Flores & Almonte carry Thunder to Game 3 win

Got some notes…

• OF Tyler Austin was dealing with some kind of ankle problem and had an MRI today. Doesn’t sound like anything too serious, because he was scheduled to play tonight until about a half-hour before first pitch.
• C Gary Sanchez was named to the Minor League All-Star Team by Baseball America. Sanchez led all minor league backstops with 18 homers this season.
• C R.J. Baker is on Great Britain’s qualifying roster for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Good for him.

Double-A Trenton (11-7 win over Akron) Akron still leads the best-of-five Championship Series two games to one … LHP Nik Turley gets the ball in Game Four tomorrow
CF Adonis Garcia & 3B David Adams: both 2-4, 2 R — Garcia drew a walk … Adams got hit by a pitch and plated a run
LF Ramon Flores: 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB — been arguably their best hitter in the postseason
RF Zoilo Almonte: 2-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (fielding) — ditto the Flores comment
SS Addison Maruszak: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
C J.R. Murphy: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
1B Kevin Mahoney & 2B Walt Ibarra: both 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K — Ibarra stole a base
DH Rob Segedin: 0-4, 3 K
RHP Mikey O’Brien: 2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 WP, 3/1 GB/FB — 35 of 53 pitches were strikes (66%) … not a great finish to the season, the last few weeks have been rough
RHP Graham Stoneburner: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 4/0 GB/FB — 25 of 35 pitches were strikes (71%)
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K — just six of his 18 pitches were strikes (33%), and I’m surprised it was that many
RHP Branden Pinder: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0/1 GB/FB — nine of 15 pitches were strikes … he escaped Kahnle’s bases loaded, no outs jam in a one run game and touched 96
RHP David Aardsma: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 2/0 GB/FB — had a tiny bit more on him earlier
RHP Mark Montgomery: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0/1 GB/FB — only eight of 18 pitches were strikes (44%)
RHP Ryan Pope: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 1/0 GB/FB — nine of 15 pitches were strikes

The season is over for Triple-A Empire State, High-A Tampa, Low-A Charleston, Short Season Staten Island, and the Rookie GCL Yanks. Empire State lost their first round playoff series to Pawtucket while the other four failed to make the postseason.