SB Nation - Samuel Deduno

Tuesday Rockpile: Arbitration offer deadline is today - Rockies to decide on Betancourt

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:08:19 -0000

Arbitration: some people get it, and some people just don't.

It is December 1, meaning today is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration, at least to qualify for draft pick compensation. Betancourt is likely the only Rockie to receive salary arbitration offer, writes Troy Renck, leaving Joe Beimel, Jason Marquis and Yorvit Torrealba free. Betancourt is a no-brainer. If he accepts arbitration, he'll make less than he would have made had the Rockies exercised his option, but if he declines and signs elsewhere, the Rockies will receive two high and shiny draft picks. Also, as WolfMarauder noted, Troy Renck also suggests the Rockies are interested in Fernando Tatis, Bobby Crosby, Rich Aurilia, Justin Duchsherer and Miguel Batista.

On a national scale, MLBTradeRumors has spent time inquiring the minds of beat writers everywhere to compile his Arbitration Offer Predictions For Free Agents.

Two highlights from FOX Sports Offseason Buzz: the Rockies will likely keep Ryan Spilborghs and the Diamondbacks are looking at improving via trade rather than free agency.

The Rockies received their postseason share (Renck). Their share of the player's pool totaled over $1.77mil. Just as the Rockies did with the family of Mike Coolbaugh, the Angels awarded a full share to the family of Nick Adenhart.

Samuel Deduno is a hot name on Rockies' farm (Harding). The 26-year old could be a strong dark horse to join the bullpen next season if the cards fall right.

Thomas Harding also writes that "about 200" broadcasters have applied for the job to replace Jeff Kingery in the radio booth. The club will decide sometime in "early 2010," which only tells us they are handing it out as a holiday gift.

Speaking of broadcasters, Chip Caray is out at TBS, a divorce reported as mutual. Hat tip to RhodeIslandRoxFan

It is certainly a bleak year for free agent pitching. The Hardball Times searched for someone to best compare top free agent John Lackey to, and you might like the comparison. Click under the fold to find out:

Clone Wars: John Lackey and Jason Hammel
That's right, Jason Hammel.

W ERA K BB WHIP K/9 BB/9 GB% HR/FB% FIP BABIP
John Lackey 11 3.83 139 47 1.27 7.09 2.40 44.9% 9.1% 3.73 0.309
Jason Hammel 10 4.33 133 42 1.39 6.78 2.14 46.2% 9.7% 3.71 0.337

Granted, the author isn't saying Hammel is as good of a bet to best Lackey next season, but for your value either in a fantasy draft pick or salary dollar, which pitcher would you rather have?

Friday Rockpile: NLCS Results, Minor League Top 20's

Russ Oates — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:54:01 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Jhoulys Chacin came in 4th on Baseball America's Texas League Top 20 list.

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Phillies 8, Dodgers 6 - The Good Phight
"Had 'em all the way, Harry: the Phillies outlasted the Dodgers in an exhausting, exhilarating 8-6 win in the first game of the National League Championship Series."

Dodgers' Aces Felled By A Pair Of Treys - True Blue LA
"The Phillies used the time-honored tradition of walks and extra-base hits to defeat the Dodgers 8-6 in Game 1 of the NLCS."

Renck: Utley's confession four days too late - The Denver Post
Yep, Chase Utley admits the ball hit him. At the end, Renck believes that Cleveland may want to look at Clint Hurdle for their managerial position, Eric Wedge having been fired at the end of September.

Since it is the offseason, we will need to do a new Top 30 PuRPs, though voting won't take place for a few weeks. But until there will be much to ponder. As a starting point, let's take a look at Baseball America's Top 20 lists for Rockies prospects:

BaseballAmerica.com: Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects
Nolan Arenado, 8th
Chris Balcom-Miller, 9th

BaseballAmerica.com: Northwest League Top 20 Prospects
Tim Wheeler, 5th - Scouting report for him isn't hot on his defense, which could move him out of center and into left.
Rob Scahill, 15th - Fastball has gone as high as mid 90's, slider is above average. Needs changeup to continue as a starter
Ben Paulsen, 16th - Exclusively a first baseman, not a good runner, but it's his bat that will carry him. Very aggressive at the plate.

BaseballAmerica.com: South Atlantic League Top 20 Prospects
None, but Christian Friedrich would have been high on the list had he qualified.

BaseballAmerica.com: California League Top 20 Prospects
Christian Friedrich, 2nd

BaseballAmerica.com: Texas League Top 20 Prospects
Jhoulys Chacin, 4th - Didn't always show plus command of his fastball, but still one of the most polished pitchers.
Esmil Rogers, 7th - Easy mechanics, willing to go after hitters. Still needs to work on changeup.
Michael McKenry, 14th - There are scouts who believe he has reached his potential, but would be a good backup catcher.
Samuel Deduno, 20th - Scouting report says that the life on his pitches causes confusion for batters, catchers, and umpires because they don't know where the ball will wind up.

BaseballAmerica.com: Pacific Coast League Top 20 Prospects
Esmil Rogers, 12th

Fall 2009 Top 30 PuRPs List

Russ Oates — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:38:54 -0000

	Fall 2009 PuRPs List	Ballots	Sum	Pnts
1	Christian Friedrich	28	810	810
2	Tyler Matzek	28	808	808
3	Jhoulys Chacin	28	804	804
4	Esmil Rogers	28	713	713
5	Eric Young, Jr.	28	666	666
6	Wilin Rosario	27	622	622
7	Hector Gomez	27	619	619
8	Mike McKenry	28	608	608
9	Rex Brothers	28	583	583
10	Casey Weathers	28	559	559
11	Chris Balcom-Miller	28	529	529
12	Tim Wheeler	26	504	504
13	Charlie Blackmon	28	501	501
14	Samuel Deduno	27	486	486
15	Nolan Arenado	26	386	386
16	Brandon Hynick*	27	382	382
17	Chris Nelson	28	360	360
18	Juan Nicasio	27	330	330
19	Cole Garner	26	324	324
20	Chaz Roe	27	291	291
21	Kiel Roling	24	240	240
22	Parker Frazier	23	228	228
23	Delta Cleary	24	225	225
24	Darin Holcomb	21	204	204
25	Shane Lindsay	22	178	178
26	Matt Reynolds	16	117	117
27	Mike Zuanich	17	95	95
28	Scott Robinson	12	88	88
29	Edgmer Escalona	11	78	78
30	Ben Paulsen	11	54	54

The last five out were: Kent Matthes, Alving Mejias, Craig Baker, Cory Riordan, and Bruce Billings. Thanks to jlot10 for providing the calculations that determined the list.

