SB Nation - Danny Richar

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:01:31 -0000

by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

Carlos Gomez makes the wrong kind of contact.

Some things to read while realizing you left your credit card in your other armor.

Thanks to Dan, Tyler and Rubie for filling in for me last week while I took a quick break to experience life in New York for a few days. Writing the Mug is no small feat, and all three of them did admirable work in my place, so be sure to stop by their sites today to thank them. It's good to be home. With that said, I'm going in for oral surgery in roughly an hour so I'm off again tomorrow, and I've lined up another of my favorite Brewer bloggers to fill in. I'm hoping to return on Wednesday but that will depend on how I bounce back and how coherent I am on Vicodin.

The Brewers, of course, saw fit to ruin a perfectly good day of my vacation by trading J.J. Hardy for Carlos Gomez. If you weren't around the site this weekend, you missed a lot of great content on the trade: Jordan weighed in with his disappointment, Jeff made the case for keeping Mike Cameron anyway, and Noah, writing his first weekend roundup, had a great collection of thoughts on the deal from around the web. With that said, there's still a bunch more out there:

The Transaction Oracle compared Gomez to Tom Goodwin and said, "Gomez's version of selectivity is staring blankly at a random pitch and then flailing at the next one."
Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press called Gomez "clueless" and said he "has the baseball instincts of an Icelandic grade-schooler." (h/t BBTF)
The Grand National Championships called Gomez "a Juan Pierre without all that incessant singles hitting."
TheJay has a look at the career paths of players who have made as many PAs as Gomez has at such a young age with such a low OBP. Not exceptionally pretty.
Aaron Gleeman says Gomez has gotten a bum rap, but also likes the deal for the Twins.
Miller Park Drunk has a roundup of other things people are saying about Gomez.
Meanwhile, despite Jeff's objections, Doug Melvin confirmed that the Brewers' decision to acquire Gomez means they won't make a push to retain Mike Cameron for 2010.
Nick's Twins Blog has an overview of the deal, including my scouting report for Hardy.
Twinkie Town has some questions about Hardy's defense (based largely on the comments of some frequent BCB'ers), and whether or not it's as good as advertised.
FanGraphs has a look at Hardy's defense, and rated him the third most valuable defensive player in baseball since 2007.
Along with the Red Sox (and presumably some others), the Reds confirmed interest in Hardy. Melvin didn't want to deal Hardy in the division, so he was forced to accept less from someone else.
The Ghost of Moonlight Graham called the deal a steal for the Twins.
Rubie Q called the deal "worst nightmare stuff."
Baseball-Intellect says the Twins got Hardy for "pennies on the dollar."
Sabernomics is having a hard time choosing a winner in the deal.
Jorge Says No! says this deal has the potential to be win-win.

As of this writing, 54% of voters in the poll on your right think the Twins won the trade, with just 13% picking the Brewers. Gomez is walking in the door with a large portion of the fans believing he's not worth much, and it can be tough to overcome that when you're carrying a sub-.300 OBP. This could be the deal that sinks Doug Melvin.

Now, the Brewers have to find a way to wisely spend the financial windfall. MLB Trade Rumors has the likely landing spots for this winter's top 50 free agents, and lists both Doug Davis and Jarrod Washburn as likely Brewers, and also lists the Crew as a potential interested party regarding Jon Garland. Meanwhile, they have Felipe Lopez as a Dodger, Mike Cameron as a Padre and Ben Sheets as a Ranger.

Beyond that, there's not a lot of Brewer news, unless you wanted to talk about the decision to decline David Weathers' option.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Exercised Brandon Webb's option for 2010.
Dodgers: Declined Jon Garland's option for 2010.
Nationals: Declined Austin Kearns' option for 2010.
Phillies: Exercised Cliff Lee's option for 2010 and declined Pedro Feliz's.
Pirates: Designated pitchers Virgil Vazquez and Eric Hacker and catcher Steve Lerud for assignment.
Red Sox: Declined their option for 2010 on Alex Gonzalez.
Reds: Outrighted outfielder Danny Richar and first baseman Kevin Barker to AAA. Both will be minor league free agents.
Rockies: Declined options on catcher Yorvit Torrealba and Alan Embree.
Royals: Declined 2010 options for Coco Crisp, Miguel Olivo and Yasuhiko Yabuta.
Tigers: Removed outfielder Marcus Thames and catcher Matt Treanor from their 40-man roster.
White Sox: Bought out the final year of Jermaine Dye's contract.

