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A busy Monday night saw the affiliates win eight out of nine and if not for one bad inning, they could have gone 9-0. Highlights included three shutout victories, a come-from-behind extra innings triumph and a doubleheader sweep.


 Buffalo 7 Syracuse 0

Buffalo, NY
- The Bisons are back to .500 again. They took advantage of some sloppy defence by the Nationals affiliate to put up a first inning run. They would put the Chiefs away with a five-run third inning which started with RBI singles by Matt Hague and Alex Hassan and those two got to jog the rest of the way home after Melky Mesa mashed one over the wall for a three-run home run. Hassan added the extra point with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Dalton Pompey set the tone at the top of the order with two hits (including a double), two walks and two runs scored but was caught stealing. Andy Burns had two hits and a walk and Alex Hassan also had two hits, including a double.

Randy Wolf
(6-1, 2.72) had the boogaloo situation all under control by spinning 7-2/3 shutout innings of four-hit ball, walking one and striking out nine. Of his 12 outs in play, eight were confined to the diamond to give him a Game Score of 79. Greg Burke struck out the only batter he faced to end the eighth inning. Miguel Castro came on for the ninth and induced two ground ball outs before giving up a single but he ended the game with a punchout.


New Hampshire 3 Harrisburg 2 (10 Innings)

Harrisburg, PA
- Three two-out rallies resulted in all three Fisher Cat runs. K.C. Hobson clobbered his 12th homer of the season in the 10th inning to put New Hampshire in the win column. The Fisher Cats sandwiched two seventh-inning runs by the Nationals affiliate by scoring in the first and ninth innings. A two-out walk by Dwight Smith Jr. doubled home by Kevin Nolan opened the scoring before Jorge Flores doubled and came in to score on a Roemon Fields double in the ninth. Shane Opitz singled three times in five tries while the quartet of Fields, Nolan, Hobson and Flores all chipped in with two hits apiece. Jack Murphy also reached twice with a single and a base on balls. Matt Newman and Ian Parmley were both 0-for-4 and Christian Lopes was 0-for-2.

Austin Bibens-Dirkx put together a quality start by impeaching the Senators to just three hits over six innings. His luck ran out in the seventh as he only got one out, giving up a single and a run-scoring triple. He was charged with two runs on five hits but struck out four. He kept the infield on its toes with 12 ground ball outs and the outfield pretty bored with just one fly ball out. Wil Browning uncorked a wild pitch for a game-tying run but held Harrisburg to one hit while striking out one over 1-1/3 innings. Lefty Colt Hynes (2-0) stranded two runners for Browning and pitched the final 2-1/3 innings, ringing up a pair of batters to offset a couple of hits.


Daytona 3 Dunedin 2

Dunedin, FL
- The Reds affiliate scored all their runs in the fifth inning off Conner Greene (0-3, 4.29) to get the win. Greene retired 10 Tortugas in a row at one point and picked off a runner at first but was also charged with two errors, none of them figuring into the scoring. Overall, Greene was red-lit for three runs on six hits and a walk but did strike out six. Alberto Tirado struck out one over two perfect frames and Brady Dragmire still faced the minimum six batters despite a hit allowed in two innings and also whiffed one.

Mitch Nay gave the D-Jays the early advantage with a two-run triple in the first and went 3-for-4 on the night. Anthony Alford and Andy Fermin contributed a pair of hits apiece. Richard Urena, Rowdy Tellez and J.D. Davis also had base hits but Tellez whiffed three times. Matt Dean, L.B. Dantzler and Mike Reeves came up empty in their combined 12 at-bats.


Lansing 9 Great Lakes 6


Midland, MI - The Lugnuts grounded the Loons to the tune of four runs in the second inning. The appetizer came on a Boomer Collins RBI single before Juan Kelly served the main dish with a three-run home run. Austin Davis added an RBI base knock in the fourth and capped off a three-run fifth with another run-scoring single that also featured sacrifice flies by Collins and Ryan McBroom. Alex Maldonado put one over the fence in the ninth for a solo shot. He also had two stolen bases. Josh Almonte was the on-base leader with two hits and a walk and Davis also had a two-hit game. Almonte, Davis and McBroom all had doubles. Collins was on base twice with a hit and a walk while swiping a bag and Kelly had a base on balls to go with his homer. Chris Carlson was 0-for-5, Jason Leblebijian went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base and Christian Vazquez was 0-for-3 while taking one for the team.

