Mariner Minors: 05/08/2005

Mariner Minors

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Game Recaps (5/14/05)

Tacoma 7, Albuquerque 8 (FLA)
RHP Jorge Campillo (3.05) only went two and third innings tonight, giving up a couple of runs, one earned, after four hits, a wild pitch, a walk, and a couple of strikeouts. Word is that there were handshakes abound in the Rainiers dugout as Campillo was pulled for seemingly no reason. Stay tuned. RHP Rich Dorman (6.49), the odd man out with Baek back (or is he?), went the next inning and two-thirds and let one of Campillo’s runs score, as he gave up three runs on four hits (2 HR!), a walk, and a K. RHP Masao Kida (5.61), in turn, let one of Dorman’s runs score after Dorman let the first two batters reach in the fifth. Kida would go for two and a third innings and give up a run of his own on three hits, a hit batter, two walks, and two strikeouts. Despite being the only reliever to not let an inherited runner score (and he came in with the bases loaded!), RHP Chris Buglovsky (3.68, L) was tagged with the loss after allowing a couple of runs on three hits and hit batter. The Rainiers offense got the hits, but failed to deliver the knockout punch tonight. CF Jamal Strong (R, SB, .272) and 1B Hunter Brown (R, RBI, .229) both had three hits, and SS Michael Morse (2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, .260) and 2B Jose Lopez (E, .500), returning from hamate surgery, both had two hits, though Morse was the only player to deliver an extra-base knock. LF Shin-soo Choo (R, .280) was 1-3 with a couple of walks.

San Antonio 2, Frisco 5 (TEX)
LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (3.82, L) went five innings tonight and gave up three runs on six hits (HR), a hit batter, and two walks against four Ks. The next two frames went to RHP Emiliano Fruto (3.28, PO), who gave up a couple of runs on two hits (HR) and a walk, though he did strike out four. LHP Tim Rall (4.96) pitched the eighth, allowing a runner to reach via the free pass and striking out two. On offense you had SS Yuniesky Betancourt (R, SB, .258) getting two hits, 1B Nate Espy (2B, R, .315) doubling, and LF Jon Nelson (2 RBI, .256) driving in two and going 1-3. I’ve been trying to track Betancourt’s performances to see if there’s much correlation between his slumps and facing stiffer pitching competition, so know that Frisco is a team that’s among the leaders in hits given up, whereas Springfield, the team that the Missions were previously facing, was about the middle of the pack. 3B Jesus Guzman (.281) saw his hitting streak snapped at thirteen games, but he walked twice, so his OPS only took a .005 drop.

Inland Empire 6, Lake Elsinore 12 (SD)
You can’t put all the blame on RHP Aaron Trolia (4.19, L) for this one, because only six of the eleven runs he allowed were earned. He did, however, give up eleven hits (HR) and two walks against one strikeout in just four and a third innings of work. RHP Nibaldo Acosta (5.79) came on next and allowed one of Trolia’s runs to score and one unearned of his own over the next two and two-thirds innings, after three hits, a wild pitch, a walk, and three Ks. RHP Brian Stitt (6.52) got a strikeout in the eighth. 3B Matt Rogelstad (2 2B, R, .381), SS Adam Jones (RBI, E, .273), and CF Wladimir Balentien (.281), back in the lineup today, all had two hits, and C Chris Collins (2B, R, RBI, .269), RF B.J. Garbe (2B, R, .172), and 2B Eric Blakeley (HR, 2 RBI, .179) had extra base knocks, but they just couldn’t overcome the deficit that those three errors created.

Wisconsin 5, Lansing 4 (TOR)
RHP Cibney Bello (1.85) had some control issues in his first start of the season, going four and one-third innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits, a wild pitch, a hit batter, and three walks against four Ks. I was listening to the broadcast for this one and it seemed like Bello, despite struggling a bit, was throwing the change-up fairly instinctively which is not something you often see from lower level pitchers [that aren’t left-handed]. Perhaps I’ve underestimated him. The official mop-up/long relief pitcher of the Timber Rattlers, RHP Stephen Grasley (3.04, W) came in next and allowed a couple of Bello’s runs to score, though he only allowed one hit and two walks against a K in his inning and two-thirds. RHP Roman Martinez (3.15) went the same span, and gave up a couple of hits and a walk while punching out one. The save went to RHP Craig James (0.00), naturally, and he went an inning and a third without incident. 3B Yung-Chi Chen (R, E, .283) and 2B Oswaldo Navarro (2B, 2 RBI, SB, .294) both had two hits, and DH Asdrubal Cabrera (.342) was 1-3 with a walk and a sacrifice, but this was really a team effort on the offense’s part to get the job done, which is definitely a good sign.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: LHP Damian Moss (?), at Albuquerque, @ 12:35 pm PT
San Antonio: RHP Jon Huber, at Frisco, @ 12:05 pm PT
Inland Empire: LHP Ryan Feierabend, at Lake Elsinore, @ 2:05 pm PT
Wisconsin: RHP Aaron Jensen, at Lansing, @ 12:05 pm PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 17-18, .486, 3.5 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 18-17, .514, 6 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 13-22, .371, 7 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 20-16, .556, 4 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 68-73, .482

