Monday, April 30, 2012

Sunday a good day on the Home Side!

In Lakewood, the BlueClaws used the big inning again, scoring 7 times in the 6th to take a 7-3 win from Greenville.  Completely shut down by Boston's top prospect, Matt Barnes for 5.2 innings, the BlueClaws got him out of the game and exploded for the game winning rally.  Gustavo Gonzalez had 2 hits during the big inning, the first BlueClaw to have 2 hits in an inning in over 2 years.  (Jonathan Villar AND Jiwan James both had 2 hits in an 8-run inning back in 2010).  After a slow start, Gonzalez is turning it on, going 10 for 26 (that's .385)  in his last 7 games. Another good outing for Bryan Morgado, who threw 3 scoreless inning in relief of Ervis Manzanillo, to notch his first win.  After a few shaky outings to start the year,  Bryan has now thrown 8 straight shut out innings over his last 3 appearances.

More good news out of Lakewood, I spoke with Guantlett Eldemire and his x-rays were negative, there was no break as a result of his being hit by a pitch near his left wrist on Saturday.  He is swollen and will probably just sit out a few days, no need for the DL.


In Portland, the Reading Phillies scored 2 in the 8th and another in the 9th to take a 4-2 victory over the Sea Dogs.  Sebastian Valle (.283, RBI), Mike Spidale (.375, single, double, 2 RBI), and Miguel Abreu had 2 hits each for Reading.  Tyler Cloyd threw 6 1-hit innings, walking 3 and striking out 7, receiving no decision.
The win went to Tyson Brummett, who allowed a run in his 2 innings.  Cloyd and Brummett each have posted identical 1.80 ERAs for Reading.

In Allentown, the Yankees beat the IronPigs, 8-2, with the 2 runs runs coming on a first inning home run by Cody Overbeck, his second. Cody is now hitting .313 for Lehigh Valley.  Domonic Brown (.265) singled and was on board when Overbeck went deep.  Derrick Mitchell (0 for 4) and Tuffy Gosewisch (0 for 3) also played for the Pigs.  Jacob Diekman continues to pitch well, even if in trouble almost constantly.  Sunday he allowed a hit and 2 walks, recording 4 outs, 3 Ks.  The big strike out with men on base has become a big weapon for "Diek".

In Syracuse, Greg Golson (.321) had a single and a double, drove in 2 runs, stole his 6th base and scored a run for Charlotte to lead the Knights to a 5-2 win over the Chiefs.  The Knights come to Lehigh Valley this week, and I will be in Coca Cola Park Wednesday for the day game!............In Toledo, the Gwinnett Braves took a 2-1 win in 10 innings from the Mud Hens, but  Quintin Berry (.292) did have 2 hits for Toledo.......In Salt Lake City, Randy Ruiz had 2 more hits, including his 6th home run of the month, and drove in 2 runs (22) to help Reno top the Bees, 9-5.  "Homie" is hitting .373 for the Aces!...........In Sacramento, Michael Taylor (.360) had a hit, his 18th RBI and stole his 5th base of the year to help the River Cats defeat Tucson,  11-3.......In Pearl, Darren Byrd threw 2 scoreless innings of relief (just 1 walk) for Huntsville to help the Stars top the Braves, 7-3.


On Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays promoted Kevin Howard from New Hampshire to Las Vegas, where he made his season debut for the 51s in Sunday's 5-2 win over Tacoma.  Kevin had a single and a walk, and knocked in a run for Vegas.  Travis d'Arnaud (.263) was 1 for 4 and scored a run for the 51s..........In Memphis, the Redbirds beat Omaha, 5-4.  RJ Swindel recorded a hold, despite allowing 2 runs on 2 hits while getting just 1 out for Memphis

Floyd, Bourn sparlking

In Chicago on Sunday, Gavin Floyd threw no-hit ball into the 7th inning as the White Sox beat Boston, 4-1.  Floyd (2-3, 3.13) went 6.2 innings and allowed just 1 run on 3 hits.  That is 2 consecutive excellent starts for Gavin, who walked only 1 and struck out 9........In Philadelphia, Kyle Kendrick was not so fortunate.  Although he pitched much better in his 2nd start in place of injured Cliff Lee, Kendrick (0-2)  was the losing pitcher in a 5-1 Cubs win.  Kyle went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on just 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. Freddy Galvis went 0 for 3, slipping to .194 on the year.......In Miami, the Diamondbacks defeated the Marlins, 8-4.  Mike Zagurski came on in the 9th inning for Arizona and gave up 3 hits, including a 3-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton, and managed to record just 1 out. Yikes!...............Red hot Michael Bourn had 3 hits and a walk, and scored a run for the Braves in their 4-3 win over the Pirates.  Bourn is hitting .344, and has hit safely in 10 of 11 and  14 of his last 16 games.  He is 21 for his last 44-that's .477!!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Pointer slams Drive

Carlos Ruiz (.311) had 2 hits, including his 3rd home run of the season, and knocked in 3 runs to help lead the Phillies to a 5-2 win over the Cubs in Philadelphia Saturday.....In Atlanta, Michael Bourn rapped out 2 more hits for the Braves in a 4-2 win over the Pirates.  Bourn has now hit in 9 of his last 10, going 18 for 40 (.450) over that stretch, to raise his average to .326.

In Lakewood, Brian Pointer replaced Guantlett Eldemire after Eldemire was hit by a pitch in the second inning, and went on to get 3 hits, including the game-tying grand slam home run in the 7th inning and the BlueClaws went on to walk off in the 12th with a 6-5 win over Greenville.  Bob Stumpo made his Lakewood debut with a 3-hit game, and Miakel Franco got the game winning hit.  Colton Murray was the winning pitcher, working out of constant trouble for 2 innings. Stumpo joined Lakewood earlier in the day from Clearwater, with Drew Hillman being sent to extended spring training.

In Allentown, the IronPigs lost again to the Yankees, 8-4.  Derrick Mitchell had 2 hits, including his 2nd home run of the year, and drove in 2 runs, Cody Overbeck added 2 hits, and Domonic Brown chipped in with a hit. BJ Rosenberg threw 2 shut out innings (2 hits, 1 walk, 2Ks) for Lehigh Valley.

Jim Murphy hit his 3rd home run of the year in the 1st inning, leading the Threshers to a 10-3 road win over Brevard County.  Murphy drove in 3 runs (17) on the day, and Peter Lavin (.303) and Albert Cartwright (.246) added 2 hits each for Clearwater.  Colby Shreve threw 2 perfect innings for the Threshers.

In Portland, the Sea Dogs ripped Jonathan Pettibone for 6 runs, although only 2 were earned, on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 3.2 innings en route to a 9-1 win over Reading.  Troy Hazawa (.293) picked up 2 hits and drove in the lone run for the R-Phils.

In Las Vegas, Travis d'Arnaud (.263)  had 3 hits, including his 2nd home run, drove in 3 runs and scored 2 more for the 51s in their 15-5 pounding of Tacoma.........In Syracuse, the Chiefs and the Charlotte Knights split a doubleheader.  Greg Golson (.313) was 2 for 5, with a double and 3 runs scored on the day.......In Toledo, the Braves romped over the Mud Hens, 8-3.  Quintin Berry (.286) had a hit and a walk for Toledo.......In Salt Lake City, Randy Ruiz (.361) had a single and a double and knocked in a run (#20) for Reno in the Aces' 5-2 win over the Bees........In Pearl, Jesus Sanchez (2-0, 1.04) threw 3 fine innings in relief, allowing just 1 walk, striking out 3 to notch the win for Huntsville in their 2-1, 10-inning win over the Braves......In Frisco, the Corpus Christi Hooks ripped the Rough Riders, 10-1.  Jonathan Villar had a double, 2 RBI and scored a run, and Jonathan Singleton added a single and a walk.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

the Wright stuff

In Portland, Reading scored 1 in the 8th and 1 more in the 9th to steal a 5-4 win from the Sea Dogs.  Darin Ruf (.389) and Cesar Henandez (.310) had 3 hits each for Reading, and Steve Susdorf  (.354) added 2 hits and 2 RBI.  Julio Rodriguez was the starter and went 6  innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and only 1 walk, striking out 7 on the way for no decision.

In Clearwater, the Threshers edged the Cubs, 4-3.  Cody Asche (.313) led the attack with 3 hits, and everyone else in the Clearwater lineup had a hit.  Austin Wright (2.35) was fantastic, going 7 solid innings and allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 10.  Tyler Knigge gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in his inning and then received the victory when the Threshers took the lead in the bottom half of the frame.  Hector Neris threw a 1-2-3 9th for the save.

On a cold and windy night in Lakewood, the Asheville Tourists made it 3 out 4 against the BlueClaws with a 7-3 win.  Colin Kleven took the loss, but pitched much better than his line would indicate.  Colin went 6 innings, and gave up 4 runs, just 2 earned as the defense betrayed him, on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6.  Kenny Giles gave up 3 runs in his inning, before Mario Hollands restored order with 2 shut out frames.  Harold Martinez and Kyrell Hudson had 2 hits each for Lakewood, with Hudson stealing 3 more bases, to tie Guantlett Eldemire for the team lead with 12.  That's back-to-back 2 hit games for Hudson, who may be finding his stroke.  Lakewood has lost 7 of the last 8.


In Allentown, the Empire State Yankees held the IronPigs to just 3 hits in a 3-1 Yankee win.  Austin Hyatt (2-2, 3.12) was the starter for Lehigh Valley, and lasted just 4.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks.


