A contender for the lame title of the year award!! Dunedin managed to split a doubleheader on the road and that was the only win of the night for the affliates.
Indianapolis, IN - The Chiefs were unable to continue the momentum of an extra innings victory Sunday as they fell to the leaders of the International League's West Division. Ray Olmedo, whose sac fly in the 12th gave the 'Cuse the win over Scranton, drew a leadoff walk off Pirates prospect John Van Benschoten. However, the former Red was thrown out stealing by Einar Diaz and Syracuse went down in order after that. The Indians would get the only run they'd need in the bottom half off the first off Syracuse starter Ismael Ramirez. "Izzy" was raked for 3 singles from the first 4 batters he faced with Russ Johnson driving home Rajai Davis to give the home side a 1-0 lead. It could've been worse but Chad Mottola and Curtis Thigpen teamed up on a 9-2 double play as Luis Matos flied out and Yurendell DeCaster was gunned down at the plate.
The Chiefs got another base runner on in the 2nd as Chad Mottola got aboard on a 2 out single. He got as far as 2nd on a balk but he would be stranded as John Hattig struck out swinging. The Indians threatened to build on their 1-0 lead in the bottom half of inning number 2. Chris Aguila hit a ground rule double and moved up another 90 feet on Ramirez's errant pickoff throw at 2nd. However, Ramirez bore down and retired the next three hitters on two groundouts and a flyout to keep it 1-0 Indy.
Syracuse got their leadoff man aboard for the 2nd time in 3 innings as Curtis Thigpen singled. However, that's all the Chiefs would do in the 3rd. Indianapolis increased their lead in the bottom half as a walk, a single, and a double steal set the table for Yurendell De Caster's RBI single to score Nyjer Morgan to make it 2-0 Tribe. Ramirez bent but did not completely break as he stranded runners at 1st and 3rd by retiring the next 3 batters on a groundout, popout, and flyout.
The Chiefs tried again to get back in it in the 4th. John-Ford Griffin doubled and Kevin Barker walked with 1 out but Chad Mottola struck out and John Hattig grounded out to short-circuit the rally. Meantime, Ismael Ramirez enjoyed his first 3 up, 3 down inning and put his leather to use by fielding a bunt to throw out a batter.
Curtis Thigpen collected his 2nd leadoff single to start the 5th but he would be doubled off as Wayne Lydon lined out to 3rd in foul territory to start a 5-3 twin killing. In the home half of the frame, Indy generated a lot of activity on the basepaths. Nyjer Morgan beat out a bunt single to the mound and stole 2nd as well. He tried to steal 3rd but Curtis Thigpen was wise to that as he gunned him down at the hot corner. However, Ramirez didn't retire the side right away as he gave up a ground rule double and a walk but he got the next two hitters to hold the Tribe off the board.
The 6th inning saw both teams retire the side in order. Ramirez struck out two Indians swinging to keep the score 2-0 for the home side. The 7th was just as uneventful with John Hattig drawing a 2 out walk. Ramirez gave up a single but that was erased on a double play.
Josh Sharpless relieved John Van Benschoten in the 8th and not much changed for the Chiefs as Russ Adams was the only one to get on base with a 2 out walk. Former Florida Marlin Jim Crowell took over for Ismael Ramirez and he ran into trouble off the get-go. Yurendell De Caster greeted Crowell with a single, proceeded to steal 2nd, and got to 3rd on a balk. A walk, a wild pitch, and an intentional walk eventually led to a bases loaded situation with 1 out. Syracuse would turn their 3rd double play of the evening but it wasn't quite the twin killing they had in mind. Luis Ordaz's sac fly cashed in De Caster with Indy's 3rd run of the night but Syracuse center fielder Wayne Lydon started the unconventional 8-1-4 double play with Russ Adams tagging out another Russ at 2nd, Russ Johnson, to end the inning. Syracuse went down quietly in the 9th.
At the dish, Curtis Thigpen was 2-for-3 at the plate to raise his average to .284 but behind the dish, it was a different story as he threw out only 1 of 5 basestealers. John-Ford Griffin doubled in his 4 at-bats and Chad Mottola was 1-for-4 as well with an outfield assist but both of them struck out twice. Ryan Roberts also fanned twice in 4 AB's. Russ Adams, Ray Olmedo, and Kevin Barker drew walks in their 4 plate appearances while John Hattig did the same in 3 PA's. Syracuse mustered only 4 hits, 1 of them for extra bases, and whiffed 9 times compared to 4 walks.
