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So it has been a few days, which I apologize for. Unfortunately work and life can get in the way of providing some content for all of my loyal readers. Sorry about that.
Getting back at things, I will recap last nights games, and then take a look back from the weekend at anything that seems worth noting.
Buffalo (15-14) - Postponed - To be made up as a doubleheader today
New Hampshire (10-21) - Loss 5-4 to Portland
Simeon Woods Richardson returned from his triumphant work with team USA to get his first start in affiliated ball in a couple of weeks. SWR had a solid start, going 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks. Woods Richardson struck out 5 but left in a 1-1 tie. SWR’s only real wobble came in the 2nd inning, where he gave up a single, a walk, a single and a sac fly. The singles were a couple of ground balls. The next batter hit another fly ball to right, but Demi Orimoloye threw out a runner at the plate to keep the scoring to 1 run.
In the 3rd, Woods Richardson walked the first batter, who then was caught stealing, then hit the second batter, who was also caught stealing, and then got a ground out. He then struck out 4 of the last 6 batters he faced. Graham Spraker then struggled in relief, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks, while not recording an out. Jon Harris came in and was able to get out of the jam and pitch another scoreless inning. Andrew McInvale pitched the 8th and the first batter reached on an error. McInvale then struck out 2, but couldn’t bail out the D, as he gave up 2 ground ball singles to give up the lead. A wild pitch and another strike out and McInvale was out of the inning.
New Hampshire got out of the gates quickly, as Samad Taylor singled, moved to second on an Austin Martin walk and then scored on a Gabriel Moreno single. The inning ended on the next batter as LJ Talley flew out to CF, and Martin was thrown out at 3rd. In the 6th, Nick Podkul & Taylor singled to start off the inning. Taylor should have been picked off, but the 1B missed the ball, allowing Podkul to score. Taylor then was thrown out at 3rd on a ground ball to short. Moreno then doubled in a run. Taylor then homered to lead off the 8th inning to tie the ball game, it was his 8th of the season and took the lead among Baby Jays. Taylor finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored. Moreno was 2-4 with 2 RBI. Martin was 1-3 with the walk. Brock Lundquist also added a single.
Vancouver (19-13) - Win 10-2 over Spokane
Vancouver used a big first inning to cruise to their win over Spokane, after scoring 5 runs in the top of the 1st. Tanner Kirwer walked, stole second (his 20th of the year), Phil Clarke walked, Cameron Eden singled in 1, Spencer Horwitz singled in 1, Luis De Los Santos singled in 1, a wild pitch scored 1 and a Sebastian Espino sac fly scored 1.
The C’s had another crooked number in the 6th inning, as Eric Rivera singled, Kirwer doubled, Clarke was hit by a pitch, Eden doubled in 2, and then Ryan Gold singled in 2 more. Espino added an RBI single in the 8th. Eden finished 2-6 with the double. Gold went 3-3 with 2 RBI’s, a walk and was hit by a pitch. De Los Santos had 2 singles. Clarke was the only C without a hit, but had 3 walks and was hit by a pitch.
CJ Van Eyk started this one and had a decent start. Van Eyk did give up a lead off HR in the bottom of 1 and an unearned run in the 4th. His final line was 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. The hits were 3 singles, a double and the HR. Van Eyk threw 87 pitches, including 55 strikes, getting 5 ground outs as well. Brandon Eisert pitched 2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing 2 singles and a walk, while striking out 4. Adrian Hernandez made his high-A debut after dominating low-A hitters with his change up. In his 2 innings of relief, Hernandez allowed a single and struck out 4.
Dunedin (11-21) - Win 5-4 over Lakeland in 11 innings
Wednesday night saw Dunedin get a great start from their pitching plus a 9th inning come back, before winning in 11. Nathanael Perez started and allowed 3 walks over 2 innings, striking out 2. Elixon Caballero followed with a scoreless inning, allowing a walk and striking out 2. Juan DePaula allowed a run in 3 innings of relief, on a double and 3 walks. Gabriel Ponce struggled, allowing 3 earned runs on a single, a walk, two hit batters and a wild pitch. Canadian Alex Nolan was solid in relief as he pitched the rest of the game, finishing with 4 shutout innings, allowing a single and a walk. Nolan struck out 3 but also worked around the extra runner in 2 innings, to give the D-Jays a chance to win. In the 11th, Nolan even had a wild pitch with runners on 1st & 3rd, but the runner from 3rd was unable to score
Dunedin scored 3 in the 5th inning. Steward Berroa walked, Zac Cook was hit by a pitch, Miguel Hiraldo then had an RBI single and Orelvis Martinez doubled in 2. In the 9th inning, Berroa singled, moved to second on a ground out to second, then scored on a Leo Jimenez single. In the 11th, Dunedin should have scored more than once, but Harry Ray started as the extra runner. Berroa bunted for a single, Cook was hit by a pitch for the 2nd time in the game to load the bases. Jimenez drove in Ray with a sac fly. Hiraldo then struck out and Martinez lined out to short to end the threat. Martinez finished the game a HR short of the cycle, going 3-6. Jimenez had 2 singles and the sac fly. Berroa added another single and was 2-4 on the night with a walk. Cook was 0-4 but was hit by pitches twice. PK Morris had 2 singles and a walk.
