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Run by The Trentonian's Nick Peruffo, this blog will provide daily multimedia coverage of the Trenton Thunder.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Around the System - June 28

Scranton 6, Syracuse 0
Brent Lillibridge: 1 for 4, HR
Fernando Martinez: 2 for 4, 2 R
Randy Ruiz: 3 for 3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 2, R, 2 RBI
Thomas Neal: 2 for 3, 2B
Brett Marshall: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO
Jim Miller: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Binghamton 7, Trenton 3
Ramon Flores: 1 for 4
Kyle Roller: 1 for 3, R, BB
Carmen Angelini: 2 for 4, 2B, R, SB
Reegie Corona: 1 for 3, R, RBI, BB, SB
Jose Pirela: 1 for 4, 2 RBI
Zach Nuding: 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO
Jeremy Bleich: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Aaron Dott: IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO

Daytona 13, Tampa 6
Eduardo Nunez: 1 for 1, R
Ali Castillo: 2 for 3, R, RBI
Ben Gamel: 3 for 5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4, 2 RBI
Yeral Sanchez: 1 for 4, 2B
Dan Fiorito: 1 for 3, 2 R, BB
Bryan Mitchell: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
Diego Moreno: 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 R, BB, SO
Alex Smith: 1.1. IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, BB, SO
Branden Pinder: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Charleston 5, Hickory 0
Cito Culver: 1 for 4, R, BB
Angelo Gumbs: 1 for 4, R, BB
Dante Bichette: 1 for 4, R
Rey Nunez: 3 for 4, HR, 4 RBI
Jake Cave: 1 for 3, R, BB
Danny Oh: 2 for 3, BB
Daniel Camarena: 4 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Adam Smith: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
James Pazos: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO
Zach Arneson: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, SO

Aberdeen 2, Staten Island 1
Derek Toadvine: 1 for 4
Brandon Thomas: 1 for 3, R
Kale Sumner: 1 for 3
Trent Garrison: 1 for 3
Caleb Smith: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Philip Walby: 2.1 IP, 0 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Dillon McNamara: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Nick Rumbelow: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Stefan Lopez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

GCL Yankees 10, GCL Yankees 2
Tyler Wade: 1 for 4, R, BB
Gosuke Katoh: 1 for 2, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Chris Breen: 1 for 5, R
Sandy Brito: 1 for 5, 2B, R, RBI
Eduardo de Oleo: 2 for 3, 2B, R, 4 RBI
Austin Aune: 1 for 5, 2B, RBI
Jimmy Falla: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Jordan Barnes: 1 for 4, 2B, R, RBI
Alvaro Noriega: 1 for 1
Nathan Mikolas: 2 for 5, 2B
Renzo Martini: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Dalton Smith: 2 for 4, R, RBI
Jake Anderson: 1 for 4
Brady Lail: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Chad Taylor: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO
Samuel Garcia: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Victor Beriguete: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO
Wilton Rodriguez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 0 SO
David Herndon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO
Jordan Cote: 2 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Yoely Bello: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO
Dayton Dawe: IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO
Jose Pena: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

DSL Rangers 7, DSL Yankees 3
Daniel Barrios: 1 for 4, R
Juan Lorenzo: 2 for 4
Alan Ramirez: 1 for 3, R, RBI, BB
Wascar Rodriguez: 1 for 4
Darwin Ventura: 2 for 4, RBI
Luis Garcia: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Leonardo Garcia: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, SO
Rafael Ordaz: 2.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Game 77 - Thunder vs. Erie

Pitching matchup: LHP Nik Turley (6-5, 4.42) vs. RHP Drew VerHagen (0-1, 1.50)

In The Standings: Trenton is 8.5 games back of first-place Binghamton. Erie is two games back of first place in the West.

ERIE
Jamie Johnson - CF
Eugenio Suarez - SS
Hernan Perez - 2B
Michael Hernandez - DH
Tyler Collins - LF
Luis Castillo - RF
James Robbins - 1B
Wade Gaynor - 3B
Zach Maggard - C
Drew VerHagen - RHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - CF
Jose Pirela - 2B
Tyler Austin - RF
Kyle Roller - DH
Carmen Angelini - SS
Andrew Clark - 1B
Shane Brown - LF
Jeff Farnham - C
Francisco Rosario - SS
Nik Turley - LHP

NOTES: Not much to report today. The Eastern League All-Stars come out today. We'll see who goes from the Thunder. ... Michael Pineda is still here going through his normal between-start activities. ... Just a day off for Slade Heathcott.

Postgame Notes - Pinedamania

Final score: Trenton 4, Erie 0

Synopsis: With Spiderman in the house, Michael Pineda played the role of superhero for the Thunder. He provided a scuffling team with six shutout innings, and in the process got himself one step closer to putting on the pinstripes for the first time. Tyler Austin provided an RBI double, and Andrew Clark added two solo homers to help the cause. Carmen Angelini also hit a longball. 

What went right: Pineda's outing of course. In his fourth rehab start on his way back from surgery to repair a torn labrum, the right-hander lasted six innings, allowed two hits and two walks and fanned four against the Erie SeaWolves. He was in complete command all game long, and his fastball sat between 91-93 for the first three innings, then between 94-95 for the next two, then back to 91-93 for the final frame. He threw 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes. 

Moreover, he complemented his heater with a mid-80s slider and a changeup that drew great reviews from farm boss Mark Newman, who was in the stands to watch his charge continue his ascent toward the Bronx. 

"I thought he was really good," Newman said. "I think I've seen every one of his rehab starts. If not, I've only missed one, and this was the best. The best command of the strike zone, the best secondary pitches, the most consistent delivery. I thought he was good. He's not there yet, but it's a step in the right direction. He's getting closer to where I know he wants to be and we want him to be. 

"His change-up has improved immensely. He threw some really good change-ups. If he can take that change-up and integrate in to his pitch usage on a regular basis, it might make him a better pitcher at the big-league level and he'll take something out of the rehab process. He'll take a better change-up. That would be a nice plus out of all this difficulty he's been through." 

During his press conference, which you can see below, Pineda indicated (albeit softly) that he thinks he'll pitch with the Thunder again in five days, when they'll be in Binghamton. Newman said that decision hasn't been made yet. C'est la vie. We'll play the waiting game once more. 

For his part, Thunder manager Tony Franklin was also quite pleased with the effort he got from Pineda, especially coming after two horrifically played games that the Thunder lost by a combined score of 
22-4 against Portland and Erie. 

"Quite impressive," he said. "I just walked in (to the clubhouse) and said 'That's the way it's supposed to be every night. It just seems like we're going to have a lot of highs and we're going to have a lot of lows. We need to kind of close the gap on that and have a few more highs than lows. Hopefully we can take this into tomorrow and play a very good game." 

Catcher Francisco Arcia, who didn't get shaken off once by Pineda, also was pleased by what he saw from his batterymate, with whom he's worked throughout the rehab process. 

"Awesome," he said. "He had good command of his pitches. He threw a very good slider and change-up. He worked a lot with the fastball. It had good velocity today. ... His change-up and slider worked today."

Also of note, Pineda conducted his postgame press conference without an interpreter, which was pretty darn impressive. He also bought the team some outback. I'm sure they enjoyed that quite a bit. 

More good stuff: Andrew Clark, a week out of indy ball, might be the best hitter on this team right now. He popped two longballs tonight and added a single for good measure. He's hitting .429/.429/.762 over his first five games with the Thunder. Obviously a miniscule sample size, but a great boost for a team badly needing some offense. 

For a guy who spent part of his brief time out of baseball as a garbage man, a Nissan employee, a contractor and a UPS unloader, it's pretty darn special to be back driving baseballs over fences once again. 

"This whole year has just been unbelievable," he said. "From working numerous jobs, to playing independent ball, to getting released by two teams this year with the White Sox and the Rangers and then signing with the Yankees, it's just been unbelievable, man. I've been real blessed." 

Needless to say, Franklin likes having Clark's bat in the lineup, too. 

"When Andrew came to us, he was a guy they said had very good plate discipline and some power, and  I've seen both since he's been here," he said. "That first night, he looked pretty good against a pretty good lefty (Drake Britton) and I said, 'Those are some pretty decent at-bats.' Tonight he really got untracked and put some really good swings on the ball."

Shortstop Carmen Angelini also had two hits, including his first Double-A home run, a no-doubter over the wall in left. It had been a rough go for him thus far in the Eastern League.

NOTES: Brian Cashman was not in the house as expected. Apparently there was some kerfuffle in New York over Alex Rodriguez and Twitter. ... The Eastern League All-Star rosters will be announced tomorrow. ... Since J.R. Murphy left, Thunder catchers are 0 for 15 in trying to catch potential basestealers. ... Francisco Rondon returned from Triple-A and spun three shutout innings after Pineda exited. He fanned five.

Picks to Click: This was technically an off day for me, so Nick Peruffo and Trentonian intern Cody Exter did the writing. Here are their game story and notes from PinedaMania.

