Round Rock 9, Las Vegas 5

I am not a mean-spirited guy when it comes to baseball, honestly, but why is Carlos Torres on our AAA team? He was lit up again on Wednesday night for a grand total of nine earned runs over 4+ innings and it was just a really rough performance. He allowed five of those runs in the top of the first alone, capped off by a three-run homer by Jim Adduci. Anyway you slice it, if you can’t get out of the fifth inning, and you leave your team with a 9-0 defecit at the time…you did not do your job.

The 51s closed the game with five unanswered runs in the final four innings – highlighted by a three run bomb by Zach Lutz in the bottom of the sixth and a solo shot from Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the bottom of the seventh. The 51s scored plated a run via a Brian Bixler RBI single in the bottom of the ninth and then loaded the bases with two out, but Wilmer Flores grounded out harmlessly to end the threat.

The 51s did manage to put up a five-spot overall, which is always nice to see. In terms of the box score, Dylan Owen, Sean Henn, and Armando Rodriguez combined to pitch the rest of the game scoreless, but Owen allowed the three inherited runners from Carlos Torres to score when he was brought on.

Yeesh. Shake it off and move on to the next game. If all stays the same, Chris Schwinden is scheduled to pitch for Las Vegas tomorrow.

Key Stats

Brian Bixler: 2-for-5, 1 RBI

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Wilmer Flores: 2-for-5, 1 3B

Zach Lutz: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Kai Gronauer: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Carlos Torres: 4.0 IP, 10 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 9 ER, 4 K

Dylan Owen: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K, 3-3 Inherited Runners Scored

Sean Henn: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Armando Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K

Sacramento 11, Las Vegas 7

The Las Vegas 51s were defeated Saturday 11-7 at the Sacramento RiverCats, losing for the second straight day to open a four-game Pacific Coast League series. D.J. Mitchell took the mound for Las Vegas on Saturday night and was plagued by a pair of errors in the first frame, which led to seven runs crossing the plate against him in the first inning, but only three were earned. He settled down to last three more innings out there, but Vegas was playing from behind most of the evening.

The 51s scored three times in the top of the first inning on a two-run double from Wilmer Flores and an RBI single from Eric Campbell. They managed to tie the game with a pair of runs in each of the third and fourth innings, but Sacramento scored the final four runs to win. Each of Dylan Owen, Armando Rodriguez, and Greg Burke allowed at least an earned run – with Burke allowing two of them.

Key Stats

Collin Cowgill: 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB

Josh Satin: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R

Wilmer Flores: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R

Eric Campbell: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI

D.J. Mitchell: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 7 R, 3 ER, 5 K

Dylan Owen: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 1 K

Armando Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 2 K

Greg Burke: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 ER

Tacoma 10, Las Vegas 1

The Las Vegas 51s managed just four hits Friday against visiting Tacoma in a 10-1 loss at Cashman Field.

The 51s allowed double-digit runs for the second straight game and dropped their third straight overall. Partially responsible for that huge run total was starter Carlos Torres, who was rocked for six earned runs over five innings. Dylan Owen struggled as well, allowing three earned runs over his two innings of work. Unfortunately for Las Vegas, Tacoma only failed to score in two innings while they were being no-hit for most of this game.

Josh Satin, Andrew Brown and Kirk Nieuwenhuis were the only men who picked up hits for Vegas in this one, with Josh Satin responsible for two of the combined four. The recently demoted Nieuwenhuis led off the ninth inning with a double, and was sent home via a Josh Satin RBI single.

Vegas will continue the series with the third game out of four on Saturday evening, at 10:05 PM.

Key Stats

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Josh Satin: 2-for-4, 1 RBI

Andrew Brown: 1-for-4

Carlos Torres: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 6 ER, 4 K

Darin Gorski: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER

Dylan Owen: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 1 K

Sean Henn: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER

(I wonder how Wally Backman feels managing against Ho-Jo. Howard Johnson is the hitting coach for Tacoma, if I remembered correctly.)

Las Vegas 1, Sacramento 2

The night did not start out so well for Collin McHugh, but the young righty buckled down and got out of a tough jam in the first inning. He gave up a leadoff single, followed by an error from Wilmer Flores, and an RBI single that gave the River Rats a 1-0 lead with runners on the corners and nobody out. McHugh, battled back and got the next three batters out, starting with a strikeout, a shallow fly out, followed by another strikeout to end the inning. McHugh then fired four scoreless frames before being lifted after a two out walk in the top of the sixth inning.

Gonzalez Germen relieved McHugh in the sixth and came out unscathed, but gave up an RBI single to relinquish the lead in the seventh. Reliever Dylan Owen dodged in and out of trouble in the ninth, as he loaded the bases, but got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning without any runs scoring.

Offensively, the bats were mostly silent in Las Vegas, as they were only able to muster up five hits on Tuesday night. The 51s got on the board in the fourth inning, when a leadoff single by Juan Lagares led to an RBI single by Wilmer Flores. Lagares was the table setter last night, getting three hits, scoring one run, and raising his batting average to .375.

Andrew Brown gave the 51s life when he worked a two out walk in the bottom of the ninth inning. Josh Satin hit a sharp grounder into the hole, but it was scooped up and Andrew Brown was forced out at second to end the game. Travis d’Arnaud was hitless on the night, but made solid contact and worked the counts in his at-bats.

