Minor League Thread (Second Half)

Tuesday Stories

Another affiliate punches its ticket to the playoffs.

Meanwhile in the Appalachians, there has been virtually no movement whatsoever.

Tri-City found themselves in a long, drawn-out affair in one of the boroughs of NYC.

Recap

Oklahoma City 5, Nashville 4

With the victory, the Redhawks are the champions of the PCL American South division. They are the first team to clinch their spot in the Pacific Coast League playoffs.

For a stretch in this game, George Springer, Brandon Laird, and Japhet Amador had all the hits for OKC. After Springer led off the bottom of the 4th with a triple, Laird brought him home with a single to put the Redhawks on the board. An Amador single and a Jonathan Singleton walk loaded the bases for Carlos Perez, who drew a walk to put OKC in the lead. Marc Krauss chipped in with a sac fly. Amador finished 3-4 with an RBI single in the 5th. In the 7th, Springer hit an RBI groundout. He and Laird had 2-hit nights.

Science Guy had a fine spot start in Paul Clemens' stead. He went 5 innings and allowed a run (on a solo homer to Hunter Morris) on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Jose Cisnero allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 2 in the 6th. Jason Stoffel went 2 innings and gave up a run on 2 hits and punched out 2. Wade LeBlanc got 1 out in the 9th, and Jorge De Leon got the last 2, striking out 1.

Game 3 of this series has Asher Wojciechowski taking on Alfredo Figaro. First pitch is at 7:05.

Frisco 5, Corpus Christi 1

The Hooks were held to 3 hits as they dropped the opener in the Metroplex.

Ronald Torreyes hit a 1-out single in the 1st and advanced to 2nd on a Preston Tucker groundout. Erik Castro brought him home with a double. Torreyes finished 2-4. That Castro double was the Hooks' only other hit. They ended up getting no-hit over the final 7 innings.

David Rollins had a quality start, although he wound up getting the loss. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 5. Cam Lamb pitched a 1-2-3 7th, and T.J. Geith allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in the 8th.

Game 2 of this series features Mike Foltynewicz on the mound, as he takes on Jerad Eickhoff. First pitch is at 7:05.

Lancaster 7, Lake Elsinore 2

The Jethawks seized control of the opener with 5 in the bottom of the 1st in response to the Storm opening up the scoring.

Nolan Fontana singled and Carlos Perdomo walked to lead off the bottom of the 1st. A single from Joe Sclafani brought them home. Sclafani would score himself after an error allowed Tyler Heineman and M.P. Cokinos to safely reach. Heineman was credited with an RBI on the play. Brandon Meredith singled to load the bases; one batter later, Chris Epps walked Cokinos home. A groundout from Ricky Gingras scored Heineman. Epps added an RBI single in the 5th, and Perdomo followed suit in the 7th. Cokinos finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored. Fontana was 1-2 with 3 walks. He needs one more walk for 100; he's already struck out 100 times.

Aaron West went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits and struck out 9. Tom Shirley pitched 2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and fanning 2. Gerardo Sanchez allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 1 in a scoreless 8th, and Travis Ballew allowed a hit and struck out the side in the 9th.

In the middle game of this series, Mike Hauschild will take on Johnny Barbato. First pitch is at 7:00 Pacific.

Quad Cities 6, Burlington 5

Rio Ruiz had himself a career night as the Banditos took 3 of 4 from the Bees in Burlington.

After Tony Kemp got hit to begin the game, Austin Elkins drew a walk, Teoscar Hernandez got on with a bunt single, and Bobby Borchering struck out. The River promptly emptied the bases with his first career grand slam (12). He added an RBI single in the 3rd as part of a 3-4, 5 RBI night. Ruiz now has a triple slash line of .256/.332/.426 with 12 homers and 59 RBI. Jobduan Morales tripled to lead off the 4th and scored on a sac fly from Jordan Scott in the 4th. Hernandez was 2-4 with a double and scored twice.

Dan Minor went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 3. Juan Minaya went 4 innings and struck out the side in 3 of them. He allowed a solo homer to Wade Hinkle in the 8th and one other hit. Andrew Walter closed it out with a 1-2-3 9th.

