Minor League Discussion & Boxes 7-11-2007

[SouthSideRyan]

Al Alburquerque after being demoted to the pen: 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 K/1 BB. Get him back in the rotation!!

 

Cal, could you expand a bit on your interest in Al Alb?

 

He just likes his name.

[Guest]

Al Alburquerque after being demoted to the pen: 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 K/1 BB. Get him back in the rotation!!

 

Cal, could you expand a bit on your interest in Al Alb? Entering today's game, he had a 6.38 ERA on the year with a WHIP near 2, split over Peoria and Boise. He's a short little guy, RH at that, and my recall was that Nate described his velocity as average if that, high-80's to 90 or something was the impression I got. He's had years of arm trouble.

 

So I'd figured that a small guy, kinda old, doesn't throw hard, doesn't have good control, has had arm trouble, and isn't getting anybody out, that he's yesterday's news. Out with the old, let's take a look at somebody else.

 

But, you seem to be very interested in him and think he's got some potential. Is this still based on the super season he had 3-5 years ago in the DSL, before surgery? Or have you gotten some post-surgery reports to suggest that he's got something to work with that makes him a prospect?

 

Personally, I'd have thought Hempy is much more interesting. He's been an effective pitcher for South Carolina, and he's done that not too long after TJ surgery. He's a really big guy. Were he to recover a lot more velocity than he had this spring, which is not uncommon for tall guys or post-TJ guys, you might have a major-league arm. So I'm more interested to see Hempy having a good start tonight than AlAlb doing well in relief.

 

But, I do appreciate that AlAlb does have quite a few K's. So maybe he's got more to work with than I appreciated or recalled from Nate's writeup on him?

 

I guess I am cutting Alburquerque a lot of slack because he's in his first full season returning from surgery, in his first season at A-ball (even if he's 20/21 this season and stuck in short-season) given his somewhat intriguing stuff and that great season in the DSL a while back. He certainly wasn't ready at full season but he's put together some nice numbers (esp. the Ks) at Boise and his stuff is nice, especially compared to some of the other guys who could be in the rotation (low 90s FB isn't Ceda or Dolis speed but I think it's better than, say, Zack Ashwood).

 

I want Hempy starting - I read that he was topping out at 95 pre-TJS at South Carolina and you can't not like a lefty who has that potential. But I don't see the need for soft tossers like Ashwood and Sasser starting ahead of someone like Alburquerque. But maybe I am living in the past.

[Guest]

SmokiesBaseball.com[/url]"]Despite rain delay, Smokies down BayBears 3-2

 

Sevierville, TN – The Tennessee Smokies started their first homestand after the All-Star break on a winning note, downing the visiting Mobile BayBears by a score of 3-2 on Wednesday night at Smokies Park. The game was delayed two hours due to a early evening storm, but a good portion of the 3,638 fans stayed around to witness Tyler Colvin rip a double to the left center wall and drive in the winning run for the Smokies. With the win, the Smokies improved to 11-10 in the 2nd half of the season. Mobile fell to 9-12 with the loss.

 

Despite the rain delay, the Smokies came out in the first inning on fire to chase BayBears starting pitcher Chris Kinsey. Sam Fuld continued his torrid hitting with a leadoff double to get things started for the Smokies. A sacrifice bunt by Jorge Cortes moved Fuld over to third base. After a Jake Fox strikeout, Fuld scored on a wild pitch by Kinsey with Matt Craig at the plate to give Tennessee a 1-0 lead. Craig later scored after a Tyler Colvin single followed by another wild pitch by Kinsey and a throwing error by Wilken Castillo. At the end of the first inning, the Smokies had a 2-0 lead.

 

Mobile finally struck back for two runs in the 7th inning, after Smokies starter Justin Berg had pitched six strong innings. Berg yielded a one out single to Justin Upton, who then stole second. After issuing a walk to Javier Brito, Berg was pulled in favor of reliever Rocky Roquet (1-0). A single by Carlos Gonzalez loaded the bases for Mobile. Chris Rahl hit a come-backer to Roquet, who committed a throwing error trying to make the out at first base, scoring two runs on the play. Rocky got through the rest of the inning unscathed, but not before Mobile tied the game at 2-2.

 

The score stayed tied through the bottom of the ninth inning. Jemel Spearman came on to pinch hit for Roquet, who proceeded to 1st base with a leadoff walk. Colvin then crushed a double to the warning track in left center, bringing Spearman home all the way from first base with the game winning run. Abe Woody (4-5) took the loss for the BayBears.

 

DaytonaCubs.com[/url]"]Cubs Miss Opportunities, Fall 4-3

Lakeland Holds on for Win Despite Late Daytona Surge

 

By: Dan Watson

 

[LAKELAND, FL] The Daytona Cubs produced 12 base hits, but could only cash in for three runs as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Justin Justice's two-run homer in the sixth inning provided the eventual winning runs.

