Less than a week away from the beginning of games at the minor league camp, the Yankees sent their first group of youngsters across the street to the Himes Complex. Among the first cuts are four-fifths of the projected Scranton rotation, including:

- Adam Warren
- D.J. Mitchell
- David Phelps
- Hector Noesi
- Andy Sisco
- Buddy Carlyle
- Brian Anderson

I expect all of those pitchers, if they stick with the organization, to spend the year in Scranton. Andrew Brackman, who is scheduled to pitch today, appears to be the only Triple-A starter left in big league camp.

The two kids who will start the season in Trenton - Dellin Betances (pitching today) and Manny Banuelos (pitching tomorrow) - are still with the Yankees, but will most likely be among the next round of cuts. Banuelos, by the way, turns 20 today. He's the youngest player in camp.

An omission: When I did my latest round of Thunder roster predictions the other I day, I complete forgot about outfielder Damon Sublett, who's pretty much a lock to get a second crack at a full season in Double-A.

With Sublett's addition, I imagine either Phil Bartleski or Noel Castillo will be bumped down to the Tampa roster. My instinct is Castillo, who continually dominates High-A but gets thrashed in Double-A, will be the one leaving Florida on April 3.

Calling all fans: After yours truly and the rest of the media are done interviewing the team, the public will have the opportunity to meet and greet the players at Waterfront Park. Below is the day's schedule of events, courtesy of the team.

Waterfront Park Gates Open For Fans: 3:00 p.m.
Stadium Tours: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Team Practice Ends: 5:15 p.m.
Player Autograph Session: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Players visit 90% Club In Yankee Club (private): 6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Ballpark Closes: 7:30 p.m.

Self promotion: It's just two weeks until I leave for spring training, and there are already big plans for The Trentonian's coverage this time around. Here are some things I have on the slate to help get out the word on the Thunder and other Yankees prospects.

- UStream video of game action and (some) player interviews. You can find my Ustream channel here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jnorris427

- Web chats via CoverItLive. I don't know how many there will be. Nightly seems like overkill, but every other day seems about right.

- Many, many Twitter updates. For those of you who (somehow) don't know, I'm on Twitter under the name jnorris427. I tweet darn near constantly, and that won't change while cooking my woefully bare scalp in Tampa. There will be updates, plus pics and short videos coming through via the Twitter, so be on the lookout.

- And the usual blog posts, print stories, pictures and videos on this blog and at The Trentonian's Website, which will eventually have a separate page for my journey. Said page is under construction right now.

Contests: A quick reminder, there are several in-season mini contests for you to participate in before the season starts on April 7. The link to those contests is here. I won't announce all the prizes just yet, but the grand prize is a pair of Andy Pettitte bobbleheads. You know you want them.

In a release this morning, the Yankees named shortstop Eduardo Nunez and pitcher David Phelps their Kevin Lawn Award winners, which honor the system's player and pitcher of the year.

Phelps started the season with Trenton, and was excellent. He finished the year 10-2 and with a 2.50 ERA, which ranked third in the organization among qualifiers. He gave up 139 hits over 158 2/3 innings, and walked 41 against 136 strikeouts.

Nunez spent most of the year with Scranton, and finished it in the major leagues. He hit .289/.340/.721 in Triple-A, with four home runs and 50 RBIs.

2010 Kevin Lawn Award Winners

Toward the beginning of the offseason, I spoke to a couple of scouts about some of the Yankees prospects at Scranton, Trenton and Tampa. I'm no talent evaluator, so I like to talk with scouts as often as possible to get a more professional opinion about what I'm seeing. Here are what a couple of them had to say about some of the pitchers in the system:

GRAHAM STONEBURNER

Arm strength. He can throw strikes with all his pitches, and can get ahead in the count. He lacks deception, and will have to really command his 90-94 (ed note: I've seen 95) mph fastball, which is really straight. Sees him as a back-end starter or a 6/7 inning reliever.

