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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 2, BUFFALO BISONS 1 IN ST. PAUL

It was scoreless until the sixth, when an error put Buffalo up 1-0.  In the seventh, however, Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a two-run homer to give St. Paul all the runs they would need.  It was his second homer of the season.  It was the pitching that carried the day.  Zebby Matthews pitched 5.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and no walks and striking out four.  Alex Speas pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk.  Tyler Beede pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 3, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 1 IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

It was again scoreless until the sixth, and again it was the opponent who scored first, as an infield out brought home a Northwest Arkansas run.  But in the eighth, Kala'i Rosario hit an RBI triple and scored on an infield out to give Wichita a 2-1 lead.  A sacrifice fly brought home an insurance run in the ninth.  Noah Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a run, but again it was the pitching that carried the day.  Christian MacLeod pitched four shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks and striking out three.  Jarret Whorff struck out three in two perfect innings.  John Stankiewicz pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

BELOIT SKY CARP 8, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5 IN BELOIT

Cedar Rapids led 3-1 half-way through, but a three-run fifth put Beloit in the lead to stay.  They added three in the seventh to take control of the game.  Jaime Ferrer was 2-for-4 with two runs.  Starter Jeremy Lee pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out one.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 3, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 0 IN FORT MYERS

Devonte Brown's RBI single in the first put Dunedin on the board and his two-run double in the fifth gave the Blue Jays some insurance.  Fort Myers had six hits, five singles and a double.  Daniel Pena was 2-for-3.  Dylan Questad pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out two.  Hunter Hoopes struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.  Ruddy Gomez pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

FCL TWINS 12, FCL RED SOX 5 AT TWINS

Bryan Acuna put the Twins on the board in the first with a home run.  They followed that up with six in the second and four in the third.  The Twins only had six hits, but drew seven walks and took advantage of five Red Sox errors.  They also were hit by pitches three times and stole four bases.  Bryan Acuna was 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs.  Luis Fragoza was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run, and two RBIs.  Starter Joel Garcia struck out seven in three innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.  Will Armbruester pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits.

Happy Birthday–May 11

Charlie Gehringer (1903)
Rip Sewell (1907)
Eddie Chiles (1910)
Jack Lang (1921)
Nestor Chylak (1922)
Milt Pappas (1939)
Frank Quilici (1939)
Jerry Martin (1949)
Dane Iorg (1950)
Mark Huismann (1958)
Walt Terrell (1958)
Trent Hubbard (1964)
Bobby Witt (1964)
Kerry Ligtenberg (1971)
Francisco Cordero (1975)
Miguel Sano (1993)

Eddie Chiles was the owner of the Texas Rangers from 1980-1989.

Jack Lang was a long-time sportswriter in New York and was the secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America from 1966-1988.

Nestor Chylak was an American League umpire from 1954-1978.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 11

Minor Details: Games of May 9

BUFFALO BISONS 17, ST. PAUL SAINTS 3 IN ST. PAUL

Buffalo scored six in the first and led 12-1 after four.  Mickey Gasper was 4-for-5 with a home run, his fifth.  Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Starter Marco Raya pitched just one inning, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 5, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 3 IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Jac Caglianone broke a scoreless tie with a three-run homer in the sixth.  But in the seventh, Kala'i Rosario hit a two-run homer and Andrew Cossetti hit a three-run homer to give Wichita the 5-3 victory.  Ben Ross was 2-for-4.  Rosario was 1-for-4 and the home run was his fourth.  Cossetti was 1-for-4 and the home run was his second.  Aaron Rozek pitched four innings, giving up three runs on four hits and no walks and striking out four.  Ricky Castro struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Jaylin Nowlin struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

BELOIT SKY CARP 8, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 4 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Beloit scored five in the first and built an 8-0 lead through six.  Caden Kendle was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his second), a walk, and two runs.  Jose Salas was 2-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-5 with a double.  Starter Jose Olivares lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks and striking out two.  Kade Bragg struck out four in 2.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on two walks.  Jacob Wosinski struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Kyle Hess pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 9, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 1 IN FORT MYERS

