Tuesday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, L 1-2 - Cory Sullivan had two hits and the RBI, but that's pretty much it for the offense. Valerio De Los Santos allowed one run on two hits and a walk in five innings. De Los Santos struck out six. In between Juan Morillo's and Steven Register's innings of relief, Josh Towers allowed a run over his two innings of relief.
Tulsa, L 2-4 & L 3-7 in 13 innings - Tulsa scored two runs in the first inning of the first game and didn't score in the remaining eight. Tony Blanco had an RBI single and Jeff Kindel hit into an RBI ground out to put the Drillers on board. The six hits the Drillers had came in two-hit nights for Blanco, Corey Wimberly, and Matt Miller. Wimberly also stole his 39th base. Xavier Cedeno allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Game 2: Springfield's catcher Matt Pagnozzi and Tulsa's catcher Brian Esposito wound up pitching multiple innings at the end of the game. Pagnozzi recorded the victory. Esposito pitched four innings and allowed four runs on two doubles in the 13th (the second one plating three). Corey Wimberly had two more hits and stole his 40th base, and Dexter Fowler recorded a hit an walked three times. Jeff Dragicevich, Justin Nelson, and Eduardo Cornejo each had multi-hit nights.
Modesto, L 4-6 - Jay Cox hit his sixth homer, a two-run shot in the second, and Mike McKenry had an RBI double in the sixth. Daniel Mayora had three hits, all singles, but nothing else to show for them. Anthony Jackson stole two bases to increase his total to 25. Keith Weiser allowed four runs on six hits in seven innings. Weiser allowed only one extra-base hit, an RBI triple.
Asheville, W 6-1 - Cory Riordan delivered one of his best starts of the season by going the distance for his seventh win. He allowed one run on six hits and three walks and struck out eight.
Everth Cabrera went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, two RBI, and three stolen bases (57). Lars Davis had two hits and an RBI, while Brian Rike drove in a run. Actually, all six runs scored in the seventh inning.
Tri-City, L 5-8 - Tri-City had a four-run third inning after Charlie Blackmon's RBI single and Josh Banda's three-run homer. Ryan Peisel drove in a run in the sixth to tie the game at five, but Boise scored three runs over the seventh and eighth innings. Juan Nicasio allowed five runs in four innings, which was followed by a scoreless inning by David Parker. Brandon Miller and Tyler trice allowed two and one runs in their appearances.
Casper, L 0-6 - Kane Simmons and Orlando Sandoval each had a double, which were two of Casper's three hits. Dan Houston allowed two runs on one hit and four walks in four innings. Kurt Yacko allowed three runs (one earned) in the eighth
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Sunday Pebble Report
Futures Game - CF Dexter Fowler and and RHPs Ryan Mattheus and Casey Weathers will appear in the Futures Game today. The game takes place at 12:30 ET on ESPN2.
Colorado Springs, W 6-5 in 10 innings - Down 3-5 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Sky Sox tied the game and eventually went on to win the game. Doug Bernier's RBI triple and Cory Sullivan's RBI single in the ninth tied the game. Ian Stewart led off the bottom of the 10th with a single, moved over to second on a sac bunt, stole third base, and then scored on an Adam Melhuse sac fly.
Jason Hirsh held Fresno to three runs in six innings, walked three, and struck out three. Outside of the two runs Juan Morillo allowed, the other relievers (Alberto Arias, Matt Daley, and Steven Register) kept the game in hand.
Tulsa, L 3-7 - Eric Young, Jr., Tony Blanco, and Eduardo Cornejo each had an RBI last night and combined for five of Tulsa's 10 hits. Corey Wimberly, playing center field, had two hits. Alan Johnson allowed five runs on nine hits (seven went for singles) in 6 2/3 innings, and Jarrett Grube allowed the other two.
Modesto - Suspended due to wet grounds. It will be completed today. The game only went three outs deep, with the first three Modesto Nuts going down in order.
Asheville - Postponed due to rain. Jason McGill has a piece on catcher Lars Davis.
Tri-City, L 5-8 - Four of the six pitchers Tri-City used wound up allowing at least a run. Starter Jonnathan Aristil allowed the first three runs in 3 2/3 innings, Rod Scurry and Brandon Miller allowed two runs each, and Carlos Luna allowed the last run. Bobby Paschal did not allow a run, as he came in to record the final out of the eighth inning. That came on a successful pickoff. Austin Chambliss pitched the ninth and didn't allow Everett to increase its lead.
