In my attempt to ignore the majority of the awful Toledo series, as well as the bad loss to Lehigh Valley on Friday, I will just mention the couple transactions that have occurred within the past few days.
Pitcher John Parrish's contract has been purchased by Toronto, a move that most likely means we have seen the last of him. Parrish is out of options, which means if he gets sent back to Syracuse, he would be exposed to the others teams since he'd have to be put on waivers.
With Parrish's call up, Toronto has optioned pitcher Brian Wolfe to Syracuse.
Jo Matumoto has be returned to Syracuse from New Hampshire.
Also, pitcher Chris George was signed and sent to Syracuse. George spent some time in the majors in previous seasons. His most recent team was Colorado Springs from the PCL. He was 0-4 with a 5.13 ERA in his 27 appearances there earlier this year.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Toledo Tops Chiefs 4-3
Monday night's game between Syracuse and Toledo turned out to be one that Syracuse should not have lost. The Chiefs gave up all four runs to the Mud Hens in the 6th inning, but there were many opportunities to keep most of those runs off the board. After a lead off single by Maxwell Leon, Mike Hessman hit a rather questionable double. The ball seemed to be foul, however home plate umpire Fran Burke called it fair, allowing runners to end up on second and third with no one out. After a sac fly scored the first run, while moving Hessman to third, the Chiefs missed out on another opportunity. First baseman Hector Luna misplayed a foul pop up, which could have resulted in the second out of the inning. Instead, Fernando Seguignol was given new life, which he used to single home the then tying run to make the score 2-2. Toledo's next batter flew out, which would have ended the inning if not for the foul drop.
Chiefs starter John Parrish was uncharacteristically wild most of the game. He only threw 58 strikes on his 93 pitches, which is an extremely low number, considering Burke's very wide, albeit inconsistent, strike zone. The reactive, rather than proactive, approach towards the pulling of Parrish could also be blamed for the extra two runs scoring in the 6th. I'm not sure if Syracuse is given a strict pitch count, or is allowed to play moreso for the wins, but anyone at the game could tell that Parrish was struggling right before the deciding runs were scored.
All this being said, I think Syracuse should have been able to put together more than three runs for the night. The Chiefs batters were able to get good hits, but they were unfortunately in less than stellar situations. A few times, there were two out hits. When the hits came with less than two outs (look at the 7th-9th innings) the Chiefs hit into two double plays, with a third being avoided in the 9th by a throwing error. It's a tough loss to swallow, as Syracuse seemed like the better team for 8 of the 9 innings.
You could tell it was going to be an interesting game with the first batter of the night. Toledo's Freddy Guzman laid a nice bunt up the third base side and beat the throw by a step. First base umpire Adam Dowdy called him out. In fact, Syracuse was on the good end of another questionable call by Dowdy later in the game. That, coupled with Burke's horrendous night behind the plate made things rather frustrating for both teams and their fans.
Jonah Bayliss looked good in relief, allowing no base runners in his 2 1/3 innings of work.
Syracuse was struck out twelve times. Russ Adams was the only batter for the Chiefs to not have a strikeout. Still, you got the sense that the home run by Luna in the second was going to be enough with the way Syracuse's defense has been.
Syracuse is now 2 1/2 games out of the wild card (held by S/WB) and 3 1/2 behind Pawtucket for the division lead. These are the games that the Chiefs need to win if they have a shot to play after Labor Day.
Chiefs starter John Parrish was uncharacteristically wild most of the game. He only threw 58 strikes on his 93 pitches, which is an extremely low number, considering Burke's very wide, albeit inconsistent, strike zone. The reactive, rather than proactive, approach towards the pulling of Parrish could also be blamed for the extra two runs scoring in the 6th. I'm not sure if Syracuse is given a strict pitch count, or is allowed to play moreso for the wins, but anyone at the game could tell that Parrish was struggling right before the deciding runs were scored.
All this being said, I think Syracuse should have been able to put together more than three runs for the night. The Chiefs batters were able to get good hits, but they were unfortunately in less than stellar situations. A few times, there were two out hits. When the hits came with less than two outs (look at the 7th-9th innings) the Chiefs hit into two double plays, with a third being avoided in the 9th by a throwing error. It's a tough loss to swallow, as Syracuse seemed like the better team for 8 of the 9 innings.
