It was an easy decision to be made for Saturday's first star honours as the affiliates split their six games. Bullpen meltdowns in the late going led to two of the losses and the pitching was way below average in the other. The bright spots featured a pair of two-run victories with a Canadian pitcher taking another step on the road to recovery from Tommy John surgery. The Dunedin and GCL Blue Jays saw their games get rained out.
Pawtucket 8 Buffalo 7
Buffalo, NY - The Bisons also had a bullpen meltdown, blowing a 6-1 lead as the Red Sox affiliate scored twice in the eighth and five more in the ninth for the victory. Chad Jenkins (7-3) played the role of Mark Lowe but even worse as he was lit up for two home runs that gave Pawtucket four runs. He coughed up five runs in the ninth on four hits and a walk with one strikeout. Recently-demoted Ryan Tepera set the stage for the come-from-ahead loss as he was roughed up for two runs on one hit and two walks while whiffing one in the eighth. Not all the relief pitching was bad as Colt Hynes whiffed half of the six batters he faced over two perfect frames. Phillippe Aumont somehow kept the damage to one run as he posted a strange K-BB total of 7-6 over five innings but allowed just three hits. The Game Score for the Gatineau, Quebec native was 58.
A Ty Kelly sacrifice fly and a Josh Thole single accounted for the Herd's first two runs in the fourth inning. A Matt Hague fielder's choice and an error produced two more runs in the fifth along with an Alex Hassan RBI double. Their final run came in an eventful ninth on a Melky Mesa sac fly. Bisons manager Gary Allenson was ejected after a Matt Hague strikeout and Hassan was thrown out at third base to end the game after Kelly reached on an infield single. That ruined a three-hit night for Hassan. Andy Burns also had three hits and drew a walk. Thole reached three times with a hit and two walks while Kelly and Dalton Pompey both had a pair of hits. Jonathan Diaz had a hit and a base on balls. Hague and Jon Berti each drew walks with Berti also stealing a base.
New Hampshire 9 Reading 7
Manchester, NH - The Fisher Cats bunched up their runs in 2-3-4 fashion to beat the Phillies affiliate. They took advantage of a wild pitch and got an Emilio Guerrero RBI double to break out on top 2-0 in the second. Three more runs came in the third on a Kevin Nolan three-run homer. The other four runs came in the eighth (thought I'd say fourth, didn't you?) on a two-run double by Shane Opitz off former Fisher Cat Jimmy Cordero, who also uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch before Jorge Flores lifted a run-scoring fly ball.Jack Murphy supplied two-thirds of the New Hampshire hit total with two apiece with Nolan and Murphy also drawing a walk. Roemon Fields and K.C. Hobson had the other base knocks. Flores, Ryan Schimpf and Matt Newman all reached with a base on balls.
Michael Lee started this one for New Hampshrie and got just 10 outs, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk but struck out three. Chad Girodo (2-0) stranded a runner for Lee and got the next eight outs, two by strikeout, but he did yield a run on two hits. Dustin Antolin whiffed two batters among his three outs but Cory Burns was torched for a three-run dinger and four runs overall on six hits but got the final six outs, including one K.
Lansing 3 Bowling Green 1
Bowling Green, KY - The Lugnuts won their 60th game of the season against the Rays affiliate by scoring in three different innings. D.J. Davis drove in the first run with an RBI single to score a Ryan McBroom double. Dawel Lugo delivered what turned out to be the winning run with an RBI single to bring in a Jason Leblebijian base knock and also doubled home a Davis leadoff walk in the ninth for some insurance. Davis was on base three times with a hit and two walks and swiped his 16th base of the year. David Harris had a double and pegged a runner at home from left field while Michael De La Cruz added a single. Chris Carlson and Alex Maldonado were 0-for-4 and Christian Vazquez was 0-for-3.
Tom Robson made his first appearance with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2015 on Saturday.
Tom Robson's return to Lansing was a step in the right direction. Despite five hits and two walks, he struck out four over 3-2/3 innings. He got help from Harris and from Mark Biggs (3-3), who wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam to keep Robson's line clean. Biggs got around a hit and a walk to post 1-1/3 scoreless frames that included one strikeout. Justin Shafer was strafed for the only run on two hits and two walks in two innings while getting one K. Carlos Ramirez averaged a K an inning over two perfect frames for his fourth save.