I'm going to wrap this up quickly, because my pre-surgery meds are starting to kick in:

Miguel Olivo has been mentioned as a potential option for the Brewers next season. Beyond the Box Score has a comprehensive list of things he does well.
Phil Birnbaum looks at the possibility that younger umpires have more accurate strike zones.
Baseball Reference wants your thoughts to help improve their site.
Seventeen congressmen voted no on a resolution congratulating the Yankees for winning the World Series. One of them was Wisconsin rep Jim Sensenbrenner. (h/t Baseball Musings)

On this day in 1982, Robin Yount was the unanimous choice to win the AL MVP after leading the AL in hits, doubles, slugging, OPS, OPS+ and total bases, while playing shortstop for the AL Champion Brewers.

It's also a big day for Brewer birthdays:

Dave Bush turns 30.
Angel Miranda, who appeared in 116 games as a Brewer between 1993 and 1997, turns 40.
Dion James, who was the Brewers' first round pick in the 1980 draft, turns 47.
Teddy Higuera, arguably the greatest pitcher in Brewer history, turns 51. You should celebrate his birthday by purchasing the sponsorship on his Bref page, which is available for $10.

Drink up.

Reds Have Some Work to Do with the 40-man Roster

Slyde — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:28:28 -0000

Travis Wood (Photo by BubbaFan)

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When the season ended, the Reds had a full 40-man roster plus 4 players on the 60-day DL who did not count toward the 40-man roster. In the next couple of weeks those 4 players (Mike Lincoln, Edinson Volquez, Wilkin Castillo, and Danny Richar) will lose their 60-day status and will have to be moved back to the 40-man or put through waivers. As far as I can tell, the only player on the roster who is a straight up free agent at the end of the season is Kip Wells. The only contract option the Reds have to consider this off-season is Ramon Hernandez's $8.5 million option, which one would think will be turned down. So, that opens up 2 roster spots, likely for Edinson Volquez and Mike Lincoln (since the Reds still owe him $2.5 million). Every other player appears to be under contract or under control because of Major League service time So, what do they do with the remaining two players, Castillo and Richar?

Before we figure that out, let's throw another wrench into the mess: The Rule 5 Draft. The Reds have several players in the minors who could be available for the Rule 5 Draft in December if they are not protected on the 40-man roster before the end of November. According to Wikipedia, here are the rules for eligibility:

Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization's forty man roster and:

- were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or

- were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.

Basically, this means that any players that were drafted or signed at the age of 19 or older in 2006 are eligible for the draft, and anyone younger than that must have been signed in 2005 or earlier. Who does that give us?

Well, the list of eligible players in the organization is actually quite long, but not every player is at risk of being drafted because of their skill or performance (remember, rule 5 draftees have to stay on the MLB roster for the entire season). Some of the names though are obvious keepers. Chris Heisey, Chris Valaika, and Travis Wood will likely be protected because of their prospect status. There are a couple of other names that could potentially get drafted if the Reds don't protect them as well. Someone like Daniel Dorn may have enough pop in his bat to sit on a team's bench all year as a left-handed pinch hitter. Enerio Del Rosario moved up 3 levels last year and posted a 1.68 ERA for the season. He's not really a power pitcher, which is typically the type of pitcher that gets drafted in the rule 5, but his control was outstanding last year and that may draw some eyes his way.

The Reds can't protect everyone, so they are going to have to make some choices. There is little doubt for me that they will find spots for Heisey, Valaika, and Wood. The question is, do they hold on to Castillo and Richar? Will they feel it necessary to protect any other minor leaguers such as Dorn or Del Rosario? And who do they drop? I'll put the 40-man roster after the jump. Let's hear who you think should stay and who should clear out some space.

