My son and I took in the G-Stros game last night. Greeneville lose in 10 innings but we had to leave after 7 1/2 because alas it is a school night. Despite the loss, the G-Stros clinched a playoff spot by virtue of Elizabethton losing their game. Here are my observations from the game:
On The Mound
Luis Ordosgoitti took the ball to start the game. He went five innings giving up four hits, two runs (only one was earned), one walk and one hit batter. He struck out three. Ordosgoitti threw pretty well. There were times his curve was very sharp and other times it didn't break. The one hit batter was on a curve that didn't break. Yet overall, his control was pretty good. He only went to three balls on one batter. It was the one batter he walked.
Kevin Ferguson relieved Ordosgoitti in the sixth and pitched three innings. He was effective allowing just one hit. He only used 35 pitches in his three innings of work.
At The Plate
Here are my observations from the seven innings I saw.
Edwin Gomez is living right. He hit two balls right at people that resulted in errors. Both were with two outs and allowed a run to score. The first was a line drive to right center that bounced off the right fielders glove and the was a hard hit ground ball that ate up the second baseman.
Thomas Lindauer had the at bat of the night in my opinion. Leading off the fifth inning, he got in to an 0-2 hole. He then batted to extend the at bat to 11 pitches before reaching on an E6. He went to second on a wild pitch and scored on the E9. Lindauer also lead off the seventh with a single and scored the other Greeneville run.
Chase McDonald had a single and a double in the game.
Wallace Gonzalez was really struggling. In his first three at bats, he struck out swinging each time on a combined 10 pitches. The catcher was setting up outside on every pitch and Gonzalez couldn't reach them.
Brett Phillips is still shaking some rust off from his injury time. He also struck out in each of his first two at bats.
In The Field
Phillips shows no rust in center. He gets great jumps on balls hit to center and shows good range as well.
Juan Santana was a vacuum at second base. He had eight assist and one caught pop in the first eight innings. One ground out was a rare 4-1 put out. The pop out was a catch made near the right field line behind first.
Chase McDonald made two nice saves of throws that were off line from third.
Showing posts with label Game Report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game Report. Show all posts
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Eyewitness Report: 8/26/13 Greeneville 3 - Bluefield 2
Sorry for the delayed nature of this report. This is the first time I have had to really sit down and focus on what I saw last night. With school back in session, we didn't stay for the last two innings and thus missed the walk off grounder. Let's look at my observations for the first seven innings.
In The Stands:
It was good to see Astros GM Jeff Luhnow in the stands for the game.
On The Mound:
Frederick Tiburcio pitched 5 2/3 innings of good ball. In the first five innings, he had just allowed three base runners and had thrown just 66 pitches (unofficial count). In the fifth, he got the first out on a 1-3 come backer. He then walked his first and only batter of the night. That runner stole second and then advanced to third on a pick of throw that ended in center field. He struck out the next batter before allowing a single that plated the first run. The base runner advanced around the bases on stole bases. The final batter Tiburcio faced hit a gound ball to short that Chase McDonald smothered with a dive but he couldn't recover to get to the base him self and Tiburcio didn't get over in time to cover and the runner was safe and the tying run scored.
Tiburcio finished with 84 pitches unofficially. He struck out six batters. Two of those were strike outs at balls in the dirt that required the catcher to throw down to first. His control was pretty good. Other than the one walk, he didn't go to three balls and any other batter.
Austin Chrismon finished the sixth on one pitch and then pitched the last three innings.
At The Plate:
First of all, it was nice to see Brett Phillips back in the line up. He reached base three times with a double and a pair of walks. He also had a sac bunt.
Tanner Mathis had two singles in the lead off role. He too had a sac bunt.
Thomas Lindauer had two singles and also walked. He scored two runs.
No Astro was credited with an RBI. The first run scored on a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded. The second run scored when the ball squirted away from the Bluefield shortstop for an error. The final run scored when it looked like Brian Holberton had grounded into his third double play but the short stop threw the ball away allowing the winning run to score. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.
In The Field:
There were several nice plays made in the field last night. Tiburcio made a behind the back snag of a sharp grounder (ala Jordan Lyles) in the second inning.
Marc Wik made a nice running catch in right field to end the fourth.
Brett Phillips patrolled center and was effective in his return to action.
The Astros struggled with the team speed of Bluefield. Bluefield had four stolen bases in five attempts. They also advanced a base on a blown pick off move.
Odd Game Delay
The start of the game was delayed because the batters boxes were not lined up correctly. They had to scrape the lines up and start over.
In The Stands:
It was good to see Astros GM Jeff Luhnow in the stands for the game.
On The Mound:
Frederick Tiburcio pitched 5 2/3 innings of good ball. In the first five innings, he had just allowed three base runners and had thrown just 66 pitches (unofficial count). In the fifth, he got the first out on a 1-3 come backer. He then walked his first and only batter of the night. That runner stole second and then advanced to third on a pick of throw that ended in center field. He struck out the next batter before allowing a single that plated the first run. The base runner advanced around the bases on stole bases. The final batter Tiburcio faced hit a gound ball to short that Chase McDonald smothered with a dive but he couldn't recover to get to the base him self and Tiburcio didn't get over in time to cover and the runner was safe and the tying run scored.
Tiburcio finished with 84 pitches unofficially. He struck out six batters. Two of those were strike outs at balls in the dirt that required the catcher to throw down to first. His control was pretty good. Other than the one walk, he didn't go to three balls and any other batter.
Austin Chrismon finished the sixth on one pitch and then pitched the last three innings.
At The Plate:
First of all, it was nice to see Brett Phillips back in the line up. He reached base three times with a double and a pair of walks. He also had a sac bunt.
Tanner Mathis had two singles in the lead off role. He too had a sac bunt.
Thomas Lindauer had two singles and also walked. He scored two runs.
No Astro was credited with an RBI. The first run scored on a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded. The second run scored when the ball squirted away from the Bluefield shortstop for an error. The final run scored when it looked like Brian Holberton had grounded into his third double play but the short stop threw the ball away allowing the winning run to score. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.
In The Field:
There were several nice plays made in the field last night. Tiburcio made a behind the back snag of a sharp grounder (ala Jordan Lyles) in the second inning.
Marc Wik made a nice running catch in right field to end the fourth.
Brett Phillips patrolled center and was effective in his return to action.
The Astros struggled with the team speed of Bluefield. Bluefield had four stolen bases in five attempts. They also advanced a base on a blown pick off move.
Odd Game Delay
The start of the game was delayed because the batters boxes were not lined up correctly. They had to scrape the lines up and start over.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Eyewitness Report: 8/4/13 G-Stros 17, K-Mets 1
It only counts as one win in the standings but it was a solid statement. Greeneville stretched its two game lead to three with an all around dominate performance. Here are the highlights:
The night got off to a good night when Little Appy and I got our Jose Altuve give away t-shirts when we walked in the gate.
On The Mound
When a team scores 17 runs in a game, it can be tempting to overlook the pitching but that would be a mistake. Jordan Mills started the game for the G-Stros and pitched five solid innings facing just one batter over the minimum. His line read: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K.
Unofficially, I had him at 58 pitches with 43 of them for strikes! Of the seven strikeouts, five were swinging and two were looking. The two hits were both doubles. One was a ball that bounded over third baseman Tyler White down the left field line. The other was another ball down the left field line.
Austin Chrismon relieved Mills and pitched the next three innings. The first pitch he delivered was deposited over the wall for a solo HR. After that, he settled down allowing just one more hit. He struck out three and walked one. He threw several very nice curves on the night.
Tyler Brunnemann finished off the game with a rather eventful ninth. After striking out the first batter, he walked the next batter on four pitches. He the gave up a double down the right field line that luckily went under the gate for a ground rule double. Otherwise it is a run scoring triple. He walked the next batter on a full count pitch to load the bases before getting a visit from the pitching coach. The very next pitch went for a 4-6-3 double play to wrap up the game.
At The Plate
15 hits. 6 BB. 1 HBP and 1 reached on a drop third strike. That is 23 base runners on the night and 17 scored. The team was 7-10 with runners in scoring position. Every Astro who played scored a run. Even Angle Ibanez who struck out in his only at bat. He reached when the third strike got by the catcher and he reached first safely. It was just one of those nights.
Marc Wik went 4 for 5 with three singles and a bases clearing stand up triple to the gap in right center. Wik scored three runs on the night to lead the team.
Tyler White was 2 for 4 with a two run homer before leaving the game in the seventh.
Chase McDonald went 3 for 4 - all singles - plus a walk. The one time he got out required a nice play by the shortstop. McDonald hit the ball toward left field. The SS dove to his right and threw from his knees to nab McDonald or he perfect night.
Juan Santana only had one hit but it was a big hit. A three run HR to left field. He also had a sac fly to plate the final run of the game.
Ariel Ovando went 2 for 4 on the night and led the team with five RBI. He had three run HR to RF that got out in a hurry. He latter had a hustle double on a ball hit in shallow center. He rounded first and realized that both the shortstop and the second baseman had gone out to try to catch the ball and 2nd was unattended. He cruised in for a stand up double on a ball that was just out of the reach of the second baseman. He later walked in the game with the bases loaded for his final RBI of the night.
Brian Holberton was 2 for 4 with both of his hits coming in the seven run third inning. He lead off the inning with a single to left and then added a double down the right field line later in the inning. He added a walk in the ninth.
The game was out of hand in the ninth but the K-Mets couldn't get the Astros out so they resorted to bringing in their closer who got a double play ball with the bases loaded to put an end to the massacre.
In The Field
Tyler White made several nice plays at third. He made a leaping grab of a line drive and a nice play ranging to his left in the third. He added another good play to his left in the fourth. He also applied a tag to catch a runner attempting stealing third in the first. The runner was out by two feet thanks to a great throw by Brian Holberton.
The other play I have circled in my score book as a 3-6-1 double play to end the seventh. First baseman McDonald fielded the ball moving to his right. He made the throw to the SS Thomas Lindauer who threw back to pitcher Austin Chrismon covering first. Just like you work on in in PFPs.
The one error of the night was charged to Lindauer on a ball that was hit up the middle. He got to the ball in time but couldn't field it cleanly to make the throw. It would have been a very nice play had he pulled it off. He made a similar play later in the game.
The night got off to a good night when Little Appy and I got our Jose Altuve give away t-shirts when we walked in the gate.
On The Mound
When a team scores 17 runs in a game, it can be tempting to overlook the pitching but that would be a mistake. Jordan Mills started the game for the G-Stros and pitched five solid innings facing just one batter over the minimum. His line read: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K.
Unofficially, I had him at 58 pitches with 43 of them for strikes! Of the seven strikeouts, five were swinging and two were looking. The two hits were both doubles. One was a ball that bounded over third baseman Tyler White down the left field line. The other was another ball down the left field line.
Austin Chrismon relieved Mills and pitched the next three innings. The first pitch he delivered was deposited over the wall for a solo HR. After that, he settled down allowing just one more hit. He struck out three and walked one. He threw several very nice curves on the night.
Tyler Brunnemann finished off the game with a rather eventful ninth. After striking out the first batter, he walked the next batter on four pitches. He the gave up a double down the right field line that luckily went under the gate for a ground rule double. Otherwise it is a run scoring triple. He walked the next batter on a full count pitch to load the bases before getting a visit from the pitching coach. The very next pitch went for a 4-6-3 double play to wrap up the game.
At The Plate
15 hits. 6 BB. 1 HBP and 1 reached on a drop third strike. That is 23 base runners on the night and 17 scored. The team was 7-10 with runners in scoring position. Every Astro who played scored a run. Even Angle Ibanez who struck out in his only at bat. He reached when the third strike got by the catcher and he reached first safely. It was just one of those nights.
Marc Wik went 4 for 5 with three singles and a bases clearing stand up triple to the gap in right center. Wik scored three runs on the night to lead the team.
Tyler White was 2 for 4 with a two run homer before leaving the game in the seventh.
Chase McDonald went 3 for 4 - all singles - plus a walk. The one time he got out required a nice play by the shortstop. McDonald hit the ball toward left field. The SS dove to his right and threw from his knees to nab McDonald or he perfect night.
Juan Santana only had one hit but it was a big hit. A three run HR to left field. He also had a sac fly to plate the final run of the game.
Ariel Ovando went 2 for 4 on the night and led the team with five RBI. He had three run HR to RF that got out in a hurry. He latter had a hustle double on a ball hit in shallow center. He rounded first and realized that both the shortstop and the second baseman had gone out to try to catch the ball and 2nd was unattended. He cruised in for a stand up double on a ball that was just out of the reach of the second baseman. He later walked in the game with the bases loaded for his final RBI of the night.
Brian Holberton was 2 for 4 with both of his hits coming in the seven run third inning. He lead off the inning with a single to left and then added a double down the right field line later in the inning. He added a walk in the ninth.
The game was out of hand in the ninth but the K-Mets couldn't get the Astros out so they resorted to bringing in their closer who got a double play ball with the bases loaded to put an end to the massacre.
In The Field
Tyler White made several nice plays at third. He made a leaping grab of a line drive and a nice play ranging to his left in the third. He added another good play to his left in the fourth. He also applied a tag to catch a runner attempting stealing third in the first. The runner was out by two feet thanks to a great throw by Brian Holberton.
The other play I have circled in my score book as a 3-6-1 double play to end the seventh. First baseman McDonald fielded the ball moving to his right. He made the throw to the SS Thomas Lindauer who threw back to pitcher Austin Chrismon covering first. Just like you work on in in PFPs.
