minor lines, 8/8/08

AAA: Fresno defeated Salt Lake 6-1

Fresno: CF Clay Timpner: 3 for 4, 2 2B, BB
Frenso: 3B Scott McClain: 0 for 4, 3 SO
Fresno: C Eli Whiteside: 2 for 3, HR, SF
Salt Lake: 3B Brandon Wood: 3 for 3, HBP

Fresno: RHP Matt Palmer: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K--1 HB
Fresno: RHP Vinnie Chulk: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Fresno: RHP Sergio Romo: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K

With three hits, Timpner led the Grizzlies' thirteen hit attack, but his AVG remains below .250.  He also drew the Grizzlies' only walk.  Whiteside connected for his 1st HR as Grizzly.  With the oh-fer that included a hat trick, McClain's AVG dropped back below .300.  The Angels' Wood might be the hottest player in the minors right now.  Hitting .415/.462/.939 in 82 AB since the all-star break, he has raised his season line to .297/.362/.609 in 330 AB. 

Palmer had one of his more effective starts and added to his league-leading strikeout total.  Chulk and Romo, the latter making his first appearance since being DFA'ed, faced the minimum nine batters in three innings of relief.

AA: Connecticut defeated Portland 1-0 (7 innings) in game 1
(completing the game suspended the previous night in the 4th inning)

Connecticut: RF Carlos Sosa: 1 for 2, BB. SB
Connecticut: DH Simon Klink: 1 for 2, BB, SO

Connecticut: RHP Joe Martinez: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Connecticut: RHP Ronnie Ray: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Sosa and Klink, who both have AVGs below .250, were the two Defenders to reach base twice.

After Martinez had four scoreless innings on Thursday, Ray followed up with three scoreless innings on Friday to complete the shutout.  They improved their respective ERAs to 2.65 and 3.08.  Since the start of June, Ray has a 1.67 ERA in 37.2 IP over twenty appearances.

AA: Connecticut lost to Portland 7-5 (7 innings) in game 2

Connecticut: 3B Ryan Rohlinger: 2 for 4, 2B, SO, CS
Connecticut: CF Mike Mooney: 2 for 3, HR, 2B
Connecticut: 1B Simon Klink: 2 for 3, 2B

Connecticut: RHP Garrett Broshuis: 5.0 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 6 K--2 HR
Connecticut: RHP Justin Hedrick: 1.0 IP, 3 K
Portland: RHP Daniel Bard: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Playing in his second game for the Defenders, Mooney had a big game, including his 15th HR of the season.  With a XBH/H ratio well over 50% this year, he has a .530 SLG.  Rohlinger and Klink also had two hits each.

Broshuis had an unusually poor start.  He had averaged just over 2 ER in his previous nine starts, but surrendered 4 ER in the 5th inning alone.  His ERA rose to 3.88.  Hedrick struck out all three batters he faced.  Also recording three strikeouts was Bard, the first round pick by the Red Sox two years ago who recorded his 3rd save.

A+: San Jose lost to Lake Elsinore 6-5
(allowing an unearned run in the bottom of the 9th inning)

San Jose: RF Mike McBryde: 2 for 5, 3B
San Jose: 2B Brock Bond: 3 for 5

San Jose: RHP Tim Alderson: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K--1 HR

With three hits, Bond raised his AVG above .300.  McBryde, one of three other Giants with multiple hits, had the Giants' only XBH, his 5th triple.  He also threw out a runner at the plate.

Alderson had his least effective start in a month (when he allowed 4 ER in 5.0 IP on July 4th).  In the five starts in between, he had allowed just 4 ER total.  He had also had a 28/4 K/BB line in that time, so the 1 K last night stands out even more in that context.

A-: Augusta defeated Greensboro 6-4

Augusta: SS Juan Ciriaco: 3 for 5, 3B, SB
Greensboro: 3B Matt Dominguez: 3 for 4, HR, 2B

Augusta: RHP Oliver Odle: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB< 5 K
Augusta: LHP Ryan Paul: 1.2 IP, 1 BB, 3 K

Ciriaco has swung a hot bat since his demotion, hitting .289/.353/.444 in 45 AB in the Sally League after hitting just .172/.229/.195 in 87 AB in the Cal League.  Dominguez, selected 12th overall a year ago by the Marlins, had a big game for the second consecutive night, including his 9th HR.

Odle had one of his more effective starts, getting his ERA back below 4.00.  Paul struck out three of the five batters he faced for his 3rd save.

ssA: Salem-Keizer defeated Boise 9-6

Salem-Keizer: CF Caleb Curry: 2 for 4, BB, CS
Salem-Keizer: 2B Jose Flores: 2 for 5, 2B, E
Salem-Keizer: DH Michael Ambort: 4 for 5, 3 HR
Boise: SS Ryan Flaherty: 2 for 5, HR, 2B, SO, GiDP

Salem-Keizer: LHP Eric Surkamp: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K--1 HR
Salem-Keizer: RHP Wilbur Bucardo: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 K
Boise: RHP Chris Carpenter: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K--1 HR
Boise: RHP Andrew Cashner: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K--1 HR

Ambort had perhaps as huge a game as any Volcanoes hitter has ever had with 3 HRs, and he hit them off good pitchers too, with the first coming against the Cubs' third round pick this year and the second coming against the Cubs' first round pick this year.  With 8 HRs in 89 AB, Ambort now has a .685 SLG.  Curry and Flores also had multi-hit lines for the Volcanoes.  Flaherty, the Cubs' first round supplemental pick this year, has been on an XBH binge.  He has 3 HRs in his last four games and eight doubles in his last eight games, raising his SLG to .556 through his 124 pro AB.

Surkamp has scuffled through his four NWL starts, with a 7.50 ERA while averaging just 3.0 IP per start.  After ten starts, including 11 ER in 4.0 IP over his last two starts, Bucardo made his first relief appearance.  He and Surkamp did combine for an 11/2 GO/FO line.  Based on their draft status, Carpenter and Cashner would seem to have promising careers ahead of them, but their lines last night would not indicate that.  Even worse this his .409 BAA, Cashner now has 12 BB in 5.2 IP over three NWL appearances.

R: Giants defeated Padres 6-3

Scottsdale: DH Conor Gillaspie: 1 for 5, GiDP
Scottsdale: 3B Jose Mazzola: 2 for 4, 2 3B, SF

Scottsdale: LHP Aaron King: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Peoria: RHP Mat Latos: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K--1 HB, 1 WP

Gillaspie had an uninspiring pro debut.  With two triples, Mazzola raised his SLG above .600 through 102 AB.

Making his eighth pro appearance and third start, King had the longest start yet of his pro career.  So far his peripheral stats are 19 H, 12 BB and 25 K in 22.1 IP.  The BB/IP over 0.50 will have to be improved.  Latos, who entered the season as the Padres' top pitching prospect, made his third AZL appearance as he seeks to get back to full-season ball, where he earlier made seven appearances (five starts) in the Midwest League earlier this year.

DSL: Giants lost to Red Sox 6-5

Dominican: DH Victor Santana: 4 for 5, 2B, SO, SB
Dominican: RHP Argenis Sanchez: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K--1 WP

Santana's (19.8 y.o.) four hits raised his AVG to .267.  Sanchez (18.8 y.o.) had one of his better starts, improving his season ERA to 3.19 after a dozen starts.  His walk rate has been up recently, with 12 of his 25 walks coming over his last four starts.