Syracuse kept its slim hopes alive of staying over .500, Auburn snapped a nine game losing skid to get back to .500 and New Hampshire will remain well below .500 but at least they got a walk-off win to lessen the pain. Dunedin and Lansing don't have much to play for these days as they get ready for the post-season and the GCL Jays got their breakfast, lunch and dinner handed to them in a .500 night for the affiliates.
Rochester, NY - This one was over after one-half inning as the Chiefs laid five on the Twins affiliate. The first four batters reached safely with Danny Sandoval driving home a Buck Coats double and Russ Adams singling home a Wayne Lydon bunt single and Sandoval for a quick 3-0 lead. After Travis Snider struck out, Curtis Thigpen then knocked home Adams with a single. Thigpen would score on a Kevin Melillo double that chased Rochester starter Tom Shearn from the game. All Chiefs starter Ricky Romero had to do was make sure he didn't screw this up. It looked the oft-criticized lefty was going to do just that in the Rochester half of the first when he walked the bases loaded but no runs came across thanks to a pair of strikeouts.
Syracuse went ahead 7-cob in the fifth on an RBI double by Snider and an RBI single by Thigpen. Romero was cruising at this point as he had only plunked a batter through the fourth and didn't give up a hit until the fifth. He scattered two more hits in the sixth and overcame an Adams error in the seventh. The Chiefs scored twice more in the eighth as the recently-demoted Kevin Mench doubled home a Thigpen double and Mench came home on an RBI groundout by Brian Jeroloman. Jonah Bayliss relieved Romero in the eighth and the shutout went out the window as a single, a double and a Coats error produced the Red Wings only run. Jordan De Jong issued a walk in the ninth but struck out the side, all swinging, to end the game.
Boxscore Notes - Ricky Romero improved to 2-3 with Syracuse by allowing three hits, three walks and a hit batsman over seven scoreless innings while striking out six and getting six groundouts. His ERA is down to 3.53.........Curtis Thigpen went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and Wayne Lydon had two hits and a walk. Travis Snider was 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts. He's now batting .328.
Manchester, NH - Brandon Magee was clicking on all cylinders in the early going, striking out the four of the first five batters he faced and retired the first eight in a row before issuing ball four to the number nine hitter in the B-Mets order. The Mets would score first against Magee thanks to a two-out double to score a Fernando Martinez infield single. New Hampshire tied it in the fifth as Brian Dopirak singled to score a Chris Gutierrez double. Jacob Butler belted a two-run homer to cash in a David Smith walk to make the score 3-1 Fisher Cats.
Magee got the first batter in the seventh but a throwing error by Andrew Pinckney and a walk led to his exit. Lefty Daryl Harang gave up a single and a bases loaded walk to F- Mart before getting out of the inning. Seth Overbey worked a clean eighth but loaded up the bases in the ninth on a single, his own fielding error on a sac bunt attempt and a walk. Lefty Jo Matumoto did a herculean job to limit the damage to one run as he gave up an RBI groundout before getting a lineout and strikeout. Scott Campbell led off the home ninth with a single, advanced on a wild pitch and went to third on a one-out single by Arencibia. Dopirak hit a grounder to the Mets third baseman but he was unable throw out Campbell at home and I'm sure did a nice dance probably without a hat when he came in to score.
Boxscore Notes - Brandon Magee allowed two runs (1 ER) in 6 1/3 innings on five hits and two walks while punching out four and getting eleven groundouts.......Chris Gutierrez had a three hit night and Eric Nielsen had two hits and a walk. J.P. Arencibia was 2-for-5 and his BA is at .286.
Dunedin, FL - Sure, the D-Jays have a playoff berth already clinched but any loss to the Yankees always sucks! Regardless, there was one big positive and that was the Dunedin debut of lefty Ryan Page. He was given a 1-0 lead in the third when Brad Emaus launched a solo jack in the third. Page had allowed just one hit over the first four innings and retired 11 batters in a row before Tampa used a single, a double and an RBI groundout to tie the game in the fifth. Page got back to the original script with a one-hit sixth and that hit was erased when Al Quintana threw out his second runner of the game trying to steal second.
