NOTES FROM THE NAT: Vancouver Canadians news

Nat Notes has been running a daily feature for the ‘Player of the Game’ for each hitter and pitcher that we feel did the best on a given night for the Canadians, based on the stats, and judging by how we saw them play.  At the end of each month we’ll add up that respective month’s totals, and this is what we got for June:

Hitter: Conner Crumbliss, Kent Walton, Nino Leyja (2)

Pitcher: Chad Lee, Nathan Long (2)

So, Leyja, Walton and Crumbliss each had two, while Lee and Long had a pair on the pitcher side of things.

Stay tuned to find out what will happen for the winner of each category at the end of the year.

Now, onto the Canadians as a whole:

There isn’t much to be said, more than the 5-7 record that accompanies this team, because that’s how they’ve played.  They’ve won 5 games, and they’ve lost 7.  Most of the 7 they haven’t lost, they’ve given up.

One problem with short-season ball is the hitters are straight out of college or the Arizona League, and struggle at Nat Bailey, due to no ball being carried out, or the fact the walls are deep and high.

Something every player should keep in mind, is that they don’t necessarily look at your stats to judge how you’ve been doing, it’s more important to grow as a player, as well as a person.

There’s’ no better example than Jeremy Barfield last year, who after July 1st was hitting .205 for the Canadians.  Right now, there are 7 players for Vancouver hitting under that mark.  There is no one more comparable to Barfield than Rashun Dixon, who is batting .213 at the moment, as an 18 year old.

Dixon should keep in mind that Barfield batted .303 over his next 8 games, raising his average considerably.  July 2nd is the stepping stone for a player to change how they’re hitting.

Last year’s SS Jason Christian is another example, batting .256 heading into July 2nd, before going .436 into July 11th.  

You tend to pick favourites as the season progresses, whether it be because they’re playing great, or making phenomenal plays on defense.  This year, there is a player hitting below .200 who always looks upset after his at-bats, and doesn’t get as much credit as his teammates hitting above .300.

Conner Crumbliss is batting .172 this year, second-last on the team for players with the minimum plate appearances per game.  Here’s the thing: Crumbliss leads Vancouver in on-base percentage, and is 13th in the league, in addition to leading the Northwest League in walks (12).

Crumbliss is the best example for average means nothing, because in my opinion, he is one of only a few Canadians who are playing well this season.  All of the outfielders have done well, and Anthony Aliotti and Nino Leyja are also impressing fans as the season is just getting underway.  

Conner hit .397 in college this year, and may not like his performance to date because if you see a .172 average besides your name, it’s not the happiest thing in the world.  However, he has the best record of getting on base on the Canadians (415 times out of 1000), and even threw out a runner tagging up yesterday, before a balk called off the play.  Crumbliss is this year’s JD Pruitt.

Short-season ball is not for average, it’s for improvement.  Ryne Jernigan knows that, he is batting .400 this year after hitting .111 last year in Canada.  Jernigan had a 3-hit performance on Monday night, and with runners in scoring position he is 4-5 with a walk.

Michael Gilmartin was 0-7 to start his pro career, before two multi-hit nights in three games put him back on the map.  Going 1-1 with two walks yesterday, Gilmartin is now hitting .250 at Nat Bailey, as he looks to bring his average in that range for the season in the upcoming days.

Anthony Aliotti is batting .571 in 4 games at Nat Bailey, with a hit in each one, after starting out 2-12 on the road.  The Boise native is heating up, as the C’s permanent first baseman, and Aliotti is trying to make a name for himself with the Nat Bailey faithful.

Nino Leyja and Kent Walton are both playing very well, with Leyja cranking two doubles off of the LF wall, and Walton having three doubles on the year (most on the team), to combing for an average of .293 with 5 doubles and 11 RBI.

Jose Crisotomo should be hitting higher than .250, but he’s been robbed by base umps, blinded by his speed.  Rashun Dixon has been unlucky thanks to great catches by the defense, and his .213 average is no indication of how well he’s played, impressing fans.  Dixon may pull a Jeremy Barfield, and bring his average up considerably in the next couple of weeks.

Crumbliss, Dixon and Crisotomo is the best OF corps I have seen in years, with all three making an impact night in, night out.  Rodney Rutherford and Ryan Ortiz are both struggling to find hits, but both are great baseball players so I know they can make the necessary adjustments.  

On the hill, there’s not much to be said for Chad Lee, Hector Garcia and Julio Ramos who are the Top 3 on the mound, and if Joselito Adames and Ricardo Penalba can just have a good start or two, it’ll be a staff to be reckoned with.