In Salt Lake City, Randy Ruiz (.353) hit a 3-run homer(#5), one of 2 hits on the night, and drove in 4 runs for Reno, leading the Aces to a 12-7 win over the Bees.......In Toledo, Quintin Berry (.287) had 3 hits, and stole 2 bases (10 for the year), but the Mud Hens lost ,3-2 to Gwinnett.  Yohan Flande started for the Braves, and struggled with his control.  Flande went just 4.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks.  He did strike out 5 and received no decision.........In Memphis, RJ Swindel (1.29) threw a scoreless inning (1 hit, 1 walk, 1 K) for the Redbirds in a 5-4 win over Omaha.........In Las Vegas, Travis d'Arnaud had a hit and an RBI for the 51s in their 5-0 win over Tacoma...........In Frisco, the Rough Riders demolished the Hooks, 12-0, on just 4 hits, but Jonathan Singleton (.375) had 2 of the 4 hits for Corpus Christi.  Jarred Cosart was the starter and loser for the Hooks, working 4 innings and giving up 5 runs on 3 hits and 6 walks, falling to 1-1, 3.38 for the year........In Pearl, Jason Jaramillo had 2 hits and 3 RBI to help the Stars beat the Braves, 7-4.  Jesus Sanchez picked up the save, putting out the fire in the bottom of the 9th to squash a Braves' rally.

Bourn back on track

The Phillies returned home from their western swing and dropped a 5-1 decision to the Cubs.   Carlos Ruiz (.298) and Freddy Galvis (.206) had one hit each, while Antonio Bastardo (.2 IP, 1 walk, 1 hit) and Mike Schwimer (1.1 IP, 2runs, 2 hits, 1 walk) each worked behind Roy Halladay, who took the loss.

In Cincinnati, the Astros topped the Reds, 6-4.  Alfredo Simon (2.79) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, giving up 2 hits and a walk, for the Reds........In Atlanta, the Braves defeated the Pirates, 6-1, Michael Bourn (.317) had 2 hits and started another hitting streak for Atlanta..........In St. Paul, the Twins lost a 7-6 game to the Royals.  Matt Maloney recorded an out, and stranded 2 inherited runners.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Hewitt walks off in 10th!

With no HomeSiders active in the major leagues Thursday, I will move directly to the minor league boards.

In Clearwater, Anthony Hewitt belted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Threshers a 5-3 win over Daytona.  A big hit for Hewitt, who has struggled (.162) since coming off the DL, who had 2 on the night. Chris Duffy had a single and a double, and is 3 for 7 with Clearwater, and Edgar Duran (.269) had a double and triple and scored 2 runs.  Jesse Biddle went 6, and allowed just 2 runs, only 1 of which was earned, on 4 hits and 4 walks, striking out 4. Juan Sosa (1-2-3 inning), Lisalverto Bonilla, (2 IP, 1 run, 2 hits, 5Ks), and  Garrett Claypool (1-2-3 10th) finished it off.


In Allentown, the IronPigs were the visitors in their own home, again because Scranton has no home this year with their stadium being renovated.  More on that in a moment. The Pigs took a 6-4 decision from the Yankees.  Cody Overbeck (.302) had 3 hits to lead the attack, while Domonic Brown (.278, single, double 2 RBI),  Derrick Mitchell (.224, single, double, stolen base, run scored) and Tuffy Gosewisch (.264, single, walk, run scored) all chipped in.  Jacob Diekman recorded his 3rd save, allowing 2 hits and fanning a pair in his inning.  I understand the Phillies considered calling up Diekman last week, but decided to go with the more experienced Mike Schwimer, instead...........On the subject of the stadium renovation in Scranton, I have heard more than once that there are problems there, and that the "Empire State Yankees" may have played their last game in Scranton.



Reading wasted a very nice outing from David Buchanan, and lost to Richmond, 2-1.  Buchanan went 6, and allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 5 walks, striking out 4, lowering his ERA to 2.16 and receiving no decision. The loss went to Chris Kissock, who gave up the winning run his 2-inning stint, a home run by Ryan Cavan.  Cesar Hernandez (.284)  and Tim Kennelly (.261) had 2 hits each for Reading...........In Lakewood, the BlueClaws dropped a 4-3 game to Asheville.  Aaron Altherr (.319) had 3 hits and is red hot, and Kyrell Hudson and Guantlett Eldemire added 2 hits each.  All 3 of them stole a base!  Altherr has hit in 7 of the last 8 games, going 13 for 31 (.419) over the stretch, with multi-hit games 4 times.  An impressive Lakewood debut for Matt Campbell, who threw 3 innings, and allowed just 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 UNearned run.  O yeah, he struck out 6!  Welcome aboard, Matt.



In Iowa City, Adrian Cardenas (.338) had a single, a double, a walk, scored a run and drove in 4 (that's 13), to lead the Cubs to a 7-1 win over visiting Nashville............In Reno, Randy Ruiz (.344) was 3 for 4, including his 4th home run of the year, and drove in 2 runs (15 on the year) to power the Aces to a rain-shortened 4-1 win in Salt Lake City..........In Las Vegas, Travis d'Arnaud had 2 doubles, and Anthony Gose added a hit and his 7th stolen base, but the 51s lost to Tacoma, 6-4.  Andrew Carpenter got 4 outs (2 Ks) and Bobby Korecky threw a scoreless frame (1 walk) for the 51s...........In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Villar had 2 hits, and Jonathan Singleton had a double, a walk, an RBI (#13), and scored a run for the Hooks in a 5-4 win over Midland.



In Rochester, the Syracuse Chiefs took a doubleheader from the Red Wings, 5-4 and 3-2.  Matt Rizzotti, who has fallen on hard times just when I said how hot he was, was 0 for 2 in the second game for the Wings, and has slipped to .244.  Sorry, Riz..........In Gwinnett, Greg Golson (.307) had a hit and scored a run for Charlotte, but the Knights lost to the Braves, 3-1..........In Pearl (that's in Mississippi), Jason Jaramillo had a walk and scored a run for Huntsville, as the Stars took a 5-4 win from the Braves.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

dominos fall......

The promotion of Mike Schwimer to Philadelphia started a chain reaction up the chain for the bullpen pitchers.  BJ Rosenberg was promoted from Reading to Lehigh Valley to take Schwimer's spot,  Jordan Whatcott was sent from Clearwater to Reading, Colby Shreve was promoted from Lakewood to Clearwater, and Matt Campbell joined Lakewood from extended spring training.

Also, Chris Duffy came off the DL, and joined Clearwater, and Harold Martinez has joined the BlueClaws with Kelly Dugan unable to play since Friday.

update 11:15 AM..

Rosenberg made his debut for IronPigs, 2.1 IP, 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, a K in Pigs 12-1 loss to Buffalo, and Duffy hit a 3-run homer in his debut for Clearwater- a 6-4 loss to Daytona.  D'Arby Myers (.375) had 2 more hits, including a double and Jim Murphy also had 2 hits and an RBI for the Threshers.

Trevor May threw 6 shut out innings, only 1 hit and 2 walks, and struck out 7 to lead the R-Phils to a 1-0 win over Richmond.  May has been spectacular, posting a 4-0, 2.35 mark in 4 starts.  Tyson Brummett notched the save with a 1-2-3 9th inning.  Promotion-deserving  Steve Susdorf  had 3 more hits, raising his average to .349. 

Greg Golson (.310) had 2 more hits, including a home run, scored 2 runs and knocked in 2 more for the Knights, leading Charlotte to an 8-2 win in Gwinnett.

In Lakewood, the Asheville Tourists beat the BlueClaws, 4-3 in 10 innings, after Lakewood has tied it in the 9th, and left the winning run standing at third.  The BlueClaws had just 5 hits, with no one getting more than 1. Aaron Altherr and Gustavo Gonzalez drove in the runs, the tying run scored on a passed ball.  The team is 7-11, but look better than that to me, with different guys shining at different times.  Right now, kudos to Bryan Morgado, who after a tough start has now thrown  5 scoreless innings in a row.   Also, I have to say the electricity in the ballpark is evident each time Guantlett Eldemire  reaches first base.  Just 1 for his last 19, Eldemire is still showing good patience at the plate and reaching base by walk, or the other night by being hit by pitches twice.  (did that first one really hit you, Guantlett?  i don't think so!)  He has been impressive for a guy who sat out the better part of 2 years.  Oh, I almost forgot, he's 11 for 13 stealing bases.

Cole, Chooch lead Phils to win

The Phillies won the final game of their roadtrip, 7-2 over the Diamondbacks, behind strong pitching from Cole Hamels.  Cole went 8 solid innings, giving up just 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7.  Recently recalled Mike Schwimer threw the 9th.  Carlos Ruiz (.302) had 3 hits, scored a run and drove in another, while Freddy Galvis had a walk in 4 plate appearances.

In Milwaukee, the Astros beat the Brewers, 7-5.  Jay Happ started for Houston and lasted 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, picking out 8 Ks, and no decision......... In Baltimore, Kyle Drabek was just outdone, losing 3-0 to Baltimore. Drabek (2-1, 2.25) went 6 good innings and gave up just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks........In Los Angeles, the Braves scored 3 in the 9th to take a 4-2 win from the Dodgers. Michael Bourn (.312) saw his hitting streak stopped at 6 games with an 0 for 4.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Pointer, Franco lead Claws to win;Singleton belts 2


In Lakewood Tuesday night, the BlueClaws returned home with a thrilling 10-9 win over Asheville.  Great games for Brian Pointer (.316), who had 2 clutch hits, 2 walks, and 3 RBI, Miakel Franco (3 hits, including a triple and home run, and 2 RBI), Carlos Perdomo (double, home run, 3 RBI) and Gustavo Gonzalez (3 hits, 2 runs scored).  Ervis Manzinillo pitched better than his line shows (5 IP, 4 runs, 8 hits), and seemed to have the best command of his pitches he has had this year. Gabriel Arias struggled, allowing 5 runs in just 1.1 innings, but Colby Shreve put out the fire and recorded his 2nd win with 2.2 innings of relief.

