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A come-from-behind victory for New Hampshire and a fifth consecutive win for your first place Lansing Lugnuts highlight a .500 night on the farm.



Columbus 5 at Syracuse 1

Syracuse, NY - The Washington affiliate got to Chiefs lefty Davis Romero with a run in the first as Richmond Hill's Pete Orr led with a double and eventually scored on Alex Escobar's single. Romero scattered three more hits over the next four innings and got a measure of revenge against Orr by picking him off at first after a single in the third. Orr singled off Romero again in the sixth but he was forced out at second after a botched sac bunt attempt. Mike MacDonald came in for Romero at that point and wound up allowing the inherited runner to score by yielding a Larry Broadway RBI single to make it 2-0 Clippers.

The Chiefs only had one hit to this point as Collin Balester allowed just a Danny Sandoval single but still faced the minimum through five. However, that changed in the sixth when David Smith launched one over the fence in left to cut the Clippers lead to 2-1. Mike MacDonald pitched a 1-2-3 seventh but loaded up the bases with a walk, a hit batter and an infield single. Lefty Mike Gallo took over for MacDonald to face one batter, Larry Broadway, but he failed to win the lefty-lefty matchup as Broadway singled in a run to restore the Clippers two run lead at 3-1. Jordan De Jong was the third Chiefs reliever of the inning and did not fare any better as he gave up a run scoring single and a sac fly to former Jay Ray Olmedo as Columbus' lead increased to 5-1. Jo Matumoto loaded up the bases in the ninth with two walks and a single but got a double play ball to get out of the jam.

The Chiefs had only five hits in this one. Danny Sandoval had two singles, Adam Lind and Wayne Lydon had one each. David Smith's homer was the only extra-base knock.

New Hampshire 7 Akron 5

Manchester, NH - Lefty Brett Cecil took to the mound at Merchantsauto.com Stadium with a 2-0 lead when Jacob Butler came up with a two-run single. The Maryland alumnus began the game with a punchout but before he knew it, he had a runner at third as he surrendered a single and advanced the runner an additional 180 feet with an errant pickoff throw. However, Cecil retired the next two hitters to strand the runner. In the second, Cecil started the frame with his third K of the night but two singles, an error by shortstop Ryan Klosterman and a fielder's choice allowed the Indians affilate to plate their first run. After that, Cecil was pretty close to frickin' flawless as he mowed down the next 10 Aeros in a row. He allowed Trevor Crowe to reach on a two-out walk but ended his five-inning outing with another punchout, his seventh of the night. If he can do that at the Rogers Centre every Friday, Sunday and holiday Monday - he'll make a lot of people happy and a lot of pizza workers upset.

When Cecil left, he had a 4-1 lead after Aaron Matthews doubled home a pair of runs. Cecil turned the ball over to Jamie Vermilyea and his "W" looked to be in good hands after the former Jay set down the first six hitters he faced, five of them on the ground. He started off the eighth well by striking out the leadoff hitter. After that, I guess his sinker stopped sinking and his slider stopped sliding. Three singles, a walk, a hit batter and a Bronson Sardinha three-run bomb catapulted the Aeros to a 5-4 lead. Seth Overbey got the final out of the inning. Goodbye to your first dubya of the season, Mr. Cecil!

However, the Fishers rallied in their half of the eighth as a Ryan Klosterman groundout scored a run to tie the game before Aaron Matthews came through again with another two-run double to put New Hampshire ahead. Zachary Dials gave up a pair of two-out singles in the ninth but he got the job done to get his seventh save and preserve the win for the 2-0 Overbey. Anthony Hatch led the hit parade with three hits while Scott Campbell, Aaron Matthews and Eric Nielsen had two apiece. Travis Snider was 0-for-4 with the hat trick but did draw a walk.

