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© 2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. |
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Pacific Coast League Notebook 05/07/2007 9:32 AM ETBy Edward de la Fuente / Special to MLB.com
Albuquerque Isotopes (Florida Marlins) THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Isotopes were in third place in the American South Division after going 4-3.
WHO'S HOT/NOT: SS Robert Andino was 9-for-23 (.391) with six RBIs over his last five games, and 17-for-47 (.362) with eight runs scored in his last 10 games. ... RHP Justin Miller has four saves and 11 strikeouts in his last six appearances, totaling 6 1/3 innings. ... 3B Scott Seabol had seven hits in his last 38 at-bats (.184) over his last 10 games. POWER SURGE: A run of five home runs in his last 11 games had 1B Val Pascucci in a four-way tie for the PCL home-run lead, with eight entering Saturday. His total includes a two-homer day on April 27 and a game-winning shot to beat New Orleans. Pascucci was also tied for fifth in the league with 24 RBIs. The 28-year-old spent two seasons in Japan before signing with the Marlins last month. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "He can feel sorry for himself and that's fine. Do that for a couple of hours." -- Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez, to the Palm Beach Post, on RHP Anibal Sanchez, who was sent down to the Isotopes on Friday.
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Rockies)
WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Sean Barker was batting .400 (12-for-30) with five runs scored over his last nine games. ... RHP Marc Kaiser has victories in each of his last two starts, including an eight-inning performance in which he allowed one earned run on seven hits in eight innings. ... LHP Eric DuBose is 0-3 with a 9.75 ERA in his last three outings, giving up four runs in three innings in his last start. DOUBLE PLEASURE: While the Sky Sox's offense looked impressive in a 12-1 victory over Tacoma on Thursday, their defense played just as large a role, turning six double plays in the win. They recorded double plays in innings two through six, and allowed the Rainiers' only run on a double-play ball in the second. The double-play total fell one short of the PCL record established by the Seattle Rainiers in 1956, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "(Quintanilla) needs to get this opportunity. We need to take inventory on him, and Barmes needs to go play." -- Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, to MLB.com, on the decision to recall SS Omar Quintanilla and send SS Clint Barmes to the Sky Sox on Tuesday.
Fresno Grizzlies (San Francisco Giants) WHO'S HOT/NOT: 2B Kevin Frandsen batted .458 (11-for-24) in his last eight games before being promoted to the Giants on Thursday. ... RHP Tim Lincecum continued his domination of PCL hitters, striking out 14 batters while giving up three hits in six innings of a victory over Las Vegas last Sunday. ... SS Ivan Ochoa had only two hits in 12 at-bats (.167) over a four-game stretch.
HELPING HIS OWN CAUSE: RHP Matt Kinney improved to 2-2 on the season with a victory over Tucson on Monday in which he gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He also drove in a run with a single, giving him hits in all three games this season in which he has batted. He went 1-for-2 on April 14 against Portland and 1-for-3 on April 24 against the Sidewinders. Monday's 1-for-3 performance dropped his average from .400 to .375. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "If he does what he is supposed to do, I think San Francisco is in for a treat." -- IF Kevin Frandsen, to the San Francisco Chronicle, on Lincecum's potential for success in his expected Major League debut Sunday against Philadelphia.
Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Buck Coats had six hits in his last 17 at-bats (.353) over a five-game span. ... 2B Mike Fontenot batted .344 (11-for-32) with two home runs and seven RBIs in his last 10 games. ... LHP Ryan O'Malley had a 14.04 ERA over his last two starts, though of the six runs he gave up in his last outing Friday against New Orleans, three were unearned. ROUGH STARTS: After starting the regular season in the Chicago Cubs' bullpen, RHP Angel Guzman was sent down to Iowa by the Major League club last month with the intention of stretching him out as a starter. But Guzman's performance in Triple-A so far has given the big club pause, as the 25-year-old Venezuelan had an 0-2 record and 12.19 ERA after three starts. On Tuesday against Nashville, he lasted only three innings, giving up seven runs on only four hits and walking four. He has yet to pitch more than 4 1/3 innings in any of his starts. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "He got out of being Angel Guzman." -- Manager Buddy Bailey, to the Des Moines Register, on Guzman's struggles in a start against Nashville on Tuesday.
