Baby Bird Brief Weekly Report - Week 6

Blue Jays Weekly Minor League Report - May 25

Baby Bird Performers of the Week
Offense - Tim Locastro - OPS of 1.623 for the week. Locastro went 7-12 with a double & a HR. He also picked up 4 walks and was hit by pitch and scored 7 runs. Locastro also had 4 stolen bases for the week
Honorable Mention - Danny Jansen - OPS of 1.329. Jansen was 7-15 for the week, with 2 doubles & a HR. He picked up 7 RBI's for the week and scored 6 runs

Pitching - Felix Doubront - Allowed only an unearned run over 10 innings in 2 starts. Allowed 7 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 7 for the week
Honorable Mention - Chase De Jong - Finished 1 out short of a complete game, throwing 8.2 and allowing a 2-run HR. De Jong allowed 6 hits and struck out 6 for the week

Leaders

Stats of the week that may only interest me
Outfield Assists - 5 - David Harris & Derrick Loveless
Caught Stealing % - 34% (10 of 29) - A.J. Jimenez
Hit By Pitch - 14 - Tim Locastro (Double his closest competitor.

Buffalo
Buffalo picked up a 4-3 record last week, winning 2 of 3 at Columbus and splitting a 4-game series at Toledo. Buffalo again picked up a positive run differential, ending the week at +11, scoring 40 runs and allowing 29. This week Buffalo has a 3 game series at home with Indianapolis, followed by a 4-game series with Rochester, beginning with a double header on Friday.

Over the weekend, Buffalo lost 3-2 on Friday, won 12-4 on Saturday and lost 8-5 on Sunday against Toledo. Sunday was the hardest loss, as Buffalo surrendered 8 runs in the 8^th inning. On Friday, the 8 & 9 hitters went 5-7 with 2 doubles and 2 triples. The rest of the lineup was 2-26. Daniel Norris had a rough outing as well. Saturday, the bats came alive as they picked up 12 hits and 3 walks. Every starter had a hit except 1. Buffalo cruised on Sunday with the exception of the painful 8^th inning.

In Monday's game, all of the scoring occurred in the first 4 innings, as Buffalo couldn't overcome 2 in the 1^st, 2 in the 2^nd and 4 in the 4^th in an 8-4 loss to Indianapolis. Buffalo ended up with 13 hits and a walk, but left 8 LOBsters. Bison hitters struck out 7 times. Indianapolis had 12 hits and 5 walks, striking out 9 times.

• Randy Wolf had his worst start of the year, allowing 8 runs (6 earned) over 2.2 innings. Wolf gave up 7 hits and 3 walks and only struck out 2.
• Chad Jenkins threw 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up 3 hits and struck out 1
• Jeff Francis threw 3 scoreless innings. Francis allowed 2 hits and a walk, while striking out 3
• Colt Hynes had a scoreless inning as well, walking 1 and striking out 3
  
  
• Andy Burns had a 4-hit night. He scored a run and also made an error
• Luke Scott picked up 3 hits, including a double
• Chris Dickerson had 2 hits and a sac fly
• Ryan Schimpf had a double and a walk
• Matt Hague, Munenori Kawasaki & Jonathan Diaz each had a hit

Weekend Performances

• A.J. Jimenez had 2 hits Friday (1 double, 1 triple) and 2 more hits Saturday. He scored 3 runs over the weekend and also took a walk
• Jonathan Diaz had a double & a triple on Friday. He also picked up a run replacing Jose Reyes Saturday
• Jose Reyes had a hit & 2 walks on Friday, and 2 more hits on Saturday before his recall
• Matt Hague had a walk Friday, 3 doubles & 5 RBI's Saturday and 2 more walks on Sunday
• Brad Glenn had a hit Friday, a single & a double on Sunday & another single on Sunday. That extended his hit streak to 9 games, which ended Monday
• Chris Dickerson had 2 hits Saturday & 3 more on Sunday, adding a double
• Andy Burns had a hit Saturday and a double and a HR on Sunday
  