Boise 5 Vancouver 4
Stuart Holmes turned in the best pitching line for the C's with just one run allowed in 2-2/3 innings.
Boise, ID - The C's dropped their second straight to the Rockies affiliate despite rallying from a 4-1 deficit. Lefthander Michael Kraft (0-2) struck out two but was tagged with the walk-off loss, giving up a run on two hits and a hit by pitch in 1-1/3 innings. Fellow lefty Evan Smith did not have a great start as the Hawks got to him for three runs on five hits and three walks over 4-1/3 innings and struck out only one. Stuart Holmes stranded a runner for Smith but surrendered a run on three hits and a walk in 2-2/3 innings. The southpaw did pick off a runner at first and whiffed three to win the strikeout title on "Lefties Night".
Lane Thomas had three hits against Boise Saturday.
The C's used a two-out rally in the third to produce the game's first run when Gunnar Heidt singled, stole second and scored on a Lane Thomas base hit. Thomas started the eighth inning rally with a single and would come all the way around to score on a Justin Atkinson triple. Ryan Hissey doubled home Atkinson before coming home on a two-out single by Connor Panas. Thomas led the way offensively with three hits while Heidt and Hissey just one behind. Hissey and J.C. Cardenas drew the only walks. Sean Hurley and Carl Wise also added base hits. Earl Burl III was 0-for-4 but threw out a runner at third base from center field. He would be replaced by Andrew Guillotte in the bottom of the eighth. Both Burl and Guillotte made errors but they did not result in any runs. Hurley also nailed a baserunner at second from left field.
Johnson City 15 Bluefield 1
Johnson City, TN - The Jays lost this one 1-2-3 as in one run, two hits and three errors. This game was tied at 1-1 after 1-1/2 innings before the Cardinals scored a pair of converted touchdowns to turn it into a laugher or a crier depending on your point of view. They turned the lights out on Daniel Lietz (0-2, 6.39) with five runs on five hits and four walks in 3-1/3 innings. One of the runs was unearned but it was an error by Lietz, who did not strike out anybody. John Kravetz was also crushed for three runs on five hits, also allowing an inherited runner to cross home plate. He did record a pair of strikeouts in 1-2/3 innings. Grayson Huffman was smoked for three more runs on two hits and two walks and only got two outs, one of them a strikeout. Jackson Lowery stranded a runner and actually kept the Cards off the board with 1-1/3 scoreless frames, striking out two of the four men he faced. Joe Claver was chopped up for four runs (two earned on an error by Dean Bell at third) on four hits and a hit by pitch but did strike out one.
Deiferson Barreto drove in the only Bluefield run with a single to score a Jacob Anderson walk in the top of the second. Barreto had both base hits and Yeltsin Gudino got the count to ball four twice and stole a base. Rodrigo Orozco, Freddy Rodriguez and Matt Morgan also drew bases on balls while D.J. McKnight took one for the team. Gabriel Clark (0-for-4), Christian Williams (0-for-3) and Dave Pepe (0-for-2) joined the 0-for-1 trio of Bell, Nick Sinay and Mattingly Romanin of not getting a hit, a walk or a hit by pitch.
DSL Blue Jays 7 DSL White Sox 1
Boca Chica, DR - The Jays did all their scoring by the fifth inning to move to a dozen games above .500. The Jays got their first two runs in the second on a Jesus Navarro fielder's choice and an error to plate a Francisco Rodriguez walk and an Antony Fuentes single. They put the game out of reach in the fourth with a three-run triple by Sterling Guzman, who would then score on a deep enough fly ball by Norberto Obeso. Fuentes doubled home another Francisco Rodriguez base on balls for the last run in the fifth. Obeso, Yorman Rodriguez, Antonio Concepion and Christian Peguero had the other base hits with Concepion getting a walk. Navarro and Sam Buelens both worked the count to ball four with Buelens stealing his 17th base. Kevin Vicuna was hit by a pitch but Ronald Concepion and Andres Guerra were both hitless in their lone plate appearances.
Wilfri Aleton (3-2, 2.92) allowed all of one hit and faced just two over the minimum over six shutout innings. The lefty from Santo Domingo only whiffed two but got eight ground ball outs to bring his Game Score up to 72. Aleton retired 11 in a row before a wild pitch-strikeout snapped the string. Jose Dominguez gave up the only run on three hits and a walk but whiffed two over two innings. Wilton Museus did not wilt, surrendering just a hit and striking out one in the ninth.
