Re: Minor Matters
1097Thanks, reason I asked is I thought I saw him in the dugout yesterday at the Tigers game.
Re: Minor Matters
1098Final 3-0. Zach goes 6. Lee 2, and Zach Putnam whiffs the side in the 9th for the save. Chad Huffman drives in 2, he and Mills and Johsons each with a pair of hits. Matt LaPorta is on this team but didn't play. Mitch Talbot on the hill in game 2 tonight.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/game ... a_dubaaa_1
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/game ... a_dubaaa_1
Re: Minor Matters
1099Zach McAllister wasn't too concerned about the thought of facing baseball's top pitching prospect under the playoff lights Wednesday. At least, he wouldn't admit to it.
"He's one of the best prospects in baseball," McAllister said of Durham ace Matt Moore. "But for me, I take it as another game knowing I gotta bring my A-game to compete."
· Gameday box score
· Zach McAllister's stats
· Complete playoff coverage
McAllister came up big -- he held the Bulls to five hits over six innings -- and Chad Huffman went deep as Triple-A Columbus got to Moore early to take Game 1 of their International League playoff series, 3-0.
The Triple-A All-Star, who won 12 games during the regular season, struck out three and walked one to outpitch top Rays prospect Moore in the opener of the best-of-5 series.
"I just knew I had to execute my pitches, that's been the biggest thing all year," said McAllister. "Whether it's early in the count or with runners on, if you execute, good things will happen."
Moore went 6 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on nine hits and a walk over 99 pitches.
It's just the fourth time this season that Moore has allowed as many as three runs in a game, and the second time since joining Durham on July 22. He went 12-3 with a 1.92 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 27 starts during the regular season.
McAllister said he wasn't too nervous about facing Moore, but knew he was in for a tough task.
"I knew it'd be a challenge, but I think our hitters knew what to expect from him," he said. "Fortunately they were able to get to get him early, they made him throw a little more pitches than I think he'd like to have thrown."
Columbus struck early when Beau Mills knocked home Travis Buck on a 3-1 pitch in the first. Huffman, who appeared in nine games for the Yankees last summer, hit a solo drive to left off Moore in the fourth and added an RBI double in the sixth.
Mills, Major League veteran Nick Johnson and Buck finished with two hits apiece in the win.
"It was huge, knowing we had that one run was great," McAllister said. "Once you're able to get a lead, it gives us more confidence and we got a little more room to work with. It was a huge boost for the whole team. Moore was throwing great all night, he had great stuff, so that first run was very important."
McAllister, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who made a pair of starts for Cleveland this year, threw 96 pitches and used a double play to escape the third. He worked 1-2-3 frames in the second and fourth.
"It was a good night overall. I was able to use all my pitches, throw my off-speed stuff early, got ahead of guys and got some early contact," he said.
Durham's best scoring opportunity came in the fifth when the Bulls loaded the bases with one out on consecutive singles by Leslie Anderson, Robinson Chirinos and Ray Olmedo. McAllister came back and struck out J.J. Furmaniak swinging and got 2008 No. 1 overall Draft pick Tim Beckham to pop up into foul territory.
The Bulls' bats went silent thereafter -- McAllister, Chen Lee and Zach Putnam combined to retire the final 13 of the final 14 Durham batters.
Putnam, who had nine saves in 44 appearances this season, struck out the side in the ninth, whiffing IL Most Valuable Player Russ Canzler for the third out to seal the win.
"I've been pleased with our bullpen all year. Whether it's close or not, they keep it close for the most part," said McAllister. "They did a great job. Lee and Putnam both threw well, and Putnam was really impressive to watch."
The teams will meet again Thursday in Durham for Game 2 before heading up to Columbus.
"He's one of the best prospects in baseball," McAllister said of Durham ace Matt Moore. "But for me, I take it as another game knowing I gotta bring my A-game to compete."
· Gameday box score
· Zach McAllister's stats
· Complete playoff coverage
McAllister came up big -- he held the Bulls to five hits over six innings -- and Chad Huffman went deep as Triple-A Columbus got to Moore early to take Game 1 of their International League playoff series, 3-0.
The Triple-A All-Star, who won 12 games during the regular season, struck out three and walked one to outpitch top Rays prospect Moore in the opener of the best-of-5 series.
"I just knew I had to execute my pitches, that's been the biggest thing all year," said McAllister. "Whether it's early in the count or with runners on, if you execute, good things will happen."