You could tell it was going to be an interesting game with the first batter of the night. Toledo's Freddy Guzman laid a nice bunt up the third base side and beat the throw by a step. First base umpire Adam Dowdy called him out. In fact, Syracuse was on the good end of another questionable call by Dowdy later in the game. That, coupled with Burke's horrendous night behind the plate made things rather frustrating for both teams and their fans.
Jonah Bayliss looked good in relief, allowing no base runners in his 2 1/3 innings of work.
Syracuse was struck out twelve times. Russ Adams was the only batter for the Chiefs to not have a strikeout. Still, you got the sense that the home run by Luna in the second was going to be enough with the way Syracuse's defense has been.
Syracuse is now 2 1/2 games out of the wild card (held by S/WB) and 3 1/2 behind Pawtucket for the division lead. These are the games that the Chiefs need to win if they have a shot to play after Labor Day.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Roster Moves Galore
The injury to Shawn Marcum, as well as the manager change in Toronto has caused a lot of moves the past two days. The most obvious was the call up of Adam Lind to Toronto. But things got interesting tonight.
As per the Blue Jays' website, outfielder Kevin Mench has been optioned to Syracuse, while reliever Brandon League has been recalled to the Jays. I'm a little surprised, as League has still been having control problems.
The other source of rumors is to which starting pitcher will be recalled by Toronto to replace Marcum. David Purcey was the safe candidate, but he has struggled when he's been called to Toronto. Purcey would be "safe" since he is on the 40-man roster. The others being discussed are Kane Davis and John Parrish, with Parrish being the most likely candidate. The problem with using either guy is that someone would have to be exposed to allow a spot open on the roster for them. I have not seen Bill Murphy being discussed, however he is also on the 40 man roster.
In other moves earlier in the week, Jonah Bayliss was picked up for a player to be named later and sent to Syracuse. He pitched for Indianapolis earlier in the year against Syracuse, and I can remember thinking that I'd love for him to be on the team, so I hope my wish was a smart one!
Also, relief pitcher Jo Matumoto was sent back to New Hampshire.
As per the Blue Jays' website, outfielder Kevin Mench has been optioned to Syracuse, while reliever Brandon League has been recalled to the Jays. I'm a little surprised, as League has still been having control problems.
The other source of rumors is to which starting pitcher will be recalled by Toronto to replace Marcum. David Purcey was the safe candidate, but he has struggled when he's been called to Toronto. Purcey would be "safe" since he is on the 40-man roster. The others being discussed are Kane Davis and John Parrish, with Parrish being the most likely candidate. The problem with using either guy is that someone would have to be exposed to allow a spot open on the roster for them. I have not seen Bill Murphy being discussed, however he is also on the 40 man roster.
In other moves earlier in the week, Jonah Bayliss was picked up for a player to be named later and sent to Syracuse. He pitched for Indianapolis earlier in the year against Syracuse, and I can remember thinking that I'd love for him to be on the team, so I hope my wish was a smart one!
Also, relief pitcher Jo Matumoto was sent back to New Hampshire.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Bye Bye Joe...Again
As often as Joe Inglett gets sent to Syracuse, he is recalled within a day just as much. Shannon Stewart was placed on the 15-day DL today and of course, Joe Inglett has been recalled by the Blue Jays. This comes one day after Inglett was sent to Syracuse. Inglett was actually still in Toronto when he got the call, even he must have sensed the injury prone Jays wouldn't last long without needing him.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Armando Benitez Designated
I forgot to mention in an earlier post that Vernon Wells had been activated from the DL, and Armando Benitez had been designated for assignment. I somehow overlooked Wells' activation, which would be another reason that Joe Inglett was optioned to Syracuse.
So to recap the moves:
-Wells, McDonald activated from DL and to Toronto
-Wolfe from Syracuse to Toronto
-Hill to the DL
-Inglett from Toronto to Syracuse
-Stidfole from New Hampshire to Syracuse
-Benitez designated for assignment, most likely not coming to Syracuse
So to recap the moves:
-Wells, McDonald activated from DL and to Toronto
-Wolfe from Syracuse to Toronto
-Hill to the DL
-Inglett from Toronto to Syracuse
-Stidfole from New Hampshire to Syracuse
-Benitez designated for assignment, most likely not coming to Syracuse
Syracuse Adds Stidfole
Prior to Saturday's 3-0 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Toronto reassigned relief pitcher Sean Stidfole from Double-A New Hampshire to Syracuse.
