The Rookie Report

Editor's note: Joe will be writing about the happenings in the lowest of levels in the Cleveland Indians system, that being the rookie level leagues in Arizona and the Dominican Summer League.

Arizona Rookie League

The Arizona Rookie League Indians started play last week in Goodyear, and have sputtered out of the gate to a disappointing 1-5 start.  They trail the 6-0 Brewers by 5 games in the AZL Central Division, which is comprised of the rookie clubs of the Indians, Brewers, Reds, and Dodgers.

However, their poor record to date is somewhat expected as the Indians boast many high upside but extremely raw 16 and 17-year-old players.  The less publicized AZL typically serves as a good place for extremely young and inexperienced players to “get their feet wet”, with intensive focus on fundamentals prior to entering the pipeline of short season Single-A Mahoning Valley and full season Single-A Lake County.  Additionally, many of the international signings will play in the AZL when they first come to America.  The Indians are extremely excited about what the future might hold for this team, and the roster which was released last week is published on IPI’s organization depth chart.

Here are a few of those players of interest to keep an eye on this season:

Alex Monsalve, C:  This extremely athletic 18 year-old catching prospect has scouts drooling.  Monsalve is coming off a decent year in which he batted .274 in the Dominican Summer League in 2009, and is penciled into the 3-hole in the lineup this season.  As can be expected of any player this young, he still is incredibly raw, however the organization feels he has the frame and ability to add significant power and be a strong defensive player. Monsalve already has 8 hits, 3 of them doubles through 6 games.

Jorge Martinez, 2B:  Martinez has been moved over from his listed position of shortstop to second base for his first professional season.  This may be in order to allow 2010 6^th round amateur draft pick Nick Bartolone to have first crack at playing the shortstop position.  There is a lot to like about Martinez, just like with Monsalve, as he is athletic but extremely inexperienced.  So far on the year he has 6 hits in 23 at bats, and the Indians have been hitting him in the 7^th in the lineup.

Felix Sterling, RHP: Sterling is another player who is young and new to the states, but figures to be the team’s go-to starter throughout the season.  Sterling already has 10 strikeouts through 2 games.  He is supposedly a power pitcher, but his full arsenal and ability is not known at this time and information on that is still being gathered.  Once again, Sterling is a player who is being brought over to the states slightly earlier then in the past, due partially to a more aggressive organizational philosophy and partially to the fact scouts feel very strongly about him.

Dominican Summer League

The Indians Dominican league team is off to an auspicious start at 15-10, and is tied with the Dominican League Mets for first place in the 9-team Boca Chica North division.  Third baseman Erik Gonzales is off to an extremely hot start with the bat hitting at a .385 clip in 20 games at the hot corner, but has already committed 7 errors.  Right-handed starting pitcher Enosil Tejada has been lights out with a 2.15 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a freakishly good 44-2 stikeout to walk ratio.  Other players to watch include first baseman Charlie Valerio, shortstop Jairo Kelly, and starting pitcher Alexis Paredes.

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Three Akron Players Named To All Star Team

Three Akron Aeros players will participate in the 2010 Eastern League All-Star Game in Harrisburg, PA, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder John Drennen and closer Bryce Stowell all made the final rosters for the Western Division in the annual exhibition game on July 14th. Both Chisenhall and Stowell were fan balloting selections for the All-Star Game, hosted by the Harrisburg Senators at the recently renovated Metro Bank Park in downtown Harrisburg.

Chisenhall, the first round (29th overall) selection in the June 2008 Draft by the Indians, will also be participating in the 12th annual MLB XM All-Star Futures Game on July 11th in Anaheim, California. The 21-year-old missed 14 games in May with a shoulder injury but has had a solid season so far for the Aeros. On the year, the left-handed hitting third baseman is batting .276 with six home runs and 28 RBI, ranking third on the Akron roster with 61 hits. Baseball America ranked the product of Pitt Junior College as the third-best prospect in the Cleveland organization prior to the 2010 season.

Drennen is having another impressive overall year in Double-A with the Aeros. He has split his time between left field and right field and currently ranks second in the Eastern League with five triples. He also now has a seven-game hitting streak, is batting .300 on the year and has a .326 batting average in his last 49 games. Drennen will turn 24 years old in August and the Indians originally selected him in the sandwich round (33rd overall) in the June 2005 Draft out of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego.

Stowell, on the other hand, has been one of the most notable surprises for the Aeros during the 2010 season. The right-handed reliever has been dominant ever since his promotion to Double-A from Class A Kinston on May 20th. In his 12 appearances (one start) in Akron, he has yet to allow a run in 20 innings with 26 strikeouts against only eight walks. On the year, the 20th round selection in the June 2008 Draft out of UC-Irvine has a 0.79 ERA in 23 total outings with 67 strikeouts in just 45.1 innings pitched.

Five different Akron players appeared in the 2009 Eastern League All-Star Game at Waterfront Park in Trenton, NJ, and helped the Western Division earn a 5-3 victory. First baseman Beau Mills finished 1-for-4, catcher Carlos Santana, the eventual 2009 EL MVP, was hit by a pitch and left fielder Nick Weglarz scored a run. Reliever Carlton Smith recorded the final out of the game for the save and 2009 EL Pitcher of the Year Jeanmar Gomez delivered a perfect bottom of the fifth inning.

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Game Recap 6/29: Popham Has Impressive Double-A Debut

Popham Solid in Debut as Aeros Win 4-3

Right-handed starter Marty Popham delivered a quality start in his Double-A debut as the Aeros snapped a four-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 4-3 victory against the Richmond Flying Squirrels. A crowd of 3,688 fans at The Diamond witnessed a solid pitching duel between Popham and Richmond ace Daryl Maday before a wild finish to end the game. It was a crucial win for Akron (37-40) as the team moved back into fourth place with the victory over the now fifth-place Flying Squirrels (37-41).

Second baseman Jason Kipnis helped the Aeros get off to a solid start in the first with a one-out solo home run although a double play ended the inning and any further rally.

Host Richmond then tied the score at 1-1 against Popham in the bottom of the second inning. Roger Kieschnick began the frame with a single, Conor Gillaspie also nailed a base hit and catcher Jackson Williams collected the RBI with the third hit of the frame.

Both starters cruised after that point as the two teams combined for only two hits over the next four innings. Akron finally re-took a narrow advantage back in the top of the seventh, as first baseman Matt McBride singled to left. Recently returned designated hitter Beau Mills singled again, advancing McBride to third, while John Drennen produced a huge run-scoring double to right, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.

The Squirrels retaliated in the bottom half of that inning against new Aeros reliever Zach Putnam. A single, a double, a sacrifice bunt and then a RBI single by Clay Timpner brought host Richmond on top for the first time in the contest by just one run.

Akron then captured the lead and the final runs of the night in their next opportunity in the top of the eighth. Catcher Damaso Espino singled and Cristo Arnal laid down a sacrifice bunt, but a throwing error by Maday brought runners to second and third base with no outs. Center fielder Jordan Henry then nailed the game-winner with a clutch two-run single to center against Richmond relief pitcher Jake Stevens.

Putnam (3-1) earned the win on the night despite allowing the go-ahead runs in the seventh inning. Maday (8-5) took the loss but was solid through the first six innings before struggling in the seventh and eighth. Reliever Bryce Stowell recorded his team-leading seventh save by recording the final four outs all via strikeout and The 6’6” Popham permitted just one run on five hits in his six innings with six K’s against zero walks.

The Aeros collected 10 hits on the night although Henry and McBride were the only two batters to finish with multi-hit performances. The win was just the fifth in 15 contests for the struggling team as the three runs and nine hits allowed by the pitching staff were the fewest since last Thursday against the Flying Squirrels at Canal Park.

This three-game series between the Aeros and Richmond concludes Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. at The Diamond. It is a crucial rubber match as Akron’s Alex White (2-4, 1.77 ERA) takes on another dominant Flying Squirrels starter in David Mixon (8-3, 3.07 ERA).

Five-run fourth propels Columbus, 7-3

The Columbus Clippers' bats continued to impress on Tuesday night against the Indianapolis Indians, as Columbus pounded out 11 hits and won, 7-3. Luis Valbuena compiled three hits on the night, a double and two singles in just his third game in Columbus as the Clippers ended their two-game losing streak.

After three-and-a-half innings, the Clippers and Indians were deadlocked at one, but that's when Nick Weglarz jumped on a Charlie Morton fastball for his first Triple-A home run of his career, a solo shot to right field. The Clippers would tack on four more runs in the inning with help from four stolen bases and Jared Goedert's tenth home run of the year, a three-run blast to left.

The Indians scored their second run of the game in the fifth when Akinori Iwamura grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Brian Myrow, but Indy would only manage a leadoff home run in the ninth by Erik Kratz the rest of the way. David Huff, who started for Columbus, pitched five complete innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out five and walking two. Huff recorded his second win in as many starts with Columbus.

Jose Constanza and Jordan Brown also contributed for Columbus in the victory. Constanza recorded two hits and a walk, and stole three bases on the evening, as he raised his average to .326. Brown drove in a pair of runs on the night with two, two-run singles in the third and sixth innings.

The Clippers conclude their home stand tomorrow night with another meeting with the Indians. The two teams travel to Indianapolis for two more games on Thursday and Friday night. Carlos Carrasco (6-3, 4.26) is scheduled to start for Columbus against Mike Crotta (4-4, 5.37) of Indianapolis.

K-Tribe Rained Out

Tuesday night’s game against the Potomac Nationals was rained out. The two teams will make up the contest as part of a double header on August 17th. The K-Tribe now hits the road for a short three game series at Myrtle Beach, before returning to Historic Grainger Stadium for a six game homestand starting Saturday, July 3rd against the Frederick Keys.