Moore went 6 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on nine hits and a walk over 99 pitches.
It's just the fourth time this season that Moore has allowed as many as three runs in a game, and the second time since joining Durham on July 22. He went 12-3 with a 1.92 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 27 starts during the regular season.
McAllister said he wasn't too nervous about facing Moore, but knew he was in for a tough task.
"I knew it'd be a challenge, but I think our hitters knew what to expect from him," he said. "Fortunately they were able to get to get him early, they made him throw a little more pitches than I think he'd like to have thrown."
Columbus struck early when Beau Mills knocked home Travis Buck on a 3-1 pitch in the first. Huffman, who appeared in nine games for the Yankees last summer, hit a solo drive to left off Moore in the fourth and added an RBI double in the sixth.
Mills, Major League veteran Nick Johnson and Buck finished with two hits apiece in the win.
"It was huge, knowing we had that one run was great," McAllister said. "Once you're able to get a lead, it gives us more confidence and we got a little more room to work with. It was a huge boost for the whole team. Moore was throwing great all night, he had great stuff, so that first run was very important."
McAllister, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who made a pair of starts for Cleveland this year, threw 96 pitches and used a double play to escape the third. He worked 1-2-3 frames in the second and fourth.
"It was a good night overall. I was able to use all my pitches, throw my off-speed stuff early, got ahead of guys and got some early contact," he said.
Durham's best scoring opportunity came in the fifth when the Bulls loaded the bases with one out on consecutive singles by Leslie Anderson, Robinson Chirinos and Ray Olmedo. McAllister came back and struck out J.J. Furmaniak swinging and got 2008 No. 1 overall Draft pick Tim Beckham to pop up into foul territory.
The Bulls' bats went silent thereafter -- McAllister, Chen Lee and Zach Putnam combined to retire the final 13 of the final 14 Durham batters.
Putnam, who had nine saves in 44 appearances this season, struck out the side in the ninth, whiffing IL Most Valuable Player Russ Canzler for the third out to seal the win.
"I've been pleased with our bullpen all year. Whether it's close or not, they keep it close for the most part," said McAllister. "They did a great job. Lee and Putnam both threw well, and Putnam was really impressive to watch."
The teams will meet again Thursday in Durham for Game 2 before heading up to Columbus.
Re: Minor Matters
1100I didn't realize that despite lack of talent Kinston somehow qualified for Carolina League playoffs. Historic Grainger Stadium will get at least one more professional game. K Tribe lost the opener of their series 4-1. Tyler Holt with 2 hits, a walk and 2 steals. Adam Abraham a single, two walks and the lone RBI. Clayton Cook lets in 2 in 5 innings, 7hits and a homer. Ryan Landis 2 more in his 2 innings. Chris Jones 2 scoreless.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_myrafa_1
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_myrafa_1
Re: Minor Matters
1101MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. —� The timely hits that carried the Kinston Indians through the regular season simply weren’t there as the postseason got under way.
As a result, the Indians find themselves in an early hole.
Vinny DiFazio hit a two-run home run and Justin Grimm pitched six effective innings to help Myrtle Beach to a 4-1 victory over the K-Tribe on Wednesday in Game 1 of the best-of-five Carolina League Southern Division Championship Series.
The second-half division champion Indians left seven men on base, including four in scoring position when they missed golden opportunities in the first and sixth innings.
“That’s what the playoffs are all about,” Kinston right fielder Bo Greenwell said. “It’s all about doing the little things right, the fundamental things —� getting guys over and getting guys in with less than two outs, and we weren’t able to do that tonight.”
DiFazio’s homer came in the second off K-Tribe starter Clayton Cook (0-1), who didn’t allow any more runs over his five innings of work. The blast to left field accounted for the game’s first runs.
It proved to be plenty for Grimm (1-0), who struck out six and walked four, surviving as the Indians threatened right away.
Grimm, a right-hander, wiggled out of a precarious jam in the first. After Pelicans first baseman Chris McGuiness saved a run with a diving stop of Jeremie Tice’s infield single to load the bases with one out, Grimm caught Jesus Aguilar looking at a 2-2 fastball and blew a 1-2 heater past Tyler Cannon to end the threat.
Grimm faced just one over the minimum over the next four innings.
Trailing 2-1, the Indians put runners on second and third with one out in the sixth, but Grimm got a harmless grounder out of Aguilar and struck out Cannon to escape once again.