The River Bandits will wrap up their final roadtrip of the season with 3 against Wisconsin. Chris Devenski will take on Austin Ross in the opener. First pitch is at 7:05.

Tri-City 5, Brooklyn 3 in 16 innings

The ValleyCats hold a 4-game lead over Lowell in the NYPL Stedler Division with 9 to play.

Michael Feliz went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (both in the 3rd) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8. Tyler Brunnemann was the first reliever, and he allowed a hit and fanned 3 over 2 scoreless frames. J.D. Osborne allowed a solo homer to L.J. Mazzilli in the 8th that tied the game at 3. In 1 1/3, he allowed 2 other hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. Charles Basford followed with 3 2/3 scoreless, walking 3 and fanning 5. Krishawn Holley was next, and he threw 3 scoreless, allowing 3 hits, walking 1, and fanning 2. Gonzalo Sanudo struck out the side in order in the 16th to get the save. Sanudo has not issued a walk in his last 24 appearances.

The Cyclones got 2 in the 3rd to break a scoreless tie, but Tri-City answered with 3 in the 4th to take the lead. Tyler White led off the inning with a homer (3, 6 season). Ronnie Mitchell hit an RBI double, and Chan-Jong Moon added a sac fly. After that, the ValleyCats offense went dormant until the 16th, when Jack Mayfield walked and White got plunked to lead off the inning. A sac bunt from Conrad Gregor moved them over. Adam Nelubowich put TC on top with a sac fly, and Jon Kemmer followed with an RBI single. Kemmer finished 2-7, as did James Ramsay, who hit a triple to lead off the game. White was 2-6 with 2 runs scored, and Ronnie Mitchell was 3-7.

The series finale has Kyle Westwood taking on John Gant. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 2, Bluefield 1

The Appy Astros got the sweep as they won all 3 games in this series by 1 run. Kingsport, Johnson City, and Elizabethton all won as well, so everyone will stand pat in the Appalachian League West again, with Greeneville holding a half-game lead over Kingsport.

Marc Wik went 2-3 with a double and scored both runs for the Appy Astros. He led off the bottom of the 4th with a single and scored on a double from Juan Santana, which tied the game at 1. In the 8th, Wik scored the go-ahead run on an Alfredo Gonzalez single.

Francis Ramirez allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7 in 4 2/3 innings. Sebastian Kessay went 1 1/3 scoreless and allowed a hit, walked 1, and fanned 1. Jose Montero struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 7th, and Jordan Mills threw 2 scoreless, allowing a hit and fanning 1.

Final series of the season. The Appy Astros welcome the Danville Braves, who have already been eliminated from playoff contention, to Pioneer Park for the last 3 games of the regular season. Enderson Franco will take on TBA at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Tigers 13, GCL Astros 2

The Kissimmee Stros got blitzed 13-1 from the 6th to the 9th innings.

Luis Reynoso went 2-3 with a double and scored both GCLstros runs. Jose Fernandez went 3-4 with an RBI double in the 3rd, and Jake Nottingham had a sac fly in the 6th.

Reymin Guduan threw 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 4. The bullpen unraveled after that. And let's just leave it at that.

Only 2 more games left. The GCLstros will host the Yankees2 at noon Eastern.

 

Domingo Santana just hit a 2-run homer (23) for Corpus. This is his first game since being activated from the DL.

Corpus leads Frisco 6-5 in the 3rd.

 

Luis Alvarez is the other catcher on the Hooks roster.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cchooks&amp;src=hash">#cchooks</a> moves: C Ryan McCurdy to DL; C Brett Clements to CC from Gulf Coast League <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23astros&amp;src=hash">#astros</a></p>&mdash; Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/statuses/373186775935508480">August 29, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Thursday Stories

And Greeneville makes 5.

Let's play 2 in.... Troy?

Recap

Oklahoma City 5, Nashville 4 in 14 innings

The Redhawks got the split in walk-off fashion as Jose Martinez ripped an RBI double in the 14th. He finished 3-7. Nashville had pulled ahead in the 12th... or so they thought. Jimmy Paredes re-tied the game in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single on OKC's final strike.