Loons Top Captains 7-2

Matt Magill pitched six strong innings and Chris Jacobs hit two home runs to lead the Great Lakes Loons to a 7-2 win over the Lake County Captains on Tuesday. The Loons are 10-5 versus the Captains this season.

The Loons scored four times in the top of the second inning when Chris Jacobs hit a two run home run. After two more runners got aboard, Nick Buss singled in a run and Angelo Songco followed with a sacrifice fly and the Loons led 4-0. The Captains scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Chun Chen singled home Adam Abraham to cut the lead to 4-1. The Loons scored two more runs in the top of the seventh inning when Christian Lara belted his eighth home run of the year and Blake Smith singled in a run to make it 6-1. Jacobs added his second home run of the night in the top of the eighth inning to up the lead to 7-1. Chen added another RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning to score Delvi Cid and it was 7-2.

Captains starter Trey Haley (4-3) took the loss pitching three innings allowing four runs on five hits, walking two and striking out one. Antwonie Hubbard relieved Haley and threw three scoreless innings allowing one hit and striking out four. Francisco Jimenez also went three innings and allowed three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out one.

Loons starter RHP Matt Magill (3-1) got the win working seven innings allowing one run on five hits and striking out two.

The Captains and Loons wrap up the three game series on Wednesday with a special 11:00 AM start time. The Captains will have RHP Clayton Cook (3-4, 3.74) on the hill against the Loons RHP Rubby De La Rosa (1-1, 4.45).

Scrappers battle back, beat Muckdogs, 5-4

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers battled back to beat the Batavia Muckdogs Tuesday night 5-4 at Dwyer Stadium. Jordan Casas' two-RBI double proved to be the game winning hit as the Scrappers climbed back to .500 at 6-6. With the loss, the Muckdogs fell to 5-7.

J.D. Reichenbach came in from the bullpen for the Scrappers to get his first win of the season working three scoreless innings, striking out three and walking one. Scrappers right hander Clayton Ehlert pitched two scoreless innings allowing one hit, striking out two and picking up his first save of the season. Kevin Siegrist got the loss for the Muckdogs lasting just 1.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on three hits.

The Scrappers play the rubber game of this three game series against Batavia on Wednesday at Dwyer Stadium. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Lianna Holub

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Clip & Dirty: 6/28

The Clippers took part in a back and forth affair against the Gwinnett Braves last night. The Clippers fell behind in the 2nd and were unable to score until they broke through for a run in the 6th to tie it, 1-1. They fell behind again in the top of the 8th, only to take their first lead in the bottom of the inning on a 2-run homer by Jared Goedert. However, the Clippers blew the lead in the 9th by allowing two runs (only one earned) and were unable to counter-punch in the 9th. The final tally was 4-3; Josh Tomlin pitched brilliantly and the offense scored just enough to give the team a chance to win, but bullpen woes sunk another Indians organization team's chance at winning.

Team Pitching: 4(3) R(ER), 8H, 2BB, HBP, 7K, 71% strikes

Josh Tomlin pitched exceedingly well once again and deserved to get the win for his efforts. Eight innings pitched, 6H, 1BB, 6K, 71% strikes. His batted ball breakdown was 9GB, 8FB, 4LD and 3IFFB to go along with the HBP. BB and 6K. Tomlin's success should come as no surprise as he generated a good number of ground balls, didn't give up free bases, and continued his career long ability (16.2% IFFB) to induce infield fly balls. This comes at the cost of having a dangerously high fly ball rate, but pairing a career 7.6 K/9 and only 1.85 BB/9 along side this allows for a fly ball pitcher to have better success.

Vinnie Pestano came on and allowed the first 3 men to reach base before inducing a pair of groundouts and striking out the final batter. However, the damage was done as Pestano took the Loss after allowing one earned run and one unearned run on a missed catch error by Bixler on the bases-loaded groundout.

Team Hitting: 3R, 8H, 4XBH, 3BB, 5SO

The Clippers just couldn't find it tonight and seemed to snuff out rallies with a double play ball or just be unable to string their hits and walks together. Jared Goedert was the almost-hero as he blasted the would-be game winner before the bullpen was unable to hold up their end of the bargain. Cord Phelps and Wes Hodges each had a pair of hits and Luis Valbuena went 1-2 with a HR and 2BB. For those of you keeping track, he's only 24.

The Clippers (46-32) will take begin their 2-game series with the Indianapolis Indians against a TBA starter. The Clippers will send David Huff (1-0, 2.35) to the hill in his second start since being sent back to Columbus to work himself back into form.

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Coach’s Corner: Mickey Callaway

I recently had a chance to sit down with Low-A Lake County pitching coach Mickey Callaway and talk at length about some more of the pitchers on his roster.  The last time we spoke, we concentrated on the starting rotation, so this time the focus was on the bullpen and all the new arms that have recently joined the Lake County staff.

On Preston Guilmet: "He is looking really good. He throws his fastball for strikes and gets ahead with it. He has a slider-forkball that he bounces and they just swing at it. He is real deceptive from way up top and everything goes straight down and there is no side to side. The hitters do not see him well. He came here and was dominant so we are just letting him do what he does. We have talked a little bit about pitch selection as when he first got here he would throw first pitch fastball and then start bouncing stuff and then the hitters would pick that up and stop swinging. So we talked about maybe using the fastball a little bit more and bury the hitters late with his offspeed stuff. He is right at 88-90 MPH."

On Tyler Sturdevant: "He has a fastball in the low to mid 90s and he is really locating opposite arm side down and away. That's been kind of his go to pitch as when he gets in trouble he starts throwing that pitch and really gets a lot of swings and misses and can get ahead with that pitch. He has shown a decent slider, and his velocity kind of makes his slider better. Definitely his fastball is his best pitch, he kind of throws everything off of it and it makes his offspeed pitches better. The main thing we are stressing is keeping the ball down consistently. He has a tendency with the way he throws to elevate the fastball a little bit too much, so we are just kind of stressing to keep the ball down."

On Brett Brach: "He has unorthodox mechanics, so we really have to stay on top of him with finishing the pitch and getting out front with it. When he is pitching and making his pitches he is very effective and throws the ball really well. He has a real loose arm and is a good kid who does everything right with his work ethic. He turns a little bit, not quite as bad as Cory Burns, but he kind of over-rotates a little bit and it kind of adds to his deception. He is just a 90 MPH righty that can pitch, so it adds some deceptiveness to his delivery where if he was more of an ordinary guy who was tall-and-fall he'd be easier to see, so it adds to that deceptiveness which is what you are looking for."

On Vidal Nuno: "His first outing he had some burns on his fingers, so he wasn't too effective. After that he has looked great. He mixes his pitches up and he can really pitch. He has four pitches and throws them all for strikes, and he has good fastball command especially inside to righties and it really helps him out. He is high 80s and can get it up to 91 MPH, and the older he gets he can maybe add a MPH or two. He is still a guy who is always going to have to make pitches as he is never going to be a mid 90s guy. He does have some deceptiveness to his ball as he hides it real well. When I was playing catch with him it was real hard to pick it up out of his hand as he throws it right out off his ear just over the top of his shoulder. So he has some deceptiveness and can throw the ball by some guys some times."

On Jeremy Johnson: "He is another guy who throws 93-94 MPH. he has a decent slider and really attacks the zone. That's the main thing with these guys who have come out of extended as they have really come out and been aggressive and not scared of these hitters. He is a little older and more refined than a 19-year old would be. It is mostly just keeping the ball down and don't throw it thigh high. He has a sneaky fastball and as a shorter guy he creates good leverage for his size."

On Matt Packer: "What happened was when he was in the pen he showed us four good pitches, so he has a chance to start being a lefty and is doing a great job. He can really pitch off his offspeed stuff a curveball, slider and changeup, and has a decent fastball with sink. He has a good arsenal to have as a starter. His changeup really has a lot of deception and depth to it as it really dives. If he can pitch off the changeup which is his main weapon and sneak the fastball in there and mix in the curve and slider he can do a good job. He has been up to 93 MPH, and sitting 90-91 MPH which is pretty good for a lefty. I think he is more of a guy who needs to locate as I don't see a lot of swing and misses because he is throwing a ball by a guy, he gets a lot of swing and misses on his offspeed stuff."

On Francisco Jimenez: “The Latin guys have been around more advanced players when they are growing up, so he has already seen guys that can pitch before. That’s why these Latin guys are so good at a young age because they are around big league guys and play winter ball. They are on a team when they are 16; they don’t get to play but they are around the guys and stuff. So he is a little more advanced pitching-wise. He knows when to use his changeup and when to use his curveball and slider. He can pitch and locates his fastball very well, and when he keeps the fastball down he is very effective. He may touch 90 MPH every now and again, but he is 86-88 MPH. He has a sneaky little fastball.”

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Game Recap 6/28: McFarland Wins Again

Kinston Takes Series From Potomac with 6-5 Win

Kinston blasted three early home runs, then leaned on closer Cory Burns to hold on for a 6-5 win over Potomac Tuesday night in Kinston. With the win, Kinston takes the series from the Nationals. T.J. McFarland gathered his Carolina League leading eighth win of the season , as Burns picked up his league leading 13th save.

The K-Tribe exploded out of the gate, pounding Potomac starter Marcos Frias in the first inning. Lucas Montero led off with a single to right field and Bo Greenwell smoked a double down the left field line to score Montero. The next batter, Abner Abreu blasted a two-run shot to left, his third of the season, to give Kinston a 3-0 lead. Chris Kersten then led off the second inning with a towering home run to left field, his third of the year to make it 4-0.

Kinston continued their power surge in the third inning. Kyle Bellows reached on an infield single and then Doug Pickens cracked a two-run homer to left, his fourth of the season to put Kinston on top 6-2. The three K-Tribe home runs were the second-most put up by the Indians in a game this season; they had six homers in a 15-2 win on April 25 against Myrtle Beach.

