I could call last night’s performance by Phillippe Aumont a success, but he did give up a walk and three hits in 2.1 IP. He didn’t allow a run, but he allowed one of two inherited runners score. I’ll call it a push. Maikel Franco‘s hit in two straight and walked in three straight. I’ll call that a good sign and we’ll see how it plays out.

Hoby Milner left the Reading game in the fifth after taking a liner off his pitching hand/forearm. He threw a couple warm-ups and they pulled him, according to this Penn Live article. He was cruising along pretty nicely at that point, having given up just one hit and striking out three in 4.2IP. Kelly Dugan went deep and Cameron Perkins continued his hot start – he’s OPSing .927 on the young season.

Not much to report out of CLR except Kevin Walter had his second straight scoreless relief appearance to start the year. And LKW hitters managed just three doubles off of Hagerstown pitchers, including Nats’ top prospect Lucas Giolito, who struck out six, walked one and allowed just one hit in five innings. Tyler Viza got hit around some after a nice start – he did strike out five in five+ innings, versus just one walk, and he retired the first seven men in a row, and 15 out of the first 18. It all came apart in the sixth inning, however, as he didn’t record an out and allowed four runs.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/10/2014 →

Cesar Jimenez and Hector Neris threw a seven inning shutout to beat Blue Jays’ #2 and consensus Top 50-60 overall prospect Marcus Stroman, who struck out eight Pigs in six innings, but walked five. Cameron Rupp didn’t manage a home run. Not sure why he just wouldn’t go ahead and hit one. Maybe it’s some kind of strategy for the next time they face Buffalo. Lulling them into complacency. Smart.

Reading’s staff did a nice job, with Severino Gonzalez going 7 strong innings and Nefi Ogando and Ken Giles finishing up. Giles has now recorded 10 outs on the year, 9 by K. If you’re into that sort of thing.

Brian Pointer looking good in four games thus far. Not sure why he’s not playing every day at this point. Zach Green has two doubles, and Mark Leiter put up another nice line in a losing effort – 2R/4H/1HR/0BB/5K in 7 IP. Charting shows him throwing seven different pitches. Wonder if there’s some overlap there. From Fangraphs’ Nathaniel Stoltz:

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/9/2014 →

Cameron Rupp did it again. Four HR in 4 games. Can I call him “Babe Rupp” without you all booing me off the site and into a shame spiral that ends with me face down in a ditch somewhere with an empty gallon of vodka?  No? Ok, then, I won’t call him that.

Jesse Biddle had a good night, earned runs not withstanding. Tommy Joseph went deep and ditto Art Charles. Phillippe Aumont walked four batters, which led me to assert on Twitter that Aumont is French for self-parody. And hey, look, I just did it again.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/8/2014 →

With two rain-outs and a scheduled off-day, only Lakewood was in action Monday. The bullpen couldn’t hold two leads, as Cody Forsythe gave up three runs in the ninth, and Tyler Buckley gave up two in his second inning of work in the 11th. All of this couldn’t obscure J.P. Crawford‘s 4-6, 2B, HR, 4R, or Dylan Cozens’ 4-6, 2B, 3 RBI. We’re going to be talking about that Lakewood lineup all year.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/7/2014 →

Cameron Rupp is raking right now. Just absolutely mashing. He’s OPSing 2.381 over his three games, and today he hit his third home run. Crushing it. My goodness.

Perci Garner had a fine outing, picking up the victory via a six inning, six strikeout performance. Ken Giles struck out the side in order for his second consecutive save. He’s recorded six outs thus far in 2014, all Ks.

And in Clearwater, Cole Hamels gave up two homers to Dwight Smith Jr. and little else in a four inning rehab start. Smith retired after the game, citing that one Seinfeld where George leaves a meeting after making a successful joke. “I’m not topping that one,” said Smith. When asked about it, Hamels said, “I don’t know that one. I stopped watching after season six.”

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/6/2014 →

Sean O’Sullivan got hit around some, but Phillippe Aumont worked his way around two hits to work a scoreless inning in LV’s loss. Two hits a piece for Cameron Perkins and Kelly Dugan – Perkins’ were both doubles – he’s got three already on the young season, picking up where he left off in 2013. Ken Giles struck out the side, (not in order, of course), to pick up his first AA save, after AA repeater Jay Johnson struck out two in a clean eighth inning.

A rehabbing JA Happ beat CLR, while Brian Pointer had his second triple in as many days. Dylan Cozens with two hits and Larry Greene was on base twice in support of a fine outing from Alejandro Arteaga for LKW – 2R, 5H, (1 HR), 6Ks 0BB, and he threw nearly 2/3 of his pitches for strikes.

Not going to get the graphic up today, but here’s the link and a spot to discuss Saturday’s action.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/5/2014 →

Cameron Rupp went deep again. He’s on pace for probably a lot of home runs or at least more than two, I bet. Also thing I would bet – Kyle Simon is not happy with his AAA debut. Just a hunch. Hector Neris, on the other hand, survived his unscathed. Don’t sleep on the 25-year-old Dominican. He put up pretty solid peripherals in Reading, and could be a bullpen piece for the big club sometime soon, especially if his HR rate normalizes now that he’s out of the Reading launching pad.

Cameron Perkins had two hits, including a double, while Severino Gonzalez started his season well – 1R 4H 1 BB and 3K in 5 IP. Reports from @longenhagen had Seve at 89-90 and touching 91 early, then fading later in the cold.

CLR walks it off in the tenth against Dunedin. Brian Pointer had a triple in that contest, and Ethan Stewart allowed just five base runners in seven IP – he only struck out one, and walked three, but allowed just two hits. A note there – The Jays have Dwight Smith‘s son, Dwight Smith Jr. For those who don’t remember Dwight Smith, he and Jerome Walton were all the rage back in ’89. Walton won the NL ROY and his Cubs teammate Smith got second, ahead of one-time Phils Gregg Jefferies and Charlie Hayes.

Carlos Tocci and Andrew Pullin had doubles, while Jesen Therrien got rocked in relief, as Lakewood took the loss. Tyler Viza made his full-season debut. He was a 2013 draftee out of JuCo, and played GCL last year, so he’s skipping Williamsport, (for now, at least). Looking forward to seeing what he can do with the opportunity.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/4/2014 →