 

Daytona cracked base hits in each of the final seven innings of Wednesday's game. They advanced runners into scoring position in six of the nine frames, but still couldn't scratch out a victory.

 

The Cubs threatened in the ninth inning, but couldn't knot the score. Alan Rick led off the frame with a double and went to third on a groundout by Alberto Garcia. Then, Mark Reed doubled to the gap to plate Rick, but Reed tried to stretch a double to a triple and was thrown out at third base.

 

The Cubs got on the board first, scoring in the top of the third. Rick ripped a leadoff single into right field. Then he stole second, his first stolen base since 2004. A single by Robinson Chirinos put runners at the corners with two out. Matt Matulia followed by laying down a base-hit bunt to plate Rick, and Daytona took a 1-0 lead.

 

Lakeland evened the score with a two-out rally in the bottom of the third. Ovandy Suero walked, then stole second and third base on consecutive pitches. Danny Worth stroked a run-scoring single to left to tie the game at 1-1.

 

Daytona plated another run in the fifth. Mark Reed fisted a one-out double down the left-field line. Chirinos followed with a double of his own to score Reed and give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

 

The Flying Tigers mirrored the Cubs with a run of their own in the fifth. Worth singled to right field with two out, and Michael Hernandez belted an RBI triple to right-center, tying the score at two runs apiece.

 

Lakeland took its first lead in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Mike Phelps. The right-hander walked the leadoff man, and Justin Justice followed by pounding a two-run homer to right field to give the Flying Tigers a 4-2 advantage.

 

Justice was the star offensively for Lakeland; the right fielder went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer. Reed and Rick each had multi-hit games (each 2-for-4) for Daytona. Chirinos went 3-for-5.

 

Jeff Samardzija, who took the start on the mound for Daytona, received a no-decision. The right-hander pitched five innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits, walked two and struck out two. He left the game in a 2-2 tie.

 

The Cubs fell to 8-12 in the second half as Phelps (1-3) took the loss. Angel Castro stayed perfect at 3-0 this season while Freddy Dolsi notched his 15th save. Lakeland got back to the .500 mark, improving to 8-8.

 

BoiseHawks.com[/url]"]Hawks Shut Down Yakima, 3-1

 

The Boise Hawks got a strong pitching performance from Al Alberquerque on Wednesday night and beat the Yakima Bears, 3-1. Arik Hempe threw three shutout innings to start the game and Alberquerque followed with five shutout innings of his own. The right-hander allowed two hits and one walk while striking out three to win his first game of the year. Chris Siegfried gave up a home run in the ninth inning to Ed Easley and with two runners on, got Konrad Schmidt to ground out to end the game earning his first save of the season.

 

The Hawks scored single runs in the first two innings with sacrifice flies from Ty Wright and Bill Moss. Billy Mottram hit his second home run of the season in the fourth inning to complete the Hawks scoring for the night. Dylan Johnston and Jonathan Wyatt each had two hits for Boise.

[rabidawg900]

I thought Al Alberquerque was just a nickname lol :shock:

 

Congrats Colvin for hitting a GW double!

[CubinNY]

SP J. Samardzija 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K/2 BB, 10 GO-3 FO - second half: 2.81 ERA (25.2 IP)

 

That's not a bad line at all. Hopefully he's coming around. I will be more than ecstatic if I'm wrong and he makes it to big club as a starter.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

SP J. Samardzija 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K/2 BB, 10 GO-3 FO - second half: 2.81 ERA (25.2 IP)

 

That's not a bad line at all. Hopefully he's coming around. I will be more than ecstatic if I'm wrong and he makes it to big club as a starter.

 

I still wish he'd start striking some people out.

[jersey cubs fan]

SP J. Samardzija 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K/2 BB, 10 GO-3 FO - second half: 2.81 ERA (25.2 IP)

 

That's not a bad line at all. Hopefully he's coming around. I will be more than ecstatic if I'm wrong and he makes it to big club as a starter.

 

1.60 WHIP.

 

You can't complain about the 5 IP and 2 ER, or 10 ground ball outs. And the second half ERA of 2.81 is nice, but Samardzija is still playing with fire. I'm pretty sure he started out the year with a couple outings where the ER didn't exactly match up with what the WHIP and K rate would indicate.

 

A sub 4 K rate while allowing that many baserunners isn't the least bit impressive. Strike out at least 5 per and maintain the ground ball outs without walking guys and maybe we'd have ourselves a prospect. That would be something more like 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 K, 1BB, 11 GO - 4 FO would be an impressive outing from him at this point.

[Balsa]

What's his BABIP?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

What's his BABIP?

 

An exorbitant .337