The team has announced its roster changes, and they are as follows:

- Manny Banuelos and Myron Leslie have been placed on the temporarily inactive list.

- Nick McCoy has been removed from the roster entirely.

That trims the roster down to the required 24, and it also leaves the team with just one catcher, Austin Romine. If necessary, Addison Maruszak will be the team's emergency catcher.

Trenton opens its season in a few hours, when it takes on Zach Stewart and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Manchester this evening. Steve Garrison, a Hun school graduate and a Trenton native, will oppose Stewart.

Additionally, Jeremy Bleich, David Adams, Grant Duff and Alan Horne all appear on the team's disabled list. Even before those moves were announced, it was pretty clear those four guys were good candidates to play for the Thunder this year.

The rest of the pitching matchup for the New Hampshire series are as follows:

LHP Shaeffer Hall (0 - 0, 0.00) vs. RHP Rey Gonzalez (0 - 0, 0.00)
RHP Graham Stoneburner (0 - 0, 0.00) vs. RHP B.J. LaMura (0 - 0, 0.00)
RHP Dellin Betances (0 - 0, 0.00) vs. LHP Willie Collazo (0 - 0, 0.00)

TAMPA, Fla. — Even before the team throws its first pitch of 2011, it’s time for a cold splash of reality. The Trenton Thunder, as currently assembled, will not be the same group upon which a playoff berth will hinge – not even close.

The stars that dot the first few months of lineups – Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Austin Romine, to name a few – will most likely be long gone by the time August rolls around.

When the 2010 team broke camp from Tampa, its rotation was: Christian Garcia, Ryan Pope, Jeremy Bleich, David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell. Come playoff time, all five of those names were gone, replaced by a starting five that included Betances, Banuelos, Andrew Brackman and Adam Warren.

Hector Noesi also contributed significant innings in Double-A, but was bumped to Scranton two weeks before the Eastern League Division Series began.

With that sense of inevitable change in mind, here are a few players who could make or break Trenton’s defense of its Eastern Division crown, starting where every good team does, with the pitching.

1. Brett Marshall — A right-hander with hard fastball that both cutting and boring action, he’s the odds-on pick to be Trenton’s ace down the stretch and into a September run. When he got to New York, he famously told Mark Newman, the team’s vice president of player development, that he was going to throw 100 miles per hour one day.

Nobody’s seen him top triple-digits just yet, but they have seen him mature into a pitcher who knows that, despite its sex appeal, simply blowing it past a hitter isn’t always the most effective plan of attack. He’s learned that a weak ground ball can be just as effective as a strikeout, and it can you keep you on the mound longer, too.

2. Jeremy Bleich — Yes, denizens of Waterfront Park, you’ve seen this name before, and it hasn’t always been worth the meager cost of your ticket. Over parts of two seasons with the Thunder, the former first-round pick is 6-8 with a 5.92 ERA in 21 starts. More alarmingly, Bleich, who earned a reputation as a control artist coming out of Stanford, has issued 62 walks in just 106 2/3 Double-A frames.

His 2010 season was ended when he had surgery to repair a torn left labrum, a procedure that, for a pitcher, is arguably more daunting than an elbow reconstruction. He’ll more than likely begin the season in High-A Tampa (though not in April) and if everything goes right he’ll probably finish up in Trenton.

3. David Adams — Yep, that David Adams. The one who, were it not for an unfortunate slide in Hadlock Field in May, might have helped fit Cliff Lee for set of pinstripes. The slide left him with a broken foot, and ended what had been a boffo beginning to his first tour of the upper levels.

Unfortunately for Thunder fans, although the break has healed, Adams’ feet are once again giving him fits. He’s currently dealing with a bout of plantar fasciitis that will cost him the beginning of the year. Once it subsides, he’s more than likely ticketed for a spot in Trenton’s infield.

4. J.R. Murphy — This one is a little more of a long shot. The catcher and sometimes infielder will start the year back at Low-A Charleston, but he’s an extremely advanced hitter and could make enough strides to bully his way into the upper levels toward the tail end of 2011.