Saturday's Linescores
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Dawel Lugo, Lansing
2. Kevin Nolan, New Hampshire
1. Wilfri Aleton, DSL Blue Jays
Pawtucket 8 Buffalo 7
Buffalo, NY - The Bisons also had a bullpen meltdown, blowing a 6-1 lead as the Red Sox affiliate scored twice in the eighth and five more in the ninth for the victory. Chad Jenkins (7-3) played the role of Mark Lowe but even worse as he was lit up for two home runs that gave Pawtucket four runs. He coughed up five runs in the ninth on four hits and a walk with one strikeout. Recently-demoted Ryan Tepera set the stage for the come-from-ahead loss as he was roughed up for two runs on one hit and two walks while whiffing one in the eighth. Not all the relief pitching was bad as Colt Hynes whiffed half of the six batters he faced over two perfect frames. Phillippe Aumont somehow kept the damage to one run as he posted a strange K-BB total of 7-6 over five innings but allowed just three hits. The Game Score for the Gatineau, Quebec native was 58.
A Ty Kelly sacrifice fly and a Josh Thole single accounted for the Herd's first two runs in the fourth inning. A Matt Hague fielder's choice and an error produced two more runs in the fifth along with an Alex Hassan RBI double. Their final run came in an eventful ninth on a Melky Mesa sac fly. Bisons manager Gary Allenson was ejected after a Matt Hague strikeout and Hassan was thrown out at third base to end the game after Kelly reached on an infield single. That ruined a three-hit night for Hassan. Andy Burns also had three hits and drew a walk. Thole reached three times with a hit and two walks while Kelly and Dalton Pompey both had a pair of hits. Jonathan Diaz had a hit and a base on balls. Hague and Jon Berti each drew walks with Berti also stealing a base.
New Hampshire 9 Reading 7
Manchester, NH - The Fisher Cats bunched up their runs in 2-3-4 fashion to beat the Phillies affiliate. They took advantage of a wild pitch and got an Emilio Guerrero RBI double to break out on top 2-0 in the second. Three more runs came in the third on a Kevin Nolan three-run homer. The other four runs came in the eighth (thought I'd say fourth, didn't you?) on a two-run double by Shane Opitz off former Fisher Cat Jimmy Cordero, who also uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch before Jorge Flores lifted a run-scoring fly ball.Jack Murphy supplied two-thirds of the New Hampshire hit total with two apiece with Nolan and Murphy also drawing a walk. Roemon Fields and K.C. Hobson had the other base knocks. Flores, Ryan Schimpf and Matt Newman all reached with a base on balls.Michael Lee started this one for New Hampshrie and got just 10 outs, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk but struck out three. Chad Girodo (2-0) stranded a runner for Lee and got the next eight outs, two by strikeout, but he did yield a run on two hits. Dustin Antolin whiffed two batters among his three outs but Cory Burns was torched for a three-run dinger and four runs overall on six hits but got the final six outs, including one K.
Lansing 3 Bowling Green 1
Bowling Green, KY - The Lugnuts won their 60th game of the season against the Rays affiliate by scoring in three different innings. D.J. Davis drove in the first run with an RBI single to score a Ryan McBroom double. Dawel Lugo delivered what turned out to be the winning run with an RBI single to bring in a Jason Leblebijian base knock and also doubled home a Davis leadoff walk in the ninth for some insurance. Davis was on base three times with a hit and two walks and swiped his 16th base of the year. David Harris had a double and pegged a runner at home from left field while Michael De La Cruz added a single. Chris Carlson and Alex Maldonado were 0-for-4 and Christian Vazquez was 0-for-3.Tom Robson made his first appearance with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2015 on Saturday.
Tom Robson's return to Lansing was a step in the right direction. Despite five hits and two walks, he struck out four over 3-2/3 innings. He got help from Harris and from Mark Biggs (3-3), who wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam to keep Robson's line clean. Biggs got around a hit and a walk to post 1-1/3 scoreless frames that included one strikeout. Justin Shafer was strafed for the only run on two hits and two walks in two innings while getting one K. Carlos Ramirez averaged a K an inning over two perfect frames for his fourth save.
Boise 5 Vancouver 4
Stuart Holmes turned in the best pitching line for the C's with just one run allowed in 2-2/3 innings.
