Memphis gets rocked but a big night for the Quad Cities hitters.
- While Memphis lost horribly, it was a really good night for Ryan Jackson. The shortstop went 3-for-4 with a double and his first HR of the season raising his average .050 points. I do enjoy the massive fluctuation of early season stats.
- Memphis failed to draw a single walk during the game.
- Shelby Miller was hammered for 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 5 IP. He gave up 2 gopher balls while striking out 6.
- Adam Reifer was likewise shelled for 3 ER on 5 hits in 1 inning of work.
- The two lefty relievers, Nick Greenwood and R.J. Swindle, managed to work a scoreless frame apiece.
- Sandwiched between them was a Maikel Cleto fiasco in which he struck out the side but was saddled with 4 runs on 3 hits including a HR. If you’re looking for that fourth baserunner that scored, a Zack Cox* error to start the inning allowed a baserunner on.
- One of Miller’s two home runs and the Cleto home run were both from former top Mets prospect Fernando Martinez, now with Houston’s organization.
- It was a rough night for Memphis’ top hitting prospects as well with Matt Adams going 1-for-4 and Cox 0-for-3.
- Jose Garcia was 3-for-5.
- Kolten Wong was 2-for-3 with a walk.
- Oscar Taveras was 3-for-5 with a triple.
- Greg Garcia was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
- Rainel Rosario went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks.
- Springfield out hit Frisco 14 to 9 and both team drew 4 walks.
- Trevor Rosenthal had a rough outing walking 4 in 4.2 innings and allowing 4 hits. He was responsible for 6 runs and he struck out 4.
- Scott Schneider, former starting pitcher, allowed 2 hits and 2 earned runs in 1IP.
- Jorge Rondon pitched a perfect frame.
- Alan Ahmady was 2-for-4.
- Mike O’Neill was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Carlos Martinez had a very good outing striking out 8 over 6 innings of work. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits. The one black mark on the start was the 3 walks.
- Iden Nazario pitched a perfect 9th striking out 2.
- Garrett Wittels was 2-for-5 with a double.
- Anthony Garcia was 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Colin Walsh was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a triple.
- David Medina was 1-for-4 with a HR.
- Tyler Rahmatulla was 2-for-3 with a walk.
- Despite Walsh’s big night, he was outdone by another position player at the plate: catcher Juan Castillo. Castillo went a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs.
- Todd McInnis was solid for 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5 but more impressively had 13 groundouts on the night.
- Robert Stock allowed 3 hits over 1.1 IP. He walked 1 and struck out 1 while accumulating 2 ER.
- Danny Miranda finished off the last two batters striking out 1 but not before allowing 1 walk and 2 hits.
*I’m going to apologize in advance. I will at some point in the season spell Zack Cox‘s first name “Zach”. As much as I’ve tried to retrain my fingers, I’ve been unsuccessful in the endeavor. Please don’t pillory me when it happens; I’m aware of the issue.
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Millers game was an improvement on last start. He scattered 2 hits in the first 3 innings. In the 4th he gave up a solo HR. In the 5th with 2 outs,he gave up a hit, stolen base, another single and then the HR to a top prospect who hit a grand slam later in the game.
Springfield box score is still busted, but a little help to AZ: Taveras and Wong continue to hit (both reached base their first two times up), although something weird happened on a fielding play that Taveras made, according to MiLB.com — sounds like an umpiring screwup, not so much a missed call as the absence of a call one way or the other. That was followed by an error that did damage. Not clear whether Taveras goofed in the field or it was something else on the error, but MiLB described the game as “odd.”
Rosenthal gave up quite a few runs. Insufficient info at this point to judge how and why. Looking forward to your update in the morning, AZ.
Here is Springfield Box score. http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t440&t=g_box&gid=2012_04_13_spraax_friaax_1
I know something about Rosenthals night. From the beginning he was having command issues with his fastball despite hitting 98 a few times. In the first he started off the game giving up a single. He hung a curveball to prospect Mike Olt who hit a HR. The announcers mentioned that he got it up in the jet stream. Was it a shot, no clue but mentioning jetsteam may indicte he wasn’t a blast. No issue really. He pitched well again until the 4th where he gave up a single, but then committed the cardinal sin of walking a hitter after a single. He then walked another hitter. Bases loaded 0 outs. He got a sac fly to Taveras were 2 runs scored. I thought at the time they only had Rosenthal with 3 earned runs at that point which tells me that Taveras may have thrown home for the play at the plate and overthrew the catcher? Just as likely is him trying to catch a guy tagging at 2nd and committed a throwing error that allowed the second guy to score.
