Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - The Farq Lays Down Its Arms

Las Vegas lost a squeaker in the late innings in a game that received top billing on MILB.com thanks to Brett Cecil squaring off against the Reno Aces. The rest of the affiliates went 2-4.

Las Vegas 7 at Reno 8

MILB.com's top-billed game for the evening (thanks in part to the fact that it's the seventh of eight straight games between Las Vegas and Reno????!!) lived up to the hype, ending as a one-run squeaker. Unfortunately, Las Vegas was on the wrong end of that narrow margin of victory thanks to Dan Farquhar's first blown save. The Farq, trying to protect a valuable hostage, I mean one-run lead, gave up a two-run, bases-loaded single to Brandon Allen, and the 51s couldn't muster a comeback.

Brett Cecil got the start and pitched okayly. He threw 106 pitches in six innings, giving up eight hits and two walks while punching out three. The lefty also induced nine GBs to just two FBs. Now, we here at Batter's Box don't exactly get inside information about how pitchers feel about their velocity in any given start, but I'd like to see Cecil back up pretty soon.

Las Vegas got homers from Chris Woodward and David Cooper and a grand slam from Jason Lane on their way to scoring seven runs on just eight hits. Woodward also walked twice, and Cooper hit a SF.

Altoona 0 at New Hampshire 2

Jesse Litsch got the rehab start in New Hampshire and showed why he's not a AA starter. The righty pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out four. Then Chad Beck completely outdid Litsch, finishing off the seven-inning game with 3 1/3 no-hit innings, striking out five.

Offensive support was provided by Mike McDade and Travis d'Arnaud, each with a solo homer.

The second (or first?) of New Hampshire's double-header was postponed, presumably as a result of fear on the part of Altoona's hitters.

Dunedin 1 at Tampa 8

The D-Jays got smacked around by, who else, the Yankees on Thursday night. Ryan Tepera was on the receiving end of that offensive explosion, surrendering five runs in five innings. Steve Turnbull didn't have a great game either, allowing three runs in his single inning of work. Dumas Garcia on the other hand, sandwiched in between them, pitched two perfect innings! So there's that.

The offense produced seven hits and four walks - not a bad output for only scoring a single run. Or, the other way to look at it, pretty pathetic run production considering the number of base-runners. Brad McElroy had the best game, reaching base in all three plate appearances on two singles and a walk and throwing out a runner at third base.

Lansing - scheduled day off

Vancouver 9 at Everett 3

Classic short-season pitcher's duel. 1-0 after five innings, then the starters leave and things blow up. Specifically, Shane Opitz blew up, going 4-4, all singles, with 2 RBI. Stephen McQuail also blew up, piling up three hits including a homer. Nicholas Baligod and Garrett Maines got in on the blowing up, each singling and doubling and driving in run(s).

This game's pitching mention goes to Bryan Longpre, who hurled two perfect innings in relief, K'ing four.

Bluefield 5 at Elizabethton 6

A heartbreaker for Bluefield: they led 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning when Elizabethton came storming back. Two straight singles were followed by a sac bunt, botched by closer Les Williams. Another single and then a fielder's choice, and that was the ballgame.

First baseman Art Charles and catcher Aaron Munoz each had two RBIs, on a single and a homer for Charles and a single, walk and sac fly for Munoz. Chris Hawkins doubled and walked in his four trips. Jose Vargas got the start and lasted four innings, allowing two runs.

GCL Yankees 2 at GCL Blue Jays 3

The Baby Jays took revenge on the Yankees on behalf of the D-Jays. The hero was Santiago Nessy, who hit a two-run homer in the fifth to break the tie. Andrew Liebel also deserves credit, holding the G-Yanks to just one run over his four innings. Julio Carmona also pitched well, no-hitting the Yanks over two innings and striking out four.

D.J. "Game of" Thon"es" (no?) had a single and a walk in three trips, and was once again replaced in the late innings. Anyone know what's up with that?

