Thursday Pebble Report:

by Rox Girl on Jul 31, 2008 9:08 AM MDT in Pebble Report

My latest farm report takes a brief look at what's been happening at the minor league level of our divisional competition this season. A surge of talent on San Francisco's farm should help them catch up starting around 2011, while the Padres and D-backs might be in a tricky spot by that point. The Dodgers, outside of Clayton Kershaw, have really had a slow season on the farm, but they have some talent so it's not easy to discount their ability to come up with some blue-chippers from among their personnel in the next couple of seasons.

Some ugly performances by a trio of our better RHP prospects at the A level helped make watching the Rockies minor leaguers kind of a downer last night. One solid performance by our best LHP prospect almost made up for it.

Colorado Springs: W 5-2

Franklin Morales continues to improve, he pitched seven strong innings, allowing just five hits and striking out eight. The Sky Sox had to go to twelve innings to beat Iowa, however, using a squeeze bunt by Doug Bernier to score Mike McCoy and a double by Christian Colonel to score Bernier to highlight a three run rally. McCoy finished with three hits, Colonel and Bernier, as well as Joe Koshansky and Matt Miller, each had two hits apiece.

Tulsa: L 1-11

Brandon Hynick's first five innigns went alright, just a pair of runs given up on three hits, but his last inning and a third saw the wheels fall off the bus. Hynick gave up five more runs, three in the fifth, two more when Darren Clarke failed to dispose of a pair of inherited runners in the seventh, for a total of seven runs charged to him in this rout. Two more homeruns were added to his minor league leading total of 27 allowed this season. Justin Nelson was the only Driller with two hits, one of them a triple.

Modesto: L 8-10

Aneury Rodriguez gave up nine runs in his three and a third innings for the Nuts yesterday, as Stockton rapped out nine hits, including three for extra bases and two walks off of him in his worst start of the season. Kane Simmons hit his first Modesto homerun and Jay Cox his seventh in the loss. Cox also tripled and had three hits overall. Chris Nelson's rehab stint continues, but so far even a return to the site of his 2007 breakout season hasn't helped to jump start his bat, Nelson has one hit in six AB's thus far with Modesto.

Asheville: L 5-6

Connor Graham also lasted just three and a third innings this time out, and clearly had a case of the yips (hopefully only temporary), walking seven in that short stint. The Tourists offense and bullpen kept it close, however, as Michael Mitchell and Lars Davis each had a double and single and scored three of the Tourists five runs. Darin Holcomb singled and walked and scored the other pair. Bo Bowman singled and walked and stole three bases. Edgmer Escalona pitched three and two thirds innings in relief of Graham and gave up one run on four hits. Ethan Katz had a perfect eighth, but after the Tourists scored a run to tie the game at five in the ninth, Matt Reynolds came on and gave up a lead off, walk off homerun to Austin Krum in the bottom of the ninth to take the loss.

Tri-City: Off

Casper: L 5-6

Lefthander Edwar Cabrera, whom I had written glowingly about earlier this season for his work in the DSL pitched in his second stateside game last night and started to show some of the dominance that earned him a rare midseason bump to Casper. Cabrera pitched two and a third innings in relief of Matt Baugh and struck out five, giving up one run on three hits and a walk. While he's gotten hit a little in his two Ghost appearances thus far, the 8/2 K/BB ratio and 4/1 GO/AO rate are showing some of what he could be capable of. Baugh, meanwhile, continues to shine as well, throwing five innings and giving up just two hits while striking out six.

Kurt Yacko blew his first save of the season, and he did it twice. First he allowed a game tying homerun in the bottom of the ninth and then after the Ghosts had retaken the lead when James Cesario scored on an error after doubling in the top of the tenth, Yacko allowed two more runs (with plenty of help from some bad defense) in the bottom half.

While Wilin Rosario has been praised by scouts for his catch and throw skills, his glovework behind the plate apparently still needs quite a bit of work. Rosario was charged with his fifth passed ball of the season in allowing the first tenth inning run to score, and I'm told he could have been charged with a few more this season that have been scored as wild pitches. Rosario did have two more hits last night, Cesario collected three, and Zack Murry and Carlos Martinez both also had a pair of hits each.

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Cesario and Delta Cleary

Just recently signed with the Rockies. The Cleary signing in particular excites me, as he could be a Chone Figgins type of player down the road.

by Rox Girl on Jul 31, 2008 9:13 AM MDT reply actions

Morales = Rockies 5th starter?

Could Morales’s performance in the last two games make O’Dowd back his finger off the trigger for a deal for a 5th starter? I would have to guess that it at least gives him more leverage, to be able to step away from the table in an opposing GM asks for too much in return.

by RockyMtnRedbird on Jul 31, 2008 9:41 AM MDT reply actions

Many of us

have been asking the Rox to be patient w/ Morales and not want to throw him in a deal or give up on his chances of being a prospect. I hope he does turn it around and give us some help down the stretch as he did last year. I’m afraid this year is probably out of reach at this point, but I would like to hang on to some of thes guys and come into next year w/ a strong rotation and a new CFer.

by smokinRox on Jul 31, 2008 9:53 AM MDT up reply actions

Yes

Morales was too good a prospect before to sell low on. He might not get things straightened out. It happens. But the Rockies have to give it a shot to find out.

Now…is he ready NOW? Would he be better than Rusch or DLR or Francis? Well, Francis will be given all opportunity to rebound. So that leaves the other 2. Personally I’d leave Morales in AAA for a few more starts where bright lights shine less brightly, and its actually a place where mistakes and development should take place , and bring him up the first of Sept. when rosters expand

Thought Clint Hurdle should be fired before it was cool.

by Redhawk on Jul 31, 2008 10:47 AM MDT up reply actions

Agreed

Assuming Francis comes back soon and JDLR continues on the right path, I think Rusch can hold down the # 5 spot. Of course that’s assuming a lot.

Morales’s basic lines for his last two starts have looked decent:

last night: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 8 K, 2 BB
July 25th: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5K, 4 BB

but it would appear that he’s still having an issue finding the strike zone:

last night: 113 pitches (67 S, 46 B), 2 WP each scoring a run, 1 HBP
July 25th: 113 pitches (64 S, 49 B)

In yesterday’s start alone, he only walked 2, but went to 3 ball counts on six other batters. Heck, he had 3-ball counts on 4 of his 8 K victims. That’s walking a fine line between an impressive 2 BB/8 K and very unimpressive 6 BB/4 K.

I guess you could describe him as effectively wild. Unfortunately, I don’t think that will translate in the bigs.

by RockyMtnRedbird on Jul 31, 2008 1:38 PM MDT up reply actions

+1

by onholliday on Jul 31, 2008 1:41 PM MDT up reply actions

Good Post

And I agree that he’s not ready yet, but at least there are signs of life now. I’m not sure he would have been able to make the big pitch when he needed to earlier this year and probably would have ended with that 6BB/4 K line. At this point, he’s much closer to the player we had a year ago- Solid numbers, huge potential, but inconsistent control and still young (22) and raw.

BTW, does anyone know how has velocity has been the last few starts? The last I heard was a comment that it was “coming back” but no specifics.

by mattrob on Jul 31, 2008 4:11 PM MDT up reply actions