Minor League Recap 5/29

Written by Greg Fertel | 29 May 2008

Scranton falls to Pawtucket, 5-2

Dan McCutchen got the start, and had a bit of a rough time. In 4 2/3 innings, McCutchen gave up 3 runs on 3 hits (2 homers) and 1 walk, while striking out 4. The reason he only lasted 4 2/3 innings is that he was ejected for throwing behind Pawtucket's Jeff Bailey (who hit a bomb off of him) twice.
Steven White was no better, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in 2 2/3 innings, with 2 strikeouts.
Dave Robertson walked 1 and struck out 1 in 2/3 perfect innings.
Brett Gardner was 1 for 3, and was caught stealing.
Ben Broussard was 1 for 4.
Greg Porter was 2 for 4 with a double.
Justin Christian was 1 for 4.
Bernie Castro was 1 for 3.

Trenton defeats New Hampshire, 7-4

The big story from this game is that Jose Tabata was benched mid-game by Trenton manager Tony Franklin, allegedly for not backing up Austin Jackson on a ball in the outfield, and showing a general lack of effort on defense. Tabata's makeup seems to be an issue, and it is good that the organization is giving him some tough love. I wonder if we are looking at another suspension.
George Kontos started, and was very effective. In 7 innings, he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 6.
Michael Gardner walked 1 in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win.
Ramiro Pena was 1 for 4.
Austin Jackson was 1 for 4 with a walk, a steal (his 8th) and a strikeout.
Colin Curtis, who has been hitting well of late, was 3 for 5 with a homer.
Edwar Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk.
Cody Ehlers was 1 for 2 with a double and 2 walks.
Tabata was 0 for 2.
PJ Pilittere was 1 for 4.
Kevin Russo was 3 for 4 with a triple.
Reegie Corona was 2 for 4 with a steal (his 9th).

Tampa tops Lakeland, 5-4

Grant Duff was the starter, and he gave up a run on 3 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings, with 2 strikeouts.
Josh Schmidt pitched a scoreless 9th to get the save.
Damon Sublett, who walked in his only at bat, was replaced by Chris Kunda after injuring his foot. I'll update as I find out about this.
Andres Perez was 1 for 4 with a double.
Ben Blumenthal was 2 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Kevin Smith was 3 for 4 with a double.
Tim Battle was 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Charleston edges out Hickory, 2-1

Jairo Heredia started, but only went 2 innings. In those 2 innings, he shut out the opposition, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 2. I don't think this is an injury, they might just be working him back slowly.
Noel Castillo pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 5 while allowing 5 hits and 1 walk.
Jonathan Ortiz struck out 2 in a perfect 9th to earn his 15th save.
Abe Almonte was 1 for 3 with a homer in his return to the lineup.
Justin Snyder was 2 for 4 with a homer and 2 strikeouts.
Brandon Laird was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Jesus Montero, DH'ing, was 1 for 4 with his 17th double of the season. He also grounded into 2 double plays. Bad Jesus!
Austin Romine was 0 for 3, but gunned down the only runner who attempted to steal.
Braedyn Pruitt and Carmen Angelini were both 1 for 3. Carmen stole a base, his 9th.

This Tabata situation is certainly going to be interesting to follow, and hopefully he is not suspended, since he has shown signs of coming around with the bat. He certainly seems to be a case of a player with all the talent in the world, but lacking the maturity and makeup necessary to succeed in the majors. Hopefully, Jose can grow up a little and the organization can get his head screwed on straight. He's only 19, and is already in AA, so there is plenty of time for Tabata to get it together. That said, if he keeps this up, he could very well find himself traded.