Happy Birthday–June 29

Wilbert Robinson (1863)
Harry Frazee (1880)
Bobby Veach (1888)
Ollie Carnegie (1899)
Ken Blackman (1911)
Dizzy Trout (1915)
Cal Drummond (1917)
Bob Shaw (1933)
Katsuya Nomura (1935)
Harmon Killebrew (1936)
Larry Stahl (1941)
John Boccabella (1941)
Bruce Kimm (1951)
Rick Honeycutt (1954)
Pedro Guerrero (1956)
John Wehner (1967)
Trey Hodges (1978)
Dusty Hughes (1982)
Brooks Raley (1988)

Harry Frazee was the owner of the Red Sox from 1916-1923 and is best remembered for selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

Ollie Carnegie is the all-time home run king of the International League with 258.  He started his minor league career at age 32.

Ken Blackman was a minor league player, college coach, minor league executive, and major league scout.

Cal Drummond was an American League umpire from 1960-1969.

Katsuya Nomura hit 657 home runs in Japan during his twenty-five-year career.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 29

Game 75: Brewers 5, Twins 3

Good riddance to the Brew Crew.

The Twins got a lead to their best relievers after six innings, but the Brewers once again took it to the Twins' bullpen to win the season series 4-2. Three of the losses to the Brewers were given to Twins relievers.

Today, the main goat for the Twins was Casey Fien, who has been very good all season when he's been healthy. After Blaine Boyer allowed a two-out run-scoring single in the seventh inning of a 1-0 game, Fien gave up a pair of two-run homers to Ryan Braun and Adam Lind. Fien did not retire a batter. While it was certainly a bad outing for Fien, it was also a rare one for Fien, who had been just about as good as Glen Perkins this year, according to FIP. Prior to this game, Fien had only allowed 1 HR and 6 runs all season. Since coming off the DL on May 29, Fien had allowed only 1 run in 12 1/3 innings with an 11/1 K/BB ratio.

The bullpen woes led to a great outing by Tommy Milone being wasted. He dominated for 6 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts and just 2 hits and 3 walks allowed. His outing could have been longer if not for Hernan Perez singling after a 10-pitch at-bat with two outs in the second inning. A walk to the No. 8 batter followed before the inning ended with the pitcher flying out to right field. No runs scored that inning, but that forced Milone to throw about twice as many pitches in that inning as he did in the other five innings. It might not have made a difference since Milone's spot in the order came up with two runners in scoring position and two outs in a one-run game in the top of the seventh, so manager Paul Molitor might have pinch hit for Milone regardless, but with Milone at 99 pitches instead of about 85, I'm sure he didn't even entertain the thought of leaving Milone in the game.

The move worked out poorly as Eduardo Nunez got out to end the inning and then Boyer, Milone's pitching replacement, couldn't hold the lead.

The Twins did make some noise in the 9th with Torii Hunter hitting a two-run home run, his third long ball in two games, with no outs and pinch hitter Shane Robinson reaching on an error with two outs to extend the game. That brought up Danny Santana as the tying run. Kennys Vargas was still on the bench and could have pinch hit for Santana. It would have meant Robinson taking over in left field, Escobar at short and the next reliever replacing Vargas. However, Molitor chose to stick with Santana, who managed to flair a single to left field with two strikes. That brought the Twins' best hitter, Brian Dozier, to the plate as the go-ahead run. However, Dozier inexplicable took a fastball down the middle at the knees for strike three to end the game.

Minor Details: Games of June 27

Adam Brett Walker II hits his twenty-first.  A couple of rainouts.  Only one win.

CHARLOTTE AT ROCHESTER

Rained out.

MONTGOMERY 7, CHATTANOOGA 3 IN CHATTANOOGA

Batting stars:  Miguel Sano was 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs.  Adam Brett Walker II was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twenty-first.  Stephen Wickens was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Cameron Seitzer was 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk, driving in four.  Joey Rickard was 2-for-2 with three walks, scoring twice and driving in one.  Leonardo Reginatto was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run.

The game:  Seitzer singled in a run in the first and hit a two-run homer in the third to give the Biscuits a 3-0 lead.  The Lookouts got a run in the fourth and Walker II hit a two-run homer in the sixth to tie it 3-3.  In the seventh, a pair of errors led to three runs and put the Biscuits in control of the game.

Of note:  Levi Michael was 0-for-4.  Jorge Polanco was 0-for-4.  Max Kepler was 0-for-4.  Brett Lee pitched five innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout.

FORT MYERS 2, DUNEDIN 1 IN DUNEDIN

Batting stars:  Marcus Knecht was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Ryan Eades pitched seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts.  D. J. Johnson struck out two in a perfect inning.  Corey Williams pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Rowdy Tellez was 2-for-4 with a home run, his second.  L. B. Dantzler was 2-for-2 with two walks.  Jeff Hoffman struck out six in five shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

The game:  All the runs were scored in the sixth.  In the top of the inning, a walk and a fielder's choice put two men on and Knecht doubled them both home.  In the bottom of the inning, Tellez homered.  In the ninth, a single, a bunt, and a wild pitch put the tying run on third with two out, but a strikeout ended the game.