posted by Jay Y. @ 10:47 PM

Off-Topic: All-Birthday Teams

The Baseball Cube, universal resource for those trying to track down career minor league stats, had implemented a cool new feature that allows you to search for players by birthdate. Naturally, this has led people to start searching for their own birthdays and try to figure out who has the best team overall.

For example, my birthday is February 18th, so my lineup ends up looking like this...

C Joe Tipton
1B John Mayberry Sr.
2B Joe Gordon
SS Rafael Ramirez
3B John Valentin
OF Manny Mota
OF Jerry Morales
OF Alexis Rios
C Chad Moeller
IF Jamey Carrol
OF Lew Flick
RHSP Tyler Green
LHSP Kyle Abbott
LHSP Shawn Estes
LHSP Sherry Smith
LHSP George Mogridge
RHRP Bruce Kison
RHRP Bob Miller
RHRP Matt Turner
LHRP Luis Arroyo
RHRP Huck Betts

That's a pretty slick lineup on the whole, though the pitching is a little thin; a lot of guys who never quite lived up to potential, or played at the beginning of the 20th century. Oddly enough, there have only been four outfielders to make the majors who were born on Feb. 18th, but the starters I got out of it seem to be all right.

Readers can post their birthday lineups in the comments section, if they so choose. Consider me easily amused.

posted by Jay Y. @ 6:21 PM

Michael Saunders signed

There was some good news in the Mariners notebooks in the PI and the Times today, as the Mariners announced that they signed last year's 11th round pick 3B/RHP Michael Saunders.

Saunders was ranked by Baseball America as being one of the top draft-and-follows from the 2004 draft. The scouting reports I have on him tend to be more into him as a pitcher, claiming he has the perfect build for it and great mechanics, but this year when he was at Tallahassee Community College, they used him primarily in the outfield and he saw no time on the mound, so far as I know. Tallahassee CC's head coach regarded him as one of the best players to ever don an Eagle's uniform, but I'm not too sure how many major leaguers came through that school. The Times notes him as batting .311 and having five home runs over the course of their season, but I only have good data through about half of the season, but it lists him hitting .304 and slugging .482, stealing eleven bases, scoring 35 and driving in 25 after 112 at-bats. If the M's were to sign just one DFE from last year's draft, this would be their guy.

posted by Jay Y. @ 1:04 PM

Friday, May 13, 2005

Game Recaps (5/13/05)

Friday the 13th!!!

Tacoma 5, Round Rock 12 (HOU)
It was a bad night for pitching, particularly out of the bullpen. LHP Andrew Lorraine (4.78, L) went four and a third innings and gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk against three Ks, but two of those runs scored after RHP Jeff Heaverlo (12.33) came in, and gave up five runs of his own on three hits, one hits batter, and three walks against a strikeout in just one inning of work. In turn, Heaverlo would have three of his runs score under the watch of LHP Jared Thomas (3.50), who finished up the game and gave up a run on three hits (HR) and walk while he K’d five. There were some good two-hit performances from RF Abraham Nunez (HR, .265), C Ryan Christianson (RBI, .341), 3B-1B Hunter Brown (2 HR, 3 RBI, CS, .205), particularly Brown, who has scuffled in his first trip to Tacoma, to say the least. 1B Aaron Rifkin (.279) was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning and replaced on the base paths by PR-2B Luis Valbuena (.000), who stayed in the game long enough to get an at-bat.

