Syracuse falls below .500 as their once-promising season heads down in the toilet, Lansing and the Gulf Coast Jays saw their losing streaks extended and New Hampshire lost a heart-breaker in extra innings. On the positive side, Dunedin was in the winner's circle and Auburn drew closer to first place in their division with a key road victory in a 2-4 night for the affiliates. Strange days indeed, most peculiar mama!
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 8 Syracuse 1
Syracuse, NY - Much like the parent club, the Chiefs were trying to keep their very faint playoff hopes alive as they took on the International League wild-card leading Yankees. Also like the parent club, the Chiefs offence was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine but unlike the parent club, the Chiefs pitching stunk so bad even this guy would've been offended. With Yankee legend Ron Guidry in attendance, Ricky Romero made his Triple A debut and to compare Romero to "Louisiana Lightning" would be like comparing this "legend" to Roy Halladay. It only took Scranton two batters to get their first run across on a single and a double. They also drew a pair of walks but Romero escaped further damage thanks to a pair of K's. The Chiefs offence showed a pulse in the third when they managed to cross home plate against Ian Kennedy when Robinzon Diaz brought home a Pedro Lopez walk with a run-scoring fly ball to tie the game at 1-1.
Romero kept the Yankees off the board in the second and third innings by scattering a walk and two singles but things fell apart as quickly as my old Carlos Delgado bobblehead when a double, a walk, a wild pitch and a Pedro Lopez error at short resulted in a run to give Scranton a 2-1 advantage. Mike MacDonald added more kerosene to the fire when he yielded two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to put the game out of reach on three singles, a double, a hit batsman and a walk. Mikey Mac worked a clean seventh but gave up a field goal in the eighth on a run scoring single and a two-run bomb by Ben Broussard. Sean Stidfole pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two punchouts. The Chiefs offence had runners on in every inning except the sixth and ninth and left the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth. Hector Luna summed up Syracuse's night in the second inning when he singled and tried to advance all the way to third on a fielding error at first but he was thrown out at third by the right fielder. As the French say, merde!!
Boxscore Notes - Despite five hits, five walks and a wild pitch, Ricky Romero only gave up two runs (one earnie) in four innings while punching out four. He needed 92 pitches to get through those four frames and only threw 50 strikes to suffer the loss.......Hector Luna had a 3-for-4 night while Wayne Lydon and Danny Sandoval got aboard twice with a safety and a walk. Lydon tried to steal his 40th base of the season but was thrown out for just the eighth time this season. Buck Coats did manage to pilfer a bag, his 14th of the year.
Portland 11 New Hampshire 7 (10 Innings)
Manchester, NE - Hey, some offence! Brandon Magee got the rawhide for the Fisher Cats in this one and he faced a bases-loaded jam in the first without giving up a hit. An error by third baseman Ryan Klosterman was sandwiched by a walk and a hit batter but Magee wiggled out of it. He also erased a leadoff single with a groundball double play to come out of the second. Then he got some support as Jacob Butler doubled home a David Smith walk and Ryan Patterson did the 360 shuffle to score Butler to make it 3-0 New Hampshire. However, Portland took notes and delivered a two-run over the wall special in the third to make the score 3-2. Magee then gave up a triple and issued a walk but managed to strand the runners to prevent further damage. The F-Cats got back to work in the next half-inning as J.P. Arencibia singled home a run, Ryan Patterson's RBI groundout led to another run and a bases loaded walk by Ryan Klosterman gave the 'Cats a 6-2 advantage. New Hampshire tacked on another run in the third on back to back doubles by Arencibia and Travis Snider to make it 7-2.
