SB Nation - Daryl Thompson

Farmers Only: Daryl Thompson roughed up on rehab, and Travis Wood has another great start in AAA

BK — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Louisville won a close game 2-1 as Travis Wood had another good outing. Wood pitched 6 inning of 1-run ball, Ramon Ramirez put up 2 innings of shutout relief, and Enerio Del Rosario closed it out with another perfect relief inning. Darnell McDonald went 4-for-4 with a double to lead the attack, Chris Heisey homered, and Drew Stubbs, Chris Valaika, and Travis Wood all had multi-hit games. Up next: Matt Maloney takes on Lehigh Valley at 7:05.
Carolina were off. They play Birmingham at 7:15.
Sarasota lost to Jupiter 4-3. Alexander Smit gave up 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, while striking out 8. Denis Phipps went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles and Jake Kahaulelio went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Up next: The S-Reds take on Jupiter behind Travis Webb at 7:05.
Oscar Castro got shelled again as Dayton lost to West Michigan 8-4. Castro gave up 6 runs in the 2nd to put the Dragons behind for good. Enrique Rojas and Kevyn Feiner had 2 hits each. Up next: Mark Serrano takes the hill at 7 against West Michigan.
Billings lost to Idaho Falls 6-2. Tyler Stovall and Chris McMurray drove in the Mustangs runs. Up next: The Mustangs take on Idaho Falls at 9:15 behind Ricky Bowen.
The GCL Reds scored 6 runs in the 8th inning to beat the GCL Rays 10-9. Daryl Thompson started the game on rehab, and it wasn't pretty. He managed to get two outs in the first, gave up 2 hits and walked 2, and his final tally was 3 runs allowed, 2 of them earned. Danny Hernandez homered and drove in two runs for the offense, Billy Hamilton was 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot, and Henry Rodriguez and Juan Duran drove in two runs each as well. Up next: The GCL Reds take on the GCL O's at noon.
Roster Moves: Sean Watson joins the Louisville bullpen after Jeff Kennard goes on the DL with an injury. Jordan Wideman takes over full time catching duties in Sarasota as Devin Mesoraco goes on the shelf for the first time this year. 10th round pick Tucker Barnhart joins the GCL Reds, as does Porfirio Martinez from the DSL team.

Farmers Only: Weekend Review

BK — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:14 -0000

Roster Moves: No new callups for Louisville, but Micah Owings and Chris Dickerson are there in the middle of rehab stints. In Carolina, Phillipe-Alexandre Valiquette and Scott Carroll are on the DL, and a new face joins the Mudcats in Greg Atencio, who last played for Omaha, the Royals AAA affiliate. Alexander Smit is off the DL in Sarasota, and Lance Janke joins the rotation out there. After a solid start for the GCL team, third baseman Henry Rodriguez skipped 2 levels up to Sarasota. Expect to see Daryl Thompson back soon as well, as he's rehabbing with the GCL team alongside Yonder Alonso, who was recently shut down for the time being. New faces down there include IF Mauricio Pimental, who comes from Billings, and the season debut for pitcher Luis Machuca, who you may remember as one of those named to the WBC preliminary roster for the Panama team.
Louisville scored 5 runs in the 9th on Sunday to salvage a game in their series against Rochester over the weekend. They lost 3-0 on Friday, in a game where they only mustered up 6 hits. 2 of the hits were by Daniel Dorn, and Chris Dickerson and Drew Stubbs each had a hit. Ben Jukich started the game and gave up 3 unearned runs in 5 innings, and it's worth noting that Jared Burton had a perfect inning of relief. They lost Saturday too, a 3-2 loss in a game that Matt Klinker had a good start in, but ended up getting the loss. Klinker gave up 1 earned run in 5 1/3 innings and struck out 5, and Enerio Del Rosario and Ramon Ramirez were perfect in their 1 2/3 and 1 innings of relief. Stubbs and Chris Denove both knocked in runs. In Sunday's 7-2 win, Chris Heisey was 2-for-5 with a HR, Wes Bankston knocked in 2 runs, and Dorn had 2 hits. Sam Lecure had a good outing, going 6 2/3 innings of 2 runs ball. Pedro Viola gave up a hit and a walk in his relief inning, and Burton and Logan Ondrusek were perfect in theirs, with Burton getting the win. Up next: Micah Owings takes a rehab start against Lehigh Valley at 7:05.
After a drubbing on Friday night, Carolina bounced back to win their other two games on the weekend against West Tenn. They lost on Friday night 20-9. Zach Ward, Chris Kelly, and Jerry Gil all gave up 6 runs in less than 2 innings each. Thankfully, these are probably the three worst pitchers on the staff right now. Juan Francisco and Stephen Chapman had three hits in the game, and Logan Parker homered. On a brighter note, they won Saturday night 7-3. Tom Cochran had another start where he gave up less than 3 runs (his 6th in a row), and Joe "The Cycle" Krebs pitched 3 one-hit innings for the save. El Nino Destructor had two more hits, and Chapman had two hits and drove in 3 runs. Jason Bour also had a nice game, going 3-for-5. The Mudcats put up 3 in the 9th to overtake West Tenn 6-4 on Sunday. Jose Castro went 3-for-4 and Todd Frazier hit his 13th HR of the season, a 3-run shot in the 9th to take the lead for good. Camilo Vazquez gave up 4 runs in 5 innings in his start, and Ruben Medina, Greg Atencio, and Sean Watson combining for 4 no-hit innings of relief. Up next: Jeremy Horst takes on West Tenn at 8:05.
Sarasota lost all three of their games over the weekend. On Friday, they lost 3-1 in 10 innings to St. Lucie. Lance Janke made his High-A debut, and pitched 6 innings of scoreless 3-hit ball, striking out 5 and walking nobody. Pedro Villarreal pitched 4 innings after that, and gave up the last 2 runs in the 10th inning. Dave Sappelt was 3-for-5. In Saturday's game, the S-Reds tied it up with 3 runs in the 9th before losing the game in the 13th 8-7. Curtis Partch started, and gave up 4 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Mark Pawelek pitched 3 strong innings in relief. Neftali Soto led the way for the offense, going 2-for-6 with a HR and 5 RBI. Sappelt had three more hits in this one, and Justin Reed had two. Matt Fairel had some trouble early, and it was too much to overcome as the S-Reds lost to Fort Myers 6-1 on Sunday. Jason Louwsma drove in the only run, and Josh Beal pitched 3 innings of scoreless relief. Up next: Alexander Smit takes his first start off the DL against Fort Myers at 7.
Dayton swept Lansing in all three of their games over the weekend, a 3-2 win Friday, a 18-5 pounding on Saturday, and a 10-9 victory on Sunday. Carlos Mendez was 3-for-4 on Sunday, and Mark Serrano pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his start. Donnie Joseph struck out 5 in two scoreless innings for the save. The offense was alive on Saturday, as evidenced by some of these lines. Kevyn Feiner was 5-for-6 with 4 doubles and 6 RBI. Cody Puckett was 4-for-6 with 2 doubles and a RBI. Enrique Rojas and Kevin Coddington each drove in 4 runs. Alexis Oliveras and Josh Fellhauer each had 3 hits, with the latter hitting his 6th HR of the season. The pitching could have been terrible, but it was actually pretty decent. J.C. Sulbaran gave up 2 runs in 5 innings, and Michael Konstanty ended up pitching an inning in the blowout win. Sunday's game was much closer, as Shea Snowden gave up a lot of runs early, but ended up scoring 7 in the 3rd to keep in the game. Humberto Sosa and Tony Brown homered for the Dragons, with Brown's being a grand slam. Up next: Ezequiel Infante takes on Lansing at 7:05.
Billings was rained out on Friday, and played a doubleheader on Saturday, with the second game getting rained out. So while Sarasota played 32 innings over the weekend, Billings only played 7, winning the game 2-1. Luca Panerati pitched the whole thing, giving up 1 unearned run in 7 innings, striking out 5 and walking none. Unquestionably his best outing of the season. Up next: Blair Carson takes on Idaho Falls at 9:05.
The GCL Reds played 2 full games and 2 doubleheader games over the weekend. On Friday, they beat the GCL Orioles 5-4 in 10 innings. Mitchell Clarke had the best outing for the pitching staff, pitching 3 scoreless innings. Jefry Sierra went 4-for-6 and Derrick Lowery had three hits for the G-Reds. They split a doubleheader with the GCL Red Sox, losing 5-4 in the first game and winning the second game 2-0. Billy Hamilton had two hits in the first game, and Harold Johnson gave up 1 run in 7 innings of work with 7 strikeouts. Luis Machuca pitched 6 shutout innings in the second game of the day, striking out 6 in his 2009 debut. Raul Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning to get the save. They lost to the GCL Twins on Sunday 5-4. Daniel Tuttle pitched 4 innings of 1-run ball and Trey Manz was 3-for-4 with a HR. Up next: The G-Reds are off.