Stidfole made 23 relief appearances with New Hampshire this year. He threw for 28 innings, earning a 4.50 ERA, while striking 23 and walking 17. Stidfole was 1-1 with 4 saves. In two and a third innings against Scranton on Saturday, he gave up only 1 hit and had 1 strikeout.
Stidfole made 23 relief appearances with New Hampshire this year. He threw for 28 innings, earning a 4.50 ERA, while striking 23 and walking 17. Stidfole was 1-1 with 4 saves. In two and a third innings against Scranton on Saturday, he gave up only 1 hit and had 1 strikeout.
Wolfe Recalled, Inglett Returned
With the return of John McDonald to the Blue Jays lineup, Toronto has returned Joe Inglett to Syracuse. Toronto has also recalled Brian Wolfe, who will have a roster spot due to infielder Aaron Hill being on the 15 day DL.
The return of Inglett gives Syracuse twelve fielders, two catchers, and ten pitchers. This will create a logjam as most of the fielders have actually been playing well enough to not have to platoon with each other. I'd personally prefer another pitcher instead, as Syracuse's bullpen is pretty short at this moment.
The return of Inglett gives Syracuse twelve fielders, two catchers, and ten pitchers. This will create a logjam as most of the fielders have actually been playing well enough to not have to platoon with each other. I'd personally prefer another pitcher instead, as Syracuse's bullpen is pretty short at this moment.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Chiefs Clipped In Extras
It's games like this that actually motivate me to write on here. Syracuse did not deserve to win, but they still almost pulled out the game. Unfortunately, another Brandon League wild pitch let the eventual winning run score in the 11th. League has had great stuff, but his control has been downright awful at times. He had two wild pitches tonight for, I believe, a total five so far in only 32 innings with Syracuse. But I can't blame League for the loss. The game should have never gone as far as it did. In the ninth inning, Wayne Lydon reached on a single. The next was one to baffle the whole crowd, but alas is typical Doug Davis managing. Buck Coats came up to bat. Coats is Syracuse's second best hitter. The first pitch was a hit and run attempt hit foul. Fine, I like that decision. The problem is, the next pitch was bunt foul and apparently Coats was given the bunt signal with TWO strikes. That's right, you have your fastest player on 1st, one of your best hitters at bat, and you have him BUNT. There is little chance of a double play with Lydon and a nearly as fast Coats. This is about the third or fourth time I have seen Davis have a player bunt with two strikes. Does he trust his players that little to put the ball into play by swinging? Or does he think that every single one of his players is a master at bunting. Let's also not forget that apparently every player runs a 4.4 40 yard dash in Davis' eyes, since he's sent runners home whom had no reason to be tagging up in some of the situations they have. Anyways, Coats bunts it foul and Syracuse ends up scoring nothing in the inning.
My biggest rant is another thing I have picked up on from Davis. I have heard heckling from around me on the 1st base side. Nothing profane, nothing personal, just comments on decisions he has made..mostly the things I outlined in the previous paragraph. His reaction twice this series was to make a talking hand motion and then to point over to a spot next to the dugout. Now, is he challenging said hecklers to a fight? I have a feeling we know why Davis had no success as a player. He apparently cannot take criticism or block out the crowd. I wonder how Davis would react to reading half of my entries? Will he be sending me a nasty email challenging me? I have to wonder if he'd go Charlie Manuel if we actually had any news stations or newspapers covering the games hardcore like most other cities would. Unfortunately, I have a very hard time envisioning this team reaching the playoffs with Davis at the helm.
Anyways.... what's up with Russ Adams lately? He's on an 0 for 17 slump, 3 for 29 dating back to May 29th. Here's to hoping that the change of scenery helps him on the road trip.
I have to think that maybe the 6th inning could have been avoided if Bill Murphy had been on a shorter leash. He had a total of 6 walks and looked like his stuff wasn't so great the whole night. Syracuse was lucky to only give up 2 runs in the 6th.