Southpaw Cody Crowell worked a perfect seventh but the good times ended in the eighth when he loaded the bases on two singles and an error by Jesus Gonzalez at short. The Yankees cleared the bases and then some with a two-run double off Crowell and a two-run single off Chad Blackwell. Jonas Cuotto worked a one-walk ninth in his D-Jay debut but it didn't matter as Dunedin did squat offensively in the last two innings.
Boxscore Notes - Ryan Page allowed just a run on four hits while whiffing three and walking Nooooooobody over six innings. He also induced nine worm killers.....Al Quintana was 2-for-3 at the dish and 2-for-2 behind it by throwing out two runners attempting to steal second. He's hitting .336 on the campaign. Cory Patton had a two hit night, Anthony Hatch had two walks while David Cooper was 1-for-4 with the dreaded hat trick.
Lansing, MI - After mustering just a single in the first, everyone on the Dragons had fun tonight, er, last night against Chi-Hung "Wang" Cheng in the second. The lefty from Taiwan got the leadoff man in the second but the next seven batters reached base and the Reds affiliate had a 4-0 lead. Ryan Koch relieved Cheng and overcame a pair of infield errors to get out of the third but he was nicked for a run in the fourth on a bunt single that eventually scored on a sac fly.
The Lugnuts got two runs back, courtesy of a two-run homer by Kevin Ahrens to plate a Jonathan Jaspe single and that chopped Dayton's lead to 5-2. Koch worked a shutout fifth despite a walk and hit batsman and gave way to lefty Joe Wice, who worked three shutout frames with three K's while allowing just one walk. The Lugnuts drew to within two in the eighth when Jonathan Baksh tripled home a Darin Mastroianni walk. Fellow southpaw Tim Collins tried to hold down the fort in the ninth but he gave up a run on three singles for the final run of the game.
Boxscore Notes - Chi-Hung Cheng gave up four runs on five hits, two walk and hit a batter over two innings while striking out one. He did get four groundouts........Kevin Ahrens was 2-for-3 with a homer and double to push his average to .255. However, Ahrens made an error at third to go along with errors by John Tolisano at second and Justin Jackson at short. Jackson also wore the golden sombrero in an 0-for-4 night. He's now just hitting .241.
Williamsport, PA - Josh "Boomer" Wells went up against Kyle Drabek, son of former Cy Young winner Doug, in a pitcher's duel. The D-Days scored first in the third inning when Chris House doubled and eventually scored when Bryan Kervin reached on an error at third. Kervin scored Auburn's second run in the sixth when he doubled and was brought home on a Bartolo Nicolas run-scoring fly ball. Meantime, Wells scattered five singles and a hit batter through seven innings and saw two double play balls turned behind him.
Auburn added a run in the eighth when Nicolas singled home a Kervin walk. They got two more in the ninth when Carlos Vazquez singled home a single by Joel Collins and a Christoper Hopkins fielder's choice brought home a Leance Soto single. Lefty Evan Crawford worked a flawless eighth but he couldn't keep the shutout bid after a one-out single and throwing error by Soto at third. Matthew "Tim" Daly gave up a sac fly but earned his wings by getting the next hitter to end the game.
Boxscore Notes - Josh Wells was able to work it to the tune (get it?) of seven shutout innings, one K, no walks and 14 groundouts........Brian Van Kirk went 3-for-4 and Bryan Kervin had a double and two walks while scoring twice.
GCL Indians 12 GCL Blue Jays 3
Dunedin, FL - The Tribe wasted no time in this one as they scored once in the first and three more in the second off Jays starter Chase Lirette thanks to a walk, a single and three doubles. Lirette put up a goose egg in the third and gave the ball to lefty Joel Castillo. He gave up a run in the fourth on a double steal of home and second after a single and a walk. The Jays finally scored in their half of the fourth when Kyle Gilligan's sacrifice fly plated a Balbino Fuenmayor single to make the score 5-1.
