Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
A shutout loss, a blowout victory and a one-run win happened on Memorial Day Monday for the Blue Jays affiliates. Dunedin had the day off. #LetsGoBlueJays


Lehigh Valley 5 Buffalo 0

The Bisons were blanked on five singles and a walk. Anthony Alford, Teoscar Hernandez, Richard Urena, Jordan Patterson, Alen Hanson and Jordan Patterson had the knocks with Hernandez drawing the only walk. Urena stole second base in the second but was caught stealing third in the second inning. The next half-inning saw the Phillies affiliate take the lead for good. Socrates Brito and Billy McKinney were 0-for-4. Patrick Cantwell and Andrew Guillotte were 0-for-3.

Conor Fisk was tagged with the loss after giving up three runs over three innings. The first run was unearned but it was due to Fisk dropping the ball while covering first base on a relay from Patterson. I've never understood why the pitcher gets an unearned run when it's his own error to begin with. He coughed five hits and walked a batter but struck out five. Zach Jackson served up a solo shot among his two hits in the fourth. William Ouellette put up a pair of zeros, giving up just one hit and whiffing three. Jonathan Cheshire was cuffed for a run on two hits in his two innings but did record four groundball outs.


New Hampshire 9 Hartford 2

The Fisher Cats pounced early on the Rockies affiliate by grabbing a 2-0 lead two batters in. Vinny Capra led off with a double and scored on a Forrest Wall two-run home run. Wall singled home Capra in the second inning and that was followed by RBI singles from Nash Knight and Patrick Kivlehan to put New Hampshire up by four. Wall singled home another run in the sixth but it was Kivelhan who drove in the other three runs with an RBI double in the fifth, a home run in the seventh and an RBI single in the eighth. Kivlehan was 5-for-5 and Wall was 4-for-5 with four RBI each. Nash Knight had a two-hit game and Riley Adams doubled and walked. Santiago Espinal, Brock Lundquist and Kevin Smith walked. Andres Sotillo was 0-for-4 but scored a run.

Hector Perez pitched 5-2/3 innings of one-run ball, giving up six hits and two walks. He rung up four and recorded nine outs on the ground. Tayler Saucedo stranded two runners and pitched 2-1/3 innings of scoreless ball with just one hit and one walk allowed, striking out three. Ty Tice saw an unearned run cross the plate on his watch, allowing two hits but striking out one.


Lansing 5 Lake County 4

The Lugnuts bunched up their runs in their first and last at-bats for the win. Jake Brodt launched a two-run homer to plate an Otto Lopez single in the first to open the scoring. Nick Podkul lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3 in the eighth before Gabriel Moreno went yard to score a Brodt walk to put the 'Nuts ahead for good. Lopez had a two-hit effort while Brodt was on base three times with a second walk. Ryan Gold doubled and walked and Tanner Kirwer singled and walked. Rafael Lantigua singled and Hunter Steinmetz earned a free pass. Reggie Pruitt was hitless in four AB's.

Sean Wymer managed to keep the Cleveland affiliate to two runs over five innings despite eight hits and a walk. He only struck out one but got six groundball outs and picked off a runner at first. Marcus Reyes yielded three hits and a walk that led to the other run in the sixth. Jackson Rees dominated in his two innings by stranding two runners and striking out the side in the seventh. He would whiff five of the six batters he faced to get the win. Will McAffer was charged with a run on two hits in his third of an inning. Cre Finfrock would strand a runner and get the final two outs, including a game-ending punchout for the save.


*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3. Jake Brodt, Lansing

2. Forrest Wall, New Hampshire

1. Patrick Kivlehan, New Hampshire




Extra Innings...
  • Buffalo Bisons play-by-play man Duke McGuire reminisces on the 35th anniversary of The Natural.
  • Lansing GM Tyler Parsons talks about the Lugnuts promotional schedule.
  • WVNS-TV has a video feature about baseball in Mercer County with Bluefield and Princeton.
Kivlehan! Rock You Like A Hurricane! | 15 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
scottt - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 07:45 AM EDT (#374587) #
Kivlehan is hitting .400 with an OPS over .1200, but he's 29.
He played 9 games for the Diamondbacks last year and 115 with the Reds the year before.
He plays 3B and all over the infield.

