I apologize for the lateness of today's report. I was in Wisconsin over the weekend for a Coldplay concert and speaking of cold play (see what I did there?), I managed to catch a Brewers game on the way back where Jeff Suppan got whacked by the Nationals, or more specifically Josh Willingham, 14-6. With family in the Cheesehead State, I've been a fairly regular visitor to Milwaukee but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers began visiting there in the late 16th century. In fact, Milwaukee is an Indian name. It's pronounced "Meel-wah-kay" which is Algonquin for "the good land".
Anyways, it was a busy day for the affiliates as they posted a 5-and-3 mark. The teams that don't rhyme with Jays had a very good night while the ones that do didn't, save for one game. Make sense? Good! Read on and rock on, my peeps!
Portland, OR - I guess I had to bitch about it in order for the 51's to win a game on a Tuesday night. I might be on to something here! Damn Blue Jays never winning when it counts. Anyways, Davis Romero was on the bump of dirt for Vegas and he gave up just a couple of leadoff singles in the first two innings. The diminutive lefty erased one of those singles by picking off the runner at first. Actually, that was all Romero would give up as he went all "Mark Buehrle-like" by setting down his last 12 batters in a row while striking out five. Six of his nine outs in play were on the ground and he threw 49 of his 71 pitches for strikes.
The 51's opened the scoring in the third when Buck Coats sugar-coated a sweet, two-run double to center to score a Brian Dopirak single and Angel Sanchez, who reached on a fielder's choice. J.P. Arencibia salted this one away in the sixth as he belted a three run shot off Portland starter Eulogio De La Cruz. Arencibia brought home a Randy Ruiz walk and a Travis Snider single. Las Vegas enjoyed another three-run frame in the eighth when Buck Coats doubled home a run and Travis Snider drew a bases-loaded walk. Another run came home on a fielding error at third.
"Who's afraid of" Brian Wolfe scared off the Padres affiliate by allowing just one hit and striking out one in two shutout frames while "The Fugitive" Casey Janssen and Bubbie Buzachero retired the side in order for the eighth and ninth innings respectively.
Coats, Snider and Dopirak each had two hits with Snider (one walk) and Ruiz (two walks) reaching base three times. Snider has increased his average to .257 after going 7-for-13 with one walk in his last three games. However, he's also struck out four times. Everyone except for Kevin Howard reached base at least once.
New Hampshire 5 New Britain 1-Game 1 (7 Innings)
Manchester, NH - Lefty Luis Perez was the man on the mound for New Hampshire in this one. He allowed just one single over the first two frames before the offence gave him the lead in the second inning. Al Quintana's RBI single scored a Darin Mastroianni walk for the game's first run. However, the Twins affiliate got the tying run courtesy of a Jonathan Diaz throwing error in the third that brought home a leadoff double. However, Perez settled down by retiring eight of the next nine hitters through the fifth as he erased a walk with a double play ball.
New Hampshire loaded the bases in the fifth and took full advantage as an error by the Rock Cats second baseman allowed a Diaz single to score. That sent New Britain starter Ryan Mullins to the showers and Alex Burnett was asked to strand the bases loaded. That didn't happen as Mastroianni drew a walk to score Brad Emaus, who reached after taking one for the team. Scott Campbell drove in the final dagger with a two-run base knock to plate a David Cooper single and Nick Gorneault, who reached on the error.
Perez struggled to cross the finish line as he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and allowed another two base runners in the seventh but he kept New Britain off the board to pick up the complete game victory. He allowed just one unearned run on five hits and three walks while striking one out. The big number though is 16 as that was the number of outs he induced on the ground, thanks in part to two double plays.
Campbell swung the big stick for the Fishers as he went 3-for-3 with two RBI out of the DH spot. Mastroianni was the only other player to reach base more than once thanks to a pair of walks.
New Hampshire 5 New Britain 0-Game 2 (7 Innings)
Manchester, NH - Nothing new here either, cats! Get it? Another complete game performance was turned in, this time by Marty "McFly" McLeary. The Rock Cats tried to bully McLeary like Biff Tannen with a pair of one-out singles in the first but they wound up slamming into a pile of horsepoop as they came up empty against the former Padre and Pirate. McLeary retired eight straight before the offence responded with a five-run third. Scott Campbell singled with the bases drunk while Brad Emaus and David Cooper each hit back to back two-run doubles to chase New Britain starter Deolis Guerra from the game.
That was all McLeary needed as he wound up retiring nine in a row. He finished up with a three-up, three down seventh in going the distance by scattering three walks and three hits while striking out five. He made sure the infielders and outfielders got their work in as he split 16 outs in play along the ground and in the air.
Seven different Fisher Cats had one hit each and only Nick Gorneault and Todd Donovan failed to record a base knock. However, Donovan drew three bases on balls in an 0-for-0 night at the dish.
Jupiter, FL - Lefty Charles Huggins had some trouble with his control as he plunked a couple of men in the first two innings and gave up a single but he kept the Marlins affiliate from scoring. He was finally victimized in the third as he gave up a solo homer in the third and gave up another run in the fifth on a walk, a stolen base, a sac bunt and a double. He also plunked his third batter of the game in the fourth but worked a clean sixth to finish his outing on a positive note. Huggins allowed two runs over six innings on three hits, two walks and three hit batters while getting four others to swing and miss or just look stupid watching strike three go by.
Huggins was taken off the hook for a loss when the D-Jays rallied to tie the game at 2-2 in the seventh. Adam Loewen tripled home a Jonathan Jaspe walk and Loewen scored on a Sean Shoffit single. Lefty Daniel DeLucia relieved Huggins in the seventh and he also plunked a batter to go along with two singles that gave Jupiter the lead at 3-2. Trystan Magnuson got the final two outs of the inning with a double play line out to second. The Vancouver native also worked a perfect eighth but Dunedin was also set down in order in the eighth and ninth to fall a run short.