Castillo gave up just a single over the next two frames and issued a two-out walk in the seventh before leaving. Fellow lefty, "Wet" Willi Mendez, took over and he was rocked for a three-run homer and a run scoring triple which were fueled by a pair of walks. Mendez, like Castillo, left the game after a two-out walk in the eighth for Casey "BTO" Bachman. He butchered a grounder back to the mound and then allowed a three-run bomb of his own before working a scoreless ninth. The Jays added a pair in the ninth in an f'ed-up fashion. Jonathan Talley and Welinton Ramirez drew walks and they came home when Kenneth Wilson reached base on a strikeout/wild pitch. A throwing error by the catcher allowed the two runs to score and Wilson to reach third. Wilson made it home eventually but his run didn't count as Jonnathan Valdez grounded out to end the game.
Boxscore Notes - It was Seals and Croft Day at the yard for the catchers and home plate umpire thanks to 26 strikeouts between the two teams, 14 of them by Jays pitchers. Chase Lirette struck out a half-dozen while Joel Castillo notched five. However, G-Jays pitchers issued a half-dozen walks, three of them by Willi Mendez........Jonathan Talley and Justin McClanahan had four of the Jays six hits with Talley also drawing a walk. All six hits were singles.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Ryan Page, Dunedin - 6IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 3K, 9GO.
2. Ricky Romero, Syracuse - 7IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 6K, 6GO, HBP = W.
1. Josh Wells, Auburn - 7IP, 5H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1K, 14GO, HBP = W.
Honourable Mentions.........
Syracuse - Curtis Thigpen, Wayne Lydon, Danny Sandoval, Buck Coats, Russ Adams, Kevin Melillo, Kevin Mench, Brian Jeroloman, Jordan De Jong.
New Hampshire - Brandon Magee, Jo Matumoto, Chris Gutierrez, Jacob Butler, J.P. Arencibia, Eric Nielsen, Scott Campbell, Brian Dopirak, David Smith.
Dunedin - Brad Emaus, Al Quintana, Cory Patton, Anthony Hatch, Jonas Cuotto.
Lansing - Kevin Ahrens, Jonathan Baksh, Jonathan Jaspe, Darin Mastroianni, Joe Wice.
Auburn - Brian Van Kirk, Bryan Kervin, Chris House, Carlos Vazquez, Joel Collins, Christoper Hawkins, Leance Soto, Matthew Daly.
GCL Blue Jays - Kyle Gilligan, Balbino Fuenmayor, Jonathan Talley, Justin McClanahan.
Standings/Last 10 Games/Streaks......
Syracuse - 65-69, 4th place - IL North (18.5 GB of Scranton/WB), 5-5, W1.
New Hampshire - 59-77, 6th place - EL North (24.0 GB of Trenton), 4-6, W2.
Dunedin - 43-20, 1st place - FSL West (9.5 GA of Tampa), 5-5, L2 (2nd Half Division Winner!).
Lansing - 34-30, 3rd place - MWL East (7.0 GB of South Bend), 4-6, L1 (1st Half Division Winner!).
Auburn - 32-32, 4th place - NYP Pinckney (8.0 GB of Jamestown), 1-9, W1.
GCL Blue Jays - 26-32, 6th place - GCL North (7.5 GB of GCL Phillies), 5-5, L2.
Today's Games/Probable Starters..............
GCL Blue Jays @ GCL Indians - 10:00 a.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Tampa @ Dunedin, 7:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Syracuse @ Rochester, 7:05 p.m. EDT - RHP Shawn Marcum, SYR (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Phillip Humber, ROC (9-8, 4.66).
Binghamton @ New Hampshire, 7:05 p.m. EDT - LHP Mike Antonini, BNG (0-2, 3.74) vs. RHP Robert Ray, NH (7-5, 3.01).
Dayton @ Lansing, 7:05 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Auburn @ Williamsport, 7:05 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.
Bonus Material.......
The Syracuse-Post Standard gets reaction from the Chiefs president over the team's struggles and speculates about September call-ups.
