July 20, 2014

Fightins sweep doubleheader

A rain out back on June 12th created the doubleheader that was played on Saturday night in Reading between the Fightin Phils and the New Britain Rock Cats. Every year that I go to see New Britian (either in Reading or Trenton) always seems to result in rain.

New Britain starter Jose Berrios against Reading on July 19, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

The first game pitted Reading’s Ryan O’Sullivan against Twins prospect and Futures Game starter Jose Berrios. Neither disappointed.

The game was scoreless heading into the 6th inning, with both pitchers allowing their defenses do most of the work.

Both teams had chances to score in the first. The Rock Cats strung together back-to-back two out singles, but O’Sullivan induced a ground out to end it. Albert Cartwright led off the bottom of the first with a single and stole second base. However he was left stranded.

The Rock Cats would collected just one more hit, a single by Tony Thomas in the third.

Reading had just three hits with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, and all three were singles by Cartwright against Berrios. Then the wheels fell off just a bit.

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July 10, 2014

Fightin Philes use offense, Loewen to beat Thunder

Rain once again greeted me up in Reading, as the Fightin Phils were taking on the Trenton Thunder. Both teams are battling for the basement in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. After watching the two square off, I can see why.

Trenton’s roster seems to change daily, with injuries on both their team, Triple-A Scranton, and the big league NY Yankees. Wednesday night was no different.

Trenton starter Dillon McNamara

One night after a bullpen game, the Thunder were starting Dillon McNamara, who was pitching at rookie level Staten Island. Reading was countering with former big league pitcher, turned position player, and now back to pitcher Adam Loewen. It was an intriguing matchup.

Outside of a hit batter over the first three innings, McNamara was perfect and looked really good. That is, until the 4th inning. Another hit batter started it all and Kelly Dugan followed with the team’s first hit. Then it snowballed out of control.

A wild pitch allowed the first run to score and Jake Fox followed with an RBI double. Another wild pitch and a walk ended McNamara’s debut. In came Fred Lewis, who struggled to find the strike zone (42 pitches, 17 strikes). He walked two, hit a batter, and allowed a two-run double.

When the inning FINALLY came to an end, Reading led 5-1.

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July 3, 2014

Sabathia makes rehab start in Trenton

I was excited for Wednesday night in Trenton, as NY Yankees ace CC Sabathia was set to make the rehab start for the Thunder. They were playing the Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate Portland. The Sea Dogs were throwing one of their best pitchers, Brian Johnson.

NY Yankees ace CC Sabathia during his rehab start in Trenton on July 2, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

Unfortunately, many were not as excited as I was. The ballpark was half empty (announced paid attendance of 4,552), though I will admit it started out hot, but once the clouds came over, it was a bit cooler.

The Sea Dogs were not intimidated by the hulking lefty and former All-Star. Every time they swung the bat and made contact, it was hit hard.

After Derrick Gibson flied out to start the game, Shannon Wilkerson singled before Blake Swihart doubled. Sean Coyle, who packs a big punch in a little body (5’8, 175), lifted a ball to deep center that Mason Williams caught for a sac fly. Michael Almanzar, back from spending half the season in the Baltimore organization, also hit a fly ball to deep center to end the inning.

Coyle, who to me with his red beard and size looks like a Leprechaun, would hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth. It was his tenth of the season.

In the second, Sabathia had a fairly quick inning, a hit batter as his only blemish.

Then the 3rd inning happened. Gibson tripled to start the inning and scored on a throwing error. Wilkerson worked a walk and came around to score on Swihart’s second double (he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple).

In the fourth, David Chester started the inning with a single and moved to second base on the Thunder’s second error of the game. That brought out Thunder manager Tony Franklin to make the pitching change.

The storms held off until Sabathia was done for the night. Literally, it started raining almost immediately following his departure when fellow lefty Fred Lewis entered in relief. And when it rained, it POURED. And poured for over an hour. There was also some crazy lightning and thunder, scaring some of the dogs in attendance.

The game restarted in the top of the fourth with two on and two out at 9:45 pm. The Sea Dogs led 5-1 and starter Bryan Mitchell entered in relief.

Sabathia ended up allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out two and threw 33 of his 55 pitches for strikes. Lewis threw the ball away on a ground ball when he entered in the 4th inning to load the bases and keep the inning alive. Wilkerson then ripped a double to drive in two runs before the thunderstorms began.