San Antonio 10, Frisco 11 (TEX) (fourteen innings)
The Missions should’ve put this one away by the time they scored their ninth run in the fifth, but it just wasn’t so. LHP Thom Oldham (3.51) went four innings and gave up six runs (five earned) after seven hits (2 HR!) and three walks against three Ks. RHP Renee Cortez (6.00) came in next, and got into a bit of trouble over two and third innings, allowing three runs on three hits, a walk, and two strikeouts. RHP Jeff Harris (2.73) gave up one of those runs and one of his own, but was otherwise solid over four and two-thirds, giving up three hits (HR), a hit batter, and two walks with three strikeouts. LHP Cesar Jimenez (3.48, L) started off hot in two innings of work, not allowing a batter to reach and striking out four, but in the fourteenth he opened up by giving up three straight hits, which gave the Roughriders the walk-off. DH Nate Espy (2 R, RBI, .318) had four hits in the game, 2B Ismael Castro (2B, R, .241) had three, and RF T.J. Bohn (R, RBI, .341) and CF-LF Jaime Bubela (2B, RBI, SB, .259) had two hits apiece. Some of the better performances came form guys who were pulled early while Brundage was trying to eke out some runs in the ninth. 3B Jesus Guzman (HR, 2 R, .290) was 1-4 with a walk and his second tater, but he was replaced by PR-CF Gary Harris (R, .256), and Harris scooted Bubela over to replace LF Jon Nelson (3B, R, 3 RBI, .254), who tripled in two runs in the third. The move did pay off, at least temporarily, as Harris scored the tying run to take it to extra innings.

Inland Empire 1, Lake Elsinore 0 (SD)
LHP Jason Mackintosh (2.59) had a good outing, going seven innings and allowing just the nine hits, a wild pitch, and a walk while striking out six. LHP Miguel Martinez (6.23) pitched the eighth and gave up a hit, and then RHP Mike Steele (2.70, S) closed it in the ninth with a strikeout. Persistence pays of, as CF Michael Nesbit (2B, R, SB, .351) had three of the eight hits for the Sixers and got a run out of it in a game when scoring was at a premium. 3B Matt Rogelstad (.377) and DH Matt Hagen (CS, .209) both logged two hits. In an injury note (possibly), C Justin Ruchti (.176) was replaced by C Chris Collins (.270) with two outs in the fourth, and I have not a clue what’s going on with that.

West Michigan 3 (DET), Wisconsin 8
Would you believe me if I told you that RHP Mumba Rivera (2.66, W) has given up exactly four hits in all seven of his starts? Strange, but true, as Mumba went six innings tonight and allowed two runs on two wild pitches, a hit batter, four walks, and two strikeouts, in addition to the standard four hits. LHP Eric O’Flaherty (3.60, S) got a three-inning save after that, allowing a run to score on five hits with three Ks. SS Matt Tuiasosopo (R, 3 RBI, .333) might be breaking out of that slump, with three hits tonight, and hopefully the same could be said for CF Josh Womack (2 R, SB, .282), who was batting a low-pressure ninth and got two hits and a walk out of it. Maybe the bigger story is LF Sebastien Boucher (2 2B, 3 R, RBI, .289), who was 2-4 with a walk and is currently batting .289/.429/.447 in fourteen games since being called up.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: RHP Jorge Campillo, at Albuquerque, @ 6:05 pm PT
San Antonio: LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, at Frisco, @ 5:05 pm PT
Inland Empire: RHP Aaron Trolia, at Lake Elsinore, @ 7:05 pm PT
Wisconsin: RHP Cibney Bello, at Lansing, @ 4:35 pm PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 17-17, .500, 2.5 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 18-16, .529, 5 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 13-21, .382, 7 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 19-16, .543, 4 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 67-70, .489

posted by Jay Y. @ 9:57 PM

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Game Recaps (5/12/05)

Tacoma 3, Round Rock 0 (HOU)
RHP Felix Hernandez (2.30, W) tore through the Express today, going seven innings and allowing batters to reach via just two hits, a hit batter, and a walk while he punched out eight. The Express were about the middle of the pack in offense coming into the game, in case you’re wondering. RHP Masao Kida (5.76) got the next inning, striking out a batter along the way, then LHP George Sherrill (2.30, S) closed the game allowing a hit and striking out a batter in the ninth. Not too much offense for the Rainiers tonight, so I’ll note that 2B Ramon Santiago (.223) had a couple of hits, 1B Aaron Rifkin (2B, R, .283) had a double and a walk, and CF Jamal Strong (RBI, SB, .264) and RF Abraham Nunez (.257) were both 1-3 with a walk for each.

Inland Empire 6, Lancaster 2 (ARI)
LHP Shawn Nottingham (4.18, W) managed to dodge the bullet this time around, going six and third innings and giving up just two runs, but allowing ten hits, a hit batter, and a walk against just two strikeouts along the way. RHP Greg Wear (3.21) got the next out, and then LHP Chris Key (2.28, S) took it the rest of the way, allowing three hits and striking out one. The offense was definitely awake for this one, as SS Adam Jones (3B, 2 R, .275) had four hits, CF Michael Nesbit (.321) and 1B Bryan Lahair (2 HR, 4 RBI, .281) had three, and 3B Matt Rogelstad (3B, R, .373) and DH Carlos Arroyo (2b, RBI, .375) both logged two. The downside of it was that they left ten men on base, but weighed against a seventeen-hit breakout, I’ll take it.