After that we know that he eventually went 4 and 2/3rds innings with 6 runs 4 walks and 4K’s. That means he got out of that inning but didn’t get out of the next inning. Lesson learned don’t walk batters. After giving up a leadoff single the very WORST thing you can do is walk the next guy. That’s how big inning happen. I rather give up a single and then a double and have a guy on 2nd and 0 outs than walk the second guy.
Ok looks like he got a DP after Taveras’s throwing error in the 4th no extra harm done. 5th inning with the top of the line up again he gave up a single, walk, BALK and then a sacrifice to score the run. 2 outs at that point he was replaced by Thomas who gave up a single who scored the final run and it was credited to Rosenthal.
Call me crazy but I think pitchers should be able to finish there own innings. If someone is taken out of the game and they already have 2 outs in the inning it should be assumed that no more runs wills core that inning and if they do they should be credited to the pitcher who didn’t get the third out of the inning. If there are less than 2 outs then its understandable if some of the inherited runners score.
Not very concerned about their ERA’s at this point. They aren’t good enough to chisel them down by their own right then whack away. A pretty poor job of pitching tonight for Rosie suggesting that he may have been prematurely promoted to AA. I suspect he’ll get the hang of it after a while but may have to take his lumps for a while.
Glad they left Martinez down in high A until he works out his control.
Miller will also have to take some lumps before he settles in at AAA. Our boys should look a little better later in the season. Right now, they’re very beatable.
I woudln’t say that Rosie was prematurely promoted. Last start he pitched 4 innings only giving up 1 earned run. The other as a result of his own error. Today facing the same team he didn’t have his control. He hung a curveball to a very good prospect and walked way too many people. I don’t think he suddenly lost his control. I just thinkhe had an off night, not an indication of his ability to get out AA hitters.
Rosie is fine. Based on the broadcast, I believe he was a victim of a small strike zone and he has to learn to get his command pinpoint when such days like this occur. Any good hitter will light up with a shoebox zone. There were things to be upset about – not backing up home on an overthrow from CF and not being ready for a pick-off at 2nd that resulted in a “flinch” balk. From the live description I listened to (Springfield has a great broadcaster by the way), the only pitch he really missed with was the hung curveball and the wind was blowing out – whether it would have still gone out, I have no idea. All of his other pitches missed down or “just missed”. He did benefit from some line-outs, but again, liners aren’t unexpected with a small strike zone. 2 of his 4 hits were groundballs. AA hitters are definitely not too much for him.
Miller and Rosenthal are both in leagues (for beginning of season) that they probably don’t belong in. The young factor for pitchers is much different than the young factor for hitters, especially those drafted out of HS. Gast and Kelly may not be as talented but they went to big college programs first, that makes a huge difference. Rosenthal is more mature than Shelby because of JUCO but that shouldn’t be a reason to move him forward so quickly. That’s just my opinion.
Why should a pitcher not be able to finish his innings? Obviously he was tired, leaving a pitcher in when tired could be the biggest cause of injury. If he continues to throw at that velocity frequently he will be tired more often that’s why those that throw high heat go to the pen.
I made a mistake last week that Rosenthal threw too many pitches in his first inning, but I will not go against what I say that they are trying to push them too quickly, and there is a reason why Shelby is with older guys. There also is a reason why they (Cardinals) seldom drafted HS players in the first round. There is a reason why most teams do not push their youngsters past high A so quickly, but they do in PB because of the free and easy lifestyle.
Don’t try to sugar coat it because they both had bad outings, you can’t blame errors and others mistakes, it happens a lot to most pitchers, and they don’t make excuses so don’t for them. I hope it doesn’t get into their heads, the season has just begun.
The Texas league is a hitters league, it is going to get tougher, especially when you see teams as often as they do, the hitters are incredibly smart, that is why they are there.
Trust me, I am in their corner.
You may be in ther corner and that is great, but you keep saying things that just aren’t true. First of all, I’m not making any excuses. I simply stated facts that were also confirmed by someone at the game that wasn’t agent or family. I did find out the HR Rosenthal gave up was blasted wind aided or not. Rosenthal struck out his last batter on 4-5 pitches with the last pitch registering 95. You can say he was tired after 83 pitches if you want, but that is just supposition on your part. Striking a hitter out on minimum pitches at 95 doesn’t sound tired to me. I don’t know where you get this from. AA hitters are not too much for Rosenthal. He has given up less than one hit an inning. His “control” was off this game, however, that is not a “leveL he is pitching at” issue. The umpire was squeezing both starters. That was stated by the broadcaster and someone at the game. Rosenthal has given up 2 dingers – one to a major leaguer and the other on a hanging curveball. Rosenthal dominated the Frisco line-up in Springfield and he had a stretch in this last game where he retired 8 in a row and struck out 3 in a row. You are welcome to believe whatever you please, but there aren’t many facts to back up your position.