Wall has decent number for centerfield. Hitting .282 with 24 walks against 35 strike outs.
jerjapan - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 02:05 PM EDT (#374590) #
I'm less pessimistic than many about the Jays upper-level OF prospects - Wall has pedigree and tools, and while I have no idea about his defense in CF, he is getting most of his action there in NH and clearly has the speed for the position. 

I could see any of he, AA or Pompey holding down the fort in CF for a few years.  I'm not optimistic about about any of the AAAA candidates in particular - McKinney, Hernandez, Jonathan Davis and the injury-ridden CFers - but wouldn't rule out one or more turning into acceptable outfielders with team control, possibly as part of a platoon, and some with options remaining.  Throw Biggio / Gurriel into the mix and there seems like enough talent to me - assuming Grichuk starts earning his extension.  Brock Lundquist might make a solid 4th / platoon OF in a couple of years as well.


 
PeterG - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 03:52 PM EDT (#374591) #
There is also the possibility of obtaining an OF in a trade. Jays will be mainly looking for pitching in trade returns but would likely not turn down an outfielder with promise.
Gerry - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 07:41 PM EDT (#374600) #
SRF was removed from his start tonight with an injury. Let the speculation begin!
bpoz - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 07:54 PM EDT (#374601) #
Max Castillo is pitching well. 4 IP 42 pitches, 0 bb and 0 Ks.

Pitching to contact??
Nigel - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 08:23 PM EDT (#374602) #
John, I hope you are right, but I don’t believe the next league averagish CF for the Jays is currently in the system. I think the FO is going to have to trade for or sign that player.
Gerry - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 08:29 PM EDT (#374603) #
Patrick Murphy is being hit around tonight, he has conceded seven runs in the fifth inning.
uglyone - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 09:30 PM EDT (#374605) #
Bisons have a position player pitching as they're getting hammered.

The priority was depth, they said.
Gerry - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 10:31 PM EDT (#374607) #
SRF has reportedly a back strain.
bpoz - Tuesday, May 28 2019 @ 11:07 PM EDT (#374608) #
Glad SRF's arm is ok.
Kelekin - Wednesday, May 29 2019 @ 02:27 AM EDT (#374610) #
2016 10th Rounder Kirby Snead has now pitched 19 innings without issuing a walk, a year after posting a 5.5 BB9. I could see him not being too far off from a call-up.
scottt - Wednesday, May 29 2019 @ 07:06 AM EDT (#374612) #
You have to be more careful about calling guys who are doing really good and who can turn into something because once they're on the 40, they have to stay there. (I realize there are some nuances to that.)
scottt - Wednesday, May 29 2019 @ 07:27 AM EDT (#374613) #
Most of the guys penned to pitched in AAA are either injured or in the majors replacing injured pitchers.

Waguespack is up.
SRF migth be going to the  IL
Zeuch is on the IL.
Thornton is up.
Harris is on the IL
Merryweather is on the IL
Borucki is on the IL.
Buchholz is on the IL.
Shoemaker is on the IL.


They let Romano start after he was returned form the rule 5 draft and he was not able to hold the spot.

The magical 2016 season in which all the pitchers were healthy was a 20 year event.

Eventually, they'll promote a few AA pitchers, some injured players will return and they'll have to release some pitchers.

The good news there is that Borucki was on the bench last night.

hypobole - Wednesday, May 29 2019 @ 07:40 AM EDT (#374615) #
Wow, Buffalo had to use a position player to pitch the 9th only down 14 runs? That really does show a lack of depth.
bpoz - Wednesday, May 29 2019 @ 10:07 AM EDT (#374617) #
Good point about the 40 man. Pitching is getting V short trials.
Kivlehan! Rock You Like A Hurricane! | 15 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.