SB Nation - Luis Bolivar

Braves Re-sign Mariano Gomez, Add Six Other Minor League Free Agents

cbwilk — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:45:49 -0000

If Brent Clevlen can put all 5 of his tools together at once he could make himself a valuable part of Atlanta's team.

Gondeee got an early scoop on the Braves inking some Minor League free agents this week, but it was unconfirmed. Well, it's now official and Gondeee did indeed have himself a scoop. The Braves have brought back LHP Mariano Gomez and have added 1B Gerardo Avila, 1B Mauro Gomez, 2B Luis Bolivar, 2B Juan Gonzalez, 3B Eric Duncan, and OF Brent Clevlen.

Gomez spent all of 2009 with Gwinnett and had the best season of his career, posting a 8-4 record, 8 saves, 1.99 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP in 72.1 innings covering 47 appearances. He is tall (6'6") and lanky, creating some unusual angles and difficulties for hitters. He'll be 27 during the 2010 season and will likely be invited to Major League Spring Training with the Braves and be given a chance to fight for one of the last spots in the bullpen.

Clevlen is the best of these signings; he is an top notch defensive outfielder, capable of playing all three outfield positions along with possessing a strong, accurate arm. The 26 year old has played in 55 Major League games with the Tigers, hitting just .233 in 80 plate appearances from 2006 to 2008, shining in 06 with when he hit .282 with a 958 OPS in 42 plate appearances, hitting 3 home runs. He's spent most of the last three years with AAA Toledo and hit .261 with a .768 OPS, 26 doubles, 16 homers, 64 RBIS, and 10 stolent bases there this season. Aside from his defense, his biggest upside may be as a right handed hitter able to mash lefties, as he hit .331 with a 1.002 OPS and 8 home runs against lefties this season in just 151 at bats.

The 23 year old Avlies comes to the Braves from the Mariners' system where he spent last year playing for their short season Everett affiliate (basically the same level as Danville), hitting .333 with a .950 OPS, 13 home runs, and 54 RBI in just 231 plate appearances. In a five year caree he has only played 211 games and has yet to make it out of A ball. While he played some outfield early in his career, he's now limited to first base and isn't the best defender. His numbers and age don't suggest much future success so a Braves scout must have seen something he like and convinced the organization to sign him for lower level depth.

The other M. Gomez is a 25 year old first baseman who has spent the last two years playing for High A Bakersfield in the Rangers' organization. He had a monster season, hitting .285 with a .868 OPS to go with 35 doubles, 38 home runs and 94 RBIs. He also managed to strike out a whopping 141 times, good for 26% of his plate appearances. He's played a little bit of third base in his career but doesn't seem to be very good there; conversely, he appears to be a solid, if unimpressive first baseman.

Bolivar, who will be 29 at the start of the 2010 season, could be a candidate to sever as a utility player on Atlanta's bench. Primarily and middle infielder, he's played every position except catcher during his 8 year career in the Reds' system. He's best suited for second base where his skill set fits the needs of the position, but he has a strong enough arm and is athletic enough to be more than adequate around the field. His versatility is key since his bat isn't strong; he hit just .232 with a .620 OPS in 380 plate appearances for AAA Louisville this season. And, he strikes out a lot for a player without power, wiffing 70 times this year. He did steal 28 bases, his highest total in 5 season. At worst, he'll provide versatile depth for Gwinnett.

Atlanta will be the 6th organization for Gonzalez, who will be 28 at the start of the 2010 season. Mostly a shortstop early in his career, he's played more second and third base in recent years. Like Bolivar, he's athletic enough and has a strong enough arm to play around the infield and, also like Bolivar, his skill set makes him most suited for second base. The similarities don't stop there as his bat is also weak; splitting his season between AA Chattanooga and AAA Albuquerque he hit just .229 with a .637 OPS in 288 plate appearances. Unfortunately though, he doesn't have much speed anymore. He probably won't get much of a shot to make an impact on the Major League team an actually seems destined to provide depth for AA Mississippi.

