Some of the minor leaguers decided to emulate their favourite big leaguers yesterday and there were impressions of Roy Halladay and BJ Ryan on the farm. Predictably, that means the couple of Doc-like pitching performances led to a victory and a BJ Ryan scenario ended with a final inning loss. Dunedin had an off day and Lansing played a double-header as the affiliates won one and lost three.
Fresno 6 @ Las Vegas 3 – Boxscore
Brett Cecil’s rough introduction to Triple-A continued, as he fell to 0-2 and gave up five runs. Cecil threw 4.2 innings and allowed seven hits and three walks against only two strikeouts. He did throw 54 of his 83 pitches for strikes and got 8 of his 11 outs on balls in play on the ground. There were a few positive signs, but it was another disappointing start for Toronto’s best pitching prospect. TJ Beam allowed another run over 2.1 innings. Sean Stidfole threw a hitless inning and Brian Wolfe pitched the ninth and gave up two hits and two walks, but managed to escape without any damage.
Las Vegas had eight hits, all singles, and drew five walks, but only managed to get three runs. The two best offensive players for Las Vegas were in the seventh and eighth spot, as Aaron Mathews and Scott Campbell each went 2-3 with a walk. JP Arencibia went hitless and is now hitting .227/.279/.366 after 41 at-bats. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Randy Ruiz was 1 for 5 and is now hitting .345/.383/.709 and has an OPS of 1.092. Ten of his 19 hits have been for extra-bases and he has 5 homers on the year.
Binghamton 2 @ New Hampshire 3 – Boxscore
New Hampshire only had six hits, but managed to squeak out a 3-2 win over Bighamton. A pair of Brians led the Fisher Cats offence, as Jeroloman and Dopirak each went 2-4. Jeroloman scored a run, as did Dopirak, who added a double and 2 RBIs. Sean Shoffit scored the other New Hampshire run on Dopirak’s double. Shoffit also contributed with his arm, as he threw out Mets player Mark Kiger at home plate in the fifth.
Marc Rzepczynski started for the Fishet Cats and did his best Roy Halladay impression. While he wasn’t able to keep the opposition off the scoreboard like Doc, Rzepczynski kept the ball on the ground like the Great One. Nine of the ten outs recorded on balls in play were on the ground and he struck out six. Rzepczynski allowed two runs over 5.2 innings on five hits and three walks. Zach Dials, Rommie Lewis and David Shinskie all threw 0.2 scoreless innings. Shinskie allowed a walk, a hit batter and a single and loaded the bases with one out, but he struck out the next Mets hitter before turning the ball over to Leon Boyd, who struck out his batter for the third out of the inning. Boyd went on to record the save with a scoreless ninth inning.
South Bend 9 @ Lansing 5 (Game 1) – Boxscore
Lansing’s offence came to something resembling life yesterday, scoring more than four runs for only the second time all season. They came so prepared that they staked starting pitcher John Anderson to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Yohermyn Chavez singled to begin the frame and then Mark Sobolewski doubled. Michael McDade added an RBI groundout before Justin McClanahan doubled home Sobolewski. McClanahan stole third and came home to score on a wild pitch to give Lansing the 3-0 lead. Antonio Jiminez and Kenny Wilson followed with consecutive hits, but then a Tyler Pastornicky double play ended the inning.
John Anderson gave up a pair of homers, one 2-run and one 3-run, to give South Bend the lead. However, these runs can’t all be blamed on Anderson as the three runners who were on base for the two shots all reached on Lugnuts errors. Pastornicky, Sobloewski and second basemen Jonathan Del Campo all made errors and each of these runners came round to score. Chavez tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a homer in his second consecutive game.
However, South Bend scored a pair of runs in each of the last two innings and won the shortened game 9-5. The Silver Hawks waited out Matthew Daly, who walked four batters over his 1.1 innings, and they got four hits off Frank Gailey, and both pitchers now have ERAs over 5.
South Bend 5 @ Lansing 4 (Game 2) – Boxscore
If you thought the first game was bad then you should probably just stop reading right now. It wasn’t bad at the beginning, or even the middle, as a matter of fact. Charles Huggins started for Lansing and treated the Silver Hawks hitters as if they were his high school or university foes in California. Huggins went 6 innings and only allowed three hits and one earned run. Aside for Nelson Gomez’s solo homer he nearly escaped unscathed. Huggins didn’t walk a batter and struck out ten and did his own impression of a motivated Roy Halladay.
Lansing scored a pair of runs in the third and sixth on a pair of two-run homers. Bryan Van Kirk hit a homer in the third with two out to score Marcus Brisker. Number three hitter Van Kirk was 2 for 2 with a walk during the game, as he did his part to compensate for the 0 for 7 out of the top two spots from Jonathan Del Campo and Bryan Kervin. Van Kirk reached base in the sixth and was pinch run for by Kenny Wilson, a move that turned out to be unnecessary as Yohermyn Chavez hit a homer in his third consecutive game. Further down in the lineup Mark Sobolewski and Balbino Fuenmayor each added a hit, while Brisker added a pair of hits out of the ninth spot.
Hunter Moody started the ninth with a comfortable 4-1 lead and walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth. He continued his BJ Ryan impersonation by surrendering three straight singles and left Michael Barbara with the bases loaded, a 4-2 scoreboard and none out. After retiring the first batter, Barbara allowed a single, which scored the runner from third. The South Bend runner on second also tried to score, but Brisker threw him out at home plate for a potentially game-saving outfield assist.
However, it was not to be. With two out, Barbara allowed a double, which scored both Silver Hawk runners on base and gave South Bend a 5-4 lead and a sweep of the doubleheader.