* - No longer with the organization.

Purple Row interviews Marc Gustafson, Part 3

RockiesMagicNumber — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:00:35 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

The Present, The Future

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In our final installment of our interview with Rockies Director of Player Development, Marc Gustafson, we round out our questions about the draft and the talent acquired, and ask Marc to give some reflections on the Major League club and how his involvement has shaped the product on the field today.

You can read Part 1 and Part 2 to give you the full experience.

On behalf of Purple Row, we'd like to take a moment and thank the Colorado Rockies and Marc Gustafson for taking time on the road to speak with us and give us some insight into the club's operation, as well as Jay Alves and the people that made this interview possible.

And as always, viewers like you.

RMN: Now, going back to our recently drafted players, we have Chris Balcom-Miller in Casper. We had a user go up to a Ghosts game, and he was able to scout him a bit for us. We're hearing a lot of gopher-killing rumors. Do you envision pushing him to Modesto next season, or will he be a slower developer?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, I think there's a definite conversation we'll be having about him. We try to stay pretty patient with the guys and where they move, and there's nothing wrong with sending someone to a level, and having a lot of success, and THEN moving them. He'll be a hot topic of conversation because of the great start he's having. He's a little bit like Brandon Hynick - Brandon pitched in Casper when he first came out, and did a very great job. Balcom-Miller has a little more arm strength, but definitely pounds the strike zone. Very aggressive, they're not scared. So that's a good situation when you're looking at Balcom-Miller coming out, whether it be Asheville or Modesto.

RMN: Jordan Pacheco: Does he stay as a catcher?

Marc Gustafson: Yes, yes, yes. He's done a tremendous job. We've taken a guy from the middle infield position and put him behind the plate. The way he can receive the ball and run a ballgame, he has confidence behind the plate, he has leadership ability. To have that type of potential behind the plate, we're real happy to have him.

RMN: It's good to hear that have people who have a good sense of the game down there, not ALL raw talent. Now, let me jump to the big name here, Tyler Matzek. Matzek was obviously a huge signing for the club, both in terms of having a top-notch prospect in the system as well as a good PR move for people following the draft. With an advanced young pitcher who already has command of a couple of solid pitches, how is the organization anticipating him starting out? Is he looking to be on the fast track, or what are you guys thinking about him now?

Marc Gustafson: Well, right now we're just getting him settled in. He's on a throwing program in Casper. He hasn't pitched competitively since his High School career came to an end. We're just building up his arm strength and taking it slow. He will not pitch in a game this year for Casper, but he will be ready to pitch in the Instructional League in Tucson. Once he gets settled in, and we get to know him a little bit, he gets to know us, obviously the sky's the limit for him; he's a premium talent. We'll be patient. He's probably looking at an Asheville situation next year to start out, see where it takes him. Right now we're just getting him settled in to the Rockies' system.

RMN: We were looking forward to 2010 anyhow. Now, on draft day, how much was Matzek even talked about as a possibility before the draft happened and he fell to #11?

Marc Gustafson: Well, we didn't think there was any way we were going to have a chance to even select him. Our guys had him very high on the board, and what an awesome opportunity for us to select a left-hander that has the talent that he possesses. When he was there, Bill Schmidt didn't hesitate. He went after the most talented guy on the board.

RMN: How do you balance your selections? How do you balance between filling organizational needs and simply taking the best player available?

Marc Gustafson: Well, early on, there's no doubt about it: You take the best player available. When you get down into day 2, day 3 of the draft, then you're bringing up the topic of organizational needs. Billy Schmidt and his guys, they spend many, many hours talking about them and where they fit in on the board. That board is set up for a reason, and if they're available, and it's not a situation of a medical concern or a psychological concern, or any issue like that, then they're going to select them.

RMN: Does Bill Schmidt make the final decision on Draft Day?

Marc Gustafson: Yes.

RMN: Now that we have a humidor somewhat equalizing things in Coors Field - we've seen a lot of pitchers coming in the early rounds - should we expect to see less stress on pitching in the first round of the draft in future years, as it's been a tendency since the franchise's inception.

Marc Gustafson: Well, early on when we first started, when Pat Daugherty was our scouting director and Bob Gebhardt the GM, you have to try and find guys that are going to move quick and you have to select for organizational needs, and they did a fine job of that. As we've evolved throughout the years, and we've got some more tools in the cupboard, if you will, and we've got some depth, we're definitely going to try to balance the approach and take a very very close look a pitching mechanics and deliveries, things of that nature, and figure out who doesn't have the best projection, and who has the best potential. We don't even think about the Coors Field factor internally, that doesn't even come up. That's just something...those are the old days for us, personally, and I think I can speak for everybody else on that matter. It's time, it's patience, you've got to develop and hang in there, and really work hard at it. Rolando Fernandez, you have to give a lot of credit to Rolando and his staff in Latin America. You know, Ubaldo Jimenez, [Manuel] Corpas, and Franklin Morales, and now we're looking at [Samuel] Deduno, [Jhoulys] Chacin, [Esmil] Rogers, when you mix in those guys that Bill Schmidt and his scouting department come up with, and that's really a neat situation.

RMN: Now, a lot of the mainstream media doesn't seem to understand that Coors Field doesn't play as it did in the 90s. Do the pitchers in the minors still look at Coors Field as being the Terrordome?

Marc Gustafson: Absolutely not. I always laugh, too, because I still hear it. You turn on ESPN or whatever the show is, and everybody says that you can't pitch at Coors Field. I just don't get it. It doesn't work out that way. If you look at the numbers, and I'm sure you have, Coors Field - you'd rather pitch at Coors Field rather than Citizen's Bank Park, I would think.

RMN: Or Chase, for that matter.

Marc Gustafson: Or Chase, or a lot of different places. No, we don't talk about it internally. We don't even think about it, to be quite honest with you. We're going to teach guys how to pitch down in the strike zone. We're going to make sure they can command the fastball, we're going to make sure they have feel for a changeup. We want guys that are tough, we want guys that have heart, we want guys that compete. That's kind of the philosophy when we look at pitching.