Portland starter Brian Johnson on July 2, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

Now to Johnson, the Portland starter.

He was also hit hard. He allowed five hits over three innings. Somehow, he managed to wiggle out of jams to only allow one run (in the first).

After the rain delay, Michael Olmsted entered in relief and pitched a quick fourth. Then the 5th inning happened and he completely lost the strike zone. Sea Dogs manager Billy McMillon left him out there, despite the constant 3-0 counts and the rain coming down.

The inning all started with a ground out before four straight walks. Then Gary Sanchez cleared the bases with a double. After walking Peter O’Brien, the pitching change was FINALLY made. The Thunder had cut the deficit to two runs and had runners at the corners. Olmsted threw 41 pitches, just 16 for strikes.

New pitcher Wilfredo Boscan allowed an RBI single before inducing a double play to end it. Then, the rain stopped.

That was when I left. The rest of the fourth and the 5th inning took an hour to play.

July 1, 2014

Fightins end LONG skid

The last time I had been up to Reading, the Fightin Phils were hanging in the Eastern League standings. After losing 12 in a row, they were cemented into last place.

Reading starter Severino Gonzalez on June 30, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

After watching them play last night, I can see why they are one of the worst teams in the EL, even though they won to break the streak.

They were facing New Hampshire, who was in last place but moved ahead of Reading in the standings.

Both teams scored single runs in the first, errors proving costly for both teams. It was an ugly night for Reading second baseman Carlos Alonso, who committed three errors, costing the team three runs. When he actually made a great play, but didn’t get the call at first, the pretty big crowd booed the ump. Whenever he actually made a play, the crowd cheered.

The Fisher Cats took a 5-1 lead in the third when Andy Burns CRUSHED a pitch from Severino Gonzalez over the left-center field wall.

After the Fisher Cats scored another unearned run in top of the sixth, the Fightins came back with a huge five-run inning to tie the game at 6-6. Up until that point, NH pitcher Scott Copeland had pitched well. But he seemed to have been left in one too many innings.

Reading outfielder Kelly Dugan on June 30, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

Kelly Dugan ripped a double to drive in the first run. After a walk to Jake Fox, a batter that Copeland had dominated the entire game, Aaron Altherr doubled in a run. Brock Stassi drove in two more with a triple. A sac bunt tied the score.

Scott Gracey entered in relief in the seventh and allowed a two out RBI single to give Reading the lead.

After Kyle Simon allowed a run in the sixth in relief, he pitched well to earn the win. Matt Hoffman struck out three of the four batters in the ninth for his first save of the season.

*Back with the Fisher Cats, Mike McDade went 4-for-5.

**On offense for the Fightins, Peter Lavin went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Dugan and Stassi also had two hits in the win. KC Serna made his Reading debut at shortstop and went 0-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. He also showed off a strong arm.

June 23, 2014

Busy week of baseball

It was a busy week of Minor League Baseball for me, which started with the opportunity to cover the California League/Carolina League All-Star Game. I cover the Wilmington Blue Rocks on a regular basis and they were hosting the two day event. It was a whirlwind couple of days and a new experience for me, but fun nonetheless. You can check out my coverage of the ASG HERE (you’ll have to scroll down a bit past my Royals coverage) or check out all of my photos from the events HERE.

From the ASG, I went up to Trenton to see New Hampshire face the Thunder on Friday night. What a sloppy game!

FisherCats manager Sal Fasano (Jen Nevius)

I can definitely see why the Fisher Cats are in last place. They committed three errors while on defense, along with a number of base running blunders. They actually led 5-2 after three innings, only to lose to the Thunder, 8-5.

I felt bad for Sal Fasano, who was the acting manager for NH.

Gary Sanchez hit a monster home run in the seventh that tied the game at 5-5.

On Saturday night, I went up to see the Columbus Clippers face the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Cleveland Indians organization is one of my favorites because from top to bottom, they have a bunch of really nice guys. In spring training in Arizona, outside of the KC Royals, everyone was willing to sign autographs.

It was a great game, if you are a Clippers fan. they clobbered the IronPigs on fireworks night, 14-2 and collected 20 hits.