Flicks to Click: Here's my highlight reel and the Pineda presser, plus the Thunder's highlight reel for stuff I missed. Enjoy.





Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Game 76 - PinedaMania

Pitching matchup: RHP Michael Pineda (NR) vs. RHP Victor Larez (6-3, 4.89)

In the standings: Both Trenton and Portland are tied for second place behind Binghamton in the EL East

ERIE
Jamie Johnson - CF
Eugenio Suarez - SS
Hernan Perez - 2B
James McCann - C
Tyler Collins - DH
Wade Gaynor - 3B
James Robbins - 1B
Luis Castillo - RF
Marcus Lemon - LF
Victor Larez - RHP

TRENTON
Reegie Corona - 3B
Slade Heathcott - CF
Tyler Austin - RF
Kyle Roller - 1B
Carmen Angelini - SS
Andrew Clark - DH
Jose Pirela - 2B
Francisco Arcia - C
Shane Brown - LF
Michael Pineda - RHP

Notes: Happy Pineda Day, everyone. The right-hander, in his fourth rehab start as he works his way back from labrum surgery, is scheduled to go six innings or 80 pitches. He'll speak to the media after his start, as will (I assume) Brian Cashman. ... the Thunder today received Francisco Rondon back from Scranton. With his arrival, the Thunder have six lefties (Rondon, Lewis, Dott, Cabral, Bleich, Arrebato) and three Franciscos (Rondon, Rosario, Arcia) on the team. Hat tip to broadcaster Josh Maurer for that little nugget. ... Ramon Flores is out but just getting a day off. 

Postgame Notes - June 24

Final score: Erie 11, Trenton 4

Synopsis: After winning five in a row, Trenton has lost its last two by a combined score of 22-4 and has scored in just one of its last 18 innings. They've also made several careless plays in the field and on the bases. Point is, it hasn't been good. 

What went right: Not much. The Thunder got four straight hits in the fourth and scored four runs, two of which came on a double from the white-hot Jose Pirela. He's hitting .429/.487/.714 over his last 10 games. 

What went wrong: A lot. Shane Greene, in his home debut, was handed a three-run lead after the fourth inning and gave it all back in the fifth. That can't happen. It didn't help that his team simply wasn't making plays behind him. 

There were plenty of balls that fielders got to but couldn't do anything with thereafter. There was a botched rundown. There was a potential fielder's choice that turned into nothing when Kyle Roller's throw pulled Carmen Angelini off the bag.  

Slade Heathcott also got picked off of first trying to steal second in a 9-4 game. That cannot happen. It was sloppy baseball all around, and it was the second day in a row the Thunder have put forth such a performance. 

"We're better than that. We've got to play better than that," manager Tony Franklin said. "When you make mistakes the way we've been making them defensively, we're going to have poor games like that.  We've got to play better."

That about sums it up, doesn't it?

Picks to click: Here are Nick Peruffo's gamer and notes from yesterday. 

Flick to Click: Here's my highlight reel from yesterday.

Monday, June 24, 2013

A short interview with Mark Newman

At the halfway point, what are your evaluations of Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott and Ramon Flores?

They’re all doing less than we’d hoped, less than what they’d hoped, but they’re all two years younger than the average age of the league. It’s not a big deal for us.

Given that, then you must have been pretty pleased with what J.R. was doing before you bumped him up.

It was also his second year here. If you look at Zoilo Almonte, Brett Gardner, Chien-Ming Wang, sometimes it takes a second run through the league for them to perform the way we expect. We’re really interested in how they do in the second half.  That gives us a better indication to how well they’ve adjusted to the league than the first half.

Are you seeing improvement from those three as the year has gone on?

I think so. I think they’ve gotten better. There’s some internal measures we use that we don’t talk about. They’re proprietary. But we think over the course of the year – certainly in Heathcott’s case, he started slow and has gotten better. Tyler Austin started slow, he’s gotten better. Ramon Flores has impacted the ball – we like all three of them.

Has this year been especially trying for you, with all of the injuries at the big league level? Have you moved guys faster because of it?

No. We don’t do that. They need to move when their development dictates. … We can’t let a misfortune at the major league level panic us into doing what we shouldn’t do with a player. To me, that compounds the problem and doesn’t do much for us long term.

So J.R. would have gone up at the same time no matter what?

Absolutely. We’d been talking about moving him for a month and a half before we moved him. That had nothing to do with that.

Have you continued to see improvements in his defensive game?

He’s done well. This has been a three- or four-year project. He’s made steps along the way, so he’s doing well.

What’d you see that caused you to bump Jose Ramirez up when you did?

Basically his performance here. We’ll see how he does there. He hasn’t been particularly good there yet.

Where are we at with Sanchez and getting him here?

Right now he’s got things he’s working on there.

Anybody here who has surprised you this year?

Kyle Roller’s done very well. He’s probably exceeded expectations. Tommy Kahnle’s done very well. The rest of them … not disappointing. They’re OK. They’re not there yet.

What about Turley? Where’s he running into trouble?

Well he didn’t last game. He was throwing strikes and commanding his fastball. And when he does that, he’s good.

Where else throughout the system have you seen pleasant surprises?

Shane Greene is here now. Rafael DePaula, he’s never played (in the States) and he threw five shutout innings yesterday in A-Ball. Carmen Angelini had been out two years and was hitting over .300 in Tampa and is here now, so that’s been a plus. Zoilo. Murphy has made a leap forward offensively.

A kid named Dietrich Enns. He was a reliever when we signed him, and he had to pitch two innings, then three innings, because of circumstance and he kept doing well so he became a starter. And he’s done well. He’s had one start in the Florida State League, and that was good. That just happened. Things aren’t all the result of long-range planning.

What are you looking for out of Pineda tomorrow?

Strikes and continued improvement of his command. His stuff has gradually improved. Command, control, hope he uses his change-up a little bit. It’s coming along for him. He’s been good. He got up to 96 his last time out. That’s not going to be all of it. If he’s pitching at 92-93, he’s around the plate, that’s good.

Is the whole Pineda situation frustrating for you guys, or is it a blessing in disguise to be able to get him into your system for a while before unleashing him?

He was a pretty good pitcher before he got hurt. When we traded for him, he was an all-star.

The other guy in that trade, Jose Campos, how is he coming along?

Um, OK. Normal progress. We’re not unhappy with it.

Would you expect DePaula to be here at some point, or is he at High-A to end the year?

Don’t know. I could tell you he’s there to stay all year, but if he throws three no-hitters in a row we’d probably move him.

More than one Pineda start with the Thunder?

We’re going to look at this start and then talk to Cash and we’ll see. We’re going to evaluate the performance and decide. We’re not big on timetables. Around 80 pitches, 6 innings.

ETA for Eric Jagielo to start?
Around a week.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Game 74: Trenton vs. Portland

Pitching matchup: RHP Sean Black (1-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Matt Barnes (3-4, 5.46)

In the Standings: Trenton is in second place in the Eastern Division, seven games back of Binghamton. Portland is one game behind Trenton for the wild card.

PORTLAND
Peter Hissey - RF
Shannon Wilkerson - CF
Garin Cecchini - 3B
Tony Thomas - 2B
Travis Shaw - 1B
J.C. Linares - DH
Kolbrin Vitek - LF
Matt Spring - C
Heiker Meneses - SS
Matt Barnes - RHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - LF
Slade Heathcott - CF
Jose Pirela - 2B
Kyle Roller - DH
Reegie Corona - 3B
Andrew Clark - 1B
Jeff Farnham - C
Shane Brown - RF
Francisco Rosario - SS
Sean Black - RHP

NOTES: With its fifth win in a row last night, Trenton has three streaks of five-plus victories this year.  Sean Black, a New Jersey-native and a product of Seton Hall Prep, will make his first start at home this afternoon. He's expected to have 45-plus family members and friends cheering him on. ... Catcher Nick McCoy is cleared for baseball activity after shaking off the effects of a deep bone bruise on his hand. ... Lefty Matt Tracy is dealing with a strain around his lower back/hip area and is still a ways off. ... Same goes for Kevin Mahoney, whose elbow is starting to feel better. He's also not cleared for baseball activity. ... Neil Medchill's ribs are still hurting him and he is also a ways away.

Big fifth pushes Thunder past Portland

TRENTON — After bursting through against lightning-armed lefty Drake Britton on Friday, Trenton had no trouble on Saturday with knuckleballer Charlie Haeger in an 8-3 win over the Portland Sea Dogs at a jam-packed Arm & Hammer Park.

And for the second straight night, the Thunder’s victory was fueled by a big inning and a crooked number on the scoreboard. It wasn’t quite the nine runs on 10 hits that they used against Britton, but they did bat around and strike for five runs in a win that ran their streak to five in a row and vaulted them over the Sea Dogs for sole possession of second place in the Eastern Division.

