Triple-A International League: Syracuse Chiefs (WSN) 5, Durham Bulls 3

Quite impressive to strike out 17 batters in a nine-inning game. It’s arguably even more impressive to do that and lose, and that’s exactly what the Bulls pulled off on Wednesday. Alex Colome got the start for Durham and had an up-and-down outing, but when he was on, boy was he impressive. Colome went 5.2 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 6 hits, striking out 10 while walking just 1. Colome rebounded nicely from allowing 3 runs between the 2nd and 3rd to toss shutout ball in the 4th and 5th, but Jeff Beliveau allowed his inherited runner to score in the 6th to end his outing on a sour note. This game was as good of a showcase as any that Colome still has a long way to go in getting his command up to major league quality, but he has the stuff to dominate when he’s right, and with plenty of starting depth in front of him, the Rays will give him as much time as he needs to find a way to do that on a more consistent basis. Beliveau allowed 3 hits in just 1.1 innings in relief of Colome, but he recorded 3 of his 4 outs via the strikeout, and Kirby Yates finished the game with 2 perfect innings striking out 4 more to give the Bulls 17 for the game. On the offensive side, the Bulls didn’t get much as Daniel Rosenbaum outdueled Colome with 7 innings allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 4 hits, striking out 7 while walking 1. Chris Gimenez did go 2 for 4 with a run scored, Cole Figueroa and Leslie Anderson both went 1 for 4 with an RBI, and Wil Myers went 1 for 3 with a walk for Durham. Tough loss for the Bulls when their pitching was so overpowering, but good things are ahead if Colome continues to look as electric as this.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 8, Mississippi Braves 4

Matt Buschmann pitched well and the Biscuits had a diversified attack of five different players with multiple hits as they eased by the Braves 8-4. Buschmann allowed 3 runs but had a strong outing in every sense of the word, going 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 8 while walking 1 and managing a 9-3 groundout to flyout ratio. Buschmann was extremely efficient, throwing just 96 pitches, 63 strikes, and gave the Biscuits about as good of an outing as they could have hoped for. Buschmann has allowed just 4 runs on 14 hits in 20 innings over his last three starts, a 1.80 ERA, striking out 22 while walking just 4 in the process. Buschmann is trending in the exact opposite direction of his former Vanderbilt roommate, David Price, and we’ll have to see whether this is the spurt that finally gets him to Triple-A for an extended period of time after he spent almost all of last year at Double-A. With an intriguing sinker-slider combination, Buschmann has some potential in a relief role. Now to the run support. Robby Price went 2 for 4 with a double, 3 RBI, and a run scored, Cameron Seitzer went 2 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI, Shawn O’Malley went 2 for 4 with a triple, an RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Kevin Kiermaier and Riccio Torrez also registered 2 hits. The Biscuits went 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded just 5 while scoring 8 runs. 8-4 isn’t the prettiest score, but Montgomery had almost everything go right on their way to a nice win.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 7, Brevard County Manatees (MIL) 6

Wild game in this one, but the Stone Crabs rode late-inning heroics on their way to victory. Felipe Rivero got the start for the Stone Crabs and had good stuff but looked enigmatic, and the results were not too good as he went 4.1 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, striking out 7 while walking 3 and allowing 2 home runs. Rivero left with the game tied at 4 after the Stone Crabs had rallied for 3 in the 5th. Then Jacob Partridge let up a run in the 7th, and suddenly the Stone Crabs were down 5-4. But the following inning, Richie Shaffer came through with a 2-run home run to make it 6-5 Charlotte. The bottom of the inning was scary as Eliazer Suero got into a bases-loaded jam and Lenny Linsky had to come in to escape it, which he did successfully but not before allowing the game-tying run. But in the top of the 9th, Jake DePew could not have picked a better time for his first home run of the season as he hit a game-winning home run to send the Stone Crabs to a 7-6 win. Shaffer has hit in 9 of his last 10 games as he slowly but surely is righting himself after a tough start to the season, while DePew went 2 for 4  with his homer and 2 runs scored as he’s now hitting .273 on the season. The homer was his first extra-base hit, but DePew has some potential as a defense-first backup. Other strong performers were Willie Argo, who continued his hot start since joining the Stone Crabs by going 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 RBI, and a run scored, and Kes Carter, who went 2 for 5 with a home run to lead off the game and a double. Amazing job by the Stone Crabs stepping up in the clutch as their pitching sputtered, and the result was a satisfying win.

