SB Nation User Blog: BK

Dusty Baker has no idea what the hell he's doing, the bullpen loses this one 7-4

BK — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:44:07 -0000

Instead of checking the stats of his relievers against Albert Pujols, Dusty Baker holds his starting pitcher in a loving embrace. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

The obvious choice here would be Albert Pujols, but you know what, I'm going to say it's Homer Bailey. Homer went 7 1/3 innings, and left the game with a goose egg on the board before the manager decided he didn't deserve to win. His line showed 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts, but it doesn't do his performance justice. After putting two on base to start the game, he put down 13 Cards in a row before hitting Joe Thurston by a pitch, and retired the next 7 before giving up a double to Yadier Molina. He had all three pitches working well, with his fastball getting up to 95 consistently and his new splitter working as advertised. He deserved this one.

Key Plays

After letting the first two runners on, Homer struck out Albert Pujols to start a string of 21 batters without giving up a hit.
In the bottom of the inning, the Reds struck quickly with Chris Dickerson leading off with a double and an error on a Willy Taveras bunt driving him in to take an early lead.
With Homer rolling in the 6th inning, doubles by Brandon Phillips and Jerry Hairston, Jr, gave the Reds a 3-0 lead. That should have been enough.
After Homer had two runners on with one out in the 8th, Dusty brought Arthur Rhodes in to pitch, and he walked the bases loaded.
The next move is completely inexplicable to me. Despite being 9-for-18 against Pujols with 2 home runs given up, Dusty brought David Weathers in to face him. As one could have predicted, Pujols hit a 2-2 pitch over the fence for a grand slam and a 4-3 lead for the Cardinals.
In the bottom of the inning, a little small ball helped the Reds tie the game, with Ramon Hernandez hitting a sac fly to drive in the tying run.
In the 9th, Nick Masset got the first out before taking a liner off his pitching arm to get taken out of the game. Daniel Ray Herrera then gave up the leading run after the slick-fielding Paul Janish makes an error that could have got them out of the inning. Carlos Fisher was the next pitcher brought in to face Pujols, who doubled to make it 7-4. Meanwhile, the Reds' best reliever, Coco Cordero, got to the final boss playing Guitar Hero on his Nintendo DS.
In the bottom of the inning, Edwin Encarnacion, who wasn't starting the game because he wasn't ready to play in the majors yet, hit a double to start a rally. With two outs, Willy Taveras hit for himself while the Reds' two best pinch hitters, Micah Owings and Jonny Gomes, played Go Fish on the bench. Despite Dusty's best efforts to lose right there, Willy inexplicably drew his first walk since May 23rd and brought the tying run to the plate.
Joey Votto walked, and Brandon Phillips struck out with a swing that blew out some poor kid's sparkler out in West Virginia. Game over.

via www.fangraphs.com

Other Notes

It's a really tough night when one of the team's best strengths throughout the season ends up beating them. Nobody in the bullpen had a good night.
I'm still wondering what Dusty's thought process was bringing in David Weathers to face Pujols in the 8th. if anyone can explain this, I'd love to hear it. 9-for-18 with 2 HR is not a recipe for success, no matter how good Weathers has pitched this season
There's still the argument that they should have intentionally walked Pujols to avoid pitching to him, but hindsight is 20/20. I think it would have been a risky move, and there's no telling what Ludwick does after him.
This is arguably one of the biggest "stomach punch" games for the Reds so far this season. They were rolling until Dusty made some questionable moves, and it's hard to argue that using the roster efficiently doesn't give the Reds a better chance to win tonight.
I would imagine fan confidence would be at a season-long low at this point. Friday night, sold out crowd, against a division rival, and they blew it. In the long run, it's only one game, but the effect of this one will be felt much harder than the increase in the "L" column alone.
The Cardinals are one of the few teams in baseball with one player that can singlehandedly beat you on any given night. A good manager doesn't let that guy drive in 5 runs in the final two innings of a game where they've only scored 4 runs. Period.
Okay, enough ranting. Jerry Hairston, Jr. was 3-for-4, which is great to see. With his game, and Paul Janish probably earning himself another month in the doghouse, we're going to be seeing a lot more of Cherry.
Brandon Phillips had two hits, as did Willy Taveras. Taveras got on base 3 out of the 5 times he was up, buying him another two months in CF batting leadoff.
Who the hell wants to see fireworks after a loss like this?