Duncan, who has played a fair amount of first base in his career, and a little bit of outfield, in addition to his natural third base, isn't related to Shelley Duncan, though the two have been teammates for several years. This Duncan was actually the 27th overall pick by the Yankees in the 2003 draft, though he's never lived up to expectations, failing to ever make it to the Majors with New York. Through the 2006 season he seemed to be progressing well, even if he wasn't living up to his lofty draft status expectations, but since then he has stalled out in AAA for three seasons, with his percentage stats falling each year until this season when he managed to hit just .242 with a .527 OPS in 345 plate appearances for Scranton-Wilkes Barre. A change of scenery may be what he needs to turn things around, as it was no secret that he became disenfranchised with the Yankees' organization, seeing little chance of moving up given their preference to trade for veterans and sign free agents instead of promoting from within.

It was reported that the Braves had also signed 1B-OF Mitch Jones but that has yet to be confirmed. If true it would be a great signing as the 32 year old is coming off an oustanding 2009 season that saw him make his Major League debut with the Dodgers and hit .297 with a 1.015 OPS, 26 doubles, 35 homers, and 103 RBIS in 434 plate appearances for AAA Albuquerque.

The Braves also lost one of their own Minor League free agents as 2B Chris Burke signed with the Reds. Burke played well for Gwinnett, hitting .285 with a .752 OPS in 309 plate appearances. One of Burke's Gwinnett teammates, LHP John Halama wasn't technically a Braves' free agent, since he was released just after the season to allow him to pitch in the playoffs for the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the same team the Braves signed him from during the year, was signed by Milwaukee. Halama was also decent for the G-Braves, collecting a 4-7 record, 4.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 90.1 innings covering 16 appearances (13 starts).

There will surely be more Minor Leaguers joining and leaving the Braves and, as always, we'll keep you up to date here at Talking Chop.

CB Wilkins is the author of the baseball novel Four-A. The story follows a relief pitcher over the course of a year as he bounces between AAA and the Majors, attempting to balance his dreams and his reality. It can be purchased here: https://www.createspace.com/3407939

Braves Sign Matt Diaz, Others

gondeee — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:21:56 -0000

Kudos to the Atlanta Braves for getting one of their arbitration eligible players signed already for next year -- something that can usually drag on into spring training. Matt Diaz agreed to a one-year $2.55 million deal in the last 24 hours, that's a raise of over $1 million from last year's salary of $1.237 million.

That leaves three players who remain unsigned by the Braves; second baseman Kelly Johnson, and relievers Peter Moylan and Boone Logan. Midnight tonight is the deadline for the Braves to offer them a contract. That doesn't mean they have to come to terms, they simply have to be tendered a contract for 2010. The Braves are expected to face a tough decision on Kelly Johnson, who is likely to make around $4 million and may not have a starting role.

I got an email from a reader alerting me to several minor league signings as well as international signings by the Braves. I'm trying to get them to source this information, so until then consider it as unsourced:

Minor League signings not posted on site yet: Mariano Gomez LHP, Gerardo Avila 1B, Luis Bolivar 3B, Eric Duncan 3B, Mauro Gomez 1B, Brent Clevlen OF, Mitch Jones OF, Juan Gonzalez OF

International Signings to date:
Mexico - Daniel Castro (ss), Javier Morales (rhp)
Panama - Abraham Espinosa (rhp), Luis Madrid (ss)
Venezuela - Erick Maldonado (of), Jesus Saldeno (rhp), Elias Valdez (lhp)
Nicaragua - Enrique Medina (lhp), Elieser Salmeron (of)
Dominican - Emmanuel Daniel (of)
Spain - Alejandro Martinez (ss)

Current players expected to receive visas from DSL: Juan Flores OF Victor Cadette RHP Luis de Luna RHP Amilcar Gaxiola LHP Andy Otero LHP Jorge Paulino RHP Williams Perez RHP Alexis Pinto LHP Ernesto Silva RHP Erick Epifano IF Omar Llapur 1B Edison Sanchez 3B

No, that is not the Juan Gonzalez, I believe he's an outfielder of the same name who played last with the St. Louis organization.

The reader also passed along this article on our baseball academy in Tenerife.

Eyewitness Report: Louisville Bats vs. Durham Bulls

BK — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:18 -0000

So last Friday night, Slyde, jsl413 and I ventured down to Louisville to watch the Reds AAA affiliate take on Durham in Game 3 of the first round of the IL playoffs. We had a pretty good time. Slyde got some pretty sweet tickets for $12.50 each. We ended up about halfway up the box seats, one section to the left of home plate. Here's a view from our seats:

That, my friends, is prime real estate. More about the game (and more pics) after the jump.

