Cleveland Sports Forum

a single and a fly out. and that's it.

Interesting Blue jays podcast where they interview a new Guardians minor league pitcher from the Rule 5 minor legaue draft

After that, we welcomed Cleveland Guardians prospect, first-round Minor League Rule 5 Draft Pick, and Good Edmonton Boy Erik Sabrowski to the show to talk about getting drafted, life in the minors, and a whole bunch more!

Starts at about the 28 minute mark -- mostly just about being a minor league player

Dayton Dragons at Lake County Captains Ppd.

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Hillcats Still Winless as Bats Remain Cold

April 13, 2022

The Lynchburg Hillcats fall to 0-5 on the young season after a low-scoring outing against the Delmarva Shorebirds.

For the second night in a row, the first inning was all the Shorebirds needed to pull out the victory, winning 3-1.

Franco Aleman made his debut on the mound tonight, and got off to a rough start as he walked the first batter he faced. Luis Valdez would end up coming around to score on a Darell Hernaiz single two batters later. Hernaiz would eventually come around to score on a Josué Cruz single to give the Shorebirds the 2-run lead.

The Hillcats struggled to get the offense going until Milan Tolentino hit a double down the right field line to put a runner in scoring position in the second inning. However, the Hillcats struggled to get him across to score.

Hernaiz would tack on one more run for Delmarva in the third with a leadoff home run to left center field that moved the lead up to three.

The Hillcats would respond with a run of their own in the third inning as Isaiah Greene walked and came around to score on a Jake Fox RBI single to right. However, that was all the offense Lynchburg to muster up as they struck out nine times in the final six innings.

In relief, Reid Johnston and Davis Sharpe pitched five beautiful innings for the Hillcats. Johnston struck out three while only allowing one hit in three innings of work. Sharpe came on in the eighth and struck out three of the seven batters he faced.

The Hillcats will return to action tomorrow night at 6:30 at Bank of the James Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia for game three of their six game series against Delmarva.

Reading Uses Strong Pitching and Clutch Doubles to Defeat Akron 3-1

April 13, 2022

The Reading Fightin' Phils use a big sixth inning and strong pitching to down the Akron RubberDucks 3-1 on Wednesday night at Canal Park.

Turning Point

Reading broke the tie in the top of the sixth when Jhailyn Ortiz worked a one-out walk before stealing second and advancing to third on an errant throw. Ortiz came across to score on the first of back-to-back RBI doubles by Josh Ockimey and Wendell Rijo to make it 3-1 Fightin' Phils.

Mound Presence

Joey Cantillo got off to a rough start giving up a home run on the first pitch of the game to Madison Stokes, but he would settle in quickly and only allow three base runners the rest of the way. In total, Cantillo went five innings allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven. Jerson Ramirez followed with an inning pitched allowing two runs. Tim Herrin followed with two scoreless innings while striking out one. Kevin Coulter made his Akron debut tossing a scoreless ninth.

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks answered Stokes solo blast in the bottom of the third when Marcos Gonzalez started the inning with a single before coming around to score three batters later on a Brayan Rocchio sac-fly to tie the game 1-1. Akron was held in check offensively from the fourth to the eighth getting just three baserunners in that span. In the ninth, Akron would threaten when Valera and Naylor reached to start the inning, but the RubberDucks would strand the two at first and second to end the game.

Notebook

Will Brennan's double in the third inning extended his team leading hitting streak to four games... Brennan's two doubles gave him the team lead with four this season...Game Time: 2:28...Attendance: 1,131.
On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their home schedule at Canal Park Thursday night, hosting the Reading Fightin Phils at 6:35 p.m. Akron left-hander Logan T. Allen (0-1, 4.15 ERA) is scheduled to start against Reading right-hander James McArthur (0-1, 8.10).

The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for the RubberDucks home opener on Tuesday, April 12, and all home games, are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

Columbus Clippers give up just 3 hits in 5-0 win over Syracuse

Wednesday, April 13th 2022

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the second straight night, the Columbus Clippers (5-3) shut out the visiting Syracuse Mets 5-0.

Through the first two games of the series, the Clippers have only given up seven hits and have outscored the Mets 10-0.

Columbus third baseman Jose Fermin got the scoring started in the bottom of the third when he knocked a solo homer over the left-field wall to give the Clippers a 1-0 lead. It was Fermin's second home run of the season.

In the fifth, catcher Gavin Collins hit is first home run of the season to extend Columbus' lead to 2-0.