What Happened Since Thursday
Buffalo
Buffalo went 2 & 3 since we last updated you. Splitting a doubleheader on Friday and winning on Sunday. Riley Adams was torching the ball before being called up, as he went 4-5 with a double, 3 HR’s, a walk and 2 hit by pitch in his 2 starts. Kevin Smith played in all 5 games, going 6-17 with a double, 2 HR’s, 4 walks and 3 K’s. Jared Hoying signed with Buffalo on May 30th. He played the last 3 years in the KBO and was not playing in 2021, but debuted on Tuesday night with a double and a HR
Nate Pearson started in game 2 of the DH last Friday and alternated between being dominating and getting hit hard. In the 2nd inning, Pearson gave up a double and a 2-run HR back-to-back. Then struck out 5 of 6 batters in the 3rd & 4th, before giving up a single and hitting a batter to start the 5th. Jackson McClelland came in relief and gave up a 3-run HR. Nick Allgeyer started on Saturday and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings, striking out 7.
Thomas Hatch started Sunday, went 2 innings, allowing just a walk and striking out 1. TJ Zeuch then pitched 7 innings of relief, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits, striking out 1. Anthony Matt Kay started Tuesday night, allowing a single, a walk and a hit batter through 3 innings, but then struggling in the 4th. The 4th went double, strikeout, walk, single, hit batter, pop out, single. Kay then gave up a solo HR in the 6th inning. Final line was 4 earned on 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batters in 5.2 innings. Kay struck out 5. Ultimately seeing Hatch, Kay & Patrick Murphy pitching is good news for the big club.
New Hampshire
The Fisher Cats were 1 & 3 and the big change has been Samad Taylor having a terrific run in June. Hopefully there is a change involved, but so far in June Taylor is rocking a .433/.514/1.067 slash line in 35 PA’s and a reduced K-rate. Included in that run is 9 extra base hits including 5 HR’s. On May 31st, the slash line was .250/.301/.395 good for a 91 wRC+. As of today it is .302/.364/.585 for a 155 wRC+ for the season. Austin Martin was 4-11 with 4 walks and 3 K’s. That also included his 2nd HR of the year. Jordan Groshans played all weekend, picking up his 2nd HR of the season on Friday and doubling on Sunday. Gabriel Moreno was 3-12 including his 4th HR of the year
Zach Logue started on Friday, and allowed 6 hits and 4 walks in 4.1 innings. Logue gave up 3 runs but struck out 5. Johnny Barbato was signed out of independent ball and made the start on Saturday. He went 5.1 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. Barbato struck out 5. Kyle Johnston started Sunday, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings. That included 8 K’s. Maximo Castillo started Tuesday, allowing 5 earned on 7 hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. Ultimately, the bullpen gave up crooked numbers late in each of the 3 losses, which has hurt the clubs overall record this year.
Vancouver
The C’s went 2 & 2 since we last checked in. Nick Fraze started on Friday and had his worst outing of the year. He finished with 4 runs (2 earned) allowed in 3.1. Fraze gave up 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. Adam Kloffenstein started Saturday and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) in 4.2 innings. Kloff allowed 3 singles and 4 walks, while striking out 5. Paxton Schultz started Sunday and was pretty good. Schultz went 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 2 walks and a hit batter. He also struck out 9. Sean Wymer started Tuesday, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and a walk in 5 innings to pick up his 1st win of the year.
Luis De Los Santos is currently on a 4 game multi-hit hitting streak (including last night). That includes 3 doubles and his 2nd HR of the year. Sebastian Espino had multi-hit games on Friday & Sunday, including his 1st HR of the season. Phil Clarke has been hitting better going 5-16 over the last 4 games before last night. Tanner Kirwer was 5-12 with 3 walks.
Dunedin
Dunedin was 2 & 2 after Friday. That included a blow out win on Friday, a blow out loss on Saturday, a late win on Sunday and an early loss on Tuesday. Sem Robberse started on Friday and had his best outing of the year. Robberse went 4 innings of shutout ball, allowing 2 singles and a walk, while striking out 7. Alejandro Melean allowed 2 runs on 6 hits nad a walk in 4 innings of relief, striking out 6. Lazaro Estrada started on Saturday and allowed a solo HR among 4 hits in 4 innings. Estrada walked a batter, had a balk and struck out 3. Rafael Ohashi pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 2 walks and striking out 2. Elixon Caballero & Adrian Hernandez struggled in this one, allowing 9 runs (6 earned) and recording only 1 out.
Naswell Paulino started on Sunday, and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings on 1 hit, 4 walks and 2 hit batters. Trent Palmer started on Tuesday, allowing 2 earned runs in 2.2 innings. Palmer surrendered 4 walks and a wild pitch, but did strike out 5.
At the plate, Jhon Solarte was 3-6 in 3 games adding 2 walks and being hit by 3 pitches. Solarte hit his 2nd HR of the season on Tuesday and added 4 stolen bases. Orelvis Martinez was 3-13 with a triple. Leo Jimenez was 5-9 with 4 walks and 3 K’s. Zac Cook was only 2-15 in the 4 games, but had 2 walks and was hit by 2 pitches. Many of the hitters for Dunedin have struggled hitting the ball, as they had 22 hits over the 4 games, but 9 came in the blowout win on Friday.
Today’s Probables
Buffalo has a doubleheader today against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that is set to get underway at 5:00. Starters are currently listed as Jacob Waguespack (1-1, 5.48 ERA, 2.19 FIP, 2.84 xFIP) in game 1 and Nate Pearson (0-2, 7.24 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 3.10 xFIP) for game 2, though I wouldn’t be shocked to see those reversed
New Hampshire gets underway at 6:00 against Portland. The starter is to be determined still, but the Cats are seeing old friend Josh Winckowski for the 4th time this season. My guess would be Zach Logue starting.
Vancouver is up first for the affiliates today, sending Luis Quinones (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 3.31 xFIP) to the mound for his 3rd start of the year
Dunedin is set to take on Lakeland at 6:30. No starter has been named for that one at this point. I am thinking Sem Robberse may get the ball.