**Reds Current 40-man roster**
Bronson Arroyo Homer Bailey Bill Bray Jared Burton Francisco Cordero Johnny Cueto Carlos Fisher Aaron Harang Daniel Ray Herrera Sam LeCure Justin Lehr	Mike Lincoln Matt Maloney Nick Masset Micah Owings Ramon Ramirez Arthur Rhodes Daryl Thompson Pedro Viola Edinson Volquez Kip Wells# Wilkin Castillo **	Ryan Hanigan Ramon Hernandez # Corky Miller Craig Tatum Yonder Alonso Kevin Barker Juan Francisco Paul Janish Brandon Phillips Danny Richar ** Scott Rolen	Adam Rosales Drew Sutton Joey Votto Wladimir Balentien Jay Bruce Chris Dickerson Jonny Gomes Darnell McDonald Laynce Nix Drew Stubbs Willy Taveras

#-Free Agent; **-60-day DL

Injuries Have Taken a Big Bite Out of the Reds This Season

Slyde — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Willy Taveras has been listed as day-to-day three different times this season, but "luckily" he hasn't landed on the DL. Chris Dickerson has not been so lucky.

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I don't like to use injuries as an excuse. Every team faces some injuries every season and the fact is this team is bad. They'd be bad even if everybody had been healthy. Maybe they wouldn't be as bad, but they are not winning anything with their current roster construction. I imagine if the majority of the roster had stayed healthy, they'd probably be pushing .500 at best.

That's not to say that the injuries haven't been brutal. I'm not sure exactly how this compares to past seasons numerically, but the Reds have been battered by injuries all year long. By my estimate, they have lost 538 days on the big league roster for players listed as day-to-day or on the disabled list. This isn't a completely accurate representation though since Wilkin Castillo and Danny Richar were brought up just a few days before getting injured. It's hard to count their missing days as doing much harm to the roster. Still, 17 players from the Opening Day roster have missed a combined 441 days to injury. It's hard for any team to recover from such a string of injuries, not to mention one that wasn't particularly good to begin with.

Probably the worst outcome of these injuries though is that it has prevented the brass from truly evaluating the team to identify the holes on the roster. I fully expect to hear excuses in the off-season that Willy Taveras or Alex Gonzalez was never truly healthy, but with no mention of the fact that neither player has been particularly healthy over the last 3 seasons.

If anything, that is what these injuries have done to the season - created a crap excuse. Well that, and taken Edinson Volquez out of the 2010 equation. Stupid injuries.

Special thanks to Fantasy Pitch Fx's Injury Tool for making the data available and reasonably easy to compile. After the jump I have a complete list of days lost to injury for the Reds in 2009.

2009 Reds Days Lost to Injury
(DTD = Day to Day, DL = Disabled List)
Player	DTD	DL	Current
Ryan Hanigan	6	0
Joey Votto	10	24
Brandon Phillips	7	0
Alex Gonzalez	11	35
Edwin Encarnacion	0	66
Laynce Nix	3	0
Willy Taveras	12	0
Jay Bruce	0	30	+
Ramon Hernandez	0	23	+
Chris Dickerson	5	15	+
Scott Rolen	6	0	+
Danny Richar	0	39	+
Wilkin Castillo	0	52	+
Micah Owings	0	16	+
Bronson Arroyo	3	0
Johnny Cueto	1	0	+
Edinson Volquez	0	85	+
Mike Lincoln	0	59
Jared Burton	0	15
Nick Masset	0	15
TOTAL	64	474	9

Friday Links: Reyes, Volquez, Bonderman

Brendan Scolari — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:54:11 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

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Some links for Friday:

