Mariners Minor League Game Action Recap for August 27
AAA -- Tacoma 7, Salt Lake 1 -- Box
KKKKKKK-Pax! Just when you think James Paxton (Talk40 #3) will never quite get his marvelous stuff totally dialed in, there it is again:
8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Will he always be "just about to make that big leap forward"? Guess we'll be here to find out.
And ... look who was behind the plate!
Mike Zunino (Talk40 #1) ... at least for the first five innings, when he was replaced by Jesus Sucre (Watch List). Just like old times!
Zunino had a triple (yes!) and a walk.
And ...
Slap those thunderstix, Korean Peninsula! Our man Ji-Man Choi (Talk40 #19) isn't lost in AAA after all (he just had a lousy BABIP for awhile). He had his second homer in two days, plus two singles. That's 18 dingers to go with his 34 doubles and 60 walks for the season as a whole. I've said it before, but my "Korean Olerud" tag may have underestimated him.
And ... Rich Poythress (26intheMix) (15th) and Carlos Peguero (Watch List) (19th) went deep as well.
AA -- Jackson 4, Chattanooga 1 -- Box
The Generals got all four runs in the 6th, via a long rally of singles and walks, plus a wild pitch.
James Jones (Watch List) led the way with a double, two singles and a walk.
Cameron Hobson had a strong start: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
High-A -- Rancho Cucamonga 7, High Desert 5 -- Box
It happens that the first real article we did for this site was about Kevin Rivers. Back before we were part of the "official staff."
Back then, he had come from nowhere and was kicking some backside for Everett. After that, he stalled out at Clinton and dropped off our list.
Now he's back on the booty-kicking side of the equation, but -- as a 24-year-old at High Desert -- he's not going to make a bunch of ripples in the rankings. But it's always good to see him do well.
Tuesday: 3-for-4, HR, two doubles.
Season: .293/.376/.513.
Low-A -- Beloit 2, Clinton 0 -- Box
The Snapper pitchers pretty much elminated the "Lumber" part of the LumberKings moniker.
Clinton got only two extra-base hits, and both were doubles coming off the bat of newly promoted Luis Caballero. This one Caballero is playing third in the absence of D.J. Peterson.
Rookie -- Kingsport 5, Pulaski 3 -- Box
Kristian Brito (Watch List) got his 10th homer of the year, but it wasn't enough to get Pulaski over the top.
Brito, the big (6-foot-5, 240) 18-year-old, is hitting .259/.301/.478. That's progress from last year, when he slugged .266 and struck out 37 times in 29 games.
AZL Rookie -- Cubs 8, Mariners 3 -- Box
Huh. This is weird. I just mentioned Johermyn Chavez in my Peoria Javelina preview (as a guy who hit like mad at High Desert and went on to flop).
Then I see that he's in Tuesday's box score ... as the winning pitcher! Yes, same guy. There's not lots of guys named "Johermyn" (although there is more than one Guillermo Pimentel in the minors).
As it turns out, Chavez went bust as a hitter so the Cubs have converted him to the mound. Apparently he throws mid-90s. Tuesday was his fifth appearance, and his best. He went 2.0 IP and didn't give up any hits or runs.
He did better than one of our emerging favorites -- Paul Fry -- who had a "mulligan" outing (0.2 IP, 5 ER).
Looking Ahead
Victor Sanchez (Talk40 #12) is scheduled to go for Clinton.