ADAM WARREN

Similar to Stoneburner in that he commands his fastball, which sits in the 90-94 mph range. Has good command of his fastball, which also has sneakiness. Someone else who has a sneaky fastball: David Robertson. His curve and slider are average major league pitches. Has the ability to go up the ladder to get the strikeout.

ANDREW BRACKMAN

Very good stuff. Starter in the big leagues with front-end stuff. Topped at 96 with cutting and tailing action. Big-time breaking stuff.

MANNY BANUELOS

He has a bright future. Sneaky fastball (topped at 94). Plus curve, plus change. Showed big ability. "Whitey Ford didn't have this kid's stuff." No concerns about size. Throw out size when you're talking about a left-hander.

DELLIN BETANCES

He made big strides, topping at 97 with the fastball. Two plus-plus pitches -- FB and CB. Delivery has gotten a lot better, but he still falls off to the first-base side. Top-of-the-rotation stuff.

DAVID PHELPS

Middle-of-the-rotation starter. Good life on his fastball. Pitches with moxie. The kid can pitch. Pitches at 89-94, sitting at 91-92. A lot of confidence.

Every Tuesday, Minor Matters will run down the top 10 players from 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 were plenty of good choices to go around.

No. 5a - David Phelps
No. 5b - Lance Pendleton



















Why they're here: The two pitchers took shifts as the staff's workhorse, with Phelps handling the first half of the season, and Pendleton taking over the role until early August, when he was promoted to Triple-A Scranton.

Phelps was a perfect 6-0 with the Thunder, and, with the exception of a blow-up in New Hampshire, was solid to excellent in every start he made. Overall, he accrued a 2.o4 ERA in over 88 1/3 innings, fanning 84 against 23 walks.

Speaking of walks, I don't think I've met a pitcher who more despised issuing free passes. If he were to turn in this start, he would more than likely be beside himself.

As for Pendleton, who was expected to spend the year in the bullpen before Christian Garcia's elbow broke down, he turned into the rock-solid arm the Yankees expected when they plucked him out of Rice University.

He strung together a 10-4 mark, a 3.43 ERA, 111 strikeouts in 120 1/3 innings, and a stellar .215 batting average against before getting the call to Triple-A.

While those numbers are impressive, consider this: Pendleton allowed just six earned runs over his final 31 1/3 innings with the Thunder, and struck out 30 hitters in that span.

Outlook for 2011: For Phelps, barring a trade, he seems likely to spend most, if not all of, 2011 in Scranton. He could get a shot toward the end of the year, especially if the Yankees fail to find a long-term solution for the holes in the rotation.

For Pendleton, his career may have just gotten a second life. Stuck behind a cadre of other, more valued prospects, he was selected by Houston in the recent Rule 5 Draft. If he sticks, he'll could be the Astros' fifth starter. If not, the Yankees may let him stay.

Yes, his defense is beyond poor, and will not get him far in the major leagues.

For Jesus Montero, briefly a Thunder catcher and our choice for the Yankees’ top prospect entering the Hot Stove season, the defense is merely a footnote.

It’s his bat that generates the ink — and justifiably so.

Montero recovered from an ice-cold start to dominate the International League at a tender 20 years old.

After May was completed, he looked lost, compiling just three home runs and 21 RBIs. By the time the season finished those totals were at 21 and 75, meaning he’d swatted an incredible 18
bombs and drove home 54 runs in a span of just 79 games.

The finish was so hot, in fact, that some were clamoring for Montero to earn a September call-up. A late infection quashed those talks, but the youngster will almost surely play a role in the Yankees’ catching picture in 2011.

2. Manny Banuelos - LHP
Continuing the trend of youth flourishing at the upper levels, there’s Manny Banuelos, a Mexican southpaw who, at just 19 years old, more than held his own at Double-A over the final few weeks of the season.