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes says he intends to play even if he is not 100% according to the New York Daily News. Reyes said, "If I feel like I'm 80% and able to go, I'm going to play because I don't know if 100% is going to be there this year. I might have to learn to play at 80%."
Edinson Volquez threw a 65 pitch bullpen session this morning in according to Andrew Simon of MLB.com. This is his third bullpen session, part or his rehab for an elbow injury that has kept him out of action since the beginning of June. Simon also notes that shortstop Alex Gonzalez was activated from the disabled list today.
The Detroit News reports that pitcher Jeremy Bonderman is nearly ready to return to the majors according to general manager Dave Dombrowski. At least initially he is likely to come out of the bullpen.
Reds second baseman Danny Richar will have shoulder surgery next Tuesday and is out for the season according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen came off the disabled list Friday according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Outfielder Josh Anderson was designated for assignment to make room for Guillen.
According to the Delaware News Journal Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez will make his first rehab start on Sunday for Single-A Clearwater.
The Chicago Tribune reports that pitcher Freddy Garcia will throw 2-3 innings Monday for either Triple-A Charlotte or Single-A Winston-Salem as he continues to try to return to the majors.

Reds don't lose!

Brendanukkah — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:49:03 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

"Hey baby, I'm just gonna throw out this runner, then you and me can get to makin' a Jerry Hairston III." Seriously, what's up with the belt? (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

The pitching staff. Johnny Cueto, Arthur Rhodes, David Weathers, and Francisco Cordero combined for nine scoreless innings, only two hits allowed, and eleven strikeouts. There was the ugly matter of six walks, but hey, a two-hit shutout!

Key Plays

Cueto walked three men in the second inning, but was not haunted by them. Gerardo Parra was caught stealing, and Cueto struck out Chris Young and Jon Garland to escape the danger.
In the third inning, Danny Richar led off with a single, then Chris Dickerson hit a double. It would have been ambitious to have Richar try to score from first, but Mark Berry waved him around anyway, and he was out.
The only offense of note came in the sixth inning. Chris Dickerson singled to lead off, went to second on a ground out by Hairston, then was off and running on a single by Votto and beat the throw home. You can't spell "Canada Day" without "R-B-I" (if you're Quebecois).
The Diamondbacks threatened in the seventh inning when Arthur Rhodes came in. Gerardo Parra bunted his way on to lead off the inning, and Chris Young walked. Miguel Montero sac bunted them over, so there were runners on second and third with one out. Then Rhodes went to work. He struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Roberts, walked Tony Clark to load the bases, then got Felipe Lopez to fly out to right, ending the threat.

FanGraphs

Other Notes

Johnny Cueto has no losses against the Diamondbacks.
This shutout was the Reds seventh of the year. Only San Francisco and their rotation of Cy Young winners has more in the NL.
The Reds have not won a game 1-0 since August 8, 2007, but there were three other games tonight that ended with that score.
The Diamondbacks have lost 9 of 11. Never forget.
The Reds are .500 again (38-38). They're .500 at home (18-18) and .500 on the road (20-20). Still only three games out of first place though. One senses that one NL Central team will get hot for a ten day stretch, and at the end of the year it will have been the difference maker.

Final - 7.1.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Arizona Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	1	9	0
WP: Johnny Cueto (8 - 4) SV: Francisco Cordero (19) LP: Jon Garland (4 - 8)

Complete Coverage >

Reds see "Har-" is pitching, instinctively don't score runs. D'backs win, 6-2.

Brendanukkah — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:51:19 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Dan Haren looked like Joe Jackson tonight, the way he beat us with his bat. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Player of the Game

Dan Haren. Not only did he throw seven innings of one run ball, not only did he strike out nine batters, he also went 2-2 with a double and a home run.

Key Plays

In the second inning with two outs and two on, Miguel Montero singled to right field. Chris Young tried to score from second, but Jay nailed him at the plate. All those who complain that Jay is just a younger Adam Dunn are invited to cram it.
It spiraled out of control from there. Dan Haren doubled to lead off the third inning, but was erased on a throw to the plate from Jerry Hairston. There was one on, two outs, and the ground ball to Brandon Phillips should have ended things. Instead, he threw it away and there were runners on second and third. Singles by Gerardo Parra and Mark Reynolds put us down 3-0. And since Dan Haren hasn't surrendered more than three runs in a game all year, that was it.
Three innings later, Arroyo walked Tony Clark, then gave up back to back jacks to Miguel Montero and Dan Haren. The 8th hitter and the pitcher. And that's when you know it's not your night.
The Reds did break the goose egg in the seventh with doubles from Laynce Nix and Ramon Hernandez.
In the 8th, Danny Richar walked, Willy Taveras singled, and Votto got his hit. The bases were loaded with one out. If the Reds were going to mount any kind of threat, this was the time. Brandon Phillips flew out (Richar tagged and scored) and Nix flied out. That was that.