In Reading, Tyler Cloyd improved to 3-0 for the R-Phils (4-0 overall) with 7 shut out innings for Reading in their 6-0 win over Richmond. Cloyd allowed just 5 hits, NO walks, and struck out 5.  Tyson Brummett threw a scoreless inning of relief, while Darin Ruf (.400) had 2 hits, including a home run, stole a base and drove in 2 runs and Jiwan James (.333) had a single and a double and also knocked in 2 runs.  Reading has now won 8 of 10, and at 12-5, is in first place!

In Clearwater, the Threshers had no hits until D'Arby Myers (.357) doubled in the 9th inning and then scored the game winning run in Clearwater's 1-0 victory over the Manatees.  Myers was delivered by outfielder Peter Lavin, another of the players who skipped Lakewood this season and went directly to Clearwater.  Great job of pitching by another of those who bypassed us, Adam Morgan, who threw 7 shut out frames before handing it over to Lisalveto Bonilla, who tossed 2 shut out frames of relief (1 hit, 3 Ks) and recorded the win.


In Allentown, the IronPigs grabbed a 4-3 win in 11 innings over Buffalo. Domonic Brown (.266) had a hit, a walk, an RBI, and stole a base (his 3rd),  and Jacob Diekman worked 2 innings and gave up his first run this year on 2 hits and a walk.


In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.377) was 4 for 4, including a triple, and 2 home runs, and knocked in 4 runs for the Hooks in their 8-2 win over the Rock Hounds.  Jonathan Villar contributed a hit and scored a run also for Corpus Christi..................In Gwinnett, the Braves held off the Knights, 5-4.  Greg Golson (.303) had a hit, 2 walks, and stole a base (#4) for Charlotte...........In Reno, Michael Taylor (.366) had a hit and 2 RBI (17) for Sacramento in the River Cats' 12-10 win over the Aces..........In Columbus, Quintin Berry had a double, 2 walks, an RBI and scored a run for Toledo, as the Mud Hens beat the Clippers, 12-8...........In Las Vegas, Anthony Gose had a single, a triple, and a walk, stole his 6th base, scored a run and knocked in 3 for the 51s, who lost an 11-6 decision to Colorado Springs.  Travis d'Arnaud had a hit in 4 at bats for Vegas.

Worley wins

The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks 8-5 Tuesday night behind a strong performance from Vance Worley.  Vance (2-1, 2.16)  went 5 innings and allowed just 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 for the win.  Antonio Bastardo came on and retired the only hitter he faced in the game. Freddy Galvis did not play for the first time this year. 

Before the game, Arizona called up Mike Zaguski, who threw 2 innings for Arizona, allowing just 1 run on a home run by Shane Victorino.  Also, the Phillies have placed the struggling Mike Stutes on the 15-day DL, and called up Mike Schwimer.

In Oakland, Gavin Floyd pitched well enough to win, throwing 7.1 innings for the White Sox, before leaving  with a runner on base. The inherited runner scored the game's first run in Oakland's 2-0 win, and Floyd (only 2 hits and 2 walks) was tagged with the loss.  BRUTAL!!

In Los Angeles, Michael Bourn (.329) kept his hitting streak alive with a double and a walk in the Braves' 4-3 win over the Dodgers......In Minnesota, Matt Maloney allowed 5 runs on 8 hits (3 Ks) in just 1.2 innings of work against Boston, in the Sox 11-2 pounding of the Twins.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Hewitt slams first dinger, Savage wins 4th

In Allentown, the Buffalo Bisons defeated the IronPigs, 5-1. Domonic Brown (.262), Cody Overbeck (.293), Tuffy Gosewisch (.267) and Derrick Mitchell (.229) each picked up a hit for Lehigh Valley, who have lost 3 in a row to slip to 11-7 on the year. Mike Schwimer threw a scoreless inning, despite allowing 2 hits, striking out 2.

In Clearwater, Jim Murphy (.300) and Carlos Alonso (.333) had 3 hits each for the Threshers in a 12-inning, 8-7 win over the Manatees. Anthony Hewitt had a double and a 3-run home run to lead the shark attack. (Welcome back, Brooklyn!!) The most effective hurler was Hector Neris, who threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 of the 6 hitters he faced, lowering his early season ERA to a sparkling 0.84.

Reading and Lakewood had scheduled days off Monday, and resume action tonight.


In Oklahoma City, Will Savage made his first start of the season for Albuquerque, and threw 6 strong innings for the Isotopes. Will allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 2 to improve to 4-0, 2.41 in the Isotopes' 3-2 win over the RedHawks. Savage is the first HomeSider to win 4 games this month........In Reno, the Aces took a wild, 10-inning, 14-13 game from Sacramento. Michael Taylor (.372) had a hit, scored a run and drove in his 15th run of the year for the Cats..........In Las Vegas, the SkySox pounded the 51s, 9-2. Anthony Gose had a hit and stole his 5th base of the year for Vegas..............In Iowa City, the Cubs lost a 6-2 decision to Memphis, Adrian Cardenas (.344) was 1 for 4 for the Cubs........In Toledo, Quintin Berry (.269) was 1 for 4 for the Mud Hens in their 5-3 victory over Columbus..........In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.333) had 2 doubles, a walk, drove in a run and scored 2 more for the Hooks in their 9-3 win over Midland. Jonathan Villar added an RBI hit also for Corpus Christi....In Huntsville, the Jackson Generals beat the Stars, 6-4 in 10 innings. Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 4, and Darren Byrd threw 2.1 innings of relief for the the Stars, allowing a run on 4 hits.

snakes bite Kendrick

Kyle Kendrick did not have his good stuff in his spot start for Cliff Lee Monday, struggling with his control and surrendering 7 runs on 11 hits in just over 3 innings as the Diamondbacks took a 9-5 win over the Phillies.It remains to be seen if this will effect whether Kyle makes the next start when Lee's turn comes up again. Joe Savery also pitched, giving up an Unearned run in his 1.1 innings of work. Carlos Ruiz was 1 for 4, a 9th inning home run, and Freddy Galvis had a double in 3 at bats for the Phillies.

In Los Angeles, the Dodgers stopped the Braves, 7-2. Michael Bourn had a hit and a walk, and now has a 6-game hitting streak in which he is 13 for 23 (.565).

Monday, April 23, 2012

Cosart, Wright sharp, and a De Fratus sighting!

I begin with Sunday's performance in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Jarred Cosart. Making just his second appearance, and first since opening day, Cosart threw 5 shut out innings (4 hits, NO walks, 4 Ks) and notched his first win of the season, in the Hook's 5-3 win over Frisco. Jonathan Singleton (.321) had a 2-run single, and then scored in the Hook's big 4-run 5th inning.

In Huntsville, the Stars defeated the Jackson Generals, 3-2. Jesus Sanchez threw 2 more scoreless innings for Huntsville. Jesus has been in 8 games so far, pitching 13 innings and allowing just 2 runs, that's 1.38 if you're counting along with me. A converted catcher, Sanchez won 9 games for Lakewood in 2009, then 10 games for Clearwater in 2010, before being released and then signed by the Brewers.

Exciting news from Clearwater, where Justin De Fratus made a rehab start for the Threshers, and threw a scoreless frame before handing it over to Austin Wright, who went the next 5. Wright (3-0, 2.81) allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, and struck out 10. Tyler Knigge retired all six hitters he faced, with 2 Ks, and Lisalverto Bonilla struck out 2 of the 3 he faced for a save in a 4-2 win over the Manatees. Third baseman Cody Asche, one of a trio of players who skipped from Williamsport to Clearwater this year, had 2 more hits and is hitting .313 for the Threshers.

In Rochester, the Red Wings beat Austin Hyatt and the IronPigs, 3-2. Hyatt went 5 innings, and gave up 3 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits and 1 walk, and slipped to 2-1, 2.53 on the year. An excellent start, to be sure! Jacob Diekman has also had an excellent start, and retired the final 2 hitters for the Pigs, with 1 strike out. Diekman has now thrown 6.2 innings in 6 different games, and has not given up a run. Domonic Brown (.263) had a hit and scored a run, and Cody Overbeck (.291) had an RBI hit for Lehigh Valley, while Matt Rizzotti (.256) was 0 for 4 for Rochester.

Reading and Lakewood were rained out.

In Reno, Michael Taylor (.389) had 3 hits and an RBI (#14) to help the Sacramento River Cats to a 12-4 beating of the Aces. Randy Ruiz (.317) had a hit and scored a run for Reno.............In Las Vegas, Anthony Gose had a single, a double, a walk, a stolen base (#4), an RBI and scored a run for the 51s in their 9-2 win over the SkySox. Travis d'Arnaud had a double, a walk, an RBI and scored twice for Vegas. Andrew Carpenter pitched 1.1 innings, and gave up a run on 3 hits, while Bobby Korecky retired all 6 hitters he faced...............In Charlotte, the Knights shut out the Braves, 2-0. Greg Golson (.302) had a hit and an RBI for the Knights.................In Iowa City, Adrian Cardenas had 2 more hits, including a triple and a walk for the Cubs in their 2-1 win over Memphis. Adrian his batting .350 hitting in front of Anthony Rizzo and both seem to be benefiting.

Bourn smoking!

In Phoenix on Sunday, Michael Bourn was as hot as the weather, going 3 for 3 with a walk, and scoring 2 run for the Braves, who lost 6-4 to Arizona. Bourn is now hitting .338, and is 12 for 19 (.632) during his current 5 game hitting streak.