Jesus Tinoco (2-5, 3.75) got through five innings for the win but not before the Dodgers affiliate tallied four runs on five hits and three walks. The Venezuelan righty struck out four for a Game Score of 42. Lefty Colton Turner gave up a run an inning over his two frames, including a home run, among four hits and a walk but he did strike out two. Southpaw Jose Fernandez surrendered two hits but threw two scoreless frames for his eighth save.


Vancouver 8 Eugene 0


Tom Robson
lasted three innings and struck out five in his return to Vancouver.

Vancouver, BC - The C's run total from yesterday was cut in half but it was more than enough to upend the Cubs affiliate for a second straight day. Andrew Guillotte ignited another rally with a leadoff walk and came in to score on a Lane Thomas single in the first inning. They poured it on with six more runs in the third that featured a Gunnar Heidt run-scoring single and a two-run double by Justin Atkinson. A Carl Wise RBI groundout and an Earl Burl III double plated the last two runs after a run-scoring error. Heidt brought in the other run with a ground ball out in the fourth. The foursome of Guillotte, Atkinson, Wise and Burl all had two-hit nights. Sean Hurley and Ryan Hissey also joined the hit parade. J.C. Cardenas was 0-for-4 with a run scored.

Tom Robson had one blemish in his three-inning start and that was a walk in the first. The lad from Ladner, BC found his groove by striking out the side in the second inning, whiffing four in a row at one point. He added another K in the third for a five strikeout performance. Francisco Rios (1-4) went the rest of the way, keeping the shutout intact with six innings of five-hit ball, walking nobody and striking out two. Eight of his 14 outs in play were on the ground.


Bluefield 11 Johnson City 3 (Game 1 - 7 Innings)

Bluefield, WV - The Bluef-Jays were down early but they erupted for 10 runs in innings three through five to pound the Cardinals. D.J. McKnight doubled home the first Bluefield run in the first inning but the Jays grabbed the lead for good with four runs in the third. A run-scoring double by Yeltsin Gudino and RBI singles by Christian Williams and Deiferson Barreto produced the first three runs with a wild pitch leading to the fourth. Gabriel Clark - the former Victoria HarbourCat - went deep for a two-run homer in the fifth while Juan Tejada and Rodrigo Orozco followed suit with two-run jacks of their own to put the game away. Tejada had a three-hit game while the trio of Orozco, Barreto and McKnight had two hits and a walk apiece. Clark had two hits and Freddy Rodriguez had one to give every Bluefield batter at least one base rap.

Juliandry Higuera (3-0, 1.05) had a below-average start for him, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits but struck out three and walked nobody. The infield handled five of his seven outs in play as he posted a Game Score of 42. Joe Claver coughed up three hits but he struck out one over two scoreless frames.


Bluefield 5 Johnson City 2 (Game 2 - 7 Innings)

Bluefield completed the doubleheader sweep with runs in the first three innings and four of the first five. Gabriel Clark's run-scoring fly ball gave Bluefield a 1-0 lead in the first but they took the lead for good when Andres Sotillo slammed a two-run dinger to score a Mattingly Romanin walk in the second. Clark added an RBI single in the third and Christian Williams doubled home another run in the fifth. Nick Sinay had the only two-hit game for Bluefield while Aaron Attaway singled and walked. Freddy Rodriguez had a base hit. Dave Pepe drew a walk but Dean Bell was 0-for-3.

Tayler Saucedo
(1-0, 0.98) was pretty spicy against the Cardinals, tossing five innings of one-run ball on four hits while striking out four. Seven of his nine outs in play were on the ground as he put up a Game Score of 59. Tyler Burden had a tough inning, giving up a run on two hits and two walks. Burden was lifted for Zach Rodgers, who surrendered a hit but struck out one in a scoreless seventh for his second save.


