Minor League Games - Monday, September 2, 2019

[kikutaro]

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (66-74) @ Pawtucket Red Sox (59-81) 1:05 pm | Gameday
Damon Jones (0-1, 6.62) vs. Teddy Stankiewicz (6-7, 3.85)

Final (Bottom 10)
Pawtucket 5, Lehigh Valley 4

Notable

Shane Robinson 1-3, BB
Ali Castillo 1-4, BB, K
Maikel Franco 0-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
Austin Listi 1-3, R, 2B, BB
Rob Brantly 1-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Matt McBride 1-5, 3 K
Raul Rivas 2-5, R, RBI, K, CS
Malquin Canelo 2-5, 2B, 2 K

Damon Jones 6.0 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K, game score: game_score
JD Hammer (BS, 2), 1.0 IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K
Josh Tols (L, 1-1), 1.2 IP, 1H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K

Reading Fightin Phils (80-59) @ Trenton Thunder (76-62) 1:00 pm | Gameday
Colton Eastman (1-1, 3.03) vs. Nick Green (3-4, 7.08)

Final (Bottom 9)
Trenton 8, Reading 7

Notable

Luke Williams 1-4, 2 R, BB, K, 3 SB
Cornelius Randolph 2-5, 2 R, RBI, HR, K
Alec Bohm 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, K
Josh Stephen 2-4, RBI, K
Nick Maton 1-3, 2B, BB
Arquimedes Gamboa 1-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
Henri Lartigue 0-4, 2 K

Colton Eastman 4.0 IP, 6H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 0K, game score: game_score
Garrett Cleavinger (L, 3-2), 0.1 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 0K

Clearwater Threshers - Off

Lakewood BlueClaws (58-80) @ Hagerstown Suns (65-75) 2:05 pm | Gameday
Manuel Silva (6-6, 3.61) vs. N/A

Final (Bottom 9)
Lakewood 10, Hagerstown 5

Notable

Cole Stobbe 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Malvin Matos 1-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K
Carlos De La Cruz 1-5, R, 2B, 2 K
Luis Garcia 0-5, 2 K
McCarthy Tatum 1-4, 2B, K
Seth Lancaster 1-3, 2 R, BB, K
Ben Pelletier 3-4, 3 R, RBI, HR, K
Juan Aparicio 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2 2B

Manuel Silva 4.0 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 3K, game score: game_score
Josh Hendrickson (W, 1-1), 3.0 IP, 4H, 4R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K

State College Spikes (39-36) @ Williamsport Crosscutters (32-43) 1:05 pm | Gameday
Junior Gonzalez (3-6, 6.50) vs. Leonel Aponte (3-1, 3.30)

Final: Tied (Middle 9)
State College 3, Williamsport 3

Notable

Johan Rojas 1-4, R, 2 K, SB
Jake Holmes 2-4, R, SB
Rudy Rott 2-4, R, RBI, K
Corbin Williams 0-3, 2 K

Leonel Aponte 2.0 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 2K, game score: game_score
Rafael Carvajal 4.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 6K
Hsin-Chieh Lin 3.0 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 7K

GCL Phillies East - Off

GCL Phillies West - Off

DSL Phillies Red - Off

DSL Phillies White - Off

(click on the start time for box scores)

[BostonRoss]

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched Maikel Franco in a minor league game.

[BostonRoss]

...and he strikes out on three pitches.

[BostonRoss]

Walkoff loss in Pawtucket for the IronPigs. Cole Sturgeon hit his third homer of the day to win it. Too bad Boston hadn’t called him up.

I know it was the last game, but the Pigs didn’t seem too inspired. I thought some of them could have hustled more.

Josh Tols took the loss. He featured 87 mph fastballs and 66 mph curveballs that completely befuddled the PawSox (until the last one).

Damon Jones isn’t really a prospect, but he pitched pretty well.

The Pigs got lucky when a pop fly dropped in front of the right fielder and the ump called the infield fly. It looked like a hit all the way to me.

Random was 0 for 4 with a bases loaded walk (after he swung at ball four on the 3-0 pitch). He also made a bad decision on a slow chopper when he tried to get the force at second instead of taking the sure out at first. He seemed kind of demoralized to me.

Only one more season of baseball in Pawtucket.

[Austinfan]

Why isn't Jones a prospect?

[LoneStarPhan]

I see Hammer had an earlier blown save before the 10 th inning walk off. Hammer ERA now 12.85 in AAA.

[BostonRoss]

I guess I was too harsh on Jones, who was listed in the 10-20 range earlier this season before his promotion to AAA. He hadn’t pitched well before yesterday at that level, and he’s 24. Not old but not that young either. If he starts next season well, I could see him promoted to the big club sometime in 2020–he is a lefty after all. But is anybody talking about him as a starter in next year’s questionable rotation?

[BostonRoss]

Yes, after the Pigs took the lead on Brantley‘s homer, Hammer gave up Sturgeon’s second homer.

[andyb]

Hard to tell on Jones. His velocity ticked up this year which helped him blow through the lower minors where he was way too old. AAA can be an adjustment with the new baseballs, but it also could be a sign his offspeed pitches need work. It is very possible he'll be more of a bullpen candidate where his velocity plays up and he could focus on his slider (which is decent) as a second pitch and ignore his change (which is less good).

Age helped him breeze through the lower minors but is less of a factor in AAA where the question is more whether his control and secondary stuff are good enough to be in a rotation (likely 4th starter type) or whether they are better challenged into a high leverage lefty relief role.

[BostonRoss]

I’m realizing that is the first game I ever saw where two runners who started the inning at second base scored.

[BostonRoss]

Jones was hitting 93-94 yesterday.