TRENTON – As was the case with Justin Christian toward the end of last season, the Thunder have lost their leadoff man to Scranton. And just as it did with Christian, the loss is going to have a big effect on the offense.

In his second full season with Trenton, Krum was thriving, playing stellar defense in left field and was providing the team with a consistent and needed spark at the of the lineup.

“He played very well. He did a nice job for us,” manager Tony Franklin said. “His average and all that stuff doesn’t indicate the most productive of seasons, but the guy has made some very good strides with just his batting technique. … He has a chance to do some very good things in this game.”

To Franklin, the batting eye and the walks that it produced were what helped set Krum apart.

Before he departed, the 25-year-old drew 25 walks and stole 14 bases – both marks are good for second in the organization, behind Charleston’s Ramon Flores and teammate Ray Kruml, respectively – and a .242/.348/.293 slash line.

“I think he’s the victim sometimes of umpires’ poor ball-strike calls,” the manager said, suggesting that, were the umpires more consistent, Krum could have drawn even more free passes. “I think he’s got a better eye than the umpires. He’ll swing at some bad pitches up in the zone, but for the most part, he’s got a pretty good eye.”

The move gives Scranton some depth while Jordan Parraz and Greg Golson are on the disabled list.

To adjust to his absence, at least for last night’s game, Kruml was moved into the leadoff hole and Addison Maruszak was plugged into the ninth spot. Cody Johnson took Krum’s spot in the outfield.

The Maruszak move is interesting, because despite his .230 average and a .345 slugging percentage, the first baseman and occasional catcher boasts a .360 on-base percentage, best on the team among regulars. His 22 bases on balls were second only to Krum.

“Getting that type of on-base percentage from the bottom of the lineup heading to the top, that kind of helps us there,” Franklin said.

NOTES: Franklin went home sick again before yesterday’s game, this time with flu-like symptoms.

(Trenton, NJ) - The Trenton Thunder, Double-A Affiliate of the New York Yankees, announce that RHP Craig Heyer has been activated from the 7-Day Disabled List. In a corresponding move, OF Austin Krum has been transferred to Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre. The move keeps the Thunder roster at one below the minimum of 24 active players.

Heyer, who will make his fifth start of the season Saturday night for the Thunder, is 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA as a starter in 2011. The righty from Scottsdale, AZ has also appeared twice out of the Trenton bullpen this season, amassing a 1-0 record with a 1.35 ERA as a reliever.

Krum will make his first appearance at the Triple-A level after spending parts of the last three seasons in a Thunder uniform (237 games from 2009-2011). In 40 games with Trenton in 2011, the Highlands Ranch, CO native has a .242 batting average with 13 runs batted in.

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TRENTON — By the time the dust settled and everything had been sorted out after yesterday’s 3-2 Thunder win over the Binghamton Mets, everybody in the house knew that Austin Krum had struck the game-ending hit.

Whether it was a home run, however, was another question entirely.

In the ninth, with his team down by a run and with two outs and runners on first and third, Krum swatted reliever Erik Turgeon’s first pitch high and deep to right-center field.

It looked to nearly everyone that Krum had a walk-off three-run homer. First-base umpire Travis Hatch, however, saw differently and ruled immediately that the ball had hit the top of the wall and bounced back toward the field.

So while the ball was still in play, Addison Maruszak was still trotting toward home plate until acting manager Justin Pope told him he needed to kick it into gear and get himself across home plate while Krum scampered to third with what was ruled a triple.

He did just that, beating the throw home without a slide and capping his team’s fifth win on a seven-game homestand.

“I saw the ball hit off the top of the wall and then I looked at Travis, and he was giving the safe sign, so then I immediately looked at Maruszak to see where he was on the field,” Krum explained. “My heart started racing a little bit because he was taking it easy a little bit.”

For his part, Pope wasn’t immediately aware that Krum’s ball was still in play.

“I thought the ball went out,” he admitted, “so when Addison was rounding third base, I was saying ‘home run.’ Next thing I know, I see them throwing the ball in and I start screaming ‘run.’ If he would have been thrown out at home, I would have felt horrible.”

