Baseball America released their Minor League All-Star Teams today. LHP Justus Sheffield was a First Team All-Star while RHP Mike King made the Second Team. “The 2014 first-round pick keeps getting better every year and now is on the brink of the majors … Sheffield allowed just four home runs all season, and his .195 opponent average ranked eighth in the minors overall,” says the write-up.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (5-2 win over Durham) the best-of-five International League Championship Series is now tied at two games apiece, so tomorrow night is for all the marbles … RHP Domingo German will start Game Five on three days rest (he threw only 43 pitches in Game One)
1. LF Mark Payton: 1-5, 1 R, 1K
2. CF Shane Robinson: 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B
3. SS Gio Urshela: 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K — 11-for-31 (.355) in eight postseason games
4. DH Mike Ford: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI — two homers in the last three games, so he’s coming around at the right time
5. 1B Ryan McBroom: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
6. RF Zack Zehner: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K — Quintin Berry replaced him for defense in the ninth inning
7. 2B L.J. Mazzilli: 1-4, 2 K, 1 SB
8. 3B Bruce Caldwell: 1-3, 2 K, 1 HBP
9. C Francisco Diaz: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Ryan Bollinger: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HB, 8/2 GB/FB — 57 of 93 pitches were strikes (61%) … with the season on the line, that’s a baller outing from the 27-year-old journeyman who spent last season pitching in Germany
RHP Raynel Espinal: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 25 of 37 pitches were strikes (68%) … their ace setup man had to grind a bit and is surely out of action for Game Five tomorrow
RHP Joe Harvey: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2/1 GB/FB — 13 of 16 pitches were strikes (81%) … five-out save, but only 16 pitches, so maybe he’ll be available tomorrow? … if yes, I imagine the ideal pitching plan is German to Sheffield to Harvey
The season is over for the Double-A Trenton Thunder, the High-A Tampa Tarpons, the Low-A Charleston RiverDogs, the Short Season Staten Island Yankees, the Rookie Pulaski Yankees, and the two Rookie GCL Yankees affiliates. Trenton was swept in their best-of-five first round postseason series. None of the other teams affiliates qualified for the postseason.