Farmers Only: State of the Farm (8.6)

BK — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:01:27 -0000

We haven't taken an overview of the minors in a while, so with the off day, I figured we'd check in with a mega-column. With 6 teams playing now, there's a lot to cover. Let's get started by looking at the teams.

LOUISVILLE BATS (AAA) - The Bats are 63-47 and are commanding the IL West right now, with a 9.5 game lead over Toledo. Kevin Barker is currently 2nd in the IL in OPS at .929, 2nd in HR with 20, and is 4th in OBP at .377. Drew Stubbs leads the league in stolen bases with 42, only being caught 9 times. On the pitching side, Homer Bailey and Matt Maloney are currently 6th and 7th in ERA at 2.71 and 2.72, and shutout specialist Justin Lehr is 9th with a 3.31 ERA while leading the league in wins with 13. Maloney's 97 strikeouts are good for 6th in the league so far, and Lehr's 1.06 WHIP has him 4th in the league. As a team, Louisville's pitching staff is 3rd in the league in ERA and 4th in strikeouts.
CAROLINA MUDCATS (AA) - After going 37-32 in the first half, finishing 2nd (1 game back), the Mudcats are 15-25 so far in the second half, 7 games back from Chattanooga and tied for 4th place. Despite promotions, Carolina still has the top players in AVG, SLG, and OPS on the offensive side (Chris Heisey, .347/.426/.572/.998) and the league leader in ERA by more than a run (Travis Wood, 9-3 with a 1.21 ERA; second in the league is 2.99). After his night last night, Juan Francisco now leads the SL in home runs with 22 and RBI with 71. Wood also still leads the league in strikeouts with 103, despite being in AAA for the last two weeks.
SARASOTA REDS (A+) - After finishing dead last in the FSL South in the first half at 28-40, their 17-22 record in the second half so far is 4 games back and good for 4th in the 6 team division. This is normally where I'd list the S-Reds who are among the league leaders in offensive categories, but Sarasota doesn't have any. Jeremy Horst is 8th in the league in ERA at 3.25. Their .234 team average is good for worst in the league, and their OPS is an abysmal .623. Their 315 team RBI is almost 40 behind the second to last place team.
DAYTON DRAGONS (A) - Dayton finished 4th in the MWL East in the first half with a 28-42 record, and are currently 18-20 in the second half, which is good for 4th place in the division despite being 11.5 games back from a white-hot Fort Wayne team. Byron Wiley is 4th in the league in OPS at .883, 7th in OBP at .388, and 3rd in SLG at .495. Cody Puckett is 5th in that category at .481, and Dave Sappelt is 9th in SB with 26 despite getting promoted. Puckett's also 4th in the league in HR with 16. Matt Fairel is 9th in ERA at 2.93 and 4th in strikeouts with 107.
BILLINGS MUSTANGS (R) - Despite being a short-season team, Billings' season is split in two as well. They were last place at 12-26 in the first half, and have kicked off the second half 1-2. Mariekson Gregorius is 10th in the league in hitting at .342 and 10th in OBP at .408. Shea Snowden and Leonardo Astorga are 10th and 11th in ERA at 4.17 and 4.53, although there are only 26 pitchers with enough innings to qualify. Billings is similiar to Dayton in that they can't hit, with a .251/.322/.350/.672 line as a team so far this year. Their 4.81 team ERA is second to last in the league.
GCL REDS (R) - The G-Reds are 16-18 and 4 games back in the GCL South. Henry Rodriguez is leading the league in hitting at .355, and leadoff hitter Theodis Bowe is hitting .313, which is good for 10th. Bowe is also 3rd in SB with 14. Jacob Wiley is tied for 3rd in saves with 6.

