Roster Shuffling

Some housekeeping.

Ricky Romero has been outrighted off the 40-man roster. That means he passed through waivers and every other team in the Major Leagues decided that Romero wasn't worth a roster spot either. This is a sad day. Romero has a salary of $7.5M in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He has a $13.1M option for 2016 with a $600K buyout. So, $23.1M left to pay Romero. There is still hope that he can turn it around, but this might be a completely lost season. Gregg Zaun had an idea on Tim & Sid that I liked. Just give Romero the rest of the season off. If he's not going to pitch in the Major Leagues and pitch successfully, it might be better to just take time off and see a psychologist to work out his shit.

The others moves made after the 17 inning battle in San Diego that were made were:

Gone from the Bisons to the Jays are Mickey Storey and Ramon Ortiz. Optioned to Buffalo are Chad Jenkins and put Brandon Morrow on the DL. Ramon Ortiz is scheduled to start in San Diego on Sunday, while Josh Johnson, fresh off a stinker in  his rehab start, should take the hill Tuesday in San Francisco.

I also think it might be time to scrap some of these veteran depth pieces that were brought in that aren't helping anything.

Justin Germano has been awful this season. He has pitched to a 7.24 ERA in 9 starts, which he has averaged less than 6 IP. He has given up 81 hits in 51 innings. That is a lot. Marcus Walden has been very good in AA and could come up and inject a little more youth and talent into the rotation. Another possible replacement could be Sean Nolin, who has pitched very well in AA, but got hammered in a spot start for the Jays last week.

Claudio Vargas is another to watch for. He's on the borderline of being terrible for the Herd. He owns a 5.87 ERA in 10 starts, throwing just over 5 IP per start. Bobby Korecky is also on the brink, with a 5.68 ERA in 14 mostly mop-up relief games (25.1 IP).

In the bullpen, there has been enough moves made by the Jays (calling up Wagner and Perez, which could be a long-term thing) that the bullpen in Buffalo has been given a nice shake-up. Younger guys like Joel Carreno, Jeremy Jeffress, Chad Beck, and John Stilson have been brought up while guys like Clint Everts, Alex Hinshaw, and Miguel Batista have been given their walking papers.

The Bisons offense has been very good, but a need arises based on injuries to either a Bison or a Blue Jay, I would love to see a few guys from New Hampshire get some triple-A time.

It's no secret I'm a huge Ryan Goins fan. I've been following him since he was drafted for 1 reason: I thought it was awesome that the Jays drafted 2 guys in back-to-back rounds that were the same age (basically) and could play the middle IF coming up together in the minor leagues. The other guy? Ryan Schimpf. Yeah. Back-to-back middle IF named Ryan. That was really interesting to me. I know it doesn't make them any more talented or anything stupid horseshit like that. I just thought it was neat, and I've been following both guys ever since.

While Goins has seemingly been a step ahead of Schimpf, earning promotions while Schimpf (now a 3B in AA) has stayed behind. This season, Schimpf has taken a step. He has a .230/.363/.497 slash line with 12 HR. He may not be much of a contact hitter, but Schimpf could get a taste if Andy LaRoche is called up to replace the injured Brett Lawrie in Toronto.

The other 2 guys I would like to see and Kevin Nolan and Kevin Pillar.

Nolan is an IF, playing solely SS this season, but has seen time at 3B, 2B, and even 1B in his career. He also had covered LF and RF at times. Nolan hit .316/.385/.471 in Dunedin last season and has followed it up with a .282/.364/.437 line in his start to AA. His call-up (if it happens) could also make way for Andy Burns to jump to New Hampshire from Dunedin.

Pillar is an OF, playing both LF and CF this season. He has been a consistently excellent hitter throughout his minor league career. Last season he hit .323/.374/.439 split between Dunedin and New Hampshire with 51 stolen bases. He has started 2013 hitting .323/.379/.468 with 14 stolen bases. He might be ready for a challenge and with no real CF in Buffalo he could be quite the asset.

With the Bisons getting back in the win column last night over the Norfolk Tides with David Bush throwing a good start, they look to win back-to-back games with Ricky Romero taking the mound tonight.

Fingers crossed.

Running With The Bulls

Game 1: Bulls 11, Bisons 7

Ricky Romero got the start and it was not pretty. Romero needs to be shut down, sent as far down as he can go, and regroup. This one was almost over after 1. The 1st inning went something like this:

Guyer single.
Bourgois ground out. Guyer to 2nd base.
Myers HR. 2-0.
Anderson single.
Duncan double.
Fontenot single. 3-0.
Beckham sacfrice fly. 4-0.
Figueroa walk.
Apodaca walk.
Guyer walk. 5-0.
Chad Beck substitution for Romero.
Bourgois single. 6-0.
Myers double. 9-0.
Anderson ground out.

