Blue Jays Minor League Baseball Blog

The Lugnuts dropped the 3 game series against the Clinton Lumber Kings 2 games to 1. The series was taken on Sunday by the Kings in a 2-1 loss for Lansing. The loss came in clutch fashion as the Nuts were in the lead all the way until the bottom of the 9th when Clinton put together 2 runs to take the game.
The offense really struggled to get going for the Lugnuts as they only recorded 3 hits in the game. The only RBI came off the bat of CF Darin Mastroianni who went 1-for-3 with a double and his 9th RBI of the season. He also stole his 5th base of the season. The lone run scored came from 3B Kevin Ahrens who hit 1-of-4 getting a double as well. If the Nuts could have just gotten a few more runners on the bases they might have had a chance to keep Clinton from stealing the game.
Nathan Starner took the mound for Lansing and gave an all-star performance. He worked 7 innings giving up just 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 7 K’s. He didn’t get the win because of the 9th inning comeback but dropped his ERA to 1.29. Alan Farina was charged with the 2 winning runs pitching just 1 and 1/3rd innings giving up just 1 hits, 3 strike outs but he walked 3 giving the Kings enough chances to come back. Ross Buckwalter was the pitcher who actually gave up the final runs but because the runners were on base when he entered the game they get charged to Farina. He did however receive a blown save in the loss, giving him 1 on the season.
Lansing is still in 1st place of the MID Eastern but are now in a tie with the West Michigan White Caps. They will try to gain some ground on Monday as they hit the road to face the Quad Cities River Badits who are currently 13-9 and in 3rd place of the MID Western.

New Hampshire slide their way out of this loss after going down by 2 runs. They came back by getting runs in the 5th, 6th and 8th to get the 3-2 win. The win is their 2nd in a row against the Baysox making the Cats record 7-15 and keeping them in last place of the EAS Northern.
The most impressive game came from NH RF Ryan Patterson who went 4-for-4 including 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and his 3rd stolen base of the season. His batting average is now at .313 and the doubles were his 11th and 12th of the year. 3B Anthony Hatch also had a good game going 2-for-4 including a solo-homer in the 6th inning giving him 2 on the year. The RBI he recorded was his 9th of the season and he now had his batting average at .227. The other 2 RBI came off the bats of Klosterman and Jeroloman who both hit sacrifice fly balls in the 5th and 8th.
Brandon Magee took the mound for the Cats pitching a strong game but wasn’t rewarded with a win. He worked 7 innings allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and now has his ERA at 5.93 this season. Seth Overbey came in for the 8th and earned the win because the Cats offense took the lead in the bottom half. The win is Overbey’s 1st of the season. Zachary Dials came in for the save and got just that getting his 1st of the season.
Good game for the Cats as they are still struggling through this season. It was nice to see them split a series against Bowie who are currently just a game under .500. Hopefully these last 2 games will trigger something and the Cats will collect a few more wins.

The Syracuse Chiefs split their Sunday double header making up for the game that was postponed on Saturday against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. In game 1 the Chiefs fell to the Yanks 2-1 and in game 2 they were victorious getting a 2-0 win. Their record is now 15-10 placing them in 2nd place in the INT North.
Game 1 didn’t show much offense out of the Chiefs getting just 6 hits and only 1 run. The only RBI came from DH Curtis Thigpen who went 0-for-2 including his 4th RBI of the season. His batting average now stands at .186 this season. The run that was scored came from CF Buck Coats who went 2-for-3 with a run scored making his batting average .244.
David Romero took the mound for the Chiefs pitching just 3 innings but they were very impressive. He only allowed 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and K’d 4. He did get the loss however bringing his record to 0-1 this season and his ERA is now 1.84. The undefeated righty got the start for the Yanks and pitched another impressive game going 6 innings deep allowing 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 6 K’s. He earned his 4th win of the season making his record 4-0 and his ERA now stands at 0.87. Jose Veras came to close the game out for the Yanks and did just that getting his 8th save of the season. The win is Scranton/WB 17th of the year giving them a record of 17-7 as they lead the INT North.
Game 2 was also very close but this time the Chiefs came out on top in a 2-0 win. The offense only collected 2 hits but they produced 2 RBI. RF Russ Adams got 1 of the RBI going 1-for-3 including his 8th RBI of the season. His batting average is now at .243 for the season. The other RBI came off from Curtis Thigpen who went 0-for-2 but got his 5 RBI of the season. The 2 runs scored came from Buck Coats who went 0-for-1 with the run scored and he was walked once. The other run scored came from 3rd basemen Sergio Santos going 1-for-2 including a double and a run scored.
John Parrish got the start for the Chiefs pitching a very strong game going 5 and 1/3rd inning allowing just 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 6 Ks. He earned the win for the club making his record 3-0 this season and his ERA is at 2.42. Mike Gosling came in to close it out and got his 2nd save of the season.

