April 18 Minor League Report

Please visit our new site for the April 18 Minor League Report.

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We are pleased to announce that you can now find us at our brand new home - www.bluejaysfromaway.com.

We'll keep tweaking a few things, but we're pretty happy with the way everything looks and functions so far. This site will remain active as our "archive." So if you're looking for something in particular that we've published on Blue Jays from Away, this is where you should come att least until we're done linking everything.  If you notice, on the new site, we have a page where we're archiving our interviews.  We'll continue to do so.  We'll also republish our top 20 prospects page so you can have it handy while you're following along with how they perform in 2013.

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We're going to have news of some other changes to the blog very shortly, so it's an exciting time for Blue Jays from Away.

To celebrate the new digs, we are proud to present the first edition of the Blue Jays from Away Podcast which you can find HERE.

This week’s features include:

• The minor league roundup
• The Audio Essay: My trip to Buffalo
• A conversation with Dunedin Blue Jays radio announcer Tyler Murray

April 17 Minor League Report

Buffalo Bisons (7-4)

Game 1

The Buffalo Bisons scored four runs in the fifth and hung on to beat the Syracuse Chiefs 4-3 in game one of a double header.  Justin Germano started out strong, facing the minimum through four innings and just sixteen batters through five.  In the sixth, Germano was roughed up for four consecutive hits after striking out the leadoff batter and left the game still up 4-3.  Those four runs were produced by a big two out rally in the top of the fifth via consecutive singles to Jim Negrych, Anthony Gose, and Moises Sierra (bringing home Negrych), a wild pitch (bringing home Gose), walks to Mauro Gomez and Luis Jimenez and a two-run single to Ryan Langerhans. 

Roster Notes:  Jeremy Jeffress was outrighted to Buffalo, but will be sent to extended spring training for work with instructors.  On the 15^th, P Bobby Korecky was activated from the DL.

Hitting:

Jim Negrych – 1/4, R, 2 K

Anthony Gose – 1/3, R, K, 2 SB

Moises Sierra – 1/4, R, RBI, K

Mauro Gomez – 0/2, R, 2 BB, K

Luis Jimenez – 0/2, BB, 2 K

Ryan Langerhans – 1/2, 2 RBI, BB, K

Josh Thole – 1/3

Lance Zawadzki – 0/3, K

Ryan Goins – 0/3, K

Pitching:

Justin Germano – W, 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Neil Wagner – S, 1 2/3 IP, K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Justin Germano

Game 2

The Buffalo Bisons swept the doubleheader by winning game two in extra innings, scoring a go-ahead run in the top of the eighth on a Ryan Goins single to score Eugenio Velez (yes, that’s extra innings.  Minor league double headers are seven innings each).  Reliever Juan Perez came on to pitch a shutout bottom half to give the Bisons the 5-4 win.  Miguel Batista (although the lineup in Syracuse had him listed as “Bautista," see above) had another poor start, but managed to pitch into the third inning this time before being picked up Mickey Storey, Brad Lincoln and Juan Perez who combined for 5 2/3 innings of 1-run ball. 

On the offense, the hero of the night was Ryan Goins, who went four for four with two RBI (including the game winner) and a run scored.  He had a rough night on the bases though as he got picked off and caught stealing.  Mauro Gomez continues to mash as he accounted for two of the other Buffalo runs with a home run in the third inning.

Hitting:

Mike McCoy – 0/4, BB

Anthony Gose – 0/3, R, BB, K, OF Asst.

Mauro Gomez – 1/4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K

Luis Jimenez – 1/2, 2 BB

Andy LaRoche – 0/4, K

Ryan Langerhans, 0/4, K

Eugenio Velez – 1/4, 2 R, K, SB, OF Asst.

