With Syrause’s game postponed, the affiliates went 2-1 yesterday. New Hampshire won at home, but the key pitching matchups were found in the lower minors. In Dunedin R. Gonzalez faced off against R. Gonzalez, while Lansing travelled to Clinton for a duel between Kyle Ginley and Neftali Feliz that did not disappoint.
Scranton Wilkes-Barre @ Syracuse - Postponed
Bowie 2 @ New Hampshire 6 - Boxscore
Canadian Scott Richmond had what was likely his second-best start of the year, going six innings against Bowie and surrendering only two runs. Richmond allowed four hits, two walks and struck out five. He only really got into trouble in the third inning, when he gave up three hits and the only runs the Baysox scored on the afternoon. Jamie Vermilyea pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Zach Dials finished the game.
New Hampshire scored six unanswered runs off the Baysox pitching staff, picking up one in the fifth and five between the seventh and the eighth inning. The run in the fifth was scored on a Brian Jeroloman homer, as he tried to make amends with the bat for his sloppy day in the field, as he had both a passed ball and an error. In the seventh New Hampshire rallied with three hits and two walks and scored three runs off Bowie pitchers. The big hit was a 2-run double by Jacob Butler. In the eighth the Fisher Cats got runners to second and third with none out, but Ryan Klosterman struck out and Travis Snider put the ball in play for the first time all afternoon, but grounded to first. It looked like the Bayosox might be able to escape the jam but Scott Campbell came up with a 2-run single and was out trying to take second on the old 7-6-3-4 play. Travis Snider was 0-3 with a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts. Klosterman and Jeroloman were key parts of the offence yesterday, as each had two hits and a walk.
Sarasota 6 @ Dunedin 4 - Boxscore
With a loss Dunedin slipped into a four-way tie atop the Florida State League’s West division. Sarasota scored two in the fourth and one in every inning from the sixth onwards, while Dunedin got one back in the sixth, another in the eighth and scored two in the ninth to get within two runs. Dunedin never truly looked to be on the verge of a comeback, as Sarasota’s closer gave up a home run and double to begin the inning, but struck out the next three batters. If you’re asking how the runner on second came around to score the answer is wild pitches to consecutive batters. However, with the tying run never advancing further than the on-deck circle and the last three batters failing to even put the ball in play the outcome was never really in doubt.
Reider Gonzalez started for the Jays and went six innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Gonzalez did give up nine hits, including four doubles, and allow half of Sarasota’s runs. He took the loss to fall to 2-3 and his ERA sits at 5.70. Celson Polanco, who gave up two hits and a walk over two innings, relieved him. Polcano allowed his first runs of the year to score, although one of the two was unearned. Paul Phillips pitched the ninth and gave up two this and a run of his own.
Reider Gonzalez’s opponent on the mound shared his surname, as Rafael Gonazalez made his first appearance of the year. Rafael Gonzalez went five innings and didn’t allow a run, surrendering only three hits and a walk. Camilo Vazquez and Sean Watson pitched the last four innings for the Reds and each allowed two runs to score. All the offence was provided by the middle of the lineup, as David Smith, Brian Dopirak and Cory Patton, the 3, 4 and 6 hitters, each had two hits and an RBI. Patton hit a solo homer in the ninth and he and Dopirak also had a base on balls. JP Arencibia, the 5th hitter, also had a hit, as did Jesus Gonzalez in the seven hole.
Lansing 6 @ Clinton 1 - Boxscore
This game was a pitching battle between Lansing’s Kyle Ginley and highly-touted Neftali Feliz of the Clinton LumberKings. The game remained scoreless through five innings, with both pitchers on cruise control. Feliz allowed two hits and a walk while striking out eight and Ginley allowed two hits and struck out five. That was the end of the night for Feliz and he turned it over to Fabio Castillo, which was good news for the Lugnuts. Castillo gave up a triple to Moises Sierra and Raul Barron singled him in for the game’s first run. Meanwhile, Ginley continued to cruise with another two hitless innings.
The wheels came off the bus in the eighth inning for Castillo, as he gave up four hits and a walk and had another runner reach base via an error. The big hit was the last one Castillo allowed, which was a 2 RBI double to Manny Rodriguez. Ginley gave up three hits in the bottom of the eighth and Clinton scored their first run of the game. Ginley’s final line was 7.2 innings pitched, five hits allowed, six strikeouts and he allowed one unearned run. Seven of Lansing’s nine hits came from Raul Barron, Manny Rodriguez or Moises Sierra. Barron hit three singles, Rodriguez had the aforementioned 2 RBI double and Sierra had both a double and a triple and was the only Lansing player to score two runs.
Three Stars
3rd Star – Scott Richmond, 6IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
2nd Star – Moises Sierra, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, RBI, 5 TB
1st Star – Kyle Ginley, 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Also, if you haven’t seen this, here’s a short one minute long interview of Travis Snider with Kevin Gray of the New Hampshire Union Leader. It's just on Snider's thoughts about getting called up to the Fisher Cats, but even in this brief appearance he comes across well.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20080427122715451