Another week in the books, and the teams are taking shape for the rest of the season. Louisville looks to be pretty average, and we know the players there. Dayton and Bakersfield look to be hitting their stride, and we'll look into why Carolina isn't playing well.
Billy Hamilton
Nice to be able to put him here, especially for all the times he's been struggling at the plate and ended up on the other list, but he deserves it right now. He's hitting .308/.449/.487 in his last 10 games, and the middle number there is why I think he deserves to be on this list. A .449 OBP for a leadoff hitter is mighty fine, especially when you factor in his blazing speed to go along with it. Keep it up, B-Ham.
Chris Richburg
The Bakersfield first baseman has had a slow start to the year, but really broke out in June and hasn't slowed down much. He's posted a 1.103 OPS his last 10 games, with 4 homers and 8 RBI. Not bad for a 23rd round pick.
Juan SIlva
2009's 8th round pick is finally showing why we've been so promising with him here. He's hitting .455/.581/.667 in his last 10 games, and is most importantly, walking. The Puerto Rican born Silva might be stuck in Billings for a while, but if he's able to bounce back he could be one for Dayton fans to keep an eye on.
Yasmani Grandal
Let's hope the Yasmanian Devil isn't showcasing himself for a trade right now, because we wouldn't get much back at this point. He's hitting .194/.302/.222 in his last 10, and has been pretty average since getting to Carolina.
Henry Rodriguez
He's been great for most of this year, but his .660 OPS in his last 10 games isn't cutting it. The good news is that he's not striking out much, but he's not walking either.
Kyle Lotzkar
I think he's just here because we were expecting so much more. His peripherals look good, but the fact of the matter is that he has a 5.71 ERA in 7 starts and has only gotten through 6 innings in 2 of those starts. He's going to need to step it up at some point, as the trio of Smith/Renken/Corcino aren't likely to be there for much longer, and someone will need to step up and win ballgames there.
On to the weekend's games...
- Louisville won 2 of their 3 games over the weekend. Friday's game was a 4-2 win, but ended up being a very important start in the recovery of Edinson Volquez. The Wagon pitched a complete game, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits with 9 strikeouts and NO WALKS. Again, he didn't walk anybody. He threw 110 pitches, which seems like a lot. Devin Mesoraco was 2 for 3 with a RBI, and Chris Valaika drove in 2 runs. Scott Carroll had some trouble in his start on Saturday as the Bats fell 7-4 to Charlotte. On the bright side, Yonder Alonso and Paul Janish had 2 hits each and Corky Miller hit his 3rd homer of the year. Also, David Johnson, Nick Christiani, Jerry Gil, and Jeremy Horst combined for 5 2/3 hitless innings of relief, but the offense couldn't overcome the deficit. Sunday's game was better, as the Bats won 3-2 in comeback fashion. Our boys almost got shut out at home until Jeremy Hermida singled home Denis Phipps in the 9th and Daniel Dorn had a 2-run walk-off double to win the game. Travis Wood pitched well in his start, giving up only one unearned run in 5 innings with 9 strikeouts, and Matt Maloney gave up 1 run in 4 relief innings for the win. Up next: Daryl Thompson takes the mound against Charlotte at 7:05.
- Carolina was swept by Tennessee over the weekend, 6-5, 6-2, and 8-3. They got an early lead Friday before the Smokies started chipping away at Brandon Hynick, who made it into the 7th. Henry Rodriguez and Denis Phipps had 2 hits and Felix Perez homered. On Saturday, James Avery gave up 4 runs in 5 1/3, and the Mudcats had 11 hits on the day, but no extra base hits. Tennessee completed the weekend sweep Sunday as they teed off on Kyle McCulloch, and Quintin Berry and David Cook homered. Up next: Off day.
- Bakersfield won all 3 of their games over the weekend, extending their win streak to 9. On Friday they won 7-1 behind a great start by Curtis Partch. Partch pitched a complete game, giving up only 1 run on 6 hits. Didi Gregorius and Josh Fellhauer had 3 hits each. They beat Stockton 6-4 on Saturday, in a game where Tim Crabbe had one of the oddest pitching lines I've seen. Crabbe gave up 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings... without giving up a hit. He walked 4 on the evening, including 3 in the 7th inning, 2 of which scored after he left the game. Oh yeah, he also struck out 10 in his effort. Chris Richburg was the star on offense, going 2-for-4 with 2 homers and 4 RBi, and Didi Gregorius and Alex Buchholz homered too. They won again on Sunday, a wild 7-6 game. Brodie Greene had a grand slam, and Chris Richburg hit another homer, his 9th of the year. Alex Buchholz was 4-for-5 and Didi Gregorius had 3 hits. Josh Ravin got the start and gave up 4 runs in 6 innings. Up next: Mark Serrano takes on Stockton at 10:05.
- Dayton swept their weekend to take their current winning streak to 7. Pitching was the name of the game Friday, as they shut out Peoria 2-0. Mitchell Clarke got the start, and gave up 1 hit in 5 innings, and Pat Doyle and Drew Hayes finished off the shutout. Billy Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a homer. On Saturday, Hamilton scored the winning run from second on a throwing error off a bunt to cap off a 7-6 victory. Donald Lutz was 3-for-4, and Hamilton also tripled and stole his 73rd base of the year. Ronald Torreyes and Dominic D'Anna also had multiple hits. Stalin Gerson didn't have the best start, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up 5 runs. On Sunday, the Dragons won 7-1 behind a good bullpen game. Brian Pearl started and went 3 innings, Chad Rogers pitched 4 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts, and Blaine Howell pitched 2 shutout innings to finish the win. Ronald Torreyes was 3-for-4 with his 9th stolen base, while Billy Hamilton got his 74th. Up next: Daniel Corcino takes on Burlington at 7.
- Billings won 2 of 3 of their weekend. Kyle McMyne didn't get out of the 2nd inning Friday as the 'Stangs fell 5-4. Sean Buckley and Junior Arias both homered. On Saturday, the offense busted out and the Montana State football team beat Orem 17-7. Juan Silva, Robert Maddox, and Nick O'Shea all had 2 hits, a homer, and 3 RBI, and Sammy Diaz went 3-for-5 with a grand slam. Wes Mugarian gave up 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. They won again Sunday, 6-3 this time. Tony Cingrani started and pitched 3 shutout innings, and Drew Poulk was 2-for-4 with a homer. Up next: Radhames Quezada takes on Ogden at 9.
- The AZL Reds split their weekend games. They won 4-2 on Friday, mostly behind 4 innings of the rehabbing Matt Fairel. Jordan Smith also got an inning of work, and Joel Bender pitched 3 shutout innings too. Juan Perez led the way, going 3-for-5. They lost 10-5 on Sunday. Ryan Wright was 3-for-5 with a homer, Eliezer Beard started and gave up 7 runs in 4 innings, and two different pitchers named Abel De Los Santos pitched. Up next: AZL Rangers at 10.