Game Recaps 5/26

The Cleveland Indians have signed OF Todd Linden and INF Jorge Velandia to minor league deals today and assigned them to Buffalo. Linden hit .333 (26-78) with 3HR and 12RBI in 22 games with Triple-A Sacramento (Athletics) of the Pacific Coast League. Velandia hit .287 (27-94) with 3HR and 12RBI in 28 games with Syracuse before a brief two-game stint with Toronto (0-7). The Herd also activated RHP Jensen Lewis, who was optioned by Cleveland on Saturday after going 0-2 with a 3.58ERA in 20 games with the Tribe (27.2IP, 11ER, 19K). To make roster room, OF Bronson Sardinha (.300, 2HR, 5RBI, 12G) was transferred to Double-A Akron and INF Danny Sandoval (.247, 1HR, 13RBI, 43G) was transferred to Single-A Mahoning Valley.

Kinston outfielder Cirilo Cumberbatch is the Carolina League Player of the Week. Cumberbatch tore up the Carolina League from May 19th – 25th, going 11-for-18 at the plate, with five runs, four RBIs and a home run. The Panama native hit .611 with a .889 slugging percentage.

Also, RHP Adam Miller was put on the disabled list today in Buffalo due to the issues with the callous on his hand. RHP Joanniel Montero was called up to Buffalo and will replace Miller on the roster. With the callup of Montero, this seems like a clear indicator Miller is only expected to be DLed for the 7-days required.

Panther Beats SeaWolves in Ninth

AKRON, OH – Nathan Panther lined a double down the right-field line and Chris Gimenez slid his hand over the plate just past the tag of catcher Dusty Ryan as the Aeros claimed a 4-3 win over Erie before a season-high crowd of 9,109 fans at Canal Park on Memorial Day. The Aeros pushed their record to 24-23 and finished 6-2 on their eight-game homestand, while the SeaWolves fell to 19-31.

Panther put Akron on the board early, capping a two-out rally in the bottom of the first. Gimenez and Wes Hodges drew back-to-back walks with two gone, and Panther followed by knocking a solid line drive up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Erie responded to tie the game in the second off Akron starter David Huff, who entered the game with a 1.07 ERA in his last seven appearances. Jeff Frazier led off with a single and Ryan followed with an RBI double to knot the score at 1-1. Erie then took the lead in the third, as Frazier singled home Danny Worth to make it 2-1.

Akron tied the game in the bottom of the third with an unearned run. Hodges reached on an infield single with one out, and moved to second on a Panther groundout. Matt Whitney then hit a grounder to third that looked like it would end the inning, but Kody Kirkland’s low throw scooted past Ryan Roberson at first, allowing Hodges to score. Whitney then gave Akron the lead in the fifth, when he stroked an RBI single to left to score Gimenez and make it 3-2 Akron. It was only Whitney’s fifth hit with runners in scoring position in 49 at-bats, but his second of the series.

Jeff Stevens worked 2.1 perfect innings of relief to set-up for closer Randy Newsom, but the side-armer suffered through some uncharacteristic wildness while blowing his first save of the season. Newsom’s first offering in the ninth clipped Roberson’s foot, but Justin Justice followed with a one-hopper back to Newsom. Newsom couldn’t start the double play however, as his throw sailed over the head of shortstop Josh Rodriguez at the second base bag and into center field to put runners at first and second. Kirkland moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, and Newsom intentionally walked Max Leon to load the bases. Worth then hit a grounder to Brandon Pinckney at second, but there wasn’t enough pace on the ball for the Aeros to turn two as pinch-runner Will Rhymes came home with the tying run.

Undaunted, Gimenez yanked a one-out single to left to start the winning rally in the bottom half of the frame. Erie reliever Angel Castro struck out Hodges for the second out after a long battle, but left a 2-1 fastball up in the zone that Panther promptly roped into the right-field corner. Leon made a strong relay throw to the plate, but Gimenez got his left hand around Ryan’s tag as the sellout crowd celebrated the walk-off win.