GCL Blue Jays 3 GCL Astros 2

Kissimmee, FL - The Jays snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by scoring three times in the ninth to steal one from the Astros. Kalik May got the rally started with a one-out double, moved to third on a Derrick Chung single and scored on a RBI groundout by Jake Thomas. Levi Scott drew a walk and was pinch-run for by Cliff Brantley, who along with fellow PR man Miguel Almonte would scamper home on a two-out triple by Edward Olivares. The Jays had just five hits in this one with Juandy Mendoza bagging a double and Thomas getting a single as well as a walk. Reggie Pruitt and Bryan Lizardo wore the collar with 0-for-4 days at the dish. Jesus Severino was 0-for-2 with a base on balls.

2015 third-round pick Justin Maese put together five good innings of one-run ball, scattering six hits and walking nobody. He struck out three and racked up eight of his 11 outs in play on the grass for a Game Score of 54. Hansel Rodriguez (1-1) - he's so hot right now - allowed an unearned run over four innings of four-hit ball while whiffing a pair. He also kept the infielders busy with seven of his nine outs in play being handled on the diamond.


DSL Blue Jays 6 DSL White Sox 0

Boca Chica, DR - The Jays took over this game in the middle innings, scoring the only runs they would need in the fourth inning on a Francisco Rodriguez RBI single and an Antony Fuentes sac fly. Yorman Rodriguez brought in a run the painful way by getting up close and personal with Mr. Rawlings with the bases loaded in the fifth. A throwing error from the mound produced two more runs in the sixth and a passed ball in the ninth rounded out the scoring. Sam Buelens had the only extra-base hit with a double. Norberto Obeso was 1-for-3 with two walks and Sterling Guzman was on base twice with a hit and a walk. Kevin Vicuna was plunked twice. Fuentes and Manuel Herazo also had base hits. Jesus Navarro walked and Andres Guerra drew a pinch-hit walk batting for Yorman Rodriguez in the ninth. Francisco Rodriguez added a stolen base.

Yennsy Diaz (3-2, 1.49) plowed the Pale Hose with six shutout frames of three-hit ball, walking two and striking out five. Eight of his 10 outs in play did not see the outfield as he compiled a Game Score of 69. Juan Meza was amazing over the last three innings, whiffing five and walking one without surrendering a hit for his first save.


Monday's Linescores




*** 3 Stars!!! ***


3. K.C. Hobson, New Hampshire


2. Dalton Pompey, Buffalo


1. Randy Wolf, Buffalo


Tuesday's Schedule / Probable Starters

DSL White Sox @ DSL Blue Jays, 10:30 am ET - TBA
GCL Astros @ GCL Blue Jays, 12:00 pm ET - TBA
Daytona @ Dunedin, 11:00 am ET - Sean Reid-Foley (0-1, 2.31)
New Hampshire @ Harrisburg, 7:00 pm ET - Casey Lawrence (9-8, 4.66)
Bluefield @ Greeneville, 7:00 pm ET - TBA
Syracuse @ Buffalo, 7:05 pm ET - Joel Piniero (1-1, 4.85)
Bowling Green @ Lansing, 7:05 pm ET - Conor Fisk (0-2, 8.00)
Eugene @ Vancouver, 10:05 pm ET - Ryan Borucki (0-1, 3.86)
Clap For R. Wolf, Man! | 12 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
ogator - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 07:21 AM EDT (#305488) #
"By impeaching the Senators..." A bit of a stretch but stretching is good for us.
Mike Green - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 11:28 AM EDT (#305490) #
Pompey's high minors numbers have now stabilized.  He has 459 PAs in double and triple A with a .305/.372/.443 slash line and a 43/71 W/K.  It's pretty comparable to what Pillar did in the high minors, but with more plate discipline and less pop.  Pompey  is essentially 2 years younger.   His first go-round in the major leagues in 2014-15 produced pretty comparable results to what Pillar did in 2013. 
uglyone - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 12:32 PM EDT (#305491) #
that may even undersell pompey a bit. Pompey has carried his screaming hot AA performance right back into AAA this time, posting a 183wrc+ in his 1st 4gms since being called back up.

the 58wrc+ he posted in AAA after being sent down was likely a blip imo. his overall 97wrc+ in AAA over 2yrs is likely to keep creeping up towards the 137 he posted the first time last year....and maybe beyond that.

the comp to Pillar is an undersell imo - he's over 3yrs younger than pillar was and has much better topline and underlying numbers.
Mike Green - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 12:38 PM EDT (#305492) #
I agree that Pompey is way ahead of where Pillar was when he arrived.  The age difference is huge.
ayjackson - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 01:13 PM EDT (#305493) #
Interesting to read SRF's last few game logs. He seems to completely lose his mechanics around the 4th or 5th inning and can't stop walking batters.