Scheduled as High-A Tampa’s Opening Day starter, Banuelos underwent an emergency appendectomy and missed more than two months before debuting in mid-June.
No matter, Banuelos bullied his way north from Florida to join the Thunder in the midst of a hotly contested pennant chase with the Fisher Cats.

The lefty wound up pitching his finest game during the finale of Trenton’s three-game sweep in the Eastern League Division Series, dispatching New Hampshire in dominating fashion.
Expect him to make a return to trip to central New Jersey next April.

3. Andrew Brackman - RHP
After seeming incapable of throwing a strike in 2009, things finally came together for Brackman last season.

After some early struggles, Brackman found his way in Tampa and earned a promotion to Trenton shortly thereafter.

Slowly but surely, control and confidence returned for Brackman, who admittedly was still not at 100 percent after having Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted in 2007.

By the end of the season, the 6-foot-10 Brackman was the Thunder’s most dominant pitcher. He earned the team’s only win in the EL Championship series, flashing as high as 98 miles per hour and showcasing a devastating spike curveball.

It seems a coin-flip as to whether Brackman returns to Double-A to start next year.

4. Dellin Betances - RHP
Like Banuelos, Betances began the year on the shelf, although his absence was expected.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pounder spent April and May recovering from ligament reenforcement surgery on his throwing elbow.

When he returned, so did his high-90s fastball and wipeout curveball, as well as a revamped change-up and a much-improved sense of command.

New weapons in tow, Betances tore up the Florida State League, allowing a scant 43 hits in 71 innings, while fanning 88 against just 19 walks.

He’ll more than likely return to Trenton in 2011, but could move quickly.

5. Gary Sanchez - C
Another young, slugging catcher from Latin America?

Yep.

Just 17 years old, Sanchez, whom the Yankees signed out of the Dominican Republic for $3 million, was a man above boys in the Gulf Coast League. He slugged six bombs in 31 games before earning the promotion to Short Season Staten Island.

He struggled a bit there, but the dirt on Sanchez remains the same: He’ll hit, and hit a ton.

6. Slade Heathcott - OF
New York’s first-rounder in 2009, Heathcott spent the year in Low-A Charleston, and put up fine numbers for a 19-year-old getting his feet wet in pro ball.

The numbers tell one story, but here’s another: During one game of his I saw this year, Heathcott collected two hits against the Lakewood BlueClaws.

On the surface, that’s nice, but not exceptional. When you consider he did it while missing a contact lens, it shows some pretty nice determination from the young man.

7. Austin Romine - C
Handling the duties for Trenton all season, Romine didn’t quite flourish, but he didn’t flounder, either.

He hit .268 with 31 doubles, 10 home runs and 69 RBIs. The defense, while drawing some very positive reviews from scouts, didn’t look great on the stat sheet.

Still, his six passed balls marked a career low, and he expertly guided a talented and fluid staff all year long.

His work behind the dish does have flaws — he doesn’t handle velocity as well as he should, and he sometimes rushes himself — but he’ll e 22 next season, so there’s no reason to think he can’t overcome his problems.

8. J.R. Murphy - C
Another in a line of young, talented backstops, Murphy more than held his own in his full-season debut with Charleston — including a two-HR, nine-RBI game in mid-August.

He split time with Kyle Higashioka, and is athletic enough to perhaps move to the outfield down the line.

His .255/.327/.703 line doesn’t jump out at you, but seven bombs and 51 RBIs as a 19-year-old isn’t bad.

Still, he’s extremely polished, and could handle the staff next year at High-A.

9. Hector Noesi - RHP
He tossed the Thunder’s first nine-inning complete game since 2008, and apart from a mid-season struggle with his stride, Noesi was the team’s workhorse until he was moved up to Scranton for the season’s final weeks.

His solid four-pitch mix is enhanced by impeccable control.

He’ll start 2011 in Triple-A, more than likely.

10. David Phelps - RHP
Lost in the hubbub surround Brackman, Banuelos and Betances was Phelps, who quietly carried Trenton’s staff through the first part of the season.

