DotF: Sensley crushes two homers in Pulaski’s loss

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the standings, so let’s do that today. The minor league regular season ends in roughly six weeks, so the affiliates are entering crunch time in the various postseason races. Here are the day’s notes:

• LHP Justus Sheffield (oblique) has resumed some exercises but is still not throwing, reports Sean Miller. There’s a chance Sheffield will return before the end of the season, though the Yankees aren’t going to rush it. My guess is the Yankees will send him to Arizona Fall League to make up for the lost innings.
• Also from Miller: RHP Domingo Acevedo is nearing his innings limit and will have his starts capped from here on out. “Acevedo can only go five from now on,” said Double-A Trenton manager Bobby Mitchell. Acevedo has thrown a 108 innings this year after throwing 93 last year.
• C Kyle Higashioka (back) received a cortisone shot recently and is doing better, according to D.J. Eberle. He’s been out a month now. With Higashioka sidelined, veteran journeyman C Eddy Rodriguez is the No. 3 catcher by default. I wonder if the Yankees will make a small deal for a depth catcher at some point.
• RHP Freicer Perez was in this week’s Monday Morning Ten Pack (subs. req’d). “While Perez does have the tools to be a potential starter, his lack of workable secondaries makes it more likely that his future lies as a high-leverage reliever … Perez has the ceiling of a quality middle reliever because of his ability to pump his fastball to plus-plus velo,” says the write-up.
• OF Jake Cave was named the Triple-A International League Offensive Player of the Week. He went 15-for-26 (.577) with two doubles and two homers last week. I wonder whether Cave has played himself into some trade value this year. Usually the answer is no in these cases. Any team could have had Cave and kept him as a two-time Rule 5 Draft over the winter, but they all passed.

Triple-A Scranton (3-2 loss to Norfolk) they’re 63-38 and have a 1.5 game lead in the North Division

• CF Mason Williams: 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K
• LF Jake Cave: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K — 20-for-37 (.541) with two doubles and three homers during his ten-game hitting streak
• 3B Miguel Andujar: 1-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K — first game as a dad
• DH Billy McKinney: 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 K
• RHP Domingo German: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 37 of 62 pitches were strikes (60%) … he spent a lot of time sitting in the big league bullpen as the eighth reliever, so they have to get him stretched back out now
• RHP J.P. Feyereisen: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2/1 GB/FB — 38 of 62 pitches were strikes (61%) … 62 pitches? wonder if they’re stretching him out or something
• LHP Chasen Shreve: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0/2 GB/FB — 20 of 30 pitches were strikes

Double-A Trenton‘s game was suspended due to rain in the the middle of the fourth inning. They’re going to finish this one tomorrow. Here’s the box score. Trenton is 66-33 this year and they have an 11.5 game lead in the Eastern Division. That is the second best record among all full season teams this year, behind only Low-A West Michigan (Tigers) of the Midwest League. They’re 66-29.

High-A Tampa (7-3 win over Fort Myers) they are 58-42 overall and 19-11 in the second half … they won the first half North Division title and have already clinched a postseason spot

• SS Kyle Holder: 0-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
• 2B Nick Solak: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB — kinda surprised he’s still down here and not in Trenton
• LF Trey Amburgey: 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 K — threw a runner out at third
• RF Alex Palma: 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
• RHP Taylor Widener: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 2/3 GB/FB — 50 of 83 pitches were strikes (60%) … has failed to complete five full innings in each of his last five starts … the converted reliever is probably hitting a wall now that he’s heading into uncharted territory with his innings total
• LHP Stephen Tarpley: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 21 of 40 pitches were strikes (53%) … as a lefty with good velocity, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees sent him to the Arizona Fall League for a longer look before deciding whether to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft this winter

Low-A Charleston (2-0 loss to Lakewood in six innings) completed early due to rain … they are 54-47 overall and 20-10 in the second half, with a half-game lead in the Southern Division

• 2B Hoy Jun Park: 1-2, 1 K, 1 CS
• SS Diego Castillo: 0-1, 1 BB
• DH Estevan Florial: 0-1, 1 BB, 1 K — 32.1 K% and 10.9 BB% this year
• C Donny Sands & RF Isiah Gilliam: both 0-2 — Sands struck out
• 3B Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-2
• RHP Adonis Rosa: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 2 HB, 4/2 GB/FB — 57 of 95 pitches were strikes (60%) … 22-year-old has bounced around from level to level, starter to reliever, and he has a 3.16 ERA with 78/13 K/BB in 82.2 total innings
• RHP Austin DeCarr: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 0/1 GB/FB — eight pitches, two strikes

Short Season Staten Island (3-2 loss to Lowell) they are 23-11 and have a 4.5 game lead in the McNamara Division

• SS Wilkerman Garcia: 1-5, 2 K
• 3B Nelson Gomez & CF Dom Thompson-Williams: 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Glenn Otto: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 18 of 31 pitches were strikes (58%)
• RHP Daniel Alvarez: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HB, 9/3 GB/FB — 62 of 99 pitches were strikes (63%) … heck of a relief outing right there

Rookie Pulaski (15-4 loss to Elizabethtown) they are 21-10 and have a half-game lead in the East Division

• SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-5, 1 K
• C Saul Torres: 0-4, 2 K, 1 E (throwing)
• DH Steven Sensley: 2-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 CS — this year’s 12th rounder is up to .330/.427/.705 with eight homers in 24 pro games
• 3B Dermis Garcia: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
• LF Brayan Emery: 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Daniel Ramos: 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 4/1 GB/FB — 47 of 78 pitches were strikes (60%)

Rookie GCL Yanks East Game One (6-3 loss to GCL Blue Jays) completion of their July 8th game, which suspended due to rain after the first inning … they are 12-9 and have a 1.5 game lead in the Northeast Division

• SS Jose Devers: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
• CF Robert Javier: 0-4, 1 R, 1 BB
• LF Jhon Moronta: 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K — 18-year-old is hitting .299/.382/.418 through 18 games
• DH Jonathan Amundaray: 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K
• RHP Luis Rijo: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3/3 GB/FB — picked two runners off first base

Rookie GCL Yanks East Game Two (7-3 win over GCL Blue Jays in seven innings)

• LF Canaan Smith: 1-2, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K — first pro homer for this year’s fourth rounder, who also has 19 walks and 16 strikeouts in 19 pro games
• RF Jhon Moronta: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI — got picked off first
• RHP Luis Ojeda: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HB, 5/1 GB/FB

Rookie GCL Yanks West (6-2 loss to GCL Pirates) they are 11-11 and four games back in the Northwest Division

• SS Oswald Peraza: 1-4
• C Gustavo Campero: 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
• 1B Miguel Flames: 0-3, 1 HBP — Miggy Fire is down to .217/.318/.319 this season
• DH Juan De Leon: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 CS
• RHP Jhonatan Munoz: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 3/1 GB/FB — 17-year-old has a 41/7 K/BB in 33.2 total innings this season