Romero's final line for the day was 2/3 IP, 5 hits, 8 ER, 3 BB, 1 HR. Terrible.

Romero, presumably issuing a walk

of a really hard hit ball.

Chad Beck tried to salvage this game by giving the Bisons 3.1 IP with 2 ER. Following Beck were Dustin McGowan and John Stilson, each going 2 IP. McGowan gave up a run, and both had 3 K.

The Herd tried clawing back, with a 3-run double from Sierra and a 2-run HR from Gomez. Gomez added a 2nd 2-run HR from Gomez in the 7th to make it 11-7, which is how it ended.

Mauro Gomez was the only multi-hit performer, going 2-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. Eugenio Velez went 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 SB.

Wil Myers went 2-5 with a HR, a double, and 5 RBI. Brandon Guyer went 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBI.

Game 2: Bulls 9, Bisons 8

Justin Germano got the start and continued his consistent performance. The problem is that he has been consistently awful. He went 7 innings, giving up 6 runs on 11 hits, including a HR. He didn't get the loss, though as the Bisons offense was on point. Michael Schwimer came in a walked the only batter he faced, and Buddy Carlyle proceeded to give up a 2-run HR in the 9th, and Bobby Korecky allowed a Carlyle runner to score to give the Bulls the walk-off.

As for the offense, the multi-hit efforts came from Mike McCoy (2-4, BB, RBI, 2 R, 2B, 0-1 SB), Eugenio Velez (2-4, BB, RBI), Ricardo Nanita (2-5, 2B, RBI), and Ryan Langerhans (2-4, HR). Moises Sierra added a HR, his 5th of the season.

For the Bulls, Belnome went 3-3 with 2 walks bringing his batting average to .349. Wil Myers went 2-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

Game 3: Bulls 10, Bisons 2

Joel Carreno will be coming up from New Hampshire to join the Bisons. It could be a short stay if he keeps mowing people down.

Onto the game. This one was forgettable, as the Bisons only managed 3 hits on the night, including an inside-the-park HR from Ryan Goins.

Claudio Vargas got the start and was bad. 4.1 IP, 10 hits, 6 runs. He gets the loss and moves to 3-5 on the season with a 5.87 ERA. Mickey Storey was great in his 2.2 IP, with just 1 hits allowed and 4 K. Bobby Korecky got rocked to the tune of 4 runs in 1 inning.

Game 4: Bulls 7, Bisons 2

Josh Johnson got the nod in his 2nd and final Buffalo rehab start. I'm not so sure it's a good thing that he will be back soon. JJ went 4.2 IP, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 3. Ched Beck came on and pitched 1.1 IP alolowing a hit and a walk. Dustin McGowan pitched the final 2 innings, allowing a HR, but striking out 4.

On offense, multi-hit games from Mauro Gomez (2-4, HR), Andy LaRoche (2-4), and Ryan Langerhans (2-4, 2B) were not enough to take down the Bulls. Jim Negrych made his return to the lineup and went 0-4 with a walk, but was caught stealing. 

The 3 stars for the series:

3rd Star:

McGowan pitched in 2 games, throwing 4 IP with 7 K. He allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks.

2nd Star:

Moises Sierra went 4-15 with a .389 OBP in the series. He added a HR, 3B, and a SB.

1st Star:

Mauro Gomez was 4-16 in the series with 3 HR and 5 RBI.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

So. The Blue Jays did some roster shuffling. 

They threw Brett Lawrie on the DL with ankle issues. They DFA Ramon Ortiz. They send Thad Weber back to the Herd. They also DFA double A 1B Clint Robinson. 

This all cleared room for lefty Juan Perez and righties Todd Redmond and Neil Wagner. 

The Bisons will need to make some moves to add more arms and the Jays may need to bring up an IF in a couple days. This could be an opening for either Andy LaRoche or Jim Negrych. 

Stay tuned. 

Bull Durham

The Bisons travel to Durham, NC to take on the Bulls starting Monday night. The Bulls are the affiliate for the Rays of Tampa Bay, so it's kind of a AL East showcase.

I'm not sure if it is actually real, but my prediction is that Luis Jimenez is swinging for the Bull over the RF fence so he can win a free steak.

Onto the preview. 

Game 1 starter will be Alex Torres. Torres is 25 year old lefty with 2 stints in the Bigs. He is 2-2 with a 2.81 ERA this season. Torres was acquired in 2009 in the Scott Kazmir trade with the Angels. 

Game 2 starter will be Mike Montgomery. The big, 23 year old lefty was acquired in the James Shields trade from the Royals in the offseason. He is a former top prospect (no. 31 heading into 2012 according to MLB.com) who is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 2 triple A starts this season. 

