Happy Birthday–April 8

John Peters (1850)
Kirby Higbe (1915)
Stan Wasiak (1920)
Charlie Maxwell (1927)
Turk Farrell (1934)
Takao Kajimoto (1935)
John Hiller (1943)
Catfish Hunter (1946)
Randy Marsh (1949)
Mac Scarce (1949)
Gary Carter (1954)
Alex Gonzalez (1973)
Timo Perez (1975)
Jeremy Guthrie (1979)
Matt Ford (1981)
Chris Iannetta (1983)
Bobby Wilson (1983)
Felix Hernandez (1986)
Carlos Santana (1986)
Yonder Alonso (1987)
Jeremy Hellickson (1987)
Zach Eflin (1994)
Jo Adell (1999)

Stan Wasiak holds the record for most wins as a minor league manager, 2,530.  He managed from 1950-1986, managing at levels from Class D to AAA.

Pitcher Takao Kajimoto won 254 games in Japan and was a twelve-time all-star.

Randy Marsh was a major league umpire from 1981-2009 and is currently a director of umpiring.

Yonder Alonso was drafted by Minnesota in the sixteenth round in 2005, but did not sign.

We would like to wish a happy birthday to the brother of Daneeka's Ghost.

Dad A passed away on this date six years ago.  I'm not asking for sympathy--he lived a long, full life, he was ready to go, and I'm confident about where he is.  Still, I felt that I should at least acknowledge the anniversary somehow.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–April 8

Minor Details: Games of April 6

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 3, ST. PAUL SAINTS 2 IN COLUMBUS (10 INNINGS)

Once again the Saints scored two early, and once again it was enough until it wasn't.  In the third, Emmanuel Rodriguez singled home a run and a bases-loaded walk brought home another.  The Clippers got one back in the sixth, but it was still 2-1 going to the bottom of the ninth.  Angel Martinez led off the inning with a double and scored on a Petey Halpin single to tie it.  The Saints failed to score the Manfred Man in the tenth, and it cost them as Will Brennan, who apparently kills the Twins even when he's in the minors, singled home the deciding run.  The Saints stranded twelve men and were 1-for-10 with men in scoring position.  They drew ten walks, but could manage only five hits.

BattersRyan Fitzgerald was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitchers:  Randy Dobnak pitched five shutout innings, giving up one hit and four walks and striking out three.  Travis Adams struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.

Opposition:  Will Brennan was 2-for-5 with an RBI.  Ryan Webb struck out five in 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and walking three.

St. Paul is 2-4, tied for eighth with Indianapolis, three games behind Columbus.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 5, WICHITA WIND SURGE 0 IN SPRINGFIELD (GAME 1)

Springfield scored three in the second on a double and three singles.  Wichita managed only one hit, a two-out single by Rubel Cespedes in the second inning.

Batters:  None.

Pitchers:  Starter Aaron Rozek struck out five in four innings, but allowed four runs on six hits and a walk.  Jaylin Nowlin pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition:  Jacob Buchberger was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.  Max Rajcic pitched five shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out four.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 10, SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 2 IN SPRINGFIELD (GAME 2)

Apparently the Wind Surge saved all its offense for the second game.  They scored six runs in the second inning on a walk. three singles, a double, and a two-run homer by Kala'i Rosario.  They added two more in the third, aided by three walks, and were never threatened.

Batters:  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run, and four RBIs.  Ricardo Olivar was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Kala'i Rosario was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Ben Ross was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.

Pitchers:  Trent Baker struck out three in three shutout innings, also walking three but allowing no hits.  Joel Cesar pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  John Stankiewicz pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Opposition:  Chase Davis was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Record:  Wichita is 1-2, tied for third with Arkansas, two games behind Northwest Arkansas.

WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS 7, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6 IN WISCONSIN

It was another see-saw game, as the Kernels led 2-0, trailed 3-2, led 4-3, and trailed 5-4.  They tied it 5-5 in the seventh on doubles by Billy Amick and Gabriel Gonzalez, but Blake Burke's RBI double in the bottom of the seventh gave the lead back to Wisconsin and Hedbert Perez' RBI triple gave them an insurance run.  They needed it, because Gonzalez led off the ninth with a homer, but Cedar Rapids could not get the tying run on base.

Batters:  Billy Amick was 3-for-4 with a triple, two doubles, a walk, three runs, and an RBI.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, and three RBIs.  Kaelen Culpepper was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and a run.  Kyle DeBarge was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Pitchers:  Starter Tanner Hall struck out six in five innings, but allowed five runs on five hits and a walk.  Juan Mendez struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning.

