Is it just me or does it seem as if all our top prospect pitchers have been struggling lately. It was Skaggs' turn tonight in Mobile and he didn't have his best stuff. Montgomery got to him for 4 runs in 5 innings and he allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and 2 long balls. That's not what we've come to expect from Skaggs. They say in a season of baseball, the pitchers win the first 1/3 of the season, the hitters win the second 1/3, and the final 1/3 is even. Our pitchers are going through that rough 1/3. One prospect who is turning some heads is Missoula rookie Andrew Barbosa who has only allowed 1 hit in 2 starts to begin his professional career. Not bad for a 36th-round pick out of South Florida. I still can't figure out why he was taken so late considering he posted a 2.01 ERA in 191 innings in the Big East--and he's a lefty who stands 6-8. Go figure. Just be happy he's ours. He'll be in South Bend shortly.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Andrew Barbosa, Missoula 5 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 ER
2 Stars: Wagner Mateo, Visalia 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 DBL, 2 RBI
1 Star: Daniel Poma, Yakima 3 for 5, 3 R, 1 HR (1), 2 RBI
0 Stars: Joe Martinez, Reno 6.1 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 1 HR, 8 K, 8 ER
Game summaries after the jump.
Triple A: Reno 3 @ Salt Lake 9. The Aces have hit a bit of skid lately with their 4th loss in 5 games. Joe Martinez got beat up pretty good after two consecutive stellar starts. He gave up 8 earned runs in 6.1 innings, just when you thought he had turned a bit of a corner. Ryan Wheeler got his typical 2 hits but red-hot Jake Elmore took the collar and ended his 31-game hitting streak. I blame GuruB for mentioning the streak in his comment in yesterday's Minor League Round-Up.
Double A: Mobile 4 Montgomery 15. Tyler Skaggs was off his game a bit as he surrendered 4 runs through his first three innings of work. His start wasn't a disaster but not what we've come to expect from one of our top prospects. He allowed 5 hits, 3 walks and 2 home runs in 5 innings of work. Stephen Drew started again at SS and went 0 for 3 with a walk. That should be his last rehab start and he will join the big club this week. Say goodbye Josh Bell. David Nick had a good night with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.
High A: Visalia 5 Bakersfield 4. Visalia won in extra innings when Wagner Mateo doubled in the bottom of the 10th to score Michael Freeman who walked to start the inning. We were just talking about Mateo yesterday's Round-Up. After spending all of last year at the AZL Rookie level, it appears Mateo will be stationed in Visalia for the foreseeable future. I guess the Dbacks want to see if they'll get any return on the $500,000 bonus they gave him after St. Louis reneged on their $3 million plus offer upon finding out he had some vision problems. Jonathan Griffin also had 3 hits on the day and Bobby Borchering hit his 14th home run of the season.
Low A: South Bend 2 Great Lakes 8. Jesse Darrah had a respectable outing with 4 runs allowed (3 earned) in 6 innings of work as he gave up 7 hits, no walks, and had 5 Ks. But newly-promoted Alex Capaul let the game get out of hand with a 4-run 7th. The Silver Hawks' bats were pretty quiet with 6 singles and a double by Ryan Court.
High Rookie: Yakima 7 @ Tri-City 3. Starter Blake Perry allowed 3 runs in the first inning but calmed down and tossed 3 scoreless after that. Four relievers combined for 7 shutout innings as the game went all the way to the 11th before Josh Parr hit a grand slam to win the game in extras. 24th-round pick 3B Mark Ginther had 4 hits in 5 at bats, while 10th-rounder Daniel Poma had 3 hits including his first professional home run, a 2-run shot in the 7th that tied the game at 3.
Low Rookie: Missoula 2 @ Helena 1. As Billy Beane says in Money Ball, "How can you not be romantic about baseball?" Here's the scene...Ty Linton hits a 2-run homer in the top of the 10th to break a scoreless tie. Raul Mondesi, Jr. hits a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to tie it. BUT, Mondesi somehow failed to tag home plate. C Michael Perez saw it, waited until Mondesi reached the dugout, appealed the play and the umpire called Mondesi out. A walk-off win by the Osprey on a homer by the opposing team. You don't see that every day. Just as exciting was the pitching performance of Andrew Barbosa who is dominating the Pioneer League. He dominated his senior season at South Florida and he hasn't missed a beat in the pros. He'll be headed to South Bend very shortly. He has only allowed 1 hit in his first 10 innings with 11 Ks. One to watch.