DSL Marlins 4 at DSL Jays 0

Steven Romero gave up four runs, all unearned, in five innings and struck out nine. No Gabriel Cenas.

Three Stars! (pretty weak three stars for a seven-game night!)
3. Brad McElroy - 2-2, BB, OF assist
2. Chris Woodward - 1-2, HR, 2 BB
1. Shane Opitz - 4-4

Posted by Dave Rutt on Friday, June 24 2011 @ 02:01 AM EDT.

The Farq Lays Down Its Arms | 22 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

TamRa - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 03:05 AM EDT (#237384) #

As close as it is to the break, I really am not expecting Cecil before then. Stewart and Cecil would get three more apiece in their current roles (unless Stewart get's so very pounded that they think it would hurt him to keep going back out there) which is a fair sample (five games) to look at Stewart and not TOO long on Cecil.

Listch pitched so well that he can't be more than one or two more starts from being ready, but he, too, would seemingly push Stewart out unless they made a bullpen move. It wouldn't be the end of the world for him to get three more turns instead of two.

Come out of the break with:
Romero > Morrow > Cecil > Litsch > Reyes
With Stew back in the minors and Villianueva in the pen

which poses another problem, you already have to bring back Janssen on July 2 - you either fudge it and "rehab" him a bit in AAA, or you DFA Nix or Rivera (the next logical candidates) and go back to an 8 man pen, or you demote Perez, or you find a way to trade one of the excess guys
(Dotel? Please?) within the next week or so.

I think the smart money would be on "demote Perez"

But even then, when Villianueva is back in the pen you STILL have one too many guys. So, again, DFA some deadwood or trade a reliever, right?

Plus, let's not forget, if Snider is coming back before the break (which sounded likely tonight) then HE is gonna bump some deadwood too.

Personally, I'd like nothing better than Snider's arrival to punch Rivera's ticket out of town. He'd probably clear waivers anyway but might refuse an assignment to AAA - unless that meant forfiting the rest of his contract, which he'd be a fool to do.

If i assume, for a brief moment, that Snider bumps Rivera (it could be Nix) say on July 1; the Janssen bumps Perez a couple of days later; then Cecil and litsch return at the break, bumping Stewart and Nix (Rivera)

then after that, you need an injury or a trade to bring on anyone else, unless you get rid of EE or Patterson

For my part, I'd go all in and replace Patterson with Loewen, and trade Dotel or Rauch and bring back Perez and probably let EE press on until Lawrie was ready (assuming he doesn't have another setback). That sucks for Cooper, but I'm out of space unless we trade two relievers, or prefer Cooper over Perez.

Maybe I'm overthinking this? ;)

Ok, on an actual minor league note: Am I the only one sick of watching Ryan Tepera stink it up? Once every three or four games he does well and then more stinkers. Free Hutch!!

Also:

I'm sad to report that my boy Justin Jackson is back in the ditch He's 4 for his last 40 and 3 of those came in one game. He's not just having a June swoon, he seems to have completely passed out. Get him to the film room, stat!

woodman663 - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 06:13 AM EDT (#237387) #

Cecil did not induce 9 GBs and 2 FBs. He induced 10 GBs and 13 balls in the air for a groundball rate of around 43%. That's a significant difference. You can't just discount the balls a pitcher allows to be hit in play that go for hits. Hopefully Cecil's next start will be better.

I wonder if Joe Musgrove, now that he has been added to the GCL Roster, will get his first start soon. For now that rotation shapes up like this: Estrada-Cardona (+Adams?)-Murphy-Liebel (rehab)-??. That last one could be Musgrove, or it could be Adaric Kelly, who also hasn't pitched yet. Whoever it is not might be a candidate to take over from Liebel once he's done rehabbing. Zak Adams could also be a candidate, though his debut was terrible.and perhaps he'll keep sharing starts with Cardona.