In San Diego, the Padres beat the Phillies, 6-1. Carlos Ruiz was back in the line-up after missing 2 games, and had a hit and scored the Phillies run, while Freddy Galvis, who has played every game so far, was 0 for 3. Joe Savery threw 2 scoreless innings of relief................In Oakland, the A's took a 5-1 win from the Indians, Lou Marson had 2 walks in 3 plate appearances, and Jason Donald was 0 for 4 for Cleveland.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

rain shortened schedule

In Reading, the R-Phils lost a rain-shortened game to Akron, 7-4. Jonathan Pettibone started and went 5 innings for Reading, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks, absorbing the loss. Chris Kissock retired 5 hitters, but allowed 2 runs on 2 home runs in his stint. Steve Susdorf (.308) had the only 2-hit game for Reading.

Lehigh Valley, Clearwater and Lakewood were all rained out.


In Charlotte, the Knights beat Gwinnett, 3-1. Greg Golson (.305) was 1 for 3, stole a base, and scored a run for Charlotte..........In Iowa City, the Memphis Redbirds scored 9 runs in the 8th inning to come from behind and beat the Cubs, 12-7. RJ Swindel (1-0, 1.50) was the winning pitcher, throwing 2 shut out innings in relief for Memphis, striking out 3 of the 6 hitters he faced. Adrian Cardenas (.333) had a single, a double, a walk, and 2 RBI for Iowa.......In Reno, the Sacramento River Cats held the Aces to just 2 hits and took a 6-0 victory. Randy Ruiz (.321) had one of the hits for Reno, and Michael Taylor (.373) had a double and scored a run for the Cats...........In Las Vegas, the 51s scored a run in the 9th to tie the game and another in the 10th to take a 9-8 win from Colorado Springs. Anthony Gose had a single, a double, a walk, scored 2 runs and drove in another, and Travis d'Arnaud was 1 for 5 with 2 RBI for Vegas...........In Huntsville, the Jackson Generals beat the Stars, 11-8. Jason Jaramillo (.265) had 2 hits, scored a run and drove one in for Huntsville........In Corpus Christi, the Hooks beat Frisco, 11-3. Jonathan Villar had 3 hits, including a triple, and a walk, scored 2 runs and drove in 3, and Jonathan Singleton (.327) chipped in with 2 hits and a run scored for the Hooks.

Lee to DL

Saturday night in San Diego, the Padres ended a 13-game winning streak by the Phillies in Petco Park, defeating Roy Halladay and the Phillies, 5-1. Halladay was strong for 7 frames and allowed just 2 runs. Mike Stutes came on in the 8th with the Phillies down, 2-0. After retiring the first 2 hitters, Stutes walked Cameron Maybin. Maybin stole second on the next pitch, and Stutes seemed to lose a little focus and was tagged for 3 hits and 3 runs. Freddy Galvis was 0 for 4 in the game, and Carlos Ruiz sat out for the second game in a row with a sore wrist.

Before the game, the Phillies placed Cliff Lee on the 15-DL, retroactive to April 19, and recalled Joe Savery. Kyle Kendrick will make Lee's scheduled next start on Monday.

In Chicago, the Cubs snapped their losing streak with a 6-1 win over the Reds. Alfredo Simon threw 2 innings for Cincinnati, and allowed an UNearned run on 4 hits, striking out 2.............In Phoenix, Michael Bourn had 2 hits and scored a run to help the Braves win their 5th straight, 3-2 over the Diamondbacks. It was the 4th straight multi-hit game for Bourn, who is 9 for his last 16 and hitting .306 now............In Oakland, the Indians beat the Athletics, 5-1. Jason Donald (.241) had 2 hits, stole a base, and scored 2 runs for the Tribe.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Hanzawa rallies R-Phils

In Rochester, the Red Wings defeated the IronPigs, 5-2. The Lehigh Valley runs scored on solo home runs by Tuffy Gosewisch, who had 3 hits in the game, and Derrick Mitchell. Domonic Brown (.264) had 2 hits and a walk for the Pigs, while Matt Rizzotti (.286) picked up 2 hits for Rochester.

In Reading, the R-Phils scored a run in the 8th, 2 in the 9th to tie the game and another in the 10th to grab a 4-3 come-from-behind thriller from Akron. Darin Ruf (.396), Steve Susdorf (.278), Tim Kennelly (.278) and Troy Hanzawa (.310) all had 2 hits for Reading. Hanzawa got the game-tying 2-run single in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs to save the game for the Phillies. Julio Rodriguez had a rough start, lasting just 3 innings and giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, Tyson Brummett allowed a run on 2 hits in 2 innings of work, and BJ Rosenberg retired 6 in a row in the 9th and 10th innings and was awarded the win.

In Hagerstown, the Suns hit 4 home runs en route to a 15-2 pounding of the BlueClaws, who dropped their 4th straight. Aaron Altherr (.316) had the only 2 hit game for the Claws, and Brian Pointer hit his team leading 4th home run of the year.


In Louisville, Quintin Berry (.288) had a hit and a walk for Toledo in the Mud Hen's 2-1 win over the Bats............In Charlotte, Yohan Flande pitched 6.2 shut out innings for Gwinnett, yielding just 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8. He left the game scoreless, keeping his season ERA at 0.00! The Braves won, 3-0 with runs late. Greg Golson (.304) was 0 for 4 for the Knights, including striking out twice against Flande...........In Salt Lake City, the Bees trounced Las Vegas, 10-2. Travis d'Arnaud had 2 hits, and Anthony Gose had a walk and scored a run for the 51s. Andrew Carpenter gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in his inning and Bobby Korecky threw a 1-2-3- 8th inning for Vegas............In Fresno, the Grizzlies defeated Reno, 5-2. Mike Zagurski allowed the first 2 runs he has surrendered (in 6 innings) this year in his inning of work for the Aces.........In Sacramento, Michael Taylor (.387) had 2 doubles, an RBI (#13) and scored 2 runs for the River Cats in Sacramento's 7-4 win over Tacoma.........In New Britain, the Rock Cats defeated New Hampshire, 7-3. Kevin Howard (.316) had a hit, stole 2 bases and scored a run for the Fisher Cats.........In Huntsville, the Stars beat Jackson, 5-4. Jason Jaramillo had a single and a double and scored a run for Huntsville, and Darren Byrd threw 3 innings, allowing just 1 run and striking out 4, while Jesus Sanchez struck out 2 in his inning, and recorded the win.............In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Singleton (.318) hit his first home run of the year to help the Hooks defeat Frisco, 6-0.

Hamels sharp in win over Padres

Cole Hamels threw another 6 solid innings for the Phillies in their 4-1 win over the Padres in San Diego Friday night. Hamels (2-1, 2.95) allowed just 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4 to pick up the win. Freddy Galvis (.244) had 2 hits and a walk, scoring a run to help the Phillies' cause.

In Kansas City, Kyle Drabek battled his control and the Royals through 5.1 innings Friday. Drabek (2-0, 2.00) allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits, but walked 6 while striking out 5 and left the game with KC leading, 2-1. The Jays rallied for a 4-2 win after he came out........In Houston, Jay Happ (1-1, 4.00) went 6 innings against the Dodgers. Happ gave up 3 runs, 2 on a first inning home run by Matt Kemp, on 8 hits and 4 walks, and absorbed the loss in a 3-1 win for LA.

In Chicago, the Cubs dropped their 6th game in a row, 9-4 to the Reds. Lendy Castillo gave up a run on 1 hit and 2 walks in his inning of work for Chicago.........In Tampa, Matt Maloney threw an inning of scoreless relief, retiring a ll 3 hitters he faced and then picked up the win when the Twins rallied for a 5-4 win. It was Maloney's first win for Minnesota.............In Phoenix, Michael Bourn had a single, a double, scored a run and drove in another, and stole his 7th base of the year to help lead the Braves to a 9-1 win over the Diamondbacks. After a slow start, Bourn is 7 for 12 in the last 3 games , raising his average all the way up to .293.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Homie goes deep twice!

Randy "Homie" Ruiz hit 2 home runs for Reno, a grand slam in the 5th, and then a 3-run job in the 9th inning, but Reno lost to Fresno, 10-8. Ruiz- my Homie from the Bronx- now has 13 RBI for the Aces.

In Salt Lake City, Travis d'Arnaud belted his first home run for Las Vegas, and Anthony Gose had 2 hits, but the 51s lost to the Bees, 8-4.............In Louisville, Quintin Berry had a walk, and a stolen base (#8), to help Toledo beat the Bats, 10-4. The 8 steals lead all of AAA baseball!.....In Huntsville, Jason Jaramillo had a single and a walk, and scored 2 runs to help the Stars beat Tennessee, 9-7.

Pigs win; Threshers and Claws fall

In Buffalo, Cody Overbeck (.292) had 4 hits, including 2 doubles, drove in a run and scored 2 more as the IronPigs rallied with 5 in the 8th inning to steal an 8-4 win from the Bisons. Derrick Mitchell (.237) chipped in with a hit and a walk, and the win went to Mike Schwimer, who threw 1.1 inning and allowed a run, the first earned run Mike has allowed in 6 appearances. Joe Savery picked up the save, recording the final 5 outs. Lehigh Valley improves to 11-4 on the year.

In Lakeland, the Flying Tigers roughed up Jesse Biddle, and beat the Threshers, 7-1. Biddle (0-2, 7.94) lasted just 3 innings, and gave up 7 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits, NO walks, striking out 4. Garrett Claypool threw 2 scoreless innings of relief, but no Thresher had more than 1 hit. Jim Murphy doubled in the only run for Clearwater, who fell to 4-9 on the season.