RMN: I have to say, it speaks strongly to the scouting and the development to say that this is - I would argue this is the best pitching the Rockies have ever seen.

Marc Gustafson: It's been pretty solid, you bet.

RMN: I only have a couple more, and we'll let you get back to your day. Dexter Fowler: Obviously a fan favorite now, speedy guy, I met him at Spring Training in Tucson in 2008, seemed like a really friendly guy. You've obviously seen a lot of Dexter Fowler coming up in the minors. What do you feel the next step for his development is? We see a lot of 5-tool potential in him, what's the next step for him?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I'll go back to Day 1 when Dexter came into the system; you've seen it, as you've seen him evolve. It's just the physical strength and maturity; it's the belief that he belongs on the field every day. You're taking a premium athlete and you're running him out there as often as you can. The more he's out there playing, the more ABs he gets, the more confident he gets. Confidence, with a guy like that, sky's the limit for his talent and his potential impact in the game. It's been wonderful to see. I remember when he first started switch-hitting; he could barely hit the ball out of the cage left-handed. Now, you're starting to see him (before he got the knee injury), he was driving the ball the other way. He had power pulling the ball as a left-handed hitter. It's been fun to see his development. Mainly, it's just his strength and being out there every day, and his confidence.

RMN: Well we've definitely seen the improvement as the season's gone on. A lot of the people have settled down on his rookie foibles, and we're really excited to see him and Gonzalez roaming Center Field.

Marc Gustafson: That's a nice combination. Going back to one of your original questions: to be able to acquire Carlos Gonzalez and Huston Street. What a wonderful story that is, because with Carlos, you're looking at the same type of potential impact as Dexter, in a 5-tool type player. Those two out in the OF together...I'd be hard pressed to come up another set of outfielders who can cover as much ground as those guys.

RMN: We know that Brad Hawpe has a bit of trouble with RF range, and I don't mean to speak disparagingly, but it's good to know that we have a little bit of insurance with guys able to cover a lot of ground and cover the gaps well. Now, looking at the major league club, and this is just kind of a fun question for you, out of all the talent, and most of it being homegrown, who was the hottest prospect coming up when they were a prospect?

Marc Gustafson: Wow. That's a tough one. Oh man, there've been so many special memories for me as the guy who introduces them. That's the best part of the job, when you get to meet them, and when you get to see them at the big league level. I think Tulo - obviously Tulo went pretty quick through our system. Just watching him on the backfields in Spring Training and during Instructional League, you knew there was something very very special there. He'd be a highlight for me. Obviously Dexter would be a highlight. Jimenez. Ubaldo Jimenez, to see him evolve into what he's become, that's certainly a great memory for us in the minor league system. That's tough, I don't think I could single out one specific guy.

RMN: Which is very fair. It's very encouraging to see Ubaldo really filling out that talent he has. For years we heard "Oh, this Ubaldo Jimenez kid, he's going to be all the big deal" and then in '07 he was struggling in AAA, and we thought "Oh no" and he's proved every doubter wrong.

Marc Gustafson: Right, right. That's a great point that you make, and it brings up maybe Eric Young Jr., and they said, "You couldn't do it" and now look at him; he's there. Matt Daley, a non-drafted player, he's up there. There's just so many wonderful memories of guys who've spent their time in the minor league system and they believed in themselves, they worked hard, and they got there.

RMN: Speaking of Eric Young, we hear the reports from FSN and the Post: How active has Eric Young Sr. REALLY been in making sure that Eric Young Jr. has his nose to the grindstone?

Marc Gustafson: I don't think words can describe how hard this guy works, and what he has done in the minor league system to prepare himself each and every day. I have to give his father the credit. He brought him up, he taught him the work ethic, he taught him the ability to focus each and every day. EY Jr. grew up in that type of atmosphere, and you know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when you compare the two. Really a special family and a great story.

RMN: We have a lot of fans who were original Blake Street Bombers fans who've fallen a bit out, and don't know the farm as well, and when they say "Eric Young's playing again?!" and we say "No, no, it's his son! And he looks just like his daddy!"

Marc Gustafson: Haha, it's pretty neat.

RMN: I have one last question for you, Marc, and we'll call it quits here. What is your proudest moment of personal direct involvement on the organization? It's a bit of a broad question, but let's give you some credit.

Marc Gustafson: I think so far, throughout these years, when we got to the World Series, and we looked out on the field, and they were all playing together, and it wasn't long before that they were all playing together in the minor league system. Probably the proudest moment was when we were all together as a player development staff and a scouting staff and we were up in the Mountain Ranch club together as a group, and we were looking out on the field at World Series competition, and they were a bunch of the guys that spent a lot of hard work and time with, and that was probably my proudest moment.

RMN: It makes us proud to be Rockies fans. We pride ourselves - the real fans - as being very patient, and we feel like we're rewarded just as much by saying "I remember that guy when he struck out 4 times as a rookie, and now he's in the All Star Game."

Marc Gustafson: That's a neat feeling. Like I mentioned, when you're with your guys together watching and giving high fives and clapping and cheering, and you're so proud of them, when you see them compete at the highest level. That's a neat feeling.

RMN: Well, I think that's all I have for right now, Marc-

Marc Gustafson: I can't believe you didn't ask me about Christian Friedrich!

RMN: Well, I actually did have a question about Friedrich! [Marc laughing] But we veered away from a bit, and I didn't-

Marc Gustafson: No, I'm teasing you. He's done awesome. His numbers speak for themselves. He's a premium left handed starter, he's going to be in the mix very very soon.

RMN: We're very excited about Christian as well. Especially watching him dominate Asheville and Modesto.

Marc Gustafson: He has done a great job.

RMN: Marc, I really want to thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

Marc Gustafson: It's been my pleasure, thanks.

Purple Row interviews Marc Gustafson, Part 2

RockiesMagicNumber — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:33 -0000

As you read in our first in this 3-part series, Rockies Director of Player Development Marc Gustafson took time to answer some questions for Purple Row. In this installment, Mr. Gustafson answers a lot of questions about specific farmhands, and we begin to touch on players recently drafted.

Apologies for the delay in Part 2, but here we have it.

RMN: Now, since a lot of fans don't get a chance to watch the guys - I mean, we can follow the box scores, we do a near-daily report on what the minor league clubs have been doing - is there a particular player that might not be having that great of a year that Rockies fans should be more aware of?