The Clippers stretched its lead to 5-0 in the sixth when center fielder Daniel Johnson sent a three-run home run over the right-center field wall scoring Josh Naylor and Oscar Gonzalez.

Pitcher Adam Scott registered the win for Columbus giving up just one hit and striking out five batters in five innings of work.

The Clippers will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games Thursday night when they once again take on the Mets.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1514377584619962369

Jose Fermin Homers

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Cantillo was yet another piece of the Clevinger deal but was shut down for nearly all of 2021 and was at risk in the cancelled Rule 5 draft.
His 5 innings 1 run 7 K matches up nicely with excellent debuts by Espino, Allen, Curry and Gaddis. All struck out 7-9 hitters in 4 to 5 1/3 innings.
The kids aren't hitting much yet but Rocchio and Valera could key a solid offense for our best minor league team

Lynchburg not surprisingly is winless; pitchers are mostly the 2nd rate group of 2021 draft choices. Some hitters there with promise: Burgos, Durango and Greene in the OF. Tolantino and Tucker and Vakldes in the IF.

Lake County has some talent: Bracho hoping to bounce back from a terrible season; Noel hoping to repeat a terrific season; Halpin teenager with big possiblities, Johnnathan Rodriguez continuin on his very slow progression; Gabe Rodriguez another well regarded IF.
Some solid pitching too: No. 1 pick Gavin Williams, No., 2 pick Tommy Mace, No. 3 pick Nikhazy; No. 9 pick Tanner Bibee who fanned 8 in his 4 inning debut; 2018 1.5 round pick Lenny Torres trying to get back his prospect status.

all of our top 40 players in action Wednesday

CLE AA #3 Brayan Rocchio, SS 3 0 1 1 .200 E (3),
CLE AA #4 George Valera, SS 3 0 0 0 .083 BB (6),
CLE AAA #5 Gabriel Arias, SS 4 0 1 0 .348
CLE AA #11 Jose Tena, SS 4 0 1 0 .118
CLE AAA #13 Richard Palacios, 4 0 0 0 .227
CLE LoA #17 Carson Tucker, SS 3 0 0 0 .000
CLE MAJ #24 Ernie Clement, 2B 3 1 0 0 .364
CLE MAJ #27 Steven Kwan, OF 4 0 0 1 .526 BB (8),
CLE LoA #32 Isaiah Greene, OF 2 1 1 0 .400 BB (3),
CLE LoA #33 Milan Tolentino, 2B 4 0 1 0 .308 2B (3),
CLE LoA #37 Luis Durango, OF 4 0 1 0 .111
CLE AA #39 Will Brennan, OF 4 0 2 0 .368 2 2B (4),
CLE LoA #40 Jake Fox, SS 3 0 1 1 .222 BB (3), SB (2),

CLE AA #34 Joey Cantillo, LHP 5.0 3 1 1 0 7 1.80

from Baseball America Each season is a new slate for young players to wow us and climb into Top 100 Prospects consideration. In this piece, I built a team of up-and-coming prospects who are poised to break through into the Top 100 conversation. The only qualifying standards used were that players must not be current Top 100 Prospects, and they must have little to no experience above Class A.

two of their writers made choices; on the first list we see:

RHP Gavin Williams, Guardians
High-A Lake County • Age 22

Though Williams was just the eighth college pitcher drafted last year, the All-American from East Carolina has a chance to be the best of the bunch. His riding mid-90s fastball and devastating curveball can be that good. This is especially true now that he’s in the capable hands of Guardians pitching development.

on the second:

LHP Doug Nikhazy, Guardians
High-A Lake County • Age 22

A standout for Ole Miss over his three seasons on campus, Nikhazy made 33 collegiate starts and struck out 259 batters over 204.2 innings. He steadily added velocity as an amateur, and early reports indicate his velocity is up from his college days. With two different breaking pitches and a changeup, Nikhazy has a starter’s tool kit.

and after the top 3 OF's on his list he names Petey Halpin among his "other" five

Rocchio and Noel first homers of the season.

Logan Allen Jr. 4 innings, one run, 8 strikeouts, probably done for the night
Lenny Torres in his first 3 innings a solo homer 4 K. Petey Halpin 2 singles G.Rod singles, he's hitting 556. Angel Martinez had a great start last year for Lynchburg and then stopped hitting, is starting out OK this year at Lake county
0-5 Lynchburg trailing again; Isaiah Greene is the only doing much at bat, has a walk today.

