Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was rained out today.
Trenton lost to New Hampshire 6-3:
The Fisher Cats got to Trenton starter, Nik Turley, early on Wednesday. Kevin Pillar started the bottom of the first with a double and John Tolisano singled, putting runners on the corners. A balk scored Pillar and Tolisano crossed home on a single by Brad Glenn, giving New Hampshire a 2-0 lead. Trenton got one run back in the top of the second. Rob Segedin lead off with a single to right, but was out at second on a a force out by Casey Stevenson. A wild pitch moved Stevenson to second and he scored on a single by Shane Brown. New Hampshire added to their lead in the third. Pillar singled and Tolisano drew a walk before Ryan Schimpf homered, giving the Fisher Cats a 5-1 advantage. Ramon Flores lined a one out double to center in the fifth and was followed by a single from Jose Pirela. Tyler Austin drew a walk, loading the bases and Kyle Roller grounded a single to right, plating Flores. Trenton tried to rally in the eighth, as Roller lead off with a single and Segedin reached on a fielder’s choice. A single by Stevenson scored Roller, but Kyle Higashioka grounded into a double play and they trailed 5-3. New Hampshire got the run back in the bottom of the eighth and held on for the 6-3 victory.
Flores went 2-4 with a run scored, a double and a walk. Pirela went 2-5, as did Roller who picked up a RBI and a run scored. Austin had an off night, going 0-4, drawing one walk and striking out three times. Turley threw six innings and gave up five runs on then hits, a walk and four Ks. Danny Burawa threw a scoreless inning of relief, allowing one hit and two walks, while striking out one. Aaron Dott gave up one run on one hit in his inning of work.
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The big news today: Cito Culver hit 2 home runs for Charleston. Culver has been mashing the ball this year. Last year, he hit just 2 bombs in each of 2011 and 2012. He’s driving the ball so far this year – adds 2 doubles and 1 triple to that total in a week. If he hits for even a below-average amount of power, look out. If he hit .300/.360/.420 this year, I’ll rate him up there with the best.
Charleston beats West Virginia, 10-7
Cito Culver, SS – 2 for 6, 2 HR
Greg Bird, 1b – 1 for 6 – Cooling off
Dante Bichette, 3b – 1 for 3, 3 BB
Pete O’Brien, C – 1 for 4
Daniel Camarena – 4 IP, 11 hits, 5 runs 0 K 1 BB – ……
Tampa beats Dunedin, 4-2
Mason Williams CF, Angelo Gumbs 0 for 3 each, 2 and 1 BB respectively
Gary Sanchez, C, 1 for 4, 2b
Ben Gamel, LF, 1 for 3, 2b BB
Carmen Angelini, SS, 2 for 3, HR 2b – Still hanging on
Trenton beats New Hampshire, 5-1
JR Murphy, C 3-5
Slade Heathcott, CF, 1 for 4
Tyler Austin, Ramon Flores, OF, 0 for
Caleb Cotham, 5 innings 1 IR, 5K, 1BB – Sleeper pick to be a decent MLB reliever
Jeremy Bleich, 3 IP, no runs – I’ve got Bleich fatigue at this point
Scranton loses to Rochester 2-1
Corban Joseph, 2b, 1-2, 2 BB
Austin Romine, C, 2 for 4
Vidal Nuno, :LHP, 7 IP, no runs, 0 BB, 6 K – The kind of start that could set up for a long MLB callup.
The Yankees farm system ended the weekend with a split. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre continues to look for their first win of 2013, as Brett Marshall had a tough start. Meanwhile, Trenton showed just how potent their offense could be this season as they beat Portland. Tampa had a rough day at the plate, but Charleston made good use of the long ball as they shutout the Drive.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to Pawtucket 6-2:
Melky Mesa started the bottom of the first with a bunt single and Zoilo Almonte drew a one out walk, but the RailRiders were unable to draw first blood. Pawtucket got its first baserunner of the day when Brett Marshall walked Ryan Lavarnway. A wild pitch moved the runner over and with two outs, Mark Hamilton hit a ground-rule double, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Pawtucket started to break the game open in the third, as Marshall quickly loaded the bases, giving up a single and two walks. A sac fly by Drew Sutton plated one run and a single by Lavarnway scored two more, putting Scranton in a 4-0 hole. Pawtucket added a run in the fourth and in the seventh, holding a 6-0 lead. The RailRiders finally started to threaten in the bottom of the eighth. Thomas Neal drew a walk and Addison Maruszak grounded a single to right. A single by Almonte scored Neal for their first run of the day. With three outs left, David Adams drew a leadoff walk to start the ninth. Cody Johnson and Austin Romine both struck out, but Adams scored on a single by Neal. Maruszak reached on an error but Mesa grounded out to short as Scranton took the 6-2 loss.
The RailRiders managed only four hits all day, none for extra bases. Mesa, Almonte, Neal and Maruszak each picked up one hit. They were 2-8 with runners in scoring position. Mesa, Johnson, Romine and Neal each struck out twice. Brett Marshall had a rough day. He lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up five runs on six hits, four walks and four Ks. Preston Claibrne pitched a perfect ninth inning, picking up one K.
