Rookies 2006

 

                                                          Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO

 

21 May, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 4-6, 2B, 2 R, RBI, .292 … Ryan Garko CLE 1-4, R, RBI, 2 BB, .261 … Jake Dittler CLE 5-1/3 6 4 3 3 2, 5.56 … Brayan Pena ATL 2-4, 2B, RBI, .226 … Jason Bartlett MIN 3-4, R, RBI, .324 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-3, R, RBI, BB, .288 … Jason Kubel MIN 1-3, 4th HR, R, 3 RBI, BB & 0-3, BB, .278 … Kyle Lohse MIN 7 4 1 1 1 4, 1.29 … Ryan Roberts TOR 2-7, .236 … John-Ford Griffin TOR 1-6, 2B, R, RBI, .220 … John Hattig TOR 1-3, R, 3 BB, .274 … Brandon League TOR 0-2/3 0 0 0 0 0, 1.67 … Jerry Owens CHA 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, .236 … Casey Rogowski CHA 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, .279 … Charles Haeger CHA 6 4 0 0 3 5, 0.52 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-5, 2B, RBI, SB, .290 … Chris Denorfia CIN 4-5, 2 R, RBI, .333 … William Bergolla CIN 2-6, 2B, .285 … Cody Ross CIN 2-4, R, RBI, BB, .348 … Eli Whiteside BAL 2-3, .211 … Craig Hansen BOS 3-2/3 5 2 2 3 4, 2.87 … Josh Kroeger PHI 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, .236 … Christian Garcia NYA 2-5, R, .246 … Carlos Pena NYA 3-6, 5th & 6th HRs, 2 R, 3 RBI, .267 … B.J. Upton TB 1-4, 2B, R, BB, 16th & 17th errors, .289 … Shawn Riggans TB 1-4, RBI, .291 … Edwin Jackson TB 1-1/3 7 7 6 3 0, 6.18 … Lastings Milledge NYN 1-2, 2 BB, .287 … Jeff Keppinger NYN 2-4, R, .259 … Chase Lambin NYN 1-1, RBI, .186

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Nelson Cruz MIL 2-4, 9th homer, .291 ... Stephen Drew ARZ 2-4, 7th homer, .307 ... Chris Young ARZ 2-4, double, 2nd homer, .257 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 2-5, double, .344 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 2-5, SB, error ... Jason Botts TEX 3-5, 12th double, 10th homer, 3 RBI, .324 ...  tough first inning, two bunt singles, two errors, walk, grand slam, but then Chad Billingsley settled down, 6.0 5 4 4 2 5, 3.59 ... Ryan Shealy COL 2-4, double, homer, .317 ... Daric Barton OAK 0-4, .262 ... Justin Huber KC 0-4

EASTERN (AA)  --  Ismael Ramirez TOR 7.0 2 1 1 4 2, 1.60 ... Adam Miller CLE, not what was expected, 5.0 6 5 5 1 1, 4.21 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE 2-3, 2nd homer & 2-4, double, .411 ... Michael Aubrey CLE 0-3 ... Zack Segovia PHI 6.0 2 2 2 0 3 ... Michael Pelfrey NYN didn't get out of the first inning, 0.2 2 2 0 3 1 ... Jeff Karstens NYA 6.2 2 0 0 1 6

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Andy LaRoche LAD 2-4, double, .277 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL, getting worse, 0-4, .297 ... Phil Dumatrait CIN 4.0 1 1 0 0 3, 2.77 ... Joey Votto CIN 2-2, 2 walks, 2 RBI, .300 ... John Hudgins, enjoying the move to the SD system, 6.0 0 0 0 1 6, 1.54

TEXAS (AA)  --  shortstop Troy Tulowitzki COL, at leadoff,  3-5, double, .302 ... Ian Stewart COL 1-5, triple, .245 ... Alex Gordon KC 3-4, 11th SB, .317 ... Travis Buck OAK 2-4, walk, 3 RBI, .333 ... Matt Albers HOU 7.0 6 4 4 3 2, 2.20 ... Bryan LaHair 1B SEA 3-6, .322 ... Wladimir Balentien SEA 3-6, double, two homers (9), 5 RBI, .245 ... JR House HOU 2-5, double, .325 ... Hunter Pence HOU 1-6, .310 ... better, Brandon Wood LAA 1-3, double, 2 walks, .252

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Gregory Smith ARZ 6.0 6 2 2 3 6, 5-0, 2.31 ... maybe this will kick off a streak, Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 3-5, 6th homer, 3 runs, 3 RBI, .289 ... Cesar Nicolas ARZ 1B 2-5, double, 5th homer, .271 ... Marcus Sanders SF 1-4, picked off, 2 errors (9), .202 ... Chase Headley SD 4-4, 2 homers, .280 ... Eric Hurley TEX 6.2 8 4 4 2 9, 3.15 ... Shaun Cumberland OF TB 3-5, 10th homer, .242 ... Reid Brignac TB 1-4, walk, 6th SB, .345

CAROLINA (A+) --  Pedro Powell CF PIT 3-5, run, RBI, sb ... Josh Hansen 1B CHA 4-5, Home Run, 3 runs, 3RBI ... Chris Kelly DH CHA 2-4, double, 3 runs ... Donny Lucy C CHA 3-4, RBI ... Jose De Los Santos 2B CHA 3-5, double, run, 2RBI ... Chris Amador CF CHA 2-5, double, triple, run, 3RBI ... Lucas Harrell CHA 6 3 2 1 4 2 W(3-1, 1.91) ... Scott White 3B BOS 3-4, 2 doubles, run, 2RBI ... Tommy Hottovy BOS 7 4 1 1 2 8 W(4-3, 2.17) ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-3, triple, 2 runs, sb ... Brian Barton LF CLE 2-4, run, sb ... Ryan Goleski RF CLE 2-5, 2 runs, 2RBI, sb ... Wyatt Toregas C CLE 1-4, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Matt Whitney 3B CLE 1-5, Home Run, 2RBI ... Paco Figueroa 2B BAL 1-5, run ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 1-3, RBI ... Dustin Yount 1B BAL 1-3, Home Run, 2RBI ... Kevin Dixon CLE 5 3 2 2 2 4 W ... Garrett Olsen BAL 6 6 4 2 3 4 L ... Wallace Torbert LF HOU 1-4, run, RBI ... Lou Santangelo C HOU 1-5, Home Run, 4RBI ... Tony Blanco DH WAS 2-3, Home Run, 3 runs, 2RBI ... Luke Montz 1B WAS 1-2, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Trey Webb 2B WAS 1-3. triple, 3RBI, sb ... Mike Hinckley WAS 6 5 2 2 1 7

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Tyler Greene STL 0-4, .222 ... Kyle Kendrick PHI, a rough time with his promotion to A+, 5.1 5 3 3 1 5, 9.90 ... Ryan Patterson TOR 2-4, 2-4, double, .346 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO, rehab, 1-4, double ... Ryan Braun MIL 2-5, double, 2 SBs (11), .303 ... Alexi Casilla SS MIN 3-5, double, .306 ... Sean Gallagher CHN 7.0 6 2 1 2 3, 4-0, 1.99

MIDWEST (A) --  Hainley Statia ANA 3-3, 7th SB (.284) ... Vincent Mazzaro OAK 7 6 0 0 1 4 (5.62) ... Jay Bruce CIN 1-5, 4th triple, 2 K's (.280) ... yet another dazzling MWL teen hurler Jacob McGee TB 5 1/3 0 0 0 6 10 (W, 4-5, 2.77) ... Justin Upton ARZ 0-3, BB .. Oswaldo Sosa MIN 8 4 2 2 1 3 (2.86) ... Mark Reed CHN 0-2, K .. dominating Donald Veal CHN 6 1 0 0 1 10 (W, 4-2, 2.68) ... bouncing back Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 3-4 (.304) ... Jose Escalona SEA 6 1 0 0 5 8 (2.95) ... slow climb continues John Mayberry TEX 2-5, 7th & 8th doubles (.246) .. Juan Jimenez TEX 6 2 1 1 0 3 (3.86) ... snapping a nasty slump in a large way Bryan Anderson STL 3-4, 2 doubles, 1st HR (.312)

" ... Jacob McGee pitched 5 1/3 hitless innings ...  In his last start on Monday, McGee took a no-hitter into the fifth before giving up three runs in a 5-1 loss to Fort Wayne. The 19-year-old left-hander never faded against the Dragons ...  exiting with a 5-0 lead. McGee (4-5) issued a season-high six walks but matched a season best with 10 strikeouts as he lowered his ERA to 2.77. He has alternated wins and losses in his last eight outings, although Midwest League opponents are hitting just .197 against him."  (MLB.com)

" ...  starter Donnie Veal tied a career high with 10 strikeouts  ... Veal looked untouchable on the mound. He earned his fourth win of the season going six shutout innings allowing just an infield single and a walk ...  The 10 K's by the southpaw tonight is a season high and matches a career high. He improves to 4-2 on the season and has 59 strikeouts on the year which ranks second in the MWL."  (Peoria Chiefs)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-4, BB, .291 ... Steven Pearce PIT 0-4, BB, .289 ... Sean West FLA 5 6 2 2 1 7, 1.42 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-3, 2B (10), SB (4), BB, .340 ... Kris Harvey FLA 1-3, HR (8), 4 RBI (25), .252 ... Shairon Martis SF (L, 1-2) 3-1/3 5 3 3 0 5, 6.60 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 2-4, 2 RBI (15), SB (6), .395 ... Clay Buchholz BOS (L, 2-1) 4 6 6 5 2 5, 3.29 ... Jeff Natale BOS, 1-3, 2 BB, .329 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-3, 2B (14), RBI (30), 2 BB, .315 ... Mat Gamel MIL 2-5, 2B (10), HR (7), 5 RBI (26), .299 ... Brent Leach LAD (W, 3-2) 5-1/3 5 2 2 4 5, 3.23 ... Sergio Pedroza LAD 2-3, 3 RBI (33), BB, .290 ... Andrew Locke LAD 3-6, 3B (3), 3 RBI (30), .326 ... Reegie Corona OF NYA 6-7, walk, .338 ... now that's an ofer, Eric Campbell ATL 0-8

    Troop Movements ...  CIN - activated Eric Milton from the DL, designated Dave Williams for assignment ... NYA - recalled Colter Bean from Triple-A, optioned Mitch Jones to Triple-A ... NYN - recalled Anderson Garcia from Triple-A ... SEA - activated Julio Mateo from the 15-day DL, optioned Emiliano Fruto to Triple-A, recalled Mike Morse from Triple-A, designated Matt Lawton for assignment  ... ARZ - optioned Greg Aquino to Triple-A, purchased the contract of Kevin Jarvis, designated Brian Bruney for assignment ...  WAS - purchased the contact of Alex Escobar ... LAA - recalled Jason Bulger from Triple-A, released Edgardo Alfonzo ... STL - recalled Anthony Reyes from Triple-A, optioned Brian Falkenborg to Triple-A ... CLE - purchased the contract of Tim Laker, optioned Kelly Shoppach to Triple-A ... ATL - purchased the contract of Travis Smith, optioned Peter Moylan to Triple-A ... NYN - released Bartolome Fortunato, announced the promotion of Alay Soler to the major league roster :

" ...  Soler has been called up to the parent club. He is expected to Major League debut with New York as a starter in the coming week. Soler was superb in three starts with the B-Mets, going 1-0 with a 2.75 ERA. The 26-year-old righthander lasted six innings or more and allowed three runs or fewer in all three of his Eastern League outings after going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in five starts with High-A St. Lucie ... The righthander is in his first pro season in the US after defecting from Cuba in 2003. While in Cuba, he was one of that nation's top pitchers, going 24-9 with a 2.55 ERA in five pro seasons. He was signed to a three-year contract by the Mets in August, 2004."  (Binghamton Mets)


