Yesterday was a complete write-off for me because I was under weather thanks to a case of (probably) food poisoning. Fear not as I’m back with the recap of yesterday’s minor league action (and the one game from Tuesday) as well as a preview of what’s going on today.
The only Tuesday game in the minors for the Blue Jays (thanks to some inclement weather) was the Dunedin Blue Jays who won their 10th game of the year, 10-3 over the Daytona Cubs. Casey Janssen started and threw a scoreless inning although reports by Chris King and radio followers had him topping out at 87 mph. Taylor Cole continued his strong start to the season, striking out seven in six innings and giving up two runs. Toronto boy Marcus Knecht hit his first home run of the year for the offense and Jorge “Mighty Mouse” Flores went 2/3 with a double. K.C. Hobson and Dwight Smith each drove in three runs.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Marcus Knecht and Taylor Cole
On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bisons got another outstanding start from Marcus Stroman who threw five and a third innings of five-hit, shutout ball, striking out nine batters in a Bisons 8-2 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Mickey Storey gave up the two runs while both Chad Jenkins and Bobby Korecky put zeroes up on the board. On offense, Steven Tolleson (2/4, 3B, RBI), Juan Francisco (2/5, 2B, 3 RBI) and Dan Johnson (3/5, 2 2B, RBI) had big games but everyone in the lineup had at least one hit including Erik Kratz who made his first start for the Bisons. The only sad part of the win in Buffalo was that the Bisons beat up on Chris Leroux who hails from Montreal.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Marcus Stroman
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats were “colded out” of their game on Wednesday but the Dunedin Blue Jays kept charging ahead with a 5-1 win over the Daytona Cubs. Jose Reyes went 0/3 with a walk and the Blue Jays maximized their offense, getting their five runs on just seven hits. Jorge “Mighty Mouse” Flores had another two hits (including another double) while Emilio Guerrero hit another home run (his second of the year). Mississauga born Dalton Pompey went 2/4 with a triple, two RBI and a stolen base to move his batting average on the young season to .348. Ben White was solid in the start (4 2/3 IP, 6H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K) and Ajay Meyer picked up the win with 2 1/3 hitless innings. Chad Girodo and Justin Jackson each contributed a perfect inning to the victory.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Dalton Pompey and Jorge Flores
The Lansing Lugnuts dropped both halves of a double-header to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. They were ahead for much of Game 1 thanks to a Matt Dean home run, three hits from D.J. Davis and three RBI from Derrick Loveless. Jairo Labourt had a rough start, giving up six runs (five were earned) on four hits and five walks in three innings although the Timber Rattlers only had four runs on the board when Brady Dragmire came in to relieve Labourt. Alberto Tirado was outstanding in his half of the piggy back, despite being a bit shaky with his control. Tirado threw three innings with two hits and three walks but struck out six batters but the game ended up 10-7 in favour of Wisconsin with Scott Silverstein taking the loss after giving up four runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: D.J. Davis and Alberto Tirado
Game 2 was an entirely different affair. The two teams combined for only eight hits and Wisconsin swept the table with a 1-0 win. Chase DeJong threw a “Bluefield-esque” type of game, going four innings and giving up just two hits with no walks and struck out four batters for his best start of the season. Adonys Cardona gave up a run on two hits in his two innings (no walks, no strikeouts) and that was enough on a night that the offense was all tapped out from Game 1. D.J. Davis had another hit but struck out twice while Santiago Nessy continued his offensive malaise with an 0/3 day that included two strikeouts.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game: Chase De Jong
April 17 Preview
Buffalo Bisons (7-3)
The Bisons have a double header today against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and send Ricky Romero to the hill in Game 1 against 35-year-old Brian Gordon. Romero has only four innings of unimpressive ball under his belt but since it’s just one start, there’s no use making too much of it. Gordon is a solid veteran and should be a good test for the Jays’ younger hitters. In Game 2 of the DH, the Bisons send Kyle Drabek up against Chase Whitley. Drabek has thrown 10 innings so far and has given up 7 runs (6 earned).
New Hampshire Fisher Cats (4-7)
The Fisher Cats play the Binghamton Mets and send Austin Bibens-Dirkx against Matthew Bowman. Bibens-Dirkx has had one great start and one not so good one this year while Bowman has given up just one run in five innings this season.
Dunedin Blue Jays (11-2)
The powerhouse Dunedin Blue Jays head to Brevard County to play the Milwaukee affiliated Manatees. They send Jesse Hernandez, the crafty righty, to the mound against 21-year-old Jorge Lopez who got hit fairly hard against the Blue Jays in his last start. While Hernandez’s numbers weren’t great against Brevard County in his only start of the season, he rebounded and ended up retiring 13 batters in a row after a shaky beginning to his outing.
Lansing Lugnuts (3-9)
The Lugnuts keep traveling in Wisconsin to take on the Beloit Snappers (Oakland A’s affiliate). Jeremy Gabryszwski was very strong in his last start, going five shutout innings against Quad Cities, changing speeds effectively and showing good command. He faces Kyle Finnegan, a 22-year-old righty who has only given up one run in 10 innings so far this season but has only struck out three batters.
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All photos are copyright Blue Jays from Away (2013-2014) and may not be used without permission.