A closer look at the players after the jump.

Red Reporter Top 15

Before the season, you guys came up with a list of the top 15 prospects in the Reds system. Here's an update on how they're doing.

Yonder Alonso 1B (Carolina)
After starting the season on a tear in Sarasota, Yonder made it to Carolina before breaking the hamate bone in his hand. In 16 games in AA, Yonder hit .246/.309/.466. He's on a rehab stint with the GCL team right now, so I'd expect him to finish the season in Carolina when he's ready to go.
Neftali Soto 3B (Sarasota)
Soto's having a disappointing season so far for the S-Reds. His OBP is still only .284 and his plate discipline has been lacking. After a strong May, he had a disappointing June and July, only hitting .204/.237/.301 in July, but has started August right, so hopefully that gets him going.
Todd Frazier 2B (Carolina)
Todd's having a great season in AA, and should earn a promotion soon. He recently made the switch to 2B after playing 3B and LF for most of the year. Why he hasn't been called up to Louisville yet is beyond me.
Drew Stubbs CF (Louisville)
Speaking of guys who should be called up, Stubbs' OBP is at .368 and he has 42 stolen bases to lead his league. That wouldn't look good in the leadoff spot, Dusty?
Chris Valaika SS (Louisville)
An injury plagued season has Valaika dropping past Zack Cozart on prospect boards at his position. Chris is currently at .197/.237/.299 in 244 AB.
Juan Francisco 3B (Carolina)
El Nino Destructor is raking lately, but still has the same problems that have plagued him his whole career. Mainly, his errors at 3B and his lack of plate discipline (88 K to 19 BB this year).
Daryl Thompson RHSP (Louisville)
Thompson's been on the shelf since the end of June, his 3rd DL trip this year. His 6.59 ERA could be better, and I expect it to be next year, but this year's a lost cause for Daryl.
Kyle Lotzkar LHSP
Lotzkar has been on the DL all year with a broken elbow, and doesn't look to be coming back soon. Hopefully he'll pitch this year, but I'm not optimistic.
Chris Dickerson OF (Cincinnati)
He's batting .259 in 85 games for the Reds. I still don't remember why he's on this list.
Josh Roenicke RHRP (Toronto)
Sigh. He got traded in the Rolen deal.
Devin Mesoraco C (Sarasota)
He's at .225/.309/.379 right now, but all reports coming out of Sarasota say that he's improving behind the plate. Hopefully that bat will come around, but he's still young.
Daniel Dorn OF (Louisville)
He's having a solid year, at .256/.323/.426. Are we still calling him overrated? I don't see him cracking this outfield any time soon.
Yorman Rodriguez OF (Billings)
Stormin' Yorman is killin' Billings so far, to the tune of a .884 OPS. He's still only 16.
Zach Stewart RHSP (Toronto)
God fucking dammit. Moving on.
Juan Duran DH (GCL)
Duran's year has been really disappointing, with a line of .180/.235/.270.

Top 15 Pitchers

The way we're going to do this, is look at 10 pitchers from full season ball, and look at the top 5 from short season. We're looking at guys with a minimum of 45 IP from full season teams and 10 IP from short season. The stats provided here are combined from every level through the 2009 season.

Logan Ondrusek RHRP (Sarasota, Carolina, Louisville) - 4-1, 1.28 ERA, 38 K, 20 BB
Travis Wood LHSP (Carolina, Louisville) - 10-4, 1.44 ERA, 116 K, 46 BB
Enerio Del Rosario RHRP (Sarasota, Carolina, Louisville) - 2-1, 1.96 ERA, 43 K, 6 BB
Joseph Krebs LHRP (Carolina, Sarasota) - 3-2, 2.19 ERA, 44 K, 20 BB
Mace Thurman LHRP (Sarasota, Dayton) - 3-0, 2.10 ERA, 73 K, 21 BB
Jeff Kennard RHRP (Louisville) - 3-1, 2.42 ERA, 48 K, 18 BB
Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette LHRP (Carolina, Sarasota) - 2-2, 2.51 ERA, 45 K, 25 BB
Steven Otterness LHRP (Sarasota, Dayton) - 3-0, 2.76 ERA, 34 K, 25 BB
Matt Maloney LHSP (Louisville) - 7-8, 2.72 ERA, 97 K, 16 BB
Jordan Hotchkiss RHRP (Dayton) - 1-4, 2.75 ERA, 47 K, 15 BB

Harold Johnson RHSP (GCL) - 0-1, 1.06 ERA, 16 K, 8 BB
Ezequiel Infante LHSP (Dayton, Billings) - 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 31 K, 4 BB
Tyler Cline RHSP (GCL) - 2-0, 1.73 ERA, 26 K, 9 BB
Donnie Joseph LHRP (Dayton, Billings) - 2-1, 1.89 ERA, 20 K, 5 BB
Mark Serrano RHSP (Dayton, Billings) - 1-0, 1.85 ERA, 28 K, 7 BB

Top 15 Hitters

We'll do the same thing here. Minimum of 200 AB for full season, 50 for short season.

