Game Recaps 5/11

Aeros and Thunder Rained Out Sunday

AKRON, OH – With heavy rain already saturating Canal Park and the forecast offering nary a respite from the precipitation, the Aeros announced that today’s matinee has been postponed due to excessive moisture.

Since today’s contest between the Aeros and the Trenton Thunder was the final game in this three-game series, the game will be made up during Akron’s lone trip to Trenton August 7th-10th. A specific date was not immediately available.

The Aeros get back to business Tuesday, beginning a two-city road swing with a three-game series in Altoona. Akron will send lefty Chuck Lofgren (1-3, 5.51 ERA) to the hill against Curve right-hander Jimmy Barthmaier (2-1, 5.29 ERA). First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. with the game broadcast getting underway at 6:20 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

Potomac Salvages a Series Split With K-Tribe

Potomac pounded out 13 hits, beating Kinston 8-2 Sunday afternoon at Historic Grainger Stadium. After rain delayed the start of the game by 35 minutes, Potomac came out firing with two-run home runs in both the second and third innings. K-Tribe starter Jeanmar Gomez (1-5) was roughed up, giving up five earned runs on six hits through four innings. Jemel Spearman, Frank Diaz and Edgardo Baez each had three hits a piece for Potomac.

Kinston got on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning when Cristo Arnal led off with a double and was driven home by a Beau Mills single. Kinston scored again in the bottom of the ninth when Nick Weglarz led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Niuman Romero. Potomac’s starter Adrian Alaniz (4-0) was great, giving up just two hits through six innings of work.

The K-Tribe ends up with a series split from Northern Division leading Potomac. The Indians continue their eight game homestand with four games against Wilmington starting Monday night. Game time 7pm at Historic Grainger Stadium.

GRASSHOPPER TOP CAPTAINS 8-6

(Greensboro, NC) – Tom Hickman hit a three RBI run double in the fifth to propel the Greensboro Grasshoppers to an 8-6 win over the lake County Captains on Sunday. The Captains led 4-0 in the first inning but could not hang on. The loss was only the third by the Captains when they have scored first in a game. Their mark is now 18-3 when they score first. Despite the loss, the Captains remain in first place, 1.5 games ahead of Delmarva.

The Captains scored four runs off Grasshoppers starter Cristhian Martinez in the first inning. Roman Pena had a RBI single and Jeff Hehr hit a tree run home run, his first professional homer and the Captains led 4-0. The Grasshoppers used the long ball themselves in the bottom of the first off Captains started Chris Archer as Bryan Petersen and Ryan curry hit back to back homers to start the inning off to cut the lead to 4-2. The Captains added another run in the third inning when Chris Nash doubled home Matt Brown to up the lead to 5-2.

The Hoppers mounted their comeback with two runs in the fourth on sacrifice flies by Ben Lasater and Jameson Smith to cut the Captains lead to 5-4. They took the lead in the fifth when Archer walked two batters and another reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Josh Judy relieved Archer and was greeted by bases clearing double by Hickman to put Greensboro ahead 7-5. The Captains cut the lead to 7-6 in the sixth inning when Mark Thompson hit into a double play with the bases loaded and Michael Valadez scored on the play. The Grasshoppers got a run of their own on a double pay ball hit by Petersen that scored Jameson Smith in the bottom of the sixth.

Archer went 4.1 innings allowing seven runs on only three hits but walked six. Archer leads the league in walks allowed. Josh Judy gave up an unearned run on three hits striking out 3 in 2.2 innings of work. Dallas Cawiezell pitched a perfect ninth inning striking out the side. Cristhian Martinez got the win despite giving up six runs and Garrett Parcell picked up his eighth save pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

The Captains continue the road trip with four games starting on Monday in West Virginia against the Power. LHP Ryan Miller will get the start (5-0, 1.09) against the Power’s RHP Rob Bryson (0-1, 5.40). The games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

Game Recaps 5/10

Dixon Settles In, Aeros Win 3-1

AKRON, OH – Akron starter Kevin Dixon allowed four hits and a run in the first inning, but recovered to allow just one hit in his final five frames as the Aeros beat the Trenton Thunder 3-1 Saturday in front of 3,137 fans at Canal Park. The rest of the pitching staff picked up where Dixon left off and did not allow a hit in three innings of relief. Akron improved to 16-19 on the season and the Thunder, which had won eight straight games, dropped to 24-13.

Trenton’s lone run came in the first inning off Dixon. Four singles keyed the inning, including the first three batters. With the bases loaded however, Dixon struck out cleanup hitter Edwar Gonzalez looking for the first out. Cody Ehlers then singled to left, scoring Ramiro Pena for Trenton’s only run. Dixon struck out Jose Tabata for the second out, and with the bases still loaded, escaped the inning with no further damage when P.J. Pilittere grounded to second.

Akron took the lead for good with two runs in the third, taking advantage of two errors by the Trenton defense. Ryan Goleski led off and reached second when Tabata dropped his fly ball in right field, and Brandon Chaves reached on a bunt single to put runners on the corners with no outs. After Jose Constanza flied out, Josh Rodriguez tapped a roller in front of the plate for an RBI infield single, plating Goleski. Chris Gimenez then struck out swinging with Rodriguez running on the play, but the throw from Pilittere skipped into centerfield, allowing Chaves to steal home on the back end of the double steal.

Akron would add the final tally of the contest in the sixth. Hodges led off with a walk and moved to third on a single to right by Stephen Head. Two batters later, Nathan Panther drove in Hodges on a sacrifice fly to center.

The Thunder brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth off Akron closer Randy Newsom. The side-armer got a pop-up for the first out but then walked the next two hitters, bringing Pena to the plate. Pena hit a sinking liner to short, but Brandon Chaves went down to a knee to spear it and flipped to second to double off Chris Malec and end the game.

Dixon (1-3) picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits and striking out six in six innings of work. Jeff Stevens and Scott Roehl each earned holds, pitching scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Newsom notched his ninth save of the season. Trenton starter George Kontos (1-4) suffered the loss, after allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and striking out eight in seven innings. Goleski paced the offense with a 2-3 night.

The rubber match in this three-game series is set for 2:05 p.m. Sunday at Canal Park, as Akron sends left-hander Chuck Lofgren (1-3, 5.51 ERA) to the hill against Trenton’s Dan McCutchen (4-2, 2.15 ERA). Sunday is Family Pack Day at Canal Park, where fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs, four bags of chips, and four soft drinks for $48. The game broadcast begins at 1:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

K-Tribe Wins 3-1

Kinston starter Carlton Smith had his best outing of the season, leading the K-Tribe to a 3-1 victory over Potomac. Smith went seven innings, giving up three hits and no runs. Sung-Wei Tseng, just sent down from Double A Akron, finished the game for Kinston and picked up his first save of the season.

The K-Tribe got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Beau Mills singled home Adam Davis. Both teams’ bats would be silent until Kinston opened up the seventh inning with a Jared Goedert walk. Nick Weglarz then singled to put runners on the corners. Goedert would score on a ground ball to Potomac’s shortstop Seth Bynum. Bynum fired to plate, but the ball was mishandled by catcher Brian Peacock and Goedert was safe. Later in the inning, Nick Weglarz scored from second when Peacock had trouble finding a wild pitch from Potomac reliever Carlos Martinez. Adam Davis went 3-for-4 on the night for the K-Tribe.