The bullpen has been impressive, giving up 23 runs over 56.2 innings, but more importantly 6 pitchers have a WHIP at or under 1.00.

If starting pitchers limit the runs they give up, and the bullpen can stay clutch, the hitting just needs to come through early and often, and then the Canadians can go after their first NWL title.

Ah yes, the curse of the crowd as it has been known to C’s fans, that whenever a game has a big crowd, the Canadians almost always lose.  

Such was the case Tuesday and Wednesday, as neither Joselito Adames or Ricardo Penalba could do much against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, of NWL dominance.

The #1 and #2 starters, respectively for Vancouver were great in the Opening Series, before struggling in Tri-City.  Both couldn’t do much against the Volcanoes, who are just too strong this year, headed by 6′4 CJ Ziegler, who weighs a little more than his posted 225 pounds.

Tuesday:

RF Conner ‘Walker’ Crumbliss, 3B Ryne ‘Journey’ Jernigan, 2B Nino ‘Lay Out’ Leyja, DH Kent ‘Wheels’ Walton (left), LF Rashun ‘Bullet Train’ Dixon, 1B Anthony ‘All-Star’ Aliotti, C Ryan ‘Lil Papi’ Ortiz, SS Leo Gil, CF Tyreace ‘Dream’ House, SP Joselito ‘Famillia’ Adames.

Vancouver got rid of the ‘0′ in their run column early, with Ryne Jernigan believing (again, Journey pun) he could score on Kent Walton’s single to right, giving the C’s their first lead of the ballgame, and scoring their 15th unanswered run against Salem.

The Volcanoes got it back, and added to their run totals, scoring four in the second, on the back of Eliezer Zambrano’s 3-RBI triple with one out.  4-1 Salem.

As if they didn’t do enough damage an inning earlier, the Volcano bats were firing again in the 3rd, scoring two more, bringing their lead to 5.  Adames was pulled with one out, in favour of Jonathan Joseph, a highly touted pitcher who was in Arizona last year.

Recent addition Skyler Stromsmoe came across during the 4th for the visitors, 7-1.

Vancouver scored once in the 6th, cutting the lead, but the Volcanoes were still hungry for more.

Joseph pitched all the way through to the 6th, when Jorge Arrioja pitched a hitless inning of relief, but gave up a run in the 7th.

After the bottom of the 7th, it was looking like things were going Vancouver’s way finally, with Tyreace House stealing second, before getting thrown out stealing third.  Ryne Jernigan and Nino Leyja both scored in the inning, 8-4 was now the score.

That would be the final, when all was said and done, a difference from the 14-0 drubbing a night earlier.

Nat Notes Hitter of the Game: Nino Leyja, 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, Run.  Leyja could’ve easily had two homeruns, but instead both of his doubles bounced off the top of the Nat Bailey LF wall, and they were line drives, to say the least.

Nat Notes Pitcher of the Game: Nathan Long 2 IP, H, 3 SO.  Long was the only Canadians pitcher not to give up a run, and he had more strikeouts in two innings than Adames, Joseph and Arrioja had over 7 innings (1).

Game Notes:

- Leyja and Kent Walton each had multi-hit nights, with Walton going 3-4 with a double.

- The Outfield was just 1-13, while the infielding corps of Aliotti (left), Leyja, Jernigan and Gil was 5-14.

- This was Adames’ worst start, having allowed five runs over 9 innings going into Tuesday’s game, and didn’t strikeout a batter for the first time all season (in Stockton and Vancouver).

- Arrioja has been fantastic out of the bullpen, giving up two hits and one run over 5 innings (a hit and a run were surrendered in this game).

- Nathan Long has yet to give up a run in three appearances, totaling 5.2 innings, where he has given up four hits and struck out 5.

- House’s bunt single was his first hit in 7 games, dating back to June 21st vs Everett.

- Jernigan is 5 for his last 11, with 2 RBI since June 26th, and is making a push for a promotion, seeing as how the 24-year-old mashed the AZL last year (.333) and is thriving at a pitchers park in Nat Bailey, batting .417 at home this season.

Wednesday:

Canada Day was another loss, and I don’t remember the last time Vancouver won on Canada Day to tell you the truth.  It seems like they’ve lost every time.

RF Jose ‘El Rey’ Crisotomo (I’ve seen his name spelt two different ways but this is how it’s pronounced so I’m going with that), CF Conner ‘Walker’ Crumbliss, 2B Nino ‘Lay Out’ Leyja, DH Kent ‘Wheels’ Walton, LF Rashun ‘Bullet Train’ Dixon, 1B Anthony ‘All-Star’ Aliotti, C Rodney Rutherford, SS Michael ‘Smooth’ Gilmartin, 3B Wilfredo ‘Sammy’ Sosa, SP Ricardo ‘Precision’ Penalba.

