Bluefield Ousted in 1st Round: September 1 Minor League Report

Buffalo Bisons (73-70)

Despite being out of the playoffs, the Buffalo Bisons look to finish the season off strongly with a 5-4 win over the Syracuse Chiefs with one more game remaining. Mike McCoy led the ten-hit attack with three hits and two runs scored while Luis Jimenez had two hits and two RBI while Jim Negrych had a pair of hits, a walk and two runs scored. Ricky Romero had his last Buffalo start of the year and went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk. The big downside was that Romero only struck out one batter but the positive is that he only needed seventy-two pitches to get through the five innings and had eleven groundball outs. Luis Perez made another appearance for the Bisons and went two scoreless innings while Mickey Storey and Jeremy Jeffress each gave up a run in his inning.

Hitting:

Mike McCoy – 3/5, 2 R, 2 K
Jim Negrych – 2/3, 2 R, BB, SB
Mauro Gomez – 1/4, RBI, K, SF
Luis Jimenez – 2/4, 2 RBI, 2 K, SF
Andy LaRoche – 0/3, RBI, SF
Ryan Langerhans – 0/3, BB, 2 K
Brad Glenn – 0/3, OF Asst.
Clint Robinson – 1/4, 2B, K
Mike Nickeas – 1/4, R, 3 K

Pitching:

Ricky Romero – W, 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Luis Perez – 2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
Mickey Storey – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Jeremy Jeffress – S, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Jim Negrych

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (67-72)

With one game remaining, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats fell to the Binghamton Mets 6-2 on Sunday. Marcus Walden had a pretty typical performance. He scattered nine hits and two walks over six innings, giving up just three runs (only two were earned) and getting eight groundouts and four flyouts. Chad Beck gave up three unearned run in his inning of work on the way back from injuries and Matt Wright finished off the game with a scoreless inning. The Fisher Cats only managed to get six hits with two each by Ryan Schimpf and Kenny Wilson while Lance Zawadzki hit a home run to drive in both runs for the club.

Roster Notes: Pitchers Casey Lawrence and Austin Bibens-Dirkx were sent to Dunedin and Chad Beck was assigned to New Hampshire.

Hitting:

Kenny Wilson – 2/4, 2 2B
Jonathan Jones – 0/4
Kevin Nolan – 0/3, BB, K
Adam Loewen – 0/4, K
Ryan Schimpf – 2/3, R, BB, K, E
Kevin Ahrens – 0/4, 2 K
Lance Zawadzki – 1/4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Pierce Rankin – 0/3, BB, 2 K
Jon Talley – 1/3, 2B, K

Pitching:

Marcus Walden – L, 6 IP, 9 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Chad Beck – 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 1 K
Matt Wright – 1 IP, 1 BB

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Lance Zawadzki

Dunedin Blue Jays (63-68)

The Dunedin Blue Jays had another big game with the bats, beating the Clearwater Threshers 16-2 on Sunday. K.C. Hobson led the charge with a four-for-five day that included his team-leading nineteenth home run as well as six RBI. Nick Baligod, Matt Newman and Marcus Knecht each had three hits while Newman, Knecht and Oliver Dominguez hit home runs. Jesse Hernandez had a strong start heading into the playoffs on Tuesday with five innings of one-run, four-hit ball.

Roster Notes: Pitchers Casey Lawrence and Austin Bibens-Dirkx were sent back to Dunedin for the playoffs and Matt Boyd was put on the GCL Blue Jays roster and Justin Jackson was sent down to Lansing.

Hitting:

Jon Berti – 1/5, 3 R, RBI, BB, K, SB
Derrick Chung – 1/3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB, SF
Matt Newman – 3/5, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI
K.C. Hobson – 4/5, R, 2B, HR, 6 RBI
Marcus Knecht – 3/4, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, K
Gustavo Pierre – 2/5, R, 2 2B, RBI, K
Oliver Dominguez – 1/4, R, HR, RBI, K
Mike Crouse – 0/1
Nick Baligod – 3/5, 3 R, 2 2B, RBI, K, E
Jorge Flores – 1/4, R, 2B, BB

Pitching:

Jesse Hernandez – W, 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Tony Davis – 1 IP, 1 K
Dustin Antolin – 1 IP, 2 K
Ajay Meyer – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER)
Blake McFarland – 1 IP, 2 H

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: K.C. Hobson

Lansing Lugnuts (60-78)

The Lansing Lugnuts lost in a big way, 13-1 to the West Michigan Whitecaps. Kramer Champlin, in his last start of the season, gave up five runs in just two and a third innings and he was followed by Efrain Nieves who gave up another five runs in just one and a third innings. Justin Jackson returned to the club to throw two and a third innings and gave up four hits including a solo home run but the first-year pitcher also struck out four. Griffin Murphy gave up the final two runs and Ian Kadish threw a clean inning to finish the game. There wasn’t much to tell on offense with the club only having four hits incluiding Dalton Pompey‘s sixth home run.

