Team Results
66-43, 1st–PCL American South, 11.5 games ahead of New Orleans.
A crummy 2-5 week for the Express as they were done in by some lousy pitching, at least in games not started by Hirsh or Sampson. The five losses saw a collective 9.88 ERA by the mound crew.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Jason Hirsh. His franchise record 46.2 IP without giving up an earned run ended on Thursday but he did pick up a RR-best 11th-consecutive win. Over his last 16 games (104.2 IP), Hirsh has a 1.03 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.
Stuck in Neutral
OF Charlton Jimerson. Has more than three times as many strikeouts (56) as base hits (18) over his last 129 at-bats.
LHP Mark McLemore. The 40-man roster member has been shaky (make that shaken and dumped on his ass) in his last four appearances. The former Oregon State Beaver has allowed 29 baserunners (17 hits and 12 walks) in just 12.1 IP.
Broke Down/Under Repair
1B Royce Huffman. On DL with a hand injury.
Among the PCL Leaders
- 2B Brooks Conrad is 1st in extra-base hits (57), 1st in triples (13) and tied for 1st in doubles (30).
- Jimerson is tied for 9th in extra-base hits (43), tied for 5th in triples (6), and tied for 2nd in SBs (26).
- Jimerson leads the PCL and all of minor league baseball (and major league baseball, for that matter) with 158 strikeouts.
- Huffman is tied for is tied for 9th in walks (48).
- Hirsh is 2nd in ERA (2.03), 4th in WHIP (1.09), 4th in strikeouts (111) and tied for 1st in wins (12).
- RHP Travis Driskill (14) is 5th in saves and RHP Roberto Giron (12) is tied for 7th.
- RHP Jared Gothreaux has given up the 2nd-most gopher balls (18).
Miscellany
- After a hitless PH appearance on Friday in his RR debut, C/1B J.R. House went 2-4 with a longball in Saturday’s game. House of course has seen AAA action previously, playing 92 games with Nashville of the PCL in 2004 while in the Pirates organization.
- Jimerson had a golden sombrero on Monday, giving him nine such games on the season.
- Jimerson is on pace for 209 strikeouts for the year. That would bust the PCL record for most whiffs in a season, set in 2004 by A.J. Zapp who had 184 K’s. Zapp did have 29 homers and 101 RBIs that season while batting .291.
- RHP Fernando Nieve hasn’t allowed a run in 3.1 IP since being demoted, allowing just one hit and zero walks.
Quoting
Manager Jackie Moore on the ejection of himself and four of his players in Sunday’s game:
“That was the first time I have ever seen anything like that. It basically got out of control.We had five people ejected. Somebody better start thinking with that many people ejected in the same game, what was the reason.”
Team Results
19-18, 3rd (2nd half)–Texas League South, 3 games behind San Antonio. (60-46, Overall)
An ugly 1-6 week, though three of the losses were by one run. All of the games were on the road, with one more game at Frisco on Monday to finish off the trip. CC then plays 13 of the next 16 games at home where they have a 35-18 record this season.
Maximum Overdrive
1B Walter Young. Has an 8-game hitting streak in which he’s batting .400 (12-30).
OF Josh Anderson. Like Young, he has an 8-game hitting streak. Has a .368 BA (14-38) during the streak with eight runs scored.
2B Jonny Ash. Has hits in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .378 (17-45) during that period.
Stuck in Neutral
Nobody we’d care to discuss.
Broke Down/Under Repair
RHP Juan Gutierrez. On DL with a tired arm.
Among the Texas League Leaders
- Ash (.327) and Anderson (.311) are 1st and 9th, respectively, in batting average.
- Pence is 2nd in homers (24), 2nd in RBIs (79), 3rd in slugging (.571), 5th in OPS (.931) and 1st in triples (
. - OF Jorge Cortes is tied for 8th in doubles with 28.
- Pence (74) and Anderson (69) remain in the top ten in runs scored.
- Ash is 9th in OBP at .379 and tied for 9th in triples with 4.
- Anderson leads in steals (35) but has also been thrown out the most times (12).
- RHP Chance Douglass (3.44) and Gutierrez (3.51) are 6th and 7th, respectively, in ERA.
- Douglass (1.25) is 4th in WHIP.
- RHP Paul Estrada is 2nd in the TL with 111 strikeouts while Guti (95) ranks 6th.
- Estrada is tied for 6th with 10 saves.
Miscellany
- LHP Troy Patton had a successful Texas League debut on Tuesday with one earned run given up over 5.2 IP, though he got touched for a pair of three-run homers in his next outing on Sunday as he lasted just three innings.
- The Hooks had been 50-0 this season when taking a lead into the 9th inning before losing on Friday night when Frisco scored a pair in the bottom of the 9th to take a 6-5 win.
- Anderson has now swiped 13 bases in a row without getting caught.
Quoting
Father of all Clarks on Patton’s debut, which included his brushing off the plate the San Antonio leadoff man with his very first pitch thrown in the Texas League:
“I was very impressed. I thought he showed good poise out there, good rhythm and good tempo. Everything we’d heard about the kid really showed up tonight. He didn’t back down to anyone, and I liked that. He gave us a chance to do some things, but we just didn’t get him any runs.”