Kevin Barker 1B (Louisville) - .929 OPS, .284/.377/.552, 20 HR, 58 RBI, 1 SB
Chris Heisey CF (Louisville, Carolina) - .927 OPS, .331/.395/.534, 16 HR, 60 RBI, 16 SB
Darnell McDonald RF (Louisville) - .883 OPS, .317/.349/.534, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 6 SB
Byron Wiley RF (Dayton) - .883 OPS, .275/.388/.495, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 5 SB
Todd Frazier 2B (Carolina) - .860 OPS, .307/.362/.499, 12 HR, 58 RBI, 7 SB
Yonder Alonso 1B (Carolina, Sarasota, GCL) - .823 OPS, .284/.357/.466, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 1 SB
Juan Francisco 3B (Carolina) - .809 OPS, .273/.310/.499, 22 HR, 71 RBI, 6 SB
Cody Puckett 2B (Sarasota, Dayton) - .793 OPS, .263/.333/.461, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 14 SB
Zack Cozart SS (Carolina) - .785 OPS, .270/.366/.419, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 9 SB
Chris Denove C (Louisville, Carolina) - .779 OPS, .265/.349/.430, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB

Josh Fellhauer OF (Dayton) - .926 OPS, .310/.379/.548, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 4 SB
Henry Rodriguez 3B (GCL) - .803 OPS, .355/.384/.419, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 7 SB
Thomas Nurre 1B (Billings) - .783 OPS, .286/.338/.444, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB
Theodis Bowe LF (GCL) - .775 OPS, .313/.387/.388, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 16 SB
Alexis Oliveras OF (Dayton, Billings) - .753 OPS, .292/.337/.416, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 10 SB

20 More Prospects To Watch

Ben Jukich LHSP (Louisville) - 3-0, 1.62 ERA in 5 starts in July
Matt Klinker RHSP (Louisville) - 2.95 ERA in AA, now in AAA after starting in Sarasota
Sam LeCure RHSP (Louisville) - 7-0, 2.38 ERA in last 9 starts
Tom Cochran LHSP (Carolina) - 2.77 ERA in 5 starts in July
Jeremy Horst LHSP (Carolina) - 3.25 ERA in Sarasota, now in AA
Josh Beal RHRP (Sarasota) - 1.72 ERA in 17 1/3 innings in July
J.C. Sulbaran RHSP (Dayton) - 3.56 ERA in last 4 starts, 10.0 K/9 this season
Tzu-Kai Chiu LHRP (Billings) - 0.95 ERA in 19 innings in the GCL before moving to Billings
Matteo Pizziconi LHRP (GCL) - 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings
Nathan Driessen LHRP (GCL) - 2.25 ERA in 24 innings
Danny Dorn OF (Louisville) - 1.024 OPS in June. .896 since the All-Star Break
Wes Bankston 1B (Louisville) - 1.045 OPS in August so far
Kyle Day DH (Sarasota) - .333/.400/.481 in July
Dave Sappelt OF (Sarasota) - 38 total SB this season
Yen-Wen Kuo 2B (Dayton) - .375 AVG in August so far
Kevin Coddington C (Dayton) - .303/.344/.371 in July
Mariekson Gregorius SS (Billings) - .342/.408/.378 since being moved to Billings (27 games)
Yorman Rodriguez CF (Billings) - .268/.348/.537 so far in Billings, is only 16 years old
Sean Conner RF (Billings) - 4 RBI in 5 August games
Danny Vicioso C (GCL) - .341/.372/.561 in 17 games

So what do you guys think? Anybody here catch your eye?