20 May, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 1-2, 2 BB & 2-4, R, .278 … Jason Cooper CLE 2-3 & 1-3, R, RBI, BB, .250 … Ben Francisco CLE 1-3, SB & 1-3, R, RBI, BB, SB, .264 … Jeremy Sowers CLE 7 1 0 0 1 3, 1.07 … Scott Thorman ATL 3-4, R, BB, SB, .316 … Anthony Lerew ATL 5-1/3 8 6 6 3 5, 8.65 … J.D. Durbin MIN 6-1/3 6 2 2 3 5, 3.43 … Jason Phillips TOR 1-4, 4th HR, R, 3 RBI, .242 … Josh Banks TOR 5-2/3 7 4 4 0 4, 3.91 … Jerry Owens CHA 3-4, 2B, R, SB, .235 … Sean Tracey CHA 7 5 4 3 5 4, 2.84 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-4, .286 … Wil Ledezma DET 7-1/3 4 2 2 4 4, 3.06 … Cody Ross CIN 2-3, R, BB, .333 … Justin Germano CIN 7-2/3 8 0 0 2 2, 4.36 … Ryan Wagner CIN 1-1/3 0 0 0 1 1, 7.08 … Eli Whiteside BAL 2-4, 3rd & 4th HRs, 2 R, 2 RBI, .195 … Adam Stern BOS 0-3 & 1-4, R, RBI, 2 SB, .211 … Hee-Seop Choi BOS 1-3 & 1-3, 2B, BB, .276 … Carlos Pena NYA 2-4, 4th HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, .253 … Ramiro Mendoza NYA 6 7 3 1 1 6, 0.52 … B.J. Upton TB 1-4, 0 errors, .290 … Brian Stokes TB 3-1/3 6 5 5 3 3, 2.95 … Lastings Milledge NYN 1-2, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB, .284 ... Jeff Keppinger NYN 1-2, 2 Sac, .252 … Evan MacLane NYN 6-2/3 10 2 2 3 3, 1.31

" ... Jeremy Sowers pitched a one-hitter for his first shutout of the season, leading the Buffalo Bisons to a 1-0 victory ...  Sowers continued his dominant season, facing just one batter over the minimum and striking out three. He extended his scoreless streak to 13 innings and lowered his ERA to 1.07, which ranks second in the International League behind Charlotte's Charlie Haeger ... Sowers is 3-0 in his last four starts, allowing three earned runs in 28 innings. He has yielded one unearned run in his last 17 1/3 frames and is tied for the league lead in wins with Toledo's Zach Miner."  (MLB.com)

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  he really needed a good outing, Tim Stauffer SD 7.0 5 0 0 1 2, 5.15 ...  so did Ian Kinsler TEX, 3-4, homer ... Jason Botts TEX 2-4, 9th homer, .314 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 0-3 ... Kendry Morales LAA 2-4, double, .309 ... Joe Saunders LAA 8.0 7 1 1 0 5, 3.36 ... Jesse Foppert SEA, things just are not right, 0.1 0 4 3 4 0 ... Francisco Cruceta SEA 6.2 5 2 2 2 11, 4.54 ... Zach Jackson MIL 7.0 7 3 3 2 3, 2.87 ... Chris Snelling SEA 1-3, walk ... Jason Hirsh HOU 6.2 5 1 1 3 3, 3.27 ...  Stephen Drew ARZ 3-5, double, .302 ... Larry Broadway WAS 2-4, double, .340 ... Greg Miller LAD 2 2 0 0 3 2 ... Felix Pie CHN 0-5, .272 ... Luis Montanez CHN, getting a shot at Triple-A, 1-4 ... Juan Dominguez OAK 5.0 7 5 5 3 1, 6.98

EASTERN (AA)  --  David Murphy CF BOS 1-4, RBI ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 1-4, 2R, BB ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 2-5, R, 2B, 2RBI ... Ryan Mulhern LF CLE 2-5 ... Bear Bay CLE 7 6 2 2 1 7 ... Denard Span CF MIN 1-4, R, k ... Matt Moses 3B MIN 2-4, 2B, 2RBI ... Pat Misch SF 5 5 3 3 2 6 ... Glen Perkins MIN 7.2 6 1 1 2 11 ... Adam Loewen BAL 6 1 1 0 4 5

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Miguel Montero ARZ 2-4 & 1-3, double, .282 ... Joey Votto CIN 3-4, double, .291 ... Tyler Lumsden CHA 7.0 2 0 0 2 9, 5-1, 2.53 ... Jared Wells SD, just off the DL, 4.0 5 1 1 3 1, 2.14 ... 3B Scott Moore CHN 2-5, 8th homer, .301 ...  Anibal Sanchez FLO 5.0 7 2 2 1 3, 3.99 ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, 15th SB, .305

TEXAS (AA)  --  Billy Butler KC 2-4, double & 1-3, 6th homer, .287 ... Alex Gordon KC 0-3 & 0-3, .302 ...  Ian Stewart COL 1-4 & 0-3, .247 ... Chris Lubanski KC 0-4 & 0-3, .261 ... KC SS Angel Sanchez 3-3 & 2-3, .291 ... Travis Buck OAK 3-5, .310 ...  Brandon Wood LAA, given the day off ... Josh Koshansky COL 2-3 & 1-3, 8th homer, .296

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-3, 2 walks, 5th homer, .276 ... Reid Brignac TB, the good and the not so good, 3-6, 11th double, 8th homer, 4 RBI, 15th error, .348 ... Steve Murphy TEX 3-5, 2 homers (8), .279

CAROLINA (A+) --  Chuck Lofgren CLE 5.2 7 3 0 2 2 W(6-2, 1.67) ... Radhames Liz BAL 5 6 4 2 4 5 L(4-1, 1.47) ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 1-4, Home Run, 2 runs, sb ... Wardell Starling PIT 5 5 5 2 1 1 L(2-2, 2.61) ... Adam Russell CHA 5 3 1 0 2 3 W(4-2, 3.19) ... James Parr ATL 6 6 2 2 0 7 L(2-3, 3.63) ... Wallace Torbert CF HOU 3-5, double, run, 2RBI ... Troy Patton HOU 6 0 0 0 1 7 W(1-4, 3.94)

" ... Troy Patton knows he's unlikely to pitch a no-hitter, but he held the Potomac Nationals hitless for six innings ... Winless in his first seven starts, Patton (1-4) allowed just one base runner as Rogearvin Bernadina drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth. The 20-year-old left-hander got Reginald Fitzpatrick to look at a called third strike, then exited after throwing 96 pitches. "I was kind of aware (of the no-hitter), but I tried not to pay too much attention," said Patton, a 2004 ninth-round draft pick of the Houston Astros. "I know I'm not going to throw nine innings; it was never going to be a no-hitter for me because I have a pitch count."  (MLB.com)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  keep an eye on this one, yet another LAD young gun, Alberto Bastardo promoted to A+ after a 1.39 ERA in six starts in A-Ball (and a one-hitter over seven innings in his first A+ start) 5.1 7 1 0 2 10 ... Blake Dewitt LAD 2-4, .299 ... Ryan Patterson TOR 2-4, .342 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO, rehab, 0-3 ...  Homer Bailey CIN 5.0 6 2 1 3 5, 1-4, 3.18 ...  Ryan Braun MIL 2-3, double, 2 walks, .299 ... Charlie Fermaint MIL CF & leadoff 3-5, 2 doubles, .310

MIDWEST (A) --  Eduardo Morlan MIN 7 5 0 0 1 11 (1.67) ... Erik Lis MIN 1-5 (.353) .. Omar Poveda TEX 6 2/3 9 4 3 0 8 (4.19, but 39/10 K/BB for the 18-year-old) ... Jay Bruce CIN 0-4, 2 errors (4) ... Fabian Jimenez Angulo SD 7 4 3 2 2 5 (2.74) ... Kyle Blanks SD 1-2, 14th double ... first semi-clunker Jaime Garcia STL 5 9 4 3 2 8 (2.68) ... Jose Martinez (2B) STL 2-4, HR'd for 3rd straight game (4 in 58 AB) ... like a broken record Nick Adenhart ANA 7 4 1 1 2 6 (W, 7-0, 1.56) ... Mark Reed CHN 1-4 (.366) ... Mitch Atkins CHN 6 3 2 2 2 7 (2.34) ... Justin Upton ARZ 0-3, BB, K (.337) ... 23-year-old badly needs a challenge Mike Wlodarczyk TB 7 3 0 0 1 4 (W, 5-1, 0.82) ... Sean Shoffit TOR 0-4 (.295) ... and in the Pitching Performance of the Night, a stellar follow-up to his no-no Jared Lansford OAK 6 1 0 0 3 4 (W, 3-1, 1.17)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Chorye Spoone BAL (W, 4-1) 5 2 1 1 4 4, 2.29 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 0-4, .292 ... Steven Pearce PIT 2-4, .297 ... Dexter Fowler COL 1-5, SB (19), .307 ... Daniel Barone FLA (W, 4-0) 8-2/3 2 1 1 2 10, 2.39 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-3, HR (13), 2 RBI (37), BB, .340 ... Tom Fairchild HOU (W, 5-3) 6 7 4 3 1 3, 2.52 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 1-3, 2B (15), 2 BB, .391 ... Mike Mooney SF 3-5, HR (6), RBI (22), .326 ... Angel Salome MIL 2-5, RBI (29), .314 ... Marlon Arias LAD 7 4 2 1 1 9, 4.14 ... Jon Niese NYN (W, 6-1) 5 5 1 1 4 7, 3.32 ... Greg Golson PHI 2-5, SB (6), .149 ... Jeff Lyman ATL (W, 3-0) 5-2/3 2 0 0 2 5, 2.29 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 2-5, 2B (5), .250 ... Eric Campbell ATL 3-5, RBI (30), .310 ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 3-4, HR (11), 3 RBI (32), BB, .341, 2 HR & 6 RBI in the last two games ... Austin Jackson NYA 1-2, SB (16), BB, .304 ... CJ Henry NYA 1-2, RBI (10), 2 SB (6), .284 ... Tim Battle NYA 1-4, .250, demoted from Tampa

Indy Ball   " ... Cats' starter Luke Hochevar (0-1) suffered the loss despite allowing only two runs on four hits in six innings of work. He struck out 10, bringing his season total to 19 strikeouts in 11 innings of work. Hochevar left the game after six innings."

College  " ... Tim Lincecum broke the Huskies' single-season wins record with his 12th victory of the year Friday as the Washington baseball team beat Pacific, 5-3 ...  Lincecum worked seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and five walks while striking out 11."  (U of Washington)

" ...  left-hander Andrew Miller allowed just two hits over eight innings and fanned 11 to become North Carolina's career leader in strikeouts ...  Miller (11-1) allowed one unearned run on four walks and two singles to become the Tar Heels' first 11-game winner since 1995. He struck out six through four frames and then fanned five of the final eight batters he faced, including the record-setter on his final batter of the game ...  now has four double-digit strikeout performances this season and eight in his career."

    Troop Movements ...  KC - activated Shane Costa from the DL, recalled Andres Blanco from Triple-A, optioned Justin Huber to Triple-A, designated Kerry Robinson for assignment   ...  CHN - claimed Miguel Negron off waivers from TOR, signed Tony Womack to a minor league contract  ...  TEX - recalled Robinson Tejeda from Triple-A, placed Antonio Alfonseca on the 15-day DL ... BOS - placed Mike Holtz on the 15-day DL, recalled Abe Alvarez from Triple-A ... CIN - signed Joe Mays to a minor league contract ...  NYA - placed Bubba Crobsy on the 15-day DL, purchased the contract of Mitch Jones from Triple-A ...  WAS - Shawn Hill promoted to Triple-A, optioned Ryan Church to Double-A, Alex Escobar reported to be on the way up ... LAD - recalled Lance Carter from Triple-A, optioned Franquelis Osoria to Triple-A ... NYN - designated Jose Lima for assignment ... SD - Cesar Carrillo promoted to Triple-A :

" ...  Carrillo, who joined the Beavers in Memphis on Friday, is the top-ranked prospect in the Padres system and was 1-3 with a 3.02 ERA (17er, 50.2ip) and 43 strikeouts in nine starts with Mobile to start the season. A first-round draft pick (18th overall) of the Padres in 2005, Carrillo, 22, split his rookie season between Class A Lake Elsinore and Mobile, posting a 5-2 record with a 4.95 ERA (31er, 56.1ip) and 64 strikeouts in 12 starts."  (Portland Beavers)

    Bryan Smith, TheBaseballAnalysts, checks out the re-stocking of the MIN farm :

" ...  Jason Kubel ...  Since rejoining the Redwings, Kubel has been solid, if not the International League MVP candidate that many had hoped/predicted. I am giving Kubel the benefit of the doubt by retaining his high prospect status, but he's a slump away from slipping a bit down the team rankings. I like that Jason is still making contact at a solid rate, and while not proving to be a HR hitter, twelve extra base hits in 106 at-bats is good. However, Kubel's sudden desertion of the base on balls is a concern, only 8 walks so far. Kubel is a solid prospect at this point, but I don't think he is the middle of the order hitter that many had hoped. Look for Jason to continue hitting well in AAA, and upon promotion, succeeding in the Majors. But please, no more Edgar Martinez comparisons. He ain't that good."

