Another week in the books, another look at who's hot and not in the Reds system right now.
Yonder Alonso
I know he was here last week, but that's nothing compared to how he's been since then. His slash line in his last 10 games is .436/.532/.769 for a 1.301 OPS. That is obscene. If he keeps it up, could he be a late season callup to help the Reds clinch the division?
Dave Sappelt
Sappelt has been almost as good with a 1.296 OPS in his last 10 games, with 9 RBI and 7 walks in that span, but how many people are overlooking the great season this guy is having? In 318 AB in Carolina, he's hitting .362/.417/.553 so far this year, setting career highs in HR and RBI in the process. Keep it up, young man.
Todd Frazier
For a guy who's been on the opposite end of this list more times than he can count this year, it's time to give Frazier his due. He's hitting .410/.500/.718 in his last 10 games, with 14 RBI in that span. Is he another guy who could be a useful utility guy come playoff time?
Brad Boxberger
I know that the results don't matter since he's only in the bullpen to limit his innings, but since joining the AA bullpen he's given up 19 runs in 17 innings, for a 9.68 ERA. He's given up runs in 11 of his 13 outings. Yech.
Tim Crabbe
If there's anyone trying to pitch his way out of a rotation right now, Crabbe is right up there. He's given up at least 4 runs in less than 5 innings in his 5 previous starts, including a 8-run blowup on Sunday in only 2/3 of an inning. His numbers on the year look okay still, but he needs to get better.
Danny Ray Herrera
As a friend of the site, it's tough putting him on this list, but Drunky Ray hasn't been good lately. In his 5 outings since his public intoxication arrest, he's got an 11.81 ERA, and is currently sporting an ERA over 5 in AAA. Not really inspiring, especially if he's planning to come back to Cincy later this year. Here's hoping he can put this rough patch behind him and pick it back up for the playoffs.
A recap of the weekend action after the jump...
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Louisville swept Norfolk over the weekend to keep their hot streak going. They won 8-7 on Friday night behind a nice night by the offense. Zack Cozart hit his 16th homer of the year, a 3-run shot, and Chris Valaika had one as well. Chris Denove and Wladimir Balentien had three hits each. Micah Owings got the start on the pitching side, going 3 shutout innings, and Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless 4th and was awarded the win. Aroldis Chapman struck out one in a perfect 9th for his 3rd save. The Bats won 5-2 on Saturday behind a dominant performance by Chad Reineke, who went 6 shutout innings with no walks and 4 strikeouts. Yonder Alonso and Todd Frazier had multi-hit games as well. They got the sweep with an 8-7 win behind a good outing by Sam Lecure, who gave up 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Corky Miller was the star on offense, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI. Up next: The Bats start a new series in Toledo at 7:00. No starter announced yet.
- Carolina was a blown save away from sweeping their weekend. They lost to Huntsville 6-5 on Friday despite a solid outing by Tom Cochran. Cochran pitched 7 innings of 4-run, 6-strikeout ball, before Brad Boxberger came in and blew the save in the 9th. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 with a double and a homer, and Devin Mesoraco hit his 11th HR for the Mudcats, his 21st on the year. Things were easier on Saturday, as they beat Chattanooga 7-2. Travis Webb pitched another good outing, going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Dave Sappelt was 4-for-4 with 2 RBI in this one, and Mesoraco blasted his 22nd homer on the year. They closed out the weekend with another win on Sunday, a 8-6 win in 10 innings. Mike Costanzo was 3-for-5 with a homer, and Kris Negron got on base all 5 times he was up with a 3-for-3 game with 2 walks. Up next: Matt Klinker will take on the Lookouts in Zebulon at 7:15.
- Lynchburg won 2 of 3 from Kinston. Jordan Hotchkiss had a great outing on Friday's 2-1 win, with a 7-inning, 1-run outing with 8 strikeouts and no walks. Justin Freeman and Donnie Joseph pitched scoreless innings to close it out, and Denis Phipps hit his 7th homer of the year. On Saturday, the Hillcats fell 9-2. Neftali Soto had 2 of the Hillcats' 4 hits, and Chris Richburg hit his 4th homer in in Lynchburg. On Sunday, they won 8-3, mostly due to an early lead given by a grand slam by Kyle Day. After a questionable promotion, Justin Walker made his first start in Lynchburg and didn't disappoint. Walker went 5 innings, giving up 4 hits and no runs, and struck out 6 while walking nobody. Up next: The Hillcats will finish a suspended game with Potomac, which they were losing 8-2 in the 3rd, and they'll play another one after that.
- Dayton lost 2 of their 3 games over the weekend. They beat Lake County on Friday 3-0, behind a great pitching performance. Jacob Johnson gave up 3 hits in 6 scoreless innings, with 6 strikeouts. Doug Salinas got the save, striking out 6 of the 7 hitters he faced in relief. On Saturday, the Dragons lost to West Michigan 6-5 in 11 innings. Ryan LaMarre had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and Henry Rodriguez drove in a run as well. Sunday's game was the longest 9-inning game in franchise history, a 21-10 loss to West Michigan. Obviously, the pitching was atrocious, so let's just skip that and focus on the positives. Ryan LaMarre, Cameron Satterwhite, Andrew Means, and Didi Gregorius all had 3 hits each, with LaMarre and Satterwhite driving in 3 runs each and Means hitting his 2nd homer of the year. Up next: Blair Carson takes on WM at 7.
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Billings also lost 2 of 3 in their series against Missoula. The Mustangs won their first game Friday night 8-2, behind a big night on offense. Danny Hernandez went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, and Billy Hamilton hit a 3-run homer, his first as a professional. They lost on Saturday 5-1. Tanner Robles got the start, and despite giving up no earned runs in 5 innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks, gave up 3 unearned runs, largely caused by his throwing error in the 3rd inning, one of two errors he had on the day. The Mustangs had 5 errors as a team on the night. On Sunday, they lost a close one 2-1 despite a decent outing by Jonathan Correa. Correa has been the brightest rookie baller so far, and didn't disappoint in his first start since moving up to Billings, with a 5-inning, 2-run day with 5 strikeouts. Billy Hamilton drove in the only run. Up next: Daniel Tuttle will get the ball against Helena at 9:05 ET.
- The AZL Reds won 2 of their 3 games over the weekend. They beat the AZL Padres 12-5 on Friday, behind a 17 hit attack. 7 A-Reds had multi hit games, and Robert Maddox drove in 3 runs to lead the way. Radhames Quezada wasn't great in his start, but his bullpen picked him up with 3 strong innings from Lucas O'Rear and Patrick Quinn closing it out. On Saturday, they beat the AZL Rangers 11-3 behind another 3-hit night by Robert Maddox. Jaren Matthews homered and drove in 4 runs on his 3 hits, and Thomas Muller, Danny Vicioso, and Ronald Torreyes all had multiple hits as well. Josh Ravin pitched 5 1-run innings on rehab, and Carlos Contreras gave up 2 runs in 4 innings for the long save. They lost on Sunday 4-2 to the AZL Athletics. Ismael Guillon got the start, giving up 4 runs in 4 innings with 6 strikeouts. Jose Amezcua, Po-Cheng Chi, and El'Hajj Muhammad combined for 5 shutout bullpen innings. Jaren Matthews hit his 6th homer of the year. Up next: The A-Reds have an off night tonight.