Fangraphs looks like the elevation map from Denver to Lawrence.

Other Notes

It was Dan Haren's first career home run.
The Diamondbacks had lost five in a row and eight of nine. Remember when we said that playoff teams should beat up on bad teams?
The Reds run in the seventh was only the eighth run that Haren has given up in six June starts.
The NIH says that symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include fingers that "feel useless or swollen," and "[d]ecreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks." Women are three times likelier than men to develop carpal tunnel. Get a haircut, Bronson!

Final - 6.30.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Arizona Diamondbacks	0	0	3	0	0	3	0	0	0	6	12	0
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	6	2
WP: Dan Haren (7 - 5) LP: Bronson Arroyo (8 - 7)

Complete Coverage >

Farmers Only: Not even a Vottomatic bat can help the Sarasota offense; maybe they should switch to Manuel

BK — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Rocketmanuel

Louisville beat Norfolk 3-1 behind 6 solid innings from Justin Lehr. Lehr only gave up 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 4 in the process. Jeff Kennard, Pedro Viola, and Robert Manuel pitched one perfect inning each to seal the win. Manuel earned his 5th save of the season, and second in two nights with the old closer Josh Roenicke pitching in the bigs. He's putting together a pretty solid year in relief, posting a 1.91 ERA with a 32/9 K/BB ratio. He's also got a WHIP of 0.96 and opponents are hitting just .196 off of him. Good to see the Paul O'Neill trade of '92 starting to pay off. Danny Richar continued his hot hitting, getting 2 of the Bats' 4 hits, including his 4th home run of the season. Batting 7th, Chris Valaika was 0-for-3 in his first game off the DL. Up next: Gwinnett comes to Slugger Field at 7:05. No starter listed, but Sam LeCure is next in line.
Carolina split a doubleheader with Tennessee, losing 7-6 in the first game and winning 6-3 in the nightcap. Zach Stewart had some trouble in Game 1, only pitching 3 innings and giving up 2 runs. No word yet on whether he's injured or not, but we'll keep you posted. 4 relievers pitched 2 innings each, with Logan Ondrusek blowing a save in the 6th and Ramon Geronimo blowing one in the 8th (in the extra innings of a 7-inning doubleheader game). Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette gave up the winning walk-off homer in the 12th. Zachary Cozart was on fire for the offense, hitting 2 homers and driving in 3 runs, and the extremely disappointing (sike) Yonder Alonso went 3-for-6 with a RBi as well. 3 lousy hits? Common! In Game 2, Travis Wood gave up an uncharacteristic 3 runs in 5 innings, but got the win anyway. His ERA ballooned to 1.36. Juan Francisco drove in 4 runs, including a 2-run HR, his 13th of the year to lead the Reds minors. Zach Cozart and Jose Castro had two more hits each for the Mudcats. Up next: Dallas Buck takes on Tennessee at 7:15.

Vintage Jo-eh

Sarasota got shut out 2-0 by Clearwater. The story of the game, obviously, was Joey Votto's rehab assignment. Votto went 0-for-2 with a walk in his 3 ABs. (Note: Cue the idiots who say "He can't handle single-A pitching? Trade him now!" You're idiots.) Travis Webb also had a shortened start, only going 3 innings. Scott Carroll came up big in relief, pitching 5 innings of one-hit ball. The S-Reds offense was dismal, only coming up with 4 hits on the evening, all singles. Up next: Sarasota's on their All-Star break until Monday. Representing the S-Reds in that game will be reliever Enerio Del Rosario and catcher Devin Mesoraco.
Dayton won against West Michigan 5-4 in walk-off fashion. Miguel Rojas was the hero, hitting a walk-off solo shot as the first hitter in the bottom of the 9th. Carlos Mendez also homered, and every Dragons starting position player had at least one hit. Matt Fairel was solid, pitching 7 innings and giving up 3 ER on 6 hits. He walked 4 hitters and struck out 6. Up next: Josh Ravin takes on the Whitecaps at 7.