Low-A Midwest League: West Michigan Whitecaps (DET) 2, Bowling Green Hot Rods 0

Blake Snell was dominant, but 2 first inning runs accounted for all the scoring in the game as the Hot Rods fell 2-0. Snell allowed a Jeff Holm 2-run home run in the first inning but that was hit only real mistake as he went 6 innings allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 10 while walking none. Not too often do you see a pitcher deliver that good of an effort and lose. Snell has been inconsistent this year, managing a 2.81 ERA but just a 4.21 run average (counting unearned runs) as he has managed a strikeout to walk ratio of 2-to-1 or better in just two of his six starts. In both of those starts, though, Snell struck out 9 or more while walking none, so he still has flashed plenty of dominance. Now he has to work to sustain that. Jordan Harrison and Matt Ramsey allowed just 2 hits in the final 3 innings while striking out 3 to end the game, but the Hot Rods just could not push a run across. Joey Rickard went 2 for 3 with a double while Marty Gantt went 2 for 4, but the Hot Rods failed to score despite getting at least one baserunner in 7 of 9 innings and that just won’t do the job. Sad to see Snell deliver his best outing of the season yet be saddled with the lost as the Bowling Green offense got him nothing.

Catchers

The Rays love Jake DePew‘s defense, but it’s questionable whether he’ll ever be even a passable hitter. DePew, 20, turned in another poor offensive performance in his second partial season as a pro, posting just a .204/.289/.252 line for the Renegades with 4 doubles, 1 homer, 16 RBI, and 3 of 3 stolen bases in 46 games and 169 plate appearances. He did manage a great 24-16 strikeout to walk ratio, but he could not hit the ball with any authority whatsoever, something that is especially bizarre given that DePew is a pretty big guy at 6’1″, 220. The big issue with DePew right now is that his swing is incredibly compact, helping him make a ton of contact but preventing him from harnessing any power. DePew is going to have to lengthen his swing and succumb to more strikeouts in exchange for at least gap power because his current approach is doing nothing for him. If DePew’s offense ever comes together, he could be an interesting prospect. Defensively, DePew was excellent this season, managing a .994 fielding percentage and a 41% caught stealing percentage, although he did allow 6 passed balls. His arm is outstanding and he moves well behind the plate, but his receiving still needs work. DePew also runs very well for a catcher and shows great hustle, something we know the Rays appreciate. It will be a waiting game for the Rays regarding DePew to see if his offensive ever surfaces, but if that can happen, his defensive talents give him the ability to make it to the big leagues.

Luke Maile, 21, was the Rays’ 8th round selection in 2012 and showed some good signs in his pro debut. Maile signed quickly and got into 61 games for Hudson Valley, posting a .278/.377/.394 line with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, 41 RBI, and 36 strikeouts versus 31 walks in 252 plate appearances. The crazy thing about Maile is that he came out of the draft best known for his power, and that was the one thing that didn’t show up at all in his offensive game. Maile spent his first pro season working to get his swing more compact and he did a great job at that, showing great plate discipline with a gap-to-gap approach. Now he has to figure out when to pick his spots to take bigger swings and unleash his above-average power. DePew has a chance to be a 15-20 homer threat, which would be great for a catcher. But while the Rays are confident in Maile’s power potential moving forward, his defense is extremely iffy. He played just 33 games at catcher compared to 28 at first base and that tells you about everything you need to know because it’s not like Jake DePew was doing well enough at the plate to preclude Maile from starting more at catcher. He has a good arm, but his actions defensively are extremely far from where they need to be. Maile has to make huge strides defensively at catcher or he may be stuck as a first baseman or left fielder without enough power to profile as a regular player.

