All posts by Jeff A

Minor Details: Games of May 15

OMAHA STORM CHASERS 6, ST. PAUL SAINTS 0 IN ST. PAUL

Omaha scored five in the second inning, which would be more than enough.

Multi-hit games:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Keirsey, Jr. (11).

Pitching prowess:  Ronny Henriquez pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Nick Wittgren pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one.  Ryan Jensen pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition standout:  Luis Cessa struck out five in five innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Record:  St. Paul is 17-22, in ninth place, 8.5 games behind Omaha.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 7, TULSA DRILLERS 1 IN TULSA

Wichita broke a 1-1 tie with a four-run fifth.

Multi-hit games:  Jeferson Morales was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Jake Rucker was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.

Home runs:  Rucker (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Morales 2; Kyler Fedco 2.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Zebby Matthews struck out six in five innings, giving up one run on three hits.  Mike Paredes pitched two perfect innings.  John Stankiewicz retired all four men he faced.

Opposition standout:  Sauryn Leo struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.

Record:  Wichita is 15-19, in fourth place, five games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Misael Urbina's two-run single in the third broke a scoreless tie.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Urbina 2.

Stolen bases:  Luke Keaschall (12).

Pitching prowess:  Andrew Morris pitched seven shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out six.  Ricardo Velez struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition standout:  A. J. Block struck out three in two perfect innings.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 20-14, in second place, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin.

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS 16, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 1 IN LAKELAND

Lakeland scored eight runs in the first inning.

Multi-hit games:  Kyle Hess was 2-for-3.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Payton Eeles (3).

Pitching prowess:  Aaron Holiday struck out three and walked three in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Matthew Clayton pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Daneurys De La Cruz was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 14-21, in ninth place, 9.5 games behind Clearwater.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  FCL Rays at FCL Twins
5:30  Fort Myers (Ty Langenberg, 0-3, 4.44) at Lakeland
6:35  Quad Cities at Cedar Rapids (Darren Bowen, 2-2, 4.23)
6;37  Omaha at St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 3-3, 4.42)
7:00 Wichita (Jaylin Nowlin, 2-2, 3.33) at Tulsa

Happy Birthday–May 16

Cy Rigler (1882)
Jim Brown (1892)
Watty Clark (1902)
Earl Halstead (1912)
Stubby Overmire (1919)
Lefty Phillips (1919)
Dave Philley (1920)
Rube Walker (1926)
Billy Martin (1928)
Rick Reuschel (1949)
Rick Rhoden (1953)
Jack Morris (1955)
Tack Wilson (1956)
Mark Funderburk (1957)
Bob Patterson (1959)
Mitch Webster (1959)
Doug Brocail (1967)
Jim Mecir (1970)
Drew Maggi (1989)
Dietrich Enns (1991)

Cy Rigler was a National League umpire from 1906-1935.

Earl Halstead was a scout, a minor league general manager, and a minor league umpire.  He also invented the first pitching machine that could throw curve balls.

Lefty Phillips managed the California Angels from 1969-1971.

Dave Philley played five of his eighteen major league seasons in Philadelphia, three for the Athletics and two for the Phillies.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 16

Minor Details: Games of May 14

ST. PAUL SAINTS 13, OMAHA STORM CHASERS 7 IN ST. PAUL

St. Paul scored three in the sixth to take an 8-6 lead and put it out of reach with four in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Diego Castillo was 4-for-4 with a double, a walk, three runs, and two RBIs.  Michael Helman was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and four RBIs.

Home runs:  Yunior Severino (6); Chris Williams (2); Alex Isola (4); Helman (4).

Multi-RBI games:  Helman 4; Castillo 2; Dalton Shuffield 2.

Stolen bases:  Anthony Prato 2 (4); Castillo (5).

Pitching prowess:  Jorge Alcala struck out three and walked one in 1.2 scoreless innings.  Diego Castillo struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  John Rave was 2-for-5 with a double.

Record:  St. Paul is 17-21. in ninth place, 7.5 games behind Omaha.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 6, TULSA DRILLERS 3 IN TULSA

Wichita scored three in the sixth to take a 5-0 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Tanner Schobel was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs.  Ben Ross was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Schobel 2; Kala'i Rosario 2.