Charlie Blackmon had another 3-for-5 night with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jhaysson Agustin and Leonardo Reyes each had an RBI double. Ryan Peisel collected the first two hits of his pro career, both singles.
Casper, L 4-10 - That six-run fourth inning was a killer for Ethan Hollingsworth. Two doubles, a few singles and walks, and a two-run homer came in that inning. He allowed a total of seven runs. Alan Deratt allowed one hit and walked three batters in his 1 2/3 innings, but no runs scored. Andres Marrero was charged with three runs, but two scored after Juan Rodriguez relieved him on the mound.
Wilin Rosario had three hits and an RBI and Kane Simmons had a hit and two RBI.
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Sunday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, W 10-6 - The Sky Sox win this without hitting a home run. It was a multi-RBI night for several players: Cory Sullivan and Ian Stewart (two hits) drove in two and Jayson Nix (three hits) drove in three. Two of Christian Colonel's hits were doubles. He, Doug Bernier, and Chris Frey each drove in a run. Bernier, Colonel, and Nix drove in four of those runs in the eight inning to break a 6-6 tie.
Valerio De Los Santos allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings, and Steven Register allowed a run in the top of the 8th to blow the save. He picked up the win after the already-mentioned four-run eighth by the Sky Sox.
Tulsa, L 2-4 - Tony Blanco hit his 17th homer last night and Dexter Fowler had two hits, but, with men on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, Fowler grounded out on the first pitch he saw. Xavier Cedeno allowed one run (on a homer) in five innings. He also struck out five before leaving the game as a result of back spasms. Adam Bright was charged with two runs, but they scored when Ryan Mattheus took his place on the mound. Mattheus allowed one additional run.
Modesto, L 7-10 - Six of Modesto's seven runs came by way of the home run. Daniel Mayora had two, his first two of the season, Michael McKenry had a two-run shot for his ninth, and Jason Van Kooten had one in the ninth for his second. Van Kooten and Anthony Jackson each had three hits. Modesto native Jackson sat down with Brian VanderBeek for this Sunday's interview.
Esmil Rogers allowed 10 runs (five earned) in 3 2/3 innings. Daniel Mayora had two fielding errors during those innings. Brandon Durden allowed one hit and struck out five over the next 4 1/3 innings.
Asheville, W 13-6 - It was a good night for Warren Schaeffer as he went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored, and two walks. Kevin Clark hit his 13th homer, a two-run shot (and put a big dent in the hood of his car after hitting hitting a homer during BP). Mike Mitchell and David Christensen drove in two each. Christian stole his 10th base, and Everth Cabrera his 54th.
Sheng-An Kuo allowed a grand slam in the third inning and failed to make it out of that inning. Edgmer Escalona allowed two runs over the next 4 1/3 innings, striking out five. Matt Reynolds struck out four over the final two innings.
Tri-City, W 4-1 - Parker Frazier had a no-hitter going through five innings before allowing a leadoff single to start the sixth. His line for the night: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP. Ethan Katz allowed a run in the eighth, but Austin Chambliss struck out two on his way to his seventh save in the ninth.
Leonardo Reyes hit a home run in the seventh to give the Dust Devils the lead, and Thomas Field drove in two on a single the next inning. Patrick Rose scored from second earlier in the eighth on a throwing error by the pitcher on Johnny Bowden's sac bunt.
Casper, L 2-13 - Casper hitters combined for four hits. Wilin Rosario, who had one of the hits, walked twice. Marco Duarte allowed seven runs in the first two innings of the game, only two earned. Carlos Martinez and Orlando Sandoval had errors in the five-run first inning. Brandon Walker allowed two unearned runs, Andres Marrero put three across home plate, and Juan Rodriguez allowed the other run.
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Friday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, W 5-3 - The Sky Sox scored all five runs in the fifth inning. Cory Sullivan drove one run in on a ground out; Jayson Nix hit a two-run homer (14); Ian Stewart singled and Seth Smith scored on that play after an error; and Edwin Bellorin doubled in Stewart.
Franklin Morales allowed only two runs (on a homer) over 6 2/3 innings, walked four, and struck out four. Ryan Speier allowed the other run on the way to his second save.
