We've got an Eastern League "batting champion" on the New Haven Ravens (and he ain't Alexis Rios), a "Triple Crown" batsman in Auburn, and a Jamie Vermilyea sighting in Dunedin. What more could one ask for in a minor-league update?
[The scare quotes are there to obviate the need to remind me how useless the notions of "batting champions" and "triple crowns" are.]
Scranton 2 at Syracuse 7
Pete Walker made a rehab start for the SkyChiefs and pitched two innings, allowing a solitary hit. Vinny Chulk put up one of the more unlikely relief lines you're likely to see for some time: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HR. He pitched six shutout frames before giving up a two-run homer to Chase Utley in the ninth. Every Syracuse batter had at least one hit, and Gabe Gross, Kevin Cash, and Jayson Werth each chipped in a double. Werth's was his 18th in 146 AB; he's hitting .281/.335/.521 in AAA. Gross has crept up to .264/.350/.440.
New Haven 2 at Norwich 0
Dominic Rich, Danny Solano, and Tyrell Godwin put two runs on the board in the second frameand Dave Gassner never looked back, finishing with 7 innings of five-hit, four-K shutout ball. The story of the night, however, was Shawn Fagan, who went 2 for 4. Why does that make him the story of the night? Because he's now leading the EL batting race by a narrow margin (.33542 vs. .33495) over Alexis Rios. If he only had any pop to go with his ability to hit line drives and draw walks (.335/.417/.423) ...
Clearwater 3 at Dunedin 4
Jesse Harper and Gavin Floyd last met on July 24; when rain forced postponement after two innnings on that day, Harper held a 2-0 lead. Clearwater scored three late runs off D-Jay relievers the next day to win that game 3-2. Floyd and Harper met again last night; once more, Harper only lasted two innings, and as far as I know there was no rain delay. He gave up three runs in the second and left trailing 3-0. Jamie Vermilyea (3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR) and some lesser lights shut the Phillies down the rest of the way, and Dunedin scratched four runs for the victory, placing them two games ahead of Clearwater in the second-half pennant race. Vermilyea's line in the FSL is a cool 9 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K.
Charleston 4 at South Georgia 5
Sandy Nin is still scuffling: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K. So are the Alley Cat hitters, which is not exactly news.
Mahoning Valley 3-0 at Auburn 2-3
Kurt Isenberg pitched well in the first game (5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 HR) but got the loss. Danny Core threw five innings of shutout ball in the nightcap (4 H, 0 BB, 1 K) for the win. Vito went 3 for 5 and is now leading the NYP league in all three Triple Crown categories: batting average (.36111 vs. Aaron Hill's idle .36066), home runs (8 vs. two guys with 6) and RBIs (44 vs. a dude with 37). This achievement is admittedly a statistical curiosity, but it cannot be denied that Vito has been large and in charge thus far.
Pulaski 1 at Bristol 0 (11 innings)
Brian Grant and two relievers pitched 11 innings of shutout ball, and Jace Tingler singled home Eugenio Vancamper for the winning run in the top of the 11th. Robinson Diaz went 1 for 5; his average is down to .389.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030805084443999