Games of June 3

The Red Wings carry on despite losing Clete Thomas.  A big night for Deibinson Romero.  Angel Morales stars in a loss for Fort Myers.

ROCHESTER 9, CHARLOTTE 1 IN CHARLOTTE

Batting stars:  Deibinson Romero was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third), driving in five.  Chris Colabello was 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in one.  Oswaldo Arcia was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Pedro Hernandez struck out six in seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk.  Michael Tonkin struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Mike McDade was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Angel Sanchez was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double.

Key inning:  The first.  With two out and none on, Colabello singled, Jeff Clement walked, and Romero hit a three-run homer to give the Red Wings the early lead.

BREVARD COUNTY 6, FORT MYERS 4 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Angel Morales was 3-for-4 with a double and scored once.  Levi Michael was 2-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  T. J. Mittlestaedt was 3-for-4 with a home run and scored twice.  Nick Ramirez was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.  Lance Roenicke was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.

Key inning:  The sixth.  The score was tied at three.  Starter Matt Tomshaw struck out the first two batters he faced, but then gave up a double to Nick Ramirez and an RBI single to Ben McMahan to put the Manatees in front.

CEDAR RAPIDS 10, KANE COUNTY 4 IN KANE COUNTY

Batting stars:  Tyler Grimes was 2-for-3 with two walks and scored twice.  Candido Pimentel was 2-for-6 with two RBIs.  Travis Harrison was 2-for-5 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Manuel Soliman struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Steven Gruver struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Dillon Maples struck out seven in five shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks.  Reggie Golden was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run.  Rock Shoulders was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

Key inning:  The sixth.  The Kernels trailed 4-0.  Dalton Hicks led off with a double.  Three consecutive walks produced the first run and loaded the bases.  Following a strikeout, another walk made it 4-2.  J. D. Williams singled in two to tie the score and a fielder's choice produce the go-ahead run.  Cedar Rapids followed the inning up with five more in the seventh to put the game away.

DSL GIANTS 7, DSL TWINS 6 AT DSL GIANTS

Batting stars:  Joel Ramirez was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Jhonathan Alvarez was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk and scored once.  Gabriel A. Ynfante was 2-for-5 with a double and scored twice.

Pitching stars:  Starter Elias Villasana pitched four innings, giving up no earned runs (two unearned runs) on two hits and no walks with three strikeouts.  Jhon Silva struck out one in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Jean Angomas was 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in one.  Nathanael Javier was 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in two.  Shawn Gomez struck out seven in five innings of relief, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The Twins were leading 6-3 when Argenis Silva entered the game.  He walked all three batters he faced and was replaced by Robener Cabrera.  The first batter he faced was retired, but Emmanuel Hernandez drove in one with a single.  With two out, Javier delivered a two-run single to tie the score and Angomas singled in the go-ahead run.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:05  Rochester (Kyle Gibson, 4-5, 3.38) at Gwinnett (Sean Gilmartin, 3-4, 4.26)

5:35  New Britain (D. J. Baxendale, 0-1, 13.50) at Richmond (Craig Westcott, 3-5, 3.88)

6:05  Brevard County (Jed Bradley, 3-2, 5.11) at Fort Myers (Jason Wheeler, 5-0, 3.94)

Games of June 2

Fort Myers jumps out early. A big home run for Josmil Pinto. Yes, these are Sunday's games--if nothing unexpected happens, we'll have Monday's games later today.

ROCHESTER 6, CHARLOTTE 5, IN CHARLOTTE

Batting stars: Antoan Richardson was 2-for-2 with two walks and scored twice. Deibinson Romero was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored once.
Pitching star: Tyler Robertson struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up only a walk.
Opposition stars: Brent Morel was 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Carlos Sanchez was 2-for-4 with a double and scored twice. Angel Sanchez was 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer.
Key inning: The sixth. The Red Wings led 4-3. Doug Bernier and Richardson led off with singles. A double steal put runners on second and third, a ground out scored Bernier, and a wild pitch scored Richardson. They needed both runs, because the Knights got back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-4 and scored one in the eighth to make it 6-5.

NEW BRITAIN 5, BOWIE 4 IN NEW BRITAIN

Batting star: Nate Hanson was 2-for-4 and scored once.
Pitching stars: Daniel Turpen struck out two in two perfect innings.
Opposition stars: Henry Urrutia was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one. Caleb Joseph was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.
Key inning: The sixth. The Rock Cats trailed 3-2. Danny Santana started the inning with a walk. Hanson singled with one out and Josmil Pinto followed with a three-run homer to give New Brtiain all the runs they needed.