Another sellout crowd, another disappointing game.  There’s not much to be said about this one, so I’ll go off the boxscore because I don’t remember a single highlight.

Ricardo Penalba balked twice, and a third that wasn’t called, hit a batter, walked four, gave up two hits, allowed four runs, struck out one, and picked up the loss all over 3 and a third innings.

Bo Schultz and Pedro Vidal gave up three runs over the next four innings, before Juston Street and Jose Guzman shut the door on any more runs.

The C’s offense?  That was limited to four hits, two by Anthony Aliotti, one by Crumbliss and another from Gilmartin (left) who was 1-1 with two walks.  7-0 was the score.

Nat Notes Hitter of the Game: Anthony Aliotti 2-4, 2B, SO.  There’s not much else to be said, Aliotti was one of three players to get a hit, and he had half of Vancouver’s hits.

Nat Notes Pitcher of the Game: Juston Street 0.1 IP.  Street faced only one batter, but he shut the door with two out in the 8th, with a runner on 2nd, replacing Pedro Vidal.

Game Notes:

- Too many balks, the umpires can’t call Jose Crisotomo safe on anything (he is almost always safe), and Crisotomo is getting pissed out there.  I can’t blame him, he is our best hitter at the moment and getting screwed.

- Starting Pitchers need to do better, because the team isn’t hitting when they know they’re already down by 7 runs.

- The C’s need to win both of the remaining games in order to split the series (3-1 Salem at this point).

- Hector Garcia is one of the best pitchers on the team, and goes Thursday night at The Nat. 

- Special hello to Ryne Jernigan’s in-laws who are reading the blog.  They should be proud, as Jernigan is hitting a team-high .400. 

One night after losing 5-0 to the dreaded Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, the boys of summer came back and shellacked the opposition, 14-0.  No typo.

So how big of a beating was that?  Well to give you an example of how unlikely it was, the biggest margin of defeat last year was 8 runs, in the back half of a doubleheader against Everett, 10-2 was the score.

The last drubbing Salem and the C’s had, which is the biggest margin of defeat in club history, was a 19-3 beating on August 29th, 2006, by the Volcanoes over Vancouver.

A shutout on Canada Day in 2007 against the same Salem club, was 9-0, and is the biggest shutout defeat Vancouver has played in until Monday.

This was the biggest defeat for Vancouver since September 3rd, 2006 when they clobbered Everett 20-7.  

Back to tonight’s game, starting lineup:

RF Jose ‘Gifted’ Crisostomo, CF Conner ‘Crumbler’ Crumbliss, 2B Nino ‘Lay Out’ Leyja, DH Kent ‘Wheels’ Walton, LF Rashun ‘Bullet Train’ Dixon, C Ryan ‘Lil Papi’ Ortiz (right), 1B Anthony ‘Alliteration’ Aliotti, 3B Ryne ‘Journey’ Jernigan, SS Leo Gil, SP Chad ‘Unstoppable’ Lee.

First off, let me say this game would’ve been much more high scoring if the umps can watch the play.  A night after Rashun Dixon was called ‘out’ on a stolen base attempt where the ball never touched him (clearly viewable from the stands), Jose Crisostomo beat out an infield hit, only to be called out by Shaun Lampe.  Crisostomo had stopped running past first because he had beat out the play, yet was called out.  

I don’t like to criticize umps because they’re trying their best, but this was absolute BS.  Considering they’ve been in charge of both homestands, they need to get their acts together, this was Spencer-Flynn-like.

This game was legitimately a boring game, despite a no-hitter and what was to follow, until maybe the 4th inning, with Vancouver already up 1-0.

Two walks opened the inning (Dixon, Ortiz), and a wild pitch advanced them each a base, before Dixon scored on a groundout, advancing Ortiz.

Ryne Jernigan doubled him home, then Journey stole 3rd, and was one of two Canadians to score on an error by Juan Martinez.  5-0.

In the 6th, Chad Lee (bottom) departed with a five inning no-no, and Ronny Morla kept it up, not allowing a hit in his part of the 6th.

Conner Crumbliss scored in the 6th for the C’s, 6-0.

Dan Cook broke up the no hitter with one gone in the 7th, as he had an infield single, that Leo Gil and Nino Leyja almost caught.  Had I been scorekeeping, it would’ve been an error but then again that’s cause I have never seen a no-hitter. ;)

The C’s exploded in the 7th, scoring 5 runs while all 9 hitters came up to bat.  Ryan Ortiz, Anthony Aliotti, Ryne Jernigan, Leo Gil and Nino Leyja all scored, 11-0 Vancouver.

