Auburn and Pulaski struggled in their short-season debuts, while the Fisher Cats made Justin Verlander feel most welcome in his AA debut.
Richmond 4, Syracuse 5
Josue Matos had a fine start even though he only lasted 4.0 innings while allowing only a single run striking out 3. Jason Arnold took over from there but gave up 3 runs to put the Skychiefs down 4-0 half way through the sixth. But Syracuse stormed back with a 4 run inning and had the chance to take the lead had Chad Mottola not been thrown out at the plate. An RBI single from Kevin Barker in the seventh put the 'Chiefs ahead and the bullpen would hold on. Brandon League picked up the win and Matt Whiteside the save as they combined for 3 perfect innings.
Erie 12, New Hampshire 0
With the way Justin Verlander was throwing, it probably didn't matter how many runs the Fisher Cats gave up after the first one. Sometimes, when you're facing a guy with stuff in the upper 90's and harder with excellent command and movement, there's just not much you can do. Vince Perkins has excellent stuff himself, but he was just no match for Verlander as he gave up 6 runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. Brad Hassey was the Cats' star of the game for two reasons. He was the only Cat to reach second base and the only one who didn't strike out against Verlander. Jordan DeJong had an even uglier night than Perkins, giving up just as many runs (6), while only going 0.2 innings. Outfielder Jason Waugh pitched a shutout inning after the options in the bullpen ran thin.
Dunedin 4, Tampa 2 - Game 1
Dunedin 3, Tampa 4 - Game 2
Chip Cannon added two more home runs (his 18th and 19th) to his stat line in this doubleheader. Kurt Isenberg took the loss in the first game after 4 runs in 5 innings. The second game was a typical David Purcey start: 4.1 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks and 6 strikeouts. However, both of the runs charged against Purcey scored after he had left the game. Cannon drove in all 4 runs with a grand slam in the 3rd.
Batavia 3, Auburn 1
Returnee Jordan Timm started the opener and pitched decently enough in 4 innings. But the offense couldn't get much going. Anthony Garibaldi hit a solo home run to score the only run while the highest draft pick in action, 4th rounder Ryan Patterson, went 1 for 4. 12th rounder Billy Carnline pitched two perfect innings with 3 K's followed by two more perfect innings from 10th rounder Josh Sowers.
Danville 7, Pulaski 1
Francisco Mateo got the start but was hurt by the long ball. 2 home runs resulted in 3 runs charged against Mateo in his 3 innings. Paul Franko drove in Octavio Cordero to put the Jays on the board in the fourth. But Danville kept hacking away, scoring runs against Reidier Gonzalez (19th round), Hector Delgadillo (36th), and Rafael Perez. Jacob Butler (8th) went 2 for 4.
Three Star Selection!
With little offense or starting pitching to get excited about, I'll reward those middle relievers who get overlooked so often.
Third Star: Billy Carnline - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K's. Solid pro debut.
Second Star: Brandon League - W, 2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, stopped the bleeding.
First Star: Chip Cannon - 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBI, grand salami's just tend to get top honours.
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