The Herd had the night off, and the rest’s pitching was by turns atrocious and stellar. Let’s take a look.
New Hampshire 16, Binghamton 3
Hooo boy. When you give up two (!) five run innings, you are not going to win. Greg Peavey took it on the chin, giving up eleven runs (but only nine earned) in 2.1 innings. Edgar Ramirez contributed to the bloodshed with four runs in 3.2 innings of “take one for the team” relief. That’s it right there folks. Matt den Dekker went 3 for 5 with a solo homer for some window dressing, but seriously, this one got out of hand quickly.
St Lucie 1, Jupiter 0
Now this, my friends, is a pitcher’s duel. Erik Goeddel fired five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and a walk against five strikeouts – and DJ Carrasco (who got the win ) and Adrian Rosario(save) each threw two shutout innings to blank the Hammerheads. Robbie Shields knocked in the only run of the game and Wilmer Flores went 2 for 4 to up his average to .323.
West Virginia 9, Savannah 4
Sand Gnats pitching coach Frank Viola was recently singing the praises of Domingo Tapia, stating that his changeup was really coming along and he was using his heater to attack hitters and get ahead in the count. Well, it wasn’t working last nihgt. Tapia got shelled for eight runs in an inning and a third, all the damage coming in the second innings. TJ Rivera and Dustin Lawley each had a pair of hits, including solo homers.
15 comments
Stickguy
4/27/2012-8:27am at 8:27 am (UTC -4)
can’t explain Tapia, but I hope this recent spate of dud SP for Bingo is related to the winter weather they have been pitching in. Peavy’s line, not good.
srt
4/27/2012-8:56am at 8:56 am (UTC -4)
Reading good things about D. Tapia.
I’ve mentioned the same thing too – about the cold and rainy type weather up there. That can’t be fun trying to pitch with frozen hands.
I see DJ looks like he’s almost ready to return. Swap him for Batista? And if so, what happens to Batista? I think he’s got a ML contract, right?
Stickguy
4/27/2012-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
I posted yesterday on some thread that I used to help coach my son though LL (a long time ago now. I still miss it…) anyway, we used to have a lot of games on weekdays in April/May, and man, sometimes it was brutal. I could barely hold the pencil to keep score.
so, imagine how hard it was for the players? and some of these guys grew up in the tropics, so you know they aren’t used to it!
besides, any MiL guy can have a dud start now and then. If it becomes a trend, then worry about it.
gategem
4/27/2012-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
When it comes to the kids I try not to pay attention to the stats (and this is coming from someone that made his living using probability and statistics) as much as I would for the big club. I look for trends and evaluations. Sometimes the results are not as important as how the pitcher got there. Coaches may see progress that doesn’t show up in the box score. So I wouldn’t worry too much now.
Bryan
4/27/2012-9:54am at 9:54 am (UTC -4)
crazy night for pitching. I’m a little less shocked by Peavey than Tapia, but everyone has bad nights, especially when they’re young.
The silver lining is definitely Goeddel. If he’s healthy he has nasty stuff and could become a real good prospect. Also good to see Rosario continuing to pitch well.
Stick
4/27/2012-9:57am at 9:57 am (UTC -4)
does it look like goeddel is going to stick as a SP, or ultimately end up in the pen? Wasn’t he a RP last year, or am I mixing him up with someone else?
Bryan
4/27/2012-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
Last year Savannah had so many starters that they would piggy-back starts sometimes, so he had a couple relief appearances but he was mostly a starter. Right now Goeddel has been added to the St. Lucie rotation, giving them a 6-man rotation.
If he can stay healthy he could remain as a starter. He has 2 plus pitches and if he can develop 1 or 2 more average pitches he could definitely stay as a starter. But with a history of shoulder problems there’s no guarantee that he can pitch the number of innings every year required of a starter, so down the line he could move to the bullpen. But the longer he can stay as a starter the better. I really really like him, stuff wise, he’s probably top 3 among guys in A-ball (Tapia and Fulmer being the other 2).
Mr North Jersey
4/27/2012-12:34pm at 12:34 pm (UTC -4)
Den Decker 3 for 5 wtg
Stick
4/27/2012-12:46pm at 12:46 pm (UTC -4)
would be nice if he turns the corner this year. the more options the better.
Interesting to think of say Duda in left, dekker in CF and Kirk in RF, with a strong RH bat in the mix for the corners. make it a 4 man rotation, with a 5th OF that hits RH for going up against particularly tough LHP.
That would put duda in the best place for him on the field, and have 2 plus defenders with speed to help cover him.
I am really anxious to see this team with actualy good defense. Not sure if Murphy sticks at 2B (damned you Havens!), but he even seems to be doing OK now and improving. If Thole/whoever catches can do a decent job, suddenly the pitchers could be getting some actual help!
Bryan
4/27/2012-12:50pm at 12:50 pm (UTC -4)
Last 3 games, Den Dekker has 2 walks and 0 strikeouts, so that’s good.
You’re right about that defensive lineup. How about one day having Cory Vaughn as that RH bat. If Den Dekker never hits lefties you could move Kirk to CF and put Vaughn in RF against lefties. That’s be a heck of a 4-man rotation in the outfield.
Stick
4/27/2012-1:00pm at 1:00 pm (UTC -4)
what the hell, let’s make Lagares the 5th wheel too. If we are dreaming!
i do favor a fast, good glove OF. I will, however, make 1 exception for my guy duda. If they can find that kind of big power bat that is also fast with a top notch glove, you will have an MVP candidate!
gategem
4/27/2012-3:27pm at 3:27 pm (UTC -4)
The best place for Duda is as a DH in the other league.
NJstuckinTX
4/27/2012-4:46pm at 4:46 pm (UTC -4)
watch out gate, them thar’s fightin words to stick.
Bryan
4/27/2012-4:49pm at 4:49 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t think Duda needs to be a DH exclusively, but he would fit better in the American League if he can establish himself as the kind of power hitter we think he’s capable of becoming. In the AL there is less of a priority on defense so that part of his game is less of a concern, but he would be able to DH, but also see plenty of time at 1B and LF and I think ultimately that would be the role he would excel best in.
kingman 26
4/27/2012-6:43pm at 6:43 pm (UTC -4)
“The best place for Duda is as a DH in the other league.”
Well, sure, if he does establish that he can hit.