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:30:12 -0000

Roster Moves: In the biggest news of the weekend, Chris Heisey and Zach Stewart have earned callups to Louisville. Both of them were tearing up AA, and Stewart will pitch out of the bullpen after starting for the rest of the season, presumably to keep his innings down. Newly acquired Corky Miller and recently demoted Adam Rosales are back with the Bats was well. Jordan Smith is off the DL in Carolina, and Brian Peterson is the backup catcher for the Mudcats now, after Miller was acquired in AAA and Chris Denove goes on the DL. Another great sign, as Juan Francisco is back for the Mudcats too. Josh Ravin goes on the DL in Dayton, as Aguido Gonzalez is activated off of it.
Draft Picks Signed: 9th rounder Brian Pearl and 12th rounder Josh Garton are with Billings now. 30th round catcher Yovan Gonzalez and 8th round outfielder Juan Silva are with the GCL Reds now. 4th rounder Mark Fleury, 11th rounder Harold Johnson, 35th rounder Oliver Santos, and 36th rounder Chris Burleson have all signed but aren't assigned to a roster yet.
Louisville dropped 2 of their 3 games over the weekend. On Friday night, the Bats lost 6-0 to Charlotte as Ramon Ramirez got lit up. Daryl Thompson pitched in relief in his first game off the DL as well, which is a promising sign. Danny Dorn and Michael Griffin both had two hits, but the Bats couldn't get any other offense going. On Saturday, Ben Jukich kept the guys in the game, but they dropped in the 9th to Gwinnett 4-3. Jukich pitched 5 1/3 innings, and gave up 3 runs while striking out 7. Chris Valaika led the way with 3 hits, and Edwin Encarnacion and Darnell McDonald were both 2-for-4. In Sunday's game, Matt Maloney led the Bats to a 6-4 win over Gwinnett. Maloney gave up 3 runs and struck out 6 in 6 2/3 innings to get the win. Batting 3rd and playing RF in his second start in Louisville, Chris Heisey went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Edwin Encarnacion and Kevin Barker both had multi-hit games as well, and Barker hit his 14th HR of the season. Up next: The Bats take on Gwinnett at 7. No starter listed, but Justin Lehr should get the nod.
Distraught over Heisey's recent promotion, Carolina got swept over the weekend. Friday night saw them lost 6-2 to Jacksonville. Dallas Buck got hurt, only pitching 2 innings. In his last game in AA, Chris Heisey and Carson Kainer had 2 hits each. On Saturday, the Mudcats got shut out 9-0, with Juan Francisco getting a hit in his first game back off the DL. Not much else there. On Sunday, Carolina took the lead in the top of the 8th only to lose it in the bottom of the inning, a 6-5 loss to Chattanooga. Travis Wood started the game and once again pitched well, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings, before Sean Watson gave up 4 runs in the 8th to blow the save. Sean Henry and Todd Frazier each added a 2-run HR to the Mudcats cause. Up next: The Mudcats take on 'Nooga at 7:15. No starter listed, and since it was supposed to be Zach Stewart's turn before he got promoted, I'm not sure who will get the start instead.
Sarasota went 1-2 over the weekend too. On Friday, they got shut out 6-0 against Lakeland. Luis Montano had a pretty good start, pitching 6 innings of 1 run ball, but the offense couldn't get anything going, with just six singles on the evening. They lost big to Lakeland again on Saturday, 12-5. Matt Klinker got lit up. Justin Reed and Denis Phipps both had 2 hits, and Phipps, Devin Mesoraco, and Neftali Soto all homered. On Sunday. they bounced back and beat Lakeland 5-3 behind a great start by Jeremy Horst. Horst went 7 innings of 3 run (2 earned) ball, and Mace Thurman and Enerio Del Rosario both pitched a perfect inning to seal the win. Neftali Soto was the star on offense, going 2-for-4 with a HR. Up next: Sarasota takes on Tampa at 7. No starter listed, but Scott Carroll started 5 days ago.
Dayton had a winning weekend, taking 2 of 3 against Lansing. On Friday, they won 7-3 behind a great pitching performance by Lance Janke. Janke went 5 innings and gave up 1 earned run, and walked nobody while striking out 6. Enrique Rojas went 3-for-5, and Andrew Means, Michael Konstanty, Byron Wiley, and Kevin Coddington all had two hits to lead the offense. Andrew Bowman, Mike James, and Scott Gaffney combined for 4 innings of shutout relief. The Dragons won again on Saturday 5-2. All-Star Matt Fairel went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 6. Oscar Castro, Junior Martinez, and Aguido Gonzalez combined to close it out. Michael Konstanty and Byron Wiley were the stars on offense, each hitting a 2-run HR. The Dragons lost the final game of the weekend in late innings, 5-3. Curtis Partch was okay in his start, and Michael Konstanty continued his tear of a weekend with two more hits and two more RBI. Up next: Dayton has the day off today.
After starting their season with a win, Billings lost three more over the weekend to drop their losing streak to 5. On Friday, they lost a 11-10 slugfest. Adian Kummet started and gave up 2 runs in 2 innings, but every reliever after him also gave up runs. On the other hand, the offense was good with Sean Conner, Alexis Oliveras, and John Dao all with 3 hits each. The lost 5-3 on Saturday, behind a decent start by Justin Walker. Walker gave up 3 ER in 6 innings, and struck out 6. Frank Pfister was 2-for-4 and drove in both Mustang runs. In the final game of the series, they lost 6-4. Leonardo Astorga had a quality start, but it wasn't enough. Yen-Wen Kuo drove in two runs. Up next: The Mustangs finally take on another team, traveling to Helena to play at 9:05. No starter listed, but it should be Shea Snowden.
The GCL Reds split their two games over the weekend after being off on Friday. They lost to the GCL Rays on Saturday 4-2, as Billy Hamilton suffered his first hitless game. Theodis Bowe had two of the Reds 6 hits. Blair Carson had a good start, pitching 3 innings of shutout ball, and Jacob Wiley pitched 3 shutout innings in relief. The GCL Reds beat the GCL Orioles 7-5 on Sunday, with Pedro Villarreal and Marcos Molina combining for 6 innings of no earned runs. Billy Hamilton, Danny Hernandez, Cristobal Rodriguez, and Yorman Rodriguz all had two hits. Up next: They take on the GCL Red Sox at noon. It's Tyler Cline's turn in the rotation, but there's no starter listed.

Farmers Only: Chris Heisey and J.C. Sulbaran in the Futures game, and another Travis W. gets in on the shutout action

BK — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:00:14 -0000

Webb

As previously reported elsewhere, Chris Heisey and J.C. Sulbaran were named to the U.S. and World rosters for the Futures Game. Congrats, guys!
Louisville won big in Charlotte, as Sam Lecure pitched a beauty to shut out the Knights 7-0. LeCure gave up no runs on 5 hits in 6 innings of work, and struck out 7 while walking 3. Camilo Vazquez, Jeff Kennard, and Robert Manuel all pitched in relief to preserve the win. Everyone did their part for the offense, with every starter having at least one hit, and Luis Bolivar and Daniel Dorn collecting two. Dorn and Drew Sutton went deep, as the offense rolled. Up next: Ramon Ramirez takes on Charlotte at 7:15.
Carolina performed well for 9 innings, only to give up 2 runs in the 10th to lose in extras to Jacksonville 4-2. Tom Cochran had a good start, giving up 2 runs in 7 1/3 innings of work, but Sean Watson gave up a 2-run home run in his 3rd inning of work to lose it for the Mudcats. On offense, Jose Castro led the way going 3-for-5, and Chris Heisey and Chris Denove had two hits each. Up next: Dallas Buck takes the hill against Jacksonville at 7:15.
Travis Webb was downright awesome as Sarasota won a pitcher's duel 1-0. Webb pitched 5 innings of shutout ball, only giving up 2 hits, and The Cycle pitched 3 shutout innings of relief. Jason Bour had two hits, and Neftali Soto drove in the S-Reds only run on a groundout. Up next: Luis Montano takes the mound against Lakeland at 7.
Dayton saw a tie game broken in the 8th inning to lose 6-5. Dave Sappelt, Carlos Mendez, Michael Konstanty, and Kevyn Feiner all had two hits each, and Konstanty drove in 3 runs, but it wasn't enough to overcome 5 runs given up (3 unearned runs) by Josh Ravin. Up next: Lance Janke takes on Lansing at 7:05.

