Temporary Interruptions are to Be Expected

I'll be out of range of the internet for a couple of days.  If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be back here on Wednesday, June 26.  Thank you for your patience.

Games of June 22

The Vanimal comes through again!  A comeback for New Britain!  It took extra innings to beat Twins affiliates yesterday!

ROCHESTER 2, LOUISVILLE 1 IN LOUISVILLE

Batting stars:  Chris Colabello was 2-for-4 with a home run, his sixteenth, and two RBIs.  Doug Bernier was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Vance Worley pitched a complete game, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out five.  He threw 109 pitches.

Opposition stars:  Chad Reineke pitched eight innings, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks.

Key inning:  The fourth.  Leading 1-0, the Red Wings got an insurance run.  Bernier led off with a double, advanced to third on a Chris Herrmann grrounnd out, and scored on a single by Colabello.

NEW BRITAIN 12, AKRON 7 IN AKRON (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-6 with a double and a two-run homer, his eleventh, scoring twice.  Nate Hanson was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Eddie Rosario was 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Edgar Ibarra retired all five batters he faced.  A. J. Achter pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Toru Murata pitched seven shutout innings, allowing five hits and no walks.

Key inning #1:  The ninth.  The Rock Cats had scored three in the eighth to tie it at three, only to see the Aeros get three in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead 6-3.  In the ninth, Miguel Sano reached on a strikeout/wild pitch and Rodriguez doubled.  Daniel Ortiz singled in one and Curt Smith hit a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5.  With two out, singles by Danny Santana and Rosario tied the score, and walks to Angel Morales and Josmil Pinto put New Britain ahead 7-6.  In the bottom of the inning, Ronny Rodriguez singled and scored on a double by Jesus Aguilar to send the game to extra innings.

Key inning #2:  The eleventh.  Santana singled, took third on a pickoff error, and scored on a Rosario single to give the Rock Cats the lead.  Rosario stole second.  Pinto walked, and Sano hit a two-out triple to make it 10-7.  Rodriguez then hit a two-run homer to put the game away.

Prospect watch:  Sano was 2-for-6 with a triple, scoring twice and driving in two.

FORT MYERS 7, JUPITER 1 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Aderlin Mejia was 4-for-5 with an RBI.  Mike Kvasnicka was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run (his first), scoring twice and driving in two.  Andy Leer was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Taylor Rogers pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and four walks while striking out two.  Jose Gonzalez pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Ryan O'Rourke pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Wilfredo Gimenez was 2-for-4 with a double.

Key inning:  The second.  The Miracle led 1-0.  In the top of the inning, the Hammerheads tied the score with a walk, a single, and a ground out.  In the bottom, the Miracle started the inning with back-to-back doubles by Jhon Goncalves and Kvasnicka and got a one-out double by Leer to take a 3-1 lead.

Rehab watch:  Wilkin Ramirez was 1-for-4 and scored once.

CEDAR RAPIDS 8, WISCONSIN 3 IN WISCONSIN

Batting stars:  Travis Harrison was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk, driving in two.  Jorge Polanco was 3-for-6 with two runs and an RBI.  Dalton Hicks was 3-for-6 with a run and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Alex Muren pitched three perfect innings.  Tyler Jones pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  None.

Key inning:  The first.  Byron Buxton opened the game with a single, stole second, and went to third on a ground out.  An error put runners on first and third.  Hicks singled and Harrison doubled to give the Kernels a 3-0 lead.  The Timber Rattlers came back to get one in the bottom of the inning on a walk and a Victor Roache triple, but would not get closer the rest of the game.

Prospect watch:  Buxton was 2-for-5 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Max Kepler was 1-for-5.

ELIZABETHTON 6, BRISTOL 2 IN ELIZABETHTON

Batting stars:  Kelvin Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Romy Jimenez was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Yorman Landa struck out eight in five innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk.  Brandon Peterson struck out two in a perfect inning.  Ethan Mildren gave up one hit in a scoreless inning.

Oppostion stars:  Trey Michalczewski was 2-for-2 with two walks, scoring once.  Victor Velaszquez was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored once.

Key inning:  The fourth.  It was a scoreless tie.  Ortiz led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Stuart Turner single.  With two out, Jimenez doubled and Dereck Rodriguez singled to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.

