Gotta skate, but I'll say I'm glad I shut off FSN after the 3rd inning, and the org's squads had a better day than the M's did. Well... not the Rainiers, and the DIAMOND JAXX barely escaped, but the Mavs took advantage of low scoring conditions to take care of business, and I assure you today's 5-2 T-Rats win is not a reprint of yesterday's Wrap-Up. Repetitive success can be good.
On to the wrap-up!
A: Wisconsin 5, Lansing 2
WIS: 10-15... LAN: 15-13
Michael Pineda: 5.1 IP, 3 H, walk, 7 K, balk
Keith Meyer: 1.2 IP, 2 walks, K
Ryan Moorer: 1 IP, 2 walks, K
Shawn Kelley: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, walk, K
Edilio Colina: 1-3, double, 2 R, walk (323/354/435)
Scott Robinson: 1-3, 2 run HR, 2 R, walk, K
Eddy Hernandez: 1-3, double, 2 RBI, walk, SB (127/186/182)
The Lugnuts' only runs came in a token 9th inning rally off Shawn Kelley. Michael Pineda had another good outing, untouchable over the firts 2 frames, but still solid even after the Lugnuts caught up to him.
Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 2
Line Drives: 2
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 7
Eddy Hernandez, normally about two steps up from useless, cleared the bases with a double in the 4th to make it 3-0.
Also, greetings to Scott Robinson, who joined the squad a couple days backs after extended spring training, and went yard with a man on and one out in the 5th for his 1st pro HR. 5-0, ballgame essentially over. What hadn't been a bad year for Lugnuts SP Bradley Mills took a crappy turn for him... but good for the T-Rats. Five days removed from an 11 K outing against the Quad Cities, Bradley allowed 5 runs over the minimum to the Mavs.
A+: High Desert 3, Lake Elsinore 1
Mavs: 15-15... Lake: 16-14
Anthony Varvaro: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER (HR), 5 walks, 5 K
Aaron Cotter: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Julio Santiago: 1.1 IP, 2 H, walk, K
Austin Bibens-Dirkx: two outs, 2 H
Michael Wagner: 1 IP
Chris Minaker: 1-4, solo HR (303/320/513)
Carlos Peguero: 0-4, 4 K: The Golden Sombrero (276/300/474)
Johan Limonta: 1-4, double, K (310/400/457)
Matt Mangini: 1-3, double, RBI (233/373/344)
Leury Bonilla: 1-2, double, R, walk, K (281/369/439)
Yet again, we got a low scoring Cal League game, leading me to believe that Lake
Elsinore has become a secret alien campground.
Leury "Latin Campaneris" Bonilla watch: back at RF as usual, and led off the top 3rd with a double down the LF line. Bonilla stole 3rd with one out, and Lake catcher Mitch Canham threw YIKES AND AWAY, allowing Bonilla to score and make it 1-0 Mavs.
Sam Carter (292/370/500) tied it back up with a solo homer in the 4th off Anthony Varvaro, who had a hard time finding the strike zone last night. He then walked Jeremy Hunt (282/388/495) and Kellen Kulbacki with two outs, but got Tom King to ground out to escape the jam. Varvaro again loaded the bases with walks in the bottom 5th, but Jim Horner yanked him, put in Aaron Cotter, and Cotter struck out Sam Carter and got Aeden McQueary to ground out to end the threat. Varvaro's had better days:
Groundballs: 3
Flyballs: 6
Line Drives: 0
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 5
Strikeouts: 5
Chris Minaker has been hot lately, and he crapped all over a suck pitch in the 6th with two out to make it 2-1 Mavs.
Matt Mangini gave the bullpen some insurance with an RBI double in the 7th, and a bullpen relay held the fort to seal the deal.
AA: West Tenn 10, Carolina 9
WTN: 20-10 (leading SL North division!)... CAR: 17-13
Ryan Ketchner: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 walks, 2 K
Roman Martinez: no outs recorded, 4 H, 3 ER
Craig James: one out, 3 H, walk
Brodie Downs: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, walk, K
Mumba Rivera: two outs, 1 H, 2 K
Michael Saunders: 3-5, triple, 2 run HR, 3 R, 4 RBI (301/385/505)
Marshall Hubbard: 3-3, double, solo HR, 3 R, 4 RBI (370/463/600)
Jon Nelson: 1-4, RBI, K (268/333/366)
Adam Moore: 3-4, double, walk (278/375/422)
Ronnie Prettyman: 1-5, RBI (205/239/398)
Luis Valbuena: 3-4, double, 2 R, SB (321/417/506)
The DIAMOND JAXX built Ryan Ketchner a lead early, as Marshall Hubbard took Brett Sinkbeil deep in the 1st to make it 1-0 and Michael Saunders sparked a 2 run rally with an RBI triple in the 3rd, leaving it 3-0 West Tenn.
