Only a Lansing doubleheader split prevented a winless night for the affiliates as they went 1-4. However, some individuals managed to shine - especially at Oldsmobile Park.
Las Vegas, NV - Brett Cecil was keeping his pitches down in the strike zone in the first three innings. The lefty got a ground ball double play to erase a walk in the first and another twin-killing in the second to eliminate a single. All nine outs were actually on the ground. By that time, the 51's managed to take a 2-0 lead with single runs in the second and third off Tacoma starter Doug Fister (sounds like a porn star, doesn't it?). Brett Harper doubled home a J.P. Arencibia single and Randy Ruiz singled home Jonathan Diaz, who singled and advanced to second on a fly ball to centre.
The lead was short-lived as the Mariners affiliate got to Cecil for three runs on four hits in the fourth. The big blows were a two-run double by Jeff Clement and a run scoring single by Adam Moore to bring home Clement. Cecil was nicked for another run in the fifth when his own throwing error on a pickoff at first allowed Calix Crabbe, who reached on a bunt single, to get to third. Victoria, B.C.'s Michael Saunders would single him home to give the Rainiers a 4-2 lead. Cecil did get through the sixth unscathed despite a two-out walk.
Tacoma put the game out of reach in the seventh by scoring twice off of Jonah Bayliss on three hits. Prentice Redman doubled home a run and Clement singled home the other. Bayliss worked a scoreless eighth despite a single by former Jay Chris Woodward and a wild pitch and lefty Bill Murphy overcame a couple of walks and a wild pitch in a shutout ninth. Las Vegas added the final run of the game in the eighth when Ruiz knocked home a Buck Coats double with another base rap. Word!
It was a mixed bag of a start for Cecil. He gave up four runs (three earned but only because of his own throwing error) in six innings on seven hits and two walks. He only struck out two but his ground out-fly out total was a whopping 14-2! At the dish, Ruiz, Arencibia and Harper had two hits apiece to account for most of the nine Las Vegas hits. Ruiz is hitting .308 on the year and is slugging .513 after hitting .342 over his past 10 contests. Kyle Phillips had a single and is hitting .368.
Akron, OH - The Fisher Cats gave lefty Luis Perez a run to work in the first courtesy of a David Cooper blast over the right field fence off Aeros starter Josh Tomlin for his third homer of the season. Perez worked a three-up, three-down first inning but he surrendered a pair of runs in the second. Carlos Santana was so smooth he got a single, advanced to second on a ground out and then came home on a throwing error by Chris Gutierrez at third. John Drennen had an RBI double to give the Indians affiliate a 2-1 lead.
Perez managed to hold down the Aeros offence over the next three innings but it didn't come easy! He plunked the pride of Stevensville, Ontario - Nick Weglarz - in the third. He overcame two singles and a plunking of Drennan in the fourth thanks to Brian Jeroloman throwing out a runner at third after a bunt attempt. Perez pulled off his greatest escape in the fifth by leaving the bases loaded after a double, a single and an intentional walk. Brad Emaus threw out a runner at the dish from second; Perez struck out the next batter and then snared a liner to keep it a one-run game.
Fellow lefty Rommie Lewis relieved Perez and he didn't have an easy first two innings as he managed to strand a single in the sixth and a triple in the seventh. The F-Cats finally tied it in the eighth but they blew an opportunity to go ahead. Walks by Cooper and Adam Calderone and a Brian Dopirak single loaded up the bases with nobody out for Nick Gorneault. However, the former Indians farmhand hit into a double play to bring home Cooper with the tying run. Jeroloman was then rung up on strikes to end the threat.
Akron took advantage in their half of the eighth as Drennen launched a two-run shot off Lewis to cash in a leadoff walk to put the Aeros ahead 4-2. Lewis issued another walk and gave up a bunt single before Sean Stidfole got the final two outs of the inning with a double play ball. The F-Cats managed to get the tying run to the plate when Cody Haerther drew a pinch-hit walk but they couldn't do a thing with it, despite a pinch-running appearance by Bryan "Swervin'" Kervin.
On the mound, Perez managed to give up just two runs in five innings despite six hits, a walk and two hit batters. His ground out-fly out mark was 9-5. Dopirak and Gutierrez had two-hit games and Cooper had a walk to go along with his dinger.
St. Lucie, FL - Just like New Hampshire, the D-Jays gave their starter a 1-0 lead before he took to the hill. Darin Mastroianni got it started with a leadoff single, pilfered his 31st base of the year and scored on a two-out base knock by Kevin Ahrens. Charles Huggins made sure the score remained 1-0 through five innings by retiring eight in a row in one stretch. Mets starter Scott Shaw also matched zeroes with Huggins over the next four innings but he gave up his second run in the sixth when Manny Rodriguez doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Jesus Gonzalez sac fly.
