The Jays number one hitting prospect connected for his first home run in AAA but their top pitching prospect didn't fare nearly as well in fantastic Frontier Field. New Hampshire split a doubleheader, the GCL Jays got swept in theirs, Dunedin won and everyone else lost in an ugly 2-and-6 night for the affiliates.
Rochester, NY - The Chiefs fell behind in the first when the Twins affiliate used a trio of two-out singles to score a run off southpaw Brett Cecil. However, Travis Snider belted his first homer in Triple A, plating a Hector Luna walk in the fourth, to put the Chiefs up 2-1.
Cecil played with fire in innings two to four by issuing four walks and a single but he kept the Red Wings off the board. However, two singles to start the fifth led to Cecil's exit. That's when all he-double hockey sticks broke loose!! Jonah Bayliss got two quick outs but then allowed three runs to score on a single and double that gave Rochester a 4-2 lead. Brian Tallet came on in the sixth and stubbed his toe (get it?) by allowing a run on a double, a wild pitch, a walk and a sac fly. Sean Stidfole and Rick Bauer were rained on for threes in the seventh and eighth. The Chiefs final run came in the eighth on doubles by Buck Coats and Russ Adams, yippee kiyay Mr. Falcon!!
Boxscore Notes - Buck Coats and Travis Snider each had two hits, with Snider collecting a double to go along with his homer. He's now batting .400.....Brett Cecil's WHIP was 2.5 after allowing four runs on six hits and four walks in four-plus frames. He uncorked a wild pitch but he did strike out five and record five groundouts.
Game 1 - Harrisburg 7 New Hampshire 4 (7 Innings)
Manchester, NH - Mike MacDonald started out well with two scoreless frames and two K's. As for his counterpart, Jordan Zimmerman, he did well in the first. In the second, it was a different story. "Z-Man" plunked not one, not two but three batters with Kyle Phillips and Ryans Patterson/Klosterman taking one for the team. Scott Campbell would then get an RBI single to give New Hampshire a 1-0 lead. The Nationals affiliate responded with four runs in the top of the third on a sac fly and a three-run homer. In the bottom of the third, J.P. Arencibia's double came home on a Brian Dopirak sac fly to cut the Senators lead to 4-2. MacDonald left after the fourth when he gave up another run on three singles. Things got worse in the fifth when Jared Gothreaux yielded a two-run homer to make it a 7-2 game. Jo Matumoto pitched the final two innings, giving up just two singles.
The F-Cats got one run back in the sixth when an RBI groundout by Scott Campbell plated a Ryan Patterson double. Well, we've had three hit batsmen in this one. What else would make this game more unbelievable - a J.P. Arencibia walk? Well, poke me in the eye and call me Cyclops because that's what happened! The "JPAWM" is now up to three as he drew a leadoff pass in the seventh. Kyle Phillips would single him home but that's where this feel-good story ends as the F-Cats went down swinging with three whiffs.
Boxscore Notes - Scott Campbell returned with a vengeance, picking up a hit, a walk and a pair of RBI....J.P. Arencibia had a double, a walk and two runs scored. His K/BB mark is 39-3.........Andrew Pinckney was the only F-Cat with two hits.
Game 2 - New Hampshire 2 Harrisburg 0 (7 Innings)
Manchester, NH - Jean Machi had the mojo working by getting 11 of the first 12 hitters he faced. He stranded a triple in the second, overcame a single and an error by left fielder Jacob Butler in the fourth and didn't let a pair of two-out singles in the sixth phase him.
The F-Cats didn't get a runner aboard until one out in the fifth when Brian Dopirak singled but the inning ended badly when Andrew Pinckney hit into a double play with the bases loaded. The 'Cats almost blew it in the sixth when Chris Gutierrez was picked off at second after he reached on a hit by pitch. However, David Smith delivered with a two-run double to score singles by Ryan Patterson and J.P. Arencibia. Machi got the first out in the seventh but walked the next two hitters before he was relieved by lefty Daryl Harang. He did his best B.J. Ryan impersonation by striking out the final two batters to get the save.
Boxscore Notes - Jean Machi had a WHIP of less than one thanks to 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball, yielding just four hits and two walks while whiffing six. He also got nine groundball outs.........Brian Dopirak is hitting .368 so far in double-A.
Fort Myers, FL - The D-Jays were down 2-cob to the Twins affiliate in the first when lefty A.J. Wideman loaded the bases with two singles and a hit batter. The runs came home on one play when a fielder's choice plated one run while the other came home on a throwing error by shortstop Luis Sanchez. Cory Patton prevented further damage by nailing a runner at the dish. After that, Wideman was way better than mediocre. He had two stretches where he retired eight in a row and 19 of 21 overall, allowing just a single and a walk to get through seven innings.