Dunedin managed only three hits and four walks with Loewen, Shoffit and John Tolisano getting safeties. Loewen and Shoffit also drew a walk each.
Lansing, MI - The Mariners affiliate tried to lay the wood against Joel "Mac" Carreno as they put up a pair of first inning runs on two singles and a double. However, Carreno did strand a runner at third and he erased a second inning walk with an inning-ending double play ball. The Lugnuts would tie the game in their half of the second. Mark Sobolewski was hit by a pitch and was doubled to third by Justin McClanahan. However, "So-big-bolewski" could not abide with the Lugnuts first run as he was thrown out at home by the LumberKings third baseman. However, Kenneth Wilson would double home McClanahan with Lansing's first run. A wild pitch scored A.J. Jimenez with the tying run after he reached on the fielder's choice.
Carreno scattered three singles over the next four innings and retired the side in order in the fifth. He left after giving up a two-out double in the seventh and lefty Hunter "Hearst Helmsley" Moody stranded that runner with a ground ball out. The Lugnuts grabbed the lead in the seventh with some station-to-station baseball without a hit. Kenneth Wilson was hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on a sac fly by Tyler Pastornicky.
Dustin Antolin gave up a single, a walk and a wild pitch but he stranded the two runners in scoring position with a shutout eighth and Matt Daly surrendered a two-out single in the ninth but struck out a pair to notch the save. Carreno went 6 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk along with four K's and 10 GO's.
McClanahan recorded the only multi-hit game for the Lugnuts while Sobolewski got revenge for his soiled rug with a hit, a walk and a stolen base. Wilson also had a safety, a free pass and a pilfered sack.
State College 7 Auburn 4 (11 Innings)
The Doubledays gave Matthew Wright a lead to work with by scoring twice in the third. Welinton Ramirez singled home an Eric Eiland walk and a Ryan "Comins and" Goins single. Wright worked a clean second inning but had to overcome a first inning walk and error and a leadoff double in the third. He was nicked for a run in the fourth on two singles and a double but the damage was limited to a run as he threw out a runner at third trying to advance on a bunt. Wright worked a shutout fifth by stranding a walk before turning the ball over to Toronto native Jamie Lehman in the sixth. The Pirates affiliate was thrilled with the change on the mound as they strung together a homer and four singles to go ahead 4-2.
Auburn was able to make up the deficit as Sean Ochinko, a.k.a "Ocho-chinko", and Lance "Baby Bull" Durham connected with solo homers in the sixth and seventh to tie the game at 4-4. David Slovak did his part to give the D-Days an opportunity to win as he pitched three scoreless innings and racked up three strikeouts. The only base runner he allowed came on an error by Goins at short. Steven Turnbull also held down the Spikes in the 10th as he survived a two-out single by striking out a pair. In the bottom of the tenth, Eiland doubled and was sacrificed to third by Goins. The Spikes elected to intentionally walk Ramirez and Ochinko to load up the bases so all the D-Days needed was a hit or a deep fly ball to win it. Unfortunately, Chris Hopkins and Brad Glenn both struck out.
In the top of the eleventh, Turnbull almost overcame a leadoff walk as he got the next two hitters but an error by Kevin Nolan at second extended the inning and State College hit back to back doubles to bring home three runs. Lefty Willi Mendez came in to get the final out. Auburn went down quickly and quietly in the last of the eleventh.
Wright went five solid innings as he allowed one run on four hits and a walk while getting strike three four times. Eiland and Goins had a pair of hits each with Eiland also drawing a walk. Ramirez, Ochinko and Yan Gomes had a hit and a walk apiece.
GCL Phillies 6 GCL Blue Jays 0 - Game 1 (9 Innings)
Dunedin, FL - This was the completion of a game that had started back on July 17th. To quickly recap this crap, Ryan Shopshire was whacked for four runs in 3 2/3 innings by giving up a dozen hits. On the bright side, he didn't walk anyone and he struck out a pair. Dennis Tepera struck out two in 1 1/3 perfect frames while Nestor Molina allowed just one hit and struck out three in three shutout innings. Lefty Evan Teague wasn't as fortunate as he allowed a pair of runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one in his one inning of work. Nick Zaleski had all three hits for the G-Jays while Bryson Namba and John Roberts drew a walk each.
GCL Blue Jays 2 GCL Phillies 0 - Game 2 (7 Innings)
Dunedin, FL - That's what I'm talking about! Ryan Shopshire started this one as well and what a turnaround. He allowed just three hits and whiffed five in five shutout innings. Unfortunately, he was not rewarded with the "W". Brian Slovak worked a one-hit sixth and the bats finally came alive. Gari Pena doubled and Oliver Dominguez bunted his way aboard for a base hit and then proceeded to steal second. Gustavo Pierre's sac fly brought home Pena and a throwing error by the center fielder brought in Dominguez. Shawn Griffith slammed the door shut in the seventh by striking out the final batter of the game for the save.
Dominguez had a two-hit day while fifth round pick Ryan "All You Can Eat" Schimpf made his debut. The former LSU Tiger and College World Series champion picked up a hit and a walk in his first two plate appearances.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Scott Campbell, New Hampshire
2. Marty McLeary, New Hampshire
1. Luis Perez, New Hampshire
Honourable Mentions......
Davis Romero, Travis Snider, Buck Coats
Extra Innings......
* The New Hampshire Union Leader has the game story and some blog notes on the Fisher Cats doubleheader sweep. Kevin Gray also speaks with former Halo hurler Matt Hensley and Al Quintana.
* The Auburn Citizen chats with lefty Egan Smith.