Dunedin scored two in the first and built a 4-0 lead before Fort Myers got its lone run in the third.  A three-run sixth put the game out of reach.  Damuery Pena was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.  Starter Michael Carpenter pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks and striking out two.  Tyler Stasiowski struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

FCL TWINS 2, FSL RED SOX 0 AT RED SOX

The Twins scored on an error in the third and on a balk in the fourth.  The pitching was the story, as three pitchers combined for a shutout.  Matt Gabbert pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.  Hendry Chivilli pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.  Mitch Mueller struck out five in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Happy Birthday–May 10

Chippy McGarr (1863)
Ed Barrow (1868)
Klondike Douglass (1872)
Harry Salsinger (1885)
Allan Roth (1917)
Hideo Fujimoto (1918)
John McMullen (1918)
Herb Carneal (1923)
Jim Hickman (1937)
Ken Berry (1941)
John Cumberland (1947)
Chris Berman (1955)
Joey Meyer (1962)
Robby Thompson (1962)
Pete Schourek (1969)
Edward Mujica (1984)
Salvador Perez (1990)

Ed Barrow was the manager of the Boston Red Sox from 1918-1920, and is credited with making the decision to make Babe Ruth an outfielder, rather than a pitcher.  He was then general manager of the New York Yankees from 1921-1944.

Harry Salsinger was the sports editor of the Detroit News for forty-nine years.

Allan Roth was the first full-time statistician employed by a major league team, being hired by Branch Rickey in 1947.  He is credited with promoting the idea that on-base percentage is more valuable than batting average and with providing the first evidence that right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice versa.

Hideo Fujimoto holds the Japanese records for lowest career ERA and lowest one-season ERA.

John McMullen was the owner of the Houston Astros from 1979-1992.

With all due respect to John Gordon, Cory Provus, and Kris Atteberry, some of us will always consider Herb Carneal to be the Voice of the Twins.

Chris Berman broadcast baseball on ESPN for several years.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 10

Minor Details: Games of May 8

ST. PAUL SAINTS 13, BUFFALO BISONS 10 IN ST. PAUL

St. Paul trailed 2-0, 6-2, and 8-5.  They then took a 10-8 lead into the ninth, but Riley Trotta hit a two-run homer to tie it.  No worries, as Mickey Gasper hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off for the Saints.  Carson McCusker was 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, a run, and an RBI.  Jair Camargo was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs.  Ryan Fitzgerald was 2-for-6 with a home run (his fourth), two runs, and two RBIs.  Will Holland was 1-for-2 with a home run (his second), two walks, three runs, and three RBIs.  Mickey Gasper hit a three-run homer, his fourth.  Cory Lewis pitched four innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks.  Brady Fiegl struck out three in 1.2 perfect innings.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 5, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 3 IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Ricardo Olivar homered and Aaron Sabato hit a two-run double in a four-run first that was all the runs Wichita needed.  Aaron Sabato was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Ricardo Olivar hit a home run, his fourth.  Connor Prielipp struck out six in four shutout innings, giving up three hits.  Angel Macuare pitched a perfect inning.

BELOIT SKY CARP 14, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5 IN BELOIT

Beloit scored two in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead, then got six in the seventh and six in the eighth.  Nate Baez was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-5 with a run.  Tanner Hall pitched 4.2 innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits and two walks and striking out two.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 5, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 4 IN FORT MYERS

Dunedin took a 4-0 lead after two, but Fort Myers tied it 4-4 after five.  In the ninth, however, Jean Joseph homered to give the win to Dunedin.  Poncho Ruiz was 2-for-4 with a run.  Jakob Hall pitched four innings, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks and striking out three.  Zander Sechrist struck out six in five innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks.