Farmers Only: The most effective defense to a Dragons attack? Put a tin cap on.

BK — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:28:36 -0000

Louisville won both games of a doubleheader against Indy, 2-1 and 3-2. Ramon Ramirez started Game 1, and pitched 6 1/3 innings of 1-run ball. Drew Stubbs had two hits, and Kevin Barker and Chris Valaika drove in runs. In a Game 2, Jeff Kennard pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. Two familiar faces, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Rosales had two hits each, and Chris Valaika drove two more runs in. Up next: Indy again at 7:05. Ben Jukich takes the hill.
After a rough first inning, Jordan Smith bounced back in a big way to beat Chattanooga 4-3. Smith gave up 3 runs in the first inning, but pitched 4 scoreless after that to earn the win. Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette was the star in relief, pitching two perfect innings while striking out 4. Todd Frazier and Zachary Cozart homered for the Mudcats, and Logan Parker and Jose Castro had two hits each. Up next: The Mudcats take on Chattanooga again at 6:15. Travis Wood should be the next to get a start.
Sarasota lost both of their games in their doubleheader 8-3 and 5-2. Scott Carroll had a forgettable start in the first game, but Neftali Soto was solid with 2 hits and 2 RBI. Luis Montano gave up 5 runs in Game 2, but only one was earned. Denis Phipps had two hits and Jose Gualdron homered, his first since his promotion from Dayton. Up next: Matt Klinker takes on St. Lucie at 7.
Dayton lost to Fort Wayne again 3-1, bringing their record against the TinCaps to 1-13 on the season. Lance Janke was decent in his start, and Steven Otterness was brilliant in relief, pitching 3 innings and only giving up 1 hit. Kevin Coddington was 2-for-4 for the offense. Up next: Matt Fairel takes his turn to lose to Fort Wayne at 7.
Billings dropped yet another game, this time in the 9th to lose to Helena 5-4. Justin Walker and Daniel Corcino managed to put together a good game before 3rd round pick Donnie Joseph blew the save with 2 runs in the 9th. Yen-Wen Kuo led the way with 3 hits, and Humberto Sosa was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. Up next: Leonardo Astorga takes on Helena at 9:05.
The GCL Reds were postponed due to a wet ground. They'll take on the GCL Orioles at noon.

Farmers Only: Excitement! Winning baseball! Great pitching! (Note: None of that happened.)

BK — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:33:27 -0000

The 6 Reds minor league teams combined to lose 3 games 27-9 on Wednesday night. I don't have much else to say.

Louisville was off. They play a doubleheader against Indianapolis starting at 5:30. Ramon Ramirez is the starter for the first game, and although there's no starter listed, Ben Jukich should take the ball in game 2.
Carolina lost 9-3 to Chattanooga. Lee Tabor got lit up in his first start in AA, and Jerry Gil bounced back to pitch 2 2/3 of scoreless relief. Todd Frazier was 2-for-3 with a double. Up next: The Mudcats take on the Lookouts again at 7:15. Jordan Smith takes on former Reds farmhand Travis Chick.
Sarasota was rained out again. They'll try the doubleheader thing tomorrow, with Travis Webb and Luis Montano starting at 5.
Dayton lost to Fort Wayne 8-6. Enrique Rojas had three hits and Cody Puckett went deep and drove in 3 runs. Not much else happened. Up next: Lance Janke takes on Fort Wayne at 7.
Billings were blanked 10-0 by Helena. Tim Crabbe was disappointing in his first start of the season, and the relievers that followed weren't much better. The Mustangs only managed 5 hits total, with two of them coming off the bat of Humberto Sosa. Up next: Justin Walker takes on Helena at 9:05.
The GCL Reds were off. They take on the GCL Rays at noon.
Roster Moves: Jared Burton is now on the Louisville roster with Drew Sutton's callup to the big club. 4th round pick Mark Fleury has been assigned to Billings.

