All posts by Jeff A

Minor Details: Games of June 1

SAINTS 11, BISONS 5 IN BUFFALO

Matt Wallner homered in the eighth to give St. Paul a 6-5 lead, and Chris Williams hit a grand slam in a five-run ninth.

Williams was 3-for-5 with a grand slam (his sixth homer), a double, and two runs.
Andrew Bechtold was 2-for-4.
Wallner was 2-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and three RBIs.

It apparently was a planned bullpen game.
Cody Laweryson
, normally a reliever, started and pitched two shutout innings, giving up a walk.
Connor Sadzeck pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and two walks.
Caleb Thielbar struck out two in a perfect inning.
Josh Winder struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

DRILLERS 5, WIND SURGE 4 IN WICHITA

Kody Hoese singled home a run in the fifth to make it 5-4.  Wichita lost a 3-0 lead after one.

Alex Isola was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his eighth) and a walk.
DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.

Starter Aaron Rozek pitched 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks and struck out three.
Seth Nordlin pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.
Alex Scherff struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up three walks.

KERNELS 24, LUGNUTS 5 IN LANSING

The Kernels scored seven in the third to take a 9-0 lead.  It wasn't their biggest inning, as they scored eight in the ninth.

Ben Ross was 4-for-6 with two home runs (his fifth and sixth), a double, a walk, four runs, and six RBIs.
Noah Cardenas was 3-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs.
Tanner Schobel was 3-for-6 with a home run (his fifth), a double, four runs, and four RBIs.
Emmanuel Rodriguez was 3-for-6 with a home run (his sixth), a walk, three runs, and four RBIs.
Kala'i Rosario was 2-for-4 with a grand slam (his sixth homer), three walks, and four runs.
Jeferson Morales was 2-for-5 with a walk and threr runs.

Pierson Ohl pitched 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk and striking out three.
Mike Paredes struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.
Matthew Swain struck out two in a perfect inning.

MIGHTY MUSSELS 5, METS 1 IN FORT MYERS

Fort Myers scored two in the second and led the rest of the way.

Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.
Carlos Aguiar hit a two-run homer, his eighth.

C. J. Culpepper struck out six in five shutout innings, giving up three walks.
Juan Mendez struck out six in two shutout innings, giving up a walk.

TODAY'S TILTS

3:30  St. Lucie at Fort Myers (2) (Cory Lewis, 4-2, 2.79, and TBD)
6:05  Cedar Rapids (Marco Raya, 0-0, 2.55) at Lansing
6:05  St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 2-1, 4.97) at Buffalo
6:45  Tulsa at Wichita (Travis Adams, 1-4, 5.97)

Happy Birthday–June 2

Jack O’Connor (1866)
Frank Verdi (1926)
Bob Lillis (1930)
Larry Jackson (1931)
Bob Bennett (1933)
Jerry Lumpe (1933)
Gene Michael (1938)
Horace Clarke (1940)
Jim Maloney (1940)
Roger Freed (1946)
Jack O’Connor (1958)
Darnell Coles (1962)
Bryan Harvey (1963)
Mike Stanton (1967)
Kurt Abbott (1969)
Raul Ibanez (1972)
Neifi Perez (1973)
Jared Burton (1981)
Tim Stauffer (1982)

Bob Bennett was the baseball coach at Fresno State for many years, winning 1,302 games.

Roger Freed was drafted by Minnesota in 1966, but the pick was voided.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 2

Minor Details: Games of May 31

SAINTS 6, BISONS 2 IN BUFFALO

Kyle Garlick hit a two-run homer in the first and St. Paul led all the way.

Jose Miranda was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.
Matt Wallner was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth) and two runs.
Garlick hit a two-run homer, his sixth.

Aaron Sanchez pitched five innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and a walk and striking out one.
Kody Funderburk pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.
Patrick Murphy pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

WIND SURGE 7, DRILLERS 2 IN WICHITA

Yunior Severino hit a grand slam as part of a six-run third.

Armani Smith was 2-for-3 with a walk.
DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4.
Severino hit a grand slam, his twelfth home run.

Carlos Luna pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks and striking out five.
Curtis Taylor retired all seven men he faced, striking out one.
Jordan Brink struck out two in a perfect inning.

KERNELS 3, LUGNUTS 2 IN LANSING

Keoni Cavaco and Tanner Schobel hit back-to-back homers in the fifth to give Cedar Rapids a 2-0 lead, and the Kernels led the rest of the way.