Jose Gil and Melky Mesa opened the ninth with consecutive doubles, slicing Binghamton’s two-run deficit in half.

Jose Pirela then bunted Mesa to third, and Ray Kruml made the second out on a hard grounder to first.

Maruszak followed with the walk, and Krum capped it a pitch later with the winning three-bagger.

“Maruszak had just had a good at-bat, and I knew he was going to try to get ahead,” Krum recounted. “I was just looking for something up in the zone to get a good swing on. I obviously didn’t try to hit it where I did, but I put a good swing on it.

The comeback obscured a second straight so-so start from Dellin Betances, who struggled with his command to the tune of five walks in six innings. He’s issued nine free passes over his last two starts, this after walking just two in his first three outings.

“I’ve got to get better with that, man,” he said. “If I want to move up, I’ve got to get better with command of my fastball and other pitches. That’s something I’m going to work on for my next game.”

He also suggested that some of his struggles have come because he’s tried to do too much when he’s put a hitter in a hole.

“I just feel like I’m trying to do too much when I have two strikes, instead of just pitching and working to contact and stuff like that,” he said.

With their hot stretch, the Thunder have moved themselves to three games above .500 in advance of three-game sets with Erie and Portland, which are a combined 27-42.

“We’re starting to put it together, definitely,” Krum said. “We’re led by our pitching, and you saw that show up all series. We have timely hits now and then, and that’s the way you win baseball games.”

NOTES: Manager Tony Franklin, still recovering from a bout of chest pains on Thursday, will not travel to Erie with the rest of the team tomorrow. ... Craig Heyer was wearing a soft, claw-like cast around his left hand yesterday, but said it wasn’t affecting his work. ... Tim Norton struck out the side in the ninth. Over 18 2/3 innings, he’s fanned 30 against six walks.

TRENTON — It’s only been two weeks, but already an early star has has emerged for the Thunder — and it’s not who you might have expected.

Your Trenton star through 14 games is leadoff man Austin Krum, who has done a fabulous job setting the table for the team’s big boppers.

Krum is hitting a scorching .314/.444/.333 with 11 runs scored, which stands as 21.5 percent of the team’s total.

His early breakout comes as a bit of surprise because, toward the end of last season, Krum was having a tremendously rough go of it. He hit .150 through August and September last year, although he got moderately better in the playoffs.

He credits this season’s turnaround to a renewed approach to shorten his swing more befitting of someone in the leadoff hitter’s role.

“I tried to cut down my swing this offseason, worked hard at it. I was trying to stay within myself and stay within my game and not get out of that,” he said after Trenton’s win over Richmond on Wednesday, during which he collected three hits, including a beautiful bunt single that helped catalyze a two-run rally in the second inning.

“I think that, if you can consistently keep a good approach, that you’re going to put yourself in a better position to succeed,” Krum finished.

One of the men Krum sets the table for, catcher Austin Romine, has also taken notice of his teammate’s early production. And why shouldn’t he? Of Romine’s 12 RBIs, five have scored Krum.

“We don’t expect anything less or anything more, Romine said. “He’s going to go out there and do what he does every day. A lot of the younger hitters that haven’t been in Double-A before, they can see how to go about their work and how you prepare for a game. It just speaks volumes if you keep your head down and keep playing hard, that the hits are going to start falling.”

Besides simply getting on base at a generous clip, he also has the speed to create havoc once he gets there. His 16 stolen bases last year and three so far this season have made that abundantly clear.

What’s different this season is the burner he has hitting in front of him, Ray Kruml, who bats ninth.

Kruml, who plays right field while Krum patrols left, has a system-leading six swipes in as many chances. Together, Krum realizes the pair will be able to torment pitchers throughout the Eastern League.

“It’s awesome. As you guys can see from this first handful of games, Ray’s got some speed. He’s basically a second leadoff guy down there,” Krum said. “Whenever he gets on, he wreaks havoc on the bases. It’s great hitting behind him, because he can do his thing and that allows me to do my thing at the top of the lineup. I can try to move him over and get him in scoring position for these big bangers.