The one error of the night was charged to Lindauer on a ball that was hit up the middle. He got to the ball in time but couldn't field it cleanly to make the throw. It would have been a very nice play had he pulled it off. He made a similar play later in the game.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Eyewitness Report: 7/28/13 Greeneville 10 - Pulaski 1 - How A Pitchers Duel Turned Into A Blow Out
When you get to the game and the starters ERAs are 1.83 and 1.59 respectively, you settle in for a pitchers duel. That is how the game played out for the first five innings. But then Greeneville's bats exploded for 10 runs in their last three at bats to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 10-1 victory. Here are more observations from the game.
On The Mound
Jandel Gustave only allowed one hit in six innings but he walked six batters. The walks came in pairs, with two each in the first, third and fifth innings. He wasn't wild, just missing by little bits. I had his pitch count at 75 with only 35 for strikes. Despite his control issues, he still fanned four batter and only allowed one of his walks to score. He left after five innings down 1-0.
Chris Munnelly made his Greeneville debut pitching two innings of no hit, shut out ball. He struck out two hitters and walked one. The only other runner reached on an error when the ball was knocked out of a glove on a tag play at first. Munnelly's curve ball appeared to be his best pitch tonight.
Krishawn Holley closed out the game with an effective inning, allowing just one hit.
It was quite an outing from the pitching staff.
At The Plate
The Astros bats were kept in check for the first five innings. Pulaski starter, Eddie Campbell, used effective location of multiple pitches.
In the first five innings, the Astros batters were 3 for 15 with one walk and five strike outs.
In the final three at bats, the G-Stros batters were 11 for 18 with three walks, four strike outs and 10 runs scored - all earned.
Chase McDonald reached base in each of his four plate appearances. He had a single, a double, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.
Brian Holberton hit his first HR at Pioneer Park; a two run blast in the sixth that gave Greeneville the lead 2-1. He also singled and scored in the 8th.
Brett Phillips laid down one of the sweetest bunt hits I have seen for one of his two singles on the night. Phillips pushed a bunt past the pitchers out stretched glove and no play at first was made. He later scored two runs after reaching via a walk and single.
Three other G-Stros had two hits. Tanner Mathis and Thomas Lindauer both produced a single and a double and Juan Santana had two singles.
Only Edwin Gomez didn't join the hit parade for Greeneville. He went 0 for 4 with 4 Ks. The part of that that concerned me was that he only saw 13 pitches on the night. The first pitch he saw of the night was a ball, after that it was twelve straight strikes and four straight Ks. Obviously something is wrong there.
In The Field
Mathis gets the Oscar for selling a sliding short hop grab as a catch in the second inning. From my vantage point, it appeared the ball bounced into his glove. The Pulaski manager and bench agreed with me. But Mathis raised his glove high and the home plate ump signaled out.
Lindauer started a nice 6-4-3 double play in the fifth inning. The ball was hit to his right. He ranged over, grabbed the ball and threw across his body to start the double play. Juan Santana made a nice quick turn to complete the twin killing.
The other nice play was made by McDonald at first on a high pop fly in foul territory. He adjusted to the ball at the last minute making a lunge to his right to secure the ball to end the sixth inning.
The only error of the game was charged to McDonald. He was playing in anticipating a bunt from the speedy Aaron Barbosa. Barbosa didn't bunt. He chopped a ball down the first baseline that McDonald had to retreat to retrieve. When he did, Munnelly had not made it in time to cover first. McDonald made an attempt to tag Barbosa before he reached the bag safely but the ball was knocked out of McDonalds glove during the attempt. Heck of an effort but charged with the error none the less.
Overall
Nice team win for the G-Stros. The pitching was very good, the offense produced late in the game and the defense was solid. They end the series against a very good Pulaski team two games in front of the streaking Kingsport Mets. They start a three game series against the Burlington Royals (17-19) tomorrow.
On The Mound
Jandel Gustave only allowed one hit in six innings but he walked six batters. The walks came in pairs, with two each in the first, third and fifth innings. He wasn't wild, just missing by little bits. I had his pitch count at 75 with only 35 for strikes. Despite his control issues, he still fanned four batter and only allowed one of his walks to score. He left after five innings down 1-0.
Chris Munnelly made his Greeneville debut pitching two innings of no hit, shut out ball. He struck out two hitters and walked one. The only other runner reached on an error when the ball was knocked out of a glove on a tag play at first. Munnelly's curve ball appeared to be his best pitch tonight.
Krishawn Holley closed out the game with an effective inning, allowing just one hit.
It was quite an outing from the pitching staff.
At The Plate
The Astros bats were kept in check for the first five innings. Pulaski starter, Eddie Campbell, used effective location of multiple pitches.
In the first five innings, the Astros batters were 3 for 15 with one walk and five strike outs.
In the final three at bats, the G-Stros batters were 11 for 18 with three walks, four strike outs and 10 runs scored - all earned.
Chase McDonald reached base in each of his four plate appearances. He had a single, a double, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.
Brian Holberton hit his first HR at Pioneer Park; a two run blast in the sixth that gave Greeneville the lead 2-1. He also singled and scored in the 8th.
Brett Phillips laid down one of the sweetest bunt hits I have seen for one of his two singles on the night. Phillips pushed a bunt past the pitchers out stretched glove and no play at first was made. He later scored two runs after reaching via a walk and single.
Three other G-Stros had two hits. Tanner Mathis and Thomas Lindauer both produced a single and a double and Juan Santana had two singles.
Only Edwin Gomez didn't join the hit parade for Greeneville. He went 0 for 4 with 4 Ks. The part of that that concerned me was that he only saw 13 pitches on the night. The first pitch he saw of the night was a ball, after that it was twelve straight strikes and four straight Ks. Obviously something is wrong there.
In The Field
Mathis gets the Oscar for selling a sliding short hop grab as a catch in the second inning. From my vantage point, it appeared the ball bounced into his glove. The Pulaski manager and bench agreed with me. But Mathis raised his glove high and the home plate ump signaled out.
Lindauer started a nice 6-4-3 double play in the fifth inning. The ball was hit to his right. He ranged over, grabbed the ball and threw across his body to start the double play. Juan Santana made a nice quick turn to complete the twin killing.
The other nice play was made by McDonald at first on a high pop fly in foul territory. He adjusted to the ball at the last minute making a lunge to his right to secure the ball to end the sixth inning.
The only error of the game was charged to McDonald. He was playing in anticipating a bunt from the speedy Aaron Barbosa. Barbosa didn't bunt. He chopped a ball down the first baseline that McDonald had to retreat to retrieve. When he did, Munnelly had not made it in time to cover first. McDonald made an attempt to tag Barbosa before he reached the bag safely but the ball was knocked out of McDonalds glove during the attempt. Heck of an effort but charged with the error none the less.
Overall
Nice team win for the G-Stros. The pitching was very good, the offense produced late in the game and the defense was solid. They end the series against a very good Pulaski team two games in front of the streaking Kingsport Mets. They start a three game series against the Burlington Royals (17-19) tomorrow.
Eyewitness Report - 7/27/13 - Pulaski Pulls Out Two Wins From G-Stros
In what could be a potential play off preview, the Pulaski Mariners pulled out two late comebacks to defeat the Greeneville Astros twice Saturday night. The first game was the conclusion of Friday's suspended game. The Mariners scored four runs in the in the seventh to take a 5-4 decision. Then in the seven inning night cap, they got a two run homer in the sixth to secure a 2-1 win. Here is a closer look at what I observed last night.
Game 1 - Pulaski 5, Greeneville 4
The game picked up with Greeneville up 2-1 in the bottom of the 2nd.
On the Mound
Christian Garcia threw three very effective innings. His fast ball sat in the upper 80's but he mixed speeds well and keep batters guessing. He fanned five in the three innings and retired the first 8 batters he faced. He had a walk and a hit batter but no base hits.
Sidewinder Ryan Connolly came in next and was effective in the 6th before the wheels came off in the 7th. He struck out a batter to start the 7th but then a short hop couldn't be handled by Tyler White at third for an E-5. The next three batters followed with a triple, a single and a triple. An inning that started as a 4-1 lead ended with a 5-4 deficit.
Tyler Brunnemann finished off the game. I was pleased to see that some improvement in his mechanics. When I saw him earlier in the year, he would touch the ground with his glove on his follow through. Now he tucks the glove to his chest as he follows through. He is not repeating the tuck perfectly as it was sometimes at his chest and sometimes at his hip but it shows improvement. He only had one strike out but induced three ground balls and two pop outs to short. He gave up one hit, a double.
At the Plate
Brett Phillips started the third off with a hard ground ball inside the bag at third for a double. It is fun to watch him run. He is fast! He also reached on a walk.
Edwin Gomez reached base three times with a walk and two singles. However he was .500 in getting out of base running goofs. In the third, with the bases loaded, Tyler White hit a fly ball to shallow right field. Phillips was tagging on the play but did not try to advance. However, Gomez took off from second and was almost to third when the throw reached the catcher. The catcher threw to second to try to get Gomez coming back to the bag but the ball ended up in center and both Phillips and Gomez scored.
He wasn't as fortunate in the seventh. He scorched a ball that appeared to be leaving the yard but bounced off the top of the fence. He was nabbed at second with a great throw from the left fielder. Some people sitting around me said Gomez had started his home run trot, I don't know if this is accurate because I was trying to follow the trajectory of the ball. If he was, I am sure the coaching staff will let him hear about it. If not, it was a great play by the Mariners.
Those three were the only players with hits for the continuation portion of the game. Ariel Ovando and Darwin Rivera both took walks but no one else reached base.
In The Field
Other than the error by White on a tough play coming in on a short hop, the defense looked pretty good. Darwin Rivera was at 2nd and looked pretty comfortable there. More so than he has looked at third.
Game 2: Pulaski 2 - Greeneville 1:
This game was a seven inning game due to the completion of the suspended game.
On The Mound
Chris Lee was impressive last night. Lee's fastball was sitting in the 93-95 range (thanks to the scout two rows in front for holding his radar gun in a position so I could peek) and his slider was getting a great many swings and misses. His delivery was smooth and effortless. I had him at 78 pitches when he was pulled with one out in the sixth with 53 being for strikes (68%). I also had him with first pitch strikes to 17 of the 24 batters he faced (71%).
He led off the second striking out the Pulaski clean up hitter on three pitches. The final pitch resulted in the Pulaski hitter winding up on the seat of his pants after an unsuccessful attempt to check his swing. He ended up striking out five batters on the night. All of them swinging.
He was helped by the ground rules in the fourth. After striking out the first two batters, the next batter reached on a hit to short stop. Thomas Lindauer made a nice backhanded play on a sharply hit ball but couldn't recover for the throw. The next batter hit a ball into the right field corner that went under the gate for a ground rule double. If not for the gate being there, it would have been an RBI triple - Pulaski's third of the evening.
In the sixth, Lee had a different kind of luck. After hitting the first batter, he induced a ground ball to second. Marc Wik had to come in to field the ball and made a swipe at the runner going by before throwing to first. The umpire ruled Wik didn't tag the runner going to second. Both Wik and Lindauer were adamant the tag had been made. From my angle, it appeared the umpire made the safe sign before Wik even attempted the tag.
Lee had the next batter in a 1-2 count and left a pitch up in the zone that was sent over the left field wall. After giving up a bunt hit to the next batter, his night was done. He deserved a better fate than taking the loss.
Gonzalo Sanudo came into finish off game getting five straight outs. Four of them were air outs and three went to the outfield.
At The Plate
When you get three hits as a team, there is not too much to write about here.
Thomas Lindauer had the big hit of the night, a RBI double to left that scored Wallace Gonzalez from first.
Marc Wik singled in the first after fouling off five pitches. He was in an 0-2 whole and ended up seeing a total of eight pitches that at bat before reaching on a bouncer up the middle. He was robbed of another single by a nice play by the second baseman to lead off the sixth.
Tyler White had a solid single to left to lead off the fourth but was erased on a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Angel Ibanez hit a ball hard up the middle that the short stop made a nice play on to prevent him from having a hit on the night.
A bit of good news - the Mariners are second in the league in most strike outs by their pitchers. They came into the games just two K's behind the G-Stros pitchers. In the 16 innings played in the series so far, G-Stro batters have just five strike outs. Meanwhile the G-Stro pitchers added 15 to their total.
In The Field
Lindauer also made the play of the game in the field as well. He climbed the ladder and nabbed a line drive to end the fifth inning.
Ibanez made a nice play at third in the sixth. With a runner on third, he fielded a ground ball on a short hop and made a nice throw to catcher Ricky Gingras to get the runner who had been going on contact.
Tyler White made a nice play at first on a hard hit ball in the second inning.
Overall
After being 10-1 in one run games, they lost two last night. Just not enough offense to get the job done.
Game 1 - Pulaski 5, Greeneville 4
The game picked up with Greeneville up 2-1 in the bottom of the 2nd.
On the Mound
Christian Garcia threw three very effective innings. His fast ball sat in the upper 80's but he mixed speeds well and keep batters guessing. He fanned five in the three innings and retired the first 8 batters he faced. He had a walk and a hit batter but no base hits.
Sidewinder Ryan Connolly came in next and was effective in the 6th before the wheels came off in the 7th. He struck out a batter to start the 7th but then a short hop couldn't be handled by Tyler White at third for an E-5. The next three batters followed with a triple, a single and a triple. An inning that started as a 4-1 lead ended with a 5-4 deficit.
