With the internet spotty and needing to get going to LL Softball, I want to post this while I can, so no neat intro for you, though I will advise that the DSL and VSL teams were off.

On to the wrap-up!

VENEZUELA~!  The VSLMs get the whole weekend off: their Saturday game was postponed due to rain.

Dominican:  The DSLMs had Saturday off as well, but their day off was scheduled.

Rk-AZL:  Mariners 11, Brewers 4
(League:  262/347/385... 4.63 ERA)

Brian Oates:  5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, walk, 10 K, wild pitch
Yao Wen Chang:  no outs recorded, walk, balk, 2 hit batters
Richard Ortiz:  2 IP, walk, 3 K
Edy Hernandez:  1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, K, wild pitch
Jeroen de Haas:  1 IP, 2 K
Jharmidy De Jesus:  2-5, double, 2 R, K
Alfredo Mateo:  1-3, double, 2 R, RBI, 2 walks
Joel Mendez:  2-5, double, 3 R, 3 RBI
Emmanuel Familia:  1-4, R, RBI
Terry Serrano:  0-3, sac fly RBI, K

The AZLMs pounded away early on the Brew Crew and built an 8-2 lead after 4.  A 3 run 7th for the AZLMs hammered the point home, as Brian Oates was dealing today, striking out 10 of the 20 batters he faced over the minimum.

Rk+:  Kingsport 13, Pulaski 4
PMs:  6-6... KIN:  6-6
(League:  264/341/396... 4.48 ERA)

Kyle Haas:  1.1 IP, 6 H, (7 R) 5 ER (HR), 2 walks, K, wild pitch, hit batter
Stephen Penney:  1.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, hit batter
Blake Nation:  2 IP, 2 H, (1 R) 0 ER, 2 K
Jeff Dunbar:  two outs, K
Tommy Johannesen-Ellis:  2.1 IP, K
Guy Welsh:  0-2, R, sac fly RBI, walk
Kalian Sams:  2-3, double, R, walk
Kylee Hash:  1-4, RBI
Blake Trinkler:  1-3, RBI, walk

Adding to the joy of getting destroyed was a nearly-90-minute rain delay.  Also, no Mario Martinez in the lineup, to give the kid a rest.  So it just didn't bode well for the PMs, and it turned out worse than even they could have expected.

A-:  Everett 9, Salem-Keizer 4
EVE:  5-7... S-K:  6-6
(League:  248/334/349... 3.92 ERA)

Walter Suriel:  6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 walks, 3 K, wild pitch
Steven Hensley:  1 IP, K
Eddy Fernandez:  1 IP, 2 H
Javier Martinez:  1 IP, walk, 2 K
Kevin Reynolds:  2-5, double, 2 RBI, walk, K
Manny Pimentel:  1-4, RBI
Travis Howell:  3-4, 2 R, RBI, walk, K
Fleming Baez:  2-4, double, R, RBI, walk
Luis Nuñez:  1-5, RBI, K
George Soto:  2-5, double, 2 R, RBI
Tyson Gillies:  1-4, double, R, 2 RBI, walk, K

Two passed balls by Fleming Baez in the 2nd helped the Volcanoes build a 4-1 lead... but the Aquasox roared back in the 4th, singling and doubling the Volcanoes to death in a 5 run 4th to make it 6-4 Aquasox.

The good news is that the Volcanoes did not score again off a regrouped Walter Suriel and his bullpen, and the Aquasox added insurance runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings to pile on.