We were treated to quite the lineup on our trip, and everyone in the Louisville lineup had at least one hit. Sam Lecure started the game for the Bats, and pitched pretty well for the most part.

He was throwing in the 88-91, and has some off speed stuff that is absolutely filthy. He had one rough inning, but the rest of his game wasn't bad.

Yonder Alonso hadn't done much for the Bats since getting called up before the playoffs started. In his first home game in Louisville, he didn't disappoint.

Yonder went 2-for-3 with a solo HR (to the opposite field to left), and a pretty nice diving stab at 1B to save a run on the defensive side.

Similarly, this guy also had a good game.

ROAR! El Nino Destructor also had a decent defensive play, and was 2-for-5 with a RBI.

On the other hand, not everyone had a great game.

That's Todd Frazier, and he struggled at the plate for most of the night. He got badly fooled in one at bat and didn't really hit anything hard all evening. He did end up redeeming himself big time by continuing rallies by hitting infield singles in the 7th and 9th, but I didn't come away impressed. We didn't get much of an opportunity to see some of that vaunted 2B defense, but he did turn a pretty nifty double play to save a run. (The Francisco-Frazier-Alonso DP combo was sick.)

A few other notes from the game:

Louisville Slugger field was pretty good. Cheap tickets, free parking down the street, and a fairly cheap food and beer selection. I got an Amber Bock draft that would have cost me $8.25 at GABP for $4.75.
We met up with xjjeep90 at the park, where he sat in our section for the entirety of the game. Good times. No word on where Rick House was, and we didn't meet Red_Poodle either. What gives, Poodle!?
Chris Valaika didn't look like he's anywhere close to being a major league player. He looked bad for most of the game, and ended up striking out to end the game. Maybe he just had a bad game, but I thought he looked better when I saw him in Spring Training in March.
Out of the 12 total hits, minus the 2 home runs by Chris Denove and Alonso, the rest of the hits were singles. Of those 10 singles, probably 6 were infield hits.
Jeff Kennard is a career minor league journeyman. He pitched two pretty decent innings. If there's room for him, I wouldn't mind seeing him in camp next spring.
Speaking of journeymen, Lew Ford started in RF for the Bats. Let's just say he didn't impress too many people.
I like what I saw from Chris Heisey. He had a hard-hit single, which is more than you can say about most of the other players on the team.
That being said, every position player on the Bats had a hit. It sure didn't seem like it.
Jay Bruce struggled in his rehab start at DH. He looked great on his hit and ran the bases well in his 2nd AB, but kind of jogged to 1B in his first AB when he reached on an error.
The most impressive pitcher on the field wasn't on the Bats. That honor belonged to Durham's Winston Abreu, who closed out the game for them. He threw in the upper 90s, and he struck out the side in the 9th (Heisey, Bruce, and Valaika). Alonso and Francisco both managed to fight in their ABs to get infield hits.
It should also be noted that Valaika batted in front of Alonso, which seemed ridiculous at the time. Even more ridiculous when you figure that Yonder could have been up with the game on the line other than Valaika.
Logan Ondrusek warmed up at some point, and he looked kind of out of place. I didn't realize this, but he's listed at 6'7", and probably was taller than that. It reminded me of any professional basketball team with a token white center from eastern Europe over 7'4".
It was a really exciting game, to be sure. After taking a lead on a home run by Chris Denove, the Bats were down 4-1 after LeCure got roughed up a bit (in a time that seemed like a split second). They then battled back to score a run each in the 6th (Alonso's HR) and 7th (smawl-bawl!).
In that 7th inning, they had a walk, a single to left by Luis Bolivar, and two infield hits by Frazier and Francisco, both of those with 2 outs. Chris Vaiaika killed the rally. At this point, jsl and I decided he should have been batting 7th instead of Alonso.
In the 8th, Yonder led off with a single, and was stranded at 3rd. This would have been a good time to see Danny Dorn pinch hit, but that didn't happen. (Another guy we didn't get to see was Zack Cozart, who didn't play the entire series. Huh?)
Once again in the 9th, Frazier and Francisco started a rally with 2 outs, and were stranded by Valaika. Not his night. Bats lose 4-3.

All in all, it was a good experience, despite the game outcome. I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere there, as the fans were extremely into the game and knew who most of the players were.