Tyler Brunnemann finished off the game. I was pleased to see that some improvement in his mechanics. When I saw him earlier in the year, he would touch the ground with his glove on his follow through. Now he tucks the glove to his chest as he follows through. He is not repeating the tuck perfectly as it was sometimes at his chest and sometimes at his hip but it shows improvement. He only had one strike out but induced three ground balls and two pop outs to short. He gave up one hit, a double.
At the Plate
Brett Phillips started the third off with a hard ground ball inside the bag at third for a double. It is fun to watch him run. He is fast! He also reached on a walk.
Edwin Gomez reached base three times with a walk and two singles. However he was .500 in getting out of base running goofs. In the third, with the bases loaded, Tyler White hit a fly ball to shallow right field. Phillips was tagging on the play but did not try to advance. However, Gomez took off from second and was almost to third when the throw reached the catcher. The catcher threw to second to try to get Gomez coming back to the bag but the ball ended up in center and both Phillips and Gomez scored.
He wasn't as fortunate in the seventh. He scorched a ball that appeared to be leaving the yard but bounced off the top of the fence. He was nabbed at second with a great throw from the left fielder. Some people sitting around me said Gomez had started his home run trot, I don't know if this is accurate because I was trying to follow the trajectory of the ball. If he was, I am sure the coaching staff will let him hear about it. If not, it was a great play by the Mariners.
Those three were the only players with hits for the continuation portion of the game. Ariel Ovando and Darwin Rivera both took walks but no one else reached base.
In The Field
Other than the error by White on a tough play coming in on a short hop, the defense looked pretty good. Darwin Rivera was at 2nd and looked pretty comfortable there. More so than he has looked at third.
Game 2: Pulaski 2 - Greeneville 1:
This game was a seven inning game due to the completion of the suspended game.
On The Mound
Chris Lee was impressive last night. Lee's fastball was sitting in the 93-95 range (thanks to the scout two rows in front for holding his radar gun in a position so I could peek) and his slider was getting a great many swings and misses. His delivery was smooth and effortless. I had him at 78 pitches when he was pulled with one out in the sixth with 53 being for strikes (68%). I also had him with first pitch strikes to 17 of the 24 batters he faced (71%).
He led off the second striking out the Pulaski clean up hitter on three pitches. The final pitch resulted in the Pulaski hitter winding up on the seat of his pants after an unsuccessful attempt to check his swing. He ended up striking out five batters on the night. All of them swinging.
He was helped by the ground rules in the fourth. After striking out the first two batters, the next batter reached on a hit to short stop. Thomas Lindauer made a nice backhanded play on a sharply hit ball but couldn't recover for the throw. The next batter hit a ball into the right field corner that went under the gate for a ground rule double. If not for the gate being there, it would have been an RBI triple - Pulaski's third of the evening.
In the sixth, Lee had a different kind of luck. After hitting the first batter, he induced a ground ball to second. Marc Wik had to come in to field the ball and made a swipe at the runner going by before throwing to first. The umpire ruled Wik didn't tag the runner going to second. Both Wik and Lindauer were adamant the tag had been made. From my angle, it appeared the umpire made the safe sign before Wik even attempted the tag.
Lee had the next batter in a 1-2 count and left a pitch up in the zone that was sent over the left field wall. After giving up a bunt hit to the next batter, his night was done. He deserved a better fate than taking the loss.
Gonzalo Sanudo came into finish off game getting five straight outs. Four of them were air outs and three went to the outfield.
At The Plate
When you get three hits as a team, there is not too much to write about here.
Thomas Lindauer had the big hit of the night, a RBI double to left that scored Wallace Gonzalez from first.
Marc Wik singled in the first after fouling off five pitches. He was in an 0-2 whole and ended up seeing a total of eight pitches that at bat before reaching on a bouncer up the middle. He was robbed of another single by a nice play by the second baseman to lead off the sixth.
Tyler White had a solid single to left to lead off the fourth but was erased on a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Angel Ibanez hit a ball hard up the middle that the short stop made a nice play on to prevent him from having a hit on the night.
A bit of good news - the Mariners are second in the league in most strike outs by their pitchers. They came into the games just two K's behind the G-Stros pitchers. In the 16 innings played in the series so far, G-Stro batters have just five strike outs. Meanwhile the G-Stro pitchers added 15 to their total.
In The Field
Lindauer also made the play of the game in the field as well. He climbed the ladder and nabbed a line drive to end the fifth inning.
Ibanez made a nice play at third in the sixth. With a runner on third, he fielded a ground ball on a short hop and made a nice throw to catcher Ricky Gingras to get the runner who had been going on contact.
Tyler White made a nice play at first on a hard hit ball in the second inning.
Overall
After being 10-1 in one run games, they lost two last night. Just not enough offense to get the job done.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Eyewitness Report 7/5/13: Greeneville 1 Bristol 4
When I saw that Jandel Gustave was on the mound tonight, I made sure I could be at Pioneer Park. When I got there I saw the line up had three first time starters included. Brian Holberton and Chase McDonald were making their pro debuts and Brett Phillips was making his Greeneville debut. It was a good night to be at the ballpark. Here are my observations:
On The Mound:
Jandel Gustave got off to a rough start in the first. After a strike out looking, he walked the next two batters, the second coming in a 10 pitch at bat. After a fly out and a single, Gustave got the last out with a swinging strike out. He ended up throwing 31 pitches in the first frame and that limited his night to just four innings. Of those 31 pitches, 18 were for strikes (unofficial numbers from my personal score book). He followed that inning up with innings of 12, 12 and 17 pitches respectively. So he really settled down.
Gustave is a pitcher to be excited about. His delivery is very easy and to be hitting mid to upper 90's out of a 6'2 160 frame is impressive. The two hits that came off of him were hits taken the other way through the SS/3B hole. They were nice pieces of hitting. His fast ball has good zip. There were several late swings and several foul balls that were poked into the seats because batters weren't getting around on him. His slider showed nice movement and there were a couple of sliders that were down right nasty. He ended the night with 72 pitchers - 43 for strikes (60%). He threw first pitch strikes to 11 of the 17 batters he faced - again by my unofficial count.
The high point for me is that we know based on his previous stats, that he has had control issues. For him to walk two in the first inning and regain his composure to only walk one more shows positive development.
Austin Chrismon made his pro debut last night. After nicking the first batter on the sleeve, he then got the next three batters out. One out came on due to him fielding his position well. With a runner at second, he gloved a hot shot back at him. He made the runner at second dive back to the bag, removing any chance of him advancing and then threw out the batter at first.
Christian Garcia came in in the sixth and pitched around an error for an effective inning. In the seventh, he walked two batters with one out and then allowed a single that scored the first runner. That ended his night.
Gerardo Ramirez entered the game with runners on the corners and allowed both runners to score before getting the last out. He gave up a sac fly to the first batter and then surrendered a double to left that plated the final run of the game. He ended up finishing the night on the mound with a total of 2 2/3 innings pitched.
Overall, it was the walks that did the G-Stros pitching in. Three of the four runs allowed reached via base on balls. There is no defense against the walk.
At The Plate:
It was one of those nights where the Astros hit several balls hard, they just hit them right at people. I had atleast four line drives that were either right at fielders or required the fielder to make a nice play.
Brett Phillips is fast. He made two routine grounders close plays with his hustle down the line. His final at bat of the night was a seven pitch walk where he fouled off several close pitches.
David Mayfield (Jack) wasn't lucky last night. His first at bat, he hit a hard bouncer up the middle that the pitcher deflected to the second baseman for a 1-4-3 put out. He then hit a line drive in his fourth at bat that the SS made a nice ranging catch on. He finished the night for 5 but he had better at bats than that indicates.
Bobby Borchering reached base three times in four plate appearances. A single and two walks.
Chase McDonald went 1 for 4 in his pro debut. He got a single in his first at bat and then lined out to left and center respectively in his next two at bats before striking out in his final at bat. He is one big guy. He was wearing number 62 on his uniform and it was appropriate for him to be wearing a linebacker type number. He makes solid contact.
Marc Wik turned a rough night around. After striking out in his first two at bats, he walked in the seventh and lead off the ninth with a single to left.
Overall, Greeneville just couldn't get the big hit. They went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Two of the line drive outs in mentioned earlier were to end an inning with a runner on base.
The pitcher who started for Bristol, Scott Carroll, was on rehab assignment from AAA. He missed all of last season so I assume his is working his way back from a surgery of some kind. The second pitcher was the White Sox second round draft pick this season, Tyler Danish. So they were facing some pretty good pitching but that is most nights in pro baseball.
In The Field
Brian Holberton looked pretty good behind the plate. He got a lot of work blocking balls in the dirt. He did allow one passed ball that was a low pitch that the scorer felt he should have blocked. He was apparently a little amped up for the game. He made several throws down to second during warm ups and one throw during a stolen base attempt that were fielded by the center fielder because they had easily cleared second base. Later in the night, he made a nice throw on a ball in the dirt that made a place closer than I thought it would be.
Jack Mayfield was smooth at shortstop. He had four assist and only one was routine. The rest were with him ranging to either side and making snap throws to first. He made them look easy.
Brett Phillips didn't get much action in center but he showed flashes when he did. He almost made a nice diving catch on a ball he got a good jump on. On the sac fly, he made a strong throw to third from deep in center.
Darwin Rivera made his seventh error of the year at third with a bad throw to first.
This loss ended the G-Stros seven game winning streak. They play Bristol again tonight and then head on the road for seven games in six days.
On The Mound:
Jandel Gustave got off to a rough start in the first. After a strike out looking, he walked the next two batters, the second coming in a 10 pitch at bat. After a fly out and a single, Gustave got the last out with a swinging strike out. He ended up throwing 31 pitches in the first frame and that limited his night to just four innings. Of those 31 pitches, 18 were for strikes (unofficial numbers from my personal score book). He followed that inning up with innings of 12, 12 and 17 pitches respectively. So he really settled down.
Gustave is a pitcher to be excited about. His delivery is very easy and to be hitting mid to upper 90's out of a 6'2 160 frame is impressive. The two hits that came off of him were hits taken the other way through the SS/3B hole. They were nice pieces of hitting. His fast ball has good zip. There were several late swings and several foul balls that were poked into the seats because batters weren't getting around on him. His slider showed nice movement and there were a couple of sliders that were down right nasty. He ended the night with 72 pitchers - 43 for strikes (60%). He threw first pitch strikes to 11 of the 17 batters he faced - again by my unofficial count.
The high point for me is that we know based on his previous stats, that he has had control issues. For him to walk two in the first inning and regain his composure to only walk one more shows positive development.
Austin Chrismon made his pro debut last night. After nicking the first batter on the sleeve, he then got the next three batters out. One out came on due to him fielding his position well. With a runner at second, he gloved a hot shot back at him. He made the runner at second dive back to the bag, removing any chance of him advancing and then threw out the batter at first.
Christian Garcia came in in the sixth and pitched around an error for an effective inning. In the seventh, he walked two batters with one out and then allowed a single that scored the first runner. That ended his night.
Gerardo Ramirez entered the game with runners on the corners and allowed both runners to score before getting the last out. He gave up a sac fly to the first batter and then surrendered a double to left that plated the final run of the game. He ended up finishing the night on the mound with a total of 2 2/3 innings pitched.
Overall, it was the walks that did the G-Stros pitching in. Three of the four runs allowed reached via base on balls. There is no defense against the walk.
At The Plate:
It was one of those nights where the Astros hit several balls hard, they just hit them right at people. I had atleast four line drives that were either right at fielders or required the fielder to make a nice play.
Brett Phillips is fast. He made two routine grounders close plays with his hustle down the line. His final at bat of the night was a seven pitch walk where he fouled off several close pitches.
David Mayfield (Jack) wasn't lucky last night. His first at bat, he hit a hard bouncer up the middle that the pitcher deflected to the second baseman for a 1-4-3 put out. He then hit a line drive in his fourth at bat that the SS made a nice ranging catch on. He finished the night for 5 but he had better at bats than that indicates.
Bobby Borchering reached base three times in four plate appearances. A single and two walks.
Chase McDonald went 1 for 4 in his pro debut. He got a single in his first at bat and then lined out to left and center respectively in his next two at bats before striking out in his final at bat. He is one big guy. He was wearing number 62 on his uniform and it was appropriate for him to be wearing a linebacker type number. He makes solid contact.
Marc Wik turned a rough night around. After striking out in his first two at bats, he walked in the seventh and lead off the ninth with a single to left.
Overall, Greeneville just couldn't get the big hit. They went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Two of the line drive outs in mentioned earlier were to end an inning with a runner on base.
The pitcher who started for Bristol, Scott Carroll, was on rehab assignment from AAA. He missed all of last season so I assume his is working his way back from a surgery of some kind. The second pitcher was the White Sox second round draft pick this season, Tyler Danish. So they were facing some pretty good pitching but that is most nights in pro baseball.
In The Field
Brian Holberton looked pretty good behind the plate. He got a lot of work blocking balls in the dirt. He did allow one passed ball that was a low pitch that the scorer felt he should have blocked. He was apparently a little amped up for the game. He made several throws down to second during warm ups and one throw during a stolen base attempt that were fielded by the center fielder because they had easily cleared second base. Later in the night, he made a nice throw on a ball in the dirt that made a place closer than I thought it would be.
Jack Mayfield was smooth at shortstop. He had four assist and only one was routine. The rest were with him ranging to either side and making snap throws to first. He made them look easy.
Brett Phillips didn't get much action in center but he showed flashes when he did. He almost made a nice diving catch on a ball he got a good jump on. On the sac fly, he made a strong throw to third from deep in center.
Darwin Rivera made his seventh error of the year at third with a bad throw to first.
