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It was an even night on the farm, as victories in Dunedin, Lansing and the Gulf Coast League offset losses in the high minors and NY-Penn League. The Lugnuts had a good night at the plate in Fort Wayne and Syracuse managed a good number of hits, even if they came up short in the end. There was a lot of 5 inning starts amongst the starters with few standout performances.


Rochester 8 @ Syracuse 5Boxscore

Old friends are everywhere in Rochester, with Howie Clark manning right field for the Red Wings, Sergio Santos at first base and Bobby Kielty in centre. Santos had the best day of the three, going 2-3 with a walk, but his OPS is still under .700. The SkyChiefs used five pitchers in the game and all of them were touched for runs. John Parrish started and gave up a two-run homer over 5 innings.

Rochester went on to score six runs over 3 innings off the Syracuse bullpen. Chris George was the first out of the pen and surrendered one run over 1.1 innings. Sean Stidfole gave up a pair of runs over an inning and took the loss, but his ERA for Syracuse is still only 2.88. Mike Gosling pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up a run on a hit and two walks. Jeremy Accardo pitched the ninth and gave up two runs, although one came on a Russ Adams error.

Six of the nine SkyChiefs had a multihit game and only one went hitless. Unfortunately, that one was Travis Snider, whose 0-5 evening dropped his average to .387. Kevin Melillo and Curtis Thigpen went 1-5. The first four SkyChief batters – Buck Coats, Wayne Lydon, Danny Sandoval and Russ Adams – each had two hits. All but Lydon scored a run and Lydon and Adams each added an RBI and a walk. Hector Luna went 3-4 with an RBI and a run, while Robinzon Diaz went 3-5 with a pair of doubles, 2 RBI and a run.

Altoona 7 @ New Hampshire 2Boxscore

This one finished as a 7-2 loss, but it could have been noticeably worse. Marty McLeary surrendered 10 hits and three walks over 5.1 innings, but only allowed 2 runs. Seth Overbey gave up a pair of runs over 2.2 innings, one scoring on his own error. Michael MacDonald, back in the Eastern League, where he was a 2006 All-Star, gave up three runs over an inning on three hits and two walks.

The Fisher Cats had nine hits on the evening. Six Fisher Cats, including a pinch-hitter had one hit, three went hitless and the other had a 3-hit game. Chris Gutierrez, Ryan Patterson and Jonathan Diaz all went hitless, although Gutierrez drew a pair of walks and Diaz had an RBI. Diaz drove home Brian Dopirak, who went 3-4. Dopirak is hitting .306 for New Hampshire, but has yet to walk or homer. The rest of the Fisher Cats had one hit, including Erik Kratz, who pinch-hit for Kyle Phillips in the fourth. Kratz would go on to hit a solo homer in sixth, but I haven’t yet been able to determine why Phillips was lifted from the game so early.

Sarasota 1 @ Dunedin 5
Boxscore

A four-run seventh propelled Dunedin to victory. Doubles by Cory Patton and Anthony Hatch scored Dunedin’s first run in the fourth. Then, Al Quintana led off the seventh with a home run. After Adam Calderone was retired, Luis Sancez singled and Chris Emanuele doubled him to third. Up stepped Brad Emaus and he connected for Dunedin’s second homer of the game and the three-run shot gave the D-Jays a little bit of breathing room. All the damage in the seventh came off Sarasota reliever and Montreal native Pierre-Alexandre Valiquette. Hatch, Quintana and Patton each had a two-hit game, adding a single to the aforementioned extra-base hit. David Cooper went 1-4 and made his second fielding error with Dunedin.

Nathan Starner went 6 strong, surrendering one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out six and retired 9 of 12 batters on balls-in-play on the ground. Celson Polanco struck out three over 2 one-hit innings and retired the other three batters on ground balls and Cody Crowell struck out a batter and got two ground ball outs while pitching the ninth.

Lansing 9 @ Fort Wayne 5 Boxscore

James Dougher improved to 3-0 as he gave up two runs over 5 innings. Both runs score on a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Dougher didn’t walk a batter and struck out six. Edgar Estanga surrendered three runs over 2 innings on three hits and two walks before Tim Collins continued with his bag of tricks. Collins pitched 2 hitless innings and struck out four.

Lansing pounded out 16 hits in the victory, with every starter but Manny Rodriguez getting a base hit. Jonathan Jackson was 2-4 with a walk and an RBI and Darin Mastroianni was 1-4 with an RBI. CJ Ebarb went 1-5 with a solo homer in the cleanup spot before Kevin Ahrens put up a 2-4 line with a double, a pair of runs and a walk. Jonathan Baksh continued his hot streak with a 4-5 evening, which included a pair of runs, a double and an RBI. The last three hitters in the lineup – John Tolisano, Yohermyn Chavez and Moises Sierra – each had a 2-hit game. Tolisano was 2-4 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Chavez and Sierra each had 2 RBI, with Chavez hitting a double and Sierra scoring a run.

