Minor League Discussion & Boxes 4-19-2007

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Peoria @ Great Lakes (game two):

 

Camp 2B

Lopez RF

Lansford 3B

Lewis 1B

Lalli DH

Castillo, W C

Carter CF

Joseph LF

Johnston SS

Dolis P

 

Peoria got four in the top of the first and leads it 4-0.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Down 2, Daytona has tied the game in the 9th and still have a runner at first with one out Valdez triple, Reynolds RBI double, Chirinos reaches on an error on a bunt and Spears with an RBI FC).

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Spears scores on an E-5! Norwood hits the ball and the third baseman threw it away and Spears went all the way home. Norwood safe at second. Cubs lead it 4-3.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ugh, Veal gives up one more in the fifth and is lifted there. His final line: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K/3 BB. Mississippi down 4-3 after 6.

 

Peoria up 5-1 in the 4th. Rafael Dolis: 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K/2 BB.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Daytona wins 4-3. Avery gets the save.

[CubinNY]

Ugh, Veal gives up one more in the fifth and is lifted there. His final line: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K/3 BB. Mississippi down 4-3 after 6.

 

Peoria up 5-1 in the 4th. Rafael Dolis: 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K/2 BB.

 

The Don has hit a rough patch. Still it could be a lot worse.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ugh, Veal gives up one more in the fifth and is lifted there. His final line: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K/3 BB. Mississippi down 4-3 after 6.

 

Peoria up 5-1 in the 4th. Rafael Dolis: 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K/2 BB.

 

The Don has hit a rough patch. Still it could be a lot worse.

 

He only had 3 BB today in 4.1 (and had 1 in the first 4), so that's good.

[oldcubsfan]

Ugh, Veal gives up one more in the fifth and is lifted there. His final line: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K/3 BB. Mississippi down 4-3 after 6.

 

Peoria up 5-1 in the 4th. Rafael Dolis: 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K/2 BB.

 

The Don has hit a rough patch. Still it could be a lot worse.

 

How?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Daytona starter Todd Blackford (4.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 K/1 BB, 1 HR) left the game with an undisclosed injury.

[Flames24Rulz]

Daytona won in come-from-behind fashion 4-3. D-Cubs scored 3 in the 9th to win it. Here's the frame from the 9th:

 

Daytona Top 9th

 

Jesus Valdez triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Dustin Martin.

Kyle Reynolds doubles (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Dustin Martin. Jesus Valdez scores.

Robinson Chirinos hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by second baseman Emmanuel Garcia, assist to pitcher Joseph Serfass. Kyle Reynolds to 3rd. Robinson Chirinos to 1st.

Pitcher Change: Nick Abel replaces Joseph Serfass.

Nate Spears grounds into a force out, second baseman Emmanuel Garcia to shortstop Jose Castro. Kyle Reynolds scores. Robinson Chirinos out at 2nd. Nate Spears to 1st.

Ryan Norwood reaches on throwing error by third baseman Dan Murphy. Nate Spears scores. Ryan Norwood to 2nd.

Mark Reed flies out to left fielder Sean Henry.

Chris Amador singles on a line drive to left fielder Sean Henry. Ryan Norwood to 3rd.

With Matt Matulia batting, Chris Amador steals (7) 2nd base.

Matt Matulia grounds out, second baseman Emmanuel Garcia to first baseman Nick Evans.

 

Colvin was 1/4.

 

Tennessee down 7-3 in the 9th. Layden gave up 3 runs in an inning and a third. Fox is 1/3 with a run scored.

 

Peoria up 6-1 in the 7th. Dolis' line: 5 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 Ks/2 BBs.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

YUSUF and Blake Lalli are both 2 for 3 (YUSUF with a triple too), DJ Lewis is 2 for 4 for Peoria.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Daytona won in come-from-behind fashion 4-3. D-Cubs scored 3 in the 9th to win it. Here's the frame from the 9th:

 

Daytona Top 9th

 

Jesus Valdez triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Dustin Martin.

Kyle Reynolds doubles (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Dustin Martin. Jesus Valdez scores.

Robinson Chirinos hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by second baseman Emmanuel Garcia, assist to pitcher Joseph Serfass. Kyle Reynolds to 3rd. Robinson Chirinos to 1st.

Pitcher Change: Nick Abel replaces Joseph Serfass.

Nate Spears grounds into a force out, second baseman Emmanuel Garcia to shortstop Jose Castro. Kyle Reynolds scores. Robinson Chirinos out at 2nd. Nate Spears to 1st.

