8/5 MiLB Gameday: Ballbreaker

jscola85 · Aug 5, 2014

GCL postponed.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Lefty Edwin Escobar ended up getting the start for the PawSox. He held Columbus scoreless until old friend Dusty Brown hit a solo shot with 1 out in the t-5th. Through 5 IP he's allowed 7 H (6 singles) & 1 BB with 3 K and 40 of 63 pitches for strikes so far.

Brian MacPherson ‏@brianmacp 3m
Edwin Escobar throwing low-90s fastball with mixed results. Keeps trying to spot changeup down and away to righties, keeps missing.

1-0, Clippers.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Meanwhile Pawtucket is still scoreless -- and they were hitless against Zach McAllister until Blake Swihart's single with 2 out in the b-5th. Mike McCoy walked, and Gibson just reached on an error to load the bases for Justin Henry at the top of the order.

EDIT - Another walk to Henry forces in the tying run. Sacks still juiced for Alex Hassan.

EDIT - A ground-out ends the threat. Bah, humbug.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

A walk & a double put Escobar in a bind with 2nd & 3rd and 1 out in the t-6th, but he bears down and gets Audy Ciriaco & Carlos Moncrief on swinging Ks.

SouthernBoSox · Aug 5, 2014

That Peavy trade should look hilarious in a year

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Escobar's day is done after 6 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 K, and 58 of 92 pitches for strikes.

Sadly, Dusty Brown has hit another one (off Miguel Celestino in the t-7th) and it's 2-1, Columbus.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

And there goes another solo bomb off Celestino, this one by Jesus Aguilar to lead off the t-8th.

PawSox trail 3-1.

jscola85 · Aug 5, 2014

Holy crap, Dusty Brown was drafted in 2000. He's 32! Talk about hanging around...

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

jscola85 said:
Holy crap, Dusty Brown was drafted in 2000. He's 32! Talk about hanging around...

If they stay reasonaly healthy, catchers have an infinite lifespan in pro ball.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Kelly Johnson has joined Portland for a rehab assignment.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

In the wake of Blake Swihart's move up to Pawtucket, the catching shuffle took place today for the other affiliates:

* Danny Bethea, on the 7-day "phantom" DL for Portland, activated and sent to Greenville.
* Jake Romanski promoted from Greenville to Salem
* Carson Blair promoted from Salem to Portland
* Simon Gravel, on the DL for Greenville (but only so he could take one of the Drive's available reserve roster spots since Lowell and GCL rosters have been full), is activated and assigned to GCL with whom he's been traveling and working out since the start of the season. FWIW, 40th round draft pick Joe Winterburn was also placed on Greenville's DL for the same reason after signing, in what's called a "paper move". He remains on the Drive DL but is also traveling and working out with GCL.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

More moves for Greenville (and Lowell):

GreenvilleDrive ‏@GreenvilleDrive 8m
#Drive roster move: RHP Oscar Perez joins the team from @LowellSpinners. OF Forrestt Allday placed on the DL, retroactive to 7/28.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Brian Johnson has retired 12 of the first 13 Bowie hitters, allowing only a double to Yaz's grandson to lead off the b-1st. His ERA is now down to 1.97. Two Ks with 32 of 50 pitches for strikes.

Tucker Blair @TuckerBlairON · 49m

#RedSox LHP Brian Johnson 87-88 FB; decent plane but straight without horizontal movement; flashed avg CB and fringe CH

Tucker Blair ‏@TuckerBlairON 16m
#RedSox Brian Johnson showing a little more drive; FB still 88-90 with good plane but straight; CH better in 3rd with mild fade; + cmd

Scoreless heading to the 5th.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

KDLC doubles, and Roof doubles him in. 1-0 Sea Dogs, b-5th.

De La Cruz is now 5 for his last 10.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Two more swinging Ks for Johnson ending the 5th. He's recorded 15 straight outs.

Jon Meoli ‏@JonMeoli 5m
#redsox LHP Brian Johnson sitting 88-91 through five, CU, CH coming along as outing progresses.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

A single to LF leads off the b-6th for Bowie, but it's erased on a 4-6-3 GIDP. And another swinging K for Johnson ends the frame.

