The NW Arkansas Naturals had six players named to the Texas League All-Star team on Thursday, four of which will start for the North Division on June 28th in Tulsa.

John Whittleman will start at first base (.257, ten homeruns, 32 RBIs, 17 doubles, 37 runs scored). Yem Prades (.278, 12 doubles, 33 runs scored) and Carlo Testa (.281, eight homeruns, 30 RBIs, 29 runs scored) will start in the outfield. Christian Colon will be the DH (.290, five homeruns, 24 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 27 walks to 22 strikeouts).

Reliever Patrick Keating (2-1, 3.56 ERA in 22 games, seven saves, 30 strikeouts in 30.1 innings) and starter Justin Marks (3-2, 3.38 ERA in 12 starts, 49 strikeouts in 61.1 innings) round out the Naturals All-Stars.

Other Texas League All-Stars of note include the homerun and RBI leader Mike Olt of Frisco (Texas Rangers), Colorado Rockies third base prospect Nolan Arenado (he is one of eight Tulsa Drillers on the All-Star team), and former Natural Kevin Chapman, who was traded during spring training to the Houston Astros (Corpus Christi).

*All stats are as of June 15th via MiLb.com.

Omaha hit two solo homeruns, one in the 8th to tie the game and one in the 12th to win the game, as they beat New Orleans 2-1. Anthony Seratelli hit a homerun in the 8th inning (he went 2-for-4). Wil Myers hit the game winner in the 12th inning.

Roman Colon picked up the win, as he pitched three scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two and allowed just one hit. Vin Mazzaro got the start and allowed one run on six hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Jeremy Jeffress followed with two scoreless innings of relief.

Two 3-run innings and two 2-run innings propelled NW Arkansas over Midland, 10-3. The Naturals hit three homeruns, with Carlo Testa and John Whittleman picking up their sixth of the season. Whittleman went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Eric Duncan went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs and Nick Van Stratten went 2-for-4 in the win.

Elisaul Pimentel took advantage of the run support to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed one run (a solo homerun) on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Tonight’s Wilmington Blue Rocks game in Myrtle Beach was a rematch of last Saturday night’s game in Wilmington, as Nick Tepesch took the mound coming off his no-hitter. He didn’t pitch a no-hitter, but the Pelicans won 10-2.

Tepesch did however pick up a win, as he allowed three runs on five hits over 6.2 innings. His counterpart again, Jason Adam, struggled from the beginning. He ended up allowing seven runs on ten hits over 5.1 innings.

Kevin David continues his hot hitting, as he went 2-for-3 to up his average to .278.

With reliever Jon Keck being promoted to NW Arkansas, Edwin Carl was promoted from Kane County. He will pitch out of the bullpen, despite pitching well out of the rotation for the Cougars.

A seven run 3rd inning was enough for Kane County, as they beat Burlington 7-3.  In that inning, they collected five hits and walked five times.

Justin Trapp, Jorge Bonifacio, Michael Antonio, and Orlando Calixte each had two hits in the win.

All of that offense made a winner of Brooks Pounders. He allowed two unearned runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out four.

Omaha led 2-0 early, but saw their lead evaporate, as Fresno took a 5-2 lead. However a 9th inning comeback of five runs for the Storm Chasers gave them the 8-5 victory.

It all started with a bases loaded hit batter. Then a fielding error scored a run. Derrick Robinson‘s sac fly gave Omaha the lead with one out. After a pitching change (and a strikeout), Clint Robinson delivered a two-run single to cap the scoring.

The Robinson’s each had two hits, with Clint driving in four runs.

Elisaul Pimentel started his first game of the 2012 season, as NW Arkansas beat Tulsa, 10-6. He allowed a solo homerun (the only hit he allowed) over five innings of work while striking out three.

Wil Myers again started at third base and moved out to the outfield later in the game. He hit two homeruns, to give him 13 on the season. John Whittleman also hit a homerun (2-for-5 with two runs scored).

In another meeting between Wilmington’s Jason Adam and Lynchburg’s Cody Martin, Martin got the best of Adam in his second consecutive start. This time, Martin didn’t flirt with a no-hitter, but still won 5-4.

The Blue Rocks out-hit the Hillcats, 15-9, but were just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. They hit back-to-back homeruns in the 4th inning (Brian Fletcher and Brett Eibner), but they were solo shots. Fletcher, Eibner, Whit Merrifield, and Cheslor Cuthbert each had two hits. Kevin David went 3-for-4.

Kane County scored runs from the 2nd through the 4th innings en route to their 9-2 victory over Wisconsin. In the 2nd inning, Murray Watts hit a two-run homerun. In the 3rd inning, Michael Antonio hit a grand slam (3-for-4 and it was his first homerun of the season).

