Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of May 7

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The Saints lose late.  A big day for Jose Miranda.  A bigger day for Trey Cabbage.  The Mighty Mussels win a pitchers' duel.

OMAHA 4, ST. PAUL 2 IN OMAHA

Ryan McBroom's two-run single capped a three-run eighth that put the Storm Chasers up 4-2.

Batting stars:  Keon Broxton was 2-for-4.  Rob Refsnyder was 1-for-2 with three walks.

Pitching stars:  Griffin Jax pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks and striking out two.  Glenn Sparkman pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Andrew Vasquez struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  McBroom was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.  Kelvin Gutierrez was 2-for-4.  Jace Vines struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Stats:  Tomas Telis was 1-for-4 and is batting .385.  Broxton is batting .364.  Refsnyder is batting .313.  Jax has an ERA of 1.80.  Vasquez has an ERA of zero.

Record:  The Saints are 1-3, tied for sixth in their division, two games behind Columbus and Omaha.

WICHITA 11, SPRINGFIELD 7 IN SPRINGFIELD

The Wind Surge scored two in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead and eventually built an 11-4 lead before the Cardinals scored three in the eighth.

Batting stars:  Jose Miranda was 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs.  Peter Mooney was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.  Roy Morales was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Caleb Hamilton was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jermaine Palacios was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-6.

Pitching stars:  Jovani Moran struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Tom Hackimer struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Nick Plummer was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Ivan Herrera was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.  Edgar Escobar struck out four in three innings, giving up one run on two hits.

Starter:  Austin Schulfer pitched one inning, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks and striking out one.

Stats:  Hamilton is batting .625.  Morales is batting .500.  Whitefield is batting .471.  Ernie De La Trinidad was 1-for-4 and is batting .375.  Miranda is batting .353.  Mark Contreras was 1-for-4 and is batting .300.  Moran has an ERA of zero.  Hackimer has an ERA of zero.  Ryan Mason gave up an unearned run in 1.2 innings and has an ERA of zero.

Record:  The Wind Surge is 3-1, in first place in its division, one game ahead of Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.

CEDAR RAPIDS 9, PEORIA 3 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Trey Cabbage hit a three-run homer in the second to put the Kernels up 3-2.  A three-run fourth then gave Cedar Rapids control of the game.

Batting star:  Cabbage was 4-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three runs, and five RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Tyler Beck struck out five in 3.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.  Melvi Acosta struck out four in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up only a walk.

Opposition star:  Wilfredo Pereira struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks.

Starter:  Tyler Watson struck out three in three innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits and a walk.

Stats:  Cabbage is batting .400.  Matt Wallner was 0-for-4 and is batting .400.  Spencer Steer was 1-for-4 and is batting .389.  Yeltsin Encarnacion was 1-for-4 and is batting .375.  Gabe Snyder was 1-for-3 and is batting .364.  Watson has an ERA of zero.  Beck has an ERA of 2.45.  Acosta has an ERA of zero.

Record:  The Kernels are 3-1, tied for first in their division with Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS 2, BRADENTON 1 IN BRADENTON

The Mighty Mussels scored both of their runs in the fourth.  The Marauders scored in the ninth and had the bases loaded when the game ended.

Batting star:  Edouard Julien was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.

Pitching stars:  Brent Headrick struck out seven in four shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Miguel Rodriguez struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Alexander Mojica was 2-for-4.  Maikol Escotto was 2-for-4.  Alex Aquino pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a walk and striking out two.

Stats:  Julien is batting .455.   Keoni Cavaco is batting .313.  Headrick has an ERA of zero.  Rodriguez has an ERA of zero.

The Mighty Mussels had four starters batting below .100.  Leobaldo Cabrera is batting zero.  Jeferson Morales is batting zero.  Aaron Sabato is batting .063.  Anthony Prato is batting .091.  Yes, it's early.