FCL TWINS 10, FCL ORIOLES 1 AT ORIOLES

Leading 2-0, the Twins scored eight in the fifth.  They had only four hits in the game, but drew twelve walks and took advantage of three errors.  Merphy Hernandez was 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs, and two RBIs.  Melvin Rodriguez pitched four shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out two.  Santiago Rojas pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one and walking one.  Liam Rocha struck out three and walked one in a scoreless inning.

Happy Birthday–May 9

Frank Bancroft (1846)
Tommy Clarke (1888)
Neck Stanley (1905)
Billy Jurges (1908)
Tony Bartirome (1932)
Ron Jackson (1953)
Tom Chism (1954)
Tony Gwynn (1960)
Aaron Harang (1978)
Prince Fielder (1984)
Chase Headley (1984)
Buddy Boshers (1988)
Jace Peterson (1990)
Oswaldo Arcia (1991)
Cade Smith (1999)

Frank Bancroft managed seven teams in nine different seasons over the period of 1880-1902.

Infielder Tony Bartirome is better known as an athletic trainer, working for Pittsburgh from 1967-1985 and for Atlanta from 1986-1988.

Cade Smith was drafted by Minnesota in the sixteenth round in 2017, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to UncleWalt’s youngest child and to Philosofer's third child.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 9

Minor Details: Games of May 7

ST. PAUL SAINTS 8, BUFFALO BISONS 7 IN ST. PAUL

Will Wagner hit a two-run single in the third to put Buffalo up 2-0.  Will Holland doubled home a run in the fourth and the Saints scored two in the fifth to go up 3-2.  The lead lasted until the next half-inning, when Joey Loperfido hit a two-run single to make it 4-3.  That lead also lasted until the next half-inning, when Edouard Julien hit a two-run single-plus-error to give St. Paul a 5-4 lead.  In the eighth, homers by Loperfido and Davis Schneider put Buffalo back in front 7-5.  Not to worry, because Mike Ford hit a three-run homer in the ninth to give the Saints a walkoff victory!

Batters:  Ryan Fitzgerald was 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two runs.  Mickey Gasper was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and two runs.  Jeferson Morales was 2-for-4 with a run.  Edouard Julien was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Mike Ford was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and two walks.

Pitchers:  Andrew Morris struck out six in five innings, giving up two unearned runs on eight hits and a walk.  Alex Speas pitched a scoreless inning, walking one.  Tyler Beede pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opponents:  Joey Loperfido was 3-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a walk, two runs, and four RBIs.  Will Robertson was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Will Wagner was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Davis Schneider was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Tommy Nance struck out three in two perfect innings.

Stats:  Mickey Gasper is batting .421 with an OPS of 1.560.  Ryan Fitzgerald is batting .337 with an OPS of .976.  Carson McCusker is batting .333 with an OPS of 1.065.  Mike Ford has an OPS of .877.  Jeferson Morales has an OPS of .859.  Patrick Winkel has an OPS of .829.  Kody Funderburk has an ERA of 2.31.  Alex Speas has an ERA of 2.45.

Record:  St. Paul is 17-14, in third place, 1.5 games behind Nashville.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 6, WICHITA WIND SURGE 5 IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Rubel Cespedes hit a two-run homer in the first and Wichita scored two in the second to take a 4-0 lead.  It stayed 4-0 through six, and it was looking good.  But Gavin Cross hit a two-run homer in the seventh and did it again in the ninth, tying the score.  A bases-loaded walk scored on for Wichita in the tenth, but Carter Jensen delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the tenth to walk it off for Northwest Arkansas.

Batters:  Tanner Schobel was 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, and an RBI.  Rubel Cespedes was 3-for-4 with a home run (his third), a double, two walks, and three RBIs.  Ben Ross was 2-for-5 with a walk and an RBI.  Kala'i Rosario was 2-for-6 with an RBI.