Tulsa, W 8-1 - Brandon Hynick went eight innings, allowed one run on five hits, walked two, and struck out one. He also drove in a run. Jeff Kindel went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Daniel Carte drove in two runs, and Dexter Fowler collected two hits and an RBI.
Modesto, W 5-2 - Aneury Rodriguez threw eight shutout innings last night for the Nuts. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out six. David Patton allowed two runs on four hits.
Jay Cox led the offense last night with a double and a homer to drive in two runs. Daniel Mayora and Mike Paulk drove in the other runs. Anthony Jackson stole his 21st base.
Asheville, W 4-3 - Despite allowing two runs in the top of the ninth, Randall Taylor saved his 24th game. Connor Graham started the game, went seven innings, and allowed one run on three hits and four walks. He struck out five.
Darin Holcomb drove in two runs on his 11th homer to reach base for the 30th consecutive game, and Brian Rike drove in a run. Everth Cabrera and Kevin Clark each walked twice, the former scoring once and the latter twice. Cabrera stole his 52nd base. Jeff Cunningham had three hits.
Tri-City, L 5-12 - Juan Nicasio was knocked around for seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, all scored in the third. Five runs of them scored on three consecutive singles. Andy Groves allowed four runs over the next three outs.
Charlie Blackmon had a two-run triple in the fifth and drove in a total of three runs. Johnny Bowden had a double and an RBI. Thomas Field went 2-for-2 with two walks.
I received some photos from someone who attended Wednesday's Tri-City game. You can check them out by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.
Christian Friedrich should make his debut on Wednesday. It also mentions that Hector Gomez had TJ surgery earlier in the week.
Casper, W 5-2 - Wilin Rosario had two doubles, one of which drove in two runs in the fifth. A run scored earlier that inning on an error. In the top of the ninth, back-to-back wild pitches scored two more runs. James Sims went 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two walks. He also stole his second base.
Dan Houston struck out eight and allowed one run on his way to a three-hit, six-inning performance. Isaiah Froneberger struck out three, as did Kurt Yacko in the bottom of the ninth.
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Sunday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, W 9-5 - A six-run third inning helped secure the victory for the Sky Sox last night. Cory Sullivan doubled in Clint Barmes (who started the inning with single), Joe Koshansky hit a two-run homer (17), pitcher Sean Smith drove in two on a single, and Barmes drove in the first of his two RBI on a single. Barmes and Rick Guarno each had three hits.
Sean Smith picked up his first win after allowing four runs in the sixth inning. He pitched 5 2/3 innings. Alberto Arias did not allow the two inherited runners to score.
Tulsa, W 8-1 - The Drillers had a big fifth inning. The scoring started when Xavier Cedeno drew a bases-loaded walk. EY Jr. followed with an RBI single before Dexter Fowler drove in two on a double. Matt Miller then singled in EY and Fowler. Tony Blanco drove in EY and Fowler in the previous inning.
Xavier Cedeno threw eight strong innings. He allowed one run on five hits.
Modesto, W 8-5 - The Nuts scored four in the fourth and three in the fifth on their way to the victory. Mike Paulk went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Mike McKenry went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Anthony Jackson went 3-for-5 and scored twice.
Aneury Rodriguez allowed two runs over five innings and struck out four. Andrew Johnston loaded the bases in the ninth, allowed one run to score, and then recorded the final out of the game.
Asheville, L 0-5 - The Tourists had five hits (Holcomb had two), but combined to strike out 14 times. Augusta starter Madison Bumgarner struck out 10.
Bruce Billings went five innings and allowed five runs, only two earned. Three errors (Warren Schaeffer, Helder Velazquez, and Lars Davis) contributed to that. Robinson Fabian, Edgmer Escalona, and Joey Williamson combined for three innings of one-hit relief.
Tri-City, W 7-1 - We have a Josh Sullivan sighting. He went three innings, allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out two. He also had a wild pitch and hit a batter. Sullivan is making his way back from tendinitis in his right elbow. Brad McAtee went four innings, allowed his opponent's one run, and struck out four in picking up the win.
In the fourth inning, Josh Banda drove in Bo Bowman who reached on a triple. In the fifth, Chad Lembeck scored on a throwing error on a force attempt and Austin Rauch scored on a sac fly. In the ninth, Austin Rauch drove in two, Leonardo Reyes singled in one, and Radames Nazario hit a sac fly.