Ike Freeman homers twice in Clippers11-5 win over Syracuse

Thursday, April 14th 2022

COLUMBUS, Ohio —

The Columbus Clippers (6-3) extended its winning streak to five games Thursday night with an 11-5 win over the visiting Syracuse Mets.

Columbus got on the board first in the bottom of the opening inning when Daniel Johnson singled to right field scoring Alex Call, giving the Clippers a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the second, the Mets tied the game on a solo shot by Matt Reynolds. Syracuse took a 2-1 lead in the next inning when Nick Plummer hit a solo home run over the left-field wall.

The Clippers had an answer in the bottom of the third.

With Mike Rivera on base, second baseman Ike Freeman knocked a home run over the left-field wall to give the Clippers a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Columbus added two more runs. The first was on a Mike Rivera single that scored Mitchell Tolman. Then, Columbus took a 5-2 lead when Freeman grounded into a double play, scoring Jose Fermin.

In the top of the fifth, Syracuse's Mark Vientos sent a three-run home run over the wall to tie the game 5-5.

Columbus would once again answer in the bottom of the inning.

Oscar Gonzalez scored on a Tolman walk to give Columbus a 6-5 lead and then, David Fry scored on a Mike Rivera walk to extend the lead to 7-5.

In the seventh, Columbus scored four runs to put the game away.

Tolman doubled to left field scoring Gonzalez. Then, Rivera scored Fry on a sacrifice fly to right field.

Freeman then got his second home run of the night when he sent a two-run long ball over the left-field wall, scoring Tolman.

Freeman finished the night with four RBI and two runs scored. Rivera had three RBI.

Tobias Myers got the start for Columbus and went four innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs. He struck out seven batters and walked just one.

Zach Draper recorded the win for Columbus.

Syracuse and Columbus will be back in action Friday night at Huntington Park for the fourth game of a six-game series.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1514767281003319297

FREEMAN SECOND TWO RUN HOMER

Hillcats Earn First Win with Strong Pitching, Clutch Hitting

April 14, 2022

The Hillcats pick up their first win of the season on the backs of solid pitching and an explosive fifth inning.

Lynchburg improves to 5-1 on the season after defeating the Delmarva Shorebirds (3-3) in the third game of their weeklong series. Hillcats pitching combined for 18 strikeouts over nine innings, which helped lead to the 6-2 victory.

The Hillcats had some chances to score in the first two innings, but left runners stranded in scoring position to open the game. However, Rodney Boone was pitching a gem and recorded five strikeouts through two innings of work. He would eventually surrender a run in the third after doubles by Noelberth Romero and Mishael Deson gave the Shorebirds a 1-0 lead.

Boone would go four full innings and finish with eight strikeouts.

The Shorebirds would pick up another run off of Zach Pettway allowed Romero to score again after a Deson single. That would be all the scoring Delmarva would get for the rest of the game.

After a gem of a start from Shane Davis for the Shorebirds, Daniel Federman came in to start the fifth and the Hillcats bats came to life.

Isaiah Greene walked to lead off the inning and would advance to second on a wild pitch. Yordys Valdes would bring him home with an RBI single up the middle to cut the lead to one. After Jake Fox moved him over to third with a double to the wall, Dayan Frias came up huge with a 2-run single into right to give the Hillcats their first lead of the series.

Lynchburg would tack on another run in the seventh on a Jorge Burgos fielder's choice that would score Fox, and then another run in the eighth after a Viktor Planchart RBI fielder's choice that would score Luis Durango.

Elvis Jerez would wrap up the ballgame in relief by pitching the final two innings. Jerez struck out six batters, only allowing one base runner.

The Hillcats will be back in action on Friday night as they will take on the Shorebirds in game four of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30.

Allen Dominates Behind Early Offense as Ducks Down Reading 5-3

April 14, 2022

The Akron RubberDucks score early to support Logan Allen's dominant start to defeat the Reading Fightin' Phils 5-3 on Thursday night at Canal Park.

Turning Point

Finding themselves down entering the bottom of the first for the second day in a row, the RubberDucks looked to answer quickly when Jose Tena and Julian Escobedo each singled to start the bottom of the first. Tena scored on an RBI ground out by Will Brennan. Escobedo scored a batter later on a wild pitch to make it 2-1 Akron.