Fort Myers 5 Dunedin 0

Fort Myers, FL - There would be no miracle in this one for the D-Jays as the Twins affiliate scored twice on Kenny Rodriguez with a walk and three singles in the first to go up 2-0. Cory Patton prevented a third run from scoring by throwing out a runner at the plate from left field. A two-run homer by Juan Portes off K-Rod in the third doubled the Fort Myers advantage to 4-0. Southpaw Nate Starner went the next three innings and allowed a run in the fifth on a double and single but did strike out four. Paul Phillips worked a one-hit seventh inning while Connor Falkenbach pitched a clean eighth. Dunedin had just four hits on the night. Luis Sanchez had half of Dunedin's hits with a single and double but did commit an error. J.P. Arencibia and Jonathan Diaz also had base knocks while Brian Dopirak had a walk. Those were the only baserunners allowed by Miracle worker, er, starter Jeff Manship as he went the distance, retiring the final 13 Dunedin hitters in a row. That streak came after Dunedin's only scoring threat when they had runners at second and third in the fifth inning.

Lansing 5 South Bend 2

South Bend, IN - Let's begin with some alliteration. Lansing Lugnut Lefty Luis "Lyle Lovett" Perez (alright, I made up the last part but I was on a roll!) got the call in this one and after working a one-hit first and a one-walk second, he yielded a pair of runs in the third to the Diamondbacks affiliate with a walk and two singles causing the damage. After that, Perez worked three scoreless frames - giving up two singles in the fourth and a walk in the sixth. He also picked off a runner in the fourth.

Perez would be rewarded for his efforts when an Eric Eiland sac fly in the fifth cut the Silver Hawks lead to 2-1. In the sixth, the Lugnuts loaded up the bases with three singles to start a four-run rally. A Moises Sierra fielder's choice brought in the tying run while a Manny Rodriguez double gave Lansing a 3-2 lead. A Michael McDade fielder's choice and a wild pitch led to two more Lugnut runs. Michael Barbara, making his Lugnut debut, and lefties Joe Wice and Cody Crowell held down the fort with a scoreless inning each. Barbara gave up a walk, Wice survived a single and hit batter and Crowell overcame a wild pitch strikeout to notch his eighth save for the 2-5 Luis Perez.

Kevin Ahrens and Manny Rodriguez had two hits each with M-Rod getting two doubles while Ahrens had one. John Tolisano, Matt Liuzza and Moises Sierra all picked up singles while Michael McDade chipped in with a double. The Lugnuts did draw five walks but also struck out 10 times, led by Justin Jackson's hat trick as he went 0-for-5.

*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3. Luis Perez, Lansing - 6IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K, 7GO = W

2. Aaron Matthews, New Hampshire - 2/5, R, 2 2B, 4 RBI

1. Brett Cecil, New Hampshire - 5IP, 3H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB, 7K, 6GO (robbed of a W!)

Honourable Mentions.......

Syracuse - Davis Romero, David Smith, Danny Sandoval, Jo Matumoto.

New Hampshire - Anthony Hatch, Scott Campbell, Eric Nielsen, Seth Overbey, Zachary Dials.

Dunedin - Luis Sanchez, Nate Starner, Paul Phillips, Connor Falkenbach.

Lansing - Manny Rodriguez, Kevin Ahrens, Michael McDade, Eric Eiland, Moises Sierra, John Tolisano, Matt Liuzza, Michael Barbara, Joe Wice, Cody Crowell.

Standings......

Syracuse - 35-24 - 2nd place, IL North - 1.5 GB of Scranton/WB, 1L, 6-4 Last 10.

New Hampshire - 22-35 - 6th Place, EL North - 14.0 GB of Trenton, 2W, 6-3 Last 10.

Dunedin - 32-26, 2nd place, FSL West - 7.0 GB of Fort Myers, 1L, 5-5 Last 10.

Lansing - 33-25, 1st place, MWL East, 2.0 GA of West Michigan, 5W, 7-3 Last 10.

Today's Schedule/Probable Starters..........

Columbus @ Syracuse, 7:00 p.m. EDT - RHP Tyler Clippard, COL (4-4, 3.53) vs LHP John Parrish, SYR (7-0, 3.18).