In Hagerstown, the BlueClaws scored 6 runs in the first inning, but lost to the Suns, 11-9 in 10 innings. Before the game, Lakewood activated Mario Hollands off the DL, deactivating Chris Duffy. Maikel Franco, Brian Pointer and Gustavo Gonzalez had 2 hits each, with Franco hitting a monster home run. Kelly Dugan also went deep for the BlueClaws, who lost their 3rd straight. I will give the pitchers a break, and not talk about them.

Worley Ks 11 for 1st win

Vance Worley pitched 7 shut out innings Thursday night in San Diego, striking out a career high 11 batters, and allowing just 4 hits while walking 3, as the Phillies beat the Padres, 2-0 in the opener of the their weekend set. The Phillies managed just 6 hits in the win, none for either Carlos Ruiz or Freddy Galvis.

In Chicago, Gavin Floyd was not so fortunate. Gavin threw 6 innings for the Sox against the orioles, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6 as Baltimore topped the Sox, 5-3. Floyd is now 1-2, 4.58 in his 3 starts...........In Phoenix, Michael Bourn had 2 more hits and 2 walks, and scored a run for the Braves as Atlanta thrashed the Diamondbacks, 10-2. Bourn has raised his average this week up to .283............In Seattle, Jason Donald (.238) was 1 for 4 for the Indians, who scored 2 in the 9th to edge the Mariners, 2-1.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

no joy in Mudville......

In Buffalo, the Bisons made it 2 in a row over Lehigh Valley, stopping the IronPigs, 4-1 on just 4 hits. Domonic Brown (0 for 4) and Tuffy Gosewisch (0 for 3) were both hitless, but Jacob Diekman was impressive again, striking out the side in the his 1-2-3 inning.

In Richmond, just 1 day after scoring 19 runs, the Reading Phillies were defeated by the Flying Squirrels, 2-1 on just 5 hits. David Buchanan (1-1, 2.37) threw 6 solid innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 4. Jay Johnson also threw a scoreless frame in relief.

The BlueClaws wrapped up their initial home stand with a 9-1 loss to Greensboro. Aaron Altherr (.306) had the only 2-hit game, and the pitching struggled so much that infielder Carlos Perdomo had to throw an inning. If I tell you that Perdomo was the most effective pitcher we had on the afternoon, you get the idea what kind of a day it was!! The team heads to Hagerstown to open a series Thursday night, with Colin Kleven getting the start.

In Salt Lake City, Anthony Gose had 2 hits, including a triple, and scored a run for Las Vegas in their 6-4 loss to the Bees. Anthony also threw out a baserunner. Bobby Korecky tossed 3 innings in relief for Vegas, allowing just 1 run on 3 hit, striking out 2...................In Albuquerque, Will Savage recorded his 3rd win of the young season with 4.1 innings of scoreless relief in the Isotopes' 6-4 win over Iowa. Savage gave up just 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 2, and lowering his ERA to 2.13...............In Memphis, the Redbirds got past New Orleans, 7-5. RJ Swindel faced 3 hitters, retiring 1 and allowing 2 runs for Memphis.........In Louisville, Quintin Berry (.320) had a single, a double, 2 walks, and 2 RBI for Toledo as the Mud Hens accumulated 21 hits on their way to a 13-9 win over the Bats. Mike Costanzo belted a 3-run home run for Louisville............In Sacramento, the River Cats lost a 2-1 extra inning decision to Tacoma, with the Cats' lone run coming on Mike Taylor's 2nd home run of the year.............In Charlotte, Greg Golson (.333) had 2 hits, including a double and drove in 2 runs in Charlotte's 4 run 2nd inning, leading the Knights to a 4-3 win over Durham........In Huntsville, the Stars and the Tennessee Smokies split a pair of games, with the Stars winning 2-1 in the opener (Jason Jaramillo -0 for 3), and the Smokies taking the nightcap, 1-0. Jesus Sanchez threw 2 scoreless innings in relief in the second game.......In Manchester, New Hampshire edged Binghamton, 2-1. Kevin Howard had an RBI double for the Fisher Cats.

Giants beat Bastardo in 11th

After Cliff Lee (10 IP) and Matt Cain (9 IP) matched zeroes throughout the night, the Giants scored a run off of Antonio Bastardo in the 11th inning to take a 1-0 win in the rubber game of their series in San Francisco. Cain allowed just 2 hits in 9 frames, the Phillies tallying only 4 on the entire night, 1 each for Carlos Ruiz (.306) and Freddy Galvis (up to .237).

In Atlanta, Michael Bourn had 3 hits, a walk, stole his 6th base of the year, and scored a run, helping to lead the Braves to a 14-6 win over the Mets. Mike has his average up to .260 and appears to have the early season slump a thing of the past.........In Miami, the Marlins pounded the Cubs, 9-1. Lendy Castillo allowed a run on 3 hits in his inning of work for Chicago...........In St. Louis, the Cardinals defeated Cincinnati, 11-1, although Alfredo Simon did throw a 1-2-3 inning for the Reds......In Seattle, the Mariners held the Indians to just 4 hits, Jason Donald was 0 for 3 for the Tribe.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Ruf, Castro leads R-Phils to romp

In Richmond, Darin Ruf and Cesar Hernandez had 5 hits each, as the Reading Phillies exploded for 19 runs on 22 hits to beat the Flying Squirrels, 19-6. Ruf (.432) scored 4 runs, while Sebastian Valle and Leandro Castro had 3 hits each, with Castro driving in 6 runs to run his early season total to 14 RBI! Trevor May (3-0, 3.18) was the winning pitcher, and even got 2 hits in the game!! May went 5 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7.


In Buffalo, the Bisons stopped the IronPigs winning ways, with a 4-1 win Tuesday afternoon, holding Lehigh Valley to just 4 hits, one by Derrick Mitchell. Mike Schwimer retired 4 straight hitters, striking out 2, and Joe Savery gave up a run on 1 hit, striking out 2 in his inning of work.

In Tampa, D'Arby Myers (.360) had his 3rd 2-hit game game this week, but the Threshers wasted a great pitching performance by Brody Colvin, losing 2-1 to the Yankees. Brody threw 6 shut out innings, allowing just 2 hits, NO walks, and striking out 6, leaving the game with a 1-0 lead. Hector Neris and Lisalberto Boniila each gave up a run later. A quick word about Myers: if the Phillies would move up some of the Reading outfielders to where they belong in Lehigh Valley, D'Arby could move up to where he should be, which is AA. Some of these guys are being held back needlessly in my opinion.

In Lakewood, the Grasshoppers took a 4-3 10-inning game from the BlueClaws. Carlos Perdomo had the only 2-hit game for the Claws. Excellent pitching out of the pen from both Bryan Morgado (3 IP, 2 hits, NO walks, 3 Ks) and Kenny Giles (3 IP, 1 walk, 3 Ks) kept Lakewood in the game after starter Mike Nesseth struggled early with his control, walking 5 in just 2 innings.



Here is a quick look at the rest of the guys outside Philadelphia's system:

Charlotte- Greg Golson (.318) 1 for 3 with an RBI for the Knights in a 3-2 win over Durham.

Louisville- Quintin Berry (.304) had 2 hits, including a double, and a walk, drove in a run and scored 2 more, and stole his 7th base of the year for Toledo, as the Mud Hens outscored the Bats, 9-7.

Albuquerque- Adrian Cardenas (.370) had 2 hits, including a double, and drove in 2 runs for Iowa, but the Isotopes beat the the Cubs, 13-6.

Salt Lake City- Our Las Vegas 51s continue their struggles. Anthony Gose was 0 for 3, striking out twice and seeing his average slip all the way to .151, while Travis d'Arnaud went 0 for 4, falling to .200. Andrew Carpenter did toss 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit, and striking out 2 for Vegas.

Fresno- Randy Ruiz (.286) had 1 for 4 for Reno in their 4-2 loss to the Grizzlies.

Sacramento- Michael Taylor (.429) had 2 doubles and a walk, and scored a run for the River Cats, helping them to a 5-1 win over Tacoma.

Tulsa- Edwar Cabrera threw 1-hit ball for 8 innings against the Corpus Christi Hooks, both Jonathan Singleton and Jonathan Villar held hitless in the Drillers' 4-0 win.

around the majors

In San Francisco, the Giants evened their series with the Phillies Tuesday night, taking a 4-2 decision. Carlos Ruiz was 1 for 3 and drove in a a run with a sacrifice fly, and Freddy Galvis went 1 for 4, his average up to .229. Kyle Kendrick threw 2 scoreless innings ( 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 Ks) and Mike Stutes also tossed a shut out inning with 1 walk, and 1 K.

In Seattle, Jason Donald (.286) had 2 hits, drove in 2 runs and scored once to help the Indians defeat the Mariners, 9-8......In Atlanta, the Braves finally beat the Mets, 9-3. Michael Bourn (.217) had his 5th stolen base and scored a run for Atlanta..............In New York, the Yankees beat Minnesota, 8-3. Matt Maloney pitched 3.2 innings in relief for the Twins, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits...........In Washington, Gio Gonzalez threw 7 shut out innings for the Nationals, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8 as the Nats shut out Houston, 1-0.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Claws, Pigs, R-Phils win

Aaron Altherr had a single, a double, and a triple, and Guantlett Eldemire had a hit and 2 walks, and ran all over the Grasshoppers scoring 3 runs as the BlueClaws came from behind to take a 5-4 win from Greensboro and even their record at 6-6. And props to catcher Logan Moore, who is playing solid defense and driving in runs in the clutch! But star of this game has to go to Colby Shreve, who came out of the pen, put out an immediate fire, and threw three more nearly perfect innings to pick up a win. Ervis Manzanillo battled through 5.1 innings and some bad luck, but kept Lakewood in the game


In Buffalo, the Iron Pigs hot start continues with an 8-2 win over the Bisons. Derrick Mitchell had 2 hits and a walk, and drove in 4 runs to pace the attack, Domonic Brown added a double and an RBI, and Austin Hyatt pitched 5.2 strong innings for his second win of the year. Hyatt (2-0, 2.20) allowed just 1 UNearned run on 4 hits and 4 walks, striking out 4, as Lehigh Valley won for the 10th time in their first 12 games.