Brandon Magee only allowed two base runners on a walk and a Chris Guetierrez error at short over the fourth and fifth innings but a walk, single and double in the sixth led to two Portland runs and Magee's exit with only one out. Jared Gothreaux came on in relief and surrendered two walks and two singles and just like that, the game was tied at 7-7. New Hampshire had a chance for the walk-off in the ninth when Scott Campbell singled and Chris Gutierrez walked. That set the stage for Travis Snider and he delivered with a single up the middle. However, Campbell was thrown out at the plate and Brandon Magee was thrown out of the game by the home plate umpire. He probably got run for saying something like "Bullpoop! He was safe! That call was horse caca and your mom is really your dad!" Of course, Portland took the lead in the tenth when Gothreaux surrendered a two-run bomb and Jo Matumoto copied that by allowing a two-run ding dong of his own.
Boxscore Notes - Brandon Magee's final line was 6 1/3 innings of five run ball on six hits, four walks and a hit batter and he struck out only one. He did manage to get eleven groundball outs....Jared Gothreaux got the double whammy, getting charged with the blown save and the loss to fall to 0-1. He gave up five runs on five hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings while striking out a pair. I'll end the suspense right now! He didn't make the cut for this week's "3 Stars!".....Every New Hampshire player in the starting nine reached base by hit or walk with Travis Snider and J.P. Arencibia getting two hits each. Arencibia's walk total remains at two but he is slugging .536.
Dunedin, FL - The Twins affiliate got on the board first against D-Jays starter Reidier Gonzalez thanks to a walk, a wild pitch and a double. Dunedin tied it in their half of the first when Chris Emanuele singled and advanced the other 270 feet to home via a wild pitch, a balk and an RBI groundout from Cory Patton. The Jays grabbed the lead in the second on a Luis Sanchez sac fly but they would leave the bases loaded. Gonzalez settled down by setting down 9 of the next 10 hitters, striking out five, before an error by Brad Emaus at second allowed Fort Myers to tie the game in the fourth after an RBI groundout. "Gonzo" got back on the beam by getting the next five hitters in order and then saw his teammates break things open with a five-run fifth. Jesus Gonzalez came through with a two-run double, Marcos Cabral had a run-scoring single, Adam Calderone drove in one with a triple and Al Quintana brought another run home with a base rap.
Fort Myers wouldn't go away quietly as they chased Reidier Gonzalez with two singles to start the sixth. Chad Blackwell came on in relief and got the first two outs but a single and two errors by left fielder Cory Patton and third baseman Jesus Gonzalez conspired to give the Miracle a two run inning to cut Dunedin's lead to 7-4. Blackwell loaded up the bases in the seventh by hitting a man and yielding two singles. He allowed just one run on a sac fly and struck out the other two hitters to get out of the frame. Celson Polanco toed the Dunedin rubber in the eighth and got the first two outs before giving up a single and plunking a man. Connor Falkenbach was summoned from the pen and he got the final out of the frame. Clearly, the Dunedin relievers were bored and needed a challenge in this one! Falkenbach got the first two outs of the ninth but a walk and two singles later put Fort Myers to within a run and they had the tying and go-ahead runs on the corners. Fortunately, Falkenbach stopped the Miguel Batista routine and got a grounder to second to end the ballgame.
Boxscore Notes - Reidier Gonzalez improved to 9-3 with five innings of four run ball (two earnies) on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Coming into this start, batters were hitting .298 against "Gonzo" but he's only walked 23 hitters in 108.2 IP and his groundout/flyout ratio is almost 2 to 1.........Adam Calderone had a perfect night at the dish with a 3-for-3 performance and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one with a triple. He had been hitting .229 over his past 10 games but his average is now .289......Chris Emanuele went 3-for-5 while Marcos Cabral and Al Quintana had two knocks each.
Appleton, WI - Lefty Brian Letko put a pair of zeroes on the board by stranding a double in the first and a walk and a stolen base in the second. In the third, Lansing drew first blood when Raul Barron and John Tolisano hit back-to-back doubles with two outs to grab a 1-0 lead. Letko put up another scoreless inning in the third despite three consecutive singles but he was bailed out by his right fielder Johermyn Chavez, who threw out a runner at the plate to keep the score 1-0.
