I always get really proud and excited when one of my guys makes his big league debut. Tonight, Danny Putnam, who played for Stockton when I was there in 2005, made his Oakland A’s debut with a 1-4, and a pair of nice defensive plays. “Put,” a Stanford guy, was always a very good, thoughtful interview. He relies on a short swing, and extraordinary strength in his hand and wrists which he developed and maintained by swinging a heavy sledge hammer to hit balls off the tee. His 2006 was slowed by a knee injury, so that makes his MLB debut even cooler. I’m thrilled for him.
Stars of the Day:
AAA: Ruben Gotay/Jorge
Sosa
AA: Brett Harper
A+: *Deolis Guerra*/Daniel
Murphy/Jose Castro
A: DJ Wabick
AAA – New Orleans
(Pacific Coast League)
Zephyrs 9, @ Albuquerque
Isotopes 4
Lets get the bad news out of the way first. Lastings Milledge, who was 0-1, left the game in the fourth with an injury to his foot or ankle. More updates surely to come. Carlos Gomez (.292/.346/.431 in 71 AB) ended his 0-19 skid with an infield hit to the smooth fielding shortstop Robert Andino, but was promptly picked off second base. He drew a walk later, which is nice.
As for tonight’s action, the Z’s scored eight times in the third through fifth innings to take control of the game. Ruben Gotay drilled a pair of doubles to drive home five runs. Anderson Hernandez (.231/.259/.333 in 78 AB) was 2-5 with a walk from the top of the order. Chip Ambres went deep for the second time, and Fernando Tatis launched a two-run shot.
Jorge Sosa improved to 3-0, and dropped
his ERA to 1.38 with seven more innings of two-run baseball. This time, he struck out eight without
issuing a walk, but still gave up seven hits, just as he’d done in his previous
two starts. Sosa gave up a ridiculous 30
homeruns in 118 big league innings last year, but has allowed just one in 26
PCL innings thus far. Even better, while
last year his groundball/flyball ratio was skewed towards the flys at 0.75,
he’s getting more groundballs this year as evidenced by his 1.5 ratio. It’s still early of course, but that looks
like a real improvement.
Read a really good Ken Oberkfell piece here. Philip
Humber was the PCL pitcher
of the week last week.
AA –
@ New Hampshire
Fishercats 6, B-Mets 2
David Purcey, who BA ranked as the Blue Jays #9 prospect heading into the season has figured it out after struggling through 2006 at AA and AAA. After holding the B-Mets to one run and one hit through 7 IP, the fireballing lefty is 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA with 24 strikeouts and just two walks through 20.1 IP.
The B-Mets only hit off Purcey was Brett Harper’s solo HR in the second inning. Binghamton’s hitters managed only five hits all night. Fernando Martinez was in the lineup, but was 0-3.
LHP Ricardo Morales, who the Mets snagged from the Nationals in the minor league portion of the rule 5 draft last December, had a forgettable first start as a B-Met: 6 IP, 10 H, 5R, 2 K, 3 HR.
Binghamton has lost four in a row.
A+ -- St. Lucie (
Mets 5, @ Jupiter 2
Deolis Guerra shoved for six shutout innings Monday, holding Jupiter to two hits. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter to earn his first win of the year. The Hammerheads didn’t get a single runner to third against Guerra, who, displaying fine baseball acumen, picked a runner off second. He’s now 1-2, with a 2.18 ERA.
In the first inning, Daniel Murphy singled home Emmanuel Garcia who had singled off rehabbing Ricky Nolasco. The 22-year old Murphy (.254/.333/.322 in 59 AB) finished 3-5 with a double, his second of the year, and 3 RBI. Jose Castro, who was 2-5 Monday with a double, has hit safely in six straight games to up his season line to .292/.324/.400. Just 20 years old, he’s a little young for the level, and an intriguing middle infield prospect who, I’ve been told, plays solid d.
A –
@ Charleston River
Dogs 6, Sand Gnats 1
The Gnats have now dropped five straight games and trailed after the first inning in ten of their 18 contests. The Dogs got to Tim Stronach for runs in the first, second and third innings to race out to a 5-0 lead.
The offense mustered just five hits, all singles and two walks. The Gnats lone run, in the fourth inning, came home on a wild pitch. DJ Wabick, who was 1-2, with a pair of walks was the only Gnat to reach base more than once.
Matt Durkin makes his first start of 2007 in the 10:35 Education day special Tuesday.
Toby Hyde has written Toby’s Mets Minor League Report
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