The Clippers were boosted by a seven-run 3rd inning and yet IronPigs starter Barry Enright continued to pitch (he went 4+ innings). I have been to just three IronPigs games so far this season and unfortunately have seen Enright in two of them. Neither was pretty, but he seems to have a longer rope than I would think he should have.

Clippers outfielder Carlos Moncrief with one of his four hits against the IronPigs on June 21, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

Every starter had at least one hit. Carlos Moncrief had four hits, while Giovanny Urshela and Roberto Perez had three. Perez drove in four runs. Audy Ciriaco hit a two-run homer. After striking out badly in his first two at-bats, Tim Fedroff had two hits and a walk in his next three ABs.

Urshela did have to leave the game after fouling a ball off his ankle area. After the game, he was limping a bit and had a bandage on it.

It was a nice comeback game for Clippers starter Zach McAllister, as he was just sent back to the minors after struggling mightily at the big league level. He allowed two runs on eight hits over seven innings. He struck out six. Tyler Sturdevant struck out two in his perfect eighth, while Frank Herrmann struck out one in a perfect ninth.

It was a game that could not end quick enough for the IronPigs.

June 12, 2014

Cervelli returns to Trenton for rehab

The highlight of last night’s Trenton Thunder game was supposed to be the rehab appearance by Francisco Cervelli. Instead, it was the Flying Squirrels offense, as Richmond pounded the Thunder 10-4.

Francisco Cervelli taking his lead off first base in a rehab game with Trenton on June 11, 2014 (Jen Nevius).

Cervelli started at a somewhat unfamiliar position, first base. After stretching, running some sprints, and having a catch with Mason Williams, Cervelli headed over to the line that had formed to sign some autographs. He signed every one. Granted, this wasn’t an Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, or Roger Clemens rehab-type crowd. But there was a good amount of people gathered and he even signed more than one card for those “binder people”.

Unfortunately, the weather was also a factor. It was more like early April then almost the middle of June. A mist like rain fell the entire game and the temps made you wish you had brought your winter coat and gloves (it was a hot chocolate kind of night).

The top of the first took about a half hour to play. So long that Richmond starer Jack Snodgrass went back down to the bullpen to warm up. The game was two hours old and it was only heading into the bottom of the second.

Richmond shortstop Matt Duffy drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single just two batters into the game (Tyler Graham singled on the first pitch and stole second on the next). After Mario Lisson walked, Thunder catcher Peter O’Brien tried to pick off Lisson at first base. Instead, the throw hit Lisson right in the head and ricocheted into the stands, allowing another run to score. Somehow, Thunder starter Graham Stoneburner recovered to only allow those two runs…in the first.

Snodgrass also struggled in the first. It was a bit shocking considering he was 6-0 with a sub 2.30 ERA. Four straight Thunder hitters reached base and Trenton led 3-2. Cervelli was one of those four, as he walked as the second batter of the inning.

The Thunder lead was short-lived, as the Flying Squirrels used power to push ahead. Catcher Eliezer Zambrano homered to lead off the 2nd inning. Just like in the big leagues, minor leaguers give the silent treatment to those hitting their first homers of the season, especially when it comes on June 11th.

Three batters later, Duffy blasted a two-run homer and Richmond led 5-3. Stoneburner settled in from there and ended up going five innings (as did Snodgrass).

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May 21, 2014

O’Brien homers again for Thunder

Tuesday night was my first time seeing Trenton Thunder DH Peter O’Brien step to the plate as a professional and he did not disappoint. Ranked second in the minors in home runs, he blasted the first offering he saw from Harrisburg starter Brad Meyers in the 3rd inning over the wall in dead center field for his seventh homer in ten games with the Thunder (and 17th overall).

It is not a great shot, but that’s Trenton’s Peter O’Brien during his home run trot (Jen Nevius).

That gave the Thunder a 4-0 and I knew right off the bat that it was gone, even if Senators centerfielder Michael Taylor kept drifting back, thinking he might have a chance to haul it in.

It wasn’t the only hard hit ball off Meyes last night, as he was battered for five runs on six hits in just three innings. The batter before O’Brien, catcher Gary Sanchez, hit a line drive off Meyers foot, but he still threw him out. He stayed in the game for the entire inning (in which he allowed two more runs), but did not return.