  
• Daniel Norris went 4 innings on Friday, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 3. Norris threw 88 pitches, but only 46 strikes
• Miguel Castro started Saturday and went 5 innings. He allowed 4 hits (including a HR) and a walk. Castro also struck out 6. He threw 73 pitches, but only 46 strikes
• Jeff Francis got shelled on Saturday, allowing 3 runs in an inning. He gave up 3 hits and a walk.
• Felix Doubront threw 6 scoreless innings on Sunday. He gave up 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 3.
• Colt Hynes & Bobby Korecky allowed 8 runs in a third of an inning on 4 hits and 3 walks to blow the lead Sunday

New Hampshire
New Hampshire had a bit of a bounce back week, going 4-2, taking 2 on the road at Reading before taking two of the first three at home against Altoona. For the week, the Fisher Cats ended up at -1 for run differential, with 23 runs for and 24 against. The last game of the week saw New Hampshire lose by 8, so it was a better week before that point.

Over the weekend, New Hampshire won 6-3 Friday night, 4-1 Saturday and then lost 11-3 on Sunday. Friday night, New Hampshire had a balanced attack, and was able to keep Altoona to a 4-15 mark with runners in scoring position, or the game could have been different. Saturday, the top of the order went 5-8 and drove in 3 runs and that was enough for a strong Matt Boyd start to win. Sunday saw Altoona get 4 runs in the 3^rd and again in the 4^th to pull away. 3 New Hampshire errors didn't help the cause

On Monday, New Hampshire fell behind early and kept giving up runs, as they lost 9-4 to Altoona. New Hampshire ended up with 13 hits and 3 walks, striking out 3 times. The FisherCats went 3-16 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base. Altoona had 18 hits, including 3 HR's, and 2 walks. Altoona picked up 7 strike outs. Altoona also went 2-5 on stolen bases on the night.

• Taylor Cole went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs on 11 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 2 in a rough outing. Cole had a pickoff as well
• Scott Barnes followed with 2 innings where he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, including 2 HR's. He also recorded 3 K's. Barnes picked a runner off 1^st
• Danny Barnes allowed a run on 2 hits in an inning. He struck out 1
• Greg Burke pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and striking out 1
  
  
• Shane Optiz had a big game, picking up 2 singles & 2 doubles. He's currently hit safely in 7 straight
• K.C. Hobson had 2 doubles and scored a run. He also walked and struck out
• Jorge Flores had 2 hits and a sac bunt
• Daric Barton made his 2015 debut and had a homerun and a walk
• Dwight Smith & Christian Lopes each added a hit

Weekend Performances

• Dwight Smith had a double Friday, 2 singles & a double on Saturday driving in 3 runs for the weekend
• New addition Ronald Torreyes has had a rough start since joining New Hampshire. Torreyes had a double and a walk in 12 plate appearances over the weekend (1-10)
• K.C. Hobson had a HR on Friday night, a double on Sunday and went 0-for in between. He added 2 K's for the weekend
• Ian Parmley hit safely in all 3 games, with 2 hits and 2 runs on Friday, a hit and a run on Saturday and a double on Sunday
• Matt Newman had a hit Friday, a solo HR on Saturday (his 5^th) and a single and a triple on Sunday
• Shane Optiz had a hit and a run Friday, a double and a run on Saturday and 2 hits and a run scored on Sunday
  
  
• John Anderson went 5 innings on Friday, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk. He also struck out 9 which is a huge number
• Matt Boyd started Saturday and went 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk. He gave up 1 run on a solo HR. He also struck out 8
• Casey Lawrence got hit pretty hard Sunday. He allowed 9 runs (6 earned) on 12 hits and a walk. He was able to record a strike out, but was hurt by some errors
• Jack Murphy made his mound debut, allowing a run on 2 hits and 2 walks, while recording a strike out. Currently he would be 3^rd on the Blue Jays hitters to take the mound list behind Steve Tolleson and Ryan Schimpf

Dunedin
Dunedin had another 3-4 week last week, ending up with a -18 run differential. Dunedin scored 25 runs and allowed 43 for the week. Dunedin started by taking 2 of 3 from Tampa, and everyone loves beating the Yankees, before losing 3 of 4 to St. Lucie, which was slightly less bad because it's the other New York club. For the upcoming week, Dunedin plays 4 games at Jupiter, starting Tuesday before finishing up with a 3-game series at home against Tampa.

