Unofficial Syracuse Chiefs Blog

Recent Transactions

2008-06-27T22:23:00.001-07:00

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.

Toledo Tops Chiefs 4-3

2008-06-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Roster Moves Galore

2008-06-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Bye Bye Joe...Again

2008-06-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Armando Benitez Designated

2008-06-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

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

Syracuse Adds Stidfole

2008-06-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Wolfe Recalled, Inglett Returned

2008-06-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Chiefs Clipped In Extras

2008-06-06T21:05:00.001-07:00

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.

Syracuse Wins 17-10. No Not The Orange...

2008-06-06T02:53:00.001-07:00

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.

Breaking Trade News: Kevin Melillo for Cash

2008-06-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Update For The Week

2008-05-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Busy times and the road trip leave me with very little time and things to write about, but I will do a quick catch up.

We'll start with the most recent moves that consist of Curtis Thigpen being recalled by Toronto to replace Gregg Zaun who was placed on the DL.

Speaking of DL, Syracuse infielder Pedro Lopez, as well as Matt Watson were both placed on the 7-day DL.

Things get more interesting as Hector Luna is returned to Syracuse, while my prediction came true about three weeks too late and Al Quintana makes his yearly jump from playing sporadically in Single-A Dunedin to joining the Syracuse roster. The more surprising move, however, is Danny Sandoval joining the Chiefs. At this point, having not listened to any game recently, I have no clue what transpired to bring Sandoval here. Joining Sandoval's former team, the Buffalo Bisons, is former Syracuse infielder Jorge Velandia. Interesting.

The Chiefs also get a rehab assignment, with relief pitcher Brian Wolfe trying to come back from his injury with the Blue Jays.

In an unfortunate tragedy, Geremi Gonzalez passed away in his homeland of Venezuela after being struck by lightning. This marks the second player from the 2007 Chiefs squad to have tragedy strike. Gonzalez pitched for Syracuse the opening month or so, before going to play in Japan. Gonzalez was 33.

Syracuse finishes its road trip Thursday at Richmond.

Roster Moves

2008-05-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

According to the Chiefs roster, Toronto has added two players to the Syracuse Chiefs. These players are infielders Chris Gutierrez and Jeff Bannon

Gutierrez comes up to Syracuse from Double-A New Hampshire, where he hit .239 with 1 home run and 8 RBIs. Gutierrez had been used sparingly by the Fisher Cats, only playing in 21 games this year.

Bannon was most recently on the Durham Bulls, who released him within the past week. He hit .241 with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs in 17 games. Don't get too excited over those home run numbers, as he only hit 4 in 2007 with Louisville in 93 games. He had shown in previous years to have power, but that disappeared in the two seasons prior to this.

These moves most likely come due to Toronto noticing that the only infielder playing their "natural" position during their last game were Marcos Cabral and Russ Adams, with Adams ironically being turned into an outfielder by Toronto. Matt Watson (an outfielder) was playing first, Chip Cannon (a first baseman) was playing shortstop, while third base was split between Curtis Thigpen (a catcher) and Cabral (a second baseman without much of an arm, at least that I've seen).

Syracuse is at Durham tonight, starting an eight game road trip.

Syracuse Squeezes Out Extra Inning Victory

2008-05-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have become a baseball manager! Well, not quite, but I was the one screaming for the squeeze play during Russ Adams' at bat, before he showed bunt. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence (bare in mind Doug Davis is not a very big risk taker and Adams didn't show bunt on the first pitch), but it was a beautifully executed play. In fact, I was amazed that after the first two shows of bunt, that Rochester's manager didn't move his 3rd baseman to at least a normal position (he was very far from the 3rd base line). But no changes occurred and Russ Adams laid a beauty down the 3rd base line, squeezing home the winning run..with 2 outs no less.

It was a pitcher's duel for the majority of the game, with starters David Purcey and Francisco Liriano pitching masterful games. Purcey left the game after pitching 6 good shutout innings, while Liriano went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs (both of which in the 7th). Syracuse turned the relief duties to Brandon League who pitched well, until the 9th inning where he gave up two runs and was only able to get one out before being replaced. Things settled down after that until the game winning sequence for Syracuse.

It all started with Wayne Lydon getting a single on an infield chopper. Buck Coats was up next and executed a poor bunt. The pitcher came off the mound to field it and threw to second base. The throw would have beat Lydon but was a bit wild, pulling the fielder off second base, allowing both runners to be safe. After an Adam Lind pop out, Matt Watson hit a grounder to the first baseman, whom was only able to get the force at 1st. Russ Adams was then up, which was his first at bat in a few days, as he seems to have been nursing a minor injury. Adams had been brought in as a fielding substitute to start the 9th.

After the game, I saw Rochester outfielder Denard Span return from getting X-rays. He took a pitch off his finger on a bunt attempt late in the game. I don't want to speculate, but he did not seem very happy about the outcome.

It was a bit fun having people in my section look at me with awe as the Chiefs won the game, then slap me five for my great call. Yes, I will pat myself on the back once in awhile!

After an off day on Wednesday, Syracuse hits the road to face Norfolk on Thursday.

Tracy Thorpe To Tacoma, Velandia Gone.

2008-05-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

A quick update on Tracy Thorpe. It appears he was picked up by the Seattle Mariners and is now with their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. It's a shame to see yet another player gone in a pretty long string of players being exposed and taken by waivers and Toronto not doing much to replace them.

As for Jorge Velandia, he has opted to become a free agent rather than take his assignment to Syracuse. I have to wonder what changed within the past month to make Velandia so interested in not coming back to Syracuse. All I know, is Syracuse needs something done about its lack of depth, proven by certain situations during games this series, which I will probably touch upon in my next blog.

Chiefs Split With Rochester

2008-05-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Having only seen the backside of the doubleheader, I don't have too much of a review to write, but I figured I would throw something up here. Game one sounded like a pretty dominant effort for the Chiefs and their 5-0 win. Game two, there was definitely some struggles, but Syracuse did a great job in coming back from the 6-2 deficit to send the game into extra innings.

The one play that stood out to me was in the fifth inning with Rochester leading 5-2, having runners on the corners and no one out. The Chiefs were at double play depth, essentially giving Rochester the easy run. Personally, I don't think you "give" a run in a situation with only three innings left and already losing by 3. Well, the ball was grounded to reliever Jo Matumoto who would probably have been able to have gotten Randy Ruiz (the runner on 3rd) into a rundown, saving the Chiefs the run, leaving runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. What happened, however, was he looked at Ruiz, then after a second or 2, threw the ball to second base. The runner ended up safe at first, so the Chiefs allowed the free run and didn't even get the second out on the play. You have to wonder what would have happened if the Chiefs didn't let Ruiz score.

In the tenth, Rochester had the bases loaded with 1 out, when Jordan De Jong was able to get a short fly ball to center. Buck Coats (who was brought in as a pinch hitter the inning before) threw a high throw to the plate, making catcher Erik Kratz catch it way out of position. This is where things got interesting, as the runner (Tommy Watkins) ended up running out of the base line to try to slide around the lunging Kratz. I haven't seen the replay, but I am not even sure he should have been safe to start with, but I definitely think he left the baseline and should have been deemed out. Unfortunately, umpire Bobby Price didn't see it that way. Price and his crew mate Brian Kennedy have been very inconsistent and relatively awful in the games I've seen them in. That being said, with better pitching or a better throw, there wouldn't have even been a close play to begin with.

Onto other things, Tracy Thorpe is now off the roster and I see a report that he has been waived. Still nothing new on Jorge Velandia's situation, and with Russ Adams sounding as if he has a minor injury, Syracuse is very undermanned (proven tonight with Eric Neilsen playing first and Thigpen at second after Syracuse had to use their one available bench player as a pinch hitter). Come on Toronto, using players out of the positions that you wanted them to play in the first place won't exactly help you in the long run. So no matter how you feel about Syracuse, it'd probably be best to actually give them a full roster!

Syracuse and Rochester finish up their series Tuesday at 11am.

Coopers"drown" and Thrope

2008-05-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the weather reports were correct for Sunday. Even before the 2pm scheduled start of the Rochester/Syracuse game in Cooperstown, the rain was pouring. In a normal situation, I don't think the players would have taken the field, but I think officials were willing to try to at least get something played for the fans who had travelled so far. It didn't last long as the game didn't even finish two whole innings before being suspended until Monday. That game will continue in Syracuse at 5pm, followed by a 7 inning game to complete the doubleheader. I don't envy the players, as they will also have to wake up early the next day, to play the 11am game.

As for the experience, I think the ball park was fun due to its nostalgia. There are no concession stands within the stadium but there are people walking around selling hot dogs, soda, etc. The dimensions are hitter friendly, with the nearest part of the left field wall (which is made of wood) only being 296 feet away. The dimensions and the lack of stadium lights makes it tough to consistently play legit games (such as Sunday's), but it's main use has been the annual Hall of Fame game. The Hall of Fame game is an exhibition played in June between two major league teams (usually the majority of the game is played by Single-A players, however) Unfortunately, it was announced that this season's game will be the last played. Anyone interested in reading about the fight to keep the game alive can visit http://www.savethefamegame.com/

In other quick news, I'm not sure of the status involving Russ Adams, as he was not played again on Sunday. I didn't happen to see him, but to be honest I didn't really pay that much attention to the bench.

Also, Tracy Thrope cleared waivers and has been added to the Chiefs roster.

Chiefs Walk Off Against Rochester

2008-05-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

After the rain finally subsided Saturday at Alliance Bank Stadium, fans were treated to a great game between the Rochester Red Wings and the Syracuse Chiefs. It also marked the return of Sergio Santos to face his former team. He didn't wait long to make an impact. In the second inning, he doubled on his first at bat against his former teammates and later scored. That run turned out to be the only Rochester run scored during the scheduled 9 innings. Syracuse starter Kane Davis went six innings, with Brandon League pitching the next three. Rochester's pitching matched the great effort by Davis and League, as starter Danny Graves only allowed one run to score in his four innings. That run occurred on a Chip Cannon single, which brought home Buck Coats from third. Mariano Gomez and Julio DePaula relieved Graves, throwing a combined 3 2/3 innings of perfect ball.

With a 1-1 score, the game went into extra innings, where the Red Wings would strike. Newly recalled reliever, Mike Gallo made his home debut for the Chiefs to start the 10th. He would want to forget this home debut, as he hit his first batter, then allowed a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd. That's when Red Wings catcher Jose Morales gapped a double. The ball was fielded by center fielder Coats who relayed to second baseman Marcos Cabral who threw a perfect strike to catcher Erik Kratz, gunning out the runner (Garrett Jones) at home. With Morales advancing to third on the throw, Jordan DeJong (W, 2-1) came in to relieve Gallo and was able to pitch Syracuse out of the jam, leaving the Chiefs only down a run.

In the bottom of the tenth, Tim Lahey (L, 1-3) continued to pitch for the Red Wings. After retiring Chip Cannon, Lahey allowed Kratz to single. After Eric Nielsen was brought in to run for Kratz, Cabral hit a shot that squirted by Garrett Jones at first, putting runners at the corners with one out. Rochester brought in Carmen Cali to face Wayne Lydon. Lydon won the battle, hitting a beautiful line drive into the gap, which was fielded on a slide by left fielder, Tommy Watkins. Watkins tried to get the ball in quickly, but it was not quick enough as Cabral slid head first into home, beating the relay throw by about 2 seconds, giving Syracuse a 3-2 victory.

That was one of those fun games that definitely makes you happy that you sat through the cold and the rain.

I often wonder what the official scorer at ABS is thinking at times. Garrett Jones was given two errors Saturday night, and I don't think he deserved either of them. The first was on a hit by Wayne Lydon. The pitcher was running to cover first, as Jones fielded the ball, and the ball was throw a bit behind the pitcher. However, Lydon looked to have easily beaten the pitcher to the bag, so regardless, it should have been a hit. The second was the grounder by Cabral in the tenth. Jones dove for the ball and it nicked his glove. I don't think it was an "easy" play to make and it was hit hard enough that I think the single should have been given.

It was weird seeing Santos in a Red Wings uniform, and he almost made Syracuse pay. Early in the game, I said that I figured Santos would finally hit a homer since he was playing the Chiefs. He had the great power in New Hampshire last year, which disappeared when he came to Syracuse, so you just had to think it would happen just to spite us. So, needless to say, it was a very uncomfortable view to watch Santos' long fly ball just turn foul, as he crushed it. I mean, this thing slam was probably only a foot foul. But luckily for Syracuse, it did go foul.

As much as I am happy with the win, I am baffled by Syracuse keeping Cabral in to hit in the 10th. Russ Adams was presumably available, and I would think he is a better option than someone who has hit below .200 overall in the minors this year. But I guess that is why we play the game, and I am happy that it worked out.

It must be that roster spot, since he is replacing Bubba Nelson for the time being, but Mike Gallo looked awful. It felt like Nelson's debut (10th inning against Louisville, he got shelled). The positive is that he was taken out before things got disastrous, which could also help Gallo since he won't have a big loss to think about.

Three Stars:

#3 Jose Morales (ROC) - Morales went 3-5, while coming up huge with the gap shot to give Rochester the lead in the 10th. He also was heads up in taking third base on the throw home. It took perfect relay throws to hold Morales to 1 RBI and clutch pitching to keep him from scoring in the 10th.

#2 Jordan De Jong (SYR) - De Jong came in with an inherited runner on 3rd and only one out in the 10th. With his team already down by one, De Jong was able to get Santos to pop out and Watkins to ground out to end the inning without any more damage. If Rochester gets up by two or more runs, the comeback in the bottom of the inning is much tougher and probably doesn't happen.

#1 Wayne Lydon (SYR) - Lydon has not been the best pressure hitter for Syracuse in his time here. In fact, he has had a fair amount of times where he could help tie a game or win a game in the late innings and has struck out. That being said, there is something about the 2008 version of Lydon that makes you forget about those games. He seems to have a bit of confidence and is getting the ball in play a lot more often. His amazing hit into the gap is enough to give him the star of the game, and if Wayne can keep up the way he has been playing, I am sure there will be many more.

Pending weather, Syracuse and Rochester battle at 2pm in Cooperstown. If the game is rained out, refunds are available. Props given to a good rain check policy for this game.

Marcos Cabral To Syracuse From Dunedin

2008-05-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

A week after my prediction, it comes true. Toronto finally decides to send Syracuse infield help, and it happens to be a Dunedin player who is not an everyday player. Marcos Cabral is listed as a 3rd baseman, and comes to Syracuse after playing 10 games in New Hampshire and 12 games in Dunedin. Cabral started the season with New Hampshire, but was demoted to Single-A after batting .143 for the Fisher Cats. With Dunedin, he has hit .220

Yep, this sure sounds like a guy deserving to be in Triple-A. I guess that's always been the issue with Toronto. Most promotions to Syracuse seem to be undeserving. How can you justify to a guy on New Hampshire that Cabral gets to spend time in Triple-A when he was already demoted from Double-A? It's not like it's a logistical move, since New Hampshire is much closer to Syracuse than Florida. I figured we'd get Al Quintana for his yearly jump from Dunedin to Syracuse, but I guess they didn't want to spoil him.

Syracuse plays tonight against Rochester, weather pending

Roster Moves: Syracuse with 2 Infielders?

2008-05-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

In a day of roster shuffling, confusion sets in for anyone who has watched the Syracuse lineup. It started with David Purcey being sent to Toronto for a spot start. What this did was make it necessary to open up a spot on the active roster. This was done by optioning Jorge Velandia to Syracuse. This is where it becomes interesting, as Velandia has a 3 day period to decide whether to join Syracuse or become a free agent. I, obviously, do not know if a decision has been made, but he is not on the Syracuse roster at the moment. David Purcey is already on the Syracuse roster. Since he was just a spot start, there was no reason for Toronto to keep him, so they decided to take Hector Luna. Another problem is that Luna is not on the 40 man roster, which means they will need to make room for him. I'll be the first to admit that the roster rules are a bit complex at times, so I could be wrong in some of my assumptions. What I do know is that as of right now, I only see 21 active players on the Syracuse roster. Would Velandia be allowed to join before Saturday's game? I don't know. What I do know is New Hampshire has 24 active players and Dunedin has 25 active players, as per their rosters. How can your Triple-A team, be held from 21-23 active for over a week? Of course, I would have also recalled Bill Murphy for a spot start, than using Purcey twice, when he spent the whole year in Double-A last year, but I guess since Jesse Litsch did so well, they assume everyone will adapt as quickly as him..... (this is not a slam at Purcey, but I just think you should let him develop more in Triple-A)

Unfortunately, this is nothing new. At some point, though, I would have hoped that Toronto put aside whatever issues they have with Syracuse and actually did what was best to help the club, which shockingly would help Toronto in the long run, too. I'll give the Chiefs a lot of credit, though. Even without a full staff, they keep finding ways to win. They have the best road record in the league (14-7), which has to make you wonder why they are only a game over .500 at home (11-10). But I guess that's something we could speculate about in another column.