Geoff Rowan, who turns 23 on October 30th, was the Rays’ 39th round pick in 2012 and got into just a few games this season, playing in 9 games, 7 with the Renegades and 2 with the GCL Rays, and posting a .167/.211/.222 line with 1 double, 3 RBI, and 3 strikeouts versus 1 walk. There’s not much to talk about in those stats, but the Rays do think that Rowan has some talent. Rowan actually shows some nice bat speed but has way too many moving parts in his swing, which has given him fits making contact, let alone hard contact. His approach at the plate is way off and he has trouble with most breaking pitches. Defensively, Rowan has a great arm but it’s very inaccurate, and his receiving ability is pretty raw as well. Rowan is about to be 23 years old and he’s a longshot to go anywhere in pro ball, but he’s an upside play as the Rays hope his two interesting tools, his bat speed and arm strength, can carry him as he gets the rest of his game together.

Swings and misses, the story of O’Conner’s 2012 season and his pro career thus far. (Credit: Flickr user Minors Fan Photos)

Designated Hitter

Justin O’Conner seemed primed for a breakout in 2012. But the 2010 first round pick’s season got off to a terrible start as he suffered a hip injury in spring training that prevented him from catching the entire year as he exclusively played designated hitter, and after a hot start, the 20 year old O’Conner completely came apart. O’Conner managed just a .223/.276/.370 line in 59 games with 18 doubles, 5 homers, 29 RBI, and just a 73-18 strikeout to walk ratio in 257 plate appearances. O’Conner’s main issue is an extremely inconsistent approach at the plate. O’Conner’s talents at the plate are plus raw power and at times plus bat speed. But he has continuously struggled thanks to a lack of plate discipline, an inability to adjust to breaking pitches, and because he too often sells out for power, making his swing way too long. His problems were exasperated because he couldn’t find a consistent stance or stride and was fiddling around all season to disastrous results. O’Conner’s hip injury and the fact that he was playing designated hitter regularly for the first time in his life couldn’t have helped matters either. Defensively at catcher (when healthy), O’Conner has a rocket for an arm but it gets erratic at times, and his receiving ability needs quite a bit as well. O’Conner’s upside is still an All-Star catcher with 30+ homer power and great defense, but it seems to be becoming more and more likely that O’Conner never gets anywhere near there. O’Conner was also a great prospect as a pitcher coming out of high school, and if O’Conner falters again in 2013, they may try him out on the mound.

That’s where we’ll stop for today. We see a common thread among the Renegades’ catchers, quite a bit of talent but issues harnessing power and with their receiving abilities behind the plate. DePew and O’Conner have a chance to be top prospects for the Rays if they can find some way to get their offensive games (which go wrong for completely different reasons) on the right track. The catchers are just the start of an interesting group of prospects on the Renegades, and we’ll continue with the infielders over the next couple days.

Triple-A International League: Gwinnett Bulls 10, Durham Bulls 5

An inning of nightmares sent Josh Lueke and the Bulls to a loss they would rather that not talk about. The loss was especially meaningful for the Bulls not just for what happened in the game, but the implications of the loss.

With the Bulls loss tonight and Charlotte’s win, Durham has been eliminated from the IL South race for the first time since 2006.

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) August 19, 2012

The Bulls’ incredible run of five straight division titles has come to an end. In this game, Jim Paduch and Josh Lueke utterly imploded to allow an 8-run 5th inning to erase a 4-1 lead. Lueke had one of the worst outings of his life, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Lueke has been pitching extremely well up until this bump in the road and hopefully this is just a one-time deal and we’ll see him pitching well in the big leagues in September. Lefty Adam Liberatore did strike out 5 while walking none in 2.1 innings of relief, but by then it was too late. Nevin Ashley did have an outstanding game for Durham, going 2 for 2 with a double, a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Brooks Conrad also homered, and Henry Wrigley went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Double-A Southern League: Huntsville Stars (MIL) 6, Montgomery Biscuits 5 (10 innings)