I'm already thinking an RR outing in Louisville needs to happen next year too. Takers?

Farmers Only: You're the Manz now, dog

BK — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:00:27 -0000

Louisville lost to Columbus 7-2. Sam Lecure had a fairly rough start, going 6 innings and giving up 6 runs total, although only 4 were earned. Luis Bolivar enjoyed taking over the leadoff position and the RF job for the Bats, hitting two of the Bats 4 hits on the evening, both of them triples. Up next: The Bats take on Columbus at 7:05.
Carolina was off. They'll take on Montgomery at 8:05.

Horst

Sarasota got shut out by Palm Beach 3-0. Alex Buchholz had two of the S-Reds' 6 hits, and Jeremy Horst got the tough luck loss in his start. Horst pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 runs (both unearned) and struck out a season high 11 hitters. Up next: The S-Reds try to put some offense together against Charlotte at 7.
Dayton lost to South Bend 4-2 behind a decent start by Mark Serrano. Serrano went 5 innings and gave up 3 earned runs, while striking out 6. Up next: Justin Walker takes on Lansing at 7.

Manz

Billings lost big to Helena 11-3. The big story here was Trey Manz, who was 4-for-5 with a HR to lead the offense. Up next: Blair Carson takes on Missoula at 9:05.
The GCL Reds beat the GCL Orioles 7-2 behind a stellar outing by Tyler Cline. Cline pitched 7 innings of 2-hit shutout ball to earn his 5th win and lower his ERA to 2.09. Henry Rodriguez smacked a grand slam for the G-Reds and Juan Silva and Jefry Sierra had two hits each. Up next: Sawks at noon.

Farmers Only: El Nino Destructor commences his consumption of Louisville children

BK — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:27 -0000

Louisville added two insurance runs in the 7th that it turned out they needed, as they barely beat Indianapolis 7-6. Juan Francisco was 2-for-4 with his first homer in AAA. Luis Bolivar homered too and Chris Valaika was 2-for-4 with two doubles. Travis Wood gave up 3 runs in 6 innings of work to get his 3rd win of the year in AAA. Despite one rough start, Wood has a 2.93 so far in 5 starts so far. Up next: Matt Maloney takes on Indy at 7:05.
Luis Montano had one of his better outings, but still earned the decision in Carolina's 5-2 loss to Jacksonville. Shaun Cumberland homered for the Mudcats, but it wasn't nearly enough. Up next: Tom Cochran takes on Jacksonville at 7:05.
Sarasota beat Jupiter 9-2 as the offense finally got going. Neftali Soto was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, and Dave Sappelt, Denis Phipps, and Jason Louwsma all had two hits each. Travis Webb pitched a good game, going 5 innings of 2-run ball, and Josh Beal and Mark Pawelek each pitched two shutout innings out of the bullpen. Up next: Lance Janke takes on Jupiter at 7.
Dayton only got 3 1/2 innings in before they were rained out. They're winning 4-1, but will finish the game up today, before J.C. Sulbaran takes on Fort Wayne.
Billings beat Idaho Falls 12-5. The offense spread the love around, as Efrain Contreras and all but one starter had a hit. Blair Carson had a good start, going 6 1/3 innings of 3-run ball, and Brian Pearl notched his 4th save of the year. Up next: Leonardo Astorga takes on Idaho Falls at 9:05.
The GCL Reds finished up a game from another day, and played their regularly scheduled game as well. They won the first one 13-7, with Billy Hamilton having 3 hits. They scratched by in the 7-inning second game 3-1 as well, with Tyler Cline having another good start. Cline gave up 1 run in 5 innings, and Ramon Rodriguez pitched two perfect innings from the bullpen. Up next: Sawx at noon.