Kellen Moen was the beneficiary of all the offense, as he allowed two runs on four hits over six innings.

All four of the KC Royals full season minor league affiliates won on Friday.

Omaha had two 3-run innings en route to winning the series finale at Sacramento, 7-1. Terry Evans accounted for the three runs in the 2nd inning with a three-run homerun.

Tony Abreu went 2-for-4 with a solo homerun. Max Ramirez went 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Kevin Kouzmanoff went 2-for-4.

The offensive outburst made a winner of Will Smith, who allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out six. Tommy Hottovy finished off the Rivercats with two scoreless innings of relief. He struck out four.

One day after a no-hitter, NW Arkansas received another stellar pitching performance, this time from Jake Odorizzi. He allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings en route to the Naturals 8-2 win over Springfield. Odorizzi struck out seven.

Patrick Keating pitched two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts.

The Naturals also had two 3-run innings. In the 5th inning, John Whittleman hit a three-run homerun (three of his four RBIs). Christian Colon went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Carlo Testa went 2-for-4.

A five-run outburst in the 5th inning gave Wilmington the 6-5 win at Frederick. In that inning, Brett Eibner hit a grand slam.

Whit Merrifield led off the game with a solo homerun (one of his two hits). The offensive outburst made a winner of Greg Billo, who allowed four runs on four hits and two walks over six innings (he allowed two homeruns).

The wild game of the night went to Kane County, as they scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat Clinton, 8-7. Orlando Calixte hit a walk-off solo homerun with two outs (and he didn’t make an error).

The Cougars had 15 hits. The 2-5 hitters (Daniel Mateo, Jorge Bonifacio, Lane Adams, Michael Antonio, and Calixte) went 13-for-23 with eight runs scored and eight RBIs.

The Omaha Storm Chasers enjoyed a day off on Wednesday, as they are off on the road for the next eight games (in Memphis and Nashville). They are in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

NW Arkansas won their third straight game over Springfield, 10-6. The Naturals big inning came in the 4th, when they scored seven runs. In that inning, Wil Myers hit a two-run homerun and Yem Prades hit a two-run homerun.

Myers and John Whittleman each collected two hits and scored two runs. Whittleman also hit a homerun in the 6th inning.

Felipe Paulino, on a rehab assignment, started for the Naturals and allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out eight.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks’ four-game winning streak came to an end in Salem, as they lost 4-1. Red Sox starter Drake Britton allowed just one hit over five shutout innings to earn his first win of the season.

The Blue Rocks collected just five hits, struck out 13 times, and were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Lansing scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back en route to their 7-2 win over Kane County in the first game of the series.

Daniel Mateo went 3-for-4 with a run scored in the loss.

Out on the road, the Omaha Storm Chaser couldn’t capitalize on three Albuquerque errors or get to their bullpen (three one-hit innings), as they lost 7-4. They were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Sean O’Sullivan has looked bad since clearing waivers and heading back to Omaha. He lost for the second time this season, as he allowed three runs on six hits and three walks over four innings of relief.

Offensively for the Storm Chasers, Johnny Giavotella, Irving Falu, and Cody Clark each collected two hits. Falu and Clark also scored two runs each.

For the second straight night, the NW Arkansas Naturals were pounded by the visiting Corpus Christi Hooks, this time losing 12-2. It got so bad that infielder John Whittleman pitched in the final inning. He came on with the bases loaded and allowed all three runs to score.

Patrick Keating did pitch well out of the Naturals bullpen. He allowed just one hit over 2.2 innings (though he did allow an inherited runner to score). He also struck out three.

The Naturals collected just one extra-base hit (a double by Wil Myers) and Sharlon Schoop was the only hitter to collect two hits.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks, down 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, scored four runs in the inning to celebrate their home opener in front of a record crowd. Two dropped fly balls led to two unearned runs scoring for the Blue Rocks. You can read more HERE.

Kane County used a seven-run 3rd inning and a two-run 9th inning to defeat Burlington, 11-9. The Cougars needed all of those runs because the Bees scored four runs in the bottom of the 9th inning and actually had the bases loaded. Nick Graffeo struck out the final batter to end the game.

The Cougars pounded out 15 hits, with six players collecting two hits. Michael Antonio and Edul Escobar drove in two runs each, while Orlando Calixte and Tim Ferguson scored two runs each.

Jonathan Dooley earned the victory after pitching four shutout innings in relief. He allowed three hits and no walks while striking out three.

The Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, earned their second consecutive Triple-A Championship as they defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers 8-3.

