Scranton was postponed. That is becoming a familiar theme in 2013.

Tyler Austin had a 2-for-5 night with his second home run of the season and two runs batted in. Austin did not have a run batted in in his last ten games prior to tonight.

JR Murphy singled, hit a sac fly, drew a walk, and drove in two while Slade Heathcott had three hits, including a double, and a run scored. This raised his average to .195 – hopefully he can get it up over .200 soon and keep it there.

Jose Pirela chipped in three hits, including a triple, scored three times, and drove in a run while Casey Stevenson had three hits, drove in a run, and drew a walk. Stevenson is hitting .276 in 58 at-bats but has recorded only one extra-base hit.

Ramon Flores had one hit in six at-bats, and scored a run.

A rough night for Francisco Rondon. He lasted 3.2 innings, giving up ten runs (five earned) on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. His ERA rose to 7.16 in six starts. (more…)

Addison Maruszak and Melky Mesa each doubled and drove in two runs.

Corban Joseph, back from his free two-day trip to New York, went 1-for-4 with a run batted in, while David Adams singled and scored a run.

Luke Murton chipped in with two hits, a walk, and a run scored. Murton is only hitting .231 (12-for-52) and has yet to homer.

Ronnier Mustelier doubled and scored, while Zoilo Almonte singled and scored a run.

Graham Stoneburner earned the win, throwing five innings while giving up one run on three hits with one walk and no strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 2.65 in 17 innings for Scranton (13 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K)

Mark Montgomery struck out the side in his only inning of work, but also allowed a solo home run. His ERA sits at 2.03 (13 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 20 K). This was the second consecutive game he gave up a run, and in the game before that, he walked three in two innings. He seems to be a tad off from his usual self.

Why Claiborne over Montgomery?

Perhaps a few reasons:

1. Claiborne can give you multiple innings out of the pen (Montgomery can as well – but I see him more as a 1-inning type of reliever);

2. There is a 40-man roster crunch. If Claiborne comes up and bombs, the Yankees probably feel as if they could get him through waivers, or at the very least, wouldn't be too concerned about losing him even if he was claimed. They are quite loaded with right-handed relief types. Montgomery is different – even if he doesn't pitch well initially, they would never take him off of the 40-man once he is on it.

Of course, there is the scenario where Claiborne comes up and dominates, which would force them to keep him on the 40-man.

Scranton: (Defeated Gwinnett, 4-1)

If you were looking for any hints over who may be staying down in Scranton after Joba's injury, none were given tonight. Cody Eppley, who isn't a candidate, closed the door on tonight's game. The only other reliever used was Josh Spence.

Brett Marshall threw seven shutout innings, allowing five hits while walking three and striking out two. He is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA over five starts (25.1 IP, 29 H, 2 HR, 17 BB, 21 K). Marshall's starts have been progressively better all season. He started the year with two clunkers (10 earned runs in 8.1 IP), followed it up with a blah start, and has now thrown two strong ones in a row. The walks are a bit concerning – he hasn't been Bob Tewksbury in his minor league career, but his walk rates have generally been good.

Melky Mesa went 2-for-4 with a triple, run batted in, and run scored. He struck out twice. He is somehow hitting .253 despite striking out 37 times in 91 AB. He has drawn (more…)

Trenton: (Lost to New Hampshire, 2-1)

Jose Ramirez got the start and was quite good. He lasted five innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit with one walk and six strikeouts. This was his first start (second appearance) of the season. In nine innings, he has allowed one run on three hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts. Nice.

Tyler Austin had two hits, both singles, and is hitting .266 on the year. Still waiting for a bit of a power surge.

JR Murphy and Ramon Flores each went 0-for-3 with a walk. Slade Heathcott also went 0-for-3 with a walk, but also scored a run.

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Tampa (Defeated St. Lucie, 7-3. This game was suspended yesterday in the second inning)

Bryan Mitchell came on in relief to earn the victory. He went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts. The 22-year old is now 2-2 with a 3.06 ERA in essentially six starts (though officially only five): 32.1 IP, 28 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 26 (more…)

Tampa's game was suspended; Charleston was off.

Thankfully, fringy prospect Scottie Allen was starting for Tampa tonight. He will lose a start because of this (they played one inning in the game), but at least it wasn't a major prospect.