“It’s always a mystery what you’re going to do against a knuckleballer,” Thunder manager Tony Franklin said. “It depends on how his knuckleball is. Guys were saying that, as the game progressed, the knuckleball got better. The first inning, it didn’t have a lot of movement, but as the game went on that thing was dancing. We were fortunate to get a few runs off of him.”

With the Thunder already up by a pair, Tyler Austin and Kyle Roller opened the fifth inning with consecutive hits off of Haeger. Shortstop Carmen Angelini followed with a walk to load the bases for Andrew Clark, the newcomer the Yankees signed earlier in the week out of the Frontier League.

He laced a single to center that brought home another run and knocked Haeger from the game. After sifting through knuckleballs for four-plus innings, Trenton had no trouble adjusting Pete Ruiz and his traditional arsenal of heat and breaking stuff.

“It’s not that difficult,” Franklin said in regard to a lineup re-adjusting from a knuckleballer to a more standard hurler. “I think everybody’s glad to see him go. Once he’s gone, everybody breathes a little bit easier.”

Corona greeted Ruiz with an RBI knock, and catcher Francisco Arcia followed a batter later with a two-run hit. Left fielder Ramon Flores finished the frame with a single to right-center field in front of Shannon Wilkerson.

Kyle Roller put a cherry on top an inning later with a mammoth homer over the batter’s eye in left-center field.

“I got myself into a good hitting count and tried to really simplify things,” Roller said. “I tried to pick out a spot and a location and he gave me a good pitch to hit and I got good wood on it.”

All that offense was more than enough for Mikey O’Brien, who’s been as reliable as any starter in the Thunder’s rotation this season. He finished six innings with just one run and five hits on his ledger. He struck out five and walked one.

Danny Burawa and Cesar Cabral pitched the final three innings. Cabral, the Yankees’ former Rule 5 selection from 2012, allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over his four outs.

NOTES: Trenton received pitchers Zach Nuding and Fred Lewis from Triple-A before the game. Both hurlers pitched for the RailRiders on Friday. To make room, Jose Ramirez and Caleb Cotham were transferred off Trenton’s roster. Neither Cotham nor Ramirez ever returned to Trenton from Scranton.

Thunder embrace HOPE Week

TRENTON — For a baseball player, there are lots of opportunities during the year to feel sorry for yourself. Being away from your family for weeks at a time. Going through a horrendous slump. Spending seven hours at night on a bus with only another game waiting for you at the end.

Every so often, however, you get a moment of clarity, a piece of perspective that shows you how lucky you are to live a life so many children will lust for but never know.

That’s what was waiting for the Thunder this week, after a grueling overnight trip home from Akron with the opening salvo of another series looming just hours after arrival.

Instead of hitting the pillow, it was time to report to the ballpark, where Jeff Farnham and Tyler Austin helped kick off the Thunder’s fifth annual HOPE Week, an organization-wide celebration of giving back and honoring those who spend their lives doing the same.

“Just being labeled as a professional athlete, there’s so many (ways) people view us and what we really do,” Thunder pitcher Mikey O’Brien said. “To be able to reach out and do things for underprivileged families or communities or whatever it may be, it’s kind of a blessing in disguise. It means just as much to us as it means to them.”

Farnham and Austin used part of their afternoon on Friday volunteering with children at the local YMCA playing tug-of-war, basketball, signing autographs and generally spending time with kids who see ballplayers, no matter their level, as heroes.

“HOPE Week was awesome last year,” Farnham said, “so I wanted to jump right in and do it again. I didn’t know if this would be the only slot we had available, so I got worried a little bit, but it was great. It was a great opportunity, a great experience. I think we all enjoyed doing it. It was a good way to give back.”

Saturday was Special Olympics day, and the athletes were treated to a pregame camp with appearances from several Thunder players, manager Tony Franklin, batdog Derby and, of course, Boomer. The campers also attended Saturday night’s game and got the opportunity to cheer on their new friends.

Franklin was a little under the weather and still dragging a bit from the last few days of travel and games, but that all changed once he got to hang out with a group of youngsters who were overjoyed just to spend a few hours on the field he calls home six months a year.

“I wasn’t feeling too good when I came here. I was pretty tired when I came in. That changed pretty quick when I went outside,” he explained. “I got out and got involved and saw the kids, got a chance to talk to the kids. They know quite a bit about the Thunder. They knew who I was. That always kind of touches your heart.”

On Sunday, the Thunder will honor a staff member who went above and beyond to assist restoration efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. That will be followed on Monday with player appearances at the Rescue Mission of Trenton, and on Tuesday with a performance from the Trenton Children’s Chorus.

Outfielder Shane Brown also helped out during Saturday’s camp. He was here for last year’s HOPE Week, and made an appearance with a couple of teammates at a local housing community. He chose the Special Olympics this year because of the extremely positive reviews he’d heard from teammates who’d participated last season.

“I heard a lot of great things about last year, and I wanted to go out there and interact with kids playing baseball and see what that was all about,” he said. “It was awesome working with them, and they brought a lot of energy. It made me happy to be on the ballfield – just as happy as they were. It was great to interact with them and have fun sharing the same game I love.”

Around the System - June 22

Scranton 6, Norfolk 4
Corey Patterson: 2 for 6, 2B, 2 R, SB
J.R. Murphy: 2 for 3, R, RBI, 3 BB
Fernando Martinez: 1 for 4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
Dan Johnson: 2 for 4, 2B, 2 BB
Cody Grice: 2 for 5, R
Casey Stevenson: 3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB
Dan Fiorito: 1 for 5
Caleb Cotham: 6 IP, 7 H, R, ER, BB, 5 SO
Francisco Rondon: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Yoshinori Tateyama: 2.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Norfolk 5, Scranton 2
Brent Lillibridge: 1 for 5, HR
Fernando Martinez: 2 for 4, 2B
Dan Johnson: 2 for 3, 2B, R, BB
Cody Grice: 1 for 4
Addison Maruszak: 3 for 4, RBI
Bobby Wilson: 1 for 4
Graham Stoneburner: 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Chris Bootcheck: 2 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 2 SO
Dellin Betances: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO

Trenton 8, Portland 3
Ramon Flores: 1 for 4, RBI, BB
Tyler Austin: 2 for 5, R
Kyle Roller: 3 for 4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
Carmen Angelini: 0 for 3, R, 2 BB
Andrew Clark: 2 for 5, 2 R, RBI
Reegie Corona: 1 for 4, R, RBI
Francisco Arcia: 2 for 4, 2 RBI
Mikey O'Brien: 6 IP, 5 H, R, ER, BB, 5 SO
Dan Burawa: 1.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Cesar Cabral: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO

Tampa 4, Brevard County 1
Mason Williams: 1 for 3, R
Gary Sanchez: 1 for 1, R, BB
Yeral Sanchez: 1 for 2
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 2, Grand Slam
Bryan Mitchell: 5 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 5 SO

Rome 7, Charleston 3
Jake Cave: 2 for 5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Greg Bird: 1 for 4, RBI
Dante Bichette: 1 for 3, BB
Angelo Gumbs: 1 for 4
Danny Oh: 1 for 3, R
Aaron Gates: 1 for 4, R
Jackson Valera: 1 for 3, BB
Luis Niebla: 3 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
John Brebbia: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Ben Paullus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Hudson Valley 4, Staten Island 2
Derek Toadvine: 1 for 4
John Murphy: 2 for 4, HR
Michael O'Neill: 1 for 3, BB
Brandon Thomas: 1 for 3, BB
Yeicok Calderon: 1 for 4
Kale Sumner: 1 for 3, BB
Giovanny Gallegos: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Charles Beresford: IP, 3 H, 2 R 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Stefan Lopez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO
Tyler Webb: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

GCL Pirates 3, GCL Yankees 2
Gosuke Katoh: 1 for 3, HR
Sandy Brito: 1 for 4, HR
Jimmy Falla: 1 for 4
Brady Lail: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 6 SO
Francis Joseph: 1.2 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, SO
Daury Aquino: 1.1. IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

GCL Tigers 5, GCL Yankees 2
Adonis Garcia: 1 for 2
Bryan Cuevas: 2 for 4
Dalton Smith: 1 for 3, 2B, R
Jose Javier: 1 for 1, RBI, SB
David Herndon: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Angel Rincon: 4 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 3 SO
Juan Jimenez: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Joaquin Acuna: 0.2 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, 0 SO

DSL Mets 8, DSL Yankees 0
Juan Lorenzo: 1 for 3, BB
Angel Aguilar: 1 for 4, 3B
Daniel Barrios: 1 for 1
Darwin Ventura: 2 for 3
Luis Garcia: 3.2 IP, H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Pablo De La Rosa: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 0 SO
Melvin Morla: 2 IP, 3 H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Corby McCoy: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Around the System - June 21

Norfolk 5, Scranton 4
Corey Patterson: 2 for 5, R
Cody Grice: 2 for 5, 2 R, SB
Fernando Martinez: 2 for 4, R, 2 RBI
Dan Johnson: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 4
Walter Ibarra: 1 for 4
Bobby Wilson: 1 for 3
Dan Fiorito: 2 for 3, SB
Zach Nuding: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO
Fred Lewis: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO
Matt Daley: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Mike Zagurski: IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 0 BB, SO

