8/21 MiLB Gameday: Owens and Rodriguez

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Cuzittt said:
Today's Games:

CL:Salem (TBD) @ Winston-Salem (Tyler Danish) [7:05pm]

Simon Mercedes gets the ball tonight.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Per Sea Dogs broadcaster Mike Antonellis, the tarp is on the field. The line of strong storms stretching WNW out to Youngstown OH is heading straight for Harrisburg.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

* Portland got underway on time. Scoreless, t-3rd.

* In their 8-3 win over the GCL Rays, Sox hitters went a combined 10-for-33 with 9 walks, 2 HBP, a sac fly -- and no strikeouts. That's an aggregate OBP of .467. Meanwhile Rays batters were just 4-for-31 with 2 BB, 1 HBP & 5 K for a .206 OBP.

LuckyBen · Aug 21, 2014

JBJ with a HR!

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

LuckyBen said:
JBJ with a [solo] HR!

Far better news than those two doctors being cured of Ebola.

Meanwhile Owens allows the tying HR (a 2-run shot) to #9 hitter Tyler Henson in the t-5th.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Still no score between Harrisburg and the Sea Dogs, thanks in part to this:

Mike Antonellis ‏@seadogsradio 8m
Sean Coyle is playing 2B at a different level tonight, terrific diving stop up the middle to end the [4th] inning and save a run.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

After tossing 6 shutout innings his last start, Ty Buttrey reverts to meltdown city as he yields 6 River Dog runs in the t-1st. He was just lifted in the t-5th after walking the first 2 hitters. So far: 4 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 7 H, 6 BB, 1 K, and he's still responsible for the 2 runners bequeathed to German Taveras. An E-5 by Hector Lorenzana didn't help matters, but Buttrey's been roughed up regardless. Before tonight's debacle, his worst stint this season was May 8 vs Greensboro (2.2 IP, 8 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 2 K).

Just 1 H for the Drive offense so far, though they've drawn 5 walks from Justin Kamplain.

EDIT - One of the runners comes in to score on a double-steal and a throwing error on catcher Carlos Coste. It's charged to Buttrey, but it's unearned. Taveras then strikes out the side to end the threat.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Meanwhile Simon Mercedes is spinning a gem tonight. 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K so far.

EDIT - There goes the shutout. W-S goes single-SB-single to plate their first run with 2 outs in the b-5th. Salem still leads 2-1.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Classic pitchers' duel in Harrisburg. Eduardo Rodriguez has tossed 7 shutout IP on 5 H, 2 BB & 4 K with 62 of 91 pitches for strikes. But his counterpart Paolo Espino has been even better (7 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K, 61 of 98 pitches for strikes)..

Portland's lone hits have been a Kevin Heller single (5th) and a Mike Miller double (6th).

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Mike McCarthy relieves Rodriguez and pitches a scoreless 8th with 2 K for the Sea Dogs. Espino worked a perfect 8th for the Senators, adding 2 more strikeouts before exiting.

EDIT - Mike Miller puts Portland up 1-0 with a leadoff HR in the t-9th off reliever Derek Self!

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Owens ends up going 8 innings tonight (2 ER, 5 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K, 98 pitches, 58 strikes).

Miguel Celestino pitches a perfect t-9th with 2 Ks. The bottom third of the order (Deven Marrero, Corey Brown & Blake Swihart) due up in the b-9th, still knotted 2-2.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

WALK OFF HR BY COREY BROWN!! PAWSOX WIN 3-2!

Holy crap. It's his 17th of the year, and it comes with one out. Wow.

DFA = Destined For Awesomeness.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

McCarthy tosses another perfect inning, ending it with a swinging K to seal the 1-0 win for Portland.

Two games, Two dominant outings by the starting pitcher, Two solo shots in the 9th, Two one-run wins.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

A glorious ending in Pawtucket. Hat tip to Jillian Souza for the superb photo.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Crap. Chandler Shepherd just yielded 3 runs (2 earned) in the t-8th. And with them goes Lowell's 4-2 lead as the Spinners trail 5-4.

Single-Single-Double-ROE (E-4 by Deiner Lopez).

