- In the do-or-die game of their playoff series, the DSLMs could not get much going at the plate against the Twins in Boca Chica. However, neither could the Twins, and the DSLMs workhorse Felix Bautista, aka The Other Felix, pitched into the 6th without allowing a run. After Victor Ozuna popped in the first run of the game in the top 6th, and Bautista done, manager (Not That) Jose Guillen turned to another horse: Henry Perez, who pitched brilliantly in a 1-0 loss in Game 1. Henry was up to the task, finishing the 6th and not allowing more than a single hit over the rest of the game to seal the Twins' doom and move the DSLMs into the DSL semis.
The DSLMs now get a juggernaut in the DSL Gigantes, the Boca Chica South campeones whose .742 OPS is best in the DSL, though as previously mentioned, their pitching and defense leaves some to be desired. They walk far more batters than the Twins and their pitchers' control problems frequently get Los Gigantes into trouble. This should play opposite to the low scoring series the DSLMs just completed with the low-scoring Twins. The DSLMs will have a bit of a pitching edge (which may be neutralized some as top pitcher Henry Perez will need some rest), and the key will be if the DSLMs bats can score enough runs against the iffy Gigantes pitching/defense... because chances are likely the DSLMs pitching can contain, to some extent, the high scoring Gigantes offense.
Gigantes bats of death include 1B/DH Hector Sanchez (348/458/502), corner OF Sundrendy Windster (268/356/460 with a team leading 10 HR, huge in the DSL) and an on-base machine in IF Julio Izturis (284/471/355). Most of the team runs an OPS in the 720-750 range, pretty good for the dead-ball DSL.
Key starters include workhorse Edward Concepcion (14 GS +1, 4.20 ERA, 75 IP, 2 HR, 20/64 BB/K), the erratic Argenis Sanchez (14 GS, 3.57 ERA, 70.2 IP, 1 HR, 30/61 BB/K), and strike throwing out machine Miguel Ferrer (11 GS +2, 2.44 ERA, 62.2 IP, 1 HR, 16/42 BB/K). Marcos Prada (13 GS, 4.60 ERA, 58.2 IP, 2 HR, 29/39 BB/K) also starts but isn't that great and I doubt we see much of him in this series. The bullpen, almost to a man, takes advantage of the large DSL strike zone and nets a lot of K's but walks a ton of guys as well. The DSLers, by and large, are patient, and if they can get to the Gigantes bullpen, they can probably sit on their bad control and chunder forth a few extra runs.
- Meanwhile, the PMs are now in the hole after Nick Czyz bombed and got pulled before the 3rd inning, leaving the PMs in a 4-0 hole from which they never quite emerged in a 7-4 loss. The PMs got within 5-4 in the 5th, but the bats quieted down and the bullpen let 2 more slip.
- Sign Number Umpteen That the Mavs Have Officially Said "Screw It" To This Season: 3B Ronnie Prettyman started yesterday at SS. (Triunfel played 2B)
- Joe Woerman got a mulligan from me after his last crappy start, but the bad one against Mississippi yesterday does not get a pass: he walked 6 in 4 innings and only recorded 4 groundouts and a K.
1st: Flyball, strikeout (swing), walk, line drive, walk, flyball
2nd: Line drive, groundball, flyball, groundball
3rd: Pop up, groundball, walk, line drive, flyball, groundball, groundball
4th: Line drive, walk, bunt groundball, walk, walk, groundball, flyball
Groundballs: 6 (plus 1 bunt)
Flyballs: 5
Line Drives: 4
Pop Ups: 1
Walks: 6
Strikeouts: 1
- Luis Valbuena is on fire, 19 for his last 45 with 6 walks. Granted, all but one of those hits are singles (and the other was a double), and his LD rate this month has actually slid over the last few weeks, so he's largely benefitting from positive variance. But given this guy was hitting everything into the ground in June, I'll take it.
Stats below the jump.
