Minor League Ball Gameday, November 13th

Afternoon folks. The top three teams in the standings all came out on top while the Saguaros clinched their spot on Monday for the big game this weekend.

League Standings

TEAM	WIN	LOSS	TIE	GB
AFL EAST
Mesa Solar Sox	17	11	1	-
Salt River Rafters	17	12		0.5
Scottsdale Scorpions	10	19		7.5
AFL WEST
Surprise Saguaros	18	10	1	-
Glendale Desert Dogs	13	14	2	4.5
Peoria Javelinas	10	19		8.5

Game Recaps

Surprise 9 - Scottsdale 7

The Surprise offense was led by a pair of three-hit games from Travis Shaw and Jorge Alfaro. Shaw knocked in two with a double, two singles, and scored twice. Alfaro also doubled, scored twice and knocked in one. He also was caught stealing and made a throwing error. Third baseman Ryan Rua belted a grand slam in the 4th inning, his only hit in four at bats. Mitch Haniger drove in another run and scored twice as part of a 2-4 performance. Joe Wendle took over the lead off spot and went 2-4 with a walk, double, two runs scored and a strike out. The versatile Tony Wolters didn't do much at the plate, walking once and striking out twice in four trips while playing short stop. Starting pitcher Taylor Jungmann was wild as hell, walking four while allowing four runs with two hits and two strike outs in two innings. Kieth Couch followed with two runs given up on four hits with a hit batter and a punch out in one inning of work. Lisalverto Bonilla got the win by throwing two scoreless innings, striking out two with just one hit allowed. Branden Kline threw a scoreless pair as well, working around three hits with a strike out. Shawn Armstrong struck out one and walked one in an inning. Noe Ramirez was awarded the save even though he allowed a run on two hits, a hit batter, and a strike out.

Scottsdale got hammered in the middle of the game, allowing eight runs in just the 4th and 5th inning. Starter Phil Irwin allowed five runs on six hits and a walk with a home run allowed and three strike outs in four innings. Tyler Waldron came in for the 5th inning and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk with his only outs recorded being strike outs. Jeurys Familia got them out of the inning with a strike out. James Pazos went the next two frames with three hits and a walk allowed but no runs and had a pick off. Derek Law struck out two of three in his inning. DH Kyle Kubitza was 3-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Left fielder Robby Hefflinger wore it twice, getting hit by Ramirez and Couch, and also singled twice, scored twice, knocked one in and struck out. Cory Vaughn stole his eighth bag while going 2-4 with a walk, two runs scored and a strike out. Addison Maruszak walked three times with two runs scored. Peter O'Brien went 1-5 driving in two with two strike outs and a throwing error. First baseman Angel Villalona finished 2-4 with two RBI's and a sac fly before being lifted for a pinch runner.

Mesa 8 - Peoria 1

Aside from one wild inning, the Solar Sox had Peoria's number all day long. Blaine Hardy blanked the Javelinas for four innings, striking out three with four hits allowed. The next five innings the Mesa pen would not allow a single hit. Cam Bedrosian, Kenny Faulk, and RJ Alvarez each went scoreless innings with Bedrosian and Alvarez striking out two of the three batters they faced. Faulk worked around a walk in his inning. Lendy Castillo lost it in the 8th, allowing three walks with a balk mixed in, an unearned run and a strike out. Ryan Dull worked a scoreless 9th setting down the side in order. CJ Cron just keeps on mashing his was through the year. He was 2-4 with a home run, two RBI, one run scored and a strike out. Max Muncy was 2-3 with a walk, Addison Russell walked twice, scored twice and drove in one in four trips, and Adrian Nieto scored twice with a single, RBI and a walk. Tyler Collins scored twice, singling and working a walk while Jorge Soler walked, singled, drove in one and struck out.

Brandon Maurer imploded yesterday allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in just two innings, getting tagged with his second loss of the fall. Mike Nesseth came on for two relief innings, allowing one run on a hit, walk and a strike out. Noel Arguelles allowed a pair of runs on three hits, a walk, wild pitch, balk, and three strike outs in a pair of innings as well. Malcom Culver gave up one run on a solo shot by Cron in his inning. Andrew Robinson topped it off by setting the side down, three up and three down. Three of the four hits the Javelinas recorded went for extra bases with Orlando Calixte, Tommy Medica, and Delino DeShields each hitting a double. That was it for Calixte and Medica but DeShields also walked and struck out. Nolan Fontana scored the only run, reaching on a walk while also striking out once. Jorge Bonifacio was the only other man to reach, working a pair of walks in four trips. Left fielder Cameron Perkins was the star defensively, gunning down two runners at home while going 0-4 with two strike outs at the plate.