GCL RED SOX 5, GCL TWINS 4 AT RED SOX (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Amaurys Minier was 2-for-3 with two walks and a triple, scoring once.  Chad Christensen was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Starter Fernando Romero struck out four in three innings, giving up two unearned runs on no hits and two walks.  Damian Defrank gave up one run on six hits and no walks in 3.1 innings.  Josh Guyer struck out three in a scoreless inning, giving up no hits and one walk.

Opposition stars:  Randy Perez struck out four in four shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk.  Jantzen White was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Aaron King was 2-for-4 and scored once.

Key inning:  The eleventh.  The score was tied at four.  Raymel Flores walked, went to second on a balk, took third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

DSL ORIOLES1 5, DSL TWINS 4 AT ORIOLES1 (10 INNINGS)

Batting star:  Dubal Baez was 2-for-5 and scored once.

Pitching star:  Elias Villasana struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.

Opposition stars:  Miguel Bautista struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits.  Alexander Mercedes was 3-for-3 with a walk and two doubles, scoring twice and driving in two.

Key inning:  The tenth.  The Twins had led 4-1, but single runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth tied the score.  In the tenth, a pair of errors put runners on first and third for the Orioles1, an intentional walk loaded the bases, and a hit batsman brought in the winning run.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:30  DSL Diamondbacks at DSL Twins

1:05  Cedar Rapids (Hudson Boyd, 1-4, 6.56) at Wisconsin (Marco Estrada, no record)

1:05  New Britain (Trevor May, 6-3, 3.56) at Akron (Matt Packer, 4-5, 2.75)

4:05  Fort Myers (TBA) at Palm Beach (Kurt Heyer, 1-1, 5.23)

5:05  Rochester (Andrew Albers, 6-2, 3.00) at Louisville (Yohan Pino, 2-3, 2.32)

6:00  Elizabethton (TBA) at Greeneville (TBA)

Games of June 21

A big day for Reynaldo Rodriguez.  Miguel Sano hits his second AA homer.  Amaurys Minier leads the GCL Twins to victory.

LOUISVILLE 3, ROCHESTER 0 IN LOUISVILLE

Batting star:  Chris Colabello was 1-for-2 with two walks.

Pitching star:  Luis Perdomo struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up no hits and one walk.

Opposition stars:  Greg Reynolds struck out eight in a complete game.  He allowed two hits and two walks.

Key inning:  The fifth.  The Bats led 1-0.  A single and a walk put runners on first and second with one out.  Felix Perez and Neftali Soto hit consecutive RBI singles to put the game out of reach.

"Prospect" watch:  Cole DeVries pitched five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out two.

AKRON 13, NEW BRITAIN 4 IN AKRON

Batting stars:  Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a triple and home run, his tenth, scoring twice.  Daniel Ortiz was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Nate Hanson was 3-for-5.

Pitching stars:  A. J. Achter struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Bobby Lanigan gave up one hit in a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Carlos Moncrief was 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a triple, scoring once and driving in two.  Jose Ramirez was 2-for-5 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.  Jake Lowery was 2-for-5 with a home run.

Key inning:  The fourth.  Trailing 5-1, the Rock Cats got a leadoff homer by Rodriguez followed by a double by Ortiz.  He scored on a single by Danny Santana to make it 5-3.  In the bottom of the inning, Lowery homered, Quincy Latimore singled, took second on a bunt, and scored on a Ronny Rodriguez single.  Rodriguez then stole second and scored on a Jesus Aguilar double to make it 8-3.

Prospect watch:  Miguel Sano was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run, his second.  Eddie Rosario was 0-for-1 with a walk.  Tom Stuifbergen lasted only 3.1 innings, giving up eight runs on eight hits and two walks with one strikeout.

JUPITER 8, FORT MYERS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Kennys Vargas was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Matt Koch was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Brent Keys was 3-for-4 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Alex Burg was 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.  Ryan Rieger was 2-for-4 with a triple and scored once.

Key inning:  The sixth.  The Hammerheads trailed 3-2.  A pair of singles put runners on first and second with one out.  An error tied the score and put runners on second and third.  Alfredo Lopez delivered a two-run single to give Jupiter the lead.  Lopez took second on a throw home and scored on a Keys single.

Prospect watch:  Wilkin Ramirez was 0-for-2 with a walk and scored once.  Aderlin Mejia was 0-for-3 with a walk.