FORT MYERS 8, PALM BEACH 1 (6 INNINGS--RAIN)

Batting stars: Matt Koch was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Kennys Vargas was 2-for-3 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in three. Eddie Rosario was 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in one.
Pitching stars: Taylor Rogers pitched a "complete game", going 5.2 innings and giving up one run on six hits and no walks.
Opposition stars: Nick Longmire was 2-for-2 with a home run. Stephen Piscotty was 2-for-3 with a double.
Key inning: The first. Aderlin Mejia and Jhon Goncalves opened the inning with walks and went to second and third on a wild pitch. Rosario singled in one, Vargas doubled in two, and Koch hit a two-run homer. The score was 5-0 not only before Palm Beach came to bat, but before Palm Beach recorded an out.

KANE COUNTY 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN KANE COUNTY (10 INNINGS)

Batting stars: Michael Quesada was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once. Tyler Grimes was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored once. Dalton Hicks was 2-for-3 with a walk.
Pitching stars: Hudson Boyd struck out six in six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks. Josue Montanez pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.
Opposition stars: Steve Perakslis struck out three in three shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk. Albert Almora was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once. Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a home run, scoring twice.
Key inning: The tenth. Almora hit a one-out double. An intentional walk put runners on first and second, Jeimer Candelario singled to load the bases, and Rock Shoulders walked to end the game. The run scored off Tyler Jones in his second inning of work.

DSL TWINS AT DSL REDS

Rained out.

We Apologize for the Temporary Interruption in Service

This blog will not be updated Monday, June 3, as I will be out of range of the internet.  Unless something unexpected happens, updates will resume on Tuesday, June 4.  Thank you for your patience.

Games of June 1

Brett Lee shines. Big games for Angel Morales and Dalton Hicks. The DSL season gets underway.

CHARLOTTE 4, ROCHESTER 3 IN CHARLOTTE

Batting stars: Jeff Clement was 2-for-4. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-for-2 with three walks and a home run, his sixth.
Pitching star: Luis Perdomo pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Simon Castro pitched five shutout innings, giving up two hits and seven walks. Blake Tekotte was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once. Angel Sanchez was 2-for-4 and scored once.
Key inning: The second. Leading 1-0, the Knights came up with three runs. Seth Loman led off the inning with a home run. With one out, Sanchez singled, Jim Gallagher doubled, and Tekotte walked to load the bases. Gordon Beckham singled in one run and a wild pitch plated another. The damage came off starter Vance Worley.
Vanimal watch: Worley settled down after the second to pitch five shutout innings. His line for the game was seven innings, four runs, ten hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts.
In case you're interested: The Red Wings had eight hits and drew twelve walks. The stranded twelve runners and hit into four double plays.

NEW BRITAIN 4, BOWIE 3 IN NEW BRITAIN

Batting stars: James Beresford was 3-for-4. Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-4 and scored twice. Danny Santana was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Pitching stars: Alex Meyer struck out ten in 6.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks. A. J. Achter pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.
Opposition star: Brandon Waring was 2-for-2 with two walks and a home run, driving in two.
Key inning: The eighth. The Rock Cats led 4-1. Josh Horton singled to lead off the Baysox' eighth. Ty Kelly hit a one out double and Niuman Romero walked to load the bases. Achter then replaced Blake Martin. He got the second out, but then walked in a run. Henry Urrutia then singled in another run, but Romero was thrown out at the plate by Ortiz to end the inning.

FORT MYERS 13, PALM BEACH 4 IN PALM BEACH

Batting stars: Angel Morales was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, his sixth. He scored twice and drove in four. Eddie Rosario was 3-for-5 with a walk and a triple, scoring once and driving in two. Andy Leer was 2-for-4 with two walks and a home run (his fourth), scoring twice.
Pitching star: Chad Rodgers pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.
Opposition stars: Nick Longmire was 4-for-4 with a double and a home run. David Popkins was 3-for-4 with a home run and scored twice.
Key inning: The second. It was a scoreless tie. Vargas led off with a single and Morales hit a two-run homer. It appeared the rally might have been killed, as the next two batters went out. Then Leer homered, Aderlin Mejia walked, and singles by Jhon Goncalves and Rosario produced the fourth run of the inning. The Cardinals never got closer.
Prospect watch: Tom Stuifbergen gave up three runs on seven hits and no walks in six innings.