Cooperstown Classic

2008-05-16T22:56:00.001-07:00

So I was sitting here, and I decided to look at the forecast for Sunday in Cooperstown. It looks like a rainy day, which got me thinking. I wonder if there is a rainout policy for everyone who purchased their tickets and packages. I have to think that the bus ride and such would not be refunded (for those who went that route with their package selections). I will say this...I would hope a money refund would be allotted for the tickets, instead of a raincheck to be used in Syracuse or Rochester. But as I said, I have no clue..but in the event I find out, I will let my loyal readers know.

OT: Binghamton Mets

2008-05-15T01:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, I had the privledge to take a trip down to Binghamton to take in the Double-A Eastern League game between the Binghamton Mets and New Britain (Minnesota's affiliate). I have to say, the couple times I have been there, it has been a great experience.

The biggest thing of note is that it was nice being able to watch a scoreboard that was used well and very clear. Pretty much all action, in-game and between innings, it was used. This is a big difference from Syracuse, as we all know that the scoreboard is the biggest downfall at Alliance Bank Stadium.

The promotions were a lot more fan friendly, too. It felt like a lot more was being done to increase the fan experience. It was also buy one get one day on all beverages, including beer. Unlike Auburn's Dollar Thursdays, this didn't have too much of a bar atmosphere for the decent discount on alcohol there was.

The fan friendly experience also goes out into the parking lot, which thankfully I didn't have to use. This is the fact that if there is a rainout, not only do you get the normal ticket raincheck, you also get a PARKING RAINCHECK. I mean, when I read that on the back of my parking stub, I was amazed. We all know how often we lose that $3 at ABS thanks to a rainout and the lack of a policy like that in Syracuse.

Overall, I suggest to anyone who loves having a good time at a game, to head out to NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton for a B-Mets game. It's a great stadium, very well ran in what seems like all facets, and a great value for your money.

Sergio Santos Claimed by Minnesota Twins

2008-05-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

According to the International League transaction log, Sergio Santos was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins. This leads to an interesting situation, as Toronto hasn't been too helpful at giving Syracuse infielders, but now they should pretty much be stuck sending someone up. I'm pretty surprised, but the one thing that keeps Santos getting offers is the potential power he shows for an infielder.

Thorpe Designated for Assignment

2008-05-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Somehow I missed the fact that Tracy Thorpe was not on the Chiefs roster. At least the next pitcher to get injured will cause Machi to most likely be designated (not a Chiefs player), since that's about all that's left on the 40 man.

I wonder where our "help" is from New Hampshire... Going by the amazing decisions of Dick Scott and JP Riccardi, Syracuse may get to 23 players within a week....please note my sarcasm. Expect a little utilized Dunedin infielder (Al Quintana a likely candidate) to join Syracuse within the next day or 2. Sadly, that's a serious prediction by me.

Wow...Simply Wow.

2008-05-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

After pitching an inning at Durham last night, Toronto has called up pitcher Armando Benitez. But that's the least of Syracuse's worries. Joe Inglett was AGAIN recalled by Toronto. This leaves Syracuse with THREE infielders. Expect Curtis Thigpen to play an infield position for today's game, as he did last night. At its current state, Syracuse is now three players below the 25 man roster maximum.

Inglett was recalled due to outfielder Vernon Wells' injury. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist. The injury occurred when diving for a fly ball.

As for Benitez, his contract was purchased to replace Jeremy Accardo, who joins a crowded DL with a strained forearm. Benitez's recall could cut Syracuse's roster even more, as someone has to be designated for assignment to allow for him to be on the 40 man roster. My guess would be that either Jean Machi from Double-A or Syracuse's Tracy Thorpe will be designated.

More Roster Moves!

2008-05-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Two minutes after I submitted my last blog, I see more changes to the Syracuse roster, as per the Chiefs website.

Former All Star reliever, Armando Benitez is now listed on the active roster for Syracuse. After starting the year in Single-A Dunedin, he did not pitch for about a month until May 5th. He made seven appearances in Dunedin, having an ERA of 3.86, only giving up runs in one appearance. Also rejoining the club is outfielder Eric Nielsen.

About my previous blog, with the acquiring of two outfielders, we may see Adam Lind in Syracuse longer than expected. This could be a good thing for all parties involved, as Toronto can develop Lind longer in Triple-A (their original plan for this year) and Syracuse can gain from his hot bat.

Inglett Optioned to Syracuse

2008-05-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Joe Inglett has been optioned back to Syracuse by the Toronto Blue Jays. This happens after the Blue Jays signed free agent outfielder Brad Wilkerson along with acquiring Kevin Mench from Texas for cash considerations. Due to this, Sergio Santos has been designated for assignment, as well as Gustavo Chacin. These moves were needed to make room for Mench and Wilkerson on the 40 man roster.

I don't see much of a problem with Santos clearing waivers and returning to Syracuse, while I wonder if someone will take a shot on Chacin.

Syracuse takes on Durham tonight, starting an eight game North Carolina road trip before returning home next Saturday to face Rochester.

McDonald/Eckstein both on DL, Inglett Recalled..Maybe More

2008-05-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

In a worst case scenario for both Toronto and Syracuse, infielders John McDonald and David Eckstein have both been placed on the 15-day DL. Eckstein reportedly has a strained hip flexor, while McDonald has a reported ankle injury. Filling one of the empty roster spots is infielder Joe Inglett. According to the Blue Jays website, GM J.P. Riccardi is looking for a righthanded batter to fill the other spot. He did not tip his hat as to whether the move will be done from the farm or by picking up a free agent/player on waivers, only saying that a trade would not be made.

I would think that the only viable option from Syracuse would be Hector Luna. He is a righty who has been hitting decently this year, but not overly amazing. The only problem with this or picking up a player is that I believe someone would have to be dropped from the 40 man roster, which logically would point to Sergio Santos or Tracy Thorpe. Santos would also be an option to recall since he is already on the 40 man roster, but his play has been anything but Major League worthy.

I'll keep this updated when I hear about the news on Friday. .

As for Thursday night's game...ouch. Romero's first bad outing of an otherwise good season so far. Not much to really say besides that.

Velandia to Toronto, Lind to Syracuse

2008-05-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

A quick return to the blog world, to mention that Jorge Velandia was sent to Toronto due to injuries in the infield. For the time being, Adam Lind was sent back to Syracuse to provide the roster spot for Velandia. This probably won't last long, as John McDonald (the more seriously injured infielder) will either go on the DL or return, if healthy enough.

Diaz Optioned to Syracuse

2008-04-25T22:18:00.001-07:00

With the activation of Scott Rolen by the Blue Jays, Robinzon Diaz was optioned to Syracuse.

Also, there are reports that Adam Lind will be recalled in the near future by the Blue Jays. If this happens, I am assuming the Chiefs may get Joe Inglett back, however, I also expected to have Josh Banks back...

Speaking of Banks, the Padres are planning on using Banks from the bullpen. That is the currently role he has been given in Portland.

Syracuse plays the Scranton/WB Yankees Saturday. Suddenly, a couple thousand people will remember that Alliance Bank Stadium exists...at least for two days.

Rolen To Be Activated Friday

2008-04-25T01:22:00.000-07:00

A report from the Toronto Blue Jays indicates that injured 3rd baseman Scott Rolen will be activated from the DL on Friday. Rolen's return will make it necessary for Toronto to make a roster move to make a spot for Rolen. They will most likely send either Joe Inglett or Robinzon Diaz down to Syracuse.

Yet another star that Toronto will only allow to rehab in Dunedin. Seems pretty odd to have someone who went 0-9, with an error in three Single-A rehab starts activated directly to the majors.

Banks Claimed, Gronkiewicz Finishes

2008-04-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Two quick updates, both involving what I see as big mistakes by a tunnel visioned Toronto club:

Syracuse's 8 game streak is over, with a 3-1 loss to Pawtucket. Coming in for the save was ex-Chiefs reliever, Lee Gronkiewicz. Gronkiewicz has been great with the Paw Sox so far this year, and it was a big mistake not to make sure he re-signed with the organization.

As for the other Toronto mistake, Josh Banks has been claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres. He is currently placed on the Portland Beavers of the PCL. Banks had a few iffy starts so far this year, but he has some of the best control that I have seen. When he gets out of the slump, San Diego/Portland fans will be happy they got him.

Updates

2008-04-23T04:28:00.001-07:00

Matt Watson was placed on the 7 day DL on Tuesday, called up to replace him is Eric Nielsen. Nielson was batting .239 in New Hampshire, having played in 13 games. Last season, he hit .325 in Single-A Dunedin.

In another outfield move, David Smith was moved from the DL to Single-A Dunedin.

Kevin Nelson was activated from the DL when Robinzon Diaz was recalled by Toronto. He had his first at bat with the Chiefs on Tuesday, striking out in the bottom of the 8th as a pinch hitter.

With the win Tuesday and Scranton's loss, Syracuse is now tied for the division lead.

Not going to recap the game, as I worked way too long today and honestly can't remember most of it!

Chiefs play Pawtucket Wednesday, starting a three game series in lovely Rhode Island.

4/20/08: Chiefs Clang Iron Pigs, Diaz Says Bye

2008-04-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

An eventful day Sunday for the Syracuse Chiefs, as they stretched their winning streak to six against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Kane Davis (W, 2-1) struggled to start the game, but ended up going 8 innings to get the win. The first inning was troublesome, as 3 hits were given up by Davis. Luckily, Brandon Watson (first hit of the game) was thrown out trying to steal second. If he ends up safe, the game gets more complex. Lehigh Valley would only get one run that inning, which would be the only time they touched home plate all day. It didn't go much better for the Syracuse hitters, as they scored only two runs. Those came in the third, where two errors helped Jorge Velandia and Pedro Lopez cross the plate. Iron Pig starter, Brian Mazone (L, 1-3)was only credited with one earned run, but it was enough to earn him the loss.

Three Stars of the Game

3. Robinzon Diaz (SYR) - Diaz went 2 for 2, while also walking in his other plate appearance. His biggest play came in the first, when he gunned out Brandon Watson. That out was instrumental in the Chiefs only giving up one run in the opening frame. His reward? A callup to Toronto (see below).

2. Pedro Lopez (SYR) - Lopez went 1 for 3, but his bunt single in the 3rd was a huge one. He laid it down perfectly, helping lead to Mazone's throwing error. That error scored Velandia. Lopez then came around to score the winning run.

1. Kane Davis (SYR) - Davis came out stumbling from the gate giving up 3 hits in the first inning, including his only earned run. He then pitched 7 more innings, only giving up a total of 2 more hits and walking one batter. It does any team good to know that they can score only two runs and still be able to win the game.

As for the other big news of the day, Robinzon Diaz was recalled by Toronto after Sunday's game. Diaz will be filling the spot that was emptied when Frank Thomas was released by the Blue Jays. This is a huge loss for the Chiefs, which really weakens the catching regime. Diaz gave a viable strong arm behind the plate. Curtis Thigpen should be on fulltime duty catching while Diaz is gone, making Syracuse an easier team to steal on. The move will most likely not be permanent, as Adam Lind seems a likely candidate to get the full time promotion. It has been reported that he is nursing a minor injury, thus Diaz is a better choice at this moment. I have not seen any current moves to place another catcher with Syracuse, although they do have Kevin Nelson on their roster. He is currently on the DL.

Scranton's loss Sunday leaves Syracuse one game out of the division lead, 18 games into the season.

Not gonna bother with the probables again, as these roster changes are killing me.

Chiefs try to make it 7 in a row Monday, starting time 6pm. May not have much of a write up, as I will see only about half the game.

Chiefs Make It Five... and A Big Hmmmm

2008-04-19T21:44:00.001-07:00

As I stated yesterday, I was unable to make Saturday's game where Syracuse beat Lehigh Valley. But after looking over the changes within the past 24 hours, I felt I had to write something for my bunch of readers.

Earlier in the week, Blue Jays reliever Brian Wolfe was placed on the disabled list. Due to AJ Burnett's playing in the extra inning game early in the week, he was unable to make his start for which David Purcey was called up. Purcey did his duty and has since been sent down. This is where things get interesting. Shawn Camp was called up to cover for Wolfe. Camp, however, was not on the 40 man roster, which meant that someone on that roster had to be designated for assignment. Josh Banks was the player designated for assignment. What this did was make him unavailable to pitch in Saturday's game. I have no clue what the plans are for him, but they have to decide within ten days to either place Banks on waivers to keep him with Syracuse, trade Banks, or release him.

The thing that stings is that he missed his spot in the rotation. Obviously, with the win Saturday, it was a "no harm, no foul" type situation, but I still wish there was a way to have held off for the day. Most teams wouldn't put themselves shorthanded, however, which is understandable. Such is the life of a minor league baseball fan.

As for the recall of Camp, he has pitched great so it is well deserved. I expected Brandon League to be sent back, but I think Camp is the better choice for Toronto. Speaking of injured pitchers, I am still wondering where Lance Carter is.

Taking a quick look at Saturday's box score, it's great to see the pitchers getting out of jams. The double play in the seventh was clutch at keeping the one run lead in tact. I am also hoping that the home run by Matt Watson will give him that extra boost in an otherwise struggle filled first month of the season.

Syracuse is still two games behind Scranton, who beat Rochester 1-0 on Saturday.

I'm not even going to bother with the probable pitchers, considering they keep killing me on them.

Chiefs try to make it six in a row..2pm Sunday.

Sweep, Promotion, Random tidbits

2008-04-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

Busy week and my choice of hockey over baseball means a crappy blog week. So here is what I have missed in a nutshell.

Syracuse swept Buffalo in the four game series that ended on Friday.

Syracuse's Thruway road trip ended with a 6-2 record. Anyone think the Chiefs brass might make a push at publicizing the "Thruway Cup" this year?

David Purcey was recalled by Toronto for a spot start, sending Mike MacDonald to Syracuse for a start of his own.

The Syracuse Chiefs announced that June 25th will be "WWE Night" featuring special guest Lillian Garcia. Information on that event is listed on the Chiefs website.

Syracuse will host Lehigh Valley for a four game series starting Saturday.

Lehigh Valley is 2-14, already 9 games out of first in the division. They are 0-8 on the road. The problem is, Syracuse struggled against Ottawa last year (same franchise as Lehigh Valley, with the same current futility.) I have to feel that anything less than winning 3 out of 4 would be a very disappointing series for Syracuse.

Probable pitchers for Saturday:
(LHV) Ron Chiavacci (1-0, 0.52) vs (SYR) Josh Banks (0-2, 7.02)

Probably won't be a write up on the game (as will also be the case for most away games) due to the fact that I will not be attending the game.

Typical Toronto

2008-04-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

The gut feeling I had was right. Toronto decides to skip having BJ Ryan on Syracuse, activating him off of the DL on Sunday. This seems rather dumb on the Blue Jays part. I would rather wait that extra week and make sure he is up to speed, then have him jump from Single-A to the majors in one single jump.

With Ryan activated, the Blue Jays sent reliever Brandon League to Syracuse. League has appeared in 2 games for Toronto this year and is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Inglett/Coats, Loss/Win

2008-04-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Haven't really paid attention to the series in Rochester, but seems like a great win today. Good piece of managing by coach Doug Davis to bring in Robinzon Diaz to bat for Matt Watson with 2 outs and two runners on. Diaz brought Syracuse home an insurance run with a single. Good to see Bill Murphy, Mike Gosling, and Shawn Camp combine for a two hitter. Syracuse lost to Rochester on Friday in a back and forth game. Wasn't able to listen to more than an inning of that game, so I can't say much about it.

As I'm sure most know by now, Joe Inglett was called up to Toronto Friday night. His replacement (going by the current roster) is Buck Coats. I am looking forward to seeing what Coats can bring to the Chiefs.

I'm not sure what the deal is with BJ Ryan. He was supposed to join Syracuse for this series, but pitched Friday for Dunedin. Still no sign of him on the official roster, either. Also, rumors are floating around the Armando Benitez may join Syracuse soon.

