June 14th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – TOLEDO 4, SYRACUSE 1
40-30, 2nd in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – NEW HAMPSHIRE 5, ERIE 9
29-39, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – ALL STAR BREAK
33-33, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – FORT WAYNE 3, WEST MICHIGAN 6
37-30, t-1st in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - PADRES 3, TIGERS 2
3-10, 4th in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – NO REPORT
6-22, 8th in VSL
Lauren Gagnier picked up his first Triple-A victory, and Joel Zumaya tossed another perfect inning as Toledo got back to ten games over .500. Gagnier gave up just one run in six innings of work, while Zumaya pitched a perfect seventh (followed by a perfect eighth by Francisco Cruceta). Zumaya had a strikeout, needing just 11 pitches to work through the inning. Erick Almonte led the 'Hens offense with three RBI.
The SeaWolves offense took awhile to get going, but once they did, they scored nine unanswered runs to run away from the RiverCats. Ryan Roberson and Dusty Ryan had three RBI each, also combining for five hits and four runs scored.
In the Florida State League All Star Game, the Flying Tigers were well represented. Cale Iorg blasted a solo home run, while Ryan Strieby had a hit; Jeff Kunkel was 0-for-2 though in his two at-bats. On the mound, Rick Porcello got the win as the West team starter, giving up a run in his inning of work. Matt O'Brien also made an appearance, giving up two runs in his inning.
Jon Kibler picked up the win for the Whitecaps, earning them a spot in the playoffs come September. Kibler improved to 6-2, giving up two runs in seven innings. Audy Ciriaco and Kody Kaiser each had a pair of RBI, while Jordan Newton had three hits.
The DSL Tigers' bullpen couldn't hold a slim 2-1 lead, giving up a run each in the eighth and ninth, losing the game 3-2. It spoiled a strong outing from Marcos Nunez, who gave up a run in four innings of work, including five strikeouts. Ariel Median took the loss, giving up the go-ahead run. Samir Rijo had a solo home run, but the team couldn't muster much else offense at the plate.
Posted by: Wez, 6/15
June 13th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – INDIANAPOLIS 2, TOLEDO 0
39-30, 2nd in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – NEW HAMPSHIRE 8, ERIE 1
28-39, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – ALL STAR BREAK
33-33, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – FORT WAYNE 0, WEST MICHIGAN 5
36-30, 2nd in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - NATIONALS(2) 4, TIGERS 5
3-8, 4th in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – MARINERS 2, TIGERS 1
5-22, 8th in VSL
After being passed over once again for a shot in the big league rotation, Virgil Vasquez now seems to be pitching on a mission that started on Friday night. Vasquez pitched well, but took the loss, his sixth of the year, giving up two runs in seven innings of work. Only two hits by the Mud Hens offense did him in.
The Erie SeaWolves had their game shortened by rain, but it likely wouldn't have mattered, as New Hampshire jumped on Andrew Kown early - Kown allowed seven runs, and like Vasquez got minimal run support. The SeaWolves managed out-hit the Mud Hens by one, managing three hits for the night.
The Whitecaps got Manny Miguelez a win, albeit in an unconvention manner with Mauricio Robles starting the first three innings, and Miguelez pitching the final six for the victory. The two combined to one-hit Fort Wayne, with Miguelez pitching six no-hit innings. Kyle Peter, Justin Henry and Chris Carlson each had two hits and scored a run.
The DSL Tigers lost the lead in the top half of the sixth, but got it back in the bottom half of the inning via a pair of wild pitches, and held on from there on out to pick up a victory. Sandy De La Cruz was responsible for both allowing the tying run to score (though it wasn't credited to him) and working his way out of the jam to earn the victory. Santos Heredia scored the game winning run as a pinch runner after a walk to open the inning. Alexander Nunez drove in a pair of runs for the DSL Tigers.
And finally, the VSL Mariners squeaked by the VSL Tigers, 2-1, with the Tigers managing just one run on four hits. Fernando Celis took the loss, giving up a run in four innings of work in his second start of the season. Ronald Torrealba brought home the lone run, while Wondy de los Santos was 2-for-2 as a late game substitution.
