Team Results
24-15, 2nd–PCL American South, 2.5 games behind Albuquerque.
Winners of 16 of their last 20 games through May 14th, RR fell back to earth a bit with a 3-3 week. The club is middle of the pack among the PCL’s 16 teams with a .264 team BA but does rank 3rd with 44 longballs (they also still lead the league in strikeouts with 360). Express pitching ranks 2nd with a 3.51 ERA. They’re not doing it by missing a lot of bats, however, as the pitchers rank last with 248 whiffs.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Jason Hirsh. Has reeled off 4 excellent starts in a row, allowing just 17 hits in 28.2 IP over that span with an 0.63 ERA.
RHP Chris Sampson. 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA over his last six starts.
RHP Chris Baker. The 28-year old Rangers’ reject has allowed just one earned run over his last 20.2 innings of relief work.
Stuck in Neutral
OF Charlton Jimerson. Picked up two golden sombreros during the week (on Tuesday and Friday), giving him a total of 6 such games on the season. Batting .130 (3-23) in his last 6 games.
Walking Wounded
SS Jesse Garcia. Broken hand will keep him out until August.
Among the PCL Leaders
- Jimerson is still numero uno in triples (5), extra-base hits (24) and strikeouts (67). He’s tied for 10th in swipes with 10.
- OF Luke Scott and his 8 longballs is tied for 8th.
- Scott is 3rd in walks with 26.
- 2B Brooks Conrad is tied for 4th in RBIs with 33, tied with Jimerson for 4th in doubles with 13, 2nd to CJ with 23 extra-base hits and is tied for 10th (along with Chewy and a host of others) with 28 runs scored.
- Sampson is 6th in ERA (2.45) and 2nd in WHIP (0.93).
- Hirsh is 12th in WHIP (1.20), 15th in ERA (3.27) and 11th in strikeouts (40).
- RHP Travis Driskill is tied for 7th in saves with five.
Miscellany
- Sampson is 4-7 in PH situations this season. Overall, he’s 11-18 at the plate in ’06.
Team Results
26-16, 1st–Texas League South, 2.5 games ahead of Midland.
Won the 1st four games during the week to extend their club-record winning streak to ten games, but have lost the last three games. The Hooks rank 2nd among 8 clubs in the TL with a .273 BA while the hurlers rank 6th with a 4.02 ERA.
Maximum Overdrive
CF Josh Anderson. Hitting .364 (56-154) over his last 34 games. Has hits in all but 4 games over that stretch. Picked up hits in 22 of his last 24 games. Had a 16-game hitting streak snapped on May 14, but after going hitless for that one game started another streak of 6 games which was broken on Sunday. The Eastern Kentucky U alum has 14 multi-hit games this season, including one 4-hit game and two 5-hit games. Currently at .330/.380/.426 for the year.
SS Ben Zobrist. Has a .354 BA (29-82) over his last 20 games. Like Anderson, had a 16-game hitting streak stopped during the week (Thursday). Has hits in each of the three games since. Currently hitting .319/.424/.463 for the season.
RHP Jailen Peguero. His last 7 appearances have all been scoreless ones, picking up 5 saves and a win along the way. His ERA for the year is a teeny, tiny 0.76 while his WHIP is just 1.01.
RHP Paul Estrada. The 23-year old Venezuelan has a 1.04 ERA over his last 9 appearances, having whiffed 26 batters during that time in 17.1 IP. Those strikeout numbers might make you blink, but that’s been pretty much business as usual this season for the guy with a 92-94 mph heater and an excellent (but inconsistent) curveball. Estrada has sent 55 Texas League hitters draggin’ their bats back to the bench in just 36.2 IP in ’06. About the only problem thus far in AA has been his propensity to surrender gopher balls: he’s given up six of ’em (all but two of the twelve earned runs he’s yielded this season have scored via the longball).
