Romine returning in a couple of weeks

[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/07/romine-returning-in-a-couple-of-weeks/

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Astros Minor League Recap: July 5, 2012

My apologies for not getting a post up yesterday. Yesterday was the first day in about two months that the wife and I both had the day off. We've been able to spend time together in the evenings or on Saturday mornings, but we haven't been able to spend that kind of time together in quite some time, so I took advantage of it. Luckily all that Carlos Lee trade business went down while we were at the mall and she was shopping so I could pay attention to that for a little while at least.

These introductions are likely to get a little less detailed for the next of weeks as my new schedule for clinicals puts a little strain on my evenings and mornings. I'll still highlight when there's a really big performance or a lot of roster shakeup, but the statistical stuff will probably take a hit. My apologies in that regard as well.

Although, I do have two days of box scores for your pleasure.

Tuesday Games

Oklahoma City Redhawks won 11-10 (10 innings)

• Aneury Rodriguez-4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 4/5 GO/AO
• Sergio Perez-1/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 0 SO
• Adalberto Flores-1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
• Hector Ambriz-1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
• Brandon Barnes CF-1-4, 2 BB, SO, SB
• Jimmy Paredes 2B-3-5, 2B, 3B, 2 SO, SB
• Fernando Martinez RF-1-5, HR, BB, 2 SO, SB-Walk-Off
• Mike Hessman 1B-1-5, HR, 2 SO
• Brett Wallace 3B-3-3, 2 BB
• J.B. Shuck LF-1-4, 2B, BB

Corpus Christi Hooks lost 5-1

• Jarred Cosart-4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 8/1 GO/AO
• Erick Abreu-3 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO
• Arcenio Leon-1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR
• Drew Muren CF-1-3, 2B
• Jair Fernandez C-1-3, 2B

Lancaster JetHawks lost 7-6

• Jorge De Leon-4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 5/7 GO/AO
• Brad Dydalewicz-2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR
• Kirk Clark-2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
• Grant Hogue LF-2-4, BB, SB, CS
• George Springer CF-2-4, 2B, HR, BB, 2 SO
• Erik Castro DH-3-6, 2 2B, SO
• Enrique Hernandez 2B-0-3, 2 BB

Lexington Legends lost 2-1

• Jonas Dufek-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2/0 GO/AO
• Thomas Shirley-4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 4/2 GO/AO
• Mitchell Lambson-4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO-Nice!
• Matt Duffy 3B-2-4, 2B
• Justin Gominsky RF-1-3, 2B, SO

Tri-City ValleyCats won 7-2

• Juri Perez-7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 8/1 GO/AO
• Juan Minaya-0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
• Jamaine Cotton-2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 3/2 GO/AO
• Austin Elkins 2B-1-4, 2 SO, 2 SB
• Andrew Aplin CF-1-4, 2 SO, 2 SB
• Ryan Dineen 3B-2-4, SO

Greeneville Astros: PPD

GCL Astros won 4-0

• Edison Frias-5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 5/2 GO/AO
• Michael Feliz-3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5/1 GO/AO
• Erick Gonzalez-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
• Brett Phillips CF-1-2, 3 BB, SB
• Carlos Correa SS-1-4, 2B, BB
• Darwin Rivera 3B-3-5, CS
• Yonathan Mejia 1B-2-4, BB
• Ydarqui Marte DH-2-3

DSL Astros lost 4-0

• Edwin Villaroel-5 Ip, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO, 11/4 GO/AO
• Rauldison Rodriguez-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Jarico Reynoso CF-2-4
• Randy Cesar 3B-2-4

Wednesday Games

Oklahoma City RedHawks won 10-9

• Paul Clemens-4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 4/3 GO/AO, 73 pitches
• Juan Abreu-1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Adalberto Flores-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Marwin Gonzalez SS-3-5, 3 2B, 2 SO-Think he's ready?
• Jimmy Paredes 2B-2-5, HR, SO
• Fernando Martinez LF-2-5, SO
• Landon Powell C-3-4, 2B, HR