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It was a tough day on the Farm for the Yankees affiliates. Tampa picked up its first win of the year, but everyone else came up short. Dellin Betances made his first appearance of 2013, as did the Charleston RiverDogs after being rained out yesterday.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to Pawtucket 9-4:
Looking to turn the page on 2012, Betances made his first start of the season on Friday night. Pawtucket got to the big righty quickly, as Jeremy Hazelbaker grounded a single back to the mound and Justin Henry lined on to center. A walk to Drew Sutton loaded the bases, but Betances came back to strike out the next two batters. Brandon Snyder then lined a single to the outfield giving the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. Betances settled down, however, pitching a 1-2-3 second and third inning and allowing just one walk in the fourth before being pulled at the start of the fifth. Hazelbaker knocked a triple off Ryan Pope and scored another run on a sac fly from Henry. The RailRiders offense caught fire in the seventh, started by walks to Melky Mesa and Cody Johnson. Austin Romine lined a single to left, juicing the bases with no outs. Thomas Neal connected with a double to center, clearing the bases and tying the game 3-3.
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Three of the Yankees’ full season minor league affiliates go their first taste of action tonight. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre gave their home fans some extra baseball after spending last season on the road, however, they weren’t able to open with a win. Trenton and Tampa came away victorious – and so begins the MiLB season…
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to Pawtucket 8-4 (10 innings):
Vidal Nuno got the start and worked a quick 1-2-3 top of the first, while the RailRiders put their bats to work. Corban Joseph lined a single to right and Zoilo Almonte drew a walk. With two outs, Melky Mesa grounded a single to left to score the RailRiders’ first run. Cody Johnson drew a walk to load the bases. A wild pitch plated Almonte and Scranton took a 2-0 lead. The RailRiders had a chance to get some insurance when David Adams hit a two out double and moved to third on a single by Joseph. Nuno had looked good through the first four innings, but found himself in trouble quickly in the fifth. Bryce Brentz started the inning with a double to left and Brandon Snyder drove a two-run homer out of the park, tying the game. Nuno got the next two batters, but that was the end of his night as Sam Demel came out of the bullpen. He walked Jonathan Diaz, who stole second before scoring on a single by Brock Holt, giving Pawtucket a 3-2 edge.
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While the Yankees big league club is already a couple games into the season, their full-season minor league counterparts get started today. In a year where the Yankees are already struggling with age and injuries and some of their most promising prospects are starting to get close to the Bronx, it should be a good year to keep an eye on New York’s farm system. If you need a break from the big league games, here are the minors games on tap for MiLB Opening Day, along with some minor league predictions from the crew here and some links in case you missed some of our Spring Training minors coverage.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders v. Pawtucket Red Sox (7:05pm):
After a year on the road, the Yankees Triple-A affiliate kicks off 2013 in grand style. Not only will they finally get to play a game at home, but it will be their first game as the newly christened RailRiders and in the newly renovated PNC Field. Vidal Nuno will get the start for Scranton, who will have a tough job in front of them as they take on last year’s International League Champs, the Pawtucket Red Sox. If you missed our Scranton/Wilkes-Barre preview check it out here.
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If you were getting tired of all the positive news on the gaggle of injured Major Leaguers, here’s something negative on the MiL front to balance things out.
As first reported by George King of The Post, 2012 1st round pick Ty Hensley will be out for 2-3 months after having surgery today to correct a bone impingement in his right hip. You might remember that Hensley was reported to have an abdominal strain earlier in spring camp, and according to Senior VP of Player Ops Mark Newman this was the cause.
The good news is that this injury has nothing to do with the shoulder abnormality that was discovered during Hensley’s pre-draft physical last year, and with Hensley likely ticketed for SS Staten Island or the GCL it may not have much of an effect on his ability to pitch this season. But it’s still disheartening to know that the injury bug isn’t done biting in the organization. Mike Eder will have more on this story later today.
It is going to be a big year for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. After the Empire State Yankees spent 2012 completely on the road, they return to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year with a newly renovated PNC Field and a brand new team name, as they have now been christened the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Despite spending all of last year on the road, the (then) Yankees put together a surprisingly strong season. They went 84-60 and won the North Division of the International League. Unfortunately, they lost to the eventual IL Champions, the Pawtucket Red Sox, in the playoffs.
Once again, the RailRiders are entering the season with what should be a very strong pitching staff. Even with Manuel Banuelos out for the year after Tommy John surgery, the RailRiders’ starting rotation should be a joy to watch. With players like Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno, Brett Marshall and Matt Tracy all likely to take turns on the mound, the Yankees’ Triple-A affilliate should be in good hands. So far, Dellin Betances looks to be returning to the starting rotation, and this year should be telling after his thoroughly frustrating 2012. Scranton’s strong arms don’t end in the rotation, however, as players like Mark Montgomery, Chase Whitley, Francisco Rondon and Preston Claiborne will be coming in from the bullpen.
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Trenton put together a surprisingly strong 2012, going 79-63 and winning the Division, eventually falling to the Akron Aeros in the Eastern League Finals. Stellar play by Brett Marshall, Zoilo Almonte, Vidal Nuno and David Adams all came up big for the Thunder. Luckily, this year should see more of the same for the Thunder, who should see some of the Yankees’ hottest prospects don their uniform.
A lot of eyes will fix on the Trenton outfield this season, with Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott, Ramon Flores and Mason Williams all likely to spend some time there this season. According to Josh Norris, Flores and Austin are looking outstanding in the Minors Spring Training right now. Unfortunately, Austin seems to have tweaked his ankle and missed yesterday’s game, however, it sounds like he should be fine by Opening Day. Flores celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday and has been swinging a hot bat in Spring Training.
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