EDIT - On further review, Shep was victimized by more than just the Lopez error:

Lowell Spinners ‏@LowellSpinners 17m
Joseph Monge slips in center field and a routine single becomes a two-out double and it's tied at four here in the eighth.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Spinners tie it in the b-8th!

Alixon Suarez triples, Raymel Flores pinch-runs, and Lopez atones for his error by getting him home on a grounder to 1B.

On to the t-9th.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Kuehl McEachern allows a 2-out single, but retires the side in the t-9th. Lowell gets their chance to walk-off with Mauricio Dubon, Jordan Betts & Aneudis Peralta due up. They're a combined 5-for-10 with 2 BB tonight.

EDIT - The Spinners put runners at 1st & 2nd with 2 out, but Joseph Monge flies to LF. And apparently it was a game-saving web gem:

Lowell Spinners ‏@LowellSpinners 11m
That was an INCREDIBLE catch to end the ninth inning by Kasey Coffman and send us to extra innings, tied at five

On to extras at LeLacheur.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

The Tigers get two on (E-6 by Dubon, single) but strand them both in the t-10th.

Cisco Tellez, Raymel Flores & David Sopilka due up for the Spinners.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

Bryan Hudson just walked and Lowell has the bases loaded with 1 out. Tellez is on 3rd as the winning run with Mauricio Dubon coming up and Jordan Betts on deck.

mabrowndog · Aug 21, 2014

LOWELL WALKS OFF AGAIN! An RBI single by Dubon wins it 6-5.

That's two nights in a row, and 4 of their last 6 wins at home in their final at-bat. Amazing run for these guys.

Lowell Bottom of the 10th

Cisco Tellez doubles (5) on a fly ball to left fielder Kasey Coffman.

Raymel Flores singles on a bunt ground ball to first baseman Will Maddox. Cisco Tellez to 3rd.

David Sopilka grounds out, shortstop Garrett Mattlage to first baseman Will Maddox. Raymel Flores to 2nd.

Bryan Hudson walks.

Mauricio Dubon singles on a ground ball to right fielder Michael Gerber. Cisco Tellez scores. Raymel Flores to 3rd. Bryan Hudson to 2nd.

Jed Zeppelin · Aug 21, 2014

Returns for Peavy and Miller look very good so far.

SouthernBoSox · Aug 21, 2014

Jed Zeppelin said:
Returns for Peavy and Miller look very good so far.

Absolutelty. Rodriguez has the type of upside that in a couple years we could be having the "We got him for a couple months of Andrew Miller" conversation.

Buzzkill Pauley · Aug 22, 2014

Cuzittt said:
Drive lose 12-0.

Boxscore

Serious question: just how fallow a field of the farm is Greenville?

After treading water in the 1st-half, 19-41 seems bleak for a 2nd-half record.

Brand Name · Aug 22, 2014

Was at the Bucket tonight, the other PawSox went full out on Brown's walkoff, with a Gatorade tank, seen slightly hidden in Souza's awesome photo (far left, about halfway down), and a whipped cream pie to the face.

Quick observations on Owens (my seats were closer to the mound, just past 3rd base, not to mention I know more about pitcher mechanics than batting):

-Didn't like using his slow curve much, but it was fairly effective when it when it was thrown. Threw his slurve much more frequently as his 3rd pitch, which was average.

-His changeup is a beautiful plus-plus pitch, and by far his best, hanging around 78 throughout the night, confusing Lehigh Valley all night. I can't remember him seeing a bad one, they were all on the black of the bottom of the strike zone, or were just below it, making it too close to take. So many over the top cuts and misses; it was like pitcher porn.

-4 seamer seemed inconsistent, but he threw it a lot, maybe too much. When he got it down, it was difficult to hit, with a little bit of late movement, almost how you'd see out a small version of a 2 seamer. Unfortunately, that was only about 60% of the time; he left it up a lot, and it became too easy to lay off. These weren't situational waste pitches, either, this was early in the count, trying for strikes to get ahead in the count. The 2 run shot that Henson hit, and browndog mentioned, was off a middle-middle fastball, almost as if it was placed on a tee. Those pitches happen to the best of pitchers, we all know that, but just thought I'd put it out there.