" ...  Kevin Slowey ...  Another early season example of the college pitcher dominating A-ball competition ...  For some reason, when the Twins decided to move Garza to the Eastern League, Slowey stayed. Apparently, the right-hander's 63/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio was not good enough for the Twins. Drafting Slowey from Winthrop, the Twins expected to get a polished pitcher. Never one to throw a hard fastball, Slowey has always depended on fantastic control and a better change up. By throwing the ball where he wants and changing speeds, Slowey has developed a formula for success ...  At this point in the season, Slowey's numbers are simply out of this world. However, few types of pitchers demand AA results before proper evaluation like Slowey's kind, lacking any projectablity to speak of."

    Cameron Maybin DET placed on the DL (injury, right index finger). And, a top TEX prospect also may be heading for the shelf:

" ... The Rangers are sending pitcher John Danks to be examined by Dr. Keith Meister, the team physician, because of soreness in the left elbow/forearm area. Danks, the Rangers No. 1 draft pick in 2003, is pitching for Double-A Frisco and is 3-4 with a 5.31 ERA. He beat San Antonio on Monday while striking out 12 in six innings and reported the soreness afterward. "The trainer didn't think it was anything dire to be concerned about," assistant general manager Thad Levine said. "But a pitcher of his caliber, we don't want to miss anything, so we're going to have him looked at before he's throwing again."  (MLB.com)

    Scott Rex, OnDeck, updates his top prospect lists (he goes 40 deep) for the A-Ball leagues:

    MIDWEST LEAGUE                SOUTH ATLANTIC
  1 Upton Justin OF, ARZ          Tabata Jose OF, NYA
  2 Maybin Cameron OF, DET        Martinez Fernando OF, NYN
  3 Bruce Jay OF, CIN             Fowler Dexter OF, COL
  4 Adenhart Nick RHP, LAA        McCutchen Andrew OF, PIT
  5 Davis Wade RHP, TB            Andrus Elvis SS, ATL
  6 Wood Travis LHP, CIN          Erbe Brandon RHP, BAL
  7 Rasmus Colby OF, STL          Volstad Chris RHP, FLO
  8 Garcia Jaime LHP, STL         West Sean LHP, FLO
  9 Lansford Jared RHP, OAK       Henry C.J. SS, NYA
 10 Mendoza Tommy RHP, LAA        Snyder Brandon C, BAL


19 May, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Scott Thorman ATL 2-4, 6th & 7th HRs, 2 R, 6 RBI, .305 … rehab, Horacio Ramirez ATL 5 4 0 0 0 6, 1.12 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, .289 … Jason Phillips TOR 2-3, .242 … Sergio Santos TOR 1-3, .229 … David Purcey TOR 6 6 2 2 4 3, 3.62 … Chris Stewart CHA 1-3, .266 … Ryan Raburn DET 3-5, 7th & 8th HRs, 2 R, 2 RBI, .279 … Donald Kelly DET 2-5, 2B, R, BB, .248 … Jordan Tata DET 5 3 1 1 4 7, 7.04 … William Bergolla CIN 3-4, RBI, .281 … Cody Ross CIN 1-2, R, 2 BB, .308 … Hayden Penn BAL 7 5 0 0 1 7, 1.48 … Adam Boeve PIT 3-3, 1.000 … Tom Gorzelanny PIT 8 3 0 0 1 6, 2.56 … Josh Kroeger PHI 2-4, RBI, .221 … B.J. Upton TB 0-4, RBI, BB, 15th error, .291 … Jason Hammel TB 1-2/3 5 3 2 1 0, 4.58 … rehab, Anderson Hernandez NYN 2-4, SB, .419 … rehab, Brian Bannister NYN 0-1/3 1 1 0 0 0, 0.00

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Clint Nageotte SEA 5.0 1 0 0 4 4, 4.24 ... Asdrubal Cabrera SEA 2-4, 2nd homer, .286 ... Luke Scott HOU 2-4, double, 8th homer, .283 ...  Dustin Moseley LAA 1.1 0 0 0 1 0 (taken out with a back injury) ... Kendry Morales LAA 3-4, double, .303 ... Jeff Mathis LAA 2-4, double, .346 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 1-4, double ... Ian Kinsler TEX, another ofer, 0-4, .095 ... Jason Vargas FLO, a good first step back in Triple-A, 6.2 5 3 1 0 4 ... Angel Guzman CHN 7.0 8 2 2 1 7, 5.40 ... Larry Broadway WAS 3-5, double, triple, 5th homer, .336 ... Felix Pie CHN 2-4, 5th homer, .281 ... Dan Meyer OAK 5.0 5 2 2 4 4 ... Daric Barton OAK 0-4, .265 (hitting just .240 vs RHP)

EASTERN (AA)  --  Nate Schierholtz RF SF 1-4, R and 1-4, BB, k ... Alay Soler NYM 7 5 2 2 2 8 ... Matt Garza MIN 7.2 1 0 0 2 13 ... Denard Span CF MIN 2-5, R, RBI, k ... Matt Moses DH MIN 1-5, HR ... Tony Giarratano SS DET 2-3, R, 2B, 2BB ... Kody Kirland 3B DET 2-4, HR, 2RBI, k (6 walks, 60 Ks, .225)  ... Gio Gonzalez PHI 5 3 0 0 3 7

" ... Matt Garza was spectacular in his Double-A debut as the New Britain Rock Cats completed a three-game sweep of New Hampshire ...  the Minnesota Twins' first round draft pick in 2005, limited New Hampshire to one hit and two walks over 7 2/3 shutout innings. The 22-year-old right-hander recorded 13 strikeouts -- just one shy of New Britain's franchise record -- and retired 19 batters in a row after issuing a one-out walk in the second inning ...  Garza was lifted after issuing a two-out walk to Erik Kratz in the eighth inning ... .earned a call-up to the Rock Cats after going 5-1 with a 1.42 ERA over eight starts with Fort Myers of the Class A Advanced Florida State League."  (MLB.com)

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Cesar Carrillo SD 6.0 3 2 2 3 5, 3.02 ... Carlos Marmol CHN 6.0 1 1 1 2 6, 2.42 ... CF Matt Kemp LAD 2-4, 2 walks, .347 ... Andy LaRoche LAD, first sign of a break out, 4-4, double, 5th homer, 4 RBI, .272 ... Justin Ruggiano LAD, 3-5, .264 ... Justin Orenduff, six no-hit innings, 6.0 0 0 0 3 4, 3.62 ... season-long mediocrity, Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL 0-3, PB, .211 ... Joey Votto CIN 1-4, 6th homer, .279 ... taking a beating, Lance Broadway CHA 4.0 11 7 7 2 0, 2.47 ... Tony Peguero TB 6.0 6 2 2 4 2, 2.08

TEXAS (AA)  --  Troy Tulowitzki COL, 1-6, .293 ... Joe Gaetti COL, 2-3, .329 ... Ian Stewart COL, 1-5, .252 ... Jason Koshansky COL, 1-2, homer, 2 RBI, .287 ... Alex Gordon KC, 2-5, double, RBI, .314 ... Travis Metcalf TEX, 1-4, homer, 2 RBI, .239 ... Jake Blalock TEX, 2-4, .267 ... Vasili Spanos OAK, 2-4, homer, RBI, .299 ... Armando Galarraga TEX, 5-1/3 5 4 4 1 6, 6.25 ... JR House 1-2, RBI, .325 ... Josh Anderson HOU, 2-4, .340 ... Jesus Guzman SEA, 3-4, double, .274 ... Mike McCoy StL, 2-4, .246 ... Rico Washington StL, 3-6, double, .307 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 0-3, .250 ... Mike Parisi StL, (W,3-1) 5-1/3 7 2 2 2 3, 4.10

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Billy Buckner KC 6.0 8 2 2 3 3, 5-0, 2.39 ... John Jaso TB 3-4, double, .348 ... Matt Tuiasosopo SEA 3-4, .299 ... Sean Rodriguez LAA 2-4, double, 6th homer, .324 ... James Houser TB 5.2 4 0 0 3 3, 4.50 ...

CAROLINA (A+) --  Ignacio Suarez SS BOS 2-4,double, 2 runs, 3RBI ... Jeff Corsaletti LF BOS 2-3, 2 Home Runs, 4RBI ... Mike Rozema SS ATL 2-4, double, run ... Lou Santangelo C HOU 2-3, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Donny Lucy C CHA 4-4, 2 doubles, Home Run, 3 runs, RBI

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Ryan Barthelemy 3B STL 3-6, double, triple, 6 RBI, .285 ... Ryan Braun MIL 2-5, 5th homer, .291 ... Jeff Larish DET 3-4, 5th homer, .278 ... Ryan Patterson TOR 3-5, .338 ... Gaby Hernandez FLO 3.1 10 8 7 3 3, 5.36 ...  2B Peeter Ramos PHI 4-5, double, walk, .314 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO DH, rehab, 1-4

MIDWEST (A) --  that's a wow Johnny Cueto CIN 7 1 0 0 0 7 (W, 4-1, 2.92) ... Jay Bruce CIN 2-6, 3rd triple, 9th HR (.289) ... Justin Upton ARZ 3-5, 7th double, 2nd HR ... Erik Lis MIN 3-6, 16th double ... Kyle Blanks SD 1-5, 2 K's (.336) ... Daryl Jones SD (1B) 2-3, double, 4th error ... rough night for the kid Tommy Mendoza ANA 4 8 7 7 2 3 (L, 1-5, 5.44; still, a terrific 45/10 K/BB ratio) ... Frank Martinez OAK 1-5, 2 K's (.276) ... Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 0-4 ... Colby Rasmus STL 2-4, 12th double (.314) ... just keeps rolling along Ramon Garcia DET 9 7 1 1 1 6 (1.24) ... Mark Reed CHN 2-4, double

" ... Five days after pitching the first no-hitter in the history of the Dayton Dragons, Johnny Cueto nearly duplicated the feat. Cueto tossed a seven-inning one-hitter on Thursday night ...  It was in the nightcap of a doubleheader last Saturday ... Cueto tossed a five-inning no-hitter, posting a rain-shortened 6-0 triumph ...  the 20-year-old right-hander extended his hitless streak to 8 2/3 innings before William Venable delivered a two-out double in the fourth. Venable turned out to be the only base runner for the Wizards as Cueto struck out seven and did not walk a batter. Over his last two starts, the native of the Dominican Republic has given up one hit and two walks with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings. Cueto, the Cincinnati Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April, is 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA. He has not lost since his first start of the season on April 10, and Midwest League opponents are hitting just .160 against him."

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Leivi Ventura NYN 3-4, 2B (6), 2 HR (6), 3 RBI (21), BB, .263 ... Quincy Ascencion BAL 1-3, .333 ... Chris Volstad FLA (W, 5-3) 7 6 2 2 0 5, 3.81 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 1-3, BB, .340 ... Kris Harvey FLA 2-3, RBI (21), BB, .256 ... Dexter Fowler COL 0-4, .310 ... Eric Young, Jr COL 3-4, 2B (10, RBI (16), SB (30), .287 ... Jo Jo Reyes ATL (W, 5-0) 6-2/3 3 0 0 3 5, 2.78 ... Kelly Johnson ATL 1-4, HR (1), RBI (3), .474, rehab ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-5, 2B (9), HR (8), RBI (29), .300 ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 3-4, 2B (8), HR (10), 3 RBI (29), BB, .328 ... Angel Salome MIL 2-5, RBI (29), .312 ... Brian Peacock WAS 2-5, HR (7), 3 RBI (19), .287 ... Austin Jackson NYA 0-3, BB, .301 ... CJ Henry NYA 0-4, .277

    Troop Movements ...  CHN - activated Kerry Wood from the DL, optioned Jae-Kuk Ryu to Triple-A ... LAD - Greg Miller promoted to Triple-A ...  ATL - activated Lance Cormier from the 15-day DL, optioned Anthony Lerew to Triple-A .. OAK - activated Randy Keisler from the bereavement list, optioned Matt Roney to Triple-A  ... CIN - activated Rich Aurilia from the 15-day DL, optioned Ray Olmedo to Triple-A ... PIT - placed Chris Duffy on the restricted list ...