If you want to experience just a little bit of what it’s like to be an Angels fan right now, you can think about this Biscuits game. The Biscuits had a 5-0 lead after 3 innings before letting it slip away. The Biscuits scored 5 runs in the second and third innings, with 3 of the runs being driven in by ninth-place hitter Mark Thomas, and starter Jake Thompson gave the Biscuits a strong performance, going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 2 while walking 1 and posting a 10-4 groundout to flyout ratio. But the Stars pulled within 5-3 on a Kentrail Davis home run off of C.J. Riefenhauser and tied the game in the bottom of the 8th as Kirby Yates walked the bases loaded before allowing a Brock Kjeldgaard 2-run single. And in the 10th, Davis came through again with a walk-off single against Neil Schenk as the Biscuits had completely fallen apart to lose 6-5. The Biscuits scored 5 runs on just 6 hits, but they talled 11 walks and failed to capitalize, leaving 11 runners on base in the game. Thomas went 3 for 5 with a double, 3 RBI, and a run scored in the loss.

Great to see Torrez come back the way he did. (Credit: Flickr user BeGreen90)

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 9, St. Lucie Mets 8

No disappointment here as the Stone Crabs came up with an incredible comeback of their own. Eliazer Suero tossed 3 shutout innings but came apart in the 5th, allowing 5 runs, just 2 earned after a Riccio Torrez error. On the day he was not that bad, going 3.2 innings allowing just the 2 earned runs on 5 hits, striking out 5 while walking 2 and posting a 4-2 groundout to flyout ratio, but the Stone Crabs were down 5-1. However, they pulled within 5-4 in the 5th on a Luke Bailey RBI double an RBI single by Robby Price, and an RBI groundout by Kevin Kiermaier. In the 6th, Alonzo Harris dampened the Stone Crabs’ spirits with a 2-run home run off of Theron Geith to extend the St. Lucie lead to 7-4. The game would remain that way until the 8th. And in the 8th, Bailey came up huge, drilling a 3-run home run to tie the game at 7. But adversity still remained for Charlotte as Daniel Muno singled home a run off of Lenny Linsky to give St. Lucie an 8-7 lead going to the bottom of the 9th. However, the Stone Crabs were not going to be denied. With 2 outs and no one on, Philip Wunderlich was hit by a pitch. Then Steven Tinoco singled. Riccio Torrez, who committed the pivotal error earlier in the game, got redemption with a game-tying RBI double. And an error gave the Stone Crabs a walk-off win by a score of 9-8. Bailey had an unbelievable game, going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Bailey has notched 6 hits in his last 3 games, all for extra bases. This is the player that the Rays have been waiting for since the moment they drafted him in 2009 and maybe this could be Bailey’s coming-out party. Price went 3 for 4, Tinoco went 3 for 5, and Cody Rogers and Riccio Torrez both went 2 for 5, with Torrez lacing 2 doubles including the game-tying hit in the 9th.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 11, Bowling Green Hot Rods 10

This game may very well have been the craziest in the history of the Hot Rods. Unfortunately, they could not come away with a win. This game got off to an incredible start for Bowling Green as they scored twice on bases-loaded walks in the 1st before Drew Vettleson slammed a 2-run homer in the 2nd to give them a 4-0 lead. Roberto Gomez was great in his shortened 3 inning start as the Rays have been holding back his innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits, striking out 4 while walking none. Felipe Rivero struck out 2 in a perfect 4th and then used a double play to face the minimum in the 5th. But looking in the boxscore, there’s a line that nobody wants to see. “Rivero, Fe pitched to 7 batters in the 6th.” It was an inning that you never hope to see your entire career. Better it happen at Low-A than higher up. Rivero allowed 7 runs, 6 earned, on 6 hits as he failed to record an out in the 6th inning and Charlie Cononie allowed 3 more before he could escape the inning as the Hot Rods allowed 10 runs in the inning to fall behind 10-4. That type of inning is enough to demoralize any team. We saw a 7-run 5th inning take the life out of the Angels in the Rays’ game on Saturday night. But the Hot Rods somehow refused to be fazed and came right back. In the 6th, the Hot Rods tallied 2 runs on a Tyler Goeddel RBI double to go along with a Drew Vettleson RBI single. And in the 7th, the Hot Rods put together a rally to tie the game, with Juniel Querecuto drilling a 2-run double, Ryan Brett doubling home a run, and Vettleson singled up the middle to tie it at 10 as the Hot Rods had put together an incredible comeback. Cononie and Frank Santana both tossed scoreless half-innings in the 8th. But in the 9th, the Hot Rods picked the wrong time to fall apart defensively as throwing errors by the third baseman Goeddel and the first baseman Jeff Malm scored the go-ahead run as South Bend won 11-10. Vettleson had a big game, going 4 for 5 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Goeddel went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, Jake Hager went 3 for 5, Taylor Motter went 2 for 4 with a walk, his 20th stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, Malm went 2 for 3 with a double, 2 walks, and a run scored, and Ryan Brett doubled home a run and also stole a base, his 48th of the season.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 6, Lowell Spinners (BOS) 5