Kinston’s now won six of their last eight games and will go for their fourth series win in a row on Sunday. Jeanmar Gomez will take the mound against Potomac Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

Captains Win 9-0

(Greensboro, NC) – Michael Valadez knocked in three runs and the Captains got three hits each from Roman Pena, Ron Rivas and Matt Brown as they beat Greensboro 9-0. The Captains had seventeen hits which ties a season high and pitched their fifth shutout of the year. In the last two games against Greensboro Captains pitching has allowed only one run on eleven hits while striking out twenty. The Captains remain in first place two games ahead of Delmarva who lost to Lexington.

The Captains scored first in the second inning off Grasshoppers starter Kyle Kaminska. With one out Matt Brown singled and move to second when Chris Nash reached safely on an error. Brown scored when Jeff Hehr doubled down the left field line to make it 1-0. The Captains added two more in the third inning. With one out, back to back hits by Karexon Sanchez and Roman Pena put runners at first and third and then Dustin Realini singled home Sanchez with Pena taking third. Matt Brown followed with a single to score Pena and the Captains led 3-0.

The Captains tacked on four more in the fifth inning on RBI’s by Chris Nash, Hehr, Michael Valadez and Adam White to make it 7-0. They weren’t done there. Valadez singled with the bases loaded and drove in two more runs in the sixth inning off reliever Jeremiah Haar and the lead was upped to 9-0.

Ryan Morris became the fifth pitcher in the SAL to get to five wins. Morris went five scoreless innings scattering three hits, walking four and striking out five to go to 5-0. Jonathan Holt relieved Morris and threw three scoreless innings striking out three. Vinnie Pestano pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Kaminska who was making his first appearance for Greensboro picked up the loss.

The Captains and Grasshoppers wrap up the series on Sunday at 5:00 PM. RHP Chris Archer will get the start (1-4, 2.96) against the Grasshoppers RHP Cristhian Martinez (3-1, 3.89). The Captains will continue the road trip with four games in West Virginia against the Power starting on Monday. The games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

Lofgren's Season Is On The Rebound

It would be an understatement to say Indians left-handed prospect Chuck Lofgren got off to a slow start year.

Lofgren was a 4^th round pick out of high school in the 2004 Draft. Rated as the #2 prospect in the Indians organization by Baseball America, and #5 in my Top 50 List, the poor numbers for Lofgren early in the season in April were disappointing. For the month of April, in five starts Lofgren went 0-2 with an 8.24 ERA and opposing batters hit .316 with five home runs off him. More alarming was how he allowed 14 walks in 19.2 innings (6.4 BB/9), but walks have always been an issue with Lofgren.

Last year at Akron, Lofgren put up a solid year going 12-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 26 starts. It was his first experience in Double-A, and at age 21 the numbers were very good. Going into this season, however, the Indians wanted to see him make some adjustments and take a step at getting back to the dominating pitcher he was in 2006 at advanced Single-A Kinston when he went 17-5 with a 2.32 ERA in 25 starts. So far that has not happened, but there is still a long way to go this season.

Some may wonder if Lofgren's return trip to Akron affected him early in the season and led to a hangover effect from having to return to Akron for the second straight year. After spending a full year at Akron last season, many people (including Lofgren) probably had Lofgren pegged as one of the five starters at Triple-A Buffalo to start the season. But, given Lofgren's so-so season last year and many development opportunities still needing attention, the Indians for now are keeping Lofgren in Double-A to work on those things rather than have to make them on the fly at a higher level and in a new environment for him. Lofgren understands the situation, and will be ready when he is called upon to move up.

"I can only control what the Indians say and want me to do," said Lofgren. "If I am here, in Buffalo, or in Cleveland, it doesn't matter as I am going to work as hard as I can to eventually be where I need to be and that's in Cleveland. I just need to work hard and keep my head on my shoulders and stay healthy."

Lofgren typically has displayed great mound presence and is a fierce competitor on the mound, and that has not changed. According to Lofgren himself as well as various Indians staff members, he is healthy and his velocity is about the same as it has always been. Right now he is working on some adjustments with his delivery, and has remained upbeat even with the gaudy numbers hitters have put up against him early in the season.

"I feel good," said Lofgren in an interview last week at Canal Park. "Coming out of spring my arm did not feel all that great. It was starting to feel a little dead, but now it is starting to heat up and I am feeling better. I also have been working on a couple different things. I am working on new grips with my fastball and slowing down my mechanics a little bit. Right now it is a work in progress and I feel like every week it is getting a little bit better."

The Indians have worked extensively with Lofgren's mechanics since spring training to get him on track. During bullpen sessions between starts, one of the biggest problems they have worked on with Lofgren is getting him to maintain a consistent release point. Last year at Akron and early this year Lofgren has had trouble with his release point which has hurt his command and led to a lot of walks and also him leaving many pitches up in the zone that opposing hitters have hammered.

"Early here in the season he is struggling a little bit with the fastball command," said Akron manager Mike Sarbaugh. "Against Bowie he threw two really good innings, we got rained out, and then the other night he threw three good innings and then left some balls up, walked some guys and just got into a little bit of trouble. He is throwing the ball well, and the velocity is about the same. He just has to get that confidence knowing he can go out there and attack hitters and know he can get them out."

Lofgren has been working hard with Akron pitching coach Tony Arnold to correct his issues, getting out to the field early everyday to work on his mechanics and practice out of the stretch and try to get his delivery down.

"It mainly was my delivery to try and get out more with my front arm and follow through a little bit better than I have in the past," said Lofgren. "In the past I have been just kind of throwing and standing upright as opposed to bringing my back leg around and really firing it and following through. So throughout spring training we were out working on it, and things like that take time and it can't be fixed overnight. I feel like start to start I am feeling strong and my velocity has been good, so I will keep on working on it until I get it."

In Lofgren's last two starts, it looks like he has turned the corner. A flip of the calendar from April to May might have been all he needed as he has started off May with a bang. In two starts so far this month Lofgren has been sensational and is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA and opposing batters are only hitting .204 off him and he has lowered his walk rate to 3.46 BB/9 for the month. His improved location has also led to an increase in strikeouts as he has a total of 16 in the two starts, with one game a nine strikeout performance. The nine strikeouts were one shy of his career high, and were the most he has struck out in a game in almost two years.

The turnaround is a credit to the hard work he has put in after his April 25th start when he hit rock bottom by going 4.2 innings and giving up seven runs. After that poor outing, Lofgren went through some of his video archives and compared video from this season to that of his great 2006 season and found he has been rushing his delivery. Ever since then he has made a conscious effort to be much more deliberate with his move to the plate, and the results in his last two starts show the hard work has paid off.

His performance early on in the season shows how mentally strong you have to be to play baseball. This is also why teams pay so much attention to players learning to develop a routine and learning how to quickly wipe the slate clean after a good or bad start to better focus for the next outing. This is one of the things they concentrate on with players who take part in their Winter Development Program in January every year at Progressive Field.

While Lofgren returns to his home every winter in the San Francisco, CA area, the last two off-seasons he has participated in the Indians Winter Development Program. As a returning player this year, Lofgren was only there for a week, where first-timers usually are there for two to three weeks. Lofgren raved about the program and feels it helps him and many of the other young players in the system get a better understanding of who they are, their abilities, and what they need to do to get to the majors.

"It is a great experience," said Lofgren. "They have front office people of all types from Robby Thompson to Tim Belcher to Mark Shapiro to Mr. Dolan the owner come in and talk to you about being a true pro and what it takes to get up to the [majors]. How you go about your day. Then they bring in players like Jake Westbrook to talk to you and you hear how they came up and they made it, and the different beliefs they have. It is a real honor to get to listen to them speak, and it really makes you want it that much more."