Roster Note: RP Justin Jackson was demoted from Dunedin to Lansing.

Dalton Pompey playing for the Lansing Lugnuts in Midland, MI on August 10, 2013. Mandatory Credit: Jay Blue

Hitting:

Dalton Pompey – 1/4, R, HR, RBI, K
Christian Lopes – 1/3
Dwight Smith, Jr. – 0/3, BB
Kevin Patterson – 0/4, 2 K
Santiago Nessy – 0/4, 2 K
Chris Hawkins – 0/3, K
Carlos Ramirez – 1/3, 2B
Jason Leblebijian – 0/3, 3 K
Kellen Sweeney – 1/3, K

Pitching:

Kramer Champlin – L, 2 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Efrain Nieves – 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Justin Jackson – 2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 K, 1 HR
Griffin Murphy – 2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Ian Kadish – 1 IP

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Dalton Pompey

Vancouver Canadians (38-36)

The Vancouver Canadians helped solidify their (still tentative) playoff chances with a 4-2 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils. Colton Turner earned the win, starting and going six innings and giving up just two runs on five hits and a walk. Matt Dermody threw two scoreless innings in relief and Chuck Ghysels struck out the side in the ninth for his tenth save. L.B. drove home a pair of runs going two for four with a double and Andy Fermin scored twice, also going two-for four with a double (and an RBI). You know who else went two for four with a double? Brenden Kalfus, that’s who, and he also drove home a run and threw out a runner at the plate.

Hitting:

Chaz Frank – 1/5, K
David Harris – 1/3, R, K
Andy Fermin – 2/4, 2 R, 2B, RBI
L.B. Dantzler – 2/4, 2B, 2 RBI
Dawel Lugo – 0/4, K
Michael Reeves – 1/4, R, 2 K
Brenden Kalfus – 2/4, 2B, RBI, K, CS, OF Asst.
Christian Vazquez – 1/4, K, 2 E
Ian Parmley – 0/4, 2 K, OF Asst.

Pitching:

Colton Turner – W, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Matt Dermody – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Chuck Ghysels – S, 1 IP, 3 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Brenden Kalfus

Late night Vancouver Canadians recaps will appear two days following the game.

Bluefield Blue Jays (0-2)

The Bluefield Blue Jays were eliminated from the Appalachian League playoffs by the Pulaski Mariners in two-straight games after a 6-4 loss on Sunday. Starter Alberto Tirado wasn’t great, giving up three hits and three walks in his three and a third innings, but the infield defense behind him let him down; he allowed five runs but only one of them was earned. The best pitching performance of the day for the Blue Jays was by Miguel Castro who threw three shutout innings, giving up two hits and one walk. The offense wasn’t able to do much, outside of Matt Dean and Franklin Barreto who had three hits apiece with Barreto driving in three. His game couldn’t be considered all good: Barreto made two of the errors that led to the Pulaski runs. While Mitch Nay hit a double and took a walk (scoring twice), most of the rest of the team was lifeless offensively, striking out fifteen times as a team, including three strikeouts in the top of the ninth inning to Carlos Misell.

Hitting:

D.J. Davis – 0/5, 3 K
Tim Locastro – 1/4, SB
Derrick Loveless – 1/4, R, 3B, BB, 2 K
Mitch Nay –  1/3, 2 R, 2B, BB, K, E
Matthew Dean – 3/4, R, K
Franklin Barreto – 3/4, 3 RBI, K, 2 E
Rowdy Tellez – 0/4, 2 K
Jorge Saez – 1/4, 2 K, PB
Jonathan Davis – 0/4, 2 K

Pitching:

Alberto Tirado – 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 3 K
Clinton Hollon – 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K
Miguel Castro – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Corey Gorman – 1 IP, 1 BB

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Miguel Castro and Matt Dean

If you like what you’ve seen by Jay Blue, read his work and listen to his podcast on Blue Jays from Away and follow him on Twitter: @Jaysfromaway.