Blue Jays Minor League Recap: Big Games From Parker, Schreck, and Bennett

[Daniel Labude]

 

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (September 5-6)

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Series vs Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox): 1-4
Season Record: 65-71

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats 
Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 2-5
Season Record: 58-72

High-A Vancouver Canadians
Series vs Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels): 3-3
Season Record: 64-68

Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees): 2-4
Season Record: 62-66

FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete

DSL Blue Jays Blue: Season Complete

DSL Blue Jays Red: Season Complete

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

• Season Record: 65-71
• Series vs Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox)

September 5: Nick Goodwin came to play and then some for Buffalo on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Bisons, he was the only one. In his first at-bat of the day, Goodwin launched his first home run for Buffalo, a screaming line drive to left at 105 mph. In the sixth, it was again Goodwin at the center of the action for Buffalo; he ripped a 100 mph double to left and then scored on Yohendrick Piñango's single to center. The run gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead, as Bisons starting pitcher Richard Gallardo threw a quality start, surrendering just one run across his six innings of work. José Rodríguez replaced Gallardo for the seventh side and was in trouble for most of it. He gave up a single, stolen base, walk, and a wild pitch, but was able to escape the jam with a groundout to end the frame. Yondrei Rojas was next out of the bullpen for Buffalo, and he didn't have as much luck escaping things as Rodríguez did. A triple and sacrifice fly for Worcester tied the game at two, then a single and two-run home run gave the Red Sox the lead late in the game. The bottom of the ninth saw Buffalo come down to their final out, but they kept fighting, as Ismael Munguia singled to keep the comeback alive. Peyton Williams couldn't play hero, though; he struck out, ending the comeback attempt and the game. Buffalo lost 4-2 in a game they almost won, until a late bullpen blow-up cost them the win. 

September 6: In the finale of the week's series against Worcester, the bats were much more lively than on Saturday. Five players have at least two hits, with Ismael Munguia pacing the pack by tallying three base knocks. Jay Harry and Lenyn Sosa each had two hits, including long balls from each of them. While the bats were on point, the pitching for Buffalo was lacking. Grant Rogers had the mound to start the game for the Bisons and had another bad outing. He didn't make it out of the fourth inning and gave up 10 hits and seven runs (six earned). Harry's home run came in the first inning, a solo blast to right field. Buffalo then went silent, putting zero after zero on the scoreboard, despite having runners on base. Down 7-1 in the seventh, the Bisons finally started to collect the runs on the base paths. Sosa hit his two-run home run, Nick Goodwin singled home two, and then Munguia had the biggest hit of the game. With the bases loaded still in the seventh, Munguia flipped a line drive to right field, bringing home all three runs and giving Buffalo the 8-7 lead. Chad Dallas and Brendan Cellucci pitched scoreless innings to wrap up the game, as the Bisons got a little revenge with a late comeback win, 8-7. 

Double-A New Hampshire

• Season Record: 58-72
• Series vs Birmingham Rumble Ponies (New York Mets)

September 5: The Saturday game between New Hampshire and Binghamton was not one with much offense. New Hampshire only managed four hits, and Binghamton had three, but both teams made them count. Binghamton scored two runs in the first inning, as a double and fielding error allowed the runners to score. Jefferson Rojas then launched a home run in the fifth inning to give the Rumble Ponies a commanding 3-0 lead given the lack of hits in this one. In the sixth inning, New Hampshire finally broke through with a mammoth home run from Aaron Parker, his 19th on the season. New Hampshire wouldn't be able to mount a comeback, as they lost this one 3-1. 

September 6: The Sunday game between New Hampshire and Binghamton had a big back-and-forth feel for the game. Alexis Hernandez crushed an opposite-field home run in the third inning to open the scoring. In the fourth, Jacob Reimer hit a two-run single to flip the lead to Binghamton. In the seventh inning, the Rumble Ponies added four more, with the big hit coming from a Jefferson Rojas home run. Things remained that way until the ninth inning. Carter Cunningham started the comeback with a double that scored Dub Gleed. Tucker Toman and Edward Duran locked in two with RBI singles from each. Next up was Aaron Parker, who cleared the bases with a huge double, which flipped the lead back to New Hampshire and capped off their six-run inning. Kelena Sauer finished the ninth for his third save. Gage Stanifer earlier had struck out four in his inning due to a dropped third strike. New Hampshire won this one 7-6. 

High-A Vancouver 

• Season Record: 64-68
• Series vs Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels)

September 5: The Canadians let this one slip away from them, as Ryan Sprock got them an early lead with a two-run homer in the first inning. Silvano Hechavarria had another excellent start at the end of the season, with a quality start, allowing only one earned run in six innings pitched. As soon as Hechavarria was taken out, the wheels fell off, as Colby Holcombe blew the lead in the seventh inning, giving up a couple of RBI hits to make it a one-run lead for Tri-City. Ryan Sprock did all he could to win this game for Vancouver, as he drove in his third run of the night to even it up. Bradley Wilson lost the game for the Canadians in the eighth, allowing three runs which the Canadians could not make up, as the final score was 6-3.

September 6: This was the last game of the regular season before the Canadians went off to the playoffs. The starters for both teams didn’t allow a run, as Mississaugan Connor O’Halloran went four innings without a run scoring. The Dust Devils got five straight scoreless innings from starter Luke Schafer and reliever Yeferson Vargas. Unfortunately for the Canadians, Reece Fields had a tough fifth inning, allowing four hits and two walks to allow four runs. Ryan Sprock scored the first of two runs for the Canadians in the seventh on a sac fly to right, then in the ninth inning hit his sixth homer of the season, but Carson Myers also gave up two runs himself, making it end up as a four-run ballgame regardless, at 6-2. 

Single-A Dunedin

• Season Record: 62-66
• Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees)

September 5: Jared Spencer made his professional debut after getting sidelined for the majority of the season and part of his final college season with a shoulder issue. The lefty looked rusty, with a few ticks off of his fastball and some shaky command, only managing to get one out. Denis Samudio was excellent in relief, however, as the former Pirate prospect went five and a third innings, striking out seven batters without allowing a run, lowering his ERA with the Jays organization to 3.70. The offense started off with a bang, as the rehabbing RJ Schreck had a two-run homer in the first, then Jake Bennett followed with his seventh homer of the year at 408.7 mph with a 421 ft distance. Later on in the game, Aldo Gaxiola had homer number 18 on the year with a 450 ft blast at 107.2 mph, then Blaine Bullard hit an RBI double in the seventh to make it three runs. Gaxiola got his second RBI for some insurance, and the bullpen didn’t allow a run, making the final score 6-2 for the Jays. 

September 6:  The Jays and Tarpons traded homers in the final game of the regular season. Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II homered against Edrwin Veras in the first inning, but Owen Carapellotti had his seventh homer of the season in the seventh to tie it up. Josh Rivera, who returned on rehab assignment, homered in the sixth inning to give the Jays a two-run lead, but Deiker Pineda allowed his only run of the game in the sixth inning with a homer to Yostin Pena to make it a one-run game. Josbel Garcia blew the save with a homer given up in the seventh to make it a tie, then took the loss with a double, which ended up being the final run. 

FCL Blue Jays

• Season Record: 38-20

Season Completed

DSL Blue Jays Blue

• Season Record: 20-35

Season Completed

DSL Blue Jays Red

• Season Record: 33-18
• Playoffs: 2-1

Season Completed

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