Wideman did have a lead when he left. Patton smacked one over the fence for a two-run shot in the fourth while Brad Emaus and David Cooper delivered run-scoring base knocks in the seventh. Sanchez drove home another in the eighth with an RBI single before the big four-run finale in the ninth when Marcos Cabral singled home a Patton triple, Jonathan Diaz drove in two with a single and Chris Emanuele took one for the team to bring home another. Chad Blackwell punched out five over two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit to earn the save.
Boxscore Notes - A.J. Wideman allowed just two runs on four hits over seven innings and was 1-1 in the K/BB columns. He also induced ten groundouts.......Every Dunedin batter had at least one hit and five players had two, including Cory Patton and David Cooper, who are each hitting over .300. Anthony Hatch and Matt Liuzza had a hit and two walks.
Lansing, MI - The Reds affiliate got to Lugnuts lefty Luis Perez for two runs in the first and three more in the third as he was lit up for two doubles and six singles. A wild pitch and an error by shortstop Justin Jackson led directly to two runs in the third. Perez settled down with two perfect innings and gave way to Michael Barbara, who allowed just one hit in three innings while lefty Frank Gailey had a 1-2-3 ninth.
Darin Mastroianni did the heavy lifting in getting Lansing's first run in the third. He singled, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and crossed the plate when catcher Devin Mesoraco, the Reds first rounder in '07, threw the ball away on an attempted pickoff. The Lugnut offence was dormant until the eighth when Justin Jackson, Jonathan Baksh and John Tolisano each drew walks to stuff the sacks. They didn't get a hit but they still got two runs across on a Jonathan Jaspe sacrifice fly and a balk to draw to within two runs. However, the 'Nuts went down in order in the ninth.
Boxscore Notes - Darin Mastroianni had two hits and stole a base. He is 25-for-26 in the SB department.....Jonathan Baksh (.359 BA) had two walks and Justin Jackson had a double and walk........Luis Perez had six K's and groundouts but gave up eight hits, a walk and uncorked two wild pitches for five runs (4 ER) in five innings.
Auburn, NY - It took the Mets affiliate all of two batters to take a 1-0 lead thanks to a walk and double off D-Days starter Joel Carreno. Auburn tied it in their half of the first when Chris Demons drew a walk and scored on a double play grounder off the bat of Michael McDade. Brooklyn took the lead on a solo homer in the second and added another in the third with two singles sandwiching a passed ball by Joel Collins.
Andrew Liebel relieved Carreno in the sixth and pitched two perfect frames, punching out three and getting three groundouts. In that time, the D-Days cut the deficit to 3-2 when Adam Amar's sac fly scored a Bartolo Nicolas double in the sixth. Lefty Matthew "Port" Moody worked a clean eighth but the defence did him no favours in the ninth. Errors by Robert Sobolewski and Michael McDade and a single loaded up the bases and they were cleared by a triple to give the Cyclones a four-run lead. McDade drew a leadoff walk in the ninth but everybody else went down swinging.
Boxscore Notes - Joel Collins and Bartolo Nicolas accounted for all of Auburn's four hits with two each. The plate discipline was total poop in this one as their four walks were obliterated by a dozen strikeouts......Joel Carreno gave up three runs (2ER) on six hits and two walks in five innings but struck out four. His ERA is 2.93.
Game 1 - GCL Yankees 7 GCL Blue Jays 6 (9 Innings)
Dunedin, FL - Completing a game from July 31st, the G-Jays were ahead 5-0 after two innings. Justin McClanahan singled home the first run of the game and Welinton Ramirez capped off the four-run first with a three-run blast over the wall. Antonio Jimenez followed with an RBI single in the second. Chase Lirette limited the GDF, er, GCL Yankees to a lone single over the first three frames. Christopher Holguin gave up the first Yankee run in the fourth on a double steal but center fielder Kenneth Wilson threw out a runner at home to end the inning. Holguin was fine until the seventh when he gave up three singles and drove one home with a wild pitch. Holguin did cut down a runner at the plate after fielding a comebacker. Ryan Koch got the final out of the seventh but not before giving up a two-run triple and a run scoring single to tie the game at 5-5. At least he struck out Shelley Duncan to end the inning.
Dustin Antolin gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth on two singles and a passed ball. However, the G-Jays tied it at 6-6 when Tyler Pastornicky walked, stole second and came home on a Kyle Gilligan single. In the ninth, Antolin loaded up the bases on a single and two walks and the winning run came home when Pastornicky booted one at short. Lefty and former Leaf John Anderson relieved Antolin and struck out the lone batter he faced.