Sure, he hit just .255/.327/.376 with the RiverDogs last season, but as a product of the IMG Sports Academy, in Bradenton, Fla., there’s a considerable amount of polish already, so a jump to Double-A by the end of year wouldn’t be such an outlandish idea.

Before I hit the hay here in Tampa, here are a few stray photos from the day that was. Included in the mix: Robinson Cano laughing it up with past and future Thunder reliever Wilkins Arias, Mitch Abeita's bat, Yadil Mujica ready in the rain, Jeremy Bleich testing out that repaired labrum and Jake Anderson fielding grounders in the rain, with a few seagulls in the outfield.

Here are the five bits of audio I gathered before and after the Thunder's 6-4 win over the Erie SeaWolves this evening: From the top down is: Paul Bush, Tony Franklin pre-game, Kevin Mahoney, David Adams, Tony Franklin postgame. Also below are (again, from top down) Reggie Jackson helping with PFP, Kevin Mahoney taking some BP, Hector Noesi throwing in the bullpen and Cory Arbiso talking about his start

Per Justin Shackil, David Adams, who injured his ankle in Game 1 of yesterday's doubleheader, is still with the team but will see doctors tomorrow. He also said that Adams can put weight on the ankle.

I have a text message in to Jeremy Bleich, who is in Florida receiving treatment for a stiff left shoulder. Don't expect a response back from Bleich.

The New York Post is reporting that there's a good chance that Thunder starter Jeremy Bleich will need surgery on his throwing shoulder. He was placed on the 7-Day disabled list and headed back to the Yankees complex in Tampa, Fla., before the Thunder's current road trip.

Here's a link to the article, which is part of the Beating the Bushes blog, run by Tim Bontemps.

Yesterday, while I was watching the Pirates beat Roy Halladay, Grant Duff got promoted to Scranton. To take his place on the Thunder roster, Josh Schmidt was transferred back to Trenton.

This means the Thunder have lost their closer, and have gained a long reliever to go with Ryan Pope. Based on the way Tony Franklin used his pen last night, it seems like Wilkins Arias might be the guy to step into Duff's role.

Of course, Tony really never likes to designate anyone for a specific role, so it might be closer by committee for a while.

Today, after a spate of poor starts, Jeremy Bleich was placed on the disabled list and sent back to Florida yesterday. There is no word on Bleich's injury.

To take Bleich's spot, Paul Bush, a member of the Thunder staff last year, was activated off the DL. He is in New Hampshire with the team, and will be available tonight.

Interesting note: Both Bush and Pope will work out of the bullpen. There's no word on a fifth starter, says Thunder broadcaster Justin Shackil. Also from Shackil, Wilkin De La Rosa and Cory Arbiso will start in games 1 and 2

This win was a total team effort. Every starter but Marcos Vechionacci had at least one hit or RBI, and, aside from a little hiccup from Cory Arbiso with the bases loaded, the pitching was stellar throughout. The Thunder also played error-free baseball and turned two double plays.

Here's a reminder that tomorrow's starter is Jeremy Bleich, not the originally scheduled Ryan Pope. Pope will be moving to the bullpen for the remainder of the series to help give the team a needed lift. They've been down a man since Josh Schmidt was sent to Scranton.

The combination of team on a hot streak, the Mets' minor leaguers in town, postgame fireworks and the best weather all year brought in the biggest crowd of the season, 7,853. Afterward, PR extraordinaire Bill Cook noted that last night's crowd was the biggest walk-up in two years. Impressive stuff.

Here are the postgame sessions with (from top) D.J. Mitchell, Austin Romine and Tony Franklin.

So, there's quite a bit of news around Thunder land today. First, in what I assume is a precursor to a promotion, Ryan Pope has been moved to the bullpen. The staff is running short a man, so the move makes sense. Jeremy Bleich, who was supposed to start Monday, will take Pope's place tomorrow. I spoke with Tommy Phelps, Tony Franklin and Pope himself about the move, and the audio from those interviews is below.

Secondly, Austin Romine is back behind the dish after serving as the designated hitter for a few games. The "tired arm," it seems, is nothing to become alarmed about. We'll see over the next few days how the rest treated him. For what it's worth, it appears Romine's hitting has suffered a little bit from not playing the field.