Batavia 3 @ Auburn 2Boxscore

Marcus Walden went 5 solid innings for the Doubledays. He allowed three hits and three walks, but didn’t give up a run and struck out seven. Andrew Liebel came in and gave up three runs on four hits in the seventh after a scoreless sixth. Danny Farquhar then pitched 2 hitless innings with for strikeouts.

Andy Amar and Robert Sobolewski each went 2-4 and had the only multihit games for Auburn. Sobolewksi’s double was the team’s only extra-base hit on the evening. Sobolewski had one of the team’s RBI and the other came from Joel Collins, who was 1-1 with a walk and two hit-by-pitches. Bryan Van Kirk, who got on base through a base on balls, and Amar scored the team’s two runs and the other two hits came from Chris Demons and Bartolo Nicolas, each of whom was 1-5. Demons stole his 19th base of the season.

GCL Phillies 2 @ GCL Blue Jays 3 Boxscore

The GCL Blue Jays faced off against Kyle Drabek, Doug Drabek’s son, and handed him his first loss (and first decision) of the year. Drabek only lasted 3 innings and surrendered all three runs on a pair of hits and three walks. The Jays manufactured their first run, as Tyler Pastornicky singled and stole second. Kyle Gilligan advanced him to third on a ground ball and then Pastornicky scored on a wild pitch. In the third the Jays scored two runs on a Balbino Fuenmayor triple that cashed Luis Hurtado and Pastornicky. Both reached on walks as control problems came back to haunt Drabek. The Jays only got three hits over 5 innings off reliever Kyle Slate.

Chase Lirette started for the Jays and pitched 3 one-hit innings with five strikeouts. Venezuelans pitched the last 5 innings, as Jonas Cuotto pitched 4 innings and gave up both runs, although only one was earned, before Yorman Mayora picked up the save with a scoreless inning.

Three Stars:

3rd Star – Robinzon Diaz, 3-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 5 TB and James Dougher, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

2nd Star – Nathan Starner, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

1st Star – Jonathan Baksh, 4-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 5 TB


A Reunion with Rochester | 11 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
tstaddon - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 11:32 AM EDT (#190774) #
Two weeks until September call-ups, baby. I'd personally like to see the Jays add Accardo, Parrish, Richmond, R. Romero and Wolfe to the bump. And Campbell, Coats, Diaz and Smith to the bench. There are currently two openings on the 40-man roster that Campbell and Smith could assume; Romero's could easily be opened by the procedural move of transferring McGowan to the 60-day DL. Who would the rest of you like to see in Blue, Black and White?

Naturally, any number of fringe folks could also be trimmed. By my eyes, it's hard to imagine Jean Machi, Bill Murphy or Russ Adams holding their spots through the winter. And there are convincing arguments for the eventual removal of Mench, Thigpen and Wilkerson, too.
whiterasta80 - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 12:39 PM EDT (#190775) #

My list: Not everyone is likely to get the call but these are who I'd be looking at.

I'd like to see the Romero's get a call (Ricky taking a look in the rotation and Davis going back to the bullpen-hopefully for good).  David Smith probably deserves a look, though he's 27. I'd give Russ adams a blow at second since we're still not sure what the deal with Hill is. I'm assuming the plan is for Robinson Diaz to be on the MLB roster next year so he should get a look too. Not sure I'd take anyone directly from AA though my leading candidates would be Scott Campbell (for the same reason Adams gets a call), Brad Mills (but its early and we already brought in the Romero's) and Jonathon Diaz (hey... you knew I had to mention him).

Snider, Cecil, Arencibia, Cooper... They'll have to wait until next year. Ahrens, Eiland, Jackson, Sobolewski and Tolisano:probably 2010 at the earliest for callups.

John Northey - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 12:53 PM EDT (#190776) #
September Locks - must be on the 40 man and have previous ML experience
Accardo - got to see if he can get ML hitters out again
Parrish - have to decide if he is worth a 40 man slot over the winter
Wolfe - might take over the 5th starter role
Diaz - catching depth, want to see if he will be ready for 2009

Possible September - must be on 40 man or required to be added post season
Thigpen - more catching depth, want to know if he is worth a 40 man slot
Adams - utility guy, should keep or not - have to decide
Coats - backup outfielder, pinch runner for September, see if can be 5th outfielder next year (ie: in Syracuse, ready to come up at a moments notice)

Unlikely September - not on 40 man, not required to be until at least 2009's off season or not performing well enough
Snider - hitting might force the issue
Jeroloman - not hitting well enough at Syracuse to force the issue, but I think has to be added to 40 man this offseason so might get a look
Luna - not bad at AAA, could be a utility infielder for this team but we already have those up the wazoo so no playing time
Campbell - tore apart AA but unless going to play everyday no point in calling up and getting service clock ticking

No one else jumps out at me as likely to get the call.  Maybe Kratz if they feel neither Thigpen or Diaz deserve it and don't want Jeroloman's service clock started as they'd want a 3rd catcher for September.