“Whenever we’re on base, it’s probably not very fun for the pitcher, especially because they’ve got to focus on getting the two, three and four (hitters) out after that.”

•••

The Thunder fell in the first game of their road swing on Thursday, 4-3, in 10 innings against the Harrisburg Senators.

Tim Pahuta, a Somerset native and Seton Hall alumnus, connected against closer Fernando Hernandez for a walk-off longball in the tenth inning.

The loss spoiled five stellar innings from starter Graham Stoneburner, who limited the Senators to just two hits and struck out four.

All of the Thunder’s runs came on one swing from Romine, who swatted a three-run double in the third against Harrisburg starter Ryan Tatusko.

•••

Kevin Millwood was officially removed from the Thunder’s roster yesterday, and was quickly replaced by Kei Igawa, who made a spot start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Millwood was scheduled to start for Scranton yesterday.

•••

Former Thunder starter Hector Noesi, who had been with the Yankees, was demoted to Triple-A yesterday to make room for reliever Buddy Carlyle. Noesi did not pitch during his stint with the big club.

Every Monday, Minor Matters will run down the top 10 games of the Thunder's 2010 season. In a year that saw eight of Baseball America's 16 pitchers (excluding Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino, who were out of the organization) in their top 30, not to mention Austin Romine and Brandon Laird, there are plenty of good choices to go around.

Recap: While in Reading, the Thunder were cruising. Lance Pendleton had locked up the R-Phils for six innings before Cody Overbeck's three-run blast highlighted a four-run, game-tying frame.

Reading threatened again in the eighth, but a great throw from Dan Brewer and a sensational catch by Austin Krum ended the inning and kept the score tied. Matt Cusick's laser to left gave the Thunder a slim 5-4 edge.

They asked Kevin Whelan to finish things in the ninth, and behind another spectacular grab from Krum, that's exactly what he did.

With two outs and the winning run on first, Michael Spidale blooped a ball into shallow center. Krum closed fast, though, and scooped the ball off the grass for the final out in a heart-stopping road win that kept the team tied for first in E.L. East.

Link to original game story

Reaction: “That was a heck of a play, but that’s what center fielders do – they make the plays. That’s what good baseball players do when the game is on the line and the ballgame rests on, maybe, a couple of plays, a couple of hits – you make the plays, and (Krum) certainly did that tonight.” -- Tony Franklin

“It’s what’s going to happen. It’s what you have to do in close games like that. Both teams fought hard. You’re never out of a game, especially in this park.” -- Austin Krum

“Spidale’s a good hitter. He lives up the middle away. I got a pretty good jump on it, and it carried just enough to me so I could make the catch.” -- Krum

Afterward: For all his defensive efforts, Krum was positively putrid in August and September, hitting .188/.293/.543 after the All-Star break. Center field in Trenton next season will probably be taken by Melky Mesa, so Krum's role in the organization is up in the air.

In the second game of the Thunder's series with Binghamton, Mets top prospect Jenrry Mejia got the call. He began the season in the big league bullpen, but was recently shipped back to begin re-developing as a starter. He then got hurt, and had to work his way back up the ranks. Here are some videos from that game, including warm-up work in the bullpen and at-bats against the Thunder's top four hitters. Enjoy.


Warmup



Krum



Christian



Joseph



Romine

The Thunder won tonight in dramatic fashion. They used a two-run ninth to take a 5-4 win over the Richmond Flying Squirrels and a stop a small but vexing two-game skid. Below are videos of Dan Brewer, Austin Krum and Justin Snyder, as well as audio from Tony Franklin's postgame chat.

Be sure to check out Monday's edition of The Trentonian for a complete draft preview for the Yankees and Phillies, chock with quotes from Yanks special assignment scout Kevin Towers and Philly Director of Scouting Chuck LaMar. I will also have quotes from a host of Thunder players and coaches about what they remember from their draft days.