Pawtucket won, Scranton lost, and Louisville won tonight. This puts Syracuse still 1/2 game out of first, but holding onto the wild card by 1/2 over Pawtucket and Louisville.
Syracuse starts an 11 game road trip tomorrow. They play division leading Scranton for 3, while travelling to these same Columbus Clippers for 4, and Toledo for 4 games. These are must win games, as Columbus and Toledo are teams that could end up battling for the wild card (though Toledo is currently leading their division.
My biggest rant is another thing I have picked up on from Davis. I have heard heckling from around me on the 1st base side. Nothing profane, nothing personal, just comments on decisions he has made..mostly the things I outlined in the previous paragraph. His reaction twice this series was to make a talking hand motion and then to point over to a spot next to the dugout. Now, is he challenging said hecklers to a fight? I have a feeling we know why Davis had no success as a player. He apparently cannot take criticism or block out the crowd. I wonder how Davis would react to reading half of my entries? Will he be sending me a nasty email challenging me? I have to wonder if he'd go Charlie Manuel if we actually had any news stations or newspapers covering the games hardcore like most other cities would. Unfortunately, I have a very hard time envisioning this team reaching the playoffs with Davis at the helm.
Anyways.... what's up with Russ Adams lately? He's on an 0 for 17 slump, 3 for 29 dating back to May 29th. Here's to hoping that the change of scenery helps him on the road trip.
I have to think that maybe the 6th inning could have been avoided if Bill Murphy had been on a shorter leash. He had a total of 6 walks and looked like his stuff wasn't so great the whole night. Syracuse was lucky to only give up 2 runs in the 6th.
Pawtucket won, Scranton lost, and Louisville won tonight. This puts Syracuse still 1/2 game out of first, but holding onto the wild card by 1/2 over Pawtucket and Louisville.
Syracuse starts an 11 game road trip tomorrow. They play division leading Scranton for 3, while travelling to these same Columbus Clippers for 4, and Toledo for 4 games. These are must win games, as Columbus and Toledo are teams that could end up battling for the wild card (though Toledo is currently leading their division.
Syracuse Wins 17-10. No Not The Orange...
You know it was a wild game when every starter from both teams had a hit. You know it was a wild game when in consecutive half innings, each team batted around and scored 8 and 7 runs respectively. You know it was a wild game when Columbus first baseman Larry Broadway pitched for his second outing in a row. That was your game Thursday night between Syracuse and Columbus. Simply unbelievable after an almost embarrassing situation the night before. On Wednesday, Syracuse has an 8-1 lead before giving up five runs in a 9th inning that had the go ahead run at the plate for the Clippers before Syracuse got the final out.
Well, on Thursday Syracuse jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first two innings. After Columbus brought it to 6-3, Syracuse had a 2 run inning followed by an 8 run inning to make it 16-3. In historic Syracuse fashion, it was 16-10 by the end of the Clippers' next at bats. Luckily, that was as close as it would get.
I think Syracuse was fortunate that the Clippers looked to be conserving pitching. Their starter, Bobby Brownlie, was kept in the game into the sixth inning, while giving up a total of ten runs. Of course, his relief was not so good as Chris Schroder gave up four runs in a third of an inning and Chris Booker did not get an out from either of the batters he faced. Booker's last pitch was hit over the center field wall by Erik Kratz for a grand slam. Go figure, though, once infielder Larry Broadway came in to relieve, Syracuse's bats cooled off a bit. In Broadway's two appearances, he went a total of three and two thirds innings, while only giving up two hits and one run (both Thursday night).
Three Stars of the Game:
#3 Adam Lind - Lind went 3 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs. He did most of his damage early in the game, with a two run double in the 1st, while singling home the run in the second. These plays helped put Syracuse in the 6-0 early lead that put Columbus back into a corner. Lind also gets bonus points for getting a double off Broadway, which is more than pretty much the whole lineup could do against the position player.
#2 Erik Kratz - It didn't seem so important at the time, but Kratz's grand slam to put Syracuse up 16-3 ended up being more meaningful than just a stat booster. Those four runs made the Clippers seven run rally merely cut the lead to 6, instead of 2. Kratz ended up 2 for 5, having doubled earlier in the game.
