There was timely hitting and good relief in Las Vegas, a strong display with the bats and by the starter in Double-A, uncommon struggles for Dunedin and more offensive prowess in Lansing. Two of Toronto’s best pitching prospects pitched last night, one well and the other not so well at all.
Las Vegas 10 @ Round Rock 9 (13 innings)
Las Vegas won an exciting 10-9 affair, but unfortunately this recap will be briefier than it deserves to be, as the game went 13 innings. Brad Mills gave up eight runs on ten hits and two walks and only lasted 3.1 innings. He was helped by some strong relief, including 5.2 innings from Steven Register and Sean Henn where they only allowed one unearned run on a Jarett Hoffpauir error. Jeremy Accardo pitched two innings for the win and Jesse Carlson pitched the thirteenth inning for the save.
There was some timely hitting from the Las Vegas offence, which scored 5 in the 7th inning to get within one, 2 in the 9th to tie the game and 1 in the 13th to win. Every starter had at least one hit, but the stars with the bats were Luis Figueroa, 5-for-7 with a 3B and a run, and Jorge Padilla, who was 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and three walks. JP Arencibia hit his sixth home run of the year, Aaron Mathews also added a homer and Brett Wallace was 2-for-7.
New Hampshire 11 @ New Britain 6 – Boxscore
New Hampshire defeated New Britain behind a convincing offensive display. Every Fisher Cat in the starting lineup but Eric Thames had at least one hit. In fact, every Fisher Cat but Thames, Darin Mastroianni and David Cooper had at least two base hits. Cooper added a double, a run and a pair of walks, while Mastroianni contributed with an RBI. The premier performance was found at the bottom of the lineup, as Jonathan Diaz went 4-for-5 with four doubles, three runs and 3 RBI. Adam Calderone had three hits, including a double, a stolen base and a run scored. The four-five-six hitters – Brad Emaus, Shawn Bowman and Adam Loewen – each had a pair of hits and a pair of runs. Brian Jeroloman also had a couple of hits, including a double, 2 RBI and a walk.
Kyle Drabek had a good start for the Fisher Cats to improve to 6-4 on the year and lower his ERA to 3.47. Drabek went 7 strong innings against New Britain and limited the Rock Cats to two runs on six hits and a pair of walks. Drabek struck out three batters and turned the big lead over to Boomer Potts. Potts’s adjustment to Double-A continued and he surrendered four runs on four hits over 2 innings, although he struck out three.
Clearwater 13 @ Dunedin 8 – Boxscore
Henderson Alvarez had only his second bad start of the year, but when they’ve happened, he’s struggled. He gave up eight hits and a walk through 3.1 innings with four strikeouts. Clearwater scored six runs off Alvarez on four home runs, three of which came in the first. Frank Gailey provided 1.2 innings of one-hit relief for the only solid appearance out of Dunedin’s bullpen. Ross Buckwalter surrendered four runs on three hits and two walks with one strikeout in 1.1 innings. He turned the ball over to the normally reliable Dumas Garcia who went 2.2 innings and allowed three hits on five hits and a pair of walks to raise his ERA to 2.04.
Batting leadoff against J.C. Ramirez, the least-known of the three prospects Philadelphia acquired for Cliff Lee, Adeiny Hechavarria went 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout. Kevin Ahrens also went 1-for-5 with a double. Travis d’Arnaud started the game batting third, but left early after being hit by a pitch and Al Quintana took over the catching duties. Michael McDade and John Tolisano each went 1-for-4 with a run, while Brian van Kirk, Dan Perales and Wellinton Ramirez each went 1-for-4 without a run. The biggest star at the plate was Jon Talley, who went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and 5 RBI in total.
West Michigan 5 @ Lansing 9 – Boxscore
Dennis Tepera started and wasn’t at his best, but he was good enough to improve to 5-1 on the season. He gave up nine hits in 5.2 innings, which led to four West Michigan runs, although one was unearned on a Ryan Goins error. Tepera struck out four and walked one, turning the ball over to the bullpen with two runners on base. Scott Gracey got out of the jam without allowing any of the runners to score. He went on to pitch 1.2 innings of relief and allowed West Michigan’s fifth run on three hits and two walks. Gracey struck out three and turned it over to Steven Turnball, who picked up his eleventh save, because he entered the game with the bases loaded, on 1.2 innings of one-hit relief.
An eight-run third propelled Lansing to victory over West Michigan. Four batters batted twice in the frame and, aside from Eric Eiland who reached base twice, they each accounted for one of the outs in the inning. Chris Hopkins and Ryan Schimpf were the two Lugnuts without a hit, although each of them reached base via the base on balls. Mark Sobolewski and AJ Jimenez each had two hits, a run and an RBI, although Brad McElroy set the team-high mark in several offensive categories by scoring two runs on three hits with 3 RBI and a solo home run. Ryan Goins, Sean Ochinko, Karim Turkamani, Balbino Fuenmayor and Eiland each had a hit and all save Turkamani scored a run. Both Goins and McElroy stole a base and grounded into a double play.
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Kyle Drabek, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
2nd Star – Jon Talley, 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 6 TB and Jorge Padilla 3-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 3 BB, 6 TB
1st Star – Jonathan Diaz, 4-5, 3 R, 4 2B, 3 RBI, 8 TB
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