Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
The affiliates took two of out three Tuesday night. The highlight was a walk-off win, the lowlight was a walk-off loss. One of the games was a rainout. Enjoy the ride on the Tuesday MLU train!


Bufffalo 7 Lehigh Valley 2

Allentown, PA - The Herd rumbled out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Dan Johnson knocked one out of the park. They didn't score again until the sixth when Jack Murphy had an RBI double and Anthony Gose had an RBI single to restore their two-run cushion. Jared Goedert brought home two more runs with a two-out single in the seventh. Chris Getz worked a two-out bases loaded walk in the eighth for the Bisons final run. Goedert was perfect at the dish by going 4-for-4 with a walk. Johnson and Juan Francisco had two-hit games and Francisco scored three times. Gose singled and walked twice. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kevin Pillar was 0-for-6 and kicked one around in right field.

Sean Nolin
(1-0) lasted 5.2 innings, yielding just a pair of runs on four hits and a walk. He served up a homer to Cameron Rupp but struck out seven and split his 10 outs in play evenly on the ground and in the air. Nolin threw 68% of his 85 pitches for strikes. Lefty Rob Rasmussen stranded a runner for Nolin by striking out the only batter he faced. The Liam Hendriks Experience covered the seventh and eighth innings, pitching a one-hitter with two K's. Ryan Tepera struck out one in a perfect ninth.


Reading 6 New Hampshire 5


Reading, PA - Aaron Sanchez had an okay outing in his second start of the season, yielding a pair of runs in five innings. The Phillies affiliate scored both of their runs in the second inning, including a solo homer by Tommy Joseph. Sanchez gave up five hits, walked a pair and plunked one. He threw just 56% of his pitches for strikes (47 of 84) but he struck out three and racked up seven ground ball outs. Sanchez picked off a runner at first base in the fourth inning and was part of a 2-3-6-1 pick-off to erase another base runner to end the frame. His only 1-2-3 inning came in the fifth.

Casey Lawrence
took over for Sanchez and struck out two but was nicked for a run in two frames. Lefty Tyler Ybarra gave up the tying run in the eighth on two wild pitches that scored a runner from second. He also walked a pair but managed to limit the damage to one run. Scott Gracey (0-1) could not protect a second lead provided by the offence as he was charged with two runs on three hits  and two walks (one on purpose) while getting just one out in the ninth.

One swing of the bat by Kenny Wilson gave the Fisher Cats their first lead of the night as he connected for a three-run dinger in the third to erase Reading's 2-0 advantage. Brad Glenn tripled home a Jon Berti single in the sixth to make it 4-2. A Mike Crouse sacrifice fly in the ninth put the Fishers ahead before the bullpen meltdown a half-inning later. Berti and Jonathan Jones had two-hit nights with Berti doing his best Billy Hamilton impersonation by stealing three bases. Kevin Nolan singled and walked and Andy Burns was 1-for-4.


Dunedin @ Daytona - Rained out. The two teams will play a doubleheader today instead.


Lansing 5 Quad Cities 4

Lansing, MI - Tom Robson received a rough introduction to the Midwest League, courtesy of the Cardinals affiliate. The Ladner, BC native was roughed up for three runs over 2.2 innings on three hits and four walks while uncorking two wild pitches. Lefthander Alonzo Gonzalez could only strand one of Robson's two runners but he supplied 3.1 innings of shutout relief. Roberto Espinosa was charged with two runs in 1.2 innings and Jimmy Cordero (1-0) saw an inherited runner score on his watch that tied the game in the ninth.

The Lugnuts offence didn't get rolling until the sixth when D.J. Davis led off the frame with a home run. Matt Dean singled home another run and Santiago Nessy capped off the four-run rally with a two-run single. Lansing won it in the ninth when Dickie Joe Thon singled home a leadoff walk by Derrick Loveless. Dean had a three-hit performance while Davis and Dawel Lugo chipped in with two hits apiece. Nessy added two walks to reach base three times. Mitch Nay had a base on balls in four plate appearances.

Scores in a box!


*** 3 Stars!!! ***



3. Matt Dean, Lansing
- Batting average and OBP are an identical .368.


2. Sean Nolin, Buffalo
- A 1.54 ERA in 3 career starts at Triple-A.


1. Jared Goedert, Buffalo
- Quintupled his on-base output from Opening Day and has reached base six times in nine plate appearances.


