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A 1-3 night on the farm.

Syracuse 5 at Rochester 7

Davis Romero got the start and threw a no-hitter.... in 1 and 2/3 innings, that is. He also walked 4 men and left with the bases loaded, only to see Bubba Nelson wild pitch home two of his runners. Nelson's line of 1.1 IP with only a walk allowed should therefore be taken with a grain of salt. After that, John Parrish came on to pich 4 solid innings, allowing 3 runs which would have been 1 if not for his own 2 throwing errors, and striking out 6. Jordan de Jong inherited a 5-5 tie, but couldn't keep it that way, giving up a homer, triple and then a wild pitch to allow the 2 runs that would do the Chiefs in.

Robinzon Diaz had the best game among the hitters, going 3-5 with a HR and 2 singles. He also threw out a would-be basestealer. Adam Lind went 1-4 with a double and a walk, while Wayne Lydon stole a base to go along with his 2 hits.

Connecticut 4 at New Hampshire 5

The Fisher Cats put up a 4-spot in the bottom of the first, and never trailed after that. Aaron Mathews walked, Scott Campbell reached on an error, and then Eric Nielsen walked to load 'em up. Kyle Phillips broke it open with a 3 run single, and after Josh Kreuzer grounded out, Brian Jeroloman channeled all his walk energy and converted it into a double to make it 4-1. (Unfortunately, Jeroloman only has enough power for about 2 total bases per game, so he took an 0-fer with no walks for the rest of the game). Mathews had the best hitter's line of the game, going 1-2 with 2 walks.

It was a forgettable night for Brandon Magee, giving up 11 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings of 4-run ball. The bullpen picked him up nicely though, as Jo Matamuto and Sean Stidfole combined for the following line: 4IP, 1H, 0BB, 3K.

Dunedin 2 at Fort Myers 3

Though the D-Jays limited top Twins' prospect Tyler Robertson to just 4 innings, they weren't able to figure out Fort Myers' bullpen, and wasted another good start by Kenny Rodriguez. Rodriguez pitched 6 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 of which were solo homers, and striking out 5. He turned it over to good friend B.J. Ryan in a tie game, only to see Ryan take the loss on a walk, wild pitch, balk and double. Brian Dopirak paced the hitters, going 2-4 with a double. Travis Snider went 0-4 with 2 K's.

Lansing 0 at Cedar Rapids 1

This game was a pitcher's duel between Nathan Starner and Jordan Walden. Each went 6 innings striking out 6 batters, but Walden fared a little better in the whole giving-up-runs category. Starner's only blemish was not much of one; he gave up a run in the 6th on a single, a groundout to advance the runner, and another single. Unfortunately for him, the 'Nuts hitters couldn't find a way to scrap out even one run, despite Kevin Ahrens' best efforts - Ahrens went 1-2 with 2 walks and a SB in the only remotely memorable batting performance for the good guys.

3 Stars!
3. Kenny Rodriguez: 6IP, 3H, 2ER, 5K
2. Robinzon Diaz: 3-5, HR, threw out a runner
1. Nathan Starner: 6IP, 1ER, 6K
Minor League Update 11 April | 8 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
dogbus - Saturday, April 12 2008 @ 02:11 PM EDT (#182603) #
I'm worried by the frequency with which Travis Snider strikes out.  12 Strike Outs in 31 at bats.  Any comparables with Major Leaguers?
Jdog - Saturday, April 12 2008 @ 03:25 PM EDT (#182607) #

Good Things in New Hampshire this afternoon.

- Ricky Romero goes 8 innings allowing 5 hits, 1 BB, 2 Runs, and 5 K's

- Mr Campbell goes 3-4 with a HR to raise his average to .517 ( I thought Double A was supposed to be a big step up)

Anyways both are encouraging signs early for a team that hasn't been great.

 

tstaddon - Saturday, April 12 2008 @ 04:11 PM EDT (#182611) #
That's excellent news about Ricky, particularly after his first start was quite poor. John Sickels over at minorleagueball.com put together a little recap of the 2005 draft this week and it's quite interesting to see that, of all of the pitchers selected in that draft, none have put together a full season at the major league level yet and few have had *any* success. So perhaps we ought not judge too quickly.

Of the others selected, only Matt Garza and Clay Buchholz have shown ace flashes thus far. Seems from here that it will probably go down as the best hitters' draft of the decade... but few pitchers seem likely to have long careers.

tstaddon - Saturday, April 12 2008 @ 04:14 PM EDT (#182612) #
And sticking with the Sickels theme, he wrote on Shaun Marcum earlier in the week. Find that here: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/4/7/390537/not-a-rookie-shaun-marcum#comments

Another favourable take on one of the most reliable Jays. Thoughts, gallery?

rtcaino - Saturday, April 12 2008 @ 05:17 PM EDT (#182614) #
"Drabek's best year was 1990 at age 27, when he won 22 games with a +131 ERA+. Marcum's corresponding season would be 2009. Could Marcum make a run at such a season next year? Keep that in the back of your mind."

Nice read! Last year, being over seas, and the Jays struggling, I was wayyy out of the loop. (Though I did keep up on the rather disappointing minor league season a bit.) So far this is shaping up to be an exciting season on all fronts. I will surely enjoy following the big club, and the smaller clubs through the 08 season!

I don't know why, but the fact that Rodriguez's home runs both came in the first inning is a good sign to me.

Also, I was concerned about BJ showing a chink in the armor. However, in reading the recap of how he got his loss, it seemed a bit cheeky. Certainly not a catastrophic set back.

And allow me to add how AWESOME it is to see Romero put together a good game. Surely one of the best of his career. Man, if him and Purcey can put it together, there is going to be a lot of competition for those major league spots! And hopefully less of a bother if and when AJ gets in that limo with his wife and rides off into the sunset... Hopefully to the NL!
China fan - Saturday, April 12 2008 @ 11:54 PM EDT (#182620) #

   Bill Murphy threw a very strong game for Syracuse today, allowing only one hit in six innings and lowering his ERA to 1.54 in three games.  He might be a good candidate for 6th starter for the Jays.   If an injury hits any of the current rotation on the big-league team, Purcey and Murphy look like the best two options at this point. 

   Robinzon Diaz raised his batting average to .435 today and his OPS has climbed to 1.049.    This is particularly impressive when you consider that the entire rest of the Syracuse lineup (except Lind) are basically stinking up the joint so far.   Lind is not the only hitter who might "force the hand" of the Jays this year -- Diaz might also force his way onto the big-league team at some point.

TamRa - Sunday, April 13 2008 @ 01:27 AM EDT (#182623) #
Has anyone got a read on Scott Campbell? Should I be excited about the guy? can he defend multiple positions?

Ryan Roberts or Ryan Freel or something more?


ayjackson - Sunday, April 13 2008 @ 11:23 AM EDT (#182632) #
Campbell is a Kiwi, if I recall correctly.  Shouldn't be long before there's organizational moves at 2B if Campbell and Emaus continue their ways.
Minor League Update 11 April | 8 comments | Create New Account
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