Frias (2-3) was pulled after five innings, in which he surrendered six runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out four. It was his first start for the Nationals since going on the disabled list on May 21 with shoulder tightness.

Potomac then rallied against Kinston starter T.J. McFarland. The Carolina League All-Star, pitching his first game since last Tuesday's All-Star game in Myrtle Beach, got into a jam in the fifth inning after a hit and an error. Steve Lombardozzi hit an RBI single to right for Potomac's first run. After a walk loaded the bases, McFarland hit Mike Burgess with a pitch to cut the lead to 6-2. He was able to get out of the jam without any further damage.

In six innings, McFarland (8-2) allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits, walked three and struck out one. His Carolina League-leading ERA dropped to 1.94. The outing was also good enough to notch his Carolina League leading eighth win of the season.

The P-Nats tightened the game with a three-run seventh inning against Kinston reliever David Roberts. Lombardozzi knocked a solo homer to right and Tyler Moore roped a two-run double to right to cut the Indians lead to 6-5. Roberts got the first two outs of the eighth inning, then allowed a single and a walk to put the tying run in scoring position. Enter Burns who struck out Derek Norris to end the inning. In the top of the ninth, a lead-off walk to Burgess was followed by a Nick Moresi pop out and Tyler Moore striking out looking. After a Brian Peacock single pushed Burgess to third base, Burns struck out Robby Jacobson looking to end the game.

The K-Tribe will look to sweep the series Tuesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Joey Mahalic (3-1, 3.40) will take the mound for Kinston.

Aeros Fall Again, Lose 7-3 to Richmond

It was a record-setting night at Huntington Park, as 12,227 fans walked through the gates for Dime-a-Dog Night, setting a new attendance record by four people. The record crowd watched two rallies late in the game, but the Gwinnett Braves had the last laugh, defeating the Columbus Clippers, 4-3.

Clint Sammons came up with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth against reliever, Vinnie Pestano and plated two runs on a fielder's choice. Shortstop, Brian Bixler was unable to complete the double play on Sammons' ground ball as Josh Anderson scored the tying run and Joe Thurston scored the winning run.

Jared Goedert hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of reliever, Mariano Gomez, barely clearing the wall in left field giving the Clippers a momentary, 3-2 lead. Goedert had a chance to deliver again in the ninth with the bases loaded, but struck out looking against reliever, Craig Kimbrel to end the game.

The late-inning scoring began when Freddie Freeman delivered a solo home run in the top half of the eighth off of Clippers' starter, Josh Tomlin, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead. Tomlin, in a no decision, went ¬eight innings, giving up two runs on six hits as he struck out six and walked one.

The Braves pushed across the first run of the game with help from the setting sun, as Nick Weglarz lost the baseball in left field off the bat of Diory Hernandez, as Barbaro Canizares scored from second base. Hernandez and Canizares combined for four of the Braves' eight hits.

Luis Valbuena tied the game at one in the bottom of the sixth inning with his first long ball of his 2010 Clippers' campaign, a deep shot to right field off of the scoreboard. Before Valbuena's home run, Braves' starter, Todd Redmond, had only given up three hits through five scoreless innings.

Columbus welcomes the Indianapolis Indians to Huntington Park tomorrow night for a two-game series beginning at 7:05 p.m. David Huff (1-0, 2.35) will start for Columbus against Charlie Morton (1-1, 3.42) of Indianapolis.

Aeros Fall Again, Lose 7-3 to Richmond

The Aeros lost for the 10th time in 14 games Monday night at The Diamond in Richmond, falling by the final score of 7-3 against the Flying Squirrels. Akron starting pitcher Paolo Espino allowed two homers in the very first inning in front of the crowd of 3,872 fans in attendance and Richmond struck again for three more runs in the seventh. With the loss to the Flying Squirrels (37-40) and tonight’s victory by the Harrisburg Senators, the struggling Aeros (36-40) now sit in fifth place in the Western Division.

The scoring began in the bottom of the first as a Cristo Arnal committed an error at short to start the rally. Richmond left fielder Thomas Neal then blasted a two-run homer to left and just two pitches later, Roger Kieschnick followed with a solo shot of his own to right.

Espino settled down from there and held the Squirrels hitless until the sixth while Richmond starting pitcher Felix Romero dominated the Akron bats. Neal began the top of that sixth with a double, later scored on an RBI single by Connor Gillaspie and Akron reliever Connor Graham stranded two runners with a strikeout to end the frame.

In the top of the seventh inning, first baseman Matt McBride helped the Aeros finally break through with a solo home run off Romero to cut the deficit to only three runs at 4-1.

The Squirrels pounced for another three scores later that frame against Graham however, as the hosts began the inning with four consecutive singles. Kieschnick ended the streak with a sacrifice fly, giving the hosts a six-run advantage despite leaving the bases loaded.

Akron plated the final two runs later that frame as an Arnal single with one out marked the end of the night for Romero. The Aeros then greeted reliever Wilmin Rodriguez with two more singles to load the bases while a wild pitch scored Arnal. Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall then provided the final run of the night with a run-scoring groundout.

Romero improved to 1-1 this year for Richmond with the solid performance, only permitting two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. Meanwhile, Espino (7-3) took his first loss since May 16th in the contest despite recording seven strikeouts as he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings pitched.

It was a rough night offensively for Akron, as the team could not catch up with the early power of the Flying Squirrels. Right fielder John Drennen extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single and the home run by McBride was his fifth of the season. Unfortunately, Richmond became the fourth straight Aeros opponent to register at least three extra-base hits and 10 hits total in the game, marking the team’s fourth straight loss.

Akron hopes to end their losing ways Tuesday night as this three-game series continues at 7:05 p.m. at The Diamond. The Aeros have still yet to announce their starting pitcher for the contest while Daryl Maday (8-4, 2.22 ERA) will start for the Flying Squirrels.

Captains Suffer First Second Half Loss

The Great Lakes Loons continued the good play against the Lake County Captains defeating the Captains 5-1 on Monday. This was the Captains first loss of the second half. On the season, the Loons are 9-5 and the only Eastern Division team with a winning record versus Lake County.

The Loons scored four times in the top of the fourth inning when with runners at second and third, Captains starter Vidal Nuno uncorked a wild pitch. Nuno tried to throw the deflected wild pitch ball to the Catcher Roberto Perez to get the runner from third but the throw was wild and that allowed the second runner to score also. Later in the inning Brian Hernandez drove in two runs with a single and the Loons led 4-0. They tacked on another run in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly from Blake Smith to make it 5-0. The Captains lone run came in the bottom of the eighth inning on Adam Abraham’s fourth home run of the year.

Nuno (2-2) took the loss pitching 4.2 innings allowing five runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out five. Nick Sarianides came in relief of Nuno and threw 3.1 perfect innings, striking out three. Jeremy Johnson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Loons starter Allen Webster (7-5) got the win working five scoreless innings allowing six hits, walking one and striking out two.

The Captains and Loons play game two of the series on Tuesday at 7:00 PM with the Captains sending RHP Trey Haley (4-2, 4.91) to the bump against the Loons RHP Matt Magill (2-1, 3.40).

Eight-run eighth leads Muckdogs past Scrappers

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers lost Monday night 11-3 to the Batavia Muckdogs at Dwyer Stadium snapping their three-game winning streak.

The Scrappers watched a 3-1 lead evaporate and then, in the bottom of eighth inning, watched the game slip away as the Muckdogs scored eight runs off J.D. Goryl who picked up the loss.

David Kington picked up the win for the Muckdogs pitching one scoreless inning of relief. Tyler Cannon gave the Scrappers a 3-1 lead with a two-RBI single to lead Mahoning Valley offensively. The Scrappers will play game two of the three game set against Batavia on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

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The 411 On The Branyan Trade

It's been a little over 24 hours since the Indians traded first baseman Russell Branyan to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects in outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and infielder Juan Diaz. Here are some quick thoughts on the trade and info on the two players obtained, and I may have a follow up piece on this soon once I talk to more people today and tomorrow about the deal.

- I have not yet talked to the Indians about the deal itself (hope to later today), but I have to say from what I have heard from several industry sources around the league I have talked to in the past 24 hours that Seattle surprised everyone with this deal. The general feeling among team executives was that "Seattle would be sellers and not buyers", and the other surprise was that the Indians were actually able to trade off Branyan and "receive anything of value in return".

- The last time Seattle did something like this in picking up an Indians first baseman in a move to compete in the playoff race was in 2006 when the Indians traded their "Benuardo" platoon of Ben Broussard and Eddie Perez to them a few weeks apart.  The two deals netted them outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, so the Indians and their fans can only hope things work out that well again.

- The Branyan signing in February was odd at the time, but I have to say in hindsight the Indians made the right move by signing him. First baseman/outfielder Matt LaPorta struggled the first two months and first baseman/outfielder Jordan Brown suffered a knee injury in spring training, so Branyan ended up a solid stop gap.  We also know how his addition helped manipulate some service clock issues, but really, it ended up a solid move and decision, one several people questioned at the time, and I have to give credit where it is due in this case. On top of that, we received two players in the deal that are interesting. They are not huge prospects by any means, but could be solid complimentary pieces to the big league team soon.  We often use hindsight to show how the Indians were wrong on moves, well it is only fair to use hindsight to say when they were right.

- Jason Churchill and I have talked a little since the trade. Those that don't know Jason, he runs the ProspectInsider.com site on the Mariners and is also a contributor on ESPN Insider. He too felt the trade was a little odd, though noted that he thinks it was a small price to pay to see if they can get back in the race and that if they can't then they will likely deal Branyan again before the deadline.  Here is his take on the deal (read the comments as well).