Corpus Christi Hooks won 4-3

• Jose Cisnero-6 Ip, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR, 6/1 GO/AO, 99 pitches
• Josh Zeid-2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Jason Stoffel-1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
• Jonathan Singleton 1B-2-4, 2B, SO
• Jake Goebbert LF-0-1, 2 BB, SO
• Jair Fernandez C-1-3, HR
• Brandon Wikoff 2B-0-1, 2 BB

Lancaster JetHawks lost 5-2

• David Martinez-6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 4/5 GO/AO
• Pat Urckfitz-3 IP, 3 H, 1 R< 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5/1 GO/AO
• Grant Hogue LF-1-3, BB, 2 SO, 2 SB
• George Springer CF-1-4, 3 SO
• Chris Epps DH-1-4, 3B, 2 SO

Lexington Legends lost 3-2

• Carlos Quevedo-4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5/6 GO/AO
• Evan Grills-2 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 2/1 GO/AO
• Matt Duffy 3B-0-2, 2 BB,2 SO
• Mike Kvasnicka DH-0-3, BB, 3 SO
• Brandon Meredith LF-1-4, HR, 2 SO

Tri-City ValleyCats lost 7-2

• Joe Bircher-3 2/3 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 5/3 GO/AO
• John Neely-3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 9/0 GO/AO
• Brad Propst-2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
• Austin Elkins 2B-1-4, HR, SO

Greeneville Astros lost 6-4 (11 innings)

• Daniel Minor-5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 4/4 GO/AO
• Jordan Jankowski-2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• Micahel Dimock-2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
• D'Andre Toney CF-3-6, SO
• Michael Martinez 1B-1-4, BB, 3 SO
• Ariel Ovando RF-2-5, SO
• Angel Ibanez 3B-2-5, 2B, SO
• Jose Monzon LF-0-4, BB, 3 SO

GCL Astros lost 6-1

• Chia-Jen Lo-2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
• Raul Rivera-2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
• Jose Montero-1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
• Brett Phillips CF-1-3, SO
• Darwin Rivera 3B, 1B-2-3
• Juan Santana 2B-1-3, 2B
• Ydarqui Marte RF-1-3, 2B, SO

GCL Astros Game 2: Suspended after 1

DSL Astros won 4-1

• Johan Arias-5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 5/2 GO/AO
• Yonquelys Martinez-3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
• Victor Mesa-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO
• Jarico Reynoso CF-2-4
• Johan Thomas De La Cruz PH, DH-1-1, HR
• Mesac Laguna 1B-1-4, 2B
• Frederick Serrano LF-1-3, HR, BB
• Yoel Silfa 2B-1-4, 2B
• Arturo Michelena SS-2-2, BB

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Strikeouts to Walks Ratio Player Analysis

In 2010, Cliff Lee posted the second best Strikes to Walks (K/BB) ratio in a single season in MLB[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://blog.lovemyteam.com/2012/07/05/strikeouts-to-walks-ratio-player-analysis/

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David Ortiz, Red Sox proving clubhouse chemistry
is important

David Ortiz thinks it's embarrassing to make $14.575 million in one season. He even went as far as saying to USA Today that it's humiliating.Now, he's right to feel humiliated ? but only for these comments.He's the team's best player, sure, but[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.lennysyankees.com/2012/07/david-ortiz-red-sox-proving-clubhouse.html

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7/5 News, Links, Discussion: Braves-Cubs, Bourns
Value, Sheets Debuts

Game 4 vs. Cubs The Braves are forced to attempt an even split in the four-game series with the Cubs after losing 5-1 on Wednesday. In today’s game, the Braves will get an up-close look at a pitcher they have reportedly scouted as a possible deadline acquisition in Matt Garza. He has a 4.01 ERA [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CapitolAvenueClub/~3/SsnbO_CVXtg/

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Thursday Pebble Report: Tyler Matzek Gets Wild
Again, Sky Sox Bats Explode

AAA Colorado Springs - W 19-5, (43-42, W3, 2nd, 7.0 GB)

The Sky Sox busted out the - ahem - fireworks last night for their hometown crowd. Colorado Springs abused the Diamondbacks' AAA squad to the tune of 19 runs and 21 hits, including an 8-run 7th when the game was well in hand. Andrew Brown (2012, waivers) led the way with a 5-for-5 night that included 2 home runs, 5 RBI and 4 runs. #18 PuRP DJ LeMahieu (2012, trade) had four hits, including two doubles, and Chad Tracy (2012, trade) homered off the bench. Last night also saw the return of #15 PuRP Charlie Blackmon to AAA after rehabbing with Tri City, and the beginning of Ramon Hernandez' rehab assignment. Blackmon singled in five trips, and Hernandez reached on a single and hit by pitch in his four plate appearances. Guillermo Moscoso (2012, trade) got the win with four runs in five innings.

