Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Villar hottest of them all

In Clearwater Monday, the Fort Myers Miracle scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to snatch a 5-4 win over the Threshers.  Cameron Perkins (.358) had the only 2-hit game for Clearwater, and Kelly Dugan belted his first home run.  Gabriel Arias  pitched well as the  starter, this time going 5 shut out innings, just 2 hits and 2 walks, with 4 Ks, dropping his season's ERA to 1.23!  Mike Nesseth also tossed 2 scoreless frames for Clearwater........In Louisville, the Bats defeated the IronPigs, 6-2.  Cesar Hernandez (.380) had 3 more hits and stole a base (#6)  for Lehigh Valley, and Darin Ruf added a single and double and scored 1 of the Pig's runs.  Mike Stutes tossed a scoreless inning in relief.  The Bat's Billy Hamilton, who stole 155 bases last season, swiped his 15th in 16 tries so far this year. ........In Asheville, the BlueClaws lost a doubleheader to the Tourists, 11-6, and 10-8.  Lakewood has now given up at least 10 runs in 4 straight games.  They return home to open a home stand Wednesday against Charleston.  Art Charles smacked his 5th home run, a 3-run shot, in the opener, and then left the game with an injury.  This is not what Lakewood needs, as Art is the hottest bat in the line up.  Willie Carmona had 4 hits in the doubleheader..........In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar had 3 more hits for the RedHawks in their 9-8 win over Nashville.  Jonathan is now 22 for his last 50, a .440 clip in his last 12 games!!  Jason Jaramillo also had an RBI double and scored a run for Oklahoma City...........In Iowa City, the Round Rock Express took a 10-9 win from the Cubs. Lisalverto Bonilla came on in the 3rd inning and stranded 2 inherited runners for the Express, but then gave up 2 runs in the 4th before throwing a scoreless 5th...............In New Britain, the Rock Cats scored 10 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, but Trevor May could not get out of the top of the 5th for the win.  May allowed 8 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 4+ innings for the Cats in their 16-8 win over Harrisburg..........In Midland, D'Arby Myers (.263) had 2 doubles, 2 RBI and scored a run for the Rock Hounds, but San Antonio won the game, 8-7..............In Frisco, Domingo Santana had 2 hits, including a double for the Hooks, who dropped a 4-2 contest to the RoughRiders.






Monday, April 29, 2013

HomeSiders enjoy weekend in NY

The Phillies completed a sweep of the Mets in New York on Sunday, and for the 3rd day in a row, HomeSiders played a huge role.  Cole Hamels recorded his first win of the season, plowing through 6 innings and giving up just 1 run on 2 hits and 6 walks, striking out 8, in Philadelphia's 5-1 win. Freddy Galvis hit his 2nd home run of the season, but the big hit was a 2-run pinch hit double by Ryan Howard in the top of the 7th to break a 1-1 tie.  Carlos Ruiz (making his season debut) and Domonic Brown added a hit each and Antonio Bastardo tacked on another scoreless inning.  The trio of Kendrick,  Pettibone, and Hamels each notched a win, and Galvis, Brown and Howard all had big hits in the 3-game sweep!!   The win for Hamels was #9 for the HomeSide in the majors this year..........In Phoenix, Josh Outman retired all 6 hitters he faced for the Rockies in their 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

On the flip side of the coin, Gavin Floyd has been placed on the DL by the White Sox with a flexor muscle strain in his pitching arm, and Lou Marson has returned to Indians' DL with right shoulder inflammation.  This leaves us with 12 active HomeSiders currently on major league rosters.


In Louisville, Darin Ruf had 2 doubles, 2 home runs, scored 3 runs and drove in 5 to pace the IronPigs to a 12-7 win over the Bats.  Leandro Castro  added 2 hits, including his 2nd home run.  Jake Diekman was lit up for 5 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in just 1.1 innings of work..........In Reading, we had a great match up of Jesse Biddle for Reading and Tyson Brummett for New Hampshire and neither one disappointed.  Brummett allowed just 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6, and Biddle went 1 better, allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks, striking out 10.  Both left the game after 6 innings in a scoreless tie.  Reading won it in 12 innings, 2-1.  Zack Collier started the winning rally with a single, Sebastian Valle drove in the tying run with a bases loaded walk, and then Miguel Abreu was hit by a pitch which pushed across the winning run.  Biddle (can you say pitcher of the week?) has now fanned an amazing 26 hitters in his last 2 starts!!.............In Clearwater, Josh Ludy and Maikel Franco both homered in the bottom of the 9th inning, but the Threshers' 5-run rally came up 1 run short in an 8-7 loss to Fort Myers.  It has been a great start for Franco, who has 5 home runs, 25 RBI and is hitting .296 for Clearwater.  Ethan Stewart was the losing pitcher, but threw well, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings of work.  Colby Shreve retired just 2 of 8 hitters, and was charged with 5 runs in .2 innings..........The BlueClaws were rained out for the 2nd straight day in Asheville, and will once again try to play 2 today.



In Sacramento, Michael Taylor homered (#5)  for the 2nd straight day, a 3-run shot to pace the River Cats to a 7-2 win over Salt Lake................In Tucson, Greg Golson had 2 hits, stole a base, scored a run and knocked in another for Colorado Springs in their 7-4 loss to the Padres................In Oklahoma City, red hot Jonathan Villar had 2 more hits, including his first home run of the year, and is 19 for his last 46 (.412) in his last 11 games.   Josh Zeid allowed a run on a hit and 2 walks in his inning, as the RedHawks beat New Orleans, 5-3............In Nashville, Jesus Sanchez allowed his first earned run of the year in the Sounds' 2-1 loss to Memphis in the second game of their doubleheader.  Sanchez has throw 11 innings and given up just 7 hits and 1 walk.............In Indianapolis, Mike Zagurski (1.74) tossed a scoreless frame, striking out 2 and notching his 3rd hold, as the Indians beat Gwinnett, 5-2..................In Norfolk, Quintin Berry had a double and stole his 10th base in 11 tries for Toledo, but the Mud hens dropped a 4-3 decision to the Tides.........In Rochester, Anthony Gose had 2 hits, a walk, an RBI and scored a run for the Bisons in Buffalo's 5-3 victory over the Red Wings.


Among our boys signing to play in the independent leagues, Chris Duffy will suit up for the Camden River Sharks, and CJ Henry will play for the Evansville Otters.







Sunday, April 28, 2013

Bone wins first!!

On Saturday in New York, Jonathan Pettibone worked his way to his first major league win in  the Phillies' 9-4 victory over the Mets.  Jon allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4, and even picked up his first major league hit and scored a run!!  Domonic Brown (.241) had 2 hits, including a 3-run home run, and Ryan Howard (.281) was 1 for 4, and drove in 2.  The victory for "Bone" was the 8th this year for former Claws in the major leagues.  Across town, Jay Happ made the start in the Bronx against the Yankees and went 6 good innings for Toronto.  Jay gave up 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.  The biggest problem was that he issued his 2 walks and then gave up a home run to Travis Hafner.  He left the game with a 4-3 lead, but the bullpen gave it up and the Yankees won it, 5-4.........In Chicago, Gavin Floyd had to leave his start  against Tampa in the 3rd inning with elbow soreness.  Gavin allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks in 2.2 innings and was charged with the loss, falling to 0-4 on the year in the Rays' 10-4 win.  While he has not been at his best this season, Floyd has received a minimal amount of support from the Sox' offense............In Washington, the Nationals beat Cincinnati, 6-3.  Alfredo Simon (4.91) pitched 3 innings in relief, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks for the Reds.

The Phillies will activate Carlos Ruiz today, his 25-game suspension has been served.  This makes 14 HomeSiders active in the major leagues.  If Floyd has to go on the DL, it will go back to 13.

In Louisville, the IronPigs rallied for 3 runs in the 9th inning to steal a 5-3 win over the Bats. Steve Susdorf's 2-run, pinch hit double, was the key hit, and he later scored the final run on Cesar Hernandez' 3rd hit of the game.  Tyler Cloyd went the first 7 innings, and gave up 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3.  The win went to Justin De Fratus (3-0, 0.75) , who threw a scoreless 8th, and the save went to Joe Savery (0.93), his second of the year.  Lehigh Valley improved to 9-13...............In Reading, Cameron Rupp was 3 for 4, including 2 doubles and an RBI, and Troy Hanzawa hit a home run, but Reading dropped a 7-3 decision to New Hampshire. David Buchanan went the first 6.2 innings, and allowed 2 runs on 9 hits, NO walks and deserved better.  Jay Johnson, Kyle Simon, and Mario Hollands then surrendered 5 runs in the final 2.1 innings of the game.  The Fightin' Phils slip top 11-10.  On Sunday, Jesse Biddle will face Tyson Brummett.............In Clearwater, the Threshers a re happy to have Kelly Dugan back in the line up.  Dugan (double, 2 RBI) and Carlos Alonso had 3 hits each and Clearwater held on to beat the Yankees, 6-5. The victory goes to Colton Murray, who thre 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, yielding just 1 hit.  The Threshers evened their record at 11-11.  The BlueClaws were rained out in Asheville, and will try to play 2 today.