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In Game 1, Chien-Ming Wang shined, tossing a complete game (7 innings) six-hitter. He allowed one run on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He registered as 12/4 GO/AO ratio. In three starts, Wang is 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA (19 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 7 K, 2.13 GO/AO)

Graham Stoneburner started Game 2 on a limited pitch count. He lasted two innings (34 pitches), giving up two runs on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts (3.00 ERA: 12 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K).

Mark Montgomery tossed two innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. He also picked off a runner. (more…)

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Scranton: (Swept DH vs. Charlotte; 5-4 and 5-0)

In Game 1, Dellin Betances started, lasting 3.1 innings while giving up two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. (7.58 ERA; 19 IP, 19 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 22 K, 1.54 GO/AO). He is averaging less than four innings per start.

Sam Demel earned the win with 2.2 perfect innings of relief, striking out three. (1.42 ERA; 12.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 15 K). He is a 27-year old reliever who has pitched in parts of three different seasons in the majors – all without much success.

Preston Claiborne "earned" the save by giving up two runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts in the ninth. (3.48 ERA; 10.1 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 10 K, 5.00 GO/AO). Claiborne has typically been a neutral pitcher in terms of groundballs/flyballs, so this is likely just an early fluke.

Veteran Chris Bootcheck continues to throw well. In Game 2, he (more…)

Scranton, who never seems to play, had a DH rained out today.

Backup catcher Kyle Higashioka continued his good early-season hitting, going 2-for-4 with a double and three runs batted in. He is hitting .333 (8-for-24) with four extra-base hits as JR Murphy's backup.

Kyle Roller contributed a single, run batted in, and run scored. He is having a sold season at .337/.390/.554 and the Yankees are probably at least thinking about a promotion for the 25-year old, who probably shouldn't put a glove in his locker.

Tyler Austin singled, scored twice, and drew a walk (.256/.379/.360) while Jose Pirela singled twice, drove in a run, and scored a run. (.230/.337/.345)

Ramon Flores went 0-for-2, but did walk three times (.300/.383/.389). I still see some power potential with him, but for now, we can live with the OBP.

Francisco Rondon started, and again didn't fare well: 5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, HR. It is hard to really give (more…)

Postponed

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Trenton (Lost to Portland, 6-0)

Ramon Flores: 2-for-4, 2 K (.307/.373/.398)

Kyle Roller: 1-for-3, 3B, BB, 2 K (.337/.385/.562)

JR Murphy: 0-for-3, BB (.308/.418/.569)
Slade Heathcott: 0-for-3, 3 K (.161/.254/.226; 20 K in 62 K) – Hasn't hit a lick since coming back from injury (stiff neck)

Zach Nuding: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (2.81 ERA; 25.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R (!!!), 8 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 24 K)

Tom Kahnle: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K (3.86 ERA; 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 9 BB, 12 K) – High K/9 and BB/9 ratios are the norm.

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Tampa (Lost to Clearwater, 6-5)

Gary Sanchez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB (.300/.380/.513)

Robert Refsnyder: 3-for-3, 2 2B, RBI, RS, BB (14-for-35 for Tampa; .382/.491/.528 overall)

Mason Williams: 1-for-5, K (.253/.379/.342)

Ben Gamel: 0-for-5, RS (.293/.371/.439)

Francisco Arcia: 1-for-3, RS

Anderson Feliz: 1-for-4, RS, BB, SB (.216/.349/.275)

Corey Black: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (4.21 ERA; 25.2 IP, 28 (more…)

A bit of a quick rundown tonight:

First off, as you know, Austin Romine will likely be inserted as the new Yankees catcher with the injury to Cervelli. It will be interesting to see how Scranton deals with their catching situation. I doubt they move Murphy up to Scranton and Sanchez up to Trenton. More than likely, they will shuffle around their "organizational" catchers.

As for Romine, anyone who reads this knows about him. He has a good defensive reputation with the ability to be a decent hitter. He was 14-for-42 with Scranton this season after missing all but 31 games of action in 2012 due to a bad back. In his last full season (2011), he hit .286/.351/.378 for Trenton. At the age of 21, he hit 13 home runs in the FSL, not a league traditionally kind to hitters. So, expect a little pop to go along with a decent average, though he is not big on taking walks.