Of note:  Zach Granite was 0-for-4 with a run.  Alex Swim was 0-for-4.

QUAD CITIES 6, CEDAR RAPIDS 4 IN CEDAR RAPIDS (10 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Edgar Corcino was 1-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Tanner English was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Pitching star:  Jared Wilson struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up four hits and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Ryan Bottger was 2-for-3 with two walks and a run.  Jacob Nottingham was 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.  Jason Martin was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourth.

The game:  The River Bandits scored single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth to go up 3-0.  In the sixth, Corcino had a two-run double to tie it and scored on an Alex Real single to put the Kernels up 4-3.  The lead held until the ninth, when a walk and a pair of two-out singles tied the score.  In the tenth, two walks, an RBI single by Bobby Boyd and a run-scoring double by Alex Bregman put the River Bandits back in the lead, this time to stay.

Of note:  Nick Gordon was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Real was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Brett Doe was 0-for-4.  Keaton Steele pitched 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

PULASKI AT ELIZABETHTON

Rained out.

GCL RED SOX 3, GCL TWINS 2 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  John Hayman was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.  Roberto Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a double.  Lewin Diaz was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Williams Ramirez struck out seven in four shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Dallas Gallant struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Andrew Vasquez struck out two in a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Tyler Hill was 2-for-4 with a run.  Yoan Aybar was 1-for-4 with a triple and a run.  Javier Rodriguez pitched four shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk with one strikeout.

The game:  Each team scored once in the fifth to make it 1-1.  In the seventh, two singles, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly plated two for the Red Sox.  Diaz doubled in a run in the eighth to make it 3-2.  The Twins had men on second and third with one out, but a pair of strikeouts ended the inning and the Twins did not threaten in the ninth.

Of note:  Luis Arraez was 1-for-4 with a double.  Robert Molina was 1-for-4.

DSL YANKEES1 3, DSL TWINS 1 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  Edwin Franco was 2-for-4 with a run.  Jhonanthan Alvarez was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Junior Amarante was 2-for-2.

Pitching stars:  Huascar Ynoa pitched five shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks with four strikeouts.  Luis Gil struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up four walks.  Jose Ramirez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Leobaldo Cabrera was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Oliver Cedeno was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Alexander Figueredo pitched five shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks with four strikeouts.

The game:  It was scoreless through five.  In the sixth, the Twins got on the board with a single, a wild pitch, and an error.  In the seventh, two walks, three singles, and a sacrifice fly plated three runs for the Yankees1.  The Twins put men on first and third with two out in the ninth but could not score.

Of note:  Emmanuel Morel was 1-for-5.  Antonio Tovar was 1-for-4.  Darling Cuesto was 0-for-4.  Edgar Herrera was 0-for-2.  Francisco Hernandez was 1-for-3 with a walk.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:35  Charlotte (Brad Penny, 3-3, 4.28) at Rochester (Tyler Duffey, 2-4, 3.35)
Game 2  Charlotte (Shawn Haviland, 3-4, 4.75) at Rochester (Greg Peavey, 0-1, 5.68)
2:05  Quad Cities (Christian Powell, 0-0, 2.35) at Cedar Rapids (Zach Tillery, 4-2, 2.28)
4:00  Fort Myers (Mat Batts, 2-1, 1.76) at Dunedin (TBA)
4:00  Pulaski (TBA) at Elizabethton (Cody Stashak, no record)
Game 2  Pulaski (TBA) at Elizabethton (TBA)
5:35  Chattanooga (Jose Berrios, 7-3, 3.23) at Montgomery (Jaime Schultz, 5-3, 3.55)

Happy Birthday–June 28

Ken Williams (1890)
Haruyasu Nakajima (1910)
A. Ray Smith (1915)
Oscar Rodriguez (1931)
Fred Gladding (1936)
Ron Luciano (1937)
Fred Talbot (1941)
Al Downing (1941)
Don Baylor (1949)
Chris Speier (1950)
Joe Sambito (1952)
Clay Christiansen (1958)
John Elway (1960)
Jay Schroeder (1961)
Mark Grace (1964)
Ron Mahay (1971)
Corey Koskie (1973)
Richard Hidalgo (1975)
Brandon Phillips (1981)

Haruyasu Nakajima is in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.

A. Ray Smith owned minor league baseball teams from 1961-1986.

Oscar Rodriguez is in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ron Luciano was an American League umpire from 1969-1979.

NFL quarterbacks John Elway and Jay Schroeder each played minor league baseball.  Elway hit .318 in 151 at-bats as an outfielder for Class A Oneonta in 1982.  Schroeder was primarily an outfielder for four years in the Toronto system, never getting higher than Class A.  He hit .213 with 36 homers in 1,304 minor league at-bats.

Mark Grace was drafted by Minnesota in the fifteenth round of the January draft in 1984, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 28