This loss ended the G-Stros seven game winning streak. They play Bristol again tonight and then head on the road for seven games in six days.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Eyewitness Report: 6/28/13 Greeneville 2 Kingsport 1
Wow! What a night. After the teams traded solo home runs in the fifth, there were no runs for nine innings. Finally in the bottom of the 15th, Greeneville walked off without the benefit of a hit. Tanner Mathis walked, and was moved to second on a sac bunt by Jack Mayfield. Darwin Rivera then hit a ground ball to first which should have just moved over Mathis to third but the K-Mets first baseman booted the ball. It rolled to the edge of the grass and Josh Bonifay took a risk and sent Mathis home. The throw was slightly up the line and the catcher had to stretch to take Mathis as he zoomed by. The glove appeared to hit Mathis shoulder and the ball dropped free allowing the winning run to score.
Here are my observations from the game.
On The Mound:
A great deal went right here. Just one run allowed in 15 innings with a team record 25 strike outs. Let's take a quick look at each pitcher.
Frederick Tiburcio had a solid start to the game. He fanned seven and gave up just two hits and walked one in five innings. The lone damage given up was a solo home run to left by 17 year old, Ahmed Rosario, whom the Mets signed for 1.7 million in the 2012 international signing period. It was his first professional home run.
Tiburcio threw an unofficial 67 pitches in five innings. To have that low of a pitch count with that many strike outs is impressive.
Tyler Brunnemann pitched the next two frames. This was my first time to see Brunnemann pitch. He has an extreme follow through. When he finishes his pitch his glove hand (left) and his left foot are both touching the ground as he falls toward first base. It is a violent motion that I didn't see him repeating very well. It was effective when repeated as evidenced by the four strike outs in two innings. But he also gave up two walks, both on full counts.
Ryan Connelly pitched the eight inning. The submarine pitcher was the only pitcher of the night not to record a strike out.
Gonzalo Sanudo came in for the next two innings. He pitched out of a jam in the ninth. After a lead off double and a ground ball to 2nd to move the runner over, he was faced with a runner at third and one out. He got Michael Bernal to strike out in a seven pitch at bat for the second out of the inning.
That at bat got circled in my score book as a key out of the game. Bernal had a rough night at the plate. He accounted for 20% of the teams strike outs, going 0-5 with 5 Ks. Sanudo ended the night with three Ks in his two innings.
Gerado Ramirez came in and may have had the outing of his life time. He pitched a career high four innings allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out nine K-Mets.
The final pitcher of the night was Christian Garcia. Garcia pitched the 14th and 15th innings fanning two batters in each inning. In each inning the lead off runner reached but never made it past first base.
At The Plate:
Tanner Mathis reached base in five of his six plate appearances: E1, single, and three walks. This is exactly what you want out of a lead off batter. Also my 13 year old son observed he has the best walk up music this season. He is going old school with some Run DMC - It's Tricky.
Wallace Gonzalez hit a towering home run in the fifth. They had success pitching him away but they left that pitch over the inner half of the plate and he made them pay. Gonzalez appears to be pulling out when he swings so outside pitches are going to be an issue for him. Gonzalez added a single later in the game.
Ariel Ovando and Jack Mayfield also had two hits.
In The Field:
Parker Hipp made a great play snagging a soft liner to start the game. I was sure that ball was going to fall for a hit.
Wallace Gonzalez had a nice outfield assist on a shallow fly ball to left. The runner was moving on the play and Gonzalez throw beat the runner back to first for a double play.
Jack Mayfield made an outstanding diving stop on a ball in the hole at shortstop. He popped up and made a good throw to first that Angel Ibanez made a nice stretch to complete the put out.
The defensive star of the night was Cristian Moronta. He was three for three in throwing out runners stealing second. Two of those were on balls that he blocked and runners broke when he had trouble locating them. Those three outs were huge in a ballgame this tight. One ended an inning and two were to nab the hitter who had reached to start the inning.
Final Thought: After the 25 game strike out performance, the G-Stros now lead the Appy League with 104 strikeouts in just nine games. That puts them 16 Ks above second place Johnson City.
Here are my observations from the game.
On The Mound:
A great deal went right here. Just one run allowed in 15 innings with a team record 25 strike outs. Let's take a quick look at each pitcher.
Frederick Tiburcio had a solid start to the game. He fanned seven and gave up just two hits and walked one in five innings. The lone damage given up was a solo home run to left by 17 year old, Ahmed Rosario, whom the Mets signed for 1.7 million in the 2012 international signing period. It was his first professional home run.
Tiburcio threw an unofficial 67 pitches in five innings. To have that low of a pitch count with that many strike outs is impressive.
Tyler Brunnemann pitched the next two frames. This was my first time to see Brunnemann pitch. He has an extreme follow through. When he finishes his pitch his glove hand (left) and his left foot are both touching the ground as he falls toward first base. It is a violent motion that I didn't see him repeating very well. It was effective when repeated as evidenced by the four strike outs in two innings. But he also gave up two walks, both on full counts.
Ryan Connelly pitched the eight inning. The submarine pitcher was the only pitcher of the night not to record a strike out.
Gonzalo Sanudo came in for the next two innings. He pitched out of a jam in the ninth. After a lead off double and a ground ball to 2nd to move the runner over, he was faced with a runner at third and one out. He got Michael Bernal to strike out in a seven pitch at bat for the second out of the inning.
That at bat got circled in my score book as a key out of the game. Bernal had a rough night at the plate. He accounted for 20% of the teams strike outs, going 0-5 with 5 Ks. Sanudo ended the night with three Ks in his two innings.
Gerado Ramirez came in and may have had the outing of his life time. He pitched a career high four innings allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out nine K-Mets.
The final pitcher of the night was Christian Garcia. Garcia pitched the 14th and 15th innings fanning two batters in each inning. In each inning the lead off runner reached but never made it past first base.
At The Plate:
Tanner Mathis reached base in five of his six plate appearances: E1, single, and three walks. This is exactly what you want out of a lead off batter. Also my 13 year old son observed he has the best walk up music this season. He is going old school with some Run DMC - It's Tricky.
Wallace Gonzalez hit a towering home run in the fifth. They had success pitching him away but they left that pitch over the inner half of the plate and he made them pay. Gonzalez appears to be pulling out when he swings so outside pitches are going to be an issue for him. Gonzalez added a single later in the game.
Ariel Ovando and Jack Mayfield also had two hits.
In The Field:
Parker Hipp made a great play snagging a soft liner to start the game. I was sure that ball was going to fall for a hit.
Wallace Gonzalez had a nice outfield assist on a shallow fly ball to left. The runner was moving on the play and Gonzalez throw beat the runner back to first for a double play.
Jack Mayfield made an outstanding diving stop on a ball in the hole at shortstop. He popped up and made a good throw to first that Angel Ibanez made a nice stretch to complete the put out.
The defensive star of the night was Cristian Moronta. He was three for three in throwing out runners stealing second. Two of those were on balls that he blocked and runners broke when he had trouble locating them. Those three outs were huge in a ballgame this tight. One ended an inning and two were to nab the hitter who had reached to start the inning.
Final Thought: After the 25 game strike out performance, the G-Stros now lead the Appy League with 104 strikeouts in just nine games. That puts them 16 Ks above second place Johnson City.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Eyewitness Report: 6/25/13 Elizabethton 8 Greenevillle 4
Finally made it to Pioneer Park for my first game of the season. What was a pretty good game for six innings dissolved in the seventh into a rout. Here are some of my observations from the game:
On The Mound:
Starter Enderson Franco did not get off to a great start. A four pitch walk to the lead off batter is not the way to start a game. After a stolen base and a ground out, the runner scored on a two out single to give the E-Twins an early lead. Lead off walks will kill you every time.
The second inning was when Franco impressed me the most. After the third baseman booted the first batter's attempt. The next batter hit a tailor made 5-4-3 double play ball that was dropped by the second baseman. So instead of two outs. It was runners at first and second with no outs. Franco induced a 3-1 ground out before walking a batter to load the bases. He then got a pop to third in foul territory and a strike out to avoid any damage. However the side effect of giving a team two extra outs in the inning is Franco threw 18 pitches that inning instead of just seven.
In the third, he only faced three batters but threw 20 pitches. The inning went three pitch strike out looking, eight pitch F8 and nine pitch strike out swinging.
In the fourth, Franco got a lead off strikeout and then allowed three straight singles to the bottom of the line up. He still got out of the inning with just one run scoring. His night was done after four innings. By my count, he threw 71 pitches, with 50 of the going for strikes. He fanned five batters and allowed four hits and two walks.
Franco needs to work on keeping base runners closer. In the first inning both runners who reached stole second and the throw never had a chance. He has a pretty good size leg kick in his stretch and it allows runners to get a good jump on him.
He was relieved by Edison Frias. Frias didn't pitch badly, he just doesn't have an out pitch. He faced five batters who fouled off at least one ball after a two strike count. None of those at bats ended in a strike out. Most of them ended up in base hits. His breaking pitch was in the dirt and the E-Twins were not swinging at it. He needs an out pitch. He threw 74 pitches in 3 2/3 innings with 49 of the pitches for strikes. He struck out two batters and walked one. He allowed nine hits with five going for extra bases.
Ryan Connolly got the last four outs for the G-Stros. He is an extreme side arm pitcher. No balls got out of the infield off him. One was hit well but a nice play by Borchering at first took care of it.
At The Plate:
Tanner Mathis did what you want a lead off to do. He got on base. He went 1-3 but also reached on a walk and a HBP.
Edwin Gomez had the two big hits for the night for Greeneville. A RBI triple in the 4th and a two run homer in the 8th. The home came on the seventh pitch of the at bat with a full count. Both hits were to right center.
Ricky Gingras had two hits, including a double to lead off the fourth.
Juan Santana added two singles.
Ariel Ovando looked very off balance at the plate. He has a big step in the load of his swing and I believe it makes it hard for him to adjust to off speed pitches. He was getting a heavy diet of breaking balls. He struck out swinging twice and hit two grounders to first. The only good contact was on a couple of foul balls.
Bobby Borchering looked out of sorts as well. He had one good hit that was smothered by the E-Twins 6'7" first baseman. But otherwise, it was strikeouts and a pop out to short.
In The Field:
Other than the nice snag by Borchering on a line drive at first, there weren't too many stand out plays. Gingras did a nice job behind the plate keeping the ball in front of him on several balls in dirt from Frias.
For the second straight night defense at third was an issue. Angel Ibanez made two errors at third. One on a well hit but routine grounder that got in on him. The other was a throw on a tough play coming in. The throw sailed on him and ended up in the seats.
The other error came on a missed catch by second baseman Parker Hipp. The throw was low to start the 5-4-3 double play but it appeared to catch him in the palm of the glove and he couldn't squeeze it.
The outfield got lots of practice chasing after balls over their head. Cut off throws were pretty effective and defensive position of cut off men looked sound.
I hope to make it out to another game this week if life doesn't get in the way.
On The Mound:
Starter Enderson Franco did not get off to a great start. A four pitch walk to the lead off batter is not the way to start a game. After a stolen base and a ground out, the runner scored on a two out single to give the E-Twins an early lead. Lead off walks will kill you every time.
The second inning was when Franco impressed me the most. After the third baseman booted the first batter's attempt. The next batter hit a tailor made 5-4-3 double play ball that was dropped by the second baseman. So instead of two outs. It was runners at first and second with no outs. Franco induced a 3-1 ground out before walking a batter to load the bases. He then got a pop to third in foul territory and a strike out to avoid any damage. However the side effect of giving a team two extra outs in the inning is Franco threw 18 pitches that inning instead of just seven.
In the third, he only faced three batters but threw 20 pitches. The inning went three pitch strike out looking, eight pitch F8 and nine pitch strike out swinging.
In the fourth, Franco got a lead off strikeout and then allowed three straight singles to the bottom of the line up. He still got out of the inning with just one run scoring. His night was done after four innings. By my count, he threw 71 pitches, with 50 of the going for strikes. He fanned five batters and allowed four hits and two walks.
Franco needs to work on keeping base runners closer. In the first inning both runners who reached stole second and the throw never had a chance. He has a pretty good size leg kick in his stretch and it allows runners to get a good jump on him.
He was relieved by Edison Frias. Frias didn't pitch badly, he just doesn't have an out pitch. He faced five batters who fouled off at least one ball after a two strike count. None of those at bats ended in a strike out. Most of them ended up in base hits. His breaking pitch was in the dirt and the E-Twins were not swinging at it. He needs an out pitch. He threw 74 pitches in 3 2/3 innings with 49 of the pitches for strikes. He struck out two batters and walked one. He allowed nine hits with five going for extra bases.
Ryan Connolly got the last four outs for the G-Stros. He is an extreme side arm pitcher. No balls got out of the infield off him. One was hit well but a nice play by Borchering at first took care of it.
At The Plate:
Tanner Mathis did what you want a lead off to do. He got on base. He went 1-3 but also reached on a walk and a HBP.
Edwin Gomez had the two big hits for the night for Greeneville. A RBI triple in the 4th and a two run homer in the 8th. The home came on the seventh pitch of the at bat with a full count. Both hits were to right center.
Ricky Gingras had two hits, including a double to lead off the fourth.
Juan Santana added two singles.
Ariel Ovando looked very off balance at the plate. He has a big step in the load of his swing and I believe it makes it hard for him to adjust to off speed pitches. He was getting a heavy diet of breaking balls. He struck out swinging twice and hit two grounders to first. The only good contact was on a couple of foul balls.
