Team Results
46-30, 1st–PCL American South, 6.5 games ahead of Albuquerque.
The Express extended their winning streak to eight games with a couple of wins early in the week but split the final four games as the hurlers from the Nashville Sounds did a great job of shutting down the RR offense (including two shutouts, one by former ‘stro Jared Fernandez). Round Rock ended up taking three of five games from Nashville but every game was a low-scoring affair. Both sides combined for a total of just 18 runs over the five games, perhaps none too surprising given that the Sounds and the Express rank first and second, respectively, in ERA in the Pacific Coast League.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Jason Hirsh. The big guy fanned a career-high 12 over eight innings on Saturday, giving up just one run and it was unearned. Jason’s results over his last 11 games are a mighty fine 1.33 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 74.2 IP.
RHP Chris Sampson. In his first appearance since coming back from the big club, Sampson gave up just one earned run in 5 innings on Friday to notch the win and up his record to 8-1 while lowering his ERA as a member of the Express to 2.58.
RHP Chris Baker. Two very strong performances during the week with just one measly run allowed on five hits over 14 IP. His ERA for the year falls to 2.14.
LHP Steve Kent. With two scoreless efforts during the week, lowered his ERA over his last 20 appearances to 1.33 with 11 hits and 11 walks surrendered in 20.1 IP. Those strong performances, however, netted him a demotion to Corpus Christi on Sunday.
Stuck in Neutral
No one we’d care to discuss.
Broke Down/Under Repair
SS Jesse Garcia. On DL with a broken hand that will keep him out until August.
RHP Zeke Astacio. On DL.
Among the PCL Leaders
<ul type=”square”><li>OF Luke Scott ranks 1st in longballs (19), 3rd in RBIs (54), tied for 2nd in runs scored (56), 4th in walks (45), 5th in slugging (.563) and 5th in OPS (.967).
<li>INF Brooks Conrad is leading in extra-base hits (39) and tied for 10th in RBIs (48).
<li>OF Charlton Jimerson is tied for second in extra-base hits (37), tied for 6th in doubles (18), tied for 5th in triples (5), tied for 4th in home runs (14), 8th in slugging (.524), and tied for 2nd in SBs (21).
<li>Jimerson’s league-leading strikeout total is now at 112.
<li>1B Royce Huffman is tied with Conrad for 4th in doubles (21).
<li>Baker is 4th in the league in ERA while Hirsh (2.56) and Sampson (2.58) are running 7th and 8th, respectively.
<li>Sampson (0.93), Baker (1.16) and Hirsh (1.20) are also among the top ten in WHIP.
<li>Hirsh, Sampson and Baker are tied for the league lead in wins.
<li>Hirsh is 4th in strikeouts (84) but also has the 4th-most walks (42) and the 4th-most plunks (7).
</ul>
Miscellany
<ul type=”square”><li>Great game Saturday night between RR and the Nashville. Tied 1-1 going into the 9th, Sounds 1B Graham Koonce hit a solo shot in the top of the frame but Huffman matched it with one of his own (#8) a half-inning later and it was on to extra innings. The Express blew a huge scoring opportunity in the bottom of the 11th. Runners on 1st and 2nd with just one out, Joe McEwing singled to RF. The runner at 2nd base, Wade Robinson, somehow got himself thrown out at 3B (give credit, though, for an outstanding throw by the Sounds’ RF). Conrad then flied out to end the frame. But the Express were handed some gifts in the bottom of the 12th with a couple of plunks loading the bases and a bases-loaded walk bringing the winning run home.
<li>Hirsh threw a season-high 131 pitches in that Saturday game, compared to the 107 pitches he had averaged in his previous eight starts.
</ul>
Team Results
3-1, T1st (2nd half)–Texas League South. (44-29, Overall)
The Hooks rode the long ball to a winning week abbreviated by the all-star break. CC had seven home runs in their three wins, not bad for a ballclub averaging less than a homer per ballgame and which is in the middle of the pack in that category amongst their Texas League brethren. .