Opposition:  Blake Burke was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs, and three RBIs.  Yophery Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, a walk, and three runs.  Jadher Areinamo was 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.  Jeferson Figueroa pitched two shutout innings, walking three and striking out one.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 2-1, in third place, one game behind Beloit and Quad Cities.

PALM BEACH CARDINALS 11, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 10 IN PALM BEACH

The Mussels led 2-1 through five, but Josh Kross hit a two-run triple in a four-run sixth to give Palm Beach the lead.  Won-Bin Cho hit a two-run homer in the seventh to make it 7-2, and it looked like Fort Myers was done.  But no, they came back to score six runs in the eighth to take an 8-7 lead.  They had only two hits in the inning, but took advantage of five walks and three errors.  In the ninth, Poncho Ruiz followed three walks with a two-run single, and the Mussels were looking good with a 10-7 lead.  But an error and two walks loaded the bases with none out in the ninth.  A wild pitch scored one and a ground out plated another.  With two out, Cade McGee hit a walk-off two run homer to end the game in favor of the Cardinals.

Batters:  Poncho Ruiz was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run, and an RBI.  Daniel Pena was 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk.  Dameury Pena was 1-for-2 with a home run.

Pitchers:  Michael Ross struck out five in five innings, giving up one run on four hits.

Opposition:  Won-Bin Cho was 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and three RBIs.  Christian Martin was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Jose Cordoba was 1-for-4 with a home run and two runs.  Cade McGee was 1-for-5 with a two-run homer.

Record:  Fort Myers is 1-2, tied for third, one game behind Clearwater and Tampa.

TUESDAY'S TILTS

6:05  Tampa at Fort Myers
6:35  Beloit at Cedar Rapids
6:35  Midland at Wichita
6:37  Omaha at St. Paul

milb.com did not list probable starters at press time.

Happy Birthday–April 7

John McGraw (1873)
Oral Hildebrand (1907)
Bobby Doerr (1918)
Jerry Hoffberger (1919)
Tom Phoebus (1942)
Bill Stoneman (1944)
Pete Van Wieren (1944)
Bobby Mitchell (1955)
Ricky Bones (1969)
Brett Tomko (1973)
Ronnie Belliard (1975)
Adrian Beltre (1979)

Jerry Hoffberger was the principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles from 1965-1979.

Pete Van Wieren was a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves from 1976-2008.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to the Philosofer's wife.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–April 7

Minor Details: Games of April 5

ST. PAUL SAINTS AT COLUMBS CLIPPERS

Rained out.  Will be made up April 29.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 6, WICHITA WIND SURGE 2 IN SPRINGFIELD

Springfield scored one in the first, three in the third, and two in the fifth to build a 6-0 lead.  Wichita got both of their runs in the ninth.

Batters:  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

Pitchers:  Starter Connor Prielipp pitched just two innings, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk, striking out three.  He threw 47 pitches.  Mike Paredes pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition:  Dakota Harris was 2-for-4 with a double, a run, and two RBIs.  Leonardo Bernal was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Jeremy Rivas was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.  Tekoah Roby struck out five in four shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Edwin Nunez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and two walks.

Record:  Wichita is 0-1, tied for third with Arkansas, 1.5 games behind Northwest Arkansas.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS 4 IN WISCONSIN

Cedar Rapids trailed 1-0, led 3-1, and trailed 4-3.  It was a three-run homer by Rayne Doncon that game them the short-lived lead.  An RBI ground out tied it in the seventh.  In the eighth, the Kernels scored twice without a hit. two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases with none out.  A wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run and a ground out scored an insurance run.

Batters:  Jaime Ferrer was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Danny De Andrade was 2-for-4.  Rayne Doncon was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer, two walks, and two runs.

Pitchers:  Starter Alejandro Hidalgo struck out six in four innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.  Gabriel Yanez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Paulshawn Pasqualotto struck out two and walked one in two shutout innings.

Opposition:  Eduardo Garcia was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run, and an RBI.  Yophery Rodriguez was 2-for-5.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 2-0, tied for first with Beloit.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, PALM BEACH CARDINALS 4 IN PALM BEACH

Angel Del Rosario hit a two-run double in a three-run second that gave Fort Myers a 3-0 lead.  They would never trail, but Palm Beach cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth.  Jose Rodriguez homered in the sixth to make it 4-2.  Fort Myers scored two more in the eighth on just one hit, benefiting from a walk, a hit batsman, and three wild pitches.  Palm Beach came back to score two in the bottom of the eighth and had men on second and third, but a lineout to first ended the inning and they went down in order in the ninth.

BattersByron Chourio was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jose Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with a home run.

