Buffalo Bisons 3 – Leigh Valley IronPigs 6
I expect Jack Egbert to be this ineffective, but what I don’t expect him to be is this wild. Egbert lasted for only 81 pitches tonight and only 45 of those were strikes (55%). He only gave up two walks, but with his stuff he needs to throw a considerable amount of more strikes. It is no shock or coincidence that both walks came back to bite him. Ball four on the first walk was a wild pitch that allowed the first run of the game to score and then the second walk came in to score on a two-run home run.
Nick Evans is a possessed man right now. He had a very good at-bat in the 1st inning and took a pitch right back up the middle for a single to extend his hitting streak and then despite getting into an 0-2 hole in the 4th inning turned on way and hit his seventh home run of the season. Luis Figueroa delivered a single in the 5th to score Mike Nickeas and Jon Malo also tried to score on the play from 1st, but got thrown out at home as the tying run.
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Michael Fisher: (0-for-4, K)
- Nick Evans: (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI, K)
- Fernando Martinez:x (0-for-4)
Stars of the Game: 1. Nick Evans (41pts) 2. Mike Nickeas (6pts) 3. Jason Botts (12pts)
Binghamton Mets 6 – Erie SeaWolves 3 (Game 1)
Robert Carson‘s last two starts have been terribly wild. He was needed to come up big today, starting the first game of the double header as a reliever (Erik Turgeon) was already scheduled to start the second game, but he failed big time. He was all over the place and gave up seven hits, along with three walks, and lasted just 3.2 innings. He forced Backman to put Turgeon in this game instead of starting the second one. Turgeon went on to be much better than Carson. Turgeon finished the game to earn the win and gave up just two hits and no runs. Unfortunately it complicated things for game two a bit.
Who else other than Jordany Valdespin got the B-Mets offense going. Valdespin singled in the first and flew around the bases to score all the way from first on a Josh Satin double. Raul Reyes was the other Reyes to just miss a cycle today. Jose got pulled before he could go for the home run and Raul had to deal with a seven inning game that prevented him from getting the triple. Reyes was right in he middle of the three run 4th when the B-Mets strung together four singles and watched the would be winning runs score on a throwing error by the third baseman on a Valdespin groundout.
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Matt Den Dekker: (1-for-4, 3B, R, 2K)
- Jordany Valdespin: (1-for-4, R, K)
- Josh Satin: (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, CS)
- Allan Dykstra: (1-for-4, R, K)
Stars of the Game: 1. Raul Reyes (16pts) 2. Josh Satin (61pts) 3. Matt Den Dekker (6pts)
Binghamton Mets 2 – Erie SeaWolves 4 (Game 2)
Because of the circumstances in the first game, Ricky Brooks started this game. He has some starting experience and wasn’t that bad in this game. He gave up a home run in the 2nd, but that should have been all had Travis Ozga not extended the inning with an error. He allowed a double and single after the error to plate two unearned runs and that would be enough to lose. I am not ready to get excited about Brad Holt‘s four strikeouts in two innings of relief because he also walked three. He just faced a couple more impatient hitters who chased pitches I guess.
Allan Dykstra belted his eighth home run of the season and aided the second run. Brahiam Maldonado was hit by a pitch, Dykstra followed with a walk to move him to second, and then he came in to score on an error. In the 5th the B-Mets loaded the bases on three walks and Dykstra came up with a chance to be the hero, but struckout swinging. Better than strikingout looking I guess.
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Matt Den Dekker: (1-for-3, BB, K, SB)
- Jordany Valdespin: (0-for-4)
- Josh Satin: (0-for-3, BB, K)
- Allan Dykstra: (1-for-2, HR, R, RBI, BB, K)
- Brad Holt: (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K)
Stars of the Game: 1. Allan Dykstra (34pts) 2. Matt Den Dekker (8pts) 3. Brahiam Maldonado (36pts)
St. Lucie Mets 1 – Bradenton Marauders 8
Another day, another crappy start from Kyle Allen. He was awful as it was and I wonder how much worse it could have been had he not gotten double plays in both the 1st and 2nd inning. Allen let six straight men reach in the 4th inning. In order the batters went single, double, walk, single, double, and walk. Estarlin Morel did allow to of the inherited runners to score for Allen, but Allen is still mainly at fault. Eric Niesen worked a perfect 6th inning with two strikeouts, but then came out in the 7th and allowed two runs to score on three straight hits.
The offense was pathetic today. They mustered just four hits. One of them happened to be a two-out ground rule double by Robbie Shields that brought home Cesar Puello. Shields was really the only bright spot.
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Robbie Shields: (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K)
- Juan Lagares: (0-for-4, K)
- Jefry Marte: (1-for-4, K)
- Wilmer Flores: (0-for-4)
- C0ry Vaughn: (0-for-4, Error)
- Cesar Puello: (0-for-2, R, BB, 2 K)
Stars of the Game: 1. Robbie Shields (5pts) 2. Cesar Puello (26pts) 3. Jefry Marte (34pts)
Savannah Sand Gnats 5 – Rome Braves 3
Angel Cuan was very effective again tonight. He was in cruise control for most of the game. A home run got to him in the 2nd inning, but other than that he just allowed a runner here and there. In the 6th inning an Aderlin Rodriguez error opened set the stage for the inning. After the error Cuan allowed a single to score a run and then the Braves pulled of a suicide squeeze to get a three run advantage. Adam Kolarek had a great performance out of the pen to pick up his third win.
The Gnats had a two out rally in the 7th inning to get hack in the ballgame. Alonzo Harris and Luis Nieves walked and then got driven home with a double off the bat of Darrell Ceciliani. Down by a run entering the 9th the Gnats battled back for the second straight night. Sam Honeck‘s leadoff single proved key as the Gnats were able to sacrifice him to second and then have Harris tie the game up with a single. The Gnats didn’t stop there, however, and Nieves would drive in Harris to put the Gnats on top and they would go on for the win.
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Darrell Ceciliani: (1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K)
- Wilfredo Tovar: (0-for-5)
- Aderlin Rodriguez: (0-for-4, 2 K)
Stars of the Game: 1. Darrell Ceciliani (32pts) 2. Alonzo Harris (13pts) 3. Albert Cordero (13pts)
Brooklyn Cyclones 1 – Aberdeen Iron Birds 0
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Ismael Tijerina: (0-for-3, BB, K)
- Javier Rodriguez: (0-for-4)
- Brian Harrison: (1-for-4)
- Carlos Vazquez: (W, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO)
Stars of the Game: 1. Charley Thurber (7pts) 2. Carlos Vazquez (4pts) 3. Richard Lucas (3pts)
Kingsport Mets 10 – Greenville Drive 8
Top prospect performances (Boxscore):
- Tillman Pugh: (0-for-5, K)
- Alex Sanchez: (1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI)
- Greg Pron: (1-for-5, 3 R, K, SB)
- Domingo Tapia: (5 IP, 4 H, R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 9:1 GO:AO)
Stars of the Game: 1. T.J. Rivera (6pts) 2. Greg Pron (9pts) 3. Alex Sanchez (4pts)