It was probably a good thing for the Senators, as James Simmons came out of the bullpen to throw five shutout innings. The only base runner to reach was O’Brien in the eighth when he singled to lead off the inning. Simmons struck out four.

Thunder starter Bryan Mitchell also only lasted three innings, as he also took a line drive off his foot. It came off the bat of Cutter Dykstra and Mitchell also threw him out at first. I will admit, the ball hit by Dyskstra was hit much harder and would have been a base hit up the middle.

It will be interesting to see if this current Thunder team takes off. Outside of a few pitchers and O’Brien and Rob Refsnyder, they have virtually the same team that won last season’s Eastern League title.

I can see why the Senators are the worst team in the Eastern League. They committed two errors last night that cost them two runs. They also left 12 men on base. Dykstra was up with the bases loaded twice last night. He struck out in the 5th inning and grounded into a force out to end the game.

May 19, 2014

Reading outlasts Bowie

On Cinco de Mayo, I made the trek to Reading and it was freezing. I, and the few who were in attendance, were all bundled up.

The following week I was in Wilmington, comfortably wearing a skirt with the temps in the 80s.

Last night, I was back in Reading. It was yet another chilly one. It might have been a bit better if it was a normal Sunday start time instead of 5pm. It is hard to believe that June is less than two weeks away.

Bowie’s Christian Walker against Reading on May 18, 2014.

The Bowie Baysox were in town and though Bowie is a few hours away, their first baseman Christian Walker had quite a few fans in attendance. Walker is from Limerick, PA and considers Reading to be “home-field advantage” for him.

Baysox starter Tyler Wilson was cruising through the Fightins order until the second time through. Then the offense came to life. Wilson had four of his strikeouts in the first two innings.

In the fourth, Reading scored all four of their runs. With the bases loaded and nobody out, right fielder Cameron Perkins ripped a bases clearing double to break the scoreless tie. Perkins is by far the Fightins best player. Perkins came around to score on Sebastian Valle‘s single.

The Bowie defense kept Reading at bay from there. Catcher Michael Ohlman threw a runner out trying to steal in the fifth. He threw another one out in the seventh. With a runner on third base and one out in the seventh, third baseman Niuman Romero threw a runner out at the plate on a ground ball. In the 8th inning, Garabez Rosa threw a runner out at the plate to end the inning on a fly ball to right field. Rosa threw a perfect strike to home plate from the middle of right field.

Bowie had plenty of chances to score, definitely more than the three runs that came across.

In the first they had runners on base but Romero was picked off first. They had runners at second and third base with two outs and did not score in the second. In the third, Walker walked with two outs, but was left stranded at first base. The 4th inning was the lone inning the Baysox did not have a base runner.

Fightins starter Hoby Milner got out of a 5th inning jam after walking two straight with one out. In the sixth, he was lifted after allowing back-to-back singles to start the inning.

Hector Neris entered and was nasty, at least to start. He struck out both Ohlman and former big leaguer David Adams. Neris was mixing in a hard fastball with a hard slider (I am guessing, but it had late dive). He then allowed an RBI single to Rose before getting a fly out to end the inning. Neris went back out to start the 7th inning and allowed two straight one out hits to score a run. Walker drove in the run with a double but was left stranded.

Reading’s Nefi Ogando against Bowie on May 18, 2014.

Ryan O’Sullivan entered in the 8th inning and allowed four hits, though only one run scored. Ohlman finally got a hit, but was thrown out by left fielder Zach Collier trying to stretch it into a double. It came back to haunt the Baysox as Adams followed with a double and came around to score on David Freitas‘ single. Sharlon Schoop then followed with a single to put runners on the corners, but Romero grounded out to end the threat. Without Ohlman getting thrown out, the Baysox would have at least tied the game at 4-4.

Instead, Bowie went to the ninth against Nefi Ogando, who throws 97-99 mph. Problem is, he has a hard time controlling it. With one out, Bowie had two runners on base. However, Ogando got Ohlman to fly out and struck out Adams to end it. Ogando completely blew away Adams.

*Adams was a very good hitter in the NY Yankees farm system and I never thought he would ever struggle with the bat. However, a call up to the big leagues last year was met with major offensive struggles and that has continued into this year (with his third team).

**Bowie’s lineup is filled with players hitting well over .300 (or at least close to it in Schoop’s case). Only Ohlman and Adams were struggling with the bat, hovering around .200. Romero was second in the Eastern League in hitting heading into the game.