Marc Gustafson: Wow, that's a tough question. If you look at box scores and you look at team statistics and stats and things like that, I think that we should all be very proud of the year that we've had. In terms of an individual, you know, we've had some success there too. Maybe a guy under the radar screen would be Darin Holcomb, 3B in Tulsa, starting to hit, starting to put up big numbers. He's a guy that we think - coming out of his season last year in Asheville, he was voted the Most Valuable Player, he went to Hawaii, he struggled, we jumped to Modesto with him, we sent him to Tulsa. He struggled early, but now he's starting to hit. He's going to go to the Arizona Fall League. So he might be one example of a guy...the batting average isn't going to jump out at you - I think it's about .275 right now, he has 13, 14 home runs, but those numbers are starting to build up, starting to rise to the top. He was just voted to the postseason All Star team in the Texas League. Maybe a guy like that would be somebody early on that was under the radar screen that is now starting to surface a little bit.

RMN: I know that Rox Girl and Russ keep an eye on these guys a lot closer than a lot of the other people do. How do you feel about Holcomb's glove at 3B?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, he's solid. He's a solid major-league defender. He's got a very strong arm, he's got an accurate arm, he moves well, he's an athlete at 3B. He loves to play the game, he's a grinder. He's a tough guy over there. Definitely, he'd be in the "prospect" category, as he moves into what we would hope to be a AAA situation next year.

RMN: AAA would be a big jump, definitely exciting to hear that we have more coming, given our depths. Where would you say the strongest and weakest positional groups are in our farm? Obviously, in the majors we have a glut of solid Outfield.

Marc Gustafson: Well, I would have said Middle Infield. Obviously, we lost Cabrera, we loved Everth Cabrera, and I hope he has a wonderful career, because he's such a special person. He's with the Padres right now.

RMN: I promise you we're aware of Everth Cabrera on Purple Row!

Marc Gustafson: Hector Gomez is a very talented SS, and he'll be in the AFL as well. I would probably look to the middle infield as being a strength in the organization. I would also look at the pitching depth in the bullpen, some big-time arm strength guys. Shane Lindsay, Edgar Escalona with the Tulsa Club, Alberto Alburquerque with the Tulsa Club, Andrew Johnston, Craig Baker with Modesto. We've got some really good arms and bullpen depth in the minor league system.

RMN: Oh, so we're pretty high on Alburquerque. We didn't know much about him when we heard about the [Jeff] Baker trade. It's good to hear that he's a guy that everybody has their eyes on. Speaking of Hector Gomez, we kind of lump Hector Gomez and Wil Rosario into the same category: a couple of years out, but these guys have a lot of raw stuff. When do you see them being able to contribute?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I would think a couple of years. They're high-end talent. You look at prospect categories, and each organization is a little bit different, but they'd be in the "top tier" category in our system in terms of position player prospect talent. Hector and Wilin Rosario are going to play in the AFL, and that's a very very talented league. So if they go and they handle that league well, you're looking maybe at a AA situation next year, and shortly thereafter, you'd hope they'd be knocking on the door at the big league level.

RMN: We're all looking forward to it as well. We all know 2B has been a little bit of an interesting situation the last couple of years.

Marc Gustafson: Yep.

RMN: In terms of other prospects we were expecting to be seeing soon, what do you expect of the injured guys like Chris Nelson, Casey Weathers, Greg Reynolds, or even Greg Smith? What's the word on them right now? What do we think about them going forward?

Marc Gustafson: I'd put Jeff Francis in that category as well. I know he's been there and done that, but those guys are looking at the Arizona Instructional League Program, they're going to participate in that program very soon as we head to Tucson on the 19^th of September. To get them back onto the field, that makes us even better, to have that caliber talent helping and contributing and getting ready for next year. Really, their focus is on their health number one, getting back on the field this fall and being full-strength and ready to go for Spring Training next year.

RMN: Speaking of injured players rehabbing, my understanding is Casey Weathers is with the Dust Devils right now. How is his rehab coming along?

Marc Gustafson: He's doing well. He had a couple of setbacks here and there throughout the rehab process. In terms of his strength and range of motion and how he's feeling right now, he's feeling as good as he's ever felt since the surgery. He's throwing in a long-toss program; he'll be off the mound before too long as we get into Tucson. To have a guy like that back and contributing in the bullpen, that gives us the depth we're looking for.

RMN: Obviously being injured and coming back from Tommy John, it's always a bit tricky to try and forecast in general. A lot of people have complained that all our relief pitchers seem to be rentals. It's important to remind them that we do have Corpas and Buchholz coming back next season, but can we consider Weathers to be someone in the 2010 mix?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, I think definitely. This is a guy that competed in the Olympics and had a great season in Tulsa, and was getting real close, and unfortunately, he had the injury. He's going to rehab and get back and be ready for Spring Training next year. That's his primary focus. Sometimes to go through some adversity - it might sound crazy, but it's not the end of the world. It's getting the arm fixed at a young age and come back and have a successful major league career. We're very confident he's going to be in that category.

RMN: Along with him, are there any other AA/AAA players that we see making an impact or being a surprise for us next year?

Marc Gustafson: You guys have already probably seen and talked about Jhoulys Chacin, he's a special talent; he's going to be back in the mix in the very near future. Esmil Rogers, starter in AAA Colorado Springs, he's a very talented right-handed starter. You go to Sammy Deduno, who was just named Texas League Pitcher of the Year, he's going to be in the mix. You know, you keep those pitchers coming, and then you mix in a few guys who have done well in the bullpen - Matt Reynolds from Tulsa, Andrew Johnston from Tulsa, the Colorado Springs group that we have there now, we do have a few veteran guys, but at the same point in time, you're looking for as many quality arms as you can find, and I think we've got a few.

RMN: Does Deduno look more to be in the rotation mix or the bullpen mix?

Marc Gustafson: Right now we're going to keep him in the rotation, just because he has such premium stuff, he deserves the opportunity to start. But it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that next year he could be in the bullpen mix coming out of spring training.

RMN: Given the amount of starting talent we have coming up the pipe pretty soon, that wouldn't be a surprise at all. Now, a personal favorite of mine, Keith Weiser in AA - I'm not sure why, but I just latched onto the guy - tell me how awesome Keith Weiser is, please.