I just wanted to say that I attended the Lugnuts exhibition game on Thursday against the Michigan State Spartans. It was a little different to see a practice game mid-season but it was exciting. They only played 7 innings and the Nuts won the game 4-2.
The turnout was amazing and I believe I heard it was the largest crowd Lansing has seen since their debut. A lot of it had to do with the fact that it was Thirsty Thursday and beer was only 2 bucks but Spartan fans certainly showed up to support their team. I give a big pat on the back to the Spartans players who played a pretty good game holding their own in the “Crosstown Showdown.”
If anyone is in town and wants to see a fun baseball game for a cheap price (tickets ranging from $7 to $15 depending on your seat) they should stop in and see Lansing play ball. They are currently in 1st place in their division and are having a great season.

Lansing kept the wins coming on Wednesday as they matched up against the Peoria Chiefs 2-1. The win brings their record to 12-7 this season and keeps them in 1st place in the MID Eastern.
Shortstop Raul Barron had strong game going 1-for-4 with 2 RBI. His batting average is now at .488 this season and the 2 RBI were his 5th and 6th of the year. Catcher Matthew Liuzza also had a good game going 2-for-3 including a double. His batting average is now at .500 this year and the double was his 2nd. 2nd basemen Wesley Stone also went 2-for-3 with a run scored. His batting average is at an ugly .182 this season.
Bradley Mills took the mound for the Lugnuts and had a solid performance. He pitched 4 and 2/3rds innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run amd struck out 4. His ERA is now at 3.66 this season but he didn’t earn the win. Randy Boone came in to finish the game and earned the win. He pitched the final 2 innings giving up 0 hits and struck out 1. His ERA is now at 2.93 and he was given the win bringing his record to 2-0.
The Lugnuts will open up a series with the Clinton Lumber Kings on Friday. Righty Trystan Magnuson will get the start and will face off against Clinton righty Kennil Gomez.

The Cats lost the series opener against the Bowie Baysox on Thursday 7-3. The loss brings their record to 5-14 this season and leaves them in last place of the EAS Northern.
Lead off hitter and Center Fielder Aaron Matthews went 3-for-5 with 1 run in the loss. His batting average is now at .307 this season as he is playing very well in the lead off role. Right fielder Ryan Patterson also had a good game going 1-for-4 including a double and 2 RBI. His batting average is now at a solid .281 and the 2 RBI bring his total to 8 on the season.
Righty Jean Machi took the mound for the the Cats and had a rough night on the hill. He pitched 3 innings allowing 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, and he gave up a homer in the 3rd. He was given the loss in the game bringing his record to 0-1 this season and his ERA to 5.75.
New Hampshire needs to get there game on track so that this season doesn’t turn into an embarrassing one. The Cats will play the 2nd game of the series on Friday. Fisher Cat south paw A.J. Wideman will get the start up against Bowie righty Bradley Bergesen.

The Syracuse Chiefs got back to their winning ways on Thursday as they took the 2nd game of 3 against the Pawtucket Red Sox. The 4-2 victory is their 8th in the last 10 games and puts them in 2nd place in the INT North.
1st basemen Chip Cannon went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. He recorded a solo-homer in the 5th off Sox starter Charlie Zink. The homer is his 2nd of the season and the 2 RBI give him 8. Center Fielder Wayne Lydon also had a good game going 3-for-5 including a double and a RBI. He has brought his batting average up to .259 and the RBI is his 9th of the year.
Chiefs lefty Bill Murphy took the mound for the ball club and had a solid game. He worked 5 and 2/3rds innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 2 K’s. He now has his ERA at 2.70 this season but he didn’t earn the win. Tracy Thorpe came in to pitch 2/3rds innings striking out 2 in the process. He earned the win for Syracuse bringing his record to 1-0. Mike Gosling came in to finish the game and earned his 1st save of the season and brought his ERA to 2.45.
The Chiefs will look to continue their winning streak on Friday finishing the series against Pawtucket. Righty Cane Davis will take the mound and will face up against Sox Chris Smith.