He sports a a low-to-mid-90s fastball that he throws with excellent command and confidence anywhere in the zone.

Phelps was up and down after he was promoted to Scranton, but with a good showing in the early season, he could push for a spot in the 2011 bullpen.

TRENTON — After putting together a nearly unblemished first half, David Phelps has been promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The move, although it hasn’t been officially announced by the team, was confirmed by multiple sources before the Thunder’s game with the Harrisburg Senators.

The right-hander, who was not in the ballpark yesterday, was 6-0 with a league-best 2.04 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 88 1/3 innings before the move up.

“Let’s face it, David did a heck of a job. He’s a pretty polished pitcher at this level.” manager Tony Franklin said before the game. “He proved that, and proved it with consistent outings. For half the season, you could always depend on him. That’s what we’re losing.”

With the move, the Thunder are left with one pitcher, D.J. Mitchell, remaining from the rotation to start the season. Jeremy Bleich is out for the season after surgery to repair a torn left labrum, Christian Garcia underwent his second Tommy John surgery and was released, and Ryan Pope has been shifted to the bullpen.

Phelps will start tonight for Scranton, who are in the middle of a series in Pawtucket. He takes the place of Dustin Moseley, who is being called up to avoid him triggering an out clause in his contract.

To open a spot on the major league roster, a reliever, believed to be either Chad Gaudin or Chan Ho Park, is likely to be designated for assignment.

Phelps’ departure also opens a spot on the Eastern League Eastern Division All-Star team. The Thunder have asked the league to fill that slot with Mitchell, who is 6-3 with a 4.70 ERA through 14 starts.

lll

After an awful outing during their last home game, the Thunder have placed closer Grant Duff on the 7-Day Disabled List with right elbow inflammation. Although the team does not like to place designations on pitchers’ roles, it is likely Tim Norton will slide in to the back-end role.

Duff stressed that he believes the injury is minor and should not cost him serious time.

Taking his roster spot is right-hander J.B. Cox, the Yankees’ second-round choice from 2005. He racked up an 8.59 ERA in five games with High-A Tampa before getting the promotion.

Cox is working his way back after taking a nearly year-long leave absence to ponder his future in baseball. His last game action in 2009 was June 25 with Trenton, the second of back-to-back poor outings in against the Akron Aeros.

During those appearances, Cox allowed four earned runs on four hits and four walks in a combined inning of work.

lll

Because Franklin is heading to the XM Futures Game, which will be held at Angel Stadium on July 11, an interim manager will be needed for the team’s last two first-half games, to be played at Prince George’s Stadium against the Baysox on July 11 and 12.

Jody Reed, who performed the same task last year for Franklin, will fill his shoes again.

Just got confirmation from multiple sources that Thunder ace David Phelps has been promoted from Trenton to Scranton. Losing him is a big a blow to the staff for sure. He leaves with a 6-0 record, 2.04 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings. Much more to come on this.

Mark Newman, the Yankees VP of Player Development, was on hand during last weekend's series with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Because of time constraints, I didn't catch up with him in person. I did, however, fire him a series of questions via e-mail, and he responded this morning.

Here are my questions and his answers:

Q: Obviously Brandon Laird has been hotter this season than just about anyone could have expected. After seeing him this weekend, and looking at his overall season, what do you think he needs to improve to get him to the next level?

A: Brandon needs to continue his growth as a player in a general sense. While there is no specific need, he needs to refine his approach at the plate and on defense. These are the subtleties of the game and involve adapting to various game situations and pitcher hitter match-ups.

Q: What are your overall impressions on the seasons of Phelps and Romine? Have they hit the expectations you and the organization had for them before the season? With Romine, I'm especially curious about how the organization views his defensive season (I've noticed Mosquera at Waterfront quite a bit.)

