- Thanks to Marc for giving us the heads up last night, but the org made four interesting little moves, and all players involved played with their new teams yesterday.
1. The M's sign Noah Hall and assign him to AA West Tenn. While the DIAMOND JAXX did not get to resolve their Final Conflict with Birmingham on Thursday, they did swipe the Barons' washed up 31 year old outfielder. Hall always has exhibited strong patience at the plate with some power, but his power disappeared in 41 games this season with Birmingham and Charlotte of the ChiSox org. The ChiSox made for his 6th org in as many years, and he was definitely nothing more than org filler. The timing of his release couldn't have been better for Hall, with the minor league veteran-mongering Mariners' AA affiliate still packing up in the clubhouse across the stadium. Think of him as Mark Kiger in the outfield.
2. Chris Kirkland gets promoted from the AZLMs to High Desert. WIth only 6 decent relief appearances in Peoria to the 22 year old's name, this reeks of a coverage callup for the pitching-desperate Mavs. Perhaps the kid displayed a propensity for inducing grounders, or some similar profile that indicates he stands a chance of not getting Bradley Reided into outer space by Cal League hitters. So far, so good: espite a couple walks, he threw a scoreless 9th in the Mavs' 10-1 victory over Inland Empire (though, granted, the game was in Inland Empire, one of the Cal League's pitching-safer locales).
3. Jake Wild gets promoted from Wisconsin to High Desert. Afterlooking tremendous in a season and a half of mostly long relief, Wild struggled initially as a full-time starter before finding a groove with the T-Rats. The Mavs are starved for starters that won't get annihilated, and now is the time to see if Wild Man can take the next step. So far, so good: he threw 6 strong innings in last night's 10-1 Mavs victory over Inland Empire (though see above for disclaimer... how many of those flyballs do more serious damage in a different Cal League park, especially Mavs Stadium?).
Groundballs: 9
Flyballs: 9 (1 HR)
Line Drives: 0
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 1
Strikeouts: 5
4. Jon Nelson returns to Tacoma. With Michael Saunders heading to Beijing to represent Canada in the Olympics, the Rainiers wanted a replacement outfielder for coverage, and Nelson, who played for the Rainiers in 2007, was figured to have the best bat and profile for AAA (and experience, of course) out of the bunch in West Tenn. He's a corner guy and his fielding is meh-to-okay, but he will provide reasonable offensive production. He had a hit last night and knocked it a couple runs in Tacoma's 11-7 win over Round Rock.
With the MLB trade deadline having passed, the M's may elect to do some more signing and shuffling. Keep your eyes peeled.... but not at legitimateminorleaguetraderumors.com
- Better late than never, Kenny Hart. With the VSL season wrapping up this weekend, the curiously named Venezuelan outfielder will finish strong after a mostly quiet, punchless season. He has 6 hits, including a couple doubles, in his last 5 starts.
- When it comes to converting position players to pitchers... for every successful Jeff Dunbar, there is a scuffling Fray Martinez. Fray is now 0-7 with a 7.85 ERA on 4 HR, 18 walks and 34 K in 36.2 IP in Peoria. Opponents are hitting .337 off him (AZL league average is .268). The K's show he has the ability to fool professional hitters, but his control is definitely a work in progress, not so much with throwing strikes but throwing strikes that don't hang high in the zone and get killed.
- After taking a 21-2 loss to Danville, it's clear that Pulaski needs help in the secondary, and probably needs to upgrade their pass rush, as they weren't able to put any pressure on the Danville QBs all game. The safety on Danville in the 3rd quarter came only from a bad snap. Meanwhile, Jordan Alvis and Tommy Johannesen-Ellis took turns playing tackling dummy at QB for the powerful Danville pass rush. Expect manager Rob Mummau to start calling more blitzes on 1st and 2nd down, and maybe rely more heavily on the running game to kill the clock and keep that Danville offense off the field.