.

High-A Modesto - L 2-8, (9-5, L1, t-1st)

#4 PuRP Tyler Matzek (2009, 1st round) struggled mightily with control last night, throwing nearly half of his pitches (48 of 102) for balls. He walked five (including Aubrey Huff twice), the second time he has hit that mark in nine starts since his erratic two start stretch in early May. He unleashed a wild pitch and also struck out just three, the second time in those nine starts he failed to reach seven punchouts. Matzek lasted just one out into the fifth inning, allowing five runs (four earned) to the Giants' squad. Matzek continues to provide sporadic reminders of his volatility. Any talk of moving the 21-year-old up a level this season really ought to be curbed.

#10 PuRP Kyle Parker (2010, 1st round) and Delta Cleary Jr (2008, 37th round) had two hit nights, and #12 PuRP Rafael Ortega (2006, VZ) sprayed a triple. Kraig Sitton (2010, 7th round) utilized a Helder Velazquez (2006, 5th round) error to produce a strange line - 3 runs (all unearned) on 5 hits in one inning of work. Modesto actually outhit San Jose 11-10 in the drubbing.

AA Tulsa - L 3-4, (3-8, L1, 4th, 5.5 GB)

Like Modesto, the Drillers outhit their opponents but were undone by walks. Tulsa allowed just four hits on the night, but they also walked five, including a two-out walk ahead of a 3-run home run in the sixth that turned a 3-1 lead into the ultimate 4-3 deficit. #18 PuRP Joe Gardner (2011, trade) left one batter before that home run and ended up with three earned runs in 5.2 IP. #1 PuRP Nolan Arenado (2009, 2nd round), Ben Paulsen (2009, 3rd round) and #14 PuRP Corey Dickerson (2010, 8th round) were a combined 0-for-11 in the game, and while #8 PuRP Josh Rutledge (2010, 3rd round) doubled, he also struck out on three occasions.

.

Low-A Asheville - W 8-4, (7-7, W2, 4th, 4.0 GB)

#7 PuRP Tyler Anderson (2011, 1st round) wasn't dominant, but he was certainly strong enough to record his seventh win on the year. The lefty walked three against four strikeouts in 5.2 IP, allowing just an unearned run (due to Trevor Story's 17th error) in the process. #13 PuRP Will Swanner (2010, 15th round) continues to wield a damaging bat, as the DH homered, singled and walked in five trips. Taylor Featherston (2011, 5th round) added his fifth home run on the year in the win.

.

Short Season A Tri City - W 5-3, (9-11, W4, 2nd, 2.0 GB)

Francisco Sosa (2007, DR) doubled and tripled and Kyle von Tungeln (2012, 13th round) doubled and scored three times out of the leadoff spot to keep the Dust Devils undefeated in July. Shane Broyles (2012, 14th round) struck out six in five strong innings, as the 20-year-old from Texas Tech continues to get more stretched out. Tyler Gagnon (2009, 15th round) pitched in relief, his first appearance on the mound since September 11. He allowed a run but struck out five in two innings.

.

Rookie Grand Junction - W 7-2, (8-9, W2, 3rd, 3.0 GB)

It turns out that David Dahl (2012, 1st round) can hit a little bit. He has hit in 12 of his 14 career games after throwing out a 3-hit game last night and a sacrifice fly. He is hitting .375/.438/.625 in his young career. Juan Ciriaco (2009, DR) and Wilfredo Rodriguez (2012, 7th round) also had three hits last night. Ben Waldrip (2012, 10th round) also had two hits, including his third home run of the year. Alving Mejias (2008, VZ) threw six shutout innings for the win.