In Bluefield it's Syndergaard (+Taylor)-Rollins-Vargas-Sanchez-??. I think the last one should be Myles Jaye, but maybe Carlos Pina will be the guy. I'd like to see Mitch Taylor get his own spot in the rotation.

metafour - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 07:53 AM EDT (#237388) #

D.J. "Game of" Thon"es" (no?) had a single and a walk in three trips, and was once again replaced in the late innings. Anyone know what's up with that?

It was revealed that Thon had failed blood work a while ago and was out indefinitely. I think it was actually surprising that he didn't miss a single game this year considering it sounded like it could be somewhat serious. I'd venture to guess that whatever medical issue he had is the reason he is is being brought along slowly.

Mike Green - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 12:02 PM EDT (#237406) #

Cecil's start illustrates the difficulty in evaluating the PCL. There will be doubles. More ground balls down the line will go for doubles because of the harder desert surfaces. More fly balls will go for doubles (and triples) because of the larger dimensions/thinner air. Put the ball in play is a winning formula for hitters.

Eric Thames and David Cooper have similar lines in one respect. They are both on pace to hit 75-85 doubles and about 20 homers. That says something about their skills, but even more about the environment.

Gerry - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 01:38 PM EDT (#237411) #

It's a good day for pitching watchers today, consider this lineup of starters:

Bluefield - Aaron Sanchez

Vancouver - Justin Nicolino

Lansing - Sean Nolin

Dunedin - Nestor Molina

New Hampshire - Chad Jenkins

Las Vegas - Kyle Drabek

The GCL starter is a NDFA Kenley Jensen. But the others are either high draft picks or prospects. With the possible exception of Sean Nolin, the other five could be on a top 30 prospects list.

Gerry - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 01:50 PM EDT (#237412) #

That GCL starter is Tucker Jensen.

greenfrog - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 02:26 PM EDT (#237414) #

Not sure if this has already been posted, but John Sickels has a brief profile of old friend Tyler Pastornicky in his June 22 Minor League Notes:

"**Atlanta Braves shortstop prospect Tyler Pastornicky is having a solid offensive season for Double-A Mississippi, hitting .301/.346/.417 so far with 14 steals, 17 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 66 games, 259 at-bats. Acquired in last summer's Yunel Escobar trade with Toronto, he was originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the fifth round in 2008 from high school in Bradenton, Florida.

"The son of scout Cliff Pastornicky, Tyler is (like many kids from baseball families) fundamentally sound and a "baseball rat" type who hustles, is adept at "little ball" (he's a great bunter), and plays above his tools. His best tool is above average speed. He doesn't have a huge amount of power, though he should be good for some doubles and triples. He makes contact and his strikeout rate is low, which is often a marker for players who can exceed expectations. He's generally projected as a solid utility infielder, but is young enough at 21 to have a chance to be a regular if his bat continues to develop.

"Pastornicky draws good reviews from scouts for his defense, including his range. Interestingly, his range factors at shortstop are consistently below average the last two years. That's not a perfect stat by any means, but even in the minors range factor usually coincides with what the scouting reports say, and in this case it doesn't. I don't know what to think about that, other than it bears watching."

Anders - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 02:48 PM EDT (#237416) #

Eric Thames and David Cooper have similar lines in one respect. They are both on pace to hit 75-85 doubles and about 20 homers. That says something about their skills, but even more about the environment.

Well Cooper is decidedly a doubles and not home run hitter, whereas Thames has shown more pop in the past, and this year. Interestingly enough, Cooper has 3 of his 5 home runs in the last 5 games. If he keeps this up...

