Buffalo 0 @ DURHAM 1
It was Daniel Norris day in Durham, as the left-hander took the ball for his first minor league start of the year. It took him 95 pitches, of which 53 were strikes, to get through 5 and 2/3 innings. He struck out 4 against his 3 walks. The Bulls hit two doubles and two singles against him, but could only plate one run. A decent start, but he’ll have to improve if his minor league stint is going to be temporary, like achilles. Ryan Tepera has been pledging his time and showed why Marc Hulet saw him as a potential Rule V draft selection, striking out 4 of the 7 batters he faced. He’s been excellent this season, with a 0.57 ERA in 15.2 innings and a 17/5 K/BB ratio. Should any of the right-handed relievers in Toronto falter, the 27 year old could be just like the two men (Delabar and Jenkins) called up earlier this week.
The Bisons offense, perhaps reeling from the call ups of OFers Colabella and Carrera, were only able to manage 5 hits. Andy Burns (1-4, 2B) had one. Dalton Pompey (1-4) had one. Brad Glenn (0-4, 3K, GIDP) must have had sad eyes. Outside of Glenn, the Bisons struck out only 3 times. How’s that for a sweet lining on a bitter pill? The 7599 in attendance were headed home after 2 hours and 17 minutes.
NEW HAMPSHIRE 5 @ Reading 2
Not to be outdone, New Hampshire and Reading took only 2 hours and 12 minutes to settle this one. Matt Boyd must be getting Visions of Toranna. He went 6 and a third, allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks which yielded 2 runs. He struck out 4, got 5 outs on the ground and 8 in the air. He’s a young 24 years old, so sooner or later one of us must know if he’s done what he’s supposed to do. There are a handful of goodish lefties ahead of him, so don't hold your breath, but being able to handle AA is a big step for him.
For the offense, everyone reached base at least once. Jon Berti (2-5) had two doubles. Dwight Smith Jr. (1-5, RBI) had a double. I (@citoeffect) tweeted Keith Law about Smith this week. Law thinks he’s a big leaguer because he walks as often as he strikes out, but he saw limitations on his value, saying he’s lacks the defense to play CF and the power to play LF. He thinks the average will suffer at the big league level as pitchers challenge him more. He also had doubts that Smith is as tall as his listed height (5’11). Even if Law is correct, a left-handed hitting OF, who might be able to play a little 2B, would be a welcome piece on the 2016 team, especially with the brittle Michael Saunders.
Dunedin 1 @ TAMPA 9
Jeremy Gabryzwski started and lasted only one inning. Of the 6 runs he allowed, only 2 were earned. Dawel Lugo (1-4) made his 5th error of the year with two outs in the first. Not that it mattered, as Dunedin could only must 5 singles to score 1 run anyway.
Roemon Fields (0-3, 2 BB, 2 SB) scored the only run. I know what you’re thinking, “I want you to end this recap.” Absolutely, sweet bauxite.
West Michigan 2 @ LANSING 7 (Gm. 1)
Playing a doubleheader because of, what I assume was a Rainy Day in game #12 or #35, the Lugnuts were led by D.J. Davis (2-4, K), who singled and scored twice as well as stole a base (his 6th on the year). The aptly named Boomer Collins III(1-3, 3 RBI) hit a 3 run home run.
Jesus Tinoco made a fine debut for the Lugnuts, going 4 shutout innings allowing 4 singles and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. Tinoco was signed out of Venezuela in 2011, and is on some prospect charts because of his mid 90’s velocity on the fastball which has movement. Obviously, some believers think his slider and changeup could be above average as well.
WEST MICHIGAN 6 @ Lansing 2 (Gm. 2)
In the backend of the double header, the Lugnuts couldn’t overcome a poor start from Chase De Jong, who allowed 6 runs (all earned) in his 5 innings of work. He struck out 3 and got 7 outs on the ground vs. 2 in the air. Corner outfielders J.D. Davis and D.J. Davis scored the only runs. But that fun with names is about as fun as this one got.
Anthony Alford (0-2) walked once and struck out twice. In 13 games, he sports a .296/.367/.407 line. With a 10% BB rate and a 25% K rate, there’s a lot of room for improvement. D.J. Davis struck out twice and walked once. His K rate is about 30%. Rowdy Tellez doubled, but that and 3 singles was the extent of the cheering for the home faithful.
3 Stars
3rd star: Boomer Collins III (1-3, HR, 3 RBI), Lansing
2nd star: Matt Boyd (6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), New Hampshire
1st star: Ryan Tepera (2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K), Buffalo