Joseph

Billings got rocked by Great Falls 17-4. Obviously, bad pitching was the story in this one, as Luca Panerati gave up 7 runs (5 earned) in his 3 innings of work, and in 2 innings of work each, Jason Braun gave up 3 runs (2 earned) and Mike Bohana gave up 7 runs (4 earned). Third round pick Donnie Joseph was the only bright spot, pitching 2 perfect innings while striking out 5 of the 6 hitters he faced in his pro debut. Tyler Stovall had two hits to lead the anemic offense, but obviously 17 runs is a pretty deep hole to dig up from. But either way, you have to be excited about what Joseph did. Up next: Justin Walker takes the hill against Great Falls at 9.
The GCL Reds lost in extra innings to the GCL Twins, 5-3. Billy Hamilton had another multi-hit game, going 2-for-5, and Yorman Rodriguez had three hits for the G-Reds. Carter Morrison drove in two runs, but that was the extent of the offense. Those were the first three hitters; the 4-9 hitters went 0-for-23 in the game. Tzu-Kai Chiu started the game, giving up 2 hits and no runs in 3 innings, but the G-Twins broke the game open against Michael Henry. Matteo Pizziconi came in and pitched scoreless ball in 1 1/3 innings, but Daniel Corcino gave up the winningruns in the 10th. Up next: The GCL Reds have an off day tomorrow.
Roster Moves: Homer Bailey will be making the start in the big leagues on Saturday, so his place in the rotation will be compromised soon. Travis Wood, perhaps? Maybe not, because Daryl Thompson is off the DL. Infielder Yen-Wen Kuo and outfielder Tony Brown are back with Dayton after a few starts in Billings.

Farmers Only: State of the Farm (05.28)

BK — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:49:21 -0000

Another off day, and another look at how the Reds minor leaguers are performing.

Teams:

LOUISVILLE BATS (AAA) - The Bats are 21-25 and 3rd out of 4 in the IL West, 3 games back of Columbus. Drew Stubbs and Norris Hopper are currently 12th and 14th in the IL in hitting, which is a huge improvement from the last time we checked in on them. Jonny Gomes, despite having been on the big league club for the last week, is tied for 3rd in the IL in home runs, is 6th in slugging percentage, and 7th in OPS. Looking for more HAVOC in the outfield? Drew Stubbs is 2nd in the IL in stolen bases with 16, and is 2nd in doubles. On the pitching side, Matt Maloney is 7th in ERA, and at 5-2, the newly acquired Justin Lehr is tied for 2nd in the league in wins. Matt Maloney is also 2nd in innings pitched and 7th in strikeouts.
CAROLINA MUDCATS (AA) - The Mudcats are 22-24, but that's good for 2nd in the SL North, 2.5 games back of Huntsville. Chris Heisey is still the man down here, with a 1.016 OPS to lead the Southern League. He's also 4th in OBP, 4th in AVG, 2nd in SLG, 7th in HR, and 5th in stolen bases. Juan Francisco is also hitting with some pop in his bat, as he's 3rd in the SL in HR and 2nd in RBI. The pitching is also another huge piece of the puzzle there, as Travis Wood is leading the league in ERA at 1.38. Also, Jordan Smith is 4th in that category and James Avery is 8th. Woody is also 7th in strikeouts and Smith is 3rd in WHIP.
SARASOTA REDS (A+) - Sarasota's 18-25 and in 5th place in the FSL South, 10.5 games behind Fort Myers. Yonder Alonso is 7th in the FSL in OPS, 6th in HR, and tied for 1st in RBI. Unfortunately, he's pretty much the only Sarasota Red that's hitting. Zach Stewart is 6th in the league in ERA, and is now in Carolina. Jeremy Horst is 9th in ERA and 2nd in innings pitched. Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette is tied for 6th in saves with 6.
DAYTON DRAGONS (A) - The Dragons are 18-28 and 5th in MWL East, and are 13 games back behind West Michigan. Featured Farmhand Cody Puckett is 10th in the MWL in OPS, 3rd in the league in HR, and 9th in RBI. Outfielder David Sappelt is 8th in stolen bases. Matt Fairel is 3rd in strikeouts.

Red Reporter Top 15 Prospects List:

#1 Yonder Alonso - 1B - .290/.367/.490, 6 HR, 35 RBI (Sarasota)
Yonder's hitting now, really in the swing of things. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the jump to Carolina soon.
#2 Neftali Soto - 3B - .264/.296/.377, 4 HR, 13 RBI (Sarasota)
We're seeing a really disappointing season for Neftali so far. Still plenty of time for him to turn things around, but he's been unimpressive so far.
#3 Todd Frazier - LF/1B - .308/.346/.450, 2 HR, 23 RBI (Carolina)
Todd's still putting up solid numbers across the board, except still not hitting many home runs. He could stand to walk more too, with a 22/10 K/BB ratio.
#4 Drew Stubbs - CF - .311/.405/.444, 1 HR, 15 RBI (Louisville)
Stubbs is looking like the leadoff hitter of the future, and putting himself in a pretty nice position for a September callup. His 16 SB is more than the current big league leadoff hitter, and he's got an 80% success rate.
#5 Chris Valaika - SS - .161/.210/.290, 3 HR, 7 RBI (Louisville)
Not much better than last time we checked, but he's been injured since May 7th.
#6 Juan Francisco - 3B - .247/.271/.458, 9 HR, 33 RBI (Carolina)
Same story as before. Solid numbers, and lots of power, but no plate discipline (47/7 K/BB).
#7 Daryl Thompson - SP - 1-2, 6.59 ERA, 8 K, 6 BB (Louisville)
Not great in 6 starts. Has gone pretty far to establish himself as below Matt Maloney and Ramon Ramirez on the depth chart.
#8 Kyle Lotzkar - SP
Kyle is still in extended spring training. Players have started to come out of there lately, so hopefully Lotzkar will be next. I'm anxious to see what he can do this year.
#9 Chris Dickerson - OF - .229/.369/.349, 2 HR, 7 RBI (Cincinnati)
Dickerson has turned into the solid 4th outfielder everyone thought he could be. Way to be, Dickie.
#10 Josh Roenicke - RP 1-0, 4 SV, 4.15 ERA, 16 G, 17.1 IP, 21 K, 2 BB (Louisville)
He's giving up more runs than he did last year, but his control has been stellar. Also, don't be alarmed with that saves number, Louisville seems to be doing a closer-by-committee thing this year.
#11 Devin Mesoraco - C - .185/.287/.319, 2 HR, 13 RBI (Sarasota)
From most reports, Devin's getting better with the pitchers, but the bat still hasn't come around. Time to be concerned?
#12 Danny Dorn - OF - .191/.256/.326, 5 HR, 12 RBI (Louisville)
Dorn isn't hitting either. He's been better lately, but still under the Mendoza line.
#13 Yorman Rodriguez - OF
Still extended ST, will probably start in the GCL.
#14 Zach Stewart - RP - 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 42 K, 10 BB (Sarasota/Carolina)
Z-Stew is putting together a hell of a season so far. In his 11 innings in AA so far, he hasn't given up a run yet.
#15 Juan Duran - OF
Same as Rodriguez, probably headed to the GCL.