No comeback here, but it got awfully scary for the Renegades. Taylor Guerrieri started and pitched well, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 3 innings, striking out 1 while walking none and posting a 6-0 groundout to flyout ratio. The ‘Gades took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a Joel Caminero RBI double followed by a Jake DePew RBI single, and after the Spinners tallied a run in the bottom of the inning, Ryan Dunn doubled home a run in the 3rd to make it 4-1 Hudson Valley. Jeff Ames then came in for the Renegades and tossed 3 sharp innings, allowing no runs on just 1 hit, striking out 4 while walking none. The Renegades extended their lead to 6-1 with Ames in the game on a Joey Rickard sac fly to score DePew in the 4th before DePew slammed a solo home run in the 6th. Marcus Jensen and Ryan Garton then tossed a scoreless inning each and the Renegades were on their way to a crisp win. But then Dylan Floro had an inning he would like to forget. With 1 out, Floro allowed triple, single, double, with the single and double each plating a run, and then a Luke Maile error made it a 6-4 game with just 1 out. Floro forced a groundout, but then a Roberto Reyes infield single that Richie Shaffer couldn’t handle made it 6-5. But Floro forced Matthew Gedman to ground out to end it as the Renegades won 6-5. DePew had a career day, going 4 for 4 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Ryan Dunn went 2 for 2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, and Tommy Coyle stole his 15th base of the season for the Renegades.

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Johnson City Cardinals 9, Princeton Rays 8

Oh, Rookie ball. It spawns the types of games that you never see anywhere else, like this one. Blake Snell had a rare bad start, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings, striking out 2 while walking 1, and Daniel Bream allowed a Ricardo Lizcano 2-run shot in the 4th inning to give Johnson City a 5-0 lead. But then the tide completely turned. Reid Redman doubled home a run in the 5th to make it 5-1. Oscar Hernandez slammed a 2-run homer in the 6th to pull Princeton within 5-3. And then in the 7th, the P-Rays the completely reversed their fortunes. Brandon Martin led off the inning with a homer and it was 5-4. An Omar Narvaez RBI single tied the game. A 2-run double by John Alexander make it 7-5. And Ariel Soriano singled home a run to make it 8-5 as suddenly the P-Rays had scored 8 unanswered runs to turn what looked like a sure loss into a relatively comfortable lead. But anything can and does happen in Rookie ball. Nick Sawyer, who has been next to automatic for Princeton this season, came in for his second inning of work as he tried to nail down the save. Sawyer struck out the first two batters of the inning. Saywer then walked Ricardo Lizcano, but he forced C.J. McElroy to hit a groundball to short. But Martin misplayed the ball, scoring a run and keeping the Cardinals alive. And Sawyer then fell apart, allowing a Ildemaro Vargas RBI double, a Jeremy Shaeffer RBI triple, and walk-off single by Trevor Martin as Johnson City won 9-8 with 4 unearned runs in the 9th. Hernandez and Martin both homered and Omar Narvaez, John Alexander, Reid Redman, Willie Argo, and Ariel Soriano all had multi-hit games, but the result was unfortunately a debilitating loss.