Lansing @ South Bend, 7:00 p.m. EDT - LHP Marc Rzepczynski, LAN (1-1, 2.38) vs. RHP Jarrod Parker, SB (4-2, 2.45).

Akron @ New Hampshire, 7:05 p.m. EDT - LHP Ryan Edell, AKR (2-4, 4.72) vs. RHP Brandon Magee, NH (0-7, 5.90).

Dunedin @ Fort Myers, 7:05 p.m. EDT - LHP Gustavo Chacin, DUN (0-6, 8.59) vs RHP Deolis Guerra, FTM (6-1, 4.23).

Bonus Material........

The New Hampshire Union Leader recaps last night's game.

Lansinglugnuts.com has a recap and audio highlights as well.

A B.Cecil Poisons Aeros Through Their Heart | 20 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
bgock - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 09:42 AM EDT (#186458) #
Can someone with more knowledge about minor league development curves (I have known) please put T. Snider's current problems into context?  Is this normal for a young hitter adapting to a new level or should I really be concerned about him stalling out (or is it far too early in this season to tell?)?
MatO - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 09:59 AM EDT (#186460) #
We like to put out schedules for prospects to follow on their way to the big leagues but unfortunately they rarely cooperate.  Snider is very young for AA, so growing pains for a 20 year old are not unusual.  I am concerned about his K rate and he needs to get better contol of that before he can continue progressing.
Mike Green - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 09:59 AM EDT (#186461) #
Wow, that's a great pitching matchup tonight in South Bend, Zip vs. Jarrod Parker.
ayjackson - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 10:49 AM EDT (#186468) #

Could be a rough night on the Farm with Gus and Magee taking the Hill.  Hopefully, the offenses in NH and Dunedin can continue their raking ways.

 

ayjackson - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 11:50 AM EDT (#186479) #

Seven Lugnuts are headed to the MWL All Star Game.  Man-Rod, Ahrens, Jackson and Tolisano join pitchers Boone, Mills and Estanga in the classic.

 

Mike D - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 02:02 PM EDT (#186496) #
Snider is by far the youngest Fisher Cat and is a full two and a half years younger than, for example, Evan Longoria.  It is definitely too soon to worry.
R Billie - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 02:15 PM EDT (#186498) #

Snider could spend the next two seasons at AA and still be a major prospect.  If he were mastering this level at the age of 20 then he could very realistically been up with the Jays this year sometime, just two years after he was drafted which is very unusual for a high school player.

While this could mean he's not the next Albert Pujols it certainly does not preclude him from being in the majors by 2010 and being quite productive.  Even players who do make it to the big leagues at 21 or 22 after stellar minor league careers seldom hit the ground running.  See Carlos Delgado, Roy Halladay, Kelvim Escobar, et al.

I expect him to be in AA for the rest of this year.  He has to iron out some holes and use a consistent all fields approach.  He isn't showing much power against lefties and virtually all of his power against righties is to right field.  That suggests to me he isn't using left field enough which his raw power should allow him to do.

ChicagoJaysFan - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 02:18 PM EDT (#186499) #
I think the "problem" with Snider is that people built his expectations up too high.  There was talk on this board and other Blue Jay places of Snider being the 2009 opening day OF.  People have to understand that's just not realistic and was only an absolute, lottery-winning-like, best-case scenario.

What concerns me about Snider is not just his Ks, but his BBs+Ks.  He had this problem when he first got to NH and it seems to be back - looking at the stats, he seems to be back to where he just isn't doing anything at the plate and is watching pitches go by.  He has 2 BBs and 6 Ks in his last two games to go along with 9 ABs.  That's 8 PAs of 11 that he never put the ball in play (I'm only counting ABs and BBs as PAs as I don't know where to find sacs).  It actually goes back to a bit earlier as well and there have been 11 times in his last 18 PAs that he either struck out or walked.