In Norfolk, Quintin Berry had a hit, a walk, stole a base (9 for 9) and drove in the lone run for Toledo in their 2-1 loss to the Tides.............In Round Rock, the Express dropped a 5-2 decision to Albuquerque.  Lisalverto Bonilla struck out the side in his inning of work for Round Rock..............In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar had 2 more hits, including a double and drove in 2 runs as the RedHawks pounded New Orleans 11-1.  Villar is hitting .405 over the last 10 games.  Jason Jaramillo also had a hit and an RBI for Oklahoma City...........In Sacramento, Michael Taylor hit a 2-run homer (his 4th) in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie the game, and the River Cats went on to take a 6-5 win over Salt Lake.


Greg Golson was signed by the Rockies last Friday  and assigned to AAA- Colorado Springs.  Greg is 1 for 2 with an RBI  triple in 2 at bats so far.











Saturday, April 27, 2013

Kendrick on a roll

In New York Friday night, Kyle Kendrick threw a complete game 3-hit shut out, and Ryan Howard's 3-run home run (#3) provided the lion's share of the offense in the Phillies' 4-0 victory over the Mets.    It was the second career shut out for Kyle, who is now 2-1, 2.41 on the year, and has allowed just 4 runs in his last 28 innings, covering 4 starts.   The win was #7 for HomeSiders in the major leagues this year........In Phoenix, Josh Outman tossed a scoreless 6th for the Rockies in their 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks, allowing 1 hit and recoding his second hold since his call up.

In Asheville, the BlueClaws allowed a franchise record 21 hits, dropping a 14-10 wild one to the Touists.  Willie Carmona broke out of a season long funk with a 4-hit game, and Alejandro Villalobos drove in 3 runs to lead the Lakewood attack.  Villalobos, Chad Carman, Angelo Mora, Art Charles, and Brian Pointer all had 2 hits, and I will do the pitchers a favor and not mention them, except to say Steven Inch retired all 4 hitters he faced at the end.  Inch has had a good opening month, posting a 1.86 ERA so far..............In Clearwater, Maikel Franco (.300) had a double, 2 home runs and drove in 7 runs (22 on the year) to pace the Threshers to a 9-4 win over Tampa.  Aaron Altherr also homered and doubled and is now hitting .383 for Clearwater, and Kelly Dugan came off the DL and was 1 for 4 in his season debut.  Hoby Milner (2-2)was the starter and winner, going 5 innings and giving up just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk, with 5 Ks.  Mike Nesseth threw 2 scoreless frames in relief................In Reading, the Fightin' Phils dropped a 3-1 game to the Fisher Cats, with third baseman  Tyler Henson getting 3 of their 7 hits.   Carlos Ruiz continued his rehab, going 0 for 4 for Reading, and Juan Sosa (2.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 Ks) and Tyler Knigge (2 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 Ks) threw scoreless relief................In Indianapolis, BJ Rosenberg pitched well, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings in the IronPigs' 5-1 loss to the Indians.  Mike Stutes gave up 2 runs in his 2 innings and Lehigh Valley was held to just 3 hits, including a Tommy Joseph home run off former major leaguer Jose Contreras.


In Midland, D'Arby Myers (.277) had a single and a double, and drove in his 9th run of the year to help the Rock Hounds pound San Antonio, 11-4...............In Frisco, Domingo Santana came off the DL, and had 2 hits, including his 3rd home run of the season for Corpus Christi, and the Hooks topped the RoughRiders, 4-2...............In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar had 2 hits in a rain shortened, 2-0 RedHawks' win over New Orleans.  Jon is 15 for 38 in his last 9 games, a .395 pace.





Friday, April 26, 2013

Pirates take rubber game from Phils

In Philadelphia Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the rubber game of their series with the Phillies, 6-4, marking the first time since the Phillies moved into Citizens Bank Parkin 2004.  Domonic Brown had 2 doubles, and a sacrifice fly to knock in 2 runs and Ryan Howard also had 2 hits and 2 RBI.........In St Paul, Vance Worley remains winless so far.  Vance (0-3, 6.38) gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, leaving the game after 5 innings of work in Minnesota's 2-1 loss to Texas.



In a wild game in Oklahoma City, the New Orleans Zephyrs scored 5 in the first en route to a 6-0 lead, but the RedHawks tied it with 5 in the bottom of the 9th.  Then, after both teams scored twice in the 13th, New Orleans won it 10-8 with 2 more in the 15th!  Jonathan Villar was 2 for 8 in the game, driving in the tying run in the bottom of the 9th, and the 2 tying runs in the bottom of the 13th.  Jarred Cosart was the starter, and gave up 6 runs, including the 5 in the 1st inning, on 5 hits and 4 walks, and Josh Zeid tossed a scoreless inning, dropping his ERA to 1.08.


In Scranton, Carlos Carrasco pitched 4.2 more inning of shut out ball, allowing 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4 for Columbus in the Clippers' 4-1 win over the RailRiders..................In Buffalo, the Bisons and Red Sox split a pair, with Pawtucket winning the opener, 8-3, and Buffalo rebounding in the nightcap, 4-0.  Anthony Gose (.258) had 3 walks on the day, scoring 2 runs and stealing his 3rd base of the year.   Bobby Korecky threw 2 scoreless frames in the second game for Buffalo................In Indianapolis, the Indians defeated the IronPigs, 5-1.  Jake Diekman threw a scoreless frame for Lehigh Valley and Mike Zagurski did the same for Indianapolis...............In Nashville, the Sounds topped Memphis, 5-2.  Jesus Sanchez threw another scoreless inning for Nashville.  Jesus had thrown 10 innings and allowed just 1 UNearned run on only 6 hits and 1 walk so far for the Brewers affiliate!!..................In Kodak, the Smokies edged Pensacola, 2-1.  Brian Schlitter got the save for Tennessee with a 1-2-3 9th, and Travis Mattair was 0 for 3 for the Blue Wahoos...........In Midland, D'Arby Myers had an RBI single for the Rock Hounds in their 6-0 win over Corpus Christi.  Speaking of the Hooks, Domingo Santana remains on the DL..............In Tulsa, Mike Cisco threw another scoreless frame for the Travelers in their 9-6 win over the Drillers.  Cisco has allowed just 5 hits and 2 walks in 10.1 innings of scoreless work so far for Arkansas.






Thursday, April 25, 2013

Altherr gets 4 hits; Neris, May shine!

On Thursday, the Indians activated Lou Marson from the DL, and put him right in the line up  in Chicago.  Lou was 0 for 3 in the Sox' 3-2 win.  Other news from the Tribe has Michael Bourn having the stitches removed from his finger.  The Indians have sure missed Michael's presence in their line up, and he will be elligible to be activated on Tuesday..............In Philadelphia, the Pirates rallied to beat the Phillies, 5-3.  Ryan Howard hit his 2nd home run of the year, and Domonic Brown had 2 hits and a catch you have to see.  Go to the main page of the Phillies site for the link.  Antonio Bastardo gave up his first earned run of the season when he allowed a 7th inning home run to Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez.



In Tampa, Aaron Altherr (.372) had 4 hits, including a double and a triple, stole a base (#5), knocked in a run, and scored another to help lead the Threshers to a 9-7 win over the Yankees.  Carlos Ruiz, preparing for his return to the Phillies, belted a 3-run home run in the opening inning, Carlos Alonso (.344) had a double and a triple, and drove in 2.  Brock Stassi also had  a 2-hit game for Clearwater, who improved to 9-11.  Nick Hernandez was shakey, allowing 7 runs, 4 of them earned on 4 hits in just 3 innings.  Colby Shreve stepped in and went 3 shut out frames (2 hits, 2 walks, 3 Ks), and Colton Murray picked up the win with 2 scoreless, striking out 4!. ..................In Greenville, the BlueClaws won their 3rd straight, 7-5 over the Drive.  Eight different Claws had a hit each.  Mitch Walding had 3 RBI, and Larry Greene had 2 walks, a double and scored 2 runs.   Miguel Nunez picked up his 2nd win with 5 innings of work, and allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks.  Yoel Mecias pitched the final 4 frames, and gave up 4 runs, 3 earned on just 2 hits, but 3 walks...............In Harrisburg, Jim Murphy (.360), Derrick Mitchell, and Albert Cartwright (.356) had 2 hits each and the Fightin' Phils beat the Senators, 6-5.  Hector Neris started and picked up his 2nd win with 5 innings.  He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, but struck out 8. Mario Hollands gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in his 2 innings, and Jay Johnson got the save, fanning 2 in a 1-2-3 9th inning.  Reading has won 3 in a row and is tied for first place with Portland...........In Indianapolis, the IronPigs won the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Indians, 6-3 to gain a split on the day.  Justin De Fratus was the winning pitcher, allowing a run on 3 hits in 2 innings of work.  It was the first earned run De Fratus has allowed in 11 innnings so far.  In the opener, Mike Stutes retired the only hitter he faced, stranding 2 baserunners in the process.  Leandro Castro had 2 hits in the 4-1 loss  for Lehigh Valley.


In Manchester, Trevor May threw a 7-inning complete game shut out for the New Britain Rock Cats and picked up his first win of the year in a 5-0 Cats win over New Hampshire in the first game of their doubleheader.  Trevor (1-1, 2.11) walked 3 and allowed 3 hits, striking out 4 and besting Tyson Brummett, who started for New Hampshire. Brummett managed 4 innings for the Fisher Cats, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, with 5 Ks.









Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hernandez & Charles honored

First order of business today is congratulations to Nick Hernadez of the Threshers and Art Charles of the BlueClaws, who were named Philadelphia's pitcher and  player of the week respectively for the week ending last Sunday.  The transaction wire also tells me that Michael Taylor has been optioned back to Sacramento, which leaves us with a total of 12 HomeSiders currently active in the majors, 7 of those in Philladelphia.

Speaking of the Phillies, the team wasted a fine performance from Cole Hamels, losing 2-0 to the Pirates.  Cole (0-3 now) went 8 innings, and allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 on the way. The Phillies scratched out just 4 hits, 1 by Ryan Howard, and fall to 9-12 on the season.......In Cincinaati, the Cubs scored 2 in the 10th to top the Reds, 4-2.  Alfredo Simon came on to record the last 2 outs, stranding 2 inherited runners in the process.........Out in Denver, the Braves swept a pair of games from the Rockies, 4-3 and 10-2.  Josh Outman threw 2.1 innings in the nightcap, allowing 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk.


In Greenville, the BlueClaws started their road trip with a combined 2-hit shut out, beating the Drive, 4-0.  Kevin Brady went the first 5 innings (0 hits 5 walks, 5 Ks) and notched his first win of the season.  Nick Hanson and Delvi Francisco finished it off, as the Claws improved to 6-13.  Angelo Mora, who had started off slowly, had 3 more hits, knocked in a run and scored another for Lakewood.  Mora is 7 for his last 15, covering the last 4 games, a .467 pace!.........In Harrisburg, Zack Collier hit a big 3-run home run in the top of the 9th inning to help the Fightin Phils take a 7-5 come-from-behind win from the Senators.  Jim Murphy (.352) had 3 more hit, including a double and a triple, and scored twice, and Derrick Mitchell stayed hot with 2 more knocks.  "Mitch" is 6 for his last 13 in the last 4 games.  Tyler Knigge threw 2 shut out frames, and Juan Sosa was the winning pitcher and beneficiary of Collier's big hit............In Lakeland, Gabriel Arias made the start for the Threshers and allowed 6 first innings run, although only 2 of them were earned, in Clearwater's 12-3 loss to the Flying Tigers.   Delmon Young, on rehab assignment, had 4 hits for the Threshers, Cameron Perkins had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and Aaron Altherr (.342) and Carlos Alosnso (.333) each had a pair of hits for Clearwater,  sa the threshers slipped to 8-11 on the year.


In Louisville, the Bats rallied for 2 in the bottom of the 9th to snatch a 3-2 win over the Braves.  Jason Donald (.278) had 2 hits for Louisville............In Round Rock, the Express dropped a 1-0 decision to New Orleans.  Lisalverto Bonilla threw a scoreless inning (1 walk, 2 Ks) for the home team.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

more from Monday

 I was short on time this morning, but here are some of the rest of Monday's highlights:

In Allentown, the Bisons made it a sweep of the IronPigs with an 8-2 win.  Anthony Gose was 0 for 4 for Buffalo, but walked, drove in a run, and scored another one.  Tyler Cloyd started the game and went 6 innings, and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, and Leadro Castro had 2 hits for Lehigh Valley.

In Albuquerque, Jonathan Villar had 2 more hits for the RedHawks in their 8-1 loss to the Isotopes.  Villar has had 4 2-hit games in a row, and is 14 for 32 (.436) in  the last 8 games.

In Lakeland, Aaron Altherr had 2 hits and drove in the lone Threshers' run in a 3-1 loss to the Flying Tigers.  Infielder Jonathan Roof had 3 hits for Clearwater, and is hitting .339 so far this year.  Ethan Stewart threw 4 shut out frames, allowing 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5.  Luis Paulino took the loss, but 2 of the 3 runs he allowed were unearned.

Biddle, Happ & Pettibone

The only thing wrong with Jonathan Pettibone's debut last night was he did not get the win.  Pettibone shook off some early jitters and settled into a respectable outing.  In all, he went 5.1 innings and allowed 2 runs (both home runs) on 6 hits, NO walks and struck out 6, leaving the tied at 2-2.  The Phillies scored later to take a 3-2 win over the Pirates.  Antonio Bastardo threw another scoreless frame, and Ryan Howard was 1 for 4 on the night............A similar story in Baltimore where Jay Happ pitched a strong 6 innings for the Blue Jays, and gave up just 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, with 6 Ks.  Happ left the game in a 1-1 tie and the Orioles won it with a run in the bottom of the 9th.........The HomeSide did pick up a win when the Reds rallied for a walk off win by scoring 3 in the bottom of the 13th to steal a 5-4 win from the Cubs and make a winner of Alfredo Simon.  Alfredo had allowed 2 runs (just 1 earned ) in the top of the inning.  The win was the 2nd this week for Simon and #6 in the majors for HomeSiders this year.


The star of the night was Reading's Jesse Biddle.  In Harrisburg, Biddle (2-1, 2.16) took a perfect game into through 6 frames before surrendering a hit and 2 walks in the 7th.  He struck out a career high 16 of his 21 outs, and even had 2 doubles and scored a run in the Fightin Phil's 3-2 win over the Senators.  Zack Collier had 2  hits, including a 2-run home run for Reading. 

Monday, April 22, 2013

Pettibone is #50

Jonathan Pettibone has been called up to the Phillies and will make his debut tonight in Philadelphia against the Pirates.   When the game begins, "Bone" will be  #50 on the list of former BlueClaws to play in the major leagues.  Jon won 8 games for Lakewood during the 2010 season.

Mitch and Myers


In Philadelphia, the Phillies cored 4 in the 8th inning to defeat the Cardinals, 7-3.  Domonic Brown had a single and scored a run during the rally, and   Ryan Howard was 1 for 3 with an RBI (#6).  Kyle Kendrick started and was solid for 6 innings, giving up just 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6 and receiving no decision.  Antonio Bastardo walked 1 of the 2 hitters he faced, and that runner scored an UNearned run...........In Chicago, Gavin Floyd was also very good, without gaining a result.  Floyd went 6 innings against the Twins, and allowed 1 run on just 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6 and leaving the game with a 2-1 lead.  The Twins rallied for a 5-3 win and Floyd is still searching for his first win.......In St. Pete, Michael Taylor made a pinch hitting appearance for Oakland (lined out) in their 8-1 loss to the Rays.........In Cincinnati, the Reds scored 8 times in the bottom of the 7th inning, and then brought in Alfredo Simon, who threw a 1-2-3 8th.


In Allentown, the Bisons made it 3 in a row over the IronPigs with a 4-1 win, holding Lehigh Valley to just 2 singles ( Asche and Hernandez).  BJ Rosenberg started and after 5 shut out innings, Rosie got tagged for 4 in the 6th and never got out of the inning.  Jake Diekman got the final 5 outs for Lehigh Valley, allowing just 1 hit.  Anthony Gose (.309) was 1 for 5 for Buffalo.............In Richmond, Derrick Mitchell had 3 hits, and Jim Murphy (.355) added 2 hits and an RBI, but Reading lost to the Flying Squirrels, 4-3.  David Buchanan started and went 5 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.  Jay Johnson and Mario Hollands combined for 3 scoreless frames...........In Lakeland, the Threshers blew a 4-0 advantage and lost, 7-4 to the Flying Tigers.  Aaron Altherr (.328) had 2 hits and Miakel Franco (.310) drove in 2 runs for Clearwater.  Mike Nesseth was the losing pitcher, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits and recording just 1 out. Ouch!!




In Columbus, Quintin Berry hit his 1st home run of the year for Toledo in the Mud Hens' 3-0 win over the Clippers.  Lou Marson had a single and a walk for Columbus as his rehab assignment continues............In Albuquerque, Jonathan Villar had a single, a double, a walk, an RBI, and scored a run for Oklahoma City to help to RedHwks to a 10-7 win.  Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 5 and continues to struggle.  Josh Zeid tossed another scoreless frame (1 walk, 1 K) and was awarded a hold...............In San Antonio, D'Arby Myers (.319) had 3 hits and a walk and scored a run for the Rock Hounds in Midland's 3-1 win over the Missions............In North Little Rock, Mike Cisco threw 2 scoreless innings for Arkansas, but the Travelers dropped a 3-1, 10-inning game to Springfield.






Sunday, April 21, 2013

Worley, Collier & Carrasco

We start this morning in Cincinnati, where Alfredo Simon pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 13th inning against Miami, and then got the win when the Reds scored in bottom half for a 2-1 win.   It was the first win of the year for Simon and #5 for the HomeSide in the majors this year.......In Chicago, Vance Worley threw 7 solid innings against the White Sox, allowing just 1 run, on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7, and leaving the game in a 1-1-tie.  The lone run came on a home run by leadoff hitter, Alejandro De Aza.  The Twins won it in the 10th, 2-1..............In Philadelphia, the Phillies were shut out on 3 hits by the Cardinals' Lance Lynn.  Freddy Galvis was 0 for 4, and Domonic Brown had 2 walks in the game.  Joe Savery threw a scoreless 9th inning in his season debut.