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Matt Albers. Still stuck on 3-0 over his last three starts with a 0.96 ERA and 0.91 WHIP as he didn’t pitch this week other than a one-inning scoreless appearance in the Texas League All-Star game.
RHP Juan Gutierrez. Has a 6-1 record along with a 1.42 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over his last eight starts, K’ing 55 along the way in 50.2 IP.
RHP Mitch Talbot. Came up huge on Thursday (7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 W 12 K) in what undoubtedly was his best start of the year. Over his last four games, the former 2nd-rounder (2002) has a 2.08 ERA.
RHP Jailen Peguero. His excellent first half numbers finally earned him the promotion to RR after a season and a half with the Hooks. His numbers at CC prior to the callup was an 0.70 ERA and an 0.88 WHIP. He whiffed 48 in 38.2 IP and was a perfect 14 for 14 in save chances.
C/1B J.R. House. Has hits in eight of his last nine games, batting .371 (13-35) during that period with three longballs and nine RBIs.
OF Jorge Cortes. The strings continue with the on-base streak currently at 44 games while the hitting streak is now at 21 games. Cortes is batting .390 (32-82) during the hit string and .364 (75-206) over his last 55 games.
SS Ben Zobrist. Cruisin’ along at a .419 pace (18-43) over his last 12 ballgames. Has five walks in the last two games.
Stuck in Neutral
3B Mark Saccomanno. An .093 hitter (just 4-43) over his last 11 games.
LHP Josh Muecke. His second start since being inserted into the starting rotation didn’t go much better than his first, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks in just 3.2 innings. His ERA remains at nosebleed levels, in this case a very bloody 13.02 in 10 games pitched this season.
Broke Down/Under Repair
LHP Blake Allen. On DL with a strained left shoulder.
Among the Texas League Leaders
<ul type=”square”><li>House (.349), Zobrist (.332), and Cortes (.324) are running 1-2-3 in batting average while OF Josh Anderson (.311) is 7th.
<li>OF Hunter Pence is tied for 1st in homers with 19 while INF Josh Bonifay is 8th with 12.
<li>Pence (.571) and House (.520) are 3rd and 7th, respectively, in slugging.
<li>House (.919), Pence (.913), and Zobrist (.897) are 5th, 9th and 10th, respectively, in OPS.
<li>Pence is tied for 1st in RBIs with 58 while House is running 5th with 50 and Bonifay 8th with 47.
<li>Zobrist is 2nd with 24 doubles while Cortes is tied for 9th with 20.
<li>Pence (54), Zobrist (50) and Anderson (48) are all in the top ten in runs scored.
<li>Zobrist is 2nd in walks (45) and OBP (.437).
<li>Cortes is 6th in OBP at .404 while House is 9th at .399.
<li>Anderson is 2nd in steals with 19 but has also been thrown out 8 times.
<li>Albers (2.08), Gutierrez (3.15) and RHP Josh Miller (3.66) are 1st, 4th and 9th, respectively, in ERA.
<li>Albers (1.17) is also top dawg in WHIP while RHP Chance Douglass (1.25) comes in 6th and Gutierrez (1.31) 10th.
<li>Guti (92) still leads the league in strikeouts but Estrada (88) is hot on his heels in 2nd. Talbot runs 6th with 76 and Albers is 10th with 65.
<li>Albers (8), Gutierrez (8) and Miller (7) continue in the top five in wins.
<li>Peguero says sayonara to the Texas League with the 3rd most saves.
</ul>
Miscellany
<ul type=”square”><li>Anderson was named MVP of that Texas League All-Star game as he drove in the only run in the South division’s 1-0 win. Guti recorded the win in the game with two perfect innings of work, striking out two. And Peguero gave up a walk in the 9th while whiffing two to record the save.
<li>The Hooks have five of the six longest hitting streaks in the league: Cortes (21-gamer), House (18-gamer & 17-gamer), Anderson (16-gamer) and Zobrist (16-gamer).
<li>Cortes isn’t the only Hook with a lengthy on-base streak: 2B Jonny Ash has reached base in 36 straight games.
<li>With Muecke moving in to the starting rotation (at least for the time being), Josh Miller has gone to the bullpen.
