The Scrappers rolled into Troy, New York on Saturday night to square off against the best team in the New York-Penn League, the Tri-City ValleyCats. Despite collecting the same number of hits, the ValleyCat offense was more productive than the Scrappers, leading Tri-City to an 8-3 victory.
Luis Dejesus isn’t one of the best starters in the New York-Penn League for nothing. The right-hander has been nothing short of dominant, checking in at 4th in the league in ERA at 1.64, and sixth in WHIP at 0.93. If the Lake Monsters didn’t know about him beforehand, they sure got a lesson Friday, as Dejesus turned in his best outing of the 2012 campaign, tossing seven innings of shutout baseball, a season high.
The Vermont Lake Monsters jumped out to an early lead on the Scrappers and never looked back Thursday night, as they went on to take the middle game of the series 7-5.
The Scrappers got back on the winning end after losing two straight, outpacing the Vermont Lake Monsters 6-1 on Wednesday night. The Vermont pitchers were certainly a welcome sight for Scrapper hitters after facing the stingy Brooklyn staff.
Rainy Lara had the Scrappers’ number Monday night. That is, after the first inning. They had a promising start, when Tyler Naquin doubled with one out. He was promptly singled home by Charlie Valerio to secure an early one run lead.
Early deficits are hard to recover from. That’s exactly the prospect that the Scrappers faced Sunday, as they fell behind early to the Brooklyn Cyclones. The 5-0 hole after two was too much to overcome, as the Cyclones continued to pile on en route to a 10-5 victory.
Eastwood Field is due for a name change. Eastwood Wetlands, maybe? Or even, Eastwood Atoll. Whatever it is, it’s wet. That didn’t stop the Scrappers from entertaining the Brooklyn Cyclones, though, on a muddy diamond that looked like it would be better served hosting a football game. The Scrappers won 3-2.
Mother nature doesn’t want the Scrappers and Yankees to play baseball. Or at least it would seem that way. After heavy storms forced a cancellation of Thursday night’s affair, she interrupted the first of Friday’s doubleheader, forcing an abrupt end to what was supposed to be a doubleheader. With the Scrappers leading 5-3 in the top of seventh, a small but severe storm moved through that soaked the field, ending the first game, and causing a cancellation of the second game. The early ending did benefit the Scrappers, though, as they were able to pick up the win and earn a split in the rain shortened series.
It wasn’t very merry for the Scrappers on Christmas in July night at Eastwood Field, as Mahoning Valley lost 8-2 to the Staten Island Yankees to halt the team's winning streak at three.
The Scrappers racked up 17 hits en route to a 9-3-blowout victory over the Williamsport Crosscutters Tuesday night. The offensive output was probably the result of some frustration for an offense that has had some struggles as of late. In their three prior games, the offense had only managed nine runs on 17 hits, exactly their output Tuesday.
The Scrappers picked up a win in the first of two on the road in Williamsport, as they beat the Crosscutters 3-1. With the win, the Scrappers are have won three of their last four games after suffering a three-game losing streak.
A struggling Robel Garcia provided a walk-off victory, as the Mahoning Valley Scrappers would split their series with a dramatic 2-1 victory on Sunday Night. Garcia had already been demoted from Lake County, and has been struggling in Mahoning before his walk-off hit.
The Scrapper offense probably wishes they could have stayed a few extra nights in Jamestown. After collecting 15 hits in Friday’s twin bill against the Jammers in Jamestown, they only collected two hits at Eastwood Field in a 5-2 loss Saturday night.
After rain forced the suspension of Thursday’s game, the Scrappers and Jammers played two on Friday. The Scrappers were able to win the second game 2-1, but blew a 6-3 lead they carried over in the first game, as the lost 9-7 and settled for a split.
The Scrappers traveled to Jamestown seeking to make the most of their short two game road trip. They got off to a good start Thursday night, jumping out to a 6-3 lead early on against the Jammers. The weather failed to cooperate, however, as heavy rain forced the game to be suspended after just three innings of play.
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!