In Allentown, the Buffalo Bisons swept a doubleheader from the ironPigs, 8-4, and 2-1.  In the opener, Anthony Gose hit a home run, walked twice and scored 3 runs for the Bisons, and Cody Overbeck banged his 4th home run run of the year for the Pigs.  In the nightcap, Gose (.320) had 2 more hits, including a 7th inning double and scored the game winning run. Justin De Fratus posted 2 more scoeless frames, despite allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, and has now thrown 9 innings and allowed just 1 UNearned run for Lehigh Valley.  Mike Stutes took the loss and the blown save, allowing both runs after coming in with a 1-0 lead..................In Richmond, Zack Collier had a double and 2 triples, knocked in 2 runs and scored another one to pace the Fightin' Phils to a 3-2 win in the first game of their doubleheader.  Anthony Hewitt (.333) also had a single and a triple for Reading. Hector Neris made the spot start, and gave Reading 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk.  The Flying Squirrels came back in the second game for a 4-1 win and a split.  Edgar Duran (.340) had 2 of Reading's 5 hits in that one.............In Clearwater, the Threshers evened their record at 8-8 with a 6-3 win over Brevard County.  Maikel Franco (.318) and Brock Stassi had 2 hits each for the Threshers, backing a solid outing by Hoby Milner.  Hoby went 6 innings, and gave up just 1 run on 5 hits, NO walks, striking out 5 to notch his first win of the season.   Kenny Giles retired the only 2 hitters he faced, and Colby Shreve went 2 frames, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk.


In Columbus, Carlos Carrasco looked like his old self, throwing 6 shut out innings, and giving up just 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 10!  Quintin Berry fanned twice against him, and was 0 for 4 on the day as the Clippers squeaked out a 1-0 win with an 8th inning run.  It is amazing how good Carrasco can be with Lou Marson behind the plate for him.  Lou was 0 for 3 in the game, still on  rehab assignment...........In Nashville, the Sounds beat Omaha, 11-5.  Jesus Sanchez tossed 2 more scoreless innings and was the winning pitcher for Nashville. Jesus is now 2-0, and still has not allowed an earned run in his 9 innings of work so far!...........In Albuquerque, Jarred Cosart's strong start continued with 5 solid innings against the Isotopes. Jarred (2-0, 1.02) allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and NO walks, striking out 5 for the victory in OKC's 3-1 win.   Jonathan Villar had 2 more hits  and has pushed his average up to .207 with 10 for his last 24 (that's .417) over the last 6 games..............In San Antonio, D'Arby Myers (.279) had a single and a double, stole his 4th base, knocked in a run and scored another for Midland to help the Rock Hounds defeat the Missions, 4-1..............In Round Rock, the Express had an 8-2 lead when they brought in Lisalverto Bonilla.  Bonilla got out of the 8th inning, but needed relief help in the 9th, allowing 5 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, as the Express held on for an 8-7 win.








.............In Louisville, the Bats shut out Indianapolis, 3-0.  Jason Donald was 0 for 4 for Louisville, and Mike Zagurski threw a scoreless inning for the Indians............







Saturday, April 20, 2013

rain falls across northeast

The Phillies have recalled Joe Savery from Lehigh Valley, and the Colorado Rockies have recalled Josh Outman from Colorado Springs.   With Josh' recall, we now have 11 active HomeSiders in the major leagues.

In Philadelphia on Friday, the Phillies defeated St Louis, 8-2 in a rain shortened game.  Freddy Galvis (left field) was 0 for 4 in the game.


In Reno, the SkySox defeated the Aces, 5-2.  Tuffy Gosewisch hit his 3rd home run for the Aces, and walked and scored their other run.  Tuffy also gunned down 2 of 3 would-be base stealers...........In Toledo, the Mud Hens won a pair from Columbus, finishing off the suspended game with a 3-1 win, and taking the regular game, 4-3 with 2 in the bottom of the 9th.  Quintin Berry had another hit in the second game, and his average is .276 for the Mud Hens so far................In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar had a double and a triple, an RBI and scored a run for the RedHawks in their 5-2 win over Round Rock.  After starting out 2 for 34, Jonathan is now 8 for his last 20, a .400 clip for the last 5 games.  Now if teammate (and fellow HomeSider)  Jason Jaramillo could only catch a little fire, that would be good.  "JJ" was 0 for 3, and is just 3 for 26 in 9 games so far.   Josh Zeid picked up the final 4 outs and recorded his 1st save.  Josh came on and stranded the tying run on base in the 8th, and then threw a scoreless 9th.  In 6 appearances covering 6.1 innings, Zeid has allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks, striking out 11.......In North Little Rock, the Springfield Cardinals swept a doubleheader from the Travelers, 3-2 & 3-0.  Mike Cisco threw another scorless inning in the first game, and has now thrown 7.1 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6!..........In Huntsville, the Tennessee Smokies topped the Stars, 8-1.  Brian Schlitter threw 2 scoreless innings (3 hits, 3 Ks).  Like Cisco, Schlitter has not allowed an earned run yet............In San Antonio, the Missions shut out Midland, 10-0.  The Rock Hounds had just 5 hits, 1 a single by D'Arby Myers.  Myers is hitting .263, and has played in 8 of Midland's 14 games so far.


Both Reading and Lehigh Valley were rained out, but in Clearwater, the comeback of Nick Hernandez took another positive step.  Hernandez (2-0, 2.12) , who sat out 2 years with injuries, threw 6 more solid innings against the Manatees in a 13-1 Threshers' victory, allowing just a run on 4 hits, 1 walk and 7 Ks.  Gabriel Arias and Mike Nesseth threw scoreless relief to seal the win.   Maikel Franco and Harold Martinez were among 5 different Threshers with at least 2 hits, and Aaron Altherr had a hit and 3 walks.  The enire starting 9 had at least 1 hit in a balanced 15-hit attack........In Lakewood, the BlueClaws dropped a 7-2 game to Savannah.  Silver linings for me: Angelo Mora had 2 hits for just the second time this year, and the ball is really jumping off the bat of Art Charles.


The Corpus Christi Hooks have placed Domingo Santana on the 7-day DL, effective the 17th.  I do not know why.

Friday, April 19, 2013

d'Arnaud goes down for 6-8 weeks

Another day, another homeSider goes down.  Travis d'Arnaud was struck in the foot by a foul ball and suffered a non-displaced fracture in his first matatarsil on his left foot, and will be out 6 to 8 weeks.  So for the second season in a row, his major league debut will be delayed.  A bad break for Travis, no pun intended.

 Thursday night in Philadelphia, Carlos Beltran hit an 8th inning home run off Mike Adams to give the Cardinals a 4-3 win over the Phillies.  Cole Hamels started for the Phils and went 7 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 8.  Ryan Howard had 3 hits, and Freddy Galvis had a single and a double, drove in a run and scored another - playing left field for Domonic Brown.  Freddy (.350) has now started 4 games at 4 different positions this year!!  The Phillies are now 6-10 to start the season.........In Cincinnati, the Reds made it 4 wins in a row, beating Miami, 11-1.  Alfredo Simon tossed a scoreless frame with a 1-2-3 8th inning for the Reds.


In Pawtucket, the IronPigs rallied to break open a 5-5 game with 9 runs in the final 3 innings to take a 14-5 win from the first place Red Sox.  Everyone in the Lehigh Valley line up had a hit, with Steve Susdorf (.400) going 3 for 4, including a double and a walk, drove in 2 and scored 3 more.  Cody Asche had 4 singles and Cody Overbeck hit a 9th inning grand slam.  Steven Lerud and Tyson Gillies also homered for the Pigs.  Mike Stutes was the winning pitcher, even though he allowed 4 runs in his inning of work, and Jake Diekman picked up the save with 2 scoreless frames.   After the game, Joe Savery was recalled to the phillies to take the roster spot of John Lannan, who was placed on the DL........In Richmond, the Flying Squirrels beat Reading, 7-1.  Jim Murphy (.340) hit his 3rd home run to sccount for Reading's run, and Edgar Duran (.326) had 2 more hits for the Fightin' Phils.  Jay Johnson tossed a scoreless inning, but Tyler Knigge, allowed 4 runs in his frame......In Clearwater, Colin Kleven's early season woes continued.  "Klev" went 4.1 innings last night and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits, absorbing the loss and falling to 0-3, with a 14.29 April ERA.  Carlos Alonso (.333) had 3 hits and an RBI, but the Manatees prevailed, 5-2.


In Syracuse, Anthony Gose (.289) had a single and a double, scored 2 runs on drove in 1 as part of a 29-hit Bisons' attack, and Buffalo took a wild 27-9 game over the Chiefs.  Bobby Korecky pitched 3 innings for Buffalo, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk, and was the winning pitcher. The 2 runs came on a home run by Mike Costanzo.   Bobby is 2-0, 6.23 so far.........In Oklahoma City, the RedHawks and Round Rock split a pair of games.  Jonathan Villar was 3 for 3 in the opener, including a double, 2 stolen bases, an RBI and 2 runs scored in the OKC's 5-3 win.  In the nightcap, an 8-4 Express victory, Villar struck out 4 times, but Jason Jaramillo had 2 hits and scored a run for the RedHawks.............In Louisville, Jason Donald   (.310) hit a home run, 1 of his 2 hits in the game, and the Bats took a 10-inning, 5-4 win over Indianapolis......In Toledo, rain kept the Clippers and Mud Hens to just 4  innings before suspension.  Quintin Berry had a hit and a walk, scored a run, and stole his 7th base in 7 tries for Toledo, and Lou Marson made his first rehab appearance for the Clippers, and was 0 for 2.  The Mud Hens lead the game, 2-0...............In Reno, Tuffy Gosewisch had a single and a double and drove in a run for the Aces in their 4-2 loss to the SkySox...........In Pensacola, Travis Mattair had a single and a double, and knocked in a run (#5)  to help the Blue Wahoos beat Jacksonville, 10-2.............In San Antonio, Midland edged the Missions, 2-1.  The Rock Hounds got just 2 hits in the game, and D'Arby Myers had 1 of them.   D'Arby (.265) also stole his 3rd base.