Over the weekend, Dunedin lost all 3 games. Friday, they lost a 3-1 game, as the D-Jays could only muster 3 hits. Saturday saw the wheels come off late, in a 14-2 loss. The game was 3-2 through 5, before St. Lucie found their offense with 11 runs in the last 4 innings. Sunday saw a slow start from Dunedin, as they were down 7-0 after 5, before chipping away at the lead before coming up short.

On Monday, Dunedin was off and travelling to take on Jupiter

Weekend Performances

• Dickie Joe Thon hit in all 3 games, picking up a double Friday, a single & a walk on Saturday and a hit on Sunday
• Derrick Loveless had a walk and a K on Friday, a hit and a walk on Saturday and 3 hits, a walk and a K on Sunday
• Boomer Collins picked up a hit and scored a run Saturday and had a single and a double on Sunday
• Alex Hassan made his Dunedin debut on Sunday, and picked up a hit and a run scored
• Roemon Fields had two singles and drove in a run on Saturday
• The big part of the order (L.B. Dantzler, Matt Dean, Mitch Nay) went 2-12 on Friday with 3 K's, 0-11 on Saturday with 6 K's and 2-8 on Sunday, with 2 K's (Dantzler had the day off)
• Maicer Izturis went 0-4 with 2 walks in the games Friday & Saturday
  
  
• Jairo Labourt went 5 solid innings on Friday. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Labourt also picked up 6 K's
• Alberto Tirado threw 2 scoreless innings Friday. He gave up a hit and 3 walks, and struck out 3
• Luis Santos started Saturday and allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out 2 batters
• Brady Dragmire has been hit hard recently, making me wonder if he's hurt or just having a rough patch. On Saturday he got 2 outs, but allowed 6 earned on 3 hits and 3 walks. Over his last 3 outings he's allowed 4, 3 & 6 earned runs in 2.2 innings (including an outing where he didn't record an out)
• Justin Shafer started Sunday and I was wrong on his outing being good. He went 3 innings, allowing 6 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks. He didn't miss a lot of bats as he failed to record a K
• Jeremy Gabryszwski pitched 3 innings with 1 run allowed on 5 hits and 2 walks. He seems to be bouncing between long relief and starting right now, but is getting hit

Lansing
Lansing went 5-2 last week, putting up all kinds of offense. Lansing was a +31 in run differential last week on 60 runs for and 29 runs allowed. Lansing started the week sweeping 4-games from South Bend and then went 1-2 with Fort Wayne. Coming up this week, Lansing finished with Fort Wayne on Monday before heading out on the road for 3 at Bowling Green and a 4 game set at Dayton.

For the weekend, Lansing lost a close game Friday night, 5-4, won handily on Saturday 10-1 and lost 12-7 on Sunday. Lansing made a game of it on Friday, going into the 9^th down 5-0, but couldn't get all the way back. Saturday, Lansing got solid pitching and a 5-run 5^th were more than enough to get to victory. Sunday the Lugs gave up multi-run innings in the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th & 5^th. Lansing did tie the game at 5's after the 3^rd, but couldn't keep Fort Wayne's bats down.

On Monday, Lansing fell behind at the start by 3 runs, but were up 4-3 after 1. They added runs in the 5^th & 6^th innings as they cruised to a 11-5 win over Fort Wayne. Lansing had 11 runs on 8 hits and 9 walks, while striking out 6 times. Fort Wayne picked up 5 runs on 11 hits and 5 walks. They struck out 8 times.