Schobel was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourth.
Kala'i Rosario was 2-for-5 with two doubles.
Cavaco hit a home run, his third.

Kyle Jones pitched five innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk and striking out three.
John Stankiewicz pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.

A note:  Pitcher Gianluca Dilatri entered the game at the start of the eighth inning, but apparently injured himself warming up, and so left the game without actually facing a batter.  I don't have any information about what happened or how serious the injury is.

ST. LUCIE AT FORT MYERS

Rained out.  Will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:05  St. Paul (Cody Laweryson, 2-1, 4.03) at Buffalo
6:00  St. Lucie at Fort Myers (Andrew Morris, 1-0, 6.97)
6:05  Cedar Rapids (Pierson Ohl, 2-4, 4.54) at Lansing
7:05  Tulsa at Wichita (Aaron Rozek, 0-2, 5.51)

Happy Birthday–June 1

Ted Breitenstein (1869)
Otto Miller (1889)
Hank Severeid (1891)
Guy Morton (1893)
Johnny Mostil (1896)
Ray Moore (1926)
Jack Kralick (1935)
Roy Majtyka (1939)
Dean Chance (1941)
Randy Hundley (1942)
Ken McMullen (1942)
Jeff Nelson (1965)
Derek Lowe (1973)
Carlos Zambrano (1981)
Andrew Stevenson (1994)

Roy Majtyka was a long-time minor-league manager, winning 1,832 games.

Jeff Nelson has been a major league umpire since 1997.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 1

Minor Details: Games of May 30

SAINTS 9, BISONS 1 IN BUFFALO

Leading 4-1, St. Paul scored five in the ninth.

Matt Wallner was 3-for-5 with a home run (his fifth), a triple, a double, three runs, and four RBIs.
Mark Conteras was 3-for-5.
Jose Miranda was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs.

Kenta Maeda struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up a walk.
Caleb Thielbar pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.
Brent Headrick pitched five innings of relief, giving up one run on five hits.
Oliver Ortega pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

DRILLERS 9, WIND SURGE 8 IN WICHITA

Brandon Lewis' two-run single in the eighth broke a 6-6 tie.

Yunior Severino was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer (his eleventh) and a double.
Brooks Lee was 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and two runs.
Pat Winkel was 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs.
Yoyner Fajardo was 2-for-5.
Alex Isola hit a two-run homer, his seventh.

Blayne Enlow struck out ten in 4.1 innings, but allowed five runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks.
Michael Boyle struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

KERNELS 5, LUGNUTS 4 IN LANSING

Tanner Schobel singled home the tying and go-ahead runs in the ninth.

Schobel was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Jaylin Nowlin pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk and striking out four.
Regi Grace pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, METS 5 IN FORT MYERS

Dylan Neuse hit a two-run homer in a three-run sixth that gave Fort Myers a 5-4 lead.

Mikey Perez was 2-for-2 with a double.
Neuse was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a double, and a walk.
Danny De Andrade hit a two-run homer, his second.

Develson Aria pitched four innings, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks and striking out three.
A. J. Labas struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two walks.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:05  Cedar Rapids (Kyle Jones, 2-3, 5.13) at Lansing
12:05  St. Paul (Aaron Sanchez, 2-4, 4.17) at Buffalo
6:00  St. Lucie at Fort Myers (C. J. Culpepper, 1-2, 3.08)
7:05  Tulsa at Wichita (Carlos Luna, 0-3, 5.68)

Happy Birthday–May 31

Socks Seibold (1896)
Edward Bennett Williams (1920)
Russ Goetz (1930)
Ray Washburn (1938)
Tippy Martinez (1950)
Joe Orsulak (1962)
Kenny Lofton (1967)
Bill Miller (1967)
Dave Roberts (1972)
Ray Olmedo (1981)
Jake Peavy (1981)

Edward Bennett Williams was the owner of the Baltimore Orioles from 1979-1988.

Russ Goetz was an American League umpire from 1968-1983.

Bill Miller has been a major league umpire since 2000.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 31

Minor Details: How They Stand: May 30, 2023

The St. Paul Saints are 27-22, in second place in the International League West, 2.5 games behind first-place Iowa.

The Wichita Wind Surge is 20-24, in fourth place in the Texas League North, 9.5 games behind first-place Tulsa, a half game behind third-place Springfield.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are 25-20, in first place in the Midwest League West, one game ahead of second-place Quad Cities.

The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are 25-20, in second place in the Florida State League West, 6.5 games behind Clearwater.