Boxscore Notes - Chase Lirette struck out three and didn't walk a batter in his three innnings but his ERA is 6.28....Kenneth Wilson got aboard three times with a double, a walk and a hit by pitch. He also stole two bases but he's a dozen points away from the Mendoza Line.
Game 2 - GCL Yankees 5 GCL Blue Jays 2 (7 Innings)
Tampa, FL - The "rubber-armed" Ryan Koch came back again to start game two against former Jay Victor Zambrano. Despite allowing just a solo home run over three innings, he took the Game 2 loss to go along with his Game 1 blown save. Tyler Pastornicky led off the game with a single and stole second but was thrown out at home when he tried to score on a Balbino Fuenmayor single. Dan Miller relieved Koch in the fourth and gave up three runs on four singles and a sac fly. A double-steal of second and third and Miller's own fielding error when he mishandled a sac bunt also factored in.
Fuenmayor drove in the Jays two runs with a single to score a Jonnathan Valdez double and a Pastornicky single. Miller gave up a single and run scoring triple in the sixth. Lefty Willi Mendez retired the final two hitters.
Boxscore Notes - Ryan Koch gave up a hit an inning over three frames but his K/BB mark was 1-0 and he got six groundouts..... Balbino Fuenmayor and Tyler Pastornicky had two hits each. Pastornicky also stole his 19th base of the year, one behind team leader Kenneth Wilson.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Travis Snider, Syracuse - 2/4, 2B, HR, 2RBI, .400 BA.
2. A.J. Wideman, Dunedin - 7IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 1K, 10GO = W.
1. Jean Machi, New Hampshire - 6.1 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 6K, 9GO = W.
Honourable Mentions.......
Syracuse - Buck Coats.
New Hampshire - David Smith, Daryl Harang, J.P. Arencibia, Ryan Patterson, Scott Campbell, Andrew Pinckney, Chris Gutierrez, Jo Matumoto.
Dunedin - Cory Patton, Brad Emaus, David Cooper, Marcos Cabral, Matt Liuzza, Anthony Hatch, Luis Sanchez, Chris Emanuele, Chad Blackwell.
Lansing - Michael Barbara, Frank Gailey, Darin Mastroianni, Jonathan Jaspe, Justin Jackson, Jonathan Baksh, John Tolisano.
Auburn - Andrew Liebel, Bartolo Nicolas, Joel Collins, Chris Demons, Adam Amar.
GCL Blue Jays - Welinton Ramirez, Balbino Fuenmayor, Justin McClanahan, Tyler Pastornicky, Chase Lirette, Kyle Gilligan, Kenneth Wilson, Willi Mendez.
Standings/Streaks........
Syracuse - 59-62, 4th place - IL North (15.5 GB of Scranton/WB), 5-5 Last 10, L2.
New Hampshire - 54-70, 5th place - EL North (20.5 GB of Trenton), 6-4 Last 10, W1.
Dunedin - 35-14, 1st place - FSL West (11.0 GA of Lakeland/Sarasota), 9-1 Last 10, W4.
Lansing - 29-22, 2nd place - MWL East (3.0 GB of South Bend), 7-3 Last 10, L1.
Auburn - 30-23, 3rd place - NYP Pinckney (3.5 GB of Jamestown), 4-6 Last 10, L2.
GCL Blue Jays - 20-25, 5th place - GCL North (8.5 GB of GCL Phillies), 3-7 Last 10, L3.
Today's Games/Probable Starters.........
GCL Yankees @ GCL Blue Jays, 12:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Harrisburg @ New Hampshire, 12:05 p.m. EDT - RHP Adrian Alaniz, HAR (0-4, 3.84) vs. RHP Brad Mills, NH (1-1, 0.66).
Lansing @ West Michigan, 7:00 p.m. EDT - LHP Marc Rzepczynski, LAN (7-4, 2.64) vs. LHP Mauricio Robles, WM (4-2, 2.82)
Syracuse @ Rochester, 7:05 p.m. EDT - RHP Brian Wolfe, SYR (2-1, 0.81) vs. RHP Kevin Mulvey, ROC (5-8, 3.78).
Dunedin @ Fort Myers, 7:05 p.m. EDT- TBA vs. TBA.
Brooklyn @ Auburn, 7:05 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Bonus Material.....
Kevin Gray from the New Hampshire Union Leader talks about Scott Campbell's return from the DL.
Kevin Gray also reports in his blog that David Smith got a well-deserved break from the official scorer.
Stay thirsty, my friends!
