Thursday Pebble Report: Bruce Billings is Going All Ubaldo on the Texas League

AAA Colorado Springs, W 8-7  (24-28, 3rd, 3.0 GB)

Josh Muecke (2010 MiLB FA) got his first win as a member of the Rockies organization by allowing just two walks, three singles and a solo home run by Cole Gillespie in eight innings.  The Sky Sox got Muecke all he needed in the first four innings, score all of their eight runs before the halfway point of the game.  Matt Miller (2004, 13th round) homered in the first for their first two runs.  Travis Metcalf (2010 MiLB FA) tripled in a run in the second and scored on a squeeze play.  Michael McKenry (2006, 7th round) drove in two in the third with a single and Chris Nelson (2004, 1st round) scored Cole Garner (2003, 26th round), who had doubled, on a sac fly in the fourth.

Doing his best to jinx me, Juan Rincon (2009 MiLB FA) walked all four batters he faced in the ninth.  I withdraw my comment about Escalona/Rincon.  Andrew Johnston (2005, 9th round) relieved Rincon, allowed two singles, two sac flies and two runs of his own.  The grotesque recipe resulted in a 6-run ninth, leaving the Sky Sox one run in front at game's end.  McKenry, Miller, Garner and Metcalf each had two hits.  Dexter Fowler (2004, 14th round) was 0-for-5, meaning Dex is hitless in his last seven PA after reaching base in all of his previous nine.

AA Tulsa, W 2-0 - (21-29, 3rd, 9.0 GB)

As impressive as Ubaldo Jimenez has been, he doesn't own the organization's longest scoreless innings streak.  That belongs to Bruce Billings (2007, 30th round), who extended his streak to 31.1 IP after tossing seven scoreless innings.  Billings struck out seven, walked two and allowed two singles to the Midland Rock Hounds (Athletics).  His scoreless innings streak stretches over five games, a span in which he has allowed just one extra base hit.  At age 24, this is Billings' first season at AA.

Wilin Rosario (2007 DR) struck out in two of his three at-bats, but he made the other one count, launching a two run home run for the only runs of the game.  Charles Blackmon (2008, 2nd round) played in his second game of the season, going 0-for-4 with a stolen base.

Single-A recaps after the jump.

The Nuts were off on Wednesday.  Dan Houston (2-4, 5.89) (2008, 7th round) will take the mound tonight against the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) in Modesto.

Low-A Asheville, W 5-2 -  (23-29, 5th, 9 GB)

Nicholas Schnaitmann (2008, 22nd round) improved upon his last outing but still allowed eight hits and two runs in 5.1 IP, including two doubles and two triples.  On the offensive side, Eliezer Mesa (2008, DR) led off the game with his second home run of the season.  After a single from Avery Barnes (2009, 11th round) and ground-rule double by Nolan Arenado (2009, 2nd round), sixteen consecutive Tourists came up empty at the plate.  The spell was broken by Barnes, who tripled with two outs in the sixth inning.  Arenado singled to tie the game.  Barnes would add his second triple in the eighth inning, driving in three on one swing for the final run disparity.

For those of you that have twitter, I highly recommend you follow Mike Newman, who lives in Georgia and scouts the South Atlantic League.  He was at the Tourists games the last two nights, and here are some tweets he relayed:

• #Rockies Nolan Arenado at .381/420/.548 to start his "Sally" career. He turned 19 about a month and a half ago. Pretty impressive.
• Will be shooting plenty of video of him and Matzek. Not much to watch on that team other than the two of them.
• Had to come out for Nolan Arenado. Matzek in the stands with the radar gun. #Rockies
• Looks like Matzek goes Thursday in Savannah. I'l be there with bells on whatever that means. #Rockies
• Arenado's swing is built for lift. He really works his pull hand.
• #Rockies Arenado with a 390 Foot fly ball to straight away CF. Not often you see a guy this young show game power.
• #Rockies Nolan Arenado gets his hands extended on a double into the L-CF gap. Good, natural lift.
• Arenado's bat will have to carry him. He's not particularly athletic.
• Just booted a routine 5-4-3. RT @mikedeeez: @ScoutingtheSAL How athletic is Arenado? Will he be able to stay at 3rd?
• Arenado bounces one off the plate his first at bat. First impression is he will have a tough time at 3B.
• #Rockies Elizier Mesa is old for the Sally, but he's having a monster year and st smoked a leadoff HR.
• When Arenado makes hard contact, the crack of the bat makes a different sound than other guys at this level. #Rockies