Newsom (2-0), who still has not allowed an earned run since April 6th, got the win despite the blown save, and Castro (1-1) took the loss. Huff tossed 5.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits, while striking out six and walking three. Gimenez extended his hitting streak to 11 games and scored three runs, while Hodges (two hits) and Panther (three hits) went a combined 5-9 in the middle of the lineup.

The Aeros now head to Harrisburg for a double header Tuesday at 5:05 p.m. to open a four-game, three-day series. Chuck Lofgren (1-3, 5.62 ERA) will face off against Harrisburg’s Jordan Zimmerman (1-1, 2.76 ERA) in game one, and in game two the Aeros will send J.D. Martin (4-2, 5.14 ERA) opposite Harrisburg’s Marco Estrada (5-2, 2.45 ERA). The game broadcast begins at 4:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

Kinston Nips the Keys

Kinston takes the first game of a four game series from the Frederick Keys 5-4 Monday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Jared Goedert started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out single, scoring Johnny Drennen. Kinston broke open a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with home runs from Jared Goedert and Beau Mills. Goedert went 2-for-4 on the night with three RBIs, hitting his second home run in as many games. Mills two run shot was his team leading fifth of the season and his first since May 16th.

Matt Wieters and the Keys made it close, however, as he picked up his league-leading 12th home run to bring Frederick within a run in the eighth inning. Kinston added an insurance run as Goedert drove in Drennen on an RBI ground out. Frederick’s Ryan McCarthy drove in a run on an RBI single to right field and put the tying run 90 feet away. Luis Perdomo would send a crowd of better than 3,000 home happy, though, striking Wieters out to end the game with the tying and go-ahead runs on base for his 10th save.

In a game that was supposed to showcase both starting pitchers, Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Jake Arrieta was rocked for four runs in six innings giving up both home runs. He also added to his suffering with an errant pickoff throw to first that allowed Drennen to move into scoring position and later plate the first run. Carlton Smith picked up his starting staff-leading third win for Kinston, pitching an efficient seven and one-third innings allowing two runs on four hits and striking out two.

Kinston is back at it early tomorrow with a special 11:00 AM start for a Lenoir County Elementary School Day. Jeannmar Gomez takes his two wins to the mound for Kinston against Frederick’s Tim Bascom.

CAPTAINS WIN 8-1

(Lexington, KY) – Dustin Realini hit a grand slam home run and drove in five runs on the day and Captains starter picked up sixth win of the year as the Lake County Captains defeated the Lexington Legends 8-1 on Monday. Every Captain in the line up had at least one hit. Captains pitching in the three games played in this series have given up only two runs.

The Captains scored four runs in the third inning off Legends starter Carlos Ladeuth on the Realini grand slam to lead 4-0. The Captains added a run in the fourth inning when Adam White scored from second on a Roman Pena RBI infield single to make it 5-0. The Captains scored again in the fifth, this time off of Legends reliever David Qualben, when Karexon Sanchez tripled and scored on a single by Jeff Hehr to up the lead 6-0. The Captains got to Qualben in the sixth inning when they scored two unearned run on RBI’s by Realini and Matt Brown to extend the lead to 8-0. The Legends scored a run in the ninth off Vinnie Pestano on an RBI by Brian Pellegrini to break up the shut out. That snapped a streak of 22 scoreless innings by the Captains pitching staff.

Ryan Morris got the win (6-0) pitching five scoreless innings and allowing three hits, walking one and striking out five. Gary Campfield relieved Morris in the sixth inning and pitched two scoreless innings. Jonathan Holt pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Pestano closed out the ninth. Ladeuth took the loss with his record falling to 1-5.

The series wraps up on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM with RHP Chris Archer (1-6, 4.38) starting for Captains against the Legends RHP Jake Leonhardt (2-4, 6.25). The game can also be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

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