Finally, in non-Thunder news, the Mets have promoted infielder Reese Havens. He's batting second for the B-Mets and is playing second base. Should be a treat to see him work over the next few days.

Here's today's Thunder lineup:

1. Justin Christian, DH
2. Austin Krum, CF
3. David Adams, 2B
4. Austin Romine, C
5. Brandon Laird, 3B
6. Daniel Brewer, LF
7. Marcos Vechionacci, 1B
8. Edwar Gonzalez, RF
9. Luis Nunez, SS

Here's the audio from today's pregame sessions:

Monday: Fisher Cats 5, Thunder 4
Tuesday: Fisher Cats 2, Thunder 1
Wednesday: Thunder 13, Fisher Cats 3

Key to the Series: Oh, those bases on balls. If not for Jeremy Bleich's six walks in Game 2, then maybe we're talking about a Thunder series win. After all, Bleich allowed just three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Overall, Bleich has walked 11 men in 17 2/3 innings but has held the opposition to a .164 average against. If he can limit those walks, he'll be truly dominant.

Honorable mention: David Adams, who right now is as hot as bacon grease. Including an 0-for-4 in Game 1, went 5-for-11 with a double, a grand slam and four walks. His season line moves to .388/.455/1.087. Thing is, if he keeps hitting like this, where is he going to go? Scranton has two middle infielders who are on the 40-man.

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.

Trenton's lineup:

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

Now, Erie's lineup:

Dirks - LF
Iorg - SS
Ramirez - CF
Bertram - 1B
Nicolas - DH
Scram - RF
DeLeon - 3B
St. Pierre - C
Henry - 2B
Kibler - P

At my second day in Thunder camp, I spoke with Myron Leslie, Jeremy Bleich, David Adams, Christian Garcia and D.J. Mitchell. Leslie is a probable Thunder catcher, joining Austin Romine and possibly Jose Gil. Adams will be Trenton's second baseman, and Bleich, Mitchell and Garcia are all likely to be in the team's rotation come April 8.

In tomorrow's paper, I have a long feature on Leslie and a notebook with bits and pieces from today's 4-4 tie with the Pirates' Double-A work group. On the Web site, there will also be pictures from today's action, as well as videos of the interview I conducted with Leslie, today's starter David Phelps, and Austin Romine working with Victor Valencia in the batting cages.

The interviews with Adams, Bleich, Garcia and Mitchell will more than likely be used in the Thunder season preview section, which hits newsstands on April 8, the day the Thunder open the season.

There's a good chance the roster will be finalized tomorrow some time, so that could be the big news.

I plan to also speak with Tony Franklin (who was at home today in Los Angeles), Austin Romine, Damon Sublett, Kevin Mahoney and Ryan Pope tomorrow. Also, later tonight (once I get done uploading video) I will post some of best (that term is VERY relative) pictures from the day's action.

Also, remember that there will be a Web chat on Saturday night at 8 p.m. wrapping up my short stay in Tampa.

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

I made an attempt earlier this offseason to predict the Thunder's opening day roster. Considering that was on December 30, a lot has changed. Myron Leslie has been added to the fold. Edwar Gonzalez and Marcos Vechionacci, minor league free agents, have been re-signed. Kyle Anson has retired. Chris Malec and Seth Fortenberry have been released.

With all those changes in mind, here's my second attempt at predicting the Thunder's Opening Day roster:

SP - Jeremy Bleich
SP - Christian Garcia
SP - Hector Noesi
SP - D.J. Mitchell
SP - Lance Pendleton
P - Ryan Pope
P - Wilkin De La Rosa
P - David Phelps
P - Adam Olbrychowski
P - Philip Bartleski
P - Craig Heyer
P - Pat Venditte
P - Jonathan Ortiz

C - Austin Romine
C- Jose Gil
1B - Kevin Smith
2B - David Adams
3B - Brandon Laird
SS - Walter Ibarra
IF - Marcos Vechionacci
OF - Edwar Gonzalez
OF - Austin Krum
OF - Dan Brewer
OF - Myron Leslie