    Snippets from the weekly International League report :

" ...  Coming off being named IL Batter-of-the-Week, Josh Fields now finds himself with the second best batting average in the International League. His average currently stands at .354 (45-127), while the Knights also rank 2nd with a .260 (350-1348) team average. Other categories in which Fields ranks high include: 1st with a .638 SLG %, T-1st with 20 extra base hits, T-2nd with 8 home runs, 4th with 45 total hits, and T-4th with a .428 OBP."

" ... Infielder Anderson Hernandez, who is with the Tides rehabbing a bulging disc in his back, has had a fantastic start to his rehab stint with Norfolk. Hernandez has played in seven games and posted a .407 average with three stolen bases, and has already registered four multi-hit games. The 23-year-old was placed on the disabled list with New York on April 19 after hitting .146 in 12 games with the Mets."

" ... After committing two errors in the first four games of the season, SkyChiefs shortstop Sergio Santos has gone 26 straight games without committing an error and leads IL shortstops with a .984 fielding percentage."

" ... PawSox ace Abe Alvarez, who led the IL in victories through early May (going 5-0, 2.18), has not pitched since a May 7 win in Rochester. Abe was slated to start today (Thursday) in Buffalo but was washed-out of his scheduled start - once again. Alvarez was supposed to start on May 12 vs. Syracuse and that was rained out, then on May 14 vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and that was rained out (forcing him to throw a simulated game indoors in the McCoy batting cage that day), thus pushing him to May 18 in Buffalo which - alas - was also rained out."

    Angels' farmhand gets a little spanking :

" ...  He was struggling a bit on the mound to be sure, but it was apparent that something else was up when Quakes starting pitcher Jose Arredondo was removed from his start Tuesday after pitching only two innings, allowing one run on no hits and three walks. But it neither the wildness nor an injury were the cause for the early departure. "We took him out for disciplinary reasons," Quakes manager Bobby Mitchell said. "He wasn't just struggling, but he had lost interest." Mitchell said pitching coach Erik Bennett went to the mound during the second inning and wasn't happy with the response he got. "He went out there and didn't feel like he (Arredondo) was into the game and didn't want to pitch," Mitchell said ... "We're not going to have a guy pitch who doesn't want to be out there," Mitchell said. Arredondo, who still leads the league with 59 strikeouts, is expected to make his next scheduled start on Sunday in San Bernardino."

    Now there's an interesting comparison - choose between the Mets' Mike Pelfrey and the Yanks' Philip HughesJohn Sickles, MinorLeagueBall, takes a stab :

" ...  Pelfrey went 2-1, 1.64 in four starts for St. Lucie to begin his pro career, with a 26/2 K/BB ratio in 22 innings. Promoted to Double-A, he is 0-1, 4.15 in four starts, with a 24/9 K/BB in 22 innings ...  Hughes came into 2006 with a career mark of 9-1, 2.07 in 91 innings, with a 101/20 K/BB. He started this year going 2-3, 1.80 in five starts for Tampa, with a 30/2 K/BB in 30 innings. Promoted to Double-A, he is 0-1, 3.71 in three starts, with a 13/7 K/BB in 17 innings ...  both dominated A-ball, both have been adequate in Double-A. Overall I call it even ...  Pelfrey projects as a number one starter at the major league level, a rotation anchor ...  Hughes projects as a number one starter at the major league level, a rotation anchor ...  Hughes is younger and has more classic projection just due to his birthday. Slight edge for Hughes ...  I think Pelfrey has a slight edge in physicality and tools. ... For me, I really worry about Hughes' durability, so today I think I will put Pelfrey just a tad higher. I might change my mind tomorrow."

    Zach Chalifour, TheRotoTimes, on Andy Marte CLE :

" ...  Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2000, Marte has consistently developed, most recently hitting .275 with 20 home runs and 74 RBI at Triple-A Richmond of the International League last season. His top prospect status resulted in Marte being traded twice during the offseason ...  Marte, however, has yet to live up to that billing in the first month and a half of his return to the International League at Triple-A Buffalo. Through 36 games, Marte is batting just .231 with only one home run and eight RBI, and his plate discipline has regressed. After making gigantic strides last year compared to past years (64 BB, 83 K), Marte is currently averaging more than two strikeouts (40) per every walk (18). The question, of course, is what does this mean? While some may be worried about the 22-year-old, I am looking at it as nothing more than a slow start, even though his struggles will soon be pushing the two-month mark ... .  Expect him to take the third base job next season and be in the running for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, even if it takes him another month or two to turn his season around."


18 May, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-4, 2B, R, SB, .269 … Andy Marte CLE 2-4, R, .246 … Ben Francisco CLE 1-3, R, BB, 2 SB, .261 … Jeremy Guthrie CLE 5 4 0 0 1 2, 0.78 … Jerry Owens CHA 2-5, 2 RBI, SB, .227 … Josh Fields CHA 2-4, R, BB, .354 … Casey Rogowski CHA 1-5, 4th HR, R, 3 RBI, .292 … Donald Kelly DET 2-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI, .241 … Cody Ross CIN 2-4, .297 … Ryan Wagner CIN 1 2 1 1 1 0, 7.58 … Rajai Davis PIT 1-2, R, 3 BB, .244 … Sean Burnett PIT 4 8 5 5 3 1, 6.99 … Dustin Pedroia BOS 1-3, 2 R, BB, .255 … Hee-Seop Choi BOS 2-4, 2B, RBI, .273 … Jon Lester BOS 5-2/3 4 2 0 2 5, 3.34 … Josh Kroeger PHI 1-4, 3rd HR, R, 2 RBI, .212 … Matt White PHI 7 8 3 3 2 5, 3.33 … B.J. Upton TB 3-5, R, 0 errors, .299 … Elijah Dukes TB 4-4, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB, .328 … Chris Seddon TB 6 6 2 2 0 3, 4.63 … rehab, Anderson Hernandez NYN 1-3, BB, .407

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  no games scheduled.

EASTERN (AA)  --  Nate Schierholtz RF SF 1-5, 2B, BB, k ... Chris Begg SF 8 4 1 1 1 5 ... Jonathon Sanchez SF 2 1 0 0 1 4 (1.24) ... Brent Clevlen RF DET 3-4, R, 2B, k ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 0-3, 2k ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 1-2 ... Humberto Sanchez DET 6 2 0 0 4 5 ... Nick Pesco CLE 5 5 2 2 0 6 ... Vic Buttler CF PIT 3-5, 3B, HR, 6RBI ... Brett Roneberg LF PIT 2-5, 2R, 2B ... Adam Boeve RF PIT 3-4, 2R, 2B, 2RBI ... Daniel Haigwood PHI 3.1 11 6 6 1 2 ... Jason Roach PIT 4.1 7 4 1 0 3 ... Denard Span CF MIN 2-5, R ... Matt Moses 3B MIN 0-5, RBI ... Adam Harben MIN 5 4 2 2 3 2 ... Michael MacDonald TOR 7 8 4 2 1 3 ... Kory Casto 3B WAS 1-4, HR, 3RBI, BB ... Leo Daigle 1B BAL 3-6, HR, 2RBI, 2k ... James Johnson BAL 6 6 3 3 2 6 ... David Murphy DH BOS 2-5, 2B ... Carl Pavano NYY 1 0 0 0 0 1 ... Tim Cox NYY 2 2 1 1 0 1

" ... Pavano, making his third rehab start on Wednesday, the second for Double-A Trenton, left the game after just one inning with tightness in his right triceps area. The right-hander will be evaluated by Yankees team physician Dr. Stuart Hershon at Yankee Stadium on Thursday."  (MLB.com)

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Ray Liotta CHA 7.0 9 2 2 2 6, 1-5, 3.44 ... awfully good until last night, Micah Owings ARZ 4.0 11 6 6 1 4, 3.61 ... Kevin Randel 2B FLO 4-5, 3 doubles, homer, .284 ... Sean Thompson SD 7.0 3 0 0 1 6, 4.29 ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, 2 doubles, .308 ... Michael Johnson 1B SD, just his 3rd game of the season, 4-5, double, 2 homers, 4 RBI

TEXAS (AA)  --  Vasili Spanos OAK, 2-4, .293 ... Thomas Diamond TEX, 5.0 3 1 1 4 8, 3.44 ... Ray Aguilar OAK, (W,3-2) 6.0 5 1 1 3 8, 3.24 ... nice relief outing... Justin Crowder OAK, 2nd sv, 3.0 2 0 0 0 7, 3.71 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 0-5, .299 ... Jordan Czarniecki COL, 2-3, RBI, 8th SB, .290 ... Alex Gordon KC, 1-3, 8th homer, 20th RBI, BB, .311 ... Ben Zobrist HOU, 2-5, homer, 2 RBI, .329 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 1-5, homer, 2 RBI, 5th SB, .325 ... JR House HOU, 2-4, 2 doubles (12), .322 ... Reid Gorecki StL, 2-5, triple, 2 RBI, .264 ... Rico Washington StL, 2-4, .298 ... Nick Stavinoha StL, 1-4, 3rd homer, 3 RBI, .308 ... Brandon Wood LAA, needs a slumpbuster, 0-4, RBI, .255 ... Stuart Pomeranz StL, (W,5-0) 7.0 4 3 2 1 6, 3.26 ... Mark Worrell StL, 10th sv, 1/3 0 0 0 0 0, 3.57

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Reid Brignac TB 1-3, double, walk, .349 ... John Jaso TB 1-4, homer, .333 ... Nick Pereira SF 6.0 10 3 3 1 2, 1.50 ... Marcus Sanders SF, back up over .200, 2-5, 14th & 14th SBs, .207

CAROLINA (A+) --  Chad Reineke HOU 7 4 1 1 0 4 W(4-2, 1.78) ... Wes Whisler CHA 5 3 1 1 3 4 ... Nolan Reimold RF BAL 3-4, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI .328 ... Jeff Corsaletti LF BOS 2-4, double, Home Run, 3RBI ... Mike Carlin 1B PIT 2-2, double, Home Run, 2 runs ... Andrew Dobies BOS 7 5 4 3 2 4 W(5-0, 3.00) ... Mike James BOS 1 0 0 0 1 0 S(9) ... Rogearvin Bernardina CF WAS 3-6, Home Run, 6RBI, sb ... Argenis Reyes IF CLE 3-6, run, 2RBI ... Ryan Goleski RF CLE 2-7, double, Home Run, 3 runs, 5RBI ... Michael Aubrey DH CLE 3-4, double, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Jensen Lewis CLE 5 4 1 1 1 4 W(6-2, 4.25)

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Jeremy Hermida RF FLO (rehab) 0-2 2BB R … Derek Griffith PHI 7 5 1 1 4 7 L(3-3, 2.10) … Brett Gardner CF NYA 2-5 SB(13), .386 … Mike Swindell NYN 6 1/3 4 0 0 1 3 W(2-0, 0.00) … Ricky Romero TOR 4 2/3 3 1 1 1 5 ND, 2.19 … Jair Jurrjens DET 5 2/3 5 3 1 1 4 ND, 2.15 … Kevin Whelan DET 1 0 0 0 0 1 … Alexi Casilla 2B MIN 3-5 2R, .312 … Kyle Aselton MIN 7 4 1 1 1 4 W(4-1, 2.68) … Drew Anderson 2B CIN 2-5 R, .307 … Jake Fox C CHN 2-4 3RBI, .345