Stolen basesAlerick Soularie 3 (12); Schobel 2 (5); Carson McCusker (2); Ross (6).

Pitching prowess:  Pierson Ohl struck out ten in six shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk.  Miguel Rodriguez retired all four men he faced.

Opposition standout:  Diego Cartaya was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 14-19, in fourth place, six games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 5 IN CEDAR RAPIDS (10 INNINGS)

Quad Cities tied it with a run in the ninth, but Jay Harry delivered an RBI double in the tenth for the win.

Multi-hit games:  Agustin Ruiz was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Harry was 2-for-5 with a double.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Ruiz 2; Ricardo Olivar 2.

Stolen bases:  Jose Salas (6); Ruiz (1).

Pitching prowess:  Juan Mercedes pitched two perfect innings.  A. J. Labas struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Jack Pineda was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 19-14, in second place, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 11, LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS 8 IN LAKELAND

Lakeland led 6-0 after two, but Fort Myers closed to 6-5 after six and scored six runs in the seventh.  Payton Eeles homered to tie it and Byron Chourio homered to give the Mighty Mussels the lead.

Multi-hit games:  Kyle Hess was 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two runs, and four RBIs.  Brandon Winokur was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Chourio was 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk.

Home runs:  Hess (1); Eeles (1); Chourio (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Hess 4; Maddux Houghton 3.

Stolen bases:  Winokur 2 (9).

Pitching prowess:  Spencer Bengard pitched 5.1 innings of relief, giving up one run on five hits and three walks and striking out five.  Nolan Santos pitched two shutout innings, giving up four walks.

Opposition standout:  Luis Santana was 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 14-20, tied for fourth with Dunedin, nine games behind Clearwater.

FCL TWINS 10, FCL RAYS 3 AT RAYS

Leading 5-2, the Twins scored four in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Omari Daniel was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.  Yasser Mercedes was 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two runs.

Home runs:  Mercedes (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Daniel 3; Harold Grant 2.

Stolen bases:  Daniel 2 (2).

Pitching prowess:  Adrian Bohorquez struck out four in four innings, giving up one run on a hit and a walk.  Mitch Stone struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Alejandro Crisostomo pitched a scoreless inning, giving up three walks and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Jose Contreras was 2-for-4.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 6-2, in first place, one game ahead of the FCL Rays and the FCL Red Sox.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:00  Wichita (Zebby Matthews, 0-0, 0.00) at Tulsa
12:05  Quad Cities at Cedar Rapids (Andrew Morris, 2-1, 2.64)
5:30  Fort Myers (Paulshawn Pasqualotto, 0-3, 4.67) at Lakeland
6:37  Omaha at St. Paul (TBD)

Happy Birthday–May 15

Tip O'Neill (1860)
Joe Evans (1895)
Jimmy Wasdell (1914)
Al McBean (1938)
Yukata Enatsu (1948)
Bill North (1948)
Rick Waits (1952)
George Brett (1953)
John Smoltz (1967)

Scott Watkins (1970)
A. J. Hinch (1974)
Josh Beckett (1980)
Justin Morneau (1981)
Brian Dozier (1987)
Michael Brantley (1987)

Yukata Enatsu was one of the first closers in Japan, recording 193 saves.

A. J. Hinch was drafted by Minnesota in the third round in 1995, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 15

Minor Details: Game of May 13

FCL TWINS 9, FCL ORIOLES 8 AT ORIOLES (7 INNINGS)

The Twins fell behind 8-0 after three, but scored five in the fourth, two in the fifth, and two in the seventh.  Dameury Pena delivered a two-run single in the seventh for the tying and go-ahead runs.

Mutli-hit games:  Yasser Mercedes was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.  Pena was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Mercedes (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Mercedes 4; Pena 2; Ariel Castro 2.

Stolen bases:  Pena (2); Mercedes 3 (5).