West Michigan 4 (DET), Wisconsin 2
LHP Casey Abrams (4.84) was falling behind a lot of hitters early on, but managed to get through six innings allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks against four strikeouts. RHP Chad Fillinger (2.91, L) went the next three innings without letting a runner reach, punching out four along the way, but in the tenth he gave up a couple of hits and was replaced by RHP Craig James (0.00). James got through the inning with a hit, a walk, and a strikeout, but both runs scored to break the 2-2 tie. 2B Osawldo Navarro (2 2B, R, .284) had another two doubles, and CF Josh Womack (2B, R, RBI, .273) had one as well, but the T-Rats have struggled to put it all together of late.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: LHP Andrew Lorraine, at Round Rock, @ 5:05 pm PT
San Antonio: LHP Thom Oldham, at Frisco, @ 5:05 pm PT
Inland Empire: LHP Jason Mackintosh, at Lake Elsinore, @ 7:05 pm PT
Wisconsin: RHP Mumba Rivera, at Appleton, @ 4:35 pm PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 17-16, .515, 0.5 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 18-15, .545, 4 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 12-21, .364, 7 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 18-16, .529, 4 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 65-68, .489

posted by Jay Y. @ 10:01 PM

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Game Recaps (5/11/05)

Tacoma 4, Round Rock 6 (HOU)
RHP Rich Dorman (5.84) was effective through five innings, allowing a couple of runs on five hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. I’d still say that his Ks are way off norm right now, though. RHP Albie Lopez (12.60, L) went the next two-thirds and gave up four runs after he gave up five hits and punched out a batter, and RHP Chris Buglovsky (3.20) only allowed one of those to score. Bugs would go the final two and third innings, and was pretty solid, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out four. CF Jamal Strong (R, RBI, .261), 1B Aaron Rifkin (RBI, .285), RF Chris Snelling (2B, RBI, .437), DH Greg Jacobs (2B, HR, .500), in his first game back, and 3B Hunter Brown (2B R, .186) all had two hits apiece. LF Shin-soo Choo (2B, R, SB, .292) also had a double, and an assist to get a runner at third.

Springfield 1 (STL), San Antonio 4
RHP Juan Sandoval (2.50, PO, W) had a pretty dominant start, which by his standards means going eight innings and allowing a run on nine hits, a hit batter, and two wild pitches while striking out five. RHP Sean Green (4.02, S) took the ninth and gave up a hit and a wild pitch while striking out a batter on his way to his ninth save. SS Yuniesky Betancourt (R, SB, CS, .262) likes Cardinals pitching, and had another two hits tonight, as did CF Jaime Bubela (2B, R, RBI, .255). 1B Jesse Hoorelbeke (2 RBI, .229) drove in two with his one hit in the sixth.

Inland Empire 4, Lancaster 5 (ARI)
The Sixers have not done two things this year: win consecutive games against the Jethawks, or win a game that RHP Brandon Moorhead (4.69) has started. In this case, two wrongs didn’t make a right either. Moorhead went five innings and gave up four runs on five hits (3 HR!!), a wild pitch, and two walks against four Ks, but the loss would go to LHP Nick Bourgeois (2.70, L), who went two and a third innings and allowed an unearned run on two hits, a wild pitch, and a walk with a lone strikeout. RHP Greg Wear (3.29) got the last couple of outs, striking out one of them. The Sixers got two hits from 3B Matt Rogelstad (2B, R, .372), SS Adam Jones (HR, 2 RBI, .254), and 1B Bryan Lahair (HR, .265), but that was just about it. CF Wladimir Balentien (.276) went 0-1 and came out of the game after being hit by a pitch right around the funny bone. I can only imagine how much that would sting.