Today's Schedule & Probable Pitchers...


Dunedin @ Daytona (DH), 5:05 pm ET (DH)  - LHP Matt Boyd (1-0, 0.00) & RHP Taylor Cole (0-0, 1.50).
Buffalo @ Lehigh Valley, 5:35 pm ET (DH) - LHP Ricky Romero (NR) & RHP Marcus Stroman (0-0, 4.50).
New Hampshire @ Reading, 6:35 pm ET - RHP Deck McGuire (1-0, 0.00).
Quad Cities @ Lansing, 7:05 pm - RHP Alberto Tirado (0-0, 2.25).
Lansing City DJ's Turn Tables on Quad Cities | 8 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
raptorsaddict - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 06:46 AM EDT (#284436) #
I know it's been said a lot around here already, but man oh man it's going to be fun watching Lansing this year. Great to see DJ Davis off to a good start. Depending on how things go for the Lugnuts this year, our farm system could be about to get a whole lot stronger and deeper.
Lugnut Fan - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 10:32 AM EDT (#284444) #

I went to the game last night in Lansing and I will say the Davis home run was impressive.  He is a very small, slightly build kid.  The pitcher got behind on him 2-0 I believe and dropped a low inside FB on him that he turned on.  Talking with scouts over the years, I was told that Davis had sneaky power and I had a chance to see that last night.

The one thing I didn't like about Davis was his base running.  He is plenty fast enough down the line, but he had a stolen base attempt where he was thrown out quite handily and honestly he should have been more than safe as the catcher bounced the throw to the SS side of the bag that the SS had to go get and return to the bag to apply the tag.  I want to see  him more as I'm sure he has a green light (if Lansinig employs such a thing) becuase I don't believe he gets good jumps at all.

My note on Robson is that he really struggled last night with command.  It took him 71 pitches by my unofficial count to get through the 2.2.  To me it looked like he was throwing a four seamer that was in the 94 mph range, a two seamer or sinker that sat in the 89-91 range a curve ball and a change up.  His four seamer as I stated was up, but he wasn't getting good movement on his sinker either.  I'm going again Sunday and if it lines up, I will get another look at him and the weather will be much warmer, which makes it better to look at pitchers.

Finally, I really like Matt Dean's bat.  He did not look comfortable in the field really, but he definitely made some solid contact last night.  He even went the other way on a two RBI single that the pitcher through to the outer half of the plate.  He looked to have a nice approach, but again the sample size I have seen is beyond small.

Lugnut Fan - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 10:33 AM EDT (#284445) #
One correction above.  Dean's single I chatted about drove in one run, not two.
Mike Green - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 10:46 AM EDT (#284447) #
Carson Cistulli did a fascinating study (which I missed) on the relationship between particular tools (with BA's best tools summaries) and future performance.  The punch-line is that the players with "best hitting for average" and "best plate discipline" have done better than those with "best power" and "fastest baserunner".  The trifecta of "best hitting for average", "best plate discipline" and "best defensive player" has been an outstanding marker for major league success. Current prospects with that profile are Francisco Lindor, J.P. Crawford and Jace Peterson. 

For pitchers, the BA data is less helpful, but (to my surprise) "best curveball" is the tool with the highest correlation wiht future success, ahead of "best fastball" (modestly) and "best control" and "best changeup".

bpoz - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 11:55 AM EDT (#284451) #
Thanks Mike G. That is good to know & watch for.
Gerry - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 01:43 PM EDT (#284459) #
Thanks Chad. You have a lot of interesting players to track this season.
Mike Green - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 09:50 PM EDT (#284483) #
It's been a good night on the farm. Chad Jenkins pitched very well for Buffalo.  Dwight Smith continues to mash- he hasn't struck out in 6 games and has been hitting the ball with authority.  I have a sneaking suspicion that he's not going to be in the FSL by Canada Day. 
finch - Wednesday, April 09 2014 @ 10:25 PM EDT (#284488) #
DICKIE JOE THON JR, DJ DAVIS & MATT DEAN

My fave positional prospects are playing very well to start the season.

Dwight Smith Jr is raking and Mitch Nay is looking good as well. Looking forward to see Franklin Buretto mash soon as well.
Lansing City DJ's Turn Tables on Quad Cities | 8 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.