Pitching prowess:  Eider Machuca struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Wilker Reyes pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Luis Almeyda was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 5-2, tied for first with the FCL Rays.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  FCL Twins at FCL Rays
11:07  Omaha at St. Paul (TBD)
5:30  Fort Myers (Charlee Soto, 0-2, 4.95) at Lakeland
6:35  Quad Cities at Cedar Rapids (TBD)
7:00  Wichita (Pierson Ohl, 1-2, 4.35) at Tulsa

Happy Birthday–May 14

J. L. Wilkinson (1878)
Alex Pompez (1890)
Earle Combs (1899)
Bob Thurman (1917)
Les Moss (1925)
Dick Howser (1936)
Tony Perez (1942)
Dick Tidrow (1947)
Dave LaRoche (1948)
Dennis Martinez (1955)
Hosken Powell (1955)
Pat Borders (1963)
Joey Cora (1965)
Larry Sutton (1970)
Roy Halladay (1977)
Luke Gregerson (1984)

J. L. Wilkinson was the long-time owner of the Kansas City Monarchs.

Alex Pompez was the long-time owner of the New York Cubans.

We would also like to wish a very happy anniversary to Lucy and SBG.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 14

Minor Details: Games of May 12

ST. PAUL SAINTS 5, TOLEDO MUD HENS 4 IN TOLEDO

St. Paul scored four in the sixth to take a 5-1 lead.  Toledo had the tying run on base in both the eighth and ninth.

Multi-hit games:  Patrick Winkel was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Tony Kemp was 2-for-4 with a double.  Michael Helman was 2-for-5 with a double.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Winkel 2; Yunior Severino 2.

Stolen bases:  Matt Wallner (1); DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (10).

Pitching prowess:  Joe Gunkel pitched 3.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out two.  Ronny Henriquez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Gio Urshela was 3-for-3.

Record:  St. Paul is 16-21. in ninth place, 8.5 games behind Omaha.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 11, ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 1 IN WICHITA

Leading 4-1, Wichita scored five in the fourth.

Multi-hit games:  Jake Rucker was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  Jorel Ortega was 2-for-5 with a double.  Aaron Sabato was 2-for-5 with two doubles.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Rucker 3; Alerick Soularie 2.

Stolen bases:  Soularie 2 (9); Tanner Schobel (3).

Pitching prowess:  Jarret Whorff struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks.  Scott Engler pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.  Regi Grace pitched a perfect inning.  John Stankiewicz pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Taylor Floyd pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Jared Solomon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition standout:  Grant Witherspoon was 1-for-3 with a home run.

Record:  Wichita is 13-19, in fifth place, seven games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 4, SOUTH BEND CUBS 2 IN SOUTH BEND

Cedar Rapids scored three in the tenth to break a 1-1 tie.  Ricardo Olivar hit a two-run triple.

Multi-hit games:  Olivar was 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and two RBIs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Olivar 2.

Stolen bases:  Danny De Andrade (5), Olivar (1), Jay Harry (1).

Pitching prowess:  Jordan Carr pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up a hit and two walks and striking out two.  Jacob Wosinski pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out one and walking one.  Ricardo Velez struck out four in three scoreless innings, giving up an unearned run on no hits and no walks.

Opposition standout:  Tyler Schlaffer pitched 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk and striking out three.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 18-14, in third place, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 4, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 3 IN FORT MYERS

A sacrifice fly in the ninth broke a 3-3 tie.

Multi-hit games:  Rayne Doncon was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Poncho Ruiz was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ross Dunn pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Arjun Nimmala was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Record:  Fort Myers is 13-20, in fifth place, nine games behind Clearwater and Lakeland.

TODAY'S TILT

11:00  FCL Twins at FCL Orioles

Happy Birthday–May 13

Jimmy Archer (1883)
Larry Gardner (1886)
Babe Dye (1898)
Leroy Morney (1909)
Bill McKinley (1910)
Bill Kinnamon (1919)
Dusty Rhodes (1927)
Johnny Roseboro (1933)
Leon Wagner (1934)
Juan Beniquez (1950)
Bobby Valentine (1950)
Lenny Faedo (1960)
Sean McDonough (1962)
Jose Rijo (1965)
Jack Cressend (1975)
Trajan Langdon (1976)
Barry Zito (1978)
David Hernandez (1985)
John Ryan Murphy (1991)

Hockey Hall of Famer Babe Dye was a minor league outfielder from 1919-1926, spending much of his career in the American Association.  In 811 games, he hit .311, slugged .443, and stole 118 bases.

Bill McKinley was an American League umpire from 1946-65.

Bill Kinnamon was an American League umpire from 1960-69.

Sean McDonough has been a baseball broadcaster since 1988.

