Will Robertson wants a promotion to the big leagues.
This is the May 27-29 edition of the Minor League Report, where we look at how the last three days have gone for each of the Toronto Blue Jays’ affiliates. We’ll look at the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, High-A Vancouver Canadians, Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, and FCL Jays in this article. If you missed the article from the second half of last week, you can read it here.
Let’s take a look at what’s happened over the last three days!
Bisons win first three games against Knights
On Tuesday, the Buffalo Bisons picked up a 10-9 win over the Charlotte Knights thanks to a walk-off hit by pitch, courtesy of Alan Roden. For his second consecutive game, Will Robertson hit a home run, while Roden hit two doubles. Robertson also hit a double, as did Davis Schneider and Rainer Nunez.
CJ Van Eyk made the start, giving up five earned runs in five innings pitched. Erik Swanson threw a clean inning in his rehab appearance, and Josh Bruihl pitched a clean inning while striking out the side. Kevin Gowdy allowed four runs, three earned, but picked up the win in his two innings pitched.
Wednesday’s game was postponed, meaning Thursday had a doubleheader. Roden once again walked off the game, this time thanks to an RBI single. Robertson hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh, the third consecutive game that he’s hit a home run in as the Bisons won 3-2. Lazaro Estrada made the start, going 5.2 innings with two runs, one earned, with five strikeouts. Ryan Jennings pitched a third of an inning, and Jimmy Burnette picked up the win.
The Bisons won the second game of the doubleheader, defeating the Knights 5-2. Robertson hit another home run, his fourth consecutive game with a long ball. Joey Loperfido also hit his ninth double of the season as both players had a two-hit game. Andrew Bash made the start, giving up two earned runs in three innings of work. Swanson pitched another inning, it seems like he’ll be back with the Blue Jays soon enough. Dillon Tate picked up the win, striking out four in two innings of work. Bruihl earned the save, striking out two in a clean inning of work.
Fisher Cats split the first four games
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats dropped the first game against the Hartford Yard Goats, falling 4-1. Their lone run came off the bat of Charles McAdoo, his second home run of the season, while Yohendrick Pinango hit his ninth double. Grant Rogers made his second start of the season, giving up one run in six innings of work, striking out four. Hunter Gregory had a rough outing, giving up three runs (two earned) in an inning and two-thirds of work. Grayson Thurman got the final out.
Wednesday’s game saw the Fisher Cats get back in the win column with a 7-6 victory. There were no home runs in this game, but Devonte Brown hit a double and Eddinson Paulino hit a triple. Ryan Watson made the start, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Alex Amalfi gave up an earned run in his two innings of work, but picked up his first win of the season.
The Fisher Cats swept the doubleheader thanks to a 4-0 win. RJ Schreck hit his ninth home run of the season, moving into an organization-leading tie with Arjun Nimmala. Jay Harry hit a double, the only other extra-base hit the Fisher Cats had. Geison Urbaez made the start, going four innings with two walks and a strikeout. Nate Garkow made his Double-A debut, striking out eight in three innings of work.
Thursday’s game was a low-scoring affair, as the Fisher Cats fell 3-2. McAdoo hit his third home run of the season, as Schreck, Alex De Jesus, and Jace Bohrofen all hit a double. Devereaux Harrison made the start, giving up an earned run and striking out four in three and two-thirds innings. Justin Kelly was tagged with the loss, giving up two unearned runs in his inning and a third. Michael Dominguez had another good outing, striking out three in three scoreless innings to drop his season ERA to 1.42.
The Canadians’ four-game win streak snapped
After ending an eight-game losing streak, the Vancouver Canadians went on a four-game winning streak, before losing on Thursday. They smashed the Hillsboro Hops 15-4 on Tuesday, with Jackson Hornung, Carter Cunningham, Eddie Micheletti Jr., and Arjun Nimmala hitting doubles. Fernando Perez made the start, giving up two earned runs and striking out three in six innings of work. Edinson Batista pitched an inning, giving up two earned runs. Julio Ortiz struck out three in two innings of work.
Their win streak hit four after a 9-5 victory on Wednesday. Aaron Parker hit his ninth double of the season, and Hornung hit his fourth. Moreover, Victor Arias hit his second triple of the season. Khal Stephen made his second High-A start, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. Bo Bonds pitched two scoreless innings with a strikeout, while Aaron Munson and Yondrei Rojas each gave up two hits, one earned run, and struck out one in an inning of work.
A late comeback attempt on Thursday was thwarted, as the Canadians fell 3-2 to snap their four-game win streak. Micheletti Jr. hit a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to get the Canadians to within one, but they failed to cash him in despite having runners on the corners with no outs. Jackson Wentworth made the start, pitching 5.1 innings with one earned run and three strikeouts. Pat Gallagher gave up two unearned runs in an inning and two-thirds, while Chay Yeager pitched two clean innings.
D-Jays have lost 10 of their last 15
The Dunedin Blue Jays’ tough stretch continued, as they lost 8-5 on Tuesday to the Clearwater Threshers. Yhoangel Aponte hit his sixth home run of the season, and Edward Duran hit his fourth of the season. Moreover, Lizandro Rodriguez hit his first double in the Jays’ organization, while Sam Shaw had a three-hit game.
Spencer Turnbull made the start, giving up an earned run in four and one-third innings pitched. Juanmi Vasquez was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs (three earned) in an inning and two-thirds. Nate LaRue gave up an earned run in his inning of work, and Jack Eshleman struck out a batter in a scoreless inning of work.
The D-Jays followed up Tuesday’s loss with a 7-1 loss on Wednesday. Andres Gimenez hit a double, as did Jean Joseph and Duran, the latter extending his hit streak to 20 games. Colby Holcombe made the start, giving up three earned runs in four innings of work. Eliander Alcalde gave up two earned runs in 1.1 innings, and Johan Simon gave up two earned runs in two and one-third innings. Jay Schueler recorded the final out of the game.
Thursday’s game wasn’t much better, as the D-Jays fell 6-4 thanks to two late runs by the Threshers. Gimenez hit his second double on his rehab assignment, the team’s only extra-base hit. Daniel Guerra made the start, giving up three earned runs and striking out four in five innings of work. Eminen Flores gave up one earned run in an inning and a third. Javen Coleman was tagged with the blown save and a loss, giving up two earned runs in an inning and two-thirds. With the loss, the D-Jays are 4-11 in their last 15.
FCL Jays extend their winning streak to seven
Last season, the Florida Complex League Blue Jays were 12-44, one of the worst winning percentages for any affiliate in Minor League Baseball. They matched their win total from last season with an emphatic 15-4 win over the FCL Yankees on Tuesday. Yorman Licourt hit his second home run of the season, as well as a triple. Enmanuel Bonilla also hit a triple, and David Beckles hit his sixth double in only 18 games.
The rehabbing Adam Macko made the start, giving up three earned runs in three innings of work, striking out four in the process. Franly Urena earned the win, striking out a batter in two scoreless innings of work. Troy Guthrie picked up his first professional hold, striking out three and giving up an earned run in three and one-third innings pitched. Canadian Aiden Taggart made his professional debut, pitching a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
On Thursday, the FCL Jays made it a seven-game winning streak thanks to a 7-2 win over the FCL Phillies. Licourt hit his sixth double of the season, and Aldo Gaxiola hit his first triple of the year. Landen Maroudis made the rehab start, going four scoreless innings and striking out two. Holden Wilkerson gave up two earned runs in two and two-thirds innings, while Pablo Tucent pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Diego Dominguez recorded the final three outs to keep his ERA at 0.
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