Thursday, April 18, 2013

Bourn sidelined

The Cleveland Indians have placed Michael Bourn on the 15-day DL, retroactive to last Sunday.  It looks like he will not be able to play any sooner than that, and the 15 days will give the wound on his finger, where he took 5 stitches, enough time to fully heal.

In Cincinnati, the Reds scored immediately afetr Tuesday night's game was resumed and took a 1-0 win from the Phillies, then won the regular game 11-2, completing their first series sweep of the Phillies since 1996.  Freddy Galvis hit a pinch  2-run homer to account for the Phillies runs.........In Toronto, Jay Happ suffered his first loss of the year, losing 7-0 to the White Sox.  Happ went 5.2 innings, and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 3.


In Tucson, Jesus Merchan had 2 doubles, a triple, a stolen base, knocked in 2 runs and scored 2 more to help pace the Padres to a 10-7 win over Salt Lake..............In Columbus, Jason Donald (.297) had a single and a double, scored a run and drove in another, to help the Louisville Bats to a n 8-3 win over the Clippers........In Syracuse, the Bisons swept a doubleheader form the Chiefs, 4-3, and 5-4.  Anthony Gose (.289) had 1hit, 1 wal;k, stole 2 bases and scored twice on the day for Buffalo........In Reno, Josh Outman threw a scoreless inning (2 walks, 2 Ks) for Colorado Springs, but the Aces came from 7-0 down to steal an 8-7 victory...............In Pawtucket, the Re4d Sox stopped the IronPigs, 6-1.  The lone Lehigh Valley run came on Darin Ruf's first home run of the season.  Justin De Fratus recorded the final 5 outs of the game, and has now pitched a total of 7 innings, and allowed just 1 UNearned run................In Huntsville, the Smokies topped the Stars, 4-1.  Brian Schlitter threw the final frame for Tennessee, and allowed an unearned run on 2 walks...........In Clearwater, Ethan Stewart walked 8 hitters, and allowed 2 runs in 4.1 innning in the Threshers' 13-2 loss to the Cubs.  Colby Shreve (1.2 IP 3 runs), Luis Paulino (1 IP, 6 runs), and Colton Murray (2 IP, 2 runs) were all hit hard.  Brock Stassi had 2 hits, and Cameron Perkins hit his 2nd home run for Clearwater..........In Hagerstown, the BlueCalws dropped the finale of their road trip, 3-1 to the Suns.  Chad Carman (.444) had 2 hits for Lakewood, now 3-9 as they head home to Savannah tonight.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Phillies' game suspended in 9th

Tuesday night in Cincinnati, the Phillies and the Reds played into the 9th inning with neither team scoring a run and the game was suspended by rain.  They will resume it from that point tonight before the regular game.  Kyle Kendrick was great, throwing 7 shut out innings, and allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4.  Antonio Bastardo threw a 1-2-3 8th, and has now pitched 6 innings this year and allowed just 1 hit!

In Clearwater, the Threshers pounded out 27 hits, and scored in every inning, in a 15-6 win over Daytona.  Everyone in the line up had at least 2 hits.  Shortstop Jose Mojica led the charege with 5 hits and 2 RBI, while Cameron Perkins (.333, 4 RBI), Maikel Franco (.3330 and Carlos Alonso (.324) all had 4 hits. Aaron Altherr had 2 doubles. Gabriel Arias recorded 7 outs (1 hit, 2 walks, 3 Ks) and was awarded a hold......................In Pawtucket, Leandro Castro hit a 3-run home run and a double and was 1 of 4 IronPigs with a couple of hit as Lehigh Valley got past the Red Sox, 8-6.  Tommy Joseph and Cody Overbeck also homered and Darin Ruf chipped in with a single and scored a run.  Jonathan Pettibone was hit hard, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in just 4 innings.  The win went to Jake Diekman, who recorded 4 outs (1 walk, 2 Ks), and Mike Stutes got the save with a 1-2-3 9th.............In Reading, Edgar Duran drove in Albert Cartwright with the game winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Fightin' Phils a thrilling 4-3 win over Harrisburg.  Cartwright had tripled to open the inning, his 3rd hit of the game.  Zack Collier and Anthony Hewitt also had 2 hits and each of them stole a base for Reading.   Cameron Rupp hit his 2nd home run for the Phils.  Jesse Biddle went the first 6 innings, and allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks, and struck out 8.  The win went to Hector Neris, who tossed a scoreless top of the 10th.

In Toledo, Quintin Berry had a single, a double, a walk, stole a base (he is 6 for 6), and scored a run for the Mud Hens, but they lost, 4-2 to Indianapolis.  Mike Zagurski got the final 5 outs for the Indians (2 hits, 1 walk, 3 Ks) and picked up the save.......In Iowa City, the Cubs topped Nashville, 4-1.  Jesus Sanchez tossed a perfect inning for the Sounds, and has now thrown a total of 7 innings, allowing just 1 UNearned run...............In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar had a hit and an RBI, that's 3 hits in the last 2 games for him-hopefully he is coming around for the RedHawks in their 8-6 loss to Round Rock.  Josh Zeid threw a scoreless frame for the Hawks, but Lisalverto Bonilla allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk (2 Ks) in his inning for the Express...............In Reno, Tuffy Gosewisch had a hit and his 5th RBI of the season for the Aces in their 5-2 win over Colorado Springs...............In New Britain, Trevor May started for the Rock Cats and pitched the first 5.1 innings against New Hampshire.  May allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8 and receiving no decision in the Rock Cats 7-6 win.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

the Bourn status

Michael Bourn received 5 stiches in his right index finger when he was spiked as he made a heads first slide.  He will be sidelined until the stitches come out and the wound heals, likely at least 3 days.  (He was safe on the play, and it was his 3rd hit of the day)  Mike is off to a good start, .333 with 15 for 45 in his first year with Cleveland. 

Cosart & Carrasco pitch in relief!

First on my mind this morning is that my thoughts and prayers are with eveyone who was affected by events on the streets of Boston yesterday.  It was just one more reminder of the dangers that we live with in today's world.

Last night in Toronto, Gavin Floyd (0-3) was wild in the strike zone against the Jays and they made him pay.  Gavin allowed 9 hits and 3 walks in just 4.1 innings of work, and all 4 runs in the Sox' 4-3 loss to the Jays.  In 3 starts so far, Gavin has  a 6.32 ERA in just 15.2 innings.................In Cincinnati, the Reds rallied late to top the Phillies, 4-2.  Freddy Galvis was 1 for 4, playing second base for Chase Utley.  Utley hit a pinch 2-run homer for the Phillies 2 runs.  I like what Charlie Manuel did this week, playing Galvis 3 days in a row to rest each of his 3 infielders for 1 day and getting Freddy regular at bats for 3 games.  Domonic Brown was 1 for 3 and was on board when Utley went deep...........In Oakland, Michael Taylor was 0 for 4 in his first start of the year for the Athletics in their 11-6 win over the Astros.

In Pawtucket, Josh Fields had 4 hits, including a double and 2 home runs, and drove in 4 runs to pace the IronPigs to an 8-3 win over the Red Sox.  Tyler Cloyd was the starter, and he put in a 6-inning stint, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, on 5 hits and 4 walks (too many), and struck out 5.  The win went to Justin De Fratus, who tossed a scoreless frame before the Pigs scored 5 in the 8th to secore the win.  Joe Savery notched the save................In Hagerstown, Art Charles had a double, his 2nd home run of the road trip and scored 3 times to pace the BlueClaws to a 5-1 win over the Suns.  Art has 5 hits and 5 RBI in the last 2 games.  Josh Warner was solid, going 6 innings and allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2 to pick up his first win.  Delvi Francisco (2 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 3 Ks) and Steven Inch (1-2-3 9th) finished it off.............In Reading, the Senators shut out the Fightin' Phils, 4-0, holding Reading to just 4 hits.  Derrick Mitchell and Edgar Duran each had a double.  David Buchanan (1-2) was the victim of the non-support, throwing 7 frames, and giving up 4 runs, just 2 of which were earned, on 7 hits, 1 walk, and 6 strike outs........In Clearwater, Hoby Milner was rocked by Daytona, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk in just 1.2 innings of the Threshers' 8-1 loss.  Mike Nesseth (3.1 IP, 2 runs, 3 hits) and Colton Murray (1 IP, 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk) did not fare much better, but Brock Stassi came on in the 9th inning and the jack-of-all-trades struck out 2 of the 3 hitters he faced!!