West Michigan 1 (DET), Wisconsin 4
RHP Jason Snyder (2.93, W) just slew the Whitecaps today, going eight innings and allowing just an unearned run on two hits, a wild pitch, and a walk, while he punched out seven. Just about every time a runner reached base, Snyder induced a double play, and had fourteen groundouts to three flyouts in the game, which is just sick. RHP Cibney Bello (0.90, S) hit one batter and struck out another to get the save in the ninth. The T-Rats had just enough offense on the night, and probably the most notable performance was SS Oswaldo Navarro (2B, RBI, 2 E, .277) getting a double, or maybe 2B Asdrubal Cabrera (RBI, .371) and 1B Marshall Hubbard (R, RBI, .232) both going 1-3 with a walk, but really, this game was all about the pitching.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: RHP Felix Hernandez, at Round Rock, @ 5:05 pm PT
San Antonio: Off day
Inland Empire: LHP Shawn Nottingham, at Lancaster, @ 12:30 pm PT
Wisconsin: LHP Casey Abrams, at Appleton, @ 4:35 pm PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 16-16, .500, 1.5 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 18-15, .545, 4 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 11-21, .344, 8 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 18-15, .545, 3 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 63-67, .485

posted by Jay Y. @ 10:46 PM

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Game Recaps (5/10/05)

Tacoma 9, Round Rock 4 (HOU)
LHP Damian Moss (3.66, W) had a much better outing this time around, going five innings and allowing two runs on four hits, a hit batter, and a walk against five Ks. Coming off the DL today, RHP Cha Seung Baek (4.20) showed a bit of rust in his three innings, and gave up two runs on four hits (HR) with a couple of strikeouts. LHP Jared Thomas (3.52) pitched the final inning, gave up a pair of hits, and punched out two. LF Shin-soo Choo (3B, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, CS, .294) had one of the best nights of his career, going 3-5 with a walk and having all his hits going for at least three bases. With all that time he missed when he sat on the bench in Seattle, this performance bumps up his slugging percentage from .406 to .536. DH Jamal Strong (HR, 3 R, .246) also had three hits and a walk, and RF Chris Snelling (R, .426) was 1-2 with three walks. 1B Aaron Rifkin (HR, 2 RBI, .280) also hit his tenth home run, but all the other guys he was tied for the lead with hit home runs too, so he’s not alone at the top of the PCL.

Springfield 9 (STL), San Antonio 6 (twelve innings)
LHP Bobby Livingston (3.35) had some serious issues with his control in this start, going to three ball counts on most of the batters he faced. In three innings, he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks. LHP Cesar Jimenez (3.38) took on the next three frames, returning to his old form and allowing just a hit and a walk, then LHP Tim Rall (5.40) went the next two and allowed a solo shot while punching out a pair. RHP Juan Done (16.43) had an uneventful ninth, but RHP Emiliano Fruto (2.78, L) lost it in extra innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits with three strikeouts, all of those hits coming in the twelfth. The Missions got two hit performances out of SS Yuniesky Betancourt (2B, 2 R, .255), RF T.J. Bohn (R, .345), LF Jon Nelson (HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, .254), who also contributed to an outfield-assisted twin killing, 3B Jesus Guzman (2 RBI, E, .293), and 2B Ismael Castro (.235). Guzman’s hit streak is up to twelve games now, and his average has jumped up .150 points in that span.

Inland Empire 13, Lancaster 11 (ARI) (twelve innings)
Every time I wonder what’s wrong with the Sixers’ bats, something like this happens. But first we have some pitching to cover, or to some extent, a lack thereof. LHP Ryan Feierabend (5.76, PO) got through just three innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits (HR) and four walks with two strikeouts. RHP Brian Stitt (6.87) went the next three, allowing three hits, a walk, and a K. After that, things get a little messy… LHP Miguel Martinez (6.61) pitched an inning and a third, and allowed three runs on a hit, a couple of walks, and a couple of Ks, but all those runs scored after RHP Mike Steele (2.87) came in, struck out the first batter he faced, then gave up a grand slam home run. He struck out the batter after that, and got through the next two innings without note, but to have the Sixers come from a 1-5 deficit only to have the Jethawks rally back to tie it at eleven was a serious blow. Luckily, LHP Chris Key (2.53, W) was up to the task and pitched the final two innings, allowing a hit, two hit batters, and a walk against a lone strikeout, and that was enough to win the game. Every batter in the lineup had at least one hit on the night, and there were a couple of four-hit performances from LF Carlos Arroyo (2 R, 2 RBI, .571) and 1B Bryan Lahair (2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, E, .257). Arroyo just came off the DL today, missing time after some cysts were removed from his shoulder. I haven’t caught word just yet on what move was made so that he could be added. DH Michael Nesbit (2 2B, 2 R, RBI, .326) and CF Wladimir Balentien (2B, 3 RBI, .278) added three hits apiece, and 3B Matt Rogelstad (2B, 2 R, RBI, .371) and C Justin Ruchti (2B, RBI, .174) added two. Rogie also walked twice, but the best performance on the night in that regard came from 2B Hyung Cho (3 R, .364), who was 1-4 with three walks. He also quite possibly saved the game by helping to turn a double play with the bases loaded and one out eleventh, catching a liner and tossing to SS Adam Jones (R, .244), who doubled the runner off at second.