Casper, W 9-4 - The balls were flying out of the yard last night. Outfielder Eliezer Mesa went 3-for-4 with two homers (solo and two-run) and four RBI. Wilin Rosario, last night's designated hitter, stroked two homers (two-run and solo). James Sims didn't hit his first two homers of the season as Mesa and Rosario did, but he did have his first, a two-run shot. Carlos Martinez added two hits and stolen base.
Dan Houston allowed his two runs on a two-run homer in the third inning. He went three inning and struck out three. Alan Deratt allowed two hits over the next four innings and struck out four. Andres Marrero surrendered a two-run homer in the top of the ninth.
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Tuesday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, L 5-6 - Seth Smith had his ninth home run, a two-run shot in the first, and Cory Sullivan had his fourth, a three-run homer in the fifth. Sean Smith threw seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball. Both runs were off solo shots. Juan Morillo allowed a run in the eighth, but it was Matt Daley who blew the game in the ninth. He allowed three runs on four singles and two walks.
Tulsa, W 6-3 - As mentioned during the game thread, Dexter Fowler had two doubles last night to increase his total to 20 on the season. His two RBI scored on the second one. Matt Miller went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Eric Young Jr. had two hits, and Daniel Carte stole his fourth base.
Xavier Cedeno turned in a solid 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks. Ryan Mattheus struck out two on his way to his 10th save. The Drillers turned four double plays (five if you include a play in the eighth, according to the Tulsa World).
Modesto, L 2-6 - Jason Van Kooten collected three of Modesto seven hits last night. All seven were singles. Van Kooten had two errors on the same play in the first inning. Aneury Rodriguez allowed two runs (one earned) in that inning on two hits. He allowed two more hits and walked over the next five innings. At the end of six innings, Rodriguez had struck out five and allowed only those two runs at the start of the game. Chris Malone allowed four runs on six hits in the seventh, but Andy Graham and Andrew Johnston combined to pitch a scoreless final two innings.
Jay Cox should be back with the team today after returning home to deal with a family emergency.
Asheville - All-Star Break.
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Sunday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, W 11-9 - Seth Smith went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Two of the RBI came on two sac flies. Cory Sullivan collected four hits in six at-bats, scored three times, and had two doubles. Kenny Perez hit a two-run triple, and Sean Barker drove in two.
Things went mostly well for Glendon Rusch through the end of the fourth. He allowed a run and some hits, but it was the fifth that hurt him. He allowed two singles to start the inning and then saw both men score on a double. After putting another runner on base, Rusch allowed a two-out three-run home run. He would pitch another 1 2/3 innings, leaving after 6 2/3 IP. Matt Daley finished the seventh before giving way to Micah Bowie in the eighth. He struck out one and allowed one hit. Josh Newman allowed back-to-back doubles in the ninth and then saw a pop up to short turn into a two-run single. Another double scored the third run of the inning. Steven Register recorded the final out for his ninth save.
Tulsa, L 5-9 - Brandon Hynick allowed eight runs on 12 hits in seven innings. Three of those 12 hits went for home runs. Dexter Fowler had a big night, going 4-for-5 with two doubles (18), but drove in no runs. Tony Blanco hit his 10th homer, a solo shot in the eighth.
Last week the Tulsa World's Barry Lewis sat down with Rockies assistant general manager Bill Geivett for a Q&A.
Modesto, L 4-6 - Aaron Cook won this game. No, not our Aaron Cook. The Angels have an Aaron Cook, a reliever. Anyway, Simon Ferrer had another solid start, allowing three runs over six innings on five hits and two walks. Andy Graham came in for the seventh and blew the lead by allowing an RBI single and a two-run double. He also pitched the eighth and saw a double play end the inning.
Travis Becktel and Anthony Jackson had RBI singles in the fifth to put the Nuts within one of Rancho Cucamonga. In the seventh, Mike Paulk's double scored Troy Tulowitzki, and Aaron Cook hit Mike McKenry with the bases loaded, putting the Nuts ahead 4-3. Tulo had three hits, two were doubles.
Brian VanderBeek interviewed Andrew Johnston this week.
Asheville, L 3-5 - Kevin Clark went 3-for-5 with his seventh homer and two RBI. Darin Holcomb drove in the other run. Mike Mitchell had three hits. Connor Graham allowed three runs over five innings, walked four, and struck out five. Craig Baker allowed two runs while pitching the final two innings of the game, leading to the loss.