.

DSL Rockies - W 7-4, (15-13, W1, t-2nd, 2.0 GB)

Joel Payamps (2010, DR) lasted three skittish innings, walking two, hitting two batters and allowing three runs on four hits. His ERA has improved from 3.05 last season to 2.45 this year, but his 15 free passes (including 8 hit batsmen) to 16 strikeouts in 33 innings is a bit alarming. He signed for nearly a quarter million in 2010, but he's still just 18 years old. With the exception of Dawin Garcia (hitting .091), every member of the lineup had a hit, led by Raimel Tapia with three. Luis Jean, Hamlet Marte and Yonathan Daza each had two knocks.

.

Thursday's Scheduled Starters

AAA Colorado Springs - Alex White (1-3, 3.45) vs. Reno (Diamondbacks), 7:05 MDT, MiLB.tv

AA Tulsa - Parker Frazier (3-9, 4.06) vs. San Antonio (Padres), 6:05 MDT, MiLB.tv

High-A Modesto - Christian Bergman (10-5, 3.34) @ San Jose (Giants), 8:00 MDT, MiLB.tv

Low-A Asheville - Chris Jensen (8-2, 4.71) vs. Augusta (Giants), 5:05 MDT

Short-Season A Tri City - Ryan Arrowood (0-0, 0.77) @ Boise (Cubs), 7:15 MDT, MiLB.tv

Rookie Grand Junction - Johendi Jiminian (0-0, 7.20) vs. Idaho Falls (Royals), 7:05 MDT

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The Added Costs For Rostering Tim Collins

Tim Collins must have felt unwanted in July 2010 when he was traded by the Blue Jays to the Braves and then by the Braves to the Royals. Collins was just starting to become a legitimate pitcher. He was averaging 13.5 K/9 and had a good chance to make a major league club. Making a major league team was a long shot since Collins was not drafted and his short stature doesn't usually lead to success as hitter or a pitcher.

When it became became obvious that Tim was going to get a shot, the Blue Jays and Braves knew the true costs of carrying someone of Timmy's stature and immediately traded him away. Well, Dayton was duped again. While Collins has turned into a successful reliever, the added cost of having him on the team is putting a financial strain on the team that may keep them from making additional moves. The following are some of the new costs the team must absorb.

New Exercise Equipment - $100K

The current exercise equipment is too big for Tim. Since he is such a gym rat, an entire new set of workout equipment was bought.

New Doors In Club House - $20K

Tim just wasn't able to reach the door handles on the doors, so the team added Dutch doors where needed.

Re-Plumbing to Lower Urinals and Water Fountains - $50K +$50

Initially, the team started lowering the urinals and water fountains to his height. Eventually, the team got smart and just got him his own step stool. The buying of the stool was just another example of the team being slow to react in a dynamic situation.

Note: The signs were Frenchy's idea.

Airline Seat Device - Free

Due to airline restrictions, Collins is required to travel with addition protection. Billy Butler was able to help the team out and donated the seat his daughter Kenley just grew out of. No one can say that Billy doesn't help out the team.

Well those were just some of the additional cost the Royals had to incur in order to roster Collins. Was it too much? Should they look at moving him? Do they already have too much invested in him? It may be years before the entire financial ramifications are eventually known.

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Buy and Sell Your Miami Marlins: June Edition

Much like we did in April and May, it is worth once again revisiting the awful month of June and seeing what we can garner out of the players' performances in that month. Which Marlins are on their way up? Which are on their way down? What will July bring for various important Marlins starters? Let us examine a few players and see what we can learn.

Buy: Jose Reyes

All that needs to be said about Reyes was said earlier last week as the month of June wrapped up. But just in case you need to see the raw numbers, take a look at the monthly splits for Reyes thus far this season.

The numbers from the last two months are far closer to his career norms than the April aberration, so it is safe to say that Reyes is almost on his way back. Given that, so far this month, he has hit a double and a home run as well, it appears as if Reyes is trying to get off to a hot start again. Here is hoping he puts another month akin to the June he had this year and continues to prove the Marlins right in signing him to his lucrative deal.

