Seven games on the docket for Saturday, three doubleheaders. However Vancouver just played one, with the second game postponed. Buffalo and New Hampshire split their doubleheaders, Vancouver won and Dunedin lost. Casey Lawrence, Paxton Schultz, Ricky Tiedemann pitched really well as did Rafael Ohashi, up to a point. There was also some solid hitting on Saturday.
Buffalo 1 Rochester 5 - game one
Buffalo 13 Rochester 0 - game two
Portland 0 New Hampshire 4 - game one
Portland 2 New Hampshire 0 - game two
Spokane 1 Vancouver 12 - game one
Spokane at Vancouver - game two, postponed
Dunedin 2 Clearwater 3
This is what I noted from yesterday's games.
There was some chatter yesterday that if the Jays needed another starter Thomas Hatch would be first in line for a call-up. Through three innings of the first game it looked like that was a good call as Hatch held Rochester hitless. But things changed in the fourth, the first five hitters reached with four singles and a hit batter. A sac fly followed to make it 4-0. Two more singles led to another run in the fifth. Hatch's line was five innings, five runs.
The Bisons had to face Cade Cavalli, one of the top pitching prospects in the game. He pitched a complete game of seven innings. The Bisons picked up five hits. Nate Lukes had two hits off Cavalli. Yesterday he was the only hitter to get a hit off Stephen Strasburg. Lukes has been one of the best hitters on the Bisons and if he keeps hitting off the best pitchers he should get a chance, either from the Jays or some other team.
Lukes got things going in game two with an inside the park grand slam. He hit a sinking line drive that the right fielder missed and the centre fielder was late covering. Lukes was 3-5 in game two. That was all Casey Lawrence needed but the Bisons tacked on four more in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh. In addition to Lukes, Stevie Berman, the veteran catcher, went 3-5.
Lawrence finished with a one hit complete game shutout. I think he could be ahead of Hatch for a call-up.
Paxton Schultz pitched a gem in New Hampshire's first game, 5.2 shutout innings. Sean Rackoski got the last four outs. NH had to face Jay Groome, Boston's first round pick in 2016. Spencer Horwitz doubled in two runs in the first inning. LJ Talley added a two run home run in the sixth and that was it, 4-0.
Adam Kloffenstein started game two. He ran into trouble in the third, he hit the lead off batter then the next hitter bunted for a hit. Two more singles in the inning led to two runs. Kloff went four innings. He did strike out seven. Gabriel Ponce threw the last three innings and kept it a 2-0 game. Unfortunately that was a hill too high as NH could only register two hits. Tanner Morris, of course, had the only hit until Luis De Los Santos singled in the seventh.
It was Ricky Tiedemann day in Vancouver's first, and only, game. The first hitter reached on an error and after a ground out and a stolen base, came in to score on a sac fly. That was it off Ricky. Five innings, three hits, no walks, six K's.
Meanwhile the hitters got busy. Addison Barger homered in the first to tie the game. Davis Schneider doubled in the second run and later added a two run home run. Barger singled in another run and the C's built a 9-1 lead. Steward Berroa doubled with the bases loaded in the sixth to pad it to 12-1.
The Dunedin game was a pitchers duel with the score tied at one into the ninth. Dunedin's run came on a first inning single by Damiano Palmegiani. Jimmy Robbins made his first start of the season and went 3.2 innings allowing one run on two hits with six K's. Rafael Ohashi piggybacked and pitched the fifth through eighth innings with just one hit allowed. When Palmegiani singled in another run in the top of the ninth it looked like a sure thing for Ohashi to close it out. But back to back home runs allowed Clearwater to walk off the Jays for the second night in a row. Obviously an inning too far for Ohashi.
A couple of injury notes. Pitchers Nick Allgeyer and Brady Lail have gone on the IL. Rikelbin De Castro has come off the IL. Jimmy Burnette has been promoted to New Hampshire.
Three Stars
Tough calls tonight, lots of deserving candidates
Third Star - Davis Schneider
Second Star - Nate Lukes
First Star - Casey Lawrence
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