In Richmond, Troy Hanzawa (.333) had 2 hits, and he and Leandro Castro (.300) drove in 2 runs each to lead the R-Phils to a 5-3 win over the Flying Squirrels. Tyler Cloyd was the winner again, throwing 6 innings and scattering 10 hits, NO walks with 2 Ks. Mike Cisco (5 outs, 3 Ks, 1 hit), Jay Johnson (struck out only hitter), and BJ Rosenberg (1 IP, 1 walk, 1 K, 3rd save) tossed scoreless relief. Reading improves to 9-3.

In Tampa, the Yankees beat the Threshers, 6-2. Carlos Alonso had 2 more hits for Clearwater, and it was good to see Anthony Hewitt is off the DL and playing. Jim Murphy hit his 2nd home run for the Threshers.

In Indianapolis, Quintin Berry (.293) had a double, a walk, stolen base #6, and scored a run to help Toledo defeat the Indians, 9-3..........In Rochester, Matt Rizzotti had 2 hits and 3 RBI to lead the Red Wings to a 5-3 win over the Yankees. "Riz" is up to .286, with 5 RBI in 7 games and is forcing his way into Rochester's everyday line-up. Never a flashy player, Matt seems to just get the job done on a regular basis. (The Wings were the visiting team in their own ballpark, as the Yankees are playing home games all over the place while the stadium in Scranton undergoes renovation this year.)............In Charlotte, Greg Golson (.317) had 2 hits and a walk, drove in a run, and scored 3 more to pace the Knights to a 14-2 win over Durham. Golson appears to be ready for a big year, if he can stay healthy.................. Already off to great start is Adrian Cardenas, who had a hit and a walk last night in Round Rock to help the Cubs take a 3-2 win. "AC" is off to a .357 start for his new team....................Hottest of all, so far is Michael Taylor, who had 3 more hits last night in Sacramento as the River Cats edged the Reno Aces, 2-1. The 3 hits elevate Mike's average to a lofty .417! Randy Ruiz (.289) had a hit for the Aces.


In Colorado Springs, the SkySox swept a doubleheader from Las Vegas,2-1 and 3-2. Our boys suffered along with their teammates: Anthony Gose was 1 for 7, with a run scored and Travis d'Arnaud 0 for 3 on the day.............In Tulsa, the Drilliers beat Corpus Christi, 7-1. Jonathan Singleton (.343) had a hit and a walk, but Jonathan Villar continues to struggle. Villar had a double in 5 at bats and is hitting just .174 for the Hooks......In Huntsville, the Stars beat the Tennessee Smokies, 5-2 with Jason Jaramillo contributing a double and a walk for the Stars.

Phillies win matchup of aces

The Phillies scored 4 runs in the top of the first innig off Tim Lincecum, and rode that to a 5-2 win behind Roy Halladay. Carlos Ruiz (.300) and Freddy Galvis had a hit each, Galvis looking more comfortable everyday..............In Atlanta, the Mets beat the Braves for the 4th straight time, this time 6-1. Michael Bourn had a hit and 2 stolen bases (that's 4 so far).

In a move that I overlooked earlier this month, the Dodgers released Carlos Monasterios. "Monte" had Tommy John surgery last year, then this spring had to have his ulna nerve repaired.

Monday, April 16, 2012

big inning does it again

The BlueClaws scored 6 runs in the 6th inning Sunday afternoon to take a 7-4 win from Hagerstown. It was the 4th time in 4 home games that Lakewood has scored at least 6 runs in 1 frame! Logan Moore had the big blow, a bases clearing double, one of his 2 doubles on the day. Chris Duffy and Maikel Franco also had 2 hits for Lakewood, who improved to 5-6 on the year. Lino Martinez picked up his second win of the year, and Ryan Duke notched his 3rd save.

Reading and LV win

In Indianapolis, the Indians and Mud Hens split a doubleheader, with Indianapolis taking the opener, 10-3, and Toledo winning the nightcap, 4-3. Quintin Berry had a double and stolen base (#5) in the first game, and a single and 2 walks in the second game for Toledo...........In Allentown, the IronPigs won again, this time 3-1 over Rochester. Domonic Brown had a single, a double, an RBI and scored a run for the Pigs, Cody Overbeck chipped in 2 hits and an RBI, while Derrick Mitchell (0 for 4) and Tuffy Gosewisch (0 for 3) were hitless. Matt Rizzotti had 2 hits and an RBI for Rochester............In Round Rock, Adrian Cardenas (.359) collected 4 hits for Iowa, and drove in a run , but the Cubs lost a wild 11-10 extra innings affair to the Express.........In Albuquerque, the Isotopes earned a 9-7 win over Omaha, Will Savage picking up his second win in relief with 1.1 innings of scoreless ball. Will stranded both runners he inherited to help the Isotopes post the win..............In Sacramento, Randy Ruiz had a single, a double, a walk, and scored Reno's only run of the day in their 3-1 loss to the River Cats.

In Harrisburg, Cesar Hernandez (.278, double, triple, 3 RBI, 2 runs), Steve Susdorf (.296, triple, RBI, walk) and Mike Spidale (.391) had 2 hits each, as Jonathan Pettibone picked up his first victory of the year in Reading's 9-3 win over the Senators. "Bone" threw 5.2 innings for Reading, allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, and even got a hit himself. Tyson Brummett struck out the side in his inning of work..........In Tampa, the Yankees topped the Threshers, 6-1. Carlos Alonso had 2 hits for Clearwater. Garrett Claypool absorbed the loss, allowing 5 runs on 3 hits and a walk over 2 innings. Tyler Knigge tossed a scoreless frame of relief.

In Tulsa, Jonathan Singleton (.344) had 1 hit, and Jonathan Villar's early slump continues (0 for 4, .171) for Corpus Christi, as the hooks dropped a 3-1 decision to the Drillers...........In Huntsville, the Stars beat the Smokies, 5-4. Jesus Sanchez pitched 2 innings (1 hit, 1 walk, 2 Ks) and Jason Jaramillo drove in a run for Huntsville.

HomeSiders earn 2 more wins

The Phillies salvaged the final game of their weekend series with the Mets behind superior pitching from Cole Hamels, and a late offensive explosion. Hamels gave up a 2-run home run to Ike Davis in the first inning, and then shut the Mets down for the rest of the day. Cole went through the 7th inning, allowing just the 2 runs on only 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10 and looking like the old Cole! He picked up his first win of the year as the the Phillies scored 7 late runs for an 8-2 win. Carlos Ruiz had a hit in 5 at bats on the offensive side.

Thyis morning, the Phillie activated Jose Contreras and optioned Joe Savary to Lehigh Valley.

In Toronto, Kyle Drabek won his 2nd game in as many starts for the Blue Jays, going 7.1 innings against the Orioles, allowing just 2 runs, only 1 of them earned, on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 in the Jays' 9-2 victory. Drabek is now 2-0, 1.42 in his 2 starts..........In Miami, Jay Happ also was strong, going 6 solid innings for the Astros. Jay gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, fanning 8, but the woeful Astros bullpen let the victory get away, with the Marlins winning in walk off fashion in the 11th............Michael Bourn's slow start seems to be over, as he picked up 3 hits including a double, scored a run and stole his 2nd base of the year for the Braves in their 7-4 home win over Milwaukee..........In Kansas City, the Cleveland Indians scored a 13-7 win over the Royals, Lou Marson had a hit and an RBI, and scored a run for the Tribe............In Minnesota, Matt Maloney threw a 1-2-3 inning for the Twins in their 4-3 loss to Rangers, while in St. Louis, Lendy Castillo threw 2 innings for the Cubs, and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk, striking ouit 4 in the Chicago's 10-3 loss to the defending champs.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Franco powers Claws to win

Miakel Franco had 3 hits Saturday, including a monster home run, and drove in 3 runs to lead the Lakewood BlueClaws to a resounding 14-4 win over the Suns. Everyone in the Lakewood lineup had a hit, with Aaron Altherr picking up a single and a double and 2 RBI, Brian Pointer had a hit and 2 walks and scored 3 times, and Guantlett Eldemire had a hit, a walk, scored twice and stole 2 more bases. Guantlett is 8 for 8 in steals so far and it appears Anthony Gose's team mark of 76 steals may be in jeopardy!!

Colin Kleven continued a run of very good starting pitching, giving up just 3 UNearned runs on 3 hits and 4 walks over 6 good innings, striking out 5 on the way to notch his first win of the season.

Pigs on a roll (not in a blanket)

Lehigh Valley improved to 8-2 on the year with a 5-2 win over Rochester Saturday in Allentown. Domonic Brown is finding his stroke, getting 2 more hits, including a triple and 2 RBI. He also stole a base, his 2nd. Jacob Diekman continues his magic, allowing 2 hits in his inning, but getting out of without allowing a run, striking out 2 to record his 2nd save of the year, and keeping his early season ERA at 0.00!

In Clearwater, the Threshers scored 3 in the first en route to a 6-2 win over Lakeland. Austin Wright was the starter, going 6 solid innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5 to improve to 2-0, 2.45 on the year. D'Arby Myers (.389) has his second straight 2-hit game, and Edgar Duran (.276) and Jim Murphy (.310) chipped in 2 hits apiece also.