I believe David Purcey will be starting for Syracuse on Sunday, no clue who will go for Rochester.

Here's to hoping a winning streak starts.

Jesse Carlson Recalled By Blue Jays

2008-04-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Late last night/earlier today, reliever Jesse Carlson's contract was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays. To make room for him, Toronto designated reliever Randy Wells for assignment. Wells was acquired by Toronto during the offseason in the Rule Five Draft. This means that he must be offered to his original team (Chicago Cubs). If they refuse him, he would then have to pass through waivers before joining a Toronto minor league club (presumably the Chiefs).

Wells appeared in one game for the Blue Jays, pitching one shutout inning.

4/10/08: Ty Terrible As Chiefs Break Streak

2008-04-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Ty Taubenheim made his return to Syracuse today, at least for an inning and a third. That's all he lasted, as Syracuse was able to plaster him for 6 runs and 9 hits. I'm sure disturbing flashbacks from last season were in Ty's mind after this performance. Only two starters for Syracuse didn't have a hit off of Taubenheim (0-2). Luckily for the Chiefs, their pitching made the lead stand up, as they would be scoreless the rest of the game. Kane Davis (1-1) pitched a great game, keeping Indianapolis hitless for over four innings. He ended up going six innings, giving up 3 hits and one run (unearned). Adam Lind went 4 for 4, including a three run home run that brought Taubenheim's day to a quick ending.

My three stars of the game:

3. Joe Inglett - His two hits were important in the first two innings, they helped set the tone. He also scored two runs.

2. Kane Davis - Davis was masterful, especially during his first four innings. For a Chiefs team that is not going to put loads of runs on the board, performances like today's are a must.

1. Adam Lind - Lind had solid hits each at bat, along with four of the team's six RBI's. His home run knocked the wind out of the Indians. He also made a great fielding play in left field, taking away an extra base hit, keeping momentum on Syracuse's side.

Syracuse starts their first road series on Friday in Rochester.

BJ Ryan to Join Syracuse

2008-04-10T02:55:00.000-07:00

According to Toronto's official site, rehabbing reliever B.J. Ryan will be joining the team on Friday. He is scheduled to pitch three or four outings and may join Toronto in the middle of the month. This could loom disappointing to Syracuse fans, who look to be missing out on yet another rehabbing star. Unless he has a minor setback, at his current rate of pitching every other day, Ryan would probably not still be with the team when they return home on April 19th.

4/9/08: Indy 7 Chiefs 3

2008-04-09T23:03:00.001-07:00

This is going to be informal as I just don't feel like writing much about this game.

Syracuse is now on a 3 game losing streak and have clinched having a losing record after their season opening homestand. Syracuse comes out again with the first run, but then they blow it soon after, with Jorge Velandia taking a routine grounder at shortstop and throwing it way off base, leaving Chip Cannon without a shot at even touching the ball, let alone catching it.

I truly thought once the game was 3-2 that Syracuse would have a shot, but it took an odd sequence to make the game 4-2 and kill off momentum. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Luis Ordaz hit a sacrifice fly to left. Wayne Lydon's throw was off, allowing Neil Walker to easily score. Suddenly, the Chiefs bullpen, along with some fans, were yelling for the ball to be thrown to 3rd as a protest. This happens and 3rd base umpire Brian Reilly denies the protest, showing the safe signal. Well the bullpen is furious. Tracy Thorpe was yelling about Reilly blowing the call, when Reilly said something back to him. Well the two keep exchanging, basically Thorpe saying that Reilly blew it. Suddenly, 1st base umpire (standing around second base) yells "That's it you're out of here" and tosses Thorpe. A few unrepeatable pleasantries are said to the umpires and finally the bullpen realizes Thorpe had been tossed. It was one of those sequences that you basically had to see in person, as I could not do it justice. Throughout the rest of the game, comments towards Reilly were yelled from both sides of the stands, from some people I was shocked to hear them from. This tells me that he did most likely blow the call, but having not seen it, I cannot comment on my opinion, except that I feel if anyone was going to toss Thorpe, it should have been Reilly, not Dowdy, as Dowdy was not involved.

The Chiefs tried to fight back, but Josh Wilson (the #9 batter) hit his second home run of the series, and Neil Walker hit a two run homer to drive the dagger into the hearts of the Chiefs.

Jason Davis (1-0) gets the win, while Josh Banks (0-1) gets the loss.

Around the rest of the league, Pawtucket (5-2) is now three games ahead of Syracuse. Syracuse will face the bottom three teams in their division in their next three series, as they play @Rochester, @Buffalo, and then host the only winless IL team the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The change of scenery from Ottawa to Pennsylvania hasn't changed the "winning" ways of Philly's Triple-A team.

Probables for Thursday are Ty Taubenheim (0-1, 8.31) for Indy against Kane Davis (0-1, 1.80) for Syracuse.

4/8/08: Chiefs Lose Game and Adams

2008-04-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

For the Syracuse Chiefs, long stretches of offensive struggles have been the norm in this short season. It happened again Tuesday night at Alliance Bank Stadium. Things looked good for the home team early on, as Syracuse scored in each of the first three innings off of Indianapolis starter Bryan Bullington, but that was all they could muster up. Joe Inglett started things off with a lead off home run, while Curtis Thigpen's first hit of the year led to a run in the 2nd inning. Indianapolis quickly tied the game up in the top of the 3rd. Singles by Raul Chavez and Matt Kata were helped along by a wild pitch by Chiefs starter David Purcey and a passed ball by Thigpen. Between those two miscues was an RBI single by Steve Pearce, while the passed ball accounted for the second run. Another Inglett run in the bottom half of the inning gave Syracuse their final lead and run. The lead would not last, as another miscue by Purcey (this time a balk) would put Andrew McCutchen in scoring position. He would be brought home during that same at bat, by Kata. Things stayed tied until the top of the seventh, when Mike Gosling took over for Purcey. Gosling (L, 0-1) allowed a lead off single, followed by a double to put himself into a deep hole. After battling back and putting two outs on the board, Gosling gave up a single that brought home the game winning run. For the Indians, Romulo Sanchez (W, 1-0)relieved Bullington in the 6th inning and only gave up one hit in three innings of work, while Jonah Bayliss got the save in a 1-2-3 9th inning. The Chiefs drop to 2-4, while the Indians are now 4-2.

-Russ Adams left the game before the start of the third inning with a reported arm injury.

-It was good to see Chip Cannon and Curtis Thigpen break out a little from their hitting slumps, with 2 hits each.

-Speaking of Thigpen, I think the memo is out to the managers about his problem throwing out baserunners. Tuesday, Indianapolis went 3 for 3. Teams are 6 for 6 stealing with Thigpen behind the plate (including two steals of third), while they are 5 for 7 with Robinzon Diaz behind the plate (also two steals of third). That means teams are overall 11 of 13 on steal attempts. That's horrible. I can't place all of the blame on the catchers, as there are times that the runner has broken nearly before the pitcher began his windup.

-I found out that Craig Wilson has been signed to apparently play for Indianapolis, not coach. Probably a good thing he isn't coaching, especially with the attitude exhibited at the ball park Tuesday.

-I am not sure who will be pitching in Wednesday's game, as Mike Gosling is still listed as probable starter, which seems quite unlikely.

Pitching Change for Tuesday

2008-04-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

It looks as though it will now be:

Bryan Bullington (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs David Purcey (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

4/7/08: Van Benschoten Shoots Chiefs Down

2008-04-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

For the second time within the last three games, the Syracuse Chiefs took over half the game to get their first hit. This time it was the Indianapolis Indians and their starter John Van Benschoten who held them in check during the 5-1 Indianapolis victory. It wasn't until Joe Inglett came up with 2 outs in the sixth inning that the Chiefs finally got off the 0 in the hit column. His triple, then an Adam Lind double in the seventh were all Van Benschoten (W, 1-0) gave up going six and a third innings. Lind came around to score the only Chiefs run, giving Van Benschoten his final stat line of 2 hits, 1 earned run, and 3 walks. The Indians, however, didn't even stay off the scoreboard for more than two pitches, as Andrew McCutchen took Bill Murphy's 1-0 pitch far out of the park. Murphy (L, 0-1) gave up another run in the second, before finally calming down. Bubba Nelson had a much calmer time in his second appearance for the Chiefs, going 2 2/3 and only allowing a walk to Matt Kata. He was charged with an earned run as Kata scored after Tracy Thorpe came in for Nelson. Thorpe then gave up a ninth inning homer to Josh Wilson, as well as another run to round out the scoring.

Not sure what can be said here. The Chiefs lineup is not very offensively friendly. When it takes until the sixth or seventh inning in two of the five games this year to get their first hit, that means something is wrong. Matt Watson has struck out SEVEN times already, in only fourteen plate appearances. Curtis Thigpen is 0 for 15 on the season. Neither of these guys have a history of being anywhere near as bad as their numbers have been so far. These are the guys that need to perform, as I still don't expect much from the infield.

I was just looking at the Dunedin roster and am trying to figure out if we will be seeing a couple of the pitcher's rehabbing down there. Gustavo Chacin is on their active roster, as well as Armando Benitez. I'm a bit confused for Benitez since last I heard he was supposedly going to be in Syracuse. Also, B.J. Ryan is rehabbing down there, so I am hopeful we will get to catch him with the Chiefs and hopefully during a homestand.

Even though he is currently not on the Indianapolis roster, Craig Wilson was spotted at the game in an Indians jersey. I am not sure if he would be coming back as a player or possibly just a coach, as reports showed him interested in doing possibly either.

Indians first baseman Adam Boeve was hit on the hand by a pitch in the eighth inning by Tracy Thrope and was taken out of the game.

Official attendance today over 2800...apparently over 2300 of those came dressed as empty seats. To be honest, I think I estimated around 300 there, but I'll say 500 just to be nice.

Series Preview: Indianapolis Indians

2008-04-07T13:10:00.001-07:00

Indianapolis Indians (2-2)

Affiliate of Pittsburgh Pirates

Players to Watch:

Adam Boeve
Andrew McCutchen
Neil Walker

(Time constraints make it so that I will have to write about them after the game)

Probable Starters:

4/7: (IND) John Van Benschoten (0-0, No ERA) vs (SYR) Bill Murphy (0-0, No ERA)
4/8: (IND) Jason Davis (0-0, No ERA) vs (SYR) David Purcey (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
4/9: (IND) Bryan Bullington (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs (SYR) Mike Gosling (0-0, 10.12 ERA)
4/10: (IND) Ty Taubenheim (0-1, 8.31 ERA) vs (SYR) Josh Banks (0-0, 3.18 ERA)

Welcome back Taubenheim:

Ty comes back to Alliance Bank Stadium for the first time since being a member of the Chiefs. He struggled last year with Syracuse and is looking to change that tune. His first start for Indianapolis was like last year. With an over 8 ERA, he hopes to right his ship against his old teammates in the series finale.

4/6/08: Luna's Lumber Leads Chiefs to Victory

2008-04-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

On a great Sunday afternoon for baseball at Alliance Bank Stadium, the Syracuse Chiefs defeated the Louisville Bats in dramatic fashion to split the first series of the 2008 season. Things looked bleak with Syracuse down to their final out, down by one with the bases empty. Shortstop Jorge Velandia was down to his final strike before lining a base hit into left field. Bats reliever Gary Majewski (L, 0-1) then threw a wild pitch allowing Velandia to move to second. Also down to his final strike, left fielder Adam Lind was able to loop a single into right, just off the glove of Jerry Hairston, Jr. The ball trickled away from him, allowing Velandia to easily score. After putting in Joe Inglett as a pinch runner, Hector Luna came up and made sure it didn't matter who was on first, as he rocketed a shot over the left field wall, giving Syracuse the 5-3 win. Davis Romero started for the Chiefs, going three innings and allowing only two hits. John Parrish came in for him, allowing all three Louisville runs over his 3 and a third he pitched. He left after giving up a run in the 7th, leaving the bases loaded with only one out. Shawn Camp (W, 1-0) was summoned from the bullpen and pitched masterfully. He was able to get Jerry Gil to ground into an inning ending double play. He pitched a perfect two and two thirds, striking out four. In the bottom of the seventh, Pedro Lopez brought Syracuse to within 3-2 hitting a solo shot into left. Before Luna's game winner, Syracuse was able to load the bases in the eighth before first baseman Chip Cannon struck out to strand them.

A rather exciting game for the Chiefs and a nice split against a very good team. Jay Bruce sat out today's game for Louisville, as well as Ryan Hannigan who was hitting the Chiefs very well. For the Chiefs, Curtis Thigpen and Russ Adams were given the day off. Syracuse starts their home series with Indianapolis on Monday. They are the Triple-A affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates and split their opening series with Pawtucket.

Probable starters for Monday
Indianapolis - John Van Benschoten (0-0)
Syracuse - Bill Murphy (0-0)

I'll try to throw up a little preview about the Indians tomorrow before the game.

Sal's New Pals

2008-04-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sal Fasano has signed a minor league contract with the Richmond Braves. I have to wonder about this move, since he refused to accept his assignment to the Chiefs. In articles posted by Blue Jays reporter Jordan Bastian, Fasano said he didn't see himself as a Triple A player. What a difference two weeks make, apparently.

I understand that this situation was not good for him. Toronto wants Robinzon Diaz and Curtis Thigpen here to improve in the position, as they are the future for the Blue Jays. But when he signed the minor league contract in December, how could he have been under the impression that he'd be in the majors...hence the MINOR league contract. Either way, I wish him the best. He was very enjoyable and the type of guy easily liked. From a business standpoint, both he and Toronto had to do what they felt was best. Toronto looks good in the catcher department, and maybe with new scenery, Fasano can once again make it back up to the majors.

04/05/08: Double Trouble

2008-04-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

After Friday's rainout, the Syracuse Chiefs and Louisville Bats played a doubleheader Saturady at Alliance Bank Stadium. While both games were scheduled for seven innings, the first game ended up going awhile longer. Syracuse started off spotting the Bats a 2-0 lead in the second inning, after Russ Adams lost a Jolbert Cabrera fly ball in the sun during the second inning with Andy Phillips already on, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Chiefs starting pitcher, Josh Banks was able to strike the next two batters out, however Ryan Hanigan didn't let the Banks off the hook by hitting a two run single. Syracuse tied it up in the third as Wayne Lydon and Joe Inglett both scored in the four hit inning. The Chiefs took the lead on another Wayne Lydon run in the fourth inning. That run brought the end to Bats' starter Matt Maloney's day. The lead would not last, as Louisville took advantage of an error, infield single, and finally Jerry Gil's RBI single that brought home Jay Bruce to tie the game. Syracuse threatened in the bottom half of the inning, with two singles to lead off the inning. A fly out, followed by an inning ending line drive double play killed that rally. Sergio Santos was caught snoozing as he was easily doubled up on the play. Both teams threw numerous pitchers out and were able to keep the opposing offenses off the board until the top of the 11th. At that point, Bubba Nelson (L, 0-1) was brought into the game. Looking nervous and wild before even throwing his first official pitch, things took a turn for the worse. After issuing a walk and a sac bunt, Jerry Hairston took Nelson to center field. A lundging Wayne Lydon came up well short of the ball, which rolled to the wall for a triple. Hairston then scored on a wild pitch, ending the scoring in game one. Marcus McBeth got the win (W, 1-0) for Louisville by the score of 5-3.

Game two would be even worse for the Chiefs. The first four innings were quiet, as only one hit was given up. In the fifth, the Bats were able to strike against Chiefs starter Kane Davis (L, 0-1). After beating out the back end of what could have been an inning ending double play, Bats' outfielder Chris Dickerson was able to steal second, then score on catcher Alvin Colina's single to take a 1-0 lead. They made it 2-0 in the sixth as Adam Rosales brought home Phillips on a sac fly. Some of the fifty or so fans who were left during game two (at most a hundred were there to start the second game) became upset in the bottom of the sixth inning, as they were unable to watch history. This was because Louisville starter, Tom Shearn (W, 1-0), was pulled after five innings of no hit ball. Tyler Pelland came in to relieve him, keeping the Chiefs hitless after six. After adding two insurance runs in the seventh, Louisville brought in Ricky Stone to finish the game off. There was to be no combined no hitter this night, as Russ Adams took Stone over the right field wall to put the Chiefs on the board, for their only run and only hit. Louisville sweeps the doubleheader, winning game two, 4-1.