Dan Straily gave up two hits in the 8th, so it didn’t really matter about the one hit anymore, but he got out of a jam and pitched well, striking out a pair.

Vancouver piled on 3 more in their half, with Leo Gil hitting a 2-RBI triple, and Marcos Luis hitting a pinch-hit single.

It capped off 3-RBI, 2-Run, 2-Hit performance for Leo, who had just one hit going into the night.  Luis’ pinch-hit was his first at-bat since June 24th, and appeared in only his third game of the year.

Juston Street closed it out for Vancouver, pitching a scoreless inning on the mound, 14-0 Vancouver.

Nat Notes Hitter of the Game: Ryne Jernigan 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 Runs. It could’ve been anyone based on tonight,  but Jernigan had a great 3-hit performance, and raised his average to .455 as he excels during his second year in Vancouver.  Anthony Aliotti was definitely considered.

Nat Notes Pitcher of the Game: Chad Lee, 5 IP, 2 BB, 5 SO, Win.  It has been a rough four years for Chad Lee, who pitched well in 2006 here in Vancouver, before returning in ‘08, and then getting injured again, forcing him to return in 2009.  He made the most of his opportunity tonight, piggy-backing on his one-hit start 5 days before.  Kane County should be waiting for him.

Game Notes:

- Vancouver only gave up four hits in this one, striking out 8 over the 9 innings.

- Ronny Morla pitched his second scoreless appeared in as many chances, as he looks to improve from a bad Opening Night.

- Straily and Street (right) gave up 3 hits, striking out two, over two innings.

- Umping was dreadful, and I don’t like to speak out against it, but that was a joke.  Jose Crisostomo had at least one, maybe two base hits that he was rejected on by Shaun Lampe.

- 5 errors were committed by the Volcanoes, including two by LF, Dan Cook.

- Everyone on the Canadians reached base tonight, via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch.

- Aliotti, Jernigan and Gil were a combined 9-13, and if you include Nino Leyja, the infield was 10-19.  Phenomenal stuff.

- After going 1-7 in his last two games, DH Kent Walton picked up two hits and 2 RBI, raising his average to .308.

- Rashun Dixon’s two hit performance gives him four multi-hit games this year, as he is hitting .400 at The Nat.

- 3,462 saw this one, and I’ll hold back my thoughts on the extra attendance, in dogs, that were present.

Great effort by the Canadians, Fireworks tonight. 

If there was any game that the Canadians would lose, albeit by form of a shutout, I knew it would be last night.  Last night, just 14 hours after the boys returned from a 6-hour or so bus ride back from Tri-City.  It was a good game til the 9th, but you really couldn’t expect much last night.

Vancouver lineup:

RF Jose ‘El Rey’ Crisostomo, 2B Conner ‘Crumbler’ Crumbliss, DH Kent ‘Walloping’ Walton, LF Rashun ‘Bullet Train’ Dixon, 1B Anthony ‘Alliteration’ Aliotti, 3B Wilfredo ‘Sammy’ Sosa, C Gabriel ‘Tito’ Ortiz (left), SS Michael ‘Smooth’ Gilmartin, CF Tyreace ‘Dream’ House, SP Julio ‘The Specialist’ Ramos.

Ramos had a great start, striking out two of the first three batters he faced, to have a quick 1-2-3 first.

With El Rey and Crumbliss on after a single and a walk, respectively, back-to-back outs put the runner in scoring position in jeopardy, and the threat was ended when Crumbliss was out at second on a force.

There wasn’t much to be excited about until the 4th, in the visiting half, when John ‘Englishmen’ Eshleman walked, and then was out on a routine 5-4-3 DP.  C.J. Ziegler doubled to Center, and could’ve had a triple had it not been for a great play by Tyreace House, but luckily for Julio, he got a 1-3 groundout to finish off the Volcanoes, keeping the game tied at 0.

The 4th was when the C’s came to play, with The Bullet Train Dixon hustling out an infield hit, before stealing second base successfully.  Oh wait, the base ump didn’t watch the play and see that Dixon made it to second without being tagged, so he was out.  Great call, great call.

It was definitely unfortunate for Vancouver, who managed two base runners in the next two at-bats putting a pair in scoring position, before Gabriel Ortiz and Michael Gilmartin both got out.

Two singles with one gone, mixed with a failed back-half of a double play scored Drew Biery of the Volcanoes, but it looked like it wouldn’t matter because the C’s bats were heating up.

Jose Crisostomo got all the way to 3rd thanks to an error and wild pitch, but was stranded after Kent Walton’s 6-3 grounder, which capped a 0-4 game for Walloping Walton, who is still one of the team’s best hitters.