- My quick thoughts on the deal without any explanation from the Indians yet is this is a good move.  I like the Diaz pickup as we need some promising upside position players in the lower levels of the system.  I am not as high on the Carrera pickup, not because I dislike him (I like him), but because he seems redundant with the likes of Michael Brantley and Jose Constanza in Triple-A Columbus already.  My rash first impression is Carerra is a prospect who fits in somewhere between Brantley and Constanza, one where they think his ceiling is Brantley (Major League starter in center field) and that his floor is Constanza (4th outfielder).  It will be interesting to see how he fits into things, but I have to wonder if his pickup actually affects that of Trevor Crowe who has not impressed at all with his play defensively in center field and been inconsistent offensively.

The Prospects

Here are two detailed reports that Churchill provided to me on the two players received in the deal, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and infielder Juan Diaz. He gave permission to re-port these in full, though I would welcome you to follow his stuff at ESPN Insider and also on his site at ProspectInsider.com:

Ezequiel Carrera, CF -- No. 20 in M's farm system pre-season

Carrera, a left-handed hitter, runs well, employs above-average strike zone judgment and makes consistent contact, even versus to-end pitching. He does need to improve his pitch recognition like many minor leaguers, but he covers the plate and gets hits to all fields.

The speed, maybe as high as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, helps him cover ground in center, and has enough arm strength to profile there. His instincts and routes grade out OK, but he relies on the foot speed to correct mistakes on reads, or he’d rank as many as 5-8 spots higher here.

But his biggest weakness is power at the plate, where Carrera struggles for gap power, though he makes up for some of that with terrific hand-eye coordination and understands his own swing very well. He knows there’s no power and swings for ground balls and low line drives, and maintains his swing from game-to-game with many streaks of poor mechanics.

The 22-year-old handles the bat well and holds his own versus left-handed pitching. His splits against RHPs in 2009 were absurdly positive -- .362/.467/.464 with 16 of his 18 extra-base hits on the year, suggesting that perhaps he could hit just enough to warrant platoon at-bats at the big-league level.

Carrera ranks this low based on the doubts shared by scouts that he can hit the gaps enough to warrant even semi-regular playing time. While the now-traded Tyson Gillies was the better prospect, the Mariners still have an extra outfielder in the system that can serve in a pinch-runner and defensive replacement role within the next two years.

Carrera is slated for Triple-A Tacoma where I fully expect him continue putting up impressive on-base percentages, but unless the swing is revamped, he’ll remain in the second half of the Top 30 at very best, and isn’t a player I’d trade one of the Top 20 to obtain right now.

His ability to make contact and draw walks will dissipate some in the majors since pitchers will not only have better stuff and command, but they’ll know not to worry about Carrera doing real damage and will instead pound the zone and make him earn his way on base.

Toolbox
(Tool Present-Future)
On-Base Skills: 50-60
Hitting for Power: 35-40
Speed/Baserunning: 65-65
Defensive Range: 55-55
Arm strength: 45-45

Peak Performance Projection
AVG--OBP--HR--SB--SLG--OPS
.280--.340--5--40--.390--.730

Juan Diaz, SS -- Ranked No. 25 in M's system pre-season

Diaz is a unique athlete; he’s wiry strong, though not strong like a power bat. He stands a legitimate 6-foot-3 and moves his feet well defensively, but is merely a 55 runner and lacks quick-twitch actions – but he can play shortstop thanks to the feet, a good, accurate arm and soft hands.

He swing is low line-drive inducing and tends result in too many ground balls considering he’s not likely to get many infield hits, and may have problems hitting for enough average in the upper levels. Diaz possesses average bat speed and can get carried away trying to pull the ball, and then overcompensate in an attempt to hit the ball the other way, as if he’s decided what he’s going to do before he hits the batter’s box.

He’s still just 21 and has time to continue his development – a focus on maintaining contact rates while refining his approach toward being more patient would be wise – forget about hitting for home-run power.

The swing is simple and smooth from both sides of the plate, but when he’s caught in-between comfortable counts he has been known to load up deeper, which tends to waste hittable pitches, helping the pitcher come back and get him out.

Diaz may head back to High Desert where he spent 2009, but not because he hasn’t earned a shot at West Tennessee. With Triunfel, Ackley and Liddi pegged for the Southern League, Diaz’s playing time may be greatly diminished in Double-A, which would stunt his growth.
If he can develop the hit tool some – particularly from the left side, though he’s capable as a right-handed hitter, too -- Diaz profiles as a reserve middle infielder with a little bit of offensive upside.

Toolbox
(Tool Present-Future)
On-Base Skills: 40-45
Hitting for Power: 40-45
Speed/Baserunning: 55-55
Defensive Range: 55-55
Arm strength: 55-55

Peak Performance Projection
AVG--OBP--HR--SB--SLG--OPS
.270--.330--10--8--.410--.740

MLB ETA: 2012
MLB Comps: Cristian Guzman, Alex Cora

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Akron's Week That Was: 6/21 - 6/27

The Akron Aeros made some unpleasant headlines this past week for some off-the-field news that you never want to hear about. On the field they didn't do much to turn heads the other way. They did claim a series over Richmond by winning two games, but then got swept by Binghamton. Jason Kipnis continues to hit, Zach Putnam has returned to action, and Eric Berger has hit yet another bump on the rocky road that is his 2010 season.

Here is everything you need to know about the Aeros for the week of June 21st to June 27th.

Record: 36-39 (Last Week: 2-4)
Standings: 3rd in Western Division (12.5 GB)
Teams Faced (Record Against): Vs Richmond (2-1), Vs Binghamton (0-3)
Upcoming Week: @ Richmond (3), @ Bowie (4)
Transactions: Received IF Josh Rodriguez from Columbus, Released RHP Shane Lindsay, Placed LHP Eric Berger on Disabled List, Activated RHP Zach Putnam from Disabled List
Awards: 3B Lonnie Chisenhall was named to XM MLB Futures Game

Pitcher of the Week: Bryan Price, RHP
1-0, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 6 K, 1 BB

Bryan Price may be starting to find his groove after a rough start to the season and an injury that kept him sidelined. Price has been great for the Aeros bullpen in June and this past week he did his best to keep the team afloat. With Paolo Espino back in the rotation due to Eric Berger's injury, Price became Nick Hagadone's piggy-backer with two follow up scoreless innings. Price aided his fellow Victor Martinez-trade mate against Richmond and earned his second win of the season.

Price then came in to stop the bleeding against Binghamton in a start by Kelvin De La Cruz. Price gave up one unearned run, but struck out four and walked none in 3.1 innings of relief work.

Season History
Week 1: Zach Putnam
Week 2: Erik Stiller
Week 3: Paolo Espino
Week 4: Zach Putnam
Week 5: Kelvin De La Cruz
Week 6: Alex White
Week 7: Bryce Stowell
Week 8: Connor Graham
Week 9: Scott Barnes
Week 10: Eric Berger

Hitter of the Week: Jerad Head, IF
9/16, 3 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3/5 BB/K, SB

Jerad Head didn't have a good week in terms of the newspaper, but on the diamond, he did well. Head made the most of his five games and his week was highlighted by a 4-for-4 day against Binghamton. Head his fourth home run of the year on Sunday and knocked in four runs against the B-Mets in three games.

With Beau Mills injured, Head is benefiting by more playing time with time needed to be field in the outfield, first base, and designated hitter, depending on where Matt McBride plays. With Josh Rodriguez now on the team, he may stand to lose some time, but right now he's swinging a productive bat.

Season History
Week 1: Cord Phelps
Week 2: Cord Phelps
Week 3: Nick Weglarz
Week 4: Beau Mills
Week 5: Jared Goedert
Week 6: Matt McBride
Week 7: Jared Goedert
Week 8: Lonnie Chisenhall
Week 9: Lonnie Chisenhall
Week 10: Jason Kipnis

Weekly Spotlight: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B
Every week one player on the Akron roster will get a spotlight on their outlook for the 2010 season and where they are currently at.

Lonnie Chisenhall's 2009 put him on the map, not just within the Indians organization, but around prospect circles as well. Chisenhall was routinely placed in prospect rankings from leading minor league baseball experts.

It didn't take long for Chisenhall to make it to Double-A. After scorching Carolina League pitching, Chisenhall was moved to Akron in 2010 and after an adjustment period  he started to catch on. Expectations for 2010 probably tracked him doing something like 2009, only an eventual call to Columbus to put him on the doorstep of Cleveland.

That was derailed thanks to an injury that put Chisenhall in a bit of a slump. With Brian Buscher keeping the seat warm, it was up to Chisenhall to dictate when he'd get the call to Columbus. If he lit up the Eastern League with Kinston-like numbers early, it could have been him that got the call instead of hot-hitting Jared Goedert.

Chisenhall may in fact be destined to take over third at Columbus later this year, a trade of Jhonny Peralta could possibly give Goedert a surprising opportunity at the big league level and also open up a shot for Chisenhall, who will likely deserve it now that hes healthy.

After a hot-start in the first few weeks of 2010, Chisenhall came down with shoulder problems and it lead to issues at the plate. After a stint on the disabled list, Chisenhall has returned to return to the sweet-swinging ways we saw in 2009. The power has also started to formulate as Chisenhall had not hit a home run prior to returning from the injury.

Despite the injury and the numbers aside, Chisenhall is regarded as the future third baseman of the franchise. You don't have to look any further than his selection to the XM MLB Futures Game, a exhibition held the Sunday prior to the All-Star break that showcases future MLB talent from around the game.

Who's Hot?
Jason Kipnis - Since Call-Up: .324 AVG, 13 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 2B, 7/9 BB/K

Jason Kipnis is opening up some eyes and come next year, he may be popping up on some prospect lists. In a way he's sort of followed an accelerated path of his infield-mate Lonnie Chisenhall. It wasn't long before Chisenhall made it to Akron, but it took Kipnis less time to reach this stage.