Letko's luck ran out in the fourth when two singles, a double, an error and a walk gave the Timber Rattlers a 3-1 lead. The Mariners affiliate added two more in the fifth against Letko when a leadoff single, a stolen base and a Letko throwing error led to a run. The next hitter then took Letko deep for a solo bomb to make the score 5-1. James Dougher took over on the mound and he got his team out of the inning but in the sixth, he gave up a long ball to make it 6-1 Wisconsin. After leaving the bases loaded in the sixth, Lansing got one run back when Justin Jackson tripled and was brought home on a Raul Barron base knock. Lefty Frank Gailey struck out the side for the 'Nuts in the seventh and added another K in a scoreless eighth while surviving a single and a catching error by first baseman Manny Rodriguez on what would have been a 6-3 putout.
Boxscore Notes - An ugly line for Brian Letko as he gave up nine hits and three walks in his four innings of work. He allowed five runs but only two were earned. He struck out three but his record falls to 2-3.......I don't know how they did it but Lansing managed just two runs on thirteen hits. To roughly paraphrase Chuck Swirsky, "ARE YOU &@#*$! KIDDING ME!" Every Lugnut had a hit with Raul Barron led the way with three, including two doubles, while Kevin Ahrens and Johermyn Chavez had a pair each. The Wisconsin starter managed to last seven innings by scattering 11 hits and a walk to get the "W". Oy vey!
Jamestown, NY - Castillo Perez got to enjoy something Roy Halladay didn't - run support! Each time he took to the mound over the first three innings, he had a bigger lead to work with. Michael McDade drew a two-out walk in the top of the first and Adam Amar brought him home on a two-base error by the right fielder to give the D-Days the early 1-0 advantage. Perez only gave up a double in the first and turned it over to the offence, who gave him two more runs to play with as Chris Demons' two-run base knock made it 3-0 Auburn. It was rinse and repeat in the third as Bryan Kervin came through with a two-run single to up the Auburn lead to 5-0.
Jamestown got two runs back in the fourth off Perez courtesy of a solo homer and a two-base error being cashed in with a single. Perez worked a scoreless fifth and was relieved by lefty Charles Huggins but "Huggy Bear" gave up a solo homer that cut Auburn's lead to two. Huggins did keep the Jammers off the board in the seventh and Brian Van Kirk made it 6-3 Auburn with a solo jack in the eighth. Jason Roenicke, son of former Oriole Gary Roenicke, pitched a one-walk eighth and Rob Bell worked a clean ninth to pick up the save.
Boxscore Notes - Castillo Perez improved to 2-3 by allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits over five innings while putting up a K/BB mark of 5-0. He also got seven groundouts in lowering his ERA to 3.67....Chris Demons, Brian Van Kirk and Bryan Kervin had two hits apiece with Demons and Kervin collecting two RBI each. Every D-Day hitter, except for Robert Sobolewski, got on base by a hit or a walk.
Dunedin, FL - G-Jays starter Jonas Cuotto had problems finding his comfort zone in the early going and Balbino Fuenmayor didn't help matters when his throwing error from third allowed the leadoff man to reach in the first. Despite a wild pitch, Cuotto managed to strand that runner at third. In the second, Cuotto was burned by a long ball in the second and that was followed immediately by a triple but again, Cuotto stranded another runner who was 90 feet away. Cuotto gave up another run in the third on a walk, a balk and a double but he mowed down the next eight hitters in a row before giving up a two-out double in the fifth. Lefty Jared Potts would strand that runner but his throwing error allowed the leadoff man to get aboard in the sixth. A groundout and a single later, it was 3-0 Tigers.