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Sean Shoffit, 1-3, R, 1 TB, Outfield Assist (At Home)
2nd Star – Yohermyn Chavez, 3-6, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 9 TB
1st Star – Charles Huggins, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K
Fresno 6 @ Las Vegas 3 – Boxscore
Brett Cecil’s rough introduction to Triple-A continued, as he fell to 0-2 and gave up five runs. Cecil threw 4.2 innings and allowed seven hits and three walks against only two strikeouts. He did throw 54 of his 83 pitches for strikes and got 8 of his 11 outs on balls in play on the ground. There were a few positive signs, but it was another disappointing start for Toronto’s best pitching prospect. TJ Beam allowed another run over 2.1 innings. Sean Stidfole threw a hitless inning and Brian Wolfe pitched the ninth and gave up two hits and two walks, but managed to escape without any damage.
Las Vegas had eight hits, all singles, and drew five walks, but only managed to get three runs. The two best offensive players for Las Vegas were in the seventh and eighth spot, as Aaron Mathews and Scott Campbell each went 2-3 with a walk. JP Arencibia went hitless and is now hitting .227/.279/.366 after 41 at-bats. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Randy Ruiz was 1 for 5 and is now hitting .345/.383/.709 and has an OPS of 1.092. Ten of his 19 hits have been for extra-bases and he has 5 homers on the year.
Binghamton 2 @ New Hampshire 3 – Boxscore
New Hampshire only had six hits, but managed to squeak out a 3-2 win over Bighamton. A pair of Brians led the Fisher Cats offence, as Jeroloman and Dopirak each went 2-4. Jeroloman scored a run, as did Dopirak, who added a double and 2 RBIs. Sean Shoffit scored the other New Hampshire run on Dopirak’s double. Shoffit also contributed with his arm, as he threw out Mets player Mark Kiger at home plate in the fifth.
Marc Rzepczynski started for the Fishet Cats and did his best Roy Halladay impression. While he wasn’t able to keep the opposition off the scoreboard like Doc, Rzepczynski kept the ball on the ground like the Great One. Nine of the ten outs recorded on balls in play were on the ground and he struck out six. Rzepczynski allowed two runs over 5.2 innings on five hits and three walks. Zach Dials, Rommie Lewis and David Shinskie all threw 0.2 scoreless innings. Shinskie allowed a walk, a hit batter and a single and loaded the bases with one out, but he struck out the next Mets hitter before turning the ball over to Leon Boyd, who struck out his batter for the third out of the inning. Boyd went on to record the save with a scoreless ninth inning.
South Bend 9 @ Lansing 5 (Game 1) – Boxscore
Lansing’s offence came to something resembling life yesterday, scoring more than four runs for only the second time all season. They came so prepared that they staked starting pitcher John Anderson to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Yohermyn Chavez singled to begin the frame and then Mark Sobolewski doubled. Michael McDade added an RBI groundout before Justin McClanahan doubled home Sobolewski. McClanahan stole third and came home to score on a wild pitch to give Lansing the 3-0 lead. Antonio Jiminez and Kenny Wilson followed with consecutive hits, but then a Tyler Pastornicky double play ended the inning.
John Anderson gave up a pair of homers, one 2-run and one 3-run, to give South Bend the lead. However, these runs can’t all be blamed on Anderson as the three runners who were on base for the two shots all reached on Lugnuts errors. Pastornicky, Sobloewski and second basemen Jonathan Del Campo all made errors and each of these runners came round to score. Chavez tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a homer in his second consecutive game.
However, South Bend scored a pair of runs in each of the last two innings and won the shortened game 9-5. The Silver Hawks waited out Matthew Daly, who walked four batters over his 1.1 innings, and they got four hits off Frank Gailey, and both pitchers now have ERAs over 5.
South Bend 5 @ Lansing 4 (Game 2) – Boxscore
If you thought the first game was bad then you should probably just stop reading right now. It wasn’t bad at the beginning, or even the middle, as a matter of fact. Charles Huggins started for Lansing and treated the Silver Hawks hitters as if they were his high school or university foes in California. Huggins went 6 innings and only allowed three hits and one earned run. Aside for Nelson Gomez’s solo homer he nearly escaped unscathed. Huggins didn’t walk a batter and struck out ten and did his own impression of a motivated Roy Halladay.
Lansing scored a pair of runs in the third and sixth on a pair of two-run homers. Bryan Van Kirk hit a homer in the third with two out to score Marcus Brisker. Number three hitter Van Kirk was 2 for 2 with a walk during the game, as he did his part to compensate for the 0 for 7 out of the top two spots from Jonathan Del Campo and Bryan Kervin. Van Kirk reached base in the sixth and was pinch run for by Kenny Wilson, a move that turned out to be unnecessary as Yohermyn Chavez hit a homer in his third consecutive game. Further down in the lineup Mark Sobolewski and Balbino Fuenmayor each added a hit, while Brisker added a pair of hits out of the ninth spot.
Hunter Moody started the ninth with a comfortable 4-1 lead and walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth. He continued his BJ Ryan impersonation by surrendering three straight singles and left Michael Barbara with the bases loaded, a 4-2 scoreboard and none out. After retiring the first batter, Barbara allowed a single, which scored the runner from third. The South Bend runner on second also tried to score, but Brisker threw him out at home plate for a potentially game-saving outfield assist.
However, it was not to be. With two out, Barbara allowed a double, which scored both Silver Hawk runners on base and gave South Bend a 5-4 lead and a sweep of the doubleheader.
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Sean Shoffit, 1-3, R, 1 TB, Outfield Assist (At Home)
2nd Star – Yohermyn Chavez, 3-6, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 9 TB
1st Star – Charles Huggins, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K