5 Top Hitters (min 100 AB)

Chris Heisey (Carolina) - .357/.438/.577, 1.016 OPS
Jonny Gomes (Louisville) - .282/.361/.580, .941 OPS
Cody Puckett (Dayton) - .299/.347/.548, .895 OPS
Yonder Alonso (Sarasota) - .290/.367/.490, .858 OPS
Drew Stubbs (Louisville) - .311/.405/.444, .850 OPS

5 Top Pitchers (min 20 IP)

Logan Ondrusek (Carolina) - 3-0, 0.74 ERA, 16 K, 7 BB
Enerio Del Rosario (Sarasota) - 2-1, 1.32 ERA, 21 K, 5 BB
Travis Wood (Carolina) - 3-3, 1.38 ERA, 41 K, 29 BB
Zach Stewart (Carolina) - 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 42 K, 10 BB
Derrik Lutz (Carolina) - 1-2, 2.08 ERA, 17 K, 10 BB

10 More Prospects To Watch

Norris Hopper (OF, Louisville) - .305/.336/.405, 0 HR, 15 RBI
Zack Cozart (SS, Carolina) - .262/.340/.384, 2 HR, 19 RBI
Tony Brown (OF, Sarasota) - .267/.353/.383, 2 HR, 11 RBI
Byron Wiley (OF, Dayton) - .245/.393/.400, 2 HR, 15 RBI
Carlos Mendez (3B, Dayton) - .316/.347/.376, 1 HR, 13 RBI
Robert Manuel (RHRP, Louisville) - 2-2, 2.77 ERA, 22 K, 8 BB
Jordan Smith (RHSP, Carolina) - 4-0, 2.45 ERA, 22 K, 7 BB
Alexander Smit (LHSP, Carolina) - 1-0, 3.23 ERA, 35 K, 17 BB
Jeremy Horst (LHSP, Sarasota) - 2-4, 2.19 ERA, 36 K, 15 BB
Lance Janke (LHSP, Dayton) - 1-2, 2.90 ERA, 32 K, 5 BB

Farmers Only: What the heck happened to Pedro Viola?

BK — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:00:15 -0000

Louisville lost 7-2 to Norfolk, as for some reason Daryl Thompson left after pitching three scoreless innings. No word yet if it's an injury or not. Ben Jukich relieved him, and gave up 3 runs in 1 2/3 innings, but the all-of-a-sudden-terrible Pedro Viola gave up 4 runs to balloon his once spotless ERA up to 5.17 on the season. Drew Stubbs' first HR of the season was responsible for both of the Bats runs, and Kevin Barker and Craig Tatum both had two hits each. The offensive stars of the night for the Tides will be guys Reds fans know, as Matt Wieters (who was supposed to take over for our very own Ramon Hernandez) and Justin Turner (who was sent over in the Freel deal) both had two hits against Bats pitching. Up next: The Bats are off today.

Smith

Jordan Smith was excellent, as Carolina blanked Jacksonville 3-0. Smith went 6 innings and gave up 3 hits, no runs, no walks, and struck out 4. Ramon Geronimo and Sean Watson both pitched hitless relief out of the bullpen to secure the win. Chris Kroski went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and Todd Frazier was 2-for-4 to lead the offense. Demote Chris Heisey! Okay, not really, but he's 0-12 in his last 3 games. Up next: James Avery takes on Jacksonville at 7:15.

Webb

Sarasota won 4-2 as Travis Webb had a good outing and Sarasota's 3-8 hitters all had a hit to contribute to the cause. Webb went 6 2/3 innings and gave up 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 4. Enerio Del Rosario had another great outing to lower his ERA to 1.54, and Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette notched his 3rd save of the season with a 1-2-3 9th with 2 Ks. Neftali Soto and Alex Buchholz both had two hits on the night. Up next: Sarasota plays a doubleheader against Jupiter, with Luis Montano scheduled to pitch Game 1 and Rafael Gonzalez making his first start of the season in the nightcap.
Dayton lost 2-1 to Lansing. David Sappelt and Byron Wiley had two hits each, but the rest of the Dragons couldn't get much going. Josh Ravin gave up 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings in his start, and Steven Otterness pitched another 2 2/3 of scoreless relief to keep his ERA at 0.00 on the season in Dayton. Up next: Curtis Partch takes on Quad Cities at 8.

Farmers Only: Three games, three losses

BK — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:00:15 -0000

Daryl Thompson got shelled as Louisville got rolled by Durham, 11-6. Jonny Gomes and Wes Bankston hit their 8th and 7th HRs of the season respectively, and Drew Sutton had two hits for the Bats, including a double. Thompson started the game for the Bats, and didn't pitch well, giving up 5 runs in 2 2/3 innings. Up next: Ramon Ramirez takes on Durham at 7:05.
Carolina lost on a walk-off HR in the 9th, 4-3 to Birmingham. Juan Francisco hit his 6th HR of the season, and Sean Henry was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Chris Heisey had a hit to continue his season long on-base streak. Up next: James Avery takes on Birmingham at 8:05.
Sarasota was rained out again. They'll play a doubleheader today with Jerry Gil going in Game 1 and Jeremy Horst pitching Game 2. First game starts at 5.
Dayton lost too, 7-4 to West Michigan. Josh Ravin started for the Dragons and had control problems, walking 6 hitters in 4 innings, and gave up 5 R (3 ER). Dayton's 1-3 hitters were 0-11, but the 4-6 hitters were 6-12, with Carlos Mendez, Humberto Sosa, and Jose Gualdron each having two hits. Tony Brown was also 2-for-4. Up next: Curt Partch takes on West Michigan at 7.

