...for the Blue Jays' last remaining minor-league playoff team, the New Haven Ravens. Dustin McGowan was rocked for 6 runs (though only 3 were earned) in 4 innings (6 H, 4 BB, 3 Ks), and Sandy Nin followed by digging the hole a little deeper: in 2 innings, he allowed 3 runs (though only 1 was earned -- the defence made three costly errors last night) on 3 hits, but walked no one and struck out 4. These young pitchers' late-season difficulties should come as no surprise: it's the end of a long year that started for both of them back in A-Ball. No one's star is shining less brightly today as a result.
New Haven's big bats made a game of it, though, scoring 7 unanswered runs from the 6th inning onwards, but it wasn't enough. The resurgent Dominic Rich and Anthony Sanders each had 3 hits, while Russ Adams chipped in with 2 hits and 2 RBI. Even the amazing (I think that's a fair description) Guillermo Quiroz doubed and drove in a run. Some better defence and the Ravens might have tied this series up; as it is, they're down 2-0 and staring at elimination. David Bush is now all that stands between New Haven and the off-season.
It's rather sad, if you visit the Ravens' home page, to see the fire sale taking place there. As you know, the franchise is moving to Manchester next season, and no club is coming in to replace the Blue Jays' AA affiliate, so the Ravens, a longstanding Eastern League member, are this close to extinction. The fire sale includes everything -- desks, computers, concession equipment, the kitchen sink presumably. "Cash and Carry" is not a phrase you like to see associated with your favourite team. I feel badly for New Havenites; at the very least, though, they got an exciting send-off from their Ravens in 2003.
Dunedin, as you may have heard, got blasted out of the playoffs 10-0 by the St. Lucie Mets. Vince Perkins, who's wrapping up a 120+inning season, got beaten up again as he did earlier in the playoffs, but this is just fatigue combined with a pitcher who still doesn't have proper command of his outstanding stuff. He'll probably start next season at Dunedin again, though I wouldn't be surprised to see him spend some time in the pen. No shame on the D-Jays' batters; they ran into fireballing Mets' prospect Scott Kazmir last night. Altogether, these were two very good seasons for the Jays' mid-level farm teams; combined with an outstanding season at Auburn, the organization has every reason to feel confident about and proud of its farm system.
A few other notes. For those who were stumping hard for that supposed Shannon Stewart-Jesse Foppert deal earlier this year, be advised that Foppert is going under the knife. The Tommy John surgery he's scheduled to undergo explains his lost velocity, but will also likely wipe out his 2004 season and cast a shadow over his future. Of course, there's no way you can predict that kind of injury, just as there's no way Luke Prokopec's injury could have been foretold. When it comes right down to it, pitchers' health is really a roll of the dice, and you never know when the losing throw will come. And consider the Giants: of their Big Three pitching prospects, Foppert is undergoing surgery, Kurt Ainsworth is in Baltimore, and only Jerome Williams remains in the fold. Jays' fans who mutter about the disappointment of the Halladay-Escobar-Carpenter trio should be glad they have two good arms still around years after their debut, one of them an ace. The odds of a Smoltz-Glavine-Maddux or a Hudson-Mulder-Zito troika remaining healthy, effective and in one uniform for more than a couple of years are staggeringly low.
Finally, the Blue Jays' top prospect, Alexis Rios, is one of the ten finalists for the Baseball America Minor-League Player of the Year. Despite his terrific season, though, Lexi is in tough against some tremendous competition, including Padres 2B prospect Josh (Son of Jesse) Barfield, Miguel-Tejada-heir-apparent Bobby Crosby of the A's, and the White Sox' .400-hitting outfield prospect Jeremy Reed. Keep your fingers crossed; the award will be handed out tomorrow.
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