Sunday, June 04, 2006 |
Minor League Scorebook
News
- The Mariners released Kevin Appier, following a severe beating at the hands of the Salt Lake Bees.
- Speaking of the Bees, here's a Salt Lake Tribune article about the prospects the Angels sent back down, Jeff Mathis and Howie Kendrick, and how they're readjusting to the minors after getting a taste of the Show:
As Mathis and Kendrick can attest, not everyone experiences instant success. Yet, the future remains full of promise for both players.
"There aren't any promises, no guarantees," said Los Angeles vice president and general manager Bill Stoneman. "Almost every player has something like this happen."
The baseball Hall of Fame is full of players who stunk up the big leagues on their initial try. Mike Schmidt hit .196 his first full season, while Mickey Mantle was sent back to the minors before he became Mickey Mantle.
"When you're struggling, your head runs a thousand miles a minute. You can't always be successful or perform as well as you'd like or as well as you should have," Mathis said. "I'm doing things to get my swing right."
Scores
Erstad: 0-4
Willits, R: 1-1
Kendrick, H: 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Gorneault: 0-3, 1 BB
Mathis, J: 0-4, 1 K
Eylward: 2-4, 1 RBI
Saunders: (W, 7-2), 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 0 BB, 2.46 ERA
It's old home week for the Bees, as Darin Erstad and Maicer Izturis have concurrent rehab stints. Izturis flourished in the leadoff spot, going 3-4 and only a homer shy of the cycle; meantime, Darin Erstad has yet to get a hit for the Bees. Joe Saunders went eight and struck out nine in his best game since ... well, since May 24, taking a no-hitter into the seventh. Really, Saunders is assembling quite a string of successes, and he's quietly asking if he can join the big club. He's only walked two players in his last forty innings (his last five starts), while giving up 24 hits.
And lest I walk away from this without mentioning the piece de resistance, put your hands together for Howie Kendrick's 3-4, two-homer night, out of the fargin' cleanup spot. Again. And did I mention he's hitting .390? No? He's raised his batting average in this series — so far — another ten points.
Wood: 2-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Wilson: 2-5, 2 2B, 1 RBI
Pali: 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Gates: 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K
Green: (W, 1-0), 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 1 HR, 3.86 ERA
Nick Green, in his first start for Arkansas, held mighty Midland to just three earned runs over seven. It wasn't one of his typical starts at Rancho, but the Travs were clearly desperate, and GM Bill Valentine's pleas met some receptive ears apparently, as the Angels promoted Green despite a diffident 4.15 ERA. Unfortunately, it looks like this means Nick Adenhart won't appear in a Quakes uniform any time soon (see the Rancho game, below). Anyway, if it wasn't a Jered Weaver style performance, the local fans weren't complaining, as Green retired the last seven RockHounds he faced in order.
Brandon Wood uncorked another homer, his twelfth of the year and his second homer in two games. 1B Matt Pali also homered, his fourth of the season.
Midland came frighteningly close to tying it back up with a five-run ninth, on the strength of five walks, two wild pitches, an error, and a base hit that was caught feet away from morphing into a grand slam. Whew. Reliever Rich Thompson faced four batters and retired none while giving up four runs, three earned; Aaron Pullin and Miguel Gonzalez had to get the remaining three outs in the game.
Collins: 1-4
Reilly: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Toussaint: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Diaz: (W, 1-0), 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
Jepsen: 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 3.32 ERA
Homers by Patrick Reilly and Drew Toussaint were the principle source of the scoring. Tonight's winning pitcher was 19-year-old Amalio Diaz, about whom I know nothing as of "press" time, since the Quakes game wrap makes no mention of where he was called up from; I would be willing to bet, though, that it was the Angels' Dominican academy, or else extended spring training. It certainly puzzles me as to why the Angels would call him up as opposed to Adenhart; but maybe they want Adenhart to get a full year in down at Cedar Rapids first.
Statia: 1-4
Trumbo: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
Hill: (L, 1-1), 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1.50 ERA
Judging by the results — which weren't that bad for Andrew Hill — maybe Trumbo should start thinking about pitching.
Loney: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Young, D: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Riggs: 3-4, 1 2B
Robles: 3-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Stults: (W, 4-5), 8.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 10 K, 1 BB, 4.98 ERA
Miller: 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Suddenly Eric Stults comes to within an out of a complete-game three-hit shutout with ten strikeouts? C'mon, there's an error here somewhere... are they sure it's not Chad Billingsley in the wrong uniform number? Stults upstaged rehabbing Milton Bradley, not to mention rehabbing Cesar Izturis.
LaRoche: 2-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Meadows: 1-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Abreu: 3-4, 3 RBI, 1 K
Raglani: 0-2
Muegge: (W, 5-4), 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 3.95 ERA
My, my, my. Two walks and a homer, and a multi-hit night. Andy LaRoche is in the building, everyone, but don't forget multi-hit nights from Chin-Lung Hu and Tony Abreu.
Gonzalez: 2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Dewitt: 1-4, 1 BB, 1 K
Dunlap: 2-5, 2 RBI
Bruce: 2-4, 1 K
Denker, T: 0-2, 2 BB
Hoffmann: 2-4, 2 RBI
Gutierrez: 2-3, 1 K
Johnson, B: (W, 3-3), 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 4 K, 2 BB, 3.56 ERA
Akin: 1.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 1.99 ERA
Chase out that damn entheta, Vero!
De Jesus: 1-5, 2 RBI, 1 K
Pedroza: 1-2, 3 BB, 1 K
Mooneyham: 3-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Justis: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Arias, M: (W, 6-3), 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 10 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 4.90 ERA
Meloan: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
With a line like that, you'd think Marlon Arias was a legit talent. He might be yet. He's got about a 3:1 K/BB ratio, he's striking out more than a batter an inning, but he has problems getting hit.
: 6/04/2006 10:46:00 AMNewer› ‹Older
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