Pitchers:  Trent Baker struck out six and walked three in five shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opponents:  Gavin Cross was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his second and third) and four RBIs.  Rudy Martin was 2-for-4 with a run.  Ben Sears struck out three and walked three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Ryan Ramsey struck out five in five innings, giving up an unearned run on six hits and two walks.

Stats:  Tyler Dearden is batting .321 with an .843 OPS.  Kyler Fedco has an OPS of .968.  Aaron Sabato has an OPS of .914.  Rubel Cespedes has an OPS of .809.  Tanner Schobel has an OPS of .808.  Jarret Whorff has an ERA of 1.84.  Trent Baker has an ERA of 2.03.

Record:  Wichita is 15-14, in third place, three games behind Northwest Arkansas.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, BELOIT SKY CARP 5 IN BELOIT

Danny De Andrade doubled home a run in the first and Cedar Rapids scored three in the second on three hit batsmen, two walks, and a wild pitch to go ahead 4-0.  Beloit scored two in the bottom of the second, but Cedar Rapids scored one in the third on three more walks and another hit batsman.  But Jay Beshears hit a two-run double in the third and homered in the fifth to tie it 5-5.  There was no more scoring until the eighth, when a walk, a passed ball, and a De Andrade RBI single produced the game-winner for Cedar Rapids.

Batters:  Danny De Andrade was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Kyle DeBarge was 2-for-5 with two runs.  Jaime Ferrer was 0-for-2 but was hit by pitches three times.

Pitchers:  Alejandro Hidalgo struck out four in three innings, but allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks.  Cole Percival pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.  Paulshawn Pasqualotto pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.

Opponents:  Fenwick Trimble was 3-for-5 with a run.  Jay Beshears was 2-for-5 with a home run (his third), a double, and three RBIs.  Colby Shade hit a home run.  Gabe Bierman pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out two.  Jack Sellinger struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Stats:  Nate Baez is batting .333 with an OPS of .951.  Kaelen Culpepper is batting .328 with an OPS of .901.  Kyle DeBarge has an OPS of .879.  Kyle Hess has an OPS of .825.  Danny De Andrade has an OPS of .813.  Paulshawn Pasqualotto has an ERA of zero.  Cole Percival has an ERA of 2.08.  Wilker Reyes has an ERA of 2.30.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 19-9, in second place, one game behind Quad Cities.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 7, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Homers by Jean Joseph and Sam Shaw gave Dunedin a 3-1 lead in the third.  Yasser Mercedes hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to tie it 3-3.  But it was all Dunedin after that.  Joseph singled home a run in the fourth to make it 4-3.  It stayed close until the eighth, when Dunedin scored three more to put the game out of reach.

Batters:  Yasser Mercedes hit a two-run homer, his second.  Fort Myers had only two hits.

Pitchers:  Adrian Bohorquez struck out five in three innings, but allowed four runs on three hits and two walks.

Opponents:  Bryce Arnold was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run, and an RBI.  Jean Joseph was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and three RBIs.  Sam Shaw was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth), a walk, and two runs.  Gage Stanifer struck out four and walked three in four shutout innings, not allowing a hit.

Stats:  Jay Thomason has an OPS of .979.  Cole Peschi has an ERA of 0.83.

Record:  Fort Myers is 15-14, tied for second with Clearwater, one game behind Dunedin and Lakeland.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  FCL Twins at FCL Orioles
6:05  Dunedin (TBD) at Fort Myers (Jakob Hall, 1-0, 4.80)
6:05  Cedar Rapids (Tanner Hall,1-1, 5.95) at Beloit (Karson Milbrandt, 0-1, 3.86)
6:37  Buffalo (TBD) at St. Paul (Cory Lewis, 1-2, 9.00)
7:05  Wichita (Connor Prielipp, 0-2, 4.73) at Northwest Arkansas (Ben Kudrna, 0-2, 5.23)

Happy Birthday–May 8

Dan Brouthers (1858)
Edd Roush (1893)
Turkey Stearnes (1901)
Mike Cuellar (1937)
Steve Braun (1948)
Dennis Leonard (1961)
Orestes Destrade (1962)
Todd Greene (1971)
John Maine (1981)
Adrian Gonzalez (1982)
Wily Peralta (1989)
Sean Gilmartin (1990)

I could not find out why Edd Roush's first name was spelled with two d's.  I did find out, however, that he had a twin brother whose name was Fred, not Fredd.