- It isn't just the power that's coming to Carlos Triunfel. With his 25th stolen base of the season in last night's game, the Mavs' resident phenom has 9 stolen bases in the last 10 games, and was not caught during that stretch. He's also hitting ,452 in that stretch over 42 AB with 3 doubles, a triple and 3 HR, but you knew that.
- Take Two of the Tracy Thorpe Starter Experiment in West Tenn lasted 3 innings this time. Take One lasted 4 frames, though he blew threw those hitters the first time around, and faced more resistance last night. He walked 5 batters and surrendered two runs before calling it a day after facing 15 batters in all. Before we pooh-pooh this outing, keep in mind the Montgomery Biscuits, the Rays' AA affiliate, easily lead the Southern League in walks drawn with 467. They work the count and get on your nerves if you're an opposing pitcher. Given the choice between faulting Tracy for poor control, and crediting the Biscuits for grinding out ABs against him, I'd go with the latter. While not tremendous (he did hang a few pitches that were hit well), Tracy only allowed one hit and struck out 3 batters otherwise. He did start the 4th, but the first two batters drew walks, and manager Scott Steinmann decided that was enough work for now.
Groundballs: 1
Flyballs: 3
Line Drives: 2
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 5
Strikeouts: 3
The DIAMOND JAXX took the lead in the 5th with a 4 run rally capped by Mike Wilson's 23rd home run with a man on. While some may question the decision to promote Jon Nelson to Tacoma instead of giving Wilson a trial run, look at it this way: If Mike Wilson deserves a trial run in AAA, he probably deserves to start a season in the driver's seat of an everyday or near-everyday role rather than get hurriedly rushed into AAA with a month left, and only in a rotating platoon situation for limited playing time shared with 2-3 other 1B/RF/DH types. As it stands, he gets to play everyday, and that wouldn't be the case in Tacoma. It would likely be just a frustrating, unproductive month for a guy that's had to work long and hard over the last year to climb out of a injury-plagued black hole slump that nearly derailed what little hope at an MLB career he's got.
- Justin Thomas now finds himself in the West Tenn bullpen, where he made his 2nd relief appearance in 3 days, after spending the entire year in the rotation. This followed two shortened outings as a starter, which only went 4 innings apiece.
But don't consider this any sort of demotion: The talented lefthander is considered a high-end pitching talent in the org, and they may be taking it easy with the 24 year old down the stretch, especially given he has had previous problems with injuries over the last couple years. Justin did take two weeks off in mid/late June with a minor injury, and the DIAMOND JAXX began letting off the gas in early July with extra days off between starts as a precaution.
- Remember how good PHAT ANDY was against Round Rock on Thursday? Well... let's just say Scott Shoemaker was the opposite of that against Round Rock on Friday.
- And thanks once again to Smith Tavern for letting me camp in a booth for 2 1/2 hours to write this, especially with a big brunch crowd putting seating at a premium.
Okay, STATS.