Despite being more or less a career reliever in what is now his 7th year in pro ball, the organization is obviously high on the guy as evidenced by the fact he was one of just thirteen pitchers invited to the Nolan Ryan Elite Camp this past winter. They also demonstrated that by virtue of jumping him from low-A Lexington to AA Corpus Christi to start this season.
LHP Blake Allen. The minor league Rule 5 draftee (from the Indians in 2004) has allowed just two runs over his last 11.1 IP (9 games).
Stuck in Neutral
1B/3B Jared Sandberg. Just one hit in his last 25 ABs with a couple of golden sombero games thrown in for good measure.
Other Persons of Interest
C/1B J.R. House. As a prospect with the Pirates, House was not known for his defensive abilities. In fact, things were so bad the organization was considering switching him to another position. His problem behind the plate was his throwing (and that was even before his latest arm problem). Things haven’t magically improved since re-starting his baseball career with the Astros. House has managed to throw out just 2 of the 24 baserunners attempting to steal this month. For the entire year, his CS rate is around 20%.
Walking Wounded
2B Jonny Ash. On DL with a sprained left wrist but supposedly will return Thursday.
LHP Josh Muecke. On DL with bruised left hand. Will be activated sometime this week.
3B Mark Saccomanno. On DL with broken wrist. Will be in extended spring training shortly to begin rehab work.
RHP Monte Mansfield. Like Ash and Muecke, is scheduled to return this week after missing the first six weeks due to shoulder tendinitis.
Among the Texas League Leaders
- Anderson (6th), House (7th at .323), and Zobrist (8th) are all in the top ten in BA.
- OF Hunter Pence leads the league in homers (12), RBIs (37), and extra-base hits (26).
- INF Josh Bonifay is tied for 3rd with 32 RBIs.
- House (14), Zobrist (13), and Anderson (12) are among the leaders in two-baggers.
- Pence (33), Anderson (32), Zobrist (31) and House (29) occupy four of the top eight spots in runs scored.
- Zobrist is 3rd in walks (29) and remains among the league leaders in OBP.
- Anderson is second in steals with 12 (he’s been nabbed 4 times).
- RHP Matt Albers (2.20) and Estrada (2.95) are second and third, respectively, in ERA.
- Estrada (1.01) is first in WHIP while Albers is 3rd at 1.15.
- Somewhat incredibly for a reliever at this relatively late juncture in the season, Estrada is second in strikeouts. RHP Juan Gutierrez (49), RHP Mitch Talbot (42), and Albers (40) also rank in the top ten in that category.
- Peguero is tied for 1st in saves with eleven.
Miscellany
- The 4 earned runs allowed by Albers in Saturday’s game was the 1st time in 9 starts this season he’s given up more than 3 earned runs.
- RHP Chance Douglass did pitch one inning of relief on May 8th, but only so he could get some work in as in his prior start he only went one frame (due to the game being rained out).
- Pence threw out a runner at home plate in a game on May 9th, giving him six outfield assists this season.
Quoting
Recent signee Walter Young could have played beginning in the May 8th game but had to sit out because the club didn’t have a pair of pants big enough to fit him, causing Manager Dave Clark to remark:
“We’re going to check with the Air Force and see if they have any parachutes we can stitch together for his big (butt).”
Anderson, talking to BA about getting away from the slap-hitting approach he’d relied on in past seasons:
“The main thing is I’m getting my hands ready earlier now,” (he) said. “And it’s made such a dramatic improvement to where my swing is no longer a push swing. I’m not just poking the bat out there, trying to find something and running like crazy. I start my hands earlier and move with the pitch. Really, the big thing for me right now is trying not to get beat on fastballs–especially ones on the inner half.”
“I’m generating more backspin on balls because I’m getting out in front more consistently,” he said. “I’m utilizing what power I do have, which is something I never was able to do in the past. It’s been exciting–after three years of trying all kinds of different things, now it’s starting to click.”
Team Results
18-24, 4th–Carolina League Southern, 12 games behind Kinston.