To say Brandon Laird had himself a good month is like saying Bill Gates can afford to look past the Dollar Menu. The third baseman was among the Eastern League leaders in nearly every offensive category, and formed easily the league's best 3-4 combo with Austin Romine. To wit, here's where Laird stood with the respect to his peers.

- 6th in AVG(.339)
- 1st in RBIs (33)
- 8th in HRs (6)
- 6th in OPS (.965)
- 4th in SLG (.591)
- 9th in 2B (9)
- T2nd in XBH (16)
- 3rd in H (39)

As for the rest of the team, Austin Krum was seventh in the league in OBP (.412) and tied for third in walks (17). Dan Brewer was third in SBs (8). On the negative side, both Lance Pendleton (18) and Jeremy Bleich (15) managed to land in the EL's top ten for walks allowed.

Here's an excellent picture of Austin Krum scoring last night's winning run just ahead of the tag from Bowie pitcher Eddie Gamboa. The photo was taken and provided to the blog by Rudy C. Jones. Thanks, Rudy!

After last night's 4-3 win over the Bowie Baysox, the Thunder players were more than happy to talk to the media. Here are Lance Pendleton and Austin Krum talking about their roles in the walk-off win.

RESULT: Akron 2, Thunder 1
Monday: Akron 4, Thunder 2
Tuesday: Akron 5, Thunder 1
Wednesday: Thunder 4, Akron 3

Key to the Series: Timely hitting. Except for Wednesday's game, the Thunder just couldn't come up in the clutch. The team was just 1-for-21 with runners in scoring position, the lone knock being Austin Krum's two-run single that gave the Thunder the eventual win in the series finale.

Honorable Mention: David Adams extended his hitting streak to seven games. Overall, Adams is hitting .481 (12-for-25) this season

Notes: Grant Duff has appeared in five of the seven games so far. ... The Thunder have just three home runs (Luis Nunez, David Adams and Damon Sublett) but have allowed only one (Beau Mills)

Riding a smart play from Reid Gorecki, a bomb from Damon Sublett and a timely hit from Austin Krum, the Thunder came back and topped the Akron Aeros yesterday, 4-3. The win puts Trenton at a neat 5-2 heading to Portland, instead of 4-3.

Grant Duff appeared in his fifth game of the season and picked up his second save. This feature talks about just how at ease Duff feels as a reliever compared to his starting days, when he says he felt uncomfortable.

The Thunder take on Kyle Weiland and the Sea Dogs tonight at Hadlock Field before getting the meat of Portland's rotation (Casey Kelly, Stephen Fife and Felix Doubront for the rest of the series)

Clockwise from top left are: Luis Nunez, Frank Menechino and Vic Valencia with the World Series trophy, Damon Sublett, Reid Gorecki, David Adams and Austin Krum.

Tepid day for the Thunder offense, which could collect just four singles off of Pirates pitching.

PITCHING
Jeremy Bleich: 5 shutout innings
Ryan Pope: 3 innings, 3 runs
Wilkin De La Rosa: 1 shutout inning

HITTING

Austin Krum: Single
Luis Nunez: Single
Jose Gil: Single
Addison Maruszak: Single

Once again, per the Thunder via trainer Tim Lentych.

PITCHING

Christian Garcia: 5 shutout innings
Craig Heyer: 3 innings, 2 runs

HITTING

Austin Krum: Double, Single, HBP, 3 runs
Myron Leslie: 2-run HR
Austin Romine: Triple, 2 RBIs
Marcos Vechionacci: 2 singles, 2 RBIs
Brandon Laird: Single, RBI
Walter Ibarra: Single
Eduardo Sosa: Walk, Single, Run

Here are some notable accomplishments in the Thunder's second exhibition game of the season, a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. All information provided by the team, courtesy of trainer Tim Lentych.

Ryan Pope: 2 1/3 IP, R
David Phelps: 2 2/3 IP, 0 R
Wilkin De La Rosa: 2 1/3 IP, 3 R
Phil Bartleski: 1 1/3 IP, R

Austin Krum: Double
Damon Sublett: Single
Ryan Baker: Double
Walter Ibarra: Triple, Single, R
Dan Brewer: Single, RBI