Farmers Only: J.C. Sulbaran roughed up in Dayton

BK — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:00:23 -0000

Louisville beat Lehigh Valley 12-8, despite Ben Jukich's getting roughed up. The Soulsucker gave up 7 runs (5 earned) in 4 2/3 innings, but the offense picked him up and the bullpen was excellent, with Enerio Del Rosario pitching two shutout innings to close the game out. Luis Bolivar was 2-for-5 with 4 RBI in the game, Darnell McDonald drove in 3, and Kevin Barker and Daniel Dorn drove in two runs each with their two hits. Corky Miller had three hits on the night as well, but the best hitter of the game was Lehigh Valley's Jason Ellison, the former Reds bucket of suck. Up next: The Bats take on Toledo at 7:05 behind Matt Klinker.
Carolina lost to Birmingham 5-3, despite a decent outing by Tom Cochran. He pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs (only 2 earned) and struck out 6. Logan Parker homered, and Todd Frazier and Juan Francisco were both 2-for-4. Up next: The Mudcats take on Birmingham at 7:15. Tom Cochran is the listed starter, though he won't start since he got the start last night.
Sarasota lost to Jupiter 5-3. Lance Janke was the tough luck loser, despite a good outing of 4 2/3 innings of 1-earned run ball. Neftali Soto was 2-for-4. Up next: Curt Partch takes on Fort Myers at 7:05.
J.C. Sulbaran started for Dayton and didn't last long as the Dragons lost to West Michigan 14-2. It all came unraveled for J.C. in the first, as three errors in the inning (two by Carlos Mendez at 3B) led to 7 unearned runs, and 9 runs total in the 2 outs that Sulbaran was able to get. Shea Snowden gave up 2 runs in his 5 1/3 innings of relief work. Surprisingly, every Dragons position player got a hit, with Alexis Oliveras collecting two. Up next: Chase Ware makes his first start of the season against West Michigan at 7.
Billings beat Idaho Falls 6-4. Cristobal Rodriguez went 3-for-4, Yorman Rodriguez was 1-for-2, and Mark Fleury was 2-for-4 with a triple. Luca Panerati gave up 6 runs in his 4 innings of work, and James Walczak only gave up 2 hits in 4 innings of relief. Up next: Tim Crabbe takes on Casper at 9:05.
The GCL Reds beat the GCL Red Sox 4-3. Tucker Barnhart got his first professional hit, and Juan Silva and Derrick Lowery each had two. Harold Johnson finally got a little roughed up, giving up 3 runs in 5 innings, and Michael Henry and Raul Rodriguez both pitched two scoreless innings of work. Up next: The GCL Twins at noon.

Farmers Only: Mark Serrano is the new ace in Dayton

BK — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:00:22 -0000

Louisville lost 10-9 to Lehigh Valley in 10 innings. After scoring in the 9th to take a 9-8 lead, the Bats gave up runs in the 9th and 10th, the latter coming off of an error by pitcher Sean Watson. Matt Maloney was not good in his start, giving up 6 runs in 5 innings, and Logan Ondrusek allowed a solo shot in the 9th, his first run as a Bat. Chris Heisey and Wes Bankston both had 2 hits, a homer, and 3 RBI, and Luis Bolivar and Darnell McDonald had two hits each as well. Up next: Ben Jukich gets the start against Lehigh Valley at 7:05.
Carolina lost 9-1 to Birmingham as Luis Montano continued his rough stretch. Jose Castro was 2-for-4 and Stephen Chapman hit his 5th HR of the year. Up next: The Mudcats take on Birmingham at 7:15 behind Zach Ward and his 23.14 ERA. Yikes.
Sarasota beat Jupiter 4-2 behind a strong outing by Travis Webb. Webb gave up 4 hits in 7 shutout innings, while striking out 4. Denis Phipps and Jake Kahaulelio each homered, and Neftali Soto was 2-for-4. Up next: Lance Janke takes on Jupiter at 7:05.

Serrano

Dayton won an exciting game 5-4 in extra innings. The Dragons had a 3-0 lead going into the 9th, but gave up 3 to tie, and it looked bleak when they gave up a run in the 13th, but they put up 2 in the bottom of the inning to win the game on an error. Mark Serrano had a great start in his 7 innings of work. He gave up 2 hits and no runs, and struck out 10 while walking nobody. Josh Fellhauer was 3-for-5, including a triple to lead off the 13th inning, and Cody Puckett hit a solo shot, his 17th of the year. Up next: The Dragons take on West Michigan at 7. J.C. Sulbaran gets the start.
Billings got destroyed by Idaho Falls 11-2. Ricky Bowen gave up 2 unearned runs in his 3 inning start, but the bullpen imploded. Chris Richburg was 3-for-4 and Yorman Rodriguez and Sean Conner were 2-for-4 with a RBI. Up next: Luca Panerati takes on Idaho Falls at 9:15 ET.
The GCL Reds supposedly played, but their score wasn't posted on MiLB.com for some reason. More info as I get it.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:00:39 -0000

With everything going on around the trade deadline, the minor league system got a little shakeup over the weekend.

