Games Played on 04/11/2012
Minor League Players of the Day: The Louisville bullpen. Kanekoa Texeira, Carlos Fisher, and Scott Carroll pitched 5+ innings of scoreless baseball. This trio has yet to allow a run this season in 13.1 total innings pitched.
AAA
Toledo 4 – Louisville 0
Today was Brett Tomko’s turn in the rotation, but he was placed on the 7-day DL yesterday with a “right abductor spasm†retroactive to April 8th. Minor league free agent Luis Atilano took Tomko’s place on the roster and in the rotation for this start.
Atilano was once a first round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves back in 2003, and he reached the majors for half a season with the Washington Nationals in 2010. However, his very low professional K/9 rate (under 5.0) has limited his success in the upper levels of the minors.
Atilano only made it 2+ innings, giving up all 4 Toledo runs in the 2nd inning. Kanekoa Texeira, Carlos Fisher, and Scott Carroll combined for 5.2 innings of shutout baseball.
Chris Valaika and Paul Janish each had 2 hits for the Bats, accounting the majority of the Bats 5 hits.
It’s worth noting that Todd Frazier started at third base for the 4th time in 5 AAA starts. Last year he made 35 starts at 3B, 20 at 1B and 15 in LF.
Henry Rodriguez made his first start of the season at 2B last night. He had been getting the starts at 3B for the Blue Wahoos so far this season. Last year, Rodriguez had just 10 games at 3B, 19 games at SS, and 101 games at 2B. It makes sense to move him off second base with Phillips locked up to the 5 year extension. Rodriguez had a hit in four plate appearances and is hitting .308 early in the season.
Curtis Partch got the start on the mound and was battered around for 10 hits and 3 walks, though just 2 runs, in 4.1 innings.
Mike Costanzo started at third base and hit his second homerun of the season, accounting for Pensacola’s only two runs of the game and tying the game in the 6th inning.
Mobile would go on to win in the bottom of the 9th inning on the always exciting walk-off sac fly.
High A
Bakersfield vs Stockton PPD
Low A
Lansing 7 – Dayton 3
Yovan Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with a solo HR in the 7th innings. Danny Vicioso was 2-for-2 with a walk.
Justice French’s 2nd start of the season was not nearly as strong as his first outing. After going 6 shutout innings in his 2012 debut, he surrendered 5 runs, 4 earned, in just 4 innings of work yesterday. French gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, a wild pitch and just two strikeouts.