St. Lucie got to Huggins in the home half of the sixth on a walk, a stolen base and a single to cut the Dunedin lead to 2-1. Huggins worked a scoreless seventh despite plunking his second batter of the game and it became a battle of the bullpens. Celson Polanco relieved Huggins in the eighth and got two quick outs after a single was erased by Jonathan Jaspe throwing out a runner trying to steal second. A single and throwing error by Raul Barron at short put a runner on second and was brought home by another single to tie the game at 2-2. Two more singles plated the go-ahead run and a throwing error by Sean Shoffit put runners at second and third. Bobby Bell was able to limit the damage by striking out the only batter he faced to end the frame. Dunedin tried to fight back in the ninth with two one-out singles by Ahrens and Jaspe (Justin Jackson replaced him as a pinch-runner) but Adam Loewen struck out and pinch-hitter Moises Sierra flied out to end the game.
A great effort by Huggins went down the toilet. He scattered two hits, two walks, and two hit batters over seven innings of one-run ball with 7 of his 15 outs in play coming on the ground. Ahrens was the only Dunedin player with two hits but he's only hitting .213 on the season.
Game 1- Lansing 8 West Michigan 2 (7 Innings)
Lansing, MI - Once again, the visiting team grabs the lead in the first inning with a single run. The Tigers affiliate got a walk and run-scoring double off Chase Lirette but Chris Emanuele got the runner at third on an 8-5 putout from center field to limit the damage. The Lugnuts got rolling in their half of the first with four runs. Justin McClanahan delivered a sac fly to score on Emanuele single, Mark Sobolewski doubled home a second run and Balbino Fuenmayor knocked home the other two runs with a single.
The Whitecaps scored a run off Lirette on a triple and ground out in the third but the Lugnuts responded by scoring once in the third, twice in the fourth and another one in the fifth. Fuenmayor singled home a Sobolewski double in the third, Brian Van Kirk singled home a Tyler Pastronicky triple and also scored on a McClanahan safety in the fourth and Johermyn Chavez took one for the team with the bases loaded to plate a run in the fifth.
Lirette settled down nicely as he retired the last nine hitters in a row and 15 of the final 16 hitters after the leadoff triple in the fourth. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in a seven inning complete game effort while striking out four and got 11 ground ball outs.
Every Lansing batter reached base at least once and six players had two-hit nights. Pastornicky stole his 23rd base of the year and Van Kirk nabbed his first.
Game 2 - West Michigan 5 Lansing 3 (11 Innings)
Lansing, MI - The fans at Oldsmobile Park wound up getting a major league-sized doubleheader when it was all said and done. Once again, the visitors got a jump in the first inning but they crossed home plate three times against righty Chad Beck on three singles, a double and a hit by pitch. The inning only ended after Justin McClanahan managed to throw out a runner at third from second base after the third Whitecaps run scored. Lansing came back with three runs in the second as Michael McDade delivered a two-out single to score a Johermyn Chavez double and Balbino Fuenmayor hit a two-run double to score McDade and a Jon Talley walk to tie the game at 3-3.
Beck found his groove by retiring 12 straight batters until a single and walk in the fifth but he kept the Whitecaps offshore (lame, I know!). He gave up two more singles over the sixth and seventh and was replaced with two outs in the seventh. Lefty Jared "Boomer" Potts ended the inning by picking off a runner at first. Potts went 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief with three punch outs and stranded his only mistake, a one out triple in the ninth. Fellow southpaw Frank Gailey worked a one-hit tenth inning but West Michigan got to him for two runs in the eleventh. He gave up a two-run triple after allowing a single and a walk. Johermyn Chavez led off the home half of the eleventh with a single but that was all Lansing could do as they had to settle for a split of the twin bill.
Lansing only had six hits in the ballgame along with three walks. Chavez and Fuenmayor had two hits each and Chavez also drew a walk. Fuenmayor's hitting .294 over his past 10 games but he's only drawn two walks against 43 whiffs. Oy vey!
On the mound, Beck scattered two runs in 6 2/3 innings on seven hits, a walk and a plunked batter while whiffing five. His ground out/fly out mark was 5-9.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Balbino Fuenmayor, Lansing
2. Charles Huggins, Dunedin - (Not his actual photo!)
1. Chase Lirette, Lansing
Extra Innings.........
The Las Vegas Review-Journal speaks with former Jays closer Jeremy Accardo.
Baseball America's recent Prospects Chat has tidbits on Danny Farquhar, Tim Collins and Eric Eiland.
