 6th.
Minor League Highlights for Friday, May 2
Iowa 4, Tacoma 3 (10 innings). The Rainiers seemed to have this game won after taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th, but normally reliable RHP Aaron Taylor (1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) blew his first save chance of the year and then lost the game in the bottom of the inning. RHP Ken Cloude (5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) bounced back from getting his shelled in his last start, and RHP J.J. Putz worked three scoreless innings in relief (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). Offensively, CF Chad Meyers led the way with three hits in four trips plus a walk, and Jacques Landry had two hits including his 4th homer of the year.
San Antonio 3, Wichita 1. The Missions made it 13 in a row yesterday, giving them longest streak in the minors this season and tying their own Texas League record from 2001. RHP Rett Johnson won his third game of the year with six strong innings (3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and RHP Jared Hoerman (1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) picked up his 7th save, tops in the system. The hitting star was LF Jaime Bubela, who doubled, tripled, scored and drove in two of the team’s three runs. 2B Jose Lopez added two hits and drove in the other run, and 3B Justin Leone scored twice. LHP Bobby Madritsch takes the hill today as San Antonio looks to set a new Texas League record. During the streak, the Missions have outscored their opponents by a 83-36 margin.
Modesto 8, Inland Empire 3. Neither LHP Glenn Bott nor RHPs Jeff Perez and Brian Strelitz were effective yesterday, combining to surrender twelve hits, six walks and three homers in a losing effort. The lone bright spot was 3B Hunter Brown, who went 3-4 with a double. The 66ers managed nine hits in the game, but were unable to put anything together offensively as they stranded ten runners. Brown’s double was the team’s only extra-base hit on the day. RHP Enmanuel Ulloa, recently demoted from San Antonio where he had been working in relief, gets the start today in Modesto.
Dayton 8, Wisconsin 1. The Timber Rattlers saw their eight-game winning streak come to a crashing halt yesterday in Dayton, scoring just one run despite nine hits. LHP Beau Hintz (5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) took the loss, though the real damage was done against RHP Rich Dorman (1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K). Offensively, three players — 2B Corey Harrington, RF T.J. Bohn and SS Michael Garciaparra — had two hits each. Harrington tripled, Bohn doubled and drove him in for the team’s only run, and Garciaparra added his 3rd steal of the year.
Minor League Highlights for Thursday, April 17
Tacoma 4, Tucson 3. The Rainiers won despite trailing 3-0 in the 5th inning, and scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. 3B Luis Figueroa, who led all M’s minor leaguers in batting average last season, was four-for-four with a double to raise his average to .341 on the year. Starter RHP Brian Falkenborg pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) but left when the game was tied so he didn’t get the win. Instead, LHP Tim Hamulack pitched a scoreless 9th (1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) to pick up his first victory of the season. SS Mickey Lopez and 1B Andy Barkett each had two hits for Tacoma, and RHP worked two scoreless innings (2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) in relief of Falkenborg.
Midland 7, San Antonio 5. RHP Clint Nageotte, who walked five batters in his last start but came away unscathed, was simply roughed up this time around and lasted just 3 1/3 innings (5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K). He also threw two wild pitches. Reliever RHP Enmanuel Ulloa, who took the loss, was also battered around (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Offensively, the Missions got homers from 1B AJ Zapp and C Scott Maynard. Maynard has been getting the vast majority of the time behind the plate as prospect (and projected starter) Ryan Christianson remains on the disabled list.
Inland Empire 3, Rancho Cucamonga 2. Offense continues to be a problem for the 66ers, as they’ve scored just seven runs in their past three games, but they picked up another win thanks to strong pitching. RHP Juan Done, who spent last season at Wisconsin, worked 6 2/3 innings (5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) but wasn’t around to pick up the win as his team scored two in the bottom of the ninth to win. LF Shin-soo Choo hit his second homer of the year, but his line on the season is a paltry .189/.318/.432. Still, those OBP and SLG numbers aren’t bad for a guy hitting .189 — four of his seven hits this year have gone for extra bases, and he’s drawn five walks against 37 at-bats.
Beloit 8, Wisconsin 4. The Timber Rattlers managed to hold super prosect 1B Prince Fielder to an 0-for-4 night at the plate, but apparently forgot about his teammates, allowing them to score six times in the first four innings. Starter RHP Tanner Watson lasted just 3+ innings (7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3, BB), though LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith kept the game relatively close with a solid relief appearance (4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). Watson’s ERA is now 7.71 compared to Rowland-Smith’s 1.93 mark, so it could be just a matter of time before the former loses his starting job to the latter. LF David Delucchi had two of Wisconsin’s seven hits.
Minor League Highlights for Super Tuesday, April 15
Tacoma 3, Tucson 1. RHPs Rafael Soriano and JJ Putz combined on a two-hitter, enabling the Rainiers to win despite having only five hits themselves. Soriano worked the first six innings (2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) to pick up his second win of the season, while Putz worked the final three in impressive fashion (0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) to pick up his first save. The game was played in just two hours and eleven minutes.
San Antonio 18, El Paso 11. The Missions won a slugfest by scoring nine runs over the game’s final three innings, including a six-run top of the seventh. 2B Jose Lopez — who yesterday I said was off to a slow start — had four hits in seven trips to raise his average to .286. LF Jamie Bubela also added four hits, while 1B AJ Zapp and DH John Lindsey each had three. Even scoring 18 runs, the Missions left 14 runners on base. RHP Rett Johnson was hit hard (5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 BB) but picked up the win. Of the ten pitchers who appeared in the game, only San Antonio’s Enmanuel Ulloa (1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) did not allow a run.
Lancaster 7, Inland Empire 2. RHP Emiliano Fruto was roughed up in his second start of the season, lasting just four innings (6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Fruto is a good prospect, but very young for the California League — he’ll turn 19 in June — and growing pains like this are to be expected. LHP Ryan Ketchner struck out six in three innings of relief and 2B Evel Bastida-Martinez and RF Shin-soo Choo each had two hits, including a triple for Choo.
Beloit 4, Wisconsin 3 (DH Game 1). The Timber Rattlers will play a number of double-headers this year to make up for all the games they missed due to bad weather at the start of the season. The first game was an extra innings afair, with Beloit scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth (remember, these games are seven innings). LHP Oscar Delgado (1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) took the loss in relief of starter LHP Beau Hintz (5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). Offensively, Wisconsin was led by CF Gary Harris, who tripled, homered and scored two runs. 2B Tim Merritt and LF Carlos Arroyo added two hits apiece.
Beloit 5, Wisconsin 3 (DH Game 2). Wisconsin dropped the second game as well, despite two more hits from CF Gary Harris to raise his season line to a robust .333/.381/.641 and 1B Jon Nelson’s second homer of the season. Nelson, who was out of baseball for two years while serving on his Mormon mission, led the Northwest League in homers last season while playing at Everett. He has considerable power but struggles with his plate discipline. LHP Cesar Jimenez, a young Venezuelan with a great changeup, started and took the loss for the Timber Rattlers (4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K).