Marc Gustafson: He's an awesome guy. You picked a good one to have as a favorite; he's just as great off the field as he is on! He had a great outing last night, in fact. He's had some rough ones here and there, but you know what, he's at the AA level, and there's some good hitters, so you have to give credit to them. It's a matter of making adjustments, and he certainly did last night against the Springfield club.

RMN: Absolutely. In terms of adjustments, let me jump to a more extreme case. Is Scott Beerer the next Rick Ankiel?

Marc Gustafson: Haha, it's interesting you bring that up, because this has been a wonderful story. This guy has so much heart and he has so much passion to play the game, I wouldn't put it past him. He's at Modesto and his numbers still are great. We're trying very hard to get him a winter ball job so he can continue to play - because that's what he needs, he needs ABs, he needs to play. I wouldn't put it past him, just because he believes he's a big leaguer and he's gone out and done a pretty good job each and every night. I love the kid, personally, and the organization is very proud of what he's been able to do. We'd like to see him play winter ball and see where that takes him as we go into spring training next year.

RMN: That's very encouraging. Everyone loves to watch the hard worker type. Now, Russ told me to say that he asked this specifically: "I'm a really big fan of Joey Wong's, but I realize he has a tough road ahead of him. Can he be the organization's David Eckstein?"

Marc Gustafson: Yes.

RMN: ...Alright!

Marc Gustafson: Yes, this kid can play defense. He might be the best defender that we've had at Tri-Cities level or rookie ball level. He knows how to play the game, without a doubt. He's a wonderful talent in terms of his glove, his ability to make throws off-balance, his ability to move around in the field to get himself in the right position. And you know what, his bat, we're going to work very hard with his bat in the Instructional League and we'll see where it takes him, but I would say Yes.

RMN: Alright, I'm sure Russ will be excited to hear that. He brought up another player in Jeremiah Sammy, says "He came out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent. What is the strongest aspect of his game?"

Marc Gustafson: Well, we got him based on his defense and his arm strength, thinking that if we didn't see development with the bat, then we'd put him on the mound and see what we could do with his arm strength because he's got premium arm strength. He's shown up extremely well, and he's put together a great season up here in Tri-Cities. We're going to take him to Instructional League and keep working with him, and let him - I guess the best way to say it is let's let him fail first, if he does fail at the infield position, and then we'll see what he can do if that point in time comes. And who knows, that time may not come!

RMN: It's always a possibility! Now, Tri-City being the lowest A-ball level, where does it fit into the organization in terms of what players are sent there? You hear about a lot of people jumping right over Tri-Cities, or jumping right over Casper and going straight to Tri-Cities. Can you speak a little bit to that?

Marc Gustafson: Well, Tri-Cities is a step higher, in our opinion, above Casper. Casper is our lowest entry-level club. Tri-Cities and Casper, we try and find a balance. When we go into the draft we put the names on the board of who we have in spring training and then we fill in with what Bill Schmidt and the scouting department takes in the draft. A lot of it is based on age and where they've played. For example, the high schoolers: Nolan Arenado and our 1^st round pick Tyler Matzek, they're in Casper. The older, maybe college players, for example Tim Wheeler and Rex Brothers, they started in Tri-Cities, although Rex Brothers is now with Asheville. It's more, in our organization, age and where they've played.

RMN: Well, I'm glad you brought up the guys in the draft, because we have a handful of questions about them. What are the club's plans for Arenado, position-wise? I know he's been playing 3B as we're a bit thin there, but are there any plans to try him out as a catcher?

Marc Gustafson: We're not going to rush into that. We know that is an option for us, but this kid can play 3B. He doesn't have the straight-ahead running speed that some of the others do, but he has wonderful hands, and he can throw. So that's an option behind the plate with him, but our primary focus right now is let him play 3B and let him swing the bat. Because he can really swing the bat.

RMN: I'll save my Matzek questions for the end, as he's the biggest story there. What kind of power is the organization projecting for Tim Wheeler?

Marc Gustafson: The power is going to come. It's going to be a bit like Charlie Blackmon. I don't know if you're familiar with Charles Blackmon at Modesto right now, but these guys are line drive type hitters, meaning gap-to-gap, hit the ball where it's pitched. With some maturity and some strength developing, I think the home run potential and their ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark is going to come. But that's going to come a little bit later in their career, maybe a little bit like [Garrett] Atkins or even Matt Holliday, and they came from the system. But both Tim Wheeler and Charlie Blackmon, they're athletes, first and foremost. They can play CF with ease, they've got great arms, they move around well, they can steal bases, they get on base. They really do everything that you're looking for a CF to do.

----

That will be the end for this time, but we'll have one final installment covering the draft, some other favorite farmhands, and some parting words from Mr. Gustafson!

Thursday Pebble Report: On the menu - a double-digit inning, a grand slam, a pitcher home run, and an abused ace for the road

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:56:31 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Perhaps you were covering your eyes too. If so, Russ Ortiz stunk it up again.

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It was a strange night on the farm. To wit: in the only organizational loss, the starting pitcher allowed no earned runs and hit a home run. Let's get to it.

AAA Colorado Springs, W 12-9 - (72-65, 1st)

In case you weren't convinced last time, Russ Ortiz showed last night why he should stay far far away from Coors Field. The former 21-game winner threw 92 pitches in 4.0 IP, barely half for strikes, on his way to allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, 7 walks and a wild pitch. Ryan Speier put out the fire with two scoreless innings for his second win.

The Sky Sox mutilated two former Padre starters, Cesar Ramos and Walter Silva, pounding out 12 runs on 18 hits. Six sox had multi-hit games and four had at least three led by Christian Colonel's 4-for-5, 3 RBI night.

The Beavers and SkySox close the series tonight at 6:05MDT at Security Service Field.

AA Tulsa, L 6-7 - (34-31, 2nd, 1.0 GB)

With just five games left this season, the Drillers lost to the Springfield Cardinals, falling back to second place for the first time in over a month. But don't blame Samuel Deduno. The recently awarded Texas League Pitcher of the Year did more than just that by helping Tulsa build a 3-run lead with his first professional home run. Deduno allowed just two hits in six innings, striking out seven while allowing no earned runs.

Unfortunately, he also committed a throwing error that led to four unearned runs, forcing him to leave the game on the hook for the loss. A bases clearing triple by Daniel Mayora gave the Drillers a two-run lead in the eighth, but Matt Reynolds gave it all back by permitting three runs in the bottom half.

