And yesterday is weaving in and out
Two big leaguers have interesting days in the minors, while Lansing gets it done with pitching and New Hampshire with hitting.
Josh Towers’ 2006 AAA debut was a case of glass-half-full or glass-half-empty. He was charged with 2 earned runs over 7 innings while striking out 4 and walking just 1, but he surrendered 11 hits and 6 runs total. Finish on a positive note: No Homers.
Fellow banishee Russ Adams also provided good news and bad news, with 3 hits including 2 triples being mitigated by his second error at second base, a miscue of the ‘fielding’ variety. Finish on a positive note: He got the putout to end the top of the 4th when Jason Phillips threw out Gookie Dawkins attempting a steal.
Kevin Barker also swung good wood for Syracuse, with two two-bag hits. Ryan Roberts reached 3 times via a base knock and two walks.
The Fisher Cats made it back-to-back big Mondays with a trouncing of the Harrisburg Senators. CF Tony Miller and RF David Smith each had 3 of the 16 New Hampshire hits, while 1B Vito Chiaravalloti, 3B Brad Hassey, and 2B Carlo Cota collected 2 each. Cota had a perfect night, drawing 3 walks in his other 3 plate appearances. LF Adam Lind and C Curtis Thigpen were each 1 for 4, Lind with a double and Thigpen with a walk. Chip Cannon had the night off.
Davis Romero didn’t really need all the support, as he pitched an outstanding 7 innings of 4-hit 1-run ball, punching out 5 and not walking anybody. Connor Falkenbach, making his double-A debut, was less effective, charged with 3 earned on 5 hits and a walk in 2 mop-up innings.
Dunedin: Scheduled off day.
The Lugnuts totaled just 6 singles and a walk on offence, but that was enough as Aaron Tressler and Po-Hsuan Keng teamed up on a 4-hit shutout. Tressler went the first 7 frames, charged with the 4 base knocks while striking out 5, and Keng cleaned up by tossing 2 unmarred innings, 1 whiff.
1B David Hicks and 3B Anthony Hatch each collected an RBI on 2 base hits, Hatch adding a base on balls and a stolen base. CF Luke Hetherington and LF Cory Patton each scored a run as part of a 1-for-4 night. RF Brian Pettway wore a collar.
Three Star Selection!
The Third Star: Po-Hsuan Keng, Lansing. 2 spotless innings and a 1.67 ERA for the season.
The Second Star: Davis Romero, New Hampshire. 7 stellar innings.
The First Star: Aaron Tressler, Lansing. 7 outstanding innings.