Mound Presence

Allen surrendered back-to-back two out hits in the first when Jhailyn Ortiz doubled and scored on a Wendell Rijo RBI single. Allen settled in soon after allowing just two baserunners while striking out seven the rest of the way. In total, Allen tossed five innings allowing just the one run while striking out eight. Manuel Alvarez followed allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Kyle Marman worked out of the jam in the sixth and tossed a scoreless seventh. Andrew Misiaszek tossed a scoreless eighth. Nic Enright worked a perfect ninth to pick up the save.

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks stretched the lead in the third inning when Brayan Rocchio lifted a lead off home run to make it 3-1 Akron. In the fifth inning, Akron continued to add on when Bo Naylor singled home Rocchio to make it 4-1 Ducks. Tena came through big again in the bottom of the eighth when he singled home Jonathan Engelmann to give Akron an important insurance run and make it 5-3 Akron.

Notebook

Micah Pries and Eric Rodriguez each picked up their first hits of the season...Rocchio's home run was the first by a RubberDucks player this season...Game Time: 2:58...Attendance: 1,131.
On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their home schedule at Canal Park Friday night, hosting the Reading Fightin Phils at 7:05 p.m. Akron right-hander Xzavion Curry (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his first start of the season against Reading right-hander Adam Leverett (0-0, 9.00). The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for the RubberDucks home opener on Tuesday, April 12, and all home games, are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

Naranjo’s HR, grand slam lead Captains to split of doubleheader

April 14, 2022

The Captains earned a split of a doubleheader April 14 against the Dayton Dragons at Classic Park.

In the nightcap, first baseman Joe Naranjo’s two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning and grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning propelled the Captains (4-2) to a 12-5 victory.

Naranjo, a 21-year-old California native and third-round draft pick of the Guardians in 2019, is off to a stellar start in his second tour of duty in Lake County.

Through six games, Naranjo is batting .368 with team-high totals of seven runs, three home runs and nine RBI.

Lake County starter Lenny Torres (1-0, 2.25 ERA) supported Naranjo's batting tour de force with a fine performance on the mound.

The 20-year-old right-hander from New York gave up one run on two hits with six strikeouts in four innings.

In Game 1, a 4-2 loss, the Captains ran a cropper of an impressive performance by Dayton starter and eventual winner James Proctor (1-0, 0.00 ERA).

The 23-year-old right-hander blanked the Captains on one hit through five innings. He notched five strikeouts and didn't issue a walk.

Proctor signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Princeton. His namesake and grandfather, James Proctor, pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro League before enjoying a short stint in the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1959.

Lake County starter and eventual loser Aaron Davenport (0-1, 4.50 ERA) gave up two runs on one hit in two eventful innings.

Davenport hurt himself in the first inning with a wild pitch that sent home Dayton's Allen Cerda from third base with the game's first run.

The 21-year-old right-hander was selected by the Indians in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Hawaii.

Left-handers Randy Labaut and Matt Turner each gave up one run in relief of Davenport.

The Captains got their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-run home run by third baseman Jhonkensy Noel.

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Go Ike!

he's the wrong Freeman, but that's OK

wonder about Naranjo: he was a 3rd round pick so they obviously liked his hitting; a small 1st baseman, 5-6 198 is awfully chunky. He hit 6 homers last full season and 3 in one week now, so either perhaps he's developing or taking performance enhancing drugs.

Thursday games:

CLE AA #3 Brayan Rocchio, SS 4 2 1 1 0.211 HR (1), BB (4),
CLE HiA #10 Angel Martinez, SS 3 0 0 0 0.273 BB (2), SB (1),
CLE HiA #10 Angel Martinez, SS 3 0 1 0 0.273
CLE AA #11 Jose Tena, SS 5 1 2 1 0.182 SB (1), E (2),
CHiA #18 G Rodriguez, 3B 4 3 3 1 0.583 2B (3),
CLE HiA #20 Jhonkensy Noel, 3B 3 1 1 2 0.273 HR (1), 2 E (3),
CLE HiA #22 Petey Halpin, OF 4 2 3 1 0.300 3B (1), BB (1),
CLE HiA #22 Petey Halpin, OF 4 0 0 0 0.300
CLE LoA #32 Isaiah Greene, OF 3 1 0 0 0.308 BB (4),
CLE LoA #37 Luis Durango, OF 4 1 1 0 0.136 2B (1), SB (2),
CLE LoA #38 Yordys Valdes, SS 4 1 1 1 0.333 BB (4),
CLE AA #39 Will Brennan, OF 4 0 2 1 0.391
CLE LoA #40 Jake Fox, SS 4 2 2 0 0.273 2B (1), BB (4),

CLE AA #9 Logan Allen, LHP 5.0 3 1 1 2 8 3.00 W (1-1)
CLE AAA #23 Tobias Myers, RHP 4.0 3 2 2 1 7 6.43
CLE HiA #31 Lenny Torres, RHP 4.0 2 1 1 2 6 2.25

Clippers extend winning streak to 6 games with 15-12 win over Syracuse

by Jarrod Clay Friday, April 15th 2022

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Clippers (7-3) scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Syracuse 15-12 and extend its winning streak to six games.