Mike Nickeas – 1/3, BB, K

Ryan Goins – 4/4, R, 2 RBI, PO, CS

Pitching:

Miguel Batista – 2 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Mickey Storey – 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Brad Lincoln – W, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 K

Juan Perez – S, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Ryan Goins

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (7-7)

It was as if the pitchers beat the hitters out of bed for Wednesday’s 10:35 AM start time for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.  The game was 1-0 for the Fisher Cats until the 9^th inning.  After tacking on an insurance run in the top, closer Chad Beck couldn’t get it done in his second inning of work and gave up two runs on four hits to send the game into extra innings.  When the dust settled, New Hampshire evened their record at 7-7 with a single off the bat of Clint Robinson (Tuesday's hero) scoring Ryan Schimpf and a lock down inning from Tommy Hottovy for a 3-2 victory. 

Hitting:

Kenny Wilson – 1/5, K, E

Kevin Pillar – 1/5, RBI, K

Ryan Schimpf – 2/5, R, 2B

Brad Glenn –1/5, 2B

Clint Robinson – 2/5, R, 2B, RBI

John Tolisano – 2/5, 2B, RBI, PO

Kevin Ahrens – 0/4, BB, K

Jack Murphy - 2/5, R, K

Amadeo Zazueta – 1/4

Pitching:

Tyson Brummett – 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Matt Wright – 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Chad Beck – 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Trystan Magnuson - W, 1 1/3 IP, 1 H,

Tommy Hottovy - S, 2/3 IP, K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Tyson Brummett

Dunedin Blue Jays (9-4)

Starter Efrain Nieves was chased early, giving up seven runs in the second inning and the Dunedin Blue Jays were never able to come back, falling 9-4 to the Tampa Yankees.  Ajay Meyer relieved Nieves and gave up only a two-run home run to SS Ali Castillo in his three innings of work while Evan Crawford and Tony Davis combined for three and two thirds innings with both of them really impressing by registering eight strikeouts over the eleven outs they recorded.  3B Andy Burns had the big stroke for the D-Jays, hitting his second home run of the year in the fourth inning, while SS Peter Mooney had a three for four night with a double, the Blue Jays only other extra base hit.

Hitting:

Jon Berti – 1/5

Peter Mooney – 3/4, R, 2B

Andy Burns – 1/3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

Kevin Patterson – 1/4, R, K

Gabe Jacobo – 1/4, 2 K

Matt Newman – 1/4, R, RBI, K

Marcus Knecht – 0/3, BB, 2 K, E

Nick Baligod – 0/4, E

Aaron Munoz – 1/4, RBI

Pitching:

Efrain Nieves – L, 1 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Ajay Meyer – 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K, HR

Evan Crawford – 2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K

Tony Davis – 1 1/3 IP, 3 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Evan Crawford and Tony Davis share the award.

Lansing Lugnuts (4-6)

Game postponed due to weather.

April 16 Minor League Report

Buffalo Bisons (5-4)

Postponed due to rain.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (6-7)

In a game where each team matched the other step by step, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats came out just on the wrong side of a 7-6 loss to the New Britain Rock Cats.  Deck McGuire recorded another solid start, throwing six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five, but Tommy Hottovy couldn’t get more than one out in the bottom of the seventh, immediately after the Fisher Cats opened a four run lead in the top of the inning.  The score remained tied until the bottom of the 9^th, when Joel Carreno, one of the most reliable pitchers for New Hampshire this year, was small-balled to the loss.  He gave up a single to leadoff batter James Beresord who was bunted over to second and moved up to third on a ground out.  Then, with two outs and Beresford on third, Carreno threw a wild pitch past catcher Sean Ochinko to end the game on a sour note.

1B Clint Robinson led the attack with three hits, including his first home run of the year, Brad Glenn slammed a triple, while doubles-machine John Tolisano hit his sixth of year with Amadeo Zazueto and Ryan Schimpf also doubling.  Kenny Wilson had what one could say was a mixed day.  He went one for four with two stolen bases, but was caught stealing and made an error in the field.