In Harrisburg, Reading lost to the Senators, 4-3. Leandro Castro (.314) had 3 hits, including a double and scored a run, while Mike Spidale (.389), Sebastian Valle (.300) and Tim Kennelly added 2 hits each for the R-Phils. Julio Rodriguez started and pitched well, going 6 good innings and allowing just 1 earned (3 overall) on 5 hits and 2 walk, striking out 3. Jay Johnson threw a shut out frame in the 7th, before Mike Cisco gave up the winning run in the 8th........In Manchester, Kevin Howard had 3 hits and a walk for the Fisher Cats, including a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to start a 5-run rally in the bottom of the 9th inning. Unfortunately, they were down by 6 and lost to New Britain anyway, 7-6.


In Colorado Springs, the SkySox beat Las Vegas, 3-2. Anthony Gose was 1 for 3, knocked in a run and the scored the other run for the 51s, picking up his 3rd stolen base along the way...........In Gwinnett, Yohan Flande picked up his first win of the season for the Braves, pitching 5 shut out innings against Durham in the Gwinnett's 5-0 win. Flande allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4...........In Norfolk, Greg Golson was 3 for 4, raising his average to .306, for Charlotte as the Knights beat the Tides with 3 in the 9th innings, 5-2.........In Round Rock, Adrian Cardenas was 1 for 4 and scored a run for Iowa, but the Cubs lost a 6-5 decision to the Express.........In Sacramento, the River Cats defeated Reno, 4-3. Randy Ruiz was 1 for 4 with an RBI, and Mike Zagurski threw threw a 1-2-3 9th inning for the Aces, and Michael Taylor had a hit for Sacramento.

In Birmingham, the Barons beat Huntsville, 6-2. Jason Jaramillo was 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Stars in the losing effort. Darren Byrd gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks in 2 innings of work for Huntsville.......In Springdale, the NW Arkansas Naturals defeated Corpus Christi, 9-7. Jonathan Singleton had a double and 2 walks, scoring 2 runs, and Jonathan Villar had a hit, a walk, stole his 7th base, and scored a run for the Hooks. Villar also made 3 errors at shortstop (Yikes!!).

Floyd shuts down Tigers

In Detroit Saturday afternoon, Gavin Floyd tossed 6 shut out innings for the White Sox to pick up his 1st win of the year, as the Sox beat the Tigers 5-1. Floyd allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6 to record the third major league win for HomeSiders this year.

In Philadelphia, Vance Worley was the hard luck loser against the Mets, as the Fightin' Phils were shut out by the Mets, 5-0. Vance pitched well, but not well enough, going 6 innings and allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks, striking out 5 New York hitters. Antonio Bastardo struck out the only 2 hitters he faced , and Mike Stutes allowed a run on a hit and 2 walks in the 9th inning. Freddy Galvis had 1 of the Phillies' 6 hits, and Carlos Ruiz took a day off, appearing as a pinch hitter in the 7th and then staying in the game.

In Kansas City, Jason Donald had 2 hits, including a single in the 10th inning to start the winning rally for the Indians, helping Cleveland beat the Royals, 11-9. Donald had an earlier RBI and scored the go-ahead run in the 10th.........In Atlanta, Michael Bourn was 1 for 4 for the Braves as they edged the Brewers, 2-1.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

some good, some not so good on Friday the 13th

In Allentown, the IronPigs improved to 7-2 on the year with an 8-6 win over Syracuse Friday night. Cody Overbeck had 2 hits, including a 3-run homer, Domonic Brown added a single and double, scoring a run, Tuffy Gosewisch was 1 for 4 with an RBI and Derrick Mitchell walked and scored a run to aid the cause. Michael Schwimer recorded his 2nd save of the year with 2 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit while striking out 3.

In Harrisburg, the senators defeated Reading, 6-3. Mike Spidale (.385) had a single and a double and scored a run, in the only multi-hit game on the Reading scorecard. And while I am on the subject of Spidale, can anybody tell me why the man is still in Reading? Surely in 6 years in the organization, he has earned a chance to move up and get some kind of a shot- spring training invite, September call-up, regular time in AAA, anything? Anyway, I digress, David Buchanan pitched well for Reading, going 6 solid innings- 3 runs, 7 hits, NO walk, 3 Ks and no decision.

In Clearwater, D'Arby Myers (.333) had a single and a double and scored 2 runs for the Threshers, who were soundly beaten by Lakeland, 10-2. Jesse Biddle was roughed up, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, in just 4.1 innings. Jesse did strike out 7 in this outing. Tyler Knigge allowed a hit while retiring 2 hitters, Juan Sosa struck out 2 and allowed 2 UNearned runs in his inning, and Hector Neris tossed a scoreless frame.

In Lakewood, the BlueClaws were shut down after their outburst Thursday, losing to Hagerstown, 5-1, managing just 4 hits. Ethan Stewart pitched very well, going 6 strong frames, and yielding just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 6. Colby Shreve struggled through 1.2 inning and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits, including a monster home run to the first hitter he faced, Cole Leonida of the Suns, for what turned out to be the deciding run.



In Indianapolis, Quintin Berry (.300) had a single and a double, stole his 4th base, and scored a run for Toledo, but the Indians beat the Mud Hens, 3-2...........In Norfolk, the Tides beat Charlotte, 4-3 in 14 innings. Greg Golson (.250) was 3 for 7 for the Knights..............In Round Rock, Adrian Cardenas (.311) was 1 for 3 with a walk, and scored a run for Iowa, as the Cubs edged the Express, 6-5..............In Colorado Springs, Travis d'Arnaud had 2 doubles, 2 walks, scored 2 runs and drove in another, and Anthony Gose had a single, a double a walk, 2 RBI and scored 2 runs for Las Vegas, as the 51s destroyed the SkySox, 14-0. Andrew Carpenter threw 2 shut out innings for Vegas.........In Memphis, Oklahoma City ripped the Redbirds, 11-3. RJ Swindel did throw a shut out inning (1 hit, 1 K) for Memphis, and has thrown 4 shut out frames so far this year for the Redbirds........In Albuquerque, Will Savage tossed 2 shut out innings (1 hit, 1 walk, 1 K) for the Isotopes, recording his 2nd hold of the year, in their 7-4 win over Omaha.



In Rochester, Matt Rizzotti was 0 for 4 for the Red Wings in their 4-3 loss to Pawtucket, while in Sacramento, the Reno Aces shut down the River Cats, 2-0. Randy Ruiz (.259) was 0 for 3 with a walk for Reno, and Michael Taylor (.395) did the same for Sacramento.........In Springdale, Corpus Christi scored 7 runs in the 9th inning to bury the Naturals, 12-2. Jonathan Villar (.182) had 2 walks and scored twice, and Josh Zeid threw the final inning and allowed the 2 runs on 3 hits........In Birmingham, Jason Jaramillo (.208) was 0 for 3 for Huntsville, as the Stars beat the Barons, 4-3.

Galvis first dinger earns silence

The Mets topped the Phillies, 5-2 on Friday night, but there were some bright spots. Freddy Galvis had 2 hits, his average on a steady rise this week, including his first major league home run! A little humor in the dugout, as his teammates gave him the silent treatment when he returned. Carlos Ruiz (.350) had a hit in 4 at bats and scored the Phillies' other run. Kyle Kendrick work 1.1 innings in relief, allowing a run on a hit and 2 walks, before yielding to Joe Savery, who walked 1 while retiring 2.

In Washington, Alfredo Simon bounced back from his last outing with 2 shut out innings (2 walks, 1 K) for the Reds in their 2-1, 13-inning loss to the Nationals.........In Minnesota, Matt Maloney tossed a 1-2-3 inning (1 K) for the Twins in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers............In Atlanta, Michael Bourn may have broken out of his early slump with 2 hits, including a triple, a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored for the Braves, as Atlanta pounded Milwaukee, 10-5.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Claws win opener!

The Lakewood BlueClaws opened their home season with a 6-run 1st inning en route to an 8-1 win over Hagerstown. Mike Nesseth got the win, throwing 5 good innings after a shaky first, in which he allowed 3 hits, but no runs. In all just 1 UNearned run on 5 hits and 2 walks, 3 Ks. Kenny Giles pitched the final 4 innings, giving up just 1 hit and 2 walks, while striking out 4, and picking up a save.

Kelly Dugan had 2 hits and 2 RBI, Guantlett Eldemire had a hit, 2 walks, a stolen base, and scored 3 times, and Logan Moore belted a 2-run homer to cap the 6-run rally. The BlueClaws stole 2 bases in the game, and are 20 for 20 in that department so far!

Tuffy slams Chiefs

In Allentown, Tuffy Gosewisch belted a grand slam home run to cap a 5-run inning and help the IronPigs defeat Syracuse, 5-4. Domonic Brown had a hit and scored a run and Derrick Mitchell was 0 for 2 in the game.

In Harrisburg, Trevor May pitched 7 sparkling innings, and doubled in a run to help his own cause, as the R-Phils defeated the Senators, 4-1. May (2-0) allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4. Steve Susdorf and Cesar Hernadez had 2 hits each for the R-Phils, and Tyson Brummett and BJ Rosenberg each threw a shutout inning, Tyson nothing a hold and Rosie the save.

In Clearwater, Jim Murphy had 3 hits, including a double and his first home run of the year, scored 3 runs and drove in 3 more to power the Threshers to a 6-5 extra inning win against Lakeland. Cameron Rupp (.368) and Jeremy Barnes had 2 hits and an RBI each for the Threshers. Brody Colvin started and went the first 5 innings, allowing 4 runs (just 2 of them earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3 along the way. Garrett Claypool threw 2 scoreless innings of relief.

