Minor League Playoffs Under Way

It doesn't appear that the Yankees and Red Sox will be meeting in this year's post-season, not at the major league level anyway. But their Triple-A and Double-A are going at in the first round of the International and Eastern League playoffs.

The Scranton Yankees took a 1-0 advantage in the "Best of Five" series, with a 7-1 win against Pawtucket Red Sox knuckleballer, Charlie Zink. Chase Wright started for the Yankees, but was pulled after 4.2 innings that included five walks. Stephen Jackson picked up the win by recording four outs. He and three relievers combined to shut out the Pawsox over the final 4.1 innings.

Justin Christian broke a scoreless tie with a 2-run home run off of Zink in the fourth. Catcher Chris Stewart would take Zink deep in the sixth inning with a solo shot, and Ben Broussard added a solo shot against Marcus McBeth ("out damn spot?") in the ninth.

It was a big night for Christian, who in addition to his home run, added a double and a walk, and stole a base. Eric Duncan also had a big night with three hits and a run scored, and Melky Cabrera drove in a run as well.

Game 2 is Thursday with Ian Kennedy facing Devern Hansack.


The Trenton Thunder opened their Eastern League playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Portland SeaDogs. Eric Hacker, who opened the season at Single-A Tampa, picked up the win after allowing one run in 5.2 innings pitched. He scattered five hits and struck out six.

A SeaDogs error allowed the Thunder to take a quick 1-0 lead in the first, but Portland tied the game up in the second inning on a Josh Reddick RBI single. An Edwar Gonzalez RBI single put Trenton up for good in the fourth.

Hacker ran into trouble in the sixth and was pulled with two men aboard. But Mike Dunn, who except for Monday's appearance, had not pitched above the Single-A level, struck out Reddick to preserve the lead. After retiring the first two men in the seventh, Dunn gave way to Jhonny Nunez, who retired all seven men he faced, four by strikeout, to pick up the save.


In regular season action, the Staten Island Yankees edged the Aberdeen IronBirds, 9-8. The Baby Bombers lead the Brooklyn Cylones by three games in the New York-Penn League's MacNamara division with three games to play.

Hector Noesi, who won a pair of games for the GCL Yankees, picked up his first win of the short season schedule. David Adams drove in three runs, and Dan Brewer and Jaedyn Pruitt added two RBI each as SI built a 7-1 lead. The pen nearly blew the game, as Aberdeen cut the margin to 7-6. The Yankees added a pair of insurance runs and Pat Venditte picked up his 22nd save after allowing two unearned runs in the ninth.

Share

Down on the Farm - 8/12

We continue our look at the Yankees' farm system with their two rookie/short season teams. The Staten Island Yankees, also known as the Baby Bombers, are 32-21, 3 games ahead of the Mets' short season team, the Brooklyn Cyclones. They won for the seventh time in ten tries last night, 1-0 over the Williamsport Crosscutters. Andy Shive improved to 7-2 with four scoreless innings and Pat Venditte recorded his 14th save.

Addison Maruszak, who leads the ball club with a .333 average and .903 OPS, is second in home runs with 5, and is third in RBI with 22. First baseman Brian Beasley has a team-high 6 home runs and 32 RBI to go along with a .324 average. Dan Brewer is second on the club in RBI with 24. Mike Lyon (.283-3-18) has been one of the team's most consistent performers.

The starting pitching has been the biggest key to the team's success. Casey Erickson (2-0, 3.16), Dave Phelps (5-2, 2.98), Brandon Braboy (2-1, 3.21), and Nick Montgomery (1-1, 2.28) have helped to form a solid staff. Luke Greinke, one of the better known names on the team, has pitched in some bad luck (he's 0-6, 4.01). His numbers don't tell the true story of how well he has pitched.

The most well known name on the team is, of course, closer Pat Venditte, he of the ambidextrous throwing ability. Venditte has saved 14 wins and posted a 1.19 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched. Andy Shive and Drew Shetrone have helped form a solid nucleus in the pen.


The Gulf Coast Yankees got off to a rough start, but have won five straight to move a game over .500 at 22-21. Catcher Neall French is off to a torrid start, hitting .385-3-11 with a 1.050 OPS. Shortstop Corban Joseph (.292-2-16), third baseman Jimmy Paredes (.302-1-11), and outfielder Tommy Baldridge (.288-2-10), have been regular contributors to the offense. Second baseman Emerson Landoni is second on the squad with a .353 average.

The team has seen a number of pitchers from higher levels rehab injuries this season. Humberto Sanchez, Jeff Marquez, Dellin Bettances, Christian Garcia, Ryan Pope, Brian Bruney, Ian Kennedy, and Chase Wright have all worn the GCL uniform. And major league veteran Victor Zambrano is also on the squad looking to make a come back.