The Jays fortunes with the bats turned in the sixth when the Tigers went to the bullpen. Justin McClanahan struck out but reached first on a passed ball. He proceeded to steal second, advanced to third on an error and then crossed the plate on a balk. A Kyle Gilligan RBI single and a Yensy Perez sac fly capped off the three run frame to tie the game at 3-3. Dustin Antolin relieved Potts in the seventh and set down the side in order but he gave up a two-run double in the eighth as the Tigers pulled ahead again, 5-3. A fly ball double play which saw left fielder Yensy Perez throw out a runner at the plate ended the inning. The Jays tried to rally in their half in the eighth when Kyle Gilligan doubled but he was thrown out trying to steal third. In the ninth, a Tyler Pastornicky two-out single was all they could muster.
Boxscore Notes - Jonas Cuotto had his shaky moments but his good moments as well. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings while uncorking a wild pitch and committing a balk. His K/BB mark was 5-1 but his groundout/flyout mark was 1-8.............Dustin Antolin falls to 2-1 after yielding two runs on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings but he struck out three.......Kyle Gilligan accounted for a third of the Jays nine hits with a 3-for-4 day with a double, an RBI and a run scored. However, his caught stealing in the eighth killed a rally.......Welinton Ramirez was 2-for-3 with a walk and Balbino Fuenmayor was 2-for-4.....Justin McClanahan stole his 14th base of the year in 16 attempts. Tyler Pastornicky and Kenneth Wilson have 13 each.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Raul Barron, Lasing - 3/5, R, 2 2B, RBI.
2. Castillo Perez, Auburn - 5IP, 7H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 5K, 7GO = W
1. Adam Calderone, Dunedin - 3/3, BB, 3B, R, RBI.
Honourable Mentions............
Syracuse - Hector Luna, Wayne Lydon, Danny Sandoval, Sean Stidfole.
New Hampshire - Travis Snider, J.P. Arencibia, Ryan Patterson, Chris Gutierrez, David Smith, Jacob Butler.
Dunedin - Chris Emanuele, Marcos Cabral, Al Quintana, Jesus Gonzalez, Cory Patton, Reidier Gonzalez, Celson Polanco, Connor Falkenbach.
Lansing - Justin Jackson, John Tolisano, Kevin Ahrens, Johermyn Chavez, Frank Gailey.
Auburn - Chris Demons, Bryan Kervin, Brian Van Kirk, Michael McDade, Jason Roenicke, Rob Bell.
GCL Blue Jays - Kyle Gilligan, Welinton Ramirez, Balbino Fuenmayor, Yensy Perez.
Standings/Streaks..........
Syracuse - 54-55, 3rd place, 13.0 GB of Pawtucket - IL North, 4-6 Last 10, L1.
New Hampshire - 45-65, 5th place, 20.0 GB of Trenton - EL North, 4-6 Last 10, L1.
Dunedin - 24-11, 1st place, 5.0 GA of Lakeland - FSL West, 5-5 Last 10, W1.
Lansing - 20-13, 3rd place, 4.0 GB of South Bend - MWL East, 3-7 Last 10, L5.
Auburn - 20-16, 2nd place, 3.0 GB of Jamestown - NYP Pinckney, 7-3 Last 10, W1.
GCL Blue Jays - 17-17, 3rd place, 3.0 GB of GCL Phillies - GCL North, 5-5 Last 10, L3.
Today's Schedule/Probable Starters.......
GCL Blue Jays @ GCL Tigers, 12:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Lansing @ Wisconsin, 1:05 p.m. EDT - LHP Chi-Hung Cheng, LAN (4-5, 5.22) vs RHP Brett Lorin, WIS (0-1, 3.07).
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Syracuse, 7:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Portland @ New Hampshire, 7:05 p.m. EDT - RHP Adam Mills, POR (0-2, 4.33) vs RHP Robert Ray, NH (4-4, 3.52).
Auburn @ Jamestown, 7:05 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Dunedin - Scheduled Day Off. Next Game Thursday vs. Tampa @ 7:00 p.m. EDT.