Las Vegas 51s (Los Angeles Dodgers) WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Matt Kemp batted .333 (12-for-36) with two home runs and nine RBIs in his last nine games. ... RHP Yhency Brazoban has given up one run in four appearances, totaling four innings, as part of a Major League rehab assignment. ... LHP Greg Miller has given up only three hits and three runs in his last two starts, but has lasted a total of just seven innings in part because he walked 10 batters in that stretch.
ARMS RISING: The 51s hosted two pitchers hoping to return to the Dodgers in the future following rehab assignments. LHP Hong-Chih Kuo gave up one run in 4 1/3 innings over two starts, including 2 1/3 shutout innings on Wednesday against Sacramento. But the Dodgers activated him from the disabled list and optioned him to the 51s on Thursday. Meanwhile, Brazoban, the Dodgers' one-time closer, blew a save opportunity on Wednesday but pitched an inning the next day, an important step in his rehab. He has pitched 8 1/3 innings between Las Vegas and Single-A Inland Empire.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You can either lay down and feel sorry for yourself or bust your butt and do something positive the next day." -- Manager Lorenzo Bundy, to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, after the 51s gave up the tying run with two outs in the ninth and lost to Sacramento on Tuesday.
Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Rick Ankiel has a .412 average (14-for-34) with two home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games. ... 1B Tagg Bozied batted .393 (11-for-28) with seven RBIs over his last nine games. ... RHP Matt Ginter has allowed seven earned runs and 18 hits in his last four outings, totaling 10 2/3 innings. HEATING UP: After his average hovered below .200 for much of April, Bozied has recovered to become a potent run-producer out of the fifth spot in the Redbirds' lineup. He was hitting .135 on April 15 before beginning a nine-game hitting streak, and entering Saturday, he had collected hits in 15 of his last 17 games. Bozied, 27, also had five multi-RBI games in that span, including two games with three RBIs, and ranked third on the team with 21. His average stood at .274 on Saturday. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I hate that it happened this way. It's a dream come true, pretty much. To say that it wasn't, I'd be lying. It's awesome. ... But it's also a very sad day for all of us." -- RHP Dennis Dove, to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, upon being promoted to the Major Leagues Sunday following the death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock.
Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) WHO'S HOT/NOT: 3B Ryan Braun boasts a .500 average (16-for-32), two home runs and five RBIs over his last nine games. ... IF Vinny Rottino was 11-for-30 (.367) with eight runs scored in a nine-game span. ... C J.D. Closser had one hit in his last 11 at-bats (.091) before being traded to Oakland on Friday. THROWING BLANKS: Even though Nashville's pitching staff has been one of the PCL's best -- it entered Saturday with the league's second-best ERA, at 3.38 -- it hadn't completed a shutout until Wednesday, when it blanked Iowa 2-0 in the second game of a doubleheader. LHP Lindsay Gulin, making his first start of the season, worked four innings before RHP Jose Capellan earned the victory with two scoreless innings and RHP Grant Balfour pitched the seventh for the save. Though it was the Sounds' first shutout, they had allowed two runs or less in 11 previous games. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We talked to J.D. in the spring, and we said that ... if somebody had some interest we wouldn't stand in the way." -- Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, on the team's decision to trade Closser.
New Orleans Zephyrs (New York Mets) WHO'S HOT/NOT: 3B Fernando Tatis was batting .333 (10-for-30) with nine runs scored and four RBIs over his last 10 games. ... OF Chip Ambres collected seven hits in 18 at-bats (.389) with six RBIs in a five-game span. ... RHP Clint Nageotte has allowed 16 earned runs on 17 hits in his last four games, totaling eight innings, good for an 18.00 ERA in that span. DAM BURSTING: The Zephyrs enjoyed a 7-0 victory over Oklahoma last Sunday behind RHP Jorge Sosa, but the shutout was an aberration in what has been a rough stretch for the New Orleans pitching staff. The Zephyrs allowed 37 runs while going 2-3 in the five games since the shutout, an average of 7.4 runs per game. Not much went well for the pitchers before Sunday, either -- they allowed 45 runs in the six previous games, an average of 7.5 runs per game. The Zephyrs entered Saturday with a 5.38 ERA, second-worst in the league. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It's awesome working with them. It takes so much thinking out of the process while you're on the mound." -- LHP Jason Vargas, to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, on pitching to veteran catchers Sandy Alomar Jr. and Mike DiFelice.
