Thursday Pebble Report: Tyler Matzek Demoted To Asheville

The big prospect news of the day wasn't actually anything that happened on the baseball diamond. Rather it was the Rockies' decision to demote Tyler Matzek from Modesto to Low-A Asheville. After two months of stalled, even declining, progress, Matzek will rejoin the team he began his professional career with in 2010. There he will look to regain his confidence on the mound and work against less-experienced hitters. He will be there with another young pitcher in Peter Tago, who, as you will read below, is trying to figure thing out as he starts his pro career.

Colorado Springs, W 7-2
Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 19 games with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Cole Garner put a ball over the wall in the second inning for two runs, his second homer of the season. Josh Fields, very much still with the Rockies, went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two RBI. Brad Emaus tripled for his only hit.

Billy Buckner went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. Bruce Billings relieved him, allowed one of his inherited runners to score, but that was the last Fresno run. He struck out three. Rex Brothers allowed a hit but nothing else in his inning of work.

Tulsa, W 7-6 (10 innings)
The Tulsa Drillers picked up an extra-inning victory, but they needed a defensive miscue from Midland to pull it off. Jimmy Cesario and Mike Mitchell both struck out swinging to start the bottom of the 10th. But Thomas Field and Tim Wheeler worked back-to-back walks. Hector Gomez then hit a ball to the outfield, which the right fielder failed to come up with cleanly, allowing Field to score.

Despite the strikeout in the 10th, Jimmy Cesario went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Ben Paulsen added two hits and three RBI. Wheeler worked two walks (the other an IBB) in the game, was hit by a pitch, and stole his 10th base. Scott Beerer picked up two hits, scored twice and swiped his 8th base.

Cory Riordan struck out five and allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings. Adam Jorgenson gave up two of his three runs on a Jermaine Mitchell homer in the ninth. Casey Weathers picked up his first victory of the season and struck out two.

Modesto, L 3-8
Nicholas Schnaitmann, starting in place of Matzek, allowed six runs in four innings, two scored as inherited runners off of Alan DeRatt. Schnaitmann walked five. DH Scott Robinson tripled, and Delta Cleary drove in two runs and stole his 15th base.

Asheville, L 6-13
Augusta got to Peter Tago early, tagging him for four runs (three earned). The GreenJackets benefited from Tago's five walks (he struck out three). Josh Hungerman relieved Tago with the bases loaded in the third inning and worked out of the jam, but he would allow three runs of his own over the next two innings.

Rafael Ortega picked up three hits in the nine-hole, while Russell Wilson continued to struggle, striking out in three of his four at-bats.

DSL Rockies, L 2-4
The DSL Twins pitching staff kept the Rockies to just three hits. The Rockies scored their two runs in the eighth inning: back-to-back walks started the inning and then the Twins failed to field and throw the ball properly, allowing one run to score. The other run crossed the plate on a Wilson Soriano ground out.

18-year-old Raul Hernandez allowed one unearned run on three hits and two walks through 4.2 innings, striking out five as well. Three of the four runs scored by the Twins were unearned as the defense committed five errors.