CEDAR RAPIDS 5, WISCONSIN 3 IN WISCONSIN

Batting stars:  Dalton Hicks was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with two walks and scored once.  Travis Harrison was 0-for-1 with two walks, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Tim Atherton struck out three in four shutout innings of relief, giving up two hits and no walks.  Kaleb Merck pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits.

Opposition stars:  Martin Veramontes struck out seven in three shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk.  Chris McFarland was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.  Tyrone Taylor was 2-for-3 with a home run.

Key inning:  The third.  Each team scored once in the first and twice in the second.  Tyler Grimes led off the third with a home run and this time the Kernels kept the lead.

Prospect watch:  Max Kepler was 1-for-4 with a walk and a double.

BRISTOL 4, ELIZABETHTON 2 IN ELIZABETHTON

Batting star:  Kelvin Ortiz was 1-for-2 and was hit by pitches twice, scoring once.

Pitching stars:  Kuo Hua Lo struck out four in three shutout innings.  Andre Martinez pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Kelvis Valerio struck out eight in six shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk.  Thurman Hall was 2-for-5 and scored once.  Toby Thomas was 2-for-5 and scored once.

Key inning:  The first.  The White Sox led off the game with four consecutive singles to take a 1-0 lead and load the bases.  An error then scored two more to give Bristol a 3-0 lead before anyone was retired.

GCL TWINS 6, GCL RED SOX 4 AT TWINS

Batting star:  Amaurys Minier was 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer, scoring twice.

Pitching stars:  Chih Wei-Hu struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up no hits and one walk.   Miguel Gonzalez struck out three in a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Madison Boer struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Daniel McGrath struck out six in five innings, allowing one run on two hits and no walks.  Jose Colorado was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Wendell Rijo was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Key inning:  The sixth.  The Twins trailed 2-1.  A hit batsman and a single put two runners on, and a bunt moved them to second and third.  Jonotan Hinojosa singled to tie the game.  With runners on first and third, Hinojosa and Engelb Vielma pulled of a double steal of second and home to put the Twins ahead.  Lance Ray walked and Minier hit a three-run homer to give the Twins a 6-2 lead.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox

9:30  DSL Twins at DSL Orioles1

5:00  Bristol (Jordan Guerrero, no record) at Elizabethton (TBA)

5:05  Jupiter (Jose Urena, 7-2, 3.67) at Fort Myers (Taylor Rogers, 5-1, 1.57)

5:05  Rochester (Vance Worley, 2-3, 3.98) at Louisville (Chad Reineke 6-3, 3.44)

6:05  New Britain (Virgil Vasquez, no record) at Akron (Toru Murata, 3-3, 3.44)

6;35  Cedar Rapids (Brett Lee, 4-4, 4.45) at Wisconsin (Jorge Lopez, 3-4, 6.44)

Gulf Coast League Preview

The Gulf Coast League gets underway today.  There are sixteen teams in the GCL, divided into four four-team divisions.  They play a sixty-game schedule which ends on August 29.  The four division winners then go to the playoffs.  Teams take the name of their parent clubs.  The Yankees, imperialists that they are, have two teams, which are designated Yankees1 and Yankees2.

EAST DIVISION

Cardinals:  Manager Steve Turco, batting coach Jobel Jimenez, pitching coach Darwin Marrero.

Marlins:  Manager Bobby Bell, pitching coach Jeremy Powell, pitching coach Jeff Schwarz.

Mets:  Manager Jose Carreno, batting coach Ender Chavez, pitching coach Josh Towers.

Nationals:  Manager Patrick Anderson, batting coach Amaury Garcia, pitching coach Michael Tejera.

NORTHEAST DIVISION

Astros:  Manager Ed Alfonzo, batting coach Marty Malloy, pitching coach Hector Mercado, coach Gordon Mackenzie.

Braves:  Manager Rocket Wheeler, batting coach Carlos Mendez, pitching coach Willie Martinez.

Tigers:  Manager Basilio Cabrera, batting coach Nelson Santovenia.

Yankees2:  No information.  In fact, their roster only lists one player.

NORTHWEST DIVISION

Blue Jays:  Manager John Schneider, batting coach Paul Elliott, pitching coach Dave Williams, coach Guillermo Martinez, coach Danny Solano.

Phillies:  Manager Rolano de Armas, batting coach Steve Shrenk, coach Rafael Delima, coach Ramon Henderson.

