The state of the Jays pitching staff is so precarious that when a pitcher does well in AAA or AA you think they might get called up. Shawn Hill and John Silson both pitched well yesterday and both teams won. Aaron Sanchez, Tom Robson and Kevin Comer also pitched well. Dunedin scored in double figures to win while Vancouver were "beat up good".
Offensively Moises Sierra had a big night as did Eric Thames. Kevin Nolan hit a grand slam and had 5 RBI. Kevin Howard hit a game winning, extra innings, home run.
Shawn Hill pitched well, six innings, six hits, six K's. But it was Moises sierra who was the sparkplug in this game. Sierra homered to give LV the lead. In the fourth inning he scored the second run as Ricardo Nanita doubled him in. The 51's took that 2-1 lead to the seventh where they scored five runs. Two runs scored on a double from Eric Thames and two more on another double by Sierra. Thames doubled in two more in a four run eighth. Sacramento scored three in the ninth to make the score a little more respectable. The four game series with the division lead River Cats was split so LV remain 4.5 games back.
Sierra and Anthony Gose had three hits each for the 51's. Thames had the two doubles and 4 RBI's. Travis Snider was 2-3 with two walks.
New Hampshire 5 Portland 3 - 13 innings
The Fisher Cats led 3-0 in the seventh. John Tolisano singled and doubled and scored two runs. Mark Sobolewski homered. Sobo led the hitters with three hits over the 13 innings. Tolisano, Howard and Brian Bocock had two hits each.
John Stilson had been roughed up in his last start but he was back in form on this night. He pitched five shutout innings, three hits, three walks and five K's. Stilson threw 79 pitches, 45 for strikes. At one point in the fourth inning he was close to 50/50 balls and strikes. He was followed by Sam Dyson who has been pitching well for New Hampshire. Dyson left with two on and two out in his second inning of work but Aaron Loup came on to give up two hits and allow two runs to score. Scott Gracey came on in the ninth with a 3-2 lead and promptly walked the first two hitters. He got out of it with one run allowed but now it was a tied game and headed to extras.
The game went to the thirteenth inning when Kevin Howard hit a two run home run and Matt Wright shut down Portland for the win.
Dunedin scored 12 runs on nine hits, they were helped by some poor pitching. For example in the sixth inning the bases were loaded with walks when Kevin Nolan hit a grand slam. In the seventh the first six hitters reached on three walks, two hit batters and an error. Ryan Schimpf and Michael Crouse had two hits each. Nolan ended with 5 RBI.
Egan Smith started and went six, allowing one earned run.
It was the good and the ugly in Fort Wayne. Aaron Sanchez was the good, five shutout innings, two hits one walk, three K's. But three pitchers out of the bullpen gave up ten runs in the last three innings.
Kevin Patterson tripled in the first run. Kenny Wilson tripled in the second run and scored the third on a single by Kevin Pillar. Pillar, Patterson and KC Hobson had two hits each.
Vancouver scored a run in the first inning on three straight two out singles. But thereafter is was all Everett who took a 6-1 lead to the ninth. A two out error scored two runs followed by a two run single by Balbino but that was it. Taylor Cole was unable to make the start with a strained oblique so three bull-peners pitched the eight innings. Balbino and Matt Newman had two hits each.
When there is a shutout you have to look at the pitching. Tom Robson started and went four innings, 3 hits, no walks, 1 k. Kevin Comer followed him, also four innings, one hit, no walks, four K's. Nate Rode from BA tweeted the following: "Both Tom Robson and Kevin Comer in the high 80s tonight. Comer flashed good CB & CH." For good measure Colby Broussard struck out the side in the ninth.
Carlos Ramirez homered in the fifth for the first run. Dickie Thon tripled and scored in the seventh and he was hit by a pitch and scored in the ninth. Christain Lopes and Matt Dean had two hits each.
GCL Jays 1 GCL Braves 0 - 4 innings suspended
These teams were scheduled for a doubleheader but only got four innings in before the game was called. Alberto Tirado and Kyle Anderson each pitched two innings.
Three Stars
3rd star (tie): Aaron Sanchez, John Stilson and Kevin Comer - how do you pick one of them?
2nd star: Shawn Hill
1st star: Moises Sierra