<li>Hooks’ pitchers struck out 18 in the 12-inning game versus Arkansas Friday night. Relievers Estrada and Peguero punched out seven and five, respectively, in three innings apiece.
<li>1B/DH Walter Young homered in four straight games but saw the streak snapped Saturday night. He was due as he’s averaged 20+ home runs over the last four seasons and had just one homer this season prior to the streak.
<li>Estrada becomes the CC closer as a result of Peguero’s promotion.
<li>In just a few games past the halfway mark, Pence has already equaled or exceeded the HR and RBI totals from last season for Corpus Christi. C Hector Gimenez led the Hooks in ’05 with 58 RBIs while Jimerson was the HR leader with 16.
</ul>
Quoting
Manager Dave Clark talking about Peguero upon his promotion to Round Rock:
“This kid is so strong now mentally and doesn’t let a lot of things rattle him like he did in the past. He believes in his stuff and feels he can make that pitch to get guys out. That’s what it’s going to take to get him to the next level.”
Team Results
3-3, T2nd (2nd Half)–Carolina League Southern. (35-41, Overall)
Not a bad week for the Avalanche, particularly considering who they were playing. Myrtle Beach has an above .500 record for the season and, even though Salem lost two of the three games played, both losses were by a single run. More impressive was going into Kinston and taking two of three from the K-Tribe, who ran away with the first half title in the Southern division with a 47-23 record. Offense, though, will continue to be a problem for the Avalanche and the key to any second half success may be the addition of a body or two whether from Lexington or outside the organization.
Maximum Overdrive
LHP Troy Patton. Picked up two wins during the week (just his 2nd and 3rd of the season), giving up three earned runs in a total of 12 IP with nine strikeouts versus three walks.
RHP Ronnie Martinez. Put up a 1.62 ERA in his seven starts for the Avalanche with a 33:11 strikeout to walk ratio in 39 IP. Even better over his last four starts with an ERA of 1.00 in 27 IP.
LHP Enyelbert Soto. Now has a 1.44 ERA in his last 19 games (25 IP).
SS Edwin Maysonet. Had a 9-game hitting streak interrupted on Sunday by the 0fer. Pasted the ball at a .417 pace (15-38) during the streak with 2 homers, 3 doubles and six RBIs.
Stuck in Neutral
C Lou Santangelo. Batting just .079 (3-38) over his last 11 games. Counted on to be one of the big RBI bats for the Avalanche, the New Jersey native has driven in just one run over that stretch.
Broke Down/Under Repair
3B Billy Hart. On DL with a wrist problem.
Among the Carolina League Leaders
<ul type=”square”><li>OF Beau Torbert is 2nd in batting average at .317.
<li>OF Francisco Caraballo tops the CL with 21 doubles while 1B/3B/DH Neil Sellers, Maysonet and Torbert are tied for 2nd at 19 apiece.
<li>2B Drew Sutton (9) and Santangelo (8) are 9th and 10th in the longball category.
<li>Sutton is 6th in walks with 42.
<li>Caraballo is 10th in slugging at .441.
<li>Santangelo (4th at 75), Caraballo and OF Ervin Alcantara (both tied for 7th at 69) remain entrenched among the strikeout leaders.
<li>RHP Chad Reineke is 9th with a 2.98 ERA and 5th with a 1.12 WHIP.
<li>LHP Troy Patton, Reineke and RHP Jimmy Barthmaier are 2nd, 4th and 7th, respectively, in strikeouts.
<li>RHP Rodrigo Escobar again tops the circuit with 15 saves.
<li>Barthmaier (41) again leads in free passes while Patton (33) is 8th.
<li>RHP Felipe Paulino has given up the 6th-most gopher balls.
</ul>
Miscellany
<ul type=”square”><li>Barthmaier only lasted three innings in his start Wednesday night due to back spasms. He allowed three runs on five hits and a walk before exiting.
<li>Sutton has been added to the roster for the all-star game vs. the California League. He joins teammates Reineke, Escobar, Santangelo and Torbert on the Carolina League squad. The game is scheduled for Tuesday night in Salem.