Aguilar, a power-hitting first baseman, got around a 2-0 offering from Grimm and rolled it to third base when K-Tribe manager Aaron Holbert said he should’ve been looking to the middle of the field.
“That really killed us right there,” Holbert said.
Kinston cut its early deficit in half on Adam Abraham’s RBI single in the third.
Santiago Chirino went 3-for-3 for the Pelicans, who had 13 hits to Kinston’s six.
Tyler Holt went 2-for-3 for the K-Tribe.
The teams play Game 2 today at 7:05 p.m. in Myrtle Beach before the series concludes in Kinston beginning Friday.
The Indians reached the postseason despite hitting a league-worst .234 as a team, relying upon varying combinations of pitching, defense and well-timed hitting for their success.
On Wednesday, a key element was missing.
“You need to do the little things, and part of the little things is getting guys in from third and second when you can,” Abraham said. “Tonight that didn’t happen, but it leaves room for improvement for tomorrow. If we can come in and get a win tomorrow and we split these two games, we’re in good shape going home.”
A double dose of late insurance came for Myrtle Beach in the eighth, when Chris McGuiness hit a leadoff double, Ryan Strausborger singled him home and Jared Prince hit an RBI double to stretch the lead to 4-1.
The Indians are trying to win their first Carolina League title since 2006 and the sixth in K-Tribe history. Earning a split today will go a long way toward doing so.
“I’d much rather come out here and win tomorrow,”Greenwell said. “That way, we’re going home for three and we have the momentum going forward.
�
Roster moves
The Indians had a slew of transactions on Tuesday’s off day. Catcher Doug Pickens was placed on the inactive list after a ball hit him in the upper thigh during Sunday’s game at Potomac.
Right-hander Marty Popham, who had been on the disabled list since Sept. 1 with an injury to his throwing wrist, and utilityman Justin Toole were also added to the inactive list.
Catcher Dwight Childs joined the team from low Class A Lake County and was added to the inactive list. Infielder Ronnie Rodriguez and catcher Alex Monsalve were received from Lake County.
�
BUNTS: The bottom five hitters in Kinston’s order went a combined 1-for-18. ... The Pelicans left seven men in scoring position, including three on third base. ... The announced attendance was 1,785.
�
As a result, the Indians find themselves in an early hole.
Vinny DiFazio hit a two-run home run and Justin Grimm pitched six effective innings to help Myrtle Beach to a 4-1 victory over the K-Tribe on Wednesday in Game 1 of the best-of-five Carolina League Southern Division Championship Series.
The second-half division champion Indians left seven men on base, including four in scoring position when they missed golden opportunities in the first and sixth innings.
“That’s what the playoffs are all about,” Kinston right fielder Bo Greenwell said. “It’s all about doing the little things right, the fundamental things —� getting guys over and getting guys in with less than two outs, and we weren’t able to do that tonight.”
DiFazio’s homer came in the second off K-Tribe starter Clayton Cook (0-1), who didn’t allow any more runs over his five innings of work. The blast to left field accounted for the game’s first runs.
It proved to be plenty for Grimm (1-0), who struck out six and walked four, surviving as the Indians threatened right away.
Grimm, a right-hander, wiggled out of a precarious jam in the first. After Pelicans first baseman Chris McGuiness saved a run with a diving stop of Jeremie Tice’s infield single to load the bases with one out, Grimm caught Jesus Aguilar looking at a 2-2 fastball and blew a 1-2 heater past Tyler Cannon to end the threat.
Grimm faced just one over the minimum over the next four innings.
Trailing 2-1, the Indians put runners on second and third with one out in the sixth, but Grimm got a harmless grounder out of Aguilar and struck out Cannon to escape once again.
Aguilar, a power-hitting first baseman, got around a 2-0 offering from Grimm and rolled it to third base when K-Tribe manager Aaron Holbert said he should’ve been looking to the middle of the field.
“That really killed us right there,” Holbert said.
Kinston cut its early deficit in half on Adam Abraham’s RBI single in the third.
Santiago Chirino went 3-for-3 for the Pelicans, who had 13 hits to Kinston’s six.
Tyler Holt went 2-for-3 for the K-Tribe.
The teams play Game 2 today at 7:05 p.m. in Myrtle Beach before the series concludes in Kinston beginning Friday.
