Minor League Recap 6/2

Written by Greg Fertel | 02 June 2008

Scranton defeats Rochester, 10-6

Kei Igawa got the win, but did not pitch well. In 7 innings, Igawa gave up 6 runs on 9 hits (2 homers) and 2 walks, and also struck out 6. This raised his ERA to 4.07 on the season.
Scott Strickland struck out 3 and surrendered 1 hit and 1 walk in 2 shutout innings.
Brett Gardner was 2 for 5 with his 20th steal to raise his average to .291. He's put up some very impressive numbers this season, including a .455 slugging percentage, which could indicate that he could be more than a pinch-runner/defensive replacement type of player in the majors.
Ben Broussard was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.
Cody Ransom was 3 for 5 with a double.
The Eric Duncan tease continued, as he was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. In his last 10 games, the 23 year-old is hitting .341 (14 for 41) with 3 homers and 5 doubles. He has put together 4 consecutive multi-hit games. Could he be an option at 1st base this season if Shelley Duncan and others continue to struggle? Maybe if he keeps this up. He has raised his average from the .230 range up to .269, and it could keep going up.
Justin Christian was 2 for 5 with a triple and his 10th steal.
Greg Porter was 1 for 5 with a homer
Chris Stewart was 3 for 5 with a 2-run jack off Casey Daigle, whose wife (softball player Jennie Finch) might be a better pitcher than he is.

Trenton was off today Tampa falls to Clearwater, 8-7 (12 innings)

Michael Dunn got the start, surrendering 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings, with 3 strikeouts. The lefty and former outfielder has put up a 3.47 ERA so far this season, solid, but not dominant.
Stephen Artz got the loss, giving up a run on 3 hits and a walk in 1 1/2 innings of relief.
Luis Nunez was 1 for 6 with a double.
Andres Perez was 2 for 6 with a double.
Josue Calzado was 2 for 4 with 2 walks to raise his average to .177.
Mitch Hilligoss was 1 for 4 with 2 walks and a steal, but is hitting a measly .217 on the season. Mitch's long hitting streak of last season seems so far in the past, as he has struggled offensively this season.
Tim Battle also continued his hot streak, going 2 for 6 with a homer and a walk, though he also got a golden sombrero with his 4 strikeouts. He is hitting .313 (10 for 32) with 2 homers and 2 doubles in his last 9 games, but the 14 strikeouts over that span show how this is not likely to last, as the toolsy Battle has always struggled with making consistent contact.
Kevin Smith was 5 for 6 with 2 doubles and a home run.
Chris Kunda was 1 for 4 with a walk.

Charleston conquers Rome, 5-2

Jairo Heredia got the start, and was very effective. In 4 scoreless innings, the talented teenager gave up 2 hits and 3 walks, with 1 strikeout. He has a 2.60 ERA on the season, though he has not thrown too many innings. The Yankees seem to be taking it slow with Jairo's 18 year-old arm, which is fine by me.
Jesse Hoover gave up 2 unearned runs in 4 innings of work, striking out 3 and allowing 3 hits.
Chase Vacek struck out 2 in a perfect 9th.
Abe Almonte continued to surge, going 2 for 5 with a double and his 13th steal of the season. Almonte's trip to the DL has not seemed to slow him down, and he has brought his average up to .289.
Justin Snyder was 1 for 4 with a walk.
Brad Suttle was 1 for 4 with a walk, and also stole a base.
Jesus Montero, DH'ing tonight, was 0 for 3 with a walk, but stole his first base of the season. His average is down to .304.
Austin Romine was 1 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout to bring his average to .278 on the season.
Brandon Laird and Carmen Angelini were each 1 for 3. Angelini made his 16th fielding error.
Dave Williams was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Austin Krum was 1 for 4.

The SAL league All-Star game's rosters were announced today, and 5 Riverdogs made the team (4 players and manager Torre Tyson). The players are Jesus Montero, Justin Snyder, pitcher Jason Stephens, and closer Jonathan Ortiz. It is a great honor for all these guys, who have made up one of the strongest teams in the league. Abe Almonte would likely have made the team if he had not gotten injured, and Zach McAllister would have been a shoo-in as well if he had not been promoted to high-A Tampa recently. 60 hours until draft day. Can you feel the excitement?