Happy Birthday–May 30

Amos Rusie (1871)
Turkey Mike Donlin (1878)
Rube Oldring (1884)
Al Mamaux (1894)
Twink Twining (1894)
Laymon Yokely (1906)
Turk Lown (1924)
Mel Nelson (1936)
Mike Sadek (1946)
Dana DeMuth (1956)
Mike LaCoss (1956)
Mike Oquist (1968)
John Courtright (1970)
Scott Eyre (1972)
Manny Ramirez (1972)
Mark Kiger (1980)
Fernando Salas (1985)
Tony Watson (1985)
Zack Wheeler (1990)

Dana DeMuth was a major league umpire from 1983 to 2019.

Mark Kiger is the only player to have played in the major leagues in the post-season but never have played in a regular season game.  An infielder, he was added to the Oakland roster when Mark Ellis fractured a finger.  He appeared in two games in the 2006 ALCS but did not bat.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 30

Minor Details: Games of May 28

SAINTS 10, STORM CHASERS 6 IN ST. PAUL

St. Paul scored nine runs in the seventh, including a Jair Camargo grand slam.

Camargo was 2-for-4 with a grand slam (his fifth homer) and two runs.
Hernan Perez was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his fourth) and two runs.
Andrew Stevenson was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Simeon Woods Richardson pitched 4.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks and striking out one.
Oliver Ortega pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.
Josh Winder pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.
Austin Brice pitched a perfect inning and struck out two.
Patrick Murphy pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.

CARDINALS 10, WIND SURGE 5 IN SPRINGFIELD

Springfield scored five in the second and led all the way.

Anthony Prato was 2-for-4 with a triple.
Alex Isola was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.
DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Chad Donato pitched 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk and striking out three.
Curtis Taylor struck out three in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and a walk.
Jordan Brink retired all four men he faced, striking out two.
Seth Nordin pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

KERNELS 9, TIMBER RATTLERS 6 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Noah Cardenas hit a two-run single in a three-run sixth to break a 6-6 tie.

Noah Miller was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs.
Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.
Misael Urbina was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Starter Christian MacLeod pitched one inning, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk.
Miguel Rodriguez pitched two shutout innings, walking one and striking out one.
Matthew Swain pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.
Regi Grace pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

BLUE JAYS 7, MIGHTY MUSSELS 1 IN DUNEDIN (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Peyton Williams hit a two-run homer in the first and Dunedin never trailed.

Ricardo Olivar was 2-for-3 with a double.
Mikey Perez was 2-for-3.

Jose Olivares pitched 3.2 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits and a walk and striking out one.
Jackson Hicks struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
Gabriel Yanez struck out two in a perfect inning.

MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, BLUE JAYS 4 IN DUNEDIN (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Rubel Cespedes hit a two-run homer in a four-run first and Fort Myers led all the way.

Jorel Ortega was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fourth), a walk, and two runs.
Cespedes was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his third) and two runs.

Starter Wilker Reyes pitched 2.2 innings, giving up two runs  on two hits and three walks.
Juan Mendez struck out four in 2.1 innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

There are no games scheduled for Monday.

TUESDAY'S TILTS

5:00  Cedar Rapids (Jaylin Nowlin, 2-3, 3.75) at Lansing
5:05  St. Paul (TBD) at Buffalo
6:00  St. Lucie at Fort Myers (TBD)
7:05  Tulsa at Wichita (Blayne Enlow, 2-1, 3.02)

Happy Birthday–May 29

Due to personal time constraints, this is a reprint from last year which has not been updated.

Bob Hope (1903)
George McQuinn (1910)
Loel Passe (1917)
Fred White (1936)
Fay Vincent (1938)
John Kennedy (1941)
Blue Moon Odom (1945)
Jamie Allen (1958)
Mike Stenhouse (1958)
Eric Davis (1962)
Charlie Hayes (1965)
Trever Miller (1973)
Jerry Hairston (1976)
Matt Macri (1982)
Patrick Bailey (1999)

Comedian and actor Bob Hope was a long-time part-owner of the Cleveland Indians and was on their Board of Directors.

Loel Passe broadcast Houston Astros games from the team’s inception through 1976.  Along the way, he worked with two Hall of Fame broadcasters, Gene Elston and Harry Kalas.

Fred White broadcast Kansas City Royals games from 1974-1998.

Fay Vincent was the commissioner of baseball from 1989-1992.

Third baseman Jamie Allen was drafted by Minnesota with the tenth pick of the 1976 draft, but did not sign.

Catcher Patrick Bailey was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-seventh round in 2017, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. brianS.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 29