Blue Jays Minor League Recap: King Shines, Hernandez Powers Up, and Nimmala Plays His Last Games in the Org

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (August 1-3)

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Series vs Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies): 3-3
Season Record: 52-56

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats 
Series vs Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies): 2-4
Season Record: 48-52

High-A Vancouver Canadians
Series vs Spokane (Colorado Rockies): 3-3
Season Record: 45-57

Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Series vs St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets): 3-2
Season Record: 47-52

FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete

DSL Blue Jays Blue
Week Record: 1-3
Season Record: 18-26

DSL Blue Jays Red
Week Record: 4-0
Season Record: 26-17

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

• Season Record: 52-56
• Series vs Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies)

August 1: Simeon Woods Richardson had the mound on Saturday for Buffalo, as they took on Lehigh Valley and Alan Rangel. While the two starting pitchers were in the game, it was a complete pitchers' duel. The only thing that would break up the string of zeros on the scoreboard would be an error that left open the doors for Buffalo to score a run when Charles McAdoo scampered home from third base on a wild pitch. Woods Richardson ended his outing by going 5.1 innings, giving up just three hits, only one walk, and striking out seven. Javen Coleman would be the man Buffalo turned to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning, up 1-0. The game was all tied up after the first batter Coleman faced, as he gave up a solo home run to Kameron Misner. After Coleman proceeded to load the bases, Pat Gallagher relieved him and wasn't much better. Gallagher gave up RBI singles to the first two batters he faced and then a sacrifice fly, putting Buffalo into a 4-1 hole. The Bisons didn't have a lot of time to make a comeback, just the top of the ninth. Daz Cameron would get a single, but that would be all, as Buffalo fell 4-1 in a game they only managed four hits. 

August 2: It was a bullpen game for Buffalo on Sunday, with Jack Nedrow up from High-A Vancouver starting on the mound. Nedrow worked around a triple in the first inning to make it out of that frame with a zero still up on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for Buffalo, his troubles put them in a hole in the second inning. A two-RBI double and an RBI single created a three-run deficit for Buffalo. In the fourth, Sean Keys cut into the Lehigh Valley lead with an RBI double that scored Ismael Munguia. Daz Cameron followed that up with a big two-run home run, tying the game up at three. Still in the fourth, CJ Stubbs launched a home run of his own, a solo blast to right, 103.4 mph off the bat. Cameron had himself a game, providing more scoring for Buffalo in the fifth, getting a two-RBI double to center to knock in Nick Goodwin and Munguia. In the sixth, the Bisons extended their lead on a Keys sacrifice fly and when Josh Kasevich scored from third base on a wild pitch. Buffalo's bullpen was on top of its game, shutting down Lehigh Valley the rest of the way, with the exception of two unearned runs that crossed the plate. Tanner Andrews pitched a perfect eighth and ninth to get the save and the win for the Bisons, 8-5. 

Double-A New Hampshire

• Season Record: 48-52
• Series vs Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies)

August 1: Saturday was a new day for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, but the woes continued. Danny Thompson Jr. was on the mound for New Hampshire and had himself a pretty great game. He pitched a quality start, going six innings, allowing five hits, giving up just one run, and striking out seven. Probably the best part of the day for him was that he didn't issue a walk. Alex Amalfi came in and gave up three runs, which was a rough task for the Fisher Cats once again. New Hampshire only managed two runs on nine hits. Aaron Parker singled in a run in the sixth inning, and Cade Doughty did the same in the seventh. New Hampshire fell in this one 4-2. Arjun Nimmala was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.

August 2: Things were looking up for New Hampshire on Sunday in the week finale against Hartford. Jackson Wentworth threw a quality start, continuing a good run for the Fisher Cats’ starting pitchers. He went six innings and didn't allow a run. The offense had his back this time. In the first inning, Victor Arias drove in a run with a single, and then he hit a three-run home run in the third inning. Dub Gleed finished off the scoring with a two-run double to left field in the eighth inning. In his final game with the Blue Jays organization, Arjun Nimmala went 1-for-4, with a single and a walk while scoring a run. New Hampshire won 6-0.