In Columbus, Carlos Carrasco pitched 4 scoreless, hitless frames for the Clippers in relief, picking up a save in Columbus' 4-1 win over Louisville.  Carlos retired every hitter he faced save 1, which he plunked!!  I told you he does that!!  Jason Donald had 2 hits for the Bats.............In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar had a single and a triple, stole a base,  and scored 2 runs for the RedHawks in their 11-0 win over Memphis.  Jarred Cosart threw 3.2 innings of shut out relief, allowing just 3 hits, NO walks, and 3 Ks, and recorded a hold.  Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 4 and is off to a woeful 1 for 20 start.........In Las Vegas, Travis d'Arnaud had 3 walks and a 2-run home run, his first of the season for the 51s, who were bombed by Reno, 19-5........In Midland, the Travelers beat the Rock Hounds, 12-4.  Mike Cisco tossed another scoreless frame for Arkansas, and he thrown a total of 6.1 innings so far without allowing a run for the Angels affiliate..........In Syracuse, the Bufallo Bisons scored 5 in the 8th to top the Chiefs, 6-1.  Bobby Korecky pitched the final 2 innings (1 hit, 1K) for Buffalo............In Toledo, Quintin Berry was 1 for 4 for the Mud Hens, who dropped a 5-4 game to Indianapolis.  The Mud Hens are now 3-9 for the year................In Tucson, Fresno outslugged the Padres, 12-11.  Jesus Merchan had a walk and scored a run for the Padres.






Monday, April 15, 2013

Bourn, Howard, Gose, & Charles: 3 hits each

In Cleveland on Sunday, Michael Bourn hit Jake Peavy's first pitch of the game over the wall in right field for a home run.  It was Bourn's second home run of the year, and the first of his 3 hits on the day, but it was the only run of the day for the Indians in a 3-1 White Sox win..............In Miami, Ryan Howard also had 3 hits, including a double, and scored a run for Philadelphia in the Phillies 2-1 win over the Marlins.  Freddy Galvis added 2 hits and a walk, playing shortstop for Jimmy RollinsDomonic Brown was 0 for 3 with a walk...........In Oakland, Michael Taylor came into the game late, grounding out in his only at bay for the A's in their 10-1 loss to Detroit.  Speaking of Oakland, the Athletics promoted Darren Byrd to AAA-Sacramento.  Darren pitched the final inning (2 walks) for the River Cats in their 22-6 win over the Aces in Reno.


Elsewhere, in Midland, D'Arby Myers belted a 3-run home run, and drove in 4 runs for the Rock Hounds, who still lost to Arkansas, 11-8.................In Toledo, Quintin Berry had 2 hits and stole his 5th base of the year for the Mud Hens, who lost to Louisville, 2-1.  Jason Donald had a hit and an RBI for the Bats.........In Buffalo, Anthony Gose had 3 hits and scored a run for the Bisons in their 6-1 win over Scranton in the first game of their doubleheader................In Las Vegas, Josh Outman threw 1.2 innings of relief for Colorado Springs, allowing a run on 2 hits and 2 walks, and striking out 2 for the SkySox in their 5-4 11-inning loss to the 51s.  Travis d'Arnaud walked in his only plate appearance in the game.........In Mobile, Travis Mattair was 1 for 4 for Pensacola in the Blue Wahoos' 5-2 loss to the Bay Bears...........In Kodak, Brian Schlitter tossed another scoreless frame for the Smokies in their 7-3 win over Chattanooga..........In Oklahoma City, Jonathan Villar was hitless in another 2 at bats, and is just 2 for 34 (.059) to start the season.  Yikes!!  Josh Zeid  pitched the 9th inning for the RedHawks (1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk) in their 10-3 loss to Memphis.



In Syracuse, the IronPigs and the Chiefs split a pair.  Lehigh Valley took the opener, 5-2, behind Ethan MartinJake Diekman had a rough outing, walking 3 of the 4 hitters he faced, recording just 1 out.  BJ Rosenberg pitched the second game, a 3-2 Chiefs win.  "Rosie" went 6 good innings, allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4.  Mike Stutes was the hard luck loser, giving up a run on 2 hits and 2 walks in 1.2 frames.  Darin Ruf and Steve Susdorf each had a double in that game, with Susdorf notching an RBI............In Reading, Troy Hanzawa had 3 hits, and Jim Murphy had a walk, a double, his 2nd home run, and 3 RBI, as the Fightin' Phils topped Erie, 8-5.  Brody Colvin was the starter and winner, going 6, and giving up just 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, with 2 Ks.  Jay Johnson allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk in just 1.1 innings of work, his ERA ballooning to 8.10!...........In Viera, the Threshers managed just 4 hits, wasting a nice effort from Nick Hernandez in a 2-1 loss to Brevard County.  Hernandez went 6 innings, and gave up just 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7.  Luis Paulino gave up the winning run on a home run by Lance Reonicke..........In Greensboro, Art Charles had 3 hits and 3 RBI, and Brian Pointer, Chad Carmen, Zack Taylor, and Yan Olmo had 2 hits each as the BlueClaws stopped their 7-game skid with an 8-3 win over the Grasshoppers.  Jordan Guth became the first Claws' starter this season to post a win, with 6 solid innings: 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 Ks.  Nick Hansen got the save with 3 innings (1 run, 3 hits,1 walk, 4 Ks).










Sunday, April 14, 2013

Taylor recalled; Berry, Myers get 3 hits each

On Saturday, the Oakland Athletics recalled Michael Taylor from AAA-Sacramento to take the place of Yoenis Cespedes, who was placed on the DL with a strained muscle in his left hand.  Taylor is red hot, hitting .410 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI in 9 games for Sacramento.  Mike did not get in the game for Oakland Saturday night, a 7-4 loss to Detroit at home.

In Miami, Cole Hamels pitched better, but is still winless in 3 starts.  Cole went 6 innings against the Marlins, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks and striking out 5 in the Phillies' 2-1  loss to Miami.  The Phillies managed just 5 hits on the night, with Ryan Howard (.233, double), Domonic Brown (.262, run scored), and Freddy Galvis each getting one.  It was the first start of the season for Galvis, who played third base for Michael YoungAntonio Bastardo pitched another 1-2-3 inning, and has not given up a run (1 hit, 2 walks, 5 Ks) in 5 innings so far.........In Cleveland, Michael Bourn was 0 for 5 for the Indians in their 9-4 win over the White Sox...............In Pittsburgh, the Pirates defeated the Reds, 3-1.  Alfredo Simon was the losing pitcher, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in 2 innings of work for Cincinnati.

In Syracuse, Adam Morgan allowed just 3 hits in 8 shut out innings against the Chiefs, and 9 different IronPigs had 1 hit each in a 6-0 Lehigh Valley victory.  Leandro Castro (.321), Darin Ruf (.310) , and Steve Susdorf (.400) all contributed for the IronPigs..........In Reading, Austin Wright walked 5 consecutive hitters to start the 2nd inning and had to come out of the game against Erie, and Sea Wolves went on to a 9-5 win over the Fightin' Phils.  Austin was charged with 4 runs, all earned despite not giving up a hit.  Juan Sosa came on and did not fare much better.  Besides letting all of Wright's runners score, Sosa gave up 4 of his own in just 2.1 innings.  Hector Neris (2.2 IP, 1 run, 4 hits, 1 walk) and Tyler Knigge (2 IP, 1 walk, 1 K) restored order for Reading.  Edgar Duran and Jim Murphy had 2 hits each for the Phils..................In Viera, Colin Kleven was bombed to the tune of  9 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in just 2.2 innings of work in the Threshers' 10-2 loss to the Manatees.  Colin did strike out 6 of the 8 outs he recorded.  Colby Shreve came on and allowed 1 run on 3 hits in 2.1 innings.  Maikel Franco (.308) had 2 hits and drove in both runs with a double, and Aaron Altherr had 2 hits and a walk, and raised his early season average to a lofty .412.