A: Phelps and Romine are both on track. Romine will be a very good defensive catcher at the ML level. He will also be a force with the bat. A really good looking young player. Phelps has met or exceeded all of our expectations.

Q: Shifting away from Trenton, you guys have to be ecstatic with the way Betances has responded after surgery. I know it's only four starts, but if he keeps performing like this (or anywhere close, frankly), could we see him with the Thunder toward season's end/playoff time?

A: Betances will be in Tampa. He is only 10 months out of surgery. He will go slow for the near future.

Q: Sticking with Tampa, the rotation down there has been outstanding all season long. Particularly intriguing is Graham Stoneburner, whom I got to see with Charleston earlier this year. Obviously the hard fastball is one of his strengths, and slider is improving. How much more work does the slider need before it's up to the standards the organization would like to see?

A: Stoneburner is making very solid progress with the SL. He should be in Trenton next year. This is his first full professional season and he has already been promoted once this year.

Q: I believe you mentioned to my colleague that David Adams' latest setback on his ankle sprain could cost a few more weeks of rehab. If that is the case, is there a promotion for Corban Joseph in the near future?

A: Adams had a tough injury and he will need a few more weeks. He is a tough guy and a great worker. He will be ready as soon as humanly possible.

Q: It seems that Manny Banuelos is close to returning to action after the long recovery from the appendectomy. What plans are there for his workload the rest of the way as far as getting him up to an appropriate innings load is concerned? Might fall/winter ball be an option?

A: Banuelos will get regular work for the remaining portion of the season. His arm is fine. Appendectomy.

Q: Moving down the ladder a little bit, what are the plans for Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy this season. Will they stay at Charleston all season, or might they wind up in Staten Island?

A: Heathcott and Murphy will stay with Charleston.

Q: Speaking of Staten Island, what kind of progress is the organization looking for from Kelvin De Leon in his first season out of rookie ball?

A: DeLeon needs to make contact and allow the plus power to play.

Q: Last one, are there any thoughts to bringing Christian Garcia back into the fold once he completes his latest rehab?

A: Garcia is no longer with the organization and who knows what the future holds. He has had several tough injuries and it is a shame that we have not gotten a chance to see the ability on a regular basis. A good guy with big ability and some very bad luck. We all hope he gets through this and gets to play again.

Below are videos (shot by Mike Ashmore for The Trentonian) of Austin Romine and Andrew Brackman reacting to Brackman's debut on Friday night. Also below is audio from Nardi Contreras (15 minutes), pre- and postgame from Tony Franklin (pregame is in two parts), and David Phelps dissecting last night's start. Enjoy.

From tonight's 9-1 Thunder win, here are four videos, all shot by a combination of Trentonian interns Erin Egan and Lucas Pasch, of Brandon Laird's home run (two videos), an entry interview with new pitcher Tim Norton, and, of course, yesterday's Boomer race.









Also, for your listening pleasure, here are my postgame interviews with (from top) David Phelps, Brandon Laird, Kevin Mahoney and Tony Franklin. Mahoney is being sent to Staten Island. Matt Cusick, who played with Trenton last year, will take his place after coming down from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.









That's it for tonight. Check back tomorrow for game two of the Thunder's series with Altoona.

Good morning. The Thunder topped the Binghamton Mets last night, 5-2, in the first of a four-game series at Waterfront Park. David Phelps went a season-low four innings, but the bullpen, notably Wilkins Arias and Noel Castillo, both freshly back from Triple-A, held the fort.
Here is the game story

Also, in perhaps bigger news, Austin Romine has a "tired arm," which has kept from catching since Saturday against Bowie. He's thrown out just 4 of 21 runners this season, a mark of 19 percent. Both he and Tony Franklin insist Romine is fine, but he was checked out by team doctor William Gomez, as John Nalbone reports.
Here's that story

RESULTS

Monday: Thunder 8, New Britain 2
Tuesday: Thunder 2, New Britain 1
Wednesday: PPD

KEY TO THE SERIES: Given the fact that they allowed just three runs in 18 innings, I'd say starting pitching. As a matter of fact, Trenton starters have given up just seven earned runs over their last 35 innings. No starter during that time has allowed more than two earned runs in a start. I don't know if that's because they're getting over an early-season hump, or because they've been facing suspect competition (Akron, Bowie, New Britain), but David Phelps' effort tonight against Binghamton.

