Durham Bulls 7, Rochester Red Wings (Twins) 4

The Bulls appeared as though they were on their way to what would be a comfortable victory in the second inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Rich Thompson doubled to clear the bases and give the Bulls a 3-0 lead. Thompson came around to score on a single by Jason Bourgeois, extending the lead to 4-0. Even though they Red Wings got two back in the bottom of the third, they had two infield hits and an error. Also, the Bulls continued to hit and put pressure on Rochester, so it seemed as though it was a matter of time before they scored again. However, with the lead now cut to 4-2, the Red Wings scored on consecutive errors from starter J.D. Martin and Mike Fontenot, cutting the lead to 4-3. Durham and Rochester traded runs in the sixth and seventh inning, as the score was 5-4 heading into the top of the eighth. However, Leslie Anderson led off the top of the inning with a long home run, extending the lead to 6-4. Shelley Duncan followed with a double, and came around to score on a sacrifice fly. Kirby Yates pitched the final two innings, striking out five batters as the closed out the 7-4 victory. Martin picked up the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks as he improved to 5-1 on the year. Vince Belnome was 3-3 with two runs scored, a double and a walk. Duncan and Bourgeois each had two hits in the win.

Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 5, Montgomery Biscuits 2

Typically, to win a game, it helps to get a hit. At the very least, it makes scoring a lot easier. However, despite their lack of success making contact, the Biscuits did their best to attempt to score without getting a hit. In the second and fourth innings, they found themselves with runners in scoring position but were unable to score. The Barons broke open the scoreless tie in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Saladino walked to lead off the inning, stole second, and scored an RBI single off the bat of Marcus Semien. Semien came around to score on a double by Andy Wilkins. After a run scoring fielder’s choice and a stolen base, Miguel Gonzalez singled, driving in the fourth run of the inning. The biscuits got their first hit in the top of the sixth, as Shawn O’Malley singled to lead off the inning. After an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put runners on first and third with one out, Mikie Mahtook doubled to drive in both runners, cutting the lead to 4-2. Unfortunately, that double was the last hit the Biscuits got. Birmingham tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, and ended up defeating Montgomery 5-2. Merrill Kelly took the loss, giving up four earned runs on three hits and three walks over seven inning, striking out four. Mahtook was the only member of the Biscuits to reach base more than once, as he was 1-3 with the two run double and a walk.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 4, Daytona Cubs 2

Scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cubs got on the board first. John Andreoli singled to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a ground out. After tagging up and getting to third on a foul out, he scored on a base hit by Chad Noble. The Stone Crabs took the lead in the top of the sixth, with Hector Guevara‘s two run single with two outs putting Charlotte ahead 2-1. Daytona tied the game in the bottom of the frame, as Zeke DeVoss walked, moved to third on a base hit, and scored on a sacrifice fly. However, the Stone Crabs answered in the top of the seventh. With runners on first and third and one out, Drew Vettleson laid down a sacrifice bunt to drive in Willie Argo with the go ahead run. Richie Shaffer followed with an RBI single, scoring Kes Carter as the Stone Crabs took a 4-2 lead. Lenny Linsky came in for the final two innings, shutting down the Cubs offense to preserve the 4-2 victory. Felipe Rivero turned in an excellent start, allowing only two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out seven in his seven innings of work. Alejandro Segovia was 3-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Shaffer finished the night with three hits, including a double, while driving in one and scoring a run.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 3, Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) 2

Bowling Green broke open the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning, as Joey Rickard singled to lead off the frame. After a wild pitch moved him to second, Rickard moved to third on a base hit before scoring on an RBI single by Luke Maile, putting the Hot Rods ahead 1-0. They extended that lead in the top of the sixth. Andrew Toles led off the inning with a walk, and promptly stole second and third base. With two out, Maile doubled, driving in Toles, before coming around to score on a base hit by Justin O’Conner as the Hot Rods grabbed a 3-0 lead. The TinCaps came back, as Gabriel Quintana led off the seventh with a home run. Fort Wayne loaded the bases in the eighth with no outs; however, they only got one run as Quintana grounded into a double play and Luis Tejada popped out to end the threat. The TinCaps had runners on first and second with two out in the ninth, but Ryan Garton struck out Alberth Martinez to end the threat, preserving the 3-2 victory. Reinaldo Lopez earned the win, pitching five shutout innings, striking out two batters as he allowed only two hits. Maile was 2-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.

