Minor League Long Weekend Update: 4/18/06

Lots of baseball to catch up on over the holiday weekend...minor leagues first, major league recap to follow (mid-day Tuesday at the earliest, I'm behind I know...). All stats below are from the games played from Friday night to Monday night:

AAA Scranton-WB

• Danny Sandoval: 2-6, 2B, RBI, E
• Carlos Ruiz: 6-12, HR, RBI, 2 2B, 4 R, 2 K
• Chris Coste: 3-15, RBI, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, CS
• Chris Roberson: 4-15, RBI, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 K, 2 E
• Josh Kroeger: 4-15, 3 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, BB, 5 K, E
• Brennan King: 2-8, HR, 2 RBI, R, 2 K
  

Carlos Ruiz had a great long weekend, if he is healthy behind the plate (big if) then he is a better option than Sal Fasano as this team's backup catcher...Good to see King back into the lineup, even better after his Monday night homer...

• Eude Brito: 5 IP 4 H 3 R 0 ER 2 BB 1 K
• Brian Sanches (L, 1-1): 1 IP 1 H 2 ER 2 BB 0 K
• Travis Minix: 3 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 2 K
• Ryan Cameron (S, 2): 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K
• Yoel Hernandez (S, 3): 1 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 1 K
  

Five potential bullpen candidates all pitched this weekend for the Barons in an open tryout for future jobs with the big club...they all passed, but Sanches...good weekend as a whole for the pen...

The Other Guys (Mets)

• Lastings Milledge: 6-14, HR, 2 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K, SB, CS
  
• Jeff Keppinger: 4-13, 3 R, RBI, BB, K
• Kaz Matsui: 2-8, 2B, R, 2 K

I think I'll try to highlight a couple players from the opposition each night...when I remember to do so anyway...Milledge is the Mets top positition player in the system...Keppinger is a big personal favorite of mine, I think he should have been given a fair shot at the second base job with the big club out of spring training...Matsui is trying to work his way back up and into the good graces of management...

• Jose Lima (L, 1-2): 4 IP 11 H 9 ER 1 BB 6 K (8.40 ERA)
  
• Heath Bell (S, 2): 2 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 2 K

Bell is another personal favorite, he needs to be in a big league bullpen somewhere NOW...Lima gets a mention because it's always Lima-Time where I come from...

AA - Reading

• Michael Bourn: 2-9, R, BB, 2 K, SB
  
• Tim Moss: 4-12, 3B, 2 R, K, E, SB, CS
  
• Angel Chavez: 4-8, HR, RBI, 2 R, K
• Bryan Hansen: 2-9, 2B, RBI
  
• Jason Jaramillo 0-6, 3 BB, 2 K, CS
  

Tim Moss got a hit...we can all breath a sigh of relief for the poor guy now...

• Scott Mathieson: 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 1 BB 5 K
  

The Other Guys (Giants)

• Eddy Martinez-Esteve: 1-5

Not a particular eventful night for the former Florida State Seminole, but EME is a player worth watching...he has a bat nearly ready for the big leagues, but can't play defense worth a lick...he is currently trying his best to fake his way through leftfield, but this guy has DH written all over him...

High A - Clearwater

• Mike Costanzo: 1-8, BB, 2 K
• Brad Harman: 1-8, RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 R, SB, E
  

• Chris Booker: 4 IP 5 H 3 ER 0 BB 7 K
• Julio De La Cruz: 3 IP 8 H 8 R 6 ER 4 BB 2 K
  
• Cole Hamels (L, 1-1): 4.2 IP 7 H 4 R 3 ER 2 BB 8 K
  

Hamels had his first subpar start out of three this season...8 strikeouts in less than five innings is a definite silver lining to an otherwise disappointing start out of the ace in waiting...What is going on with Chris Booker? The high K rate is still there, but he has been hit around a bit by A-ball players...we'll give him the benefit of the doubt since he is technically rehabbing an injury, but his performance bears watching - another bad outing or two and the Nationals may not even want the guy back...

The Other Guys (Reds)

Homer Bailey (W, 1-2): 5 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 5 K

Bailey is the Reds' top pitching prospect...he has matched up two times against Hamels already this season...they've split the two games and have both pitched well in the early going...

Low A - Lakewood

• Greg Golson: 1-8, R, 3 K
• Louis Marson: 1-3, R
• Tim Kennelly: 3-7, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K
• Welinson Baez: 1-2, RBI
  

For as long as I do this in the early part of the season, Lakewood is going to get the shaft when it comes to this recaps...I run out of things to comment on by the time I get to Low A ball...maybe there is something to say about the pitching, let's check...

• Carlos Carrasco (L, 0-2): 6 IP 7 H 2 R 1 ER 2 BB 7 K
• Scott Mitchinson: 2 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 2 K
• Josh Outman: 4 IP 6 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K
• Maximino De La Cruz: 5 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 2 K
• Andy Barb (W, 1-1): 4 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K

...not much here either...I'll avoid the obvious Outman joke that should be made after his weekend struggles...Andy Barb has reportedly looked excellent out of the pen and his numbers seem to back it up...he is a young, interesting relief prospect in a organization that really ought to realize the value in developing young, interesting pitchers and sticking them into big league relief roles...

The Other Guys (Orioles)

• Brandon Snyder: 3-12, HR, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 R, 4 K

Snyder was a first rounder of the Orioles last year...he's a catcher, he can hit, he's out of high school and doing well in Low A already...who out there is jealous?