In Reno, Tuffy Gosewisch hit a 2-run home run, and drove in a 3rd run with a sacrifice fly for the Aces, but Sacramento won the game, 15-11!...........In Toledo, Quintin Berry had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, drove in 2 runs and stole his 4th base of the year, pacing the Mud Hens to an 8-0 win over Louisville.......In Midland, D'Arby Myers (.280) had 3 hits, including a double and scored a run for the Rock Hounds, who dropped a 4-1 decsion to the Naturals...............In New Orleans, the Zephyrs edged Round Rock, 3-2.  Lisalverto Bonilla recorded the final 5 outs for the Express, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 3.......In Oklahoma City, the RedHawks lost an 8-7 game to Memphis.  Jonathan Villar and Jason Jaramillo (RBI) had a hit each for Oklahoma City............In Omaha, Jesus Sanchez  picked up the victory for Nashville in the the Sounds' 8-5 win.  Sanchez came into the game with bases loaded and allowed all 3 inherited runners to score, which tied the game at 5-5, but the Sounds took the lead in the next frame and Jesus got the lucky win!..............In Las Vegas, the SkySox defeated the 51s, 11-6.  Travis d'Arnaud had 2 doubles, 2 RBI and scored a run for Vegas..........In Tucson, Jesus Merchan was 1 for 3 for the Padres in their 5-3 win over Fresno..........In Springfield, Domingo Santana had 2 hits and scored a run for Corpus Christi, and the Hooks improved to 7-2 with a 3-2 win over the Cardinals..........In Mobile, the Bay Bears defeated Pensaclo, 5-2.  Travis Mattair hit his 3rd home riun of the year for the Blue Wahoos in the losing cause.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Carlos suspended 8 games

Word has come down from the commisioner's office that Carlos Carrasco has been suspended 8 games for throwing at Youkalis on Tuesday.  Harsh, because in my opinion, he was not throwing at him, he was just wild. If you go back over Carlos' career, even in the minors, he has plunked many hitters attempting to pitch inside.   So he will have to sit out another week.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Nick Swisher drove in Michael Bourn in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Indians and Justin Masterson a 1-0 win over the White Sox.  Bourn had doubled with 1 out in the inning........In Kansas City, Jay Happ won his second straight start in an 8-4 Jays win over the Royals.  Happ (2-0, 3.48) went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks and 4 strike outs, throwing 110 pitches, 70 for strikes.  It was win #4 for HomeSiders in the major leagues this season............In Miami, the Phillies put up 2 runs in the 10th inning to take a 3-1 victory from the Marlins.  The Phillies first run in the 6th inning came when Domonic Brown doubled in Ryan Howard, who had also doubled. They each had 2 hits in the game.  Antonio Bastardo struck out all 3 hitters he faced in the 7th inning.

In Reno, Michael Taylor (.410) had a single, a double, his 3rd home run, a walk, and 5 RBI for Sacramento as the River Cats topped the Aces, 16-8.  It was the 3rd home run for Mike, who now has 11 RBI in the Cats' first 9 games!  Tuffy Gosewisch walked and scored a run, and threw out a runner stealing for Reno..............In Toledo, the Mud Hens edged Louisville 2-1.  Quintin Berry had a single, what turned out to be the game winning RBI, and stole a base (#3).  Jason Donald was 0 for 4 for the Bats, and is 0 for 12 since his 4-hit game last Saturday..............In Oklahoma City, Memphis beat the RedHawks, 10-6.  Jonathan Villar's struggles continue, as he was 0 for 3 with 2 walks in the game. Josh Zeid tossed a scoreless 9th inning for Oklahoma City.  Zeid has not allowed a hit in 3 innings of work so far...............In Mobile, Travis Mattair was 2 for 5 with an RBI in a doubleheader for Pensacola.  The Blue Wahoos won the opener, 1-0 and the Bay Bears came back for a 2-1 win in the nightcap.............After not getting out of the first inning for Buffalo last week, Tyson Brummett was sent back to New Hampshire, and he started for the Fisher Cats in Binghamton last night.  In 3 innings, Brummett allowed 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in the Cats' 15-7 loss to the Mets.............In Midland, D'Arby Myers had a hit, a walk, and scored a run for the Rock Hounds in their 6-5, 12-innings win over the Naturals.



In Reading, Sebastian Valle had 2 hits, including his 2nd home run of the year, and scored 2 runs as Reading beat Erie, 3-1 in the home opener.  Albert Cartwright had 3 hits for the Fightin' Phils, and Anthony Hewitt (.346) had another hit, stole a base, and threw out a runner at home!..........In Viera, Carlos Alonso had 3 hits, including a home run and drove in 4 runs to pace the Threshers to a 9-5 win over Brevard County.  Ethan Stewart started and did not have anything, lasting just 1.1 innings and allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks.  Gabriel Arias came on the restore order over the next 4.2 frames, giving up no runs and allowing Clearwater to come back.  Arias is 2-0, 0.93 so far!  Mike Nesseth allowed a run on 2 hits in 2 innings of work, recording a hold, and Colton Murray tossed a scoreless 9th for Clearwater........In Greensboro, the BlueClaws dropped a 2-1 decision to the Grasshoppers, falling to 1-8, their worst start since the 2006 team started out 0-9.  By the way, the 2006 team came back to win the league championship, so do not give up hope just yet!!  Mitch Walding (.344) had 2 of the Claws 5 hits.  Kevin Brady was very good, going 6 innings and allowing just 1 UNearned run on 3 hits. Andrew Aizenstadt tossed 2 scoreless frames, before Zack Cooper took another tough loss.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Outman wins and 6 HomeSiders go deep

It was a major travel day around baseball on Thursday, with only 7 games in  the major leagues, and a light schedule in the minors was made lighter by the weather.

In Colorado Springs, the SkySox won both ends of a doubleheader from Tucson with runs in the final frame in both contests.  In Game 2, Josh Outman pitched the final 2 innings and was the winning pitcher when the Sox scored 3 in the bottom of the 7th to win it.  Josh allowed just 1 hit and has allowed just 1 UNearned run in 8 innings of work so far.  Jesus Merchan was 0 for 4 in the doubleheader for Tucson.......In Fresno, Travis d'Arnaud had 2 hits, 2 RBI and scored 3 runs for Las Vegas, as the 51s ripped the Grizzlies, 14-3.  Travis is off the a .300 start in the first 8 games...........In Kodak, the Chattanooga Lookouts topped the Smokies, 6-3.  Brian Schlitter tossed a scoreless inning (1 hit, 1K) for the Smokies in his 3rd appearance in their 8 games........In Midland, Darren Byrd threw 2.2 inning for the Rock Hounds, allowing a run on 2 hits, NO walks, and 2 Ks, but the Naturals rallied for a 7-5 win after he left.  Byrd has made 3 appearances for a total of 6.2 innings and has given up just the 1 run overall...........In Springfield, Domingo Santana hit his 2nd home run of the year, and walked 2 times, to help the Corpus Christi Hooks to a 5-0 win over the Cardinals.  The Hooks are now 6-1 in the first week.



In Toledo, the Louisville Bats beat the Mud Hens again, this time 4-1.  Jason Donald (LOU) and Quintin Berry (TOL) were each 0 for 4, but "JD" had a walk and scored a run for Louisville............In Sacramento, the River Cats snapped their losing streak with a 5-4 win over Tacoma, but Michael Taylor was 0 for 4 (still .371) for the Cats.


In Daytona, the Threshers hit 4 home runs, taming the Cubs, 12-2. Chris Serritella, Bob Stumpo, Aaron Altherr and Maikel Franco all went deep for Clearwater.  Altherr also had a single and a double and raised his average to a robust .393!  Serritella, Stumpo and Franco each drove in 3 runs, and Kyrell Hudson had 2 hits and stole a base.  Luis Paulino threw 3 scoreless frames (2 hits, 1 walk, 3 Ks) to notch his 2nd save.  In Greensboro, the BlueClaws lost again, depite 2 hits from Willie Carmona, and home runs by Art Charles and Brian Pointer.  Pointer's 8th inning blast gave the Claws a 4-3 advantage, but the Grasshoppers got to Jeb Stefan for 3 in the bottom half to steal a 6-4 victory.  Shane Watson started and went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5.  The Claws have lost 5 straight and are now 1-7.

Lehigh Valley and Reading were off, and the Fightin Phils have their home opener tonight.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

here are 2 more

Mike Cisco is with AA-Arkansas in the Angels system.  Mike has made 3 relief appearances for the Travelers for a total of 4.1 innings and allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk, with 4 Ks and a win.

Julio Rodriguez is on the AA-Bowie DL.

KK wins, Dom goes deep

Wednesday was a busy day on the HomeSide, with 7 former BlueClaws starting on the hill, 2 in the major leagues.  We begin in Philadelphia, where Kyle Kendrick registered his first win of 2013 in the Phillies' 7-3 win over New York.  Kendrick went 6 rain-delayed innings (the game stopped for 27 minutes during a 4th inning shower) and allowed just 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6 along the way.  It was the 3rd major league win so far for HomeSiders.  Domonic Brown blasted a 3-run first inning home run that went deep into the second deck.  It was his 2nd big fly of the year, and he now has 5 RBI.  Ryan Howard had 2 hits and scored a run, and Freddy Galvis made a pinch-hitting appearance, flying out in the 8th.  Antonio Bastardo tossed another scoreless inning (1 hit), his 3rd such outing so far...................Down the turnpike in Washington, Gavin Floyd fought his way through 5.1 innings against the Nationals, and was charged with the loss in a 5-2 decision for the Nats.   Gavin (0-2) gave up 5 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7.............In St. Louis, the Cardinals shut out the Reds, 10-0.  Alfredo Simon was used in a mop up role (it was already 8-0 when he came in) throwing 2 frames and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 3 for Cincinnati.