April 19, 2014

Thunder beat Erie on a cold night

I know it is still just the middle of April, but boy it is still cold at night. Last night was really cold in Trenton, where the box score may say an attendance of over 3,000, but trust me, there was about 500 actually in the seats at Arm & Hammer Park.

The Thunder jumped all over Erie starter Kyle Ryan in the first inning. A leadoff single by Mason Williams got it all started. Tyler Austin and Gary Sanchez singled with one out (Sanchez drove in a run). With two outs, Rob Refsnyder and Dan Fiorito strung together back-to-back hits to drive in runs and the Thunder led 3-0.

Rookie & Derby did not seem to mind the cold.

Thunder starter Matt Tracy, who improved to 3-0, may have only allowed one hit. But he lasted just five innings because his control was bad. He walked five and his strike-to-ball ratio was terrible (though it got better late): 89 pitches, 53 strikes.

The 5th inning was Tracy’s undoing, as the Seawolves scored two runs. He walked the leadoff hitter, but got the next hitter to hit a comebacker. He bobbled it and barely got the out at first base. An error by the shortstop put runners at the corners. A wild pitch allowed the first run to score, though it scored when Sanchez threw the ball back to Tracy, who was not paying attention and it went over his head (or more like almost hit him in the head). A base hit allowed the second run to score, but the throw was on target and just missed by Sanchez (the catcher). Tracy then fell down trying to pick it up and walked pretty lazily after it.

The Thunder had another head-scratching play in the 8th inning when Erie scored their final run. With a runner on second base, reliever Taylor Garrison uncorked a pitch that Sanchez got down to block, but it went right between his legs. Instead of telling Sanchez where the ball was, Garrison just stood there. The runner on second came all the way around to score, as the ball went to the backstop.

Despite all the bone-head plays by the Thunder on defense, they still won the game.

April 4, 2014

Another cold opener in Trenton

Like most Opening Nights in Trenton, NJ, it was quite chilly. Add in the wind and rain, and it wasn’t the most delightful of nights. If you are a Thunder fan, the outcome did not favor you either.

What started out as honoring the 2013 Eastern League Champs ended with a romping at the hands of the visiting New Hampshire Fishercats by a 6-0 score.

NH Fishercats starter Aaron Sanchez on 2014 Opening Night in Trenton (Jen Nevius).

It looked as though it was going to be a prospect pitcher’s duel between the Fishercats’ Aaron Sanchez (who is the Toronto Blue Jays to prospect) against the Thunder’s Bryan Mitchell (the NY Yankees 21st prospect). Mitchell struck out two of the three batters he faced in the first and Sanchez quickly went through the Thunder’s first three batters.

Then the 2nd inning happened for Mitchell. His fastball was in the 91-95 mph range, but it was straight and hit hard. With one out and a man on base, Ryan Schimpf, the Fishercats 2013 home run leader, ripped a pitch off the wall in right field. If the wind wasn’t blowing, it would have been a rare homer to right field at Arm & Hammer Park. That put runners at second and third base for Kevin Nolan, who drove in the game’s first run with a single.

After a walk to Michael Crouse loaded the bases, Mitchell came back to record a strikeout. It may have been his best pitch sequence, as he went from 97 mph to and 82 mph pitch in the dirt for the strikeout. However, Kenny Wilson ripped a triple to clear the bases. Wilson showed off his speed, because he was right behind Crouse heading towards third base.

Four runs was more than enough for Sanchez, who topped out at 98 mph in the first. He recorded his first two strikeouts of the game in the second, the first was of the three pitch variety of Yankees top prospect Gary Sanchez.

Sanchez got into a little trouble in the third, as the Thunder got two base runners via a walk and a single by Mason Williams. However pitch number 36 of the game ended the inning with a K.

Sanchez lasted five innings and allowed just one hit and two walks. He struck out five. He looked very dominant throwing less than 75 pitches in his first start of the season.

The Fishercats bullpen was just as stingy, allowing just two hits over the final four innings. Casey Lawrence allowed one hit over two innings and Scott Gracey allowed one hit while striking out two to close out the win.

The Thunder bullpen was a little shaky, outside of Manny Barreda. He struck out four over two scoreless innings (he allowed one hit).