On the hill, Ismael Ramirez," I-Ram",gutted it out for 7 innings of 2 run ball, scattering 9 hits and 2 walks and striking out 2. His ERA is now below 6 but his record is now 0-and-4. Jim Crowell only wishes his ERA was that "good". His ERA is just below 12.50 after giving up a run on a hit and a couple of walks.
Syracuse now falls to 12-and-17 on the season and are 8 games back of Buffalo in the IL North.
Game Story - New Hampshire Union Leader
Game Notes - New Hampshire Union Leader
Manchester, NH - A dozen hits and 3 walks were not enough as the Fisher Cats saw their 8 game home winning streak come to an end. The Giants Double A affiliates got to Fisher Cats starter Kyle Yates early. Yates plunked the second batter he faced and the runner was advanced by a double and RBI groundout to make it 1-0 Connecticut. Yates ended the inning by striking out Travis Ishikawa. The home half of the first saw Manny Mayorson double with 1 out but that's all New Hampshire was able to muster.
The Defenders went back to work on Yates in the 2nd inning with 2 singles followed by a 2 run triple to make it 3-0 Defenders. Yates also issued a walk but did strike out a pair. The F-Cats used a triple of their own to break the goose egg as Chip Cannon's single was brought in the remaining 270 feet by a 2 out Dustin Majewski 3 bagger. However, Majewski would be left there as Juan Peralta grounded out to end the inning.
Kyle Yates settled down by setting down the Defenders in order in the 3rd and the offence rewarded him the next half-inning. A 2 out double by Sergio Santos was cashed in by a Ryan Patterson single to cut the Defenders advantage to 3-2. A Chip Cannon walk and a wild pitch brought the potential tying and go-ahead runs in the scoring position but Aaron Matthews popped up to strand the runners.
Robinzon Diaz took over for Manny Mayorson at the hot corner to begin the 4th for New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Union Leader says Mayorson injured a hamstring. There was nothing Diaz could do to prevent the Defenders 4th run of the night as Stephen Holm took Kyle Yates deep with a 1 out home run to make it 4-2 Connecticut. Yates plunked the next batter he faced and the runner would advance to 3rd via a stolen base and a Diaz fielding error. However, Yates would strand the runners at the corners to keep the score 4-2. New Hampshire could only respond with a 2 out single by Juan Peralta in the bottom of the 4th.
Justin James took the ball from Kyle Yates to start the 5th. He retired the first man he faced on a groundout but plunked the next hitter to make it 3 HBP's on the night for Connecticut. James gave up another single to make it runners on the corners for the Defenders. However, James started a 1-5-3 putout to cut down a runner at home and induced a groundout to get out of the inning with no runs. Robinzon Diaz would led off the Fisher Cat 5th with a leadoff double and Ryan Patterson would deliver another RBI base knock to make it a one run game at 4-3. Connecticut starter Ben Cox was given the heave-ho at this point in favour of Ryan Sadowski, who maintained the lead after his batterymate Stephon Holm threw out Patterson trying to steal 2nd.
The 6th inning saw both teams go down in order while the 7th saw both clubs get 2 runners on. Connecticut could not cash in a pair of singles off Justin James, who struck out 2 in the inning as well, while the F-Cats could do nothing with a Ryan Klosterman walk and a Robinzon Diaz single.
Jean Machi took over for Justin James in the 8th and took care of the 3 batters he had to face in order and a fielding error helped the F-Cats get back in the game in the bottom half. Aaron Matthews got aboard on an E4 and was still there with 2 out when Dustin Majewski pushed him to 3rd with a single. Juan Peralta would bring Matthews home with an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4. Alexander Hinshaw, who started the inning, was relieved by Brian Anderson, who struck out Ryan Klosterman swinging to leave Majewski at 3rd. That would come back to haunt the F-Cats.
Jean Machi got the leadoff man in the top of the 9th but he would be gone after a John Bowker triple and an intentional walk. Jesse Carlson took over for Machi and got the runner out at 3rd on a 1-5-2 fielder's choice. However, the story in the Union Leader points out that Carlson should've tried for the inning ending double play. After another intentional walk, the bases were loaded and then were cleared on a 3 run double by Carlos Sosa to give Connecticut the 7-4 lead. Carlson got the out he needed a batter too late to end the inning. In the bottom of the 9th, the F-Cats got the tying run to the plate after a Robinzon Diaz walk and a Ryan Patterson single but Chip Cannon grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the ball game.