Jerry Hairston left the game in the fourth inning of the second game with an apparent leg injury. I spoke with him after the game and he seemed in good spirits. It looked as though it was just a cramp on the field, and he seemed to be walking fine after the game.

This doubleheader felt a lot like one that occurred during the series with Louisville last year. Beau Kemp was the one blowing the game.

Sunday finishes the series, as Davis Romero makes his comeback from the injury that sidelined him all of last year.

Rain

2008-04-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Friday's game between Syracuse and Louisville was rained out.

The game should be made up on Saturday (weather pending) with the following probable matchups.

Game 1: Matt Maloney 0-0 (LOU) vs Josh Banks 0-0 (SYR)

Game 2: Tom Shearn 0-0 (LOU) vs Kane Davis 0-0 (SYR)

Sunday's starting pitcher probables are: Adam Pettyjohn (LOU) vs Davis Romero (SYR)

I'll cover what I can, but tomorrow I will be out of commission for the first half of the day.

Time Warp

2008-04-04T00:06:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say with the additions of Jerry Hairston, Jr. to the Louisville Bats roster, as well as Lance Carter joining the Chiefs (albeit on the DL), I have now seen way too many players from my fantasy baseball teams of the past. Of course, I never said they were exactly great teams, but both were pretty formidable guys up until the last year or two.

4/3/08: Chiefs Shutout Bats on Opening Day

2008-04-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

On a gorgeous day at Alliance Bank Stadium, there was an even better view than the new grass. That view was the pitcher's mound, where both the Syracuse Chiefs and the Louisville Bats were involved in an amazing pitcher's duel. Highly touted Bats prospect Homer Bailey only made one glaring mistake today, but it was enough to give the Chiefs the victory on opening day. That mistake came in the fourth inning, as Adam Lind rocketed a shot that hung up long enough for a solo home run to straight away center field. That was the only run Bailey (0-1) gave up, and it was all Syracuse needed, as David Purcey pitched a gem. Purcey (1-0) pitched six innings, giving up only two hits, while striking out seven batters. The trio of Bill Murphy, Mike Gosling, and Shawn Camp completed the shut out for the Chiefs. Syracuse did get an insurance run in the eighth inning, after a Joe Inglett line drive double brought home Jorge Velandia, who had tripled two batters earlier.

Toronto continues to confuse me, as I now have no clue who the starting rotation will be for the Chiefs. Mike Gosling and Bill Murphy seemed like possibilities to be in the rotation, but their use in the game this afternoon makes me doubt that.

Top prospect for the Reds' Jay Bruce struggled in his first game this year, going 1 for 4 and striking out twice.

Kevin Barker (listed as on the 7 day DL) was out for practice in the field, but he did not play today. I have a feeling he will get at least one start in his return series to Syracuse.

I learn something new everyday, apparently. Watching the replay of the game on tv tonight, we were informed that Lee Gronkiewicz had a great spring training this year with Toronto. Well, maybe he performed well, but it would have been in a Red Sox uniform, as I reported here previously. I think simple "I don't knows" are a little more appropriate than spurting out a random guess as a fact, but then again, I guess that's just my preference. Just a pet peeve of mine, especially in the Syracuse media..where I've read in the Post Standard that Karl Goehring let in a goal for Binghamton a few months ago (he was Syracuse's backup at that point and DID NOT play in the game overall). But enough with that rant.

Syracuse takes on Louisville again Friday at 2pm (weather pending)

Probable pitchers: Matt Maloney (LOU) vs Josh Banks (SYR)

Update on Bats

2008-04-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Upon looking at the finally updated roster for the Louisville Bats, I am disappointed. Former Chiefs Kevin Barker and Scott Sauerbeck are both on the 7 day DL, which means there is a good chance we will not see them. However, for your Yankee fans, former Yankee Andy Phillips is down with the Bats, as well as Jim Brower.

Well that's it for preseason, time to go watch some ball!

Louisville Bats: Series Preview

2008-04-03T02:43:00.000-07:00

Louisville Bats (0-0):
Parent Club - Cincinnati Reds

Who to watch:

Jay Bruce

Syracuse starts off with a bang facing Baseball America's top overall prospect. Bruce was expected to battle for a spot this year in Cincinnati, but to the surprise of some starts off the year with the Bats. The only reason he is not in the majors is the surplus of outfielders in Cincy. This guy has star written all over him, with his only downfall being a few too many strikeouts. With injury prone Griffey in the outfield in Cincy, I expect Bruce called up sooner rather than later.

Homer Bailey

If not for being injured towards the end of last year, Bailey would most likely be in the Reds' rotation to start the year. He has great stuff, which we will get to see opening day, as he is the projected starter. I'm not impressed with Cincinnati's starting rotation, which means Bailey could get the call as early as mid-May in my opinion.

Kevin Barker

Obviously, he will have some motivation this series, and that is when Barker really performs. He heard the jeers from the crowd (including mine) and I am sure he wants to give us one more proverbial kick in the gut. For all of the times he seemingly didn't give his all, this is the one time I can almost guarantee he will not be lazy and most likely try to have the last laugh. He still has the bat, as proven in the last week of last season. I have a feeling he will use it, much to the chagrin of Syracuse fans.

Projected Starters:

4/3: Homer Bailey (LOU) vs David Purcey (SYR)

4/4: TBA vs TBA

4/5: TBA vs TBA

4/6: TBA vs TBA

As for the rest of the Bats, I am not even sure who else will be on the team, as a request sent to the Louisville Bats front office for a current roster was not return, and as of this entry, the Louisville Bats website is not fully up to date. So I have no clue how the teams match up. If I have time, maybe I will throw something up later.

2008 Preview

2008-04-03T01:04:00.000-07:00

On paper, I am not exactly sure what to expect from the Chiefs this year. The team looked more impressive before injuries kept Randy Wells and Buck Coats in Toronto to start the year, but I guess that's not exactly a surprising development in Toronto's case.

Catchers:

This is the best looking part of Syracuse this year. Curtis Thigpen and Robinzon Diaz are extremely good with the bat. Thigpen's .285 batting average was among the best for the Chiefs last year, while Diaz batted over .300 the whole year (most of which was with New Hampshire, however he did hit .338 in his 19 games with Syracuse towards the end of last season). The only downfall of this group is the inconsistency at throwing out base runners. Diaz's arm was stronger, while Thigpen seemed to improve his throwing during his stint in Toronto. With question marks around many other areas, this duo is very steady. A-

Infield:

With 18 games being the most that one player (excluding Russ Adams, as he is being groomed more to DH and spend time in the OF) from this group spent in Syracuse last year, I am not exactly sure what to expect. Chip Cannon brings some power, while Hector Luna brings a decent stroke with him. The late addition of Jorge Velandia doesn't add much to the team, whose infield yields an extremely small amount of power, aside from the Cannon and Sergio Santos. Santos, however had no home runs in his 13 games in Syracuse last season, after taking 20 out of the yard in his stint with New Hampshire. Defensively, Inglett seems solid, while Santos will hopefully break out of his fielding slump that occurred during his late season callup last year. There is potential on Cannon's part, but the rest of the infield has a lot of red flags in my opinion. D+

Outfield:

Looking at the names, most people would be excited to have this outfield. Adam Lind should be able to have some good numbers this year. He still has a problem with striking out a bit too much, but hopefully that is something that was worked on during the offseason. Wayne Lydon brings speed to a team that only had 60 steals last year (2nd least in the IL). I think he'd be a bigger weapon if manager Doug Davis would be willing to take more chances involving Lydon's speed, though. David Smith going on the DL takes away the most powerful hitter in the group, while giving Russ Adams more of a chance to get some playing time in the outfield. Defensively, this group will benefit greatly due to the newly installed grass at Alliance Bank Stadium. Lind and Lydon were both liabilities at times in the field last year. Lydon improved towards the end of the year at seeing the ball (early on he would often misjudge fly balls, which would end up as extra base hits, due to the extremely fast carpet at ABS), while Lind still seems to be having troubles, at times seeming afraid to dive on the hard outfield surface. With Russ Adams learning the ropes in the outfield, I do expect some mistakes. Overall, not a great defensive group, but one that can put some numbers up when at the plate. B-

Pitching:

The starters on this team should be Josh Banks, David Purcey, Mike Gosling, Bill Murphy, and possibly Davis Romero. These are the only five on the team who have had recent history of playing the role of starter. Bubba Nelson was used for a majority of the year as a 1 or 2 inning reliever, but may be considered to start. Banks should provide a bit of consistency, while Gosling and Murphy provided decent ERA's last season. Romero's return from missing last season may be turbulent to start, but I think he will be a nice addition.

The relievers look adequate but not great. Jordan De Jong, Shawn Camp, and Kane Davis should provide good numbers. John Parrish spent much of last year in the majors, but also had an ERA of over 5, while an almost even K/BB ratio. The rest of the group all come from AA.

Overall, this group will be hit or miss. The starters look good, but after the 6th or 7th inning, things may be shaky. If Purcey can turn into the strong pitcher that has been expected of him and a darkhorse or two become strong and reliable relievers, this staff could be great. At this point, who knows. B-

Coaching/Toronto:

Anyone who reads this blog probably knows where this is going. We all know that the main reason for a farm team is to serve the major league club. This is why in some cases certain players are used in positions that most sane people wouldn't agree with, pitch counts are given causing a struggling pitcher to stay out for 3 innings to hit that magical number of 75, even though it causes the team to be down 8-0, etc. Most teams, however, do not seem to pull this as much as Toronto.

Since most of these things are not public knowledge (who is on a pitch count, etc), I have to group both the coaching and Toronto as one group. In situations of game play that are not controlled by Toronto, we have manager Doug Davis, pitching coach Rick Langford, and batting coach Al Le Boeuf to rely on. This is where things fall apart at times. Last year, it seemed as though Davis and Langford were a step behind most of the year. Everyone in the stadium would feel that opposing team home run coming, but a Langford visit to the mound seemed to come right after the home run, kind of the equivalent to a doctor telling a patient to cut out fast food after that third heart attack. Again, I cannot judge what happens behind closed doors or how these managers develop players during practice. What I can judge are situations when the Chiefs consistently play by the book. No matter what situation, if the count was 3-0, Davis put up the stop sign. I can count the times at home games where a player swung at a 3-0 count. ONE. One time, and it was one of the last games. Davis does not allow this team to gamble, which puts Syracuse at a distinct disadvantage. Opposing managers know how to play defensively against the Chiefs, something that I think cost them at least 5-6 wins last year. When I made a statement to a player late last year that I felt Davis should be replaced, his response to me? "You're not the only one." That says it all. F

Where do I see this team finishing? Around the same spot as last year. I think offensively there are some holes. This reminds me of last year, when a good amount of the team took about 2 months to finally start hitting. Defensively, I don't see another 10 error game (I would hope not..) but I think there will be struggles. If Toronto stays healthy, things may be a bit better, but I don't think too much. If Toronto doesn't strip us like last year and some other years, add a couple wins to the total.

My Prediction: 65-75

Feel free to comment, respond, whatever.

2008 Part 2

2008-03-30T18:34:00.001-07:00

As I figured, I missed a couple of players in my last edition.

Ty Taubenheim is with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, while Ryan Roberts has joined the Texas Rangers franchise.

I'm not exactly positive as to some of the transactions towards the end of spring, as there are some players on the "official" roster (via syracusechiefs.com) that seem like they shouldn't be there (ie. Al Quintana and a total of four catchers).

My educated guess would have the two catchers be Curtis Thigpen and Robinzon Diaz. I've heard they will basically split time, while also playing other positions. Sal Fasano refused his assignment to Syracuse earlier this month, in a way helping clarify a problem between having two great catching prospects, but also housing a vet. While I like Fasano, this helped save a roster spot, while allowing two great talents a shot at showing their stuff.

The infield should consist of our first view of highly touted, but slower than expected developing 1st baseman Chip Cannon. I believe the plan was for him to join Syracuse by midseason last year, but his play did not dictate the callup. The other three I would expect to start, can play pretty much any infield position, so I think their positions will be interchangable. These include Sergio Santos, Hector Luna, and newcomer Joe Inglett. Inglett was a pickup that had me excited in September, as he was one of those players who stood out to me when I saw him play the past couple years (Buffalo Bisons). I think he will be a good fit at second base, especially considering the Blue Jays apparent want for Russ Adams to now play some outfield. Santos struggled a bit last year, while Luna played well in his limited time in Syracuse. Also on the roster, is Pedro Lopez. Lopez spent time between Louisville, Charlotte, and the majors last season. He put up formidable numbers in batting average but not much in terms of power.

Outfield is where I am having problems figuring out the situation. As I stated earlier, I've read that Russ Adams is supposed to spend time in the outfield. I think with all of the position changes for him, he will be pitching next year..... but really, the depth Toronto has in the infield warrants either trading Adams or trying this out. Adam Lind and Wayne Lydon will return to Syracuse. Toronto again wants Lind to spend as much time as possible in Triple A, and this year there is no Reed Johnson injury to cause him to start the year in the majors. In fact, there is no Reed Johnson period. His release caused the purchase of Shannon Stewart's minor league contract. Matt Watson should be in the outfield for the Chiefs, however, I cannot find exactly where he is right now. David Smith looks to also join the Chiefs. He was in New Hampshire last year. I believe he is here in place of Buck Coats, who stays with Toronto after the Scott Rolen injury.

Pitching looks strong to start the season. However, I see a few conflicting reports as to who is actually on the team and who isn't..so I am going to wait until I can get something that looks solid before I type up my thoughts towards the pitching.

Hopefully, there will be some new information involving the pitching staff soon, so I can put my thoughts up before the opening series against the Bats.

2008 Part 1

2008-03-15T01:09:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... it's March, which can only mean that baseball is just around the corner! As with most seasons, many new faces look to be coming to Syracuse this year, while many others have said goodbye. I figured I would throw some odds and ends to whoever happens to stumble upon this blog, and maybe we can decipher what the team is going to look like this year.

I'll start with a few Chiefs who have said goodbye to the Toronto organization over the Winter season.

Outfielder John Ford Griffin is now in the Los Angeles Dodgers system. He signed a minor league contract in mid-December. It was tough to see him go, but hopefully a change in scenery can bring him back to the potential he had shown in previous years.
Shortstop Ray Olmedo made a couple trips over the Winter. He was first claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in early February. However, as he was placed on waivers at the end of February, he was picked up by his current team, the Philadelphia Phillies. I thought Olmedo would have been a better bet than keeping Sergio Santos in the system, but I guess that's not how the Blue Jays see it.
Within the past couple days, John Hattig was signed into the Mets organization. How ironic would it be to have him back next year, if the Mets were to come to Syracuse.
First baseman and popular blog topic, Kevin Barker was signed into the Cincinnati Reds organization. I will be very interested to see what response he gets during the opening series, if he ends up on the Louisville Bats.
Moving on to some pitchers, Lee Gronkiewicz signed with the Red Sox.
Scott Sauerbeck and Justin James may also be around for the opening series, as Cincinnati picked Sauerbeck up, while trading for James during the offseason.
In the "Wow, That's Corny" category, Ryan Houston was picked up by.....Houston.

I am sure I am missing one or two players, but that's a good gist of what has happened over break.

Within the short future, I will discuss the signings that happened over the Winter, and what I would project the Chiefs lineup to look like as we start the 2008 season. One thing for sure, they will be led by the same managers, as Toronto has decided to bring back the same core...led by Doug Davis. Yes, we can all rest easy now....

Before I go, since I have not run this blog over the Winter, I would like to be serious for a moment and give my belated condolences to the family and friends of ex-Chiefs pitcher Joe Kennedy, who was taken way too soon. Tragedies like this make it easy to realize that there are things much more important than this game.

Until next time, stay safe everyone.

Streak Ends At Ten And Single A Callups Begin

2007-08-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Syracuse withstood bases loaded and one out in the ninth with an 8-5 lead against Pawtucket to break their ten game losing streak on Monday, winning the game 8-6.

Yes that's all I care to write about the games anymore. As has been the case many years, these August games just don't matter here in Syracuse. You go to the stadium to watch the game, but it's only for your enjoyment. There is no urgency about every game mattering because what's the difference between 20 games under .500 and 22 games under? Toronto obviously feels this way, too. To fill out their roster, Syracuse has been given two Dunedin players. With Sal Fasano going onto the DL, we now have Robinzon Diaz and TWO other catchers. This is due to the call up of David Corrente. Also called up was Dunedin backup infielder Al Quintana. Here are their lines:

Al Quintana: In 41 games, he was batting .243 with Dunedin, with one homer and 12 RBIs. He has not strung together two straight days of play within the past month. Worthy of a AAA promotion? Not likely. In 2006, he played in both Auburn and Lansing. In 24 games there, he batted .197 in his 61 at bats.

