Blue Jays Minor League Recap: Maroudis Can't Have Two Good Games in a Row, Lasaracina Shows Some Big Power

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (July 9 -10)

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Series vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 0-3
Season Record: 42-48

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats 
Series vs Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox): 2-2
Season Record: 43-40

High-A Vancouver Canadians
Series vs Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners): 1-3
Season Record: 35-50

Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers): 1-2
Season Record: 39-44

FCL Blue Jays
Week Record: 1-1
Season Record: 32-17

DSL Blue Jays Blue
Week Record: 2-1
Season Record: 13-16

DSL Blue Jays Red
Week Record: 3-0
Season Record: 15-13

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

• Season Record: 42-48
• Series vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees)

July 9: Postponed 

July 10: After the game on Thursday was postponed because of rain, Buffalo's bats showed up Friday, but they just couldn't manage to get runs across the plate. Jay Harry led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three singles and a walk. Despite reaching base four times, he didn't score once. It was the same with Yohendrick Piñango, who walked twice but was left stranded once and was forced out the other time. The Bisons' only scoring would come on back-to-back doubles by Willie MacIver and Ismael Munguia to start the second inning. Buffalo used four pitchers in the game, and each one surrendered runs. Grant Rogers gave up four in 5.2 innings, Brendan Cellucci and Chase Lee each gave up two, and Brendon Little was tagged for one. Buffalo dropped this one in a rough showing, 9-1. 

Double-A New Hampshire

• Season Record: 43-40
• Series vs Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox)

July 9: Thursday wasn't a good day for pitchers in the game between New Hampshire and Portland. The hitters, though, came out on fire and kept hitting until the end. Arjun Nimmala and Aaron Parker both hit two-run home runs in the first inning for the Fisher Cats. By the top of the fourth inning, Portland had tied it up, with the big hit coming from Brooks Brannon, who crushed a two-run home run as well. New Hampshire flipped the script immediately, as Jorge Burgos hit a big fly to right field that went for a grand slam. Hedbert Perez would cap off the inning with an RBI single to put New Hampshire up five. In the eighth inning, the bats went off again, with Perez hitting an RBI double, Dub Gleed smashed a three-run home run, and Parker hit a three-run double. New Hampshire would go on to win 15-8. Victor Arias was 5-for-5 on the day, as the Fisher Cats pumped out 16 hits, had nine walks, and two hit-by-pitches. 

July 10: The Friday game between New Hampshire and Portland started off just as well for the Fisher Cats. Eddie Micheletti Jr. crushed his 12th home run of the season to give New Hampshire a two-run lead in the second inning. He added a sacrifice fly the next inning to put the Fisher Cats back up two, then Cade Doughty added an RBI double in the fourth sandwiched between two home runs from Portland. Doughty again tied the game with an RBI groundout in the sixth inning, but Portland just kept the hits coming. They took the lead in the eighth on a Ronald Rosario home run. New Hampshire lost this one 7-5. 

High-A Vancouver 

• Season Record: 35-50
• Series vs Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners)

July 9: Landen Maroudis returned as the starter for Vancouver after pitching well in relief in his last outing, but it didn’t go as well as his last appearance. He pitched two scoreless innings to start, and the Canadians took the lead in the bottom of that inning with an Edward Duran double, then Duran scored on a fielding error for a 2-0 lead. The second time through the order wasn’t as fun for Maroudis, who gave up a three-run homer to Josh Caron, then allowed another run in on a single to lose the lead. That resulted in his eighth loss of the season, and although the Canadians allowed him to start the fourth, a fielding error left a runner on second, and Austin Marozas allowed that runner to score. Marozas then allowed a homer of his own, putting the Canadians down four. Myers replaced Marozas in the seventh and immediately gave up the third homer of the game for the Canadians, but then settled in, striking out four batters, only allowing that one solo shot to score. Alex Stone had his second homer of the season in the ninth to score Tucker Toman, but the Canadians fell seven to four.

July 10: The Canadians yet again got out to an early lead, this time with Jake Casey hitting his second homer of the season to put them up two in the first. J.R. Freethy added to the lead with an RBI single in the second inning, and with Silvano Hechavarria on the bump, things were smooth sailing for Vancouver as he struck out five batters in three scoreless innings. Things took a turn in the fourth inning, as the AquaSox got within a run after Hechavarria let on two runners with a single and a walk, before Matthew Ellis drove them both in with a double. He pitched a quick scoreless fifth inning, so the Canadians gave him the sixth, which ended up being a mistake. He walked the first hitter, then Luke Stevenson took the lead for good with a two-run homer that gave Hechavarria the loss. He was able to get three quick outs, but the damage was done. The Canadians' offense sputtered at the end, as they only were able to get a hit and a walk off the AquaSox bullpen in a tight 4-3 loss.