Record:  The Mighty Mussels are 3-1, in second place in their division, one game behind Tampa.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:05  Fort Myers at Bradenton
6:05  Wichita at Springfield
6:35  Peoria at Cedar Rapids
7:05  St. Paul at Omaha

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 8

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Dan Brouthers (1858)
Edd Roush (1893)
Turkey Stearnes (1901)
Mike Cuellar (1937)
Steve Braun (1948)
Orestes Destrade (1962)
Todd Greene (1971)
John Maine (1981)
Adrian Gonzalez (1982)
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.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of May 4-6

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And we're back.  This is, obviously, going to be a long post, but it's the first time I've had the time to do some write-ups.

ST. PAUL SAINTS

Tuesday

OMAHA 8, ST. PAUL 2 IN OMAHA

The Storm Chasers scored four in the second to take a 5-0 lead and eventually led 8-0 before the Saints scored two in the seventh.

Batting stars:  Ryan Jeffers was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Zander Weil was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Andrew Vasquez struck out three in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Edward Olivares was 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two runs, and three RBIs.  Jackson Kowar struck out nine in 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks.

Saints starter Andrew Albers pitched four innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits and no walks and striking out six.

Wednesday

ST. PAUL 10, OMAHA 4 IN OMAHA

The Saints scored three in the second to take a 4-2 lead and put it out of reach with four in the fourth.

Batting stars:  Rob Refsnyder was 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs.  J. T. Riddle was 2-for-4 with two runs.  Tomas Telis was 2-for-4 with two runs.  Trevor Larnach was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and two runs.  Brent Rooker was 2-for-5 with a home run.

Pitching stars:  Juan Minaya struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.  Shaun Anderson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Ian Gibaut struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Edward Olivares was 3-for-3 with a walk.  Jace Vines pitched two perfect innings and struck out one.

Saints starter Charlie Barnes pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out two.

Thursday

OMAHA 4, ST. PAUL 3 IN OMAHA (11 INNINGS)

It was 2-2 after nine.  Each team scored one in the tenth, but the Storm Chasers scored in the eleventh and the Saints did not.

Batting stars:  Tomas Telis was 2-for-5.  Keon Broxton was 2-for-5.  Rob Refsnyder was 2-for-6 with a home run, his second.  Trevor Larnach was 2-for-5 with a home run (his second), a walk, and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Randy Dobnak struck out five in four innings, giving up two hits and no walks.  Derek Law struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.  Ian Hamilton pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Edward Olivares was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Anderson Miller was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Scott Blewett struck out eight in five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks.

WICHITA WIND SURGE

Tuesday

WICHITA 2, SPRINGFIELD 0 IN SPRINGFIELD

The Wind Surge scored both of their runs in the eighth inning.

Batting stars:  Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-4.  Mark Contreras was 1-for-2 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Josh Winder struck out six in 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up five hits and a walk.  Jovani Moran retired all four men he faced, striking out three.  Tom Hackimer struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Yennier Cano struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Nick Plummer was 2-for-3.  Delvin Perez was 2-for-4.  Domingo Robles struck out five in five shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks.

Wednesday

WICHITA 5, SPRINGFIELD 4 IN SPRINGFIELD

Trailing 4-3, the Wind Surge scored two in the seventh.  Aaron Whitefield tripled home the tying run and scored on a wild pitch to give Wichita the lead.

Batting stars:  Whitefield was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.  Ernie De La Trinidad was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jose Miranda was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Hector Lujan struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and two walks.  Ryan Mason retired all four men he faced, striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Juan Yepez was 2-for-3.

Thursday

SPRINGFIELD 7, WICHITA 6 IN SPRINGFIELD

Each team scored five in the seventh, leaving the score 6-5 Cardinals.  Damek Tomscha doubled home a run to tie it in the top of the eighth, but Juan Yepez homered in the bottom of the eighth to put Springfield back in front.

Batting stars:  Caleb Hamilton was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a walk.

Pitching star:  Cole Sands pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Ivan Herrera was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Justin Toerner was 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks.  Yepez was 1-for-4 with a home run.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS

Tuesday

CEDAR RAPIDS 7, PEORIA 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

The Kernels scored three in the first and had all of their runs in the first four innings.

