Durham Bulls 8, Gwinnett Braves 5Brandon Guyer was a triple shy of the cycle going 3 for 5 with a double, 3 run-homer and 4 RBI's. Robinson Chirinos was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's. Felipe Lopez drove home a run. Dirk Hayhurst picked up the win. Mike Ekstrom and Brandon Gones combined for 2 1/3 no-hit innings of relief.
Montgomery Biscuits 6, Mobile Bay Bears 5Cole Figeroa was 3 for 5 with a homer.Tim Beckham was 2 for 3 with a home run. Jon Shelby was 2 for 4 with a double. Daniel Mayora had a two-run homer. Chris Archer picked up the win and Zach Quate the save.
Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, South Bend Silver Hawks 2Hots Rods clinch first playoff berth in team history. Robby Price was 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI's. Phil Wunderlich drove homer 5 runs on the night by going 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. CJ Riefenhauser picked up the win and Chris Rearick the save.
Hudson Valley Renegades 2, Aberdeen Iron Birds 7Chris Winder was 2 for 4 with a double. Cesar Guillen was 2 for 4. Brian Bryles had a double and 2 RBI's. Gerardo Olivares had a double.
DSL Rays 4, DSL Athletics 6Jiminson Natera was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 runs scored. Armando Araiza was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's and a run scored. Julio Media had a double and 2 RBI's. Alexander Simon and Enmanuel Paulino had doubles.
VSL Phillies 7, VSL Rays 2Wester Ramos was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Wilmer Dominguez was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Oscar Hernandez had a double.
Congrats to the BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS on clinching their first playoff berth. Now let's get one more win for the first half division crown.
ReplyDeleteHV last night- 15 k's (unfortunately us, not them), Mickey Jannis pitched 4 relief innings with no earned runs.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Bowling Green Hotrods!Proud of you guys.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on big congrats to the Hot Rods and their fans, esp DiamondTom! You folks stuck with them through the first 2 years with very little complaining, glad to see glad to see you rewarded. Early in the season I didn't think they would be this good, that's for sure. The rotation didn't look to be as good as the last 2 years and the offense was struggling. But the team just kept winning with different players contributing each night. No real stars, just solid performances throughout the roster.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: who would you pick as the MVPs for pitcher and position player? I'm guessing Reifenhauser for pitcher, maybe Wunderlich for position player? Price and Rogers were very good, and Guevara came on late, but they also got a lot out of lesser knowns like Schwaner and Tinoco.
As far as Hudson Valley, I wouldn't take to much away from the first game. Rodriguez put them in a big hole early, and none of the recent draft picks even played (Rice, Carter, Church).
Another question: did anyone listen to the radio broadcast? What did you think?
Doug, I agree the MVP for pitching would have to be C.J. Riefenhauser with his 76/19 K's to BB and an excellent 2.48 era. If you look at the first half pitching stats you wouldn't guess we would be in this position as we are near the bottom in most categories however lately there has been a drastic improvement with the other starters. Guys like Romero, Lara, Mateo and Jensen have really improved during the year. I would give a lot of credit to R.C. Lichtenstein (pitching coach) for this. Our bullpen has been very steady with Chris Rearick and Austin Hubbard leading the way.
ReplyDeleteI concur with you on the MVP for position players. Phil Wunderlich has been money with guys on base having 52 RBI and 10 homers so far. There have been contributors up and down the lineup offensively, you don't always know where it is going to come from but these guys are relentless and they keep grinding until something happens
It has been an enjoyable first half and I am looking forward to the second half and the playoffs.
RC has been moved around the org to work with the top pitching prospects. I was surprised to see him with BG this year as really only Romero fit that description, and I really didn't think Romero was even headed to to BG (thought HV). Of course the Rays knew that Romero and Lara were going there, so I guess it was for them and Riefenhauser. Interesting that they are all lefties.
ReplyDeleteRearick deserves the mention too. Took over the closer roll from Hubbard and has been very good. Another leftie! The other 2 leftie relievers, Patterson and Stabelfeld, haven't been as good as Rearick, but look at the K-rates of the 3 bullpen lefties:
Rearick - 11.4/9
Stabelfeld - 12.8/9
Patterson - 10.9/9
For the position players it's been a mix of workhorses and versatility. Since June 1st Wunderlich has started every game but one at 1B and Kiermaier all but one in CF. Price moves between 2B and 3B, and some combination of Rogers/Schwaner/Tinoco have started every game as the corner OFs.
Glaesmann has been the biggest disappointment, he's hitting lower than Kiermaier with worse SO and BB rates. He must be hurt despite not going on the DL. The last game I show him starting in the field is May 27th in RF, and he's only been the DH in 3 games since then, the last on June 8th.
Guevara has really improved in June, interesting to see how he comes back from the shoulder. Cedeno has also been good since coming off the DL. And Rogers is tied for the team lead in both HRs and SBs, with similar SO and BB rates to Dietrich and Kiermaier, and better than Glaesmann and Bailey. Bailey is struggling, but he may be worn out, he's started 11 of the last 14 games at catcher after alternating starts with Torres prior to that. Torres is another one I wonder if he's hurt.
The good news is that the 2 biggest disappointments, Glaesmann and Bailey, aren't even 21 yet. Other than Guevara, they are the two youngest position players on the team. So there is hope, but Glaesmann needs to play and Bailey needs to rest.
Long story short, a very impressive first half by the team as a whole. Really the only thing to complain about in general is plate discipline, but you have to remember the age/level of the hitters. Never thought I'd be saying how impressed I am with a Brady Williams managed team!