Team Results
23-13, 1st (2nd Half)–Carolina League Southern, 2.5 games ahead of Myrtle Beach. (55-51, Overall)
The Avs went 6-2 on the week (which included the completion of a suspended game from July 4) and go above .500 on their overall record for the first time since April 11. Salem has now won 13 of its last 16 games.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Rory Shortell. Hasn’t allowed a run over his last 14 innings of work spread over three games, the last two of which were starting assignments.
RHP German Melendez. A combined ERA of 1.29 in his work for Salem and Lexington this season with just 19 hits surrendered in 42 IP and a 52:14 strikeout to walk ratio.
RHP Jimmy Barthmaier. Continues to walk too many but has put together four good starts in a row. Has a 2.19 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over that span with 26 whiffs in 24.2 IP.
Stuck in Neutral
RHP Rodrigo Escobar. Struggling isn’t the word for it as he’s been pounded for 20 runs on 26 hits and 14 walks over his last 14.1 IP (13 games).
Broke Down/Under Repair
Nobody.
Among the Carolina League Leaders
- OF Beau Torbert is tied for 2nd in batting average at .308 and tied for 10th in SBs with 20.
- 1B/3B/DH Neil Sellers (30) and OF Francisco Caraballo (26) are 1st and tied for 2nd in doubles while SS Edwin Maysonet is tied for 9th with 24.
- C Lou Santangelo is tied for the league lead in homers with 16, tied for 2nd in triples with 5, 2nd in slugging at .509, and 7th in OPS at .823.
- 2B Drew Sutton is 8th in longballs with 12, 9th in OBP at .372, 10th in slugging at .441, 8th in OPS and tied with Torbert for 10th in swipes.
- Caraballo (98), Santangelo (90) and OF Ervin Alcantara (85) remain in the top ten in strikeouts.
- Barthmaier is 1st in strikeouts (107) but also leads the league in walks (57).
- RHP Felipe Paulino has the 5th-most free passes (45).
- Escobar is 2nd in saves (17).
Miscellany
- The Carolina League debut of RHP Raymar Diaz on Monday could have gone a whole lot better (3.1 IP 4 H 3 R 3 ER 6 W 2 K), but he rebounded strongly in his second outing (7 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 1 W 7 K).
- Salem put on its track shoes as they swiped 15 out of 18 bases during the week. Leading the SB parade was INF Wlad Sutil who was 5 for 5.
- The Avalanche have now won 11 of their last 15 games against the Frederick Keys.
- The Wilmington Blue Rocks are another club the Avs have been beating up on of late. Salem has taken eight of the last nine games against the current first place club in the Northern division.
Team Results
13-24, 8th (2nd half)–SAL Northern, 12 games behind Lakewood. (57-49, Overall)
The offense showed some spark during the first part of the week but then lapsed back into the doldrums that have typified the second half. Lex scored just one run in each game as they finished the week with three straight losses to go 2-5. The Legends have fallen into last place in their division and have the second-worst second-half record in all of the South Atlantic League.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Brad James. An 0.72 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over his last nine games (50 IP).
LHP Chris Blazek. Last year’s 23rd-rounder has an 0.50 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over his last 7 games (18 IP). Control remains a huge problem for the U of Vermont-ex. He issued 18 walks in 33.1 IP last season and has handed out 34 free passes in 56.2 IP this season.
Stuck in Neutral
RHP Sean Walker. The Baylor-ex has a 5.56 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over his last seven starts.
Broke Down/Under Repair
RHP Levi Romero. On DL with triceps tendinitis.
Among the SAL Leaders
- RBIs: OF Eli Iorg is 6th with 66.
Miscellany
- C J.R. Towles returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing three weeks with a sore knee and promptly went 4-5 with a triple, homer (#9) and three RBIs. He ended up playing in a total of 4 games during the week (all as a DH), batting .500 as he went 8-16.
- Recently-promoted LHP Jake Hurry made a successful SAL debut on Wednesday with one run allowed in 3 innings of relief. His next outing, a starting assignment on Saturday, wasn’t quite as good (3.1 IP 5 H 3 R 2 ER 2 W 0 K).
- RHP Sergio Perez made his pro debut on Tuesday and it could have gone better. The 2nd-rounder gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk in just 2/3 of an inning.
- Iorg drove in 10 runs in six games during the week.
Team Results
24-15, 1st–NYP Stedler, 1.5 games ahead of Oneonta.
The ValleyCats played .500 ball (3-3) during the week to maintain their lead on the O-Tigers. TRC continues to have the best record in the NY-Penn League.
Maximum Overdrive
LHP Chris Salamida. Won his fourth straight decision with another outstanding performance during the week (6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 W 7 K). Has an 0.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP on the year.
LHP Victor Garate. Almost untouchable over his last 13 IP with just two hits and 4 walks allowed while whiffing an amazing 24 batters. Has a win and three saves during that stretch.