#1 David Smith - Smith's two run homer to make the game 5-0 in the first was just the start of things for his Thursday night. The DH also had a two run single in the huge 6th inning, as well as another homer in the 8th. Overall, he was 3 for 5 with 3 runs and 5 RBI. It's not just the stats, but the situations that were great. In the sixth, he came up with the bases loaded and one out. A bad swing here could have easily ended the inning. Clutch hitting, as well as the bonus point of scoring the only run off Broadway.
Syracuse is still a half game out of first in the division, behind Scranton/Wilkes Barre. The Chiefs do hold a game and half lead for the wild card over Pawtucket and Louisville. Obviously, it's too early to pay that much attention, but it's not like we are used to it here in Syracuse.
Well, on Thursday Syracuse jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first two innings. After Columbus brought it to 6-3, Syracuse had a 2 run inning followed by an 8 run inning to make it 16-3. In historic Syracuse fashion, it was 16-10 by the end of the Clippers' next at bats. Luckily, that was as close as it would get.
I think Syracuse was fortunate that the Clippers looked to be conserving pitching. Their starter, Bobby Brownlie, was kept in the game into the sixth inning, while giving up a total of ten runs. Of course, his relief was not so good as Chris Schroder gave up four runs in a third of an inning and Chris Booker did not get an out from either of the batters he faced. Booker's last pitch was hit over the center field wall by Erik Kratz for a grand slam. Go figure, though, once infielder Larry Broadway came in to relieve, Syracuse's bats cooled off a bit. In Broadway's two appearances, he went a total of three and two thirds innings, while only giving up two hits and one run (both Thursday night).
Three Stars of the Game:
#3 Adam Lind - Lind went 3 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs. He did most of his damage early in the game, with a two run double in the 1st, while singling home the run in the second. These plays helped put Syracuse in the 6-0 early lead that put Columbus back into a corner. Lind also gets bonus points for getting a double off Broadway, which is more than pretty much the whole lineup could do against the position player.
#2 Erik Kratz - It didn't seem so important at the time, but Kratz's grand slam to put Syracuse up 16-3 ended up being more meaningful than just a stat booster. Those four runs made the Clippers seven run rally merely cut the lead to 6, instead of 2. Kratz ended up 2 for 5, having doubled earlier in the game.
#1 David Smith - Smith's two run homer to make the game 5-0 in the first was just the start of things for his Thursday night. The DH also had a two run single in the huge 6th inning, as well as another homer in the 8th. Overall, he was 3 for 5 with 3 runs and 5 RBI. It's not just the stats, but the situations that were great. In the sixth, he came up with the bases loaded and one out. A bad swing here could have easily ended the inning. Clutch hitting, as well as the bonus point of scoring the only run off Broadway.
Syracuse is still a half game out of first in the division, behind Scranton/Wilkes Barre. The Chiefs do hold a game and half lead for the wild card over Pawtucket and Louisville. Obviously, it's too early to pay that much attention, but it's not like we are used to it here in Syracuse.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Breaking Trade News: Kevin Melillo for Cash
According to the transaction log at MLB.com, Toronto has traded for infielder Kevin Melillo. In return, the Oakland Athletics will receive cash considerations. The Blue Jays also outrighted Hector Luna to Syracuse.
Melillo played 38 games with the Sacramento Rock Cats of the Pacific Coast League. He batted .260 with 5 homers and 17 RBIs. He's a left handed batter, primarily used as a second baseman. Melillohas been optioned to Syracuse.
This pickup will most likely ensure that Marcos Cabral will be sent down. In fact, he has not been on the official roster for Syracuse the past two days, however, I saw him in uniform during Wednesday's game. He's currently listed with Dunedin.
Melillo played 38 games with the Sacramento Rock Cats of the Pacific Coast League. He batted .260 with 5 homers and 17 RBIs. He's a left handed batter, primarily used as a second baseman. Melillohas been optioned to Syracuse.
This pickup will most likely ensure that Marcos Cabral will be sent down. In fact, he has not been on the official roster for Syracuse the past two days, however, I saw him in uniform during Wednesday's game. He's currently listed with Dunedin.
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