Tucker Blair @TuckerBlairON · 45s

#RedSox Brian Johnson working a ton of CB tonight 73-78 mph; 1-7 with some depth; pitch gradually better the deeper he has gone;

He's pitched to the minimum 18 batters through 6 IP with 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K, and 51 of 79 pitches for strikes.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Sea Dogs waste a leadoff double by Michael Almanzar in the t-7th.

Stefan Welch replaces Kelly Johnson, who went 0-for-3 with 2 Ks and apparently made a couple of nice diving stops at 1B.

Mike Yastrzemski has his 2nd hit of the night, a single leading off the b-7th. But old friend "Hello" Niuman Romero lines into an unassisted DP. A fly out ends the inning and Johnson has faced 21 batters while securing 21 outs. 86 pitches, 56 strikes.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Another perfect inning for Johnson in the b-8th, and it's his longest outing of his career innings-wise. That'll probably be the night for him after 98 pitches, 64 strikes. Just 3 H and 5 K while facing the minimum 24 batters (thanks to 3 DPs), and his ERA drops to an Eastern League-leading 1.89.

Portland still up 1-0.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Sea Dogs load the bases in the t-9th but can't score. Noe Ramirez on for the save in the b-9th.

EDIT - Tying run on to lead it off after an infield hit on a nubber in between the mound and home plate.

EDIT - And now an HBP and a bunt put two in scoring position with 1 out.

EDIT - A grounder by Yaz's grandkid ties it up. Winning run on 3B, 2 out. Johnson denied his 10th victory for Portland.

EDIT - Romero goes down swinging and they'll head to extras. Better than losing, but what a shitty inning. Hardest hit ball was a grounder to Sean Coyle at 2B. First blown save of the season for Ramirez.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Coyle with an RBI double to score Stefan Welch in the t-11th with no outs, and he takes 3rd on the throw.

Chester follows with a 1-out single. Sea Dogs lead 3-1.

Jed Zeppelin · Aug 5, 2014

Johnson's season has been a great development. If a bunch of guys get shipped out in a deal, it's nice to have someone like him who canbe a credible backend starter.

The way he is pitching strikes me as what we hoped Felix could be; nothing overwhelming but good off speed stuff and good command from the left side.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Cuzittt said:
Drive win 8-4.

Boxscore

Trey Ball went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks; striking out 4.

It's just Ball's 2nd win of the year against 9 losses and his first since his opening game on April 27. But it's the 6th time in his last 7 starts that he's allowed 2 ER or less. The exception was a 4-IP, 6-ER outing vs Augusta on July 11. Even including that one, over his 36 innings since July 1 he's got a 3.00 ERA and a 1.79 K/BB while holding batters to a .186/.267/.271/.538 line.

Apisith · Aug 5, 2014

Good to see Johnson having another spectacular outing.

Also good to see Ball trending up, too.

ScubaSteveAvery · Aug 5, 2014

mabrowndog said:
It's just Ball's 2nd win of the year against 9 losses and his first since his opening game on April 27. But it's the 6th time in his last 7 starts that he's allowed 2 ER or less. The exception was a 4-IP, 6-ER outing vs Augusta on July 11. Even including that one, over his 36 innings since July 1 he's got a 3.00 ERA and a 1.79 K/BB while holding batters to a .186/.267/.271/.538 line.

I was just about to post his July stats when I saw your post. I think he's shown a tremendous amount of progress and can hopefully continue with a strong August to finish the year. I think the #7 overall thing clouded people's minds a bit that this was a raw prep arm placed in full season A ball. He's only thrown a curve for what, 2 years now? I t wasn't that surprising that he struggled for half a year.

mabrowndog · Aug 5, 2014

Mercedes is disintegrating before our eyes. Over his last 5 starts (the first of which was before his DL stint and sabbatical in Lowell) he's lasted a grand total of 20 innings with a 9.45 ERA and a .326/.400/.539/.939 line. That's after starting the year with a 3.76 ERA and .228/.315/.356/.671 line in his first 10 outings.

Whatever was ailing him ain't healed, and whatever was wrong with him ain't been fixed.

8/5 MiLB Gameday: Ballbreaker

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