Key Stats

• Juan Lagares: 3-for-4, R
• Wilmer Flores: 1-for-4, RBI
• Josh Satin: 1-for-3, BB
• Collin McHugh: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, L

Sacramento 8, Las Vegas 4 

The Las Vegas 51s(3-1) were handed their first loss of the season Sunday as they were unable to hold Sacramento in check in the seventh, falling in an 8-4 decision to the River Cats.

The Bisons played two yesterday in Buffalo. In the first, Zack Wheeler tossed a gem, with the Bisons coming away with a 1-0 win. In the second, it was a sloppy slugfest that the Bisons lost 11-9.

Game 1: Bisons 1, Red Wings 0

Zack Wheeler was on in yesterday’s ballgame. It was certainly a pitching duel. Esmerling Vasquez allowed only one run, so it was up to Wheeler to keep the Red Wings scoreless, which he did. Being a doubleheader, the teams played two seven-inning games. Wheeler pitched the entire game and was absolutely dominating the Rochester lineup. He held them scoreless, allowing only three hits and two walks. He struck out nine and threw 65 of 98 pitches for strikes.

The lone run for Buffalo came in the fourth off Vasquez. With Adam Loewen on third with one out, Matt den Dekker hit a fly ball to right. It was caught, but Loewen tagged up and scored on the play, giving Buffalo a 1-0 lead. That would end up being the only run of the game.

Game 2: Red Wings 11, Bisons 9

The second game was a much different story for both teams. Unlike the first, where each team’s pitcher was dominant, this one was a slugfest. Each team was using their longman as a starter, so the bullpens would be in use pretty quickly. That’s exactly what happened.

The Bisons started Dlan Owen, who didn’t allow a hit but struggled with his control and allowed three runs. However, thanks to some sloppy defense by Rochester, Buffalo still had a 4-3 lead when Owen left the game after an inning and a third. In the bottom of the third, Valentino Pascucci homered to extend the lead to 5-3. From then on, though, it was all Red Wings.

C.J. Nitkowski entered to start the fourth and got rocked. He allowed three runs in that inning and was then sent back out again. In the fifth, he was knocked around again, allowing four more runs. Eventually, Nitkowski was taken out after allowing seven runs on seven hits while recording just four outs. With a big lead, the Bisons couldn’t come back despite two-run homers by Fred Lewis and Zach Lutz.

Herd Rumblings: The good start from Wheeler in the first game was certainly a good sign. He had struggled his previous two starts, allowing eight earned runs in 10.1 total innings. The high points on offense included Matt Tuiasosopo, who was 3-for-7 in the two games, driving in two runs. Valentino Pascucci was in the middle of everything, scoring three runs and hitting a home run. Zach Lutz also had a good day at the plate,  going 2-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. The Bisons take on the Red Wings again tonight at 7:05. The game will be televised on SNY.

Welcome to Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Every Tuesday, we take a look at the hottest and coldest players from St. Lucie, Binghamton, and Buffalo. Here we go…

Who’s Hot

• Collin McHugh P, Buffalo – McHugh had a rough first couple of starts for Buffalo, but has bounced back and been tremendous for the Bisons since. Over his last ten starts, he has a 2.59 ERA. On top of that, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week for his two performances against Pawtucket. In his first, he hallowed just one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. Then on Saturday night, he shut down the PawSox at Fenway, tossing seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits.
• Danny Muno SS, St. Lucie – After hitting just .229 in the month of July, Danny Muno has come roaring back for St. Lucie. Over his last ten games, he is hitting a stellar .417 with one home run and six RBI. Over that span, he has also stolen three bases.
• Richard Lucas 3B, St. Lucie – Lucas, after hitting under .200 in July, had a decent July, but is having an amazing August. He is hitting .379 this month, including .382 over his last ten games with six RBI. He has also stolen five bases this month, a higher total than any other month this season for Lucas.

Honorable Mention: Wilmer Flores INF, Binghamton- Flores is on another one of his big hotstreaks. He hit just .245 in July, but is hitting over .300 this month and .366 over his last ten games.

Who’s Not

• Josh Satin INF, Buffalo – Satin has had another great season for the Bisons, showing some power and a knack for getting on base. However, the last week or so has been really rough for him. Over his last ten games, Satin is batting .103 and has a .256 on-base percentage.
• Jefry Marte INF, Binghamton – Marte has been very streaky this season, and is in another slump right now. This month, he has a .183 average. His on-base percentage this month is just .243. Hopefully Marte will be able to turn it around and earn a spot on the Buffalo roster next April.
• Dylan Owen P, Buffalo – The Mets’ 20th round pick in 2007, Dylen Owen is having one of the roughest stretches of his career so far. Over his last ten outings, Owen has a 9.53 ERA, allowing 18 earned runs over just 17 innings.Over that span, Owen has struck out just eight and walked 14.

PAWTUCKET 15, BUFFALO 1: The Buffalo Bisons fell to 2-3 on the season after getting beat 15-1 by the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate.

Dylan Owen, recently promoted from Double-A, gave up a three-run home run in the fifth inning. The PawSox went on the score six more runs in the sixth inning.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis broke up the shutout in the seventh inning with a double and run scored.

Lucas Duda, recently sent down from the Mets via the option Sunday night, went 0-for-4 at the plate and reached on a fielding error.

For a box score of the game, click here.

For more minor league notes, read Adam Rubin’s Around the Minors blog.