VENEZUELA~! VSL Mariners 4, VSL Rays 1
VSLMs: 42-25... VSL Rays: 29-36
(League: 254/336/342... 3.45 ERA)
Leonardo Rodriguez: 5 IP, 4 H, (1 R) 0 ER, walk, 3 K, wild pitch (9 GS +2, 1.27 ERA, 49.2 IP, 18/33 BB/K)
Oberth Guanire: 1 IP, walk, K (12 app, 3.86 ERA, 18.2 IP, 11/17 BB/K)
Nolan Diaz: 2 IP, 2 H, K (15 app, 6 GS, 2.75 ERA, 59 IP, 4/39 BB/K)
Manuel Campos: 1 IP, 2 K (19 app, 3.90 ERA, 32.1 IP, 1 HR, 9/24 BB/K)
Yidid Batista: 2-4, triple, R, RBI, walk, K (261/312/303)
Mario Yepez: 3-3, double, R, RBI (345/404/462)
Michael Acevedo: 2-4, R (247/329/320)
Kenny Hart: 2-4, double, 2 K (204/274/239)
Franklin Diaz: 2-3, RBI, walk (184/293/204)
Dominican: DSL Cardinals 11, DSL Mariners 5
DSLMs: 31-19... DSL Cards: 19-29
(League: 237/339/321... 3.73 ERA)
Bruno Mercedes: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER (HR), walk, 5 K, 2 wild pitches (18 app, 6 GS, 2.73 ERA, 52.2 IP, 1 HR, 18/59 BB/K)
Anthony Fernandez: two outs, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 walks, 2 K (13 app, 5 GS, 4.85 ERA, 39 IP, 22/34 BB/K)
Cristian Rijo: one out, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 walks (7 app, 5.73 ERA, 11 IP, 4/8 BB/K)
Juan Franco: two outs, K
Gregorio Aquino: 3 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, 6 K (10 app, 9.00 ERA, 12 IP, 14/13 BB/K)
Julio Antigua: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER (9 app, 3.75 ERA, 12 IP, 7/9 BB/K)
Ramon Morla: 3-4, double, solo HR, 2 R (246/407/356)
Hector Mercedes: 2-5, R, RBI (289/415/453)
Mario Flores: 2-3, walk (302/447/457)
Hassiel Jimenez: 1-5, double, 2 RBI, K (265/400/333)
Efrain Nuñez: 1-4, double, 2 K (292/406/500)
Rk-AZL: Padres 11, Mariners 2
(League: 268/351/384... 4.50 ERA)
Fray Martinez: 3 IP, 8 H, (8 R) 4 ER, 2 walks, 2 K, wild pitch (7 GS +2, 7.85 ERA, 36.2 IP, 4 HR, 18/34 BB/K)
Randy Castillo: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 walks, K (7 app, 3.09 ERA, 11.2 IP, 6/7 BB/K)
Nick Love: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, walk, K, wild pitch, hit batter (8 app, 11.49 ERA, 15.2 IP, 5/10 BB/K)
Colin Buckborough: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 walks, 2 K (10 app, 5.56 ERA, 22.2 IP, 1 HR, 17/20 BB/K)
Scott Savastano: 1-4, double, 2 RBI
Randy Molina: 2-4, K (197/292/279)
Rk+: Danville 21, Pulaski 2
PMs: 26-17... DAN: 24-20
(League: 262/334/390... 4.23 ERA)
Nick Czyz: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 walks, 2 K (6 GS +4, 4.26 ERA, 38 IP, 2 HR, 13/37 BB/K)
Jordan Alvis: one out, 9 H, 8 ER (9 app, 12.27 ERA, 11 IP, 5/9 BB/K)
Tommy Johannesen-Ellis: 2 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 walks, K, 2 hit batters (10 app, 12.91 ERA, 15.1 IP, 5 HR, 9/14 BB/K)
Kyle Brown: 3 IP, 3 H, (2 R) 0 ER, 3 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Mario Martinez: 2-2 (314/347/468)
Jonathan Arias: 3-4, double, solo HR, 2 R, K (227/278/364)
Gabriel Noriega: 1-3, RBI (171/213/211)
A-: Eugene 4, Everett 1
EVE: 17-27... EUG: 21-23
(League: 254/344/367... 4.11 ERA)
Aaron Brown: 5 IP, 4 H, (3 R) 2 ER (HR), 3 walks, 2 K (6 GS +4, 5.45 ERA, 33 IP, 1 HR, 27/24 BB/K)