Farmers Only Off Day Report: Who's hot as we approach the dog days of summer?

BK — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:02:04 -0000

Today on the off day, we'll take a look at who's hot right now in the minor leagues and recap the weekend's games. To judge the hitters we're looking at who's performed the best so far in June (min 25 AB or 10 IP).

Who's Hot (Hitters)

10. Juan Francisco (3B, AA Carolina) - June stats: .288/.351/.519, .870 OPS
El Nino Destructor's OPS is still pretty high because 3 of his 15 hits in June so far have been homers. His 12 round-trippers are good for 2nd in the Reds minor league system so far.

9. Drew Stubbs (CF, AAA Louisville) - June stats: .357/.391/.500, .891 OPS
Wow, that line would look pretty nice in the major league outfield right about now, wouldn't it? He's the most ready prospect the Reds have, and really needs a shot at the next level.

8. Daniel Dorn (OF/1B, AAA Louisville) - June stats: .294/.351/.559, .910 OPS
After an abysmal April and a pedestrian May, Dorn has come on lately in a big way. He should continue to play everyday in AAA, and could potentially position himself for a September callup with a strong su

mmer.

7. Todd Frazier (LF/3B, AA Carolina) - June stats: .340/.426/.553, .979 OPS
Frazier is picking up right where he left off in May, and one has to wonder what this guy needs to do to get a shot in AAA with Luis Bolivar and Michael Griffin manning 3rd for the Bats right now.

6. Denis Phipps (OF, A+ Sarasota) - June stats: .353/.452/.529, .981 OPS
A former undrafted FA and Midwest League All-Star last season, Phipps is putting together a quietly nice season in Sarasota, and sadly, is the only S-Red on this list.

5. Zachary Cozart (SS, AA Carolina) - June stats: .313/.421/.604, 1.025 OPS
Our current Featured Farmhand, after struggling a bit in May, Cozart is back in a big way. He's also gained his power stroke, hitting 4 of his 6 HRs in June.

4. Chris Heisey (CF, AA Carolina) - June stats: .313/.389/.667, 1.056 OPS
This is probably the first list of this kind that Heisey hasn't been at the top of. The difference between Heisey and the other guys on this list? This is his worst month so far.

3. Danny Richar (IF, AAA Louisville) - June stats: .433/.452/.633, 1.085 OPS
The lost part of the Griffey/Masset deal, Richar is on fire in June. He's likely not the answer long-term, but I'd rather see him on the roster right now over Alex Gonzalez.

2. Wes Bankston (3B/1B, AAA Louisville) - June stats: .372/.426/.721, 1.146 OPS
7 of his 16 hits so far this month have gone for extra bases. I'm not very convinced that he can cut it in the big leagues, but he's got the hot bat right now.

1. Drew Sutton (IF, AAA Louisville) - June stats: .294/.442/.706, 1.148 OPS
Here's the guy I'd like to see in red as soon as possible. The return from the Jeff Keppinger deal, Sutton is tearing the cover off the ball, and would make a terrific replacement for Adam Rosales.

Honorable Mention: Devin Mesoraco (C, Sarasota), Kevin Coddington (C, Dayton), Darnell McDonald (seriously)

Who's Hot (Starters)

T5. Lance Janke (LHP, A- Dayton) - 2.25 ERA in 12 IP
A 14th rounder last year, Janke has spent this season switching between the rotation and the bullpen. He's been pretty solid so far.

T5. Ramon Ramirez (RHP, AAA Louisville) - 2.25 ERA in 12 IP
In his 4 starts in Louisville after his stint in Cincinnati, 3 of them have been quality. Hitters are hitting just .213 off of him in June.

T3. Zach Stewart (RHP, AA Carolina) - 1.00 ERA in 18 IP
Stewart has picked up right where he left off in Sarasota and is putting together a fine season. His ERA in AA so far is 0.62 in 5 starts.