CEDAR RAPIDS 15, KANE COUNTY 2 IN KANE COUNTY

Batting stars: Dalton Hicks was 3-for-4 with a walk and two home runs, giving him seven. He scored twice and drove in four. Tyler Grimes was 3-for-3 with two walks and a triple, scoring four times and driving in one. Jeremias Pineda was 2-for-3 with two walks and his first home run, scoring three times and driving in three.
Pitching stars: Brett Lee pitched seven hits, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks. Manuel Soliman retired all six batters he faced, four by strikeout.
Opposition stars: Albert Almora was 2-for-4 and scored once. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-4.
Key inning: The first. The Kernels scored three times before the Cougars came to bat. With one out, Niko Goodrum and Jorge Polanco hit back-to-back doubles and Hicks hit a two-run homer. Cedar Rapids added three more in the second and the rout was on.

DSL ORIOLES1 6, DSL TWINS 5 AT DSL TWINS

Batting star: Rainis Silva was 2-for-4 and scored once.
Pitching stars: Starter Onesimo Hernandez pitched three innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks while striking out three. Johan Quesada pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two and walking two but giving up no hits.
Opposition stars: Wilmer Aquino pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks. Victor Medina was 3-for-4 with a walk and scored once. Guillermo Salas was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored twice.
Key inning: The ninth. The score was tied at five. A pair of walks and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out, and a sacrifice fly scored the go-ahead run. The run was scored off Reudis Reyes in his only inning of work.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:30 DSL Twins at DSL Reds
12:35 Bowie (Jake Pettit, 3-1, 3.64) at New Britain (Logan Darnell, 4-4, 2.51)
1:00 Cedar Rapids (Hudson Boyd, 1-3, 6.15) at Kane County (Michael Heesch, 2-4, 4.12)
1:15 Rochester (TBA) at Charlotte (Jason Berken, 4-4, 3.14)
4:05 Fort Myers (Taylor Rogers, 4-1, 1.32) at Palm Beach (TBA)

Dominican Summer League Preview

The Dominican Summer League gets started today.

There are thirty-five teams in the Dominican Summer League, divided into five divisions.  Teams simply take the names of their parent clubs:  the DSL Twins, the DSL Cubs, etc.  There are a few parent clubs that have more than one team in the DSL.  These teams are distinguished by numbers:  the DSL Orioles1, the DSL Orioles2.

There are eight teams in the North, South, and Northwest Divisions, seven in the Baseball City division, and four in the San Pedro de Macoris division.  The Twins are in the Baseball City division with the Diamondbacks, Giants, Orioles1, Padres, Reds, and White Sox.  The teams play a seventy-game schedule.

The Twins are managed by Jimmy Alvarez.  No coaches are listed.  The roster seems to have a lot of names from last year's team.  Players in the DSL are very young, so it's certainly possible that many of them are repeating the league.  On the other hand, it's also possible that milb.com has not updated the rosters for this year yet.

It's not a highly polished league.  There are lots of walks, lots of errors, and not very many home runs.  It seems to me that it would be a lot like your local high school team, although with athletes who may have more raw athletic ability.

Still, it's baseball, it's fun, and we have a team to root for.  Go DSL Twins!

Players of the Month: May

ROCHESTER

Position player:  Chris Colabello hit .425/.477/.800 in 80 at-bats, hitting 12 doubles and 6 home runs.  For the season at Rochester, he is hitting .358/.417/.659 in 176 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Andrew Albers was 2-1, 2.48 with 25 strikeouts in 29 innings.  For the season, he is 2-2, 3.25, 1.41 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 52.2 innings.

NEW BRITAIN

Position player:  Josmil Pinto hit .333/.441/.495 with 19 walks, 7 doubles, and 3 home runs in 99 at-bats.  For the season, he is hitting .333/.427/.528 in 195 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Logan Darnell was 2-3, 2.38, 1.13 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.  For the season, he is 4-4, 2.51, 1.28 WHIP with 54 strikeouts in 68 innings.  Michael Tonkin was 0-2, 0.00, with three saves, a 1.05 WHIP, and 20 striekouts in 12.1 innings.  For the season, he is 1-2, 2.22 with 7 saves, a 1.19 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.

FORT MYERS

Position player:  Kennys Vargas hit .298/.387/.606 with eight doubles and eight homers in 104 at-bats.  For the season, he is hitting .280/.358/.545 in 189 at-bats.  Miguel Sano hit .318/.485/.574 with nine doubles, a triple, and four homers in 97 at-bats.  For the season, he is hitting .339/.429/.645 in 186 at-bats.  Aderlin Mejia hit .378/.440/.432 in 74 at-bats.  Those are also his season totals.

Pitcher:  D. J. Baxendale was 4-0, 0.82, 0.73 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 33 innings.  For the season at Fort Myers, he is 7-0, 1.10, 0.78 WHIP with 48 strikeouts in 57.1 innings.  Nelvin Fuentes was 0-0, 1.26, 0.63 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.  For the season, he is 0-1, 1.86, 0.67 WHIP with 28 strikeouts in 19.1 innings.