MIDWEST (A) --  expect to hear more about him Mark Reed CHN 2-4, 2nd HR (1st was yesterday), 5th SB (.365) ... Lucas French DET 5 9 6 5 1 1 (380) ... Sean Shoffit TOR 1-5, 10th error (.312) ... Miguel Vega KC 5th HR ... really slumping Michael Saunders SEA 0-3 (.240) .. Zach Phillips TEX 5 5 1 1 2 5 (4.31) .. big '05 Appy season carrying over for the 22-year-old Erik Lis (1B) MIN 15th double, 6th HR (.352) ... Robert Mosebach ANA 8 8 2 2 1 4 (2.74) ... Colby Rasmus STL 4-5, 11th double ... Justin Upton ARZ 3-4, BB (.333)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Matt Maloney PHI (W, 4-3) 6 2 1 1 5 7, 1.89 ... Greg Golson PHI 2-5, 2B (3), RBI (8), .145, 2 hits in one game! ... Quincy Ascencion BAL 2-4, 2B (11), BB, .333 ... Ryan Tucker FLA (L, 0-4) 4-2/3 5 5 5 6 4, 5.51 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 0-3, BB, .341 ... Kris Harvey FLA 1-4, HR (7), RBI (20), .246, 3 homers in the last 2 games ... Dexter Fowler COL 2-4, 3B (3), 2 RBI (15), BB, .319 ...  ATL affiliate with three MLB rehab cases - Chuck James ATL 1 0 0 0 0 1, 0.00, rehab ... Lance Cormier ATL 1 1 0 0 0 0 2, 0.00, rehab ... Kelly Johnson ATL 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (2), .533, rehab ... Eric Campbell ATL 3-4, 2B (8), RBI (28), .297 ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 2-3, 2 RBI (26), BB, .314 ... Cory Wade LAD (L, 2-1) 6 8 4 4 1 12, 3.66 ... Andrew Locke LAD 2-4, RBI (25), .323 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-3, BB, .309 ... Michael Bowden BOS 4-1/3 4 3 3 3 8, 4.50 ... Jeff Natale BOS 3-4, 2 HR (8), 5 RBI (32), BB, .346 ... Tony Granadillo BOS 2-5, 3B (1), HR (3), 6 RBI (32), BB, .282 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 0-4, .393 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-5, 2B (6), RBI (27), .300 ... Austin Jackson NYA 1-4, 2 SB (15), BB, .308 ... Jose Tabata NYA 1-3, .345 ... CJ Henry NYA 2-3, 2 2B (7), BB, .295

    Troop Movements ...  CLE - optioned Ramon Vazquez to Triple-A, recalled Lou Merloni ... FLO - optioned Eric Reed to Triple-A, recalled infielder Robert Andino from Triple-A ... ATL - placed Kyle Davies on the 15-day DL, recalled Anthony Lerew from Triple-A ... MIL - placed J.J. Hardy on 15-day DL, recalled outfielder Corey Hart ... MIN - optioned Kyle Lohse to Triple-A, recalled Boof Bonser ... OAK - sold the contract of Matt Watson to Chiba Lotte of the Japanese League ... TOR - recalled Shaun Marcum from Triple-A ...

    Jim Callis, Baseball America, on Cameron Maybin DET :

" ...  The only reason he lasted 10 picks in the 2005 draft was that the teams at the top wanted more immediate help and thought it would take him a while to translate his impressive tools (which ranked right with Justin Upton's) into production. That hasn’t been the case. Maybin is hitting .330/.409/.510 with one homer, 19 RBIs and six steals in 27 games for low Class A West Michigan, which features one of the toughest hitter's parks in the minors. He has struck out 30 times in 100 at-bats, but he's well ahead of expectations at this point. If he were eligible for the 2006 draft, he'd be the favorite to go No. 1 overall."

    Dayn Perry, FOXSports, rates the best of the outfield prospects and Delmon Young is NOT number one, not even the runnerup:

" ...  1. Justin Upton ...  a lavishly gifted ballplayer who's got all the tools. The Snakes drafted him as a shortstop, but after settling on Stephen Drew at the position they've moved Upton to the outfield. Long-term, Upton will man center, but to ease his adjustment he's also seeing time in left this season at Low-A South Bend. At the plate, he's hitting .313 AVG/.389 OBP/.422 SLG, and on the bases he's got five steals in seven attempts. It'll take some time for the power to develop, but even in the here and now, Upton has an improbably mature approach at the plate. He's a future superstar at the highest level."

" ... 2. Lastings Milledge ...   flush with tools — an ability to hit for average, speed on the bases, power potential, strong arm. He's a ‘tweener in the outfield, meaning he can get by in center but is best suited for corner duty. Last season, Milledge hit .337 AVG/.392 OBP/.487 SLG in Double-A as a 20-year-old, which is noteworthy to say the least. This season, he's at AAA-Norfolk and hitting .278 AVG/.429 OBP/.436 SLG. The average has dropped, but he's made serious strides with his plate discipline — heretofore his only offensive weakness. Milledge continues to put up big numbers despite being substantially younger than his peer group."

The rankings so far :

    CATCHER                  FIRST BASE         SECOND BASE
 1. Clement Jeff             Barton Daric       Kendrick Howie
 2. Saltalamacchia Jarrod    Morales Kendry     Pedroia Dustin
 3. Walker Neil              Huber Justin       Patterson Eric
 4. Napoli Mike              Garko Ryan         Melillo Kevin
 5. Martin Russell           Shealy Ryan        Callaspo Alberto
 6. Kottaras George          Aubrey Michael     Martinez Jose
 7. Iannetta Chris           Mulhern Ryan       Denker Travis
 8. Montero Miguel           Botts Jason        Lowrie Jed
 9. Suzuki Kurt              Harper Brett       Frandsen Kevin
10. Fox Jake                 Kaaihue Kila       Keppinger Jeff
    THIRD BASE               SHORTSTOP          OUTFIELD
 1. Gordon Alex              Wood Brandon       Upton Justin
 2. Marte Andy               Drew Stephen       Milledge Lastings
 3. Stewart Ian              Tulowitzki Troy    Young Delmon
 4. Braun Ryan               Aybar Erick        Young Chris
 5. Moses Matt               Andrus Elvis       Butler Billy
 6. LaRoche Andy             Brignac Reid       Pie Felix
 7. Fields Josh              Nelson Chris       Gonzales Carlos
 8. Whittleman Johnny        Escobar Yunel      McCutchen Andrew
 9. Moore Scott              Bianchi Jeff       Reimold Nolan
10. Duncan Eric              Casilla Alexi      Quentin Carlos

    Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com, forecasts the top 20 of the June draft.  Mayo sees the Royals passing on Andrew Miller :

" ...  1. Kansas City Royals: Tim Lincecum ...   wasn't thrilling on Friday, losing  ...  and allowing 10 hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out just five. He also threw over 130 pitches, following up a 140-plus pitch performance the previous Friday and a one-batter relief outing mid-week. It's the kind of college abuse a scouting director has to cringe at. That being said, if you liked Lincecum before, nothing happened that made you change your mind, so he's definitely still in the mix. The Royals are down to three candidates for this spot: Lincecum, Andrew Miller and Brad Lincoln, with Lincoln throwing the best of the three of late. If the Royals don't take Lincecum, he could slide quite a bit."

" ... 3. Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Evan Longoria ...  They'd still love Miller to slip to them, and they're looking at the college pitchers being mentioned at the top -- Lincoln and Brandon Morrow -- but if Nos. 1 and 2 stay the same, they'll stick with Longoria. He's upped his average this season to .364 to go along with a .491 on-base percentage and .613 slugging after going 5-for-12 over the weekend against UC-Santa Barbara. There is some debate over who the top college position player in the draft is, between Longoria and Texas OF Drew Stubbs. But the Rays are stacked in the outfield, so if all else is equal, Longora at third is their man."

    Royals might yet get some innings from their former phenom :

" ...  Right-hander Zack Greinke is scheduled to throw live batting practice Thursday for the first time since returning from an extended absence to deal with psychological issues. Greinke got the go-ahead after a 62-pitch workout Monday in Surprise. A revised workout plan calls for Greinke to throw 30 pitches Thursday to hitters, then have a regular bullpen workout Saturday before pitching two innings Monday in what club officials term a “controlled atmosphere.”   (KC Star)

CORRESPONDENTS : INT - Herb Walters, PCL - JDM, EASTERN - Harry Almquist, SOUTHERN - JDM, TEXAS - Jared Turner, CALIFORNIA - JDM, CAROLINA - Jimmy Salmon, FLORIDA STATE - Wayne Stevens, MIDWEST - Bob Reed, SOUTH ATLANTIC - Martin Rose 


17 May, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-4, 2B, RBI, SB, .263 … Andy Marte CLE 2-4, R, .239 … Brayan Pena ATL 2-4, RBI, .221 … Scott Thorman ATL 2-5, 5th HR, R, RBI, .301 … Ricardo Rodriguez ATL 6 6 6 6 5 3, 2.34 … Jason Bartlett MIN 2-5, 2B, R, .328 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-4, 2nd HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, .284 … Ryan Roberts TOR 2-5, 2 RBI, .224 … Rob Cosby TOR 2-4, 2nd HR, 2 R, RBI, .239 … Jason Phillips TOR 1-3, R, RBI, BB, .214 … Josh Fields CHA 2-4, R, SB, .350 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-4, .272 … Chris Denorfia CIN 2-5, R, BB, .327 … Eude Brito PHI 5-2/3 7 6 6 2 3, .256 … Carlos Pena NYA 2-3, R, 2 BB, .253 … Darrell Rasner NYA 4-1/3 11 5 4 2 0, 3.15 … B.J. Upton TB 1-5, R, BB, 14th error, .289 … Jamie Shields TB 7 7 5 4 2 10, 3.22 … rehab, Anderson Hernandez NYN 2-4, R, SB, .417

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  John Rheinecker TEX, auditioning for a start with the Rangers, 7.2 5 2 2 1 9 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 0-5, down to .118 ... Daric Barton OAK 0-4, .273 ...  Kendy Morales LAA 2-3, double, 5th homer, .291 ... Jered Weaver LAA, looks like he's ready, 6.0 4 0 0 2 8, 2.44 ... Jeff Mathis LAA 2-4, double ... Chris Snelling SEA 0-1, 2 walks ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 2-4, double, 3rd homer, .256 ... Chris Young ARZ 0-4, 3 Ks ... Dustin Nippert ARZ 6.0 5 0 0 1 2

EASTERN (AA)  --  David Murphy CF BOS 2-4, 2 2B, BB, k ... David Pauley BOS 6 6 0 0 3 5 ... Phil Hughes NYY 5 3 1 1 4 5 ... John Castellano LF PHI 2-5, HR, 3RBI ... Tim Moss 2B PHI 2-3, 2R, 2B, 3B, 2RBI ... Scott Mathieson PHI 7 5 3 3 0 7 ... Kory Castro 3B WAS 1-4, 2B, RBI, k ... Shawn Hill WAS 6 8 2 1 0 3 ... Brian Finch BAL 6 3 2 2 2 5 ... Denard Span CF MIN 1-5, 2R ... Matt Moses 3B MIN 1-5, RBI, 2k ... David Smith RF TOR 3-4, R, 2B

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Danny Richar 2B ARZ 4-5, double, .336 ... Greg Miller LAD, shoddy defense behind him, 0.2 2 6 0 2 0, 0.79  ...  Andy LaRoche LAD 1-3, 4th homer, .257 ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL, still no sign of a breakout, 0-4, .219 ... 2B Elliot Johnson TB 2-5, 10th double, 8th homer, .325 ... Luis Montanez CHN, just keeps producing, 2-5, homer, 4 RBI, .369

TEXAS (AA)  --  Rico Washington StL, 1-4, homer, 2 RBI, .291 ... Alex Gordon KC, 1-3, .310 ... Billy Butler KC, 3-5, double, 2 RBI, .292 ... Jake Blalock TEX, 2-3, SB, .260 ... Nick Masset TEX, 6.0 2 0 0 1 6, 2.20 ... Travis Blackley SEA, 7.0 5 0 0 2 4, 3.35 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 0-5, 3 K, .262 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 1-3, homer, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .310 ... Ian Stewart COL, 0-2, BB, K, 7th error, .254 ... Chris Ianetta COL, 1-3, homer, 2 RBI, .288 ... Juan Morillo COL, W,4-2, 5-1/3 4 3 1 2 9, 3.16 ... Travis Buck OAK 2-6, 2 doubles ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, 1-6, .297 ... Walter Young HOU, 3-4, .261 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 1-1, .329 ... pitching duel... Benjamin Fritz OAK, 8.0 6 0 0 0 6, 3.42 ... Mitch Talbot HOU, 6.0 3 0 0 0 6, 3.24 ... Jailen Peguero HOU, 2.0 1 0 0 3 2, 0.87