Philip Hann: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K (13 app, 6.00 ERA, 18 IP, 1 HR, 8/15 BB/K)
Doug Salinas: 1 IP, K (13 app, 4.81 ERA, 33.2 IP, 2 HR, 18/30 BB/K)
Manny Pimentel: 2-4 (231/343/306)
Bennett Billingsley: 2-3 (239/323/376)
rest of Aquasox lineup: 2-24, 2 walks, 6 K
A: Great Lakes 8, Wisconsin 6
WIS: 12-29.. GL: 15-26
(League: 253/324/375... 3.71 ERA)
Edward Paredes: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 walks, 2 K, hit batter (21 GS +1, 4.81 ERA, 103 IP, 10 HR, 45/74 BB/K)
Jose Jimenez: 2.2 IP, 3 H, (3 R) 2 ER (HR), 2 walks, 2 K, wild pitch
Ryan Moorer: 2 IP, 2 K (35 app, 3.80 ERA, 47.1 IP, 2 HR, 19/34 BB/K)
Jeff Dunbar: 1 IP, walk, 2 K
Daniel Carroll: 0-5, R, 4 K: The Golden Sombrero, SB # 21 & 22 (264/348/320)
Edilio Colina: 2-4, R, RBI (288/344/375)
Joe Dunigan: 2-4, double, solo HR, 2 R, K (228/286/407)
Ronald Garth: 2-3, triple, R, 2 RBI, walk (263/319/403)
Joe White: 0-2, sac fly RBI (270/353/284)
Israel Nuñez: 2-3, walk (196/255/261)
A+: High Desert 10, Inland Empire 1
Mavs: 17-24... Empire: 22-19
(League: 274/342/413... 4.57 ERA)
Jake Wild: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER (HR), walk, 5 K
Nick Hill: 2 IP, 1 H, K (24 app, 10 GS, 4.98 ERA, 77.2 IP, 9 HR, 27/61 BB/K)
Chris Kirkland: 1 IP, 2 walks
Carlos Triunfel: 1-3, triple, 2 R, sac fly RBI, walk, K, SB #25 (282/331/412)
Ronnie Prettyman: 2-5, double, 2 R, 2 RBI, K (351/382/588)
Travis Scott: 2-4, R, walk, K (278/333/476)
Joe Simokaitis: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K (289/357/500)
Ogui Diaz: 1-3, 2 RBI, K, SB #10 (250/279/330)
James Davenport: 0-2, R, sac fly RBI, K
Gavin Dickey: 1-4, double, R, 2 RBI (264/299/333)
AA: Montgomery 6, West Tenn 5
WTN: 16-24... MON: 24-16
(League: 262/340/397... 4.16 ERA)
Tracy Thorpe: 3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 5 walks, 3 K
Jason Kershner: 2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 walks, K
Justin Thomas: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, K (17 GS +4, 4.31 ERA, 112.2 IP, 11 HR, 51/102 BB/K)
Marwin Vega: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, K (38 app, 5.56 ERA, 55 IP, 3 HR, 39/37 BB/K)
Greg Halman: 1-3, R, RBI, walk, K (280/320/497)
Nolan Old Sox Hall: 1-4, double, R, 2 RBI, walk (227/352/307)
Mike Wilson: 2-4, double, 2 run HR (291/386/582)
AAA: Tacoma 11, Round Rock 7
TAC: 58-55... RR: 52-62
(League: 276/347/442... 4.83 ERA)
Scott Shoemaker: 4 IP, 8 H, 7 ER (3 HR), walk, 2 K, wild pitch (26 app, 6 GS, 6.61 ERA, 64 IP, 14 HR, 27/41 BB/K)
Oscar Villarreal: 3 IP, 1 H, 5 K
Mumba Rivera: 1 IP, walk, 2 K (10 app, 6.00 ERA, 12 IP, 2 HR, 7/13 BB/K)
Jared Baek Bait Wells: 1 IP, K (43 app, 6.50 ERA, 45.2 IP, 4 HR, 27/41 BB/K)
Tug Hulett: 2-4, double, 3 R (308/386/538)
WLAD: 3-5, 3 run HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, K (266/355/577)
Craig Wilson: 1-3, double, 2 R, walk, K (311/447/623)
Shawn Garrett: 2-4, double, 2 RBI, K (295/325/447)
Jon Nelson: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
Rob Johnson: 2-4, R, 2 K (304/372/456)