Farmers Only: Danny Graves puts on a Bats uniform, and J.C. Sulbaran pulls off his latest miracle by leading Dayton to a win over Fort Wayne

BK — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:37:25 -0000

Louisville lost a nationally televised heartbreaker 8-7. Sam Lecure pitched a gem, giving up only 1 run in 7 innings of work, but the Bats bullpen melted down in the 8th inning, giving up 7 runs. As someone who watched the end of the game (and provided attractive commentary), I can say that it was one of the worst meltdowns I've ever watched, and puts those old Reds bullpens to shame. Pedro Viola might have major league stuff, but to not have the composure to get one out after an error (it should have been) is telling me he's not ready yet. Despite his defensive adventures in CF, Chris Heisey had a great game at the plate with two doubles and a homer, his first in AAA. Chris Valaika also went deep for his 4th of the season. Up next: Bats are off tomorrow.
Carolina lost to Chattanooga 4-2 behind a pretty weak effort. Tom Cochran started, giving up 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings, and the offense couldn't pick him up, managing only 5 hits. The lone bright spot was Ruben Medina and Ramon Geronimo both throwing hitless outings from the bullpen. Up next: The Mudcats take on 'Nooga again at 11:15 AM, with no starter listed with Dallas Buck back on the DL. Chris Kelly maybe? I don't know.
Sarasota was rained out. They'll play a doubleheader with Tampa today at 5, with Travis Webb and Scott Carroll set to start the games.
Dayton won against Fort Wayne 5-3 behind a good start from J.C. Sulbaran. Sulbaran went only 4 innings, but gave up no earned runs and struck out 6 while walking 3. Andrew Bowman pitched 3 shutout innings in relief for the win, and Aguido Gonzalez pitched two perfect for his 8th save. Byron Wiley and Kevin Coddington had two hits each. The best part about this game is that this is the first time the Dragons have beaten the TinCaps this season, in their 12th try. Are we sure that J.C. stands for Juan Carlos? Up next: Oscar Castro will take on the Fort at 7.
Billings finally won their second game, beating Helena 9-6. Humberto Sosa was the star, going 3-for-4 with a HR and a double. Luca Panerati pitched 4 innings and gave up 2 runs, but Ezequiel Infante and Brian Pearl pitched 4 scoreless innings of relief. Up next: The Mustangs take on Helena at 9:05. No starter listed, but if the rotation stays the same it'll be Tzu-Kai Chiu.
The GCL Reds beat the GCL Twins 4-1 behind a great outing by Tyler Cline. Cline went 5 innings of shutout ball, only giving up 2 hits. Donald Lutz and Theodis Bowe had two hits each for the Reds. Is it time to start worrying about Juan Duran? He's 0-for-17 to start the season. Up next: The GCL Reds are off today.
Roster Moves: Dallas Buck returns to the DL, with Chris Kelly replacing him. Kelly was last seen pitching in the FSL last year with Tampa, to the tune of a 5.67 ERA, but with so many injuries rocking the Mudcats right now, they need a warm body. Hopefully it'll go better than the Kyle Aselton experiment went. Steven Otterness is back with Dayton after a shot of espresso with AA.

Farmers Only: Joe Morgan would like to nominate Justin Lehr as the best pitcher in baseball this year

BK — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:09:39 -0000

Lehr

Louisville beat up on Gwinnett 8-2, as Justin Lehr had another good start. Lehr only gave up 1 run in 7 innings for his IL leading 11th win of the season. In fact, nobody in professional baseball has more wins than Justin Lehr this season. Chris Valaika drove in 3 runs with 3 hits, and Daniel Dorn hit a pinch hit, 2-run homer. Darnell McDonald also hit two doubles, and Corky Miller drove in a run with his first hit for the Bats. Up next: The Bats take on Gwinnett in the first ever minor league game broadcast on MLB Network at 2 ET. No starter listed for either team right now, but it should be Sam LeCure for the Bats.