In Toledo, Quintin Berry smacked 3 hits, including a double, stole a base (#3) and drove in a run for the Mud Hens, helping them to an 8-1 beating of Louisville.......In Arkansas, Jonathan Singleton belted 2 doubles and a triple, drove in a run and scored 3 times for Corpus Christi, as the Hooks defeated the Naturals, 12-5. Jonathan Villar was 1 for 6, and stole his 5th base of the young season.

In Rochester, Matt Rizzotti had a double in 4 at bats for the Red Wings, who lost to Pawtucket, 10-1..............In Norfolk, the Tides beat Charlotte, 1-0, holding the Knights to just 4 hits, 1 of them by Greg Golson...............In Reno, the Aces tied their game with Salt Lake in the 9th and then won it in the 13th, 7-6. Randy Ruiz had a double and a walk, and scored a run for Reno...............Over in Vegas, Fresno beat the 51s, 8-5. Anthony Gose had a walk, his first 2 stolen bases, scored a run and drove in another, and Travis d'Arnaud picked up 2 more hits for the 51s. Bobby Korecky threw the last 2 innings for Las Vegas, allowing a run on 2 hits.........In Tucson, the Padres shut out Sacramento, 5-0, Michael Taylor (.429) was 1 for 4 for the River Cats.

Phillies win, Nationals beat Simon

Thursday in Philadelphia, the Phillies topped the Marlins, 3-1, behind very strong pitching from Joe Blanton. Carlos Ruiz was 0 for 3, slipping to .375, and Freddy Galvis was 1 for 3 and is now 3 for 20 (.150) to start his career.

In Washington, the Nationals walked off in the 10th inning inning after Brad Lidge blew the save in the 9th, defeating Alfredo Simon. Simon hit Ryan Zimmerman with a pitch leading off and wild pitched him home with 2 outs, giving the Nats a 3-2 win.

The Astros have announced that Sergio Escalona has had Tommy John surgery and will miss all of the 2012 season.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

LV, Reading post wins

In Allentown, Austin Hyatt won his first game of the year for IronPigs, throwing 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2 in Lehigh Valley's 7-6 win over Syracuse. Jacob Diekman threw 2 more scoreless frames, despite allowing 4 hits. Diek has been in trouble in a few outings, but has wiggled out of trouble and has yet to allow a run. Domonic Brown had a hit and a walk, scored a run and drove 1 in (#4) for the Pigs.

In Reading, Tyler Cloyd gave up 2 runs in the first inning, but then settled into a nice outing:6 IP just the 2 runs, 6 hits, NO walks, and 6 strike outs, picking up the victory for Reading as they beat New Hampshire, 4-2. Darin Ruf (.458) and Jiwan James (.417) had 2 hits each for the R-Phils, and Mike Cisco threw 2 scoreless innings (2 hits, 1 walk, 3 Ks) to notch a hold.

In Clearwater, the Threshers lost to Tampa, 2-1 in 12 innings. Tyler Knigge, Hector Neris and Lisalberto Bonilla combined for 5 shut out innings, before Juan Sosa allowed the winning run in the 12th.

In Greensboro, the BlueClaws wrapped up their opening road trip 2-5 with a 5-1 loss to the Grasshoppers. Maikel Franco had the only 2-hit game for Lakewood, who open at home tonight against Hagerstown.

In Rochester, Matt Rizzotti was 1 for 3 for the Red Wings in their 2-1 over Pawtucket, and has a hit in each of the 2 games he has played for Rochester.........In Iowa City, Adrian Cardenas (.320) had a triple and a walk, and scored a run for the Cubs as they beat Albuquerque, 5-1.........In Las Vegas, the 51s pounded out a 14-4 win over Fresno. Anthony Gose walked twice and scored both times, and Travis d'Arnaud added a hit, an RBI and scored a run also................In Tucson, Michael Taylor (.452) doubled and scored a run in the 9th inning to start the winning rally for Sacramento, who came from behind to beat the Padres, 3-2. It was the 3rd double of the game for Mike who has come out of the gate smokin'!!.........In Birmingham, the Barons rallied to beat Huntsville, 4-2. Jesus Sanchez came on and retired the only hitter he faced for the Stars.

Galvis, Ruiz lead Phillies to win

The Phillies offense exploded for 5 runs in the 3rd inning Wednesday night, one of the big blows was another 2-run, 2-out double for Freddy Galvis. Although he has managed just 2 hits so far, they have both been clutch, and has driven in 4 runs in the last 2 games. Carlos Ruiz had 2 more hits, including a home run, and is hitting .462 for the first 5 games. Ruiz has been a slow starter in the past, getting hotter with the weather, but has come out firing in 2012! Mike Stutes threw a 1-2-3 9th inning in the 7-1 win over the Marlins.

Michael Bourn continued his early slump, 0 for 5 again in Atlanta's 6-3 win in Houston. Mike is hitting a mere .125 in the first 6 games for the Braves.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Pointer goes deep again!

In Greensboro, Brian Pointer (.421) belted his 3rd home run of the year, and Tyler Greene also homered-both with 2 men on- as the BlueClaws beat the Grasshoppers, 10-6. Guantlett Eldemire (.368) had 2 hits, 2 walks, scored 3 runs and drove home 2 more, and Kelly Dugan added 2 hits as the Claws improved to 2-4. Lino Martinez picked up the win, despite walking 6 in 5 innings, and allowing 3 runs, and Ryan Duke threw 2 scoreless innings to record his 2nd save.


In Reading, Darin Ruf continues to be hot, picking up 3 more hits and raising his average up to .450, and Steve Susdorf and Jiwan James (.400) hit home runs, but Reading lost to New Hampshire, 3-2. Jonathan Pettibone pitched well, going 6.2 inning, and allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3 and being tagged with the defeat. Jay Johnson retired 4 hitters (1 hit, 1 K) in relief.

In Corpus Christi, Jonathan Villar had 2 hits and a walk, and stole his 4th base in 5 tries, and Jonathan Singleton (.300) also had 2 hits, a walk, and an RBI, for the Hooks, who lost 6-3 to Tulsa.........In Birmingham, Jason Jaramillo (.294) had a hit and 2 walks, scored a run and drove 1 in for Huntsville in their 8-7 , 11-inning loss to the Barons.

A.C., Homie, Taylor go deep

Not the best day Tuesday for HomeSiders in the International League.

In Pawtucket, the Red Sox shut down the IronPigs, 8-0, holding Lehigh Valley to a mere 4 singles. Tuffy Gosewisch and Cody Overbeck picked up a hit each, while Derrick Mitchell (0 for 3) and Domonic Brown (0 for 4) did not.

In Toledo, Quintin Berry did not fare any better, going 0 for 4 for the Mud Hens in their 3-1 win over Louisville, while Greg Golson was 0 for 4 with a run scored for Charlotte in the Knights 5-0 win in Durham.

In the Pacific Coast League, it was a little better. In Iowa City, Adrian Cardenas (.318) had a double and a home run, scored 2 and drove in 2 for the Cubs in a 6-5 loss to Albuquerque.......In Reno, Salt Lake edged the Aces, 2-1. The lone Reno run came on a home run by Randy Ruiz (.300).............In Tucson, Michael Taylor (.407) had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and a walk, and drove in 3 runs (that's 11 RBI already) for Sacramento as the River Cats exploded for 22 hits in an 18-6 win over the Padres............In Las Vegas, Travis d'Arnaud had 2 hits including a double, but the 51s dropped a 10-5 decision to Fresno. Anthony Gose continues his struggles, going 0 for 5 and slipping to .143.

Drabek sharp for victory

Tuesday night in Toronto, Kyle Drabek returned to the Blue Jays rotation against the Red Sox and was impressive. He threw 91 pitches, 51 for strikes, and made it into the 6th inning to pick up the win in the Jays' 7-2 win. Kyle went 5.1 innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4, and at 1 point retiring 9 straight Red Sox.

In Houston, Michael Bourn had a walk and a hit, scored a run and stole a base to help the Atlanta Braves win their first game of the year, 6-4 over his former team........In Chicago, Lendy Castillo threw a scoreless frame for the Cubs (1 walk, 1 K) in their 7-4 loss to the Brewers.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

quick flash all around

Short on time, lets do this fast:

Toledo: Quintin Berry (.235) 1 for 4 in Mud Hens 9-3 loss.

Norfolk: Yohan Flande 3 scoreless innings (0 hit, 3 walks, 4 Ks) in spot start for Gwinnett.

Iowa City: Adrian Cardenas (.278) a double, a triple, RBI, 2 runs scored for Cubs and Will Savage pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 1 hit and 1 walk for Isotopes. In 1 AB against each other "AC" hit sacrifice fly against Will.

New Orleans. RJ Swindel a 1-2-3 inning with 2 Ks for Memphis, but Redbirds loss in 13th.

Reno: Randy Ruiz (.294) had 2 hits and a walk in Aces 8-2 loss to Salt Lake.

Las Vegas: Anthony Gose (.174) 1 for 5 with a run scored and Travis d'Arnaud (.067) 0 for 5 as 51s lose 9-3 to Fresno.

Tucson: Michael Taylor 0 for 5 (still .364) in River Cats' 5-4 win over Padres.


Jacksonville: Darren Byrd retired all 4 hitter he faced (1K), but Jesus Sanchez allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings for Huntsville as Stars dropped a 7-4 decision to Suns.

Corpus Christi: Josh Zeid picks up a win with 2 stellar innings (1 walk, 2 Ks) as Hooks rally for 3 in the 9th to beat Tulsa, 7-4. Jonathan Singleton (.250) 1 for 4 with an RBI, and Jonathan Villar (.158) 0 for 1, but scored a run for Hooks.