On a semi-related note, Thames' walk rate is the same as Cooper's, and he shows significantly more power - 40 home runs in about 860 minor league PA, vs. about the same number in twice the at bats for Cooper. Thames is 3 months older, but has also has a much better AA track record than Cooper. I think Thames is decidedly the superior player, and I'm glad he's getting something of a shot.

uglyone - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 03:31 PM EDT (#237419) #

I like Thames better than Cooper as well, but the gap has shrunk for me considerably. After all, since about halfway through last year, these two same-aged players have produced near identical overall numbers, at the same levels. Thames shows more power but more Ks, while Cooper shows less power but better contact.

I think both should be getting a look - I'd love to Coooper up here instead of Nix, too.

Kelekin - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 03:55 PM EDT (#237422) #

I wish it was Kenley Jansen, Gerry! Boy can that kid get some strikeouts.

Mike Green - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 04:05 PM EDT (#237426) #

I agree that Thames is a better prospect than Cooper. I was merely pointing out how the environment in the PCL has shaped their statistics in a similar and odd way.

greenfrog - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 04:07 PM EDT (#237427) #

Thames missed a lot of development time with injuries, so you could argue that although he's 24, he's been playing catch up and is about a year behind where he would otherwise be. I wouldn't put him in the same category as some other 24-year-olds who simply took a long time to get to AAA.

greenfrog - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 04:11 PM EDT (#237428) #

Two Jays on BA's Prospect Hot Sheet this week: Hutchison (#7) and Alvarez (#9). Alvarez is "becoming one of the Blue Jays biggest success stories this season."

uglyone - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 04:16 PM EDT (#237429) #

Would anyone else object strongly to me calling Alvarez our certified #1 pitching prospect, and #2 prospect overall?

TamRa - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 04:24 PM EDT (#237432) #

Do I recall correctly that the GCL tends to use "tandem starters", that is that the starter will go 4 and then another guy seen as a starter will go 3-4 much of the time?

Seems like i remember noticing that pattern last year.

Mike Green - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 04:50 PM EDT (#237436) #

Alvarez is probably the club's #1 pitching prospect. He's got a decent chance to be great, but a slightly larger chance of not having much of a career at all.

bpoz - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 05:43 PM EDT (#237442) #

Mike Green your comment on H Alvarez possibly being great OR not having much of a career, is interest & fair.

That comment can be applied to all of our SPs except Romero IMO. Injuries most likely is the only obstacle for Romero.
The greatness of Morrow & Drabek is still uncertain. IMO Litsch & Cecil have shown enough to me to consider them ML pitchers, unless health issues spoil it.

So IMO that leaves development time for Morrow, Drabek, Reyes & Stewart to prove their status. When 2010 ended our big 3 earned their 2011 jobs. Reyes & Drabek were given jobs because of their potential.When 2011 ends I don't know how many will have earned a SP spot and how many will be given a spot because of potential.

TamRa - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 10:14 PM EDT (#237459) #

Wow! Sanchez got waxed tonight, giving up 8 ER in 2.2 IP

Myles Jaye followed him and did much better, giving up one ER and striking out 4 in 4.1 IP

Mike Green - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 10:36 PM EDT (#237461) #

The count for Drabek so far in the first inning: 46 pitches, two walks and two homers. Hmm. The PCL may not be the best place for a struggling pitcher.

hypobole - Friday, June 24 2011 @ 11:56 PM EDT (#237462) #

On a more positive note, Justin Nicolino threw another 5 shutout innings for the Vancouver Canadians. His line after 2 games reads 10 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K.

ayjackson - Saturday, June 25 2011 @ 12:03 AM EDT (#237463) #

Nice to see. Who had Nicolino in the 2010 HS pitcher pool? So far the good have been Nicolino, Syndergaard, Murphy and Jaye and the bad have been Sanchez and Taylor. But it`s early.

dan gordon - Saturday, June 25 2011 @ 12:13 AM EDT (#237464) #

That 46 pitches was it for Drabek tonight. He lasted 2/3 of an inning, giving up 4 hits, 3 walks and 5 earned runs. His AAA ERA is now 17.36

Jankins had an OK start for NH and Molina was great again for Dunedin.

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