Salem starter Wilber Bucardo lasted til the 6th when Andrew Bowlin came in, and he was throwing absolute heat.  The Nat Bailey radar was reading 91-92, but if last year is any indication, it is slow.

Anthony Aliotti managed a single off him, the second batter Bowlin faced, but it was the last hit Vancouver would get on the night.

Paul Smyth (<) threw two perfect innings of relief, before turning things over to Pedro Vidal in the 9th.  After a scoreless performance in Tri-City, Vidal didn’t have as much luck in Vancouver, because with one out and the bases loaded, he did manage to get a lineout, before proceeding to give up four runs on two hits.  5-0 Salem.

Vancouver couldn’t manage anything in the 9th against Jose Casilla, as they were shutout.

Nat Notes Hitter of the Game: Conner Crumbliss 1-2, 2 BB.  On this night it could’ve been any of the Canadians with a hit (5 in total), but Crumbliss drew two walks and was easily the best hitter on the team, besides Dixon potentially who got robbed on that stolen base.

Nat Notes Pitcher of the Game: Julio Ramos 6 IP, 5 H, R (Unearned), 2 BB, 3 SO, Loss.  If it wasn’t for the unearned run he allowed on an error, Ramos would’ve been near perfect, as he excited Canadians fans from first pitch through the 6th.  Ramos, being the only LHP, is essential for the C’s this year.

Game Notes:

- Paul Smyth has given up just two hits, and no walks or runs in 5 innings of relief this season (3 appearances), striking out 7 in the process.  If any reliever is on their way to Kane County, it’s Smyth.

- Jose Crisostomo is so fast the base ump can’t see him run…because he was robbed twice on calls, legging out singles which were outs.

- 5 of Vancouver’s top 6 hitters each had hits, but the bottom 3 of the order couldn’t manage one.

- House was denied on a flyball to center that would’ve been extra bases, had it not been for Caleb Curry coming down with a diving catch.

- Nino Leyja’s first day off this year, should prepare the young 2B for the grueling NWL season, where he is already hitting .290.

- Conner Crumbliss replaced Leyja, and played the 4 position for the first time in 2009 (including college).

- Rashun Dixon is batting .375 at Nat Bailey this year, compared to .100 on the road. 

Happy reading.

10. Rashun Dixon: The Bullet has thrown out runners in three straight games, good enough for the Northwest League lead, one ahead of teammate Tyreace House among others, and is the lone C to hit a HR this year.  He is batting .417 at Nat Bailey this year, in three games.  The 18 year old is one of the top prospects for the A’s.

9. The rest of the Outfielders: Jose Crisostomo in four games is batting .400, and being only 20 years old is flashy and exciting on the field.  El Rey, as we call him (which means The King in Spanish), is riding a three-game hitting streak.

Conner Crumbliss is batting just below the Mendoza Line, but he is in my Top 5 for must-see players this year, after hitting nearly .400 in college, and the fact he leads the league in walks (8), and triples (1).

Tyreace House was featured in the Province (see below), and is the fastest OF I have ever seen at Nat Bailey (no joke), after being Oakland’s 6th round pick last year.

8. Middle Infielding corps: Whether it’s Nino Leyja batting .290, Michael Gilmartin with a pair of multi-hit games, or Ryne Jernigan who is climbing up the league average leaders, Vancouver has one of the best MI groups in recent years, and Jernigan, Leyja and Gilmartin are batting a combined .266. 

7. Promotions galore: With 6 great promotions, and one exciting first pitch, this six-game set is sure to excite all fans, of all ages.  

Tonight it is a Kids Jersey giveaway on A&W Family Fun Sunday, tomorrow you can bring your dogs and pick up an exciting Webkinz golden retriever toy, as well as a Fireworks Extravaganza on Tuesday to bring in Canada Day, a few hours early.

Canada Day is a Nooner with a workout towel giveaway, before a Noisemaker gate giveaway Thursday, mixed in with a special first pitch.

The six-game set concludes with a Nooner and Hot Dog Eating contest on Friday.

6. Great rotation: Tonight the lone lefty on the C’s (Julio Ramos) toes the rubber likely against Wilber Bucardo of Salem, who gave up just one run in his 5 innings of work Tuesday evening against Boise.

Chad Lee (right) could face Jose Valdez tomorrow, a 6′7 RHP who missed last season.

Tuesday night is Joselito Adames, the C’s Opening Day starter, against Orlando Yntema, who is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA going into this series, having made his NWL debut against Vancouver last season.

Canada Day will be Ricardo Penalba, a good righty for the C’s from Panama, against the second Bucardo on the Volcanoes, Jorge, who has given up just two runs in nearly 10 innings of work this year.