West Michigan 5 (DET), Wisconsin 4
RHP Aaron Jensen (3.32, L) pitched five frames tonight, giving up four runs on seven hits (HR), a hit batter, and a walk against five Ks. RHP Stephen Grasley (3.27), who has to be getting used to mop-up duties by this point, went the next three and gave up one run on two hits, a hit batter, and two walks. RHP Craig James (0.00) struck out a batter in the ninth, and he’s still yet to give up a run of any sort this year, possibly because of his 10:2 K/BB, or that he’s given up just six hits in 10.2 innings. 2B Asdrubal Cabrera (3B, R, .373), DH Yung-Chi Chen (2B, RBI, SB, .292), and 1B Marshall Hubbard (RBI, .227) all had two hits, but the T-Rats only had one other hit from the other six batters in the lineup. SS Matt Tuiasosopo (E, .319) was 0-3 and reached base after being plunked, and made his tenth error on a missed catch.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: RHP Rich Dorman, at Round Rock, @ 10:05 am PT
San Antonio: RHP Juan Sandoval, at San Antonio, @ 9:05 am PT
Inland Empire: RHP Brandon Moorhead, at Lancaster, @ 6:30 pm PT
Wisconsin: RHP Jason Snyder, at Appleton, @ 9:35 am PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 16-15, .516, 1 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 17-15, .531, 4 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 10-20, .333, 7.5 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 17-15, .531, 3 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 61-65, .484

posted by Jay Y. @ 11:36 PM

Monday, May 09, 2005

Game Recaps (5/9/05)

The Rainiers game was rained out today (look outside) and should be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 14th. That means that the team got a little extra time to get to Round Rock to start their road trip (and with Inland Empire getting the day off, heck, this is practically a day off for me).

Edit: 8:42 AM
According to the Tacoma News-Tribune, OF Greg Jacobs has been activated from the suspended list and RHP Cha Seung Baek has come off the DL. To make room for them, the Rainiers released OF Dustin Delucchi and RHP Brett Evert.

Springfield 7 (STL), San Antonio 5
RHP Jon Huber (5.06, L) got knocked around a bit in this one, going five innings and allowing six runs on seven hits (HR) and a walk with just one strikeout. Five of those runs came on five consecutive hits followed by a sac bunt in the fourth inning, so it was mostly just that inning. RHP Jeff Harris (2.91) took the next two frames and had a hit, a walk, and a strikeout to show for it. After that, RHP Juan Done (18.90) got into a bit of trouble again, allowing a run on a hit and a walk against a K, but then LHP Tim Rall (5.59) came in an gave out an intentional walk while getting a couple of ground balls. The Missions got a couple of hits each from SS Yuniesky Betancourt (2B, R, .252), 1B Nate Espy (2B, HR, 3 RBI, E, .313), DH Jon Nelson (.246), and 3B Jesus Guzman (R, .283), along with a double from RF T.J. Bohn (2B, R, RBI, .345). Coming into the game, Bohn was fifth in the league with a .352 average. Not bad, for a 30th round pick.

Dayton 6 (CIN), Wisconsin 4
Edit: 8:36 AM
RHP Mark Lowe (6.62) was pulled after facing just two batters in the fourth, both of which reached on walks. I was listening to part of this one and it appears that the trainer came out and motioned to get the team doctor, who was watching from the booth. It seems like there was some soreness in the middle finger of his pitching hand. His line for the day was three innings pitched, three runs, two hits, five walks, and five Ks. RHP Roman Martinez (3.44) let both those run score and one of his own over the next three innings, in which there were two hits (HR), a hit batter, a walk and a strikeout. The home run Martinez gave up just barely curled around the foul pole. LHP Kendall Bergdall (1.98, L) would end up getting the loss, though, as he gave up another run on a hit and two walks. The last two innings went to RHP Chad Fillinger (2.41, E), who gave up yet another run on three hits, but also struck out four. Not much going on with the offense, but I’ll say that C Rob Johnson (2B, 2 RBI, .330) and his two-run double was noteworthy, as was LF Sebastien Boucher (R, 2 SB, .333), who was 1-1 with three walks and a couple of swiped bags, not to mention an outfield assist at third. Boucher has been more than impressive since being called up, and looks like he might have been a smart pick in last year’s draft.

