Minors Stuff

The Herd:

Javier Castillo extended his 15-game hitting streak in dramatic fashion on Saturday, singling in the game-winning run in the Buffalo Bisons’ 2-1 win over Scranton-Wilkes/Barre before 3,429 in Alliance Bank Stadium.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Herd, matching its season best. Rain delayed the start of the game by 75 minutes.

Cory Sullivan got the Herd’s ninth-inning rally started with a lead-off single. Jesus Feliciano moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Chip Ambres struck out, Castillo drilled a 1-1 pitch up the middle to score Sullivan.

Castillo is now hitting .386 (22 for 57) with three home runs and six RBIs during the streak.
Bison starter Jonathon Niese, the International League Pitcher of the Week, did not figure in the decision. Niese went six innings, allowing eight hits but only one run on 106 pitches. Brandon Knight worked the ninth to earn his second save after Tim McNab (3-2) went two scoreless innings in relief to get the win.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/731145.html


B-Mets:


Sunday, July 12 at New Britain 1:35 pm RHP Jake Ruckle (0-1, 4.63) vs. RHP Frank Mata (1-2, 4.41)

Monday, July 13 at New Britain 12:05 pm RHP Brad Holt (0-3, 8.40) vs. RHP Cole DeVries (5-8, 2.89)

Tuesday, July 14 #EASTERN LEAGUE ALL-STAR BREAK#

Wednesday, July 15 #EASTERN LEAGUE ALL-STAR BREAK#


B-Mets right-hander Eric Brown absorbed a sixth consecutive loss, allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings as the team dropped to a 2-9 record in July. The Rock Cats scored two runs with two out in the first inning, the second coming when Juan Portes doubled down the left-field line to score Erik Lis. Lis, who'd homered in his final at-bat Friday night against Binghamton, opened the fourth inning with a solo homer for a 3-0 advantage. It was the ninth home run surrendered by Brown this season. Then in the sixth, with Luke Hughes aboard via an error, Lis knocked a ball over the right-field wall to complete the scoring.

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090712/SPORTS02/907120376/1118/sports/Sinking+B-Mets+blanked+by+Rock+Cats


Gnats

The Savannah Sand Gnats will face not one, but two Major League stars when they play the Kannapolis Intimidators in a series beginning this Monday, July 13, at Historic Grayson Stadium. The Intimidators’ lineup during the series will feature Chicago White Sox All-Star Carlos Quentin, who was a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player Award last season. The starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game will be 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon.

Colon, the sixth winningest active pitcher in all of baseball, will take the ball Tuesday at Grayson Stadium for his second rehab start since being placed on the 15-day disabled list with left knee inflammation.

The 2005 Cy Young Award winner led the American League in wins that season with 21 and was fourth in winning percentage (.714) and eighth in ERA (3.48). The Altamira, D.R. native has finished in the top-10 in the American League in wins five times and also won 20 games between leagues, going 10-4 for both Cleveland and Montreal in 2002 (as a result of a mid-season trade). Colon has won three games for the White Sox so far this season and also earned the win in his one previous rehab start, with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, throwing five innings and allowing just one run on two hits.

Joining Colon on a rehab assignment with Kannapolis will be White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin, who has been out of action since May 25 while battling plantar fasciitis. Quentin was also rehabbing with the Charlotte Knights and was hitting .353 in 17 at bats with the Knights. The California-born Quentin will start in left field for the Intimidators during the series, beginning on Monday.


Clones:


Box ScoreThe Brooklyn Cyclones (17-6) were shut out on Saturday by the Staten Island Yankees (10-13).RHP Collin McHugh (3-1) suffered the loss for the Cyclones, giving up three earned runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out four in 4.0 innings of work. RHP Michael Johnson followed McHugh and surrendered three runs in 2.0 innings. Sam Martinez (2.0 IP) and Erik Turgeon (1.0 IP) held the Yankees down over the final three innings.Brooklyn notched eight hits in the game, but went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. 2B Andy Green, RF Luis Rivera, and 1B Alex Gregory had two hits each. Gregory was 2-for-4 with two doubles.The Cyclones' next home game is on Tuesday, July 14th. That night is Asian Heritage Night at the ballpark, and the start of the (Re)Cyclones' Going Green Week. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Going Green Tote Bag, presented by National Grid.

Click here to get your tickets, or call 718-507-TIXX


K-Port:


Two big innings helped the Bristol Sox go all the way to 11 on Saturday night.

The Sox made a comeback, then broke open a close game to hang an 11-5 decision on the Kingsport Mets at Hunter Wright Stadium.

Bristol rallied from a 4-0 deficit with a five-spot in the fifth inning, then tacked on six more runs in the ninth in what had been a 5-5 ballgame.

Fireworks followed the game, but Brady Shoemaker provided some explosives of his own. The Bristol left fielder homered twice as part of a 5-for-5 performance.

Shoemaker’s first homer, a two-run job, tied the game in the fifth. His second dinger accounted for the game’s final runs and chased Kingsport pitcher Brian Needham, who had thrown well in his first two innings of work but appeared to tire in the ninth.

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9015174


Queens:

Assuming options for J.J. Putz and Billy Wagner are declined, the Mets have $41.35 million coming off the books from Delgado, Brian Schneider, Tim Redding, Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, Putz, Wagner and Ramon Castro, whose salary the Mets are paying despite his trade to the White Sox.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/07/11/2009-07-11_meet_the_mess.html?page=1#ixzz0L3BfGvJf&D



Draft:


New York Mets: Losing one's first round pick is a big disadvantage, but the Mets compounded this challenge by drafting very few noteworthy players. Steve Matz (second round) is a local product with some questions, but he still has a couple of offspeed pitches to go along with a big 6-foot-3-inch frame and a fastball that he can push into the mid 90s. Robbie Shields (third round) made many scouts take notice last summer in the Cape League, but since then he hasn't quite lived up to expectations. Playing for D-II Florida Southern his stats fell off a bit this season after he hit .348 with 9 homers as a sophomore in 2008. Darrell Ceciliani (fourth round), a junior college product out of Washington, looks like he may have some issues translating to wood bats. Damien Magnifico (fifth round) is anything but and may be unsignable and headed for reigning Junior College World Series champion Howard College. Darin Gorski (seventh round) will need to get his hulking 6-foot-4, 215 pound frame behind the ball as he currently tops out at 91 on his fastball. The Mets best pick might be Kansas State lefty Lance Hoge (36th round), who commands two decent pitches, but that says more about the Mets pathetic draft than it does about Hoge. Grade: F

http://www.withthefirstpick.net/draft-report-cards-nl-east?a=1&c=1153