David Corrente: He already saw a one game stint in Syracuse this year. He was 0-1 batting. In Dunedin, he saw 39 games. He batted .220 with 7 homers and 25 RBIs. Again, obviously not worth of a promotion two leagues above. The positive about this guy, however, is that last year he did bat over .300 with Dunedin, so he may have potential (though being the backup catcher in single A doesn't really help give confidence in that).

Listen, I understand that with New Hampshire still on the fringe of the playoffs, that they don't exactly want to screw them over. Problem is, since when has Toronto given any consideration to Syracuse early in the season? In my opinion, someone in the organization would rather see New Hampshire win than Syracuse. How else can you explain continually sending Dunedin's backups to Syracuse, even early in the season? Remember Carlo Cota, anyone? It's just frustrating to sit here and know that even with great aspirations before the season, that Toronto is just going to find ways to make this franchise lose yet again. And I will admit this here, I was definitely in favor of staying with Toronto on the affiliation signing last year. However, within the past year I have made it a point to really look at things, and now I think it's time to look elsewhere.

Look at the majority of the players from this year's Chiefs team and last years. With one or two exceptions, it has been nearly the same team! To quote Albert Einstein “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Sounds a lot like both Toronto and the Syracuse Chiefs board members, doesn't it?

And Sunday Makes It Ten

2007-08-20T02:24:00.001-07:00

Another day, another loss for the Chiefs as they push their season long losing streak to ten. It's just getting more painful each day to check the box score. I used to care enough to at least listen on the radio, but why bother? This team seemed to have mailed it in during the last homestand with some of the worst playing I have seen.

Some moves have been made. Matt Roney has been sent back up to Syracuse. You may remember him as the first Chief to make it on the ESPN bottom sportsticker in awhile, as they told us about his fifty game suspension for using an illegal substance. Thanks Toronto, give us another reliever when we are already spot starting players massively.

Then in another interesting move, the Chiefs get catcher John Schneider from New Hampshire and send down shortstop Sergio Santos. My only guess, and let me emphasize the word guess here, is that one of the catchers may be dinged up. However, looking at the box score from Saturday night, it says Robinson Diaz came in to play second base later on and Ryan Roberts played catcher for two innings. If anyone can explain that to me, or let me know if it was a misprint, I'd appreciate it. Wouldn't it be ironic if Toronto decided to put Thigpen at catcher and Diaz in the infield, when anyone who has seen them both play, knows it should be the opposite? Again, I don't think that's the case, but with Toronto..you honestly just never know.

Looking at MLB.com, I also saw Gustavo Chacin was sent down with the past couple days for "minor league rehab." Could that mean another stint with Syracuse or another team? Only time will tell I guess.

With ten games left to be played with Ottawa, the Chiefs are only five games behind them for the worst record in the league...oh wait, we are supposed to be chasing the top. So they are actually five games ahead of Ottawa..ahh maybe the team made the same mistake that I just made (/end sarcasm)

That's all I got for now, I may have had more, but we are known for blocking out painful memories...

Take care everyone.

8/17/07: Chiefs Make It Seven, Blue Jays Make It 23

2007-08-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

Well, one and three-fourths series later, the Chiefs are on a seven game losing streak. There's a lot to be said here so I will just cut to it.

The Pawtucket series was marred by more bad umpiring. Kevin Causey and Brian Kennedy made enough mistakes in the series to cause Doug Davis to even get tossed twice. Causey's rotating strike zone and Kennedy's disappearing eye act at first were just laughable by the end of the series. They held those positions in the first and last game of the series, easily the two most horrific (though Causey looked just as bad at first base in the third game). Now, I am not saying they are the sole reason for the sweep, but I think with better umpiring, the Chiefs would have won at least one game.

That being said, what an amazing time the infield had against Pawtucket. Nine errors in four games, which included one game where Chief had an error. We had Russ Adams with two errors, John Hattig with one, along with Sergio Santos and Kevin Barker both having three. At that point Santos had six errors in ONLY nine games for the Chiefs. It can also be argued that Barker's scooping abilities (lack there of) helped a few more errors occur, but due to the throws being bounced, they were ultimately awarded to the thrower.

Moving on to the Scranton series, the Chiefs have held early leads in two of the three games played so far. A problem, however, is that the Chiefs have been hung out to dry regarding pitching. At the current time, they only have ten active pitchers on the roster (more on that later). A spot start by Justin James went well until the fourth inning where he earned the loss by giving up four there and five overall. My question is, can you expect a guy who has been in the bullpen all year to be able to perform great when asked to start and go more than the innings he has been used to? Granted, he has pitched three innings a number of times, but he was doing well until that fourth one. Aside from that, the Chiefs have given up seven homers in three games, and Josh Banks didn't pitch any game. That's just not acceptable. The plus for the team is Chad Mottola picking up two homers in Thursday's game.

An interesting not about the Scranton series so far is that Kevin Barker has not played in either of the last two games. That marks what I believe to be the first time this year he has missed consecutive games.

As I alluded to in the title, with call ups and releases, the Syracuse Chiefs now only have 23 active players on their roster. Among the transactions is the release of Mark Redman. Along with that, Hector Luna has been sent down to the Chiefs, while Russ Adams was called up by the Blue Jays. Now, looking at New Hampshire, things get confusing for me. They also only have 23 players, but they also have 13 pitchers active. With Chip Cannon on the DL, I would think about possibly sending Kevin Barker down, while possibly bringing Ty Taubenheim back up. Possibly sending down Sergio Santos also would be in my realm of thinking. I would consider this even if Brandon League gets sent down when he is off the DL.

With August comes the normal Chiefs' fan's discouraged feeling. Another season down the tubes, great looking on paper but just not panning out. We will probably see another Auburn Doubleday sent to Syracuse to "fill a spot" once September 1st hits. Let's just hope the Chiefs can take a couple from Ottawa the rest of the year, or else they could have an outside shot at being the worst team in the league.

8/9/07

2007-08-09T13:33:00.001-07:00

Just a quick fix here. It was brought to my attention that Mike Venafro asked for his release. So there ya have it, his choice, my bad. Guess maybe that was his early birthday present (his birthday was the next day lol). Unfortunately, I can only go by the little information that I can scrape up from various areas, none of which are too extensive at the moment. If I am ever in error, please don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me know. Thanks guys and gals

8/9/07

2007-08-09T03:23:00.001-07:00

Hi sports fans..

I wanted to write a quick note to let the readers know that I am still alive. I have had a lot of personal business to attend to, however, I have still been paying attention to our beloved Chiefs.

It seems as though Toronto is in the process of cutting dead weight, releasing guys like Royce Clayton and Jason Phillips, while picking up Hector Luna. They also reclaimed Curtis Thigpen and Ray Olmedo from the Chiefs, giving us Howie Clark back, as well as Sergio Santos from New Hampshire.

I hate seeing Clark sent down. The effort he shows alone trumps pretty much any player I have ever seen, both pregame and during the game. As for Santos, unfortunately he has been a bust since coming to the Toronto organization. He is the only guy I have seen to have a 20+ game hitting streak and in that same season not go over .250 or so. He showed strokes of power in New Hampshire, but as per usual, has cooled off the second half of the season.

As for Thigpen and Olmedo, they deserve the call ups. When healthly, Olmedo was easily the team MVP this year for the Chiefs. While I think Thigpen needs to be learning catcher by playing everyday, he performed well in Toronto and its nice to see it get rewarded again. The call up of Robinzon Diaz was something I was looking forward to. This guy has an amazing arm and can swing the bat great. My prediction is that within the next two or three years, you will see Diaz starting at catcher and Thigpen starting at first in Toronto.

As for pitching, I was shocked to see Mark Redman get signed to a minor league deal. The disappointing transaction was the release of Mike Venafro. He pitched quite well his last 15 appearances or so and deserved to stay on the team.

Looking at the roster, I just have so much trouble understanding how this team cannot perform well together consistently. The main flaw I see is outfielding. There have been a lot of game changing plays that have occurred in the outfield this year. Let's look at the five outfielders who are on the roster now:

Wayne Lydon- He gets the most play time and for good reason. He is the only outfielder who can handle center field on a long term basis. He still has trouble judging balls at times, but has improved fielding wise. He still needs to make quicker decisions and work on his arm, but I am impressed by his improvement.

Chad Mottola- He has been hit or miss all season. He has made some good throws this year, but that being said..he has lost too many balls this year in right field and even though he looks great speed-wise on the base pads, his age is starting to show a bit when he is in right field. I would love to see Chad back next year, but I would rather him be at first base or DH.

John Ford Griffin- I actually think he is the second most consistent outfielder on the Chiefs. While he has shown to only be capable to play left and right fields, he is showing good hustle the majority of the time. He seemed gun shy at first (after the injury that the cement turf helped cause him to end his 2006 season) but looks much more comfortable now.

Mike Vento- He looked great at the beginning of the year, but sometimes I am wondering if he is still having affects from the calf injury he sustained early on. He has been very slow in left and right field and has been having trouble handling the ball when it gets into the corner. Unfortunately, knowing Toronto's way of thinking, we will probably not get to see how a totally healthy Vento can play in the field. This is in addition to reports that Vento is unhappy with his current role (DH half the time) and I am doubting he will want to resign with the Blue Jays system.

Adam Lind- Quite frankly, I think this project has failed. Toronto wanted him to become an outfielder. From the looks of it, he is still far away from being an average one. The bit we have seen him in Syracuse consisted of at least two easy fly balls he lost in the sky, attempts to run at balls that flop right out of his glove, and another head injury. I will give credit, the injury was caused by hustle and a dive for a ball. Unfortunately, the cement turf has claimed another left field victim. The problem i have is that Lind doesn't seem to take the games seriously. He loses a ball in the sky then laughs about it. But I can go on about Lind. If anyone has read the Syracuse Chiefs interview with Chad Mottola, you will see a lot of similarities between how Chad describes himself when he was a prospect and how Lind acts now.

So basically, after the release of Jeff Duncan, the Chiefs were left with one speedy outfielder and four guys with average to below average speed. This has not bode well for the team. Spot starts by guys like Ryan Roberts have not been overly successful either. Roberts has speed to get to balls, however lacks the strong arm needed to be a consistent outfielder.

Anyways, my predictions for the outfield?

-Lydon will be resigned and start in Syracuse next year.
-Griffin will be in Syracuse next year. (pending Riccardi stays in Toronto)
-Vento will not be resigned.
-Lind will stay in Toronto organization, my guess is starting off the year in Syracuse.
-Mottola is a tough one. I think Toronto asks him to DH or play first in Syracuse and I am unsure if he would resign in this situation.

So that's my take. I will cover the infield and pitchers sometime soon.

7/19/07: Triple A Debut Disaster Downs Red Wings

2007-07-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Minnesota and Rochester had high hopes for Ryan Mullins in his Triple A debut Thursday night at Alliance Bank Stadium. Three innings, twelve hits, and nine runs later, things didn't look so bright. The Chiefs held off a late rally attempt to defeat the Rochester Red Wings 10-7 and take 3 out of 4 against their Thruway rivals.

Syracuse led 10-1 after the fourth inning, however struggles by starter Ty Taubenheim brought Rochester to within five runs a half inning later. Rochester rallied for two more runs in the remainder of the game, but Justin James came in with the tying run at the plate in the 8th and struck out pinch hitter Matthew LeCroy to help solidify the win. He pitched a perfect 9th for the save.

Every Chiefs batter got a hit tonight, with Adam Lind only lacking a home run for the cycle. For the Red Wings, their only starter without a hit was former Syracuse Chief, Glenn Williams, while their second baseman Matt Tolbert was only a double away from the cycle.

Chiefs go on the road for series in Buffalo and Rochester before coming home next Saturday.

Notes:

I am unsure about my previous blog involving Erik Kratz, as he is officially on the New Hampshire roster, however I swore I saw him out in the bullpen tonight.

Syracuse is still 10 games out of first, as Scranton finished their sweep with yet another win against the Indianapolis Indians. The Indians blew three late inning leads in the four games of this series. Buffalo, who is on a six game losing streak, is currently holding the wild card, 7 1/2 ahead of Syracuse, with the streaking Durham Bulls only a 1/2 game back.

7/19/07: Bye Erik

2007-07-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

A minor update here before tonight's homestand finale (weather pending)..

Toronto has demoted catcher Erik Kratz to New Hampshire. I have to question this move. First, Toronto has left Syracuse with only 24 players (1 under the maximum, which most teams are good enough to leave their AAA affiliate with). But this move is even more questionable when you realize that Brad Hassey was given his release this past week. There are five infielders on the roster, and I think Kratz could have been a smart guy to keep, especially with the Fisher Cats currently having four catchers. I would think Curtis Thigpen would be a good candidate to take workload at first base, where Toronto was using him during his callup. Thigpen has been a good spot starter in the infield this year, and I know the team hasn't really trusted Fasano to play back to back games. I don't know, I just think this one could come back to bite the team in the rear.

But then again, when does Toronto really think? I mean, this is the organization that sent Yusaku Iriki down to New Hampshire instead of letting him start in Syracuse, causing the Chiefs to spot start Jim Crowell. In fact, looking at the rosters from Lansing to Syracuse, there are twelve men on the DL from the four teams. However, both Lansing and Dunedin have their maximum roster filled, while the two teams above A have only 24 members. Just find those numbers interesting. The injuries make you wonder if there is something wrong with training methods for the whole organization, especially with all the DL stints the Blue Jays have had also.

Enough of that rant, here's to hoping the weather holds off tonight.

7/17/07: Three Blinds Umps...

2007-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

As the old adage says, the only time you know an umpire is doing a good job is when you don't even notice him. Well, tonight all three were noticed, often. Quite possibly the worst umpiring I have seen in my time watching baseball helped distort an amazing pitchers duel at Alliance Bank Stadium on Tuesday night.

Rochester's Alexi Casilla led off the game with a home run off of Syracuse pitcher Josh Banks. That was the game, might as well have sent everyone home there, as neither team was able to muster another run. Banks ended up going 8 innings, giving up only 3 hits (the other 2 were by catcher Jose Morales) and walking no one. Red Wings' pitcher Kevin Slowey went the complete game, allowing three hits and a walk.

Things could have gone much different for Syracuse, however, as anytime they started to build momentum; Andrew Vincent, Pete Pedersen, and Mike Estabrook found a way to end it. These must be Rochester players, right? Nope, they were tonight's three umpires, whose incompetence on the field reminded me of Enron's board room.

Play #1: In the bottom of the fifth, Michael Vento reached first on an error. The next batter, Sal Fasano hit a ball up the middle. Casilla, the shortstop, flips the ball to second, seemingly pulling the second baseman, Matt Tolbert, off the base. Not in the eyes of the umpire (not sure if the call was by 3rd base ump, Estabrook, or Pedersen at first, tho I believe it was Estabrook). Now, we know the call must have been dropped, as manager Doug Davis comes out and argues. It goes without say that if Davis argues, there is no way the call was right.

Play #2: This will look a lot like a ninth inning play coming up, however this one was probably the one that no one could believe was blown. Russ Adams hit a double and was still at second with two outs. Up to bat was John-Ford Griffin. With a 1-2 count, Griffin takes a ball, while moving his bat no where near even a check swing. Home plate umpire Andrew Vincent doesn't even check with the third base umpire, calls it a swing, and punches Griffin out on strikes. Of course, again Davis comes to argue, this time being tossed by Vincent.

Play #3: After Fasano reached on a beautifully botched play by Tolbert and the first baseman, former Chief Glenn Williams, Ray Olmedo bunted Fasano over to second. Up came Wayne Lydon and dragged a beautiful bunt down the first base line. First base umpire Pedersen decided that even though Lydon was safe by a second, he would call him out. Pedersen put himself in a horrible position to see the play, which I am hoping is the reason he blew this one. Instead of two on and one out, Russ Adams ended up coming to bat, flying out to end the Chiefs' closest rally. Props to Al LeBeouf for coming out and arguing that call, as well as Lydon chiming in that Pedersen blew it.