Manny Banuelos (3-0, 2.73) and Arodys Vizcaino (2-1, 3.71) lead a pitching staff which is improving with the season. Most of the rehabbing pitchers start the game, so the team's true starters tend to come out of the bullpen for games.

Closer Mike O'Bradovich saved six games before being promoted to Staten Island. Ryan Flannery has stepped up with five saves in nine games and has posted a 0.92 ERA.

Share

Minor League Weekend Recap - 7/21

We start off at the Double-A level where red hot prospect Austin Jackson helped lead the Trenton Thunder to a 3-game sweep of the Portland SeaDogs. The series was supposed to go 4 games, but a rainout on Sunday shortened things up.

Jackson, the 21-yr old that could man centerfield in the new Yankee Stadium for many years to come, is hitting .556 (20-36) over his last 10 games, with a home run, 3 doubles, 5 RBI, 5 walks, and 8 runs scored. He went 4-4 in the series opening 8-1 win last Thursday, and went 4-6 in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday (5-4, 3-0). Phil Coke impressed in the nightcap, tossing 2-hit ball over 6 innings, with 10 strikeouts.

The Thunder's current 5-game winning streak put them 25 games over .500 (62-37) and puts them 8.5 games ahead of Portland in the Eastern League's Northern division.

Scranton put together an impressive series, winning 4 of 5 from the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The only loss was the first game, a completion of July 3rd's suspended game. But since that counts in the schedule on July 3, the Yankees actually have an 8-game winning streak.

They may have lost the completion of the first game, but Al Aceves stood out. He allowed just 2 hits and struck out 5 over 4 innings.

Juan Miranda continues to impress those in the organization, particularly when he faces right-handed pitching. He's hit .400 over his last 10 games and homered in Thursday's 6-5 nightcap win, and again in Saturday's 6-4 victory. Miranda is now hitting .346 with a .977 OPS against right-handers.

Ian Kennedy and Jeff Karstens are both trying to give Joe Girardi something to think about after their performances against Lehigh Valley. IPK threw 3-hit ball over 7 innings to earn the 2-1 win on Saturday and Karstens finished off the series by allowing 2 runs in 7 innings for a 7-2 win.

Scranton's hot streak has moved them to within 2.5 games of 1st place Pawtucket in the International League's North division.


It's been a tough road for the Tampa Yankees. They recently endured an 11-game losing streak before sweeping 4 straight from the Vero Beach Rays. They split the next 4 with the Jupiter Hammerheads, rebounding after losing the first two games. On Sunday they started a new series with the Brevard County Manatees, dropping a 5-3 decision.

Zach McAllister took the loss on Sunday, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings, with just one of the runs being earned. The 20-yr old from Chillicothe, IL has an impressive season at Charleston and Tampa. He was 6-3, 2.45 in 10 starts for the RiverDogs, with 53 strikeouts and just 8 walks in 62.1 innings pitched. Thus far for Tampa, McAllister is 4-5 despite a 2.50 ERA. Overall, he's posted a 10-8, 2.48 mark in 120 innings with 90 strikeouts and just 14 walks.

McAllister's teammate Ryan Pope picked up a 7-inning, complete game win on Saturday, 3-2. He's now 6-4, 2.35 in 13 starts.

The Yankees are 11-16 thus far in the 2nd half and sit 9.5 games back of Dunedin the Florida State League's Western division.


The Charleston RiverDogs had their 7-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, losing a tough 8-7 game to the Greensboro Bats. Prior to the loss, the RiverDogs had just finished a 4-game sweep of the Kannapolis Intimidators. Big right-hander Dellin Bettances was impressive on Saturday with 6 innings of 2-hit ball. He also struck out 5 and walked a pair.

18-yr old Jairo Heredia also continued to impress with his own 6 innings of 2-hit ball in a 2-0 Dogs win. Heredia has struck out 65 batters in 71 IP.

All-Star Jesus Montero has been the most consistent hitter in the Dogs lineup and he's been heating up again, hitting .385 over the last 10 games, with 2 home runs and 7 RBI.

After a 45-25 first half, the RiverDogs are just 14-14 out of the gate in the 2nd half.


The Staten Island Yankees have won back to back series and will look to make it three straight tonight when they face the Brooklyn Cyclones in the rubber game of the series.

3rd baseman Mike Lyon has been a model of consistency all season. He's among the league leaders with a .318 average and a .902 OPS. Teammate Ray Kruml is right behind him with a .313 average and is 4th in the league with 10 stolen bases. Dan Brewer has also put together a solid campaign with a .297 average and 17 RBI.