Big Hector Garcia goes Thursday, against Javier Hernandez who intimidates batters with his 6′4 frame.  Batters should tee off Hernandez if they’re not scared, as opposing batters are batting .265 against the 21 year old from Venezuela. 

Friday will likely be a rematch of tonight, although Ramos may be replaced by Pedro Vidal.

5. Home debuts: Three players at least will make their Nat Bailey debuts either tonight or tomorrow, in Catcher Ryan Ortiz, 1B Anthony Aliotti or SS Michael Gilmartin.  

Once more players in Arizona get passports, such as Myrio Richard, Ryan Quigley and Murphy Smith, they’ll probably report to Vancouver, which could be as early as this week.

4. Potential last series at home: With more incoming players than they can hold, potentially the stars of the Canadians could be on their way up soon, including Rashun Dixon, Nino Leyja, Jose Crisostomo, and pitchers Chad Lee and Hector Garcia (left), to name a few.  This would be a great chance to see all starting pitchers this week, as well as those shining at the dish and in the field.

3. If the Province is into the team, why aren’t you?: With a two-page spread on the Canadians today, it looks as though The Province newspaper is into the club, with stories on Tyreace House, and Ryan Ortiz.

Steve Ewen is doing a fantastic job, to go along with Lyndon Little of The Sun.

2. Team 1040 games limited: Only two games are on the Team 1040 this week, tonight and Tuesday, so if you aren’t at a computer to listen to the others online at Canadiansbaseball.com, seeing them in person is the best you can do.  

Rob Fai gives the call to all 6 in-stadium, on the in-game FM station.

1. It’s Salem for heaven sakes: There is no bigger rivalry in the last couple years, other than maybe Everett-Vancouver, for the Canadians than against the top dogs in the division, Salem-Keizer.

The Volcanoes, year in and year out are stacked, and mostly have returning players.  They are up two games on Vancouver for the West Division lead, and they do not come back after this 6-game series, unless there is a rain-out this week (look at the forecast there won’t be).

Tim Lincecum (right) made his pro debut here a few years back, for the same Volcanoes (parent club is San Francisco), and such stars as Sharlon Schoop of Netherlands fame, and Matt Downs who is now in the MLB (two years removed from Vancouver), mean this is your only chance to see some of the best prospects in Baseball.

See you at The Nat. 

After losing three of the first four games in their opening road series at Tri-City, the Vancouver Canadians turned to one of the best pitchers on the roster to get them back on the winning track, in advance of their series against the Salem Keizer Volcanoes, that I’m predicting will be the biggest series of the season, despite being just 8 games in.

Brad McAtee opposed Hector, and the big RHP is in his second year in the NWL.

C’s lineup:

Jose ‘El Rey’ Crisostomo, 2B Nino ‘Lay Out’ Leyja (right), DH Kent ‘Walloping’ Walton, LF Rashun ‘Bullet’ Dixon, C Ryan Ortiz, 1B Anthony ‘Alliteration’ Aliotti, 3B Wilfredo ‘Sammy’ Sosa, SS Michael ‘Smooth’ Gilmartin, CF Tyreace ‘The Dream’ House, SP Hector ‘Fireball’ Garcia.

Having been down 7-0 the night before, Vancouver knew it was essential to get off to a fast start, like always, but this time they did a fantastic job, working the counts, and getting on base.

El Rey opened things with a walk, before Lay Out Leyja’s sac bunt advanced him with one gone.  Back-to-back walks loaded the bases, and a wild pitch advanced all runners a base, including a run for Crisostomo.

Ryan Ortiz struck out, and fellow newcomer Anthony Aliotti grounded out, but Vancouver was still on top 1-0.

Garcia faced some trouble in the first as well, with runners at first and second with one gone, and then a Mike Zuanich single all-but scored a run, but Tim Wheeler, the highly regarded Rockies prospect, was gunned out at home by Rashun Dixon.  Yes Bullet threw out a runner for the third straight game from Left Field.  He is officially my hero.

A wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, followed by a walk, but Joe Sanders flew out, ending the threat.

The C’s piled it on in the 2nd, with back-to-back walks to open things off (totaling 5 walks in two innings), before a Dream sac bunt, and a Crisostomo ground out scored Wilfredo Sosa.  Nino Leyja hit a rope to Center, according to Rob Fai, C’s broadcaster, but it was right to Wheeler who caught it for the final out.  2-0.

Again in the 3rd McAtee struggled, giving up a lead-off single to Walton, and a walk to Dixon (#6), which set-up a perfect bunt situation, but Walton was thrown out at 3rd, putting runners in the same position as before.