Hitting:

Kenny Wilson –1/4, R, BB, K, 2 SB, CS, E

Kevin Pillar – 1/4, R, RBI, BB

Ryan Schimpf – 1/4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 3 K

Clint Robinson – 3/5, R, HR, 3 RBI, K

Brad Glenn –1/4, R, 3B, BB, K

Sean Ochinko – 1/3, BB, PO

Adam Loewen – 1/4, RBI, 2 K

John Tolisano – 1/4, 2B, K

Amadeo Zazueta – 1/4, R, 2B, 2 K

Pitching:

Deck McGuire – 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Tommy Hottovy – 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB

Fernando Hernandez – 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K

Joel Carreno – L, 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Clint Robinson

Dunedin Blue Jays (9-3)

Four was the number of the night for the Dunedin Blue Jays as they maximized their hits and pulled out an 8-6 win over the Tampa Yankees.  Starter Aaron Sanchez had a rough outing as the 20 year old gave up six hits and three earned runs over his four innings of work.  Catcher Aaron Munoz had a big night, going three for four with two runs scored.  Gabe Jacobo had the biggest hit of the night, hitting a three-run double in the third inning.

Hitting:

Jon Berti – 0/5, 2 K

Peter Mooney – 1/4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K

Andy Burns – 0/4, R, BB, K, CS

Kevin Patterson – 0/5, R, RBI, 3 K

Gabe Jacobo – 1/3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K, E

Matt Newman – 0/3, BB

Marcus Knecht – 1/4, R, K

Nick Baligod – 2/4, R, RBI, K

Aaron Munoz – 3/4, 2 R, RBI, K

Pitching:

Aaron Sanchez – 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 3 K

Scott Gracey – W, 2 IP, 3 K

Dustin Antolin – 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 K

Blake McFarland – S, 1 IP, K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Aaron Munoz

Lansing Lugnuts (4-6)

Another outstanding pitching performance got the Lugnuts back on the right track on Tuesday as Javier Avendano went six innings, giving up only a hit and two walks against four strikeouts in a 4-0 win over the West Michigan White Caps.  Avendano was followed out of the pen by Wil Browning for an inning and Tucker Donahue for two innings, all of shutout relief.  The offense, despite being held in check to only four hits and one walk, scored four runs by taking advantage of a couple of West Michigan errors.  Gustavo Pierre led the way with a two for four night with two doubles.

Hitting:

Ronald Melendez – 0/3, R, K

Dalton Pompey –  0/4, RBI

Gustavo Pierre – 2/4, R, 2 2B, 2 K

Christian Lopes – 1/4, RBI, K

Balbino Fuenmayor – 0/4, K

Santiago Nessy –0/2, R, K

Chris Hawkins – 1/3,

Emilio Guerrero – 0/2, R, RBI, BB

Jorge Flores - 0/3, K

Pitching:

Javier Avendano – W, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Wil Browning – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Tucker Donahue – 2 IP, 1 H

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Javier Avendano

April 15 Minor League Report

Buffalo Bisons (5-4)

The Buffalo Bisons rebounded from Sunday’s game 2 pounding with a 6-1 win over the Syracuse Chiefs on Monday.  The herd not only got an excellent pitching performance from veteran Claudio Vargas, but they got a big top of the eighth from the hitters to take the lead and build a five-run cushion that they would not relinquish.  Building their rally on home runs from Eugenio Velez and Mauro Gomez (his second of two on the night), the Bisons sent eight batters to the plate and got singles from Ryan Goins and Mike McCoy and a double from Jim Negrych on top of the two homers. 

Roster Notes:  On Sunday, the Bisons activated IF Lance Zawadzki and P Edgar Gonzalez and are now available to the team.  Monday had the Blue Jays calling up pitcher Ramon Ortiz to take DFA’ed outfielder Casper Wells’s spot on the 25 man roster.