College basketball star Trajan Langdon was a third baseman in the low minors for three seasons.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 13

Happy Birthday–May 12

Chicken Wolf (1862)
Lave Cross (1866)
Jumping Joe Dugan (1897)
Hank Borowy (1916)
Ed Runge (1918)
Yogi Berra (1925)
Felipe Alou (1935)
Ted Kubiak (1942)
Vic Albury (1947)
Bob Heise (1947)
Joe Nolan (1951)
Lou Whitaker (1957)
Kevin Bass (1959)
Willie Lozado (1959)
Mark Clark (1968)
Wes Helms (1976)
Felipe Lopez (1980)
Evan Meek (1983)
Lance Lynn (1987)
Terrin Vavra (1997)

Ed Runge was an American League umpire from 1954-1970.  His son Paul and his grandson Brian have also been major league umpires.

Infielder Willie Lozado was drafted by Minnesota in the third round of the January Secondary draft in 1978, but did not sign.

Terrin Vavra is the son of former Twins coach Joe Vavra.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to MagUidhir’s sister.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 12

Minor Details: Games of May 10

ST. PAUL SAINTS 3, TOLEDO MUD HENS 1 IN TOLEDO

Yunior Severino hit a three-run homer in the fourth and it was all St. Paul would need.

Multi-hit games:  Anthony Prato was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  Severino (5).

Multi-RBI games:  Severino 3.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Randy Dobnak struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up five hits and two walks.  Ryan Jensen struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and two walks.  Hobie Harris struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Mason Englert struck out four and walked one in two shutout innings.

Record:  St. Paul is 15-20, in ninth place, 7.5 games behind Omaha.

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 5, WICHITA WIND SURGE 4 IN WICHITA (11 INNINGS)

Wichita scored two in the ninth to tie it 2-2.  Each team scored once in the tenth, but Arkansas put up two in the eleventh.  Wichita scored one and had the bases loaded with none out, but did not bring the tying run home.

Multi-hit games:  Jorel Ortega was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Kala'i Rosario was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Ortega 2.

Stolen bases:  Alerick Soularie (7); Rosario (2).

Pitching prowess:  Marco Raya struck out four in four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks.  Jaylin Nowlin struck out eight in 5.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and three walks.

Opposition standout:  Morgan McCullough was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 12-18, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 7, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6 IN SOUTH BEND

Trailing 6-3, South Bend scored four in the seventh.  The go-ahead run scored on a Brian Kalmer double.

Multi-hit games:  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Home runs:  Misael Urbina (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Urbina 2; Danny De Andrade 2.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ricardo Velez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Jefferson Rojas was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 17-13, tied for third with Beloit, 1.5 games behind Quad Cities and Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 4, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Dunedin tied it 3-3 in the top of the ninth, but Maddux Houghton doubled home the deciding run in the bottom of the ninth.

Multi-hit games:  Rayne Doncon was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Angel Del Rosario 2.

Stolen bases:  Brandon Winokur (6); Payton Eeles (1); Doncon (3); Omari Daniel (1).

Pitching prowess:  Ty Langenberg struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.  Xander Hamilton pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Manuel Beltre was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.

Record:  Fort Myers is 12-19, in fifth place, eight games behind Clearwater and Lakeland.

FCL TWINS 6, FCL RED SOX 5 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)

A three-run double in the third by Jayson Bass put the Twins up 6-2.  The Red Sox had the tying run on second in the sixth and third in the seventh.

Multi-hit games:  Hendry Chivilli was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.  Damuery Pena was 2-for-3 with a home run.

Home runs:  Pena (1).

Multi-RBi games:  Bass 3.

Stolen bases:  Bass (1); Yilber Herrera (1).

Pitching prowess:  Liam Rocha struck out four in 3.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and two walks.  Devin Kirby struck out two and walked one in 1.1 scoreless innings.

Opposition standout:  Jesus Garcia pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 3-2, tied for second with the Pirates and Red Sox, one game behind the Rays.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  FCL Twins at FCL Red Sox
3:05  Cedar Rapids (C. J. Culpepper, 0-0, 3.65) at South Bend
4:05  St. Paul (David Festa, 0-1, 3.75) at Toledo
5:05  Dunedin at Fort Myers (TBD)
6:05  Arkansas at Wichita (Aaron Rozek, 1-1, 0.53)