Pirates:  Manager Milver Reyes, pitching coach Miguel Bonilla, coach Mike Lum.

Yankees1:  Manager Tom Nieto, pitching coach Edwar Gonzalez, pitching coach Jose Rosado.

SOUTH DIVISION

Orioles:  Manager Orlando Gomez, batting coach Ramon Sambo, pitching coach Wilson Alvarez, coach Milt May.

Rays:  Manager Jim Morrison, batting coach Wuarnner Rincones, pitching coach Marty DeMerritt, coach Hector Torres.

Red Sox:  Manager Darren Fenster, pitching coach Dick Such, coach Tom Kotchman, coach Dave Tomlin.

Twins:  Ramon Borrego, batting coach Milt Cuyler, pitching coach Ehren Wassermann.

Games of June 20

Logan Darnell pitches a gem.  Kyle Gibson does pretty darn well, too.  So does Christian Powell.

ROCHESTER 5, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 2 IN ROCHESTER

Batting stars:  Chris Colabello was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fifteenth.  Ray Olmedo was 2-for-3 and scored once.  Chris Herrmann was 2-for-4 with a walk and scorred onnce.

Pitching stars:  Kyle Gibson struck out six in seven innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and a walk.  Michael Tonkin struck out one in a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  None.

Key inning:  The sixth.  Already leading 3-0, the Red Wings scored twice to put the game away.  One-out singles by Olmedo and Drew Butera put runners on first and third.  A sacrifice fly by Eric Farris made it 4-0.  Singles by Herrmann and Deibinson Romero plated another run to make it 5-0.

NEW BRITAIN 2, ERIE 0 IN ERIE

Batting stars:  Kyle Knudson was 2-for-3.  Reynaldo Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run, his ninth.  Miguel Sano was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Logan Darnell struck out nine in a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and a walk and throwing 99 pitches.

Opposition stars:  Drew VerHagen struck out eight in six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks.  Tyler Stohr pitched two shutout innings, allowing only a walk.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The Rock Cats led 1-0.  Two hit batsmen and an error loaded the bases with none out.  Danny Santana hit a sacrifice fly to drive in an insurance run.

Prospect watch:  Eddie Rosario was 0-for-4 and struck out three times.

FORT MYERS 5, JUPITER 2 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Kennys Vargas was 3-for-4 and scored once.  Candido Pimentel was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.  Jonathan Murphy was 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in two.

Pitching stars:  Matthew Summers struck out five in five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.  Adrian Salcedo struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up no runs and no hits.  Zach Jones struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up only a walk.

Opposition stars:  Joseph O'Gara struck out two in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.  James Nygren struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Key inning:  The fifth.  Trailing 1-0, the Miracle scored all five of their runs.  With one out, Wilkin Ramirez walked and singles by Vargas and Jhon Goncalves loaded the bases.  Jairo Rodriguez singled to tie the score.  With two out, Murphy drove in two with a single and Pimentel drove in two with a double to give Fort Myers a 5-1 lead.

Prospect watch:  Aderlin Mejia was 1-for-4.

CEDAR RAPIDS 3, WISCONSIN 1 IN WISCONSIN

Batting stars:  Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer (his twelfth), scoring twice.  J. D. Williams was 2-for-3 with an RBI.  Niko Goodrum was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Christian Powell pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five.  Caleb Brewer gave up two hits in two shutout innings.

Opposition stars:  Taylor Wall pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Victor Roache was 2-for-4.

Key inning:  The second.  It was a scoreless tie.  With two out, Max Kepler, in his Midwest League debut, walked and Harrison hit a two-run homer to give the Kernels the early lead.

Prospect watch:  Byron Buxton was 0-for-4.  Kepler was 0-for-3 with a walk and scored once.

ELIZABETHTON 3, BRISTOL 0 IN ELIZABETHTON

Batting stars:  Bo Altobelli was 2-for-3 with a double and scored once.  Bryan Haar was 1-for-3 with a walk and scored once.  Tanner Vavra was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Starter Felix Jorge struck out three and walked one 1.2 hitless innings.  Tim Shibuya pitched 4.1 innings of relief, giving up two hits and a walk.  Luis Nunez struck out three in two innings, giving up only a walk.  Bristol had only two hits in the game.

Opposition stars:  Chris Boydston pitched 3.2 innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks while striking out three.

