Indianapolis was off for the first day of the International League All-Star Break. So #Martewatch is on hold for a few days.
AA Altoona | Altoona 3 Binghamton 2
Stefan Welch and Brock Holt hit RBI singles in the ninth inning to push the Curve to a come-from-behind victory. Welch and Holt both entered the game as replacements and made the most of their limited time. After one out, pinch hitter Matt Curry and Jarek Cunningham both walked, and Welch followed with a single to score Curry and then Holt plated Cunningham with the walkoff hit. There wasn't a whole lot of other offense to speak of in this contest, although Robbie Grossman did smash his seventh home run of the season in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Oscar Tejeda had two hits, and starting pitcher Phil Irwin doubled. Irwin continues to round into form after missing the first month and a half of 2012. Irwin hurled six strong innings, giving up five hits, one run, three walks and four strkeouts to lower his ERA to 3.93. But Kris Harvey gave up a run in the eighth that inched Binghamton ahead, while former Florida Marlin Logan Kensing pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his first win of the season.
A West Virginia |
West Virginia was also off today.
A Bradenton | St. Lucie 4 Bradenton 1
The Marauders were shut down by St. Lucie pitcher Yohan Almonte, whose six innings of one-run ball lowered his ERA to a microscopic 6.08 on the season. Five of the team's seven hits came from the first three batters in the order: Dan Grovatt tripled, Gift Ngoepe went 2-for-4 and Mel Rojas Jr. doubled and singled in his four at bats. Casey Sadler pitched an alright game for the Marauders. He allowed two earned runs, five hits, two walks and four strikeouts in five innings. In five starts since moving into the rotation, Sadler has only allowed six earned runs in 20 innings. Quinton Miller gave up a run on five hits in three innings of relief. He did strike out three. After a brutal first three months of the season, Miller has given up only two earned runs in his last 10.1 innings since June 25.
A State College | Vermont 2 State College 1
State College's multi-year problem of offensive ineptitude appears to be roaring back, as the Spikes have only scored nine runs in their last four games. The offense only mustered five hits tonight, two of them coming from three-year team veteran Walker Gourley. Ryan Hornback and Jacob Stallings each doubled and walked for the Spikes, and Hornback scored the team's only run. Hornback has been one of State College's lone consistent hitters in the young season. His average on the season is up to .306 and his OPS is .752. On the bright side, Jason Creasy rode the coattails of Luis Heredia and Clay Holmes with another good pitching performance for the Spikes. Creasy allowed a lone run in five innings, and gave up five hits without walking a batter. He only whiffed one, but it was the 2011 eighth-round pick's best start of the season and lowered his ERA to 4.29. Emmanuel De Leon struck out four in two innings without giving up a run, but Logan Pevny gave up the tie-breaking run in the eighth and was saddled with the loss.
Quick note: Stetson Allie homered for the second consecutive game in the GCL, although those were his first two home runs of the season and he's only hitting .208 with a .730 OPS and 21 strikeouts in his first 53 at bats. But he's also walked nine times. Allie's conversion to hitting will certainly be a project for the Pirates' developmental staff and there have been mixed results in the very early going, but it's going to have to be a patient process. It'll be interesting to see Allie's progress the rest of 2012 and to see where he will start the 2013 season (most likely West Virginia).