A wild pitch and a walk put the bases loaded, and then an infield fly made there two outs in the inning, but Michael Gilmartin hit a smooth infield single, scoring a run, Vancouver’s third of the game.  A wild pitch scored Ryan Ortiz, 4-0 Canadians after a trio of innings.

McAtee’s day was done, having walked 7 batters in three innings, and giving up 4 runs, but Ricky Testa didn’t fare any better, walking Jose Crisostomo and then throwing a wild pitch, mixed with a stolen base which put El Rey on 3rd.  He scored on Kent Walton’s sac fly, 5-0.  Vancouver had to this point, scored a run every inning.

With a pair of pitchers warming up in the Canadians bullpen, Hector Garcia knew the 5th inning would be his last, but with two gone and a runner on 3rd, a fly ball to left center dropped in between Rashun Dixon and Tyreace House (right), allowing the first run of the game to score for the home team.  Jorge Arrioja came in for Garcia, and got a quick pop up.

Unfortunately for the young Venezuelan, Kyle Christensen was ready to pitch and came into the game to open the 6th, and a passed ball and wild pitch in the same at-bat allowed Kevin Clark to advance two bases after his double, and to score.  5-2.

Christensen was still in during the 7th, and with runners in scoring position (2), he got a fly out, which was too shallow for Joey Wong to tag up and score from 3rd, and a clutch strikeout to Mike Zuanich ended the inning.  Great job by Christensen.

Vancouver got back on the board in the 8th, as Wilfredo Sosa and Michael Gilmartin scored, on separate plays (a Tyreace House ground out and a double steal situation).

Bo Schultz, looking to rebound from an alright performance earlier in the week, struck out a pair and picked up a groundout, ending the game.  7-2 Canadians victory.

Nat Notes Hitter of the Game: Michael Gilmartin (left) 2-3, RBI, BB, Run. Although Rashun Dixon, Jose Crisostomo and Wilfredo Sosa all had a good chance to win for tonight, Gilmartin is picking up his game, and now has four hits in a Canadians uniform.

Nat Notes Pitcher of the Game: Hector Garcia, 4.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 SO.  If Hector had picked up the final out in the 5th, on a ball to the gap in the OF that could’ve been caught, he would not only have picked up the win, but he wouldn’t have allowed a run for the second straight game.  None the less, his ERA is just above 1.00 and he is the best starting pitcher who has thrown in a pair of games this year.

Game Notes:

- 4.1 innings of relief pitching allowed Kyle Christensen, Jorge Arrioja and Bo Schultz to pick up time on the mound, and they made the most of it, giving up four hits and one run, striking out 6 over that time.

- Opposing starter Brad McAtee in 3 innings only gave up two hits, and Vancouver’s first five runs were on just two hits, but he walked 7, and struck out only one.  His ERA is a league-worst 10.13.  

- Jose Crisostomo is batting .400 this year, and hit .500 in that recent series.  He is 6-12 with two walks, 2 SB, and 3 runs scored over that Tri-City away series.

- After reaching base safely in four of his first five games via a hit, Nino Leyja picked up one last night, his first since June 24th.  He is batting .290 and remains a treat to watch on the field.

- Leyja has 3 SB as well, which is second on the team, one behind Rashun Dixon, who is tied with Hak-Ju Lee of Boise for the league lead.

- Hector Garcia leads the league in ERA, despite not having picked up a decision in 2 appearances.  Batters are hitting just .200 against him.

- Kent Walton’s single gave him a hitting streak of 3 games, and he has hit successfully in 6 of his 8 games as a DH.

- Rashun Dixon throwing out Tim Wheeler at home, was his third OF assist in as many games, and he now leads the team, one better than Tyreace House.  He has thrown out two at 2B and one at home.

- Kyle Christensen is now 2-0, picking up wins in both of Hector Garcia’s starts.  If it’s a duo of Garcia/Christensen for the time being, it will be a treat to watch, with Hector’s next start coming on July 2nd vs the Volcanoes (Noise Maker Giveaway will allow fans to make noise for the duo, if it should stay this way). 

I didn’t want to jinx it after Sunday’s game, when Ricardo Penalba pitched arguably the best game of the season for Vancouver, but even if the young RHP pitched phenomenally, he reminded me a bit of Leo Martinez (left), the #2 starter from 2007.

Leo was a big southpaw who pitched two great games to open the season, then essentially fell off of the face of the earth, and was released in the off-season following the season.  I believe Penalba is a much better pitcher than Leo, but I didn’t think he could follow it up last night with a victory against Tri-City.  However, next start, on Canada Day, I am calling it, Penalba will pick up a victory.