Hitting:

Mike McCoy – 1/4, R

Jim Negrych – 1/4, R, 2B, 2 RBI

Moises Sierra – 0/4, K

Mauro Gomez – 4/4, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Andy LaRoche – 0/4

Josh Thole – 0/4

Eugenio Velez – 2/4, R, HR, RBI, K

Mike Nickeas – 0/4

Ryan Goins – 1/3, R

Pitching:

Claudio Vargas – W, 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR

Bobby Korecky – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Mauro Gomez

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (6-6)

The Fisher Cats attempted a comeback in the 9^th, but were only able to get two of the four runs they trailed the New Britain Rock Cats and the final score ended up 5-3 New Britain.  Starter Marcus Walden struggled, giving up 11 hits in his five innings of work while the bullpen was outstanding in keeping the New Hampshire squad close.  Joel Carreno, Clint Everts and Chad Beck combined for three scoreless innings and Carreno and Beck each struck out the side.  Clint Roinson and Sean Ochinko had two hits each, including Ochinko’s two-run blast in the ninth for his first home run of the year.  John Tolisano had a quiet game, and made his sixth error of the season, resulting in one of the runs against Walden being unearned.

Hitting:

Kenny Wilson – 1/4, 2B, BB, K, CS, PO

Kevin Pillar – 0/4, K

Ryan Schimpf – 1/4, R, 2 K

Brad Glenn – 0/4, 2 K

Clint Robinson – 2/4, R, 2B, RBI, K

Sean Ochinko – 2/4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K

Adam Loewen – 0/3, BB, 3 K

John Tolisano – 0/3, BB, E

Amadeo Zazueta – 2/4

Pitching:

Marcus Walden – L, 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 1 K

Joel Carreno – 1 IP, 1 BB, 3 K

Clint Everts – 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K

Chad Beck – 1 IP, 1 BB, 3 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Sean Ochinko

Dunedin Blue Jays (8-3)

Brett Lawrie contributed to the Dunedin Blue Jays’ victory over the Tampa Yankees on Monday as he played second base and hit a triple in his second rehab start for the D-Jays.  The real star was starting pitcher Scott Copeland who threw a complete game six-hitter, giving up one run while striking out six as the Blue Jays won 3-1.  It was a well pitched game on both sides, as the D-Jays only managed 7 hits, two of them by Matt Newman (including his 5^th double).

Hitting:

Jonathan Jones – 0/5, K

Andy Burns – 1/4, R, BB

Brett Lawrie – 1/3, R, 3B, RBI, BB

                Jon Berti PH, 2B – 1/1

Kevin Patterson – 1/5, 2 K

Gabe Jacobo - 1/4, RBI

Matt Newman – 2/4, R, 2B

Pierce Rankin 0/3, BB, K

Derrick Chung – 0/3, BB

Nick Baligod – 0/4, RBI

Pitching:

Scott Copeland – W, 9 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Scott Copeland

Lansing Lugnuts (3-6)

Off day

April 15 Weekly Minor League Roundup

Welcome to the first Blue Jays from Away weekly minor league roundup.

Buffalo Bisons

3^rd in International League North (4-4)

Leaderboards:   2B Jim Negrych – 1^st AVG, 1^st SLG, 1^st OBP, 1^st OPS
                                3B Andy LaRoche – 10^th SLG, 7^th (tie) HR
                                OF Ryan Langerhans – 8^th OBP

The Buffalo Bisons are producing numbers just like you’d see in when the Jays had their AAA affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.  Every regular except for SS Ryan Goins and 1B Luis Jimenez have batting averages above .300, and only regulars CF Anthony Gose (.778) and Goins (.667) have an OPS below .800.  Leading the way are minor league free agents Jim Negrych, who leads the International League in four important offensive categories, Andy LaRoche, and Ryan Langerhans. 

On the pitching side, there is a different story.  Veterans Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas have had excellent starts, but because of a major league call up (Bush) and lack of games played (Vargas), they have each made only one start.  The bullpen has put up PCL-like numbers with only Juan Perez appearing to be a reliable go-to guy for manager Marty Brown.

