Thursday Pebble Report: Chacin whirls a gem, Cubs have no mercy on Sky Sox pitchers and infielder on the mound
by Andrew T. Fisher on May 14, 2009 7:57 AM MDT
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Jhoulys Chacin (3.3, 3.23) had his best start of the young season for the Tulsa Drillers. He allowed one unearned run on four hits in seven innings, all season bests. He has now allowed 2 ER or less in all but one of his eight starts - April 26 at Springfield, when he gave up seven.
AAA Colorado Springs, L 18-4 - (19-13, 1.5 GB)
The only thing worse than Rockies pitchers last night were the Sky Sox hurlers. The Springs allowed 18 runs on 25 hits in their drubbing to the Iowa Cubs, making it the second straight 20-hit game for the Cubs against the Sky Sox. Six Cubs had at least 3 hits, but the Sox threw in 3 errors for good measure, one each by Jason Hirsh, Mark Bellhorn and Matt Miller. The Cubs scored in all nine innings except the eighth, pitched by infielder Kenny Perez.
Unfortunately, a record crowd filled up Security Service Field to witness the carnage.
Jason Hirsh (3-2, 5.27) took the brunt of it with a Jason Marquis-like stat line: 4.1 IP, 8 ER, 11 hits, 2 BB. He also got picked off second base. Jarrett Grube allowed 5 runs, two earned, and IF Kenny Perez bit the bullet and mopped up the blood for 2.1 IP. He got roughed up for 5 ER on 8 hits, most of it in the ninth.
Matt Miller had a double and two singles, while Mike McCoy and Christian Colonel rapped two singles. Carlos Gonzalez raised his batting average to a season-high of .336 with a single and RBI double in 5 trips. Box Score
Kurt Birkins (0-0, 3.71) is the next to walk the plank tonight at 6:05 MDT. He'll be opposed by Jeff Samardzjia (0-0, 4.20).
AA Tulsa, W 3-2 - (17-15, 1.0 GB)
Jhoulys Chacin pitched the Drillers to the only win in the Rockies organization Wednesday against the Arkansas Travelers (Angels). Chacin allowed only one unearned run, thanks to errors committed by Jeff Kindel and Darin Holcomb in the fifth on back-to-back hitters. Andrew Johnston pitched the ninth for his tenth save, allowing one unearned run due to an error by SS Daniel Mayora.
Kindel had a bipolar day, collecting a single, double, walk and two runs at the plate but also got picked off first base and GIDP in addition to his error . Daniel Carte also had a single and double. Box Score
Tulsa will play Arkansas again tonight at 6:05MDT with Samuel Deduno (3-1, 3.68 ERA) on the hill against Tommy Mendoza (1-0, 3.18). Deduno has allowed only one run in his last two starts, both wins.
High-A Modesto, L 6-5 - (19-13, 3.5 GB)
After debuting on the PuRPs list, Bruce Billings promptly pitched his worst game of the year, allowing all six runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in a loss to the Bakersfield Blaze (Rangers). Billings also had just one punchout, the first time he has failed to reach 5 in any game this season. Randall Taylor, Sean Jarrett, and Ryan Speier kept the Blaze scoreless amidst traffic the final six innings, but the Nuts couldn't make up the six run deficit.
Charlie Blackmon collected three singles, and Jay Cox hit a 2-run HR (4) along with two singles in the losing effort. Jeffrey Cunningham also had two hits, one of them a two-out two-run triple in the seventh. Box Score
Modesto will finish the last eight innings of their suspended game due to power failure two weeks ago at Bakersfield today as the first half of a doubleheader. The regularly scheduled game will follow.
Low-A Asheville, L 7-5 - (14-18, 4.5 GB)
The Tourists allowed 3 unearned runs in their two run loss to the Rome Braves thanks to four errors. Shortstop Carlos Martinez, CF Delta Cleary and pitchers Dan Houston and Isaiah Froneberger were the culprits. Froneberger allowed three runs, two earned in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie, and despite rallying with two doubles and a walk in the ninth, the Tourists couldn't make up the difference.
Asheville's offensive support came from the bottom of the order, as Patrick Rose, Carlos Martinez and Beau Seabury were 8-for-11 with 4 2Bs and 4 RBIs. The rest of the order was 3-for-21. Box Score
Ethan Hollingsworth (1-1, 2.33) gets the call tonight against Rome's Zeke Spruill (5-0, 1.83) at 5:05 MDT.
Sad stat: Modesto was the only Rockies affiliate not to commit three errors last night.
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Errors
Good lord. That’s just crazy with all the errors. Maybe there’s some disturbing organizational news that we’re not privy to that might have affected the players, such as Dinger defecting to the Dodgers?
