Tonight, I’m going to do something a little different. I won’t be doing the DFR on Friday and tomorrow, all 4 affiliates will be in action so I can’t do it then. What I’m going to do is, in honor of my Penguins being in a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals, I will award Three Stars to the players from each of the affiliates for tonight’s game.
Don’t worry, this is a one time thing. With all the draft information pouring in and with Memphis having the night off, I wanted to do something fun.
So, away we go….
- Star 1 – Pete Kozma. In a game the Springfield team trailed 3-2, Pete Kozma launched his 2nd HR of AA. It wasn’t just any homerun, though. Two years after being drafted over future HOF’er Rick Porcello, Kozma hit a bases-clearing, rally killing Grand Slam as part of a 6 run inning. But that’s not all! Also in the game, Kozma hit a double and triple, leaving himself like Rick Ankiel…a single short of the cycle. Nice job, Pete.
- Star 2 – Tony Cruz. While only going 1-for-4, Cruz kept the offense going with a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning. The Cardinals had runners at 2nd and 3rd, with a real chance of not getting either run in. With 1 out, Cruz got the flyball and cut the deficit to 1. Later, in the 5th inning, Cruz hit an RBI single which not only drove in the run but put himself in position to watch Pete’s Grand Slam while standing on a base.
- Star 3 – Pete Parise. After watching Brad Furnish walk 4 in 4 innings (giving up 4 ERs) and Eddie Degerman walk 2 in 2 innings (giving up 1 ER), Parise gets the 3rd Star because despite giving up an earned run of his own, he did not walk anyone in his 2 innings of work. He would get the hold, while Francisco Samuel would come on for his 14th save.
- Star 1 – Adron Chambers. As leadoff hitter, Chambers went 3-for-6, hitting 1 of Palm Beach’s 2 doubles (Blake Murphy). Chambers had an RBI.
- Star 2 – Jose Garcia. In a tied game in the Top of the 9th, Garcia hit an RBI single, driving in Domnit Bolivar. Garcia was 2-for-5 on the day, with a stolen base. For Garcia’s heroics, he earns the 2nd star.
- Star 3 – Samuel Freeman. After Casey Mulligan blew a 3-1 lead in the 7th inning, Freeman came on to pitch 2 scoreless innings for the win. Freeman struck out 3 and only walked 1, a better ratio than the starter Richard Castillo had in his 5.2 innings of 1 run ball. Castillo walked 4 and struckout 4.
- Star 1 – Jared Bogany. On a night of offensive ineptitude, Bogany was the lone bright spot. Going 3-for-4, Bogany drove in 1 of Quad Cities 2 runs.
- Star 2 – Jason Buursma. Buursma pitched a perfect innings, striking out 1. He came into a game that featured Arquimedes Nieto giving up 7 runs (6 ER) in only 4 innings.
- Star 3 – Andres Rosales. Rosales wasn’t perfect, giving up a hit and a run in his 3 innings but he did tally the high number in strikeouts with 4. That 1 run and 1 hit came in a packaged deal as he was tagged for a HR in the 5th inning.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this twist on the DFR. Tomorrow, we will return to your normally scheduled bullet point wrap-ups. A little less Don Cherry and a little more Don Tony!
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Both the B boys in QC intrigue me, Buursma especially. Would love to have a side winder in the bullpen in a couple years.
Let me get this straight, HL. You root for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Cleveland Cavs, the St. Louis Cardinals…who’s your NFL team?
Dallas? Cincinnati?
Redskins. I was born in Southern Illinois. Lived in the general DC area for years and have spent the last 15 years living in the greater Pittsburgh area.
I think he lives in Pittsburgh, and OH isn’t that far away to choose the Cavs. He is probably a Steelers fan though :)
Also live in Western PA, long time Card fan though (thank to the Wizard and KMOX) and also big Penguins fan. It’s a long shot for them in game 7 at Detroit but at least it’s been an awesome ride. I still want someone to lay Hossa out every time he’s on ice though…
Fantastic to read that about Kozma. Maybe more surprising was that there were no errors. Good for him.
Frequent reader, seldom poster…. was at the AA game in Tulsa last night, and it was great to be able to watch he Cards and know who was who, what they were known for, etc. Thanks so much to Erik and the crew here for keeping us posted on all things minor league! As Brad Furnish walked to the mound, I was prepared for his wildness. I was able to see “DJ Tools” in action. I now have seen the wonder we know as Steve Hill, and my 6 year old daughter made it through 7 1/2 innings. A good night for all.
As for the game, Henley’s compact stroke was as advertised, as he had a lot of hard hit balls last night. Descalso made a couple of really good plays at second, and Kozma hit like he belonged, at least for a night. We sat above his family & friends, and it was neat to see him do some things to get them up and going crazy. No one wants to stink in front of the fam…..
It’s gonna suck when my Red Wings win game 7 against the Pens for back-to-back titles against them. That’s gotta hurt.
Last nite was my first look at both Bogany and Buursma and was pretty impressed with both. Bogany just looks like an athlete and carries himself well. I know that’s a bit cryptic, but he just looks like a player. As far as Buursma I was sitting along the left field line and couldn’t get a real good look at his pitches but was impressed with the results.
HL – Being a diehard Blues fan, I love this format…and if you’d add a “notables” section with a few sentences of running text (akin to Derrick Goold’s summaries at the Post), I think most of the readers here would welcome it as a day to day DFR format. Also, being the aforementioned Blues fan and frequent observer of Detroit hockey, I sincerely hope you guys have them blowing snot bubbles tonight and have Malkin/Crosby and Co. lifting the cup.
niko went 0 for 2 but did draw another walk…little victories
@HL – I do seem to remember you being a Skins fan now. I am also a pseudo Skins fan and will root for them over any other team. I became a fan because StL didn’t have a team at the time and my dad lives near DC so I chose his team. Now I have a limited connection with the Rams just from hearing about them daily and a growing connection with the Bears through my in-laws. But the Skins are still my team even if I don’t follow football to even know any players they have anymore. Baseball is my passion during the summer and college BBall during the winter other than that I don’t care that much about sports.
Steve- you and I share the same teams- and the same name too! I’m local to St. Louis but grew up in the 70′s and adopted all of the Pittsburgh teams when I became a die-hard Steelers fan.
Let’s beat those Red Wings and Hossa!
It’s great to see Kozma have some success. He needs it.
Represent, HL. I’m a Chicagoan and a fan of the Cardinals, Packers, Magic, and Pacers.
That Bogany kid intrigues me. Wasn’t there a FR writeup on him some time ago?