Play #4: We go back to Vincent, as he much have wanted to have most of the attention, and figured he could get it against his apparent foe, John-Ford Griffin. That's right, Vincent again decides that Griffin doesn't deserve a fair fight, as he calls a horrific strike on a 2-1 count, to which Griffin did not take kindly. After striking out on a check swing, Griffin was then tossed by Vincent. Funny thing about Vincent, when you look at him, you can tell he must have some majorly big pads, to try to make his shoulders look broad and big. I think he is compensating for other "shortcomings", but I digress. I actually realized during the game that he blew calls last year against the Chiefs, as I remember commenting on the shoulders then too.

Anyways, Chiefs lose 1-0 and are now 10 games behind the new division leaders from Scranton. Tomorrow they'll play it all over again, but don't expect much different, as we look to have this same crew for the rest of the series.

7/15/07: Pawtucket Series

2007-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well this was a forgettable series that was just completed at Alliance Bank Stadium. The Pawtucket Red Sox took 3 out of 4 against the Syracuse Chiefs, leaving the Boston faithful (who will venture out to ABS only for these games) happy, even though before the series they couldn't have named anyone but Jon Lester and Michael Tucker. The best is coming into ABS, cheering against your hometown Chiefs, and trying to heckle, while saying "hey #24 nice swing". Please, at least learn a name if you are going to be that obnoxious.

Anyways, now that I got that off my chest, another series marred by bad Chiefs' pitching. Fifty hits were given up by Syracuse pitchers resulting in twenty-seven runs. To put this into prospective, there was an average of almost seven runs scored a game on 12 1/2 hits. You can't expect to do much giving up that much.

Thursday's game witnessed Josh Banks give up his 17th homer of the year in the 9-5 loss. That ranks him second in the league for most given up. We also saw the Chiefs debut of former major leaguer Scott Sauerback. The word is that Toronto is hoping to have him in the majors soon.

Friday night was the only bright spot for Syracuse, as they beat Pawtucket 8-4. Boston faithful were disappointed by pitcher Jon Lester, as he gave up six hits and four walks in five innings resulting in 5 runs (four earned). Michael MacDonald only gave up two runs in six innings. Yusaku Iriki returned from the DL for an inning of relief for Syracuse. He gave up a two run homer. Michael Vento hit his sixth homer in the game.

Saturday night was dreary. It also featured David Uyl, the umpire many around the International League seem to feel is the most inconsistent and horrific umpire in the league. He helped defend these thoughts with a strike zone that left both teams wondering if he could even see the plate under the dirt. I mention him mostly because the deciding sixth run by Pawtucket was by far a questionable call at home. There was a play at the plate as catcher Sal Fasano blocked home plate extremely well. There was very little conceiveable way that the runner (Joe McEwing) could have touched home. Uyl calls him safe, as Fasano looked on in disbelief. Ty Taubenheim started the game and had some control problems. With a 1-0 lead and two outs in the third, Taubenheim allowed the next six batters to reach base either via walk or hit. He left the inning down 3-1. After a rally to make it 3-3, Jim Crowell came in and got dismantled. Giving up two earned runs in only a third of an inning. Scott Sauerback gave up the next run on that horrific Uyl call leaving Chiefs fans disgusted and down 6-3. Ray Olmedo's 1st homer of the year made it 6-5, as the two run shot regenerated life at ABS. In the ninth inning, Chiefs fans were left cringing as hope was given then crushed twice. The first batter of the inning, Chad Mottola, hit a long fly ball that was about 10 feet foul, but would have easily been a home run. He then struck out. Next up was Ryan Roberts, who hit a ball that was caught right at the right field fence. I guess those hits kind of sum up the season so far for the Chiefs. More on this game at the bottom.

Sunday's game featured Jeremy Cummings debut at ABS. Three home runs later, and fans were probably understanding why he was available. Now, I have to wonder why Toronto signed us not one, not two, but THREE Rochester players whom were released. Beau Kemp was an absolute disaster, as he cost the team a few games, while winning them none. Then we pick up Mike Venafro. He hasn't been horrible, but he hasn't been great either. He has pitched well lately, but early on he was getting shelled. At the very least, he gives the bullpen good innings, which is something they need after the shelling the starters have taken often. Batters are still batting .299 against him since he has been a Chief. Then we have Jeremy Cummings. So far he is having issues, as his two appearances have resulted in an ERA of 7.50. In six innings, he has given up eight hits, three walks, and three home runs. It's just bad when I make the trip to Rochester and they have even more ammo to harass me with (yes wearing a Syracuse cap to a game at Frontier Field brings you nothing but harassment about how horrible your city and sports teams are). Anyways, as for the rest of the game, Ryan Houston was once again easily hit, as he gave up three hits and three runs (two earned) in his ninth inning apperance of the 8-2 loss.

Now back to Saturday's game for a moment. I have to get on a soapbox here, so I hope I don't rant too far off. What I witnessed was twice in one game, Kevin Barker mouthing off to Syracuse fans. Now, to background a bit. Many fans who have come to many games have witnessed Barker's antics. We have seen him throw things in the dugout, yell things from the dugout at umpires, even being involved in comments that have incited other players to become upset. Fans who witness this, get very tired of it. Now, some will say that many professional athletes are like this. This is true, however there is a point where things go overboard. Overboard happened Saturday. This is at least the fourth time that I personally have witnessed Barker shoot off an F-Bomb or gesture towards fans. I can testify that in none of the cases, were gestures or profanity sent towards him, as I witnessed each situation personally. This was Syracuse's POSTER BOY. What a mistake made in that decision. Guys like Chad Mottola, Wayne Lydon, and many others should be profiled more than a guy like Barker. Those are the guys who try every game and act in a professional manner in every trip to every ballpark. A guy like Barker may have the ability to hit home runs and doubles, but that isn't what the game is all about, especially not minor leagues. What minor league baseball is about is being able to cheer on a team. For adults, it's being able to have fun, hope for a win, maybe a shot at a title and excitement. For kids, though, it's much different. What they see on this field can go as far as helping shape parts of their lives. They go play little league, and we hope that they will have fun out there like a Mottola. We don't want to see these kids telling an umpire to bleep off or go into school and start a fight with a kid who says something he doesn't agree with. What these kids hear in the stands from fans can easily be shrugged off, but seeing it on the field? These are the guys they want to grow up to be like. For a player, let alone a home player, to make a gesture or should an F-bomb is disgraceful, embarassing, and pathetic. You are the one making money to play the game, unless someone says something personal about a family member or threatens you with harm, let it roll off your back.

Before I go.. Brandon League was called up to Toronto, as they sent Syracuse Jordan DeJong. Also, Brad Hassey as been placed on the 7 day disabled list.

Take care and see you all at the park for the four game series against Rochester. 10.5 games out of first, Syracuse faces Rochester and divison leading Buffalo the next 18 games, so this stretch will decide the season.

7/9/07: All Star Break News

2007-07-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Figured I'd do a quick update before I head out to watch the Auburn Doubledays tonight. Two big roster moves so far.

The return of Adam Lind is anticipated Thursday, as he was added to the roster a few days ago, replacing Reed Johnson. We knew this was coming soon, after the release of Jeff Duncan last week.

With the injury to Erik Kratz, Curtis Thigpen has been sent back to Syracuse, replacing the Dunedin fill-in that was sent to cover this past weekend. After how comfortable he looked up in Toronto, I don't expect to see Thiggy here long, but let's enjoy the show while he's back.

I happened to catch a Binghamton Mets game this past weekend. A very nice park. Beware, however, that one of the parking areas is right past the right field wall, so if you venture there, be sure to park far enough away. Lastings Milledge was down on a rehab assignment, doing his best to please the AA fans, exchanging pleasantries and signing autographs.

Chiefs are back home Thursday night taking on the PawSox.

7/6/07: Does Davis Read This...

2007-07-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

I will admit, I didn't catch much of last night's game. That is, until after all of the post-4th of July fireworks occurred. Three or four Chiefs were ejected last night. Russ Adams, Blaine Neal, and manager Doug Davis (see my last article) were all tossed. Sal Fasano left the game in the 10th, however I cannot get word on if it was an ejection or not, as I turned the radio on after everything had occurred. I find it humorous that Doug Davis gets tossed the very next game after I write what I did about him. Davis, are you reading this?

As for after the ejections, things got even more interesting. With Fasano out of the game, the Chiefs had to turn to the game's first baseman, Ryan Roberts to catch. Erik Kratz was unavailable due to an injury that occurred the previous night. Listening to Bobby Mac, it almost sounds like the umpire was involved in Kratz's injury, but I have no official word. The Chiefs end up winning the game, as Ryan Houston pitched a 1-2-3 inning with Roberts catching.

Two roster moves within the past day or two have occurred. Erik Kratz was placed on the 7 day DL today, which of course means that Toronto sends us a catcher, David Corrente from single A Dunedin. Serving as their backup, Corrente batted .207 in 28 games for Dunedin. I just have trouble understanding how you can't reward a player by moving him up, instead of just randomly taking a backup and giving him a shot two leagues above the one he is struggling in. But when Toronto has an issue, they take the starter from us (which I don't disagree with). This kind of shows why the "five year plan" is coming close to a decade without anything close to a championship by the majority of the organization.

The other roster move was the acquisition of yet ANOTHER Rochester Red Wing, pitcher Jeremy Cummings. He was 3-5 with Rochester this year, having started 12 of the 17 games he appeared in, with an ERA of 3.93. He pitched last night for the Chiefs, giving up one run on two hits and two walks in two innings pitched.

That's all I have for now. If I get any info on the Kratz injury or the ejections, I'll post em up. If anyone has any info, leave me a comment.

7/4/07: Those Aren't Fireworks, That's Just Davis Sitting There.

2007-07-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

I was just listening to tonight's game and quite frankly a commentary is needed. When I hear Bobby Mac stating that a call was horrific and that he is shocked that the manager didn't even move to argue the play, it tells me a lot. With all due respect, when guys paid for BY the Chiefs are criticizing the lack of emotion of the coach, it should wake people up. I want a cushy job that involves doing nothing. Apparently that is what Davis has. He has been so apathetic towards this team, it embarrasses me as a fan.

Under the management of Davis, Syracuse has had two players suspended. Both of which were for off field incidents. He has had multiple players involved in verbal confrontations with both umpires and other players, none of which were visibly punished on field, via suspension, nor the player being sat out. I have lost count as to how many calls have been blown or changed that there has been to explanation even requested for. We aren't asking for you to go out there and throw bases and kick dirt, but at least defend your team. When an umpire does not get in position to even see a play at third base and there is no big deal made when the guy was out by a mile (May 21 vs Durham), that isn't managing.

You can tell managers who want to win by the way they handle themselves. They are the guys who have the fire in their eyes, who are willing to fight for their team. When close calls go against them, they at least make the umpire take notice that they want their share of the calls. They don't stand there and play their third base coach role, clapping as their player swings at a ball in the dirt or as the umpire calls him out on strikes on a ball at the shins. The ones who want to win are at least acknowledging that the player needs to shape up or that the umpire blew the call.

Anyways, in other news...

Brandon League has been sent back to Syracuse.

Outfielder Jeff Duncan was released. That's great Toronto. Keep Beau Kemp on the official roster (as per syracusechiefs.com) but release a guy who fought back from injury caused partially by the stadium's lack of warning track. I understand that either Adam Lind or Reed Johnson will be in Syracuse after Johnson rehabs, but that's still a tough pill to swallow.

7/2/07: Couple Updates

2007-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the fact I may not write much between now and the all star break, as I had an unfortunate accident, which I am attempting to recoup from. That being said a few updates before I had off.

John Hattig was removed from the DL and started Sunday's game at Norfolk.

Pitcher Jesse Litsch has been called back up to Toronto, after A. J. Burnett was placed back onto the DL this past weekend.

Finally, Reed Johnson has been sent to Syracuse from Single-A Dunedin for his rehab assignment. Another disappoint to Chiefs fans, as most of the rehab assignments this year have occurred when the team was on the road.

Syracuse has two games at Norfolk and four at Richmond before the All-Star break. They need to go into the break strong, as things are slipping away. The team is 9.5 behind Buffalo heading into Monday.

Come Get Your License Plate Signed......

2007-06-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Upon reading syracusechiefs.com's blog entry for marketing last night, I was left utterly confused. Apparently on July 30th, former MVP, Cy Young award winner, and long time federal prison inmate, Denny McLain will be signing autographs at Alliance Bank Stadium. While I think we all appreciate things like autograph sessions and good promos, I think Chiefs management dropped the ball on this one. Yes, McLain was great on the field in his prime, however, his post career antics are shameful and repulsive.

McLain plead guilty to federal charges involving racketeering, extortion and narcotics in the 1980's. But that's not all. In the mid-1990's he was convicted of conspiracy, theft, money laundering and mail fraud. The first charge carried a twelve year sentence, but he only served 27 months and received five years probation. The second charge sentenced him behind bars for eight years, which he served more than six years of.

McLain had a few great seasons, including 1968 when he was the last pitcher to win 30+ games in the majors, and won the AL MVP and Cy Young. He had a share of the Cy Young in 1969, however, off field antics got him suspended three times in 1970, helping solidify the downfall of his career. He was suspended twice by the commissioner, once for bookmaking charges and another for waving a gun in a restaurant. Between those two suspensions, he was suspended by the Tigers for dumping water on reporters.

I am just trying to piece together why the Chiefs would bring him back (he did play in Syracuse in the mid 1960's) when there are so many good players they could have had return. McLain is about as far away from a role model as you can get, and apparently either the Syracuse Chiefs didn't do enough research or just didn't care about this fact. The man pitched two great seasons, but how can that or any on field greatness be a substitute for three decades marred with disregard for rules and laws?

Tell me management, is the next guy to sign at the stadium going to be Ugueth Urbina? Nothing would shock me now.

6/28/07: Chiefs Neal To Knightmare Ninth

2007-06-29T14:41:00.003-07:00

Before I get to writing, I just wanted to point out what I just read on the wrap up of the game. According to MLB.com's reporter "Brian Anderson ripped a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth inning as Charlotte rallied past Syracuse, 4-3, on Thursday." Nice to see their writers don't pay attention, as that rip went a whole 15 feet. Good job MLB.com and MILB.com, proving to be as valuable as suntan lotion in a Syracuse winter.

Anyways, as anyone who reads may have noticed, on games like Thursday's game, I just tend to stay away from writing a wrap up, review, commentary, or whatever because I really don't care to think about the game that was blown. Great game for 8 innings, Jesse Litsch pitched another great game. Not sure about pitch counts Toronto has on him, but if there isn't one, there was no way he should have been pulled. He wasn't laboring and looked great still, but as the old adage goes hindsight is 20/20.

Chiefs pulled out the stunts, finally, in the 6th, as they scored three runs, including 2 on a squeeze play (I've been calling for it all year with the way these teams shift against Syracuse). The play set up as Ray Olmedo at bat, with Jeff Duncan on third and Sal Fasano on second. Knights pitcher Lance Broadway threw the ball, pulling first baseman Ernie Young off the bag. Young, however, must have forgotten about Fasano on base, as Fasano keeps running around third and beats the throw home. This came after Fasano opened up the scoring, driving Chad Mottola home. That was, however, the only inning the Chiefs would score.

Charlotte comes back with one run in the 7th, off a Wiki Gonzalez 2 out single. Then, the nightmare ninth came. Coach Doug Davis decides to go to the bullpen to bring lefty Mike Venafro in to face left handed hitter Ryan Sweeney. Sweeney, however, takes the first pitch and bunts to reach base. Out comes Davis again, this time bringing in Blaine Neal. To put it simply, Neal got hammered. He struck out Ernie Young on a very questionable strike three call (one of a whole lot of questionable strike zone calls by Josh Carlisle for both teams). That's when the Chiefs' train derails. Three straight singles load the bases and scores Sweeney. Next batter was Brian Anderson. Neal gets him to a 1-2 count and gets Anderson to hit a very weak ball. The problem was, it was so weak, no fielder could get to it. There was no chance at a play, however third baseman Ryan Roberts still takes the ball and launches it towards first. It ends up going far past first baseman Kevin Barker and the go ahead run scores.

The Chiefs has a chance in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Barker ripped a ball into right-center. However, on a very questionable decision, he tries to go to second on the play and is throw out by a full three steps. I am unsure who sent him, or if it was a self-made decision, but needless to say it was a pretty poor decision either way. John-Ford Griffin walked with two outs, however Chad Mottola struck out to end the game.

