The affiliates were 1-3 on the night. The one win came on the back of a rejuvenated Daniel Norris, whose ten strikeouts over four innings of work was by far his best professional performance. Ryan Schimpf had four hits in a losing effort and Josh Thole went deep for Buffalo. The Lugnuts are on an eight game winning streak.
Indianapolis 7 Buffalo 3
It was 7-1 by the fourth inning and Indianapolis never looked back. While starter Justin Germano was hit around in this one—lasting three innings—his relievers put in a solid six innings of one hit baseball. Michael Schwimer pitched two of those innings and presumably would be the next guy up if someone were to be needed in Toronto. At the plate, Josh Thole went deep and Ryan Goins had two doubles.
New Hampshire 4 Portland 8
The Blue Jays AA affiliate fell to a rehabbing Franklin Morales. Ryan Schimpf, as mentioned at the top, had four hits and led the way offensively. The Fisher Cats, however, proved good studies of their parent club, kicking the ball around three times leading to three unearned runs. Only one hit for Kevin Pillar on the night.
St. Lucie 8 Dunedin 5
The Dunedin Blue Jays were done in by a big inning late. A five spot in the eighth inning chased Danny Barnes from the game. Barnes did not record an out. It was quiet night at the plate (starting to see the pattern?) for the Baby Jays. The Dunedin squad did muster a come back in the ninth, but Marcus Knecht—who has really stalled as a prospect—popped out with the bases loaded and Andy Burns flied out to end the game.
Lake County 1 Lansing 6
A big night for Daniel Norris. Norris struck out ten over four innings. He struck out the side in the second, third, and fourth. Yes, there were two walks, but the overall stat line is impressive and a big improvement from his work so far as a pro. His start today actually builds on several solid outings. Let’s hope he’s turned a corner here. At the plate, Dwight Smith Jr. had two hits and Kevin Pattterson had three hits and a homer.
In other news, Balbino Fuenmayor has been released by the Lugnuts and Blue Jays. For those who remember, Fuenmayor was the first big 16 year old signing out of Latin America under J.P. Ricciardi after it became clear that they were completely wrong to walk away from the international scene and high school players. Blessed with impressive power, Fuenmayor put together a promising season in the Gulf Coast League at 18. It never got much better for him and he repeated Lansing not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times—ironic considering he struggled so much to take the walk. I got to see Fuenmayor in action on several occasions and he had that ability to convince you in short periods he was bound for greatness. It’s part of the reason why I think he was signed by the Jays at the time. As I recall, Ricciardi had a particular disdain for scouting and the “process” and creating connections with families and kids. In my mind Ricciardi probably saw a batting practice and hoping to appease a section of the fan base (Us!) and possibly ownership, signed the kid. He had the body and the power, but a thorough look or simply more frequently revealed a poor approach and poor contact skills. He put on weight and while there was some discussion when he was teenager that he’d be able to play third, those conversations quieted as he entered full season ball. The Jays have spent big these past few years in Latin America and there are sure to be a few more Balbino’s coming down the line. Let’s hope for less.
Good luck Balbino!
Three Stars
3. Josh Thole
2. Ryan Schimpf
1. Daniel Norris
Box Scores
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