Key inning:  The fifth.  The Twins broke a scoreless tie.  Dereck Rodriguez reached on an error, took second on a wild pitch, went to third on an Altobelli single, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Walker to give Elizabethton a 1-0 lead.

DSL ORIOLES1 4, DSL TWINS 3 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  Jet Hernandez was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.  Manuel Guzman hit a home run, his first.

Pitching stars:  Carlos Aponte struck out five in four innings, giving up one run on one hit and no walks.  Jhon Silva struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and one walk.

Opposition stars:  Rafael Moreno pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and no walks with five strikeouts.  Alexander Mercedes was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple, scoring twice and driving in two.

Key inning:  The eighth.  The score was tied at one.  A single, a walk, and a wild pitch put Orioles1 runners on second and third.  Mercedes doubled them both home, took third on a passed ball, and scored on a throw to first following a strikeout, giving the Orioles1 a 4-1 lead.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  GCL Red Sox at GCL Twins

6:00  Bristol (Kelvis Valerio, no record) at Elizabethton (TBA)

6:05  Jupiter (Justin Nicolino, 3-1, 2.24) at Fort Myers (Taylor Rogers, 5-1, 1.57)

6:05  New Britain (TBA) at Akron (TBA)

6:05  Rochester (Cole DeVries, 2-2, 9.43) at Louisville (Greg Reynolds, 8-0, 2.45)

7:05  Cedar Rapids (Josue Montanez, 1-1, 4.66) at Wisconsin (Tyler Wagner, 6-5, 3.32)

Appalachian League Preview

The Appalachian League starts tonight.  There are ten teams, divided evenly into two divisions, the East and the West.  They play a sixty-eight-game season which ends on August 30.  Four teams make the playoffs.  Each playoff series is best-of-three.  Teams take the names of their parent clubs.

EASTERN DIVISION

Bluefield Blue Jays:  Manager Dennis Holmberg, pitching coach Antonio Caceras.  Home field:  Bowen Field.

Burlington Royals:  Manager Tommy Shields,batting coach Abraham O. Nunez, pitching coach Carlos Martinez.  Home field:  Burlington Athletic Stadium.

Danville Braves:  Manager Jonathan Schuerholz, batting coach Rick Albert, pitching coach Gabriel Luckert, assistant batting coach Nestor Perez.  Home field:  Legion Field.

Princeton Rays:  Manager Danny Shaeffer, batting coach Rainaldo Ruiz, pitching coach Darwin Peguero.  Home field:  Hunnicutt Field.

Pulaski Mariners:  Manager Chris Prieto, batting coach Brent Johnson, pitching coach Nasusel Cabrera.  Home field:  Calfee Park.

WESTERN DIVISION

Bristol White Sox:  Manager Mike Gellinger, batting coach Greg Briley, pitching coach Larry Owens.  Home field:  Boyce Cox Field.

Elizabethton Twins:  Manager Ray Smith, batting coach Jeff Reed, pitching coach Henry Bonilla.  Home field:  Joe O'Brien Field.

Greeneville Astros:  Manager Josh Bonifay, batting coach Cesar Cedeno, pitching coach Joshua Miller.  Home field:  Pioneer Park.

Johnson City Cardinals:  Manager Joe Kruzel, batting coach Roberto Espinoza, pitching coach Paul Davis.  Home field:  Howard Johnson field.

Kingsport Mets:  Manager Jose Leger, batting coach Yunir Garcia, pitching coach Jonathan Hurst.  Home field:  Hunter Wright Stadium.

Where They Stand: Through Games of June 19, 2013

Rochester is 36-38, fourth in the International League North, 8.5 games behind Pawtucket.  The Red Wings lost their most recent game and are 6-4 in their last ten games.

New Britain is 33-37, fourth in the Eastern League Eastern, ten games behind Binghamton.  The Rock Cats lost their most recent game and are 4-6 in their last ten games.

Fort Myers won the first half championship with a record of 45-22, eight games head of St. Lucie.  The second half begins tonight.

Cedar Rapids finished second in the first half with a record of 40-28, two games behind Beloit.  This is good enough for a playoff spot.  The second half begins tonight.

The DSL Twins are 9-6, first in the Boca Chica Baseball City Division, a half game ahead of the White Sox.  The Twins lost their most recent game and are 7-3 in their last ten games.