Complete Prospect Report: June 8-9

After a brief hiatus, the complete prospect reports return with a total of seven games to break down from June 8-9 since Las Vegas had an off-day on Wednesday.

Highlights include clutch hitting, great pitching, and back-to-back balks in New Hampshire, Asher Wojciechowski and Deck McGuire continuing to impress in Dunedin, and even more solid pitching from Drew Hutchison and Sean Nolin in Lansing.

Wins/Losses: 33-28 | Streak: L2 | 2nd in PCL Pacific South (6.0 GB)

June 9: Tucson Padres 6, Las Vegas 51s 0

The 51s’ offense sputtered and missed out on key opportunities in the game, which allowed the Padres to prevail in a 6-0 win, dropping the 51s to 33-28.

Hitting:

There’s really not much to report on the offensive side of a game when a team doesn’t score any runs. David Cooper went 2-for-4 with a double – his 20^th of the season – and Travis Snider, filling in for Brett Lawrie in two-spot in the batting order, went 1-for-3 with a walk. Chris Woodward and Brian Jeroloman each managed a pair of hits as well.

Overall, the 51s went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, thanks to stranding two runners in three of the first five innings, and stranding a runner on second in both the seventh and the eighth.

Pitching:

Starter Scott Richmond was roughed up yet again in this one, lasting just five innings after he allowed six earned runs on eight hits. He was pulled after throwing just 76 pitches (47 for strikes), and walked two while striking out only one. The final two runs that he did allow, though, unfortunately came after both runners advanced into scoring position off a wild pitch and scored on back-to-back sacrifice flies.

Winston Abreu worked around a single and a walk to strand both runners and pitch a scoreless sixth, while Clint Everts pitched two scoreless innings after stranding two runners himself in the eighth.

Notes:

• Though he hasn’t hit very well in his return to Las Vegas, Eric Thames managed an outfield assist in the second inning, his third of the season
• Thames also left this game early though, getting replaced by Jason Lane in the middle of the fourth inning

June 8: Off-day

Wins/Losses: 36-23 | Streak: W1 | 1st in EAS Eastern (0.0 GB)

June 9: New Hampshire Fisher Cats 8, Bowie Baysox 2

Behind a strong start by Zach Stewart and a large amount of production from the bottom half of the batting order, the Fisher Cats were able to top the Baysox 8-2 and improve to 36-23.

Hitting:

Number nine hitter John Tolisano led the way with a 3-for-4 night, including a double, a triple, and three RBIs, and Travis d’Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-out solo home run in the sixth inning. Ricardo Nanita and Anthony Gose each went 2-for-4 with a double, and number eight hitter Mark Sobolewski chipped in with a two-run single in the fourth.

The Fisher Cats went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position, and six of their eight runs came with two outs; always a good sign to see clutch hitting. Six of their 13 hits were for extra bases as well.

New Hampshire was also quite active on the base paths, going 4-for-5 on the night. Adeiny Hechavarria added a pair of thefts, bringing his season total to 13, and Ricardo Nanita and Anthony Gose both stole one as well. With his stolen base in this game, Gose now has 28 on the season.

Pitching:

Starter Zach Stewart pitched six strong innings, allowing one earned run on just five hits. He struck out six while walking two and his only mistake of the game was the solo home run that he gave up in the second inning. He also managed to erase a leadoff single in the first inning by picking the runner off.

Evan Crawford allowed a solo home run, back-to-back walks, and a sacrifice bunt to start the seventh, but clamped down to retire the final two batters of the frame to strand runners at second and third.

Mike Hinckley stranded runners on the corners to pitch a scoreless eighth, and Bobby Korecky pitched a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Notes:

• In a very interesting inning, Mike Hinckley managed to balk TWICE, back-to-back, advancing a single all the way to third base
• Aside from cleanup hitter Mike McDade, every single Fisher Cat had a hit in this contest
• Over his last ten games, Travis d’Arnaud is hitting .273/.333/.485 with two home runs

June 8: Bowie Baysox 4, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2

Three early runs by the Baysox wound up being too much for the Fisher Cats to handle, despite another strong start from electric right-hander Joel Carreno.

Hitting:

The Fisher Cats outhit the Baysox 10-6 but only mustered two runs, thanks to a dismal 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Yan Gomes, Mark Sobolewski, and John Tolisano each had two hits including a double, and Moises Sierra hit his team-leading tenth home run of the season while drawing a walk as well. Sobolewski extended his hit streak to 13 games, which is the longest by a Fisher Cats player this season and is tied for the longest active streak in the Eastern League.

Pitching:

Starter Joel Carreno pitched 6.2 strong innings, allowing just four hits and three runs – all unearned – while walking three and striking out eight. The third inning was the roughest part of his outing, the leadoff hitter reached base on a throwing error by Travis d’Arnaud and advanced to second on a passed ball by d’Arnaud as well. Carreno then walked a batter, followed by two wild pitches that wound up scoring a run before a two-run home run made it a three-run inning.

After throwing his third wild pitch of the game, followed by his third walk of the game, Carreno was pulled in the seventh inning in favor of Evan Crawford, who shut the door and ended the inning. Ronald Uviedo closed things out by striking out three in the final two frames and allowing two hits, one of which was a solo home run.

Notes:

• With three wild pitches in this game, Carreno now has nine on the season, easily a new career-high
• Darin Mastroianni, hitting second, hit a double, drew two walks, and stole his ninth base of the year

Wins/Losses: 32-28 | Streak: L1 | 3rd in FSL North (10.0 GB)

June 9: Brevard County Manatees 2, Dunedin Blue Jays 0

The D-Jays were the second Jays affiliate to get blanked on Thursday, losing a close one to the 22-38 Manatees 2-0, despite a very strong outing from starter Asher Wojciechowski.