ROAR.

Carolina won 7-6 behind a solid offense. El Nino Destructor picked up right where he left of before his injury, going 3-for-5, and Michael Griffin and Brian Peterson both had two hits, with Griffin hitting a HR and Peterson driving in 3 runs. Camilo Vazquez took over the vacant rotation from Zach Stewart's promotion, going only 4 innings and giving up 5 runs, 4 earned. Steven Otterness was great in his AA debut in relief, pitching 2 1/3 hitless innings to earn the win. Up next: Tom Cochran takes on Chattanooga at 7:15.
Rafael Gonzalez had a bad outing as Sarasota lost to Tampa 6-1. The top 7 hitters in the S-Reds lineup had one hit each. Up next: Scott Carroll takes on Tampa at 7.
Dayton was off. J.C. Sulbaran takes on Fort Wayne tonight at 7.
Billings was unable to stop the bleeding against Helena, losing 11-3 for their 6th straight loss. Yen-Wen Kuo had two hits. Up next: Luca Panerati goes against Helena at 9:05.
The GCL Reds were rained out. They'll take on the GCL Twins today at noon.
Roster Moves: Michael Griffin goes back to AA with Adam Rosales taking an infield spot in Louisville. Steven Otterness joins Carolina from Dayton, where he takes Camilo Vazquez's spot in the bullpen as he moves to the rotation with Dallas Buck going back on the DL. Some familiar faces are back with Dayton, as Cody Puckett and Tony Brown join the Dragons from Sarasota and Billings respectively.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:57:19 -0000

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

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

BK — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:20:47 -0000

Webb

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

Joseph

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

Farmers Only: Edwin hits another bomb to lead Justin Lehr to victory

BK — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:39:08 -0000

Louisville shut out Charlotte 5-0 behind a stellar performance by Justin Lehr. Lehr earned his 10th win of the season, only giving up 3 hits (and no runs) in 8 innings, while striking out 4 and walking none. Edwin Encarnacion hit his 2nd HR of his rehab stint while going 2-for-5, and Michael Griffin, Kevin Barker, and Daniel Dorn also had two hits to contribute to the offensive attack. Up next: Sam LeCure takes on Charlotte at 7:15.
Zach Stewart had a good start that was wasted by the bullpen as Carolina lost to Jacksonville 10-5. Stewart gave up 2 runs in 5 innings, striking out 6, but after 21 2/3 scoreless innings in AA, Logan Ondrusek got shelled, giving up 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning for the loss. Todd Frazier and Sean Henry went deep for the Mudcats, and Zachary Cozart and Jose Castro had two hits each. Up next: Tom Cochran takes on Jacksonville at 7:15.
Sarasota won a close game against Palm Beach 4-3. Scott Carroll started the game, giving up only 1 run in 6 innings of work. Neftali Soto drove in 2 runs to lead the offense, and Denis Phipps had two hits. Enerio Del Rosario pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save. Up next: Sarasota takes on Lakeland at 7. No starter listed. Webb?
Dayton is still off for their all-star break, but they resume play tomorrow in Lansing at 7:05. Curtis Partch pitched 5 days ago, but there's no telling who they'll run out there after the break.
Billings lost 5-3 to Great Falls, behind a mediocre start by Shea Snowden. Chris McMurray had 3 hits to lead the offense, but he didn't get much help. Up next: Luca Panerati takes his first start of the season against Great Falls at 9:05.
The GCL Reds blew a lead late in the game to lose to the GCL Red Sox 6-5. Billy Hamilton was 2-for-4 again, and Danny Vicioso had two hits, including a 3-run HR. Tyler Cline had a great start, only giving up 1 run and striking out 5 in 5 innings. Up next: The GCL Reds take on the GCL Rays at noon, with no starter listed.