Buy: Justin Ruggiano

No, I am not buying the .400/.475/.740 (.484 wOBA) batting line Justin Ruggiano put up in June. Neither am I buying the fact that he has continued that streak into July with three homers in this Milwaukee series. What I am buying is the possibility that Ruggiano could be a significant contributor in 2012 for the Marlins. If there is one thing to be pointed out, it is that he did decrease his strikeout rate in the minors this season down to 17.5 percent from his typical rate in the mid-20 percent range. He has also far this season been more selective at the plate than he was in his brief stints with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Not all of that is going to stick, of course, but it is encouraging to see that Ruggiano really is being more selective with his swinging. He lacked that trait in 2008 and 2011 with the Rays, but so far this season he has been more careful with his eye and the results have shown at the plate, as he has drawn 10 walks in 75 PA. He may not be able to continue to make contact in this fashion, but some of the concerns about his plate discipline and long swing seem to have been alleviated thus far. Combine that with solid defense in center and left field and a decent minor league history and I would be willing to see more of Ruggiano.

Buy: Logan Morrison

Some time in the middle of June, Morrison got a hang of a few pitches and turned on them really hard and, as a result, he banged out five homers in that month. But the good thing to see is that he did change his approach from his poor May, but not so much that it changed who he is as a hitter.

You could certainly point to Morrison being ore aggressive in June, but when you take the average of these three months, it looks just like April. Perhaps Morrison noted some called strikes that he unnecessarily took and has decided to take a few more swings. This may have been a conscious effort or a fluctuation on his part, but in either case, the results were pretty good. He did walk a lot less and did not reduce his strikeouts, but we began to see a better results towards the end of the month. He muscled out a few homers and has continued doing so, all with a generally similar approach with only slight tweaks. When you struggle, you are tempted to overhaul yourself, and thankfully Morrison did not do that; he remains as patient a hitter as ever.

Sell: Anibal Sanchez

That strikeout rate Sanchez put up in April seems further and further away from the truth; since the start of May, Sanchez's strikeout rate has fallen to 18.9 percent. Conveniently, his strikeout rate from the three seasons before this one was a pretty similar 20.9 percent. The rest of Sanchez's game is still very good of course, and it is still likely that he will demand a good payday in free agency this offseason. But after a month of control struggles reminiscent more of his 2009 season than anything else, I am much less confident in the chances that Sanchez has reached a "new level" after establishing a pretty good one through 2011. After an April mirage, it looks as though Anibal is the same guy we thought he was.

Sell: Carlos Zambrano

Zambrano had the team's worst month by far, posting a 7.23 ERA and 5.35 FIP that was much worse than Sanchez's similar numbers due to the fact that he did not allow an inordinate number of home runs. In fact, Zambrano's main problem was that he walked 20 batters and only struck out 19 in June. Zambrano also normalized in terms of BABIP, allowing a .317 mark on balls in play that is a little closer to his average though still high for him. Zambrano struggled so badly that Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton suspected it had to be associated with a mechanical issue in his delivery or an injury, neither of which has come up so far.

In any case, Zambrano's terrible month is a harbinger of bad things to come. He certainly is not that bad, but his month single-handedly corrected his ERA to more closely approach his FIP and other peripheral ERA indicators. We all knew Zambrano would suffer a downfall, but none of us figured it would be so quick. This is a sell of Zambrano the 3.00 ERA pitcher, but it is at least believable that he could post a 4.20 ERA as projected. The only problem is that he got our hopes up.

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I Laughed, I Cried, I Laughed Again

      Wow.  It was like seeing the same movie again on the next night. Yesterday, battling triple-digit on-field temperatures, and an awful outing by Josh Johnson, the Marlins took an early lead, fell behind in the middle innings, tied things back up late, and went ahead to victory in the 10th inning.  This [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://marlinmaniac.com/2012/07/05/i-laughed-i-cried-i-laughed-again/

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One for the money

Cliff Lee’s first win of the year came in his 14th start. Yesterday the Phils finally ended their six-game losingRead the Rest...

Read The Full Article:
http://www.philliesflow.com/2012/07/05/one-for-the-money/

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