Brandon Durden (7-3, 3.65 ERA) will face Trey Hearne (11-3, 3.01 ERA) in game 3 of the four-game set tonight at 6:10MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 6-5 - (33-32, 13.5 GB)

The penultimate WINNAR Joey Williamson (13-3, 3.34) improved his career record to 22-3 by giving up the go-ahead run in relief in the sixth inning. The Nuts took the lead for good in the seventh on a Hector Gomez pop single and Jeffrey Cunningham sac fly. Of particular concern was Christian Friedrich, who started but couldn't make it past the third inning, having allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and two wild pitches. It is the second time in four starts he failed to finish even the fourth inning.

Hector Gomez had a three hit game, extending his hitting streak to seven, of which six were multi-hit games. Matt Repec singled and hit his 11th homer, a grand slam that erased the deficit Friedrich created. What's Friedrich's problem? Sure, it could be fatigue, but he has thrown just 106.2 IP this season, almost 30 IP less than his 2008 total between EKU, Tri-City and Asheville.

The Nuts finish their series with the Lake Elsinore Storm tonight at 8:05 MDT before facing High Desert in the season's last series.

Write-ups for Asheville, Tri-City and Casper under the fold

Low-A Asheville, W 6-2 - (40-24, 1st)

Jimmy Cesario broke a 2-2 tie leading off the bottom of the eighth with his 11th home run, paving the way for a four-run inning also highlighted by a two-run triple from David Christensen. Scott Robinson and Thomas Field each had RBI singles, and Mike Zuanich doubled a man home. Carlos Luna allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 5.2 IP, then allowed Stephen Dodson and Adam Jorgenson to send the last ten hitters down in order.

Joe Mikulik will send out Juan Nicasio (8-3, 2.41) against the lefty David Duncan (4-3, 4.24) as the Tourists try to whittle their divisional magic number down from three with five games left.

SS A Tri-City, W 12-6 - (45-27, 1st)

Ten isn't really a crooked number, so I'll just say the Dust Devils put up a straight and pretty number in the fifth frame against the Yakima Bears (Diamondbacks). Here's how:

Joseph Sanders doubled. Jose Gonzalez popped out. One out.

Shane Lowe walked. Joey Wong walked. Tim Wheeler walked. RUN ONE.
Joseph Scott hit by pitch. RUN TWO.

Christopher Vasami singled. RUNS THREE AND FOUR.
Kevin Clark reached on force attempt, fielding error.  Kent Matthes reached on force attempt, missed catch error. RUN FIVE.
Joseph Sanders grounded out. RUN SIX. Two out.
Jose Gonzalez singled. RUNS SEVEN AND EIGHT.
Shane Lowe homered. RUNS NINE AND TEN
Joey Wong grounded out. Three outs.

Only Kevin Clark and Ben Paulsen failed to drive in a run, while Sanders and Matthes each had two hits. Wes Musick got the win for allowing three runs in five innings.

The Dust Devils have already clinched a championship series against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants) Monday-Friday but will have to finish the series with Yakima tonight at 8:15MDT before a weekend series in Boise to close out the regular season.

Rookie Casper, W 9-5 (13-16, 11 GB)

The Ghosts won their first game of the season's final ten, eight of which will come against Wednesday's victim, the Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals). Chandler Laurent hit his second home run and every starter got a hit except Jeffrey Squier, who K'd three times. After managing just one single in his last 17 ABs, Nolan Arenado was given the night off. Kyle Hancock pitched five innings, allowing two unearned runs for his third win.

The Ghosts will take on the Chukars again tonight at 7:15 MDT on the road.

Poll

Which do you wish you witnessed most in person?

Another page of Russ Ortiz' career downspiral, and offensive fireworks

11 votes

Samuel Deduno hitting a home run and allowing no earned runs in a Tulsa loss.

35 votes

Christian Friedrich being humbled, plus a grand slam

5 votes

A strong fundamental win all around for the Tourists

6 votes

A ten run inning

22 votes

A balanced offensive attack in Idaho

1 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

Saturday Pebble Report: Modesto clinches spot in Cal League playoffs

Russ Oates — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:57:28 -0000

Colorado Springs, L 1-5
Russ Ortiz: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR. On the bright side, uh, Jason Giambi had two hits.

Tulsa, L 1-4
Samuel Deduno had a fight with the strike zone last night. Of his 105 pitches, 56 went for strikes. He wound up walking six batters and striking out seven. In the end, The Bull (are we still using that nickname?) allowed two runs over six innings. Al Alburquerque saw the other two score, and Shane Lindsay struck out two and walked one in two innings of work.

Modesto, W 6-2
Bruce Billings held Bakersfield to one hit in seven innings. He walked three and struck out seven. However, his GO-FO was 5-9.

The Nuts scored early with a Hector Gomez RBI single in the first, which was immediately followed by a Scott Beerer two-run triple. Beerer would add another RBI with a sac fly in the third. Charlie Blackmon had two hits and stole his 27th base.

The Nuts secured a spot in the playoffs.

Asheville, L 3-4
If I posed this question to any of you, "Who drove in all three runs for Asheville in the first game of the double header?" I'm sure the answer would be either Mike Zuanich or Kiel Roling. Neither is the correct answer. Beau Seabury did it tonight with an RBI double in the second, an RBI sac bunt in the fourth, and a solo homer in the seventh.

Reliever Kurt Yacko made the start and struck out eight in four innings. He allowed no runs and scattered three hits. Stephen Dodson allowed three runs on four hits in the fifth inning. Rex Brothers allowed a run on two hits in two innings pitched.

Asheville, L 6-7
Another one run loss.Adam Jorgenson blew the save in the seventh inning on a combination of a throwing error, a wild pitch, and the single that put the run across the plate.

Mike Zuanich went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI; Jimmy Cesario went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI; and Thomas Field went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

Tri-City. W 7-1
Tim Wheeler had only hit in this game but it was doozy. He unleashed a grand slam in the top of the second. Jeremiah Sammy also continued along with his solid season, recording three hits (two doubles), knocking in one, and stealing two bases (9). Kent Matthes had two hits and an RBI.

Wes Musick limited Yakima to a run on four hits over six innings. He struck out three. Erik Stavert allowed three hits over the last two innings and struck out three.