The Avalanche went 4-2 on the week, not too bad considering all the games were away from Salem Memorial Stadium and that the club had a pathetic 3-14 road record entering the week. Salem is 6th in the 8-team league with a .243 team BA while the pitchers rank 4th with a 3.82 ERA.
Maximum Overdrive
LHP Troy Patton. The last 2 starts have been excellent, capped by that 6-inning hitless/scoreless appearance Friday night. Has whiffed 17 in 12.1 IP over the two games.
OF Beau Torbert. Since the calendar turned over to May, the 17th-rounder (2004) has been on a tear. He’s hitting .425 (31-73) in 19 games for the month. He’s cranked it up even further over the last week or so, with a .559 BA (19-34) during his current 9-game hitting streak. Currently at .329/.369/.443 for the season.
RHP Felipe Paulino. Appears to be righting his ship with a 2.70 ERA over his last 4 starts, with just 17 hits allowed in 23.1 IP.
RHPs Chad Reineke. Numbers-wise, there hasn’t been a better starting pitcher in the entire system over the first 6 weeks. Over his last 6 starts, he has a sparkling 1.11 ERA with just 28 hits allowed in 40.2 IP. The 24-year old out of Miami of Ohio hasn’t given up a gopher ball over that stretch, either. His leap forward from last season is a result of limiting the free passes: his BB/9 ratio has come down from 4.31 in 2005 to just 2.13 so far this season.
Stuck in Neutral
RHP Jimmy Barthmaier. Been bounced around to the tune of an 8.25 ERA over his last 5 starts. Struggles with his command (14 walks and 3 plunks over his last 24 IP) are at least part of the problem.
1B/3B/DH Neil Sellers. Batting just .125 (11-88) over his last 26 games. If you’re an ardent Sellers’ fan and are looking for even a small bit of consolation, then mebbe you’re happy with the fact that 7 of his 11 hits during this deep slump have been two-baggers. Then again, if you’re happy with that factoid mebbe you’re just desperate.
RHP Robert Stiehl. Has a miserable 10.12 ERA and 2.41 WHIP over his last 12 games (17 IP).
OF Matt Cunningham. Continues to slump with just 8 hits in 56 ABs for the season, though in the few times he does connect the ball tends to go a long way (5 of his hits have gone for extra bases).
Walking Wounded
None.
Among the Carolina League Leaders
- Torbert is 2nd in batting average, tied for 4th in doubles (12), and is tied for 7th in runs scored (25).
- Sellers and his 15 doubles continue to lead the league.
- C Lou Santangelo is tied for 7th with 24 RBIs.
- Santangelo (49) and OF Ervin Alcantara (47) continue to rank among the league leaders in strikeouts. OF Frankie Caraballo with 39 is also in the top ten.
- Reineke (1.78) and RHP Evan Englebrook (2.55) continue to be in the top ten in ERA.
- Reineke (0.93) and Englebrook (1.09) remain WHIP leaders.
- Barthmaier (47), Patton (46), and Reineke (45) are all in the top ten in the CL in strikeouts. Paulino is tied for 12th with 36.
- Barthmaier tops the circuit with 24 walks.
- Paulino has surrendered 7 gophers to rank 2nd.
Miscellany
- The 3-hit game for 3B Billy Hart on Friday was the first of his professional career.
- The game between Salem and Potomac on Sunday was played at RFK Stadium as part of a major league/minor league doubleheader. The Cannons are a farm club of the Washington Nationals.
- Backup C Jeffrey Mackor had a career-high 6 RBIs in the game on Sunday despite being smacked with a bat in the eye in the first inning. He had just one run driven in over 13 previous games this season.
- Englebrook, evidently the odd man out with RHP Ronnie Martinez joining the starting rotation, followed Martinez to the hill Sunday and threw six shutout innings.
Quoting
Santangelo on Paulino’s recent outing in which he threw six shutout innings:
“Paulino’s starting to come on,” (he) said. “He’s starting to zone in. It’s got to be tough to go up to the plate knowing he can throw 95 and also has a good change-up and a good breaking ball. He’s tough to hit.”