<li>Similar to the situation with Lexington and their star reliever Sammy Gervacio last week, Escobar gets called into Friday night’s game in the 8th inning with the Avalanche leading Kinston by a 7-5 score. Escobar had a 2.21 ERA entering the game (and an 0.78 ERA over his last 17 games) but got lit up for 6 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks as the K-Tribe went on to win the game 11-7.
<li>Salem stole eight bases in the three-game series versus Kinston, including four in the first inning on Sunday.
</ul>
Team Results
2-2, T4th (2nd half)–SAL Northern. (47-26, Overall)
Like the Hooks, the Legends had a shortened week due to the league all-star game. While the hitting carried the club during the season’s first half, it was the pitchers’ turn to shine during this first week of the second half. The hurlers punched up a 1.89 ERA in the four games.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Tip Fairchild. Earns a win on Sunday with seven scoreless to up his record on the season to 9-3. Absolutely superb over his last 12 games with a 1.43 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Has an awesome 85:18 strikeout to walk ratio in 94.2 IP for the season.
RHP Raymar Diaz. Has a 2.29 ERA over his last 15 games with 72 whiffs in 63 IP.
RHP Garrett Murdy. Has put up an 1.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over his last eight appearances. The Legends are undefeated in his four starts.
RHP German Melendez. Has a 1.27 ERA and 0.66 WHIP in 15 games out of the bullpen. Picked up two wins and five saves over his last 10 appearances.
1B Mark Ori. Has driven in 14 runs during an 11-game hitting streak in which he’s batting .429 (18-42). Second to Eli Iorg on the Legends with 40 RBIs.
OF Josh Flores. Last year’s 4th-round pick has hits in 11 of his last 12 games, hitting .391 (18-46) over that stretch. The leadoff man has also scored at least one run in each of those 12 contests and has taken over the club lead in that category with 45 runs scored on the season. While the BA is looking better these days at .272, he still has a lot more work to do on drawing walks as his .318 OBP would attest.
Stuck in Neutral
C J.R. Towles. Since being suspended by the organization and having to sit out three games, the catcher has stumbled along with a .114 BA (4-35) over his last 12 games. May just be coincidental but it’s kind of odd timing for his first significant slump of the season.
Broke Down/Under Repair
LHP Brian Bogusevic. Injury rehabbing at Tri-City, he made one appearance this past week with the V-Cats after being on the DL for seven weeks. He threw two innings, giving up an unearned run on 2 hits and 2 walks.
Among the SAL Leaders
<ul type=”square”>
<li>Batting average: 1B Ole Sheldon (.341), Ori (.325) and Towles (.315) are #3, #6 and #10, respectively.
<li>OBP: Sheldon is 4th in the league at .452 while Towles at .395 is 9th.
<li>Slugging: Towles (.533) is 5th and Ori (.531) 6th.
<li>OPS: Sheldon (.957), Ori (.926) and Towles (.919) are running 5-6-7.
<li>Doubles: Sheldon is 2nd with 26.
<li>RBIs: OF Eli Iorg is 10th with 46.
<li>ERA: Fairchild is 2nd at 1.71 while Diaz is 7th at 2.44.
<li>WHIP: Fairchild is 2nd at 1.00.
<li>Strikeouts: Fairchild is 5th with 85.
<li>Wins: Fairchild is numero uno.
<li>Saves: RHP Brandon Stricklen is tied for 7th with nine.
</ul>
Miscellany
<ul type=”square”><li>Towles won the home run derby at the SAL All-Star game.
<li>And speaking of the All-Star game, Fairchild started for the Northern division and went two scoreless.
<li>Read the description and better yet see the video here of Asheville manager Joe Mikulik’s antics in Sunday’s game versus the Legends. Mikulik, BTW, played for almost ten years in the Astros minor league system.
<li>Eric Young, Jr. plays for Asheville and already has 54 steals this season. Dad of course is still active and currently with the Padres.
</ul>
Quoting
Mikulik talking after the game about the umpiring crew:
“I could get two mannequins at Sears and umpire better than what I saw this whole series.”
We’ll cover the SS clubs beginning next week.