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Landon Powell OAK 2-3, double, 6th homer, .282 ... Reid Brignac TB 3-6, missed the cycle by a single, 9th double, 2nd triple, 7th homer, 5 RBI, 5th SB, .349 ... Matt Miller COL 4-5, 10th double, 8th homer, 5 RBI, .327 ... Jose Arredondo LAA, just two innings, no word of an injury, 2.0 0 1 1 3 2

CAROLINA (A+) --  Trey Webb 2B WAS 0-3 .321 ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-3, sb(15) .297 ... Ryan Goleski RF CLE 1-2, Home Run .302 ... Jordan Brown LF CLE 2-3, Home Run, 2 runs, 2RBI .265 ... Aaron Laffey CLE 7 5 0 0 0 5 W(3-1, 2.41) ... Wallace Torbert LF HOU 2-4, double, run, sb .305 ... Jack Egbert CHA 7 7 1 1 0 6 W(3-3, 3.19) ... Matt Harrison ATL 7 4 0 0 1 5 W(4-3, 2.90) ... Kevin Hart BAL 6.1 5 2 1 3 3 L(2-3, 2.66) ... Luis Ramirez BAL 6 7 2 2 1 9 W ... Onil Joseph OF ATL 6-7, 2 doubles, triple, run, 3RBI ... Paco Figueroa 2B BAL 4-6, 2 doubles, 2 runs .315 ... Jeff Corsaletti LF BOS 3-8, double, 2 runs, 2RBI ... Claudio Arias RF BOS 2-8, double, Home Run, 3RBI ... Matthew Goodson BOS 5 4 0 0 3 5 ... Dustin Craig PIT 5 1 0 0 0 7

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Scott Elbert LA 4 1/3 3 4 2 4 5 L(1-4, 2.41) … Brett Gardner CF NYA 2-3 double, 2R 2RBI, .385 … Jake Fox DH CHN 3-4 double, triple, R 3RBI, .341 … Mark Holliman CHN 7 3 1 1 2 10 W(2-3, 3.50) … James Happ PHI 5 3 4 0 2 8 L(2-4, 2.22) … Ryan Braun 3B MIL 2-4 double, tenth error, .288 … Kevin Ardoin DET 9 6 0 0 0 1 W(4-2, 2.33) … quite a pitching duel,  Kevin Slowey MIN 7 3 0 0 0 10 ND, 1.12 … Blake Hawksworth STL 6 1 0 0 3 4 ND, 2.47

MIDWEST (A) --  solidly rolling along Justin Upton ARZ 2-3, 6th double (.313/.389/.422 with 10/15 BB/K in 83 AB) ... overmatching the league Wade Davis TB 5 2 0 0 0 8 (1.08) ... Jose Vallejo TEX 3-4 (.261) .. Paul Kelly MIN 2-4, 9th double ... patience and pop Jay Bruce CIN 3-3, 13th double, 8th HR, BB ... Colby Rasmus STL 2-3, BB, 10th SB (.293) ... 22-year-old needs a promotion Justin Thomas SEA 6 3 0 0 2 5 (W, 4-3, 1.86) ... Mark Reed [C] CHN 1-4, 1st HR, runner gunned (.356 in 59 AB) ... Carlos Rosa KC 6 2/3 2 1 1 2 6 (2.41) ... Miguel Vega KC 2-3, 4th HR

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Andrew McCutchen PIT 0-4, .303 ... Brandon Erbe BAL 4 2 0 0 3 7, 2.18 ... Ryan Finan BAL 2-4, HR (3), 5 RBI (23), BB, .237 ... Quincy Ascencion BAL 2-4, 3B (1), .327 ... Aaron Thompson FLA (W, 3-2) 6 5 2 1 2 4, 3.30 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 4-4, 2 2B (9), HR (12), 4 RBI (35), BB, .348, on fire again ... Kris Harvey FLA 3-4, 2B (6), 2 HR (6), 4 RBI (19), BB, .246 ... Dexter Fowler COL 1-4, .314 ... Eric Young, Jr COL 2-2, sB (28), 2 BB, .281 ... Will Inman MIL 5 5 1 1 0 6, 0.87, for the year: 3 ER, 38 K, 3 BB in 31 innings ... Angel Salome MIL 2-4, 2B (13), RBI (28), .308 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 1-2, 2B (14), BB, .407 ... Eric King HOU 0-4, .355 ... JR Towles HOU 0-4, .333 ... Austin Jackson NYA 0-3, BB, .309 ... Jose Tabata NYA 1-3, HR (4), RBI (33), BB, .345 ... CJ Henry NYA 3-4, 3B (1), RBI (9), .276 ... Beau Jones ATL 2-2/3 6 3 3 3 7, 3.33 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-5, 2B (7), RBI (27), .284 ... Kala Ka'aihue ATL 2-3, HR (9), RBI (24), 3 BB, .305 ... Andrew Locke LAD 3-6, 2B (7), HR (3), 3 RBI (24), .317 ... Russ Mitchell LAD 2-6, HR (5), 3 RBI (28), SB (1), .294 ... Sergio Pedroza LAD 1-4, 3 RBI (30), 2 BB, .304

    Troop Movements ...  CLE - activated Rafael Betancourt from the 15-day DL, optioned Jeremy Guthrie to Triple-A ... KC - released Joe Mays ... OAK - purchased the contract of Steve Karsay, recalled Matt Roney, optioned Jeremy Brown to Triple-A, placed Randy Keisler on the bereavement list ... MIL - claimed Chris Mabeus off waivers from OAK and optioned him to Triple-A, designated Jared Fernandez for assignment ...  SD - recalled Mike Thompson, optioned Cla Meredith to Triple-A ... TOR - placed Gustavo Chacin on the 15-day DL ... LAA - recalled Erick Aybar from Triple-A ...

    Nate Stephens, RotoWorld.com, on Cesar Carillo SD :

" ...   looks like an excellent prospect that could help a major league rotation in short order. Carrillo was a dominant pitcher at the University of Miami as a sophomore and junior ... Seen as a poised competitor, Carrillo lasted to the Padres at No. 18 in the 2005 draft mostly because of his lanky frame. At 6’3” and 180 pounds, Carrillo won’t be confused for a power hitter any time soon. However, a sinking fastball, that he’ll throw anywhere from 90-96 MPH, combine with quality secondary offerings in a curveball and changeup to make him a force on the mound. Carrillo started his career at High-A Lake Elsinore where he posted a disappointing 7.01 ERA. His peripherals indicated he was pitching much better, and a five-start trial with Double-A Mobile saw his ERA drop to 3.23 as his hit rate normalized. Between the two levels, Carrillo struck out 64 and walked 16 in 56 1/3 innings of work. The Padres’ director of player development, Tye Waller, was so impressed he stated that the club gave some thought to calling Carrillo up to the big leagues late in the season. Back at Mobile to start the 2006 campaign, Carrillo has continued to show his advanced control and approach by recording a 3.02 ERA to go with 38 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 2/3 innings ...   He may not strike out enough batters to be a true fantasy ace, but he certainly has No. 2 starter potential."

    John Franco, SportsBlurb, (subscription) on a pair of top minor league producers in the early going :

" ...  Elijah Dukes ...  Who knew that Dukes would be the well-behaved outfielder in the Rays’ system? With teammate Delmon Young serving a 50-game suspension, Dukes has earned praise for his solid play and relatively good behavior in Durham this year despite having run-ins with the law and his coaches in previous seasons. Through 29 games, Dukes is hitting .284-4-17 with an excellent .371 on-base percentage and 13 extra-base hits in 102 at-bats. Given his youth (Dukes will be 22 in June) and his considerable talent, if his improved attitude is for real, we could be close to seeing Dukes realize his five-tool potential."

" ... Nick Adenhart ...  After blowing out his elbow just weeks before the 2004 draft, Adenhart dropped from a sure first round pick to the Angels in the 14th round. He worked 50 innings last year between the Arizona League and Pioneer League, posting a 3.24 ERA and 59 strikeouts along the way. Since he was picked out of high school, Adenhart won’t turn 20 until the end of August, and since most pitchers miss a year with injury anyway, he’s not even really behind schedule. So far this season, he is 5-0 with a 1.65 ERA for the Kernels (great name for a minor league team, by the way!) and a 46:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio."


16 May, 2006

    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Jake Dittler CLE 6 9 4 4 1 3, 5.62 … Casey Rogowski CHA 2-4, R, RBI, .295 … Charles Haeger CHA 6 4 0 0 6 6, 0.59 … Ryan Raburn DET 1-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB, .264 … Donald Kelly DET 2-5, 3B, R, SB, .235 … Zach Miner DET 5-1/3 7 2 2 2 4, 2.18 … Tonys Gutierrez CIN 1-3, R, 2 BB, .284 … William Bergolla CIN 2-5, R, .267 … Cody Ross CIN 0-2, 2 BB, HBP, .286 … Ryan Wagner CIN 2 0 0 0 0 1, 7.50 … Eli Whiteside BAL 2-4, 2nd HR, 2 R, RBI, .182 … Hee-Seop Choi BOS 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI & 1-3, 3B, RBI, .275 … Craig Hansen BOS 4 5 0 0 0 4, 2.25 … Christian Garcia NYA 2-4, R, RBI, SF, .248 … Carlos Pena NYA 2-5, R, .238 … B.J. Upton TB 2-3, 3B, 4th HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, .292 … Elijah Dukes TB 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, .309 … Edwin Jackson TB 6 7 3 3 2 6, 4.97 … Lastings Milledge NYN 0-2, 3 R, BB, 2 HBP, .287 … rehab, Anderson Hernandez NYN 4-5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, SB, .400

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  Edinson Volquez TEX 3.0 4 6 4 7 4, 5.18 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 0-4 ... Steven Shell LAA 5.0 2 1 1 3 3, 1.96 ... Felix Pie CHN 1-3, 4th homer, .271 ... Howie Kendrick LAA 0-4, 3 Ks ... Jeff Mathis LAA 1-3, double, .318 ... Nic Ungs FLO 9.0 4 0 0 0 4, 2.59 ... Cesar Jimenez SEA 6.0 7 1 1 1 5, 0-3, 5.40 ... Jason Stokes FLO 0-3, .269 ... Scott Hairston ARZ, outperforming his more highly rated teammates, 3-5, .312 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 1-5, double, .248 ... Justin Leone SD 2-4, 9th & 10th homer, .316 ...  Joel Guzman LAD, slumping, 0-3, .296

EASTERN (AA)  --  Steven White NYA 6.0 3 0 0 2 2, just 30 Ks in 47 1/3 innings, but 2.28 ... J-Brent Cox NYA 2.0 0 0 0 2 1, 1.78 ... Brett Roneberg PIT 2-4, 5th homer, .350

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Paul Mildren FLO 7.0 6 2 2 0 11, 3.80 ... Miguel Montero ARZ, revitalized, 2-4, 7th homer, .286 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 1-4, 3rd homer, .255 ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, triple, 14th SB, .305

TEXAS (AA)  --  Alex Gordon KC, 1-4, RBI, .310 ... Billy Butler KC, 0-3, .282 ... Mitch Maier KC, 2-4, double, homer, RBI, .282 ... Brandon Wood LAA, 1-3, 4th SB, .271 ... Joe Gaetti COL, 1-3, double, 2 RBI, .323 ... Ian Stewart COL, slumping, 0-4, .257 ... James Holcomb LAA, 7.0 2 3 1 2 4, 3.91 ... Manuel Corpas COL, 9th sv, 1.0 0 0 0 0 0, 1.86 ... Adam Morrissey TEX, 2B, callup, 2-5, 2 homers, 2 RBI ... Anthony Webster TEX, 3-4, double, .311 ... Wladimir Balantien SEA, windmill, 0-4, 4 K, .246 ... John Danks TEX, looking good, (W,3-4) 6.0 3 3 3 1 12, 5.31 ... Kurt Suzuki OAK, 0-3, .304 ... Josh Anderson HOU, 1-4, .342 ... Ben Zobrist HOU, 1-2, double, .333 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 0-3, .324 ... Brad Knox OAK, 6-2/3 4 1 1 1 2, 6.49 ... Matt Albers HOU, 7-1/3 4 1 1 1 5, 1.79 ... becoming one of my favorites Jailen Peguero HOU, 11th sv, 1.0 0 0 0 0 2, 0.96

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Carlos Gonzalez ARZ 1-5, homer, .271 ... ah, the inconsistency of young SPs, Eric Hurley TEX 4.0 5 5 5 2 5, 2.83 ... Richie Robnett OAK 2-5, 5th homer, .282 ... Marcus Sanders SF, battling to reach the Mendoza Line, 1-3, 2 walks, .198 ...

