Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
Two wins and four losses, but two teams have moved into first place in their divisions. Zach Jackson had his best AAA start, as did Ricky Romero in high A, but Eric Fowler was better. Rob Cosby had a home run among his three hits.

Syracuse 1 Scranton 2

Zach Jackson had his best AAA start but knuckleballer Jared Fernandez beat him on this day. Jackson went seven innings giving up single runs in the second and sixth innings. Jackson's line was 7 8 2 2 1 4. For Scranton ex-Jay Aquilino Lopez pitched two shutout innings. The Chiefs lone run came on a home run by Julius Matos. Gabe Gross had two of the Chiefs seven hits, bumping his average to .292. Can he make .300 before the season ends?

Box Score

New Hampshire 1 Reading 7

New Hampshire outhit Reading 10-7 but Reading hit a couple of home runs and scored four runs in another inning to get the win. Ismael Ramirez took the loss although he pitched pretty well, five innings, just three hits but two of them were home runs. Ramirez also had 6 K's against one walk. Jordan DeJong gave up four runs, two earned, in two innings. Infielder Brad Hassey pitched a shutout eighth. Rob Cosby appears to be getting his timing back as he went went 3-4 with a home run to move his average up to .312. Anthony Sanders and Clint Johnston also had two hits each.

Box Score

Dunedin 5 Fort Myers 2

Ricky Romero produced his best start yesterday, four innings, one run, on two hits and a walk. Romero had one K. Dunedin trailed 2-1 heading to the seventh but a lead off double from Scott Dragicevich, a bunt single from Jayce Tingler and a sac fly by Manny Mayorson tied the score. Dunedin tacked on three more runs in the eighth on four singles. Most of the offense came from the 7, 8 and 9 hitters. David Smith was 2-4 with a run; Rodney Medina was 3-4 with 2 runs and an RBI; and Dragicevich was 2-4 scoring a run and driving in 2. Tingler went 3-4 but did not feature in the scoring, and Robinzon Diaz was 2-5.

Box Score

Lansing 3 South Bend 10

Po-Hsuan Keng gave up five runs in 1.2 innings and the next three pitchers also surrendered runs as Lansing could not mount a comeback. Jason Armstrong had three hits and Josh Lex had two.

Box Score

Auburn 5 Williamsport 1

Eric Fowler came back with a good start after being rocked last time out. Fowler allowed an unearned run in six innings. Williamsport had only three hits off Fowler, no walks and 7 K's. Auburn's first run came in the second when Jermy Acey doubled and Josh Bell singled him home. Auburn scored four in the fifth with a Cory Patton three run home run being the big blow. Bell and Acey had two hits each.

Box Score

Elizabethton 6 Pulaski 2

This game was tied 1-1 through 6 innings. Hector Delgadillo started and pitched well through five innings, four hits, one run and 2 K's. Raymon Sanchez followed and gave up three runs, two of them unearned, in the seventh inning. Scott Byrnes allowed two more runs in the ninth. Pulaski scored a run in the first when Paul Franko doubled home Zach Kalter who had led off with a single. In the seventh Kalter again ledd off with a single and this time Jacob Butler doubled him home. Kalter had three hits and Butler two.

Box Score

Your Three Star Selection

Third star - Scott Dragicevich 2-4, run, 2 RBI's

Second Star - Rob Cosby, 3 hits, home run

First Star - Eric Fowler, six innings, no earned runs

Standings Update

Syracuse record is 59-57. The Chiefs are in third place, four games back of struggling Buffalo.

The Fisher Cats are 55-58, and are in third place, four and a half games back of Portland.

Dunedin are 24-19, and are tied for first place with Lakeland.

The Lugnuts are 19-25, and are fourth, seven games back of two teams.

Auburn are 23-22, in first place, one and a half games ahead of Mahoning Valley.

Pulaski are 21-24, in third place, ten and a half games behind Danville.

Fowl play in Auburn | 15 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 10:19 AM EDT (#124937) #
Syracuse has the day off today. The Fisher Cats play a double dip at home with David Purcey and Bubbie Buzachero getting the starts. Here is an easy-to-read interview with Casey Janssen. It's really no surprise that Roger Clemens was a childhood hero; Casey emulates Clemens in a couple of ways (the cutter, the stride). Good on him for his plan to complete his college degree in the off-season.
Maldoff - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 10:54 AM EDT (#124938) #
Bubby's starting???? He's gone from closer in Dunedin last year to spot starter. That does not bode well for his future in the organization.
Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 11:10 AM EDT (#124939) #
He's not really a spot starter. It's his first start of the year, and the only reason he's getting it, I think, is that Ryan Houston is just returning from injury and the team does not wish to place him in the starting role just yet.

Bubbie was a starter in college, and was a 23rd round pick. He's done very well so far and if all goes well for him, he could have a Vinny Chulk/Jason Frasor kind of career.
Sister - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 12:02 PM EDT (#124940) #
I was hoping Romero would be a little more dominant with a few more k's, but its a small sample size.

I thought I would peak at some of the other first round pitchers to see how they are progressing. The name that stands out so far is 18th pick (Padres) Cesar Carrillo, who has already been promoted to Double A, where he has solid numbers after two starts. Joey Devine, the 27th pick by the Braves, is also in Double A and doing well. The Cubs picked HS'ler Mark Pawelek 20th and he is doing well in rookie ball.
Rob - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 12:59 PM EDT (#124942) #
The newspaper folks in Syracuse are not happy with the Blue Jays. This is hardly a new sentiment and I fully expect a new Triple-A club in 2007, when the Player Development Contract between Toronto and Syracuse expires.