Posted by: Wez, 6/14
June 12th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – INDIANAPOLIS 8, TOLEDO 6
39-29, t-1st in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – PORTLAND 0, ERIE 5
28-38, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – CCLD: RAIN
33-33, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – LANSING 0, WEST MICHIGAN 1
35-30, 2nd in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - NATIONALS 5, TIGERS 1
2-8, 4th in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – TIGERS 2, PHILLIES 3
5-21, 8th in VSL
Toledo's bullpen, especially Francis Beltran, could not hold off Indianapolis. Mike Hessman and Derek Wathan combined to provide the offense, each hitting a home run, with Wathan driving in three.
Pitching wasn't the problem in Erie as the SeaWolves got a gem from Josh Rainwater, who pitched 6 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball - allowing just four hits and striking out five. And Rainwater received plenty of run support, including a two run homer from Justin Justice. Max St. Pierre also scored a pair of runs in the victory.
Not to be out-done, Paul Nardozzi tossed six shutout innings himself, scattering five hits and striking out six. Unfortunately for Nardozzi, he didn't receive the run support that Rainwater did, walking away with a no decision. In fact, the Whitecaps would be held scoreless until the tenth inning, when Adrian Casanova hit a sac fly to score Kody Kaiser, who got the inning started with a walk. Of course, that couldn't happen until manager Joe DePastino was ejected from the game after arguing over balls and strikes.
The DSL Nationals topped the DSL Tigers, but not until after getting past Robert Diaz. Diaz bested both Rainwater and Nardozzi, pitching five innings of one-hit baseball, with six strikeouts. Unfortunately, the DSL Nationals scored three runs off Marcos Nunez, and the Tigers' offense couldn't respond, as they managed just three hits for the game, the lone run coming from a solo blast from Robinson Figueroa.
The VSL Tigers made a late comeback push, but came up just a bit short, with Francisco Martinez striking out with the tying run in scoring position to end the game. Josue Carreno took the loss, giving up three runs in four innings of work as the starter. Sanz drove in both of the Tigers' runs, and was the potential tying run stranded as the game ended. Adolfo Reina had two hits and scored both runs.
Posted by: Wez, 6/13
June 11th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – INDIANAPOLIS 3, TOLEDO 4
39-28, t-1st in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – PORTLAND 2, ERIE 7
27-38, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – BREVARD COUNTY 4, LAKELAND 7
33-33, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – LANSING 1, WEST MICHIGAN 4
34-30, 3rd in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - GM1: TIGERS 2, PADRES 6
GM2: TIGERS 0, PADRES 10
2-7, 4th in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – ASTROS 4, TIGERS 5
5-20, 8th in VSL
The Mud Hens bullpen lost a lead in the top half of the ninth after losing a 3-0 lead, but Freddy Guzman took care of that, with a solo walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Joel Zumaya had a bit of a shaky outing - not allowing a run in the seventh inning, but committing an error and giving up a double in the eighth before exiting. Zumaya did however once again hit 100-mph on the radar gun. Chris Lambert tossed six innings of one-hit baseball as the starter.
Erie put up plenty of runs early and then put things on cruise control, coasting to victory for Luke French. French gave up twelve hits in sex innings, but was able to consistently work out of trouble, allowing just two runs. Jeff Frazier and Kody Kirkland powered the offense, combining for five RBI. Will Rhymes and Danny Worth each had two hits and two runs scored atop the lineup.
The Flying Tigers squeaked out a victory that it looked like it was in the bag after Lakeland got out to a seven run lead. Ramon Garcia exited after six shutout innings, but Jordan Tata struggled once again, walking five batters while recording just two outs before exiting. Brennan Boesch once again led the charge at the plate - Boesch fell a home run shy of the cycle, driving in four.