The Indians reached the postseason despite hitting a league-worst .234 as a team, relying upon varying combinations of pitching, defense and well-timed hitting for their success.
On Wednesday, a key element was missing.
“You need to do the little things, and part of the little things is getting guys in from third and second when you can,” Abraham said. “Tonight that didn’t happen, but it leaves room for improvement for tomorrow. If we can come in and get a win tomorrow and we split these two games, we’re in good shape going home.”
A double dose of late insurance came for Myrtle Beach in the eighth, when Chris McGuiness hit a leadoff double, Ryan Strausborger singled him home and Jared Prince hit an RBI double to stretch the lead to 4-1.
The Indians are trying to win their first Carolina League title since 2006 and the sixth in K-Tribe history. Earning a split today will go a long way toward doing so.
“I’d much rather come out here and win tomorrow,”Greenwell said. “That way, we’re going home for three and we have the momentum going forward.
�
Roster moves
The Indians had a slew of transactions on Tuesday’s off day. Catcher Doug Pickens was placed on the inactive list after a ball hit him in the upper thigh during Sunday’s game at Potomac.
Right-hander Marty Popham, who had been on the disabled list since Sept. 1 with an injury to his throwing wrist, and utilityman Justin Toole were also added to the inactive list.
Catcher Dwight Childs joined the team from low Class A Lake County and was added to the inactive list. Infielder Ronnie Rodriguez and catcher Alex Monsalve were received from Lake County.
�
BUNTS: The bottom five hitters in Kinston’s order went a combined 1-for-18. ... The Pelicans left seven men in scoring position, including three on third base. ... The announced attendance was 1,785.
�
Re: Minor Matters
1102Indians should option Phelps down to Columbus to give the Clippers a little IF depth; as it is they have no one available to back up their IF starters. While they're at it, Tribe doesn't need 15 pitchers. A little boost to Columbus' pitching for the playoff run would be appreciated.
Re: Minor Matters
11034-2 Clipper lead after 2 in game 2. Mitch Talbot has allowed 6 hits in 2 innings, but former Tribe minor leaguer Chris Archer (went to the Cubs for delarosa or whatever his name was who we then traded fro Chris Perez) has been less effective. Beau Mills with a 1st inning rbi double followed by Chad Huffman's second homer in 2 nights. Matt LaPorta is on the team but doesn't play. Hurt body or hurt feelings? Travis Buck plates the 4th run in the 2nd.
Re: Minor Matters
1104Kinston is about done with their 2nd game and it's still the bottom of the 1st. 2 walks and 2 errors by klutz 3b Adam Abaham precede a 3 run homer. 5=0 and the 1st isn't done yet. Tony Lastoria not long ago boosted Abraham as a coming prospect. Sorry Tony he's a 24 year old who can hit some and has no position.
Re: Minor Matters
1106Beau and Chad lead off the Clipper 3rd with singles. Men on 1st and 3rd, but Nick Johnson Juan Diaz and Luke Carlin fan. That's what makes Archer something of a prospect these days, despite his continued inconsistancy. He's still 22 and pitching in aaa.
Re: Minor Matters
1107Mitch Talbot knows what it's like to pitch for Durham under postseason pressure. Now he knows what it takes to beat the Bulls too.
The Major League veteran struck out five and rode a wave of early run support, giving Triple-A Columbus seven solid innings as the Clippers took Game 2 of the best-of-5 International League semifinals series Thursday with an 8-3 win in Durham.
Columbus, the West Division champions in the regular season, can advance to the Governors' Cup Finals with a win at home Friday. The Clippers have won eight titles since 1979, with the eighth coming last season when the Clippers beat the Bulls, 3-1, in the championship series for its first title since 1996.
Talbot's last IL playoff start came on Sept. 16, 2009, when he went 3 1/3 innings for Durham in Game 2 of the Bulls' three-game sweep of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Indians veteran, who spent almost all of last year in the Majors and split this season between Triple-A and Cleveland, won the Cup that season with Durham.
The right-hander from Cedar City, Utah pitched in 13 games for the Clippers this season, but never faced the Bulls until Thursday, when he followed Zach McAllister's solid Game 1 performance in search of a 2-0 edge. He went 2-6 with a 6.33 ERA in 58 1/3 innings over 11 starts for Cleveland earlier this year.