The game started out so well for Omaha against Clippers starter Joe Martinez. They scored three runs on three hits in the top of the first inning. Lorenzo Cain hit a two-run triple and John Whittleman drove him in with a single. It was Whittleman’s first start in the playoffs and second start in Triple-A. Whittleman spent most of the season with High-A Wilmington and for me, it was cool to see him playing on live TV.

Those three runs were all the Storm Chasers offense could muster against Martinez, and then Chen Lee. Martinez gave up just three hits after the first inning. He wasn’t sharp, or completely dominant (like he was against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs), but he was effective.

Columbus went down quickly and quietly in the bottom of the first inning against Omaha starter Sean O’Sullivan. However the Clippers offense busted out in the second inning. The hot-hitting Chad Huffman collected a one-out single. Last year’s MVP Jerad Head walked. O’Sullivan got Juan Diaz (who spent most of the season with Double-A Akron) to fly out for the second out. Just when it looked like O’Sullivan might escape the jam, Luke Carlin delivered the big blow, a mammoth homerun down the right field line to tie the game at 3-3.

The offensive explosion continued in the 3rd inning as the Clippers scored three more runs, capped by Beau Mills‘ two-run single (Mills is the son of Houston Astros manager Brad Mills and he spent most of the season in Akron).

O’Sullivan lasted just three innings, as he allowed six runs on six hits. Willy Lebron followed and allowed a run in the 4th inning, but settled down to hold Columbus scoreless over the next two. Brandon Sisk pitched a scoreless 8th inning before Kelvin Herrera entered in the 9th inning. Mills greeted him by hitting a solo homerun that gave Columbus the 8-3 lead. Herrera settled down to retire the next three hitters.

Omaha’s offense didn’t fare any better once Martinez left the game. Chen Lee entered and pitched two scoreless innings of relief to close out the Clippers’ win. Their celebration was a bit subdued.

Martinez was named the game’s MVP and like he said during his postgame interview, the award could have went to anyone.

*Following the loss, the big league KC Royals added Vin Mazzaro, O’Sullivan, Jarrod Dyson, Lorenzo Cain, Manny Pina, and Herrera. Herrera is not on the 40-man roster, so a move will need to be made to make his promotion official. It was a great season for the Storm Chasers and it’s only fitting that these six should receive the promotion.

**In one game, it is hard to tell how much the Storm Chasers missed slugging first baseman Clint Robinson. I noticed in the PCL clincher that Whittleman ran for Robinson late in the game, but I didn’t think much of it. Robinson has a sports hernia and needs surgery. He was shut down and also will not play in the Arizona Fall League. He is expected to be ready for spring training.

There was quite a bit of news involving the playoff bound Omaha Storm Chasers on Wednesday. First, starter Luis Mendoza was named the Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Year. The award is voted on by league managers and media members. He is currently 11-5 with a league-leading 2.15 ERA in 32 games (17 starts). He is the first Omaha pitcher to earn the honor since the league’s inception in 2001.

3B/1B/DH John Whittleman has been promoted from High-A Wilmington to help Omaha’s playoff push (now I know why Whittleman hasn’t been playing lately). If he plays, it’s not a bad situation for him because the Blue Rocks season will end on Monday. Plus, he is moving to a hitter’s league where he could hit quite a few more bombs.

With their blowout win and Albuquerque’s win, the Omaha Storm Chasers have won the Pacific Coast League’s Northern Division. After losing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the first inning, the Omaha offense went to work. By the end of three innings, the Storm Chasers led 9-2. They went on to defeat the Round Rock Express, 12-2. Omaha pounded out 18 hits, as Lorenzo Cain went 5-for-5, Kurt Mertins and Yamaico Navarro both went 3-for-5. Mendoza earned the win, as he allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. The only negative in the win was the four errors the Omaha defense made.

The NW Arkansas Naturals have seen their lead go away as they are now tied atop in the Texas League’s North Division (Tulsa has won nine in a row). With five games left, it should be an interesting race (they play Tulsa three more times). Elisaul Pimentel made his first Double-A start and was roughed up early, as he only lasted three innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits (two homeruns). Mario Lisson and Tim Smith each collected three hits in the Naturals 11-5 loss to Arkansas.

With a 1-0 lead in the 8th inning, Wilmington Blue Rocks reliever Ryan Dennick struggled in his second inning of work. He allowed a leadoff single and that runner came around to score on a double. With one out, he got a ground ball to first baseman Joey Lewis, who flipped it to Dennick. Dennick dropped the ball, which kept the inning alive. With two outs, Myrtle Beach’s Chris McGuiness ripped a double down the right field line to score the go ahead run. Blue Rocks starter Justin Marks took the no decision, as he pitched six shutout innings. Pelicans starter Chad Bell allowed one run on four hits over six innings. Carlo Testa and Ryan Stovall collected four of the Blue Rocks five hits in the loss.