Farmers Only: Weekend Review

BK — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:00:19 -0000

Only 6 games on the weekend for Reds minor leaguers.

Walk-off Wilkin

On Saturday, Louisville won 3-2 over Scranton/WB behind a (finally) good start from Daryl Thompson. Thompson pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 runs. On offense, Norris Hopper, Drew Stubbs, Kevin Barker, and Wilkin Castillo all had two hits. Sunday's game was a true pitcher's duel, as the Bats won again, 3-0 in 11 innings. Ramon Ramirez went 8 innings of shutout ball, and Pedro Viola and Josh Roenicke both pitched more than one inning in relief without giving up a hit. Viola's ERA is down again, to 0.66 now. Deadly. Wilkin Castillo was the hero, with a walk-off 3 run shot in the 11th, and Drew Stubbs was 3-for-4 for the Bats. Up next: Matt Maloney's next in line, as he takes on Scranton at 7:05.

8 shutout innings, dude

Carolina lost an up and down game on Saturday, 7-5. After Carolina broke the 3-3 tie in the 8th, Mobile came back with two in the top of the 9th with two runs. El Nino Destructor singled in his pet chupacabra to tie it in the bottom of the 9th, but Ruben Medina gave up two runs in the 10th to lose the game for the Mudcats. Eric Eymann, who has 6 hits in his last two games, was 3-for-5 to lead Carolina, and Juan Francisco, Zach Cozart, and Sean Henry all had two hits. Chris Heisey went 0-for-4, but walked in the 9th to extend his on-base streak to "every single game this season". The Mudcats were off on Sunday. Up next: Misael DeJesus takes on Birmingham at 8:05.
On Saturday, Sarasota won an extra inning game, 7-6 over Jupiter in 12. Neftali Soto hit his 3rd homer of the season, and Yonder Alonso, Denis Phipps, and Devin Mesoraco had two hits each to lead the offense. Jerry Gil started again, and gave up 6 ER in 3 1/3 innings. It's time to give this little experiment up, Jerry, your 10.36 ERA isn't getting it done. On the positive side of the pitching perspective, Enerio Del Rosario, Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette, and Ben Davis all pitched at least two innings of scoreless ball for the S-Reds. Up next: Luis Montano is the probable starter to take on Fort Myers at 7:05.
Dayton beat Kane County 7-5, as Kevin Coddington drove in 3 runs for the Dragons. Curtis Partch had a little bit of trouble, giving up 5 R (3 ER) in 6, but the bullpen was solid to keep the Dragons in the game. Sunday's game wasn't as lucky for the Dragons, as they got spanked by the Cougars, 18-3. Byron Wiley hit his first HR of the season and Frank Pfister had two hits to highlight the Dragons offense. The pitching was obviously bad. Forget that ever happened. Up next: Dayton's off tonight.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:00:18 -0000

Bailey

Louisville had three games over the weekend, dropping the series to Buffalo. In Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, Sam LeCure had some trouble with the Bisons offense, as he gave up 5 runs in 4 to lose 5-1. In Game 2, the Bats blanked Buffalo 2-0, behind a 7-inning shutout by Homer Bailey. Bailey's 1 walk, 5 strikeout performance may not be good enough for some people, but it's good enough for me. In the rubber match of the series on Sunday, Daryl Thompson pitched a quality start but didn't get any run support, as the Bats lost 4-1. Drew Stubbs is finally starting to come on as of late, collecting three hits on Sunday. He's batting .455 in his last six games. Up next: Ramon Ramirez is the scheduled starter, as the Bats open up a new series against Rochester, first pitch at 7:05.

Stubbs

Carolina split their two games over the weekend with Chattanooga, winning 3-2 on Saturday and losing 5-1 on Sunday. In Saturday's game, Chris Denove was 2-for-5 with a HR, and Zach Cozart and Sean Cumberland had two hits for the Mudcats. However, the pitching Saturday was superb, as Justin Mallett went 6 innings of 2 run ball, and the bullpen pitched 8 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball, combining to strike out 8. Federico Baez, Ruben Medina, Derrik Lutz, and Camilo Vazquez all pitched two innings each, with the latter two giving up no hits. In Sunday's game, James Avery had a solid start, but Sean Watson gave up 4 runs in relief to earn the loss. Todd Frazier had two hits for the Mudcats. Up next: Misael DeJesus takes on 'Nooga again, 7:15 ET.
Sarasota split their games as well, getting blanked 2-0 by St. Lucie on Saturday and winning 4-3 on Sunday. On Saturday, Zach Stewart pitched 8 strong innings, giving up only two runs and striking out 4, but the Sarasota offense could only muster up 3 hits. On Sunday, Jeremy Horst went 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball, and Ben Davis earned his 3rd save of the season. Carson Kainer had two hits for the S-Reds, Neftali Soto had two hits and a solo HR, and Yonder Alonso was 1-for-3 with a 3 run shot. Up next: Jerry Gil takes on Fort Myers at 7.
Dayton dropped both of their games to Fort Wayne, losing 6-1 Saturday and 4-3 Sunday. On Saturday, Matt Fairel had a rough outing, allowing 7 hits and walking 6 in his 4 2/3 innings of work. In Sunday's game, Josh Ravin pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 runs, but Andrew Bowman ran into some trouble in the 7th to break up the tie. Carlos Mendez went 2-for-4 with a HR for the Dragons, and Miguel Rojas had a home run of his own. Up next: Curtis Partch is the next starter in line as the Dragons face Fort Wayne again, 7:05 start.