There's too much to quote here from "All SkyChiefs get from Jays is talk." It goes over three pages, the first three-page story I've ever seen at syracuse.com.

Staff writer Matt Michael details the way Toronto dealt with Syracuse's pitching problems earlier in July and questions the big club's practices with respect to its top affiliate. I suggest you all read it.

CaramonLS - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 01:05 PM EDT (#124943) #
When was the last time a prospect like Janssen who has been in the minors for a little bit, all the sudden shoots up the ranks and seemingly dominates in every league he gets promoted to?

Seriously, I'd like to hear who the last case of this was.
Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 01:22 PM EDT (#124946) #
Funny, Rob. I just read the Matt Michael piece, and was about to link to it. Just remember old folks, the young guys have faster hands.
David Paul - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 01:29 PM EDT (#124947) #
It seems to me Bubbie has been very successful recently in long relief.

Aquilino seems to have his mojo back this year. He pitched 4 innings of 1 run ball with 6 strikeouts for Colorado in one appearance and I couldn't figure out why he had been released. Turns out Lopez was assigned to clear space for the aborted Larry Bigbie trade with Boston and the Phillies claimed him.
Jordan - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 02:05 PM EDT (#124948) #
Very interesting article at Syracuse.com. You have to think that this article was, if you will, "inspired in part" by some folks inside the Skychiefs front office. Negotiation salvos, or simply vented frustration? Maybe a little of both, though JP has never been known to take his strategic direction from the media.

Both sides are right in some respects. The Jays did invest more heavily in the upper minors this off-season, and they were active last year too: Anton French, for instance, was a huge pickup for Syracuse last season, not mentioned in this article. At the same time, the Blue Jays' management of the Syracuse Shuttle has been questionable this year, at both the major-league and minor-league ends. And injuries have played a major role in each of the last two seasons, outside of everyone's control.

Still, this may simply be about needing a change -- if the Blue Jays are becoming political poison in Syracuse (and this article will probably accelerate that), they will not be asked back after 2007. I'm not sure where the Jays would place their AAA team if that happened (don't even mention Ottawa -- even assuming the Lynx are still here in '07, I don't want Ricky Romero pitching in sub-zero temperatures through the end of May). It's unfortunate if it comes to that, but every relationship reaches a crisis point, and the Syracuse-Toronto marriage may be approaching one now.
Marc Hulet - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 02:37 PM EDT (#124951) #
Sounds like sour grapes in Syracuse to me. The Jays have actually had to release a few pitchers from AAA this season because they had too many (Nannini, Matos, etc).

They signed a lot of good minor league veterans in the offseason and it is not the organization's fault (nor the team's) that those players have almost all under-performed.

Syracuse has one of the most impressive rosters in AAA, especially with its mix of veterans and promising prospects.
Ducey - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 03:04 PM EDT (#124953) #
I guess the author in Syracuse likes a bunch of AAAA veterans. I remember thinking earlier this year that they must be happy in Syracuse. Their starting staff of Rosario, Marcum, Jackson, Gaudin and Baker are all prospects (except maybe Baker). They got a month of David Bush as well.

I would be more excited to see these guys than some 32 year old starter who is just there to eat innings.

Jim - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 04:01 PM EDT (#124961) #
As someone who has seen a few hundred minor league games I have never personally seen any real correlation between winning and attendance.

It would be a foolish decision by Syracuse if you ask me. You don't want a bizarre affiliation like New Haven did before the Jays - when they went through Colorado, Seattle and St. Louis over a period of about a decade. Also the franchise in Norwich, Connecticut is on it's deathbed partially because it went from a Yankee affiliation to the Giants. Here in lovely New Britain, they sell out almost every Saturday (~7,200), but in the playoff years there probably aren't more then 2k in the seats for playoff games (including 2003 against New Haven).

Playoff tickets in the minor leagues are not part of the original outlay for businesses that purchase season tickets. In most cities and sports many of those tickets are never used which make it less likely that by the end of the season the business adds the playoff tickets. I went to Game 6 of the AHL finals 3 or 4 years ago and there wasn't more then 1,500 in the seats for a franchise that sold about 90% of their regular season tickets.

The affiliation is key, but Syracuse will be hard pressed to improve. Columbus is not losing the Yankees and Norfolk isn't losing the Mets. I don't see how Syracuse could end up with a better situation then the Jays. If they took a closer look they might realize that many of the Jays philosophies will generate a good number of AAAA players which could lead to some very good IL teams in short order.

Ron - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 07:54 PM EDT (#124966) #
It's funny for me to read an article that says the Jays didn't want to sign a player because he wanted $18,000 a month.

A-Rod probably makes that much or more in one inning.

Think about the money the Jays are paying to Koch and Ligtenberg and they're not even on the roster.

Considering the lack of playoff appearances, I don't blame the folks there if they want to go in another direction.

Gerry - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 08:18 PM EDT (#124967) #
David Purcey had his best start of the year tonight, a complete game (7 innings) 3 hitters with only one walk. And New Hampshire gets the win.
CaramonLS - Monday, August 08 2005 @ 08:51 PM EDT (#124970) #
~17.2K per inning Ron :)

Base Salary only. So yeah a little bit more.
Fowl play in Auburn | 15 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.