Game 3 will be Alex Colome, a recent International League pitcher of the week. He is the nephew of Jesus Colome, former MLB pitcher. Alex is 4-5 with a 2.60 ERA in 10 starts this season. 

The finale should be J.D. Martin, the triple A veteran with 2 stints in the Majors for the Nationals. He's in his 4th organization  now and has 7 different season with triple A time. He's gone 26-23 with a 4.23 ERA in 97 games including 69 starts. He's 6-2 this season with a 3.65 ERA. 

The offense is led by top prospect Wil Myers, who is hitting .259/.343/.420 with 6 HR and 31 RBI. 

Their best hitter this season has been 2B Vince Belnome. His .336/.439/.530 slash is one of the best in the league. 

Other notable names include former number 1 overall pick Tim Beckham, who is the SS for the Bulls. 

The other dangerous hitter appears to be Cuban defect Leslie Anderson, a 1B, who has 6 HR and 11 2B. 

Other hitters with MLB experience are Brandon Guyer, Shelley Duncan, Jason Bourgois, Chris Gimenez, Mike Fontenot, and Rich Thompson. 

Their top relievers are former top prospect Will Inman (5.54 ERA), Kirby Yates (1.69 ERA, 2 saves), Steve Geltz (2.77 ERA, 1 save), and LOOGY Jeff Beliveau (3.38 ERA, 1 save). They don't seem to have a capital C closer since rapist Josh Lueke was summoned to the Majors.

That's the preview. I'll be back to review unless something special happens during the series. 

Series Split With Indians

Game 1: Indians 7, Bisons 3

Justin Germano got the start and went 3 IP, giving up 6 hits (2 HR) and 2 walks, allowing 7 runs (6 ER) to cross. Michael Schwimer, Buddy Carlyle, and Mickey Storey went 2 scoreless IP each.

Alex Presley and Matt Hague hit HR in the 1st inning for the Pirates. Hague's drove in Felix Pie, who walked and stole 2B, ahead of him. They scored 4 in the 3rd on a run scoring HBP, a sac fly, and a 2-run single by Jerry Sands.

Multi-hit games from Josh Thole (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Ryan Goins (2-4, 2 2B). Ricardo Nanita made his Bisons debut and hit a HR.

Game 2: Indians 6, Bisons 5

Claudio Vargas started and went 5.1 IP, allowing 6 runs to score on 4 hits and 4 walks. Dustin McGowan finished off the 6th giving up a hit, but not allowing run of his own. John Stilson pitched 2 innings and Dave Bush pitched a clean 9th.

Matt Hague hit a 2-run in the 4th to start the scoring. The Bisons tied in the bottom with a LaRoche double and a wild pitch scoring the 2nd run. Vargas fell apart in the 6th, giving up a RBI double to Hague and walked Larish to bring in a run. McGowan came on and gave up a RBI single, then a RBI groundout.

The Bisons clawed back in the 8th, as they took advantage of the wildness of reliever Erik Cordier. He walked Jimenez, hit LaRoche, walked Velez, then walked Langerhans (PH for Goins) to force in a run. Thole would drive in 2 more with a pinch-hit single. They would fail to score again.

Multi-hit games from nobody. LaRoche did get a hit, a walk, and a HBP.

Game 3: Pirates 1, Bisons 2

This was Josh Johnson's rehab start and he looked good. 4 IP with 1 hit and 1 walk. Todd Redmond came on in relief and went 2.1, giving up the only run. Juan Perez and Neil Wagner both pitched 1.1 IP with 1 walk each. Wagner picked up his 12th save.

Gerrit Cole was a little wild starting for the Indians, walking 3 and hitting a batter in 6 IP. He allowed both runs to score in the 1st inning. Luis Jimenez drove in a run on a single and Velez scored on a wild pitch.

Multi-hit game from Eugenio Velez (2-4).

Game 4: Indians 5, Bisons 6

Looking to tie the series 2 games each, the Bisons sent David Bush to the hill fresh off a relief outing. Bush threw 5 IP, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits including a HR. Buddy Carlyle continued his strong stretch, throwing 2 shutout innings and striking out 3. Michael Schwimer pitched a 3 K 8th inning. Mickey Storey got hit around in the 9th, giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Neil Wagner had to come on and get the 1 out save.

Mauro Gomez and Josh Thole opened the scoring in the bottom of 1, with back-to-back HR. Gomez's scored Negrych, who singled to lead off the game. Mike McCoy added a RBI walk in the frame as well.

Matt Hague hit the previously mentioned HR for the Indians in the 4th, a 2-run shot which scored Felix Pie.

Luis Jimenez would smack a solo HR in the 5th to put the Bisons on top 5-2. Jim Negrych would add the 6th run in the 6th on a single scoring Langerhans.

A walk, 2 doubles, and a single would score 3 runs for the Indians in the 9th to bring it within 1 run, but Wagner would hang on for the save.