Simply put, this one hurts. The Chiefs drop to 8.5 behind Buffalo, and even in June, hopes of the playoffs are starting to fade. Friday ends the homestand, and the Chiefs won't be back until after the all star break. Enjoy the fireworks and hopefully tonight will have a better ending

2007-06-29T14:41:00.001-07:00

6/27/07: Chiefs Finally Heat Up

2007-06-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

On a muggy night at Alliance Bank Stadium, the Syracuse Chiefs finally started to get as hot as the temperature, dominating all aspects of the game to beat the Charlotte Knights 7-2. Victor Zambrano made the start for Syracuse, and after his 2 run homer he gave up to the third batter of the game, it looked like his bad run, as well as the Chiefs' would continue. Well, things aren't always as they seem. Zambrano went a total of 7 innings, only giving up one more hit, and the bullpen kept the Knights hitless, as the Chiefs pitched a one hitter in the final 8 2/3 innings of the game.

The Chiefs made sure that the intial two runs were not enough, as they broke out of their 3 game batting slump, getting four runs in the first inning. Syracuse loaded the bases before they recorded their first out of the game, but were almost kept off the board. After Chad Mottola struck out for the first out, John Ford Griffin ripped a grounder to second baseman Jason Bourgeois, who boots the ball, which had potential to be a double play, but instead scored Wayne Lydon from third. Next batter was Mike Vento who ripped a two run single, scoring Ryan Roberts and Kevin Barker. The other run scored later, as Ray Olmedo hit a sac fly to score Griffin, giving Syracuse a 4-2 lead. Solo home runs by Barker in the 2nd and Griffin in the 3rd brought the lead to 6-2. In the 6th inning, a throwing error by Jason Bourgeois allowed Ray Olmedo to score, and give us our final score of 7-2.

Andrew Sisco (0-3) started for the Knights and gets the loss, giving up six of the runs in four innings pitched. Only four of those runs were earned. Every starter for the Chiefs picked up a base hit tonight, which is amazing considering there were only ten hits in the game (Barker was the only player with multiple hits). The Chiefs are 7.5 out of first, as the Buffalo Bisons were idle Wednesday night, due to a rainout.

Notes:

Pitcher Yusaku Iriki has been placed on the 7 day disabled list.
Pitcher Ty Taubenheim has been added back to the Chiefs roster, while Brandon League has been sent back to Toronto.

6/26/07: Offense Still Eludes Chiefs

2007-06-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Syracuse ended their 28 inning scoreless streak in the 8th inning Tuesday night at Alliance Bank Stadium, however they could only muster that one run. Syracuse lost to the Charlotte Knights 4 to 1, as Knights' starter Gavin Floyd (6-3)pitched seven innings, giving up only four hits, one of which was a solo homer by Chiefs catcher Erik Kratz. Carlos Vasquez pitched a perfect 2 innings to get the save, as again the Chiefs could do nothing at the plate. Syracuse starter Yusaku Iriki left the game in the 3rd inning with what looked to be a foot injury. He left the bases loaded with no outs, however Justin James came in and got Ryan Sweeney to hit into a double play, which almost turned into a triple play, as 3rd baseman Brad Hassey took the grounder, tagged Jerry Owens in going to third in stride, as he threw to get the out at second, but the throw was late at first. This accounted for Iriki's (0-1)only earned run, however it was enough to give him the loss. Things stayed 1-0 until the top of the 8th, when Charlotte started their 2 run rally on one of Wayne Lydon's two miscues in right field. Danny Richar took a Ryan Houston pitch to right field for a triple, as Lydon never found the ball until it bounced in front of him, and the turf gave it a mighty lift over his head. After walking the next batter, Earl Snyder, Houston was replaced by Mike Venafro, who hit first baseman Casey Rogowski on a 2 strike count to load the bases. After a sac fly by Brian Anderson scored Richar, Wiki Gonzalez brought home Snyder with a single to give Charlotte the 3-0 lead. Ernie Young capped off the scoring with a solo homer in the 9th, to give us our 4-1 final.

In their last three games, the Chiefs have only scored one run while accumulating a miniscule twelve hits. They find themselves 8 games out of first, and looking at the standings, the upper teir (Buffalo, Rochester, Scranton) are starting to pull away from the bottom half (Syracuse, Pawtucket, Ottawa), a big 6.5 games between 3rd place Rochester and 4th place Syracuse) The North Division now has three of the worst four records in the IL, the only other team in that range was tonight's victors, the Charlotte Knights.

6/25/07

2007-06-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a few days, other things take priority at times, but I am back. In those days, the Chiefs are 2-2, though are currently in the bottom of the 8th down 2-0 to the Scranton W/B Yankees. Things started off well in this timeframe, as Syracuse made a nice comeback to defeat the Braves and avoid the sweep on Thursday night.

Things, however, were not as pleasant most of the rest of the four days, as Friday night's loss to the Yankees (7 to 4) was yet another horrific start by Victor Zambrano. I look at the three pitching pickups from the offseason by Toronto, and find it hard to believe that they would release John Thomson, who pitched much better than Zambrano has even come close to in any start. Speaking of Thomson, I wish him luck in his debut tonight with the Kansas City Royals..I think he can make the Blue Jays regret their move. The bright side from that game was Chad Mottola's two home runs, accounting for three of their four runs.

Saturday, Jesse Litsch finally got to show Chiefs' fans how he can pitch, and I was impressed. Two runs in seven innings pitched, and got the win, even though Brandon League gave up two more in his one inning stint. Hopefully he can work out the kinks, so he can get back up to Toronto soon, but they aren't going to rush him, which is a good thing. Batting-wise, the Chiefs were brought on early by back-to-back homers by Mike Vento and John Ford Griffin. It was nice to see Lee Gronkiewicz back in a Chiefs uniform, getting his first save of the year Chiefs won 6-4.

Sunday, was a nightmare for Syracuse, as Chase Wright pummelled them, allowing only 3 hits in seven innings, and combining with reliever Ed Ramirez to pitch a shutout. Wayne Lydon had 2 of the team's four hits (a double and triple) but could not score after either of them. John Banks pitched alright, giving up 4 runs in 6 innings, while Jim Crowell gave up the other four runs, in one inning pitched, give the Yankees the 8-0 victory.

Finally, we come into tonight, and again the Chiefs are stymied, losing to the Yankees 4-0. The Chiefs had an opportunity in the top of the 8th, down 2-0. They were able to load the bases with one out, however Kevin Barker hit into the inning ending double play. Michael MacDonald gave up 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings getting the loss. Blaine Neal also allowed two runs in during his one inning of work, but even one run was enough, as the Chiefs could only muster four hits, being shutout for the second time in as many games.

Syracuse starts a four game homestand against Charlotte Tuesday, and it will be the last home games until mid-July, after the all-star break. In roster news, John Schneider was finally returned to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, while John Hattig was placed on the 7-day DL.

6/20/07: Double Dipped

2007-06-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Pardon the changes in format as I try to develop a style more suitable for me. Anyways, a belated blog from the game last night, as frustration kicked in and I just didn't want to relive those games.

As for those games, I guess we will start with game one. Gregor Blanco helped the Braves win 7-3, ending only a home run away from the cycle. He ripped a double down the first base line (nearly the same spot as Brayan Pena hit a triple earlier in the game), both of which apparently had Kevin Barker in awe, as he didn't even move for them, even though they were within a foot of him. Justin James (1-2), who didn't even play yesterday, received the loss for his two innings pitched the night before. Ismael Ramirez took over on Wednesday, and gave up nine hits leading to four runs (three earned) in four innings. The Chiefs made it 5-2 before Ramirez left, on a two run single by John Ford Griffin. The momentum died soon after, as Brandon League came in, giving up two unearned runs. The reason they were unearned was that League himself, threw the ball into the ground on an attempt to get an inning ending double play. Griffin ended the scoring with another RBI single giving us our final score of 7-3. Winning pitcher was Dan Smith (3-2) who gave up only 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs.

Moving on to game two, the Chiefs jumped out quickly for spot starter Jim Crowell. Mike Vento brought home Wayne Lydon and Ryan Roberts on a 2 out single. He then scored from second himself on a John Ford Griffin single, making it 3-0 after the first inning. Crowell pitched great, going four innings, only allowing 3 hits, no walks, and 2 unearned runs. Those were unearned as the inning was extended by a Ray Olmedo throwing error. Now, I understand if he is hurt, as the Chiefs have reported, but then my question is...why have him at shortstop? Either put Brad Hassey into the game, or maybe move Olmedo to second, pushing Adams to short. Injury or not, something needs to change because his throws have been inconsistent and his batting is non-existant. Back to the game, Mike Vento hit a solo homer to give Crowell a 4-2 lead as he left after the 4th. This is where things fall apart.

In the fifth inning, reliever Ryan Houston was brought in for the Chiefs. Richmond gets two singles to start off the inning. After a sac bunt and a strike out, there are runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. The pitching coach comes out to talk with Houston after this. Houston then gives up a walk to Carlos Mendez to load the bases. Next up was Graham Koonce, who rockets a home run deep out of Alliance Bank Stadium. Houston stays in to give up another homerun to Larry Bigbee, before leaving to a chorus of boos. Now, I agree Houston pitched horribly, but as a FAN I picked up on him tapping his chest at least three times after pitches, telling his catcher "my bad". As a manager/pitch coach/whoever, if I see my pitcher saying that, I am getting him out as quick as possible. Some may argue that with the short bullpen that we had, they were "saving" the bullpen, but to that I argue that they still used Venafro (both games) as well as Blaine Neal.

Richmond added another run in the 7th (final inning due to it being a doubleheader), making it 8-4 going into the Chiefs last at bats. Griffin hit a leadoff double, capping a great night for him, and giving fans false hope at a comeback. Next up was Jeff Duncan. Now, here is where things get interesting. He is apparently told to bunt, as he shows it twice before going to swing. I cannot understand this. If he shows once, fine, maybe its an attempt to get on for a single, but the second time makes me wonder if Coach Davis didn't realize the game was only seven innings long or what. Duncan goes on to strike out, but again you have to wonder what if he was allowed to swing at the first two pitches. Next to bat was catcher John Schneider. Schneider, yes the same guy who is batting .045, is allowed to bat. You have Chad Mottola on your bench, even Brad Hassey for crying out loud, and Davis leaves Schneider in! Again, one might argue that he wants to show confidence in the guy, but I will point you to game one of the season. Chiefs were leading going into the 9th and Curtis Thigpen is replaced by Sal Fasano defensively. Thigpen, a young guy who could use the confidence, was pulled strategically. Schneider flies out, Olmedo grounds out and that's the game. The win goes to Braves pitcher Ryan Basner, who came in for rehabbing pitcher Lance Cormier. Basner (3-2) gave up 1 run on 3 hits in 4 innings pitched. Houston (1-2) gets the loss for the Chiefs.

I will give Davis one prop, he actually did chime in at game one home plate umpire Josh Carlisle, as he felt the ump was making bad calls.

Notes:

I dropped the ball last night finding out Lee Gronkiewicz was sent to Syracuse, while Ty Taubenheim was called up, but not getting to make a post on that. My bad.

Yusaku Iriki is starting tonight for the Chiefs, don't know much about this guy, except he didn't do too great in New Hampshire.

6/18/07: Braves Pitching Cowards Chiefs

2007-06-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

The one positive for Chiefs fans tonight is that at least this game ended quickly. In their shortest nine inning game of the year, the Syracuse Chiefs got beat up by the Richmond Braves, 8-3. Those three runs for Syracuse came on a home run by Erik Kratz with 2 outs in the ninth. Braves starter Ryan Baerlocher (1-1) simply dominated the Chiefs hitters, going 7 shutout innings, only allowing three hits and one walk. After the first inning, it looked as if runs could be tough, as Syracuse starter Michael MacDonald struck out the side. But that all changed in the 2nd, as Richmond manufactured four runs. MacDonald (2-4) settled down, finishing out seven innings and only giving up one more run. Richmond rounded out their scoring with a three run homer in the 8th inning by Doug Clark off of Syracuse reliever Jim Crowell. The positive for Syracuse is that every team in the International League North lost their matchup, except for Scranton-Wilkes Barre, so they did not lose much ground, however these lost opportunities to gain continue to add up.

Notes:
John Thomson was recalled by Toronto, however he looks to be among the casualties of a very underachieving pitching staff, as it is believed he will be released.
Ismael Ramirez is slated to start tomorrow, indicating he may be back in the rotation with the loss of the two rehabbing pitchers (Zambrano, Thomson)

6/17/07: Chiefs Avoid Sweep With Strong First

2007-06-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Alliance Bank Stadium, the Chiefs didn't take long to show that they didn't want to be swept by Toledo, but finally hung onto a lead against another strong rally by the Mud Hens. Syracuse started off strong as they have every game this series, this time scorching the Mud Hens for five runs in the first inning, led by a Ryan Roberts home run. They then hit four consecutive singles, which include Chad Mottola's 1,000th RBI in his minor league career. After a Jeff Duncan RBI made the game 3-0, catcher Erik Kratz hit a 2 run double to round out the scoring. However, as they have shown all series, Toledo was not intimidated by a multi-run lead.

International League homerun leader, Mike Hessman tore his 19th homer of the year, followed by Jack Hannahan's 5th of the season and second of the series. After that, starter Josh Banks calmed down, getting his 6th win of the season, allowing just those 2 runs and 5 hits in 6 innings pitched. The bullpen made things scary again, as rehabbing reliever Brandon League only retired one, allowing two runners on whom both scored. Ryan Houston was not much better, but did get the Chiefs out of the inning, allowing 2 walks and a hit. Closer Blaine Neal came in and sealed the deal, going two innings, giving up only one walk, to get his seventh save of the year.

Toledo starter Dennis Tankersley earned the loss, only going 1 1/3 innings and giving up five runs before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Syracuse starts a four game series with the Richmond Braves on Monday.

Notes:
Catcher Sal Fasano may apparently be coming back to the Chiefs, after being outrighted on Wednesday, as he is now listed on their official roster.
After speaking with him, I found out infielder John Hattig is sidelined with an injury, answering the questions as to why he has not played.
Infielder Ray Olmedo was pulled from the game in the top of the 9th, which may have been a good strategic move, as it is of concern that the guy with the most energy on the team, seems to be very lackadaisical in the field lately.
Victor Zambrano has reportedly been recalled by the Toronto Blue Jays, ending his rehab.
Jamie Vermilyea was placed on the 7 day DL

6/16/07: Mud Hens Continue To Roll, Annihilate Chiefs

2007-06-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, there was no doubt why the Toledo Mud Hens are back-to-back Governor's Cup champions. Toledo rolled off 8 runs in the sixth inning to turn a 3-2 Chiefs lead into a 10-3 deficit. They finished it off in the seventh scoring two more, making it 12-3, which was our final score at Alliance Bank Stadium. Syracuse started off strong, getting singles from their first four batters, giving them a 2-0 leading before the first out of the game was recorded against them. However, after loading the bases with 1 out, they could not score anymore in the 1st. Toledo followed up with a run in the second, a solo shot by Chris Shelton. The Chiefs responded with a run in the second, but that was all they would muster for the game. Toledo starter Ron Chiavacci (6-4) gets the win, going 6 innings and settling down after the rocky 1st inning. John Thomson (2-4) gets the loss for Syracuse. Thomson pitched 5 strong innings, only giving up 2 runs, however the sixth inning was his undoing. After giving up a lead off double to Timo Perez, Thomson walked the next three batters, before finally being pulled. Jim Crowell was brought in, and did not fair much better. After walking Jack Hannahan to score a run, David Espinosa ripped a hard sac fly near the gap, which Center fielder Wayne Lydon made a nice catch on. Crowell gave up three more consecutive singles before striking out Timo Perez and subsequently being taken out. Ismael Ramirez came into the game, 8-4 with runners on first and second, and got Ryan Raburn to hit a high fly ball into right field, which should have ended the inning. However, outfielders Mike Vento and Wayne Lydon were no where near the ball when it landed, giving Raburn a base clearing triple. Neither outfielder saw the ball nor made a good attempt to get into a position where they could. The play summed up the series so far.

Notes: Right fielder Mike Vento left the game in the seventh inning after being hit by a pitch in the arm. Infielder John Hattig has not played in the last 8 contests due to an unknown reason. Former Chiefs catcher Sal Fasano was outrighted by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Commentary: 6/15/07

2007-06-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Watching tonight's game, I began to see the same things and issues that dropped Syracuse 10 games back earlier this year. As a fan, I cannot help but get frustrated, not by the loss, but by the way the game occurred. So I guess without further ado, my takes on the team's issues, which seem to be returning.

