Games Played on 05/24/2012
Minor League Player of the Day: Donnie Joseph showed that getting the save while throwing more than 1 inning is still possible. Joseph gave up just 1 hit and struck out 3 in the 1.2 inning save. In his last 8 appearances, Joseph has thrown 11 shutout innings, surrendering just 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 18 batters.
AAA
Indianapolis 2 – Louisville 1 in 15 innings
Jeff Francis made his 10th start of the season for the Bats, allowing just 1 run and 4 hits in 7 innings of work. He walked 2 batters and struck out 4. It was easily his best game in 5 May starts. The Bats bullpen shutout Indianapolis over the next 7 innings until Jordan Smith gave up the go ahead run in his second inning of work in the bottom of the 15th.
Chris Valaika was placed on the DL Thursday with a right knee strain. The Reds purchased the contract of Independent League outfielder Joey Gathright. It would explain why Cody Puckett had moved to 2B after his promotion from Pensacola.
Gathright entered the game as part of a double switch and had single and a walk in his only two plate appearances. Dioner Navarro was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, and the lone run scored.
AA
Pensacola 4 – Mississippi 2
J.C. Sulbaran (3-3, 4.41 ERA) gave up 2 runs on 7 hits over 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Donnie Joseph (4-0, 11 SV, 0.36 ERA) pitched the final 1.2 innings in shutout fashion for his 11th save of the season. He gave up just 1 hit and struck out 3. Joseph has not allowed a run in 8 appearances, dating back to May 6th. In those last 8 appearances, Joseph has thrown 11 innings, surrendered just 2 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 18 batters.
Yordanys Perez was 2-for-3 with a homerun and 2 RBI.
High A
San Jose 4 – Bakersfield 3 in 12 innings
Tony Cingrani entered play with the third best ERA among all minor league qualifying pitchers and 5th in the minors in strikeouts. Thursday marked the first time all season that he allowed more than 1 earned run in a start. Cingrani went 5.1 allowing 3 runs, just 2 earned, on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4 more batters.
The Bakersfield offense was supplied by the power of three solo homeruns off the bats of Devin Lohman (3-for-6 and a steal), Juan Duran (3-for-5), and Donald Lutz (2-for-4, 2B, BB.)
Billy Hamilton only had 1 hit and a walk in 6 plate appearances, but he swiped his 43rd and 44th bases and also committed his 13th and 14th errors of the season.
Low A
Lansing 5 – Dayton 2
Dan Jensen (2-4, 3.21 ERA) allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 6 walks over 4 innings. As a team in their 8 innings on the field, the Dragons issued 12 free passes and committed 3 errors, though all 5 runs allowed were earned.