Multi-hit games for the Bisons from Jim Negrych (2-4), Mauro Gomez (2-4, HR, 2 RBI), and Ryan Langerhans (3-4).

Series Stars:

3rd Star:

Jim Negrych: 5-17, BB, SB, 2 R, RBI

Negrych led the Bisons in hits in the series.




2nd Star:

Ryan Langerhans: 3-9, 3 BB, 2 R, RBI

Langerhans led the Bisons in times on base in the series, with a .500 OBP.


1st Star:

Josh Thole: 4-13, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Thole came up with some big hits in the series, including a 2-run pinch hit single and 2 HR.

Indians Come To Town

The Bisons host the Indians starting tonight. The Herd lost 3 of 4 last week to the Tribe and here's hoping they can return the favour. 

Justin Germano (3-3, 6.37 ERA) gets the start against Brandon Cumpton (3-2, 2.83 ERA). 

Saturday should be special. Josh Johnson makes a rehab start against Gerrit Cole. 

Series Split With The Indians

Starting off with some housekeeping news, Anthony Gose has been called up to the Blue Jays, replaced in CF by Moises Sierra and on the roster with Ricardo Nanita. Miguel Batista and Clint Everts have been released. Mickey Storey is back in Buffalo, Todd Redmond is off the DL, John Stilson is up from AA, and Thad Weber has been claimed off waivers from the Padres organization.

Onto the recaps.

Game 1:

Claudio Vargas got the start and went 3 IP giving up 7 runs on 7 hits. The Bisons lost 11-6. The big hit against came from Bryan Anderson, who clubbed a 2-run HR in the 3rd. He would add another 2-run HR in the 6th.

Anthony Gose had a decent day, going 1-3 with a walk. He scored 3 times, but struck out twice. The only multi-hit effort came from Andy LaRoche (2-5, 2 RBI). Luis Jimenez added 2 RBI of his own.

Dustin McGowan and Michael Schwimer threw scoreless relief innings. Miguel Batista made his final appearance, and gave up a run.

Game 2:

A bad start from the debuting Todd Redmond put this one in question. He went 3.1 IP giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.

The offense bailed him out though with a 4-run 3rd inning and a 2-run 4th inning. The damage was done on 5 singles in the 3rd. A walk and 3 singles in the 4th brought in 2.

The Herd added 2 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th to put it out of reach.

Multi-hit games from Jim Negrych (3-5, 3 R, 2 RBI), Moises Sierra (3-5, RBI), Luis Jimenez (2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI), Josh Thole (2-4, 2 RBI), and Ryan Langerhans (2-3, HR).

John Stilson made his AAA debut and threw 2 scoreless innings.

Zach Stewart started for the Knights and gave up 7 runs on 11 hits in 5 IP.

Game 3:

Dave Bush started for the Herd and continued his HR prone-ness, with 2 more in 6 IP. He gave up 4 runs on 6 hits to continue his current stretch of not good outings.

Jordan Danks hit 2 HR for the Knights and Lars Anderson added one of his own as the Bisons couldn't get anything going against the Knights pitchers.

The only multi-hit effort came from Mauro Gomez (2-4).

Game 4:

I think it's time to put a fork in Ricky Romero. He actually looked OK until he imploded in the 6th. He walked the first 4 batters in the 6th before he got yanked. His final line was 5 IP with 4 runs on 4 hits and 6 BB.

Dutsin McGowan looked terrible in this one as well, going just a third of an inning and giving up 2 hits and 2 walk to allow 3 runs to score and tie the game.

After going down 1-0 on a walk-wild pitch-single scenario in the top of the 1st, the Bisons came back with 3 highlighted be a RBI triple from Langerhans. The added 1 in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd on an a LaRoche double. Another RBI double from LaRoche in the 5th would make it 7-1 Buffalo. Then the pitching crumbled.

After Juan Perez allowed 2 more of Romero's runners to score, he left giving up none of his own. McGowan came on in the 7th and had to be bailed out by Thad Weber making his Bisons debut. Weber would allow runs (both McGowan's) to score to tie the game. He went 2.2 giving up 3 hits, 1 BB, and throwing a wild pitch.

Neil Wagner would throw a clean 10th inning and then Andy LaRoche would end it on a single to LF.

Multi-hit games in the 8-7 victory came from Jim Negrych (3-5, 2B), Josh Thole (2-4), Mauro Gomez (3-5), Ryan Langerhans (2-5, 3B), and Andy LaRoche (3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI).

The series stars follow:

3rd Star:

Mauro Gomez (6-19, 4 R, 2B, 2 RBI)









2nd Star:

Jim Negrych (6-17, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI)











1st Star:

Andy LaRoche (6-16, 3 2B, 7 RBI)