Bobby Borchering looked out of sorts as well. He had one good hit that was smothered by the E-Twins 6'7" first baseman. But otherwise, it was strikeouts and a pop out to short.
In The Field:
Other than the nice snag by Borchering on a line drive at first, there weren't too many stand out plays. Gingras did a nice job behind the plate keeping the ball in front of him on several balls in dirt from Frias.
For the second straight night defense at third was an issue. Angel Ibanez made two errors at third. One on a well hit but routine grounder that got in on him. The other was a throw on a tough play coming in. The throw sailed on him and ended up in the seats.
The other error came on a missed catch by second baseman Parker Hipp. The throw was low to start the 5-4-3 double play but it appeared to catch him in the palm of the glove and he couldn't squeeze it.
The outfield got lots of practice chasing after balls over their head. Cut off throws were pretty effective and defensive position of cut off men looked sound.
I hope to make it out to another game this week if life doesn't get in the way.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Eyewitness Report 8/28/12: Gville 5 - Bluefield 2
The season finale always has some excitement tied to it. Sometimes it is the excitement of the players as they prepare to head back home to loved ones. There was some of that in the air last night. But there was also a felling of pride in a job well done and a season that was enjoyed by the fans. It was nice to see a competitive team that won more than it lost. This team is just the third team in Greeneville Astros history to finish above .500 and they finished with the second best record in franchise history. Greeneville fans also claimed the attendance title for the 8th consecutive year.
Awards
The evening began with the two team awards being handed out. Jose Monzon was named the recipient of the Oscar Pedron Award for leadership and character. Previous reciepients of the award include: 2005 - P Brad James, 2006 - P Polin Trinidad, 2007 - C/1B Kyle Miller, 2008 - C Pedro Gonzalez, 2009 - CF Grant Hogue, 2010 - 1B Marcus Nidiffer, and 2011 - C Cristian Moronta.
Brian Blasik was named the team MVP. He lead the team in hits, triples, RBIs, and finished with an impressive .318 average. In the field, he only made four errors in 48 games at second base. He also showed his versatility playing five games at third and one game in left. Instead of a trophy, Blasik received a framed road jersey. A nice touch by the front office.
On to the game observations:
On The Mound
Michael Feliz was dealing. He allowed just three hits in five innings of work. He didn't walk anyone. He was efficient, using just 61 pitches in five innings. I was really surprised when he didn't return for the sixth. Some balls were hit hard off of him but they tended to be right at folks.
Christian Garcia allowed a lead off single but then got a fielders choice and a double play to face just three batters in his one inning. Brad Propst pitched around a lead off double in one scoreless inning of work. Zach Dando didn't have his best stuff. He gave up three doubles and Bluefield's only two runs.
Jordan Jankowski came into the game and did what he has done most of the year. In 1 1/3 IP, he fanned three batters. That brings his total to 53 strike outs in 32 1/3 IP. He finished six strikeouts behind team leader Francis Ramirez despite pitching 21 less innings!
At The Plate
The Astros jumped all over Bluefield starter Justin James. They scored in the first three innings to give the G-Stros an early 5-0 lead.
Angel Ibanez continued his good work at the plate going three for four. He hit .305 in the month of August to raise his season average to .264.
Brian Blasik added a single and a double to his hit total for the season. Ernesto Genoves and Ricky Gingras both added two hit nights as well.
Rio Ruiz's triple was a very close play at third. He showed good hustle on the play.
Jose Fernandez hit the ball hard but had nothing to show for hit. He lined out to center once and was robbed on a line drive to short.
In The Field
D'Andre Toney continues to make plays in center. He chased a ball hit deep to center with ease in the second inning.
Genoves threw out yet another base runner on a strike em out throw em out double play to erase a lead off hit in the third. That is three base stealers caught in the last two games.
Monzon makes things look easy in RF. That can't be said for all the guys who have played out there this year.
Overall Observations:
It was a great way to wrap up the season. Good pitching, good fielding and good hitting.
We are also getting another view of the new front office way of doing things. There are no expected promotions to teams after the season. That has been the norm in the past.
I was also told that only four players are heading to instructional league: Rio Ruiz, Lance McCullers, Carlos Correa and Terrell Joyce. That is a smaller number than I would have expected. It will be interesting to see who is joining them from other affiliates.
Awards
The evening began with the two team awards being handed out. Jose Monzon was named the recipient of the Oscar Pedron Award for leadership and character. Previous reciepients of the award include: 2005 - P Brad James, 2006 - P Polin Trinidad, 2007 - C/1B Kyle Miller, 2008 - C Pedro Gonzalez, 2009 - CF Grant Hogue, 2010 - 1B Marcus Nidiffer, and 2011 - C Cristian Moronta.
Brian Blasik was named the team MVP. He lead the team in hits, triples, RBIs, and finished with an impressive .318 average. In the field, he only made four errors in 48 games at second base. He also showed his versatility playing five games at third and one game in left. Instead of a trophy, Blasik received a framed road jersey. A nice touch by the front office.
On to the game observations:
On The Mound
Michael Feliz was dealing. He allowed just three hits in five innings of work. He didn't walk anyone. He was efficient, using just 61 pitches in five innings. I was really surprised when he didn't return for the sixth. Some balls were hit hard off of him but they tended to be right at folks.
Christian Garcia allowed a lead off single but then got a fielders choice and a double play to face just three batters in his one inning. Brad Propst pitched around a lead off double in one scoreless inning of work. Zach Dando didn't have his best stuff. He gave up three doubles and Bluefield's only two runs.
Jordan Jankowski came into the game and did what he has done most of the year. In 1 1/3 IP, he fanned three batters. That brings his total to 53 strike outs in 32 1/3 IP. He finished six strikeouts behind team leader Francis Ramirez despite pitching 21 less innings!
At The Plate
The Astros jumped all over Bluefield starter Justin James. They scored in the first three innings to give the G-Stros an early 5-0 lead.
Angel Ibanez continued his good work at the plate going three for four. He hit .305 in the month of August to raise his season average to .264.
Brian Blasik added a single and a double to his hit total for the season. Ernesto Genoves and Ricky Gingras both added two hit nights as well.
Rio Ruiz's triple was a very close play at third. He showed good hustle on the play.
Jose Fernandez hit the ball hard but had nothing to show for hit. He lined out to center once and was robbed on a line drive to short.
In The Field
D'Andre Toney continues to make plays in center. He chased a ball hit deep to center with ease in the second inning.
Genoves threw out yet another base runner on a strike em out throw em out double play to erase a lead off hit in the third. That is three base stealers caught in the last two games.
Monzon makes things look easy in RF. That can't be said for all the guys who have played out there this year.
Overall Observations:
It was a great way to wrap up the season. Good pitching, good fielding and good hitting.
We are also getting another view of the new front office way of doing things. There are no expected promotions to teams after the season. That has been the norm in the past.
I was also told that only four players are heading to instructional league: Rio Ruiz, Lance McCullers, Carlos Correa and Terrell Joyce. That is a smaller number than I would have expected. It will be interesting to see who is joining them from other affiliates.
Eyewitness Report 8/27/12: G-Stros 2, Bluefield 5
Let's take a look at the next to last game of the season for the G-Stros. Here are my first hand observations.
On The Mound:
Francis Ramirez got the start and wasn't sharp but he battled well. He twice stranded runners at third to end innings. He hit two batters and walked two more. He threw 75 pitches with 48 of those coming in the first two innings.
Michael Dimock pitched one inning in relief. He was inconsistent as he had two three pitch strike outs and a four pitch walk. The run he allowed was on base due to a triple down the line.
Joe Musgrove came in and pitched the next inning. His 1,2,3 6th inning was aided by great defense by D'Andre Toney in center and Angel Ibanez at third. He came out to pitch in the seventh and got roughed up. He gave up a ground rule double that would have been a triple had the ball not rolled under the padding of the gate in RF. That was followed by a triple. During the next at bat, he unleashed a wild pitch that resulted in a play at the plate. Genoves' throw was low and Musgrove attempted to tag the runners hand while still standing up. He thought he tagged him, the ump disagreed and called the runner safe. Musgrove said something as he walked by the ump and he was tossed.
Tanner Bushue came in to pitch with a 2-1 count on the batter. The batter ended up walking but that walk was charged to Musgrove since the count was in the batters favor when Bushue entered. He then proceeded to pitch 2 2/3 innings of 1 hit ball with five strike outs.
I know folks are frustrated at the lack of development in Bushue since he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009. However, what he has shown in August gives me hope that something has clicked. He appeared in seven games this month (15 2/3 IP) and gave up just nine hits, five walks and one earned run; while striking out 23 batters. Had he gone to college, he would have been draft eligible this year. That makes me cautiously optimistic.
At The Plate
The G-Stros managed to get 11 base runners despite only getting four hits. They took five walks, had one hit batsman and reached on one error.
Brian Blasik had two of the teams four hits. He also stole a base and scored a run.
Ariel Ovando didn't get a hit but took two walks. One was a four pitch walk from a new pitcher. The other was a full count walk.
Jose Monzon hit a solid double for the best hit of the night. However, he earned my ire earlier in the game for getting picked of first by going back to the bag standing. Get your uniform dirty son!
In The Field
There was a bit of fruit basket turnover in the field after Mark Wik hit the wall chasing down the first triple of the game. When he left, Blasik moved from 2nd to LF and Jimmy Howick came in to play second.
Toney did an excellent job of tracking down a ball in deep left center.
Ibanez made a great play behind the bag at third and gunned the runner at first.
Ernesto Genoves threw out two base runners and did a nice job of dealing with a bunch of balls in the dirt.
Jimmy Howick did the little things well at second. A ground ball was hit to first that Martinez pulled up on to quickly. It would have been an error but Howick was moving on the play and Dimock was covering for the rare 4-1 ground out.
Overall Observations
It wasn't the best game I had seen them play. The team appeared to lack some energy at times. This is to be somewhat expected after being eliminated from the playoffs the night before. It was nice to see them battle back late in the game for some runs and even have the tying run at the plate in the 8th. One more game to go.
On The Mound:
Francis Ramirez got the start and wasn't sharp but he battled well. He twice stranded runners at third to end innings. He hit two batters and walked two more. He threw 75 pitches with 48 of those coming in the first two innings.
Michael Dimock pitched one inning in relief. He was inconsistent as he had two three pitch strike outs and a four pitch walk. The run he allowed was on base due to a triple down the line.
Joe Musgrove came in and pitched the next inning. His 1,2,3 6th inning was aided by great defense by D'Andre Toney in center and Angel Ibanez at third. He came out to pitch in the seventh and got roughed up. He gave up a ground rule double that would have been a triple had the ball not rolled under the padding of the gate in RF. That was followed by a triple. During the next at bat, he unleashed a wild pitch that resulted in a play at the plate. Genoves' throw was low and Musgrove attempted to tag the runners hand while still standing up. He thought he tagged him, the ump disagreed and called the runner safe. Musgrove said something as he walked by the ump and he was tossed.
Tanner Bushue came in to pitch with a 2-1 count on the batter. The batter ended up walking but that walk was charged to Musgrove since the count was in the batters favor when Bushue entered. He then proceeded to pitch 2 2/3 innings of 1 hit ball with five strike outs.
I know folks are frustrated at the lack of development in Bushue since he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009. However, what he has shown in August gives me hope that something has clicked. He appeared in seven games this month (15 2/3 IP) and gave up just nine hits, five walks and one earned run; while striking out 23 batters. Had he gone to college, he would have been draft eligible this year. That makes me cautiously optimistic.
At The Plate
The G-Stros managed to get 11 base runners despite only getting four hits. They took five walks, had one hit batsman and reached on one error.
Brian Blasik had two of the teams four hits. He also stole a base and scored a run.
Ariel Ovando didn't get a hit but took two walks. One was a four pitch walk from a new pitcher. The other was a full count walk.
Jose Monzon hit a solid double for the best hit of the night. However, he earned my ire earlier in the game for getting picked of first by going back to the bag standing. Get your uniform dirty son!
In The Field
There was a bit of fruit basket turnover in the field after Mark Wik hit the wall chasing down the first triple of the game. When he left, Blasik moved from 2nd to LF and Jimmy Howick came in to play second.
Toney did an excellent job of tracking down a ball in deep left center.
Ibanez made a great play behind the bag at third and gunned the runner at first.
Ernesto Genoves threw out two base runners and did a nice job of dealing with a bunch of balls in the dirt.
Jimmy Howick did the little things well at second. A ground ball was hit to first that Martinez pulled up on to quickly. It would have been an error but Howick was moving on the play and Dimock was covering for the rare 4-1 ground out.
Overall Observations
It wasn't the best game I had seen them play. The team appeared to lack some energy at times. This is to be somewhat expected after being eliminated from the playoffs the night before. It was nice to see them battle back late in the game for some runs and even have the tying run at the plate in the 8th. One more game to go.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/19/12 Gville 4 - B-Royals 8
The G-Stros couldn't complete the sweep last night. Here are my observations from the game.
On The Mound:
Lance McCullers made his third start of the season for Greeneville. He got off to a great start striking out the first three batters. The defense was not as crisp behind him and it resulted in extra pitches in innings and that along with his lack of control caused him to just make it through three innings. I heard a report that McCuller's fast ball was hitting 96 during the game.
Brad Propst pitched a solid inning in relief.
Kevin Comer came in and pitched three innings for his G-Stro debut. He got out of a first and second with no on out in the fifth. He also pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. He had a clean seventh. He surrendered one home run to lead off the sixth.