Batting star:  Spencer Steer was 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Kody Funderburk pitched three shutout innings, giving up a hit and two walks and striking out two.  Andrew Cabezas pitched four shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out two.  Melvi Acosta struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition star:  Evan Sisk struck out three in two perfect innings.

Wednesday

CEDAR RAPIDS 7, PEORIA 6 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Gabe Snyder doubled home the deciding run with two out in the ninth inning.

Batting stars:  Matt Wallner was 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs.  Spencer Steer was 3-for-5.  Snyder was 2-for-5 with a double.

Pitching star:  Tyler Palm pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and five walks (!) and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Alec Burleson was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.  Zade Richardson was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Jack Ralston struck out four in 3.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and two walks.

Kernels starter Ben Gross struck out four in 2.2 innings, giving up three unearned runs on four hits and two walks.

Thursday

PEORIA 11, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Already leading 4-2, the Chiefs scored seven in the ninth to put it out of reach.

Batting stars:  Matt Wallner was 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch.  Yeltsin Encarnacion was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Zach Featherstone pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Alec Burleson was 3-for-4 with a home run (his second), a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Chandler Redmond was 3-for-4 with a home run and a walk.  Mac Lardner pitched four shutout innings, giving up a hit and three walks and striking out two.

Kernels starter Blayne Enlow struck out six in four innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS

Tuesday

FORT MYERS 6, BRADENTON 3 IN BRADENTON

Trailing 3-2 after eight, the Mighty Mussels scored four in the ninth.  The runs scored on a wild pitch, a bases-loaded walk, and a two-run single by Edouard Julien.

Batting stars:  Julien was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.  Willie Joe Garry, Jr. was 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks, and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Regi Grace struck out six in 4.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk.  Louie Varland struck out ten in 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Endy Rodriguez was 2-for-4.  Alexander Mojica was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.  J. C. Flowers struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Wednesday

FORT MYERS 13, BRADENTON 4 IN BRADENTON

The Mighty Mussels scored five in the first and four in the second to take control.

Batting stars:  Keoni Cavaco was 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Yunior Severino was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.  Max Smith was 1-for-5 with a grand slam, a walk, two runs, and five RBIs.  Will Holland was 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk.

Pitching star:  Hunter McMahon struck out six in 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Will Matthiessen was 3-for-5.  Endy Rodriguez was 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and two runs.  Logan Hoffman struck out seven in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Mighty Mussels starter Casey Legumina struck out six in 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.

Thursday

BRADENTON 3, FORT MYERS 1 IN BRADENTON

The Marauders scored two in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.  The lone Mighty Mussels run came on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Batting star:  Edouard Julien was 1-for-3 with a walk.  The Mighty Mussels had just two hits.

Pitching stars:  Osiris German struck out five in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two walks.  Denny Bentley struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Eli Wilson was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.  Santiago Flores struck out seven in four shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks.  Steven Jennings struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up two walks.

Mighty Mussels starter Sean Mooney struck out five in 2.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:05  Fort Myers at Bradenton
6:35  Peoria at Cedar Rapids
7:05  St. Paul at Omaha
7:05  Wichita at Springfield

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 6

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

Bonesetter Reese (1855)
Walton Cruise (1890)
Mike McCormick (1917)
Willie Mays (1931)
Russ Gibson (1939)
Bill Hands (1940)
Masanori Murakami (1944)
Steve Staggs (1951)
Larry Andersen (1953)
Al Williams (1954)
Gerardo Parra (1987)
Jose Altuve (1990)

John “Bonesetter” Reese worked with many baseball players and other famous people in the first part of the twentieth century.  Today we might call him a physical therapist, although he did not have a formal degree.  “Bonesetting” is a Welsh term for the treatment of muscle and tendon strains.

Masanori Murakami was the first Japanese-born player in the major leagues.