And Kipnis isn't even showing signs of slowing down. Since getting the call to Akron he's already hit three home runs and is maintaining that .300 average he had with the K-Tribe. He's averaging just under a run scored per game played as the second-hole hitter in the lineup. If he keeps this production up and the Indians can't find an answer at second base, he'll be on the big league club sooner rather than later.

Better Times Ahead
Kelvin De La Cruz - June: 0-2, 5 GS, 6.04 ERA, 22.1 IP, 3 HR, 17/14 BB/K

While May wasn't real kind to De La Cruz, June has been worse. Kelvin isn't showing the level of performance the Indians would have expected out of him after 10 games at the Double-A level. In fact DLC has actually regressed. His strikeouts are going down, his walks are going up, inconsistency is no longer a problem, start after start is.

DLC conquered the Single-A level with an injury thrown in to slow down his progress. His next quest is to do the same with Akron. He's still young, even with the injury last year, the Indians moved quickly when he proved Kinston wasn't a problem anymore. But right now Double-A is an issue and it is up to Kelvin to turn it around.

Infirmary Report
Recapping any and all of the injuries in the past week.

Just as he was starting to put it all together in the month of June, Eric Berger's frustrating 2010 season got a little more frustrating. After starting the season on the disabled list with intercostal strain, Berger didn't fair well on the mound. Now after seemingly getting his feet under him, Berger was scratched on Tuesday with back stiffness. Berger is now back on the disabled list and it is unclear how long it could take before he can return.

With Berger being placed on the disabled list, Paolo Espino moved into the rotation and that opened up a spot in the bullpen. Zach Putnam was activated off the disabled list and made his return to the Akron bullpen. Putnam threw a scoreless frame against Richmond and then two innings against Binghamton.

Carlos Rivero missed the entire Binghamton series. Josh Rodriguez and Cristo Arnal filled in for him at short. It may not be an injury, and despite a three strikeout game against Richmond, Rivero did hit his third home run of the year this past week.

Weekly Randoms
For all the other random information that got away.

With the claiming of Jayson Nix off waivers, the Cleveland Indians needed a 40-man roster spot to get him on the team. To get Nix on the roster the club released Shane Lindsay, which removed him from the Akron roster. Lindsay wasn't horrible, but he was erratic in just four appearances. Lindsay only surrendered one hit, but he walked seven and hit three batters.

Being such a versatile option is what makes Paolo Espino so valuable to an organization. Because he can start and relieve, the Indians didn't need to make a move to get a starter on the Aeros roster when Berger went down. Espino, despite being a reliever for part of the year, leads the team in innings pitched.

Allow me to jump on the bandwagon of people that are upset over Josh Rodriguez's demotion to Akron. I'm sure the Aeros won't complain about having him back, but Rodriguez has no business being back with the Aeros. It doesn't seem like there is any rationale what-so-ever behind sending him down. I can understand not promoting him, but how does a guy hitting Triple-A pitching like he was get sent down?

The news that dominated the Aeros this past week was none of the good kind. The Akron Beacon Journal reported that Beau Mills, Jerad Head, and current Clipper Josh Tomlin have been charged with assault after an altercation on June 3rd. Mills and Head both pleaded not guilty after appearing in court on Tuesday. The Indians organization have not commented on if they plan to take disciplinary actions.

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Game Recap 6/27: Greenwell's Four Hits Propel Kinston

Greenwell Leads Kinston past Potomac

Back-to-back home runs broke a tie game, as Kinston pounded out 15 hits on the way to a 6-4 win over Potomac Sunday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Kinston reliever Cory Burns struck out the side (all looking) to seal the victory in the ninth inning. Burns is now 12-for-12 in save opportunities with Kinston and 24-for-24 overall this season. Burns now has the second most saves in all of Minor League baseball this season.

Potomac jumped out to an early lead against Indian’s starter Austin Adams, who was making his Carolina League debut after being called up from Lake County on Friday. Steve Lombardozzi walked with one out, and then Derek Norris crushed a two-run shot to left field to give the Nationals a 2-0 advantage.

The K-Tribe picked up their new starter with a big bottom of the first inning against Potomac starter Jesse Estrada. Lucas Montero led off with an infield single and Bo Greenwell scorched an RBI double to left to score him. It was the beginning of a big night for Greenwell, who went 4-for-5 with two runs scored. In just his third game for the K-Tribe, Greenwell tied a K-Tribe season high with four base knocks. Two batters later, Kyle Bellows lined a single to left field to tie the game at two. After Karexon Sanchez walked, Doug Pickens yanked a double to left to bring home Bellows and put Kinston on top 3-2. The first would set the tone, as Kinston racked up 15 hits, their third highest hit total of the season. The top six in the K-Tribe’s order all had multiple hits.

The P-Nats tied it in the third inning after Josh Johnson hit a leadoff double and scored on Norris' sacrifice fly. Adams pitched four innings for a no-decision in his K-Tribe debut and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, walked two and fanned seven.

Kinston broke the tie with back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. Bellows ripped a homer to left on the first pitch of the inning and Sanchez followed with a solo blast to right field for a 5-3 lead. It was the second time Kinston went back-to-back this season; the first was back on April 25 against Myrtle Beach when Adam Davis and Sanchez hit consecutive homers to start the seventh inning. The K-Tribe threatened to bust the game open with two more hits in the inning, but Potomac reliever Zach Dials came on and got Justin Toole to hit into a double play to retire the side. Estrada (3-2) took the loss, conceding five runs on ten hits in four plus innings, walking one and striking out six.

The Indians added a run in the sixth after base hits from Greenwell and Abner Abreu with one out. Sanchez stroked a single to left to score Greenwell and push the lead to 6-3. Montero, Abreu, Bellows, Sanchez, and Pickens each had two hits for Kinston.

K-Tribe reliever Travis Turek got into a bases loaded jam in the seventh inning after surrendering a walk and two hits. However, Matt Langwell came on and escaped the jam with just one run scoring on a Tyler Moore fielder's choice to cut the lead to 6-4. Langwell pitched two scoreless innings on two hits and struck out one. Langwell picked up his Carolina League leading tenth hold of the season, his ERA is now 1.59. Cory Burns struck out the middle of Potomac’s order in the top of the ninth inning to seal the victory. Burns has a 1.84 ERA with Kinston this season, all three earned runs given up in non-save opportunities.

The K-Tribe will take on Potomac in game two of the three game series Monday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Game time 7pm as T.J. McFarland (7-2, 1.98), who leads the CL in ERA and wins, will get the start for Kinston. Also don’t miss a special appearance by WWF’s Ivan “The Russian Bear” Koloff.

Gwinnett's offense too much for Columbus

If offense is your liking, the Columbus Clippers and Gwinnett Braves provided plenty of it, and very early, as the Braves won the slugfest, 11-7 on Sunday. The Braves scored six times in the second and three more in the third to put Columbus away early. The two teams combined for 18 runs and 24 hits.

The Clippers struck early again in Sunday's game like they did Saturday night as the first four batters recorded hits. Luis Valbuena drove in his first run in a Clippers uniform in the bottom of the first with a single to left field, scoring Michael Brantley. Jared Goedert would single and Jordan Brown drove home Valbuena on an RBI double to right. Goedert would later score in the inning on an RBI groundout by Wes Hodges.

Things were looking great for Columbus until Gwinnett came up to bat in the second. The Braves answered the Clippers first inning with six runs as they sent 10 batters to the plate and smacked seven hits off of Yohan Pino. Two-run hits by Wes Timmons and Barbaro Canizares paced the Braves and Matt Young and Freddie Freeman each delivered an RBI as well in the inning.

The Clippers loaded the bases in the second and scored three more runs to tie the game at six when Brown drew a bases loaded walk. Then Hodges had a sacrifice fly to right and Gimenez placed an infield single perfectly, driving home Goedert.

After the Clippers rally, Matt Diaz answered quickly, clearing the bases in the top of the third inning with a double to right center field, giving the Braves a 9-6 advantage. Yohan Pino was pulled after two-and-two-third innings, giving up 9 runs on 11 hits in a sub-par outing for one of Columbus' most consistent pitchers all season.

Goedert brought the Clippers closer in the fourth with his eighth homer of the season, a shot that just reached the first row of the left field bleachers. The Clippers had another chance in the sixth inning to inch closer when Brantley tallied his third hit of the game, but he was stranded at second base. Brantley had his second consecutive three hit game in the series as well as two stolen bases and Valbuena and Goedert each had multi-hit games.

The Clippers and Braves are set to complete their four game series tomorrow night at Huntington Park, first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Clippers send Josh Tomlin (7-2, 2.70) to the mound to face Braves' starter, Todd Redmond (7-7, 4.41).

B-Mets Sweep Aeros with 8-5 Victory

Binghamton completed their second straight three-game road sweep of the Aeros at Canal Park Sunday, winning 8-5 in a marathon shootout. The Mets struck early and often against Akron starter Kelvin De La Cruz to take a six-run lead, but the Aeros retaliated late to make things interesting. The injury bug struck two more Binghamton players in the 3-hour and 21-minute contest, the fifth game of at least 3:10 between these two teams this season. Akron (36-39) now sits 3.5 games behind Bowie for second place in the Western Division while the red-hot B-Mets are 39-36.

It was a rough start for De La Cruz against the hot-hitting Mets in the top of the first inning. The 6’5” lefty struck out the first two batters of the game but allowed a full-count single to Nick Evans before a tough walk to Josh Satin. Designated hitter D.J. Wabick followed with a bouncing base hit over first baseman Matt McBride into right field for a two-run triple.

A two-base pickoff error by De La Cruz was the story in the second and shortstop Luis Hernandez gave the visitors a 3-0 lead with a two-out RBI single. Mets starting pitcher Jenrry Mejia left the game in the second with precautionary right shoulder stiffness while his teammates promptly smacked solo homers to give his team a 5-0 advantage.