Single-A Dunedin

• Season Record: 39-44
• Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers)

July 9: The D-Jays were able to get to Malachi Witherspoon in the second inning, as Giaconino Lasaracina went deep to center field with a 104.7 mph bomb that went 432 feet, scoring two runs. The Jays loaded the bases, leading to a Blaine Bullard RBI-single, then a wild pitch made it a 4-0 lead. Troy Guthrie had another quality start, but the Lakeland Flying Tigers were able to chip down the lead against the young pitcher. They scored a run in the third on an RBI single, another single scored the second run for the Tigers, and then Guthrie gave up a homer in the fifth, reducing the lead to just one. Guthrie was able to pitch a scoreless sixth, and Austin Smith replaced him in the seventh inning. Unfortunately for Smith, Lasaracina gave up a passed ball, allowing a runner to score, forcing the game to extras. Urena replaced Smith and pitched 2.1 innings, striking out four batters, giving up one run with the ghost runner in the 10th inning. Adam Hackenberg kept the Jays alive with a single of his own to tie it up, and in the eleventh inning, Josbel Garcia got the win as Brock Tibbitts walked it off in a nail-biter. 

July 10: Suspended Game

FCL Blue Jays

• Season Record: 32-17

July 9: The FCL Blue Jays took on the FCL Phillies on Thursday. Andres Arias hit an RBI double in the first inning, and it was just the beginning of a long day for the Phillies. In the fourth, Enmanuel Bonilla drove in two with a single, followed by a Gavin Smith RBI single. Bonilla and Arias added RBI hits later in the game; in between, the Blue Jays scored five runs on a combination of wild pitches, bases-loaded walks, hit-by-pitches, and balks. Miguel Pantoja was a bit wild on the mound (3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K)  for the Blue Jays, but was good enough to get the win, as the Blue Jays won big, 14-2.

July 10: Suspended

DSL Blue Jays Blue

• Season Record: 13-16

July 9: No game 

July 10: After an off-day on Thursday, BJB showed some rust on Friday. They only managed to get five hits in the game, but thanks to their pitching, it was enough for the win. Yoenis Morales was on the mound to start, and he did well, despite walking five. He pitched four innings, gave up four hits, struck out four, and allowed just one run. In the third inning, Michael Mesa doubled home two runs on a shot to right field. Then in the fourth, Sebastian Casanova singled in Deret Gonzalez and was a part of a double steal, with him stealing second and Ruben Sanchez stealing home. BJB won the game 4-1. 

DSL Blue Jays Red

• Season Record: 15-13

July 9: BJR had an offensive explosion on Thursday in the DSL. They got some big thunder from Luis Nunez and Aneudi Severino, both taking balls deep for three-run home runs. Nunez crushed his home run to right field in the fourth inning; it was his first of the season. Severino took his ball over the fence in the eighth inning. His long ball went to left field. Darwin Núñez got the scoring started in the first inning with an RBI single to left field. In the second, Alex Linares matched him with an RBI single of his own. BJR added two runs in the third, one from an error and another on an RBI groundout by Elian Reyes. Following Nunez's home run in the fourth, BJR tacked on two more in the seventh from a bases-loaded walk by Gabriel Porras and a sacrifice fly by Severino. In the eighth, Diego Arce singled in Ayberson Ortega, Elaineiker Coronado drew a bases-loaded walk, and Porras added a run on a sacrifice fly. Capping the scoring in the inning and the game was the big three-run blast from Severino. BJR won big 15-4. 

July 10: After winning a game with the bats and some timely fireworks, BJR opted for a game where speed on the entertainment came on the base paths. BJR ended the game with five stolen bases. Down 2-0 in the top of the second inning, Frelian Flores cut into the deficit with a sacrifice fly that scored Ayberson Ortega. In the third, BJR took the lead with a two-RBI single to left by Samuel Orellana. It was another Flores sacrifice fly in the sixth that gave BJR the lead again, after they relinquished it in the fourth. Elaineiker Coronado followed up the sacrifice fly with an RBI single that scored Orellana. After the Giants Black team tied the game, it was Orellana and the stolen bases that would provide the winning run. Orellana singled in the top of the eighth, stole second and third, then on a ground ball to short, he beat the throw home. The run would ultimately be the game-winner, as BJR won 6-5. 

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