A:  Burlington Bees 5, Wisconsin 3
WIS:  3-7... BUR:  6-4
(League:  250/321/370... 3.62 ERA)

Jake Wild:  4.1 IP, 12 H, (5 R) 4 ER, walk, K (19 app, 4 GS, 3.21 ERA, 47.2 IP, 2 HR, 14/44 BB/K)
Natividad Dilone:  1.2 IP, 1 H, walk, K, hit batter
Joe Kantakevich:  1 IP, K
Robbie Dominguez:  1 IP
Denny Almonte:  1-5, double, 2 K (255/306/434)
Ronald Garth:  2-4, solo HR, 2 R (260/316/399)
Alex Liddi:  1-1, R, 3 walks (247/316/351)
Blake Ochoa:  0-3, sac fly RBI, K (231/295/342)
Maximo Mendez:  0-4, 4 K: The Golden Sombrero (247/336/372)

Now that batters are seeing him 3-4 times a game in a more competitive situation, Jake Wild is starting to get hit some... which is fine, because while being effective in long relef is great, it's not nearly as useful, and there are countless failed starters that can provide the same quality of work.

That said, this wasn't all Jake Wild's fault.  He got a lot of groundballs tha got through or down the line for base hits, doubles and the like.  If a batter hits it on the ground, you've usually done all you can as a pitcher short of striking the guy out, and if the defense can't turn those grounders into outs, what can you do.  An interesting note: three of Wild's 13 outs came on pickoffs and caught stealing throws.  And 5 line drives in 4.1 IP indicates a lot of hard hit balls, and some of those grounders were probably scorched beyond reach.

Anyway, Wild couldn't get through the 5th in putting Wisconsin behind 5-1, which in the MWL is sometimes like putting a soccer club behind 5-1.

Groundballs:  11 (plus 2 bunts)
Flyballs:  2
Line Drives:  5
Walks:  1
Strikeouts:  1

Ronald Garth homered in the 8th, and Alex Liddi snuck around the basepaths before coming in on a wild pitch to make it 5-3, so the T-Rats got close, but no cigar.

A+:  High Desert 6, Rancho Cucamonga 4, 10 innings
Mavs:  5-4... Quakes:  5-4
(League:  269/339/402... 4.47 ERA)

Donnie Hume:  5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER (HR), 4 walks, 7 K
Bryan Harris:  2.1 IP, 2 K (18 app, 5.06 ERA, 21.1 IP, 3 HR, 4/13 BB/K)
Steven Richard:  2 IP, 1 H, walk, 3 K (7 app, 6.39 ERA, 12.2 IP, 9/13 BB/K)
Daniel Carroll:  1-4, double, R, walk, K (152/220/196 in A+)
Carlos Peguero:  2-5, 2 R (299/318/468)
Jamie McOwen:  2-5, 2 doubles, R, 2 RBI (263/323/359)
Travis Scott:  3-4, double, 2 RBI (264/326/438)

The Quakes built a 4-1 lead on Donnie Hume, who netted several K's in his 2nd A+ start, but also had trouble hitting his spots, which in the Cal League often spells doom.  To Hume's credit, he never really saw doom... just several hits, walks and runs.

Groundballs:  4 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs:  4
Line Drives:  5 (1 HR)
Pop Ups:  1
Walks:  4
Strikeouts:  7

Daniel Carroll, starting to warm up after a slow start (and you'd start slow after coming back from a long hiatus only to get promoted upon your return), led off the 6th with a double down the LF line, and Carlos Peguero got a break when his grounder was muffed by SS PJ Phillips.  Travis Scott later lined a single to cash both runners in and cut the lead to 4-3 Quakes.

But the Mavs were down to their last 3 outs in the 9th before they'd respond again.  Fortunately, the bullpen locked down the Quakes, and Travis Scott lined another single with one out before getting lifted for pinch runner Ogui Diaz.  Diaz took 2nd on Triunfel's groundout to 2nd for two outs. Leury Bonilla drew a walk, and Korey Feiner got plunked to load the bases... before Quakes catcher Flint Wipke passed a ball to cash in Ogui and TIE THE BALLGAME, the winning run in Leury now 90 feet from paydirt.  But Kuo Hui Lo struck out to send us to the bottom 9th.  Peter Bourjos, future thorn in the M's side (the Quakes are an Angels affiliate), singled with two outs, then stole his 39th base of the season to get in scoring position... but PJ Phillips grounded harmlessly to 3rd to send it to extras.

