Alek Manoah was optioned off the major league 25 man roster this week. To show the front office why they shouldn't have he pitched well and struck out eight in 5.1 innings tonight. But what caught my attention was how he did it, he mixed four pitches evenly with the fastball averaging 93 mph. Buffalo won. New Hampshire also got good pitching from Alex Amalfi. New Hampshire also won. Buffalo and New Hampshire combined to scored nine runs with nine hits. They owe a thank you to their opponents for the walks and errors.

Buffalo 4 Rochester 3

Chesapeake 2 New Hampshire 5

Three Stars

Third Star - Jace Bohrofen

Second Star - Alex Amalfi

First Star - Cade Doughty

Boxes

NOTES

Alek Manoah pitched well on Friday. Through five innings he had given up just two hits. One of them was a home run by Francisco Mejia, the major league veteran. However in the sixth two singles and a one out walk loaded the bases and Manoah's night was done. He struck out eight and walked just one. After he left a ground ball led to an error by Josh Rivera and two of Manoah's runners scored.

When you look at Manoah's repertoire you see he only mixed four pitches pretty evenly. Manoah's fastball is now averaging 93 mph so it makes sense to mix his pitches. Manoah threw a high of 22 change-ups and a low of 18 4 seam fastballs.

Buffalo scored four runs with just four hits. In the fourth inning three walks loaded the bases before Leo Jimenez, fresh off the IL, hit a sac fly. In the seventh Jimenez singled, Josh Kasevich reached on an error, Michael Stefanic added an RBI single, RJ Schreck walked to load the bases then an error let two more runs score.

New Hampshire got off to a hot start scoring four runs off former teammate Juaron Watts Brown. A walk of Jace Bohrofen and a double by Jevon Ward put two on with two out. Peyton Williams then struck out swinging but the catcher, trying to throw to first, threw the ball away and two runs scored. The strange thing was, Williams wasn't running, the catcher could just have tagged him. Cade Doughty then hit a two run home run. JWB was generally been pitching well for Chesapeake except for one thing. He has only given up 20 hits in 35 innings but half of the hits, ten, have been home runs.

Bohrofen walked again in the eighth. Singles by Damiano Palmegiani and Peyton Williams produced an insurance run. The Fisher Cats had five hits in the game.

Alex Amalfi, on his way to the AFL, went six innings, four hits, four K's, one run. Amalfi got eight ground ball outs to two fly outs.