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Scranton (Lost to Columbus, 3-2)

Zoilo Almonte: 2-for-4 (.265/.407/.382)

Chien-Ming Wang started, lasting 6.2 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He recorded a 13/4 GO/AO ratio and threw 51 of his 82 pitches for strikes.

David Adams had two hits and a walk and is now hitting .333 on the season. He is a right-handed bat, and although he wouldn't have a position to play, the Yankees are only using Francisco to DH anyway. Why not bring up Adams to DH? Boesch is fine as the roving #4 OF.

Austin Romine homered (his 1st of the season) and is hitting .341.

Zoilo Almonte chipped in with a single, walk, and stolen base. His plate discipline thus far has been nice to see. Heck, he may be a better player than Ichiro right now.

Left-hander Juan Cedeno pitched the final 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits with three walks and one strikeout. He has a 2.00 ERA (9 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 7 K)

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Charleston: (Lost to West Virginia, (more…)

David Adams singled and drove home two runs, while Cody Johnson connected on his first home run of the season. Johnson is only 4-for-28 on the season with 18 strikeouts.

Adams is hitting .311/.404/.444 in 45 at-bats.

Corban Joseph doubled, scored a run, and drew a walk (.292/.370/.500 in 72 AB)

Melky Mesa had a typical 2013 day: 0-for-3, 3 K. He is hitting .246/.307/.420 with an astonishing 31 strikeouts in 69 at-bats. In his small sample vs. left-handed pitchers, he is 1-for-12.

Thomas Neal doubled before being pulled from the game. I would love to say he is on his way to New York, but I doubt it. No injury news to report, however. His replacement (Addison Maruszak) went 2-for-3 with a run batted in and is 9-for-41 with 10 walks and six strikeouts.

Mark Montgomery was a tad off of his game today: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K. He has a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings (5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 16 K)

Sam Demel tossed two innings of scoreless relief, (more…)

Nick Goody is out for the year following Tommy John surgery. The 2012 draftee was a candidate to move fast through the organization but will now lose at least a year of development time. In his brief career, he has compiled a 1.29 ERA over 25 games with a 55/11 K/BB ratio over 35 IP….Ronnier Mustelier, victim of perhaps the worst bone bruise in the history of sports, is close to returning. He played a full spring training, so it shouldn't take him long to get back into a groove…

Promotion News:

OF Jake Cave is now with the Charleston Riverdogs. It appears that Danny Oh, a fringe prospect at best, was placed on the 7-day disabled list to make room. Cave has a lot of talent, but missed the entire 2012 season due to knee surgery. So, although he was drafted in 2011, he didn't make his professional debut until tonight. He is 20 years old….

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Scranton: (Defeated Columbus, 2-1)

Dellin Betances (remember him?) was fantastic tonight. (more…)

Thomas Neal had a nice night, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two runs batted in, and three runs scored. Neal is hitting .351 (20-for-57) and is 16 for his last 36. He doesn't have a home run (his five extra-base hits are all doubles) and he does have a 12/3 K/BB ratio. However, can he really do a worse job than Francisco for the Yankees?

Zoilo Almonte doubled, drove in a pair, and scored a run. He is hitting .273 (15-for-55) with 14 walks and nine strikeouts. Almonte was much better vs. right-handers than left-handers last year (he is a switch-hitter), so he may not be ideal for a callup at the moment. By the way, he walked only 25 times in 2012.

Austin Romine singled in a run. A perfect scenario has unfolded for the Yankees; Cervelli and Stewart thus far have held down the fort nicely enough so that there is no real pressure on considering Romine. He needs the seasoning. He is hitting .382 (13-for-34) but has yet to register (more…)

The legend of Vidal Nuno continues. Nuno tossed 5.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He is now 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts (23.1 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 26 K). As you probably know, Nuno is an interesting case – a very late draft pick by the Indians in 2009, he was ultimately released and snatched up by an Independent League, where he learned to refine his changeup. He features five pitches (regular fastball, cutter, change, slider, curve), all of which we can throw for strikes. Doesn't throw hard (he can reach 90 on his best days) but has exceptional command AND control. I have no idea if what he does will translate in the majors – all I can go by is the fact that minor league hitters are looking silly against him.