In addition to hearing several people speak and getting some work in, the players also get a thorough psychological workup with Indians Sports Psychologist Dr. Charles Mayer and his staff.

"We do lots of work," said Lofgren. "From the sports psychologist side of it, Charles Mayer has us fill out forms to basically see where we are at in our lives. Also to see the different mental ways from a pitching aspect of how we are attacking the zone, what we are thinking on different counts and how we are going to approach different situations."

With his strong mental approach to the game, it looks like Lofgren's hard work is starting to pay off and his season is on the rebound. At some point this season Lofgren should find himself at Buffalo, and he is still very much in the Indians short-term plans as a starting pitching option in the next year or two.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

Game Recaps 5/9

Thunder Roll Aeros in 12-1 Rout

AKRON, OH – Trenton bats roughed up Akron pitching and Thunder starter Chase Wright diced through the home team’s lineup as the Aeros fell 12-1 in front of 5,196 fans at Canal Park Friday. The Aeros drop to 15-19 on the season and the Thunder moved to 24-12.

Trenton nabbed the first tally of the game in the first inning and never looked back. Aeros starter Ryan Edell hit leadoff batter Ramiro Pena with a pitch and he would later score on a single by Colin Curtis. Edell settled down after that, retiring eight in a row and throwing just six pitches in the third inning. Edell’s streak ended in the fourth as Edwar Gonzalez singled to lead off and P.J. Pilittere was hit by a pitch. After a fielder’s choice left runners at first and second with one out, the next four Trenton batters picked up RBIs on two singles, a double, and a sacrifice fly. The Thunder would add one more off Edell in the sixth.

Akron tallied an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth. Josh Rodriguez grounded an infield single to lead off and moved to second on a throwing error by third baseman and former Baylor Bear Kevin Russo. Rodriguez advanced to third on a liner by Chris Gimenez that skipped off Pena’s glove at shortstop for an error, and Wes Hodges drove him in on a sacrifice fly to deep center for Akron’s only run of the game. Hodges is now tied for the Eastern League lead with 31 RBI.

Trenton added another run in the seventh off reliever Erik Stiller, who was called up to Akron Thursday. Gonzalez singled to center on a chopper that glanced off Stiller’s glove and scored on a single by Chris Malec. Aeros reliever Shawn Nottingham was charged with four runs in a third of an inning in the eighth on three hits and two walks. The Thunder out-hit the Aeros 15-6 in the game.

Wright (5-1) picked up the win, allowing just the unearned run on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. Edell (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in five-plus innings. He struck out one, walked none, and hit two batters, both of whom scored. Rodriguez reached base three times for Akron, going 1-for-2 with two walks.

The series continues Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Canal Park, as Akron sends Kevin Dixon (0-3, 5.97 ERA) to the hill against Trenton’s George Kontos (1-3, 3.79 ERA). The game broadcast begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

Potomac Powers Past Kinston

Two early home runs helped power Potomac past Kinston 5-1 Friday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Potomac’s Seth Bynum hit a two-run home run in the top of the third inning to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. Potomac’s Marvin Lowrance would hit a solo shot in the fourth inning, making the score 3-0. Hector Rondon (0-3) started the game for Kinston and took the loss. Rondon surrendered just three hits through six innings, but two of the hits where home runs. Rondon walked one and struck out three. Kinston’s Matt Meyer, in his first action since April 13th, looked great from the bullpen pitching a perfect inning and two-thirds. Potomac’s Ross Detwiler (2-2) picked up the win, giving up just four hits through six innings. Reliever Yunior Novoa, gave up just one hit from the bullpen.

Kinston got their only run of the game when Johnny Drennen drove home Cirilo Cumberbatch with a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Drennen, after a week and a half on the disabled list, now has a 21 game consecutive on base streak. The streak is the second longest in the Carolina League this season. Dating back to last season, Drennen has reached base safely in 31 consecutive games.

The K-Tribe takes on Potomac in game three of the four game series Saturday night at 7pm. Carlton Smith will take the mound for the K-Tribe

CHRIS NASH 5-5 AS CAPTAINS WIN 8-1

(Greensboro, NC) – Chris Nash went 5-5 including a home run and drove in three runs as the Captains continued their fine play on the road on Friday beating Greensboro 7-1. Nash is the first Captains player this year to have a five hit game. The Captains are now 12-5 away from Eastlake and remain in first place in the Northern Division of the SAL.

Nash got the Captains going in the second inning off of Greensboro starter Colby Miller by hitting a two run home run to put the Captains up 2-0. That was his second home run in his last two games. The Hoppers got to Captains starter Kelvin De La Cruz in the second inning on a ground out by Ryan Curry that scored a run to make it 2-1. The Captains made it 3-1 when Roman Pena’s ground out scored Adam White in the third inning. The Captains added three more runs in the sixth inning on a Miller wild pitch and RBI’s by Doug Pickens and Matt Willard to stretch the lead to 6-1. Captains added another run off reliever Steven Cishek in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by White to make it 7-1.

Kelvin De La Cruz struggled with his control walking five but only allowed one run in five innings and picked up the win to even his mark at 2-2. John Gaub relieved De La Cruz in the sixth inning and pitched two scoreless innings striking out four. He has struck out ten batters in his last two outings, 4.1 innings. Gary Campfield pitched the final two innings striking out three but was not eligible for a save.

The Captains and Grasshoppers play game four of the series on Saturday. LHP Ryan Morris will get the start (4-0, 2.84) against the Grasshoppers RHP Kyle Kaminska who is making his first start for Greensboro. The Captains and Greensboro will wrap up the series on Sunday with a 5:00 PM game. The games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

Minor Happenings: Lofgren Back In The Zone

"Minor Happenings" covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that cover each team.

I am in the midst of a two week break from my visits to the affiliates, but will kick the visits back up the weekend of May 16/17 when I go to Lake County, the weekend of May 24/25 when I go to Akron, and then on Friday May 30 when I go to Buffalo. As always, I will conduct several interviews with players during those visits for articles to post on the site, and also talk to coaches and scouts to get some info on how players look.

Between quarterbacking TheClevelandFan.com site while the site owner was out for the birth of his second child and being under the weather with a nasty virus that is going around I was not able to post a couple articles on some players I talked to in my recent visit to Akron. So, coming down the pipeline I have an article on Akron left-hander Chuck Lofgren that is ready to post and will be up on the site sometime over the weekend. I also will have an article on Akron catcher Chris Gimenez which will post next weekend. And, I have a special piece coming this Tuesday that talks about the release process in the minors. I interviewed three former Tribe prospects to give an inside look on the process of what happens, what it feels like, and where they go from here.

Indians Minor League Player Of The Week

Jeremy Sowers (Left-handed pitcher, Buffalo)
2-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 starts, 14 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 8 K

Usually, I like to avoid non-prospects in this report, which is what Sowers is as he is no longer considered a rookie. That said, his dominating week of pitching justifies his mention here, and wins him the weekly award in a tightly contested race between left-handers throughout the system. In addition to Sowers, left-handers Chuck Lofgren, David Huff, and Ryan Miller all had outstanding weeks.

In his last start on Tuesday, Sowers shut out the opposition over seven innings and allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out two. He pounded the zone all night as 70 of his 107 pitches went for strikes. In his other start last Thursday, Sowers allowed just one run in seven innings. On the year Sowers is now 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA in six starts for Buffalo, and four of his six starts have been quality starts. One of his starts he only pitched 4.2 innings giving up one run but was removed early so as to be sure he would be ready for a spot start against the Yankees a few weeks ago.