George Springer went 3-6 with an RBI single in the 8th that tied the game at 3. He also scored OKC's first run on a passed ball in the 4th. Che-Hsuan Lin hit a sac fly in the 4th. Paredes and Trevor Crowe went 2-6.

Bobby Doran pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Pat Urckfitz allowed 3 hits and recorded a K in 2 scoreless frames. Jose Cisnero threw 1 1/3 scoreless, allowing a hit. Jorge De Leon struck out 3 over 2 perfect innings, and Jason Stoffel allowed a run on 4 hits and fanned 1 in 3 innings.

In their final series of the regular season, the Redhawks will host Memphis for 4 games. Memphis and Omaha, the two teams that could face OKC in the playoffs, are currently tied atop the PCL American North division. Omaha is hosting Round Rock in their final series.

In the opener, Jake Buchanan will face TBA. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 6, Frisco 2

The Hooks got big nights at the plate and a solid performance on the mound as they got on the board in this series.

R.J. Alaniz pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 3. Andrew Robinson threw 2 perfect innings, and Jonas Dufek walked 1 and fanned 1 in a scoreless 9th.

Ronald Torreyes went 3-4 with an RBI single in the 2nd to put Corpus on the board first, and an RBI double in the 4th. Matt Duffy chipped in with an RBI single in the 5th, and not long after, Jio Mier hit a 2-run single. That was Jio's first hit of the month. Enrique Hernandez capped off the scoring with an RBI double in the 6th. Jonathan Meyer went 4-5 with a double and scored a run.

In the series finale, Nick Tropeano will take on Nick Tepesch. First pitch is at 7:05.

Lake Elsinore 11, Lancaster 9

A comeback attempt for the Jethawks fell just short, as Dennis O'Grady struck out Tyler Heineman with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th to end the game.

Kyle Smith got shelled in 2 innings, as he allowed 7 runs (1 inherited) on 6 hits (3 homers) and walked 2. Blair Walters allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1 in the 3rd. Tyson Perez went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits (solo homer). Jordan Jankowski restored order to the game, as he tossed 3 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and fanning 3.

Nolan Fontana went 3-4 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st. He also walked twice, giving him 102 walks to 100 strikeouts on the season. Delino DeShields was 1-5 with an RBI single in the 2nd. He advanced to 2nd on a balk, stole 3rd (50), and scored on a double from Carlos Perdomo. Perdomo wasn't done yet; he hit a 2-run double in the 4th, hit another double in the 1st, and added a sac fly in the 9th. M.P. Cokinos and Tyler Heineman hit RBI singles in the 4th.

The Jethawks close out the regular season with 4 in Rancho Cucamonga. Starters are TBA. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 6, Wisconsin 3

The River Bandits are on a hot streak to finish off the season, winning 10 of 12.

Speaking of hot streaks, Rio Ruiz is on a 6-game hitting streak after going 3-4 with 3 RBI. He hit a 2-run single in the 1st to open the scoring and added an RBI single in the 3rd. Danry Vasquez hit an RBI double in front of The River. Roberto Peña went 2-4 with a 2-run double in the 9th. Austin Elkins was 2-3 with 2 runs scored.

Joe Bircher went 3 2/3 and gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. Jamaine Cotton threw 4 scoreless and allowed a hit, walked 2, and fanned 4. Pat Christensen allowed 2 hits and struck out 3 over 1 1/3 to close it out.

In the series finale, Zach Morton makes his first start for the River Bandits as he takes on Cuban defector Rodolfo Fernandez. First pitch is at 7:05.

Game 1: Vermont 8, Tri-City 3

The Lake Monsters devoured Evan Grills early, as they jumped out to an 8-1 lead after the 3rd. In this game, Tri-City was the away team, even though this doubleheader was being played in Troy.

Jake Rodriguez hit an RBI groundout in the 2nd. Brett Booth went 2-3 with an RBI single in the 4th, and Conrad Gregor was 3-3 with an RBI ground-rule double in the 5th.

Grills only lasted 1 1/3 innings, and he gave up 6 runs on 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Justin Hess got the final out of the 2nd, but allowed 2 runs (both on a 2-run homer) on 3 hits and walked 2. Zach Dando allowed 4 hits over 4 scoreless.