Roster Moves: Lots of new faces in Louisville. Catcher Chris Denove takes Brian Peterson's place, who was released. New faces on the Bats pitching staff are Matt Klinker in the rotation (taking Lehr's place) and Enerio Del Rosario and Lee Tabor in the bullpen (replacing Wells and Stewart). In Carolina, Jake Long takes Denove's spot at backup catcher and Luis Montano joins the Mudcats rotation. Sarasota welcomes Curtis Partch to the rotation, catcher Jordan Wideman, and reliever Aguido Gonzalez. New faces in Dayton are pitchers Mike Bohana and Shea Snowden from Billings, infielder Yen-Wen Kuo, and new acquisition Chase Weems. Infielder Derrick Lowery is with the GCL Reds.
Louisville lost their first two games over the weekend before winning Sunday's game. They lost to Toledo 8-6 on Friday night, with the pitching staff getting lit up. Ramon Ramirez started, and only went 2 innings, giving up 1 run. This proved to be a bad omen, as Pedro Viola gave up 4 runs in relief. Enerio Del Rosario pitched two shutout innings in his AAA debut, and infielder Michael Griffin pitched a scoreless 9th to keep the Bats in the game. A good day for the Bats outfield, as Drew Stubbs was 3-for-4, Chris Heisey had two hits, and Daniel Dorn homered. They lost a closer game Saturday, 3-2 to Charlotte. Matt Maloney started, pitching 7 2/3 innings of 3-run ball, striking out 5. Logan Ondrusek pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Luis Bolivar, Kevin Barker, and Chris Valaika each had two hits. At least the Bats won Sunday, behind a strong offense, 8-5 against Charlotte. Barker and Corky Miller had two hits each, and 5 different Bats drove in runs. Matt Klinker gave up 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings in his AAA debut. I think it's safe to say he was a little jittery. Lee Tabor gave up 2 runs in 3 1/3 innings in relief to earn his first win. Up next: Sam LeCure takes on Charlotte at 7:05.
Carolina lost all three of their weekend games, losing 9-8 to Chattanooga on Friday, and 4-1 and 11-1 to Tennessee. On Friday, most of the scoring was done early, as it was 8-8 going into extras before The Cycle gave up an unearned run in the 12th to earn the loss. Jake Kahaulelio, playing SS, was 4-for-5 and only a HR away from hitting for the cycle. In Saturday's game, Luis Montano gave up 4 runs in 6 in his AA debut. Sean Watson was good out of the bullpen, giving up 2 hits in 2 innings, but the Mudcats couldn't get any runs against David Patton (former Reds Rule 5 pick). 4 hits total, with Todd Frazier (playing 2nd) driving in the only run. Sunday was even worse, with Zach Ward and Chris Kelly combining to give up 11 runs in the first 5 innings of the game. Frazier was 2-for-4, and once again scored the Mudcats only run. Up next: Tom Cochran goes against Tennessee at 7:15.
Sarasota lost all 3 of their games to Brevard County. They lost 3-2 on Friday, where Travis Webb and Alexander Smit(.com) combined for 5 innings of 1 run ball. No word as to why Webb only pitched 2 innings. Dave Sappelt and Devin Mesoraco each had two hits, and Mesoraco hit his 8th HR of the year. They were shut out on Saturday 4-0 as Neftali Soto had 2 of the 5 S-Reds hits. Curtis Partch gave up 4 runs in 5 innings in his High-A debut, and Steven Otterness pitched 3 shutout relief innings. They lost again, 4-2 on Sunday, behind not much offense and a shaky bullpen. Pedro Villarreal pitched 5 innings of 1-run ball in his start, and Soto and Denis Phipps both homered. Up next: Sarasota's off today.
Dayton were winners over the weekend, beating Burlington in 2 out of 3 games. They won 2-0 on Friday, lost 5-4 on Saturday, and won 7-1 on Sunday. Jordan Hotchkiss (5 IP), Ezequiel Infante (3 IP), and Scott Gaffney (1 IP) combined for a 6-hit shutout on Friday, and Yen-Wen Kuo drove in the Dragons winning run. Josh Fellhauer, Carlos Mendez, Byron Wiley, and Enrique Rojas had two hits each on Saturday. Mark Serrano pitched 5 shutout innings on Sunday, and Chase Ware and Donnie Joseph were good in relief. Kuo, Mendez, and Alexis Oliveras all had two hits, Fellhauer and Humberto Sosa homered, and Chase Weems was 1-for-4 in his Dayton debut. Up next: Dragons take on Great Lakes at 7.
Billings lost 2 of 3 to Helena over the weekend. They lost 4-2 on Friday, despite a decent start by Leonardo Astorga. Sean Conner homered, and Yorman Rodriguez had a tough night, going 0-for-4 with 4 Ks. Conner homered again in Billings' 8-5 win on Saturday, with Ricky Bowen gaving up 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings in his start. They lost Sunday's game 3-1. Luca Panerati finally pitched a quality start, and Jason Braun pitched two perfect relief innings. Up next: The Mustangs start a new series against Great Falls at 9:05.
The GCL Reds were off Friday, but lost their Saturday game 7-4 to the Rays and 9-3 to the O's. Juan Silva was 3-for-4 on Saturday. Up next: Red Sox at noon.