Trenton 9, Portland 2
Ramon Flores: 1 for 3, R, BB
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 4, 3B, R, RBI
Tyler Austin: 1 for 4, R, RBI
Kyle Roller: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Carmen Angelini: 1 for 3, 2 RBI, R, BB
Andrew Clark: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Reegie Corona: 1 for 4, R
Jose Pirela: 3 for 4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Jeff Farnham: 1 for 4
Scottie Allen: 6 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Rigoberto Arrebato: 3 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

Brevard County 7, Tampa 5
Mason Williams: 3 for 5, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Rob Refsnyder: 1 for 3, R, BB
Ben Gamel: 1 for 3, HR, 4 RBI
Yeral Sanchez: 1 for 4
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4
Saxon Butler: 1 for 4, 2B
Ali Castillo: 1 for 4
Jose Toussen: 2 for 4, R
Dietrich Enns: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO
Diego Moreno: IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, SO
Branden Pinder: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO
Charley Short: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Charleston 5, Rome 1
Jake Cave: 1 for 3, 3B, 2 R, 2 BB
Cito Culver: 1 for 5, 2B, R
Greg Bird: 3 for 4, 2B, R, 3 RBI
Dante Bichette: 1 for 4
Rey Nunez: 1 for 5
Danny Oh: 2 for 4, 2B, R, RBI
Kelvin De Leon: 2 for 5, 2B, RBI
Jackson Valera: 2 for 4, 2B
Jose Campos: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Brett Gerritse: 2.1 IP, H, R, ER, 5 BB, 4 SO
James Pazos: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Adam Smith: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Hudson Valley 5, Staten Island 3
Mike O'Neill: 1 for 4
Yeicok Calderon: 1 for 4, HR
Kale Sumner: 2 for 3, R
Daniel Aldrich: 2 for 3, R
Bubba Jones: 2 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI
David Palladino: 2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO
Cale Coshow: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, SO
Andrew Benak: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

GCL Yankees 6, GCL Pirates 4
Adonis Garcia: 1 for 2, HR
Jordan Barnes: 0 for 1, BB, R, SB
Tyler Wade: 2 for 3, R, RBI, BB, SB
Austin Aune: 1 for 4, 2B, RBI
Gosuke Katoh: 1 for 2, HR
Jimmy Falla: 1 for 3, R
Kevin Cornelius: 1 for 3, 2B, R, RBI
Luis Severino: 4 IP, H, R, ER, BB, 8 SO
Taylor Morton: IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO
Chaz Hebert: 3 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
Victor Beriguete: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

GCL Tigers 4, GCL Yankees 3
Bryan Cuevas: 2 for 4, R
Luis Torrens: 2 for 3, 2B, RBI
Alvaro Noriega: 1 for 1
Dalton Smith: 1 for 4
Kendall Coleman: 1 for 3, R
Jake Anderson: 1 for 3
Thairo Estrada: 1 for 2, RBI
Jose Figueroa: 1 for 3, R
Joey Maher: 4 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 4 SO
Jose Pena: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 SO
Yoely Bello: IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, SO

DSL Yankees 14, DSL Phillies 6
Miguel Martinez: 1 for 4, 4 R, 2 SB
Juan Lorenzo: 3 for 5, 3 R, RBI
Angel Aguilar: 2 for 5, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Alexander Palma: 2 for 4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Victory Rey: 4 for 6, R, RBI
Darwin Ventura: 1 for 4, 2 RBI
Oliver Cedeno: 0 for 2, R, RBI, 3 BB
Daris Vargas: 5 IP, 10 H, 4 R, ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Jean Ramirez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Leonardo Garcia: IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 0 SO
Kelvin Magallanes: IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 2 SO

DSL Yankees 8, DSL Rojos 1
Jorge Mateo: 1 for 5, 2B, R
Frank Frias: 3 for 5, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB
Allen Valerio: 2 for 3, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB
Pedro Urena: 2 for 5, 2 RBI
Wilmer Romero: 2 for 5, RBI
Barfil Munoz: 1 for 5
Brian Reyes: 1 for 4, R, BB
Rainiero Coa: 2 for 3
Tirson Guzman: 1 for 4
David Rodriguez: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Hector Martinez: 3.1 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 4 SO
Hershelon Juliana: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Postgame notes - June 21

Final score: Trenton 9, Portland 2

Synopsis: After being held to just a walk over the first five innings, during which they saw just 50 pitches, the Thunder exploded on lefty Drake Britton and reliever Chris Balcom-Miller for nine runs and 10 hits on 34 pitches. Scottie Allen tossed six innings of one-run ball in his debut, and lefty Rigoberto Arrebato finished the game's final three frames. 

That's offensive: In the sixth inning, everything. Trenton carded nine straight hits, bookended by Jose Pirela's double (which broke up Britton's no-hitter) and three-run homer. Last night was the first time since June 5 that Trenton has scored more than five runs. Entering the night, they'd scored 46 runs all month. 

“That was some pretty good baseball, I’d say,” Thunder manager Tony Franklin said. “I think that’s what we hope that we get every day, every night. That’s what we got the three days in Akron. We got it again tonight. Those are guys stepping up and doing what’s required of them.”

For perspective on the nine hits in a row in one inning, the major league record is 11, set by the Rockies in 2011. 

They got hits from guys on hot streaks (Pirela, Reegie Corona), guys who've struggled (Carmen Angelini, guys from Indy ball (Andrew Clark), and everybody in between. 

They also got fluky hits. Kyle Roller's double was only nominal. In the real world, it was a fly ball that Kolbrin Vitek, playing left field for the 12th time in his career (no pro outfield games before this year) lost in the lights. It fell untouched, and Trenton's rally kept rolling. 

Heathcott's triple also might have been caught by a more experienced left fielder, but it was hit much harder. 

Armed and ready: Besides the crazy offense, Trenton got some pretty darn good pitching out of two of its new guys. Allen, who said he'd been battling control issues with Tampa, allowed just the one run on three hits and three walks over six innings. Cuban lefty Rigoberto Arrebato fanned four over the final three innings. 

"I went out there and just executed my plan, just tried to throw strikes and get people out as quick as possible," Allen said. "I've been struggling with my control a little bit lately, and I just went out there and slowed the team down and tried to keep the team in the game." 

Streaky, very streaky: With the win last night, Trenton has three streaks of four-plus wins this season. It also has two streaks of four-plus losses.

Picks to click: Here are my game story, my notes, and my short Pineda story from yesterday. 

Flick to click: Because I can't beat theirs today, here is the Thunder's highlight reel from the win over Portland.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Game 72 - Trenton vs. Portland

Pitching matchup: RHP Scottie Allen (NR) vs. LHP Drake Britton (6-5, 3.08)

In the standings: Trenton is one game behind Portland for second place in the Eastern Division. They train Binghamton by eight games.

PORTLAND
Matty Johnson - RF
Shannon Wilkerson - CF
Garin Cecchini - 3B
Michael Almanzar - DH
Travis Shaw - 1B
Christian Vazquez - C
Kolbrin Vitek - LF
Heiker Meneses - SS
Derrik Gibson - 2B
Drake Britton - LHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - LF
Slade Heathcott - CF
Tyler Austin - RF
Kyle Roller - 1B
Carmen Angelini - SS
Andrew Clark - DH
Reegie Corona - 3B
Jose Pirela - 2B
Jeff Farnham - C
Scottie Allen - RHP

Major League II: In a move that's been anticipated for a while, Michael Pineda will start here on Tuesday. It's his fourth rehab start as he works his way back to either the Bronx or Scranton. The team hasn't been officially informed yet, so there was no official comment. 

Moves, moves, moves galore: As if the last week weren't enough, Trenton made two more moves this afternoon. They sent Zach Nuding and Fred Lewis to Scranton, and "received" Jose Ramirez and Caleb Cotham from Scranton. I put received in quotes because it's a paper move. Cotham is still listed on today's SWB game notes as a starter in their doubleheader tomorrow. Also, Trenton received Andrew Clark, a first baseman whom the Yankees signed out of the independent Frontier League. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Tampa sends Trenton a catcher ... just not *that* catcher

After watching Altoona go 11 for 11 against them in their most recent series, the Thunder needed a catcher. And given that it's prospect promotion season, just about everybody expected Gary Sanchez to move up to Trenton for the remainder of the season. 

Instead, the Yankees chose to hold back Sanchez for the time being and instead send Francisco Arcia to Double-A. After a boffo 2011, Arcia has stalled in High-A. The 23-year-old backstop is hitting .233/.317/.318 with two homers and 12 RBIs for the T-Yanks. He's caught just 24 percent of runners trying to steal. 

To make room, Tyson Blaser was sent back to Tampa. He started the season on the Thunder's DL and had 3 hits in 15 trips. 