Casper, L 3-6
Chad Jacobsen hit his third homer of the season in the top of the ninth. A bit late, but a run nonetheless. Nolan Arenado and Juan Crousset each had two hits and an RBI. David Kandilas made a rare start (even appearance). recorded a hit, and scored once. He also stole second twice and third once.

Kyle Hancock allowed five runs in three innings of work, four in the second. He struck out five.

Tuesday Pebble Report: 2009 Draft Review, Rockies best draft in NL West?

Rox Girl — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:02:57 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

2009 could be the best Rockies draft since we selected this guy.

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Before I start, you might ask why I'll take good short season performances as a positive but not discount rough professional starts nearly as much. Mainly, it's because this early in the stage you're still looking far more at a player's potential ceiling rather than their floor, which for everybody is busting completely in the minors. In that sense, a poor short season performance doesn't really impact our view of a player's ceiling, but a standout one, like the season Chris Balcom-Miller is having with Casper, could raise it.

In the first twelve rounds, the Rockies added these players:

Tyler Matzek - Potential top of the rotation pitcher.
Tim Wheeler - Could be starting caliber outfielder on a contending team.
Rex Brothers - Late inning left handed reliever, Brian Fuentes/George Sherrill type of potential on fast track.
Nolan Arenado - Starting third baseman on a contending team, already showing potential to hit for high average.
Ben Paulsen - Polished first base bat.
Kent Matthes - Legitimate corner outfield power potential
Joe Sanders - Third base, hasn't adjusted to wood yet, but was one of SEC's best hitters.
Chris Balcom-Miller - Sinker ball specialist doing very well at Casper, could be upper mid-rotation Aaron Cook type.
Erik Stavert - Stavert hasn't played because of lingering elbow soreness, but is another two seam reliant starter.
Rob Scahill - Likely will move to relief later, but has mid rotation stuff if he can refine off speed pitches.
Wes Musick - Control lefty, could be bottom of the rotation or middle relief. Should eat minor league innings.
Charlie Ruiz - Middle relief.
Avery Barnes - Speedy centerfielder.
Jared Clark - Solid first baseman.

I feel fairly confident that if scouting directors had the draft to do over, knowing what they do now, Balcom-Miller would likely be a second or early third round pick, meaning I think that this early in the game it looks like the Rockies have six or seven of the top 100 talents from the draft, or twice an equitable share, including Matzek, who might be one of the top two or three talents. Don't take my word for it, Baseball America's Jim Callis on Matzek from a chat just finished:

No, it was pretty much pure signability. There may have been a couple of clubs that didn't want to take a high school pitcher that high, but others thought Matzek was the second- or third-best player in the draft.

How does the Rockies draft compare with the rest of the division? I think Diamondbacks fans can argue that they may have eight or nine top 100 talents with all of their early picks (they definitely got a coup yesterday with Matt Helm), although none quite at the impact level of Matzek and I'm pretty skeptical about several of their early selections. Overall, I think the Rockies had the better draft, but freely admit my bias could be giving me blinders. Otherwise, I don't think we can say anybody else is close at this early stage just because the other teams didn't have as many early picks. I think the Padres probably have three top 100 types in Donavan Tate, Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson, the Giants three in Wheeler, Joseph and Dominguez (Stoffel's pitching well also, he's borderline) and the Dodgers a couple in Aaron Miller and Garret Gould, with Blake Smith being a borderline talent.

Right now, I'd grade the division this way:

Rockies - Matzek might be the single best player taken (Donavan Tate and Zack Wheeler would be the two you could argue this point on) and then a deep draft after that.
Diamondbacks - no real big impact talent but they added a boatload of needed depth to their system
Giants - I like Wheeler/Joseph/Dominguez just a smidgen better than the Padres top trio.
Padres - Tate/Williams/Sampson isn't bad, though.
Dodgers - Didn't have a lot of top selections, and it kind of cost them relative to the other teams in the division.

This excites, this will be the first time since 2004 I will have graded the Rockies the best NL West draft initially, and the Rockies added three of their most valuable pieces (Dexter Fowler, Chris Iannetta and Seth Smith) in this year's playoff chasing team in that draft.

Alright, after the jump is some discussion of yesterday's minor league games.

Colorado Springs: L 1-3

The good news is that Esmil Rogers pitched at least somewhat decently for the second straight start, the first time he's put back to back quality starts together since being promoted to AAA.

Tulsa: W 3-0

Samuel Deduno pitched very well for seven innings and picked up his 12th win of the season. Don't overlook Deduno when thinking about who can compete for a rotation slot next Spring.

Modesto: Off

Asheville: L 4-9

Mike Zuanich (10), Jimmy Cesario (6), and Kiel Roling (15) hit home runs in the loss.

Tri-City: W 10-3

I always root for minor league free agents like Jeremiah Sammy even if I know they rarely make it all the way to the major leagues. Sammy's been on a major roll in August, with 25 hits in the month so far (including three yesterday) and a .417/.444/.500 slash line. Overall, the middle infielder's been good enough to likely get a trip to Asheville next year, which will give me at least one more year of rooting for the underdog. More background on Sammy, including a pretty straight forward scouting report of strengths and weaknesses from his former coach at Lamar can be found in this article.

First round pick Tim Wheeler isn't quite the same underdog, but I root for him too, and he had a solid game with a pair of hits, a pair of walks and three runs scored. Wes Musick had a dominant four inning start, striking out eight and allowing one walk.

Casper: W 9-1

The Rockies suddenly have a pretty good problem with first basemen at the lower levels, in that there are too many worth giving serious looks. Jared Clark (two for two with a double, home run and three walks yesterday) is clearly at a performance level beyond the Pioneer League, but the emergence of Scott Beerer and Zuanich and the presence of Ben Paulsen at Tri-City doesn't give the Rockies anywhere else to put him at the moment. There's going to have to be some creative house cleaning at upper levels this off season to give all these players opportunity, and a Brad Hawpe style shift to the outfield for one or two might not be out of the question, either. We'll see what happens, but again, you'd rather have too much talent than not enough.

Edwar Cabrera continued a late season turnaround with four solid innings in the win.

Poll

Now that we know who has signed, what NL West team had the best draft?

Arizona Diamondbacks

4 votes

Colorado Rockies

162 votes

Los Angeles Dodgers

7 votes

San Diego Padres

77 votes

San Francisco Giants

7 votes

257 votes | Poll has closed

Thursday Pebble Report: Hollingsworth impressive, Dust Devils toss 12 scoreless innings in only organizational loss

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:05:32 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

After his first MLB start, Jhoulys Chacin walked off the Coors mound straight to AAA for the first time in his career.

