If, as a matter of policy, you always read the minor league updates -- or, conversely, you never read them -- then read ahead or don't, as the case may be. If, however, you only read them when it seems that something interesting happened in the minor leagues, then this is a good one to skip, 'cause there just wasn't a whole lot going down last night. I have tried to compensate for the relative absence of news with a surfeit of bad puns, which may only compound the problem.
The links on the game headings are to the BA boxscores.
Syracuse 2-1 at Buffalo 1-3
Vinny Chulk pitched the first complete game of his career in the opener, allowing a lone run on four hits and three walks while striking out four. The complete game would be more of an accomplishment had it been nine innings rather than seven. Simon Pond and Gabe Gross hit back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth to put the SkyChiefs ahead for good. Pond finished 2 for 3, and Jayson Werth went 1 for 4 with a double.
In the nightcap, Mike Smith pitched a six-inning complete game, which is about as impressive as a three-run shutout. Then again, I guess you could also call his game a three-run shutout if you so desired. Jorge Sequea went 2 for 3 with a double.
Harrisburg 1 at New Haven 2
How often does New Haven win when Russ Adams, Dominic Rich, Alexis Rios, and Guillermo Quiroz go 0 for 12 with zero walks? Well, it happened last night. The Ravens scratched out two runs on two singles in the bottom of the second, and Cam Reimers threw six solid innings (6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K) before turning the game over to Pete Bauer and Gustavo Chacin. Shawn Fagan, our own Kevin Youkilis doppelgänger, contributed two hits in three trips to the plate.
Dunedin 5 at Jupiter 4
Jesse Harper had a bit of a rough outing for the D-Jays: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR. He left the game with a 4-1 deficit, which was erased by Ron Davenport's three-run bomb in the top of the seventh. Maikel Jova singled home Jason Waugh in the top of the ninth for the game-winning run. Speaking of Jason Waugh, the man is officially On Fire (in the NBA Jam sense): 2 for 3 with a double, two walks, and two runs. Let's ignore the caught stealing, shall we? (Unless, of course, being thrown out on the base paths causes one to no longer be On Fire.) Aaron Hill went 1 for 4.
Charleston 2 at Rome 10
The Alley Cats failed to follow Cervantes' old maxim, as the Rome Braves hit and pitched well and the Alley Cats, well, didn't. John Wesley pitched unMethodically for three innings, allowing three runs on four hits (one home run) and three walks while striking out only one batter. He's going to have to start Conforming to the organizational philosophy of throwing strikes if he wants to be promoted. Or maybe he's offended the Church of, er, Rome.
I apologize in advance for the above.
Bluefield 5 at Pulaski 0
Pulaski managed only three hits, one by Robinzon Diaz, whose batting average plummeted to .443.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030730085801999