Farmers Only: Relief pitching is good, unless you're in Montana

BK — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:00:22 -0000

Wells

Louisville beat Syracuse 5-4. Sam Lecure started the game, and gave up 3 runs in 4 innings. Not sure why he was lifted, more on that as I found out more. Kip Wells was exceptional in relief, pitching 4 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 6 and getting the win. Josh Roenicke pitched a scorless 9th for his 12th save. The offense wasn't spectacular, with Luis Bolivar and Wes Bankston with 2 hits each. Up next: Travis Wood makes his AAA debut as the Bats take on Syracuse at 7.

Gil

Carolina beat Huntsville 7-5 behind a big night by Juan Francisco. El Nino Destructor was 4-for-4, including 2 HR (his 17th and 18th) and 3 RBI. Roar. Todd Frazier was also good, going 2-for-4 with his 12th HR of the season. Scott Carroll only pitched two innings in his start, and gave up 3 runs. Similar to the Bats game, Jerry Gil was stellar in relief, giving up only one hit in 4 scoreless innings of work. Enerio Del Rosario and Logan Ondrusek pitched perfect 8th and 9th innings, with the latter getting his 7th save of the year. Up next: Camilo Vazquez takes on Huntsville at 7.

Horst

Jeremy Horst ran into some more bad luck, as Sarasota lost 8-3 to Dunedin. Horst gave up 3 earned runs in 5 innings, but still earned the loss. He ran his record to 5-11, but his ERA is 3.42, which is good for 12th in FSL. For the offense, Dave Sappelt led the way going 3-for-4, and Neftali Soto, Kyle Day, and Shane Carlson each had 2 hits. Up next: Rafael Gonzalez takes on Dunedin at 7.

Serrano

Dayton scored in the 9th to tie Wisconsin, but the Timber Rattlers came out victorious, beating the Dragons 5-4 in 11 innings. Kevyn Feiner was 4-for-5, and Tony Brown was 2-for-4 with a HR. Mark Serrano pitched 4 one-hit innings in relief, striking out 5. Up next: Dayton takes on Kane County at 7.
Billings blew a 6 run lead in the 9th to lose to Missoula 8-7. Bryan Gardner walked the first 4 hitters in the inning, and Daniel Corcino balked in a run, gave up 2 singles, and gave up a walk-off 3-run homer to lose the game. They owe Tim Crabbe dinner, as Crabbe pitched 5 innings of 1-run ball and struck out 7 hitters and got nothing to show for it. On offense, Chris McMurray was 3-for-4 with a HR, and Efrain Contreras, Tyler Stovall, Thomas Nurre, and Frank Pfister all had two hits each. Up next: Biair Carson looks for better luck against Missoula at 9:05.
The GCL Reds won 3-0 with 3 promising pitchers combined for a 6-hitter and struck out 10. Daniel Tuttle pitched 4 shutout innings in his first pro start, the Italian Stallion Matteo Pizziconi gave up 1 hit in his 2 innings of work, and the only Taiwanese Red Tzu-Kai Chiu struck out 5 in 3 innings to get the save. Juan Duran was 3-for-4 to lead the offense, and Yovan Gonzalez went 2-for-2. Not having a good day was Yorman Rodriguez, who struck out 4 times in his 4 at bats. Up next: The GCL Reds take on the GCL Twins at 11am.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:00:38 -0000

So not having power for 16 hours on Saturday prevented me from having this up yesterday, so we'll look at the big performances over the weekend bullet-style, plus recap Monday night's games.