The Tourists will at least tie for the first-half division championship if they lose today and Charleston wins, but if the Tourists win today that would be better. As Darin Holbcomb said, “Our mindset (Sunday)? We come out and we kill these guys[.]”
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Friday Pebble Report
Colorado Springs, W 4-2 - Seth Smith's two-run home run (7) in the first and Joe Koshansky's two-run home run (15) in the third were all the runs the Sky Sox needed last night for the victory. Cory Sullivan was in the lineup, in case anyone missed malakian's mention of it in yesterday's Pebble Report.
Franklin Morales went seven innings and allowed both runs on a first-inning homer. He walked three and struck out three.
Tulsa, L 3-4 in 10 innings - Chaz Roe threw eight strong innings last night. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks, and struck out five. Two of the runs came in the first inning, with the final run scored in the sixth.
Dexter Fowler, Jeff Kindel, and Daniel Carte each had three hits last night, but it was Kindel's single in the third that scored two of Tulsa's runs. Eric Young Jr. stole his 15th base.
Modesto, L 1-8 - Troy Tulowitzki committed two fielding errors and did not have a hit in three at-bats. The Nuts had only four hits.
Chris Malone went three innings and allowed five runs on eight hits. He struck out five. Tommy Baumgardner pitched three scoreless innings before Bandon Durden came in to pitch the eighth and allowed three runs.
Asheville, L 3-4 - Jhoulys Chacin went 6 2/3 innings, allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks, and struck out four. Craig Rodriguez went the next 1 1/3 innings, but gave up the winning run in the eighth by walking two and allowing a single. Edgmer Escalona struck out two in the ninth.
Everth Cabrera and Brian Lapin were the only two starters to not record a hit last night, but no starter had more than one hit. Kevin Clark made the most of his with his sixth homer, a two-run shot in the second inning. Darin Holcomb drove in his 51st RBI.
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Friday Morning Rockpile:
What do fellow 2008 draftees Buster Posey, Jason Castro, and Gordon Beckham have in common with Christian Friedrich? He struck them out in succession last summer while he pitched for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League. He should have plenty of opportunities in the future to strike out Posey some more.
What did Friedrich do while he waited for his name to be called?
“I was sitting upstairs in my parent’s bedroom watching (the draft) by myself,” Friedrich said from his home in Evanston, Ill. “I just kept watching time go by and (time) was just standing still for me. It was crazy just waiting, hoping.”
At the end of the story, there's an indication that Friedrich wants to work things out with the club in the next few days.
According to Gregg Ellis (of the Daily Journal) at his Mississippi State Bulldogs blog, Aaron Weatherford is ready to put college behind him and sign quickly.
Kiel Roling plans on signing with the Rockies once the NCAA tournament is over. If Arizona State goes deep into the College World Series, we should see plenty of him on TV.
Even with the new draftees, let's not forget that we have a young pitcher trying to find his way back to the majors.
Yorvit Torrealba appealed his three-game suspension, meaning he continues to play until a decision is made on the appeal. Also in that article, the outfield situation is brought up. Poll question.
The Rockies return home to face Ryan Braun and the Milwaukee Brewers tonight.
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Sunday Morning Rockpile:
Being sick yesterday and not really paying attention to the game, I didn't know that Matt Holliday injured his left hamstring while running to first in the bottom of the ninth. There's speculation Cory Sullivan did not play for the Sky Sox last night because the Rockies may activate him. Another injury, just what we need
As the FanPost to the right pointed out, Aaron Cook will take the mound today in place of Jorge De La Rosa:
"It was to get [Cook] every opportunity to maintain the momentum he had established during the second half of [Tuesday's 6-5 loss the Giants]," Hurdle said. "And it will give De La Rosa one more opportunity to work on the side with Bob [Apodaca, the Rockies' pitching coach]."
The last time Cook faced the Mets at home was on July 3, 2007. The Rockies won 11-3 against Justin Vargas. Ryan Spilborghs had a grand slam, and Cook allowed only three runs in 8 IP. It may be a tall order for the offense to score 11 runs today, but eight innings out of Cook should be doable.
Woody Paige ponders the fate of Clint Hurdle, while three guys discuss the Rockies and a possible breakup of the team come July. Or something.
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