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Miller, LHP, Lake County (1-0, 1.64 ERA, 2 starts); Chuck Lofgren, LHP, Akron (1-1, 1.38 ERA, 2 starts); David Huff, LHP, Akron (2-0, 1.93 ERA, 2 starts); Wes Hodges, 3B, Akron (.391 AVG, 1 HR, 10 RBI); Nick Weglarz, OF, Kinston (.375 AVG, 2 HR, 4 RBI)

Previous Winners:

4/24 to 4/30: Jose Constanza (OF - Akron)
4/17 to 4/23: Hector Rondon (RHP - Kinston)
4/10 to 4/16: Wes Hodges (3B - Akron)
4/3 to 4/9: Kelvin De La Cruz (LHP - Lake County)

Director's Cuts

I missed an opportunity to get some quotes from Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins this week, but did catch him on SportsTime Ohio's new show "Minor League Magazine" which debuted this past Tuesday. From what I know, this will be a weekly show every Tuesday at 6:00pm, although I am not 100% on that. They will spend 30 minutes recapping the system, taking to Atkins, doing a player feature, and other things every week. The first show was very well done, and you should expect bigger and better things as it gets off the ground. And before anyone asks, yes, there is a good chance I will have some part in the show, but not likely in-studio. Anyway, here are the comments on the show Atkins made on several prospects in Lake County and Akron:

On Dallas Cawiezell: "He came to Lonnie Soloff and our strength and conditioning staff to do an extensive evaluation on strength and conditioning to find out what these guys are physically made of. They picked up the phone and said "how do you say his name, and who is this guy?" He is a specimen. Some guys are just bigger and stronger and standout in a uniform, but when you get in and evaluate this guy thoroughly he really is bigger than the rest. We are hoping for durability and power, and thus far we have seen it."

On Karexon Sanchez: "Karexon plays third base but can actually play the middle. He plays a lot of second base and he can stand at shortstop. He is extremely athletic, a good runner, has a plus arm, and his hands are coming. Playing defense will be something he has to be good at, but the bat is there. He has a couple of triples, a couple of doubles, and a couple or home runs already and an OPS over .900. At 20 years old in that league and coming out of Venezuela and thrown under those lights in that nice stadium [in Lake County] he is answering the call. People talk about Robinson Cano when they look at him, now that is a special player and a lot of projection, but you can dream on a 20 year old with those tools. So, we are excited about Karexon."

On Mike Pontius: "I'll tell you what, this is scouting at its best. This guy came late round in the 40s and out of high school from Missouri. He was a football player who decided his senior year he wanted to commit to playing baseball. He has made an unbelievable transition. He has legitimately gone from being a project to being an incredible prospect. He is somebody who throws 95 MPH with a knee-buckling breaking ball, and has the intensity, focus and drive we are looking for. He brings a little bit of that football mentality to the field, but he is one of those guys we are all pulling for. Just a great scouting story, and a great development story."

On Wes Hodges: "Wes is out of the 2006 Draft out of Georgia Tech. Coming into his first full season he went right to the Carolina League and pretty much was a standout there. Now in the Eastern League he had six home runs in his first month of play. He committed to an offseason strength and conditioning program where he took 15 pounds of weight off. He is one of the guys where he is already becoming his own coach. He understands the power of 162 games and what that means to his body and went into the offseason and did something about it. He is off to a great start and we are projecting him to have an even better year this year at an even higher level. That's rare as we usually expect guys to make one step and keep the same numbers. What we are seeing from him, he is going to be even better. We are excited about Wes."

On David Huff: "I think he is a Tom Glavine [type]. He has exceptional feel for his fastball, he has feel for his secondary pitches, has amazing confidence, is a great athlete, and is extremely strong and durable. He is similar to Wes where in 2006 he was pitching at UCLA and now is pitching in the Eastern League. That's significant. [The Eastern League] is a good brand of baseball where you make a mistake they hit it and he is making very few of them. He has 25 innings and 25 punchouts. He is very young and has a great career ahead of him and he is inevitably going to be in the big leagues soon."

Lofgren Back In The Zone

It is amazing what the flip of the page on a calendar can do for a baseball player. It is one of those superstitious things for players who have a rough month that believe with the start of a new month things will get better. This has certainly been the case with Akron left-hander Chuck Lofgren as in two starts in May he is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA, compared to his five starts in April where he was 0-2 with an 8.24 ERA.

Lofgren has been sensational his last two starts, and the turnaround can be credited to the hard work he put in after his April 25th start when he hit rock bottom by going 4.2 innings and giving up seven runs. After that poor outing, Lofgren went through some of his video archives and compared video from this season to that of his great 2006 season when he went 17-5 with a 2.32 ERA and found he has been rushing his delivery. Ever since then he has made a conscious effort to be much more deliberate with his move to the plate, and the results in his last two starts show the hard work has paid off.

The Indians also had made some mechanical adjustments in Lofgren's delivery during spring training to get him to locate his stuff down more in the zone in spring training. He had been slow to adapt to the changes, but finally seems to be grasping them. There were some additional changes and Lofgren even chimed in with his thoughts on his slow start, which I will reveal in detail in an article on him sometime over the weekend.

Hodges Is The Future At Third

Akron third baseman Wes Hodges is showing an electric bat early in the season. In 104 games last year at Kinston, Hodges hit .288 with 15 HR, 71 RBI and an .840 OPS, and so far this year in 32 games (through Wednesday) at Akron this season he is hitting .289 with 7 HR, 30 RBI and an .866 OPS. His seven home runs are 2^nd in the Eastern League and his 30 RBI put him at 3^rd in the league, and he is on pace to hit over 30 HR and pile up over 100 RBI on the season.

Hodges' improved power numbers are attributed to him finally being 100% healthy as last year he was still recovering from a stress fracture in his foot he suffered at Georgia Tech before being drafted. He has also done a better job of understanding how pitchers are attacking him and is making good adjustments at bat to at bat.

Also, the Indians found that his hip flexors were tight, which hindered his ability to get down low on groundballs. So, this past offseason Hodges spent a lot of time working out and doing Yoga to slim down and become more flexible so he could improve defensively. As a result, Hodges looks like a new man where his lateral quickness has really improved, he is moving well, and his overall defense has improved significantly at third base.

The Amazing Captains

The Lake County starting pitching rotation has been phenomenal so far this year. The ace of the staff has been left-hander Ryan Miller who has dominated South Atlantic League hitters. To date, in six starts Miller is 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA and in 33 innings has allowed 21 hits and 13 walks while striking out 36. If he puts up another two to three starts like he has already, he could be packing his bags for Kinston. Miller's 89-91 MPH fastball has shown more life this year, and his slider is quickly developing into a swing-and-miss pitch at the next level.

Left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz is an up-and-coming prospect and at age 19 he is more than holding his own in the league. To date, in six starts he is 1-2 with a 2.12 ERA and in 29.2 innings has allowed 25 hits and 11 walks while striking out 28. De La Cruz has a real good feel for his 92-93 MPH fastball, and his changeup has the makings of a plus pitch. He has the size, intelligence and the pitches to grow a lot in the coming years.

Left-hander Ryan Morris is off to a spectacular start as well, going 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA in six starts. In 31.2 innings Morris has only surrendered 24 hits and 7 walks while striking out 16. Morris is a fierce competitor on the mound, and his makeup is off the charts. He features a four-seam fastball that consistently clocks in at 87-91 MPH, and has natural sink. This year Morris has done a good job keeping the ball down and using his changeup to setup his fastball.