Reviews of some great baseball sites and other cool stuff on my web magazine @ The Casual Observer
"Jason Hirsh is making a good case to rejoin the maj-"
/gives up 8 runs
Matt Murton status: Freed
Garrett Atkins status: Not Traded
Clint Hurdle status: Still Employed by the Rockies
Everybody make sure to read the comments to sdbaseballfan's FanShot
For Everth Cabrera’s thoughts on Hector Gomez. Cabrera expects him to be in the MLB next season.
Also, in a chat yesterday, BA’s Ben Badler answered a Chris Friedrich question thusly:
Tyler (Harrodsburg, KY): Is Christian Friedrich the real deal, or an old man for his league playing with boys.
Ben Badler: Both. Every start he makes for Asheville surprises me.
I couldn’t agree more.
While I can guess the answer to this
Is Gomez a viable solution to 2nd base THIS year (assuming this year isn’t a write off already, and it may be). 2) Is Gomez a viable solution to 2nd next year.
Cabrera was hitting above .300 with the Padres, and he was deemed expendable by the Rockies because of all the talent in front of him. But the major leagues sees a 3rdbaseman and a utility guy splitting time at 2nd, I want to see some of this “talent”.
Cabrera
“I’ll say this: I think he will be up here in the majors next year,” Cabrera said. “He is very talented. He hit two home runs in a game this week. I talk to him a lot. He is a good friend. People say he looks like Hanley Ramirez. I say he is more like (Alfonso) Soriano. He is skinny but strong.”
/foams at the mouth
So who do I blame for Freidrich not being in Modesto or Tulsa
Matt Murton status: Freed
Garrett Atkins status: Not Traded
Clint Hurdle status: Still Employed by the Rockies
by Andrew Martin on May 14, 2009 9:58 AM MDT up reply actions
The Monforts, of course.
Staying on the sunny side of Blake Street since 1993.
The Shawn Chacon Experience - Life as a Rockies fan, one day at a time: Because we're all still recovering from those nine blown saves.
I mean whose decision is it to promote him
Dan O’Dowd’s, or someone else’s?
Matt Murton status: Freed
Garrett Atkins status: Not Traded
Clint Hurdle status: Still Employed by the Rockies
by Andrew Martin on May 14, 2009 10:03 AM MDT up reply actions
This isn't uncommon for the Rockies
If I remember right, most Rockies pitching prospects who have just blown through a level tend to stay there for half the season no matter how badly they’re beating the competition. Examples:
Jeff Francis, 2004: Strikes out 147 in 114 innings with Tulsa. 13-1, 1.97 ERA. Made 17 starts before getting called up to AAA for 7 starts.
Ubaldo Jimenez, 2005 and 2006: Good first half in Modesto (14 starts, 5-3, 3.98, 78 K in 72 IP) got him bumped to Tulsa. In 06, a great first half with Tulsa (13 starts, 9-2, 2.45 ERA, 86 K in 73 IP) got him bumped to the Springs.
Jhoulys Chacin, last year: Clowned fools at Ashville for 12 starts before he got called up.
Staying on the sunny side of Blake Street since 1993.
The Shawn Chacon Experience - Life as a Rockies fan, one day at a time: Because we're all still recovering from those nine blown saves.
by Franchise26 on May 14, 2009 10:12 AM MDT up reply actions
This is very true
I have never understood why we are so slow to move players. Are we higher on confidence than any other organization? It seems like we are too worried about ruining these guys by moving them up early. Friedrich is wasting his time in Asheville, give him some more to chew on, he’s ready.
I have been on the Gomez bandwagon since we signed him and these comparisons are making me even more excited. I would like to see him moved to Tulsa at the half way point. I think that would make him an outside possibility for 2010.
It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
I think it's just the M.O.
And it’s hard to fault an organization like the Rockies, whose only hope for pitching talent is to develop it themselves (in the sense that they aren’t going to lure big-ticket free agents), for being a little cautious with their pitching prospects.
And I don’t think it’s been injurious to the development of the three guys I listed above.
Staying on the sunny side of Blake Street since 1993.
The Shawn Chacon Experience - Life as a Rockies fan, one day at a time: Because we're all still recovering from those nine blown saves.
by Franchise26 on May 14, 2009 10:34 AM MDT up reply actions
Esp since he's a college player
If this were Random El Latino guy from the DR who we got at age 17, yeah, let him mature with his age group or whatever the excuse is.
But it’s not like we have 5 years with Friedrich. He’s a bit older, and correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the competition in the South Atlantic League not much stiffer than NCAA? I feel like we’ll stunt him by keeping him there that long.
Matt Murton status: Freed
Garrett Atkins status: Not Traded
Clint Hurdle status: Still Employed by the Rockies
by Andrew Martin on May 14, 2009 10:53 AM MDT up reply actions
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