The rains held off in the minor leagues Wednesday night, not subjecting those games to the wet quagmire the major league team had to slog through. Akron hosted Rehab Wednesday with two major league pitchers on rehab assignments, Carolina had a hard time scoring runs, and Lake County furiously tried to come back from a 9-3 deficit with a five-run ninth. The highlight of Wednesday, though, was a top prospect maybe, just maybe, beginning to break through after a season of struggle. To find out who this is and read all about the night in the minors, join Jim Piascik and go Around The Farm.
The Bowie Baysox (22-21) struck early against right-hander Brett Myers and the Akron Aeros (20-26) Wednesday night, coming away with a 7-5 victory and a chance at a four-game sweep Thursday morning at Canal Park. Pitching for the second time during his major league rehab assignment, Myers (0-1, 3.68 ERA, 6.88 FIP) managed to rebound after a rough first inning.
Things just did not come together for the Akron Aeros over the past week as the team dropped five out of six games and fell to 20-24 on the season. This Akron team remains young and talented, though it lacks the consistency needed to rise to the top of the Eastern League standings. Despite the losing, there were plenty of exemplary performances, major league pitchers making cameo appearances, and an outfielder risking life and limb to make plays. To read all about the week in Akron and find out all you need to know, join Jim Piascik and go Launching off with the Aeros.
Expectations were high heading into 2013, with general manager Chris Antonetti blazing a new course with real free agent signings and manager Terry Francona at the helm. At the quarter-mark of the season, expectations remain high as Cleveland sits two games up in the division and owns the fifth best record in all of baseball. How did the team reach that height? Well, it is once again time to join Jim Piascik as he ranks the roster and breaks down each player's contribution to the team.
The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs.
Wednesday night, Jim Piascik complained about the lack of pitching throughout the minor league system. The pitchers in Columbus used that as fuel Thursday night, turning in a dominant collective appearance as they led the Clippers to victory. Okay, while using it as fuel is unlikely, the dominant pitching did happen. That effort was not enough to take the top spot, however, as a few top prospects in Carolina continued their push to get promoted quicker than anyone expected. Find out who these top prospects are and everything else that happened in the minors last night and go Around The Farm.
A sports hernia is an often-misdiagnosed tearing of the oblique abdominal muscles. At least that is what the good people at sportshernia.com tell me. Akron Aeros right-hander Trey Haley managed to pitch through the pain of a misdiagnosed sport hernia over parts of the previous three seasons -- in particular last season. When he was shut down for surgery in early June, he owned a 1.26 ERA in 14.1 innings. After finding a way to perform with great amounts of pain, Haley told Jim Piascik that he is happy to be in Akron and is just looking to be consistent in 2013.
If you like great pitching performances, then you might want to avert your eyes from last night in the Cleveland organization. The pitching at each of the affiliates left something to be desired, leaving the onus on the offense to make something happen. Some teams did better than others, especially a sometimes-forgotten outfielder in Lake County. To find out who this is and all you need to know about what happened in the minor leagues last night, join Jim Piascik go Around The Farm.
Baseball players are supposed to play baseball. That sounds like a simple idea, but that tautology does not always hold. More often than we all realize, injuries affect players and prevent them from reaching their full potential. Plus, pitchers are all time bombs waiting to explode. Add it all together and you get where Akron Aeros right-hander Austin Adams was last year. Jim Piascik recently talked to Adams about missing the whole season, the journey back, and how things are going for him in 2013.
Taking things one game at a time, the Akron Aeros made their way up to .500 over the past week and into a tie for second place in the Western Division of the Eastern League. As we approach the 40-game mark -- a point where we can start to leave small sample size caveats behind -- the Aeros seem to be finding their stride. To find out exactly how the Aeros did over the past week and everything you need to know about the team, join Jim Piascik and go Launching Off With The Aeros.
The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs.
Balls flying out of Huntington Park in Columbus with one of the main culprits being a real blast from the past. An Akron starting pitcher turning around a season's worth of poor performances with a strong day in Canal Park. Few hits and fewer runs from the Lake County offense, letting down their pitchers. To figure out who these cryptic hints are referring to and find out all you need to know about the action in the minor leagues Wednesday night, join Jim Piascik as he takes you Around The Farm.
Coming into Wednesday, Akron Aeros left-hander Matt Packer owned a 0-4 record, a 4.60 ERA, more hits (42) than innings pitched (29.1), and almost as many walks (14) as strikeouts (16). Packer began to turn things around Wednesday morning at Education Day at Canal Park, however, throwing seven innings with no earned runs (two unearned) as the Aeros defeated the Erie SeaWolves 4-2. The win allowed Akron to avoid a sweep before heading out on a seven-game road trip.
The Akron Aeros continued their run of winning over the past week, taking five of seven games to move to 15-16 on the season. The team's hot streak has moved them within one game of second place in the Western Division and out of the basement of the Eastern League. To find out who was hot, who was not, and all about how the Aeros did over the past week, join Jim Piascik with Launching Off With The Aeros.
What could right fielder Carlos Moncrief possibly do on Sunday to surpass his walk-off single Saturday night? How about a mammoth go-ahead home run off of a consensus top-25 prospect? The Akron Aeros defeated the Bowie Baysox 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Canal Park, winning the series and moving to .500 for the first time all year. Defense and pitching ruled for most of the day until Moncrief made it all his.
The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs.
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!
