Well I have some catching up to do from last week. Since I am the writer, I get to choose where I begin and choose the red hot Greeneville Astros. The G’stros swept last place Burlington and then swept second place Bristol. Five of the six wins were by one run and two went to extra frames. As a result of their solid play, the G’stros have climbed into a tie for second after starting the week in the cellar of the Appy League west. Pitching has been the calling card of the resent upsurge. Their team ERA is now second in the league. They will face Elizabethon in a 3 game road set starting tonight. The Twins hold the league’s best record at 17 – 6. The Twins are 8-1 at home.
Frank Almonte is leading the Greeneville bats with the 6th best OPS in the league. He is currently on a 6 game hitting streak.
Jose Altuve hit .353 over his last 10 games with 4 doubles and two triples. Last night, he went 4 for 4 with two doubles and a triple. His defense has been outstanding.
A pair of 17 year olds continue to impress on the mound. Luis Cruz, a 5’9″ lefty, has an ERA of 1.59 through 5 starts. His most recent outing was his longest of the season at 5 innings against Bristol. He only allowed one hit and one walk, while fanning 4. Jordan Lyles has yet to get his first win but he is pitching well. He totes a 2.55 ERA and has fanned 19 in 17 2/3 innings.
Tri Cities have lost 4 straight and are simply struggling. Their season record is 9-17. The biggest news out of New York has been that Jason Castro will be joining them.
Lexington is doing even worse. Their second half record is worst int he Sally League at 5-18. They are 3-8 to begin the month of July. During that span, they have only been outscored by 11 runs and their pitchers haven’t given up more than 5 runs in a game.
Salem is off to a 7-15 start to the second half, tied for worst in the Carolina League. Their offense is doing pretty good. Mark Ori has stopped making changes to his swing and is seeing the results:
“Hitting is consistency,” said Avalanche hitting coach Keith Bodie….
Bodie didn’t know Ori last year when the left-handed hitter kept a pitch-by-pitch log of his every at bat. He tinkered with his stance and his swing. He had been an all-fields type of hitter in college, but had turned so “pull happy” in the pros that opposing teams shaded their defenses to the right against the left-handed bat. He spent his offseason working on hitting to the opposite field.
Now that he is not tinkering any more, here is what Bodie has to say about the consistent Ori:
“He knows himself well. He can make adjustments very well,” Bodie said. “He has mastered this level. He needs to be challenged.”
Corpus Christi has begun the second half 8-14. They had a pretty good week, winning 3 of 4 from Frisco over the weekend. Casey Hudspeth got a win in his AA debut last night but it was over shadowed by Ole Sheldon’s evening. Sheldon went 2 for 2. Both hits were homers. One was a solo shot and the other a grand slam. Add a RBI sacrifice fly and you get a 6 RBI night.
Round Rock went 2-5 over the last 7 games. After hitting .333 with 3 homers in 16 games at CC, Val Majewski was promoted to RR. However, the top story of the week was the victorious return of Brian Gordon to Round Rock.