It was a rather forgettable 2-4 night on the farm. Brett Cecil and Marc Rzepczynski made starts, but neither was particularly strong and its not performances like last night’s that have put those two at or among the top pitching prospects in the organisation. The more impressive pitching lines came in more limited duty, with Jared Potts providing fine relief and Celson Polanco rescuing a ninth inning that turned ugly quickly. Chase Lirette also made his first appearance of the year. There were a few good offensive performances, but instead of looking to Travis Snider and Scott Campbell, we need to turn out heads to a young, slick-fielding shortstop prospect and a first baseman trying to revive a once-promising career with Dunedin.
Syracuse 0 @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5 – Boxscore
Scranton’s Daniel McCutchen threw a five-hitter, walking none and striking out 10, in a fine performance against the SkyChiefs. Wayne Lydon had two hits, while Russ Adams and Erik Kratz each had a double. Marcos Sandoval also picked up a hit, while Lydon and Hector Luna were the only two SkyChiefs not to strike out.
Davis Romero was done after 85 pitches and 4.1 innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Jordan de Jong pitched 1.2 scoreless frames, but allowed an inherited runner to score, while Chris George surrendered a couple of runs in his 2 innings.
Trenton 3 @ New Hampshire 2– Boxscore
Although the Fisher Cats picked up a pair of runs, they actually managed to get less hits than the SkyChiefs, with only four in their game. Travis Snider had a double, Kyle Phillips a single and Ryan Klosterman had a triple and a single, along with a stolen base. The runs came in the third inning, when Klosterman tripled home Phillips, who had reached on a single, before Scott Campbell drove him home with a sac fly. New Hampshire’s 3 through 6 hitters – Snider, JP Arencibia, Jabob Butler and Andrew Pickey – all struck out twice in the game.
Brett Cecil took his second loss, as he went 4.1 innings and allowed all three of the Thunder’s runs. Cecil gave up six hits and a walk, but also struck out six. He was doing well until the fifth, when things fell apart and Trenton scored all three of their runs, with Seth Overbey inheriting two of Cecil’s runners and allowing one, the winning run, to cross home. Overbey, Daryl Harang and Zach Dials combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, but the New Hampshire offence couldn’t take advantage as Trenton got fine relief of its own.
Clearwater 8 @ Dunedin 10 – Boxscore
This wasn’t a great game for pitchers, as it was 5-4 Clearwater at the end of the first inning. Randy Boone started for Dunedin in only his second start since his promotion from Lansing, and he managed to get out of the first. In fact, to his credit he went 5.1 innings, even after that disastrous first inning. In the end, Boone surrendered eight runs, all but one earned, on nine hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. Darren Byrd, the starter for the Clearwater Threshers, also went 5.1 innings. He allowed seven runs, all but one earned, on six hits and three walks, with three strikeouts.
As Nathan Starner escaped the sixth and Cody Crowell pitched two scoreless innings, Dunedin retook the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Those runs came courtesy of a three-run homer by Brian Dopirak. Dopirak was the star for Dunedin, with a 2-4 night, including a double and the aforementioned homer, two runs, five RBI and a walk. Brad Emaus was 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk, with three runs scored and an RBI. David Corrente was the third D-Jay with two hits, as he went 2-4 with a double. Chris Emanuele and Jesus Gonzalez also had two-baggers. Cory Patton deserves a mention, as well, as he went 1-3 with two walks and a run scored, but he also had a pair of assists, one at second base and one at home plate.
However, the game wasn’t done with excitement even after Crowell got through the eighth with the two-run lead intact. He turned it over to Edward Rodriguez, who faced four batters and allowed three of them to reach base. With the go-ahead run at first base and one out, Dunedin turned to Celson Polanco who shut the door on Clearwater with a strikeout and then a pop out to first in foul territory to secure the victory.
Great Lakes 6 @ Lansing 3 – Boxscore
It was 2-2 after 2 innings, and then the game remained that way until the top of the sixth, when Great Lakes scored their third run. They’d go on to score one run in every remaining inning as they kept adding insurance runs in a 6-3 victory over the Lugnuts. The Lugnuts had eight hits and half of them came from Raul Barron, who went 4-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Justin Jackson was 2-5 with a double and a home run. The other hits came on singles by Matt Liuzza and Eric Eiland. Eiland was 1-4, but struck out in all of his other three at-bats. Jonathan Jaspe went 0-3 with three strikeouts, while Yohermyn Chavez went 0-4 with four strikeouts and was seen wearing some kind of sombrero.