At the majors, a good walk rate can be a good sign - in the minors, it can also mean that you're just not swinging the bat as pitcher control is a lot worse.
ayjackson - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 02:42 PM EDT (#186500) #
CJF, what Snider is doing looking at pitches seems to be in stark contrast to what Arencibia is doing at high-A.  Nothing gets by JP.  His K rates are dropping and his BB rate is already very low.  He's just raking whatever they're throwing him.  It doesn't seem as though they're trying to pitch carefully to him either.  Though it is difficult to get an accurate picture of approaches at the plate appearances with the limited stats available at that level.
FisherCat - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 04:01 PM EDT (#186508) #

One thought on why Snider may be regressing at the plate in recent games is that he has finally started playing the field (1st game was Saturday) and has since been wearing a tight slide-over stretch type elbow wrap.  That along with concentrating on a different pre-game routine (i.e. true fielding drills) may be taking his focus off of his at-bats somewhat.

I was at his first game in RF and he seems to have a more than adequate arm to play in RF, albeit he's no Jesse Barfield.  More like a REAL bulky version of Shawn Green.

ayjackson - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 04:12 PM EDT (#186509) #

FisherCat,

We've always heard that 245lbs was Snider's football weight and that he'd slim down for baseball.  How big does he look to you?  225 or pushing 250?

Mike Green - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 04:17 PM EDT (#186511) #
Green is a polar opposite from a physical perspective.

How many wide-bodied but athletic right-fielders have there been in major league history?  There must be more than a few, but all of the ones that I can think of (save, I guess, for Ruth) were at most of moderate build when they were young.  There is no logical reason for this that I can think of.   Snider is shorter and quite a bit wider than Reggie was.
ChicagoJaysFan - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 04:26 PM EDT (#186512) #
CJF, what Snider is doing looking at pitches seems to be in stark contrast to what Arencibia is doing at high-A.  Nothing gets by JP.  His K rates are dropping and his BB rate is already very low.  He's just raking whatever they're throwing him.  It doesn't seem as though they're trying to pitch carefully to him either.  Though it is difficult to get an accurate picture of approaches at the plate appearances with the limited stats available at that level.

Judging by the stats (limited available) - I love what Arencibia is doing.  I'm curious to see if he's having bad luck or just can't hit lefties though.  His BB/K/HR per AB against lefties all seem to be in-line with what he does against righties, but the .200/.224/.385 is nowhere near .354/.385/.612.  Given the limited data set and his amazing performance recently, that could also be due to him facing most of his lefties earlier in the year (that's an attempt at trying to find a cause for the big split - not a fact for when he faced lefties).

I really wonder how long they leave him at catcher though.  I know his defense has improved and he thus seems capable of playing the position, but with that sort of offensive talent, I can see them wanting to get him out from behind the plate and avoid the wear and tear.
FisherCat - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 04:52 PM EDT (#186516) #

With how baggy uniforms fit these days and from the certain vantage points in the stands it's tough to "compare" his physical composition to any one player.  But to me, he is a LH comparable to Manny Ramirez.  His swing reminds me very much of Carlos Delgado's although far less upper-cut than Delgado.

I have some good warm-up photos of Snider, but have been unable to figure how to "cut & paste" photos with my posts.  I got the links thing down packed though ;)

Mike Green - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 05:03 PM EDT (#186518) #
As a young "man", Ramirez was medium-build.  You really couldn't picture him as a fullback. I see Snider and I think of Larry Csonka.
Maldoff - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 05:20 PM EDT (#186523) #
So Snider will be able to announce on the new version of American Gladiators?
Magpie - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 06:49 PM EDT (#186531) #
Reggie was built very different from Snyder. Jackson went to Arizona State on a football scholarship, but he was a defensive back. And he was really fast back then.
Gerry - Wednesday, June 04 2008 @ 11:00 PM EDT (#186544) #
Snider's body looks like Kevin Mench or Johnny Gomes.
A B.Cecil Poisons Aeros Through Their Heart | 20 comments | Create New Account
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