Minor League Recap, 4/13 and 4/14

Written by Greg Fertel | 14 April 2007

Sorry these have taken so long to get up. I had a hectic weekend. These will be short, but I promise a long review of week's events on Sunday in addition to Kim's recapb. In fact, the review will cover the first ten days of the season. Scranton beats Pawtucket 5-1 and 6-2

Matt DeSalvo got the start on Saturday. He pitched 6 innings, struck out 8, and allowed just a single and a walk. He's the only Scranton pitcher actually looking good right now besides Jackson. If Pavano ends up missing a start, or Mussina is slow to come back, or our bad luck continues to curse us, DeSalvo the favorite for the promotion to the majors. Not bad for a guy who blew up last year.
Ross Ohlendorf got the other start. He was not nearly as good as DeSalvo. Ohlendorf's final line was 4 innings, 6 walks, 4 strikeouts, 2 earned runs, and 4 hits allowed. Ouch. His one real asset is superb control, and he has walked 10 in 9 innings this year.
T.J. Beam pitched 2.2 innings in relief. He struck out 3 and walked none. Britton pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. The over/under for today involves Luis Vizcaino. When do the Yankees have to call up Beam or Britton to replace Vizcaino's mush arm? I'll take the under at April 21st.
Ron Villone pitched an inning and a third, striking out three and walking one. He's got 7 strikeouts and 4 walks in 5.1 innings with Scranton.
Eric Duncan went 1-5 in the two games with a walk and an RBI. His line is down to .172/.306/.414.
Bronson Sardinha combined for 1 hit in 7 at bats with two walks. He's really cooled off from his hot spring training start. Kevin Long did wonders for him last year, and I'm wondering if he needs to work with Sardinha more.
Alberto Gonzalez went 3-7 with a double. His .333/.375/.433 line looks more and more like a player ready for the major leagues. The way that Jeter is playing on defense, it might be the best baseball decision to get him starting at the position fairly soon.

Trenton beats Connecticut 2-0 twice and 1-0 once. Saturday's 2nd game went to 15 innings.

Allan (or Alan, depending on who you ask) Horne pitched a sparkling game for Trenton. He struck out 8 in 6 innings, walking none and allowing just 5 hits. He's got the ability to fill a void in AAA if Clippard, Hughes, and Ohlendorf continue to struggle. Not a lot of pitchers throw 96 with a great curveball.
Kevin Whelan got the save with a scoreless inning where he struck out one. I love how I am a little let down that he only struck out one batter.
Jeff Marquez got the start on Friday, pitching 6 innings, striking out 3 and walking just one. 9 of his 6 outs were on ground balls. I don't see Marquez moving as fast as Horne could potentially, even if he keeps pitching very well. The Yankees will likely want to ease Marquez's arm in to a heavier workload after the injuries he endured last year. He just didn't throw a whole lot in 2006, so it's important to take it slowly.
Scott Patterson pitched two innings of perfect relief, striking out 3. In 5 innings, he has struck out 8 and allowed just one hit. When Vizcaino burns out his arm, Proctor's elbow from last year blows up, Bruney gets so tired that he's throwing those 90 mph junk fastballs all day, and Kyle Farnsworth stays the same, then Patterson might get some consideration. Until then, he's eyeing a call up to AAA. I'm getting less and less skeptical by the day.
Brett Smith went 5.1 innings on Saturday. It turns out that he pitched only about a third of the game. He was strong, striking out 7, walking 2, and allowing just four hits and no runs. It's a great day for him.
Brett Gardner went 3-14 with a triple, and RBI, and a stolen base during the games.
Justin Christian went 2-12 with a walk and a stolen base.
P.J. Pilittere went 0-7
Cody Ehlers went 2-12 with both hits being singles.
- It really sucks to have the 2nd game of a double header go for 15 innings. Just a thought.

Tampa beats Sarasota 4-3 and 13-3

Josa Tabata went 2-10 with 3 RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. His .355/.447/.516 line is looking downright pedestrian. He's just about the only person who didn't hit on Friday.
Erik Abreu got the 3 inning start, just after I stated that he would probably never start again. Tampa has some injury issues right now, so Abreu got a second chance. He was poor, pitching 3 innings, 7 hits, and allowing three runs with one strikeout.
Zach Kroenke pitched 2 innings in relief, striking out three, walking one, and now allowing a hit. He's looking good so far this season.
Josh Schmidt came out of the bullpen on Friday. The sidearmer tossed two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Schmidt may have had the most dominating experience in New York-Penn league history. The Yankees don't seem to like sidearmers, but Schmidt should be in AA but now.
Reegie Corona went 3-10 with a walk.
Tim Battle was 3-10 with a walk, a double, 2 RBI, and a stolen base. He only struck out once. Maybe he took my advice.
Juan Miranda went 2-8 with 2 walks.
Marcos Vechionacci went 3-8 with 3 RBI. I predicted a breakout year for him, and I really don't want to be wrong.
Colin Curtis went 2-7 with a double and two walks.
Francisco Cervelli went 3-8 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, and 2 RBI.

Charleston loses to Augusta 2-0 and 10-4

Angel Reyes got the start today, going 6 innings with 4 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 3 hits. Hr still doesn't know where the ball is going.
Nick Peterson had a bad night, allowing 4 runs while getting only two outs. It happens, but Peterson doesn't have much wiggle room.
Austin Jackson was 0-9 with two strikeouts, a walk, and a stolen base.
Mitch Hilligoss was 1-7 with a walk.
Eduardo Nunez was 2-8 with 2 RBIs

Again, my apologies. It's 3 AM and I'm exausted. I'm not sure whether or not I'll make the Scranton/Pawsox game tomorrow, despite that I have tickets.