Lansing came into the final game of the 3 game set just looking to hold the Kane County Cougars from sweeping the series. They did just that winning the game 10-4 bringing their record to 9-7 this season and putting them in 2nd place in the MID Eastern.
1st basemen Manuel Rodriguez had a great game for the Lugnuts going 3-for-5 including a double with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. He has a total of 20 RBI this season and has his batting average at a healthy .434. RF Moises Sierra also had a nice game going 2-for-5 including a double and 2 RBI. He now has 8 RBI this season and his batting average is at .268. SS Justin Jackson and Catcher Joel Collins had the only 2 homers in the game. Jackson’s was his 1st of the season and it was off Cougar starter Scott Hodsdon. Collins jack was also his 1st of the season and his was hit off Hodsdon as well.
Trystan Mangnuson took the mound for Lansing and pitched a strong 3 innings. He allowing 0 hits, 0 runs, and he struck out 3. His ERA is at an impressive 2.61 this season. Chi-Hung Cheng took the mound after Mangnuson and also had a solid game. He pitched 4 innings giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, and he struck out 3. He earned the win for the Lugnuts bringing his record to 2-0 this season and now has his ERA at 6.46.
Next Up: Lansing will open up a 3 game home stand against the Peoria Chiefs on Monday.

New Hampshire was hoping that they could end their 4 game slide on Sunday afternoon against the Harrisburg Senators but the game was called due to rain. The Cats are 3-12 this season and sit at the bottom of the EAS Northern, Harrisburg is 11-5 and currently lead the EAS Southern.
Scott Richmond (1-2, 4.32 ERA) was scheduled to make the start up against Harrisburg righty Shairon Martis (1-0, 4.40 ERA).

Syracuse came into the game looking to hold onto there already impressive 5 game winning streak and did just that by extending it to 6 with a win over Lehigh Valley 2-1. The win brings their record to 11-7 and puts them in 2nd in the INT North.
CF Buck Coats brought in 1 of the 2 RBI when he hit a double off Valley starter Brian Mazone. Coats went 1-for-3 in the game including the double and a RBI. The RBI is his 3rd of the season and he now has his batting average at .250 this season. Catcher Robinzon Diaz also had a strong game going 2-for-2 including a double and a walk. He now has his batting average at .368 and the double was his 2nd of the season.
Chief’s righty Kane Davis took the mound for the ball club and had an outstanding game. He pitched 8 innings deep only allowing 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and he struck out 4. He earned the win for Syracuse bringing his record to 2-1 and now has his ERA to 2.78. Tracy Thorpe came on in the 9th to earn his 2nd save of the season striking out 1 in the process.
Next Up: The Chief’s will look to bring the streak to 7 playing the 2nd game of the 3 game set against Lehigh Valley.

Brian Borawski, who manages Minorleagueblogs.com, recently posted an interview with Lansing Lugnuts GM Pat Day.  It’s an interesting read and after thinking about it, I guess I never really knew what a minor league GM does.  Now I have a better idea.

The Doubledays got another solid outing from their starting pitcher as the won the New York/Penn League championship in a two game sweep.  Brett Cecil picked up the win with seven solid frames on the mound.  He gave up one run on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.

All four runs in the 4-1 win came on a pair of two run blasts.   Darin Mastroianni and J.P. Arencibia both went yard in the game for Auburn.

Auburn took a 1-0 lead in their championship series with the Cyclones and they did it behind the arm of Kyle Walter.  He gave up just one hit and three walks with two strikeouts in five shutout innings of relief to pick up the win.

Bradley Emaus had a big day at the plate.  He went two for three with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs in the 7-1 win.  Benjamin Zeskind went three for five with a double and two RBIs.

Auburn came back and won the final two games after losing the first in their playoff series with Oneonta and tonight, they held back one last ninth inning surge by the Tigers to win it 4-3.  Luis Perez got it done on the mound and he picked up the win with a solid start.  He gave up just one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Bradley Emaus was the hitting star in the loss.  He went three for four and he accounted for half of the Doubleday’s runs with a two run homer.

Auburn evened up their series at a game a piece behind a nice start by Mark Rzepczynski.  He gave up just three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in six innings.  Equally impressive was Alan Farina, who threw three shutout frames and struck out seven to pick up the save.

Bradley Emaus went three for four with a homerun and two RBIs.  Darin Mastroianni went two for four with two runs.

The Doubledays lost game of their three game playoff series with Oneonta in a tough eleven inning pitcher’s duel that saw them pick up just four hits the entire game.  Three of the four hits were doubles and Adam Calderone was the only hitter to reach base twice with a single and a walk.