Infielder Steve Staggs was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 1970, but did not sign.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 5

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

Chief Bender (1884)
Bob Cerv (1926)
Bing Russell (1926)
Red Robbins (1928)
Jose Pagan (1935)
Tommy Helms (1941)
John Donaldson (1943)
Larry Hisle (1947)
Joe Angel (1948)
Ron Oester (1956)
Charles Nagy (1967)
Hideki Irabu (1969)
Mike Redmond (1971)

Better known for his role as Deputy Clem Foster on “Bonanza”, outfielder Bing Russell played minor league baseball from 1948-1949.  He is the father of actor (and minor league player) Kurt Russell and the grandfather of major league player Matt Franco.

Spencer “Red” Robbins was a minor league player for fourteen years.  He then spent many years in the Twins’ organization, most of them as a scout (1963-1986).

Joe Angel was a broadcaster for the Twins from 1984-1986.

Today we also salute Eddie Mayo, Jackie Mayo, and Mayo Smith.  Sadly, there has never been a major league ballplayer named "Cinco".  However, baseball-reference.com says that Johnny Cueto's nickname is Cinco.

 We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Mrs. Rhubarb_Runner.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 4

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

Charlie Hickman (1876)
Jack Tobin (1892)
John Tsitouris (1936)
Rene Lachemann (1945)
Ken Oberkfell (1956)
Rick Leach (1957)
Tim Tschida (1960)
Eddie Perez (1968)
Joe Borowski (1971)
Miguel Cairo (1974)
Ben Grieve (1976)
Jason Michaels (1976)
Ryan Jorgensen (1979)
Matt Tolbert (1982)
Kevin Slowey (1984)

 St. Paul native Tim Tschida was a major league umpire from 1986-2012.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 3

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George Gore (1857)
Garry Herrmann (1859)
Eppa Rixey (1891)
Red Ruffing (1905)
Goose Tatum (1921)
Chuck Hinton (1934)
Chris Cannizzaro (1938)
Davey Lopes (1945)
Dan Iassogna (1969)
Darren Dreifort (1972)
Ryan Dempster (1977)
Homer Bailey (1986)
Ben Revere (1988)
Mike Morin (1991)
Edwar Colina (1997)

Garry Herrmann was the president of the Cincinnati Reds from 1903-1920 and was chair of the National Commission from its creation in 1903 until the commissioner's office was created in 1920.  It is puzzling that he is not in the Hall of Fame.

Better known as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, Goose Tatum played in the Negro Leagues for several years in the 1940s.

Dan Iassogna has been a major league umpire since 1999.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 2

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Eddie Collins (1887)
Bing Crosby (1904)
Joe Falls (1928)
Eddie Bressoud (1932)
Gates Brown (1939)
Clay Carroll (1941)
Keith Moreland (1954)
Dr. A (1956)
Felix Jose (1965)
Paul Emmel (1968)
Jerrod Saltalamacchia (1986)
Neftali Feliz (1988)

Entertainer Bing Crosby was part-owner and a vice president of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1947 into the 1960s.

Joe Falls was a long-time sportswriter in Detroit and had a weekly column in The Sporting News for many years.

Paul Emmel has been a major league umpire since 1999.

It appears that no players with connections to the Minnesota Twins were born on this day.  However, it is the birthday of my brother, retired professor at Virginia Tech.  Happy Birthday, Dr. A!

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

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 1

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Frank Foreman (1863)
George McQuillan (1885)
Victor Starffin (1916)
Johnny Berardino (1917)
Al Zarilla (1919)
Von Joshua (1948)
Rudy Meoli (1951)
Roy Lee Jackson (1954)
Charlie O’Brien (1960)
Jose Lind (1964)
Armando Reynoso (1966)

Born in Russia, Victor Starffin was Japanese baseball’s first 300-game winner.

Infielder Johnny Berardino played in the major leagues for eleven years and appeared in 912 games, but is best known as Dr. Steve Hardy on General Hospital, a role he played from 1963-1996.

We would also like to wish a happy anniversary to SBG's brother.

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