Casey Erickson has been the Baby Bombers top starter, putting together a 2-0, 3.31 mark in 7 starts. He has struck out 23 opponents in 32.2 innings pitched. And of course Pat Venditte has been a big story because of his ability to throw with both arms, but he's put numbers up that are equally impressive. Venditte is second in the NY-Penn League with 8 saves and has posted a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 IP.

At 20-12, Staten Island has the second best record in the NY-Penn League.


The GCL Yankees have been heating it up like the Florida sun of late. They've won 6 of their past 7 games and 3 straight. Four pitchers combined on a 6-hit, 13-strikeout performance in Friday's 3-0 win over the Phillies.

Humberto Sanchez threw a 1 inning rehab assignment on Sunday and has now made 8 appearances for the GCL squad. In 7.2 innings pitched, he's allowed 4 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, and has struck out 11. The Yankees beat the Phils again 9-8 as shortstop Jimmy Paredes went 5-5.

The Yankees, 15-12, now trail the 1st place Phillies by just 1.5 games in the GCL North.

Share

Minor League Recap - 7/11

Games of 7/10

Dan McCutchen is getting the hang of Triple-A. He put together his 4th straight good start last night in a 7-3 Scranton win over the Columbus Clippers. McCutchen allowed 2 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings pitched. He walked just 1 and struck out 6. McCutchen is 3-6, 3.32 since his promotion to Scranton, but is 2-1, 1.95 over his last four starts, with a 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

McCutchen got plenty of offensive support last night as Yankees Cody Ransom, Juan Miranda, and Matt Carson each went deep against former Yankees Tyler Clippard. Miranda is quietly making a bid for a shot at the bigs next season, specifically against right-handed pitching. Overall, he's hitting .296-5-29 and has posted an .826 OPS. He's hitting .350 against right-handers, as opposed to .151 against lefties.

	July 10, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Scranton/WB 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 7 8 0 Columbus 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 9 1 Recap | Box | W: D. McCutchen (3-6, 3.32); L: T. Clippard (5-7, 4.52) HR: SWB: C. Ransom (15), J. Miranda (5), M. Carson (4).

Eric Hacker wasn't at his best (3 earned runs in 5.1 IP), but he was good enough in Trenton's 5-3 win over the Altoona Curve. Hacker improved to 5-1, 2.37 as a member of the Thunder, after posting a 2-2, 1.87 mark for Tampa. Colin Curtis had a big night with the bat, banging out three doubles and drove in 3 runs. Anthony Claggett struck out 4 in the final 2 innings for his 7th save.

	July 10, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Altoona 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 10 1 Trenton 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 X 5 5 0 Recap | Box | W: E. Hacker (5-1, 2.37); L: J. Hughes (0-1, 9.00); SV: A. Claggett (7) HR: None.

The Tampa Yankees losing streak was extended to 10 games after losing a pair of 7 inning games to the St. Lucie Mets on Thursday. The Mets scored 2 runs off of Josh Schmidt in the 7th for a 3-1 win in the opener. Former Yankees prospect Elvys Quezeda picked up the win.

The Mets won the nightcap 6-3 as Yankees starter Jason Stephens had his worst start of the season. Stephens, who was an All-Star at Charleston prior to his promotion to Tampa, allowed 6 runs in just 3.2 innings pitched. He had allowed just 2 earned runs in his previous 17 innings. Tim Battle, who drove in the lone Tampa run in game one, homered in the nightcap. The Yankees will try to snap their streak tonight when they start a 4-game series with Vero Beach.

July 10, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E St. Lucie 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 4 0 Tampa 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 7 0 Recap | Box W: E. Quezada (2-0, 2.92); L: J. Schmidt (0-2, 3.50); SV: G. Marte (4) HR: None.

	July 10, 2008 Game 2
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E St. Lucie 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 6 13 1 Tampa 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 Recap | Box W: M. Antonini (3-0, 1.95); L: J. Stephens (2-2, 3.48); SV: S. Clyne (2) HR: TAM: T. Battle (8).

The Charleston River Dogs game with the Lexington Legends was rained out, but they start a new series tonight with the West Virginia Power.

Staten Island blew a 3-0 lead, but then beat the Oneonta Tigers 5-3. Mike Lyons' single in the 7th put the Yankees ahead for good, and Jahdiel Santamaria added an insurance RBI single for the Baby Bombers in the 8th. Drew Shetrone picked up the win after a very good start by Brandon Braboy. Pat Venditte earned his 6th save with a scoreless 9th, and has not been scored upon in 10.2 innings this season.

