Minor League Recap 8/20

Written by Greg Fertel | 20 August 2008

• Ian Kennedy was the starter, and was up and down.  In 5 innings, the righty from USC gave up 4 runs on 7 hits and a walk, but struck out 9.
• Scott Patterson struck out 3 in 1 1/3 innings of 1-hit relief.
• Phil Coke walked 1 and fanned 1 in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
•  Justin Christian was 2 for 5.
• Melky Cabrera was 2 for 4, raising his AAA average to .444.
• Shelley Duncan was 2 for 4.
• Chris Stewart was 2 for 3 with a walk.

• Eric Hacker put together another strong outing, giving up a run on 3 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings of work, and fanning 6.
• Reegie Corona was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk.
• Austin Jackson was 0 for 4, but stole his 19th base and was also caught once.
• Francisco Cervelli and Walter Ibarra were each 1 for 4.  Cervelli's average is at .366 after this game.
• Colin Curtis and Edwar Gonzalez were each 2 for 4.
• Kevin Russo was 2 for 4 with a double.

• Chris Garcia got the start, and continued his recently effective pitching.  In 6 innings, Garcia gave up just 1 run on 3 hits and a walk, while striking out 5.  He has allowed just 3 runs in his last 18 innings, with 19 strikeouts against 4 walks in that span.  If he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season, his stock should rise.
• Grant Duff, Eric Wordekemper, and Josh Schmidt each contributed a scoreless inning in relief.
• Luis Nunez was 1 fro 4.
• Kyle Anson was 1 for 3.
• Tim Battle was 1 for 3 with a double, raising his average to .252 on the season.

• Noel Castillo was pounded, giving up 7 runs (6 earned) on 8 hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings.  He did strike out 7, however.
• Jonathan Ortiz struck out 2 in a perfect 9th to get his 32nd save, and drop his ERA to 2.03.
• Austin Krum was 1 for 5.
• Brad Suttle and Prilys Cuello were each 2 for 4.  Suttle also walked, and moved his average up to .274.
•   Jesus Montero was 2 for 4 with a double and his 16th homer of the season.  His batting average climbed to .321 with this performance, and he has a scorching 1.114 OPS in August.
• Austin Romine, not to be outdone, was 3 for 4 with 2 homers (giving him 9 on the season) and a walk.  He raised his average to .293 with this outburst, and also threw out 2 of 3 runners who attempted to steal on him.
• Brandon Laird, not one to miss out on a home run party, was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and his 19th jack.  While he is only hitting .260 and not walking very much, his power numbers are pretty sexy.  Less sexy was his 11th error.
• Carmen Angelini was 2 for 4 with a double, but also made his 38th error of the season.

• 6th-round pick Brett Marshall made his season debut, striking out 1 and walking 1 in an inning of scoreless relief.
• Fellow draftee Mikey O'Brien was hit hard, giving up 5 runs on 9 hits in 3 2/3 innings, and striking out 3.
• Emerson Landoni was 1 for 4.
• Jimmy Paredes and Neall French were each 1 for 3.  Paredes's average jumped to .290, and French is at a cool .359.
• Alvaro Ramirez was 1 for 3.

• Matt Richardson was the starter, and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk in 4 innings.  He struck out 5 in this outing, and has 14 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings thus far.
• Nik Turley was impressive in relief, giving up just 2 hits in 2 2/3 scoreless, and striking out 5.  In only 5 innings this season, the 50th-round pick from Harvard-Westlake high school has 9 strikeouts against 0 walks, a great sign.
• Corban Joseph was 0 for 3 with a walk, dropping his average to .282.
• Kyle Higashioka was 1 for 3 with his 1st career home run, raising his average to .313 on the season.
• Jimmy Paredes was 1 for 4 with a triple.
• Zoilo Almonte was 1 for 3 with a walk and an outfield assist.
• Garrison Lassiter, making his season debut, was 3 for 4 with a steal.  Not a bad way to start your pro career.