Syracuse jumped out to an early lead scoring four runs in the top of the first inning.

In the third, Syracuse extended its lead to 6-0 before the Clippers struck in the bottom of the inning.

Oscar Gonzalez hit his third home run of the season, scoring Richie Palacios and Luke Maile to gut the Mets' lead to 6-3.

In the next inning, Columbus rallied to take the lead.

Palacios singled to center field scoring Alex Call and Mitchell Tolman. Later in the inning, Luke Maile singled to score Ike Freeman and Palacios to give Columbus a 7-6 lead.

Columbus added two more runs in the fifth with Palacios singled to left field, scoring Will Benson and Call.

Syracuse added two runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth to take a 12-9 lead, but Columbus would once again rally.

Mike Rivera got the scoring started for Columbus in the bottom of the eighth when he flew out to right field, allowing Freeman to score on the sacrifice fly.

Palacious then scored on a groundout by Gonzalez. Then, Gabrial Arias scored on a Will Benson single.

The base hits continued for the Clippers when David Fry doubled to left field scoring Benson and Tolman singled to left scoring Call and Fry.

When the final out was recorded in the bottom of the eighth, the Clippers had scored 6 runs to take a 15-12 lead.

In the ninth, Nick Mikolajchak came in to record the save for Columbus. Enyel De Los Santos recorded the win for Columbus.

Palacios went 3-5 at the plate with 4 RBI, Gonzalez also had 4 RBI.

The Mets and Clippers will be back in action Saturday at Huntington Park.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1515108346176712708

Oscar Gonzalez hit his third home run of the season, - A 3-run shot





Hillcats Win on a Walk-Off from Jorge Burgos

By Jason Prill 4/15/22 10:06 PM EDT

Jorge Burgos sends the fans home happy with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Hillcats a 4-3 victory over the Shorebirds.

Lynchburg (2-5) had to climb back in the final two frames to pull out the win from Delmarva (3-4). The Hillcats had big performances from Reny Artiles, who went four full innings, recording four strikeouts and only allowing a run, and Hugo Villalobos who pitched the ninth frame and struck out the last batter he faced.

The Hillcats got the party in the second when Will Bartlett scored on a Joe Donovan double to right field. Bartlett had reached base on an error by the first baseman who missed the bag on the force out.

The Shorebirds would strike back in the third with two runs of their own after Noelberth Romero reached on an error and Ryan Higgins was hit by a pitch. They both would score on a Davis Tavarez bases clearing double.

The score would hold until the seventh when Bryan Hernandez would hit a solo home run to deep right center to give the Shorebirds a 3-1 lead.

The Hillcats would get a run back in the eight as Jorge Burgos would come around to score after an error. He was driven in on a Will Bartlett double down the third base line. Richard Paz was thrown out trying to score on the play and the game remained in favor of Delmarva.

Hugo Villalobos allowed the first runner to reach base in the ninth but then got the next three batters out, including a big strikeout of Luis Valdez to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Skeiling Rodriguez would reach base on a walk. With the leadoff runner aboard, Coach Santos made the decision to bring in Isaiah Greene to run. The next two batters would record outs, before Jake Fox reached on a walk.

Milan Tolentino would single to tie the game bringing up Jorge Burgos. Burgos was 0-4 on the night, having only reached base on an error in the eighth.

Burgos was first pitched swinging and drove the ball up the middle for a base hit that would score Jake Fox. From there, the celebration was on at first base.

The Hillcats would rack up 12 strikeouts in the ball game, finishing with a 4-3 victory.

The Hillcats will be back in action on Saturday at 6:30 for game five of the series against Delmarva.



Dayton Bests Lake County, Starters Combine for 19 K’s

4/15/22

EASTLAKE, OH – Even though seven runs were scored, Friday night was defined by the pitching on both sides in a game that the Dayton Dragons (4-3) won 4-3 over the Lake County Captains (4-3).

Gavin Williams got the start for Lake County, his first appearance at Classic Park. He struck out the side in the first, with 10 pitches.