Salt River 7 - Glendale 2

Center fielder Kenny Wilson keeps on hitting and running all over the place out west with his second homer in as many games. He added a triple, two runs scored, two RBI and two strike outs. Andy Burns scored twice doing 1-3 with a walk, double, and an RBI. Stephen Piscotty had a similar line, scoring twice while going 1-3 with a walk and an RBI and he also threw out a runner at third. Catcher Derrick Chung was 2-4 with a run scored, and third baseman Jake Lamb went 1-3 with a walk and his fifth error of the fall. Kyle Parker knocked a double, an RBI and walked once as well. Drew Hutchison only gave up one run on four hits and three walks with four punch outs in four innings, getting the win. Cole White came on for two innings, allowing one hit, a hit batsmen and he struck out two. Dean Kiekhefer and Kraig Sitton each threw scoreless frames with Sitton striking out one. Jake Barrett handled the 9th with a run allowed on a hit and wild pitch with a strike out.

Michael Lorenzen continued to struggle this fall, allowing four runs in just three innings while taking the loss, his third of the AFL. He allowed six hits and two walks with just one strike out, picked off a runner and made a bad throw on another attempted pick off before giving way to Jamie Walczak. he proceeded to allow three runs on three walks and two hits in just one inning, striking out one and giving up a bomb shot to Wilson. The rest of the night was smooth sailing for the pen with Jarrett Martin allowing a hit and striking out the side to start it off. Chad Rogers also allowed a hit in an inning before Drew Hayes and Craig Stem each put the side down in order in their innings. Left fielder Brian Cavazos-Galvez registered the only multi-hit game with a pair of singles in four at bats with a stolen base. Brandon Jacobs knocked a double, scored once, was hit by a pitch and struck out. Travis Mattair hit a double and drove one in while Yorman Rodriguez was 1-3 with a run scored, walk and two strike outs.

Probable Starters

Peoria @ Surprise - 2:35 PM EST

Peoria - RHP Jason Adam (1-2, 25 IP, 23 H, 13 R/ER, 7 BB, 21 K, 4 HR, 0.59 GO/FO)

Surprise - LHP Miguel Pena (3-1, 23.2 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 9 BB, 18 K, 1 HR, 0.86 GO/FO)

Glendale @ Mesa - 2:35 PM EST

Glendale - RHP Alex Meyer (2-0, 23 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 25 K, 2 HR, 1.50 GO/FO)

Mesa - RHP Matt Loosen (1-1, 11.2 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 13 K, 1 HR, 0.82 GO/FO)

Salt River @ Scottsdale - 8:35 PM EST

Salt River - RHP  Bo Schultz (3-0, 28.1 IP, 28 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 7 BB, 24 K, 1.42 GO/FO)

Scottsdale - RHP Aaron Northcraft (1-5, 14 IP, 20 H, 16 R, 14 ER, 13 BB, 15 K, 2 HR, 0.93 GO/FO)

Linkatude

****As noted earlier, the Surprise Saguaros clinched a spot in the AFL championship game by winning the West division.

****Andrew Heaney was named Pitcher of the Week and Travis Shaw was named Player of the Week.

****The next topic of debate for Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo is who will have the bigger 2014, Archie Bradley or Taijuan Walker. Callis has Bradley while Mayo went with Walker.

****Sam Dykstra had a Q&A with Nick Castellanos of the Detroit Tigers.

****Aaron Fitt wrapped up the college fall ball season for Baseball America.

****Behind the paywall Therron Brockish continues his Scout's View series with Aaron Sanchez.

****The Internet Baseball Awards name the Managers of the Year for the AL and NL. John Farrell took home AL honors and Clint Hurdle blew out the competition in the NL.

****FanGraphs and Marc Hulet kicked off their Top 15 Prospect lists with the Chicago White Sox and Carson Cistulli posted the Steamer projections for their prospects.

****They also had a Q&A of their own with Sox prospect Marcus Semien.

****Check out the Fanposts where we have some great stuff going on. Dalman is running the Community Ratings of 2013's Rookie Class. They're at #2 with Jose Fernandez taking home the top spot. The community End of Season Regrades are underway as well.