Game 2: Vermont 4, Tri-City 0

The ValleyCats' lead is now 1.5 over Lowell after they got swept in the twinbill.

The offense only had 5 hits; Ryan Dineen was 2-2 with a double.

Kevin Comer went 4 2/3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7. Tyler Brunnemann got the final out of the 5th. Chris Munnelly allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 2 innings.

The series finale has Tanner Bushue taking on Ronald Herrera, who is making his Vermont debut after a good season in the Arizona League for the A's. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Danville 3, Greeneville 2 in 10 innings

Despite the loss, the Appy Astros clinched a playoff spot as Johnson City and Elizabethton both lost.

Thomas Lindauer scored both runs (in the 5th and the 7th), both of which came on errors that allowed Edwin Gomez to reach. Chase McDonald was 2-5 with a double.

Luis Ordosgoitti went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Kevin Ferguson pitched 3 scoreless, allowing a hit and fanning 1. Raul Rivera got the loss, as he allowed the go-ahead run (unearned) in the 10th. He pitched 2 innings and allowed 3 hits and fanned 1.

In the regular-season finale, the starters are TBA. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern. The playoffs begin Saturday, as the Appy Astros face Kingsport in a best-of-3.

GCL Yankees2 5, GCL Astros 2

The Kissimmee Stros wrapped up their season. They were doomed by 5 errors.

Yonathan Mejia hit a sac fly in the 3rd and Luis Reynoso had an RBI groundout in the 7th. Reynoso was 1-3, with that one hit being a double. Javaris Reynolds and Alex Gonzalez had 2-hit days.

Agapito Barrios went 4 innings and allowed 4 unearned runs on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Jorge Perez allowed a hit and fanned 3 over 3 innings, and Juan Carlos Santos allowed a run on 2 walks and struck out 1.

 

BA: Prospect Hot Sheet, August 30

George Springer #4, Luis Cruz #7, Rio Ruiz #8

 

WTHB has a plethora of roster moves to report, in addition to Toney, Martinez, and Fernandez getting busted.

 

Friday Stories

Tri-City sputtering.

Playoff tickets have already been punched; now it's just a matter of finishing the regular season out.

Recap

Memphis 4, Oklahoma City 0

The Redhawks were blanked by what could be their playoff opponent. They only had 7 hits; Marc Krauss went 2-4 with a double.

Jake Buchanan went 6 2/3 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 inherited) on 8 hits and struck out 6. Reymin Guduan, jumping all the way to AAA from the Gulf Coast League to serve as a fresh body in the OKC bullpen, actually held his own. He went 2 1/3 innings and allowed 1 run of his own (on a bases-loaded walk), a hit (an RBI single resulting in Buchanan's run scoring), walked 3, and struck out 4.

In game 2 of this series, David Martinez will take on Scott McGregor. First pitch is at 7:05.

Frisco 3, Corpus Christi 1

Well, not a lot going on in Frisco here.

Matt Duffy drew a bases-loaded walk with 1 out in the top of the 9th. Drew Muren struck out and Duffy was forced out to end the threat. Erik Castro was 2-4 and scored on the walk.

Nick Tropeano was decent in his 5 innings, as he gave up 3 runs on 7 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Mike Foltynewicz threw a 1-2-3 6th, Luis Cruz walked 1 and fanned 2 in the 7th, and Cam Lamb fanned 1 in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Hooks close out the season with 3 against their playoff opponents, San Antonio. TBA will face Josh Geer at 6:05.

Lancaster 3, Rancho Cucamonga 2 in 11 innings

No letting up here; the Jethawks are looking to rumble through the finish line of the regular season.

Joe Sclafani led off the 5th with a single, advanced to 3rd on a ground-rule double from Brandon Meredith, and scored on a wild pitch. Jesse Wierzbicki added an RBI single. Delino DeShields was 2-4 with a triple. Chris Epps was 2-5 with the go-ahead sac fly in the top of the 11th. M.P. Cokinos also had a 2-5 night.

Brady Rodgers was excellent in his 6 innings, as he allowed a run (on a solo homer to Chris Jacobs in the 5th) on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 9. He struck out Matt Kemp twice; swinging in the 1st, and looking to lead off the 6th.