T3. Josh Ravin (RHP, A- Dayton) - 1.00 ERA in 18 IP
After struggling earlier in the season, Ravin's been great lately. Last year's 14th round pick, he may be on the move when the new prospects arrive in Dayton.

2. Homer Bailey (RHP, AAA Louisville) - 0.39 ERA in 23.1 IP
Homer has been dominant so far in June. His control has been very good as well, with 23 strikeouts to just 4 walks.

1. Travis Wood (LHP, AA Carolina) - 0.00 ERA in 22 IP
Woody is putting together an awesome season. He deserves a shot at the next level more than anyone right now, but there's a logjam of starters in Louisville right now.

Relievers who haven't given up a run yet in June (min 5 IP)

Logan Ondrusek (AA Carolina) - 9 IP
Joseph Krebs (A+ Sarasota) - 9 IP
Sean Watson (AA Carolina) - 8 IP
Josh Roenicke (AAA Louisville) - 5.2 IP
Robert Manuel (AAA Louisville) - 5.1 IP

Weekend Recap:

Louisville won both games in Columbus over the weekend. On Saturday they won 7-2 in a game where our very own Charlie Scrabbles was in attendance. Drew Stubbs, Wes Bankston, and Darnell McDonald all had 3 hits for the Bats, and Justin Lehr pitched a complete game 3-hitter for his 8th win of the season. In Sunday's game, the Bats won 7-5. Sam Lecure started the game and kept the Bats close, and Robert Manuel, Pedro Viola, and Josh Roenicke shut the Clippers down with 4 scoreless innings of relief. Danny Richar and Drew Stubbs had 3 hits each, and Wes Bankston hit his 11th HR of the season. Up next: Ben Jukich takes on Norfolk at 7:05.
Carolina lost 10-3 on Saturday against West Tenn. Jordan Smith struggled in his start, and Jerry Gil broke the game open in relief, giving up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Chris Heisey went 2-for-5 with his 12th HR of the year to lead the offense, and Jose Castro went 2-for-4. In Sunday's action, the Mudcats won 4-3 on a strong start from Dallas Buck, fresh off the DL. He only went 4 inning but giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in his first start back is a good sign. Sean Watson pitched 3 one-hit innings to get the win in relief. Sean Henry was the star for the offense, going 4-for-4. Chris Heisey hit his 13th HR of the year too. Up next: The Mudcats played today at noon and (spoiler alert) they won 2-0 in 5. More details to come tomorrow.
Sarasota split a pair of games against Lakeland. They lost on Saturday 7-1, as starter Travis Webb got lit up. Jake Kahaulelio went 2-for-4 and drove in the S-Reds only run. On Sunday, they won 11-7, behind a 3-run HR from Neftali Soto. Jake Kahaulelio, Jason Bour, and Mariekson Gregorius had 3 hits each, and Rafael Gonzalez pitched a quality start for his 1st win of the season. Up next: Luis Montano takes on Clearwater at 7.
Dayton split their games over the weekend as well. On Saturday, they lost to Fort Wayne 7-2. Matt Fairel got lit up and Andrew Means went 2-for-4 with a run batted in. On Sunday, they dismantled Lansing 13-0 behind 6 shutout innings from Josh Ravin. Ravin struck out 8 and walked 2 while only giving up 2 hits. Byron Wiley hit a grand slam for the Dragons, and David Sappelt was 2-for-4 with a 3-run shot. Up next: Curt Partch takes on Lansing at 7.
Roster Moves: Reilever Mark Pawelek was assigned to Sarasota. He was the Cubs first rounder in 2005.

Farmers Only: "We're going streaking! Everybody's doing it... we're going through Five County Stadium into downtown Zebulon!"

BK — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:22 -0000

Henry

Louisville finally lost, 7-3 to Pawtucket. Although he struck out 7, Sam Lecure was not the the cure for anything, giving up 5 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings. Wes Bankston hit his 9th HR of the season, and Danny Richar was 2-for-4 with a double. Up next: No scheduled starter for the Bats as they take on the PawSox again, but Ramon Ramirez should make the start at 7:05.