Oklahoma RedHawks (Texas Rangers) WHO'S HOT/NOT: 2B Tug Hulett has a .441 average (15-for-34) with nine runs scored in a span of 10 games. ... RHP Steven Rowe won two games while throwing nine shutout innings in his last four appearances. ... OF Marlon Byrd has cooled after a hot start, batting .225 (9-for-40) over his last 10 games, though he has two home runs in that span.
THE WORKHORSE: RHP Alfredo Simon has had an up-and-down season in the RedHawks' rotation -- he entered Saturday with a 2-3 record and 4.71 ERA after six starts -- but he has become one of Oklahoma's best innings-eaters. The 25-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has worked at least five innings in all but one of his starts, and has pitched at least seven innings three times, including a solid seven-inning performance Friday in a victory over Omaha. His 36 1/3 innings ranked third in the league, 1/3 of an inning behind the co-leaders through Friday. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "As long as we keep winning the first three, we can lose the last one. I don't give a hoot. I'll take three out of four any day." -- Manager Bobby Jones, to the Oklahoman, on the RedHawks' 0-6 record in the final games of series entering the week.
Omaha Royals (Kansas City Royals)
WHO'S HOT/NOT: SS Mike Aviles batted .410 (16-for-39) with seven runs scored and eight RBIs over his last 10 games. ... 1B Justin Huber drove in 12 runs while batting .382 (13-for-32) in his last 10 games. ... 2B Richard Lewis has just two hits in his last 15 at-bats (.133) over a four-game span.
STREAK HITS 19: Only a promotion could have stopped OF Shane Costa from tearing up PCL pitching, as he extended his hitting streak to 19 games before Kansas City called him up following Thursday's game against Memphis. The streak is the longest in the league this year. Costa, 25, batted .458 (33-for-72) while scoring 19 runs during the streak, raising his season average with Omaha to .378 -- second-best in the PCL entering Saturday. He failed to get a hit in his only at-bat with Kansas City on Friday, but his streak will remain active if he returns to Omaha. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "When you come back down, not due to an injury, it is tough. But I give him credit for mentally going about his business and staying upbeat and doing everything we ask. He knows what he's got to do." -- Manager Mike Jirschele, to the Omaha World-Herald, on SS Angel Berroa's performance with the Royals so far this season.
Portland Beavers (San Diego Padres) WHO'S HOT/NOT: 1B Vince Sinisi batted .368 (14-for-38) with five RBIs over his last 10 games. ... RHP Leo Rosales converted four saves in his last five appearances, holding opponents without an earned run on just three hits. ... 2B Craig Stansberry has three hits in his last 17 at-bats (.176) over a five-game span. SEE YOU LATER: The Beavers lost a big part of their offense when OF/DH Jack Cust, who entering Friday was tied for the PCL's home-run lead with eight, was traded to Oakland by the Padres on Thursday. Rather than report to Sacramento, the A's called him up to the Majors Friday after placing DH Mike Piazza on the 15-day disabled list, and he flew to Tampa Bay, where the A's were playing a weekend series. Cust also ranked among the league leaders in slugging percentage (.692) and extra-base hits (15).
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We have to find a way to put it together and keep playing the game. We have enough guys here who can do different things. We've just got to find a way to make it click." -- Manager Rick Renteria, to the Oregonian, on the shape of the Beavers' offense after Cust was traded.
Round Rock Express (Houston Astros) WHO'S HOT/NOT: IF Danny Klassen batted .467 (14-for-30) over his last eight games, including nine hits in his last 19 at-bats (.474). ... 3B Eric Munson has seven hits in is last 16 at-bats (.438), driving in four runs over a four-game span. ... RHP Miguel Asencio suffered the loss in each of his last two appearances, giving up a total of six earned runs and seven hits over two innings. BACK ON THE UPSWING: RHP Chad Reineke's season started well enough, with five shutout innings in a win over Iowa on April 8. He then suffered through a string of three consecutive starts in which he allowed at least six earned runs, as he took two defeats and his ERA ballooned to 10.00. The 25-year-old rebounded nicely in a victory over New Orleans on Wednesday, though, giving up just one hit over seven shutout innings in earning the victory. His ERA dropped to 7.20 with the effort. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Hopefully, I can be up (with the Astros) when they go throwback and have those rainbow stripes." -- C Danny Ardoin, to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, on the possibility of being called up to the Astros, his favorite team as a child.