In the bottom of the first, the first three Captains reached base via two walks and a single. A passed ball scored Angel Martinez, a groundout ball brought Petey Halpin home and a wild pitch plated Jhonkensy Noel.

Dayton responded in the second, adding three hits. Two runs were gained, though one via an error, bringing the Dragons within one.

Over the next three innings, Williams struck out five of the nine batters he faced. He was relieved after reaching 80 pitches. Williams finished with 11 strikeouts, over 4.2 innings.

Hunter Stanley came in and had to deal with a runner on second base. That runner was the equalizer, plated by a game-tying RBI single from Albert Almora Jr.

In the seventh, Almora Jr. had another RBI opportunity and delivered with his second hit of the game.

The Captains stranded two on base in the final three innings, and seven overall. Connor Phillips, the starter for Dayton, rung up eight.

Lake County will play two games as part of a scheduled doubleheader against Dayton tomorrow Saturday April 16th. First pitch of game one is at 12:05 p.m.

Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org and the MiLB First Pitch app.



Reading Uses Big Middle Innings to Down Ducks 12-3

April 15, 2022 -

The Reading Fightin Phils use a five-run fifth and six-run sixth to defeat the Akron RubberDucks 12-3 on Friday night at Canal Park.

Turning Point

Reading's offense exploded in the fifth inning when Kevin Vicuna tripled home a run to start a string of three straight RBI hits by the Fightin' Phils to put Reading ahead 4-2. Jhailyn Ortiz broke the game open later in the inning when he launched a two-out two-run home run to make it 6-2 Reading.

Mound Presence

Xzavion Curry breezed through the Reading lineup allowing just one run through the first four innings while striking out five. But Curry ran into trouble in the fifth inning allowing five runs. In total, Curry tossed four and two-thirds innings allowing six runs while striking out five. Nick Gallagher followed with an inning allowing five runs. Kevin Coulter worked an inning and a third and allowing one run. Kevin Kelly tossed two scoreless innings.

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks jumped out in front in the bottom of the first when George Valera launched a solo home run into the bullpens in right to make it 1-0 Akron. After Reading tied the game in the top of second, the RubberDucks retook the lead in the fourth when Micah Pries lifted a sac fly to score Valera and make it 2-1 Akron.

Notebook

Valera picked up his first home run and first multi-hit game of the season...Will Brennan extended his team long hitting streak to six games...Game Time: 2:41...Attendance: 1,925.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks conclude their series with the Reading Fightin' Phils at Canal Park with a special double header Saturday afternoon, first game starts at 3:30 p.m. Akron right-hander Daniel Espino (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to start game one against Reading left-hander Josh Hendrickson (0-0, 9.00). Tanner Burns (0-0, 6.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for Akron in game two. The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and Akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for the RubberDucks home opener on Tuesday, April 12, and all home games, are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1515111568282898433

George Valera first 2022 homer for the Ducks

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BA released an updated top 30 list, bearing in mind what happened in Spring Training.

1 is now Espino who is going to soar on top 100 lists too [by the way, today he pitcher 4 no hit innings, walked 3, threw 2 wild pitches, and struck out 8
2 Freeman
3. Rocchio
4 Valera
5 Arias
6 Super Steven, up from No. 15
7 Jones
8 Bo Naylor, who is hitting much better to start this season, about 275
9 Gavin Williams who struck out 11 yesterday
10 Logan Allen who has fanned 17 in 8 innings

11 A Martinez
12 J Tena
13 T Burns
14 Palacios
15 Battenfield
16 Cody MOrris on the DL
17 Lavastida, who jointly with Hedges complete an 0-23 start for Cleveland catchers
18 Tucker
19 G Rodriguez hitting about 500
20 Ethan Hankins not pitching anywhere as his recovery continues

21 Noel
22 Nikhazy
23 Halpin most list him quite a bit higher
24 T Myers
25 Jason Churio OF signed in the International signings in 2021
26 Ernie Clement who now pinch hits for Bobby Bradley
27 Bracho hitting a lot better in his first couple weeks back in Lake County
28 C Vargas still on the 60 day DL
29 X Curry hit hard in his second start
30 Tommy Mace 7 K and 1 R in 4 innings in his second start

Akron wins 11-0
Tena 3 singles, 276 OPS 599
Valera single single hbp 222 982 OPS has 7 walks a triple a homer so far
Rocchio single sac fly hbp 238 821 OPS
Will Brennan single double walk 448 1092 OPS
Naylor single 273 816