• Sean Reid-Foley started and had his longest outing. SRF went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 7 as well. The first inning he allowed all 3 runs on all 4 hits and a walk, while also throwing 2 wild pitches. After that he settled in and went 4 more innings with 3 walks and 5 K's. SRF also had 5 ground outs to 1 fly ball
• Chase Mallard threw the final 4 innings and picked up a save. He gave up 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk. Mallard recorded 1 K
  
  
• Richard Urena continued his hot run, picking up 3 hits and scoring 4 runs. He had a single, a double and his 7^th HR of the year, to tie him for the Baby Jays lead. He has hit safely in 4 straight, and 9 of 10, including 8 hits in his last 3 games
• Rowdy Tellez picked up 2 doubles and drove in 4 runs
• Anthony Alford went hitless, and all he had was 4 walks and 4 runs scored on the night. He did strike out the other time, but an 80% walk-rate isn't too shabby
• Ryan McBroom had 3 walks and 2 K's in his 5 plate appearances
• D.J. Davis, Gunnar Heidt & Justin Atkinson all added singles. Davis picked up a walk and a sac fly as well

Weekend Performances

• Tim Locastro had a good weekend, picking up 3 hits and a walk Friday, his 2^nd HR of the year on Saturday and another hit and 2 walks on Sunday
• Ryan McBroom had hits in all 3 games, with 2 doubles Friday and a single on Saturday & Sunday
• Rowdy Tellez had 2 hits Friday & Saturday and hitting his 6^th HR of the year on Sunday
• Richard Urena had a hit Friday, a single, a double & his 6^th HR on Saturday and 2 more hits on Sunday. For the series with Fort Wayne he had 9 hits including 2 HR's & 2 doubles
• Anthony Alford had 2 hits and 2 walks on Saturday and 1 hit and 2 walks on Sunday
• D.J. Davis had a hit in each game, and also added 4 walks for the weekend with only 1 K
• Danny Jansen picked up his 2^nd HR of the year on Saturday
  
  
• Jesus Tinoco started Friday and went 5.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Tinoco allowed a HR and struck out 3 batters. Tinoco had 6 ground outs and 7 fly outs
• Shane Dawson went 6.2 innings on Saturday. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and Dawson struck out 6. Dawson had 4 fly outs and 4 ground outs
• Conner Greene started Sunday and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits and a walk over 3 innings. He struck out 4 batters
• Starlyn Suriel followed with 6 runs allowed (3 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings. Suriel struck out 3

Look Ahead
BUF - Buffalo takes on Indianapolis (PIT). Andrew Albers gets the start
NH - New Hampshire takes on Reading (PHI) at home. Joel Pineiro gets his 2^nd start
DUN - Dunedin goes against Jupiter (MIA). Jeff Hoffman starts tonight
LAN - Lansing plays at Bowling Green (TB). Chase De Jong looks to build on his last start

Transactions

Scott Copeland - Recalled by Toronto
Todd Redmond - Selected from Buffalo
Luis Perez - Assigned to Buffalo from New Hampshire
Jeff Francis - Sent outright to Buffalo from Toronto
Austen Bibens-Dirkx - Assigned to Buffalo from New Hampshire
Kevin Nolan - Assigned to Buffalo from New Hampshire
Caleb Gindl - Placed on the 7-day DL
Luis Perez - Placed on the Temporarily Inactive list
Munenori Kawasaki - Activated from the 7-day DL
Jose Reyes - Sent on rehab assignment
Munenori  Kawasaki - Selected from Buffalo
Luis Perez - Activated from the Temporarily Inactive list
Jeff Francis - Activated
Austen Bibens-Dirkx - Placed on the 7-day DL

Chris Schaffer - Activated from 7-day DL
Wil Browning - Assigned to New Hampshire from Dunedin
Jon Berti - Placed on 7-day DL

Maicer Izturis - Sent on Rehab assignment
Jon Wandling - Assigned to Dunedin from Vancouver
Alonzo Gonzalez - Placed on 7-day DL
Carlos Ramirez - Assigned to Dunedin from Lansing
Jeff Hoffman - Assigned to Dunedin from Extended Spring Training
Jon Wandling - Assigned to Extended Spring Training
Alex Hassan - Assigned to Dunedin
Brady Dragmire - Assigned to Extended Spring Training

Michael Kraft - Assigned to Lansing from Extended Spring Training