Canadians Lineup on Friday:

CF Conner ‘Crumbler’ Crumbliss, 2B Nino ‘Lay Out’ Leyja, DH Kent ‘Wheels’ Walton, LF Rashun ‘Hawk’ Dixon, C Ryan ‘Tito Jr’ Ortiz, 1B Anthony ‘A’ Aliotti, RF Jose ‘El Rey’ Crisostomo, SS Michael ‘Smooth’ Gilmartin, 3B Ryne ‘Journey’ Jernigan, SP Ricardo ‘Punch Out’ Penalba.

Vancouver couldn’t have asked for a better start with two out on Friday night, because with Kent Walton on base after a single, an error by 3rd baseman Matt ‘Barry’ Sanders allowed Rashun Dixon to reach base, and advance to 2nd, putting Wheels on 3rd.

Ryan Ortiz is still adjusting to wood bats, and went down on strikes to end the inning, resulting in no runs for the C’s.

The Dust Devils have done very well in cashing in runners so far this year, and they exemplified that in the 2nd, scoring Sanders on Austin ‘Remedial’ Rauch’s RBI double.  1-0, as Penalba gave up his first run of 2009.

Tri-City piled it on in the 3rd, scoring three runs on three hits and one walk, but Shane Lowe stole back-to-back bases which put him in a great position to score with runners on the corners, and two away in the inning.

Lowe came across on the first of three singles, before Mike ‘Zippy’ Zuanich and Scott ‘Duff’ Beerer also crossed home.  4-0.

Penalba lasted til the 4th, when he was removed with one gone and runners on 1 and 2, in favour of Juston Street (left) who was making his first appearance of the year.  Street looked good out of the pen striking out Tim Wheeler, but then gave up a 3-run HR to Zippy, 7-0.  Two runs were charged to Penalba (his 5th and 6th), and one to Street.

Vancouver wanted to make sure Penalba didn’t pick up the loss, so in the 5th inning they came out firing, and ending starter Matt Baugh’s day on the hill.  Baugh gave up two opening singles before Eric Federico entered the game, to pick up a force out at 3rd on a sac bunt attempt.  Ryne Jernigan didn’t want to "Stop Believing" (Journey pun), so he decided to load the bases, with one out.

Conner Crumbliss allowed El Rey to come home on a ground out at 2, before he was picked off at first, but Michael Gilmartin did score on the play.  7-2 Tri-City.

They picked up another run in the 6th, when Rashun Dixon crossed home on Ryan Ortiz’ double who made sure to drive the run in, this at-bat.  C’s down by 4.

Juston Street lasted til the 7th, when Jonathan Joseph came into the game for the first time since Opening Night, to open the inning.

Joseph gave up a lead-off single to Duff Beerer, but then got three quick outs to end the 7th.

The 8th was going in favour of Vancouver, as Kent Walton stood on first, and Lay Out Leyja on 3rd.  A strikeout, followed by a ground out, ended the threat, keeping the score at 7-3.

The Dust Devils got another one back in their half, on Shane Lowe’s RBI single to LF, and the C’s couldn’t start a rally in the 9th, losing by 5, 8-3.

Nat Notes Hitter of the Game: Kent Walton 3-4.  Walton didn’t pick up a run or an RBI, but he did all he could to start something, although it didn’t fall into place, as his average was bumped up to .333.

Nat Notes Pitcher of the Game: Juston Street 2.2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 So, HR.  His first appearance with Vancouver had to wait 7 games, but Street did well out of the pen, and was one of the bright spots for the C’s staff.

Game Notes:

- Joseph and Street combined to go 4.2, giving up 5 hits, two runs, a walk, and three strikeouts.

- If you were to compare Penalba’s two starts, he gave up 6 more runs, walked one more, gave up a pair of extra-hits, and had four less strikeouts than he did on Sunday.

- Jose Crisostomo had his second multi-hit night in as many games, and after three games this year, is hitting .417.  The 20-year-old was 3-5 on Thursday, and 2-4 Friday, going 5-9 in his last two.

- Ryan Ortiz had his first RBI and first hit (double) of his professional career, and Anthony Aliotti (right) is riding a two-game hitting streak.

- Walton is 4-7 in his last two games, and in the Tri-City series is batting .400.

- Dust Devils DH Scott Beerer is still leading the league in average, with one at .593, and the top Canadian is tied for 7th, at .333 (Walton).

- Conner Crumbliss still leads the league in walks (8), and is tied for triples (1).

- Vancouver is now two games behind Salem-Keizer, who stand at 5-2, and they are the club that visit Vancouver for six games starting Sunday (7:05) through Friday (1:05).