At the plate, Ryan Patterson was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI in just his 2nd game in New Hampshire. Robinzon Diaz, who subbed in for Manny Mayorson, was 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Mayorson was 1-for-2 with a double to give New Hampshire good production from the hot corner. Dustin Majewski and Juan Peralta were 2-for-4 with an RBI apiece. Peralta is batting .364 in 22 AB's with New Hampshire, a big improvement from the .224 average he posted with Dunedin. After an ugly K/BB ratio of 11-0, Peralta has drawn 3 walks to his 3 K's. Also of note, Chip Cannon went 1-for-4 with a walk but also struck out and was caught stealing. He's still below the Mendoza line at .176.
On the mound, Kyle Yates only lasted 4 innings giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and walk while striking out 3. He still hasn't won since August of last season. Justin James had the best pitching line of the night - delivering 3 shutout frames. He surrendered 3 hits but struck out 2. He also recorded 6 of his 7 in play on the ground. Jean Machi took the loss to drop to 0-and-1. Both he and Jesse Carlson were touched up for a hit and a walk with Machi charged with 2 earned runs while Carlson gave up another over the last 1 2/3 innings.
New Hampshire falls to 16-and-10 on the campaign, 5 games back of Trenton for the lead in the Eastern League's Northern Division.
Dunedin 7 Vero Beach 3 (7 innings) - Game 1
Vero Beach, FL - Russ Savickas got all the support he would need in this one after just one half inning. Anthony Hatch drew a leadoff walk and was brought home courtesy of a 2 run homer by Carlo Cota off Matt Walker for a 2-0 lead. Cory Patton then walked, stole 2nd, and would score on an error by the first baseman. The 4th Dunedin run came home on a bases loaded walk by Anthony Garibaldi. Anthony Hatch would ground out to end the inning as the D-Jays sent 10 men to the dish. Russ Savickas gave up a leadoff single but two groundballs, including a double play, ended the frame.
In the 2nd inning, Carlo Cota collected a single but was erased on a fielder's choice. Savickas worked around a double and a walk thanks to 2 punchouts to maintain Dunedin's 4-0 cushion. The 3rd inning saw Dunedin get 4 men on base with 2 singles, a walk, and an error but a double play ball played a large role in keeping Dunedin off the board. Vero Beach got to Savickas with a single, a stolen base, and another single to score a run to make it 4-1.
Cory Patton and Josh Kreuzer drew walks in the 4th for the D-Jays but they would not score. Savickas would only give up a 1 out single to maintain Dunedin's 4-1 advantage.
A Brian Jeroloman single was stranded in the 5th and Vero Beach scored twice in the bottom half, stringing together a double, an Anthony Garibaldi error, and two singles to chop Dunedin's lead to 4-3.
The D-Jays would expand their lead in the top of the 6th. Carlo Cota and Cory Patton singled to set up runners on the corners off Vero Beach reliever Greg Dupas, who relieved Kevin Lynn. Eric Nielsen brought home Cota on a sac fly to make it 5-3 D-Jays. Patton stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd when Josh Kreuzer got aboard on an E6, and crossed home plate after a throwing error by the catcher who could not get Kreuzer stealing 2nd. Kreuzer came home on a Luke Hetherington single to up the Dunedin lead to 7-3. Daryl Harang relieved Russ Savickas in the bottom of the 6th and struck out the first man he faced. He gave up a single but that was erased on a ground ball double play.
An Anthony Hatch walk was the only offence in the Dunedin 7th so Daryl Harang was back on the mound to try to finish things up. He got the first man he faced and the last man he faced, but in between, he gave up 2 singles and a walk to bring home the potential tying run to the plate. Connor Falkenbach came out the pen and no, he did not pull a Terry Adams! He induced a groundout to end the ballgame.
It was a good game for the D-Jays offence, who racked up 9 hits and 8 walks and stole 3 bases. The top of the order provided the sock. Anthony Hatch was 0-for-2 but drew 3 passes and scored a run. Carlo Cota was 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored, including his 2 run homer for his 3rd dinger of the years. Cory Patton had a fine line with a 1-for-3 evening, drawing 2 walks, stealing 2 bases, and scoring twice. Brian Jeroloman and Anthony Garibaldi had a single and walk in 4 plate appearances with Garibaldi contributing a run batted in. Every D-Jay starter got aboard at least once, except for Eric Nielsen, but he contributed with a sac fly RBI.
