Pinstriped Performances: Are You Not Entertained?

The minor league season is nearly two months old, the Yankees system has by far the best combined record of any in baseball, and the wins just keep coming. Scranton and Tampa combined for 40 hits and 34 runs as two of the top offenses in MiLB throttled their opposing outfits to end the week.

Trey Amburgey (Matt Bufano)

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (32-13): Some highlights of the RailRiders’ 10-run third inning on their way to a 19-1 laugher of a win: four home runs, including two by Chris Gittens, the latter of which was a grand slam. The Scranton pitching staff allowed only two hits in the shellacking of the IronPigs.

• Star of the Game: Chris Gittens – 4-for-7, 2 home runs (7), 1 double, 8 RBI, 4 runs scored, 1 strikeout. Eight runs batted in! Eight! Gittens posted the best offensive performance of any Yankee prospect this year, including the aforementioned two home runs in the same inning
• Hoy Jun Park: 4-for-5, 1 home run (7), 2 RBI, 3 runs scored, 2 walks. On any other day, this would’ve been Star of the Game-worthy stuff from Park. His slash line is up to a ludicrous .360/.503/.631 in 30 games with Scranton
• Estevan Florial: 3-for-6, 1 double, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
• Trey Amburgey: 3-for-6, 3 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 strikeout
• Ryan LaMarre: 2-for-6, 1 home run (2), 3 RBI, 1 run scored. LaMarre was the other RailRider to homer in the barnstorming third
• Greg Allen: 4-for-5, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 walk
• Asher Wojciechowski: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 43 pitches (23 strikes). Wojciechowski, a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, made his first appearance of the season to begin a bullpen day for Scranton
• Brody Koerner: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 10 pitches (7 strikes). Koerner got the win
• Darren O’Day: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 12 pitches (8 strikes)
• Justin Wilson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 16 pitches (8 strikes)
• Trevor Lane: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 16 pitches (10 strikes)
• Adam Warren: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 8 pitches (5 strikes)
• Braden Bristo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 20 pitches (12 strikes)
• Brian Keller: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 13 pitches (9 strikes)

Glenn Otto. Photo by Matt Kardos

Somerset Patriots (31-16): The offense couldn’t pick up Glenn Otto, who had a strong outing up until he was tagged in the sixth inning, and the Patriots suffered a 5-1 defeat in Portland.

• Star of the Game: Thomas Milone – 2-for-4, 1 double, 2 strikeouts. Milone had Somerset’s only extra-base hit of the day
• Diego Castillo: 1-for-2, 2 walks
• Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4
• Dermis Garcia: 1-for-4, 1 strikeout
• Glenn Otto: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 87 pitches (58 strikes). Otto was cruising right along, having allowed just four hits and two runs while striking out nine through 5.1 innings, before he quickly surrendered back-to-back home runs to sully his pitching line and Somerset’s chances of battling back
• Zach Greene: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 28 pitches (20 strikes)
• Addison Russ: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 13 pitches (9 strikes)

Josh Smith (Robert M. Pimpsner)

Hudson Valley Renegades (30-17): For a little while there, it looked like these Renegades might pull a rabbit out of a hat again. They rallied from an 8-4 deficit to tie the game in the seventh, but then let it slip away as Wilmington put six more runs on the board to win 14-8.

• Star of the Game: Josh Smith – 4-for-6, 1 double, 1 strikeout, 1 caught stealing. Smith is working on an 11-game on-base streak. During that time, he’s hitting .476 (20 for 42) with six doubles, three home runs and seven stolen bases
• Ezequiel Duran: 2-for-6, 1 double, 1 run scored, 1 strikeout
• Saul Torres: 2-for-4, 1 run scored, 2 strikeouts
• Pablo Olivares: 2-for-5, 3 runs scored, 1 strikeout
• Chad Bell: 1-for-4, 1 home run (2), 3 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. Bell looked like he might play the hero for Hudson Valley, as he brought the Renegades within one with a three-run shot in the seventh
• Kyle MacDonald: 2-for-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 strikeout
• Isaiah Pasteur: 3-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 strikeout
• Mitch Spence: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 60 pitches (39 strikes)
• Jefry Valdez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 37 pitches (23 strikes)
• Derek Craft: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 37 pitches (22 strikes)
• Nelson L. Alvarez: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 24 pitches (16 strikes). Alvarez, who’s struggling mightily with an ERA north of 10, allowed Wilmington to re-take the lead after the Renegades had battled back to tie and was tagged with the loss
• Charlie Ruegger: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 22 pitches (13 strikes)
• Barrett Loseke: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 13 pitches (9 strikes)

Pat DeMarco (Photo by John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)

Tampa Tarpons (32-15): After Lakeland tied the score at 2 in the bottom of the third, Tampa scored 13 unanswered runs to sprint away with this one. Seven of nine starters had multi-hit games.

• Star of the Game: Pat DeMarco – 3-for-5, 1 home run (7), 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk. 17 of DeMarco’s 37 hits this year have gone for extra bases
• Anthony Volpe: 2-for-4, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 1 stolen base. There’s nothing Volpe isn’t doing well on a baseball field right now
• Trevor Hauver: 2-for-5, 1 double, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk
• Jake Sanford: 3-for-6, 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored
• Andres Chaparro – 2-for-3, 1 home run (5), 4 RBI, 3 runs scored. Chaparro’s first home run since June 13 put Tampa on the board in the second inning
• Carlos Narvaez: 3-for-4, 1 run scored, 2 walks
• Eric Wagaman: 2-for-5, 1 home run (2), 4 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. Wagaman’s fourth inning blast put the Tarpons ahead to stay. In nine games since being sent down from High-A, he’s hitting .353
• Beck Way: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 49 pitches (25 strikes)
• Sean Boyle: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 49 pitches (32 strikes). Boyle earned the win for a solid long relief appearance
• Enrique Santana: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 pitches (6 strikes)
• Trevor Holloway: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 11 pitches (6 strikes)