Binghamton left fielder Brahiam Maldonado left with another injury in the sixth right before the visitors scored their sixth run thanks to a John Drennen error in left field. The Aeros finally initiated their offense in the bottom of that sixth as Drennen and Jerad Head each collected two-out RBI singles to cut the deficit to only four runs.

The Mets extended the lead back to six because of four straight hits to lead off the eighth inning against Akron reliever Omar Aguilar. The hosts attacked again with two outs in the eighth on a run-scoring double by third baseman Josh Rodriguez and a two-run homer by Jerad Head. Jordan Henry and Jason Kipnis each singled to start the bottom of the ninth inning, but reliever Manuel Alvarez retired the next three batters to end the game.

Schwinden (3-5) earned the victory and was solid through five innings pitched in relief of Mejia, only allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits. De La Cruz struggled again as he the loss to fall to 1-5 on the year with Akron, permitting five runs (four earned), five hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. New Binghamton closer Alvarez then recorded his fourth save of the season despite the rocky bottom of the ninth.

Kipnis and Drennen each finished 3-for-5 with three singles on the afternoon to continue their impressive hitting ways. Rodriguez collected another two hits as well while the right fielder Head stayed hot with his fifth Double-A home run of the season.

The Aeros look to re-capture their winning ways from earlier this month as they hit the road for the start of a seven-game road trip. The fun starts at The Diamond in Richmond, Virginia Monday at 7:05 p.m. where Akron visits the Richmond Flying Squirrels for the first and only time this season. Paolo Espino (7-2, 3.79 ERA) makes his second start since re-joining the Aeros rotation last week against Richmond’s Felix Romero (0-1, 4.75 ERA).

Captains Sweep Whitecaps

The Lake County Captains completed a three game sweep of the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday shutting out the Caps for the second game in a row, this time 8-0. Every game in the series saw a Captains starter go at least five scoreless innings. The Captains pitching staff allowed only one run in the series.

The Captains scored four times in the top of the second inning when Trent Baker singled home Roberto Perez. Adam Abraham then followed with a three run home run and the Captains led 4-0. The Captains made it 5-0 in the top of the third inning when Casey Frawley scored from third when the left fielder juggled a single hit by Perez. Abraham doubled home Perez in the top of the seventh inning to up the lead to 6-0. Abraham collected four RBI’s and had three hits for the second straight game. The Captains added two more runs in the ninth inning when Chu Chen and Dwight Childs both walked with the bases loaded and it was 8-0.

Captains starter Brett Brach (1-3) got the win pitching six scoreless innings allowing five hits while striking out five. Tyler Sturdevant came on in the seventh inning and threw three scoreless innings, striking out five to pick up his first save of the year.

Whitecaps starter Ramon LeBron (4-5) took the loss working only 1.2 innings allowing four runs on three hits, walking three and striking out two.

The Captains return to Classic Park on Monday for a six game home stand beginning with three games with the Great Lakes Loons. The Captains will have RHP Vidal Nuno (2-1, 5.87) opposing the Loons RHP Matt Magill (2-1, 3.40).

Scrappers Win Third In A Row

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers got just the right combination of pitching, hitting and defense on Sunday to scrape out a 5-4 win over Auburn.

Right-handed pitcher Jordan Cooper battled through five innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits, two walks, and had four strikeouts. Right-handed reliever Taka Nakamura got the win in relief going three shutout innings allowing two hits, one walk, and had three strikeouts. Left-handed reliever Nick Kirk closed out the game and earned a save with a scoreless-hitless ninth inning where he struck out the side.

The Scrappers were led offensively by Chase Burnette (1-for-4, 2B, walk, RBI), infielder Tyler Cannon (2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 walks), and third baseman Giovanny Ursehela (1-for-5, RBI).

Left-handed pitcher Mike Rayl is scheduled to get the next start for the Scrappers.

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The Sunday Drive into the K-Tribe's second half

And so the second half turns for the Kinston Indians. In the first half of the season, Kinston proved to be a temporary home for several of the parent clubs top prospects. Heading to Akron early on was a virtual All-Star team of minor league prospects that including Kelvin De La Cruz, Nick Hagadone, Bryce Stowell, Alex White, Jordan Henry and Jason Kipnis. All have found a varied degree of success in Akron, but left the cupboard a bit bare in Kinston.

The K-Tribe's offense was always a bit suspect. With Kipnis and Henry moving on up, and with Abner Abreu leaving his bat somewhere in the snow, I'm not sure the offense can manage to reach the low numbers of the club in the first half. Lake County's Bo Greenwell has been called up to help, but I'm not sure it's going to be enough, and there really aren't many explosive bats waiting in the wings. Greenwell hit .310 with four home runs and 36 RBIs in 66 games for the Captains.

I'm sure Kinston manager Aaron Holbert is counting the days for catcher Chun-Hsui Chen to make the move up. Chen, who will play for the world team in the Futures game, is batting .318 with six dingers and 36 RBI, and would improve a lackluster position. Still, he's not up yet.

The Baby Tribe's pitching will remain its strength, but again, not likely as strong as the first half. Joe Gardner and T.J. McFarland are legit prospects, but lack either enough plus pitches or polish to reach the levels of the Hagadone, De La Cruz and White. I'm not sure where Marty Popham, T.J. House and Joey Mahalic fit into the equation down the road, but are solid long A pitchers, but lack the consistency and polish to dominate. Austin Adams has joined the club, and manager Aaron Holbert has decided to hand-cuff Adams to Popham. Both shared a similar piggyback at Lake County early in the first-half. Adams, 23, went 2-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 13 appearances, including eight starts. He used his four-pitch mix, which includes a low- to mid-90s fastball, to strike out 61 and walk 21 in 53 1/3 innings.

So with a Sunday full of heat, thunderstorms, and a trip to Kinston to catch the series opener against Potomac, let's get driving.

Where We Stand in Week 12, with a clean slate:

Overall Record: 37-36 (2-2 this past week)
Second Half Record 1-2 (four-way tie for first, or last, depending on how you look at it)

Week 12 Games:

20 @ Salem, W 4-1 (WP: J. Gardner; LP: S. Pimentel; SV: C. Burns)
24 vs. Lynchburg, W 2-1 (WP: J. Mahalic; LP: J. Hotchkiss; SV: C. Burns)
25 vs. Lynchburg, L 1-9 (WP: J. Avery; LP: T. House)
26 vs. Lynchburg, L 3-5 (WP: Serrano; LP: Gardner; SV: Joseph, D)


This Week's Transactions:

06/25/2010 LF Bo Greenwell assigned to Kinston Indians from Lake County Captains.
06/25/2010 RHP Austin Adams assigned to Kinston Indians from Lake County Captains.
06/25/2010 CF Trent Baker assigned to Lake County Captains from Kinston Indians.
06/23/2010 1B Nate Recknagel assigned to AZL Indians from Kinston Indians.


Week 12 Offense:

The offense didn't start the second half with a bang at all, hitting .238 for the week, with two homers and 10 runs scored. Not only did they lack power, but they also lacked to ability to manufacture runs, which is what they need to do to be successful. It was only a four-game sample, but it will be interesting to watch the Indians develop over the next few weeks.

There's really only two batters worth mentioning this week. First up is my weekly whipping boy, Ron Rivas. Normally, he graces the Sunday Drive with mentions of his prodigious amounts of errors. This week, Rivas not only went error-free, but was far and away the best offensive player. Perhaps this is the player that Indians management and Aaron Holbert are hoping for, and why he hasn't been benched. Rivas went 5 for 13 for the week, with two runs, a double, a homer and four RBI. His .385 average was tops on the club for the week. Rivas has been tantalizingly close during the season to having a break-out week, so maybe this is a break-out week for the Baby Tribe's shortstop.

Abner Abreu continued to improve offensively, batting over .300 for the second straight week. Abreu went five for 16 for the week, for a .313 average. Even more impressive and promising are the power numbers. Abreu had two doubles and a home run included in those five hits. He also stole a base. Abreu is the key to this offense. If he can find his bat, this team immediately becomes a legit second-half threat. Of course, that will be the day he gets the call-up to Akron.

Bo Greenwell did make his debut this week, but it will have to be tempered thanks to a horrid trip from Eastlake, OH to Kinston. He managed to go two for eight in his two games, but he should be an interesting watch as the season continues. Greenwell, the son of former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell, is a player that has been on the radar because of his pedigree. It's unknown if he's a legit prospect at this point, as this is the first season that he's put up any kind of potential numbers. Is he the real deal, or just another player to fill a roster. It should be fun to watch.

Yes, there's a lot of unknowns in this line-up, and Aaron Holbert hitting coach Rouglas Odar will have to put the puzzle together for things to work out.

Week 12 Bullpen:

The bullpen had a good, if not spectacular week in their eight games and 14 1/3 total innings. They gave up 13 hits, five runs, six walks and 16 K's. There were two saves and three holds, without a decision.

Burns returned to form this week in two appearances and 2 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up only two hits, while striking out three. He recorded two more saves, giving him 11 total saves in Kinston, for the year. He currently leads the Carolina League, which is more impressive considering the fact that he didn't join the K-Tribe until nearly June. Overall, Burns has 23 saves in 23 chances at both Lake County and Kinston.

Chris Jones continues his fantastic year during his two games, and 4 2/3 innings pitched. He gave up three hits and a run, while walking two and striking out five. His 2.00 ERA for the week actually raised his overall ERA to 0.91. Matt Langwell only gave up a walk, while striking out one in his only inning of work. Travis Turek continued to impress and gain consistency. He went 1 2/3 of one-hit ball, while striking out one. This is his third straight week of solid pitching, and perhaps the roller coaster ride is over.