Richard Rodriguez was okay in the eight but was hit hard in the ninth inning. Michael Dimock came in to stop the bleeding to get the last out.
In The Field:
I was surprised to see Marc Wik at second tonight. He was charged with an error in the second that lead to two unearned runs scoring.
Ariel Ovando caught my eye again in a negative way. McCullers attempted to pick off a runner and Michael Martinez was charged with the error on a missed catch. The ball went up the first base line towards the bullpen area. Ovando in right field was very late in coming over to back up the play. The runner advanced from first to third on the error. In the debate of lack of effort or lack of focus; I am starting to lean towards lack of focus.
Rio Ruiz continues to impress at third. He made one very nice stop on a ball to his right.
D'Andre Toney has played a solid center all season and covers a great deal of ground in the outfield. On back to back nights, he has chased balls to the wall that he couldn't quite catch. The balls have bounced off the wall and he has had to go back and chase them down. Last night, the result was a triple. I am not sure if this is a case where he should read wall balls better or if it is a case where the corner outfielders are getting over to back up but it wasn't pretty.
At The Plate:
Greeneville was no hit until the fifth when Terrell Joyce smacked a HR to lead off the fifth. Joyce had his third straight two hit night.
Ernesto Genoves hit a home run and Jose Fernandez had two hits.
Ovando hit a double down the right field line. I was excited that Mike Newman from fangraphs was at the park and was able to get video of Ovando. The fans here accuse Ovando of not hustling down the line. I have had that feeling some but I also feel that Ovando's large frame takes a while to get going. I hope Mike is able to pull a home to first time off the video and will share that will us.
The Astros were not fond of the home play umps strike zone. Both Ruiz and Ovando gave dirty looks after called third strikes. Five of the 10 strike outs were looking.
Other Observations:
It was reported to me that Brian Blasik took some infield today and is close to being ready to play again. His defense plus his bat have been missed.
On The Mound:
Lance McCullers made his third start of the season for Greeneville. He got off to a great start striking out the first three batters. The defense was not as crisp behind him and it resulted in extra pitches in innings and that along with his lack of control caused him to just make it through three innings. I heard a report that McCuller's fast ball was hitting 96 during the game.
Brad Propst pitched a solid inning in relief.
Kevin Comer came in and pitched three innings for his G-Stro debut. He got out of a first and second with no on out in the fifth. He also pitched out of a bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. He had a clean seventh. He surrendered one home run to lead off the sixth.
Richard Rodriguez was okay in the eight but was hit hard in the ninth inning. Michael Dimock came in to stop the bleeding to get the last out.
In The Field:
I was surprised to see Marc Wik at second tonight. He was charged with an error in the second that lead to two unearned runs scoring.
Ariel Ovando caught my eye again in a negative way. McCullers attempted to pick off a runner and Michael Martinez was charged with the error on a missed catch. The ball went up the first base line towards the bullpen area. Ovando in right field was very late in coming over to back up the play. The runner advanced from first to third on the error. In the debate of lack of effort or lack of focus; I am starting to lean towards lack of focus.
Rio Ruiz continues to impress at third. He made one very nice stop on a ball to his right.
D'Andre Toney has played a solid center all season and covers a great deal of ground in the outfield. On back to back nights, he has chased balls to the wall that he couldn't quite catch. The balls have bounced off the wall and he has had to go back and chase them down. Last night, the result was a triple. I am not sure if this is a case where he should read wall balls better or if it is a case where the corner outfielders are getting over to back up but it wasn't pretty.
At The Plate:
Greeneville was no hit until the fifth when Terrell Joyce smacked a HR to lead off the fifth. Joyce had his third straight two hit night.
Ernesto Genoves hit a home run and Jose Fernandez had two hits.
Ovando hit a double down the right field line. I was excited that Mike Newman from fangraphs was at the park and was able to get video of Ovando. The fans here accuse Ovando of not hustling down the line. I have had that feeling some but I also feel that Ovando's large frame takes a while to get going. I hope Mike is able to pull a home to first time off the video and will share that will us.
The Astros were not fond of the home play umps strike zone. Both Ruiz and Ovando gave dirty looks after called third strikes. Five of the 10 strike outs were looking.
Other Observations:
It was reported to me that Brian Blasik took some infield today and is close to being ready to play again. His defense plus his bat have been missed.
Eyewitness Report: 8/18/12 Gville 2 - B-Royals 0
It was a great night at the ball park. I had the pleasure of watching the game with several Astros bloggers. It was nice to put faces with names. We had such a good time we talked for over an hour after the game ended.
The game itself was also a pleasure. It was a good pitching, good defense kind of game that was played in under two hours! Let's get to my observations.
On The Mound:
Adrian Houser took the mound and pitched pretty well. Most notably, it was the first time in eight starts that he didn't walk a batter. There were some hard hit balls off of him but they were at people and the Greeneville defense was solid. He was pulled after five innings. My unofficial pitch count for him at that time was 59 pitches.
Tanner Bushue came in and bounced back from a rough outing last time out, with a solid outing. He allowed just one hit in two innings and struck out three batters. His August ERA is 0.84.
Zach Dando earned his first save of the season with his mom and dad in the stands. He struck out four over two innings. His August ERA is a healthy 0.96.
In The Field:
There were some outstanding plays in the field. The best was by Carlos Correa who made a diving snag of a line drive by Bubba Starling to start a double play. Correa dove to his left and caught the ball inches off the ground. The runner on first was easily doubled off 1st because every one in the park expected that ball to get through.
The other good play was by Terrell Joyce. In the top of the second, Burlington's DH hit a double down the line with two outs. The Royal's manager chose to insert a pinch runner (IN THE SECOND INNING!). The next hitter singled on a ground ball to left field. Joyce was aggressive in fielding the ball on the run and came up throwing. His throw was perfect and catcher Ernesto Genoves did a nice job of not reacting to the throw until the last minute. The made the catch and the tag and the shutout was still intact.
At The Plate:
Correa continues to show he can hit. His two for four night moved his average since his promotion to .458. Again, I noticed how well he lets the ball travel in the zone. He was called on to sac bunt in this game and he did so effectively. He appears very fundamentally sound.
Angel Ibanez and Joyce had two hit nights as well. Ibanez scored both runs for the G-Stros.
Other Observations:
Ariel Ovando was held out of the line up for the second night in a row. This follows poor fielding performances on Wednesday and Thursday. I am not sure that is a coincidence.
The game itself was also a pleasure. It was a good pitching, good defense kind of game that was played in under two hours! Let's get to my observations.
On The Mound:
Adrian Houser took the mound and pitched pretty well. Most notably, it was the first time in eight starts that he didn't walk a batter. There were some hard hit balls off of him but they were at people and the Greeneville defense was solid. He was pulled after five innings. My unofficial pitch count for him at that time was 59 pitches.
Tanner Bushue came in and bounced back from a rough outing last time out, with a solid outing. He allowed just one hit in two innings and struck out three batters. His August ERA is 0.84.
Zach Dando earned his first save of the season with his mom and dad in the stands. He struck out four over two innings. His August ERA is a healthy 0.96.
In The Field:
There were some outstanding plays in the field. The best was by Carlos Correa who made a diving snag of a line drive by Bubba Starling to start a double play. Correa dove to his left and caught the ball inches off the ground. The runner on first was easily doubled off 1st because every one in the park expected that ball to get through.
The other good play was by Terrell Joyce. In the top of the second, Burlington's DH hit a double down the line with two outs. The Royal's manager chose to insert a pinch runner (IN THE SECOND INNING!). The next hitter singled on a ground ball to left field. Joyce was aggressive in fielding the ball on the run and came up throwing. His throw was perfect and catcher Ernesto Genoves did a nice job of not reacting to the throw until the last minute. The made the catch and the tag and the shutout was still intact.
At The Plate:
Correa continues to show he can hit. His two for four night moved his average since his promotion to .458. Again, I noticed how well he lets the ball travel in the zone. He was called on to sac bunt in this game and he did so effectively. He appears very fundamentally sound.
Angel Ibanez and Joyce had two hit nights as well. Ibanez scored both runs for the G-Stros.
Other Observations:
Ariel Ovando was held out of the line up for the second night in a row. This follows poor fielding performances on Wednesday and Thursday. I am not sure that is a coincidence.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/16/12 Gville 2 - B-Sox 3
Other things at the park kept me from taking detailed notes on this game. I will share with you that the box score doesn't tell the whole story on a disappointing loss.
The whole game turned on the fifth inning. Michael Feliz had cruised through the first four innings. He had seven strike out of the first 12 outs. In the fifth, with a 2-0 lead, Feliz walked the bases loaded. Three walks in an inning will hurt you every time. BUT! He should have been out of the inning. The triple that cleared the bases was a fairly routine line drive to right. Ariel Ovando was there for the ball, he was just about three feet too far in to field it. It simply was misjudged. I am not sure if it was a bad read of the bat or if it was a lack of focus but it was a very poor play. He makes that play, Greeneville wins. I have said several times that Ovando has looked much better in the field this year. However last night, he looked like the Ovando from last season.
If ifs and buts, were candy and nuts......
There were other aspects of the game that could have gone better, such as getting at least one hit with runners in scoring position (0-8). And there were some positive plays, pitches and at bats. Yet when your team is fighting for a playoff spot, you have to beat teams that have 13-35 records. Greeneville let one get away last night.
Other Notes:
Brian Blasik was hit on the hand while attempting to bunt Thursday night. He was sporting two finger splints on right hand.
Blogger Invasion
I am thrilled to get to meet some folks that I have gotten to know on the interwebs this weekend. Jayne from What The Heck Bobby, Mike Newman from FanGraphs, and Tim and Brooks from The Crawfish Boxes are all going to catch at least one game at Pioneer Park this weekend. I look forward to meeting them and getting their observations on this team.
The whole game turned on the fifth inning. Michael Feliz had cruised through the first four innings. He had seven strike out of the first 12 outs. In the fifth, with a 2-0 lead, Feliz walked the bases loaded. Three walks in an inning will hurt you every time. BUT! He should have been out of the inning. The triple that cleared the bases was a fairly routine line drive to right. Ariel Ovando was there for the ball, he was just about three feet too far in to field it. It simply was misjudged. I am not sure if it was a bad read of the bat or if it was a lack of focus but it was a very poor play. He makes that play, Greeneville wins. I have said several times that Ovando has looked much better in the field this year. However last night, he looked like the Ovando from last season.
If ifs and buts, were candy and nuts......
There were other aspects of the game that could have gone better, such as getting at least one hit with runners in scoring position (0-8). And there were some positive plays, pitches and at bats. Yet when your team is fighting for a playoff spot, you have to beat teams that have 13-35 records. Greeneville let one get away last night.
Other Notes:
Brian Blasik was hit on the hand while attempting to bunt Thursday night. He was sporting two finger splints on right hand.
Blogger Invasion
I am thrilled to get to meet some folks that I have gotten to know on the interwebs this weekend. Jayne from What The Heck Bobby, Mike Newman from FanGraphs, and Tim and Brooks from The Crawfish Boxes are all going to catch at least one game at Pioneer Park this weekend. I look forward to meeting them and getting their observations on this team.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/14/12 Gville 10 - B-Sox 0
Some observations from tonight's game. I didn't keep a book because I didn't get in the park until the bottom of the first due to giving blood. When I got in the park, my son had struck a conversation with some folks from out of town and we spent a fair amount of time talking. So my observations won't be as detailed.
On The Mound
Fredrick Tiburcio pitched a good game. He walked a tight rope a few times but he stranded all eight base runners he allowed. There was only two hard hit balls that I recall. One went for a double and the other was a single that Brian Blasik laid out for and almost caught. His game score for the night was 72.
The bullpen did their job with Brad Propst pitching the eighth inning and fanning two and Andrew Walter pitching the ninth; striking out the side.
At The Plate
This was my first look at Carlos Correa and Rio Ruiz. They impressed me. They didn't do anything that was amazing but both did little things well. Correa's hit on the night came on a full count. He let the ball travel deep in the zone and roped it down the first base line. He also reached once on a fielders choice that would have been a double play had he not given good effort and hustled down the base line. That play scored a run, that wouldn't have scored if had had not hustled. It was also a play where I saw a little thing from Ruiz that impressed me.
He was on first and was forced out at second on the play. When he saw that Correa had beat out the throw, he clapped his hands celebrating his team scoring, popped up and hustled off the field. He was glad the team scored despite being forced out on the play. Ruiz's double was a well hit ball in the first that got the scoring started. He did take a while to leave the batters box after a called third strike.
This was a strong lineup. When the two guys tied for the fifth best average in the league are hitting fifth and sixth, you have a deep line up. Ernesto Genoves had a good night going two for three with a double and a sac fly. Each position in the line up got on base at least one time.
In The Field
Nothing spectacular happened in the field. Ruiz handled things well at third and made several tough plays. Correa didn't see much action at short. Blasik continued his solid and gritty infield play and Martinez did a nice job at first. The outfield only saw seven balls all evening.
Overall
It was a night where the little things created big results. Blasik stealing second and being able to advance to third on an errant throw by the catcher. Correa hustling down the line to prevent a double play. Genoves & Monzon producing sac flies to produce runs. Positive chatter in the dugout. This team appears to know that it is in the midst of a playoff race and each game counts.
On The Mound
Fredrick Tiburcio pitched a good game. He walked a tight rope a few times but he stranded all eight base runners he allowed. There was only two hard hit balls that I recall. One went for a double and the other was a single that Brian Blasik laid out for and almost caught. His game score for the night was 72.
The bullpen did their job with Brad Propst pitching the eighth inning and fanning two and Andrew Walter pitching the ninth; striking out the side.