Lake County lost 2 4-3 and 2-1

in game one, Noel doubled in 2 runs and walked 333 992
Martinez 3 singles 353 853
J Rod single and 2 walks 368 1057
G Rod single 500 1188
Nikhazy 1 inning 2 runs on 3 runs 3k an a walk

Game 2 Bracho1-3 GRod 1-3 JRod 0-4
Mace 4 1 0 0 2 7

columbus won 10-1
Arias 1st homer 4th double 4th error 313 920
Gonzalez 2 singles 306 925
Palacios 4th double walk 280 873
Benson walk and hbp 2 K 238 598
McCarty 4 1/3 2 0 0 2 4 0.79

Lynchburg after winning its first games following 5 losses, is down 6-0
Tolentino has 2 hits, 389 1006


Akron scoreless early in game 2

Lake County Drops Pair of Games, Series to Dayton

4/16/22 6:51 PM EDT

EASTLAKE, OH –

The Lake County Captains (4-5) were defeated by a run in both game one and game two, by the scores of 4-3 and 2-1 to the Dayton Dragons (6-3).

Game 1

Five runs were scored in the first inning. The Dragons put up three hits and two runs, ousting starter Doug Nikhazy after one.

Jhonkensy Noel responded for Lake County with a two-run double in the bottom half of the inning, his fourth and fifth run batted in on the year.

Gabriel Rodriguez delivered an RBI single in the third, to take a 3-2 lead. The Dragons’ response came on a solo home run, in the fourth.

In the next two innings, the Captains stranded three runners on base.

Ashton Creal provided an RBI double for Dayton to give them their first lead of the ballgame. In the bottom of the seventh, Lake County had bases loaded with one out, but could not bring across the fourth run.

Game 2

The starters went to work, as Tommy Mace and Andrew Abbott, struck out a combined 17 batters.

Both starting pitchers faced the order twice and recorded at least one out against every single hitter. Mace went four innings, allowing only one hit and two walks.

In the top of the sixth, the Dragons showed great plate discipline, drawing three walks. The third brought home the first run while, a passed ball plated the next.

The Captains didn’t go down without a fight, as Raynel Delgado, had an opposite-field single to score a run. The bases were loaded after a walk, with one out, but a flyout and lineout ended the threat.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Lake County reached two runners but once again were denied when trying to tie.

The Dragons won four of the six games played at Classic Park in the past week.

The Captains will have tomorrow Sunday, April 17th, and Monday, April 18th off and return to action Tuesday, April 19th at 6:05 when they begin a six-game road series against the Great Lakes Loons.

Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org/Captains and the MiLB First Pitch app.



Strong Pitching and Walk-Off Hit Propels Ducks to Double-Header Sweep of Reading

April 16, 2022 -

The Akron RubberDucks use a walk-off single and dominant pitching to sweep the double header with the Reading Fightin Phils 11-0 and 2-1 on Saturday night at Canal Park.

Turning Point

After giving up a run in the top of the eight, the RubberDucks answered back in the bottom half when Brayan Rocchio singled up the middle to tie the game at 1-1. Micah Pries came up with the bases loaded a lifted a single over the second baseman's head to give the RubberDucks the 2-1 win.

Akron's offense jumped out early in game one when Jose Tena singled followed by George Valera and Rocchio each getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Will Brennan drove home two with an RBI single to make it 2-0 RubberDucks. Bo Naylor drove home Rocchio with an RBI ground out, and Brennan came across on an RBI double by Pries to make it 4-0 RubberDucks.
Mound Presence

Daniel Espino was lights out in game one. The right-hander's fastball topped out at 100 mph as he held Reading hitless over 4.2 innings while walking just three and striking out seven. Andrew Misiaszek followed with an inning and a third hitless while striking out three. Jerson Ramirez finished off game one by tossing a scoreless inning while allowing one hit.

Tanner Burns picked up right where Espino left off in game two by breezing through the Reading lineup. Burns did not allow a runner past second base while tossing five and two-thirds innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Tim Herrin followed an inning and two-thirds scoreless. Nic Enright worked an inning allowing an unearned run.