On the bump, Russ Savickas evened his record to 2-and-2. He worked around 8 hits and walk with 2 of his 3 runs earned. His K/BB ratio was 3-1 and his ERA is down to 2.70. By getting 5 outs, Daryl Harang still has an 0.00 ERA with 7 2/3 shut-out frames. Connor Falkenbach now has 9 saves but his ERA is above 5 at 5.02. Defensively, Dunedin took advantage of 4 Vero Beach errors while committing only one. They also turned two double plays.
Vero Beach 7 Dunedin 4 (7 innings) - Game 2
Vero Beach, FL - Dunedin's hopes of sweeping the twinbill and getting over the .500 mark quicky went up in flames as Vero Beach scored all their runs in the first 3 innings. The D-Jays tried to get something started early like Game 1 after Luis Sanchez got aboard on a leadoff walk. Carlo Cota, after belting a 1st inning homer in Game 1, didn't come close in Game 2 as he grounded into a double play. That would hurt as Cory Patton would double but he would be stranded. It was all Vero Beach after that as the D-Rays got to Dunedin starter Danny Core with a 3 spot. He gave up 2 singles to start off but got the next two hitters in order. However, Core surrendered a 2 run double and a run scoring single.
Kyle Phillips singled in the Dunedin 2nd but it was to no avail and Vero Beach tacked on another run. A Josh Kreuzer throwing error allowed the leadoff man to reach. He proceeded to steal 2nd and went to third after catcher Kyle Phillips made a throwing error. He would score on an RBI groundout to make it 4-0 Vero Beach. Core got the next two men to end the inning, including his only punchout of the night.
The D-Jays went down quietly in the 3rd and Vero Beach poured it with another 3 run inning to chase Danny Core. A single, two doubles, and a hit by pitch spelled the end of the line for Core, who was relieved by Yesson Berroa. The D-Rays greeted Berroa with 2 singles to score their 3rd run. Eric Nielsen threw out the runner who drove in the 7th Vero Beach run at first on a 9-4 putout to stop the bleeding.
Dunedin broke their goose egg in the 4th as Cory Patton's double was cashed in by a Jacob Butler groundout. The Vero Beach 4th and Dunedin 5th were 3 up, 3 down affairs. Yesson Berroa gave up a double and walk but kept Vero Beach off the board in the bottom of the 5th.
The D-Jays strung together 5 singles in the top of the 6th with Josh Kreuzer, Kyle Phillips, and Brian Jeroloman each knocking in a run to make it 7-3 for Vero Beach. However, all 3 of their outs came on strikeouts.
Ted Serro set down Vero Beach in order in the 6th and Dunedin had nothing to offer in the 7th, settling for a split of the doubleheader.
With the lumber, Cory Patton stood out again with a 2-for-4 night with two doubles. He's batting .343 on the season. Kyle Phillips was 2-for-3 with a run knocked in but did make an error. Eric Nielsen and Josh Kreuzer were each 1-for-2 with a run scored. Nielsen had an outfield assist while Kreuzer had a walk and RBI. He also made an error. Dunedin's plate discipline disappeared in game 2. They collected 8 hits but struck out 8 times and drew only 2 walks.
On the hill, Danny Core only got 7 outs, surrendering 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits and racking up 1 K. At least he didn't walk anyone but his ERA is over 7.00. His record is now 2-and-1. Yesson Berroa managed to get through 2 2/3 innings without a run despite 3 hits and 2 walks against 2 K's. Ted Serro pitched a perfect inning of relief.
Dunedin sits in 2nd place in the Florida State League's West Division. Their 15-and-16 mark puts them 6 games back of Clearwater and Sarasota for top spot.
Game Story - lansinglugnuts.com
Lansing, MI - The visitors lived up to their nickname, the Lumber Kings, as the Texas affiliate got to Lugnuts starter Nathan Starner for two runs in the 1st. A leadoff walk by driven home as Chad Tracy, son of Pirates manager Jim Tracy, knocked one over the wall for a 2 run homer. Starner did get a couple of batters out looking and an overcame an error by Jonathan Diaz to minimize the damage. Diaz got a single for Lansing in the 1st but that was it for the Lugnuts.
