The Jays affiliates were almost perfect last night. Two extra innings wins and a pair of two-run victories boosted the affiliates to a 4-1 record.
Sacramento, CA - The 51's beat the A's affiliate with two runs in the second, a run in the seventh and a run in the ninth. The River Cats did all of their scoring in the seventh.
Batting - Manny Mayorson had the 51's only multi-hit effort with a double and a single. Brad Emaus and Dan Perales each singled and walked with Emaus driving in a pair of runs. Aaron Matthews doubled and Raul Chavez singled. Jarrett Hoffpauir, Mike Jacobs and Jason Lane drew two walks apiece with Hoffpauir and Jacobs collecting an RBI each. Jonathan Diaz drew a walk so every Las Vegan reached base at least once. Diaz and Chavez each had a sacrifice bunt while Hoffpauir had a sac fly.
Running - Emaus stole second base. Hoffpauir tried to do the same but he was thrown out.
Pitching - Scott Richmond's quest to return to Toronto this season took another step forward. He earned the win by allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings. Richmond did walk four but struck out seven in a 99 pitch outing that saw him throw 57 strikes. His ground out/fly out total was 3-7. Josh Roenicke gave up two runs on four hits, including a home run, in his one inning on the hill. He did not walk or strike out a batter but he did induce two ground ball outs. Roenicke was credited with a hold and so was Jamie Vermilyea, who overcame three hits to pitch a shutout inning in his return to the Blue Jays nest from the Golden League. The disgruntled Jeremy Accardo made things interesting by loading up the bases with two hits and a walk but he kept the River Cats off the board to collect his 24th save.
Defence - Chavez was 1-for-2 in throwing out base stealers. He was successful with Richmond on the mound but unsuccessful with Accardo. Perales threw out a runner at second base from center field. Las Vegas turned one double play.
New Hampshire 1 Harrisburg 0 (10 Innings)
Manchester, NH - Nothing was decided in regulation but one swing of the bat gave the Fisher Cats the walk off victory. New Hampshire is just a half-game behind Trenton for first place in the Eastern League East Division and both teams are even in the loss column.
Batting - Matt Liuzza was the New Hampshire hero by belting a solo homer in the bottom of the tenth. That capped off a perfect night at the dish as he had two singles and walk. David Cooper had two hits while Adam Calderone, Jonathan Jaspe and Luis Sanchez had a single apiece. Adam Loewen drew the other walk. Ricardo Nanita made his Fisher Cat debut and went 0-for-3. He comes over from Tabasco of the Mexican League. Nanita replaced Eric Thames in left field in the third inning. Thames was 0-for-1, Adeiny Hechavarria was 0-for-4 and Callix Crabbe was 0-for-3.
Running - to stand still!
Pitching - Former Expos first rounder Clint Everts allowed just four hits and a walk over six scoreless frames. He struck out four and induced nine ground ball outs. Vancouver's Trystan Magnuson kept things very close to the vest with three shutout innings in which he struck out three and recorded six ground ball outs. His only blemish was issuing a single walk. Alan Farina was the winning pitcher as he pitched a shutout inning and recorded a strikeout.
Defence - Three double plays were turned by the Fisher Cats. However, the Senators turned four!
Dunedin 4 Lakeland 3 (10 Innings)
Lakeland, FL - The D-Jays could not hold a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning but they grounded (tamed?) the Flying Tigers in the tenth.
Batting - Dunedin managed to get the job done with nine singles and two walks. Mark Sobolewski and Ryan Goins had two hits apiece with Goins knocking in a run. The other RBI belonged to Concepion Rodriguez and that was the game winner. Ryan Schimpf, Mike McDade, Moises Sierra and Welinton Ramirez collected the other base knocks. Kenny Wilson and Brian Van Kirk drew the two walks and they each scored a run. However, Dunedin had trouble making contact with 11 strikeouts. McDade and Yan Gomes were three-peat offenders.
Running - Rodriguez made a pinch-running appearance for Van Kirk and he scored a run.