Farmers Only: Travis Wood continues to be the best pitcher most Reds fans have never heard of

BK — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:20:51 -0000

Louisville got a solid start from Matt Maloney, but ultimately fell to Charlotte 3-2. Drew Stubbs and Drew Sutton had two hits each to lead the offense, but Maloney gave up 3 runs in the 8 innings he pitched and didn't get any run support. Up next: The 9-2 Justin Lehr takes on Charlotte at 7:15 against Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel's brother Justin.
How good is Travis Wood? He pitched another 6 shutout innings to lead Carolina to a 7-0 shutout win against Jacksonville. Wood only gave up 4 hits and struck out 3 in his 8th win of the season, and brought his ERA down to 1.27. Todd Frazier led the way for the offense, going 3-for-4, and Chris Heisey had two hits to bounce back from a disappointing weekend. Logan Parker drove in two runs, and Sean Henry and Chris Denove both went deep as the Mudcats rolled. Up next: Zach Stewart gets the nod as the Mudcats take on Jacksonville at 7:15.
Sarasota lost a wild one against Palm Beach 5-4. Down 4-2 going into the 9th, they tied the game on a solo HR by Neftali Soto and Jason Bour's double to score Devin Mesoraco, but Justin Freeman threw a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning to give up the winning run. Rafael Gonzalez pitched a quality start, and Joe "The Cycle" Krebs pitched a scoreless inning of relief, but the S-Reds couldn't hold on. Offensively, Justin Reed went 3-for-4 with a triple. Up next: S-Reds take on Palm Beach again, at 7:05. No starter listed, and I'm not sure who they'll go with off the all-star break. I think it should be Travis Webb, but don't quote me on that.
Dayton had two players in the MWL All-Star game. Matt Fairel pitched a perfect 3rd inning for the East, and Kevin Coddington came in off the bench and went 0-for-2.
Billings beat Great Falls in their opener 9-1 behind a stellar opening day start by Leonardo Astorga. Astorga went 5 innings of shutout ball, striking out 5 before surrendering to Justin Walker who pitched two shutout innings of his own. The Mustangs offense was awesome too, as Yen-Wen Kuo went 3-for-5 and Shane Carlson, Tony Brown, Efrain Contreras, and Alexis Oliveras all had two hits each, with Contreras driving in 4 of the 9 runs. All in all, a great first game. Up next: The Mustangs take on Great Falls again, with Shea Snowden getting the ball at 9:05 ET.
The GCL Reds lost their opener 5-0 against the GCL Orioles, with most of the runs coming off of a rough inning by Marcos Molina. Starter Pedro Villarreal went 3 scoreless innings, and Nathan Driessen pitched 4 innings without giving up an earned run, but the offense was pretty anemic. Cristobal Rodriguez led the way going 3-for-4, and Billy Hamilton and Theodis Bowe started their seasons on a good foot, both going 2-for-4. As far as top prospects go, Yorman Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with 3 strikeouts playing center field, and the day's DH Juan Duran was 0-for-4. Up next: The GCL Reds take on the GCL Red Sox at noon. No starter listed here either.
Roster Moves: Tom Cochran is back with the Mudcats after Alexander Smit went on the DL, and Jeremy Horst goes back to High-A.