Ryan Norwood reaches on throwing error by third baseman Dan Murphy. Nate Spears scores. Ryan Norwood to 2nd.

Mark Reed flies out to left fielder Sean Henry.

Chris Amador singles on a line drive to left fielder Sean Henry. Ryan Norwood to 3rd.

With Matt Matulia batting, Chris Amador steals (7) 2nd base.

Matt Matulia grounds out, second baseman Emmanuel Garcia to first baseman Nick Evans.

 

Colvin was 1/4.

 

Tennessee down 7-3 in the 9th. Layden gave up 3 runs in an inning and a third. Fox is 1/3 with a run scored.

 

Peoria up 6-1 in the 7th. Dolis' line: 5 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 Ks/2 BBs.

 

The throwing error was awesome, it went over the first baseman, deflected off the wall and just went in to no-man's land in right-center field.

[Flames24Rulz]

Kroeger hit a 2-run shot in the 9th for Tennessee, but too little, too late. The Smokies' lose 7-5.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jemel Spearman's dad called in to the Daytona postgame show and was saying most of Veal's hits were just where the defenders weren't and he pitched better than the last two times out.

[Laura]

Ugh, Veal gives up one more in the fifth and is lifted there. His final line: 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 K/3 BB. Mississippi down 4-3 after 6.

 

Peoria up 5-1 in the 4th. Rafael Dolis: 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K/2 BB.

 

The Don has hit a rough patch. Still it could be a lot worse.

 

He only had 3 BB today in 4.1 (and had 1 in the first 4), so that's good.

 

That's what I was thinking!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Peoria sweeps the doubleheader, winning game two 6-1. :)

[Flames24Rulz]

Peoria sweeps the doubleheader, winning game two 6-1. :)

 

Nice to see the young Peoria arms have two great games tonight. The bullpen is looking pretty good as well.

[Chris]

Was this mentioned? From Nate:

 

The Peoria Chiefs (7-5) ended the second game of a double header with a 5-4-3 triple play to preserve a double header sweep of the Great Lakes Loons.

[UBlink]

You might want to look tonightto see a Cubs farmhand leading his league in batting average. It might be a while before it happens again.

[Flames24Rulz]

Was this mentioned? From Nate:

 

The Peoria Chiefs (7-5) ended the second game of a double header with a 5-4-3 triple play to preserve a double header sweep of the Great Lakes Loons.

 

No it wasn't. That's quite a way to end a game!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Pie is second and Hoffpauir fourth in BA in the PCL (Pie second in OBP, Hoffpauir fourth and Pie fifth in OPS). Matt Matulia is fourth in the BA in the FSL.

 

Oh, and raw's boy Mark Holliman is tied for the SL league in ERA at 0.00. Carlos Marmol is second in Ks in the PCL behind Tim Lincecum and Billy Muldowney is 1 back of first in Ks in the MWL.

[Mephistopheles]

Jemel Spearman's dad called in to the Daytona postgame show and was saying most of Veal's hits were just where the defenders weren't and he pitched better than the last two times out.

 

arent all hits where the defenders arent?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Really impressed with Marmol's start to the season. If he's able to keep those walks down and still K that many he's going to be very valuable to us.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jemel Spearman's dad called in to the Daytona postgame show and was saying most of Veal's hits were just where the defenders weren't and he pitched better than the last two times out.

 

arent all hits where the defenders arent?

 

Whoops...he was talking about how they weren't hitting him hard.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

IowaCubs.com[/url]"]Marmol Pitches Cubs Past 'Topes 7-2

Marmol improves to 2-0

By Toby Hyde

 

The Cubs scored five runs in the first two innings Thursday afternoon which was more than enough for a 7-2 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes behind another strong Iowa pitching performance. Thursday, it was Carlos Marmol turning in the I-Cubs fifth quality start in their last seven games. Marmol allowed just one run, which scored in the game's first four pitches, over his seven innings of work.

Iowa, which came to the plate down 1-0 in the first inning, scored three times to take a 3-1 lead. With two outs and the bases empty, Mike Fontenot began the rally by squeezing a groundball single through the hole on the left side. He came home on a Micah Hoffpauir double down the leftfield line. Koyie Hill followed with a double to the warning track in rightcent. Hill took third when Isotopes rightfielder Reggie Abercrombie couldn't play the ball cleanly and came home when second baseman Zach Sorensen's throw to third was wild.

 

The Iowa Cubs extended their advantage to 5-1 with two more runs in the second inning off Albuquerque starter Ricardo Rodriguez. Buck Coats led off the inning with a double to the leftfield wall and came home on an RBI single from Carlos Rojas. Coats finished 3-4 with a double, run scored and an RBI, his first multi-hit game of 2007. Albenis Machado eventually brought Rojas home with a sacrifice fly.