Denove

Carolina dismantled Tennessee 12-3 to extend their winning streak to 8 games (and sweep the Smokies in a 5 game series), in a game that was shortened to 8 innings by rain. Sean Henry led the way by going 3-for-4 with his 5th home run of the season and 4 runs scored, and Chris Denove was 4-for-4 with 3 doubles and 2 RBi. Zachary Cozart hit his second home run in as many games, and Todd Frazier also had two hits. Chris Heisey went 2-for-5 with his 10th HR of the season and 3 RBI. He's hitting .384. Please call him up, Walt. James Avery was decent in his first start back from the DL, giving up 3 runs in 5, and Sean Watson shined in relief, pitching two perfect innings. Up next: Alexander Smit(.com) takes on Jacksonville at 7:05.
Sarasota lost to Brevard County 7-6 in a 14-inning marathon. After a blown save by FSL All-Star Enerio Del Rosario in the 9th, it looked like this one was over in the 10th after Del Rosario gave up another run. Lucky for the S-Reds, a balk by Manatees pitcher Robert Wooten scored Denis Phipps, the tying run. It went 4 innings after that, and in the 14th Jesus Carnevale gave up a hit to score the winning run. It was a long night, and Devin Mesoraco, Neftali Soto, Denis Phipps, and Justin Tordi all had two hits apiece. Up next: Jeremy Horst takes on Brevard County at 7.
Dayton beat South Bend 6-3 on a strong start by Josh Ravin. Ravin went 6 innings and gave up 1 unearned run on 3 hits for his 2nd win of the season. It's great to see, as he's really struggled, losing his last 5 in a row up to last night. Another guy who's really performing is Aguido Gonzalez, who pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings for his 5th save of the season. Offensively, they spread the love around, with David Sappelt, Kyle Day, Humberto Sosa, and Andrew Means with 2 hits each. Up next: Curtis Partch takes on South Bend at 7.
Roster Moves: James Avery was taken off the DL, and Derrik Lutz was placed on it at AA Carolina. Jake Kahaulelio is back with Sarasota after spending most of the season sidelined.

Farmers Only: Well, we figured out what happened to Justin Mallett

BK — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:00:20 -0000

The past few days, we've been wondering why the Reds suddenly released pitcher Justin Mallett off of their AA team in Carolina on Friday. Well, wonder no further. According to ESPN, Mallett tested positive for a "drug of abuse", and has been suspended for 100 games (its his second offense). He isn't much use to the Reds right now, and you have to think that his career may be over, as his suspension will start after he signs with a major league club and not many teams will take a flyer on a 27-year old who has a 100 game suspension in front of him.

Louisville won their 4th in a row, 4-2 over Pawtucket. Justin Lehr started and pitched well, going 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball to earn his league leading 6th win of the season. Danny Richar led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a solo HR, and Wes Bankston and Daniel Dorn both went deep for the Bats as well. Up next: Sam LeCure takes the hill against Pawtucket at 7:05.
Zachary Cozart was the hero for Carolina, as his walk-off homer netted the Mudcats a 4-3 win against Tennessee to extend their streak to 7 games. Jordan Smith had another good pitching performance, giving up 3 runs in 8 strong innings. Yonder Alonso and Chris Heisey both had two hits for the Mudcats. Up next: James Avery goes for the 5-game series sweep, at 7:15.
Justin Reed was 3-for-3 but the rest of the Sarasota offense couldn't get anything together, as they lost to Brevard County 5-0. Travis Webb was okay in his start, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up 2 runs. Up next: Luis Montano takes on Brevard County at 7.
Dayton came back in the 10th to beat South Bend 3-2. It was 1-1 though 9 innings, with Dayton's run scored on Cody Puckett's 10th HR of the season, and South Bend took a 2-1 lead off of Mark James in the 10th (in James' 4th inning of work). In the bottom of the inning, Kevin Coddington singled, and David Sappelt reached on an error, scoring Coddington to tie the ballgame. Miguel Rojas singled him in for the winning run. Matt Fairel started the game for Dayton, giving up one hit and no runs in only 5 innings. Not sure why he got taken out, but hopefully it won't be an injury. He's having a monster season so far. Up next: Josh Ravin takes on South Bend at 7.