Talbot had a lead before he even took the mound in the first after Beau Mills hit an RBI double over the wall in right and Chad Huffman followed with his second homer in as many days, a two-run drive to left off Durham starter Chris Archer. Travis Buck added an RBI single in the second for a 4-0 lead.
Talbot didn't need any more help, holding the Bulls to just three hits the rest of the night after he was tagged for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. He induced 2008 No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham to hit into a double play in the second and, after Nevin Ashley reached on a one-out error in the seventh, Talbot got Stephen Vogt to bounce into an inning-end double play that would end his night.
Talbot threw 93 pitches -- 59 for strikes -- before stepping aside for Jason Rice, who made IL Most Valuable Player Russ Canzler to hit into the Bulls' third double play of the night to escape trouble in the eighth. Cory Burns bailed Tyler Sturdevant out of a jam in the ninth, getting Matt Carson to ground out with the bases loaded to seal the win.
Archer struck out 11, but was charged with five runs on seven hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. Joe Bateman, who earned the win in Talbot's last Durham start in 2009, worked the ninth for the Bulls.
Former IL MVP Dan Johnson drove in two of Durham's three runs. Beckham finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
Alex Torres will get the start for Durham on Friday in a must-win game against Joe Martinez and the Clippers.
The Major League veteran struck out five and rode a wave of early run support, giving Triple-A Columbus seven solid innings as the Clippers took Game 2 of the best-of-5 International League semifinals series Thursday with an 8-3 win in Durham.
Columbus, the West Division champions in the regular season, can advance to the Governors' Cup Finals with a win at home Friday. The Clippers have won eight titles since 1979, with the eighth coming last season when the Clippers beat the Bulls, 3-1, in the championship series for its first title since 1996.
Talbot's last IL playoff start came on Sept. 16, 2009, when he went 3 1/3 innings for Durham in Game 2 of the Bulls' three-game sweep of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Indians veteran, who spent almost all of last year in the Majors and split this season between Triple-A and Cleveland, won the Cup that season with Durham.
The right-hander from Cedar City, Utah pitched in 13 games for the Clippers this season, but never faced the Bulls until Thursday, when he followed Zach McAllister's solid Game 1 performance in search of a 2-0 edge. He went 2-6 with a 6.33 ERA in 58 1/3 innings over 11 starts for Cleveland earlier this year.
Talbot had a lead before he even took the mound in the first after Beau Mills hit an RBI double over the wall in right and Chad Huffman followed with his second homer in as many days, a two-run drive to left off Durham starter Chris Archer. Travis Buck added an RBI single in the second for a 4-0 lead.
Talbot didn't need any more help, holding the Bulls to just three hits the rest of the night after he was tagged for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. He induced 2008 No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham to hit into a double play in the second and, after Nevin Ashley reached on a one-out error in the seventh, Talbot got Stephen Vogt to bounce into an inning-end double play that would end his night.
Talbot threw 93 pitches -- 59 for strikes -- before stepping aside for Jason Rice, who made IL Most Valuable Player Russ Canzler to hit into the Bulls' third double play of the night to escape trouble in the eighth. Cory Burns bailed Tyler Sturdevant out of a jam in the ninth, getting Matt Carson to ground out with the bases loaded to seal the win.
Archer struck out 11, but was charged with five runs on seven hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. Joe Bateman, who earned the win in Talbot's last Durham start in 2009, worked the ninth for the Bulls.
Former IL MVP Dan Johnson drove in two of Durham's three runs. Beckham finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
Alex Torres will get the start for Durham on Friday in a must-win game against Joe Martinez and the Clippers.
Re: Minor Matters
1108Huffman singled,doubled, homered. These three all singled and doubled: Mills, Diaz, Buck. 2 singles for Fedroff and Reyes. Corey Burns with his AAA debut gets the final outs for the save.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_dubaaa_1
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_dubaaa_1
Re: Minor Matters
1109Kinston rallies from the 5 run first deficit and wins in 11, 8-6. Relievers toss 10 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run and fanning 11. Nick Sarianides 3 1/3 1 run. Shutuout ball by Cody Allen, 3 innings, 4 K; Giovanni Soto, 2 innings. Murata 1, Guilmet 1. Big blow was a grand slam by Troy Cannon.
Aguillar single breaks the tie; Frawley single adds the final run. Series even 1-1.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_myrafa_1
Aguillar single breaks the tie; Frawley single adds the final run. Series even 1-1.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_myrafa_1