Written by Greg Fertel | 20 May 2008

Scranton falls to Pawtucket, 3-2

• Jeff Karstens was the starter, making his season debut.  In 5 innings of work, he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, 2 of which were home runs, while striking out 3.
• JB Cox pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, walking 1, and recording 4 groundball outs.
• Scott Patterson pitched a perfect 9th to lower his ERA to 2.70.
• Justin Christian was 0 for 4.
• Brett Gardner was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, and he seems to be thriving in the #3 hole, even though he is sure to never hit in that slot in the majors.
• Jason Lane was 1 for 4.
• Eric Duncan was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Trenton blanks Reading, 3-0 (10 innings)

•  Alfred Aceves made his AA debut, and was exceptional.  In 7 shutout innings, Aceves gave up 5 hits and only 1 walk, while striking out 7.
• Mark Melancon was superb in relief, pitching 3 hitless frames while walking 1 and striking out 4.  He also recorded 5 groundball outs against 0 flyouts.
• Ramiro Pena was 1 for 5 with a double and 3 strikeouts.
• Austin Jackson was 0 for 4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Colin Curtis was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Edwar Gonzalez was 1 for 5 with a double.
• Jose Tabata was 1 for 3 with a double, a stolen base, and a walk, raising his average to .224.
• PJ Pilittere was 1 for 4.
• Kevin Russo was 1 for 3 with a walk.
• Reegie Corona was 1 for 2.

Tampa tops Vero Beach, 1-0

• Ivan Nova had his best outing of the season by far.  In 8 shutout innings, the 21 year-old Dominican gave up just 2 hits and a walk, while striking out 6, and maintaining a 13:5 groundout:flyout ratio.  While Nova has been very hittable this season, the stuff is still there for him to succeed, even if he pitches more to contact and induces groundballs.
• Mitch Hilligoss was 1 for 4.
• Seth Cooper continued to rake, going 2 for 3 with a double and a walk.
• Jose Gil was 1 for 2 with a walk.
• Kyle Anson was 1 for 3.

Charleston defeats Greenville, 7-1

• Zach McAllister had another dominant outing.  In 8 innings, he gave up a run on 6 hits, while striking out 6.  His groundout:flyout ratio was 9:8, atypically low, but he was able to get the job done nonetheless.  He was apparently hitting 95 with his fastball as late as the 7th-8th inning, and I wonder if the lack of groundballs meant that he was using his 4-seamer more.
• Jesse Hoover pitched a perfect 9th.
• Austin Krum was 1 for 4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Justin Snyder and Jesus Montero were each 1 for 5.
• Brian Baisley was 2 for 5 with a double.
• Dave Williams was 2 for 3 with a double and 2 walks.
• Carmen Angelini was 1 for 3 with a walk, raising his average to .235.
• Walter Ibarra was 2 for 4 with a triple.

Some impressive pitching performances all around the organization tonight.  Cox and Melancon seem to have recovered well from their respective elbow surgeries, and have been effective despite being promoted aggressively.  They are both keeping the ball on the ground, which is a good sign for future major league success.  It's great to see the talented Nova put up an outing like this one tonight, and hopefully he can keep the good momentum going.  As for McAllister, what more can be said about how impressive he has been?  If you take out his 3-inning, 8-run shellacking on May 9, his ERA on the season would be 0.83.  With that outing included, it is still a  gaudy 2.05.  Despite the organization's apparent plan to keep him (and Betances) in Charleston all season, McAllister looks ready for a new challenge in high-A.

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