Week 12 Starters:

There was definately some struggle with regards to the K-Tribe starters this week, aside from Joe Gardner's Sunday performance before this week's all star break. Overall, the starters pitched in 21 2/3 innings, giving up 19 hits, only five walks, 10 earned runs and 25 strikeouts. They went 2-2 for the week.

Joe Gardner went 1-1 for the week. He pitched in two games and went 12 innings, giving up six hits and five earned runs, while walking only two and striking out 15. In his Sunday start, he went six innings, giving up only two hits and a walk, while striking out nine in getting the win. Obviously, his post-break start was quite different. Still, Gardner showcased that top-end potential in his last start of the quarter. I don't see Gardner moving up this year, as the Indians was his development.

Joey Mahalic had his second solid start in a row. He went 5 1/3 innings pitched, giving up four hits, an earned run and three walks, while striking out six. He did get the win. T.J. House struggled again in his only start. He gave up nine hits and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He didn't walk a batter, which is a bit of an improvement, but got the loss in this topsy-turvy start.

Marty Popham didn't get a start this week, as he moves back to the Austin Adams piggy-back.

Week 12 Awards:

Offensive player of the week: Ron Rivas
Relief pitcher of the week: Cory Burns
Staring pitcher of the week: Joey Mahalic

Player of the week: Ron Rivas

Here comes week 13:

27 vs. Potomac, 5:00 PM
28 vs. Potomac, 7:00 PM
29 vs. Potomac, 7:00 PM
30 @ Myrtle Beach, 7:05 PM

July

1 @ Myrtle Beach, 7:05 PM
2 @ Myrtle Beach, 7:05 PM
3 vs. Frederick, 7:00 PM


The Rearviewmirror: See you later Jordan Henry. His fantastic play in centerfield and plate discipline will be missed. In his first full-season, Henry was leading the Carolina League in OBP, and was the straw that stirred the drink for Kinston. Good luck, Jordan, in your rise through the system

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Rodriguez Gets Nixed

The Cleveland Indians sent struggling second baseman Luis Valbuena to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, a move that was long overdue after he hit a miserable .166 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 49 games with the Indians this year.

Kudos to the Indians for finally making the move.

But the pats on the back stop there.

Instead of pulling from within and calling up infielder Josh Rodriguez or even Brian Bixler to fill the short team second base void, the Indians instead went out and claimed infielder Jayson Nix off of waivers. So the end result is that for at least the time being - until shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera returns from his broken arm in three to four weeks - the Indians now plan to go with a second base platoon of Anderson Hernandez and Nix, two players who arguably are just as bad as Valbuena at this point as far as Major League options at second base go. Joy.

Now, for those that have followed me over the years, you will know I am hardly one of those types to blow a gasket at what really in the grand scheme of things is a minor move. This is because most of the time I rationalize a move to some degree where I at least understand it (though may not always agree with it). That said, every so often a move is made like this where it makes absolutely no sense and is impossible to rationalize, and while a minor move in nature, is the straw which in this case has broken the camel's back.

In the long term, the Nix pickup is probably just temporary and we could see someone like Rodriguez at some point later in the year at second base or as the utility infielder. But in the short term it looks like an opportunity lost not only for Rodriguez, but for the Indians as well to get a long look at an infielder in their system who has had a very good bounce back season this year. A player who was a high level draft pick that they selected in the second round of the 2006 Draft out of Rice University and paid him $625,000 to sign. A player who is also a former top ten ranked prospect in the Indians system. So, as you can see, while his value is questionable there is a lot invested in him.

Yet, the Indians passed on Rodriguez for a journeyman utility player who was dumped by the White Sox this year after hitting .163 with one home run and five RBI in 24 games for them. In addition to that, Hernandez was also kept on the roster, another player claimed off waivers earlier this year after being dumped by the Mets and Nationals and who has a career .247 batting average.

On the positive side, Hernandez and Nix bring much better defense to the second base position, something Valbuena was not bringing at all. But, by the same token, Rodriguez is no slouch as a defender either. He has an excellent throwing arm and good lateral range to his left and right. He may only be an average at best defensive shortstop, but he is a pretty solid defensive second baseman.

But the real reason I rang on this is Rodriguez deserved a look in Cleveland. He was hitting .341 with six home runs and 20 RBI with a 1.031 OPS at Triple-A Columbus in 26 games, numbers that the Indians desperately could use in a punchless lineup in Cleveland, especially at the black hole in the lineup that has been second base this year. Obviously, those numbers would not necessarily translate to the big league level and there would be some expected dip in performance, but how much the numbers would drop or be sustained will never be known because he is not in Cleveland getting a chance to show one way or another what he can do.

Rodriguez is viewed as a fringe Major League player, a once highly touted prospect who fell off the radar the last two years only to burst back onto it with his sensational play to date this year. With that, his window of opportunity is very small and the chances will be limited for him to get a big league gig. There arguably was no better time for him to get that big league opportunity than now, a time when the window may be as wide open as it will ever be based on his offensive outburst in Triple-A along with the Indians needs at not only second base but also utility player in the short term.

The time was now to take a look at Rodriguez while Cabrera continues to rehab his broken arm and Valbuena is in Columbus rehabbing his broken game. Once Cabrera comes back the opportunity to call up Rodriguez will be limited the rest of the year, and there is a strong possibility that Valbuena comes back to Cleveland later in the year to play second base again or in a utility role. Yes, he only had a total of 105 plate appearances at Columbus, so the data sample is small, but in a case like Rodriguez they need to find out now what he can do. It's not so much because he is up for roster protection again after the season, it's mostly because of what's coming up behind him.

Triple-A second baseman Cord Phelps and Double-A Akron second baseman Jason Kipnis are entering into the big league picture quickly, and while they are not viewed as utility players in the near future like Rodriguez is, by the end of the season both players are going to leap over him as "now" Major League options, if not sooner, at second base. At shortstop the Indians have Cabrera and Jason Donald there. In addition to all that, Donald and Valbuena will likely get first dibs at a utility gig later this year or at the outset of next season. So where does Rodriguez fit in in the long term?

These things have a way of always working themselves out with attrition, injuries and performance, but the better choice may have been to in this case roster Rodriguez now and see what he can do with a three to four week audition in Cleveland. It couldn't hurt. If he comes up and performs well, maybe they found something. If he struggled, then send him back to Columbus for the rest of the year, or keep him on as the utility option once Cabrera comes back. Wasting an option in this case would not be worth worrying about since if in three years time he still needs to be sent to the minors and is out of options, then good riddance anyway.

Roster spots will be at a premium this offseason because of the placement of so many young players on the roster, and a guy like Rodriguez is a player we need to find out about. There is still well over half of the season left, so he could surely get some meaningful time in Cleveland before the season is up, but you have to wonder that if he can't get an opportunity now given the current state of the Indians' infield and is passed up for the likes of Nix and Hernandez, then how will he get an opportunity later once health and performance improves for other higher priority players?

No matter how low profile of a player he may be, Rodriguez is an asset to the team. Part of the reason the Indians are doing what they are doing this year was to supposedly find out about guys, but to date have not because of this vicious circle of bringing in retread after retread after retread. Moves that leave them doing nothing but spinning their wheels.  Opening the season with a couple of veterans on the roster was fine and made sense, but we are at the point of the season where veterans should be on their way out the clubhouse door and not coming in it.

To make matters worse, with Valbuena going to Columbus they sent Rodriguez to Double-A Akron. Ouch. The move may be temporary, but wow, what a message it sends to a guy who has been on fire in Columbus. And now not only is he not getting a look in Cleveland, he is also not accruing plate appearances in Triple-A and is spending yet more time in Akron. Double ouch.

Bottom line, the Nix pickup is just a needless move, and yet another example of the Indians picking through the scraps left at the table by other teams hoping to find something useful. It hasn't worked in over half a decade when they picked up the likes of Bobby Howry, Casey Blake, and Rafael Betancourt when they went bargain bin shopping back in 2003-2004. But I think it is time to take a hard look at our internal process and figure out why we cannot fill in the 20-25th spot on the Major League roster with players from our own system, a system we are supposed to live on but instead are always picking up retread after retread to fill utility and middle relief roles. Player Development has made the commitment in the minors to push the kids through the system more aggressively this year, so let's follow through now and apply that same logic to Cleveland.

This is not to make a spectacle of the player that is Josh Rodriguez. He's just the example in this case.  While I've talked to many baseball people who think he is Major League caliber, it just may be that GM's Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti at this point think otherwise. Minor move or not, it sends the wrong message to a player in the farm system like Rodriguez and all the other players in the system who now may have just a little bit of doubt cast on how realistic their chances are of ever getting a big league shot with the Indians.

We know what guys like Hernandez and Nix are, so the Indians are not going to uncover any hidden gems with either of them. In the case of Rodriguez, he is a guy who may have some upside still and has yet to have the book written on him at the big league level. The page is blank, so why not let him go out and play and see how the pages unfold and what is written? Instead, all the Indians have done is closed the book before he even had a chance to do anything.

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Branyan Traded To Seattle

The Cleveland Indians announced they have acquired outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and shortstop Juan Diaz from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for infielder Russell Branyan and cash or a player to be named later.

Carrera, 22, has spent the entire 2010 season to date at AAA Tacoma as he has hit .268 (57-213) with 24 runs scored, 6 doubles, 2 triples and 18 RBI in 64 games. He has stolen 9 bases in 14 attempts this season but is currently on the AAA disabled list with a left hip pointer. Before being injured, Carrera was hitting .311 (19-61) with 6 runs scored, 3 doubles and 6 RBI in 18 games during the month of June. Prior to the start of the 2010 season, Carrera was ranked as the 15th best prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America.