CEDAR RAPIDS

Position player:  Adam Brett Walker II hit .280/.300/.551 with 8 doubles, 3 triples, and 4 home runs in 107 at-bats.  For the season, he is hitting .282/.330/.553 in 188 at-bats.  Dalton Hicks hit .296/.367/.398 in 108 at-bats.  For the season, he is hitting .286/.362/.448 in 192 at-bats.  Byron Buxton hit .294/.382/.454 in 119 at-bats with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 17 walks, and 17 stolen bases in 119 at-bats.  For the season, he is hitting .333/.435/.545 in 198 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Jose Berrios was 2-2, 2.63, 1.35 WHIP with 31 strikeouts and 6 walks in 27.1 innings.  For the season, he is 4-2, 2.54, 1.28 WHIP with 8 walks and 44 strikeouts in 39 innings.  Tyler Duffey was 0-1, 2.93, 1.11 WHIP with 3 walks and 26 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.  For the season, he is 3-2, 2.78, 0.94 WHIP with 6 walks and 47 strikeouts in 58.1 innings.

Games of May 31

Close losses at the upper levels.  Cedar Rapids saves the day.  A good outing for Jose Berrios.

CHARLOTTE 3, ROCHESTER 2 IN CHARLOTTE

Batting stars:  Doug Bernier was 2-for-4.  Oswaldo Arcia was 1-for-4 with a walk and a home run, his fifth.

Pitching stars:  Cole DeVries pitched five innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and a walk.  Virgil Vasquez struck out four in 3.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Charles Leesman struck out seven in six shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks.  Jim Gallagher was 2-for-3 with a double and scored once.  Josh Phegley was 2-for-4 with a double.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The Red Wings trailed 2-1 with two out and none on in the ninth when Brian Dinkelman hit a pinch-hit homer to tie the score.  In the bottom of the ninth, with Vasquez starting his fourth inning of relief, Carlos Sanchez singled and was sacrificed to second.  Michael Tonkin then came in and gave up a game-ending RBI single to Gordon Beckham.

BOWIE 7, NEW BRITAIN 6 IN NEW BRITAIN (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Curt Smith was 3-for-5 and scored once.  Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fifth.  Nate Hanson was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Matt Hauser pitched two perfect innings.  Daniel Turpen gave up on hit in a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Niuman Romero was 3-for-6 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.  Ty Kelly was 3-for-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one.  Clay Schrader struck out three in three shutout innings, allowing two hits.

Key inning:  The eleventh.  The score was tied at six.  Cole Johnson came in to pitch.  He walked Brian Ward, who was bunted to second and scored on a double by Romero.  In the bottom of the inning, the Rock Cats also got a leadoff walk and bunted the runner to second, but he did not score.

Prospect watch:  Trevor May held the Baysox scoreless in four of his five innings.  In the other one, the second, he gave up four runs on two doubles, a walk, a single, and another double.  His line for the game was five innings, four runs, eight hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.

PALM BEACH 4, FORT MYERS 1 IN PALM BEACH

Batting star:  Eddie Rosario was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Matthew Summers pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Juan Bautista pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks.  David Popkins was 4-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Matt Williams was 2-for-4.

Key inning:  The eighth.  The Cardinals led 2-1.  Corey Williams came in to pitch and walked the first two men he faced.  A wild pitch moved them to second and third.  He struck the next two batters out, but Popkins singled to drive in both runners.

CEDAR RAPIDS 5, KANE COUNTY 2 IN KANE COUNTY

Batting stars:  Dalton Hicks was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Adam Brett Walker II was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Michael Quesada was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Jose Berrios pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks while striking out four.  Alex Muren pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Pin-Chieh Chen was 2-for-3 with two walks and scored once.  Reggie Golden was 2-for-4 with a double.  Brian Smith struck out three in three shutout innings, allowing one hit.

Key inning:  The third.  Leading 2-1, the Kernels struck for three more.  Hicks doubled with one out.  With two out, RBI singles by Travis Harrison and J. D. Williams made the score 4-1 and a Quesada double made it 5-1.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:35  Bowie (Zach Clark, 1-3, 9.56) at New Britain (Alex Meyer, 2-3, 3.95)

5:35  Fort Myers (Tom Stuifbergen, 1-3, 3.55) at Palm Beach (Tyler Melling, 1-1, 2.49)

6:15  Rochester (Vance Worley, 1-0, 0.00) at Charlotte (Simon Castro, 0-6, 5.59)

6:30  Cedar Rapids (Brett Lee, 3-3, 4.20) at Kane County (Tayler Scott, 2-1, 3.65)