Player of the Week: Blue Jays from Away Jim Negrych

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

4^th in Eastern League Eastern (6-5)

Leaderboards:   2B John Tolisano – 7^th 2B, 7^th, OBP, 5^th, SLG, 5^th OPS
                                3B/OF Ryan Schimpf – 2^nd HR
                                OF Kevin Pillar 1^st (tie) SB
                                OF Kenny Wilson – 2^nd (tie) SB
                                1B Clint Robinson – 4^th OBP
                                OF Brad Glenn – 10^th OBP
                                SP Austin Bibens-Dirkx – 3^rd Ks
                                SP Deck McGuire – 9^th Ks
                                SP Ryan Tepera – 7^th WHIP
                                RP Chad Beck – 1^st (tie) SV

The Fisher Cats have seen a strong opening to the season from several of their players, including highly-considered prospect Kevin Pillar who leads the club in batting average and stolen bases.  Suprisingly, 24-year-old 2B John Tolisano, who was drafted in 2007, will be opening some eyes with his outstanding start, in which he has hit 5 2Bs, 1 3B, and 2 HRs in the first 11 games of the season.  He has also walked more than he has struck out (8 BBs and 6 Ks).  If he can keep that up, it would be a complete reversal of what he has been able to do over his minor league career.  Waiver claimee Clint Robinson has been an on-base machine having a .500 OBP without much power behind it, while Brad Glenn and Kenny Wilson are also on fire out of the gate (although Wilson is a speed guy, so his SLG percentage isn’t particularly high).  Finally, while Ryan Schimpf’s batting average is languishing at .212, he has a .395 OBP and a .545 SLG (based on his team leading 3 HRs).  A lot of good stuff is happening on the offensive side of the ball with the Fisher Cats.

The veteran pitching staff has been seeing some solid performances (and some poor ones too).  In the starting rotation, Ryan Tepera, Deck McGuire and Austin Bibens-Dirkx have been very good, while Marcus Walden has been solid in his two starts.  Out of the bullpen, Fernando Hernandez has been very good in his 4 innings, Matt Wright has been excellent, pitching 8 1/3 out of the pen, Chad Beck has been a shutdown closer and Joel Carreno has been fantastic with 4 2/3 IP, 9 strikeouts and no runners allowed.

Player of the Week:  John Tolisano

Dunedin Blue Jays

First in Florida State League North (7-3) 

Leaderboards:   OF Jonathan Jones – 2^nd SB
                                3B Andy Burns – 10^th OBP, 8^th SLG, 7^th OPS
                                SP Efrain Nieves – 5^th ERA, 6^th, WHIP
                                SP Jesse Hernandez – 4^th Ks,
                                SP Aaron Sanchez – 4^th WHIP
                                RP Blake McFarland – 4^th (tie) SV

One of the biggest surprises that I’ve had this year from the Dunedin Blue Jays is how well Matt Newman has done so far.  Granted, it’s in only 17 ABs (although he stands to gain the most playing time with Michael Crouse on the DL), but he’s hitting .412 with a 1.212 OPS through the first week and a half of baseball.  Why is this a surprise?  Well, last year, Newman was playing in Vancouver where he hit respectably – an .813 OPS with 16 2B, 5 3B and 6 HRs in 221 ABs.  But I saw Newman take BP in spring training, and while he made a lot of solid contact, he really didn’t hit the ball with much authority.  It’s nice to see him producing some good numbers so far.

Andy Burns is also producing the way we would like to see for a guy that several writers are calling a sleeper prospect.  Burns, hitting .359/.432/.590 through 39 ABs also has 3 SBs to his credit.  That said, there really isn’t a lot of power on this Dunedin team, especially with Michael Crouse on the DL.  The team has only hit 2 home runs (one from Burns, one from 2B Jon Berti), and the team isn’t hitting particularly well overall, with only 3 regulars (Burns, 1B Gabe Jacobo, and RF Jonathan Jones) with an OPS over .800.*