	July 10, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Oneonta 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 10 1 Staten Island 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 X 5 9 2 Recap | Box W: D. Shetrone (1-1, 3.24); L: A. Fuhrman (2-2, 6.59); SV: P. Venditte (6) HR: ONE: B. Nowlin (1).

The GCL Yankees rallied from a 3-run deficit to beat the GCL Braves 6-5 in 11 innings. The Yankees trailed 5-2 in the 9th, but Alvaro Ramirez hit a 2-run home run and Tom Baldridge singled in the tying run. In the 11th, Zoilo Almonte singled, moved to 2nd base on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Neall French for the game winner. Mike O'Bradovich tossed 3 scoreless innings for the win.

	July 10, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E GCL Braves 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 5 10 1 GCL Yankees 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 6 14 0 Recap | Box W: M. Obradovich (1-0, 0.00); L: C. Hung (1-1, 2.45) HR: YAN: A. Ramirez (1).

Share

Minor League Recap - 6/25

Games of 6/24

Alan Horne, making his 4th start for Scranton since returning from the DL due to an injured bicep, had some control problems and took the loss in the Yankees 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Columbus Catfish. Horne was charged with all 4 Catfish runs, 3 of them earned, while allowing 7 hits and 4 walks. He also surrendered a pair of solo home runs.

J.B. Cox tossed a scoreless inning and has now allowed just 4 earned runs over the 26 innings he has pitched at 3 levels. Juan Miranda continues to swing a hot bat, going 1-3 tonight and is hitting .475 over his last 11 games.

June 24, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Columbus 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 4 7 0 Scranton/WB 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 12 2 Recap | Box | W: C. Balester (9-3, 4.00); L: A. Horne (2-2, 3.86); SV: B. Sanches (8) HR: COL: Y. De Caster (8), L. Broadway (7).

Phil Coke was oustanding tonight in the Trenton Thunder's 6-2 win over the Erie SeaWolves. Coke was the real thing (sorry), striking out 10 while allowing a run on 4 hits over 7 innings. Colin Curtis drove in 3 runs and Edwar Gonzalez added a solo home run.

June 24, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Erie 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 1 Trenton 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 X 6 13 0 Recap | Box | W: P. Coke (5-3, 3.21); L: A. Kown (4-9, 4.95) HR: TRE: E. Gonzalez (4).

The Tampa Yankees received outstanding pitching as well in their 4-1 win over the Daytona Cubs. Mike Dunn improved to 3-3, by limiting the Cubs to a run on 6 hits over 7 innings, while striking out 7. Andres Perez hit a 2-run home run, his 3rd of the season, and the Yankees had the running game going, swiping four bases.

June 24, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Daytona 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 3 Tampa 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 4 10 1 Recap | Box | W: M. Dunn (3-3, 4.17); L: G. Johnson (0-1, 7.50); SV: J. Hovis (6) HR: TAM: A. Perez (3).

The Charleston RiverDogs held off the Rome Braves 4-3 in the completion of the game they started on Monday. Craig Heyer struggled, but picked up the win after picking up where Noel Castillo had left off. Brandon Laird belted his 7th home run and Jesus Montero chipped in with 3 hits, and RBI and a run scored.

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Rome 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 7 0 Charleston 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 X 4 12 0 Recap | Box | W: C. Heyer (4-0, 1.35); L: Y. Castro (0-5, 6.90); SV: C. Vacek (5) HR: CHA: B. Laird (7).

Rome won the regularly scheduled game, which was a 7-inning affair, 6-1. Adam Olbrychowski was charged with 4 earned runs in 5 innings and was tagged with the loss. Taylor Holiday drove in the lone RiverDogs run.

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Rome 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 6 9 0 Charleston 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 2 Recap | Box | W: C. Rodgers (2-9, 4.41); L: A. Olbrychowski (5-3, 3.41) HR: ROM: S. Sime (3).

The Staten Island Yankees nipped the Aberdeen IronBirds 4-3 on Melky Mesa's 7th inning single. Josue Selenes picked up his 2nd victory with 2 scoreless innings of relief while Pat Venditte notched his 2nd save. David Adams added 3 hits for the Baby Bombers.

June 24, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Staten Island 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 4 8 1 Aberdeen 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 Recap | Box W: J. Selenes (2-0, 0.00); L: J. Tamba (0-1, 13.50); SV: P. Venditte (2) HR: None.

The GCL Yankees dropped a 5-1 decision to their Phillies counterparts. Dellin Betances made an appearance in relief for the Yankees, allowing 3 runs in 2 innings of work. Rich Martinez had an impressive season debut, striking out 3 in 3 innings in his relief stint. Catcher Chase Weems had 2 of the Yankees 7 hits and drove in their lone run.

Share