PITCHING MATCHUPS*

RHP David Phelps (3-0, 1.21) vs. RHP Eddie Kunz (3-2, 6.99)
RHP Lance Pendleton (1-2, 5.28) vs. RHP Dylan Owen (2-1, 3.34)
RHP DJ Mitchell (3-2, 5.23) vs. RHP Brad Holt (0-2, 9.72)
RHP Ryan Pope (1-3, 5.11) vs. RHP Scott Shaw (4-1, 8.02)
* (of course, this is all subject to weather)

WHO'S HOT

The Thunder in general. Trenton is riding a six-game winning streak, and have moved to two games above .500 for the first time since April 24. During that stretch, starting pitchers have claimed four of the six victories. Wilkins Arias recorded the other two. ... Over his last five games, Dan Brewer is 7-for-18 with three RBIs and three stolen bases. ... Marcos Vechionacci has four hits and three RBIs in his last seven at-bats. ... Tonight's starter, David Phelps, has permitted just four earned runs all season, and has a league-best 1.21 ERA to show for it. His 0.88 WHIP is second only to Richmond's David Mixon, the EL's reigning Pitcher of the Week.

Notes: The Thunder's last six wins have come against teams with sub-.500 records, one against Akron, three against Bowie and two against New Britain. The B-Mets are 19-14, and one spot ahead of Trenton in the EL East, so this series could be huge.

Here are the postgame interviews Mike Ashmore and I conducted with (from top to bottom) Austin Romine, David Phelps and Tony Franklin. Enjoy.

Tonight: Ryan Pope (0-0, 1.80) vs. Kyle Drabek (1-1, 5.06)
Tomorrow: Jeremy Bleich (1-0, 1.46) vs. Zach Stewart (1-1, 7.71)
Wednesday: David Phelps (1-0, 1.59) vs. Marty McLeary (0-1, 18.90)

WHO'S HOT:

Thunder: Bleich has looked very much like he's put his terrible 2009 behind him. Five walks in 12 1/3 innings, however, means command may still be something to work on. The six hits in the same time frame have counteracted the walks, though, and kept his WHIP at an excellent 0.89. ... David Adams' average has dropped to .368, but that figure -- and his .979 OPS -- is still good for the team lead. ... Damon Sublett has four hits this year, but two are homers. ... Brandon Laird hit his first home run yesterday, perhaps a sign that he's heating up.

Fisher Cats: Brad Emaus is hitting .375 (9-for-24) with a team-high eight RBIs. He also sports an otherworldly .500 on-base percentage. ... Catcher Brian Jeroloman is hitting .321/.387/.936. ... David Cooper and Jonathan Diaz each have three doubles. ... The Thunder should be thankful they are not facing Luis Perez, who is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.47. ... Daniel Farquhar has three saves.

Notes: McLeary has racked up that 18.90 ERA without giving up a home run. ... New Hampshire's roster features Adam Loewen, the former Orioles pitcher who is trying to make it back to the majors as an outfielder. ... Drabek faced the Thunder once last season with Reading. He went five innings, gave up two runs and got the win. ... The following Thunder have faced McLeary: Austin Krum (1-for-2, BB, 3B, RBI), Marcos Vechionacci (0-for-2, BB), Justin Snyder (0-for-2).

Pictures are as follows: Top Row - Jeremy Bleich, David Phelps. Second Row - Tommy Phelps and Cory Arbiso; Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez. Third Row - Ryan Pope, Grant Duff.