5 HomeSiders get the ball

The IronPigs game in Allentown was suspended after 2 innings,  Jonathan Pettibone pitched 2 scoreless frames, but they will not count until they play the rest of that game later this season.  Lehigh Valley and Pawtucket were 0-0...........In Nashville, Jarred Cosart threw 5 shut out innings for Oklahoma City, yielding only 1 hit and 3 walks, and striking out 7 in the RedHawks' 3-1 win over the Sounds.  Jarred off to a good start, 1-0 with 9 innings and only 1 earned run allowed.  Also off to a good start is Jesus Sanchez, who threw 2 more scoreless frames for Nashville.  Jesus allowed 2 hits, NO walks and has now thrown 5 frames, and surrendered just 1 UNearned run.  Jonathan Villar and Jason Jaramillo were each 0 for 3, with a walk in a pitching-dominant game...........In Portland, the R-Phils were held to just 5 hits and dropped a 5-2 game to the Sea Dogs before heading home for their home opener tomorrow.  Jesse Biddle (1-1)  was the victim of the non-support, and allowed 5 runs, 4 earned, on 4 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings of work.  Jim Murphy (.379) and Anthony Hewitt (.348) each had a hit for Reading, Hewitt also stealing a base..........In Harrisburg, Trevor May cost himself a victory, throwing 82 pitches in just 4 innings of work for New Britain, in the Rock Cats' 17-5 win over the Senators.  Trevor allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks and struck out 7, but his high pitch count kept him from going the 5 innings he needed.................In Daytona, Hoby Milner was roughed up by the Cubs, allowing 8 runs, 7 earned, on 7 hits (3 HRs) and 3 walks, but the Threshers scored 2 in the 9th and 5 in the 11th for a 14-9 win.  Maikel Franco had a double and his first home run, driving in 4 runs.  Aaron Altherr had 3 hits and a walk, and scored twice, Harold Matinez had 2 hits and a walk, and Logan Moore had a 2-run triple, walked twice and scored 2 runs.  Chris Serritella had 4 hits, and Jonathan Roof had 3 and knocked in 3 runs.



Elsewhere, In Indianapolis, Quintin Berry had a hit and a walk, and doubled a runner off first base for Toledo, but the Mud Hens lost again, 7-2.  Mike Zagurski pitched the final 2 innings for the Indians, retiring all 6 hitters he faced, 3 with strike outs.  (He did not face Berry)...............In Sacramento, Michael Taylor had 2 doubles for the River Cats, but the Rainiers prevailed, 7-4.  Taylor has hit in all 7 games so far for Sacramento, and is hitting .419 (13 for 31)...............In Salt Lake City, the Bees swept a double header from Reno, 9-4 and 5-3.  Tuffy Gosewisch caught the first game for the Aces and was 0 for 3.........In Mobile, the Bay Bears beat Pensacola, 10-2.  Travis Mattair was 0 for 4 for the Blue Wahoos.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

back on the bump

First thing I noticed this morning is that the Cleveland Indians have placed Lou Marson on the 15-day DL, with a cervical neck strain resulting from that jarring collision over the weekend.  So Lou was unavailable to catch Carlos Carrasco's season debut and first major league start since August 3, 2011.  Carlos had a typical outing for someone who had his surgery.  His arm strength was there, in fact a young man Carlos' age sometimes throws a few MPH harder, but the command takes a little longer, and the Yankees were ready and pounced on him for 7 runs on 7 hits, and 2 walks in just 3.2 innings.  When Carlos plunked Kevin Youkalis right after Robinson Cano homered, he was ejected. I did not think it was intentional.  The Yanks got 7 more runs off Brett Myers, who took one for his team and saved their bullpen, and went on to a 14-1 win.  On the whole, Carlos' debut had some good things to build on, and with a few more starts and a chance to get in a rythym, he could be his old self by the time the weather warms up in Cleveland!

In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard hit his first home run of the year, and the Phillies beat New York, 8-3.  Domonic Brown chipped in with a single and scored a run as Philadelphia evened their series at a game each.  Kyle Kendrick (0-1) will get the ball tonight.

Feel good story of the day comes out of Daytona, where Nick Hernandez got the ball for the Clearwater Threshers, and battled his way through 5 innings to get the win in a 5-4 Thresher's victory.  Nick has not pitched since 2010, missing the last 2 year with various injuries.  He was 3-1, 1.61 in 8 starts for Lakewood in the spring of '10.  Those were his last win until yesterday.  Welcome Back, Nick!!  Cameron Perkins (.333, single, double, triple, RBI, run) and Aaron Altherr (2 hits, walk, run) led the attack.  Gabriel Arias (1 run, 2 hits, NO walks, 2Ks, hold) and Colton Murray (1 run, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 Ks, save) each threw 2 innings................In Allentown, the Pawtucket Red Sox beat the IronPigs 5-1, holding Lehigh  Valley to just 4 hits.  Cesar Hernandez (.462) had 2 of them, with Darin Ruf  (.308) and Pete Orr getting the other 2.   Tyler Cloyd fell to 0-2, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, 6 strike outs in 5 innings.  Justin De Fratus and Joe Savery each threw 2 shut out innings of relief...............In Portland, Cameron Rupp (.381)  had 3 hits and an RBI to lead the Fightin Phils to a 3-2 win over the Sea Dogs.  David Buchanan threw 6 strong innings for the win, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, both runs coming in the 1st inning.  Tyler Knigge also threw a scoreless inning (1 hit, 2 Ks) in for Reading.

In Round Rock, Lisalverto Bonilla pitched 3 good innings in relief, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3 and picking up the win in the Express' 4-2 win over the Iowa Cubs................In Salt Lake City, Tuffy Gosewisch had 2 hits, including his first home run of the year for Reno, and the Aces coasted to an 11-3 road win..................In Buffalo, in a 5-inning rain-shortened game, Syracuse defeated the Bisons, 8-2.  Anthony Gose (.292) had an RBI triple and scored a run, accounting for both Buffalo runs...........In Sacramento, Michael Taylor (.423) had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and drove in 2 runs, but the River Cats fell to 1-5, losing to Tacoma, 9-5......In Corpus Christi, Domingo Santana (.286) ripped 3 doubles and also walked, scored a run and knocked inh 2 to pace the Hooks to a 6-0 win over Tulsa.........After an 0 for 20 start, Jonathan Villar got a single and scored a run for Oklahoma City, and the RedHawks took a 5-3 road win in Nashville.


In Indianapolis, Quintin Berry was 0 for 3, but walked and stole his 2nd base of the year for Toledo in their 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Indians.......In Fresno, Travis d'Arnaud was 0 for 4, and the 51s dropped a 4-1 decision to the Grizzlies.

Roman Candle explodes!

OK, so the BlueClaws lost again last night, 6-3 to Hagerstown, but the electricity that is generated from the speed of Roman Quinn (the Roman Candle) as he raced around the bases for an inside the park home run was absolutely thrilling.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Carrasco to debut tonight

In Cleveland Monday, the Indians were rocked by the Yankees, 11-6.  Michael Bourn had a single, a triple, a walk, and scored twice to pace the Tribe.  Lou Marson, apparently OK after that collision over the weekend, came on late and walked in his only at bat.  Hopefully he is ready top catch Carlos Carrasco, who will face the Bronx  Bombers tonight..........In Philadelphia, the Mets topped the Phillies, 7-2  Ryan Howard had an RBI with a scarifice fly, and Domonic Brown was 0 for 4.......In St. Louis, Alfredo Simon threw a scoreless inning for the Reds in their 13-4 beating of the Cardinals.



In Allentown, the IronPigs blasted Pawtucket, 14-5.  Cody Overbeck had 3 hits, including a home run, and 6 other Pigs had 2 hits each, including Darin Ruf (.318, single, double, RBI 2 runs scored) and Leandro Castro (.400, 2 singles, run).  BJ Rosenberg made the start, and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 3 innings.  Mike Stutes (2 innings) and Jake Diekman (1 inning) threw scoreless relief for Lehigh Valley..............In Portland, Edgar Duran had 3 hits, including a home run and Jim Murphy (.429) and Anthony Hewitt (.412) added 2 hits each as the Fightin' Phils scored 3 in the 9th for a 7-4 win over the Sea Dogs.  Brody Colvin started for Reading and went 5.1 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, and Hector Neris tossed 1.2 innings of relief (1 run, 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 Ks).



In Kane County, Lendy Castillo made his first start of the season for the Cougars,  going 5 innings and allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4 in the Cougars' 10-inning, 6-5 win over Clinton.......In Pensacola, the Blue Wahoos (still LOL at that name) took the rubber game of their series with Tennessee, 2-1.  The deciding hit was an RBI double in the 6th by Travis Mattair off Brian Schlitter.  Schlitter threw 1.2 innings, and the run he allowed was UNearned........ In Indianapolis, the Indians defeated Toledo, 3-1.  Quintin Berry had a double and scored the lone run for the Mud Hens, and Mike Zagurski threw a scoreless inning (2 hits, 2 Ks, 2nd hold) for the Indians...........In Fresno, Travis d'Arnaud had an RBI double and scored a run for Las Vegas, and the 51s beat the Grizzlies, 4-3..........In Sacramento, the River Cats dropped a 9-4 decision to Tacoma.  Michael Taylor (.381 so far) had 2 singles and a walk for the River Cats............In Springdale, the Midland Rock Hounds made it a sweep of their opening series with Naturals with a 4-0 win.  D'Arby Myers was 0 for 4 for Midland..........In Corpus Christi,  Domingo Santana had 2 walks in 4 plate appeances for the Hooks in their 4-3 come from behind win over Tulsa..........In Buffalo, Anthony Gose was 0 for 4 for Bisons in their home opener, an 8-1 loss to Syracuse...........In Nashville, the Sounds shut out Oklahoma City, 1-0.   Jonathan Villar and Jason Jaramillo were each 0 for 3, and both are hitless so far for the RedHawks.