Salem
Colin Delome had memorable debut in Salem. He homered in his first at bat in the Carolina league and then later doubled as well.
“I was teasing the guys on the bench, saying, ‘See it’s not that hard,’” Avalanche manager Jim Pankovits said.
The Avs won 7-4. The game featured a little hint of basebrawl as well.
Kinston’s manager had been thrown out for arguing a call at the plate in the fourth inning.
Salem reliever Chris Salamida hit Niuman Romero square in the back with a pitch to lead off the eighth inning, and drew a bench warning from the umpires.
In the bottom of the eighth, Pontius walked the leadoff batter and then threw behind the head of the next batter, Parraz, before striking him out. He also went high against Tim Torres before getting him to fly out, and eventually plunked Ori.
Pontius then walked toward Ori, who was walking toward first base. Players from both teams moved up the steps from the dugouts and out of the bullpens but didn’t get to the field. Pankovits stepped between Ori and Pontius, who were then ejected from the game.
“That’s baseball,” Pankovits said. “Hopefully it’s over with and we can get on with baseball.”
Round Rock
The Express had their own excitement between pitcher and batter.
Round Rock defeated host Albuquerque 7-4 on Wednesday, the second straight night the two teams engaged in a middle-of-the-infield tussle at Isotopes Park.
This one came after Round Rock Express starter Josh Muecke and Isotope Andrew Beattie were ejected in the seventh inning.
Muecke was tossed for tossing a head-high delivery that nicked Beattie’s bat as he ducked for cover. Beattie was tossed for heading toward the mound. Benches and bullpens emptied to meet in the infield, but little was exchanged except rhetoric. That is, until Round Rock reliever Ray King, who hadn’t been in the game, lingered and started up with manager Dean Treanor. Then everyone came back, patty-caking for another minute or so before order was restored.“I guess he felt he needed to talk to me,” said Treanor of King.
Corpus Christi
The Hooks got clutch hitting and held onto a late lead to win 3-2. The Hooks are trying to get a head start on playing well heading into the second half.
“It’s been tough, because the first month of the season we probably hit more than anybody, scored more than anybody, hit more doubles than anybody,” Hooks manager Luis Pujols said. “Through my experience I knew it was going to catch up with us. It was only a matter of time.
“My concern right now is to be sure the players are still playing hard and executing when we have the opportunity to do it,” Pujols said. “When you play games like tonight and you have a chance to execute one time, like Paz did, we end up winning the game.”
Caller.com has a good piece on Tip Fairchild’s rehab and return.
“The way I thought about it last year was I was basically a year ahead of schedule being in Double-A,” Fairchild said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to miss the year and I’m going to be right back there with those guys on schedule next year.’ I won’t be as good as I’ve been in the past because I’ll be rehabbing still, but I’ll still kind of be where I’m supposed to be. That’s the (attitude) I’m taking.”
Billy Hart is on the DL due to a groin injury.
Lexington
The Legends let one slip away late to Greensboro last night. Fernando Abad only gave up one hit in 2 2/3 innings of relief but that one hit was a home run to Hunter Mense that lost the lead and allowed the Hoppers to jump by the Legends 6-5.
Draft Pick News
Our second round pick is a Braves fan?
“I was more of a Braves fan, but now I’m an Astros fan, so I bought an Astros hat,” said Austin, whose roommate could be Milton first baseman Chase Davidson, Houston’s third-round pick. “But I will always be a Braves fan.”
Maybe that should have been a point of discussion at batting practice on Wednesday.