Three wins against one loss. Ricky Romero was fantastic for six innings, and JP Arencibia made a good first impression, but New Hampshire had to sweat out a win. Kenny Rodriguez pitched well to get a win for Dunedin and Auburn took advantage of Batavia errors to win. Syracuse delievered the only loss but Curtis Thigpen got his groove back.
Bill Murphy had a poor start, he was pulled in the third inning having given up four runs on six hits. The Chiefs scored two runs in the third inning, David smith walked, Danny Sandoval singled, Adam Lind had an RBI single, and the second run scored on a wild pitch. Syracuse made it 4-3 in the fifth, Smith led off with a single, stole second, and later scored on another Lind single. Jo Matumoto gave up a home run in the seventh to make it a 5-3 game. The Chiefs came back in the eighth, Lind walked and scored on a two-out single by Kevin Melilo. Curtis Thigpen then doubled but Melilo, the tying run, was thrown out at the plate. Lind had a chance to tie the game in the ninth but grounded out to end the game with two runners on.
Syracuse had eleven hits, Thigpen had three, Sandoval and Lind two each.
Ricky Romero looked like the pitcher the Jays dreamed of through six innings. Romero gave up a single to the lead-off hitter mof the game then didn't allow another hit through six innings. But then in the seventh Romero allowed five singles, along with an error by Anthony Hatch, and four runs, three earned.
Romero's start fits a profile I heard when I was in Erie last week. Everyone talks about how great Romero's "stuff" is, and he does have four very good pitches. However when under pressure Romero tightens up and, depending on your perspective, doesn't trust his stuff or tightens up. In this game Romero was great until things started to go wrong and then he blew up good.
New Hampshire scored a run in the second, Jacob Butler walked and JP Arencibia, in his first AA at-bat, doubled him home. In the fifth Anthony Hatch and Chris Gutierrez walked and Aaron Mathews singled to load the bases with no-one out. Ryan Patterson doubled in two runs, two hitters poppoed-out, then Arencibia doubled in two more runs and the Fisher Cats led 5-0.
After Connecticut scored four in the seventh Travis Snider hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-4. In the eighth Jamie Vermilyea allowed a solo home run and it was again a one run game but Zach Dials recorded a five out save.
Patterson and Arencibia had two hits each.
Kenny Rodriguez pitched well, one run allowed in six innings, ably supported by three relievers. Dunedin scored two runs in the first with three singles and an error. Another error gave Jesus Gonzalez a chance to double in a run in the eighth.
Dunedin had eight hits, Adam Calderone had two.
Lansing - All-Star Break
Kevin Ahrens and Justin Jackson got a hit each, John Tolisano did not. Edgar Estanga got one out, Randy Boone got two but gave up a double and a run.
Four Augurn pitchers combined on a three hitter, all three hits came in the third inning when Batavia got their two runs. Auburn tied the game in the fifth, Joel Collins was hit by a pitch and Bryan Kervin (27th round pick) doubled him to third. Both runs then scored on ground outs. Auburn took the lead in the sixth with a rookie run, Jon Baksh reached on an error, stole second and scored on an another error. In the seventh David Cooper walked, went to third on an error and scored on a double by Baksh.
Some numbers, Auburn had only five hits, Batavia made four errors, Auburn pitchers had fifteen strikeouts. Matt Wright (12th round pick) had six K's in his eight outs. Cooper was 0-3 with a walk.
3 star selection
3rd star - Ricky Romero
2nd star - JP Arencibia
1st star - Kenny Rodriguez