DSL PLAYOFFS: YOU DON'T GET OFF THE ISLAND WITHOUT A PENNANT
Game 3: DSL Mariners 1, DSL Twins 0
DSL Mariners WIN series 2-1
Felix Bautista: 5.1 IP, 5 H, walk, 3 K
Henry Perez: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 6 K
Victor Ozuna: 1-3, triple, R, walk, K
Hector Mercedes: 1-3, double
Bertin Sanon: 1-3, double
Rk-AZL: Giants 4, Mariners 3
AZLMs: 12-15... AZL Giants: 20-7
(League: 265/346/377... 4.37 ERA)
Ariel Alcantara: 4 IP, 1 H, 4 K, hit batter (8 GS +3, 5.01 ERA, 41.1 IP, 3 HR, 21/45 BB/K)
Jean Tome: 3 IP, 4 H, (2 R) 1 ER, walk, 3 K (8 app, 5.89 ERA, 18.1 IP, 9/19 BB/K)
Yao Wen Chang: 1 IP, 1 H, (2 R) 1 ER, 3 walks, K, wild pitch (15 app, 5.75 ERA, 20.1 IP, 2 HR, 22/18 BB/K)
Cesar Fuentes: 2-5, RBI (273/329/374)
Henry Contreras: 3-4, 2 doubles, R, K (346/361/432)
Joel Mendez: 2-4, RBI, K (283/389/333)
Appalachian League Championship Series (Rk+)
Game 1: Elizabethton 7, Pulaski 4
Liz Twins lead series 1-0
(League: 262/331/387... 4.10 ERA)
Nick Czyz: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 walks, K, hit batter
Taylor Lewis: 4 IP, 3 H, (2 R) 1 ER, 5 K, 2 hit batters
Andres Esquibel: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER (HR), 4 K
Dwight Britton: 2-5, 2 K
Juan Fuentes: 3-5, double, 2 RBI
Kris Sanchez: 1-4, double, R, walk
Jose Rivero: 1-4, double, R, RBI, 2 K
Jacob Shaffer: 1-4, triple, RBI
A-: Everett 2, Vancouver 1, 10 innings
EVE: 30-40... VAN: 29-41
(League: 257/346/375... 4.22 ERA)
Aaron Brown: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER (HR), 5 K (11 GS +4, 5.02 ERA, 57.1 IP, 3 HR, 42/43 BB/K)
Robbie Dominguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 walks, 3 K, wild pitch (17 app, 5.93 ERA, 27.1 IP, 1 HR, 19/24 BB/K)
Philip Hann: 1 IP, 1 H, walk, 2 K (20 app, 4.40 ERA, 30.2 IP, 1 HR, 11/25 BB/K)
Tyson Gillies: 1-4, RBI, walk, 2 K, SB #22 (320/425/444)
Brandon Fromm: 1-4, RBI, walk, K (246/312/355)
Welington Dotel: 2-4, double, K, SB #14 (279/335/425)
Manny Pimentel: 1-4, double, K (207/320/280)
A: Wisconsin 3, Cedar Rapids 1
WIS: 23-43... CED: 38-28
(League: 252/322/371... 3.68 ERA)
Keith Meyer: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 walks, 3 K, hit batter (42 app, 4.35 ERA, 72.1 IP, 7 HR, 29/69 BB/K)
Brett Lorin: 2 IP, (1 R) 0 ER, walk, 2 K (6 GS +1, 3.54 ERA, 28 IP, 1 HR, 13/30 BB/K)
Robert Harmon: 1 IP, 1 H, walk, K (30 app, 7.82 ERA, 38 IP, 3 HR, 33/41 BB/K)
Maximo Mendez: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, K, SBs #24 & 25 (238/322/339)
Edilio Colina: 1-4, RBI, K (294/353/387)
Joe Dunigan: 2-3, double, RBI, K, SB #28 (236/298/422)
Alex Liddi: 2-4, 2 K (238/306/356)
Blake Ochoa: 2-3, triple, R, K (247/325/366)
A+: Rancho Cucamonga 7, High Desert 3
Mavs: 23-43... Quakes: 36-30
(League: 273/340/413... 4.52 ERA)
Jake Wild: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER (HR), 2 walks, 7 K (6 GS, 7.17 ERA, 26.1 IP, 6 HR, 16/24 BB/K)
Bryan Harris: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 K (40 app, 7.33 ERA, 50.1 IP, 13 HR, 12/32 BB/K)
Steve Uhlmansiek: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, 3 K (35 app, 4.85 ERA, 55.2 IP, 6 HR, 30/44 BB/K)
Michael Wagner: 1.2 IP, 1 H, K (50 app, 4.46 ERA, 66.2 IP, 3 HR, 21/52 BB/K)
Ronnie Prettyman: 2-4, double (300/345/474)
Kuo Hui Lo: 1-4, RBI, K (254/311/410)
Joe Simokaitis: 1-4, RBI, K (257/309/400)
Ogui Diaz: 2-4, double, R, K, SB #15 (244/266/315)
Gavin Dickey: 0-2, sac fly RBI, 2 K (230/294/311)
AA: Mississippi 6, West Tenn 0
WTN: 28-37... MIS: 41-25
(League: 264/342/400... 4.21 ERA)
Joe Woerman: 4 IP, 6 H, (6 R) 4 ER, 6 walks, K, wild pitch (5 GS, 4.34 ERA, 29 IP, 12/20 BB/K)
Roman Martinez: 2 IP, 1 H (36 app, 4.75 ERA, 41.2 IP, 4 HR, 18/30 BB/K)
Marwin Vega: 2 IP, walk, 3 K (46 app, 4.72 ERA, 68.2 IP, 3 HR, 44/50 BB/K)
Adam Moore: 2-4, double, K (318/395/507)
Marshall Hubbard: 2-3, double, walk (292/406/498)
rest of DIAMOND JAXX lineup: 5-29, 9 K
AAA: Sacramento 8, Tacoma 6
TAC: 76-64... SAC: 81-59
(League: 277/347/444... 4.85 ERA)
Rich Dorman: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER (HR), walk, 5 K, wild pitch, hit batter (8 GS +3, 4.78 ERA, 37.2 IP, 5 HR, 9/31 BB/K)
Denny Stark: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, walk, 3 K, wild pitch (8 app, 2.84 ERA, 19 IP, 1 HR, 3/17 BB/K)
Jared Baek Bait Wells: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, walk, 3 K (51 app, 6.34 ERA, 59.2 IP, 7 HR, 35/54 BB/K)
Prentice Redman: 1-4, triple, R, walk, K (306/387/568)
Matt Tuiasosopo: 2-5, double, 3 run HR, 2 R (274/358/448)
Victor Diaz: 1-4, double, R, walk, 3 K (282/370/528)
Craig Wilson: 1-4, double, R, 2 RBI, walk, K (275/387/525)
Luis Valbuena: 2-3, 2 walks (298/379/361)
Rob Johnson: 1-5, RBI, 2 K (303/362/441)