RHP Cesar Mayora. Ping-ponging back and forth between TRC and Greeneville this season, the 22-year old Venezuelan has put up excellent combined numbers: a 1.44 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 25 innings. Had a very cool 43:8 strikeout to walk ratio in 34 IP last season for Greeneville, his third professional season and his first outside the VSL.
RHP Kyle DeYoung. Working on a string of 12 IP without giving up a run, allowing just six hits and two walks over that span. The smallish righty was a 31st round pick in this year’s draft as a senior out of Florida Southern. A 21-year old of St. Cloud (yeah, he’s not exactly unfamiliar with the Astros complex at Kissimmee), he went undrafted after his junior year despite putting up the 2nd-best ERA in D-II and being named the most outstanding player at the 2005 D-II CWS.
C Max Sapp. The 1st-rounder is on a six-game hitting streak in which he’s batting .455 (10-22) with a double, homer and eight RBIs. The longball was his first as a pro. On the season he’s currently .275/.365/.374. Though he’s yet to really show off his power, his plate discipline has been pretty impressive with 13 walks versus 15 strikeouts in 91 at-bats. That’s better than all but one or two of his teammates, all of whom are at least three years older than the lefty-hitting catcher.
Stuck in Neutral
Nobody we’d care to discuss.
Among the NY-P Leaders
- BA: OF Jordan Parraz ranks 5th in the league at .331.
- OBP: Parraz is 4th at .429 and SS Tim Torres is tied for 9th at .390.
- SLG: Parraz is 6th at .500.
- OPS: Parraz ranks 4th.
- Doubles: Torres (10), Parraz (9) and INF Eric Taylor (9) remain in the top ten.
- RBIs: Torres is 8th with 23.
- SB: Parraz is tied for 7th with 9 while Torres is tied for 10th with 8.
- ERA: Salamida (0.81) and LHP David Qualben (1.36) are 1st and 2nd, respectively.
- WHIP: Qualben (0.88) and Salamida (0.90) rank 4th and 5th, respectively.
- Strikeouts: Garate is 2nd with 43 while LHP Cory Lapinski is tied for 9th with 33.
- Walks: Lapinski has issued the 2nd-most (19).
Miscellany
- Another three runners caught straying gives TRC pitchers 25 pickoffs in 39 games (22 by lefties).
- Despite the impressive won/loss record, the V-Cats have been out-homered by the opposition 24-11.
Quoting
Tri-City manager Gregg Langbehn on Sapp:
“For an 18-year-old kid, he?s beyond his years at the plate. He doesn?t panic and he?s been swinging the bat extremely well the last week.”
Team Results
17-22, 4th–Appy West, 9 games behind Elizabethton.
A 3-4 week for the G-Astros with all of their games on the road. Fielding remains a problem for this team as they committed 13 errors over those seven games (versus just seven by the opposition). Those miscues translated into 16 unearned runs.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Santo Luis. After putting up a 2.27 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last year in the DSL with 78 whiffs in 83.1 IP, the 6’4″ 200-lb righty is experiencing his first season stateside and is making the most of it. Has a 1.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over his last 12 games with 20 K’s in 16.2 IP. At 22-years old, the Columbian native out of La Romana is positively decrepit in Appy League terms so he’ll have to advance quickly if he’s to be considered any kind of prospect.
Stuck in Neutral
SS Timmy Johnson. Though his massive struggles limited his action this week to just two starts, Timmy managed to boot three balls on Wednesday to give him 13 errors this year in just 18 games (16 starts). He’s hitless in his last 20 at-bats and is currently .064/.228/.085 at the plate.
Among the Appy Leaders
- INF Ronald Ramirez is 2nd in batting average (.347), slugging (.540), OPS (.931) and doubles (14). He’s tied for 10th in OBP at .391.
- 3B Brandon Caipen is tied with Ramirez for 10th in OBP and tied for 5th in SBs with 9.
- 1B Cirilo Cruz continues to lead the league in whiffs (48).
- RHP Polin Trinidad is 2nd in ERA (1.31) and WHIP (0.73). He’s 3rd in strikeouts (38).
- LHP Sergio Severino is 2nd in strikeouts (44) and 3rd in walks (17).
Miscellany
- Although they won the game against Princeton 8-6, Greeneville had five players in Monday’s game thrown out on the basepaths. One was a CS on an attempted steal of 2B. Another was picked off at 1B. Two players were thrown out at 3B (either trying to move from 1st to 3rd on a single or trying to stretch a double) and another at home plate attempting to score on a base hit. Each of the three outfielders for the Rays collected assists.
- Trinidad saw his streak of not giving up an earned run end at 33 innings on Wednesday. He eventually gave up a total of 5 runs on 8 hits over 5.1 IP in one of his few poor outings of the year.
- LHP Kevin Fox (a 15th-round pick out of Biola University) came on in the 8th inning on Tuesday with the game tied and gave up 9 runs in just 2/3 IP. Because of his own two errors, all the runs ended up being unearned as Princeton defeated the G-Astros 14-5.
- Severino had 13 strikeouts in six innings of work on Sunday night.