Lansing got out to an early 1-0 lead, but that lead would disappear quickly, and the 'Caps would never let the Lugnuts recapture it. Alfredo Figaro earned his eighth win of the year, giving up the one run on only three hits before turning things over to the bullpen. Noah Krol walked one in the ninth but didn't allow a hit for his seventh save. It was a team effort at the plate, with four players managing an RBI. Roger Tomas did score two of the four Whitecap runs.
The DSL Tigers dropped both games of a doubleheader on Wednesday, making up for the rainout from Tuesday's game. The DSL Padres got out to an early 4-0 lead in the first game, and the Tigers couldn't dig out of the early hole. Rayni Guichardo gave up those four runs, working just three innings before exiting. Samir Rijo had a pair of hits, a run and an RBI in the loss. But things got worse in the second game, with the Padres shutting out the Tigers, 10-0. Ramon Lebron kicked the game off again giving up four runs, only he did so without ever recording an out. Emmaneul Del Orbe didn't fare much better, giving up five more runs in relief. The offense was put in a big hole but didn't provide much help, managing just two singles.
The VSL Tigers though picked up their fifth win of the season, with a four run ninth to walk off with a win. Jose Diaz turned in a quality start, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings of work, but Michael Torrealba picked up the win for closing things out. In the ninth, the team didn't hit for a lot of power, but a pair of errors and five singles resulted in a four run inning, capped off with a single by Luis Sanz that scored Adolfo Reina.
Posted by: Wez, 6/12
June 10th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – INDIANAPOLIS 4, TOLEDO 2
38-28, 2nd in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – PORTLAND 5, ERIE 1
26-38, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – BREVARD COUNTY 9, LAKELAND 5
32-33, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – LANSING 2, WEST MICHIGAN 0
33-30, 3rd in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - PPD: RAIN
2-5, 3rd in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – VSL TIGERS 1, VSL CARDINALS 4
4-20, 8th in VSL
The Toledo Mud Hens' offense has had some fits since the promotion of prospects Jeff Larish, Michael Hollimon, and Brent Clevlen, and Tuesday night was no different. The team managed only five hits with two coming from slugger Mike Hessman. Matt Joyce was able to draw three walks in the game, but only came across to score one time. Yorman Bazardo finally turned in a nice start this season, striking out seven while giving up just three runs in seven innings of work. Former Tiger Franklyn German picked up the win with 2/3 of an inning of work.
In similar fashion to Bazardo, Danny Christensen turned in his own impressive performance; working eight innings with only three hits and one run given up, and eight strikeouts. Unfortunately Danny Zell was rocked in the tenth, giving up four runs and the Erie offense was nowhere to be found on the evening. Will Rhymes and Jeff Frazier each notched two hits, and Justin Justice ripped his first Double-A triple in the 5-1 loss.
Four runs yielded in the first inning by Mark Brackman put the Flying Tigers in a major hole Tuesday night. Brackman didn't make it through the second, and Derek Witt couldn't pick things up through five, giving up another three runs in his three innings of relief work. Jay Sborz kept Brevard County in check as the offense tried to come back behind a 2-for-4 performance from outfielder Brennan Boesch, and a 2-for-5 night with a homer from Jeramy Laster.
With great pitching performances at Toledo and Erie, it wasn't far fetched to assume someone at West Michigan might turn in a good outing as well. That someone was hard-throwing right-hander Brandon Hamilton. Hamilton spun six excellent innings with five strikeouts and no runs allowed. left-hander Matt Hoffman came in and yielded two runs in three innings of work to take his first professional loss. Offensively, the 'Caps never got things rolling, as they totaled just eight singles as a team; led by two singles each from Kyle Peter and Kody Kaiser.
The VSL Tigers managed only one run in Tuesday's game, as there were no extra-base hits and the team was led by a 2-for-4 performance by Hernan Perez. Francisco Martinez kept his on-base streak alive with a 1-for-4 performance. Bruce Rondon was dynamite in the start, tossing five innings with just one unearned run and four strikeouts. Jose Ortega couldn't maintain the the lead as he gave up three runs in three innings to take his first loss of the year.