Pitchers:  Dasan Hill struck out seven and walked none in four innings, giving up one run on one hit.  Ivran Romero struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing only a hit batsman.

Opposition:  Cade McGee was 1-for-2 with a home run, two walks, and two runs.  Jason Savacool pitched four innings, giving up three unearned runs on three hits and one walk and striking out two.

Record:  Fort Myers is 1-1, tied for second, one game behind Tampa.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:30  Fort Myers (Michael Ross) at Palm Beach (TBD)
12:05  St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 0-0) at Columbus (TBD)
1:05  Wichita (Trent Baker and Aaron Rozek) at Springfield (Max Rajcic and TBD)
1:10  Cedar Rapids (Tanner Hall) at Wisconsin (Chandler Welch)

Happy Birthday–April 6

Smokey Joe Williams (1885)
Mickey Cochrane (1903)
Ernie Lombardi (1908)
Phil Regan (1937)
Marty Pattin (1943)
Bert Blyleven (1951)
Kenny Williams (1964)
Bret Boone (1969)
Lou Merloni (1971)
Ralph Garza (1994)

A star in the Negro Leagues, some say that Smokey Joe Williams was a better pitcher than Satchel Paige.

I don't know if four Hall of Famers on one day is the record, but it has to at least be close.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–April 6

Minor Details: Games of April 4

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 3, ST. PAUL SAINTS 2 IN COLUMBUS (GAME 1)

The Saints started the game with four consecutive singles, producing two runs.  That was all the runs they would get, and for six innings it looked like that would be enough.  But Scott Blewett came in to pitch the seventh and, well, he blew it.  A walk, a double, and a two-run single by Angel Martinez tied the game, and an RBI double by Will Wilson walked it off for Columbus.  Saints starters still had not allowed a run through four games.

Batters:  Mike Ford was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Austin Martin was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run.

Pitchers:  Marco Raya struck out five in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up five hits and a walk.  Kody Funderburk struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition:  Angel Martinez was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  Bradley Hanner pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

ST. PAUL SAINTS AT COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (GAME 2)

The Saints trailed Columbus 11-1 through five innings at press time.  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-3 with a double.  David Festa ended the scoreless streak by St. Paul starters, allowing six runs (five earned) on ten hits and two walks.  He did strike out four in 3.1 innings.  For Wichita, Christian Cairo was 4-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs.  Will Wilson hit a two-run homer.  Kolby Allard struck out five in four innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.

WICHITA WIND SURGE AT SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS

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

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 4, WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS 1 IN WISCONSIN

It was scoreless through three, but Billy Amick singled home a run in the fourth, Brandon Winokur doubled one home in the sixth, and Caden Kendle hit a two-run double in the seventh.  Wisconsin did not get on the board until the ninth.  There were thirty strikeouts in the game, with Cedar Rapids pitchers striking out thirteen and Wisconsin pitchers fanning seventeen.

Batters:  Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a double.  Caden Kendle was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.  Kyle DeBarge was 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs.

Pitchers:  Charlee Soto struck out five in four shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks.  Spencer Bengard struck out six and walked one in four shutout innings of relief, allowing no hits.

Opposition:  Manuel Rodriguez struck out eleven in 4.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and a walk.  Aidan Maldonado struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Record:  1-0, tied for first.

PALM BEACH CARDINALS 8, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 2 IN PALM BEACH

Palm Beach scored two in the third to open the scoring and led all the way.  Jefferson Valladares singled home in the run to cut the lead to 2-1 and a wild pitch scored a run in the seventh to cut the margin to 4-2, but the Cardinals scored one in the seventh and three in the eighth to put it out of reach.

Batters:  Kevin Maitan was 2-for-4.

Pitchers:  Starter Eli Jones pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition:  Luis Pino was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.  Jonathan Mejia was 2-for-4 with two triples, a walk, and two runs.  Cade McGee was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.  Christian Martin was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, a run and an RBI.  Jose Suarez was 2-for-5 with an RBI.  Anyelo Encarnacion was 1-for-2 with a home run, two walks, and three runs.  Leonel Sequera pitched 3.2 innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk and striking out two.  Michael Watson struck out three and walked one in two shutout innings.

Record:  Fort Myers is 0-1.

TODAY'S TILTS

1:10  Cedar Rapids (Alejandro Hidalgo) at Wisconsin (Bishop Letson)
3:05  St. Paul (Randy Dobnak) at Columbus (Ryan Webb, 0-0, 2.25)
5:00  Fort Myers (Dasan Hill) at Palm Beach (TBD)
6:05  Wichita (Trent Baker) at Springfield (Max Rajcic)

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.