The rest of the rotation is rounded out with right-hander Santo Frias who is 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA in four starts, and right-hander Chris Archer who is 1-4 with a 2.96 ERA in six starts. Frias hurt his arm near the end of the season last year and did not throw in the offseason, and is finally returning to form. His fastball sits around 90-92 and his slider has the makings of a very good major league pitch. Archer has held opposing hitters to a .117 average, but he has struggled with his control as he has walked 29 batters in 24.1 innings. Archer has a live arm and electric stuff, but his location and command is a work in progress.

Brown Out

First baseman Jordan Brown hit the disabled list last Friday with patella tendonitis in his left knee. The injury is not considered to be serious and more a nagging thing where the Indians felt best to rest it. Brown will likely be out another week or two. To date, Brown is hitting .271 with 0 HR, 10 RBI and a .719 OPS in 96 at bats at Buffalo, and his 11 doubles lead the International League.

Brown is a notorious slow starter, as in his MVP season in 2006 at Kinston he hit .232 with 0 HR, and 9 RBI in his first 28 games before finishing up at .290 with 15 HR and 87 RBI. This year he has adjusted well to his first taste of Triple-A, but he has been a little inconsistent as he has piled up many multi-hit games but just as many 0-fers as well. Brown has felt comfortable at the plate, so hopefully when he returns 100% from the knee injury he can get in a groove and into one of his hot streaks.

Brown's intelligence at the plate has shown itself early at Buffalo as he is starting to pickup trends from other teams on how they are attacking him. Brown studies the game charts after every game and has found that some teams are pitching him backwards by throwing him off-speed stuff in full counts. He is also quickly realizing that Triple-A pitchers usually can throw three or four pitches for strikes at anytime, so he has had to tighten up the mental approach even more to keep his patient approach at the plate and wait for a pitch to drive when he is in a hitter's count.

Go-Go A No-Go

Akron outfielder Ryan "Go-Go" Goleski had two outstanding seasons in 2004 (.295, 28 HR, 104 RBI) and 2006 (.306, 27 HR, 106 RBI), but ever since his wrist injury in the 2006 offseason and being taken in the Rule 5 Draft that same offseason his career has been in a downward spiral ever since. Last year, Oakland - who had drafted him in the Rule 5 Draft - returned Goleski to the Indians at the end of spring training. Goleski was not happy about coming back to the Indians and the crowded outfield situation he was coming back to, and that combined with him still recovering from his wrist injury helped pave the way to a very disappointing 2007 campaign at Akron where he hit .257 with 9 HR, 73 RBI and a .701 OPS. Goleski is healthy now and is now playing his third straight season at Akron, but his problems continue to linger at the plate as in he is hitting .229 with 3 HR, 8 RBI and a .704 OPS in 105 at bats so far this year. He has piled up the strikeouts (28) which are a team high.

Goleski has developed some bad habits since recovering from the wrist injury and the Indians are working with him to try and correct them. He also is probably putting too much pressure on himself to try and impress the organization by trying to hit more home runs, which has resulted in his swing getting long. This same thing happened to Ryan Garko in 2006 at Buffalo when the Indians passed him over for a major league job and he ended up trying to hit more home runs so the Indians would notice him more. This resulted in him regressing a little as a hitter and he put up a so-so year that season at Buffalo. Goleski has to feel the same way as he is at Akron for a third consecutive year, and even after an outfield spot was opened up at Buffalo with the promotion of Ben Francisco to Cleveland, the Indians chose instead to fill the void with minor league free agent Bronson Sardinha instead of promoting someone like Goleski. So, it is easy to see why Goleski may be a little frustrated.

Goleski's frustration seemed to come to a head on Tuesday night when he was ejected in the ninth of the game after a heated exchange when he was called out on strikes with the bases loaded and one out and Akron down 3-0. After being ejected, he got into the face of the home plate umpire and continued to vent his frustrations where he got close enough that his helmet ended up hitting the bridge of the umpire's nose. Eastern League President Joe McEacharn was in attendance and saw the ugly display, so a suspension is probably going to be handed out soon for Goleski. Goleski was held out of the lineup on Wednesday to cool off, but you have to wonder if his being passed over for a promotion to Buffalo led to the blowup. Francisco was officially called up on Tuesday, and Sardinha was signed the same day, so I think this is not just a coincidence that Goleski blew up in the first game since the announced roster moves.

Fryman Getting Prepared

Short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley manager Travis Fryman can't get enough of baseball these days. While he is getting ready for his managerial debut on June 17th, Fryman has been seen around Canal Park in Akron and Classic Park in Eastlake watching some of the Indians' young farmhands. Fryman took the Mahoning Valley managerial gig because the season only lasts for a little over two months and strictly in the summer, so it would not take him away from his family too much. That said, he certainly has the itch to still be involved in the game since he retired from it after the 2002 season.

Fryman worked a lot with some of the very young and raw minor leaguers when he was down in spring training, and has continued that work during extended spring training. Two weeks ago I caught him at Canal Park during my visit there, and he was doing some work there and Lake County as a roving scout and instructor working with the infielders. He specifically worked with third basemen Wes Hodges, Jeff Hehr and Karexon Sanchez.

Gimenez Now A Full-Time Catcher

Akron catcher Chris Gimenez is still working on his transition to being a full-time catcher. Recently, roving minor league catching coordinator Tim Laker was in Akron for about a week to specifically work with Gimenez in improving his game calling and mechanics behind the plate. Laker even passed on a small notebook to Gimenez which Laker had jotted down notes over his 18-year professional career and then re-typed them into the notebook. The book has everything from situational tips to various other pieces of information on working behind the plate. These notes have helped Gimenez in his transition to catcher, which is something he is now doing full time this year.

Gimenez has the physical side of the catching game down, but it is the mental side he is still working on. He is continuing to work on things like game calling and understanding the opposing batter's weaknesses and his pitcher's strengths. Last year, Gimenez caught but also played other positions on the field, but the Indians are focused on seeing how he develops as a catcher and for now will only be playing him at catcher this year. By concentrating just on one position it will allow Gimenez to better pick up the nuances of the game from behind the plate, and also help him maintain consistency when he steps into the batters box. So far, the results behind the plate and at the plate have been positive. On the year, Gimenez is hitting .292 with 3 HR, 9 RBI, and a .953 OPS.

Transactions Rundown

As mentioned above, Buffalo first baseman Jordan Brown went on the disabled list last Friday with a patella tendonitis in his left knee. The injury to Brown allowed the Indians to callup first baseman Michael Aubrey from Double-A Akron. In 25 games at Akron, Aubrey hit .282 with 2 HR, 16 RBI and had a .787 OPS. With the promotion of Aubrey to Buffalo, the Indians activated outfielder Stephen Head from the Akron disabled list.

With the callup of outfielder Ben Francisco to Cleveland on Tuesday, the Indians signed minor league free agent outfielder Bronson Sardinha to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo. Sardinha played his first seven years of professional baseball in the Yankees system, and in 844 career minor league games has a career .266 average with 80 HR and 416 RBI.

On Tuesday, Lake County right-handed reliever Mike Pontius was promoted to Kinston, and right-hander Joanniel Montero was sent down from Kinston to Lake County. In nine appearances at Lake County, Pontius was 0-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA, and in 21.1 innings did not allow a run and only gave up 7 hits and walked 6 while striking out 29. In just two appearances at Kinston, Montero was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA.

Kinston right-hander Erik Stiller was promoted to Akron late Wednesday night, and right-hander Sung-Wei Tseng was sent down to Kinston. In nine appearances out of the Kinston bullpen, Stiller was 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA and in 19.1 innings allowed 15 hits, 9 walks, and struck out 27. In nine appearances out of the Akron bullpen, Tseng was 0-0 with an 8.80 ERA and in 15.1 innings allowed 21 hits, 6 walks and struck out 12.