Posted by: Mark, 6/10
June 9th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – OFF DAY
38-27, t-1st in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – OFF DAY
26-37, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – BREVARD COUNTY 4, LAKELAND 1
32-32, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – LANSING 3, WEST MICHIGAN 4
33-29, 3rd in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - NATIONALS 12, TIGERS 4
2-5, 3rd in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – PIRATES 8, TIGERS 5
4-19, 8th in VSL
Matt O'Brien gave up plenty of hits but still turned in a quality start for the Flying Tigers - unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep Lakeland in the game on Monday, as the offense managed just four hits and one run. Brennan Boesch brought home the lone run.
The Whitecaps had a walk-off on Monday, though not the most dramatic of ways - Jordan Newton scored the game winning run via a fielding error that allowed Kyle Peter to reach base. The run earned the win for Noah Krol, his first win in of the year in relief. Andrew Hess made it through just four innings, allowing three runs, before leaving the game. Four 'Caps had multi-hit games, including Peter, who in addition to the game winning at bat, scored two runs.
The DSL Tigers got off to a rough start and were never able to recover. As ugly as Dontrelle Willis' start on Monday for the Tigers was, Carlos Melo's was probably worse, giving up six runs in just 1/3 inning, also struggling with with his control, walking four. Alexander Nunez was the star at the plate, with three hits and three runs, including a solo shot.
Eduardo Gonzalez fell to 1-4 on the year despite making it six innings for the first time this season - he allowed five runs over those six innings of work, including three strikeouts. The offense couldn't quite keep pace though, with a ninth inning rally falling a few runs short. Luis Sanz did bring home a pair of runs, while Adolfo Reina had a pair of hits, a run and an RBI.
Posted by: Wez, 6/10
June 8th Games
AAA Toledo Mud Hens – COLUMBUS 5, TOLEDO 4 (10)
38-27, t-1st in West division
AA Erie SeaWolves – ERIE 2, NEW HAMPSHIRE 5
26-37, 5th in West division
A+ Lakeland Flying Tigers – LAKELAND 7, DAYTONA 2
32-31, 4th in West division
A West Michigan Whitecaps – GM1: WEST MICH 10, GREAT LAKES 1
GM2: WEST MICH 8, GREAT LAKES 3
32-29, 3rd in Eastern division
R DSL Tigers - OFF DAY
2-4, 3rd in Santo Domingo West
R VSL Tigers – OFF DAY
4-18, 8th in VSL
Top of mind for every Tiger fan on Sunday were the next appearances for Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney with Triple-A Toledo. Rodney came out first, and battled control, throwing 23 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings of work, but just ten strikes; he did manage three strikeouts though. Rodney also gave up a solo blast. Zumaya needed just 11 pitches to get through his inning of work, allowing one hit.
Beyond the two rehabbing relievers, Jeramy Laster and Matt Joyce were long ball stars at the plate. Each blasted two home runs, increasing Joyce's total on the year to ten (15 if you count his five with the Tigers), and Laster's total to 13. Laster's production helped drive the Flying Tigers to a 7-2 win.
Beyond the production from Laster, the Flying Tigers had an interesting note on the box score - beyond a strong start from Duane Below, Jonah Nickerson made his first relief appearance of the year, pitching four innings to earn his first career save.
The Whitecaps picked up a pair of victories, wrapping up their suspended game from Saturday, and then picking up their originally slated game on Sunday. Audy Ciriaco had two impressive games, with three hits and two runs scored in each game. In the second, Kody Kaiser also added four RBI, included a three run homer. Mauricio Robles improved to 3-0, pitching five shutout innings in the second game of the day. Kelvin Cedano picked up the win in the first game for his two shutout innings of work in relief.
And finally, the SeaWolves couldn't get much offense going, with Deik Scram the only SeaWolve to have a multiple hit day at the plate. Scram had two hits and scored two runs, including a solo blast.
Posted by: Wez, 6/9