While the bats have been cold, the pitching has been hot.  Only two pitchers have ERAs over 3.00 and the starters have been outstanding.  Leading the way are starters Efrain Nieves, Scott Copeland, Jesse Hernandez, and Aaron Sanchez.  Sanchez has limited his baserunners against in a huge way but hasn’t really gotten strikeout numbers up just yet.  It’s hard to really single out any of these four starters because all have done extremely well.  Hernandez has been the only one to really struggle with control, walking 7 batters in 17 innings (so not “bad” at all).  The bullpen was been incredibly reliable.  Combined, Dustin Antolin and Ajay Meyer have thrown 9 1/3 innings allowing only 6 batters to get on base with 11 strikeouts while Scott Gracey has thrown six innings with only 1 run against.  This pitching staff has been outstanding.

Player of the Week: Efrain Nieves

Lansing Lugnuts

6^th in Midwest League Eastern (3-6)

Leaderboards:   C Santiago Nessy – 5^th (tie) 2B
                                3B Gustavo Pierre – 5^th (tie ) 2B
                                SP Roberto Osuna – 5^th Ks

The Blue Jays lack of depth in their A-ball batting really comes to the fore when we look at the Lugnuts.  Only two regulars are hitting above .265 and only one Lugnut has an OPS over .800.  2B prospect Christian Lopes leads the team with a .333 batting average, but has only taken one walk this season.  Canadian OF prospect Dalton Pompey has batted .250, but has an OPS of only .554 with only one extra-base-hit in 32 ABs to go along with 13 strikeouts and one walk.  Slugger Balbino Fuenmayor started the season hot, clubbing 2 HRs in the first 3 games, but has since cooled considerably, having his average drop to .222 and leads the team with 15 strikeouts.  One of the bright lights has been 3B Gustavo Pierre who has two HRs to go along with four doubles.  He has had his issues though; he has been caught stealing twice (with only one successful swipe) and has struck out 12 times without a walk. 

The pitching for the Lugnuts is another story.  With 18-year-old #2 prospect Roberto Osuna anchoring the staff, the team has gotten some great pitching performances in the first two cycles through the rotation.  Both Javier Avendano and Taylor cole impressed in their first starts before getting hit hard in their second (although Cole’s numbers are better oveall) while Alonzo Gonzalez leads the starters in ERA (1.64) and has only given up two runs in his 11 innings.  Finally, highly regarded prospect Daniel Norris continues to struggle posting a 12.38 ERA and 2.25 WHIP through his first 2 starts and 8 innings.  Standouts in the bullpen include Wil Browning, Andrew Sikula, Griffin Murphy and Ben White, who have thrown 25 combined innings without an earned run (there are 5 unearned runs there which speaks to a lot of sloppy fielding).  Tucker Donahue and Ian Kadish have both been solid in the pen while Chuck Ghysels has struggled with control (4 BBs in 3 2/3 innings) and Matt Johnson has been hit hard (9 H in 4 IP).

Player of the Week: Roberto Osuna

--------------------------------------------------------------------

* Newman and Crouse both have OPSs over 1.000, but in far fewer ABs than can be considered “every day” at-bats.

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April 14 Minor League Report

Today was a very busy day for the Jays’ minor league affiliates and for me.  I took the trip down to Buffalo (where I joined Bluebird Banter blogger Minor Leaguer to watch the games), as all four of the full season ball clubs were in action, with double headers in Buffalo and Lansing.  I’ll be putting more details about the experience of going down to Buffalo in our upcoming Blue Jays from Away Podcast that we should have up later this week (technical details are being worked out).

Buffalo Bisons (4-4)

Game 1:

The first game action the Buffalo Bisons have seen since April 9^th culminated in an excellent victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (the NY Yankees AAA club) 6-1.  Going up against 6’8” 260 pound flame-throwing prospect Dillin Betances, Bison’s starter Dave Bush (who we last saw getting destroyed by the Boston Red Sox last Sunday at Rogers Centre) had a fantastic start, confounding the Railriders at every step, throwing 5 innings, giving up only 1 unearned run on three hits.  Brad Lincoln had a rough inning of his own while Juan Perez threw a clean 7^th to finish the game (minor league double headers are only 7 innings each game). 