Trenton also sent lefty reliever Francisco Rondon to Triple-A Scranton. After coming back from DFA limbo, Rondon has been gangbusters. The former 40-man member has a 1.54 ERA since being outrighted to Trenton. He has 15 strikeouts -- but nine walks -- in 11 2/3 innings. 

Around the System - June 17

Rochester 10, Scranton 1
Addison Maruszak: 2 for 4
Zoilo Almonte: 2 for 3
Dan Johnson: 2 for 3, R
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 3, 2B
Walter Ibarra: 1 for 3
Caleb Cotham: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 BB, SO
Mark Montgomery: 1.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2 WP
Josh Spence: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Ryan Baker: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

Scranton 5, Rochester 3
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 3, 2B, R, RBI
Zoilo Almonte: 1 for 3
Dan Johnson: 1 for 2, R, BB
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 3, R
Cody Grice: 1 for 3
Bobby Wilson: 1 for 3, HR, 3 RBI
Walter Ibarra: 1 for 2, R
Graham Stoneburner: 4 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Chase Whitley: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Matt Daley: IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Dunedin 6, Tampa 4
Mason Williams: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Rob Refsnyder: 2 for 4, 2B, R
Ben Gamel: 1 for 4, RBI
Gary Sanchez: 1 for 3, 2B, RBI
Saxon Butler: 1 for 3, HR
Jose Toussen: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Bryan Mitchell: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, BB, 5 SO, 3 WP
John Brebbia: 2 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Manny Barreda: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

Staten Island 2, Brooklyn 1
John Murphy: 2 for 3
Derek Toadvine: 1 for 4
Michael O'Neill: 2 for 4, 2B, 2 SB
Brandon Thomas: 1 for 4, R, SB
Yeicok Calderon: 2 for 4, 2B
Isaias Tejeda: 1 for 3, R
Giovanny Gallegos: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Charles Basford: 2 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO
James Pazos: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, SO
Tyler Webb: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, SO

DSL Marlins 7, DSL Yankees 6
Juan Lorenzo: 1 for 5, 2 RBI
Angel Aguilar: 1 for 3, 2 R
Miguel Mojica: 1 for 3, R, RBI, BB
Allen Ramirez: 1 for 4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Eduardo Davis: 1 for 2, R, RBI, 2 BB
Luis Garcia: 4 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Jose Pujols: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, SO
Rafael Ordaz: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 SO
Leonardo Garcia: 0.2 IP, H, R, ER, BB, 0 SO

Staten Island Opening Night Highlights

The New York-Penn League opened on Monday night. I was on hand for Staten Island vs. Brooklyn, which showcased some of the Yankees' newest draftees (Mike O'Neill, Brandon Thomas, Derek Toadvine, John Murphy) and some older farmhands (Yeicok Calderon, Bubba Jones, Francisco Rosario, Isaias Tejeda).

On the mound was Giovanny Gallegos, who was coming back from Tommy John surgery. Here is a package of highlights from Monday night. Because it's Staten Island, I set it to Wu-Tang Clan's "Method Man." Enjoy.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Around the System - June 16

Lehigh Valley, Scranton 4
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 5, 2B, R, BB
Cody Grice: 2 for 6, 3B
Zoilo Almonte: 3 for 6, 2B, R, RBI
Josh Bell: 1 for 4, R, 2 BB
Bobby Wilson: 1 for 3, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Alberto Gonzalez: 3 for 5, 2B, RBI
Walter Ibarra: 1 for 5
Dan Fiorito: 2 for 5, 2B
Ivan Nova: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Josh Spence: 0.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Jim Miller: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Dellin Betances: 0.1 IP, 0 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

Altoona 2, Trenton 1
Ramon Flores: 1 for 4
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 4
Tyler Austin: 1 for 4
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4
Jose Pirela: 2 for 4, R
Shane Brown: 1 for 4, 2B
Mikey O'Brien: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Fred Lewis: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Augusta 2, Charleston 1
Cito Culver: 1 for 4, R
Greg Bird: 2 for 4
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4
Kelvin De Leon: 1 for 4
Danny Oh: 1 for 4, 2B
Cesar Vargas: 5 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Dietrich Enns: 4 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 6 SO

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Around the System - June 15

Scranton 7, Lehigh Valley 0
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 3, 2B, R, RBI, BB
J.R. Murphy: 3 for 6, R, RBI
Zoilo Almonte: 4 for 5, R
Dan Johnson: 2 for 5, 2 RBI
Josh Bell: 2 for 4, RBI
Cody Grice: 1 for 3, R, 2 BB
Alberto Gonzalez: 1 for 5
Walter Ibarra: 2 for 4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB
David Huff: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Mark Montgomery: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Chase Whitley: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Sam Demel: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, SO
Matt Daley: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Altoona 4, Trenton 0
Ramon Flores: 1 for 4, BB
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 3, outfield assist
Kyle Roller: 1 for 4
Casey Stevenson: 1 for 4
Jose Pirela: 1 for 4
Jeff Farnham: 1 for 4
Zach Nuding: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO
Jeremy Bleich: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO
Tommy Kahnle: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO

Charleston 3, Augusta 0
Jake Cave: 2 for 4, 2 2B, 2 R
Cito Culver: 1 for 2, 2B, R, BB
Greg Bird: 3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Danny Oh: 2 for 3
Luis Niebla: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO
Dan Camarena: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Alex Smith: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

DSL Marlins 11, DSL Yankees 5
Miguel Martinez: 1 for 3, BB
Juan Lorenzo: 2 for 4, 2 R
Angel Aguilar: 1 for 5, 2 R
Miguel Mojica: 1 for 5, 2B, RBI
Victor Rey: 2 for 5, 2B, 3 RBI
Darwin Ventura: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Jenso De La Rosa: 2 for 4, RBI
Daris Vargas: 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Freddery Arias: 3 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO
Pablo De La Rosa: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Leonardo Garcia: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 2 SO

DSL Cardinals 8, DSL Yankees 4
Jorge Mateo: 2 for 5, HR, 2 R, SB
Frank Frias: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Pedro Urena: 1 for 4, 2B, RBI
Greidy Encarnacion: 1 for 4, RBI
David Rodriguez: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Hershelon Juliana: IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO
Jhon Morban: 2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, SO
Brayan Alcantara: IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Around the System - June 14

Lehigh Valley 4, Scranton 1
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 3, BB
Zoilo Almonte: 1 for 3, BB
Cody Grice: 1 for 3, 2B, BB
Josh Bell: 1 for 3, HR, BB
Jose Ramirez: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO
Graham Stoneburner: IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 0 SO
Dellin Betances: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Matt Daley: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

Altoona 8, Trenton 4
Ramon Flores: 1 for 4, 2B, R, BB, two outfield assists
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 4, R, RBI, BB
Tyler Austin: 2 for 5, R
Kyle Roller: 3 for 4, 2B, R
Reegie Corona: 2 for 4, RBI
Jose Pirela: 1 for 4
Nik Turley: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2 HBP
Danny Burawa: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO
Cesar Cabral: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, HBP
Aaron Dott: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Augusta 4, Charleston 1
Jake Cave: 2 for 5, 2B, R
Cito Culver: 1 for 5
Greg Bird: 2 for 3, 2B, R, BB
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4
Rey Nunez: 2 for 4
Danny Oh: 2 for 4
Jose Campos: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 3 SO
Brett Gerritse: 4 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 5 SO
Adam Smith: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

DSL Pirates 5, DSL Yankees 4
Miguel Martinez: 0 for 4, BB, R, SB
Angel Aguilar: 2 for 4, 2B, R, RBI
Miguel Mojica: 2 for 3, 3B, R, RBI
Victory Rey: 1 for 3, RBI
Alan Ramirez: 1 for 4, RBI
Eduardo Rivera: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Jordan Ovalles: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, SO
Kelvin Magallanes: IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, SO
Rafael Ordaz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

DSL Yankees 7, DSL Mets 5
Jorge Mateo: 2 for 4, HR, 2 R, SB
Allen Valerio: 1 for 5, R
Wilmer Romero: 1 for 5, HR, 2 RBI, outfield assist
Pedro Urena: 1 for 2, R, RBI
Oscar Taveras: 1 for 2, BB, SB
Brian Reyes: 1 for 4
Tirson Guzman: 1 for 3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB
Jhoan Gomez: 1 for 4, R
Greidy Encarnacion: 1 for 4, R
Moises Cedeno: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Aderlis Reyes: 3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 SO
Raynel Espinal: 3.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 4 SO
Hector Martinez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Game 66 - Trenton vs. Binghamton

Pitching matchup: LHP Nik Turley (5-4, 4.40) vs. RHP Cory Mazzoni (2-1, 4.06)

In the Standngs: Binghamton is in first place in the East. Trenton is in third place, seven games behind the B-Mets and one game behind Portland for second place.