Team Results
25-17, 1st–SAL Northern, 0.5 games ahead of Delmarva.
The club stayed focused after that 20-4 pounding by Greeneville on Wednesday and managed to finish the week with a 4-3 record. The Legends have risen to the top of the 16-team South Atlantic League with a .277 BA but because they don’t walk much (next to last in the SAL) rank just 6th in runs scored. Pitching-wise, the team ranks 12th with a 4.35 ERA.
Maximum Overdrive
OF Mitch Einertson. Was hitless in a PH appearance in Saturday night’s game to snap a 13-game hitting streak. Batted .377 (20-53) during the streak with a couple of longballs and 6 doubles.
RHP Raymar Diaz. Has a 2.05 ERA over his last 9 games with 33 whiffs in 26.1 IP. Of the six runs he’s allowed over that stretch, all came as a result of longballs (in fact, 8 of the 9 runs Diaz has given up this season have come on homers). Including 2006, the 22-year old Puerto Rico native has spent all or parts of the last 3 years in Lexington so any success this season needs to be taken with a grain of salt. However, his pitching experience as an amateur was pretty limited so it’s no surprise he hasn’t exactly rocketed through the professional ranks.
1B Mark Ori. Batting .118 on April 27th with just one extra-base hit, the former 14th-round pick (2005) has hits in 18 of the 20 games he’s played since with a .365 BA over that period (23-63). He’s also displayed some power with 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 longballs among the 23 hits. The ability to generate pop is very much the issue for this 22-year old who hit just three longballs in 155 games over his 3-year college career at Northwestern and had just 7 extra-base hits in 225 ABs last season at Tri-City. Given that his ISO is currently higher than any of his Legends’ teammates, there has definitely been a turnaround. Can it last?
RHP Tip Fairchild. Remains solid with a 2.21 ERA over his last 6 starts with a 33:8 strikeout to walk ratio in 40.2 IP during that stretch.
RHP Brandon Stricklen. 3 saves and a win over his last 5 appearances, all scoreless with just 2 hits allowed in 7.1 IP.
Stuck in Neutral
LHP Scott Sarver. Last year’s 21st-rounder out of Cal State-Fullerton has been absolutely horrid of late, giving up 15 hits while walking 5 over his last 5.2 innings out of the pen.
Walking Wounded
3B Koby Clemens. Out with dislocated finger and will not rejoin the club until at least June 5th.
LHP Brian Bogusevic. Placed on the DL on May 8th with the inflamed left elbow. Originally reported to be out for several weeks, but it won’t surprise us if he’s out far longer.
C J.R. Towles. Missed 4 straight games during the week with a strained groin but returned to action on Sunday.
Among the SAL Leaders
- Batting average: 1B Ole Sheldon (1st at .393), 2B Eric King (6th at .331), and Towles (8th at .330) remain in the SAL top ten.
- OBP: Sheldon (.507) leads the league while Towles (.397) and Ori (.395) are 9th and 11th, respectively.
- Slugging: Sheldon is 4th at .574.
- OPS: Sheldon at 1.080 ranks 3rd.
- Runs scored: Sheldon is tied for 7th with 31.
- ERA: Fairchild is 11th at 2.52.
- Saves: Stricklen is tied for 5th with six.
Miscellany
- What a difference a couple of games make. Throw out the recent 20-4 loss and that 17-2 embarassment back on May 4th and the team ERA would be 3.71 instead of the current 4.35.
- The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that Friday’s game at Applebee’s Park was “Organ Donor/Mullet Night”.
- Backup C Eric Cavers, never known for his defensive work, has a whopping 10 passed balls in 14 starts behind the plate this season.
Quoting
Fairchild on his season-high nine strikeouts in a start a couple of weeks ago:
“Made a couple decent pitches that guys had singles on, because my main thing is just putting the ball in play, letting the defense do the work,” (he) said. “Tonight I had some strikeouts. I don’t know where those came from.”