Minor League Ball Gameday, Oct 23: AFL Edition

I apologize for the lackluster gameday threads the past few days everyone. Luckily I have not encountered anything near what John has to deal with, but car problems and technology issues have hampered me a bit. I wish John a speedy recovery so we can all get back to enjoying his excellent work and insights. That said, here is today's gameday thread, complete with all the goodies you've come to know and love.

Standings

Game Recaps

In yesterday's action, Surprise knocked off Mesa 4-2 with a big three-run 7th innings to put the nail in the coffin. Mesa reaped the benefits of a fantastic start by right hander Tommy Collier as he went threw four innings of two hit ball with no runs or walks allowed and five punch outs. Third baseman Kris Bryant continues to mash, going 2-4 with his 13th RBI of the fall and a pair of whiffs. Center fielder Albert Almora knocked in the other run for Mesa, his ninth RBI, while going 1-5. Southpaw Omar Duran was the pitcher on the hill when it all went downhill. He only recorded two outs, gave up two hits, three walks, and allowed three runs. Surprise was led by second baseman Joe Wendle at the plate as he went 1-3 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored. On the mound, lefty Eduardo Rodriguez got the start and only allowed a hit in three innings, but walked a pair and allowed a run with three punch outs. Jason Gurka threw an inning, allowing a run on two hits but still was awarded the win. David Goforth pitched a scoreless 9th inning with a hit and strike out to close it out for the save.

Scottsdale and Glendale were back at it again, with Scottsdale getting a pair of runs in the 6th and 9th innings to keep the Desert Dogs at bay and win 5-1. Third baseman Kyle Kubitza was the only player on the Scorpions to register a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with a triple, run scored, walk and a strike out. Designated hitter Andrew Susac worked a pair of walks, hit a single and had a sacrifice fly. Short stop Gift Ngoepe showed off his wheels with a pair of steals while going 1-4 with a walk, run scored and strike out from the lead off spot. Starter Kyle Crick had a rough day at the office, throwing just 1.2 innings with three walks, a hit and a run scored with three strike outs and a home run allowed. Lefty Adalberto Mejia came on in relief and dominated for 3.1 innings after struggling all fall. He only allowed a single hit with no walks or runs and five strike outs. Brett Gerritse tacked on two more hitless innings with a walk and three strike outs. Glendale starter Andrew Heaney was solid in four innings. He allowed a run on three hits and two walks with three strike outs. Relievers AJ Achter and Edgar Olmos continued their scoreless ways as they both put another inning in the books. Achter has gone four innings this fall without allowing a run while Olmos is at six innings, with just one hit allowed as well. At the plate, left fielder Brian Cavazos-Galvez went deep in the 2nd inning, hitting a solo shot off Crick. Center fielder Jared Mitchell was the only other Glendale player to get a hit, and he also stole a bag. The team did work six walks to go with their two hits.

Peoria tallied 15 hits as they held off Salt River 5-3 in the night game. Designated hitter Japhet Amador lead the way with a trio of singles in five trips. Short stop Chris Taylor scored a run, hit a single and a triple, drove in one, walked once and struck out once in four at bats. Catcher Cameron Rupp knocked in two, going 2-5 with a double and a strike out, and a passed ball behind the plate. Right fielder Jorge Bonifacio smacked a double and scored once, going 2-4 with a strike out. Second baseman speedster Cory Spangenberg was 1-5 at the dish with a run scored, RBI, pair of whiffs and a stolen base to go with his caught stealing. On the mound four different Javelinas threw two innings a piece with Carson Smith coming in for the save. Alex Sogard started and threw a pair of perfect frames with two strike outs. Mike Nesseth took the 7th and 8th, walking two with one hit allowed and two strike outs. The Rafters went in a hole early and couldn't climb back out of it. Starter Grayson Garvin took a beating, allowing nine hits and four runs in just 3.1 innings of work with a walk and two strike outs. Portsider Henry Garcia made his first appearance, replacing Andrew Chafin on the Salt River roster. He threw 1.2 innings with no runs or walks allowed, two hits and three strike outs. Lee Stoppelman threw another scoreless inning with a walk and punch out. He's now at 3.1 scoreless innings with one hit allowed this fall. At the plate, the Rafters were lead by designated hitter Kyle Parker and his 2-4 day with a solo home run, double, and two RBI's. Lead off man and center fielder Kenny Wilson stole his seventh base of the fall while going 1-4 with a walk and strike out. Right fielder Stephen Piscotty continued to rake, smashing a double and scoring once with an RBI and a strike out in four trips. Catcher Derrick Chung was perfect at the plate, going 3-3 with three singles and a walk.

Probable Starters

Mesa @ Scottsdale - 3:35 PM EST

Mesa - LHP Matt Purke (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Scottsdale - RHP Hansel Robles (0-1, 6.75 ERA)

Peoria @ Glendale - 3:35 PM EST

Peoria - RHP Carson Smith (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs Glendale - RHP Alex Meyer (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Salt River @ Surprise - 3:35 PM EST

Salt River - RHP Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 3.60 ERA) vs Surprise - RHP Will Roberts (0-1. 2.57 ERA)

Links from the web

****White Sox and Desert Dog second baseman Micah Johnson will miss the rest of the AFL as he is set to undergo elbow surgery. He is expected to be ready by spring training but he had the same operation done in college a few years ago.

****The Dodgers and Red Sox pulled off another trade, with the World Series representatives for the American League sending right fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker and cash money to LA for outfielder Alex Castellanos. Chris Cotillo from MLB Daily Dish gave his opinion on the deal here.

****Brian Creagh at FakeTeams profiled Yankees first round pick, left handed pitcher Ian Clarkin.

****Matt Mattingly also over at FakeTeams looked at the Top 5 third base prospects for fantasy purposes. The list includes a pair of AFL players and 2013 draft picks in Kris Bryant and Colin Moran.

****South Side Sox went over White Sox players participating in various winter leagues.

****Twinkie Town did their weekly AFL update, reviewing the Twins performances.

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