Tuesday Pebble Report: Uncomfortable Truths Emerging at Asheville

Colorado Springs: W 11-6

Outside of Michael McCoy's three hits, it's hard to tell where the Sky Sox got enough offense to generate eleven runs, but they must have taken a cue from the way the Pirates roughed up the Rockies on Sunday and realized that sometimes if you string together a bunch of hits and walks and poor defense and one reach on a strikeout in one really big inning, it makes up for eight other innings of otherwise mediocre offense. For the Sky Sox, an eight run eighth was the key. This is how it went down:

• Matt Miller singles on a ground ball to center fielder Jose Duarte.
  
• Daniel Ortmeier walks. Matt Miller to 2nd.
  
• Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Chris Frey replaces Daniel Ortmeier.
  
• Kenny Perez walks. Matt Miller to 3rd. Chris Frey to 2nd.
  
• Coaching visit to mound.
  
• Mark Bellhorn singles on a line drive to right fielder Cory Aldridge. Matt Miller scores. Chris Frey to 3rd. Kenny Perez to 2nd.
  
• With Sal Fasano batting, wild pitch by Carlos Rosa, Chris Frey scores. Kenny Perez to 3rd. Mark Bellhorn to 2nd.
  
• Sal Fasano strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Carlos Rosa. Kenny Perez scores. Mark Bellhorn to 3rd. Sal Fasano to 1st.
  
• With Jonathan Herrera batting, Sal Fasano advances to 2nd on defensive indifference.
  
• Jonathan Herrera walks.
  
• Pitcher Change: Dusty Hughes replaces Carlos Rosa.
  
• Eric YoungJr. walks. Mark Bellhorn scores. Sal Fasano to 3rd. Jonathan Herrera to 2nd.
  
• Mike McCoy singles on a line drive to center fielder Jose Duarte. Sal Fasano scores. Jonathan Herrera scores. Eric YoungJr. Mike McCoy to 3rd. Throwing error by center fielder Jose Duarte.
  
• Carlos Gonzalez called out on strikes.
  
• Matt Miller flies out to right fielder Cory Aldridge.
  
• With Chris Frey batting, wild pitch by Dusty Hughes, Mike McCoy scores.
  
• Chris Frey singles on a fly ball to left fielder Tommy Murphy.
  
• Kenny Perez grounds into a force out, third baseman Travis Metcalf to second baseman Tug Hulett. Chris Frey out at 2nd.
  

Tulsa: L 1-3

Tulsa's lone run was scored off of a Ryan Harvey solo home run. Xavier Cedeno pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Andrew Graham and now has a 0.69 ERA in 13 IP in the month of May. Cedeno's getting some luck on BABIP (.229) this month, but he's definitely more the pitcher I imagined he'd be than he looked in his pretty rough April. Graham, Cedeno and the third Drillers pitcher last night, Austin Chambliss, all seem like legitimate middle relief candidates for the Rockies somewhere down the road.

Modesto: W 8-6

The top of the Nuts lineup was a finely honed machine as Charlie Blackmon (two hits and an HBP) and Maikol Gonzalez (two hits, two walks) reached safely in seven out of ten plate appearances, scoring three times and driving in three. Gonzalez also stole his fifth base of the season, the second successful steal in as many days and as many attempts as Modesto runners have had off of Buster Posey, leaving me hopeful that when the Giants top catching prospect does reach the MLB that Dexter Fowler and EY2 could exploit his arm.

Bruce Billings git hit pretty hard the second time through the San Jose lineup, allowing just six hits in five innings, but all six were from the fourth inning on and four of the six were for extra bases, including a three run Posey home run. Billings left giving up five runs in the contest.

Asheville: L 6-12, L 0-4

On Friday I suggested that it was too early to say whether Delta Cleary's poor batting line was an actual indictment of where he is as a prospect or just a small sample size pushing the numbers down artificially. Going zero for eight since then has certainly pushed it more toward the "actual indictment" end of that scale. With Cleary, Tyler Massey and Carlos Martinez all struggling, and Scott Robinson and David Christensen hitting only decently with significant reservations, it's becoming apparent that the Rockies youngest position prospects are lagging behind their generational peers from other organizations at this stage. With few solid pitching prospects under legal drinking age as well, the organization could find itself in real trouble in a few seasons if Cleary, Massey and company don't start to catch up. Let's hope the draft and short season leagues bring us some better news on this front than the SAL season has to date.

The resumption of the May 16th suspended game did not go well for Michael Marbry, who tried to pick up where Parker Frazier (the one decent under 21 pitcher throwing for the Rockies right now) left off in the fourth inning on Saturday. Marbry allowed six runs (no help from reliever Jonathan Aristil, who allowed both inherited runners to score) and took the loss in an inning and two thirds of work. Robinson, Kiel Roling and Thomas Field each supplied three hits for the Tourists offense in that game.

Christian Friedrich (21 and still a solid prospect, don't worry about him) pitched in the regularly scheduled game, giving up three runs (two earned) off of five hits and three walks. The one extra base hit he allowed was a double to Augusta's designated lefty killer Juan Perez. Looking at Perez's numbers leaves me confident that Maikol Gonzalez is clearly a superior prospect. Ha-ha, we have a better prospect than the Giants for our future utility right-handed bench player.

What? You say that them having better prospects at every other position right now with the exception of maybe shortstop and late inning relief trumps that? You clearly do not understand the importance of the utility righty bench bat, my friends.