Written by Sean P | 23 April 2010

Scranton lost to Syracuse 8-1. The pitching wasn't very good for Scranton last night. Nothing seemed to work well for them. John Van Benschoten has impressed so far as a reliever in Scranton.

Trenton went down to Portland 3-2. Late inning heroics from Lars Anderson gave Portland the win. It was a bad night for Noel Castillo. Don't look now, but Lars Anderson has gotten off to a hot start. Mike Ashmore previews the pitching match up between DJ Mitchell and Casey Kelly tonight. Governor Chris Christie is trying to steal some Trenton Thunder mojo.

Tampa was defeated by Dayton 9-6. Two Josh Vitters home runs helped the Cubs out pace the Yankees.

Charleston allowed 5 runs in the 8th inning and lost 7-6 to Hickory. It's the Riverdog's 5th straight loss. Charleston will be having it's annual "Run, Forrest" 5 K event. The event is sponsored by the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. See where this is going?

Here's the organizational recap from Minor League Splits.

Written by Pending Pinstripes | 22 April 2010

We are looking to add one more writer to help out at Pending Pinstripes. We are looking for someone who could add at least one piece of original content per week, and possibly help out with the day-to-day updates. You will be able to do your own writing with no restrictions and no assignments.

If you have any personal expertise in scouting, statistics, pitching or hitting mechanics, we'd love to see that, but it is not a necessity. Since you are joining a team, you will not have to do everything. You can write about either the majors, the minors, or both. Whatever is your strength, you are free to stick to.

If you are interested in joining the Pending Pinstripes team, please contact us at PendingPinstripes [at] gmail [dot] com.

Written by Sean P | 22 April 2010

Scranton beat up on Syracuse 8-2. The Yankee offense really came together. John Van Benschoten was impressive in his AAA debut. The Yankees have good infield depth in the minors.

The Thunder crushed New Hampshire 13-3. David Adams continues to do it all at the plate. David Phelps performance might get overlooked in such an offensive game, but it shouldn't. Adam's grand slam marked the turning point in the route.

Tampa beat the Cubs 4-1. Brandon Braboy left with an elbow injury. Bradley Suttle hit his first HR of the year. Daytona has this superfan who has been to 1,000 straight Daytona Cub home games. Unsurprisingly, he's from New Jersey.

Charleston lost their 4th straight, walked off on by Hickory, 3-2. Jose Ramirez's nice start got erased by the bullpen.

Written by Greg Fertel | 22 April 2010

ESPN Rumor Central with the above genius headline. I'm sure there are people that read this on ESPN and believe that it is actually a possibility. The short little blurb says, "Nick Johnson hasn't been a huge asset thus far, despite his .407 on-base percentage."

They note that Johnson's batting average is just .146 and wonder if the Yankees might need to consider another option. They note that one possibility to replace Johnson is top prospect Jesus Montero, who is off to a nice start in Triple-A.

Really? The Yankees signed Johnson to get on base and DH for them, but they're going to bench him after just 59 plate appearances? The fact is that even despite Johnson's .146 average and .200 BABIP, he has still been an above-average(104 wRC+) hitter. That is just remarkable. Johnson figures to be one of the Yankees' best hitters and fits perfectly in the number two hole. The idea that the Yankees are going to call someone up to take his spot is just outrageous.

Written by Greg Fertel | 21 April 2010

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

• Playing shortstop, Eduardo Nunez continued his hot start. He went 2 for 4 with two walks. He now has seven walks and just three strikeouts on the season. It's still early, but if Nunez keeps up this newfound approach, I'll have to start to buy into his ability.

• Center fielder Greg Golson went 2 for 5 with a triple. He has now struck out seven times in 47 PA, which is surely an improvement for him.  Jesus Montero had his best Triple-A performance. He went 3 for 4 and now has a team high .321 batting average.

• Entering the game, Kevin Russo was hitting just .182 but he went 2 for 4 with a walk today. Hopefully we'll see him pick it up a bit.

Trenton

• David Phelps continued his stellar start with six shutout innings. He allowed four hits, struck out six, and walked just one. On the season, he's struck out 13 and walked one while giving up just one run in 11.2 innings.

• David Adams has pretty much made this section every day. And he'll continue to, if he keeps hitting like he has. Today he went 2 for 3 with a grand slam and 3 walks. He has been the best hitter in the system by far to start the season.

• Catcher Austin Romine had his second multi-hit game in his last three, going 6 for 14 in that span. He still has only one extra base hit on the season, though.

Tampa

• Melky Mesa and Brad Suttle each hit their first home runs of the season. Suttle is coming back from an injury so his power output this season is something to keep a close eye on. As always, Mesa has all the tools in the world but has struggled at the plate over the course of his career.

Charleston

• Jose Ramirez had an impressive start. He pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk. He also struck out five batters. Outings like this are just what we have come to expect from the young righty. On the season, he has struck out 20 batters and walked just three. Arodys who?