Lucky - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 12:54 PM EDT (#190777) #
My list would include David Smith, for sure .  He is 27, but so is Russ Adams, who has already proven he can't stick.  Try Campbell at 2nd, as it looks like Hill will not be back.  I am in agreement that Thigpen shouldn't get another look, and Jeroloman isn't tearing it up at AAA.  I would wait on Snider, Ricky Romero, Cooper, and Arencibia, too.
Gerry - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 01:06 PM EDT (#190778) #
I agree with John Northey, it will be the locks and that will be it.  Remember there is a cost to bring each guy up and JP is budget conscious.
Thomas - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 01:39 PM EDT (#190780) #
I agree, as well. JP's been fairly conservative with his callups in the past, so I wouldn't expect any surprises like Luna or Jeroloman. I think the three true locks are Wolfe, Accardo and Diaz. I wouldn't be surprised to see a fourth callup, but I wouldn't even say Parrish is a lock. I think he's the leading candidate, but the team may prefer to add a bench player over a tenth arm for the bullpen. However, I also don't see any real contendors for a bench spot, aside from Coats.
Sneeps - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 02:55 PM EDT (#190784) #
Id like to see Campbell, Arencibia, and Patterson moved up to AAA.  Emaus up to AA to replace Campbell.  Baksh up to A+.  Rzep needs to move up to High A as well.

TamRa - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 04:59 PM EDT (#190788) #
tstaddon

Two weeks until September call-ups, baby. I'd personally like to see the Jays add Accardo, Parrish, Richmond, R. Romero and Wolfe to the bump.


All the pitchers who have been here before (and are still in the organization) will be back. Romero won't, IMO, as I will explain.

 And Campbell, Coats, Diaz and Smith to the bench. There are currently two openings on the 40-man roster that Campbell and Smith could assume; Romero's could easily be opened by the procedural move of transferring McGowan to the 60-day DL. Who would the rest of you like to see in Blue, Black and White?


Campbell doesn't HAVE to be added this winter and won't be. Smith is an irrelevancy.


Naturally, any number of fringe folks could also be trimmed. By my eyes, it's hard to imagine Jean Machi, Bill Murphy or Russ Adams holding their spots through the winter. And there are convincing arguments for the eventual removal of Mench, Thigpen and Wilkerson, too.

Wilkerson will be a FA and porbably Mench too. In fact, there are five pending FA (counting Burnett) so roster crowding is not an imminent issue. That said there is no reason to keep Murphy and little to keep Machi.

whiterasta80

I'd like to see the Romero's get a call (Ricky taking a look in the rotation and Davis going back to the bullpen-hopefully for good).

Ricky probably won't, Davis I think has a good chance.

I'd give Russ Adams a blow at second since we're still not sure what the deal with Hill is

Given how hot he's been, it couldn't hurt.



TamRa - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 05:14 PM EDT (#190789) #
Don't forget the AFL folks. Players going to the AFL usually don't get the September call. Bastian reports that Snider, Campbell, and JPA are going west along with three yet unnamed pitchers.

Rickey Romero is a lock to be one of those pitchers, the other two are less certain. Davis Romero can't go because you are only allowed one foreign player per major league team, Cecil would seem logical be he'll only have about 20 IP left in the tank so he'd have to pitch in relief if he went. The next most logical choice, IMO, is Scott Richmond (I'm assuming Canadian doesn't count as "foreign" in this case).

So those are players who would not be with the Jays in September.

So I would say the following are locks:

Wolfe
Parrish
Accardo (or whoever is sent down for him if he's activated before Sept. 1)
D. Romero
Richmond (IF he doesn't go west)
R. Diaz (JP alluded to more catching depth plus he's had some games at 3B)


Possibles:
Coats
Thigpen (I have my doubts)
Adams (he's very very hot right now but Cito probably won't play him enough for it to matter)

Rolen (if they don't shut him down)




Oh, and regarding additions to the 40 man roster, the 2005 class for college players, the 2004 class for high schoolers. That means, as far as I can tell, Rickey Romero and probably Robert Ray.

Jeroloman and Snider are safe.

Thomas - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 05:30 PM EDT (#190790) #
I don't think there's any way they call up all three of Richmond, Parrish and Davis Romero. There's simply not enough innings for them and the Jays aren't going to call guys up who aren't going to get at least marginal playing time. There's not even a guarantee two of them come up, as the pen still has to find work for Accardo and Wolfe on top of the seven guys they already have.
rtcaino - Sunday, August 17 2008 @ 10:23 PM EDT (#190807) #
Very nice start from Cecil tonight!

7 ip 1h 1bb 7k

85 pitches.


One hit and a couple walks for young Travis also.

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