I thought that I would get the PreStros done for Il Constable today, as he is normally a little quiet with regards to the inter-webs on Sundays.
Summary
* How sweep it is. Affiliates got 4-0, for a combined record of 106-89
* Oklahoma City rode power pitching and power hitting to a solid win.
* Corpus dominated late to beat the Naturals.
* Lancaster dominated early to beat the 66ers.
* Quad Cities dominated in just the sixth inning to best the Kernels.
Oklahoma City (28-22)
The RedHawks scored early and late to run away 10-4 victors over the Memphis Redbirds (23-26) on the road. Memphis scored 1 in the bottom of the first, then Oklahoma scored five in the next three, had a breather and didn't score for the fifth and sixth, then scored another five in the seventh and eighth.
Rubber Rectangle: Mike Foltynewicz got the start, and recorded a solid line: 6IP, 4H, 2R/ER, 4BB, 2K. He needed to work around 8 base runners, but all the hits that he gave up were singles. An ugly walk-single-single start put him in a one-run hole, but an inning ending double-play assisted greatly. In the fifth, he gave up another run after loading the bases with no outs, then getting an unassisted DP from Jon Singleton. A wild pitch ensured that he wouldn't escape the inning unscathed however. All in all - 95 pitches, 8 groundouts versus 3 flyouts.
Plastic Pentagon: Domingo Santana. Awesome. 2-4, BB, 2HR, 3RBI, 2R. Adron Chambers was slightly less awesome (1-3, BB, HR, 2RBI, 2R), Carlos Perez recorded 2 doubles (3-3, BB, 2x2B, 3RBI, R), and Austin Wates also had a good night (3-5, 2B, 3R). Jon Singleton's value was all tied up in his fielding (mentioned above): 0-5.
Man of the Match: Domingo Santana just hit his eighth and ninth home-runs of the year. For a 21 year old in AAA. Yikes.
Corpus Christi (26-22)
Corpus continued their winning ways, scoring 5 runs in the eighth and ninth to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (gosh, I want to see their minor league cap... oh, how disappointing) by a score of 7-4.
Rubber Rectangle: Mike Hauschild got the start, and did ok, with a final line of 5IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 6K. He kept the ball on the ground (6:0) but gave up a double and a home run. He faced the minimum through two, the gave up a lead off home run in the third. After retiring the side in order in the fifth, he gave up a lead off double, followed by an RBI single. A throwing error allowed the hitter of the RBI single to reach second, and he eventually scored on a one-out single.
The relief corps was mostly solid but had some hairy moments - Travis Bellow (1IP, 2BB), Troy Scribner (1.2IP, 1H, 1R/ER, 1BB, 2K, HR) and Andrew Robinson (1.1IP, K) mostly held the Naturals in check.
Plastic Pentagon: Preston Tucker continued his recent solid form going 2-4, BB, HR, RBI, 2R. Also with two hits was Delino DeShields (2-5, RBI) and Telvin Nash (2-4, RBI). Tyler Heineman (1-3, BB, 3B, 3RBI, R) had the big hit in the eighth, with his bases-loaded triple being the most decisive hit of the game.
Man of the Match: Tyler Heineman, with a clutch XBH, which put the Hooks ahead for good.
Lancaster (28-22)
Lancaster scored five in the first two innings in a 6-2 win at home over the Inland Empire 66ers.
Rubber Rectangle: Josh Hader and Chris Devenski combined to hold the 66ers in check, making the tandem rotation look like a work of a genius. Hader started, and allowed 5 base runners (4H, BB) in 5 innings. He gave up two earned runs, and struck out six. Devenski was nastier: 4IP, 2H, BB, 3K). 4-inning save.
Hader gave up both his runs in the fourth, on a double, wild pitch, K, wild pitch, K, BB, double, K sequence.
Plastic Pentagon: Only one extra-base hit (Carlos Correa, 1-4, 2B, RBI) was recorded. However, Lancaster's runs were mostly by virtue of solid on-base performances from the 7-8-9 batters, respectively: Carlos Perdomo (2-3, BB, 2R), Jordan Scott (2-4, R) and Ruben Sosa (2-2, R).
Once those three were on, they were driven in by Anthony Kemp (0-1, 4BB, 2R, 2RBI), Teoscar Hernandez (1-4, RBI), Carlos Correa and Rio Ruiz (0-3, BB, RBI).
Man of the Match: Four-somethings earn the MoTM. Four inning save (Chris Devenski) and 4 BB game (Anthony Kemp). I am a sucker for four today.
Quad Cities (24-23)
Quad Cities trailed 2-1 before scoring 4 (see, that number again!) in the sixth to beat the 22-27 Cedar Rapids 5-2.
Rubber Rectangle: Jandel Gustave started, and ended up with a reasonably solid line: 6.2IP, 7H, 2R/ER, 2BB, 8K. Andrew Walter (2.1IP, H, K) got the save with a tidy performance. Gustave and Walter kept the ball on the ground (12-2).
The Kernels scored in only the second inning on a single, HBP, runner-advancing GO, RBI single, RBI ground out, ground out sequence. In no other inning was there more than one baserunner.
Plastic Pentagon: Conrad Gregor (1-4, HR, 3RBI, R) and Tyler White (1-4, HR, R) hit back-to-back home runs during the sixth inning. James Ramsay was on base twice (1-3, BB, R). In the first, he singled, advanced to third on a pickoff throwing error, and scored on a passed ball. Brian Holberton had a double (1-3, 2B).
Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor put the River Bandits on top for good with his 3-run bomb.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
