Minor Details: Games of August 28

Byron Buxton stays hot.  Andy Wilkins hits another home run.  Aaron Whitefield makes a late surge.  The E-Twins prepare for the playoffs.

ROCHESTER 5, BUFFALO 4 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Byron Buxton doubled home Juan Graterol in the sixth to break a 4-4 tie.  The Red Wings had scored four in the third to take a 4-2 lead, but the Bisons tied it in the fourth.

Buxton was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  He is batting .386 (17-for-44) in his last ten games and has raised his season average in Rochester from .214 to .273 (128 at-bats).  Gregorio Petit was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Graterol was 2-for-3 with a double and is batting .304.  LaMonte Wade was 2-for-3.

Zack Littell pitched six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out five.  Andrew Vasquez struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.  His ERA is 2.25.

ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 4 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

The Red Wings scored three in the third to take a 5-3 lead.  Kennys Vargas hit a two-run double in the inning to put Rochester in the lead to stay.

Nick Gordon was 3-for-4.  Jeremy Hazelbaker was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.  Gregorio Petit was 2-for-4 with a double.

It was a bullpen game.  D. J. Baxendale started and pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out one.

JACKSONVILLE 9, CHATTANOOGA 2 IN CHATTANOOGA

The Jumbo Shrimp scored three in the second and three in the fourth to build a 7-0 lead.

Jordan Gore was 2-for-3.  Andy Wilkins was 1-for-3 with a home run, his eleventh.  He has hit a home run in each of his last four games.

Tyler Jay was the opener and pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Sean Poppen then pitched four innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) on ten hits and a walk and striking out three.  Sam Clay struck out four in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Williams Ramirez pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

FORT MYERS 2, BRADENTON 1 IN FORT MYERS (10 INNINGS)

The Marauders tied the score 1-1 in the ninth.  In the tenth, Travis Blankenhorn singled home Ryan Costello with the deciding run.

Blankenhorn was 2-for-4 with a double.  Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-4.  He is 9-for-20 in his last six games, raising his average from .176 to .204.  Alex Kirilloff was 0-for-4 and is batting .364.  Ernie De La Trinidad was 1-for-3 and is batting .316.

Andro Cutura pitched six shutout innings, giving up five hits and a walk and striking out five.  Ryan Mason struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  His ERA is 2.94.  Alex Phillips made his professional debut with a perfect inning, striking out one.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS

No game scheduled.

ELIZABETHTON 8, PULASKI 5 IN ELIZABETHTON

The Twins scored six in the third to take an 8-0 lead.  The Yankees came back with four in the fourth but got only one more in the eighth.

Jared Akins was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring two.  Lean Marrero was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Gilberto Celestino was 2-for-4 with a double.  Trevor Casanova was 0-for-3 and is batting .331.

Andrew Cabezas was the opener and pitched a perfect inning, striking out two.  His ERA is 2.74.  It was a bullpen game from there, with no one pitching more than 2.2 innings.  Jacob Blank pitched a perfect inning, striking out two.

PENNANT RACE UPDATE

Fort Myers remains second, but closes to within a half game of Charlotte with five games to play.
Cedar Rapids remains first, leading Peoria by 3.5 games with six games to play.  The Kernels have clinched a playoff spot.
Elizabethton remains first, leading Kingsport by seven games.  The E-Twins have clinched the division with one game to play.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:00  Pulaski at Elizabethton
6:00  Bradenton at Fort Myers
6:05  Buffalo (Shawn Morimando, 2-4, 6.68) at Rochester (Chase De Jong, 1-3, 3.81)
6:35  Burlington at Cedar Rapids (Blayne Enlow, 3-5, 3.24)