In Louisville, Wes Bankston was 3-for-4 on Friday.
Kevin Barker was 3-for-4 with his 16th HR on Saturday.
Ben Jukich pitched 8 innings of 2-hit, 2-run ball, and struck out 6 on Saturday.
Adam Pettyjohn pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief on Saturday, and gave up 1 unearned run.
Zach Stewart pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief on Saturday.
Kip Wells got lit up on Sunday.
Infielders Michael Griffin and Luis Bolivar both pitched scoreless innings in relief on Sunday, with Bolivar getting the win.
Stephen Chapman had a pinch hit homer for Carolina on Saturday.
Tom Cochran pitched 5 innings of 2-hit ball on Saturday giving up 1 unearned run and striking out 6.
Travis Wood pitched 7 more shutout innings on Sunday, while giving up 4 hits and striking out 8. 18 scoreless innings now, and he hasn't given up a run since July 3rd.
Carson Kainer was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI on Sunday.
For Sarasota, Jake Kahaulelio was 3-for-5 on Saturday.
Scott Carroll gave up 2 runs in 8 innings on Saturday.
Justin Freeman pitched 3 shutout innings in relief on Saturday, striking out 5.
Enrique Rojas was 4-for-4 for Dayton on Saturday.
Lance Janke pitched 7 innings and gave up 1 run on 4 hits on Saturday.
Matt Fairel pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball on Sunday, striking out 7.
Alexis Oliveras was 3-for-5 on Friday for Billings.
Mariekson Gregorius was 3-for-6 on Friday.
Sean Conner was 2-for-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI on Sunday.
Blair Carson pitched 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief on Sunday.
Donnie Joseph pitched another perfect inning on Sunday to lower his ERA to 0.77.
Harold Johnson and Jeremy Ware pitched 4 shutout innings each for the GCL Reds on Friday.
Danny Vicioso was 3-for-5 with a HR on Saturday.
Tyler Cline pitched 6 innings of 1-hit scoreless ball on Sunday, while striking out 6.

And for Monday's games...

Justin Lehr won his 12th game of the season as Louisville beat Buffalo 5-1. Lehr went 8 innings of 1-run ball, and a likely jetlagged Robert Manuel pitched an inning as well. Darnell McDonald and Chris Valaika both went deep, and Drew Stubbs and Brian Peterson both had two hits. Alex Gonzalez and Chris Heisey both had one hit and drove in a run each. Up next: Matt Maloney takes on Buffalo at 7:05.
Carolina was off. They'll take on Huntsville at 8.
Sarasota won 3-2 against Clearwater. Dave Sappelt went yard, and Kyle Day went 2-for-4 with a double. Rafael Gonzalez went 6 innings of one run ball. Up next: Travis Webb takes on Clearwater at 7.
Curtis Partch had a quality start as Dayton won 6-3 against Beloit. Every position player in the lineup had at least one hit, with Carlos Mendez, Cody Puckett, and Josh Fellhauer having two. Fellhauer also hit his 2nd HR of the year. Up next: Dayton's off.
Billings lost 6-3 to Ogden. Mark Fleury hit his first professional homer, and Mauricio Pimental had 2 hits. Up next: Shea Snowden takes on Ogden at 9:05.
The GCL Reds were rained out yesterday. They're off today.
Roster Moves: Lots of 'em. New faces in Louisville include catcher Brian Peterson and infielder Eric Eymann from Carolina, Alex Gonzalez on rehab, and Sam LeCure is on the DL. Infielder Justin Tordi, catcher Jason Bour, and FSL All-Star reliever Enerio Del Rosario are with Carolina in AA. Even more interesting is the newest Red in Sarasota, pitcher Zach Ward. Remember him? The Reds traded him in 2006 for Kyle Lohse. He's back. Also joining the S-Reds are pitcher Chris Kelly and Kyle Day, who's listed as a DH but has been used as a corner infielder. Alex Buchholz is finally back with them off the DL, too. After a short stint in Billings, Humberto Sosa is back with the Dragons in Dayton.