Tom Shirley also pitched well, despite giving up the tying run on a sac fly in the bottom of the 9th. He allowed a hit, walked 1, and fanned 4. Kenny Long pitched 2 scoreless for the win, allowing a hit and fanning 2.

In game 2 of this series, Colton Cain will face Matt Shelton at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 6, Wisconsin 0

The River Bandits finished 6-1 on their last roadtrip of the season after sweeping the Timber Rattlers.

Tony Kemp scored on a double play in the 3rd to open the scoring. In the 4th, Teoscar Hernandez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and then Carlos Correa hit a 2-run single. Terrell Joyce chipped in with an RBI single. Correa finished 2-4, adding another RBI single in the 8th.

Zach Morton threw 4 scoreless and allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Mitch Lambson allowed a hit, a walk, and fanned 3 in 3 scoreless, and J.D. Osborne gave up a hit and struck out 2 over the final 2 frames.

In their final series of the regular season, QC welcomes Beloit to Modern Woodmen Park. The opener has Juan Minaya going up against Dylan Covey. First pitch is at 7:00.

Vermont 9, Tri-City 6

A 4-game losing streak coupled with a Lowell 4-game winning streak has whittled the ValleyCats' lead in the Stedler division to a half-game heading into this big series. At 41-30, they have one more loss than Jamestown, the current wild-card leaders.

Tanner Bushue pitched 2 innings and allowed a run (inherited) on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Troy Scribner bore the brunt of the Vermont assault in the 3rd and the 4th. He pitched 2 innings and gave up 5 runs (in addition to Bushue's run) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Charles Basford was next; he allowed a run on 5 hits and fanned 3 in 3 innings. Krishawn Holley allowed a 2-run homer to Ryon Healy in the 8th. He walked 1 and struck out 1. Justin Hess allowed a hit and struck out 1 in the 9th.

James Ramsay and Ryan Dineen were plunked to open up the game and double-stole their way to 3rd and 2nd. Tyler White opened the scoring with a sac fly. Ernesto Genoves reached on an error in the 2nd and scored on a Ronnie Mitchell single. Genoves scored again in the 6th on an error. He'd score a 3rd time in the 8th as he came home on a double from Adam Nelubowich. Conrad Gregor went 2-4 with a 2-run single in the 8th.

This 2-game series in Lowell could very well decide the division. Adrian Houser will start the opener against Ty Buttrey. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Danville 2, Greeneville 0

The Appy Braves got 2 in the top of the 9th off of Ryan Connolly to break a scoreless tie.

Greeneville only managed a pair of singles from Luis Reynoso and Cristian Moronta.

Jose Montero had a no-hitter going through 4, walking 1 and striking out 5. Christian Garcia followed with 4 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 3, and fanning 4. Connolly allowed those 2 runs on 3 hits.

The Appy Astros begin their playoffs tonight; they are taking on Kingsport in a best-of-3; game 1 will be in Greeneville, and the other 2 are in Kingsport. In game 1, Chris Lee will take on TBA, which I presume to be one of their top 2: Chris Flexen or Robert Whalen. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

 

Carlos Correa drilled a 3-run homer.

 

Saturday Stories

Texas League playoff preview underway in Corpus.

Tri-City needs something big to happen down the stretch.

Recap

Memphis 7, Oklahoma City 3

The Redbirds used a 6-run 1st to take control of the game.

George Springer hit a sac fly in the 1st, Che-Hsuan Lin led off the 2nd with a homer (3), and Brandon Laird added another run on a sac fly. Jimmy Paredes was 2-4.

David Martinez allowed 6 runs on 6 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 1. Science Guy walked 1 and struck out 1 in 4 innings. Rhiner Cruz allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 in 2 scoreless, and Wade LeBlanc went 2 innings and gave up a solo homer to Chad Huffman in the 8th. He allowed 1 other hit and fanned 1.

Blair Walters has been summoned from Lancaster to make a spot start. He'll take on Boone Whiting at 6:05.

Corpus Christi 10, San Antonio 9

The Hooks got 4 in the bottom of the 9th to walk off with a win against their playoff opponents.