Outfielder Turkey Stearns was a star in the Negro Leagues from 1923-1940, posting a slugging percentage of .619.

Mike Cuellar pitched in AAA in the Twins’ organization in 1961.  He does not seem to have belonged to the Twins, however.  It may be that he was temporarily loaned to them, a practice which was not uncommon in the 1960s.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 8

Minor Details: Games of May 6

ST. PAUL SAINTS 6, BUFFALO BISONS 2 IN ST. PAUL

Carson McCusker hit a two-run homer in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie.  The Saints added three more in the eighth as McCusker and Mickey Gasper homered.  McCusker was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his eighth and ninth) and three RBIs.  Gasper was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third) and two runs.  David Festa struck out seven in 5.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits and no walks.  Travis Adams struck out four in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 5, WICHITA WIND SURGE 4 IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Wichita led 4-2 after six, but Jac Caglianone hit a three-run homer in the seventh to give Northwest Arkansas the victory.  Aaron Sabato was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Darren Bowen pitched three innings, giving up two runs on one hit and four walks and striking out one.  Pierson Ohl pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

CEDAR RAPIDS 8, BELOIT SKY CARP 0 IN BELOIT

Cedar Rapids scored single runs in the first and third, then took control with a four-run fifth.  Brandon Winokur had a two-run single in the inning.  Winokur was 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.  Danny De Andrade had three RBIs.  Chase Chaney struck out six in six shutout innings, giving up seven hits and no walks.  Samuel Perez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Jacob Wosinski pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 13, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 12 IN FORT MYERS (11 INNINGS)

Fort Myers led 6-0 after two, but by the top of the fifth it was 6-5 and after seven it was tied 9-9.  Each team scored one in the tenth.  Bryce Arnold hit a two-run homer in the top of the eleventh, but Fort Myers scored three in the bottom of the eleventh.  They had one hit, a single, but got two walks, an error, and a passed ball, with the deciding run scoring on a sacrifice fly.  Jay Thomason was 3-for-5 with a walk and three runs.  Yohander Martinez was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.  Dameury Pena was 2-for-3.  Poncho Ruiz was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.  Byron Chourio was 2-for-6 with a home run and three runs.  Ben Ross struck out four in three innings, giving up one run on one hit.  Hunter Hoopes pitched 1.2 perfect innings, striking out one.

FCL TWINS 7, FCL PIRATERS 3 AT TWINS

The Twins scored two in the third on three walks, a hit batsman, and a sacrifice fly to take a 4-3 lead.  They added two in the fourth and one in the fifth, scoring seven runs on three hits and ten walks.  Eduardo Beltre was 0-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs.  Miguel Cordero pitched 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and no walks, striking out three.  Ruddy Gomez struck out all four men he faced.  Will Armbruester struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:10  Cedar Rapids (Alejandro Hidalgo, 0-0, 6.00) at Beloit (Noble Meyer, 0-1, 5.28)
6:05  Dunedin (Trey Yesavage, 1-0, 2.31) at Fort Myers (Adrian Bohorquez, 0-1, 6.75)
6:37  Buffalo (Anders Tolhurst, 1-0, 5.95) at St. Paul (Andrew Morris, 0-1, 4.57)
7:05  Wichita (Trent Baker, 1-2, 2.49) at Northwest Arkansas (Kyle Wright, 0-0, 2.25)