BINGHAMTON
Danny Muno - 2B
Josh Rodriguez - 3B
Travis Taijeron - RF
Allan Dykstra - DH
Richard Lucas - 1B
Darrell Ceciliani - LF
Alonzo Harris - CF
Xorge Carrillo - C
Wilfredo Tovar - SS
Cory Mazzoni - RHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - LF
Slade Heathcott - CF
Tyler Austin - DH
Kyle Roller - 1B
Tyson Blaser - C
Carmen Angelini - SS
Reegie Corona - 3B
Jose Pirela - 2B
Shane Brown - RF
Nik Turley - LHP

NOTES: Casey Stevenson hath arrived and is wearing No. 31. ... Jeff Farnham is here but not on the roster yet. ... That leaves Blaser and Farnham as the two catchers. Wouldn't be surprised to see Gary Sanchez here once the Florida State League All-Star break concludes.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Game 65 - Trenton vs. Binghamton

Pitching matchup: Matt Tracy LHP (4-3, 5.22) vs. LHP Darin Gorski (0-0, 0.00)

In the Standings: Binghamton is in first place in the East. Trenton is six games back of the B-Mets and 1.5 games back of Portland for the wild card.

BINGHAMTON
Danny Muno - 2B
Josh Rodriguez - 3B
Travis Taijeron - RF
Allan Dykstra - DH
Richard Lucas - 1B
Joe Bonfe - LF
Blake Forsythe - C
Alonzo Harris - CF
Wilfredo Tovar - SS
Darin Gorski - LHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - LF
Slade Heathcott - CF
Tyler Austin - RF
J.R. Murphy - C
Kyle Roller - 1B
Carmen Angelini - SS
Reegie Corona - 3B
Jose Pirela - 2B
Shane Brown - DH
Matt Tracy - LHP

NOTES: Kevin Mahoney went on the disabled list as expected today. Casey Stevenson is here to replace him. ... Darin Gorski is starting for the Mets today instead of Mark Cohoon. Also, Scott Atchison is here to rehab.

Edit - 6:21: Cesar Puello is day-to-day. His X-Rays came out clean, but he won't play today or tomorrow. Of course, given the weather forecast, there's a good chance nobody will play tomorrow. ... Casey Stevenson is on the roster but hadn't arrived as of 5:15. ... No results yet on Kevin Mahoney's elbow. They're calling it soreness at this point. ... Yankees scout Joe Caro is in attendance, as is Gene Michael. 

Around the System - June 11

Scranton 6, Buffalo 5
Thomas Neal: 3 for 4, 2 R, RBI
Zoilo Almonte: 2 for 4, R
Ronnier Mustelier: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI
Dan Johnson: 1 for 3, HR, 2 RBI
Josh Bell: 1 for 3
Melky Mesa: 1 for 2, HR
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 3, 2B
Alberto Gonzalez: 1 for 3, 2B, R
Ivan Nova: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
Chase Whitley: 2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, SO

Scranton 6, Buffalo 2
Thomas Neal: 2 for 3, R, RBI
Zoilo Almonte: 1 for 3, R, RBI
Dan Johnson: 2 for 3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 3, R
Jeff Farnham: 1 for 2, R
David Huff: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Dellin Betances: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Sam Demel: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Binghamton 6, Trenton 5
Ramon Flores: 2 for 5
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 4, 2B, R, BB
Tyler Austin: 1 for 5
J.R. Murphy: 1 for 5
Kyle Roller: 3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Carmen Angelini: 1 for 4, R, BB
Reegie Corona: 1 for 3, R, BB
Neil Medchill: 2 for 3, RBI
Jose Pirela: 1 for 1, RBI
Mikey O'Brien: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
Jeremy Bleich: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Aaron Dott: IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Danny Burawa: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

Tampa 6, Charlotte 2
Rob Refsnyder: 1 for 2, R, 2 BB
Ben Gamel: 3 for 4, 3B, R, RBI
Gary Sanchez: 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI
Saxon Butler: 2 for 3, HR, 2 RBI
Shane Greene: 3 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO
Joel De La Cruz: 4 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO
Manny Barreda: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO
Charley Short: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Greenville 6, Charleston 3
Taylor Dugas: 1 for 3, R, outfield assist
Cito Culver: 1 for 3, HR, 2 RBI
Greg Bird: 1 for 3, HR
Jake Cave: 1 for 3
Rey Nunez: 1 for 3
Cesar Vargas: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
Ben Paullus: 2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO

Charleston 8, Greenville 4
Jake Cave: 3 for 4, 2B, HR, 2 R
Cito Culver: 1 for 3, R, BB
Greg Bird: 1 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI
Rey Nunez: 2 for 4, 2 2B, R
Kelvin De Leon: 2 for 3, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
Jackson Valera: 2 for 3, RBI
Dan Camarena: 4 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 2 SO
Alex Smith: 2 IP, 3 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO
Derek Varnadore: IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO

DSL Rangers 11, DSL Yankees 5
Junior Valera: 3 for 4, R, RBI, BB, 3 SB
Adam Silva: 1 for 4, R
Angel Aguilar: 1 for 4, R, RBI, BB
Miguel Mojica: 2 for 4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
Alan Ramirez: 2 for 4, 3B, R, RBI
Oliver Cedeno: 1 for 4
Luis Garcia: 2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 0 SO
Freddery Arias: 3 IP, H, R, 0 ER, 3 BB, SO
Pablo De La Rosa: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO
Corby McCoy: 1.1 IP, H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Jose Pichardo: 0.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO

Postgame notes - June 11

Final score: Binghamton 6, Trenton 5

Synopsis: The Thunder spent all game playing catch-up. First, after Mikey O'Brien allowed a four-spot in the second inning, and again after Danny Burawa allowed a pair in his outing. Kyle Roller's two-run bomb in the ninth brought them within one, but they couldn't finish the comeback. 

What went right: Kyle Roller hit two bombs, which he and the Thunder hope will go a long way toward getting him out of his funk. After hitting .337 in April, he hit just .198 in May and is at .267 thus far this month. His longballs last night were the first he's hit in 25 at-bats. 

Speaking of funks, Neil Medchill got two hits last night. That's his first multi-hit game since May 23. Since May 1, Medchill is hitting .204/.264/.265 -- among the bottom 10 in the Eastern League -- and he hasn't homered since May 16. If his bat could get hot again, it would represent a huge boost for the Thunder's offense. 

Carmen Angelini opened his Thunder career with a solid single up the middle. He also scored a run and stole a base. For a guy who's gone through a torn hip labrum, a broken ankle and a broken wrist, getting his first Double-A hit out of the way has to be a huge landmark out of the way. 

J.R. Murphy caught three more runners last night -- although one doesn't count as a caught stealing because the runner wasn't going until the ball squirted away from Murphy. He's proved a powerful weapon on defense this season. To wit, he's caught 24 of the 50 runners who've attempted to run on him -- good for a 48-percent clip. His previous career-best is 32 percent, from last year.

What went wrong: First and foremost, the injury to Kevin Mahoney. He felt a pop in his right elbow on a swing late in the game, and was in a sling afterward. He's going to have X-Rays today to see what's going on in there, but it doesn't look good. 

If Mahoney is out for a significant amount of time, and it seems likely he will be, then Casey Stevenson would seem the logical one to get the call from Tampa. As it stands, Trenton has four infielders -- Jose Pirela, Reegie Corona, Carmen Angelini and Kyle Roller -- without Mahoney, so they'll probably need a guy. Tony Franklin also said Shane Brown could play first or third if needed. Brown has eight games at first and five games at third in his career. 

Mahoney hasn't hit at all this year, but he's played stellar defense at third and is versatile enough to play first or second if needed, so he'd be a bit of a loss.

Picks to click: Here are Cody Exter's game story and notes from Tuesday. 

Flick to click: Here's my highlight reel from Tuesday, complete with some ATCQ in the background.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Game 64 - Trenton vs. Binghamton

Pitching matchup: RHP Mikey O'Brien (4-0, 3.71) vs. RHP Erik Goeddel (5-2, 4.40)

In the Standings: Binghamton is in first place in the Eastern Division. Trenton is five games back of the B-Mets, and a half-game back of Portland for the wild card.

BINGHAMTON
Danny Muno - 2B
Josh Rodriguez - 3B
Cesar Puello - RF
Allan Dykstra - DH
Travis Taijeron - LF
Richard Lucas - 1B
Blake Forsythe - C
Alonzo Harris - CF
Wilfredo Tovar - SS
Erik Goeddel - RHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - LF
Slade Heathcott - CF
Tyler Austin - RF
J.R. Murphy - C
Kyle Roller - 1B
Carmen Angelini - SS
Reegie Corona - 2B
Neil Medchill - DH
Kevin Mahoney - 3B
Mikey O'Brien - RHP

NOTES: Six seasons after he was drafted, Carmen Angelini will finally make his Double-A debut. A 10th-rounder back then, Angelini is one of just four players from that class still in the system. The other three are Austin Romine, Pat Venditte and Luke Murton. ... Yankees catching instructor Julio Mosquera is here.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Postgame Notes - June 9

Final score: Trenton 3, Richmond 2

Synopsis: Tyler Austin's double off the left-center field wall scored Slade Heathcott from first and helped Trenton salvage the finale of its three-game set with the Flying Squirrels. Zach Nuding tossed five strong frames, and Caleb Cotham pitched in with four innings of one-run ball. 