-3/4 delivery is standard, but he has sort of Dontrelle Willis-esque leg kick in his delivery that adds some deception, a great back leg angle, and probably gave an extra mile on his fastball, which was 89-93 tonight, a bit higher than his usual speed.

Plympton91 · Aug 22, 2014

Delonte James Jr. said:
Was at the Bucket tonight, the other PawSox went full out on Brown's walkoff, with a Gatorade tank, seen slightly hidden in Souza's awesome photo (far left, about halfway down), and a whipped cream pie to the face.

Quick observations on Owens (my seats were closer to the mound, just past 3rd base, not to mention I know more about pitcher mechanics than batting):

-Didn't like using his slow curve much, but it was fairly effective when it when it was thrown. Threw his slurve much more frequently as his 3rd pitch, which was average.

-His changeup is a beautiful plus-plus pitch, and by far his best, hanging around 78 throughout the night, confusing Lehigh Valley all night. I can't remember him seeing a bad one, they were all on the black of the bottom of the strike zone, or were just below it, making it too close to take. So many over the top cuts and misses; it was like pitcher porn.

-4 seamer seemed inconsistent, but he threw it a lot, maybe too much. When he got it down, it was difficult to hit, with a little bit of late movement, almost how you'd see out a small version of a 2 seamer. Unfortunately, that was only about 60% of the time; he left it up a lot, and it became too easy to lay off. These weren't situational waste pitches, either, this was early in the count, trying for strikes to get ahead in the count. The 2 run shot that Henson hit, and browndog mentioned, was off a middle-middle fastball, almost as if it was placed on a tee. Those pitches happen to the best of pitchers, we all know that, but just thought I'd put it out there.

-3/4 delivery is standard, but he has sort of Dontrelle Willis-esque leg kick in his delivery that adds some deception, a great back leg angle, and probably gave an extra mile on his fastball, which was 89-93 tonight, a bit higher than his usual speed.

Varying the fastball between 89 and 93, if he does it on purpose, along with his 78 mph changeup, and 6 foot 6 inch frame, probably all account for the difference between his results and the reports from the tools-based scouts. I wonder if those prospect watchers/journalists would be able to know whether that variable velocity is inconsistency or planned, and whether the 6'6'' frame and deception make 93 look like 96.

jscola85 · Aug 22, 2014

Buzzkill Pauley said:
Serious question: just how fallow a field of the farm is Greenville?

After treading water in the 1st-half, 19-41 seems bleak for a 2nd-half record.

Greenville had Asuaje, Margot and Rijo for most of the year and all three seem interesting at the very least - Margot especially.

Recently, they added Travis, Mars and Sturgeon to the roster and I like the potential for all three of those guys. Hopefully they show well and either return to Greenville next year for a short stay or (perhaps at least with Travis) get a shot to start 2015 in Salem.

It's the pitching that has killed Greenville. Stankiewicz and McGrath have been okay, but Smith, Callahan, Buttrey and Ball have all fallen flat on their face for the better part of the season. Combined 5.92 ERA among those three in 325 IP, with a 239/179 K/BB ratio. We're talking about a 1st round pick (Ball), a 2nd round pick (Callahan) and two 4th round picks (Smith / Buttrey). Remarkably disappointing that none of those guys have panned out as yet, but they're all young enough to bounce back.

Sprowl · Aug 23, 2014

Plympton91 said:
Varying the fastball between 89 and 93, if he does it on purpose, along with his 78 mph changeup, and 6 foot 6 inch frame, probably all account for the difference between his results and the reports from the tools-based scouts. I wonder if those prospect watchers/journalists would be able to know whether that variable velocity is inconsistency or planned, and whether the 6'6'' frame and deception make 93 look like 96.

If a pitcher intends to vary the speed on the fastball, the velocity peaks should be scattered among several innings (eg, de la Rosa), and a high-velocity fastball is likely to follow a significantly lower one in the same at-bat; if the velocity variation is unintentional, the velocity tends either to start off very high in the first inning, diminishing each inning thereafter (eg, the adrenaline effect, as in Workman's first rookie start), or very low, peaking in inning 3 or 4, and falling thereafter (the most common pattern for most pitchers, who may take an inning or two to loosen up fully).

8/21 MiLB Gameday: Owens and Rodriguez

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