Bisons Hall Of Fame Inductions

Former Buffalo outfielder Dave Clark and manager Brian Graham have been elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. In the Bisons' Modern Era, Clark ranks first in batting average (.327) and slugging percentage (.594) and second in on-base percentage (.405), and is tied for 10th in the Modern Era with 41 homeruns. His .340 batting average and .621 slugging percentage in the 1987 season are still Modern Era records, and in 809 minor league games hit .302 with 114 HR, 463 RBI and an .896 OPS. Clark retired in 1999, and since has become a very successful minor league manager compiling a 368-326 record in five seasons as a manager in the Houston Astros system. He was named the 2003 Carolina League Manager of the Year, in 2006 was named the Eastern League Manager of the Year, and currently is manager of the Triple-A Round Rock Express.

Graham was the manager at Buffalo for three seasons from 1995 to 1997 and ranks first in the Modern Era with 253 wins, and his .586 winning percentage is third in the Modern Era (253-179). He was named Minor League Manager of the Year by USA Today's Baseball Weekly in 1996. In all, Graham was a manager or coach in the Indians system for 13 seasons from 1987 to 1999. He began his managing career on Mike Hargrove's staff at Single-A Kinston in 1987 before making his managerial debut with Single-A Watertown of the NY-Penn League in 1989. In nine total seasons as a manager from 1989 to 1997, Graham had a record of 709-491 (.591) and never had a losing record in any year. He guided his teams to eight playoff appearances and five division titles. Currently, Graham is working as a Special Assignment Coach in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system.

Affiliate Notebook

Buffalo Notes (15-19, 4th place): Indians GM Mark Shapiro said this week that outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is about three to four weeks away from joining the Indians. Choo is still recovering from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, and is ramping up his playing time to be able to handle the outfield and is about a week away from the start of a rehab assignment at Buffalo. ... In five games (three starts) for Triple-A Columbus (Nationals), lefty Jason Stanford was 2-2 with a 10.05 ERA and in 14.1 innings allowed 19 hits, 16 earned runs, 9 walks and struck out 12. After being released by the Nationals, Stanford returned to Buffalo and is back in the groove. In three appearances (two starts), Stanford is 1-1 with a 1.15 ERA and in 15.2 innings has allowed 14 hits, 2 earned runs, 6 walks and struck out 6. ... On Sunday, right-hander Adam Miller struggled with his command throwing 96 pitches but only going 3.2 innings. He allowed 11 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, and struck out 4. On the season in three starts he is 0-0 with a 2.84 ERA. ... In first baseman Michael Aubrey's Triple-A debut on Friday, he collected a two-run double going 1-for-4 on the night. ... With Aubrey now at Buffalo, he is now one of eight former first round draft picks on the roster. The others: Jason Tyner (1998), Matt Ginter (1999), Aaron Herr (2000), Bronson Sardinha (2001), Brad Snyder (2003), Adam Miller (2003), and Jeremy Sowers (2004). ... Jordan Brown's most recent player journal on MiLB.com posted last week. ... Outfielder Brad Snyder is hitting .219 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, with a .721 OPS.

Akron Notes (15-18, 3rd place): On Wednesday night, left-handed starter David Huff went seven innings and allowed only one run on four hits and no walks while tying his career high with eight strikeouts. At one point in the game he retired 15 straight hitters. Huff is one of the hottest pitchers in the system as in his last five outings he has only allowed four runs and 15 hits in 30.2 innings for a 1.17 ERA. On the season Huff is now 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA. ... Akron right-handed closer Randy Newsom is a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities, and his seventh save on Wednesday night set a new franchise record as it was Newsom's 25^th career save at Akron. On the year, in 13 appearances Newsom is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA holding opposing hitters to a .159 average. ... Shortstop Josh Rodriguez's batting average has been creeping up the past few weeks. After starting the year hitting .154 two weeks into the season, Rodriguez is now up to .262 on the season. In his last ten games, Rodriguez is hitting .378 with 0 HR and 5 RBI. ... On Monday, outfielder Jose Constanza collected two hits in the same inning, which was the first time an Akron player has done that since Heath Hayes on May 25th, 1999. On the season, Constanza is hitting .263 with 0 HR, 15 RBI, 9 stolen bases, and a .686 OPS. ... On Monday, first baseman Matt Whitney hit a towering solo home run down the left field line. The home run was his first in 24 games and 85 at-bats. On the season, Whitney is hitting .248 with 3 HR, 9 RBI, and a .721 OPS. ... Catcher Chris Gimenez's 22 walks are 2^nd in the Eastern League.

Kinston Notes (13-17, 3rd place): On Tuesday, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez notched the first win of the year for a Kinston starting pitcher. On the season, in 29 starts the Kinston starters are now 1-11 with a 5.74 ERA. Right-hander Steven Wright is the only starter in the rotation pitching well, as he is 0-2 with a 3.08 ERA and in 26.1 innings has allowed 22 hits and 7 walks while striking out 23. ... Right-hander Luis Perdomo is off to a hot start and could be in line for a callup to Double-A Akron very soon. In 12 appearances, Perdomo is 1-0 with 6 saves and a 0.00 ERA, and in 18 innings has allowed only 6 hits and 7 walks while striking out 13. ... On Monday, right-hander Carlton Smith finally put up a good start going 7.1 innings and allowing one run, five hits, two walks and striking out three. On the season, in six starts Smith is now 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA. ... On Tuesday, infielders Jared Goedert and Adam Davis connected for their first home runs of the season. Goedert followed that up with his second home run of the year the next day, and to date he is hitting .310 with 2 HR, 18 RBI, and a .777 OPS. ... First baseman/third baseman Beau Mills is hitting .233 with 3 HR, 17 RBI, and a .768 OPS. ... Shortstop Carlos Rivero is hitting .252 with 0 HR, 11 RBI, and a .600 OPS.

Lake County Notes (20-13, 1st place): On Friday, infielder Karexon Sanchez's 11 game hitting streak was snapped when he went 0-for-4. On the season Sanchez is hitting .269 with 2 HR, 19 RBI, and a .735 OPS. He is currently in a slide as in his last ten games he is hitting .143 (5-for-35). ... On Sunday, left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz only gave up one run on six hits in 5.2 innings but still suffered the loss. On the season, in six starts he is 1-2 with a 2.12 ERA and in 29.2 inning has allowed 25 hits, 11 walks and struck out 28. ... On Thursday, right-hander Jonathan Holt gave up two runs in the top of the 10th inning in a 3-1 Captains loss. To date, Holt is one of the only Lake County pitchers struggling in the early going as he is 0-3 with a 6.61 ERA and in 16.1 innings has allowed 24 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 12. ... In a 13-8 loss Monday, the Captains' great pitching was battered for really the first time this season as they yielded season-high totals of runs (13), hits (17) and walks (10). ... In 13 appearances, right-hander Dallas Cawiezell is 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA and in 16.2 innings has allowed 11 hits and 5 walks while striking out 13. ... Right-handed closer Vinnie Pestano is a perfect 8-for-8 in save situations, and in 12 appearances he has a 0.71 ERA allowing 9 hits and 4 walks while striking out 13 in 12.2 innings. ... Outfielder Matt Brown continues to lead the Captains offense, and is hitting .304 with 3 HR, 23 RBI, and an .821 OPS.