Pitching - Ryan Shopshire went five innings and gave up two runs on five hits, including a homer, and a walk while striking out a pair. Only three of his 12 outs in play were on terra firma. Nestor Molina pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up a run on four hits but struck out two and did not walk anyone. Three of his four outs were on the ground. Lefty Evan Crawford allowed Molina's runner to score and was charged with the blown save. He gave up three hits,.walked a man and plunked another in his inning of work. However, Crawford was not charged with any runs on his pitching line as Ross Buckwalter and lefty Daniel DeLucia pitched a third of an inning each and were a combined 3-for-3 in stranding runners. Buckwalter gave up a hit while DeLucia did not. DeLucia earned the win and Matt Daly registered his 30th save as he pitched a shutout frame. He gave up two hits but also struck out a pair. Dunedin survived despite allowing 15 hits but Lakeland was a woeful 3-for-17 with runners in scoring positions and left 12 men on base.
Defence - Gomes picked off a runner at second from behind the plate and Ramirez threw out a runner at the plate from left field to complete a 7-2 double play.
Lansing, MI - A senseless slaughter! The Reds affiliate opened the scoring with a two-run third and rubbed it in with four-spots in the fifth and sixth and two more in the seventh.
Batting - Jon Del Campo had two of the four Lansing hits with a double and a single, Brad Glenn doubled, former Barrie Baycat Randy Schwartz singled and Kevin Nolan drew the lone walk. K.C. Hobson was 0-for-4 while Brad McElroy, Jake Marisnick, Michael Crouse and Karim Turkamani were all 0-for-3. Balbino Fuenmayor and Eric Eiland were 0-for-1 in pinch-hit appearances.
Running - on empty!
Pitching - The "Dans were not the Mans" (or the "Den were not the men") on the mound for the Lugnuts. Daniel Webb's Lugnut debut did not go according to plan. He gave up six runs (three earned) over five innings on seven hits, a walk and a plunk. Webb struck out two and six of his 11 outs were on the ground. Daniel Barnes had a rough go as well as the Dragons torched him for four runs (three earned) in one inning. He yielded a pair of hits, a walk and also hit a batter. On the bright side, he struck out the side! Lefty Matt Wright was wronged to the tune of two runs on four hits with one strikeout but did get two outs on the ground. Despite a K-BB total of 1-2, Brian Slover pitched two scoreless and hitless innings. On the bright side, the Lugnuts hurlers did not give up a homer.
Defence - You don't see many teams commit six errors and win, do you? Turkamani and Nolan were the clubhouse leaders with two apiece at the catcher and shortstop positions respectively. Marisnick made an error in centerfield and Hobson was charged with a clank at first. However, Turkamani totally redeemed himself (well, not really!) by throwing out a runner at second. Crouse threw out a runner at the plate as part of a 9-2 double play so the score could have been 13-0. How's that for clutch defence? Slover and Hobson also converted a 1-3 twin-killing.
Niles, OH - The Scrappers opened the scoring with a run in the fourth but the Doubledays took down the Tribe affiliate with a two-run ninth after tying the game in the sixth.
Batting - Lance Durham was the hero in this one as his two-run homer was the difference. He reached base three times by adding a single and a walk. Carlos Perez was hitless but drew a pair of walks and scored on Durham's dinger. Jonathan Fernandez doubled and scored on Steve McQuail's sacrifice fly. Matt Johnson had Auburn's other hit with a single while Andy Fermin drew a base on four balls. Jonathan Jones, Yeico Aponte, Luis Hurtado, Jack Murphy and Markus Brisker all have 0-fers of various shapes and sizes.
Running - Perez was nailed trying to steal second and was also thrown out at third after trying to take the extra base on a Durham single.
Pitching - Misual Diaz allowed just an unearned run over four innings by spreading out three hits and a walk. He struck out three and four of his nine outs in play were recorded on the ground. Shawn Griffith struck out three over nearly two perfect innings of work. His only blemish was plunking a batter. Lefty Michael Kelly earned his first win of the season by allowing just a hit and walk and he also rung up a trio of batters. Dayton Marze survived a couple of hits and a walk to pitch a scoreless frame. He struck out a pair to earn the save.
Defence - Johnson and Aponte committed errors in short and left respectively. Hurtado was 0-for-2 in throwing out base stealers. Diaz and Griffith were on the hill for those occasions.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Scott Richmond, Las Vegas
2. Clint Everts, New Hampshire
1. Matt Liuzza, New Hampshire
Extra Innings.......
The New Hampshire Union Leader provides video in its game story of the Fisher Cats extra-innings win. Kevin Gray also has a feature on Adam Loewen.
The Maui News provides details about Jamie Vermilyea's return to the Jays organization.