Akron
CF - Fedroff
3B - Chisenhall
LF - Weglarz
DH - Goedert
1B - Mills
2B - Phelps
RF - Drennen
DH - Rodriguez
C - Toregas
P - Putnam

Trenton
CF - Krum
2B - Adams
C - Romine
3B - Laird
LF - Sublett
RF - Gorecki
DH - Brewer
1B - Smith
SS - Nunez
P - Pendleton

This will be Sublett's first start since Opening Day. He got sick after that and hasn't played since, although he did take batting practice yesterday. ... The tarp is on the field here, but the sky is clearing up. ... Adams is 11-for-20 this year. ... Jeremy Bleich, Cory Arbiso (DL) and David Phelps each threw in the bullpen before the game.

Christian Garcia update: He is still in he clubhouse. No surgery has been scheduled yet, and Tommy John is not a definite at this point (although it is likely). He is meeting with Dr. David Altchek on Monday.

First inning: Lance Pendleton allows the first longball of the Thunder's season, a three-run bomb to right field for Beau Mills, who missed the first game of the set.

Thunder get one back in the bottom half after Krum reaches on an error, steals a base, is moved to third on David Adams' fly to right and comes home on Austin Romine's grounder to short. Akron 3, Thunder 1.

Second inning: Pendleton allows three straight hits to load the bases, but gets out with just one run allowed after a 4-6-3 double play and a fantastic diving play from Adams.

The Thunder get a two-out hit from Daniel Brewer, but Kevin Smith's grounder to second quickly snuffed any threat.

Third inning: Pendleton had his best inning, escaping the heart of Akron's order with two swinging strikeouts, much to the delight of the extremely vocal fan sitting directly in front of the press box.

Austin Krum singles with one out, but the Adams and Romine both fan against Zach Putnam to end the inning.

Fourth inning: Pendleton allowed two men to reach before being replaced by Wilkins Arias, who walked loaded the bases but got Lonnie Chisenhall to fly to center to escape the threat.

Laird and Sublett fanned to open the inning, and Reid Gorecki flew to right to end it.

Fifth inning: Arias walks Weglarz to start the inning, but gets two strikeouts and a fly ball to right after that.

The Thunder got a leadoff hit from Dan Brewer, who is 2-for-2, but Putnam set down Smith, Nunez and Krum in order afterward.

Sixth inning: Arias got John Drennen swinging before handing the ball to Josh Schmidt who got the next two men on a fantastic play from Adams and a strikeout of Wyatt Toregas.

The Thunder had their best chance to score here. Austin Romine's RBI groundout scored Adams from third, but Dan Brewer couldn't cash in the two runners who got on before him. He'll settle for a 2-for-3 night. Thunder have left five runners in scoring position tonight.

Seventh inning: Both teams went down 1-2-3, with three strikeouts among the six hitters.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Things got terribly hectic with writing for the paper and, unfortunately, the blog got neglected.

Final score: Thunder lose, 4-2

RESULT: Thunder sweep, 4-0.
Thursday: Thunder 4, Erie 0
Friday: Thunder 3, Erie 1
Saturday: Thunder 3, Erie 0
Sunday: Thunder 5, Erie 1

Key to the Series: Starting pitching. Christian Garcia, Ryan Pope, Jeremy Bleich and David Phelps combined for 22 2/3 innings of two-run baseball. They've struck out 22 during that time, and walked just three. If Pope and Bleich, two starters who had rocky seasons in 2009, can be as strong as they looked in their opening outings, it's going to be a long year for opposing hitters.

Honorable Mention: David Adams. He's hitting .500 so far (8-for-16) and has driven in five of the team's 15 runs. He's had three multi-hit games so far, including a three-hit effort on Saturday.

Notes: This is the first time the Thunder have won their first four games since 1999, when they won nine in a row to start the year. ... Justin Snyder went 2-for-3 in his 2010 debut.

Here are a couple of shots of David Phelps warming up before the game, and another of Jose Gil stretching.