Last year, the left-handed hitting outfielder won the Southern League Batting title as he hit .337 (111-329) with 68 runs scored, 12 doubles, 4 triples, 2HR and 38RBI in 91 games at AA West Tennessee while being named to both the Southern League All-Star and also the Topps Double-A All-Star team. Carrera also posted a .441 on-base percentage which led the Southern League and was 3rd best in all of minor league baseball. The Venezuelan native was named the best defensive outfielder in the Florida State League in 2008 by Baseball America. Carrera was originally signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2005 and will report to AAA Columbus in the coming days.

Diaz, 21, a 6-4, 170-pound switch hitting shortstop, has spent the entire 2010 season to date at High Desert of the California League batting .295 (75-254) with 39 runs scored, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 7HR and 41RBI in 70 games. He has also stolen 8 bases in 10 attempts and has an OPS of .779 (.345 on-base % & .433 slg. %).

Last year, Diaz batted .311 (101-325) with 55 runs scored, 22 doubles, 5 triples, 4HR and 29RBI in 84 games at High Desert as he was named to the California League All-Star Team. The Dominican Republic native was on the disabled list from June 25-August 4th with a fractured hamate in the left hand however came back to finish the season and played for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League. He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Seattle in 2006 and will report to Kinston in the coming days.

Branyan was signed by the Indians on February 24th and hit .263 (45-171) with 24 runs scored, 9 doubles, 10HR and 24RBI in 52 games for Cleveland this year.

The Indians will make a roster move prior to tomorrow’s game with the Cincinnati Reds to fill Branyan’s spot on the Major League 25-man roster.

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Game Recap 6/26: Pack Attack Delivers Win For Captains

Packer Leads Captains to 5-0 Win

Matt Packer threw eight scoreless innings and Roberto Perez had four hits to lead the Lake County Captains to a 5-0 shutout over the West Michigan Whitecaps on Saturday. The Captains have thrown four shutouts this season and are off to a 2-0 start in the second half of the season.

Jeremie Tice led off the top of the fourth inning with a double and three batters later Adam Abraham doubled him home to give the Captains a 1-0 lead. Abraham ended the night with three hits. The Captains added a run in the top of the seventh inning when Jason Smit hit a solo home run, his fifth homer of the year, and the Captains led 2-0. The Captains added two more runs in the top of the eighth inning when Roberto Perez scored on a throwing error and Greg Folgia scored on a sacrifice fly by Delvi Cid and the lead was 4-0. Perez collected his fourth hit in the top of the ninth inning when he doubled home Tice to end the scoring at 5-0.

Captains starter Matt Packer (6-3) got the win pitching a career high eight scoreless innings allowing five hits, walking one, hitting two and striking out a career high nine batters. Jose Flores pitched a scoreless ninth inning allowing a hit. The Captains defense turned three double plays.

Whitecaps starter Trevor Feeney (6-7) took the loss working six innings allowing one run on eight hits, walking one and striking out five.

The Captains and Whitecaps will wrap up the three game series on Sunday at 1:00 PM with the Captains sending RHP Brett Brach (0-3, 4.03) to the hill to oppose RHP Ramon LeBron (4-4, 6.31).

Huge first inning propels Clippers

One inning was all Columbus really needed to extend their winning streak to five games, taking game two of a four-game set against the Gwinnett Braves, 8-2, Saturday night in front of more than 10,000 at Huntington Park.

After falling behind 1-0, the Clippers responded with a seven-run opening frame. The big inning featured two-run singles from both Jordan Brown and Wes Hodges, an RBI double from Cord Phelps and a two-run double from Michael Brantley (his second hit of the inning).

Columbus added another run in the third, when Lou Marson went deep, hitting his second home run as a Clipper in 2010 on his 24th birthday.

In all, it was plenty of run support for Jeanmar Gomez, who allowed two runs on seven hits, with four strikeouts over six innings of work, improving to 5-7 on the year.

After a rough first inning, Tim Gustafson faced just one batter in the second inning before departing, and fell to 7-5 with the loss.

Carlton Smith and Jess Todd pitched three innings of scoreless relief for the Clippers. The game was delayed briefly in the bottom of the eighth because of lightning in the area.

The Clippers are now a season-best 16 games over the .500 mark and are back at it Sunday afternoon, with Columbus' Yohan Pino (7-3, 4.65 ERA) getting the ball for a 5:05 first pitch.

Binghamton Bats Explode in 11-6 Win

The Binghamton Mets offense hammered the Aeros pitching staff again Saturday night, winning by the final score of 11-6 at Canal Park. Each team collected 14 hits in front of the 4,324 fans in attendance, but the B-Mets capitalized on monster nights from first baseman Nick Evans and right fielder Raul Reyes. Akron (36-38) has now lost eight of their past 12 contests to fall 2.5 games behind the Bowie Baysox for second place in the Western Division while the streaking Mets (38-36) have won eight of 10.

The night started off well for the Aeros as the team had a monster bottom of the first inning against Binghamton starter Mark Cohoon. It was the Double-A debut for the young lefty and he made a crucial mistake in allowing a two-out Matt McBride RBI double to left-center. Right fielder John Drennen followed with a run-scoring single and shortly after, designated hitter Jerad Head gave the hosts the quick 3-0 lead with a liner to left.

Akron starter Scott Barnes could not maintain the advantage as the Mets attacked in the top of the third. Reyes smacked a one-out two-run homer to right while a Jason Kipnis error at second prolonged the frame. Binghamton collected six hits quickly and after the rally was finally over, the three-run edge turned into a 6-3 deficit for the Aeros.

Reyes began the fourth inning with his second home run of the night and the team then added two more runs against Barnes in the fifth. The Mets extended the lead to 10-3 in the next inning on a solo shot by Evans, his team-leading 13th homer of the season.

Cohoon cruised until the sixth where he faced trouble with one out in the frame as Drennen, shortstop Josh Rodriguez and Head loaded the bases with three consecutive singles. Tim Fedroff then struck out looking for Cohoon’s first strikeout of the game, but catcher Damaso Espino followed with a huge two-run single to right field.

The comeback would fall short as Binghamton added a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Marshall Hubbard against reliever Zach Putnam. The Aeros then provided the final margin thanks to another clutch two-out run-scoring hit by Espino later that inning.

Cohoon (1-0) earned the win despite conceding five runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings pitched while the lefty Barnes (3-7) took the loss. He permitted eight hits, four walks and two home runs in just four innings total as the nine runs (five earned) he allowed were the most by an Akron pitcher this season. Relievers Connor Graham and Putnam each allowed a run in two frames and Steven Wright delivered a shutout ninth.

Five different Aeros finished with multi-hit performances led by the impressive outings from Head and Espino. Head was a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI while Espino was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Meanwhile, Binghamton is now averaging 7.2 runs and 10.9 hits in the 13 meetings between these teams on the year.

The Mets look for the three-game weekend sweep of the Aeros Sunday afternoon with a 1:35 p.m. first pitch. Akron lefty Kelvin De La Cruz (1-4, 5.61 ERA) makes the start in the home stand finale against Binghamton’s Jenrry Mejia (0-0, 3.86 ERA).

Hillcats Edge Indians 5-3

A fourth inning grand slam was the difference, as Kinston fell to Lynchburg 5-3 Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium.

The offense showed up early for the K-Tribe, as Abner Abreu blasted a solo homer to left center field in the first inning for his second homer of the season. Lynchburg responded in the top of the second, as Neftali Soto led off with a base hit that caromed off of K-Tribe starting pitcher Joe Gardner and into right field. After Gardner's wild pitch moved Soto to second, Kevin Coddington flared a single to right to score Soto and tie the game at one.

Kinston used a two-out rally to take the lead back in the bottom of the second inning. Richard Martinez started the threat with a line drive single to center against Hillcats starter Mark Serrano. Ronald Rivas then clubbed an RBI double to the wall in center to score Martinez. Justin Toole knocked a single down the left field line for his first RBI with the K-Tribe and a 3-1 lead.

Kinston had a bases loaded, no-out opportunity in the bottom of the third inning, but failed to score on a Karexon Sanchez strikeout and a great double play turned by Lynchburg third baseman Shane Carlson. Carlson snagged a ripped line drive off of the bat of Chris Kersten, doubling Abner Abreu off second and ending the threat. The Hillcats turned the tables on Gardner in the top of the fourth inning with a bases loaded surprise of their own. Felix Perez led off with a single to left, Soto was hit by a pitch and Coddington walked. The next batter, Kyle Day hammered a grand slam to right center field to give Lynchburg a 5-3 lead. It was the Hillcats first grand slam of the season and also the first slam allowed by K-Tribe pitching in 2010. Gardner (6-2) took the loss, leaving the game after six innings. Gardner allowed a season-high five runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six. Serrano (3-5) took the win, giving up three runs on eight hits in five innings, walking none and striking out six.

Kinston fought back late, getting runners on in the final three innings. With one on and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, a diving catch made by Lynchburg outfielder Efrain Contreras robbed Ronald Rivas of an RBI hit and a possibly a Kinston rally. The K-Tribe stayed close thanks to reliever Chris Jones, who gave up just two hits and no runs in three innings of work. Jones struck out two and did not walk a batter. Jones has an ERA of 0.91 through 13 appearances this season.

The K-Tribe welcomes Potomac to Historic Grainger Stadium Sunday with a special 5pm start. Marty Popham will take the hill for Kinston.

Scrappers Pound Out 12-1 Win

For the second straight night the Mahoning Valley Scrappers offense exploded for 12 runs enroute to an easy 12-1 win over Auburn.

Right-handed pitcher Owen Dew got the start and in his professional debut went four shutout innings four hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

The offensive attack was led by the bats of third baseman Giovanny Urshela (2-for-3, 2B, 4 RBI), outfielder Kevin Rucker (3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI), and catcher Moises Montero (2-for-5, 3 RBI). In all the Scrappers pounded out 16 hits and three walks.

Right-hander Jordan Cooper is expected to get the start on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Lianna Holub

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