1. Managing

Now before I go off on this rant, I want to say I am sure that manager Doug Davis is a nice guy and that this has to do with his decisions only. The fact that he is probably a nice guy, actually factors into some of the issues themselves.

The main issue I am catching now is that he coaches way too by the books. What I am talking about is that of every 3-0 count, he has not yet EVER given a player the green light to swing away. Obviously there are many situations where the red light is a must, but when you have a hot hitting guy knowing he will get a great pitch down the middle, why not give him a chance. Any pitcher who has a scouting report on this team is bound to be confident that he can make the count 3-1, with very little fear of his blatant fastball down the middle being even having a chance at being swung at. Another "by the books" issue is bunting. Tonight there was a situation with Erik Kratz on second and Wayne Lydon on first with no one out. Anyone who has watched a game knows that Kratz just doesn't have good speed. He is a bulky player and a catcher. Jeff Duncan shows bunt the 1st pitch and everyone in the stadium sees a beautiful shift by Toledo, who obviously knows a bunt is coming and is setting up for the throw to third. After seeing this move, is there a change in plan? Nope. You can't help but thing if Duncan even put the ball in play with a swing that there would be some interesting confusion amongst the infield, who are running around to cover the bunt. Pretty much anything up the middle was going to be a hit. If I can call these plays out myself, you know any opposing manager who pays attention is going to be catching it too.

Another issue is the lack of defending his players. This season, the umpires have been extremely inconsistent for all sides. Players are feeling that they are getting hosed on calls and arguing with umpires. Only once have I see Davis step in. What baffles me is that he is not even attempting to get explanations from umpires in these situations. While it would be nice to see some heart and fire from him (which would carry over onto the field with his players), I think the guys at least deserve to have SOMEONE back them up.

I also think that in regards to pitching, Rick Langford and Davis are way too slow to react. I understand in some situations there are pitch counts for rehabbing players, but when a guy like Josh Banks or Ty Taubenheim are having an off day like both had in games earlier this season, giving up 7-8 runs in the first inning, the bullpen should be called much earlier. If the guys work through their issues before the guy is warmed up, then you can decide to keep him in, but these guys have been way too reactive and not even well at that, instead of being proactive.

2. Heart

When this team wants to play a nine inning game, we get some amazing comebacks and great play. Unfortuately, there are too many nights where there is just not enough hustle or care. For example, tonight in the field, Ray Olmedo took a couple late inning grounders and each throw had no umph on it and Kevin Barker had to make a scoops. There was no rush, no unplanted feet, nothing...just what looked like a lack of caring. On a hit to left-center, Mike Vento watched a ball assuming it was going to be a home run, if he hustled he could have made the catch. Now, I am not grouping every guy into this, as there are many who want to prove they belong and that they can do better. A dive or a jump here and there isn't going to hurt anyone.

3. Toronto

This is a continual problem I have. The Blue Jays reaction time kills me. I have mentioned it before, but there is no reason to keep Curtis Thigpen in Toronto, who now have FOUR catchers, and enough guys besides that who can cover their first base injury. We are left with a struggling Kratz and a guy who was barely allowed to play in New Hampshire. They leave us half the season without even one lefty pitcher, while two great lefty pitchers (David Purcey and Lee Gronkiewicz) were down in New Hampshire, both guys having seen time in Syracuse before.

So take it or leave it, these are a few major points that need to be taken care of if this team has any shot at fighting for a playoff spot. This team has the talent to do it, very little weak spots overall, at least on paper. Here's to hoping it starts gelling again on the field. And let me leave you with one last question... John Hattig, why on Earth are you not in the lineup, especially since you were finally showing some good consistency?

6/14/07 Chiefs Let Lead Bounce Away

2007-06-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful night for baseball at Alliance Bank Stadium, the Chiefs blew a four run lead and get doubled up by the Toledo Mud Hens 12-6. The Mud Hens (37-30) used a three run 5th and a five run 6th inning to come back from a 6-2 deficit to handle the Chiefs (31-34) and end their 8 game home winning streak. Another subpar pitching performance by rehabbing starter Victor Zambrano paved the way for the comeback. Zambrano pitched four and a third innings, giving up five runs, two of which came on wild pitches that occurred in the same at bat. The Chiefs kept him out of the losing column with some sparks of their own. A two out double in the 1st by Chad Mottola brought home 2 to give the Chiefs the early lead. Later on a solo homer by Kevin Barker and 3-run shot by Russ Adams gave the Chiefs their 4 run lead. After that, it was all Toledo, going on a ten to nothing run to end the game.

The big inning occurred in the sixth, which saw shoddy fielding costing the Chiefs the lead and the game. The inning started off with a Ramon Santiago double. The next batter, Henry Mateo, laid down a bunt down the 1st base side, which pitcher Justin James couldn't decide whether to play or try to let go foul. In the end, he decided to pick up the ball, but far too late, putting runners on 1st and 3rd. The next at bat saw the wheels fall off the proverbial train. Timo Perez hit a fly ball near the warning track in right field. Right fielder Chad Mottola apparently loses the ball at the last second and the ball bounces over for a ground rule double, instead of what should have been a sac fly and one out. The next batter makes the Chiefs pay, as Ryan Raburn cleared the bases with a double, and ended up to third on a wild cutoff throw from the pitcher's mound by Kevin Barker. Jack Hannahan brought him home later in the inning with a two run homer. Toledo added runs in the seventh and ninth to finish the game.

Toledo starter Virgil Vasquez escapes the game with no decision, despite giving up all six of the Chiefs runs in his four innings pitched. Eulogio De La Cruz (2-0) gets the win, going 3 innings and keeping the Chiefs off the board. The loss went to Justin James (1-1).

Notes: Tonight's game saw the return of pitcher Brandon League, who is on rehab assignment. He pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk.

6/12/07: Chiefs Roll To Victory

2007-06-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

In a seesaw battle, the Syracuse Chiefs (31-33) edged the Columbus Clippers (29-36) by the score of 6 to 5. The game winner came on Kevin Barker's second double of the day in the top of the 9th, which brought home Wayne Lydon. Blaine Neal (6) finished up the game for the Chiefs, picking up the save.

The Clippers jumped out early with runs in four of the first five inning, which included a 2-run 5th. The Chiefs responded with a single run in six of today's nine innings, including 3 unanswered runs to overcome a 2 run deficit. Home runs by Chad Mottola, John Ford-Griffin, and Russ Adams (all to right field) helped the Chiefs get in position for Barker's game winning hit. Columbus was led by Brandon Watson, who had 3 hits. His streak is now up to 39 games, as he starts closing in on the International League record.

Edward Valdez (1-4) took the loss in an inning and a third, giving up 2 hits including Barker's game winner. The win goes to Jim Crowell (1-2), who took over for starter Michael MacDonald, going 2 and a third, only giving up 2 hits and no runs. MacDonald struggled, giving up 9 hits and 5 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Notes: The Chiefs return home on Thursday. They have enjoyed the mangled turf of Alliance Bank Stadium, sporting the best home record in the International League. Infielder John Hattig has not played since June 8th in Toledo, missing the whole Columbus series, due to unknown reasons.

6/11/07: First Inning Railroads Chiefs Again

2007-06-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

D'Angelo Jimenez's homerun in the 1st inning turned out to be the game winner Monday as the Columbus Clippers defeated the Syracuse Chiefs 3-2. Chiefs' starters have been making the 1st inning exciting for opposing teams this year. This time, the 3 runs given up by starter Josh Banks were enough to propel Columbus to their second straight victory over against Syracuse. The Chiefs did make it interesting scoring single runs in the 3rd and 6th, the latter on Kevin Barker's 6th homer of the year. However, the Chiefs could not take advantage of leadoff baserunners in the 7th and 8th innings to drop their record to 30-33. The loss keeps them 4 games out of the division lead, as they lost an opportunity to gain on the leading Buffalo Bisons, who lost to Richmond. In the 7th, catcher Erik Kratz reached on an error, but was subsequently picked off by pitcher Arnie Munoz. In the 8th, Ray Olmedo singled. After an Adams out, Mike Vento walked to give runners on 1st and 2nd with big guns, Kevin Barker and Chad Mottola coming up. Barker popped out and Mottola flew out, to end the rally attempt. Tim Redding pitched 6 innings to get the win, while Banks went six and two thirds for the loss.

Clippers' Brandon Watson kept his hitting streak alive with his lone hit, in the 1st. His streak is at 38 games. One bright note for the Chiefs was the return of outfielder Jeff Duncan, who is back in the lineup after his terrifying looking injury last month.

6/10/07: Clips Shutdown Chiefs

2007-06-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Emiliano Fruto's return from the DL helped Columbus to their first victory in six tries against the Syracuse Chiefs on Sunday. He pitched 6 scoreless innings and the bullpen kept it going as the Columbus Clippers defeated Syracuse 4-0. The Clippers (28-35) were sparked by a 2nd inning 2-run homer by D'Angelo Jimenez, which proved to be more than enough. Syracuse starter, John Thomson, took the loss to drop to 2-3. However, the Chiefs' offense did nothing to help him in his effort, as no runner even made it past 2nd base, despite 7 hits. Brandon Watson kept his 37 game hitting streak alive with a single against Thomson in the 5th.

Syracuse outfielder Jeff Duncan, who has been on the DL since his horrific collision with the scoreboard wall at Alliance Bank Stadium, has been taken off the DL and is day-to-day.

These teams continue their series on Monday in Columbus.

Commentary

2007-06-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

It's June 9th and we can actually say that the Syracuse Chiefs are only 3.5 out of the division lead. What a difference a little over 2 weeks makes. Now, suddenly, the Chiefs currently have the BEST home record in the whole IL. Amazing for the fact that there have been nights I have witnessed with under 300 in the stands, and at least 2 of them had 100 or less. Some will say it is the quality of opponents. Out of the past 15 games, the Chiefs are 12-3, BUT 11 of those wins were against Norfolk, Columbus, and Pawtucket. The thing that these people don't realize is that these are games Syracuse is typically know for losing. We can also point to the fact that Pawtucket handled the "upper echelon" Richmond Braves this past week. They also forget the fact that there were many series splits already this year with some of the better teams in the league. As a fan, I say enjoy it and have fun at the ballpark, which as much as I complain, is a pretty good deal in comparison to most entertainment in this area, as well as the prices I have seen at other ballparks.

What has caused this team to suddenly start playing up to potential? I offer a few thoughts:

1. Internal Distractions Gone:

The team has been tormented with suspensions this year. Matt Roney's suspension brought the team to spotlight, as all of these 50 game suspensions get good media attention nationally. Then we have the suspension to Beau Kemp (which Chiefs management have done everything possible to hide..which in itself would be a distraction to the team). If the rumors are true (and without 100% proof that they are, I will not be posting them) this would have been a HUGE distraction to the team. Couple that with the fact that he gave up deadly runs in important situations anyways, and you get frustrated players.

2. Playing Up To Their Skill Level

Let's face it, when a team has NO batter hitting over .300, that is a huge cause for alarm. But that is how it was, and still is, for the Chiefs. The only player who had been fluttering around the line was Curtis Thigpen. But lately we have been seeing guys stepping up bigtime. Wayne Lydon and John Hattig are 2 that fly into mind quickly. Two of the nicer guys you will ever meet, it's great to see them performing again. Before this streak, both were struggling mightily. Lydon was having a nightmare, striking out multiple times per game, as well as a lack of confidence in his outfield play. Now, he is playing with confidence...something he lacks at times, as he gets down on himself a lot and thinks too much (especially in important at bats). Hopefully the big hit in the 9th last week vs Columbus is a sign that he is ready to jump to the next level of his game. As for Hattig, he has cut his strikeouts down a lot recently and is seeing the ball amazingly well. His fielding has improved a bit too. With Toronto's constant injury woes, I wouldn't be shocked to see him jump up if another infielder goes down. Chad Mottola and Russ Adams definitely caught their strokes too, especially Chad who has gotten his power back, but also seems, at times, to be able to punch the ball for a single at will.

3. Relief

The bullpen has been pretty amazing lately (with the exception of game 1 versus Toledo). Justin James has been nearly unhittable. I still believe Doug Davis misuses the bullpen horribly, but that hasn't mattered as most of the guys have taken advantage of their play time. The starters have been inconsistent, which has put a lot of burden on these guys, but it is great to see that most are up to the challenge.

So 61 games into the season, the Chiefs are only 1 game under .500, an astounding feat after being 10 games under 2 weeks ago. While this is great, and as a fan I love it, we can't get too overboard in hopes and dreams. There should be a few rehab assignments coming up. What will that mean to a team that is finally gelling? I hope the Zaun experience isn't a sign, but the Zambrano rehab hasn't been much better. Unfortunately, Toronto does not care about a championship in Syracuse. They will continue to break chemistry up, some of which isn't avoidable. We all know that rehabbing the big leaguers is a duty and important. What I am stating is the fact that they will continue their interesting callups (Thigpen, which now gives you FOUR catchers on the current roster?!) , wait a few days, and give us a backup from New Hampshire, or single A Dunedin. But that is for another blog coming up soon, which will ask the question: "Why does Toronto want New Hampshire to win more than Syracuse?"

Anyways, enough of that. Congrats to the team for some great ballplaying, and let's hope that this TEAM can stay together and keep up the good work.

6/9/07 Chiefs Double up the Clips,

2007-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Led by strong pitching, the Syracuse Chiefs (30-31) swept the Columbus Clippers (27-35) in Saturday's doubleheader. In game one, Chiefs pitcher Ty Taubenheim pitcher a complete 7 inning game shutout, while only giving up 2 hits and striking out a season high 8 batters. Taubenheim, whose struggles have relegated him to the bullpen, took advantage of his spot start in dominating fashion. John-Ford Griffin had a homer in his 3rd straight game to lead Syracuse to the 4-0 victory.

Game two featured an equally struggling pitcher in Ismael Ramirez. The Chiefs gave him good run support in a 5 run second inning, as well as a three run 6th. Second baseman Russ Adams led the way going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. The pitcher, Ramirez, proved strong giving up 5 hits in 5 innings of play, his only run given up was a solo shot by Abraham Nunez. In the 6th Ramirez pitched himself into a bases loaded jam with no one out, however reliever Justin James came in causing a short flyout, a pop out, and a strikeout to save the Chiefs from the jam.

Jermaine Van Buren took the loss in game 2, while Edward Valdez was the losing pitcher in game one, as the Chiefs clinch the season series against the Clippers. Brandon Watson gave Columbus their only brightside today, as he had hits in both games to bring his franchise record hitting streak up to 36.

6/8/07 Chiefs Avoid Sweep in Toledo

2007-06-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

It seems like once a series the Chiefs drop down and make a stunning comeback. Well, this series was no exception. Syracuse overcame a 5-1 defecit to beat Toledo 6-5 and avoid being swept by the Mud Hens. They did so with a lot of help by the long ball. Three homers by the Chiefs (28-31) accounted for 4 of the 6 runs, including 2 shots in the 6th inning to put them back within 1 of the hometown Hens (34-28). They then used a 2 run double by John Hattig in the 7th to take the lead and hold on. The Mud Hens opened up the scoring in the 3rd inning scoring 3 on Henry Mateo's 1 out triple. Mateo scored on the play as Adams missed the cutoff throw. The Chiefs cut the lead to 2 when John-Ford Griffin popped his 10th of the year and 3rd in his last 6 games. Toledo made it 5-1 with Mike Hessman's 18th homer of the year after a walk put Timo Perez on. However, Syracuse's bullpen made sure that no more runs would be given up, as they go four innings giving up no runs. Homers by Chad Mottola and Mike Vento cut the lead to 5-4 before Hattig's game winning hit. Victor Zambrano had another shaky outing for the Chiefs, as he continues to rehab in the minors, looking no where near ready to jump back into Toronto's rotation. His five runs given up keep his ERA above 7 in AAA, while he also walked 5 men, only striking out 4. Toledo pitcher Ramon Colon picked up the loss (0-1), while Jamie Vermilyea notched the win (1-1).

Notes: Earlier in the day, Toronto recalled catcher Gregg Zaun from his rehab assignment, while sending back pitcher Brian Wolfe to Syracuse. The Chiefs head to Columbus for a 5 game series tomorrow. They will make up Monday's rainout Saturday with a doubleheader.

The Chiefs

2007-06-08T14:16:00.001-07:00

Well here marks the beginning of my new blogging adventures. What I intend to do (time pending) is to keep a game by game blog on the Syracuse Chiefs, as well as include random articles/commentary of the team. Wish me luck, we could be in for a long ride.