With their 4-3 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Kane County Cougars have clinched a playoff spot in the Midwest League (they are currently popping bottles). Jason Mitchell earned the clinching win, as he pitched 5.2 shutout innings. He allowed just three hits. It got interesting late, as the Kernels scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning against Nick Rogers. With runners on first and second, Rogers induced a ground out to end the game.

View from the visitor's dugout

I decided to make my first back-to-back games appearance in Wilmington as the Salem Red Sox were in town to face the Blue Rocks. I was hoping to see Drake Britton and Anthony Ranaudo pitch for Salem, but no such luck. Thursday and Friday nights’ games were rained out, which meant that there were doubleheaders on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Saturday’s game was slated to start at 5:05pm and I arrived early (around 3:30pm) hoping to catch an interview with Red Sox starter Anthony Ranaudo, who was Boston’s first round pick in 2010. Neither team took batting practice, but Salem’s radio guy, Evan Lepler, took my down to the dugout and grabbed me Ranaudo from the lockerroom (check back for my interview with Ranaudo soon).

I was disappointed that the Blue Rocks didn’t fully capture the Judy Johnson Night like they did in past years on Saturday night. My parents however enjoyed the time as they met the few former Negro League players who were in attendance.

The doubleheader on Saturday night didn’t end until about 10:00pm and after post-game interviews and the traffic jam following the fireworks, I probably didn’t get home until 11:30pm. The good news was that the Blue Rocks won both games, received solid starting pitching from both Michael Mariot in Game 1 and Tim Melville in Game 2, and the newest Blue Rock, catcher Jared Dyer, collected his first Carolina League hit in his first at-bat.

Kendal Volz

I was back at it again on Sunday, as I arrived at the park before noon for a 12:35pm start time for the first game. Apparently storms had rolled in earlier in the morning, but it was still hot and the sun was shining at game time (though very few were in attendance). The Blue Rocks took Game 1, despite starter Justin Marks’ struggles (he last just four innings). The good news: Kendal Volz, the Blue Rocks reliever who was traded to the KC Royals organization in the Mike Aviles deal with the Red Sox, pitched for the first time against his former team. He picked up the save.

In between the two games, the tarp was put on as storms were expected. It rained for a few minutes and there was some lightning, but not a whole lot. We still sat for more than two hours. Neither team expected to play, but at 5pm Game 2 of the doubleheader (and the final game of the four-game set) was beginning. There were maybe 50 fans left in attendance, half of which were the family and friends of the Salem players. The Blue Rocks also swept Sunday’s doubleheader, so they swept the four-game series over the Red Sox. I felt bad for the Red Sox players, as they had to make the 5 ½ drive back to Salem to play Monday night (the Blue Rocks have Monday off). After post-game interviews and stopping on the way home to eat dinner, I didn’t return home until about 9pm.

It was a LONG two days, but definitely worth it. I completed my first one-on-one interview, bonded a bit with the guys in the pressbox, and became friends with Salem’s radio guy (who is very good by the way). I also found out that the guys in the pressbox don’t care much for healthy foods. I brought a giant bag of grapes, but I was the only one to indulge.

» Continue reading “My 24 Hours in Wilmington”

The Wilmington Blue Rocks and Salem Red Sox were rained out both Thursday and Friday nights. Since it is the last time the two teams play here, there will be doubleheaders on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. I will be live from ALL four games. So tonight begins the stretch of four games in two days (thankfully both teams have off on Monday).

Tonight’s game, the Philadelphia Eagles mascot Swoop will be in attendance and it is also Judy Johnson Night. This is one of my favorite games of the year (and it is also my mom’s). The Blue Rocks honor the Negro League legend and the two teams usually wear Negro League uniforms. Right now, they are setting up tables auctioning off memorabilia.

Michael Mariot will be on the mound for Game 1 for the Blue Rocks. Chris Hernandez will start for the Red Sox. This will be my first time seeing Mariot pitch and the second time I have seen Hernandez.

The lineup Mariot will face is: Derrick Gibson SS (the local guy), Peter Hissey CF (another local guy), Kolbrin Vitek DH, Bryce Brentz RF, Miles Head 1B, Heiker Meneses 2B, Alex Valdez 3B, Shannon Wilkerson LF, and Josue Peley C.

The lineup Hernandez will face is: Whit Merrifield 2B, Carlo Testa DH, Nick Van Stratten RF, John Whittleman 3B, Ryan Stovall 1B, Yem Prades CF, Tim Ferguson LF, Jared Dyer C, and Michael Liberto SS.

I’ll be out around the concourse taking photos during the first few innings, but I promise to be back with updates!

» Continue reading “First of Two Days of Doubleheaders in Wilmington”