At The Plate
This was my first look at Carlos Correa and Rio Ruiz. They impressed me. They didn't do anything that was amazing but both did little things well. Correa's hit on the night came on a full count. He let the ball travel deep in the zone and roped it down the first base line. He also reached once on a fielders choice that would have been a double play had he not given good effort and hustled down the base line. That play scored a run, that wouldn't have scored if had had not hustled. It was also a play where I saw a little thing from Ruiz that impressed me.
He was on first and was forced out at second on the play. When he saw that Correa had beat out the throw, he clapped his hands celebrating his team scoring, popped up and hustled off the field. He was glad the team scored despite being forced out on the play. Ruiz's double was a well hit ball in the first that got the scoring started. He did take a while to leave the batters box after a called third strike.
This was a strong lineup. When the two guys tied for the fifth best average in the league are hitting fifth and sixth, you have a deep line up. Ernesto Genoves had a good night going two for three with a double and a sac fly. Each position in the line up got on base at least one time.
In The Field
Nothing spectacular happened in the field. Ruiz handled things well at third and made several tough plays. Correa didn't see much action at short. Blasik continued his solid and gritty infield play and Martinez did a nice job at first. The outfield only saw seven balls all evening.
Overall
It was a night where the little things created big results. Blasik stealing second and being able to advance to third on an errant throw by the catcher. Correa hustling down the line to prevent a double play. Genoves & Monzon producing sac flies to produce runs. Positive chatter in the dugout. This team appears to know that it is in the midst of a playoff race and each game counts.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/6/12 Double Header Loss to Johnson City
It was a tough night at Pioneer Park last night. The G-Stros were swept by the Johnson City Cardinals. Here are a few observations:
GAME ONE: Cards 8 - Gville 2
On The Mound:
Adrian Houser got the start in game one. He didn't pitch as badly as the line indicates. Two of the doubles were not hit hard but were placed right down the opposite field line. Batters appeared to have been fooled on the pitch. The triple that was hit to lead off the second was aided by a bad line to the ball by Ariel Ovando.
Houser's poise was good until the fifth when you could see the frustration in his body language on the mound.
Mike Hauschild relieved Houser with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth. He allowed a single, a walk, and a fielders choice to allow all the inherited runners to score. The ground ball was a slow roller that couldn't be turned for a run saving double play. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
Andrew Walter finished the game for Greeneville. He pitched around three hits for a scoreless seventh.
At The Plate:
Not much to write about here. The G-Stros only mustered three runs off of Cardinal pitching. Angel Ibanez had a two RBI double D'Andre Toney also had a double and Ricky Gingras has a single. Ovando took a four pitch walk and showed better pitch recognition in all at bats. He already has four walks in August. It appears the scouting report is don't throw him strikes and he has made some adjustment.
In The Field:
Ricky Gingras did a nice job behind the plate blocking balls. His caught stealing was on a ball that got away from him and he corralled it and made a good throw to third.
Other than Ovando's bad route, the only other misplay was by Toney who ran past a ball on the ground in an error that was possibly due to lack of focus late in a blow out game. It did not result in additional runs but it did give up an extra base to two runners.
GAME TWO: Cards 5 - Gville 1
On the Mound:
There was a buzz in the air before game two. It was the Greeneville debut of 1st round supplemental draft pick Lance McCullers. Part of the buzz was created by his pre game warm up routine that included long tossing a neon yellow softball. It was the first time I had seen that in a pitchers pre game routine.
Once he took the mound, he showed good poise and solid pitching. The first inning was an adventure as he got the first two outs and then walked the bases loaded. Two of those walks came on full counts. After a pitching visit, he settled down and got the final out on a strike out. I sat near a scout so I could peek at his radar gun. It was reading 91-93 on fastballs and 80-84 on his breaking ball. Those numbers stayed consistent throughout his start.
After his 26 pitch first inning, McCullers settled down and pitched very well. He allowed one hit and one walk in his next three innings of work while striking out three more batters. An impressive first showing for Mr. McCullers
He was relieved by Joe Musgrove. The scout didn't have his gun out for him so I can't give you numbers but he appeared to be throwing harder. However, they were being hit and hit hard. He lasted an 1 2/3 innings and was helped by defense.
Euris Quezada came in and put out a fire in the sixth and then was pulled with two outs in the seventh in favor of a lefty. Hindsight being 20/20, I wish he would have been left in.
Scott Zuloaga came in to face Bruce Caldwell who was pulled for a pitch hitter who hit a line drive that should have been out #3 but was a three base error instead.
After one batter, Michael Dimock came in to finish the game.
At The Plate:
The Astros hitters were baffled by slight Stalyn Lopez. He pitched a complete game four hitter and fanned eight G-Stros. He got better as the game went along. He was throwing mid 80's at the start of the game and hit 90 in the sixth inning.
Angel Ibanez had the big hit again with another RBI double. He was responsible for knocking in all of Greenville's runs last night. He now has a seven game hitting streak and in his last five games, he is 9 for 20 (.450) with four doubles and eight RBI.
Jean Batista hit a double, and Toney and Jose Monzon added singles to complete the G-Stros hit totals.
In The Field:
It a mixed bag for Ariel Ovando.
The Good: With a runner on second, he caught a fly ball in right field. He runner went back to tag and Ovando unleashed a throw that the third baseman caught head high. It was slightly off line but the throw created a buzz in the park.
The Bad: He hot dogged one catch in right. It was a high fly ball on the warning track and he caught the ball about bell high on his right side. He had plenty of time to catch it in a fundamentally sound way. He also misplayed a line drive that got by him and was the difference in the game.
Jose Monzon also had a mixed result. He nailed the potential tying run at the plate in the fifth with a great throw. He later let a throw slip out of his hand that almost ended up in the seats behind third.
Angel Ibanez had a solid game at third; making several plays coming in towards the grass.
D'Andre Toney made a diving attempt in each game on balls in front of him. He failed to come up with either one but you have to like the effort.
GAME ONE: Cards 8 - Gville 2
On The Mound:
Adrian Houser got the start in game one. He didn't pitch as badly as the line indicates. Two of the doubles were not hit hard but were placed right down the opposite field line. Batters appeared to have been fooled on the pitch. The triple that was hit to lead off the second was aided by a bad line to the ball by Ariel Ovando.
Houser's poise was good until the fifth when you could see the frustration in his body language on the mound.
Mike Hauschild relieved Houser with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth. He allowed a single, a walk, and a fielders choice to allow all the inherited runners to score. The ground ball was a slow roller that couldn't be turned for a run saving double play. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
Andrew Walter finished the game for Greeneville. He pitched around three hits for a scoreless seventh.
At The Plate:
Not much to write about here. The G-Stros only mustered three runs off of Cardinal pitching. Angel Ibanez had a two RBI double D'Andre Toney also had a double and Ricky Gingras has a single. Ovando took a four pitch walk and showed better pitch recognition in all at bats. He already has four walks in August. It appears the scouting report is don't throw him strikes and he has made some adjustment.
In The Field:
Ricky Gingras did a nice job behind the plate blocking balls. His caught stealing was on a ball that got away from him and he corralled it and made a good throw to third.
Other than Ovando's bad route, the only other misplay was by Toney who ran past a ball on the ground in an error that was possibly due to lack of focus late in a blow out game. It did not result in additional runs but it did give up an extra base to two runners.
GAME TWO: Cards 5 - Gville 1
On the Mound:
There was a buzz in the air before game two. It was the Greeneville debut of 1st round supplemental draft pick Lance McCullers. Part of the buzz was created by his pre game warm up routine that included long tossing a neon yellow softball. It was the first time I had seen that in a pitchers pre game routine.
Once he took the mound, he showed good poise and solid pitching. The first inning was an adventure as he got the first two outs and then walked the bases loaded. Two of those walks came on full counts. After a pitching visit, he settled down and got the final out on a strike out. I sat near a scout so I could peek at his radar gun. It was reading 91-93 on fastballs and 80-84 on his breaking ball. Those numbers stayed consistent throughout his start.
After his 26 pitch first inning, McCullers settled down and pitched very well. He allowed one hit and one walk in his next three innings of work while striking out three more batters. An impressive first showing for Mr. McCullers
He was relieved by Joe Musgrove. The scout didn't have his gun out for him so I can't give you numbers but he appeared to be throwing harder. However, they were being hit and hit hard. He lasted an 1 2/3 innings and was helped by defense.
Euris Quezada came in and put out a fire in the sixth and then was pulled with two outs in the seventh in favor of a lefty. Hindsight being 20/20, I wish he would have been left in.
Scott Zuloaga came in to face Bruce Caldwell who was pulled for a pitch hitter who hit a line drive that should have been out #3 but was a three base error instead.
After one batter, Michael Dimock came in to finish the game.
At The Plate:
The Astros hitters were baffled by slight Stalyn Lopez. He pitched a complete game four hitter and fanned eight G-Stros. He got better as the game went along. He was throwing mid 80's at the start of the game and hit 90 in the sixth inning.
Angel Ibanez had the big hit again with another RBI double. He was responsible for knocking in all of Greenville's runs last night. He now has a seven game hitting streak and in his last five games, he is 9 for 20 (.450) with four doubles and eight RBI.
Jean Batista hit a double, and Toney and Jose Monzon added singles to complete the G-Stros hit totals.
In The Field:
It a mixed bag for Ariel Ovando.
The Good: With a runner on second, he caught a fly ball in right field. He runner went back to tag and Ovando unleashed a throw that the third baseman caught head high. It was slightly off line but the throw created a buzz in the park.
The Bad: He hot dogged one catch in right. It was a high fly ball on the warning track and he caught the ball about bell high on his right side. He had plenty of time to catch it in a fundamentally sound way. He also misplayed a line drive that got by him and was the difference in the game.
Jose Monzon also had a mixed result. He nailed the potential tying run at the plate in the fifth with a great throw. He later let a throw slip out of his hand that almost ended up in the seats behind third.
Angel Ibanez had a solid game at third; making several plays coming in towards the grass.
D'Andre Toney made a diving attempt in each game on balls in front of him. He failed to come up with either one but you have to like the effort.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/4/12 Greeneville 3 Johnson City 2
What a difference one day makes. From a blow out to a nail biter. Greeneville rode solid starting pitching and did just enough at the plate to earn a 3-2 win in 10 innings. Here are my observations:
On The Mound:
Daniel Minor did an outstanding job in this game! He battled out of a rough first to retire 17 batters in a row before leaving the game. In the first, he struck out the first batter, then gave up two singles. He fanned the next two and then became very efficient having five straight 1,2,3 innings.
I don't think he was done either. His pitch count wasn't too high and he appeared to be cruising when the final batter in the sixth lined a pitch back up the middle that caught Minor on the foot/ankle. He stayed with the play and made the out but then limped off the field. He tried to return in the seventh but made just one warm up pitch before being replaced.
Zach Dando retired the next five batters in a row before walking a runner with two outs in the eighth inning. He was then replaced by Jordan Jankowski.
Jankowski gave up a single that I felt 3rd baseman Ibanez should have handled but it was a hot shot. He then fanned the next batter to end the threat in the eighth.
In the nineth, Jankowski gave up a single on a slow roller up the middle before surrendering his first home run ball of the year. That tied the game up. The G-Stros manager stayed with Jankowski and he retired the next batter on a pop fly before surrendering back to back singles on flairs to right field. Jankowski was more unlucky than bad.
Big Euris Quezada came in to relieve Jankowski and got a double play ball to end the inning. In the 10th, he struck out the side while mixing in a single. He ended up with the win in relief.
At The Plate:
Ariel Ovando had the big game at the plate. His day didn't start off great. He grounded to short in his first at bat. The shortstop made a solid play but Ovando didn't hustle down the line. I believe it would have been a close play had he hustled. He then launched a high fly ball that almost cleared the fence but bounced off for a triple. Ovando was running full out on that play. Makes me wonder if he didn't get some feedback on his effort from the previous at bat.
After another ground out, he got the big hit in the 10th. With two outs and runners at first and second, he showed good bat control and took a ball the opposite way for a walk off single. He also took a walk during the game, giving him three walks in his last four games.
Jean Batista, stayed hot, going two for four with a walk. The double he hit, didn't get past the outfielders. It was a shot in the gap and he hustled it into a double.
Terrell Joyce had two hits also. He finished July in a bit of a funk, striking out 11 out of his last 21 at bats in the month. Since the calendar has turned to August, he only has one strike out in his first 14 at bats this month.
In The Field:
Greeneville played error free ball. The middle infield of Batista and Brian Blasik took care of nine of the 11 ground outs in the field. They turned a double play in a key spot as well. Batista had six assist and one put out. Blasik had four assist and one put out.
Other Observations:
The buzz around the field was the arrival of Lance McCullers Jr. who is slated to start Monday night. He was busy signing a lot of autographs after he finished his running before the game.
There was also a report that Joe Musgrove will make his Astros debut on Monday as well in relief.
On The Mound:
Daniel Minor did an outstanding job in this game! He battled out of a rough first to retire 17 batters in a row before leaving the game. In the first, he struck out the first batter, then gave up two singles. He fanned the next two and then became very efficient having five straight 1,2,3 innings.
I don't think he was done either. His pitch count wasn't too high and he appeared to be cruising when the final batter in the sixth lined a pitch back up the middle that caught Minor on the foot/ankle. He stayed with the play and made the out but then limped off the field. He tried to return in the seventh but made just one warm up pitch before being replaced.
Zach Dando retired the next five batters in a row before walking a runner with two outs in the eighth inning. He was then replaced by Jordan Jankowski.