Erik Castro hit an RBI single in the 1st to tie the game at 1. He finished 2-3 with an RBI double in the 5th and a sac fly in the 8th. Luis Alvarez hit a sac fly in the 4th, and Drew Muren added a sac fly in the 5th. Matt Duffy went 3-5 with an RBI single in the 5th. Muren hit a double with 1 out in the 9th. After Michael Burgess struck out for the 2nd out, Domingo Santana and Leo Heras walked. Ronald Torreyes promptly cleared the bases with the game-tying triple. And one pitch later, he trotted home as the winning run on a single from Preston Tucker. They both had 4-hit evenings. Torreyes scored 3 times.

Matt Heidenreich pitched 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 1. Kyle Hallock allowed 5 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and fanned 2 in 3 1/3 innings. Cam Lamb allowed a hit as he got the final 2 outs of the 7th. Andrew Robinson allowed a run on a groundout in the 8th. He also gave up a hit. Jonas Dufek allowed a hit and fanned 1 in a scoreless 9th.

In the middle game of this series, David Rollins will take on Juan Oramas. First pitch is at 6:05.

Rancho Cucamonga 4, Lancaster 3 in 10 innings

The Jethawks walked off with a loss in extras as the Quakes scraped across 4 unanswered.

Chris Epps put Lancaster on the board first with a 2-run homer (14) in the 2nd. M.P. Cokinos doubled to lead off the 4th and scored on a single from Brandon Meredith, who finished 2-4.

Colton Cain pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and struck out 7. Gerardo Sanchez allowed a solo homer to Scott Wingo in the 8th that tied the game at 3. He allowed another hit and struck out 2. Michael Dimock pitched 1 2/3 and allowed the winning run for Rancho to score. He gave up 2 hits, walked 2, and fanned 2.

In the middle game of this series, Vince Velasquez will take on Lindsey Caughel. First pitch is at 5:05 Pacific.

5 Jethawks were honored by the Cali League. Rodney Linares was named Manager of the Year, Darryl Robinson was Coach of the Year, and M.P. Cokinos, Andrew Aplin, and Matt Duffy were named Postseason All-Stars.

Beloit 5, Quad Cities 4

The River Bandits dropped the opener as Richard Rodriguez coughed up the lead in the 6th when he served up a 3-run shot to Matt Olson.

Tony Kemp went 2-4 and scored the first run of the game on a Danry Vasquez groundout in the 1st. In the 5th, Carlos Correa drilled a 3-run shot (9) to put QC up 4-2.

Juan Minaya went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (both on a 2-run homer from John Wooten) on 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 5. Rodriguez went 4 innings and allowed the 3-run homer to Olson. He gave up 3 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 3.

In the penultimate game of the regular season, Josh Hader will take on Kyle Finnegan. First pitch is at 5:00.

Lowell 5, Tri-City 2

The ValleyCats dropped a half-game behind the Spinners as they've gone in opposite directions over the past week. Tri-City's lost 5 in a row; Lowell's won 5 straight. The ValleyCats are 1.5 behind Jamestown for the wild-card playoff spot.

The Spinners jumped on Adrian Houser for 3 runs in the 1st and answered Tyler White's 2-run single in the 5th with 2 in the bottom of the inning. Ronnie Mitchell went 2-3.

The ValleyCats couldn't take advantage of Daniel Bard being all over the place in the 6th. He issued 4 walks, but picked Mitchell off 3rd base and struck out Jon Kemmer right after. James Ramsay looked at strike 3 with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Houser went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Chris Munnelly pitched 1 1/3 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and fanning 1. Evan Grills threw 2 1/3 perfect innings and struck out 4.

Michael Feliz gets the ball in the ValleyCats' biggest game of the season; he takes on Jamie Callahan in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:05 Eastern.

Appalachian League Playoffs: Greeneville and Kingsport was postponed

Game 1 has been rescheduled for tonight, at 6:00 Eastern. Jandel Gustave will take on Chris Flexen.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cchooks&amp;src=hash">#cchooks</a> playoff rotation will be Mike Foltynewicz in Game 1, Nick Tropeano in Game 2, Luis Cruz in Game 3. Last two spots TBD.</p>&mdash; Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/statuses/374298185289572352">September 1, 2013</a></blockquote>
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