Photos courtesy of Carl Kline, Ken Carr, Lake County Captains, Kinston Indians, Akron Aeros, and Buffalo Bisons

Game Recaps 5/8

With right-hander Erik Stiller being promoted to Akron, right-hander Sung-Wei Tseng has been sent down to Kinston.

Camacaro the Centerpiece to 1-0 Win

AKRON, OH – Armando Camacaro drove in the game’s only run in the bottom of the second and then stood his ground on a play at plate in the ninth as the Aeros hung on for a 1-0 victory over Altoona before 7,969 fans at Canal Park Thursday. Akron improved to 14-18 and won three of four games in the series, while the Curve dropped to 13-20.

Akron’s rally started innocently enough in the bottom of the second, as with the bases empty and two away Matt Whitney hit a slow roller up the third base line that looked like it might end up going foul. Altoona’s Victor Alvarez came charging in trying to get the final out however, but his throw was off-line at first as Whitney reached on a single. Ryan Goleski followed with a base hit of his own, and Camacaro then lined a 3-1 fastball from Jimmy Barthmaier back into center field to score Whitney and give the Aeros a 1-0 advantage.

That slim margin was plenty for starter Frank Herrmann, who simply dazzled for seven shutout innings. Herrmann allowed singles in the first and third innings, got out of a mini-jam in the sixth by stranding a runner at second base, and retired the last five batters he faced before exiting. J.D. Martin worked a perfect inning of relief in the eighth, and Akron then called on closer Randy Newsom for the ninth.

Newsom, who just a night before set the franchise record with his 25th career save, struck out Jonel Pacheco on four pitches to start the frame but soon ran into trouble as Brad Corley followed with an infield single and Jason Delaney drew a full-count walk to put runners at first and second. Anthony Webster then lined a single into right field just over a leaping Brandon Pinckney, and pinch-runner James Boone headed around third with what looked to be the tying run. Goleski uncorked a beautiful throw to home however, traveling to Camacaro on a line while the catcher expertly blocked the plate. Boone appeared surprised that Camacaro was waiting for him with the ball, and an awkward slide couldn’t get him around the veteran. Goleski then tracked down a well-struck ball from Luis Cruz in right-center for the final out.

Herrmann (4-2) turned in easily his finest performance of the year, allowing just five base runners over seven shutout innings and notching three strikeouts. Barthmaier (2-1) also threw the ball well for the Curve, but suffered his first loss after allowing a run on five hits in 4.2 innings. Newsom survived the ninth for his eighth save in as many opportunities.

Goleski went 2-3 at the plate in addition to making the game-saving throw, despite learning he would play just 40 minutes before the first pitch when Chris de la Cruz was a late scratch. Nathan Panther also had two hits.

Akron’s week-long homestand continues at 7:05 p.m. Friday as the Trenton Thunder visit Canal Park for a three-game weekend series. This series will be a rematch of last year’s Eastern League Championship Series, won by the Thunder in four games. A pair of left-handers will square off in the game, with Akron sending Ryan Edell (1-2, 4.50 ERA) to the hill and Trenton countering with Chase Wright (4-1, 2.95 ERA). As with every Friday night home game, fans will be treated to a spectacular fireworks show after the game. The game broadcast begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

K-Tribe Beats Carolina League's Best 6-4

Kinston beat Carolina League leading Potomac 6-4 Thursday night to kick off an eight game homestand at Historic Grainger Stadium. Kinston put together a complete pitching performance as Steven Wright (1-2) picked up his first win of the season. Wright had his best outing of the year, giving up just four hits and no runs in six innings. Wright struck out five and did not walk a batter. Josh Tomlin took care of business from the bullpen, getting Kinston out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh inning, protecting the K-Tribe’s one run lead. Luis Perdomo came through with his seventh save of the season, pitching a perfect ninth inning. Perdomo has now gone his first 19 innings of the season without giving up an earned run.

Kinston had the offense going early as Alex Castillo drove in two runs with a two-out double in the bottom of the second inning. The K-Tribe would extend their lead to 3-0 with an RBI single by Carlos Rivero in the fifth inning. Jason Denham added to the lead later in the fifth, drawing a walk with the bases loaded. Kinston added two more runs in the seventh inning with RBI hits from Jared Goedert and Rivero. Rivero went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Kinston.

The K-Tribe returns to action Friday night for game two of the four game series with Potomac. Hector Rondon will take the hill for Kinston. Game time 7pm, with fireworks after the game.

CAPTAINS SPLIT WITH GRASSHOPPERS

(Greensboro, NC) – The long ball was flying Greensboro on Thursday night as the Lake County Captains and the Greensboro Grasshoppers split a double header. Greensboro hit five home runs in the firs game en route to a 12 -4 win. The Captains win the night cap 5-4 and had two home runs of their own.

Game one saw the Captains and the Grasshoppers complete a game that was started at Classic
Park on Friday May 2nd. The game was picked up in the second inning. The Grasshoppers wasted no time against the Captain’s Santo Frias scoring three runs in the second inning on a two run home run by Torre Langley followed by a solo home run from Adam Howard. With the 3-0 lead the Grasshoppers added two more runs in the third inning on a two run home run by Danny Garcia to make it 5-0. The Hoppers weren’t done there as they scored five more runs in the fourth inning highlighted by a grand slam home run by Garcia. The Captains got to starter Stu Alexander scoring a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Matt Brown and scored three more in the fifth with two runs scoring on a Roman Pena two run single. The Hoppers added two runs in the ninth on Adam Howard’s second home run of the game to make it 12-4, a two run blast of reliever Dallas Cawiezell. Kyle Landis pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief for the Captains striking out six. Stu Alexander got the win to go to 4-2 and Santo Frias the loss to drop to 1-1.

In Game two the Captains scored five runs in the first inning off of starter Brett Durand, all via the long ball. Roman Pena hit a two run homer and Chris Nash followed with a three run homer and the Captains led 5-0 after a half inning. Durand got the loss and would only last the first inning. Brian Petersen hit a solo home run off Captains starter Joanniel Montero to make it 5-1 after one inning. The Hoppers made it 5-2 when Peterson hit his second solo homer of the game in the fourth inning. Joanniel Montero went four innings and did not factor in the decision. Greensboro added another two runs in the sixth inning off of reliever Josh Judy on RBI’s by Peterson and Tom Hickman to make it 5-4. Josh Judy picked the win to go 4-0 and Vinnie Pestano picked up his ninth save pitching a scoreless seventh inning.

The Captains and Grasshoppers play game three of the series on Friday. LHP Kelvin De La Cruz will get the start (1-2, 2.12) against the Grasshoppers RHP Colby Miller (1-5, 6.25). The Captains and Greensboro will play on Saturday and Sunday as well. The games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

Game Recaps 5/7

I've been under the weather the last two days with a bad case of the flu that is going around, so most likely Minor Happenings will not post later today. In the event it does not, I have a piece on Chuck Lofgren I will be posting instead and then Minor Happenings should post on Friday.

Huff, Hodges Pace Aeros in 3-2 Win
Newsom Sets Career Saves Record in Victory

AKRON, OH – David Huff turned in seven spectacular innings, Wes Hodges drove in all three runs, and Randy Newsom became Akron’s all-time saves leader as the Aeros one-upped Altoona 3-2 before 2,073 fans at Canal Park Wednesday night. The Aeros improved to 14-18 with the win, while the Curve dropped to 13-19.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Akron with one away in the bottom of the third, and Hodges then rapped a two-run single to left field to score a pair of runs and give the Aeros a 2-0 lead. The clubs traded runs in the seventh, with Altoona’s Jason Delaney cutting the lead in half with an infield single and Hodges answering with a base hit to left to push the lead back to two runs at 3-1. The Curve pulled back within a run on a two-out RBI single by James Boone in the eighth, but Newsom worked a perfect ninth to close things out.