As some of you may know, the T-Rats wore pink jerseys on Mother’s Day in an effort to promote breast cancer awareness, and now some of those jerseys are turning up on eBay and being sold to raise more money. Currently there’s a Yung-Chi Chen jersey and a Matt Tuiasosopo jersey, so if you’re interested, go bid on them and help out a good cause. Both are game-worn and signed.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: RHP Rich Dorman, at Round Rock, @ 5:05 pm PT
San Antonio: LHP Bobby Livingston, at San Antonio, @ 5:05 pm PT
Inland Empire: LHP Ryan Feierabend, at Lancaster, @ 6:30 pm PT
Wisconsin: RHP Aaron Jensen, at Appleton, @ 4:35 pm PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 15-15, .500, 1.5 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 17-14, .548, 3.5 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 10-20, .333, 7.5 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 17-14, .548, 2 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 59-63, .484

posted by Jay Y. @ 10:13 PM

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Game Recaps (5/7/05 and 5/8/05)

Salt Lake City 2 (ANA), Tacoma 3
LHP Andrew Lorraine (3.58, W) took the ball on Saturday and was, well, excellent, going seven frames and holding the Stingers to just a run on two hits and a walk while he struck out three. RHP Jeff Heaverlo (10.05) had a K in the eighth, then LHP George Sherrill (2.77, S) gave up a run on a hit and a walk with another K in the ninth. DH Chris Snelling (RBI, .422) and 1B Aaron Rifkin (2 HR, .294) both had another two hits in the game. Rifkin is now up to nine bombs and is tied for the lead in the Pacific Coast League.

Salt Lake City 0, Tacoma 1
RHP Jorge Campillo (3.00) was back to his old tricks, going seven and a third innings and allowing just the six hits while striking out five. LHP George Sherrill (2.45) took it the rest of the way, not allowing a batter to reach against him and striking out one. The Rainiers only had two hits on the night, one from SS Michael Morse (2B, .290), who walked once, and RF Chris Snelling (.424), who walked twice. The way they scored is amongst the strangest methods I’ve seen: C Ryan Christianson (PO, .375) walked, was sent to second on a fielding error that allowed 1B Aaron Rifkin (R, SB, .283) to reach on a force attempt, both were moved by a sacrifice from Morse, and while Snelling was at the plate, Christianson was picked off at third, then Rifkin stole third and scored when the shortstop missed the catch. But, whatever wins you the game.

Arkansas 2 (ANA), San Antonio 6
LHP Thom Oldham (2.68, W) returned to form and got through seven innings where he allowed an unearned run on three hits, a wild pitch, and two walks while punching out seven. RHP Renee Cortez (4.66) got knocked around a bit in the next two innings, allowing a run on five hits, but managed to keep his composure and limit the damage. CF Gary Harris (.276) had three hits in this one, and DH Jaime Bubela (2B, R, RBI, .253) added two. There were some home runs and errors from LF Jon Nelson (HR, 2 RBI, E, .236) and 3B Jesus Guzman (HR, E, .267) as well. Former third base coach turned minor league instructor Dave Myers had some solid praise for both Guzman and SS Yuniesky Betancourt (RBI, .238) in a recent Rainiers notebook, which also has some info on Ryan Christianson.

Springfield 2 (STL), San Antonio 4
LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (3.51, W) went the minimum, giving up two runs on four hits, a hit batter, and three walks against a couple of Ks. RHP Emiliano Fruto (2.75) took on the next two and two-thirds innings, giving up a couple of hits and free passes and striking out four. RHP Sean Green (4.30, S) took it the rest of the way and punched out two on his way. Another three hits from DH Gary Harris (SB, .306) in this one, and two from SS Yuniesky Betancourt (.246). On top of that, there were some extra-base knocks from 3B Jesus Guzman (2B, E, .265) and CF Jaime Bubela (HR, .255). RF T.J. Bohn (2 RBI, CS, PO, .352) did his part by driving in two and nailing another runner at the plate.

Stockton 6 (OAK), Inland Empire 4
LHP Jason Mackintosh (3.02) kept the Ports in check for six innings, allowing two runs on six hits, a hit batter, a balk, and four walks against four Ks. Unfortunately, RHP Greg Wear (3.46, L) got into trouble in the next inning and a third, giving up three runs on a hit and three walks, and RHP Mike Steele (2.77) gave up two of those runs after a pair of hits and a walk while he was trying to get out of the inning. LHP Miguel Martinez (5.40) would give up an unearned in the ninth on a hit, and K one. The Sixers somehow could only milk the four runs out of an outburst of fifteen hits, which saw 3B Matt Rogelstad (2 R, RBI, E, .383) and 2B Hyung Cho (.429) get three hits apiece, and LF Casey Craig (.333), 1B Matt Hagen (R, SB, .167), and C Justin Ruchti (2 RBI, PB, .150). I guess it could be because they only had extra-base hits from CF Michael Nesbit (2B, .281) and DH Bryan Lahair (2B, R, .243), but heck, the Missions pulled it off with similar production a few days back.