Some pretty good pitching to went to waste because the first ten innings of this game was a shutout even for Auburn.  Brett Cecil took the loss though and he gave up the lone run in the eleventh inning.

The Lugnuts went two and out as they were eliminated by the defending champs, the West Michigan White Caps.  Adrian Martin just couldn’t get on track in a tough start and he took the loss.  He gave up five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Travis Snyder doubled twice and drove in two runs in the 6-3 loss.  Jonathan Diaz singled twice and he scored twice.

The Lugnuts lost their first playoff game to the White Caps 5-2 in a poor offensive performance.  Travis Snyder provided half of the offense with a solo homerun and he was also the only Lugnut with two hits.

Julio Pinto took the loss despite a decent outing.  He gave up three runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings.

A pretty good start by Marc Rzepczynski went to waste in the Doubledays 4-3 loss to Brooklyn.  He gave up two runs on three hits with a season high ten strikeouts in the loss.  Adam Rogers took the loss when he gave up two unearned runs and he struck out four in two innings.

Baron Frost was the hitting star in the loss.  He doubled, drove in two runs and scored.

Kyle Ginley fell to 5-6 on the season in a rough start in the Lugnuts 16-4 blowout loss to the Cougars.  Ginley gave up eight runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.

Travis Snider was the hitting star in the loss.  He went two for five with a two run homer.  The long ball was his ninth of the season.

Adrian Martin fell to 3-2 on the season in Dunedin’s 5-4 loss despite a decent start.  He gave up two runs on three hits with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Eric Nielsen went two for five with two RBIs.  Kyle Philips went two for four with a double and a run.

Manuel Mayorson singled home Ryan Klosterman in the bottom of the tenth inning to win it as the Fisher Cats edged the Curve 6-5.  Ryan Patterson had a nice day at the plate in the win as well.  He went three for five with a double and two RBIs.

Jo Matumoto picked up the win with a shutout tenth inning.  He did give up two hits and he struck out one and the win pushed his record to 3-3 on the season.

Mark Redman fell to 1-1 in a rough start in the Chiefs 11-3 loss to Pawtucket.  He gave up ten runs but because of a couple of runs only four f them were earned.  They came on ten hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

Russ Adams went two for four with a double, a homerun, two RBIs and a run.  Wayne Lydon went two for four with a run.

The GCL Blue Jays got their share of hits but unfortunately they came by just four platers as the lost to the GCL Phillies 4-1.  Justin Jackson went three for five and John Tolisano went two for four with a double, a walk and a run.

Brian Letko took the loss and he fell to 2-3 on the season.  He gave up one run on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in just 1 1/3 innings.

Brandon Magee fell to 2-6 on the season and he took the loss in Dunedin’s 7-4 loss to Brevard County.  He gave up five runs on six hits and four walks with one strikeout in 4 1/3 innings.

Anthony Hatch singled and drove in two runs in the loss.  Brian Jeroloman drew a walk, scored a run and drove in one.

The Fisher Cats not only couldn’t hit the ball, but their pitchers were hit hard in a 9-1 loss to Portland.  Chip Cannon drew two walks and he drove in the only run for the Fisher Cats.

Kurt Isenberg took the loss and he fell to 3-7 on the season.  He gave up five runs on eight hits and one walk with four strikeouts in four innings of work.

The Chiefs took care of the Red Wins 5-3 and it was Kevin Barker who led the way at the plate.  He was a perfect three for three with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs.  Wayne Lydon doubled, drew two walks and drove in two runs.

Jordan De Jong picked up the win and he improved to 3-0 on the season.  He gave up just one walks and no hits in 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

David Smith belted a two run homer in the top of the eleventh inning to win it for the Fisher Cats in their 7-5 vistory over the Thunder.  Rob Cosby also had a big day at the plate.   He went two for five with a double, a homerun and three RBIs.

Jesse Carlson picked up the win and he improved to 7-1 on the season. He gave up just one hit in 2 1/3 innings of relief.  Kyle Yates threw 6 2/3 shutout innings in a nice start.

Jeremy Cummings dropped to 3-6 on the season with a rough start in the Chiefs’ 8-2 loss to Pawtucket.  He gave up four runs on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in four innings of work.

Ray Olmedo went two for four with a double.  Kevin Barker doubled, drove in a run and scored.

Six walks helped push the Lugnuts over Wisconsin in a 6-2 win.  Sean Shoffit went two for four with a triple and two RBIs while Jonathan Jaspe went zero for two with two walks, two runs and an RBI.

Ron Lowe picked up the win with a shutout inning of relief.  The win pushed his record to 1-0 on the season.