 

The Cubs bullpen of Frederico Baez, Clay Rapada, and Rocky Cherry, worked around trouble in the eighth inning when Albuquerque got the tying run to the plate. Cherry then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the year.

 

Iowa added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on RBI singles from Buck Coats and Carlos Rojas who was 2-4 with a pair of runs driven in.

 

The Cubs look for their second straight series win when their season-opening homestand concludes Friday night against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:05. Fireworks, presented by Mediacom and Fox Sports Midwest will follow the game.

 

SmokiesBaseball.com[/url]"]Smokies Downed By Lookouts 7-5 Thursday Night

 

Chattanooga,TN- Chattanooga snaps Tennessee’s four-game win streak and breaks their own four-game losing streak on Thursday night at AT&T Field winning 7-5.

 

The first three innings of the game involved minimal offense, but the Lookouts broke the spell during the bottom of the fourth frame. Paul Janish started things off with a double to left. After an Enrique Cruz ground out to second, which advanced Janish to third base, Cody Strait walked to put runners on the corners. Caonabo Cosme singled to center to bring in the first run of the night. Cosme advanced to second base on the throw third. Chris Dickerson brought in two runs with a single, bringing the score to 3-0.

 

The Lookouts would follow with another run in the fifth inning after a pair of walks and a single by Enrique Cruz.

 

Tennessee would add three runs of their own in the sixth inning. Chris Walker drove in two with a bases loaded single to center. Then Jorge Cortes drove in the third run when he singled scoring Joe Simokatis.

 

Chattanooga’s bats would add three more runs in the seventh inning. Paul Janish began the rally with a walk and quickly advanced to second base after a wild pitch by Tim Layden. Enrique Cruz doubled to bring in Janish. Cruz would make his way home after an RBI single by Cosme. After another wild pitch and Dickerson single, Luis Bolivar grounded out to short and plated Cosme.

 

The Lookouts 7-3 lead would be challenged by the Smokies in the ninth inning. Relief pitcher Mike Flannery walked Jorge Cortes to start the inning off. With one out, Josh Kroeger lined a homer to right field, tightening the score, 7-5. Further drama was created when Chris Robinson hit a two-out ground-rule double on a line drive to right field. Robinson, however, would remain stranded on second after Gary Cates accounted for the last out of the game on a ground out to second base.

 

Sam LeCure(1-0) pitched five innings without yielding a run to pick-up his first win of the season for the Lookouts.

 

Donnie Veal dropped to 0-3 after giving-up four runs in 4.1 innings of work.

 

DaytonaCubs.com[/url]"]Cubs Victorious, 3-Run Ninth Sparks Win in St. Lucie

Cubs Alone in First Place

Matt Martinez

 

[PORT ST. LUCIE, FL] St. Lucie was a stop in the Florida State League that the Daytona Cubs dreaded in 2006. But after a ninth-inning rally and a solid performance by the Daytona bullpen tonight, the Cubs(8-6) are undefeated at Tradition Field in 2007.

 

The Mets (6-7) jumped out to an early lead as St. Lucie’s left-fielder Sean Henry hit a solo home run in the third inning. The Cubs and Mets exchanged zeroes on the scoreboard until the Cubs came up in the top of the sixth inning. Mark Reed led off the frame with a base hit to right field. Reed stole second and advanced to third on an infield single by Cub’s leadoff batter Chris Amador. With a man on third and only one out, Matt Matulia hit a squibber to second base which scored Reed and tied the game at 1-1.

 

St. Lucie would answer back in the bottom half of the sixth as Cub’s reliever Jesse Estrada allowed two runs on two base hits to give the Mets a 3-1 advantage.

 

The seventh and eighth innings would go scoreless but the sleeping Daytona bats would awaken in the ninth.

 

After the Cubs had gone 28 innings without and extra-base hit, Jesus Valdez led off the ninth with a triple to left center. Kyle Reynolds doubled home Valdez and the lead was down to only one run with a man in scoring position. Robinson Chirinos reached on an error which advanced Reynolds to third, and Nate Spears chopped a ball to the second baseman to score Reynolds and tie the ballgame at 3-3. With Spears standing on first, Ryan Norwood grounded a weak ball to third but the throw to first was off line and Spears scored all the way from first. After eight and a half, Cubs 4, Mets 3.