Stockton 4, Inland Empire 3
RHP Aaron Trolia (3.00) did his part again, going six innings and allowing three runs (only one earned) on five hits, a hit batter, and four walks with just one K, but LHP Nick Bourgeois (3.52, L) got himself into trouble, giving up a run on two hits (HR), a walk, and a K. RHP Nibaldo Acosta (6.75) gave up a walk, but struck out two over the next inning and two-thirds, then LHP Chris Key (2.79) took the final two outs. Another two hits in the game from CF Michael Nesbit (2B, 2 R, RBI, SB, .297) and C Chris Collins (2B, R, .279), and there was a double by SS Adam Jones (2B, RBI, .250). It’s good to see Nesbit come back swinging, considering he had a DL stint recently. LF Casey Craig (RBI, .345) was 1-2 with a couple of walks in this one. Keep it up, kid, and we may yet see the Sixers climb out of the cellar in on-base percentage.

Dayton 6 (CIN), Wisconsin 2
A five-spot in the first did in LHP Casey Abrams (5.22, L), even though none of those runs were earned. He pretty much fell apart after the two-out error with two men on base (double, walk), and there was a single, a home run, and a walk before he struck out the final batter. His end line for the day reads three and two-thirds innings with five unearned on four hits (HR) and six walks against two Ks. RHP Stephen Grasley (3.22) took the next two and a third innings, and gave up a run of his own on five hits and a walk with a K. LHP Kendall Bergdall (1.42, PO) held the Dragos to a hit and a hit batter over the next two frames and struck out a couple, then RHP Craig James (0.00) gave up a hit and struck out another in the ninth. The T-Rats got three hits from DH Matt Tuiasosopo (2B, R, SB, CS, .345) and two from SS Oswaldo Navarro (.279) and LF Sebastien Boucher (2 2B, R, RBI, .304), who reached base three times, but they just couldn’t do much with them. The passed ball in the first inning and two errors by C Omar Falcon (RBI, 2 E, PB, .375) couldn’t have helped either, though it was 3B Brent Johnson (E, .195) who made the killer error in the first.

Dayton 2 (CIN), Wisconsin 10
Nice to see the Rattlers finally play up to their potential, and great to see RHP Mumba Rivera (2.60, W) pull off one of his classic Mumba-esque starts, going five and two-thirds innings and allowing just a run on four hits (HR) and two walks while punching out seven. Mumba ran his record up to 4-0 on the season. RHP Chad Fillinger (2.16) went the next inning and a third, walking one and striking out three, then RHP Roman Martinez (3.52) hit a batter in the eighth. LHP Eric O’Flaherty (3.75) would give up a run in the ninth on two hits. Almost everyone in the lineup was hitting today (rather shocking who didn’t), with DH Jack Arroyo (2B, R, 2 RBI, .302) getting three hits, C Rob Johnson (HR, 3 RBI, .333), 3B Yung-Chi Chen (2 R, .295), and 1B Brandon Green (2B, R, 2 RBI, .228) getting two, and SS Oswaldo Navarro (HR, 2 R, .278), RF Sebastien Boucher (2B, 3 R, .308) and LF Marshall Hubbard (2B, RBI, .210) adding some power with their hits.

The VSL opens up a week from tomorrow! No official roster just yet though, so I don't know who will be returning aside from what little I've heard earlier regarding promotions.

Tomorrow’s Schedule:
Tacoma: RHP Rich Dorman, at Tacoma, @ 6:05 pm PT
San Antonio: RHP Jon Huber, at San Antonio, @ 5:05 pm PT
Inland Empire: Day off
Wisconsin: RHP Mark Lowe, at Appleton, @ 4:35 pm PT

Tacoma Rainiers: 15-15, .500, 1.5 GB in PCL Pacific North
San Antonio Missions: 17-13, .567, 2.5 GB in TL West
Inland Empire 66ers: 10-20, .333, 7.5 GB in CAL South
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: 17-13, .567, 2 GB in MWL West
Organizational Record: 59-61, .492

posted by Jay Y. @ 9:06 PM