Hitting:

Not only is it tough to find things to mention offensively when a team is held scoreless in a game, it’s even harder when the team only manages two hits like the D-Jays did last night.

The lone bright spots were Kevin Nolan, who hit a single and drew three walks, and Jon Talley, who also hit a single and drew a walk. Brian Van Kirk went 0-for-2 but drew a pair of walks as well.

Pitching:

Wojciechowski was dominant in his start, allowing two runs (one earned) on just four hits in seven strong innings. He struck out five and walked none, and his unearned run came in the first inning when a Ryan Schimpf fielding error allowed a runner to advance to third and later score on a ground out. Wojo’s only mistake in this game was the solo home run that he gave up in the fifth.

Aaron Loup gave up a hit and managed a strikeout in two thirds of an inning, while Scott Gracey retired the only batter he faced to close out the eighth inning.

Notes:

• Wojo hit a batter in the seventh and committed a throwing error while trying to pick him off, but managed to strand him at second base and end the inning
• Nolan was sent down to Lansing to get playing time, but was recently called up to the D-Jays again, hitting safely in three of four games since

June 8: Dunedin Blue Jays 4, Brevard County Manatees 3

Despite only managing six hits and committing two errors, the D-Jays were able to grind out a 4-3 win after taking the lead in the third inning and never relinquishing it as well as a strong start by Deck McGuire.

Hitting:

Justin Jackson was a solid leadoff hitter, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, while Kevin Nolan added the difference-maker, a two-run home run in the third inning with two outs. Jon Talley and Kevin Ahrens both added a double, and Sean Ochinko went 1-for-4 with a two-out RBI.

Pitching:

McGuire was dominant in his shorter, five inning start, allowing three runs (two earned) on just five hits. He gave up a pair of solo home runs in the second inning and also walked two in the game, but he struck out a season-high ten batters as well to earn his fourth win of the season.

The bullpen was the story in this tight, one-run game, as Matt Wright allowed just one hit and struck out four in two strong innings of work. Dumas Garcia pitched a perfect eighth with a strikeout and Wes Etheridge pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 19th save of the season.

Notes:

• It seems as though the McGuire/Jimenez combination is the best for throwing out runners, as they went 0-for-3 this game. Knowing that Jimenez has a 1.9 second pop time, I’m going to blame this a bit more on Deck’s delivery, since Wright and Jimenez combined to throw out a runner later in the game
• Etheridge has been a force in the back end of the bullpen for the D-Jays, as his 19 saves are tied for first in the Florida State League and he currently has a 1.27 ERA (2.67 FIP) on the season in 28.1 innings
• Ahrens committed his eighth error of the season on a throw, and Jackson committed his sixth as well

Wins/Losses: 33-25 | Streak: W1 | 1st in MID Eastern (0.0 GB)

June 9: Lansing Lugnuts 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 0

The Lansing Lugnuts were the second Jays affiliate to be involved in a 2-0 game on Thursday, but came out on the winning end instead after another dominant start by right-hander Drew Hutchison, avoiding a three-game sweep at the hands of the River Bandits.

Hitting:

Lansing managed just five hits, but a two-run seventh inning turned out to be enough to give the Lugnuts the win. After managing a leadoff double, Quad Cities threw a wild pitch to advance the runner to third. Jake Marisnick hit an RBI triple to put the Lugnuts up 1-0 before Marcus Knecht scored Marisnick with an RBI double right after that. The Lugnuts had the opportunity to add more, but stranded runners on the corners to end the inning up 2-0.

Pitching:

The 1,618 fans in attendance were treated to a marvelous pitching duel, as Lugnuts’ right-hander Drew Hutchison allowed just three hits in six scoreless frames while striking out nine. Quad Cities right-hander Trevor Rosenthal was also impressive though, allowing two earned runs on five hits in six innings with ten strikeouts.

Hutchison’s outing was a carbon copy of his last start on June 4, when he pitched six scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts as well. The only “trouble” Hutchison ran into in this start was when he allowed a pair of singles to open the first inning, before settling down and striking out the side, stranding runners on second and third.

Lansing’s impressive bullpen continued to shine, as Dayton Marze and Steve Turnbull combined to throw three perfect innings and preserve the win for the Lugnuts.

Notes:

• Turnbull notched his 14th save of the season, which currently leads the entire Midwest League
• Markus Brisker chipped in with a single and a HBP, getting caught stealing once while stealing his 16th bag of the season the other time

June 8: Quad Cities River Bandits 4, Lansing Lugnuts 3

After having a 3-0 lead for the first five innings, Quad Cities stole a win from the Lugnuts with a four-run sixth that put them ahead 4-3, which eventually became the final score.

Hitting:

The Lugnuts were somehow able to hold a 3-0 lead for half the game, despite only managing five hits and going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Matt Nuzzo hit his first home run, a solo shot in the fourth inning, and Marcus Knecht went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Balbino Fuenmayor added a sacrifice fly as well.

Pitching:

Starter Sean Nolin was dominant in his start, limiting the River Bandits to just one hit in his first five innings. After getting two quick outs around a single in the sixth, though, Nolin walked his only batter of the game, before being pulled in favor of Sam Strickland, who gave up a single to the first batter he faced, loading the bases. Then, just like that, Strickland allowed a bases-clearing, game-tying, three-run double, charging Nolin with two runs. Nolin’s line, though unfortunate, was still impressive though: 5.2ip/2H/2ER/1BB/7SO.

Strickland went on to take the loss after giving up an RBI single to the next batter he faced that put the River Bandits up 4-3. Tyler Powell came in to pitch the final two frames without allowing a hit.

Notes:

• Markus Brisker continued to be solid as the Lugnuts’ leadoff hitter with a single and HBP, as well as two stolen bases

-JM

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