 

Matt Avery came in to toss the ninth to try and shut the door on St. Lucie and retired Met’s backstopper Drew Butera with a weak fly ball to center field. Last year’s Florida State League batting champion Corey Coles let loose a double to make the ninth interesting. But Avery would retire the final two Mets and close the door to earn his fourth save in as many tries.

 

With the win the Cubs sit alone on top of the Florida State League East by half a game.

 

PeoriaChiefs.com[/url]"]Chiefs Turn Triple Play in DH Sweep!

 

Midland, MI – The Peoria Chiefs (7-5) ended the second game of a double header with a 5-4-3 triple play to preserve a double header sweep of the Great Lakes Loons. The second game finished 6-1 after the Chiefs took the opener 2-1. Box Score Game 1

Box Score Game 2

 

With the Chiefs leading 6-1 in the seventh, reliever Jayson Ruhlman walked the first two batters of the inning to bring up catcher Carlos Santana. Santana hit a grounder right down the line to third baseman Josh Lansford. Lansford fielded the ball and stepped on third for the first out. He then fired to Matt Camp at second for out number two and Camp relayed to DJ Lewis at first to complete the fourth triple play in franchise history and also end the game.

 

The Chiefs jumped all over Loons starter Steven Johnson in the top of the first inning in game two. With one out, Andrew Lopez singled and was safe at second on an error by Francisco Lizaragga when Josh Lansford hit a grounder to second. DJ Lewis singled to load the bases and Blake Lalli gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead with an infield hit. Wellington Castillo singled home Lansford and Yusuf Carter’s infield hit brought home Lewis for a 3-0 lead. After a strikeout by Johnson, the Loons hurler committed a balk allowing Lalli to score the fourth and final run of the half inning.

 

Peoria added to their lead in the third inning. Lewis led off with a single and Lalli walked before Johnson recovered to strikeout Castillo and Carter. Shortstop Preston Mattingly dove for, but could not hold onto a bloop to left by Joseph and Lewis scored for a 5-0 Chiefs lead. Great Lakes got the run back in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff double by Scott Van Slyke followed by a bunt single and a sacrifice fly.

 

Peoria added the final run in the sixth when Yusuf Carter tripled off the wall in right-center and scored on a Dylan Johnston groundout. Chiefs starter Rafael Dolis allowed just one run on four hits over five innings. The 19 year old walked two and struck out two. Lefty Jayson Ruhlman threw the final two innings of the nightcap without allowing a hit though he walked two.

 

In game one, the Chiefs finally got to Clayton Kershaw in the third inning. With one out, Matt Canepa singled sharply up the middle and Jonathon Mota followed with a bloop single to right. After a strikeout, Matt Camp singled down the third base line bringing home Canepa with the first run of the game. Mota was caught between second and third at the tail end of the play to end the inning.

 

Chiefs starter Jose Pina pitched into and out of trouble in each of the first two innings without allowing a run. After getting the Loons in order in the third, he surrendered the 1-0 lead in the fourth. Designated hitter Eduardo Perez led off the frame with a long homer over the right field wall tying the contest 1-1. The homer was the first in Loons history and the first ever hit at Dow Diamond coming in their 12th game of the season and 4th home game.

 

The game stayed tied 1-1 into the seventh and deciding inning. Alfred Joseph led off for the Chiefs with a triple past a diving Scott Van Slyke in right field. After a strikeout, DJ Lewis gave the Chiefs a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly to deep right.

 

Pina went 4 2/3 innings and gave up one run on six hits while walking two and striking out two. He left two runners on base in the fifth inning but Alex Maestri retired David Sutherland to end the inning. Maestri allowed just one base runner over 2 1/3 innings while striking out two to pick up the win.

 

Kershaw, the top ranked pitching prospect in the Dodgers organization, allowed one run on four hits while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Reliever Doug Brooks took the loss for the Loons.

 

Gorman’s Pub Player of the Game: DJ Lewis (LF/1B) – Lewis drove home the game winner in game one with a 7th inning sacrifice fly. Starting at first base for the first time this season in game two, Lewis collected two hits and scored twice in four at-bats. He also caught the end of the triple play to end game two.

 

Notes… The Chiefs last triple play was July 25, 2005 at O’Brien Field against Dayton…This is their third triple play in four years as they also turned one at Lansing in May 2003…Andrew Lopez singled in the first inning of game two and now has a Chiefs season high five game hit streak…Maestri picked up the win in game one, marking the first decision this season for a non-starting pitcher…Maestri has now allowed exactly one base runner in seven innings of work in which he has faced 25 batters…Castillo threw out three runners who attempted to steal in game two...