The Memorial Day fireworks went off in Syracuse and Charleston yesterday as the SkyChiefs and Alley Cats enjoyed offensive explosions. New Hampshire and Dunedin battled hard, with the Blue Jays emerging victorious and the Fisher Cats… well, they’ll get ‘em next time!
Syracuse 11 @ Durham 1
The SkyChiefs put the hurt on Tampa Bay's AAA affiliate despite only 3 extra-base hits; 10 singles and 4 walks were plenty as Syracuse put up a 7 in the 4th inning. 1B Shawn Fagan and 3B Glenn Williams hit home runs. Leadoff hitter SS Russ Adams had two singles and a walk, as did DH Gabe Gross out of the #5 spot. CF Marvin Benard and C Tim Whittaker collected two singles each.
David Bush got the start against the Bulls and turned in a tidy 6 innings of shutout baseball - 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K. Mike Nakamura turned in 2 perfect innings of relief, striking out 3.
Non-Jays Commentary: 23-year-old Jonny Gomes launched his 11th bomb of the AAA season for the Bulls. He's currently blocked in Tampa "Last Place" Bay by 30-year-old Robert Fick, 36-year-old Tino Martinez, and 40-year-old Fred McGriff, all three of whom were acquired this past off-season. Devil Rays front office, I'd like to introduce you to a novel concept called "roster management".
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Recap - Post-Standard
Portland 5 @ New Hampshire 3
Gustavo Chacin started for the Fisher Cats and was doing just fine through 5, allowing a solitary run, but things fell apart in the 6th as the Sea Dogs scored 4 runs. John Ogiltree and Dan Jackson combined for 3-1/3 innings of shutout relief.
The New Hampshire offense was lackluster, collecting 4 singles, 2 doubles, and 5 walks. The 5 walks might sound decent, but outside of DH John-Ford Griffin's 0-for-0 with 4 free passes, the rest of the Fisher Cats hacked their way to 10 strikeouts and a solitary walk.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Recap - Union-Leader
Clearwater 2 @ Dunedin 3
Ismael Ramirez spotted the Threshers a 2-spot in the first, then shut them down through the 7th, when the D-Jays scored two of their own. Tracy Thorpe came on for 2 innings of shutout relief, and was awarded the W as Dunedin plated the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. 1B Vito Chiaravalloti drove in all three Dunedin runs as he had two hits and a walk. CF Miguel Negron batted cleanup and collected three hits, including a double, and also walked once. 3B Raul Tablado hit two singles.
Big-leaguer Chris Woodward made a re-hab appearance and went hitless in two at-bats before being replaced.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com.
Charleston 9 @ Lake County 3
2B Ryan Roberts and 1B Clint Johnston led the way in Lake County as the Alley Cats tripled the Captains. Roberts was good for 2 home runs and a walk, while Johnston collected 3 hits, including a double. Shaun Marcum was dominant but for 2 pitches that went for solo homers. His line for the night reads 6-1/3 innings pitched, 2 runs on 5 hits, 9 strikeouts and 0 walks. The Brothers Romero tossed 1-2/3 perfect innings in relief, and in the ninth an impressive streak came to an end as Brian Reed allowed his first earned run of the season.
Boxscore - MinorLeagueBaseball.com. Recap - Charleston Gazette
Three-Star Selection!
The Third Star: David Bush, Syracuse. 6 shutout innings, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K.
The Second Star: Miguel Negron, Dunedin. 3 for 4 with a double and a walk.
The First Star: Ryan Roberts, Charleston. 2 jacks and a walk.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040601095256999