What went right: Tyler Austin is still red hot. Over his last 10 games, he's hitting .372/.391/.628 with five doubles, two homers and eight RBIs. That includes an 0-for-10 stretch over two games. He singled in the first inning today, then drove home the winner on a double off the base of the wall in left-center. 

He struggled mightily in the early portion of the season, but now is starting to adjust to the higher level of pitching in Double-A. 

"I'm just trying to zone in on a certain pitch and trying to put a good swing on it," he said. "Things have worked out pretty well." 

In spring training, Mark Newman mentioned that Austin was going to have to work on adjusting to pitchers throwing fastballs in breaking-ball counts, breaking balls in fastball counts, and just pitchers who throw more sophisticated sequences than what he'd seen at two levels of A-ball. 

That showed in the first two months, when he struggled mightily to recognize and hit breaking pitches. He did walk quite a bit, which showed a good idea of the strike zone, but he obviously still had strides to make. 

"Still working on it. Still working on it," he said. "It's tough. Pitchers vary. Everybody's different. It's tough." 

The same goes for Slade Heathcott, who singled early in the game and drew a key walk in the ninth off Phil McCormick, a pitcher he said during the last homestand was the toughest he'd faced all season long. 

“His fastball is 80. It looks 100,” he said then. “It’s got good sink. It’s kind of a multi-action pitch that’s coming up and then sinking back down on the hands hard. And then his slider – everything he’s throwing is starting a foot from behind you anyway.”

Over his last 10 games, Heathcott is hitting .289/.372/.474 with two doubles, a triple, a homer, five RBIs, five walks and eight Ks. He's making scads of hard contact, so he, like Austin, appears to actualizing his massive toolset. 

Pitching in: Zach Nuding tossed his fifth straight outing with three or fewer earned runs, and Caleb Cotham fanned six in four innings of relief. It was just the second relief appearance of the year for Cotham, who spent the last month in Triple-A. 

Cotham said he did have to alter his warm-up routine a little, as is the case with most starters who come out of the pen, but it didn't affect his results. 

“I threw a little in the cage and then went out and gave myself a whole inning to get ready,” he said. “I didn’t get to long-toss, but I felt ready.”

Happy birthday: Manager Tony Franklin turned 63 today. For the first time since 2007, they gave their manager a win as a present. Overall on his birthday, the Thunder are 2-3 and have had an off day and one rainout.

Transaction action: After the game, Ali Castillo, whose defense has been nonpareil at shortstop, was sent back to High-A Tampa to make room for the arrival of Carmen Angelini, the Yankees' 10th-round pick way back in 2007. He's missed all but nine games over the past two years, and is hitting .322/.352/.496 with Tampa. After handing him $1 million in the draft, it's time to see if they have anything. 

Pick to click: Here is my game story from Sunday's action. 

Flick to click: Here is a highlight reel I made from Sunday. 

Around the System - June 8

Buffalo 10, Scranton 4
Zoilo Almonte: 1 for 4, R
Josh Bell: 2 for 4, HR
Dan Johnson: 1 for 4, RBI
Thomas Neal: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Bobby Wilson: 1 for 3, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Alberto Gonzalez: 2 for 4, RBI
Brett Marshall: 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO (100/58)
Josh Spence: 1.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO (50/30)
Jim Miller: 2.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 4 SO (35/27)

Richmond 3, Trenton 2
Tyler Austin: 1 for 4
J.R. Murphy: 2 for 3, HR
Jose Pirela: 2 for 3, HR
Neil Medchill: 1 for 3
Jose Ramirez: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO (78/51)
Tommy Kahnle: 2 IP, H, R, ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (22/17)

Richmond 7, Trenton 3
Reegie Corona: 1 for 4, HR
Tyson Blaser: 2 for 3, 2B, R
Jose Pirela: 3 for 3, RBI
Kevin Mahoney: 1 for 3, 2B, R
Nik Turley: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO (85/49)
Cesar Cabral: 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 2 SO (37/25)

Charleston 4, Asheville 2
Cito Culver: 1 for 4
Greg Bird: 1 for 3, 2B, R
Peter O'Brien: 2 for 4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
Dante Bichette: 1 for 3, BB
Rey Nunez: 1 for 4, RBI
Fu-Lin Kuo: 1 for 4, 2B
Danny Oh: 1 for 3, RBI, BB
Evan Rutckyj: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO (79/56)
Derek Varnadore: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (21/17)

DSL Yankees 8, DSL Nationals 6
Frank Frias: 1 for 2, R, RBI, BB, SB
Wilmer Romero: 2 for 4, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Barfil Munoz: 1 for 3, R, BB
Brian Reyes: 2 for 4, 2B, R, 3 RBI
Oscar Taveras: 2 for 4, HR, 2 R, SB
Reynaldo Polanco: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO
Raynel Espinal: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, SO
Hershelon Juliana: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Maikel De La Rosa: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO

DSL Rockies 8, DSL Yankees 2
Junior Valera: 2 for 2, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB
Miguel Mojica: 2 for 4
Victor Rey: 1 for 4
Alan Ramirez: 1 for 4
Bolivar Perez: 1 for 3, R, BB
Miguel Martinez: 2 for 4, 2B, SB
Kelvin Magallanes: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, SO
Jose Pichardo: 1.2 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Luis Garcia: 2 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Corby McCoy: 2 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO

Game 63 - Trenton vs. Richmond

Pitching matchup: RHP Zach Nuding (2-7, 3.39) vs. RHP Craig Westcott (3-6, 3.88)

In the Standings: Trenton is in third place, one-half game back of Portland for the wild card in the East. Richmond is in first place in the West, 1 1/2 games up on Erie for the division lead.

RICHMOND
Jarrett Parker - RF
Joe Panik - 2B
Adam Duvall - DH
Mark Minicozzi - 3B
Ricky Oropesa - 1B
Andrew Susac - C
Ehire Adrianza - SS
Ryan Lollis - CF
Brett Krill - LF
Craig Westcott - RHP

TRENTON
Ramon Flores - DH
Slade Heathcott - CF
Tyler Austin - RF
J.R. Murphy - C
Kyle Roller - 1B
Jose Pirela - LF
Reegie Corona - 2B
Kevin Mahoney - 3B
Ali Castillo - SS
Zach Nuding - RHP

NOTES: Caleb Cotham will come in after Nuding today. He was just sent down from Scranton and is working his way back into the rotation. The Thunder will play it like they did earlier this year when Francisco Rondon was a starter and they accommodated a six-man rotation.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Around the System - June 6

Binghamton 5, Trenton 4
Ramon Flores: 1 for 3, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB
Slade Heathcott: 0 for 2, BB, R
Kyle Roller: 1 for 4
Tyson Blaser: 1 for 3, RBI
Reegie Corona: 1 for 3, R
Ali Castillo: 2 for 4, 2B, R, RBI
Matt Tracy: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 6 SO (101/53)
Fred Lewis: 2.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 5 SO (42/30)

Palm Beach 4, Tampa 0
Gary Sanchez: 2 for 4, 2B
Rob Refsnyder: 1 for 3
Carmen Angelini: 1 for 3
Sean Black: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO
Diego Moreno: 2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO
Dan Mahoney: 0 IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Joel De La Cruz: 2 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, SO

DSL Yankees 8, DSL Orioles 3
Jorge Mateo: 2 for 5, HR, 2 RBI
Melvin Aquino: 2 for 4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SB
Allen Valerio: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
Pedro Urena: 2 for 2
Greidy Encarnacion: 2 for 3, 2B
Frank Frias: 1 for 4, RBI
Tirson Guzman: 1 for 4, R
Rainiero Coa: 2 for 4, 2B, R, RBI
Allison Reyes: 1 for 3, R, SB
Cristofer Cabrera: 4 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Aderlis Reyes: 3 IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 5 SO
Hector Martinez: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

DSL Mets 10, DSL Yankees 9
Junior Valera: 1 for 4, 2 BB
Miguel Martinez: 1 for 4, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB
Angel Aguilar: 2 for 6, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI
Alan Ramirez: 1 for 6, R
Daniel Barrios: 1 for, 4, R, RBI
Miguel Mojica: 3 for 5, 2 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
Jenso De La Rosa: 2 for 5, 2B, RBI
Anyelo Gomez: 3 IP, 0 H, R 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO
Rafael Ordaz: 3 IP, H, R, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Corby McCoy: 0 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO
Freddery Arias: 2 IP, H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO
Pablo De La Rosa: IP, H, R, 0 ER, BB, SO

Puello gets the best of the Thunder again; Chase set to retire

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Cesar Puello got the best of the Thunder once again.

