Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Dunedin and Lansing all had the night off because they're enjoying their All-Star breaks. However, Auburn and the boys from the Gulf were in action. Find out who won and who lost in today's truncated minor league update.
Auburn, NY - It was a much closer game than the final score would indicate as this one got away from Auburn in the late going. Doubledays starter Dave Sever stranded a hit batter in the top of the first and the offence responded in the bottom of the first as a Sean Ochinko two-out double plated a Welinton Ramirez single for the game's first run.
The Tigers would tie the game with a triple and sac fly in the second and would push ahead with a three-run third. A strikeout/wild pitch by Sever allowed the leadoff batter to get aboard and a pair of doubles and a single resulted in three runs. Sever wound up striking out three batters in the inning. He would allow one more single in the fourth before giving way to Josh Wells in the fifth. Wells walked three in his three inning stint and allowed a stolen base but he didn't give up any hits or runs as he induced six ground ball outs, including an inning-ending double play in the sixth. He also worked a three-up, three-down seventh.
Auburn made it a two-run game in the sixth when a Ramirez double came in to count on an Ochinko RBI ground out but Oneonta put the game away in the eighth with four unearned runs against Steven "Ian" Turnbull. Turnbull was a homer short of the cycle as he gave up a two-run-triple, a double and a run-scoring single. That was after the first run of the inning scored on an error by shortstop Kevin Nolan. Had Nolan made the play, the inning would have been over and it would have remained a 4-2 game. Oneonta added one more run in the ninth off David Slovak with a double, a single and a walk. The D-Days managed to load up the bases with one out in their half of the ninth but Markus Brisker lined into a game-ending 6-4 double play.
Sever gave up four runs (three earned) in four innings on five hits, one walk and one hit batter but he struck out four. The 22 year-old righty suffered his first loss to fall to 2-1 but he still has an impressive 25-4 K/BB total in 23 innings and the opposition is hitting just .198 against him.
At the dish, Ramirez had two of the six Auburn hits and has hit .374 in his last 10 games to push his average up to .286. Brad Glenn and Lance "Baby Bull" Durham each reached base twice with a hit and a walk. Tony's boy, Jonathan Fernandez, got on base three times without a hit as he drew a pair of free passes and was hit by a pitch. He's batting just .192 on the season but his OBP is a decent .348.
Dunedin, FL - Jays starter Carlos Pina was nailing it in the first three innings as he set down the first nine hitters that he faced. The Venezuelan lefty began having control problems in the fourth when he walked a pair of batters and a run came in to score on an error by Oliver Dominguez at second. However, "Mr. Colada" was able to escape further damage by getting a strikeout and a ground out to strand a runner at third.
The Jays responded with the tying run in the bottom of the fourth as Michael Crouse tripled and scored on a Henry Rodriguez single. Unfortunately, "Oh Henry!" was thrown out trying to steal second to kill the rally. However, Rodriguez redeemed himself by picking off a runner in the top of the fifth from behind the plate as he started a 2-3-6-3 putout to erase a Pina walk. Pina would strike out two batters in the inning and would get the first two men out in the sixth before giving way to Nestor "Carbonell" Molina. Molina stranded a Pina single by getting a fly ball out to end the inning.
Molina got himself into trouble in the seventh by allowing a leadoff single and uncorking a wild pitch but he helped himself out defensively by starting a 1-5-6 play to erase the runner at third. Rodriguez then got the runner who reached on a fielder's choice by throwing him out at second on a steal attempt. Molina did give up another single but he was able to strand him.
The G-Jays used the triple-single combination again to score the tie-breaking run in the seventh. Canadian Kevin-Denis Fortier got the three-bagger and Bryson Namba got the run-scoring base knock to put the Jays in front. The Jays then played small ball as Yeico Aponte got aboard on a bunt single and Gustavo Pierre moved Namba and Aponte into scoring position with a bunt of his own. Dominguez would atone for his error that led to the Pirates run in a big way as he delivered a two-run single to put the Jays ahead by three. Dominguez went on to steal second but he would be left on the basepaths. Lance Loftin would plunk the leadoff man in the eighth and give up a single to start the ninth but he struck out three along the way to save the victory for Molina.
Pina had a solid start for the G-Jays as he allowed just one unearned run on one hit and three walks in 5 2/3 innings while striking out six. Seven of his 10 outs in play were on the ground. At the plate, Crouse and Fortier each had two hits while Aponte had a hit and a walk.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Welinton Ramirez, Auburn
2. Henry Rodriguez, GCL Blue Jays
1. Carlos Pina, GCL Blue Jays
Extra Innings.....
* It's from last month but Syracuse.com had a chat with Auburn's Jonathan Fernandez.
* Also from last month, the Lansing State Journal talked to the Lugnuts Tyler Pastornicky.
