Happy May Day! Was I the only one who wanted to run around screaming "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, WE'RE GOING DOWN!"?
This was a mostly good night for the org, with only the T-Rats dropping their contest tonight. With some sort of a sample size to play with, tonight's wrap-up will also feature season lines for the batters! As for pitchers... given the relative complexity of their numbers, I will wait until the weekend to post season numbers for the pitchers, because I think BIP data will be as useful, if not a more useful barometer than plain K/BB and ERA.
The following wrap-up also features a special PG-13 rated rap song featuring PHAT ANDY 22, in commemoration of his make-or-break start tonight. Fans of terrible rap lyrics will want to click the jump and scroll down.
On to the wrap-up!
A: Lansing 6, Wisconsin 2
WIS: 8-15... LAN: 15-11
Nathan Adcock: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER (HR), 3 walks, 3 K, wild pitch
Justin Souza: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K
Blake Ochoa: 2-5, 2 K (321/345/429)
Joe Dunigan: 1-2, 2 run HR, 2 walks (143/276/270)
Juan Diaz: 2-4 (235/316/294)
rest of T-Rats: 4-25, R, walk, 9 K
The Lugnuts jumped on Nathan Adcock early (the first three batters went single, single, home run), and even with Joe Dunigan's 1st HR of the season, there wasn't much life to the T-Rats trailing 5-2 after the 2nd. It stayed that way until the Lugnuts tacked on an insurance run off Justin Souza, who rolled out Good Souza today and had a solid 3 inning relief outing to save the bullpen. Adcock's 5 innings weren't atrocious...they just weren't good.
Groundballs: 11
Flyballs: 8 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 0
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 3
A+: High Desert 6, San Jose 5
Mavs: 13-14... Little Giants: 18-9
Nick Hill: 6 IP, 7 H, (4 R) 0 ER, walk, 6 K, hit batter
Juan Zapata: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, 3 K
Harold Williams: 2 IP, K
Kuo Hui Lo: 1-5, double, RBI, K (231/290/330)
Carlos Triunfel: 1-4, double (198/253/272)
Chris Minaker: 1-4, solo HR, 2 K (297/316/486)
Johan Limonta: 1-3, triple, 2 R, walk, K (324/417/472)
Greg Halman: 1-3, double, R, RBI, walk, K (266/317/468)
Travis Scott: 2-4, double, 2 RBI, 2 K (360/429/573)
Matt Mangini: 1-4, 2 K, SB (238/385/345)
Carlos Peguero: 1-2, double, R (296/321/509)
The Military Man Nick Hill had a slightly better outing, and fortunately for his ERA, none of the 4 runs he allowed in the 1st were earned (thanks, Greg Halman!). Hill struggled but didn't allow any more runs and settled into a groove by the 3rd.
Groundballs: 9 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 3
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 6
Leury "Latin Campaneris" Bonilla watch: started again at RF, but moved to 2B in the top 8th after Carlos Peguero, normally a RF himself, pinch hit in the bottom 7th for Ogui Diaz.
The Mavs were down 5-1 in the bottom 7th, but no lead is safe in the Cal League. Greg Halman doubled home a run and Travis Scott immediately doubled him in as well to cut the lead to 5-3. In the 8th, Chris Minaker crapped all over a Ryan Paul pitch to go yard solo and make it 5-4. Later in the inning, Travis Scott singled home a run with two outs to TIE THE BALLGAME.
In the bottom 9th, the Mavs finished the job quickly. Carlos Peguero doubled with one out, and Kuo Hui Lo doubled Peguero in for the walkoff.
AA: West Tenn 9, Carolina 4
WTN: 18-10... CAR: 17-11
Justin Thomas: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 walks, 5 K
Marwin Vega: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER (HR), 3 walks, 3 K
Prentice Redman: 1-4, 2 run HR, walk, K (236/398/431)
Marshall Hubbard: 1-2, 2 R, 3 walks, K (355/450/559)
Jon Nelson: 1-5, double, 2 R, 2 RBI, K (258/324/371)
Adam Moore: 2-5, double, 3 RBI, K (256/358/390)
Jeff Dominguez: 2-4, RBI, K (180/226/220)
The DIAMOND JAXX jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead themselves, and even after 2 Mudcats runs in the 3rd off Justin Thomas, they got no more until the later innings, and West Tenn was nursing a 9-2 lead by that point.
Justin Thomas had another one of his wonky but solid starts where he gave up a grab bag of balls in play and showed moments of brilliance along with moments of impending disaster... but walked away at day's end with a reasonable line.
Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 3
Line Drives: 3
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 5
Marshall Hubbard obviously had a lot of talent in front of him, plus had some development to make with his power hitting, but right now his consistency at the plate is paying off in spades. Don't get TOO excited about the big OPS, because a lot of that is a .429 BABIP, doubles power and his usual bevy of walks. There are a lot of 1B's that can give you the patience with legit power... and Marshall needs to show more of it in order to take the next step.
AAA: Tacoma 3, New Orleans 2
TAC: 14-12... NO: 16-11
Andrew Baldwin: 6.2 IP, 2 H, (1 R) 0 ER, walk, 2 K
Jon Huber: 1.1 IP, K, wild pitch
Roy Corcoran: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 2 K, 3 wild pitches
Matt Tuiasosopo: 0-3, R (264/333/385)
Jeremy Reed: 2-3, 2 run HR, walk (385/447/604)
Rob Johnson: 1-2, double, RBI (250/312/274)
Jimerson: THIS IS CJ QUADRUPLE-A MONEY, TURBO SLUGGER
I SHOW NO PATIENCE, I CRAP ON SUCK PITCHES
LISTEN TO PHAT ANDY 22, BITCHES
Baldwin: YO
My pitching's been eating that nasty dog shit
Be flipping burgers if I don't get with it
Last chance against the Mets Triple A farm team
I show them heated fastballs like a laser beam
PEW PEW PEW Zephyr bitches go down
Your swings, like my bitches, get down to the ground
I leave your hot bats at the lost and found
Sullivan, do the bridge with your dope sound:
Jeff:
Baldwin:
Baldwin: uh... never mind.
Pascucci hacks my pitches, I send him to the foyer
Who does he think this is, Jamie Freaking Moyer?
My breaking ball is bigger than Tatis's ears
He tapped my curve to shortstop and I left his ass in tears
Anderson Hernandez... how's your shoulder, boy?
My change-up tears it up like that tiger tore up Roy
And you all thought I'm dead
Put my career to bed
I pitched into the 7th and I left them seeing red
And I'll pump my stuff until you get it in your head
That PHAT ANDY 22 is far from dead.
Word to your mother.
Groundballs: 10
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 2
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 2
... no, really, PHAT ANDY 22 came up with his best performance of the season (well, not with the above badly written rap, but on the mound in Tacoma) when he and the Rainiers needed it the most. And even after Huber gave up a run and Roy Corco tried to give the lead up in the 9th, the Zephyrs just didn't have enough answers. Give Baldwin credit... even if you're not gonna give him a Grammy.
Or a razzie. Do they have razzies for bad music? Probably not, or Bizmarkie and Diddy would be tied for most ever.