Marc Rzepczynski took the loss to fall to 3-3 with Lansing. He went 6.2 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in one of his weaker starts of the season. He retired 12 of 15 batters on balls in play with groundballs. Joe Wice pitched 2.1 innings of relief and gave up a pair of runs on six hits.
State College 6 @ Auburn 2 – Boxscore
Like New Hampshire, Auburn was four-hit in their loss, but unlike the Fisher Cats, the Doubledays had a rough time in the field with three errors. Each of Auburn’s first four batters – Chris Demons, Bryan Kervin, David Cooper and Adam Amar – had one hit. Kervin had the only extra-base hit with a double, while Demons and Amar also drew walks. Demons scored both of Auburn’s runs, once being drive in by Kervin and once by Cooper.
Joel Carreno started for Auburn and went 3.2 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking a pair. Marcus Walden came in to eat up innings and did a fine job to save the bullpen. Walden went 5 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Jon Cryer came in for the last State College batter and struck him out.
GCL Tigers 2 @ GCL Blue Jays 6 – Boxscore
Chase Lirette made his first appearance of the year for Toronto and went 1 inning, striking out a batter. After ensuring Lirette got his appearance in, the GCL Blue Jays turned it over to regularly scheduled starter Christopher Holguin. Holguin got the win with 4 strong innings where he only allowed one hit. Unfortunately, Holguin walked three and gave up a pair of runs. Jared Potts came in for Holguin and went three scoreless frames. Potts struck out four and only allowed two baserunners to reach, one each on a hit and a walk. Matthew Moody pitched a scoreless ninth. It’s been less than a month, but both Moody and Potts are putting up impressive numbers for the GCL Blue Jays. Moody has allowed six hits and three walks in 11.2 innings, with 12 strikeouts. Potts has gone 8.2 innings of six hit ball, with a pair of walks and 11 strikeouts.
Half of the Jays runs came on a three-run homer by catcher Jonathan Talley in the third inning. Antonio Jimenez came into the game later for defensive purposes and also drew a walk and scored a run. Robinzon Diaz was 1-4 as the DH. Cleanup hitter Welinton Ramirez was 2-4 with a homer and a pair of runs scored. Kyle Gilligan went 2-3 and Markus Brisker was 1-3 and both scored on Talley’s homer in the third. The GCL Blue Jays like to run, as Brisker and Jiminez both picked up their fourth stolen base of the year during this game, while Gilligan stayed right behind them with his third swipe of the year.
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Justin Jackson, 2-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, 6 TB
2nd Star – Raul Barron, 4-4, R, 2 2B, RBI, 6 TB
1st Star – Brian Dopirak, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 6 TB
Syracuse 0 @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5 – Boxscore
Scranton’s Daniel McCutchen threw a five-hitter, walking none and striking out 10, in a fine performance against the SkyChiefs. Wayne Lydon had two hits, while Russ Adams and Erik Kratz each had a double. Marcos Sandoval also picked up a hit, while Lydon and Hector Luna were the only two SkyChiefs not to strike out.
Davis Romero was done after 85 pitches and 4.1 innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Jordan de Jong pitched 1.2 scoreless frames, but allowed an inherited runner to score, while Chris George surrendered a couple of runs in his 2 innings.
Trenton 3 @ New Hampshire 2– Boxscore
Although the Fisher Cats picked up a pair of runs, they actually managed to get less hits than the SkyChiefs, with only four in their game. Travis Snider had a double, Kyle Phillips a single and Ryan Klosterman had a triple and a single, along with a stolen base. The runs came in the third inning, when Klosterman tripled home Phillips, who had reached on a single, before Scott Campbell drove him home with a sac fly. New Hampshire’s 3 through 6 hitters – Snider, JP Arencibia, Jabob Butler and Andrew Pickey – all struck out twice in the game.
Brett Cecil took his second loss, as he went 4.1 innings and allowed all three of the Thunder’s runs. Cecil gave up six hits and a walk, but also struck out six. He was doing well until the fifth, when things fell apart and Trenton scored all three of their runs, with Seth Overbey inheriting two of Cecil’s runners and allowing one, the winning run, to cross home. Overbey, Daryl Harang and Zach Dials combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, but the New Hampshire offence couldn’t take advantage as Trenton got fine relief of its own.
Clearwater 8 @ Dunedin 10 – Boxscore
This wasn’t a great game for pitchers, as it was 5-4 Clearwater at the end of the first inning. Randy Boone started for Dunedin in only his second start since his promotion from Lansing, and he managed to get out of the first. In fact, to his credit he went 5.1 innings, even after that disastrous first inning. In the end, Boone surrendered eight runs, all but one earned, on nine hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. Darren Byrd, the starter for the Clearwater Threshers, also went 5.1 innings. He allowed seven runs, all but one earned, on six hits and three walks, with three strikeouts.
