Recent Transactions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.