Minor Lines 7/19/08

I think I've figured out the formatting thing (it just took HTML?  Geeze, I'm a moron)...let me know if this looks better to you guys for when I fill in.

Fresno Grizzlies (AAA) - Game 1: Fresno 4, Salt Lake 3; Game 2: Salt Lake 6, Fresno 3

Top Lines - Game 1:
RF Nate Schierholtz - 3-3, 1 R, 1 2B (17), 1 HR (13), 4 RBI, .308
1B Travis Ishikawa - 1-3, 1 3B (2), 2 SO, .299
SS Jake Wald - 2-3, 2 R, 1 2B (5), .274
SP Victor Santos - 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 4.06 ERA

Top Lines - Game 2:
RF Nate Schierholtz - 2-3, 1 2B (18), 1 RBI, .312
3B Julio Cordido - 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B (5), .245
CF Dan Ortmeier - 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B (1), 1 RBI, .333
LF Dave Roberts - 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B (4), 1 BB, 2 SO, .375
SP Brad Hennessey - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 5.10 ERA, L (6-6)
RP Vinnie Chulk - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.24 ERA

Game Notes: Fresno took a split with the Bees, one of the top teams in the PCL, and Nate Schierholtz was helping lead the way. In Game 1, Schierholtz had an RBI single to knock in the first run for Fresno, and then hit a three-run home run in the 5th inning to give Fresno the lead it would need. Wald wasn't too bad either, and now is slugging exactly at his slugging percentage (.403). Ishikawa's triple was his 2nd in 24 games in Fresno. Santos had his second straight start of seven innings, allowing three earned runs.

In Game 2, Schierholtz was one of only two Fresno players to get more than one hit, notching his 18th double. Over the day, he increased his slugging percentage to .555 from .532. Cordido had the other multi-hit game, after going 2 for 18 in his previous nine games. Meanwhile, rehabbing Dan Ortmeier made his first appearance since July 14th, since he didn't make the trip to Lancaster. Roberts made his seventh and eighth appearances, keeping his average high. Hennessey came off of a complete game victory with a losing effort, hurt by two errors by second baseman Travis Denker. Chulk made his fourth appearance since coming back to Triple-A.

Connecticut Defenders (AA): Game Suspended

This game was suspended due to weather in the bottom of the second inning while Connecticut led 1-0. The game will be resumed on Monday July 28th, when the Defenders will head back to Binghamton.

San Jose Giants (High-A): San Jose 7, Modesto 5

Top Lines:
CF Mike McBryde - 3-4, 2 R, 1 HR (3), 4 RBI, .292
SS Sharlon Schoop - 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .238
3B Matt Downs - 2-5, 1 SO, .297
2B Brock Bond - 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB, .346
SP Tim Alderson - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 3.22 ERA, W (10-3)
RP Dan Otero - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 8.10 ERA

Game Notes: San Jose broke its streak of losing 10 of 11 games, and did it in its first game against first place Modesto. Mike McBryde led the team with his 3rd home run of the season. McBryde has gone 8 for 16, with six RBI over that streak. Bond stayed hot, notching his 9th RBI in 19 games at San Jose. Downs made his first appearance in San Jose since June 21st, after hitting .244 with three home runs in Fresno. He still has more home runs than any San Jose players with 15 in the California League.

Alderson is steadying himself out, and now has a 3.29 ERA over his last ten games after pitching a 4.02 ERA throughout May. He has 93 strikeouts against 30 walks in 103 1/3 innings pitched, and has won his last four starts. Otero had his second scoreless outing after his rough streak, and had his first multi-strikeout game in San Jose, giving him ten in 10 innings.

Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A): Hagerstown 1, Augusta 0

Top Lines:
SS Charlie Culberson - 2-4, 2 2B (10), 1 SO, .242
3B Elio Sarmiento - 2-3, .154
2B Skyler Stromsmoe - 1-2, 1 BB, .205
SP Craig Clark - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR, 1 WP, 4.12 ERA, L (6-4)
RP Wilmin Rodriguez - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.35 ERA

Game Notes: Clark threw up a gem, but still got the loss. Thanks to Clark, the GreenJackets out hit the Suns 5 to 2, but one of the hits was a home run and that would be all the Suns would need. For Clark, it was a very good game, with his highest strikeout total since May 20th. He now has 90 strikeouts with 17 walks in 87 1/3 innings. Rodriguez now has six scoreless outings in a row in Augusta to lower his ERA further.

Culberson now has four doubles in July and is batting .296 on the month. Sarmiento mad just his seventh appearance in Augusta, and doubled his hit total on the month. He has gone 4 for 26 so far for the GreenJackets.

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Short-A): Everett 5, Salem-Keizer 4

Top Lines:
2B Ryan Lormand - 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B (5), 1 HR (1), 1 RBI, 1 SO, 1 E (4), .220
RF Damon Wright - 3-4, 2 CS (4), .271
1B Brooks Lindsley - 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B (4), 1 RBI, 1 SO, .276
SP Andy Reichard - 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 HBP, 3.70 ERA
RP Scott Barnes - 1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 16.20 ERA, BS (1)
RP Shane Kaufman - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.84 ERA, L (1-2)
RP Joseph Edens - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.09 ERA

Game Notes: The Volcanoes couldn't pull in a win despite a career day by Lormand. Lormand had his first home run of the season, and also got his fifth double. He's slugging .312 in 109 at-bats, partially since he's hitting .220 on the year. Wright is batting 6 for 9 over his last three games, but after being caught stealing twice, he has only three stolen bases in seven attempts.

Reichard picked up his second start of the season without allowing an earned run. His five strikeouts are a season high. Barnes made his Salem-Keizer debut, though it was not a successful one. He'd allowed just two earned run in 5 1/3 innings in the Arizona League. Edens has 16 strikeouts and just five walks in 11 2/3 innings.

AZL Giants (Rookie): Giants 5, Padres 4 (10 Innings)

Top Lines:
CF Ben Woodbury - 4-5, 1 R, 1 2B (2), 1 RBI, .366
2B Dan Cook - 2-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .242
LF Jose Medina - 1-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 SO, .189
SP Jorge Bucardo - 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO, 3.91 ERA
RP Aaron King - 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1.23 ERA
RP Chris Wilson - 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 WP, 3.72 ERA, W (2-1)
RP Carlos De La Rosa - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.06 ERA, S (2)

Game Notes: The rookies rallied late for this one. Down 2-1 going into the 8th inning, they tied the game on a C.J. Ziegler RBI single, but lost the lead as the Padres scored two in the bottom half. But in the 9th, Wendell Fairley had an RBI groundout as a pinch hitter, and Woodbury hit an RBI double to tie it up again. In the 10th, Cook hit an RBI single for the winning run.

Woodbury had a career day for him for hitting, raising his average from .306 to .366. Cook is batting .317 over his last ten games after starting the season by hitting .385 in six games at Salem-Keizer. Medina made the rare jump from the Dominican Summer League to the Arizona League midseason, but is still hitting just .189 after a dozen games in the U.S. The younger Bucardo has now given up 10 earned runs in 23 innings pitched. King has struck out six and walked six in 7 1/3 innings. Wilson bounced back from giving up three runs in his last outing to get the win, despite not getting a strikeout for just the second time this season.