Bush warming up in the pen

Bush warming up in the pen

Gose putting a ball in play (note the splash of dirt in front of the plate)

Jim Negrych putting the ball in play

The offense was driven by 3B Andy Laroche, C Josh Thole and SS Ryan Goins who drove in the six runs in the bottom of the first inning, with LaRoche and Goins hitting doubles.  Anthony Gose went three for four, but really didn’t look great at the plate.  He struck out in his other plate appearance and seemed to have trouble recognizing off-speed pitches and didn’t really hit the ball hard all day.  His first hit was an infield single, the second was a roller though the 5-6 hole, and the third was an opposite field single on a breaking ball that he was fooled on and just made contact with a defensive swing.  He also had a rough day on the basepaths, getting caught stealing and picked off.  Moises Sierra gunned down Don Adams at the plate to cut down a run, but made a bone-headed play in the second game, forgetting how many outs there were after making a catch and continuing to run towards center field while a runner on second tagged up and took third.

Hitting:

Jim Negrych – 1/4, R

Anthony Gose – 3/4, R, K, CS, PO

Moises Sierra – 0/3, R, BB, K, OF Asst.

Mauro Gomez – 0/2, BB, K, E

Josh Thole – 1/2, R, 2 RBI, BB

Andy LaRoche – 2/3, R, 2B, RBI

Ryan Langerhans – 1/2, R, 2B, BB

Eugenio Velez – 0/3

Ryan Goins – 1/3, 2B, 3 RBI, K

Pitching:

Dave Bush – W, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 K

Brad Lincoln – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Juan Perez – 1 IP

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Dave Bush

Game 2:

The second game of the double header was a much less satisfying outcome for the Bisons, taking a 12-5 loss on Sunday.  42-year-old Miguel Batista, still firing in the low 90s and making his first appearance of 2013, couldn’t make it out of the first inning, giving up three runs (only one earned) in two thirds of an inning, throwing a lot of pitches, and struggling to throw strikes (although, he didn’t have much help from the defense).   The other four pitchers who pitched in the game (pretty much everything the Bisons had left in the bullpen) also pitched poorly, with only Alex Hinshaw avoiding giving up runs.  Hinshaw walked four in one and a third innings, so we can hardly call that a successful outing.

The two unearned runs in the first came from first baseman Mauro Gomez’s second error on the day. Gomez looked downright awful at first base, showing absolutely no ability to get to a ball hit outside of arm’s length, and no ability to catch a ball hit directly at him.  He MUST be better than he showed today, but I would expect to see Luis Jimenez playing first and Gomez DHing a lot more in the future.

Hitting:

Mike McCoy – 2/2, 2B, RBI, BB, CS

Anthony Gose – 1/4, R, K

Moises Sierra – 1/4, 2B

Mauro Gomez – 1/4, R, 2B, RBI

Ryan Langerhans – 2/3, R, BB, K

Andy LaRoche – 0/4, 2 K

Jim Negrych – 2/2, R, BB

Eugenio Velez – 1/2, R, 3B, 3 RBI, BB

Mike Nickeas – 0/3

Pitching:

Miguel Batista – 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K

Mickey Storey – 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Buddy Carlyle – 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 3 K

Alex Hinshaw – 1 1/3 IP, 4 BB, 1 K

Neil Wagner – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Mike McCoy

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (6-5)

The Binghamton Mets picked away at starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx to score six runs over the first five innings while the New Hampshire Fisher Cats only managed to scratch out single runs in the third, fifth, and eighth innings to fall 6-3.  Matt Wright and Trystan Magnuson finished the game strong while Brad Glenn hit a solo shot in the 5^th inning for his first home run of the season in the loss.  Kevin Pillar and Kevin Nolan had two hits a piece (including one double each) while Pillar contributed with an outfield assist, throwing out Allan Dykstra at the plate. 