Boise, ID - The C's dropped their second straight to the Rockies affiliate despite rallying from a 4-1 deficit. Lefthander Michael Kraft (0-2) struck out two but was tagged with the walk-off loss, giving up a run on two hits and a hit by pitch in 1-1/3 innings. Fellow lefty Evan Smith did not have a great start as the Hawks got to him for three runs on five hits and three walks over 4-1/3 innings and struck out only one. Stuart Holmes stranded a runner for Smith but surrendered a run on three hits and a walk in 2-2/3 innings. The southpaw did pick off a runner at first and whiffed three to win the strikeout title on "Lefties Night".
Lane Thomas had three hits against Boise Saturday.
The C's used a two-out rally in the third to produce the game's first run when Gunnar Heidt singled, stole second and scored on a Lane Thomas base hit. Thomas started the eighth inning rally with a single and would come all the way around to score on a Justin Atkinson triple. Ryan Hissey doubled home Atkinson before coming home on a two-out single by Connor Panas. Thomas led the way offensively with three hits while Heidt and Hissey just one behind. Hissey and J.C. Cardenas drew the only walks. Sean Hurley and Carl Wise also added base hits. Earl Burl III was 0-for-4 but threw out a runner at third base from center field. He would be replaced by Andrew Guillotte in the bottom of the eighth. Both Burl and Guillotte made errors but they did not result in any runs. Hurley also nailed a baserunner at second from left field.
Johnson City 15 Bluefield 1
Johnson City, TN - The Jays lost this one 1-2-3 as in one run, two hits and three errors. This game was tied at 1-1 after 1-1/2 innings before the Cardinals scored a pair of converted touchdowns to turn it into a laugher or a crier depending on your point of view. They turned the lights out on Daniel Lietz (0-2, 6.39) with five runs on five hits and four walks in 3-1/3 innings. One of the runs was unearned but it was an error by Lietz, who did not strike out anybody. John Kravetz was also crushed for three runs on five hits, also allowing an inherited runner to cross home plate. He did record a pair of strikeouts in 1-2/3 innings. Grayson Huffman was smoked for three more runs on two hits and two walks and only got two outs, one of them a strikeout. Jackson Lowery stranded a runner and actually kept the Cards off the board with 1-1/3 scoreless frames, striking out two of the four men he faced. Joe Claver was chopped up for four runs (two earned on an error by Dean Bell at third) on four hits and a hit by pitch but did strike out one.
Deiferson Barreto drove in the only Bluefield run with a single to score a Jacob Anderson walk in the top of the second. Barreto had both base hits and Yeltsin Gudino got the count to ball four twice and stole a base. Rodrigo Orozco, Freddy Rodriguez and Matt Morgan also drew bases on balls while D.J. McKnight took one for the team. Gabriel Clark (0-for-4), Christian Williams (0-for-3) and Dave Pepe (0-for-2) joined the 0-for-1 trio of Bell, Nick Sinay and Mattingly Romanin of not getting a hit, a walk or a hit by pitch.
DSL Blue Jays 7 DSL White Sox 1
Boca Chica, DR - The Jays did all their scoring by the fifth inning to move to a dozen games above .500. The Jays got their first two runs in the second on a Jesus Navarro fielder's choice and an error to plate a Francisco Rodriguez walk and an Antony Fuentes single. They put the game out of reach in the fourth with a three-run triple by Sterling Guzman, who would then score on a deep enough fly ball by Norberto Obeso. Fuentes doubled home another Francisco Rodriguez base on balls for the last run in the fifth. Obeso, Yorman Rodriguez, Antonio Concepion and Christian Peguero had the other base hits with Concepion getting a walk. Navarro and Sam Buelens both worked the count to ball four with Buelens stealing his 17th base. Kevin Vicuna was hit by a pitch but Ronald Concepion and Andres Guerra were both hitless in their lone plate appearances.Wilfri Aleton (3-2, 2.92) allowed all of one hit and faced just two over the minimum over six shutout innings. The lefty from Santo Domingo only whiffed two but got eight ground ball outs to bring his Game Score up to 72. Aleton retired 11 in a row before a wild pitch-strikeout snapped the string. Jose Dominguez gave up the only run on three hits and a walk but whiffed two over two innings. Wilton Museus did not wilt, surrendering just a hit and striking out one in the ninth.
Saturday's Linescores
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Dawel Lugo, Lansing
2. Kevin Nolan, New Hampshire
1. Wilfri Aleton, DSL Blue Jays