Carlos Peguero smoked a grounder up the middle with one out in the 10th to get on.  Chris Minaker smoked a grounder into right to put runners at the corners, and Jamie McOwen doubled to center to cash both men in and give the Mavs a 6-4 lead!

Steven Richard walked the leadoff hitter in the bottom 10th, but struck out Mark Trumbo, and mowed down Carlos Colmenares in a strike em out throw em out DP to end the game!

AA:  West Tenn 10, Tennessee 5
WTN:  4-7... TEN:  8-3
(League:  262/341/396... 4.21 ERA)

Justin Thomas:  6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER (2 HR), 2 walks, 3 K (13 GS +1, 4.43 ERA, 83.1 IP, 9 HR, 36/76 BB/K)
Jason Mackintosh: 1.2 IP, 1 H, (1 R) 0 ER, wild pitch (26 app, 3.31 ERA, 32.2 IP, 1 HR, 6/15 BB/K)
Shawn Kelley:  1 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, K (21 apps, 22.1 IP without an earned run since initial promotion from WIS)
Brent Johnson:  2-4, R, 2 RBI, K (314/392/450)
Greg Halman:  2-5, double, R, 2 K (304/347/543 in AA)
THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF Marshall Hubbard:  1-2, double, R, sac fly RBI (362/462/601)
Jon Nelson:  2-2, R (296/342/436)
Adam Moore:  1-4, R, 3 RBI, walk, K (305/383/472)
Jeff Dominguez:  2-4, R, RBI, walk, SB #12 (224/291/279)
Matt Mangini:  1-5, double, R, 2 RBI, 2 K (224/244/263)
Mark Kiger:  2-5, 2 K (231/351/292)

The DIAMOND JAXX got a big boost with the return of big bat Marshall Hubbard, who returned with a one out double to power a 3 run 1st as the JAXX jumped out to a 4-1 lead.  The Smokies, as the bats were wont to do throughout this series, chipped away at DIAMOND JAXX pitching, but West Tenn exploded in the 7th, with help from some bad control by Smokies relief pitching, for 6 runs to seize a big 10-4 lead, more than enough to hold off the Smokies, who added a run in the 8th but were clearly out of gas.

Don't let the line fool you: Justin Thomas actually had a pretty good outing, getting most of his batters to ground balls, his outing masked by two longballs off the only flyballs he allowed, and several groundballs getting through the infield.

Groundballs:  14
Flyballs:  2 (2 HR)
Line Drives:  3
Pop Ups:  1
Walks:  2
Strikeouts:  3

AAA:  Tacoma 10, Salt Lake 3
TAC:  42-39... SLK:  49-32
(League:  274/346/436... 4.76 ERA)

Rich Dorman:  6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K
Scott Shoemaker:  1 IP, 2 H, walk (18 app, 4.91 ERA, 33 IP, 5 HR, 15/26 BB/K)
Cesar Jimenez:  1 IP, 2 K (29 app, 3.55 ERA, 38 IP, 3 HR, 8/47 BB/K)
Mumba Rivera:  1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER (HR), K
Tug Hulett:  4-5, double, 3 run HR, 3 R, K (283/362/466)
Matt Tuiasosopo:  1-4, 2 run HR, walk, 2 K (256/340/402)
Bryan LaHair:  1-3, RBI, walk (254/349/452)
Michael Saunders:  2-4, R, 2 K
Luis Valbuena (!):  3-4, double, 2 R, 2 RBI
Luis Oliveros:  1-4, R, RBI

Watching AAA Angels pitchers get shelled is fun.

And welcome to Luis Valbuena, though I'm led to wonder if this promotion is yet another injury replacement, rather than a reward.  With the internet at this location crapping out, and needing to get to 12th/Cherry for LL Softball, I can't research the matter at the moment, so maybe someone can chime in and advise.