Sacramento River Cats (Oakland Athletics) WHO'S HOT/NOT: 2B Donnie Murphy has hits in 10 of his last 23 at-bats (.435) over a five-game span, and he hit .395 (17-for-43) with 11 runs scored in his last 10 games. ... RHP Colby Lewis improved to 3-1 on the season with victories in each of his last two starts, posting a 2.08 ERA over his last 13 innings. ... 1B Daric Barton has just three hits in his last 18 at-bats (.167), though he had six RBIs in that span. RETURN OF WINDSOR: After going 8-0 in 12 starts for the River Cats last season, RHP Jason Windsor was expected to be the staff ace this year. He owned a 1-0 record and 3.29 ERA after his first two starts, but struggled through his next three -- including a difficult two-inning outing in which he allowed nine runs in a 17-3 loss to Portland on April 20. The 24-year-old earned his second win of the season Tuesday, though, giving up one earned run in five innings during a victory over Las Vegas to improve to 2-2 with a 6.47 ERA. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "He's back. It looks like his velocity is up, and he's throwing the ball well." -- Manager Tony DeFrancesco, to the Sacramento Bee, on LHP Dan Meyer's winning debut with the team Sunday after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury.
Salt Lake Bees (Los Angeles Angels) WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Nathan Haynes, tied for second in the league in hitting entering Saturday, was batting .400 (6-for-15) over his last five games. ... 1B Kendry Morales batted .364 (8-for-22) in a five-game span. ... C Jeff Mathis had one hit in his last 12 at-bats (.083) and six in his last 29 (.207) over a seven-game span. BUZZING BEE: Haynes has become a familiar name in the PCL's hitting leaderboard. He went 1-for-3 against Tacoma on Friday to enter the weekend with a batting average of .378, tied for second with Omaha's Shane Costa and 25 points behind Fresno's Kevin Frandsen (both Costa and Frandsen are currently in the Majors). The 27-year-old's average has not dropped lower than .366 since a 3-for-4 performance in the season's third game raised it from .250 to .417. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "To give up a big inning like that, it just deflated the team. I set a bad tone for the game." -- RHP Henry Bonilla, to the Salt Lake Tribune, after giving up four runs in the second inning of a loss to Sacramento last Sunday.
Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners) WHO'S HOT/NOT: IF Mike Morse has a .457 avreage (16-for-35) with eight runs scored over his last nine games. ... OF Adam Jones collected seven hits in 15 at-bats (.467), driving in three runs, over his last four games. ... LHP Jim Parque has allowed 11 earned runs on 19 hits in his last two starts, good for a 9.58 ERA in that span. DRAMATIC SLAM: OF Wladimir Balentien has been the Rainiers' best hitter throughout the season, and on Wednesday he provided the team with its biggest lift yet -- a walk-off grand slam in a 6-3 victory over Colorado Springs. The homer was Balentien's seventh of the season, and entering Saturday he also led the team with 23 RBIs, while his .371 average ranked fourth among PCL batters. Balentien also entered the weekend tied for the league lead in hits (39) and was third in slugging percentage (.629).
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I feel horrible because I haven't been good on defense. I know I'm better than that." - SS Oswaldo Navarro, to the Tacoma News Tribune, on his seven errors committed this season.
Tucson Sidewinders (Arizona Diamondbacks)
WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Rich Thompson boasted a .424 average (14-for-33) with six RBIs over his last 10 games. ... OF Jeff Salazar went 8-for-19 (.421) over a five-game span. ... After a scorching first month, 3B Jamie D'Antona had five hits in his last 21 at-bats (.238) to drop out of the PCL batting lead. NEARLY LIGHTS OUT: Veteran RHP Chad Harville has been close to dominating in his role as the Sidewinders' closer, owning a 2.13 ERA and six saves after 12 appearances. The 30-year-old Harville didn't give up a run until April 24 against Fresno, in his eighth game of the season -- by then he had racked up five saves. Even when things don't go well for him, they work out -- on Friday against Sacramento, he allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings, his ERA rising from 0.82 to 2.13, but he earned the victory in a 5-4 Sidewinders win to improve to 3-0.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "That's the crime; he was our best pitcher, and he sat for two weeks." - Manager Bill Plummer, to the Arizona Daily Star, after LHP Dana Eveland reported to the Sidewinders quickly following his demotion from the Diamondbacks.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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