Hitting:

Kenny Wilson – 0/3, 3 K

Kevin Pillar – 2/4, 2B, RBI, OF Asst.

Ryan Schimpf – 1/3, 2B, BB, K

Clint Robinson – 0/3, BB, K

Adam Loewen – 0/4, 2 K

Kevin Nolan – 2/4, 2B, E

Brad Glenn – 1/4, R, HR, RBI, K

Sean Ochinko – 1/4, R, K

John Tolisano – 1/4, R, 2B, K

Pitching:

Austin Bibens-Dirkx – L, 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 HR

Matt Wright – 2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Trystan Magnuson – 1 IP, 3 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Kevin Pillar

Dunedin Blue Jays (7-3)

The Lakeland Flying Tigers were finally able to get to starting pitcher Jesse Hernandez with a run in the seventh inning, and it was enough as the Dunedin Blue Jays only managed three hits in a 2-0 loss.  Hernandez was outstanding, scattering eight hits and one walk before exiting with two on and one out in the seventh, and reliever Tony Davis couldn’t shut the door on the Flying Tigers, allowing the eventual winning run.  The biggest news from this game came from major leaguer Brett Lawrie who picked up two of the three hits for the D-Jays while playing second base.

Hitting:

Jonathan Jones – 0/4

Andy Burns – 0/3, BB

Brett Lawrie – 2/4

Kevin Patterson – 0/3, K

Marcus Knecht – 0/3

Pierce Rankin – 1/3, 2B

                Jon Berti  PR – 0/0

Nick Baligod – 0/3

Derrick Chung – 0/3

Peter Mooney – 0/3

Pitching:

Jesse Hernandez – L, 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Tony Davis – 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB

Blake McFarland – 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB

Marco Grifantini – 2/3 IP

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game:  Jesse Hernandez

Lansing Lugnuts (3-6)

Game 1:

The Lugnuts wasted a great pitching performance from 18-year-old Roberto Osuna, getting no-hit by Southbend Silver Hawk starter Kyle Schepel  in a 1-0 loss.  Osuna, most likely on a pitch limit, threw four and two thirds innings, giving up only one run on four hits and walk while striking out six, again, showing why he’s one of the top young arms in the system.  He was picked up by Griffin “Rollie” Murphy for two and a third innings of great relief.

Hitting:

Dalton Pompey –  0/1

                Chris Hawkins – 0/2, 2 K

Gustavo Pierre – 0/3, K

Christian Lopes – 0/3, K

Balbino Fuenmayor – 0/3, 2 K

Kellen Sweeney - 0/2, K

Santiago Nessy – 0/1, BB

Emilio Guerrero – 0/2

Ronald Melendez – 0/2

Pitching:

Roberto Osuna – L, 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Griffin Murphy – 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Roberto Osuna

Game 2:

The second game wasn’t much of an improvement for the Lugnuts as they fell 8-2 to South Bend.  MLB.com #3 prospect Daniel Norris got hit hard again, going only four innings and giving up five of the eight runs.  While he only walked one batter (and struck out five), he threw two wild pitches on the evening.  DH Christian Lopes rapped two hits for the home side while Gustavo Pierre hit a double and 1B Balbino Fuenmayor and SS Jorge Flores each drove in a run.

Hitting:

Dalton Pompey –  1/3, R, BB, K

Gustavo Pierre – 1/4, 2B

Christian Lopes – 2/4, K

Balbino Fuenmayor – 0/3, RBI, BB

Kellen Sweeney – 1/2 , R, BB

Carlos Ramirez – 0/3, 2 K

Chris Hawkins – 0/3

Seth Conner – 0/2, K

Jorge Flores – 0/3, 2B, RBI, E

Pitching:

Daniel Norris – L, 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

Matt Johnson – 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, K

Ben White – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Chuck Ghysels – 1 IP, K

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Christian Lopes