Some nights your minor league update struggles to find players to put in the three stars. This was not the case on Friday. Otto Lopez had four hits with two home runs. Three other players had three hits. Thomas Hatch went seven innings. Riley Tirotta scored the winning run for Vancouver by singling, stealing two bases, and scoring on a two out bunt.
Buffalo, Vancouver, Dunedin and the FCL Jays all won. New Hampshire were the only losers.
Worcester 6 Buffalo 7
New Hampshire 8 Binghamton 12
Everett 5 Vancouver 6
Dunedin 8 Clearwater 3
FCL Blue Jays 4 FCL Phillies 2 - game one
FCL Phillies 2 FCL Blue Jays 3 - game two
This is what I noted from yesterday's games.
Otto Lopez had a night, 4-4 plus hit by a pitch. He homered twice, once inside the park and once out of the park. He scored four runs and drove in three. Lopez helped the Jays build a 7-1 lead but the Sox scored five in the eighth. Kyle Johnston gave up a grand slam and Graham Spraker let the fifth run score. The Bisons turned to new guy Vinny Nittoli for the save. He promptly hit the first batter but settled down to get the next three outs.
Thomas Hatch started and went seven innings. He allowed one home run.
New Hampshire built a 4-1 lead but then the rains came. Adam Kloffenstein had given up a run in the first but after the rain he got through the second and third. But in the fourth three walks and a hit batter led to a run and Kloff exited. Ryan Boyer followed and let all of Kloff's runners in plus two of his own. NH trailed 7-4. The bullpen threw some gas on the fire and Binghamton scored 12.
Davis Schneider hit a two run home run in the second. Zac Cook and Ryan Gold added solo shots. Other than the home runs, the Fisher Cats had just three singles through eight innings. Doubles from John Aiello and Orelvis Martinez helped New Hampshire make the score more respectable in the ninth.
Sem Robberse spent some time post the all-star break at the pitching lab in Florida. Whatever he has to learn needs more time. He gave up eight hits in 3.2 innings leading to five runs. Two of the runs were unearned due to an error by either the fielder or the umpire, depending on your perspective. Robberse did strike out five. Three relievers shut down Everett the rest of the way.
The C's trailed 5-2 in the sixth but two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth gave Vancouver the win. Garrett Spain was in the middle of most of the action, he had three hits, scored a run and drove in three. Riley Tirotta was the catalyst for the winning run. He singled in the eighth, then stole second and third. He scored on a two out bunt single by...Garrett Spain. Tirotta and Damiano Palmegiani had two hits each.
The D Jays bats have been hot for the last few games. Eight runs on 14 hits on Friday. They were helped by a couple of rehabbers, Vinny Capra had two doubles, Will Robertson homered and had two other hits. Rikelbin De Castro had three hits, Victor Mesia had two.
It was a bullpen game for the Jays, four pitchers used. Ben Baggett made his first start and went two innings.
The FCL Jays scored four runs with four singles in game one. Three of the runs scored on wild pitches. They scored three runs with three hits in game two. Yhoangel Aponte hit a two run home run.
Three Stars
Third Star - Riley Tirotta
Second Star - Garrett Spain
First Star - Otto Lopez