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AAA Colorado Springs, W 7-5 - (62-56, 1st)

The Sky Sox held on late to snap their four game losing streak, winning 7-5 over the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals). Damian Moss threw five scoreless innings in the start, and Mike Timlin tossed a scoreless inning, allowing a hit and a walk but striking out two. Scott Munter and Matt Belisle nearly blew the 7-0 lead by allowing 5 runs on 5 hits in the last two innings.

Sal Fasano drove in two with two doubles, scoring twice. Jonathan Herrera, Mike McCoy and Matt Miller each had two hits. Every starter reached base except Eric Young Jr., who was 0-for-4, ending an 8-game hitting streak.

The Sky Sox have an off day today as the travel to New Orleans to play the Zephyrs (Marlins) Friday night. Brandon Hynick will face Luis Ayala. Jhoulys Chacin was optioned to AAA yesterday, so the Rockies top prospect will have a Sky Sox uni for the first time in his career.

AA Tulsa, W 10-9 - (25-20, 2 GB)

The Drillers looked to be easing to victory after building a 10-3 lead against the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers), but closer Andrew Johnston went Huston Street on Tulsa, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk in a non-save situation in the ninth. Adam Bright came in to get the last out for his first save. Matt Reynolds pitched a scoreless inning, and Edgmer Escalona served up a solo home run in his inning of work. Samuel Deduno (11-2, 2.72) got the start and win, though he wasn't particularly effective, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings, needing 89 pitches. He has allowed 3 runs in his past two outings after tossing 12 straight with less than three.

Ryan Harvey and Jeff Kindel were both a triple shy of the cycle, scoring five runs and driving in six between them. Cole Garner laced a couple doubles as well.

The two teams face off again tonight at 6:05MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 6-1 - (24-23, 8.5 GB)

Ethan Hollingsworth (1-2, 4.95) turned in a dominating effort for the Nuts in against the Inland Empire 66ers (Dodgers), getting his first win since being promoted from Asheville. The 22-year-old struck out 7 against no walks in 7 scoreless innings, allowing just one run on three hits, one a solo homer.

Modesto exploded for a 4-run first inning with the help of an error and three walks and just two hits. One was a leadoff double by Charlie Blackmon and the other was a 2-out 2-run single from Scott Beerer, who had three hits on the day to break a double-digit hitless AB slide.

The Nuts get an offday today before facing the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) Friday at 8:05 MDT.

Low-A Asheville, Off Day - (28-15, 1st)

The Tourists had an off day, allowing them to travel from Lexington backhome to Asheville to start a weekend series against the Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox).

SS A Tri-City, L 0-1 - (32-22, 1st)

Low level minor league games can get squirrely. Four straight Dust Devil games have been shutouts - unfortunately, Tri City has been the victims in three of them. A day after shutting out the last-place Yakima Bears, the Diamondbacks affiliate returned the favor last night. Wes Musick, Sheng-An Kuo, Aaron Weatherford and Eric Federico combined for 12 scoreless innings before the Bears rallied for the walk-off win against Kyle Walker, only the second run he's allowed in his last 23.1 IP. The DDevils could only manage seven singles on offense.

Tri-City closes their series against the Bears tonight at 8:05MDT. Josh Hungerman (0-0, 2.86) gets the start for the Dust Devils.

Rookie Casper, W 8-7 - (2-1, 1st)

Th Ghosts snapped a five game losing streak in a hard fought win over the Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox).

Nolan Arenado (2) hit a HR for the second straight Wednesday, Chandler Laurent (two hits) and Eliezer Mesa (three) each doubled and catcher Brandon Whitby saw his average drop to .390 with a 1-for-4 day, including a triple.

Alejandro Barraza was credited with the win by throwing two perfect innings, striking out four in relief of Juan Gonzalez. Steve Junker nearly blew the lead but held the Voyagers to two runs despite allowing four hits and an error in the eighth.

The Ghosts close the series tonight at 7:05MDT.

Saturday Pebble Report: In case you didn't know, Chris Balcom-Miller is good

Russ Oates — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:30:53 -0000

Colorado Springs, W 4-3
Eric Young Jr. went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored, and Matt Murton drove in two. Adam Eaton did not start the game, but he pitched six innings, allowed two runs, and struck out four.

Tulsa, L 3-4
Samuel Deduno walked six and struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings before Al Alburquerque walked two and allowed a run over the next 1 1/3 innings. Most the batters had two hits each last night with Rex Rundgren, Mike Paulk, and Ryan Harvey each hitting doubles and Darin Holcomb a triple. Holcomb's triple looked good as it came in the ninth with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.

Modesto, L 7-8
Ethan Hollingsworth ran into trouble during the fourth inning by allowing four runs. He walked four and struck out five over four innings. Ching-Lung Lo allowed another two and Austin Chambliss the eighth run. The latter also walked three.

Jay Cox hit a three-run homer in the ninth to bring the game to within one, but Maikol Gonzalez was thrown out at second. Charlie Blackmon had two hits, one being his 22nd double, and stole his 22nd base.

Asheville, W 9-7
Juan Nicasio was another Rockies' farmhand to have trouble with a four-run inning. This one came in the third, but we was fine for the next two innings before exiting. He struck out four and allowed the other earned run on a first-inning homer. Stephen Dodson and Isaiah Froneberger allowed no hits and walked none over the next three innings. Tyler Trice allowed two earned runs when Adam Jorgenson put them across home plate.

Jordan Pacheco went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Kiel Roling lone hit was a solo homer in the third inning, his 12th on the season. He also walked twice. Ryan Peisel had two hits and two RBI. Delta Cleary took his 26th stolen base.

Tri-City, L 1-2
Sheng-An Kup allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in four innings. Rex Brothers pitched the last two innings of the game and struck out five. Kent Matthes hit a double and Alex Feinberg drove in the only run for Tri-City.

Casper, L 0-1
Casper finished the game with 10 hits. Orem had six. The winning run scored when Jared Clark committed a fielding error in the bottom of the ninth.

The good news? Chris Balcom-Miller continued his dominance over the Pioneer League. He allowed three hits in six innings and struck out 11.