As Nathan Starner escaped the sixth and Cody Crowell pitched two scoreless innings, Dunedin retook the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Those runs came courtesy of a three-run homer by Brian Dopirak. Dopirak was the star for Dunedin, with a 2-4 night, including a double and the aforementioned homer, two runs, five RBI and a walk. Brad Emaus was 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk, with three runs scored and an RBI. David Corrente was the third D-Jay with two hits, as he went 2-4 with a double. Chris Emanuele and Jesus Gonzalez also had two-baggers. Cory Patton deserves a mention, as well, as he went 1-3 with two walks and a run scored, but he also had a pair of assists, one at second base and one at home plate.
However, the game wasn’t done with excitement even after Crowell got through the eighth with the two-run lead intact. He turned it over to Edward Rodriguez, who faced four batters and allowed three of them to reach base. With the go-ahead run at first base and one out, Dunedin turned to Celson Polanco who shut the door on Clearwater with a strikeout and then a pop out to first in foul territory to secure the victory.
Great Lakes 6 @ Lansing 3 – Boxscore
It was 2-2 after 2 innings, and then the game remained that way until the top of the sixth, when Great Lakes scored their third run. They’d go on to score one run in every remaining inning as they kept adding insurance runs in a 6-3 victory over the Lugnuts. The Lugnuts had eight hits and half of them came from Raul Barron, who went 4-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Justin Jackson was 2-5 with a double and a home run. The other hits came on singles by Matt Liuzza and Eric Eiland. Eiland was 1-4, but struck out in all of his other three at-bats. Jonathan Jaspe went 0-3 with three strikeouts, while Yohermyn Chavez went 0-4 with four strikeouts and was seen wearing some kind of sombrero.
Marc Rzepczynski took the loss to fall to 3-3 with Lansing. He went 6.2 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in one of his weaker starts of the season. He retired 12 of 15 batters on balls in play with groundballs. Joe Wice pitched 2.1 innings of relief and gave up a pair of runs on six hits.
State College 6 @ Auburn 2 – Boxscore
Like New Hampshire, Auburn was four-hit in their loss, but unlike the Fisher Cats, the Doubledays had a rough time in the field with three errors. Each of Auburn’s first four batters – Chris Demons, Bryan Kervin, David Cooper and Adam Amar – had one hit. Kervin had the only extra-base hit with a double, while Demons and Amar also drew walks. Demons scored both of Auburn’s runs, once being drive in by Kervin and once by Cooper.
Joel Carreno started for Auburn and went 3.2 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking a pair. Marcus Walden came in to eat up innings and did a fine job to save the bullpen. Walden went 5 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Jon Cryer came in for the last State College batter and struck him out.
GCL Tigers 2 @ GCL Blue Jays 6 – Boxscore
Chase Lirette made his first appearance of the year for Toronto and went 1 inning, striking out a batter. After ensuring Lirette got his appearance in, the GCL Blue Jays turned it over to regularly scheduled starter Christopher Holguin. Holguin got the win with 4 strong innings where he only allowed one hit. Unfortunately, Holguin walked three and gave up a pair of runs. Jared Potts came in for Holguin and went three scoreless frames. Potts struck out four and only allowed two baserunners to reach, one each on a hit and a walk. Matthew Moody pitched a scoreless ninth. It’s been less than a month, but both Moody and Potts are putting up impressive numbers for the GCL Blue Jays. Moody has allowed six hits and three walks in 11.2 innings, with 12 strikeouts. Potts has gone 8.2 innings of six hit ball, with a pair of walks and 11 strikeouts.
Half of the Jays runs came on a three-run homer by catcher Jonathan Talley in the third inning. Antonio Jimenez came into the game later for defensive purposes and also drew a walk and scored a run. Robinzon Diaz was 1-4 as the DH. Cleanup hitter Welinton Ramirez was 2-4 with a homer and a pair of runs scored. Kyle Gilligan went 2-3 and Markus Brisker was 1-3 and both scored on Talley’s homer in the third. The GCL Blue Jays like to run, as Brisker and Jiminez both picked up their fourth stolen base of the year during this game, while Gilligan stayed right behind them with his third swipe of the year.
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Justin Jackson, 2-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, 6 TB
2nd Star – Raul Barron, 4-4, R, 2 2B, RBI, 6 TB
1st Star – Brian Dopirak, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 6 TB