The Mudcats did rally for a run in the bottom 5th, but Ketchner would hear none of that and left it 3-1 in the 6th, where Adam Moore loaded the bases with a single and one out, allowing a run to score on a Ronnie Prettyman groundout, 4-1 DIAMOND JAXX.
Luis Valbuena, Mark Kiger and Michael Saunders led off the 7th with back to back to back singles to chase Sinkbeil, and Marshall Hubbard lined a double off Carlos Martinez to clear the bases and make it 6-1 West Tenn. With one out, Jon Nelson doubled Hubbard home to make it 7-1. Adam Moore doubled HIM home to make it 8-1.
And then the reactor overheated in the bottom 7th. Ketchner, despite unheard wildness, was still going strong, but Lorenzo Scott (269/424/519) smoked a grounder to short to get on. Ketchner did get John Raynor and Chris Coghlan, but he walked Cameron Maybin (235/390/378), and Scott Steinmann decided to yank him.
Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 7
Line Drives: 4
Pop Ups: 4
Walks: 6
Strikeouts: 2
Roman Martinez, mop-up man, came in and got mopped up. Alberto Concepcion (317/429/390) smoked a grounder to 3rd that Ronnie Prettyman couldn't play, and everyone was safe, bases loaded. Lee Mitchell (200/383/367) smoked a grounder up the middle to cash in Scott and Maybin, 8-3, runners at corners, two outs. Manuel Mayorson (306/387/388) doubled to left to score both runners, 8-5. Kris Harvey (107/194/131) lined a single to center to cash in Mayorson, 8-6, still two outs, and Roman got the hook without retiring a batter.
Craig James came in to pitch, and the Mudcats immediately tried to euthanize the Pony Express. Brad Davis (211/297/368) lined a single to right to move Harvey to 2nd. Lorenzo Scott came up again and walked to load the bases. But John Raynor made his 2nd out of the inning on a grounder to 3rd to FINALLY end the disaster inning. A rout had now become a tight contest.
Prentice Redman led off the 8th with a walk. Luis Valbuena bunted him over and Mark Kiger struck out. But Michael Saunders came down with a bad case of home run diarrhea and crapped all over a Matt Yourkin suck pitch to cash in 2 and make it 10-6 DIAMOND JAXX.
Chris Coghlan (283/357/372) and Cameron Maybin hit back to back singles to lead off the 8th, but before you could say Here We Go Again, Steinmann yanked Craig James and brought in Brodie Downs, who got Alberto Concepcion to ground into the 5-4-3 double play before getting Lee Mitchell to harmlessly fly out to end the threat.
In the bottom 9th, Manuel Mayorson led off with a double and Brad Davis walked with one out, before Lorenzo Scott doubled to left to cash in Mayorson and make it 10-7 with runners in scoring position. Mumba Rivera relieved Craig James, got John Raynor on strikes for two out, and Chris Coghlan smoked a grounder into RF to cash in Davis and Scott, 10-9 with two out and the tying run on 1st.
... but Mumba got Cameron Maybin on strikes to finally end the ballgame. Don't expect the Mariners to seek any immediate bullpen help from West Tennessee.
AAA: Oklahoma 6, Tacoma 3
TAC: 14-14... OKL: 20-10
Robert Rohrbaugh: 6 IP, 6 H, (3 R) 2 ER, 3 walks, 4 K
Jake Woods: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, K
Roy Corcoran: one out, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 walks, K
Scott Shoemaker: one out
Mike Kinkaide: 1-3, R, RBI, walk, K (216/322/314)
Yung Chi Chen: 1-4, RBI, SB (259/354/296)
rest of Rainiers lineup: 2-24, 2 R, 2 walks, 8 K
With Clement gone and Rob Johnson needing a day off, Mike Kinkaide of all people got the call to catch today. Kinkaide's claims to fame are being swapped from the Brewers to the Mets to complete the 1998 trade for Bill Pulsipher... being included with Melvin Mora in the 2000 Mets trade to Baltimore for Mike Bordick... and playing for the Hanshin Tigers in NPB in 2003.
I only mention this because the Rainiers lineup was more catatonic than the M's have been lately, and the Redhawks breaking a 3-3 tie was only a matter of time, as they finally broke through off Mystic Tan and Roy Corco with help from FOUR Roy Corco walks that eventually led to a Roy Corco and Daren Brown ejection for verbal disagreement over the strike zone and the moral chastity of home plate umpire Jason Dunn's mother.
To paraphrase Squinty, Robert Rohrbaugh should have thrown a (expletive) shutout.
Groundballs: 7
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 5
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 3
Strikeouts: 4