Las Vegas was the only affiliate to put one in the win column Monday.
Las Vegas, NV - The 51s fell behind 5-0 to the Angels affiliate before rallying for a 6-5 lead. They still needed a run in the eighth for the victory.
Hitting - Moises Sierra started the comeback by launching his sixth homer of the season with two outs and nobody on in the fourth. Adeiny Hechavarria had run-scoring singles in the fourth and the sixth before Anthony Gose followed up with a three-run bomb, his second of the year, to give the 51s their first lead. David Cooper delivered an RBI single in the eighth to plate home the winning run. Sierra had three hits while Hechavarria, Gose, Travis d'Arnaud and Ruben Gotay collected two hits apiece. Hechavarria, d'Arnaud and Gotay also drew a walk apiece. Danny Perales had a hit and a base on balls while Mike McCoy drew a pair of ball fours. Yan Gomes went 0-for-5 and donned the golden sombrero.
Running - Sierra stole his first base of the season by swiping third. Gose was thrown out at the plate on a 8-5-2 play right after Cooper's RBI single in the eighth.
Pitching - Jesse Chavez was whacked for two homers and five runs over six frames. He gave up five hits and two walks but struck out six and his groundout-flyout numbers were 8-3. Chavez was in position to get the win but Jim Hoey blew the save thanks to an unearned run in the seventh. He threw a wild pitch and walked a batter but also struck out a pair. Ryota Igarashi got the victory by striking out one in a clean eighth and Chad Beck punched out two of the three batters he faced to collect the save.
Fielding - Hoey compounded a leadoff walk with a throwing error that allowed the runner to reach third and eventually score on a sacrifice fly.
Portland, ME - The Red Sox affiliate scored twice in the first and after the Fisher Cats responded with a run in the second, the Sea Dogs proceeded to put up two-run innings in the third, fourth and fifth.
Hitting - John Tolisano had a 2-for-2 day and a walk. Brian Van Kirk drove Tolisano home with a single and also drew a walk. Ryan Goins, A.J. Jimenez, Mike McDade, Mark Sobolewski, Brad Glenn, Brad McElroy and Jonathan Diaz were all hitless but McDade got a walk.
Running - Tolisano stole second but was also caught stealing once.
Pitching - Boone went the dynamite as Randy Boone was clubbed around for three homers and eight runs and 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings. His K-BB totals were 1-1 but nine of his dozen outs in play were on the ground. Lefty Matt Wright walked one and plunked one but he rung up 5 Ks over 2 2/3 shutout innings. Matt Daly continued the fine mop-up job with a clean inning of his own.
Fielding - The Fisher Cats posted a goose egg under the 'E' column.
Port St. Lucie, FL - Dunedin sprinted out to a 3-0 lead in the first and also had a 4-3 lead but the Mets managed to score the tying and winning runs in the eighth.
Hitting - A Kevin Nolan RBI single and a Sean Ochinko two-run double put the D-Jays in flight. The star of the Zaun 101 features on Sportsnet, Marcus Knecht, doubled home a tie-breaking run in the sixth. Nolan and Kevin Ahrens had two-hit games while Ryan Schimpf joined Ochinko and Knecht in the extra-base hit column with a double. Jake Marisnick and Michael Crouse each singled and Jonathan Jones drew a walk. Jack Murphy was 0-for-4 and Oliver Dominguez was 0-for-1.
Running - No D-Jay was feeling lucky on the basepaths.
Pitching - John Stilson was victimized for three unearned runs over four frames. He gave up the three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out a trio of Mets. Shawn Griffith also rung up three Mets batters on strikeouts while working around a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings. Lefty Boomer Potts overcame a leadoff walk and an errant pickoff throw in the seventh inning by getting the next three batters. However, he gave up a homer to Wilmer Flores and a double to start the eighth. Dustin Antolin allowed the inherited run to score on a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly before striking out a batter.
Fielding - A throwing error by Dominguez led directly to a pair of Mets runs in the first and was later replaced by Schimpf at the hot corner in the third inning. Jones entered the game at second base to cover for Schimpf. Murphy threw out a runner at second from behind the dish.
Lansing, MI - The Lugnuts answered the Whitecaps first inning run with one of their own in the second. The Tigers affiliate snapped the tie with a four-run eighth.
Hitting - Chris Hawkins delivered the only Lansing run with an RBI single to score Andrew Burns and those two had the only multi-hit games for the home side. Burns and Carlos Perez had the only extra-base hits with doubles while Kenny Wilson, Kevin Patterson and Kellen Sweeney accounted for the other hits. Jonathon Berti, K.C. Hobson and Markus Brisker were a combined 0-for-11. No Lugnut reached base via ball four.
Running - The running game was in hibernation.
Pitching - Noah Syndergaard was nicked for a run on two hits and a walk over three innings. He did strike out three batters and four of his six outs in play did not leave the infield. Anthony DeSclafani shut down the Whitecaps for four innings by yielding just three hits and a walk. He struck out five batters and only one of his seven outs in play made it to the outfield. Lefty Tyler Ybarra was charged with the loss on four unearned runs while retiring just one batter. He gave up three hits and a walk while striking out one. Brandon Berl stranded both of Ybarra's runners and struck out a batter in 1 2/3 perfect frames.
Fielding - Ybarra loaded up the bases after throwing away a bunted ball and also threw a wild pitch that plated a run. Sweeney also threw one away and that produced another run in the ugly eighth.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Anthony DeSclafani, Lansing
2. Anthony Gose, Las Vegas
1. Moises Sierra, Las Vegas
Extra Innings...
- Sportsnet's Shi Davidi provides an update on the rehabbing Travis Snider and gets comments from 51s manager Marty Brown on some of the Jays top prospects.
- BallparkDigest.com, via the Union Leader's Kevin Gray, believes the Blue Jays will renew its Player Development Contract with New Hampshire given Ottawa's problems in landing a minor league team.
- The Lansing State Journal profiles Lugnuts pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez and MLive.com does likewise with catcher Pierce Rankin.
- The defending Northwest League champion Vancouver Canadians are gearing up for the upcoming 2012 season with "Super Saturday" as fans can buy tickets and audition for singing the national anthems at Nat Bailey Stadium. The team also released its promotional schedule.