CAROLINA (A+) --  just one game, Thomas Hottovy BOS 6.2 7 4 4 3 3, 2.30

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  Anthony Swarzak MIN 5 4 2 2 1 8 W(2-3, 4.62) … Javon Moran CF CIN 2-4 double, .462 … Sean Gallagher CHN 6 5 2 2 1 7 W(3-0, 2.09) … Mike Costanzo 3B PHI 2-5, .250 … Brad Harmon 2-4 R, .263 … Jose Garcia FLO 5 2/3 11 7 4 0 5 W(4-1, 2.54) … Andrew Kown DET 6 6 1 1 1 3 W(1-0, 1.80) …, streaky (last week a 6-6, three homer, 2 double day)  Ryan Patterson LF TOR 5-6 HR(9) double, 4R 2RBI, .331 … Robinzon Diaz C TOR 5-6 2R RBI, .333 … Marcos Vechionacci 3B NYA 2-5 R, .173 … In relief, Matt Merricks 3 1 0 0 3 2 ND, 3.86

MIDWEST (A) --  Travis Wood CIN 5 2 2 1 1 6 (4.26) ... touch of a slump Jay Bruce CIN 0-7, BB, 2 K's (.273) ... Jose Escalona SEA 4 7 3 3 1 5 (3.48) ... cooling Jeffrey Dominguez SEA 0-7 (.303) ... Jacob McGee TB 5 4 3 3 2 6 (L, 3-5, 3.12) .. Daryl Jones SD 1-4, 6th HR (.286) ... Kyle Blanks SD 1-4, K (.340, outstanding 18/21 BB/K ratio) ... Vincent Mazzaro OAK 2 1/3 6 3 3 3 0 ... Paul Kelly MIN 3-5 (.264) ... he needed it Kyle Waldrop MIN 9 4 0 0 1 5 (ERA drops to 3.99) .. he turns 23 in July (a 4th rounder in 2002, but this bears reporting Jordan Renz (RF) ANA 4-5, 13th double, 7th & 8th & 9th homers, and 10 RBI's (now .303 for the season)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Sean West FLA 5 1 1 1 1 2, 0.64 ... Jonathan Fulton FLA 3-3, 2 HR (5), 2 RBI (6), BB, .182 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 0-3, BB, .328 ... Dexter Fowler COL 1-4, .316 ... Chris Nelson COL 0-2, SB (5), BB, .294 ... Chris Vines ATL (W, 4-1) 6 3 0 0 3 7, 3.56 ... Eric Campbell ATL 2-4, 2B (6), 3B (2), 2 RBI (26), .279 ... Elvis Andrus ATL 1-3, 3B (2), RBI (20), .244 ... Brent Leach LAD 6 5 4 4 4 6, 3.21 ... Shairon Martis SF (L, 1-1) 3 3 2 1 0 4, 6.17 ... Derek Miller MIL (W, 3-1) 5 3 1 1 4 7, 2.54 ... Angel Salome MIL 1-4, 2B (12), 2 RBI (27), .303 ... Clay Buchholz BOS 4-2/3 6 3 3 2 2, 1.93 ... Jeff Natale BOS 0-3, BB, .333 ... Ole Sheldon HOU 1-4, 2B (13), .410 ... Eric King HOU 2-4, RBI (19), .368 ... JR Towles HOU 0-3, BB, .346 ... Eli Iorg HOU 3-4, .230 ... Justin Maxwell WAS 1-5, 3B (2), 2 RBI (6), .178 ... Austin Jackson NYA 4-5, RBI (19), .316 ... Jose Tabata NYA 0-3, 2 BB, .345

    Troop Movements ...  MIN - Matt Garza promoted to Double-A ... BAL - placed Daniel Cabrera on the 15-day DL, recalled Chris Britton from Double-A ... FLO - optioned Jason Vargas to Triple-A, recalled Renyel Pinto from Triple-A ... BOS - acquired Brad Baker from ATL to complete an earlier trade ...  KC - purchased the contract of Joe Nelson from Triple-A. placed Chris Booker on the 15-day DL ...

    A salute to some of the Hitters / Pitchers of the Week :

Texas League  " ...  Hunter Pence [HOU] ...  five home runs and 11 RBI on the week were enough to vault him into the Texas League lead in those categories ... Of a total of eight hits for the week, seven were for extra bases as the young Texas slugger also had a pair of doubles. Pence was selected in the second round of the 2004 draft by Houston, making him their first pick that year. He has destroyed pitching wherever he has gone, accumulating 25 home runs in just 302 at-bats last year for Lexington of the South Atlantic League." (Texas League)

Southern  " ... Luis Montanez [CHN]  ...  swung a hot bat last week, hitting .533 with 5 doubles, a home run, 10 RBI, a .548 on-base percentage and an .800 slugging percentage to earn Hitter of the Week honors ...  Currently, Montanez leads the Southern League with a .368 batting average as well as a .441 on-base percentage and ranks second with 49 hits. The Chicago Cubs made the 24-year-old Montanez the third overall pick of the 2000 draft " (Southern League)

Southern  " ... Lance Broadway [CHA] ...   went 1-0 and did not allow an earned run in two starts on his way to earning Pitcher of the Week honors. On May 8 at Tennessee, he pitched the league's first nine-inning complete-game shutout of the season, allowing just four hits while striking out seven in the winning effort. In his second start of the week ...  he allowed an unearned run on seven hits and three walks while fanning five but did not receive a decision for his efforts. Broadway currently carries a 15.1 inning streak in which he has not allowed an earned run ... leads the Southern League with a 1.42 ERA and 50.2 innings pitched and is tied for third with 4 wins. The Chicago White Sox made the 22-year-old Broadway the fifteenth overall pick in the 2005 draft."  (Southern League)

International   " ...  Josh Fields [CHA} ...  hit safely in all seven games, raising his batting average by more than 50 points. His 14 hits led the International League during that span, eight of which were extra-base hits, including an IL-best five home runs. The 23-year-old infielder, now hitting .357 with 8 HR and 23 RBI on the season  ...  Fields finds himself near the top of the League in several offensive categories, including slugging percentage (1st, .670), extra-base hits (1st, 20), home runs (T-1st, 8), batting average (3rd, .357), and doubles (4th, 12) ...  was drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft by Chicago."  (International League)

Carolina  " ... Radhames Liz  [BAL] ...  tossed five no-hit innings in his season debut on April 12 and hasn't looked back since. This week, the 22-year-old phenom allowed just an unearned run in 11 innings and picked up a pair of victories. Liz has yet to lose a game this season and opponents are batting just .135 against him."  (MLB.com)

Florida State  " ...  Gaby Hernandez [FLO] ...   surrendered a single run in each of his two starts this week, earning a well-deserved win on Monday and a no-decision on Saturday. The 19-year-old right-hander struck out 12 and walked just one over his two starts. He now has 42 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings pitched on the season."  (MLB.com)

Florida State  " ... Aaron Mathews [TOR] ...  has collected at least two hits in each of his last seven games. On Monday, the 24-year-old center fielder had a game to remember, going 6-for-7 with six runs scored as Dunedin defeated Vero Beach, 19-12. On Friday, Mathews went 4-for-4 with a double and a triple. On May 5, he was batting .209. His average currently sits at .390."

Midwest  " ... Jordan Renz [LAA] ...  Renz's impressive week got off to a blazing start. On Monday, the 22-year-old Oklahoman went 2-for-4 with a homer, double, three RBIs and a run scored. On Tuesday, he went 3-for-4 with a homer, triple, three runs scored and two RBIs. Renz now has 33 hits on the season, 20 of which have gone for extra-bases."

    A couple of California League snippets from MLB.com :

" ...  Shortstop Matt Tuiasosopo went 1-for-8 during a two-game span May 5-6, but that turned out to be the least of his troubles. He suffered lacerations on his left elbow in a kitchen accident, according to the Modesto Bee, and has not played in the last six games. It has largely been an up-and-down season for the top prospect, who turned 20 on Wednesday. Batting .239 on April 26, Tuiasosopo went 11-for-16 over the next four games and was hitting .305 before injuring his elbow."

" ... Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez has batted third in 30 of the JetHawks' 35 games this season, but in the last two weeks he's surged at the plate. The 20-year-old Venezuela native finished last week batting .429 (9-for-21), raising his season average to .274. Interestingly, the left-handed-hitting Gonzalez has fared better against southpaws this year, batting .303 against lefties and .264 against right-handers."

    Jeff Mathis LAA getting back on track.

" ...  Even more encouraging than the offensive numbers Jeff Mathis has produced since his demotion to triple-A Salt Lake — a .317 batting average and 10-game hitting streak — are reports that the rookie catcher has regained his form behind the plate. "He's doing things that he did last year [and] that we saw in the spring," Manager Mike Scioscia said of Mathis, who hit .103 and had a catcher's earned-run average of 5.91 with the Angels. Though he didn't rule out having three catchers on the roster at some point this season, Scioscia said the Angels wouldn't recall Mathis unless there was a role for him. "The first thing is to get his game together," Scioscia said. "Until he can relax and play and can start to move in that direction, to consider him up here wouldn't make a lot of sense. But as he moves in that direction and plays well, he'll get a role up here because he's a heck of a player."  (LA Times)

    Andy Marte is one of five prospects singled out by John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, in a piece about prospects not living up to expectations.

" ...   Marte ... played well early but fell into a slump when the calendar turned over to May. No word about any hidden injury, although that's possible. It's also possible he is simply discouraged about not making the team in spring training. Given his age (22), the fact that he is still controlling the strike zone reasonably well, and his previous track record, I am not overly concerned about him long-term. His strikeout rate is up this year, possibly a sign of excessive power-consciousness. . . he may be trying too hard to hit for power in an attempt to get back to the majors ...  Is There Hope?: Of course. I think he's just pressing right now."

    Josh Fields gets the nod as the top dog at RotoAmerica's Who's Hot (for the week of 08 to 14 May) :

" ...  Fields, 3B, CHW – Eight homers and a .357 average = a breakout year in Triple-A. Watch out Joe Crede."

" ... 2. Nick Adenhart, RHP, LAA – Teenager is blowing away Low-A hitters to the tune of a 1.60 ERA. He may be one of baseball’s top 10 pitching prospects in our mid-year top 100 update."

Among those on the Who's Not list ... Marcus Sanders SF, Brandon Wood LAA and Andy LaRoche LAD :

" ...  LaRoche ...  A breakout 2005 following by a .711 OPS in Double-A to begin 2006. On a positive note: 26 walks to 20 K’s, but he needs to make more contact and drive the ball (just two homers to date).

    Over at Baseball America, Chris Kline and Matt Meyers go for Adenhart at No. 1 and the BAL wiz kid as the runnerup :

" ...  2. Radhames Liz ...  already has two double-digit strikeout performances this season, and while he only posted six K's in as many innings in his last start against Kinston, he didn't allow a hit until his final inning of work. Liz is dominating the Carolina League to the tune of 4-0, 1.18 with 56 strikeouts in 38 innings. Only Adenhart's 17 K's in his last two outings keep Liz out of the top spot."

"  ... 3. Matt Kemp ...  Sure, we banged him last week after he allegedly punched Birmingham manager Chris Cron in the face in one of three brawls between the two teams last Saturday. But the Dodgers say Kemp never hit anyone and since then, all he's done is hit baseballs . . . hard. Over his last 24 at-bats, Kemp is hitting .413 with a pair of homers and nine RBIs."