High-A Vancouver 

• Season Record: 45-57
• Series vs Spokane (Colorado Rockies)

August 1: Silvano Hechavarria has not found the form he had last season, as the Cuban righty has now given up 27 runs since getting promoted to Vancouver in only five starts. The Canadians went down nine runs early, as Hechavarria gave up two big homers in the second and the fourth inning, and the offense did not have enough firepower to come back from it. The only run of the game for the Canadians happened with runners on second and third with no outs, but Bryce Chance could only muster up an RBI groundout. Reece Fields had his first minor league appearance and pitched five scoreless innings with five strikeouts after Hechavarria was taken out to keep it at nine in a tough loss for Vancouver.  

August 2: The offense went off on a Johnny King start, as the Canadians skunked Spokane 14-0. King went five strong innings, striking out seven batters without allowing a run, although he did walk three batters. Jake Casey and Alexis Hernandez both hit some big homers to extend the lead in the fifth and sixth. Ryan Sprock had himself a day as well with a three-hit night capped off with his first homer as a member of the Blue Jays’ organization. Carson Myers and Reece Wissinger each pitched two scoreless innings each as the Canadians ran away with this one 14-0. 

Single-A Dunedin

• Season Record: 47-52
• Series vs St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets)

August 1: Denis Samudio took the mound for the Jays and gave up two runs early in the first as Ryan Tayman tagged him for a two-run double. Samudio was able to go five innings without allowing another run, striking out six batters with 11 whiffs. JoJo Parker had some sixth-inning heroics as he hit a two-run blast to tie the game up with an absolutely massive 114.2 mph exit velocity, 446 ft homer. Unfortunately for the Jays, Dean West made an error in the seventh, which ended up scoring, putting the Jays down one heading into the bottom of the seventh. Down to their last three outs in the ninth, Jake Cook and Ryan Franden both got on base, and Brayden Martin was able to move Cook to third before West made up for his error with a sac fly to tie it and send it to extras. Noah Palmese allowed three runs in the 10th, however, and the Jays were not able to move the ghost runner over in a 6-3 extra-innings loss. 

August 2: Canceled

FCL Blue Jays

• Season Record: 38-20

Season Completed

DSL Blue Jays Blue

• Season Record: 18-26

August 1: Yoenis Morales had the mound on Saturday for BJB in the DSL and put in one of the better pitching performances there. He threw four innings, gave up just one hit, walked one, and struck out eight. He did see three unearned runs cross the plate in the top of the first inning thanks to two errors, though. BJB answered Cubs Red's big first with a big inning of their own in the bottom of the third. Frelian Flores and Juan Caricote each had RBI singles, then both would score on wild pitches later in the inning. The runs and hits in the third inning were all BJB would have on the day, but it was enough, as they won the game 4-3 behind Morales' pitching. 

August 3: Monday was another bad day at the plate for BJB's bats. They only managed to get three hits in the game, matching Saturday's total, but Isay Veras did provide a little thunder. Veras swatted a fifth-inning, two-run home run, his first of the season. In the seventh, Randy Soto scored on an error, giving BJB three runs for the game. Unfortunately for BJB, their pitching was terrible for the day, giving up 13 hits, seven walks, and 10 runs. BJB lost 10-3. 

DSL Blue Jays Red

• Season Record: 26-17

August 1: BJR had a fun day on Saturday, tallying 13 hits, 10 walks, and 11 runs for the game against the Mets Blue DSL team. 17-year-old Jose Gori provided the fireworks, blasting his first career home run in the fifth inning. The home run was a grand one, bringing home four runs for a grand slam! Luis Nunez and Darwin Nuñez each had good games as well. Darwin Nuñez had a double, three singles, and scored three times. Luis Nunez was on base four times, with two singles and two walks, while also knocking in three. BJR won going away 13-2. 

August 3: Luis Nunez and Darwin Nuñez continued to hit on Monday for BJR. Luis Nunez had an RBI single in the fourth, while Darwin Nuñez had a two-RBI double in the same frame. Elaineiker Coronado provided the cherry on top for BJR, his second home run of the season. His solo blast cleared the right field fence in the bottom of the seventh and capped off another good game for BJR, as they won 6-2.

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