Taveras had a nice night with 3 hits including a 2 run triple. He and Wong are pretty much doing what they should at this level.
Matt Adams had what might be considered a down night for him going only 1 for 4. Ha.
Completely agree. Both are legit studs. Wong will get promoted this year to AAA, and I’m not so sure the chances of it happening aren’t 100%. I still think Taveras stays in Springfield – not because of his hitting, but to refine his defense. I think we would all love for this kid to be a CF, that will take time.
I don’t want to see Taveras in CF…CF’ers get to banged up…ie Ankiel, Beltran etc…I would vote for a corner spot or how bout teaching him 1B ? If he is athletic enough and can be a plus defender at 1B with a terrific bat he may have a longer shelf life down the road.
Gotta disagree, blazer. Maybe I can convince you otherwise.;)
Matt Adams, who’s done nothing but clobber the ball as a pro, and is hitting .400 with power so far in AAA, is the 1B of the future. (The organization briefly considered a corner OF slot for Matt The Bat, but that’s now a non-starter.)
So that leaves the outfield for O.T.; left is taken by Holliday for the next half-decade. And Allen Craig is your RF for at least the next 3-4 years, when healthy, we can probably agree.
Then we have centerfield, where Jon Jay is good enough to have some trade value, but no discernible “star potential.” Kind of a Coco Crisp-type, I’d say. Jay strikes me as the kind of guy who’s really valuable pre-arb, but with his arbitration years approaching, J.J.’s value begins to ebb.
If Taveras can handle center, he could be an .880-.920 OPS guy at an up-the-middle position by 2015…if not sooner. And that’s a 5+ win player.
Its simple – CF’s are more valuable than Corner OF’s or 1B’s from a position eligibility. Not sure what you are implying with CF’s getting banged up. They have to cover more ground (and are expected to) but you can get banged up at any position. I would never put Taveras at 1B if he is very capable or at least playing RF if not CF (which I wouldn’t count him out yet at CF). Can’t even follow the logic…
You have to have a pretty special bat to be a big time 1st base prospect, i dont think taveras has that bat.
How long until Stock doesn’t get any leeway on his poor pitching performances?
2-3 years from now probably. Seems like he has a pretty good excuse to be rusty (also, all his runs were given up by Miranda)
This is kind of interesting:
According to BA, Miller is the 4th-youngest player in the PCL. (Mike Trout is the youngest; he’s 10 months younger than Shelby.)
OT is the second-youngest in the Texas League; he turns 20 in June. (Jurickson Profar is 8 months younger.) Wong is the 10th-youngest. This is his age-21 season.
Martinez is the 10th-youngest in the FSL, even though he’s repeating the league.
No huge surprises, but maybe it puts Miller’s poor start last night in context. The other three all had big games on Friday, which is perhaps even more impressive, given that they’re among the youngest in their leagues. I forget that Wong is the age of most of the college juniors who’ll get drafted 2 months from now.
One coincidence I think is interesting is that Wong and Miller share the same birthday (10/10/90)
Anyone know why Wong was pulled for a PH? Seems odd, and I wanted to see if there were any injury concerns.
Zach Cox, as usual, taking his time to adjust to his new level.
Colton Wong, “Adjustment period? I don’t need no stinkin’ adjustment period.”
In defense of pitchers, they need run support, they can’t do it all themselves.
Wonder how long the Cleto experiment is going to last? He’s another one they have rushed out where they should be.
My opinion.
Big night for Greg Garcia and Juan Castillo. I remember a couple of posters being high on Castillo last season. They mentioned he would stick as a strong defensive catcher, and had potential at the plate. The only other info I can find on him is that he tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a synthetic anabolic steroid. http://www.kffl.com/player/20612/MLB
Has anyone had the chance to see Garcia play shortstop? I’m curious if he has the potential to make it as a utility player with solid tools across the board, sans power.
another 2 hit game for wong, ho hum….he’s had 5 multiple hit games in 8 games..just dominating Texas League pitchers