15 May, 2006

Thanks for your support !    INTERNATIONAL (AAA) --  Franklin Gutierrez CLE 1-3, 3rd HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, .257 … Ryan Garko CLE 4-5, 3 R, .282 … Ben Francisco CLE 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, .267 … Brayan Pena ATL 3-4, R, .210 … Jason Bartlett MIN 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, .326 … Terry Tiffee MIN 2-4, R & 1-3, 2B, .277 … Jason Kubel MIN 2-4, 3B, 3rd HR, 2 R, 4 RBI & 0-4, .289 … J.D. Durbin MIN 5-2/3 5 3 3 4 6, 3.53 … Ryan Roberts TOR 2-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, .217 … John Hattig TOR 2-3, 1st HR, R, RBI & 0-2, BB, .293 … Josh Banks TOR 4 8 6 5 0 3, 3.60 … Josh Fields CHA 5-5, 2B, 7th & 8th HRs, 4 R, 3 RBI, .357 … Sean Tracey CHA 6-2/3 9 3 3 2 4, 2.65 … Ryan Raburn DET 2-4, .263 … Wil Ledezma DET 5-2/3 9 4 4 3 3, 3.18 … Chris Denorfia CIN 3-4, RBI, .326 … William Bergolla CIN 2-5, R, .260 … Justin Germano CIN 6-2/3 6 4 4 1 6, 5.09 … Carlos Pena NYA 2-4, 3rd HR, R, RBI, .227 … Ramiro Mendoza NYA 6 3 0 0 1 4, 0.00 … B.J. Upton TB 1-4, 0 errors, .284 … Elijah Dukes TB 2-3, 2B, R, BB, .295 … Brian Stokes TB 5 5 5 2 2 3, 2.06

" ... Josh Fields continued his torrid hitting on Sunday, going 5-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs to power the Charlotte Knights to a 7-3 victory ...  Fields, who also scored four runs, slammed a solo shot in the first inning and his league-leading eighth of the year with a man on in the fourth to forge a 3-3 tie. The 23-year-old third baseman has homered in four straight games and is batting .519 (14-for-27) during a seven-game hitting streak that has raised his average to .357." (MLB.com)

PACIFIC COAST (AAA)  --  whatever happened to Jerome Williams CHN 4.1 12 6 6 2 2, 0-3, 6.45 ... Felix Pie CHN 0-4, .270 ... Erick Aybar LAA (reported to be the replacement for Howie Kendrick with the Angels) 2-4, .292 ... Kendry Morales LAA 4-5, 4 RBI, .289 ... Ryan Shealy COL 2-4, homer ... Chad Billingsley LAD, nice rebound from a pounding, 5.0 3 1 1 3 9, 4-0, 3.24 ... James Loney LAD, a little power begins to show, 2-4, double, homer, 5 RBI, .385 ... Jason Stokes FLO 0-5, 3 Ks, .278 ... Chris Young ARZ 2-3, double

EASTERN (AA)  --  Adam Loewen BAL 5 9 2 2 4 3 ... Tony Giarratano SS DET 2-4, 2B ... Nate Bumstead DET 7 6 2 2 5 7 ... Zach Segovia PHI 7 5 0 0 1 7 ... Kory Castro 3B WAS 1-3, 2k ... Brad Snyder RF CLE 1-3, BB, k and 0-2, R, 2RBI, BB ... Sean Smith CLE 7 2 0 0 0 6 ... Mike Pelfrey NYM 5 7 3 3 4 3 ... Landon Jacobsen PIT 6.1 6 1 1 3 3 ...  Adam Miller CLE 4.1 8 3 3 2 4, 3.64

SOUTHERN (AA) --  Miguel Montero ARZ, battling out of a slump, 2-5, 6th homer, .278 ... Tyler Lumsden CHA 8.0 4 0 0 1 3, 4-1, 2.91 ... Jim Magrane TB 6.0 7 1 1 1 4, 6-2, 2.61 ... Eric Patterson CHN 2-4, .300 ... George Kottaras SD 3-3, double, .302

TEXAS (AA)  --  Brandon Wood LAA, 0-4, 2K, .270 ... Matthew Brown LAA, 1-3, 4th SB, .305 ... Troy Tulowitzki COL, 2-3, double, 2 RBI, .317 ... Ian Stewart COL, 2-5, double, .265 ... Ubaldo Jimenez COL, (W,3-2) 6.0 2 1 1 3 10, 4.26 ... Ben Zobrist HOU, 2-3, .331 ... Hunter Pence HOU, 0-4, RBI ... Juan Gutierrez HOU, (W,3-2) 7.0 5 1 1 2 6, 4.93 ... Alex Gordon KC, 2-3, RBI, .312 ... Billy Butler KC, 1-2, 3 RBI, .288 ... Seung Song KC, (W,3-3) 5.0 3 1 1 4 2, 3.96 ... Casey Benjamin TEX, 3-5, double, 2 RBI, .345 ... Bryan LaHair SEA, 2-3, .347 ... Wladimir Balantien SEA, 2-4, homer, double, 2 RBI, .254

CALIFORNIA (A+) --  Marcus Sanders SF 2-3, double, 12th SB, 7th error, .194 ... Richie Robnett OAK 2-4, 4th homer, 4 RBI, .277 ... Cesar Nicolas ARZ 2-3, homer, 3 RBI, .254

CAROLINA (A+) --  lots of rain in Mid-Atlantic States, just 1 game ...Jarod Rine CF BAL 3-6, double, run, 2RBI .266 ... Michael Russell C BAL 2-5, 2 Home Runs, 3 runs .167 ... Trevor Crowe CF CLE 2-3, double, 3 runs, RBI .289 ... Stephen Head 1B CLE 2-5, Home Run .262 ... Brian Barton LF CLE, extending his hit streak to 22 games, 2-5, 2 doubles, run, 3RBI .347 ... Ryan Goleski RF CLE 1-3, Home Run, 3RBI .298

FLORIDA STATE (A+) --  No games scheduled.

MIDWEST (A) --  teenager spins an abbreviated--and slightly sloppy--gem Jared Lansford OAK 7 0 0 0 5 2 (W, 2-1, 1.59) ... Kyle Blanks SD 1-4, K ... Donald Veal CHN 5 2/3 3 1 1 3 9 3.09) ... Justin Upton ARZ 0-2, 2 BB's, 2 K's, 5th SB, CS .. dazzling again Nick Adenhart ANA 7 7 1 1 0 8 (W, 6-0, 1.60) ... Sean Shoffit TOR 0-4 (.318) ... Omar Poveda TEX 6 5 2 2 2 8 (4.22) ... Paul Kelly MIN 1-5, 8th double

Once, Hermansen was near the top of the prospect charts, as a shortstop :

Indy Ball -  " ... Sioux Falls LF Chad Hermansen goes 4-5 with three RBI and three runs scored, including a home run to power the Canaries past the Blacksnakes." (American Association)

SOUTH ATLANTIC (A) --  Quincy Ascencion BAL 1-3, .320 ... Jon Niese NYN (L, 5-1) 6 7 4 3 2 5, 3.52 ... Craig Stammen WAS (W, 1-6) 7 3 0 0 3 3, 3.64 ... Marlon Arias LAD (L, 3-3) 7 4 3 2 1 9, 4.66 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 0-4, .312 ... Steven Pearce PIT 2-4, 2B (12), RBI (36), .299 ... Chris Jones BOS 6 5 2 2 1 4, 1.71 ... Jeff Natale BOS 1-4, 2B (9), BB, .349 ... Daniel Barone FLA 6 8 4 4 1 9, 2.68 ... Dan Griffin SF 5 4 4 4 3 5, 4.11 ... Pablo Sandoval SF 3-7, 2 2B (7), 2 RBI (19), .282 ... Gaby Sanchez FLA 2-4, 2B (7), HR (11), 2 RBI (31), 2 BB, .339

    Troop Movements ...  PIT - recalled Mike Edwards from Triple-A, optioned Chris Duffy to Triple-A ... SEA - recalled Emiliano Fruto from Triple-A, optioned Bobby Livingston to Triple-A ... OAK - acquired Steve Karsay from CLE for $$ ... MIL - optioned Jared Fernandez to Triple-A ... WAS - purchased the contract of Wiki Gonzalez, optioned Jason Bergmann to Triple-A ... CIN - placed Kent Mercker on the 15-day DL, recalled Mike Burns from Triple-A ... LAA - optioned Howie Kendrick to Triple-A ... ATL - Kelly Johnson on rehab at Single-A (1-4 on Sat)

    Matthew Pouliot, RotoWorld.com, checks out some possible callups.  Just three of a long list :

" ... Lance Broadway ...  a 2005 first-round pick, might be the choice if the White Sox ever need to reach down for another starter. Also, he’ll surely be pursued by other teams when GM Ken Williams looks to upgrade at the deadline. An exceptional curveball could allow Broadway to succeed in the majors right away. He currently lacks the plus fastball or changeup he’ll need to become more than a third or fourth starter, but until the league sees his curve a few times, he could be quite an asset."

" ... Tom Gorzelanny ...  the top sleeper in the Pirates’ minor league system at the moment. Using a low-90s fastball, a plus slider and a splitter that acts as a changeup, Gorzelanny is able to rack up strikeouts against righties as well as lefties. He is an injury risk -- the Pirates were concerned enough about his elbow last year to send him to see Dr. James Andrews -- but he’s escaped any serious problems to date. I think he’s one of the most underrated prospects around."

" ... Hayden Penn ...  it might not be long before he’s given the opportunity to replace Bruce Chen in Baltimore’s rotation. First, he’ll have to do a little better job of spotting his pitches ...   projects as a long-term No. 3. His low-90s fastball doesn’t generate an excessive number of swings and misses, but it grades out as a little better than average, and he utilizes a terrific changeup and a decent curveball. AL-only leaguers should expect him to have some value by the end of the season."

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, with another possible sleeper, BAL's Brandon Erbe :

" ...   a third round pick last June, out of high school in Baltimore, making him a nice local pick ...   Erbe was erratic-but-promising in rookie ball, posting a 4.15 ERA combined between Bluefield and Aberdeen. He walked 14 guys in 30 innings, a bit higher than ideal. But he also struck out 57 while allowing only 14 hits and one home run. He didn't get a huge amount of off-season press, but I gave him a Grade B in my book this year, and pointed him out as a major sleeper. He is waking up. In 29 innings for Delmarva in the Sally League, Erbe has a 35/5 K/BB ratio and a 2.48 ERA. He's allowed just 22 hits and one homer. His fastball can hit the mid-90s, and he has made strides refining his curveball and changeup ...If he keeps pitching like this and stays healthy the rest of the year, you will see Erbe listed among the elite pitching prospects in the game by September."

    OAK farmhand fires a no-hitter :

" ...  The Kane County Cougars grabbed the opening game of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon  ...  winning 4-0 behind a seven-inning no-hitter from right-hander Jared Lansford. The 19-year-old right-hander walked five batters and hit one but otherwise baffled the Snappers while hurling the Cougars' fifth no-hitter in franchise history ... The Cougars gave Lansford, who flirted with a no-no two starts ago in his debut with the team, a 1-0 lead before he took the mound, scoring in the top of the first ...  Lansford, making his third start of the season, walked the first man he faced in the bottom half and hit a batter before settling down to get out of the jam. He worked a perfect second inning and issued one walk in each of the next three innings."  (Kane County Cougars)

    Good to hear from Mike Hindman who covers the Texas farm for the Newberg Report.  On our notation about Armando Galarraga (tough season, 6.0 7 4 2 1 5, 0-6, 6.16) Mike advises there is good reason for his performance to date :  "He's tired. 156 IP last year and 60 more this winter in Venezuela. FB at 88 (86 by the 4th inning)."

 

CORRESPONDENTS : INT - Herb Walters, PCL - JDM, EASTERN - Harry Almquist, SOUTHERN - JDM, TEXAS - Jared Turner, CALIFORNIA - JDM, CAROLINA - Jimmy Salmon, FLORIDA STATE - Wayne Stevens, MIDWEST - Bob Reed, SOUTH ATLANTIC - Martin Rose 
 

 
 

    
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