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: Charlotte Knights (CHW) 2, Durham Bulls 1

When the offense doesn’t come, great pitching can be negated by one mistake. The Bulls got great pitching by Chris Archer, who went 6 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1 and posting an 8-1 groundout to flyout ratio. Archer now has a 1.75 ERA to go along with a 2.79 FIP in his last 10 starts, and as we discussed yesterday, Archer could be a player to watch for the Rays down the stretch. But Archer left trailing 1-0 as Andre Rienzo had kept the Bulls offense quiet. Finally the Bulls got something across against Rienzo in the 7th. Leslie Anderson singled to begin the inning, and two batters later, Henry Wrigley singled with Anderson stopping at 2nd base. But Anderson moved to 3rd on a Trayce Thompson error on the play and scored on a Jesus Feliciano sac fly to tie the game at 1. Lefty Adam Liberatore followed Archer with 3 1-hit innings, striking out 5 while walking none, but the Charlotte bullpen kept the game tied 1-1 as the game went into extra innings. Liberatore has been especially dominant of late, not allowing a run in his last 4 appearances spanning 7.2 IP while striking out 13 and walking just 1. But a pitcher on the opposite edge of the spectrum, struggling right-hander Josh Lueke, faltered in the 10th, allowing a Seth Loman single, a wild pitch, and a walk-off single by Brandon Short as the Knights won 2-1. Lueke has just a 15.12 ERA in his last 7 appearances across 8.2 IP, albeit while striking out 9 and walking just 2. He has 5 losses on the season, 3 of them during that stretch.Lueke has been hit hard and has had terrible luck of late, but he has a good arm and hopefully he can get back on track soon. Robby Price, up from High-A as a replacement for the promoted Reid Brignac, went 2 for 3 in his first Triple-A game, while Anderson went 2 for 5 with the only Bulls run.

Double-A Southern League: Huntsville Starts (MIL) 8, Montgomery Biscuits 2

Little went right for the Biscuits in this one as they got clobbered. Jake Thompson started and was hit hard, lasting just 4.2 innings allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, striking out just 1 while walking 3. His groundout to flyout ratio was a surprising 9-2, but Thompson was horrible yet again, allowing back-to-back homers to Hunter Morris, a 3-run shot, and Brock Kjeldgaard in the 5th. Thompson is 1-7 with a 6.94 ERA and a 5.10 FIP in his last 10 starts as his ERA on the season has ballooned to 5.56. C.J. Riefenhauser and Scott Shuman actually tossed shutout ball for the next 2.1 innings before Shane Dyer fell apart in the 8th, allowing 4 more runs. Matt Nevarez, who has been nothing short of gold since signing with the Rays as a minor league free agent in late July, was dominant yet again in his 2012 Double-A debut, striking out 2 in a perfect inning. Omar Luna went 2 for 5 with both Biscuits RBIs, Shawn O’Malley went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, and Greg Sexton also went 2 for 4.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle (MIN) 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

Take away a 3-run 5th inning, and the Stone Crabs would have gotten 1-hit in this game. The pitching wasn’t nearly good enough for the Stone Crabs to sneak away with an improbable win. George Jensen started and saw a recent run of success come to a screeching halt as the went 3.1 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 1 while walking none. Theron Geith tossed hitless ball over the next 3.2 innings, allowing an unearned run, before Lenny Linsky continued his ineffectiveness by allowing 2 runs in the 9th. Cody Rogers had a 2-run triple and Hector Guevara had an RBI single for the 3 Stone Crabs runs.

Why can't O'Conner have nights a like this a little more often? (Credit: Flickr user Minors Fan Photos)

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 12, Aberdeen Ironbirds (BAL) 9

Pitchers, stay far away. The Renegades tagged Aberdeen starter Lex Rutledge for 5 runs in just 1 inning, with Luke Maile drilling a grand slam. The Renegades made it a 6-0 game in the 3rd when Richie Shaffer tripled and scored on a Justin O’Conner double, but then Jeff Ames wilted in the bottom of the inning, allowing 3 runs including a Creede Simpson 2-run homer. But O’Conner drilled a 2-run double as the Renegades made it a 9-3 game in the 5th. Ames was not that bad, going 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1. Maile singled in Shaffer to make it a 10-3 game after 5 and a half. But how quickly things can change. Ian Kendall entered the game for the Renegades in the 6th and was even worse than Rutledge. He allowed 6 runs in just an inning of work, with runs scoring on a sac fly, a bases-loaded walk, a Will Howard RBI single, a wild pitch, and finally a 2-run triple by Simpson, and suddenly it was a 10-9 game. But Kris Carlson and Jose Alberto Molina tossed 3 scoreless frames to end the game and O’Conner provided some breathing room with a 2-run single in the 8th as the Renegades won 12-9. O’Conner had a career day, going 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI, Maile went 2 for 4 with a homer, 5 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Richie Shaffer went 2 for 3 with a double, a triple, a walk, an RBI, and 4 runs scored, and Ryan Dunn went 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.