Huff (2-1) continued his impressive work, holding the Curve to a run on four hits for the victory. He did not walk a man, tied a career-high with eight strikeouts, and retired 15 straight hitters at one point. In his last five outings, the former UCLA standout has allowed just four earned runs and 15 hits in 30.2 innings (a 1.17 ERA). Corey Hamman (0-5) threw the ball well with two runs and six hits given up in 4.1 innings, but still suffered the loss. Newsom recorded his seventh save in seven opportunities this year, and passed Mike Soper on the career saves list with his 25th in an Aeros uniform. Soper’s record had stood since 1993. Hodges and Brandon Pinckney both had two hits to lead the way offensively.

The series concludes Thursday morning at 10:35 a.m. on another Roadway Education Day. Frank Herrmann (3-2, 4.28 ERA) will go for Akron against Altoona’s Jimmy Barthmaier (2-0, 5.83 ERA). The game broadcast begins at 10:20 a.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

K-Tribe's Four Game Win Streak Snapped

An early afternoon hit fest went to Frederick as the Keys out slugged Kinston 12-6 Wednesday afternoon in Maryland. Kinston took an early lead with a three-run home run by Jared Goedert in the top of the first inning. Frederick came right back, with a three run home run by Brandon Tripp in the bottom of the first. The Indians took the lead back with back to back RBI singles by Jerad Head and Beau Mills in the top of the second. The 5-3 lead again disappeared with a two-run home run by Frederick’s Chris Amador in the bottom of the second. Kinston took their final lead of the game when Adam Davis walked with the bases loaded in the third. Frederick went on to score three runs in the bottom of the third and never let go of the lead again. Both teams mashed out 11 hits, but Kinston stranded 15 runners on base. Jared Goedert went 4-for-5, going his second consecutive game with a home run. Beau Mills and Carlos Rivero each had two hits for Kinston.

Both starters were roughed up early. Paolo Espino (0-2) took the loss for Kinston, giving up eight runs in three innings. Frederick’s Brandon Erbe, walked four and gave up five runs in his two innings of work. The Keys bullpen then took control allowing only one run over the next seven innings.

The K-Tribe’s four game win streak is snapped, but they did take two of three from Frederick for their third consecutive series win. Kinston went 6-3 on the nine game roadtrip. The K-Tribe returns home for an eight game homestand starting Thursday night at 7pm. Steven Wright (0-2, 3.08) will take the mound for Kinston against Carolina League leading Potomac.

Game Recaps 5/6

Lofgren Outstanding, but Aeros Fall 3-1

AKRON, OH – Chuck Lofgren held Altoona at bay for seven innings, but the offense couldn’t get him any run support in a 3-1 defeat before 3,782 fans at Canal Park Tuesday. The Curve and Aeros are both 13-18.

Lofgren began the year 0-2 with an 8.24 ERA in five starts in April, but after examining video from 2006 (the year he won 17 games for Kinston) made a mechanical adjustment predicated on slowing down his delivery. The results have been dramatic, as the left-hander held Erie to a run on six hits while recording a season-high nine strikeouts last Thursday, and then limiting Altoona to just a run on four hits in seven frames tonight. He allowed only one hit through four innings, but found trouble in the fifth as a double and two singles gave Altoona a 1-0 lead.

It remained a 1-0 game until the top of the eighth, when two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Curve with two away. Akron summoned southpaw Shawn Nottingham for a lefty-lefty match-up with Anthony Webster, but the Altoona DH spoiled the strategy by rapping an 0-2 slider back up the middle for a two-run single and a 3-0 lead.

The Aeros mounted a threat in the bottom of the eighth, as Brandon Pinckney led off with a single and Josh Rodriguez followed with a knock of his own two batters later to put men at first and second. Chris Gimenez then battled Curve reliever Josh Shortslef for a walk to load the bases, and Wes Hodges got Akron on the board with an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 3-1. Shortslef got Stephen Head to hit into another fielder’s choice however, ending both the threat and the inning.

Josh Hill (3-2) started and was impressive for Altoona, blanking the Aeros on five hits and a walk over six innings. He doubled his previous season-high with eight strikeouts. Lofgren (1-3) took a loss he didn’t deserve, turning in his second straight quality start. He struck out seven in his seven innings, and in his last two starts has allowed just two runs in 13 innings while striking out 16 hitters. Chris Hernandez worked a perfect ninth for his second save.

The series continues Wednesday evening, with Akron left-hander David Huff (1-1, 2.78 ERA) facing off against Curve southpaw Corey Hamman (0-4, 5.28 ERA). Fans can take advantage of the Wednesday 4-Pack deal, featuring four tickets, four hot dogs, four chips and four sodas for just $48. The game broadcast begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at www.akronaeros.com.

Kinston Wins Fourth Game In A Row

The K-Tribe assured their third consecutive series win with their fourth victory in a row, a 7-5 triumph over Frederick on Tuesday night. Kinston has now won four of their last five series dating back to April 21st.

The Kinston Indians trailed 3-0 in the top of the fourth when Jared Goedert unloaded for his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Kinston tied the score with RBI hits from Adam Davis and Jerad Head in the top of the fifth inning. Davis broke the tie in the top of the sixth inning with a towering, two-run, home run to right field; his first round tripper of the season. Davis went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Kinston added two more runs in the eighth inning thanks to two fielding errors by Frederick. Kinston mashed out 13 hits on the night, as every player in the K-Tribe lineup had at least one hit. Kinston has now hit nine homeruns through the first eight games of the roadtrip; they had hit just five home runs in their first 20 games of the season.

The K-Tribe will wrap up the nine game roadtrip, going for their first series sweep of the season, Wednesday in Frederick. The special game time is at 12pm. Paolo Espino will take the hill for the K-Tribe in the early afternoon start. Kinston then returns home on Thursday to kick off an eight game homestand.

CAPTAINS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER FROM KANNAPOLIS

(Eastlake, OH) – The Lake County Captains swept a doubleheader from the Kannapolis Intimidators on Tuesday 3-1 and 2-1. The Captains won both games despite having a combined three hits over the two games. The Captains pitching was back on track after giving up thirteen runs the night before, they limited the Intimidators to only two runs on seven hits for the doubleheader.

For the second night in a row, Adam White hit a home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning for the Captains. With a 1-0 lead in game one, the Captains scored twice in the second inning. Kannapolis starter Jason Rice walked the bases loaded to start the inning. Lucas Montero hit into a fielder choice to score one run and Mark Thompson grounded out to plate another run and give the Captains a 3-0 lead. The Intimidators got their only run off starter Ryan Miller on a home run by Danny Jordan in the third inning. Miller went six innings striking out seven and allowing only two hits to go to 5-0 on the season. He is the league leader in wins. Vinnie Pestano pitched a perfect seventh inning to rack up his eighth save of the year. Jason Rice was the tough luck loser going six innings and allowing only one hit.

The Captains gained the lead in game two when Matt Brown hit a two run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning off Kannapolis starter Levi Maxwell. The Intimidators scored a run in the seventh inning but it wasn’t enough. Gary Campfield got the win to go 2-0 and Dallas Cawiezell picked up his first save.

The Captains begin a nine road trip with five games against Greensboro beginning with a double header on Thursday. RHP Santo Frias will start game one (1-0, 4.58) against the Grasshoppers RHP Hector Correa (0-1, 3.86). The game two starters are yet to be announced.