Otherwise, looks really compelling as a pitching prospect.
ayjackson - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 01:14 PM EDT (#305494) #
Jose Espada, on the other hand, might be ready for Bluefield.
TangledUpInBlue - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 01:45 PM EDT (#305496) #
Came across this on Twitter:

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2015/07/21/ladners-robson-returns-to-roots/

It's from a Vancouver Canadians writer. He mentions how he'd like to look into the issue of Hoffman's mechanics (as brought up by Kiley McDaniel) when he gets the chance, but the important news for now is on Max Pentecost. He writes that about a month ago (I think that's when "media day" was), the Vancouver manager told him that Pentecost was:

probably two to three weeks away from a return. Throwing at about 90 feet. Unfortunately Robson brought some bad news with him, saying once he got to 120 feet he’d had a setback and been shut down again.

Both seemed to think it was only a minor issue but with two shoulder surgeries on the docket and inability to throw from 120 feet you have to a bit concerned. With July nearing its conclusion I can’t see Max being assigned this season. I know hindsight is 20/20 but it’s a bit of a gutpunch opening up the Buffalo Bisons boxscores and seeing Nats shortstop Trea Turner has already made it to triple-A.

The Jays are being their usually tight-lipped selves on this injury...
jerjapan - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 02:10 PM EDT (#305497) #
Reinforcements from within are possible - with last nights huge start, Randy Wolf might not be the worst short-term 5th starter after all.  57 IP since June 11, 47 baserunners, 15ERs.  37 Ks remains the concern, but some veteran moxie might be better than whatever Felix Doubront is.  Jeff Francis has been excellent starting for a month now as well, with lots of Ks.  both have been working deep into games. 

Pompey should be back soon, with Carrera going down (despite his lack of options, with Saunders hopefully on the mend, he's a minimal loss if claimed), and there are any number of candidates for the pen if Delebar continues to scuffle.  I don't see it happening, but Loup has options and has been pretty bad for some time now.   if Sanchez or Castro can find consistency they can be late inning options, and mlb vet Greg Burke or Blake McFarland could fill the 6th or 7th roles.  Even Chad Jenkins has been highly effective for over a month, with more Ks than you'd expect. 

I continue to think that a Collabello / Smoak / Valencia type bat could yield us a reliable reliever - the twins, nationals, pirates, cards and Astros are all contenders who could use corner IF / DH upgrades, and aside from the twins, they all have some degree of bullpen depth. 

and hey, if we trade valencia, we could fill his spot with Matt Hague, to the delight of Cybercavalier!



hypobole - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 02:57 PM EDT (#305498) #
The Pentacost news sucks. I almost think the Jays should never draft another catcher. except teams sorta do need catchers.

Jimenez can't stay healthy either and Danny Jansen seems to be following in their footsteps.
Mike Green - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 03:09 PM EDT (#305499) #
I had not fully appreciated how tough being a catcher is until my losing bet with Aaron Gleeman- he had Mauer and Mathis; I had Quiroz and Navarro. 

Pentecost may ultimately be a good enough hitter and overall athlete that he can make it at another position.

finch - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 03:37 PM EDT (#305500) #
Too bad about Penetecost. His true value seemed to be with the glove, combined with the bat, but yes, lets hope he can find another position to play.

Jose Espada looks like a great pick for the scouting department. Wondering if it's AAs typical, "Let's get scouts everywhere, have multiple eyes look at someone" type pick. He definitely looks ready for the next level.
cybercavalier - Tuesday, July 21 2015 @ 06:05 PM EDT (#305502) #
Thank jerjapan for having a memory of my writing on Hague. Not to my delight, some players who are not identified as prospects do get less attention on. Seasons ago when the Triple-A affiliate was Syracuse Skychiefs, a poster here brought attention on an outfielder David Smith who had then played well in Triple -A. Now with Hague earning all-star starting third baseman, would the history be repeated ?

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