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks continued to add on in the second inning of game one when Rocchio lifted a sac fly to score Victor Nova, during the play, an errant throw allowed Tena to score to make it 6-0 Akron. A batter later, Valera came home on a double by Brennan to make it 7-0 Ducks. Akron continued to add on in the third when Julian Escobedo launched a solo home run to make it 8-0. In the fifth inning, Tena singled home Pries before Escobedo crossed home on a wild pitch to make it 10-0 Ducks. Akron brought one more home two batters later when Rocchio singled home Tena to make it 11-0.
Notebook

Escobedo's home run in game one was his first of the season and the third straight game with a home run by a RubberDuck...Brennan's seven-game hit streak was snapped in game two...Game Time: 2:03/2:20...Attendance: 2,833.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks will have Easter Sunday and the following Monday off before heading to Bowie for a rematch of the 2021 League Championship series against the Baysox on Tuesday April 19. Probable pitchers for the Bowie series have not been announced. The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for all RubberDucks home games, are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.


Big First, Second Innings Down Hillcats

By Jason Prill 4/16/22 5 minutes ago

The Lynchburg Hillcats fell behind early and could not climb back in their 8-3 loss to the Delmarva Shorebirds.

The Hillcats now fall to 2-6, while the Shorebirds improve to 4-4.

Trenton Denholm was the games starter for the Hillcats and he was rocked around early in the first inning. Three batters in, Darrel Hernaiz drilled a home run to deep left center field to open up the scoring for the Shorebirds. Delmarva would tack on two more before Denholm would get out of the inning on a baserunning error from Josué Cruz.

The second inning was more of the same for the Hillcats as Luis Valdez and Ryan Higgins would come around to score in the inning. Denholm would eventually settle down and get out of the rest of the inning and the third inning unscathed. He would be pulled after walking the first runner of the fourth.

Juan Zapata came on in relif and pitched a gem. He would finish with four innings pitched, five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts, keeping the Hillcats in the game for the time being.

Lynchburg would crack the scoreboard with a swinging bunt that Moises Ramirez would throw into right field. This would allow Carson Tucker to score all the way from first on the error.

Then in the eighth, the Shorebirds would score again as Isaac Bellony would crush a two-run home run off the scoreboard to give the Shorebirds and 8-1 lead.

The Hillcats would score one in the eighth and ninth to trim into the deficit but could never close the gap more than five.

Lynchburg and Delmarva will square off one more time on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Jake Miller (0-1, 13.50) is scheduled to pitch for the Hillcats.


Syracuse Drops Saturday Affair at Columbus, 10-1

April 16, 2022

COLUMBUS, OH - The Columbus Clippers continued their week-long scoring binge, plating 10 more runs in a 10-1 win over the Syracuse Mets on Saturday at Huntington Park. The Clippers have won the first five games of the six-game series, scoring 46 combined runs in the process.

Columbus (8-3) scored early and often on Saturday, plating at least a run in each of the game's first five innings. The Clippers got ahead right away with a three-run first inning, via two different home runs. First, Gabriel Arias hit a solo blast to center field with one out. Then, after Will Benson was hit by a pitch and an Oscar Gonzalez flyout, Alex Call homered to left field and boosted the lead to 3-0. Call, who played collegiately at Ball State, has hit two home runs in the series.

Columbus added to the lead with lone runs in the second, third, and fourth innings. A Richie Palacios RBI double brought home Gavin Collins in the second, Mitchell Tolman's sacrifice fly brought home Benson in the third, and Ike Freeman's solo home run in the fourth made it a 6-0 game. The Clippers scored the three combined runs in the second through fourth innings on just four total hits. Three walks and a fielding error by Syracuse helped Columbus' scoring cause.

The home team officially put the game out of reach with a four-run bottom of the fifth inning. All of the scoring came with two outs. With Tolman at second and two outs, consecutive walks to Jose Fermin and Freeman loaded the bases. Then, another walk to Palacios scored Tolman to make it a 7-0 game. Finally, a three-run double by Arias proceeded to clear the bases and make it a double-digit lead for the Clippers, 10-0.

Columbus spread the wealth at the plate on Saturday. Seven of the nine Clippers starters had at least one hit, as Columbus finished the game with nine hits. Five different players drove in at least one run. By the end of the game, Columbus had racked up five extra-base hits, including three home runs. The Clippers also drew seven walks at the plate.

Syracuse's (1-9) lone run in the game came in the top of the sixth, when a two-out double from Khalil Lee drove home Carlos Rincon. Rincon had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-4. The right-handed hitter has had at least one hit in each game of the series.

Syracuse and Columbus play the final game in their six-game series on Sunday afternoon. Left-hander Mike Montgomery is slated to start for the Mets opposite Clippers right-hander Peyton Battenfield. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

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