In the 2nd, Starner faced the minimum thanks to a double play ball to erase a leadoff single. Toronto native Chris Emanuele cut the Clinton lead in half as he connected for his 2nd HR of the season.
Clinton regained their two run lead in the 3rd as Chad Tracy doubled home a leadoff single. He would be picked off at 2nd by Starner later in the inning. Jonathan Diaz collected his 2nd single of the night for the Lugnuts but it was for naught once again.
Starner limited Clinton to a 2 out single in the 4th and the Lugnuts would draw to within 3-2 as a Sean Shoffit walk came around to score on a Chris Emanuele triple. In the 5th, Starner gave up a single but picked off another runner on a 1-3-6 to help him get out of the frame. Lansing went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.
In the 6th, Taiwan's Po-Hsuan Keng came out of the pen to make his 1st appearance of the season. It didn't turn out very well as Clinton used two walks and a single to grab a 4-2 lead. A Brian Pettway leadoff single amounted to nothing in the bottom half.
Keng's struggles continued in the 7th. After inducing a groundout from Marcus Lemon, son of Chet, Keng plunked a batter and gave up two doubles, including an RBI 2 bagger to Chad Tracy. An RBI groundout led to another run to make it 6-3 Clinton.
In the 8th, Scott Campbell's leadoff walk led nowhere and Benjamin Harrison took the hill to replace Keng. He gave up a 2 out double to Marcus Lemon but also struck out a pair of batters. The Lugnuts went down 1-2-3 in their half of the 8th.
In the 9th, Seth Overbey also gave up a 2 out 2 bagger but that was it, as he struck out a man. In the bottom half, Sean Shoffit and Scott Campbell worked a pair of walks to bring up the potential tying run with 1 out but it was not to be as Yuber Rodriguez struck out and Johnathan Jaspe flied out to end the game.
Offensively, Lansing only managed 5 hits with 2 apiece coming from Chris Emanuele (HR, 3B) and Jonathan Diaz (2 singles). They were each 2-for-4. Brian Pettway had the other base knock. Sean Shoffit and Scott Campbell drew a pair of walks despite going 0-for-2 in official AB's. Campbell also struck out twice but Josh Bell did him one better (or is that worse?) by getting the hat trick. Bell's 0-for-4 was also matched by Johnathan Jaspe and Yuber Rodriguez. Y-Rod is hitting all of .169.
On the hill, Nathan Starner falls to 2-and-4. He got through 5 frames of 3 run-6 hit ball. He issued a walk but he did strike out 4. Po-Hsuang Keng had a tough time of it, allowing 6 baserunners (3 hits, 3 walks) in his 2 innings of work. He gave up the other 3 Clinton runs. Lefty Benjamin Harrison, despite a 4.80 ERA, has nice peripherals of 20K/4BB in 15 innings this season and still sports an ERA of zero. Over (get it?) 17 2/3 innings, he has only allowed 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 17. His OBA is .119.
Lansing's record is now 16-and-11, leaving them 7 games behind Dayton in the Eastern Division of the Midwest League.
Three Stars........
3. Carlo Cota, Dunedin - 4/9, HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs
2. Chris Emanuele, Lansing - 2/4, HR, 3B, 2 RBI
1. Cory Patton, Dunedin - 3/7, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB, 3 runs
Honourable Mentions.........
Syracuse - Ismael Ramirez, Curtis Thigpen, Chad Mottola
New Hampshire - Ryan Patterson, Robinzon Diaz, Dustin Majewski, Juan Peralta, Justin James.
Dunedin - Kyle Phillips, Brian Jeroloman, Russell Savickas, Daryl Harang, Connor Falkenbach, Yesson Berroa, Ted Serro.
Lansing - Jonathan Diaz, Benjamin Harrison, Seth Overbey, Nathan Starner.
Today's Schedule............
Syracuse @ Indianapolis, 7:00 p.m; Probable Starters - SYR - John Thomson (1-0, 1.59) vs. IND - M. Tejera (0-0, 22.50).
Connecticut @ New Hampshire, 6:35 p.m.; Probable Starters - NH - Kurt Isenberg (0-0, 0.00) vs. CON - D.Sack (1-1, 3.32)
Dunedin @ Vero Beach, 7:00 p.m.; Probable Starters - TBA
Quad Cities @ Lansing, 7:05 p.m. Probable Starters - LAN - Zach Dials (2-1, 2.05) vs. QC - Furnish (0-3, 3.47)