The slugger bashed two more home runs, and Trenton fell in the finale with the B-Mets, 5-4. Seven of Puello’s 12 longballs this year have come against Trenton pitching.

Puello, who is on the Mets’ 40-man roster, was one of the players named in records from the Biogenesis clinic, which is alleged to have provided players with performance-enhancing drugs.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and catcher Francisco Cervelli were also among the names mentioned, as was former Thunder catcher Jesus Montero, now with the Mariners.

Trenton got three runs early on RBI singles from Ali Castillo, Ramon Flores and catcher Tyson Blaser, who took his first Eastern League at-bat on Thursday after spending all season on the disabled list. He replaced catcher Nick McCoy who was injured earlier on the Thunder’s road trip.

Puello’s first blast helped Binghamton claw all the way back, but the Thunder tied things again in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Jose Pirela off of B-Mets reliever Jack Leathersich.

That tie didn’t last long. Puello reached reliever Fred Lewis for another homer, which gave the B-Mets the lead and the eventual win.

Starter Matt Tracy allowed four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. He walked five and struck out six.

Trenton returns home on Friday to start a four-game set with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Jose Ramirez will take the hill for Trenton and will be opposed by Taylor Rogers.

***

The Thunder on Thursday announced that Chase, one of their two batdogs, is retiring. His final game will be on July 5, when the team will play its second of five games with Reading.

The team will hand out bobblehead replicas of Chase at that game, which will also be Bark in the Park day at The Hammer.

“Chase has been the furry face of the franchise for more than 10 years,” said Thunder General Manager Will Smith. “Now, unlike most who make their careers on professional baseball fields, he’s going out on his own terms.

Chase has been retrieving bats since 2002, but has relinquished those duties to his son Chase for all of this season. He’ll retrieve one final bat on his retirement day.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Around the System - June 4

Scranton 6, Syracuse 4
Thomas Neal: 2 for 5, R
Zoilo Almonte: 1 for 5, R
Ronnier Mustelier: 2 for 4, RBI
Dan Johnson: 1 for 4
Melky Mesa: 3 for 4, HR, 2 R, SB
Addison Maruszak: 2 for 3, 3B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
Alberto Gonzalez: 1 for 3, RBI
Caleb Cotham: 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
Dellin Betances: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Binghamton 8, Trenton 0
Ramon Flores: 1 for 3, BB
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 4
J.R. Murphy: 1 for 4 -- picked off a runner at first
Zach Nuding: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 5 SO
Cesar Cabral: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO
Matt Daley: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Danny Burawa: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Jeremy Bleich: 0.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Tampa 5, Palm Beach 4
Mason Williams: 3 for 4, 2 2B, R
Angelo Gumbs: 2 for 6, 2B
Gary Sanchez: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB
Carmen Angelini: 1 for 5, HR, 2 RBI
Rob Refsnyder: 2 for 5, 2B, R
Francisco Arcia: 1 for 4, RBI
Dan Fiorito: 1 for 4
Eduardo Sosa: 1 for 4, R
Brady Lail: 3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 SO
John Brebbia: 3 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, 3 SO
Rigoberto Arrebato: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO
Taylor Garrison: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO

Greenville 6, Charleston 2
Jake Cave: 1 for 4
Claudio Custodio: 1 for 4, RBI
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4, HR
Jose Rosario: 0 for 2, BB, R
Danny Oh: 1 for 2, BB
Luis Niebla: 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, BB, 2 SO
Dietrich Enns: 3 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

DSL Phillies 9, DSL2 Yankees 2
Junior Valera: 1 for 4, R, 2 RBI, BB
Victor Rey: 0 for 3, BB
Wascar Rodriguez: 0 for 3, BB
Daniel Barrios: 2 for 4
Miguel Mojica: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Oliver Cedeno: 1 for 3, R, RBI, BB
Miguel Martinez: 1 for 4, R
Daris Vargas: 3 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO
Luis Garcia: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO
Braudy Perez: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO
Pablo De La Rosa: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Highlight reels from Tyler Glasnow, Jesse Biddle and John Lamb



Monday, June 3, 2013

Around the System - June 2

Durham 7, Scranton 4
Zoilo Almonte: 2 for 4
Ronnier Mustelier: 1 for 4, 2B
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 3, R, BB
Bobby Wilson: 3 for 4, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, RBI
Alberto Gonzalez: 1 for 4, RBI
Brett Marshall: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO (76/45)
Jim Miller: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO (41/27)
Josh Spence: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO (31/18)

Harrisburg 6, Trenton 2
Walter Ibarra: 1 for 3, 3B, RBI
Kyle Roller: 1 for 3
Kevin Mahoney: 2 for 4, 2 2B
Ali Castillo: 1 for 3, R
Nick McCoy: 0 for 2, R -- had to be removed late in the game
Nik Turley: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO (91/63)
Graham Stoneburner: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 0 SO (18/10)
Branden Pinder: IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, SO, WP (26/13)

Tampa 4, Lakeland 1
Mason Williams: 2 for 3, 2B, 2 R, SB
Angelo Gumbs: 1 for 4, R, RBI
Ben Gamel: 0 for 2, BB, R
Rob Refsnyder: 2 for 3, RBI
Carmen Angelini: 3 for 3, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Eduardo Sosa: 1 for 3, SB
Scottie Allen: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO
Charley Short: 2 IP, 0 H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

Charleston 8, Augusta 2
Claudio Custodio: 3 for 5, 3B, 2 R, RBI, 2 SB
Rey Nunez: 2 for 5, 3B, R, RBI
Greg Bird: 1 for 3, 2B, R, 2 BB
Taylor Dugas: 1 for 5, R, RBI
Danny Oh: 1 for 4, R, RBI
Wes Wilson: 3 for 4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI
Fu-Lin Kuo: 1 for 4
Jose Rosario: 2 for 4, R, RBI
Jose Campos: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Brett Gerritse: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Alex Smith: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Around the System - June 1

Scranton 9, Durham 1
Thomas Neal: 1 for 5, R
Melky Mesa: 3 for 5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Zoilo Almonte: 2 for 5, HR
Ronnier Mustelier: 3 for 5, R
Dan Johnson: 2 for 5, R, RBI
Josh Bell: 0 for 1, R, 4 BB
Addison Maruszak: 1 for 4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Bobby Wilson: 2 for 3, 2 RBI
Alberto Gonzalez: 0 for 3, BB, R
Chien-Ming Wang: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO (87/57)
Dellin Betances: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO (23/14)
Mark Montgomery: IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 0 SO (19/12)

Harrisburg 2, Trenton 0
Ramon Flores: 1 for 3
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 3, BB
Neil Medchill: 1 for 4
Jose Ramirez: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 2 WP (77/45)
Fred Lewis: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO (31/22)

Augusta 8, Charleston 1
Greg Bird: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4
Dante Bichette: 1 for 4
Taylor Dugas: 1 for 4, 2B, R
Danny Oh: 1 for 3, RBI
Evan Rutckyj: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Derek Varnadore: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, SO
Adam Smith: IP, 3 H, 3 R, ER, BB, SO

DSL Cubs 3, DSL Yankees 2
Jorge Mateo: 1 for 3, R, BB
Allen Valerio: 1 for 3
Frank Frias: 3 for 4, 2B, R
Allison Reyes: 1 for 3, 2B
Greidy Encarnacion: 1 for 3, BB
Cris Cabrera: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO
Jhoan Gomez: 2.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
Maikel De La Rosa: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Around the System - May 31

Durham 8, Scranton 4
Zoilo Almonte: 1 for 4, RBI, R
Ronnier Mustelier: 1 for 4, R
Dan Johnson: 1 for 4
Thomas Neal: 3 for 3, 2 HR, 2 RBI
Jeff Farnham: 0 for 3, RBI
Alberto Gonzalez: 1 for 3
Chris Bootcheck: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO (99/72)
Chase Whitley: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 ER, BB, SO (47/26)
Cody Eppley: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (14/11)

Trenton 4, Harrisburg 3
Ramon Flores: 1 for 4, R, SB
Slade Heathcott: 1 for 5, 2B, RBI
Kyle Roller: 1 for 4, HR, BB
Jose Pirela: 1 for 4, R
Neil Medchill: 1 for 4, R
Walter Ibarra: 1 for 3
Ali Castillo: 1 for 4, RBI
Matt Tracy: 5.1 IP, 4 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO (70/46)
Cesar Cabral: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (39/28)
Matt Daley: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO (2/1)
Tommy Kahnle: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO (17/12)

Lakeland 2, Tampa 1
Mason Williams: 2 for 2, R, BB, SB
Ben Gamel: 1 for 3, 2B, RBI
Casey Stevenson: 1 for 3, BB
Cody Grice: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Shane Greene: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
Rigoberto Arrebato: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 SO

Charleston 2, Augusta 1
Greg Bird: 2 for 4
Peter O'Brien: 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI
Dante Bichette: 1 for 4
Rafael DePaula: 5 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Phil Wetherell: 2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, SO
Ben Paullus: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 SO