Farmers Only: Homer and Edwin rock AAA, and a rookie ball preview

BK — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:39:57 -0000

Louisville beat Gwinnett 11-5 on tremendous performances by Homer Bailey and Edwin Encarnacion. After giving up a leadoff HR to Reid Golecki, Homer settled down to keep the tally to one run over 7 innings of work. He struck out 8 in the process. In his second start in his rehab stint, Edwin Encarnacion hit an absolute bomb for a 3-run homer. The big bat on the evening, however, belonged to Darnell McDonald, who went 3-for-5 with two solo HRs. Kevin Barker and Luis Bolivar also went deep for the Bats, and Norris Hopper had three hits and drove in two runs. Up next: Edwin and the Bats roll on against Charlotte at 7:15. No starter listed, but it should be Justin Lehr's turn.
Jeremy Horst's AA debut didn't go so well, as Carolina got dismantled 10-2 against Jacksonville. Carson Kainer led the way in his Carolina debut, going 2-for-4 with a 2-run HR and Jake Kahaulelio got a hit in his first game as a Mudcat. Chris Heisey had the day off as Shaun Cumberland stunk up the joint in CF, going 0-for-3. Horst didn't fare too well in his start, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up 5 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 5. The Suns broke the game open off of Jerry Gil, who gave up 4 runs in one inning. Up next: The Mudcats take on Jacksonville again at 7:15. Travis Wood should get the start.
Sarasota shut out Palm Beach 5-0 behind an excellent start by Matt Klinker. Klinker went 6 innings of shutout ball with 9 strikeouts and no walks, and Mace Thurman and Enerio Del Rosario pitched 2 and 1 inning respectively to preserve the shutout. Behind the shutout, the S-Reds outfield had a field day, with Justin Reed and Denis Phipps having 2 hits each and Keltavious Jones having his 2nd hit of the season. All-Star catcher Devin Mesoraco went 2-for-4 to raise his All-Star average to .207. Up next: Sarasota takes on Palm Beach at 6:35 with no starter listed, but it's Luis Montano's turn.
Dayton is on their All-Star break.
Billings takes on Great Falls on their opening day at 9:05 ET. Former Dragon Leonardo Astorga will get the start.
The GCL Reds are also beginning their season today at noon ET against the GCL Orioles.
Roster Moves: Cody Puckett and Stephen Chapman have earned the callup to Sarasota after putting up huge numbers in Dayton. We should see some replacements in Dayton soon as well. As previously mentioned, Jeremy Horst takes the open rotation spot in Carolina and Carson Kainer joins the Mudcats as Chris Kroski goes on the DL and Denis Phipps goes back to Sarasota.

Rookie ball also starts today, and the rosters are starting to shape up. Here's a quick overview of the Pioneer League affiliate, the Billings Mustangs. (Keep in mind, these rosters are subject to change, especially later on today after the teams play.) More after the jump!

Manager Julio Garcia, hitting coach Delino DeShields, and pitching coach Bob Forsch will bring back an interesting mix of old and new to Billings. A couple of familiar names that have played elsewhere this season:

Leonardo Astorga (1-3, 15.43 ERA in 18.2 innings in Dayton)
Mike Bohana (0-2, 8.22 ERA in 15.1 innings between Dayton and Sarasota)
Tony Brown (.229/.309/.325 between Dayton and Sarasota)
Yen-Wen Kuo (.174/.174/.217 in Dayton)
Tom Cochran (1-0, 3.20 ERA in 19.2 innings in Carolina)
Misael DeJesus (1-4, 9.85 ERA in 28.1 innings in Carolina)
Humberto Sosa (.241/.302/.335 in Dayton)
Justin Walker (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 inning in Sarasota)
Tyler Stovall (.164/.215/.230 in Dayton)

And of course, the true rookies that were drafted this year:

James Walczak (RHP, 15th round)
William Stramp (3B, 33rd round)
Forest Cannon (RHP, 34th round)
Mark Serrano (RHP, 6th round)
Christopher Richburg (1B, 23rd round)
Derrick Lowery (1B, 24th round)
Jason Braun (RHP, 29th round)
Donnie Joseph (LHP, 3rd round)
Shane Carlson (SS, 32nd round)
Trey Manz (C, 26th round)
Adian Kummet (RHP, 31st round)

The rest of the roster is filled with guys who played somewhere in the organization last year. A few highlights:

LHP Shea Snowden - A 16th round pick last year, posted a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings in the GCL.
RHP Clayton Shunick - The Reds 5th rounder out of NC State, is repeating Billings after a lackluster season last year.
LHP Ezequiel Infante - Pitched in the Dominican Summer League last year, posting a 0.19 ERA (!) in 47 innings out of the bullpen. Infante or Joseph should be the closer in Billings.
RHP Hector Santana - Put up a 2.90 ERA between 3 levels last year.
RHP Evan Hildebrandt - 6th round pick from 2007. Hasn't panned out yet.
LHP Luca Panerati - One of the Reds Italian imports, pitched well in the GCL last year and for the Italy team in the WBC.

The GCL Reds have a tenative roster up as well, but it's nowhere near finalized yet (unless they plan on playing with 5 position players). More info on them as it comes up.