Jankowski gave up a single that I felt 3rd baseman Ibanez should have handled but it was a hot shot. He then fanned the next batter to end the threat in the eighth.
In the nineth, Jankowski gave up a single on a slow roller up the middle before surrendering his first home run ball of the year. That tied the game up. The G-Stros manager stayed with Jankowski and he retired the next batter on a pop fly before surrendering back to back singles on flairs to right field. Jankowski was more unlucky than bad.
Big Euris Quezada came in to relieve Jankowski and got a double play ball to end the inning. In the 10th, he struck out the side while mixing in a single. He ended up with the win in relief.
At The Plate:
Ariel Ovando had the big game at the plate. His day didn't start off great. He grounded to short in his first at bat. The shortstop made a solid play but Ovando didn't hustle down the line. I believe it would have been a close play had he hustled. He then launched a high fly ball that almost cleared the fence but bounced off for a triple. Ovando was running full out on that play. Makes me wonder if he didn't get some feedback on his effort from the previous at bat.
After another ground out, he got the big hit in the 10th. With two outs and runners at first and second, he showed good bat control and took a ball the opposite way for a walk off single. He also took a walk during the game, giving him three walks in his last four games.
Jean Batista, stayed hot, going two for four with a walk. The double he hit, didn't get past the outfielders. It was a shot in the gap and he hustled it into a double.
Terrell Joyce had two hits also. He finished July in a bit of a funk, striking out 11 out of his last 21 at bats in the month. Since the calendar has turned to August, he only has one strike out in his first 14 at bats this month.
In The Field:
Greeneville played error free ball. The middle infield of Batista and Brian Blasik took care of nine of the 11 ground outs in the field. They turned a double play in a key spot as well. Batista had six assist and one put out. Blasik had four assist and one put out.
Other Observations:
The buzz around the field was the arrival of Lance McCullers Jr. who is slated to start Monday night. He was busy signing a lot of autographs after he finished his running before the game.
There was also a report that Joe Musgrove will make his Astros debut on Monday as well in relief.
Eyewitness Report: 8/3/12 G-Stros 18 - K-Mets 2
Wow, what an offensive explosion by the Greeneville Astros! They tied the team record for runs with 18 and broke the team record for RBI with 17. I was at the game with some friends so I didn't take detailed notes but here are a few observations.
On The Mound:
Michael Feliz has some velocity. One of my friends' son went and talked to the guys charting pitches and saw that Feliz had hit 95 with his fast ball a few times. Gave up several long drives. Some went for hits and some for outs. He only gave up three hits but one was a triple to lead off an inning and one was a one out double. Both of those runners scored.
Brad Propst made his first appearance after being sent down from TriCities. He dominated with 4 Ks in two innings and got the win.
Michael Dimock pitched three effective innings in relief which earned him a save in an 18-2 game. Further evidence that the save stat is a joke! I am not sure what exactly he saved. Dimock didn't allow a base runner during his three innings.
At The Plate:
Angel Ibanez has gotten hot. He went five for six last on the game but reached all six times. He reached on a wild pitch on the third strike in the fourth inning. His five hits and four runs, both tied team records.
Brian Blasik appears to have snapped out of his hitting funk. He went three for six with a triple. He also showed good baseball IQ reading a throw from the outfield to take an extra base.
Jose Monzon, normally a defense first kind of player, had a solid game at the plate. He went three for four with a walk. He also stole two bases; his first of the season.
Mark Wik didn't have a great evening. He made an early exit after he disagreed with the call on the third strike and used the bat to illustrate where the pitch was actually located. His ejection moved Ariel Ovando from the first base coaches box to right field. Ovando went one for five with three Ks. He has now fanned eight times in his last 15 at bats.
In The Field:
The only error on the night came from Ibanez who short armed a throw to first on a routine play in the first inning.
Monzon made an nice sliding catch of a shallow fly in left field late in the game.
Summary
After a long rain delay, it was great to get this game in. It was also good to see the guys bounce back from a lose with a solid all around performance to take two out of three from Kingsport. The win, coupled with a rain out for Johnson City gave the G-Stros a full lead in the wild card race.
On The Mound:
Michael Feliz has some velocity. One of my friends' son went and talked to the guys charting pitches and saw that Feliz had hit 95 with his fast ball a few times. Gave up several long drives. Some went for hits and some for outs. He only gave up three hits but one was a triple to lead off an inning and one was a one out double. Both of those runners scored.
Brad Propst made his first appearance after being sent down from TriCities. He dominated with 4 Ks in two innings and got the win.
Michael Dimock pitched three effective innings in relief which earned him a save in an 18-2 game. Further evidence that the save stat is a joke! I am not sure what exactly he saved. Dimock didn't allow a base runner during his three innings.
At The Plate:
Angel Ibanez has gotten hot. He went five for six last on the game but reached all six times. He reached on a wild pitch on the third strike in the fourth inning. His five hits and four runs, both tied team records.
Brian Blasik appears to have snapped out of his hitting funk. He went three for six with a triple. He also showed good baseball IQ reading a throw from the outfield to take an extra base.
Jose Monzon, normally a defense first kind of player, had a solid game at the plate. He went three for four with a walk. He also stole two bases; his first of the season.
Mark Wik didn't have a great evening. He made an early exit after he disagreed with the call on the third strike and used the bat to illustrate where the pitch was actually located. His ejection moved Ariel Ovando from the first base coaches box to right field. Ovando went one for five with three Ks. He has now fanned eight times in his last 15 at bats.
In The Field:
The only error on the night came from Ibanez who short armed a throw to first on a routine play in the first inning.
Monzon made an nice sliding catch of a shallow fly in left field late in the game.
Summary
After a long rain delay, it was great to get this game in. It was also good to see the guys bounce back from a lose with a solid all around performance to take two out of three from Kingsport. The win, coupled with a rain out for Johnson City gave the G-Stros a full lead in the wild card race.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Eyewitness Report: 8/1/12 G-Stros 7 K-Mets 4
The G-Stros were back in town last night and Little Appy and I were there to take in the game. The game had a playoff tension to it due to the G-Stros position in the standings. Here are my observations from last night.
On The Mound:
Starter Frederick Tiburcio went four innings and was struggling with his control. Here are his pitch counts inning by inning:
1st - 21 pitches 12 for strikes
2nd - 11 pitches seven for strikes
3rd - 20 pitches 10 for strikes
4th - 11 pitches only four for strikes
That is a combined total of 63 pitches and 33 for strikes (52%). Ten of his first pitches to batters were for balls. To my untrained eye, it looked like he couldn't locate his off speed pitches and batters were sitting on the fast ball. The good news is he was mostly getting ground balls; but many of them were hard hit. He gave up three runs and two of them reached due to walks. One of his runs was scored when he balked a runner home from third.
Mike Hauschild came in to provide two innings of relief. He gave up one run on one hit and a hit batter. The most impressive at bat during his time on the mound was his final batter. He fanned a batter on the eighth pitch of the at bat.
The run that scored was on base due to a hit batter. The batter, Met's 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini, had an 0-2 count and Hauschild came inside and the ball hit him on the hand/wrist area. Cecchini was writhing on the ground for some time before being replaced by a pinch runner. The runner then went to third on a single and scored on a ground out.
Euris Quezada shows again he can pitch well in the rookie leagues. He pitched two innings with two strike outs and no hits. One think I didn't like was when Quezada came off the mound after each inning, he made a slashing motion across his throat.
Jordan Jankowski was impressive in the 9th. He threw 12 pitches and 10 were for strikes. He got one strike out looking and one swinging.
So, of the four runs that scored for the K-Mets, three of the reached without the benefit of a hit.
At The Plate:
Greeneville also benefited from free passes. They walked six times and half of those scored; all in the seventh inning. It is interesting that they earned that many walks. as they averaged just over 3.2 pitchers per plate appearance. Their aggressiveness was evident in the 3rd, 4th and 5th when the Kingsport starter threw a combined 26 pitches (8.7 pitches per inning) and Greeneville batters didn't get a hit.
Angel Ibanez went three for five with two runs scored. He hit two singles and a double. He hit the ball hard all night. His hardest hit ball was a line drive up the middle that was turned into a double play because the shortstop was standing one step on the third base side of second. Kingsport shaded that way all night long. The defensive shift worked as several balls that would have been hits up the middle turned into outs.
Jean Batista went two for four and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. The G-Stros record is 19, set by Jordan Scott last season. His double in the 7th was the big blow in the game. It was a hot shot that ate up the 3rd baseman and went into the tarp area.
Brian Blasik went one for two with two walks. He was on base all for times thanks two a throwing error by the K-Met third baseman. He was stranded in scoring position twice.
D'Andre Toney went one for four with a walk but he did a good job as the lead off man of seeing pitches. Leading off the first, he saw six pitches before lining out to left. In the second he singled on the fifth pitch scoring the G-Stros first run of the game. The fifth, he flied out on the second pitch. In the seventh, he struck out looking on the fifth pitch. In the 8th, he walked on the sixth pitch of the at bat. That is a total of 24 pitches seen in five plate appearances for an average of 4.8 pitches seen. He did make a big gaff on the bases in the 2nd when he ran through a stop sign at third and was tagged out at home for the final out in the inning.
Ricky Gingras went one for three with a walk and scored each time he was on base. He hit the ball hard tonight.
In The Field:
Blasik made a solid play to get the first out in the second inning. He charged a ball headed towards the hole and threw across his body for the out.
Ibanez made a great catch on a high pop foul ball in the fourth. The wind blew the ball back toward to field and he stayed with it and made a nice grab. He also started a nice 5-4-3 double play to limit the damage in the third inning.
Other Observations
The K-Mets are now 1-18 on the road.
The G-Stros move to 13-6 at home and are still six games back of Elizabethon for the West Division lead but added a game over Johnson City for the wild card spot.
On The Mound:
Starter Frederick Tiburcio went four innings and was struggling with his control. Here are his pitch counts inning by inning:
1st - 21 pitches 12 for strikes
2nd - 11 pitches seven for strikes
3rd - 20 pitches 10 for strikes
4th - 11 pitches only four for strikes
That is a combined total of 63 pitches and 33 for strikes (52%). Ten of his first pitches to batters were for balls. To my untrained eye, it looked like he couldn't locate his off speed pitches and batters were sitting on the fast ball. The good news is he was mostly getting ground balls; but many of them were hard hit. He gave up three runs and two of them reached due to walks. One of his runs was scored when he balked a runner home from third.
Mike Hauschild came in to provide two innings of relief. He gave up one run on one hit and a hit batter. The most impressive at bat during his time on the mound was his final batter. He fanned a batter on the eighth pitch of the at bat.
The run that scored was on base due to a hit batter. The batter, Met's 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini, had an 0-2 count and Hauschild came inside and the ball hit him on the hand/wrist area. Cecchini was writhing on the ground for some time before being replaced by a pinch runner. The runner then went to third on a single and scored on a ground out.
Euris Quezada shows again he can pitch well in the rookie leagues. He pitched two innings with two strike outs and no hits. One think I didn't like was when Quezada came off the mound after each inning, he made a slashing motion across his throat.
Jordan Jankowski was impressive in the 9th. He threw 12 pitches and 10 were for strikes. He got one strike out looking and one swinging.
So, of the four runs that scored for the K-Mets, three of the reached without the benefit of a hit.
At The Plate:
Greeneville also benefited from free passes. They walked six times and half of those scored; all in the seventh inning. It is interesting that they earned that many walks. as they averaged just over 3.2 pitchers per plate appearance. Their aggressiveness was evident in the 3rd, 4th and 5th when the Kingsport starter threw a combined 26 pitches (8.7 pitches per inning) and Greeneville batters didn't get a hit.
Angel Ibanez went three for five with two runs scored. He hit two singles and a double. He hit the ball hard all night. His hardest hit ball was a line drive up the middle that was turned into a double play because the shortstop was standing one step on the third base side of second. Kingsport shaded that way all night long. The defensive shift worked as several balls that would have been hits up the middle turned into outs.
Jean Batista went two for four and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. The G-Stros record is 19, set by Jordan Scott last season. His double in the 7th was the big blow in the game. It was a hot shot that ate up the 3rd baseman and went into the tarp area.
Brian Blasik went one for two with two walks. He was on base all for times thanks two a throwing error by the K-Met third baseman. He was stranded in scoring position twice.
D'Andre Toney went one for four with a walk but he did a good job as the lead off man of seeing pitches. Leading off the first, he saw six pitches before lining out to left. In the second he singled on the fifth pitch scoring the G-Stros first run of the game. The fifth, he flied out on the second pitch. In the seventh, he struck out looking on the fifth pitch. In the 8th, he walked on the sixth pitch of the at bat. That is a total of 24 pitches seen in five plate appearances for an average of 4.8 pitches seen. He did make a big gaff on the bases in the 2nd when he ran through a stop sign at third and was tagged out at home for the final out in the inning.
Ricky Gingras went one for three with a walk and scored each time he was on base. He hit the ball hard tonight.
In The Field:
Blasik made a solid play to get the first out in the second inning. He charged a ball headed towards the hole and threw across his body for the out.
Ibanez made a great catch on a high pop foul ball in the fourth. The wind blew the ball back toward to field and he stayed with it and made a nice grab. He also started a nice 5-4-3 double play to limit the damage in the third inning.
Other Observations
The K-Mets are now 1-18 on the road.
The G-Stros move to 13-6 at home and are still six games back of Elizabethon for the West Division lead but added a game over Johnson City for the wild card spot.
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