DotF: Crawford homers, Tate dominates in Trenton’s win

Good news: LHP Justus Sheffield is on his way to Tampa, according to his Twitter feed. That suggests his oblique strain rehab is going well and he’s getting closer to pitching in games. The minor league season ends in two weeks, so getting back in time for the Double-A postseason might be tough.

Triple-A Scranton Game One (5-4 loss to Rochester) completion of yesterday’s game, which was suspended due to rain with one out in the top of the fourth

• CF Jake Cave: 3-5, 1 R, , 1 2B, 2 K — he went 3-for-3 in the game yesterday and 0-for-2 today
• 2B Starlin Castro: 2-5, 1 R, 1 K — here’s video of yesterday’s single
• DH Greg Bird: 0-1, 1 RBI — he played in the game yesterday, but not the completion today
• 3B Miguel Andujar: 1-4, 1 BB, 1 K
• RF Billy McKinney: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding)
• RHP Brady Lail: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 3/3 GB/FB — 42 of 69 pitches were strikes (61%) … he started the game yesterday
• RHP Bryan Mitchell: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2/4 GB/FB — 49 of 72 pitches were strikes (68%)
• RHP Gio Gallegos: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 14 of 22 pitches were strikes (64%)

Triple-A Scranton Game One (1-0 loss to Rochester, walk-off style)

• CF Mason Williams: 0-3
• 1B Greg Bird: 0-3, 2 K — he’s going to play another rehab game tomorrow then be re-evaluated
• RF Billy McKinney: 1-3, 2 K — got picked off first
• LHP Nestor Cortes: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 2/2 GB/FB — 57 of 76 pitches were strikes (75%) … 2.03 ERA with 94/28 K/BB in 93 total innings this year
• RHP Ben Heller: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 16 pitches, nine strikes … allowed the walk-off homer to this guy

Double-A Trenton (5-1 win over Portland)

• 2B Abi Avelino: 0-4, 3 K
• SS Thairo Estrada: 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 CS — he’s at .300/.353/.389 on the season
• 1B Ryan McBroom: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K — in a 4-for-25 (.160) rut
• CF Rashad Crawford: 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB — 6-for-14 (.429) in his last three games following a 2-for-26 (.077) slump
• RHP Dillon Tate: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 12/3 GB/FB — 59 of 83 pitches were strikes (71%) … 17.9% strikeouts, 6.3% walks, and 63.4% grounders in 78 innings this year … I’d like to see the strikeouts tick up a bit, but after the shoulder injury this year and mechanical issues last year, what he’s doing right now is awfully encouraging
• RHP Cody Carroll: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 13 of 18 pitches were strikes (72%)

High-A Tampa was rained out. They’re going to play a doubleheader tomorrow.

Low-A Charleston Game One (7-0 loss to West Virginia in seven innings)

• SS Diego Castillo, RF Steven Sensley & 3B Dermis Garcia: all 0-3 — Sensley and Garcia each struck out once
• LF Isiah Gilliam & 2B Oswaldo Cabrera: both 1-3 — Gilliam struck out and committed a fielding error… their back-to-back singles broke up the no-hitter in the seventh
• CF Dom Thompson-Williams: 0-2
• RHP Alex Vargas: 5 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 4/2 GB/FB — 59 of 93 pitches were strikes (63%) … I didn’t mention him in this afternoon’s Latin American pitching prospects post but I should have … he signed for an unknown bonus during the 2014-15 signing period, after he had a deal with the Twins voided … Josh Norris wrote about Vargas recently, so check that out

Low-A Charleston Game Two (3-0 win over West Virginia) makeup of yesterday’s rainout

• 2B Diego Castillo: 0-1
• 1B Brandon Wagner: 2-4
• RF Steven Sensley: 0-3, 1 K — in a 5-for-31 (.161) slump
• DH Isiah Gilliam: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
• SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 2-4, 1 R, 1 SB — nice little doubleheader for him
• 3B Dermis Garcia: 1-2, 1 BB, 1 K
• CF Dom Thompson-Williams: 0-3, 2 K
• RHP Christian Morris: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 4/3 GB/FB — 44 of 68 pitches were strikes (65%)
• RHP Matt Wivinis: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 22 of 34 pitches were strikes (65%) … 41/4 K/BB in 26.2 innings for the undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois

Short Season Staten Island (4-3 loss to Aberdeen)

• SS Wilkerman Garcia: 0-3, 1 BB
• RF Timmy Robinson: 0-4, 3 K
• CF Andy Diaz: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K — big game for the light-hitting reserve outfielder
• RHP Jio Orozco: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 WP, 4/2 GB/FB — 53 of 84 pitches were strikes (63%), plus he picked a runner off first
• RHP Austin DeCarr: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1/3 GB/FB — 21 of 36 pitches were strikes (58%) … he’s been bumped won here from Charleston

Rookie Pulaski‘s game is in extra innings and taking forever. Here’s the box score. Not sure I’m going to wait around for that one to end.

Rookie GCL Yanks East (4-2 loss to GCL Tigers West)

• SS Jose Devers: 1-5, 1 SB
• CF Robert Javier: 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
• LF Canaan Smith: 1-2, 2 BB — he’s up to 41 walks now … no other player in the GCL has more than 35 walks, and one only other player has more than 32 walks
• RF Jhon Moronta: 1-3, 1 RBI
• RHP Ronald Herrera: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 3/2 GB/FB — second rehab outing following an unknown injury … looks like he’ll be ready in time to join Trenton (or Scranton) for the postseason

Rookie GCL Yanks West (8-4 win over GCL Tigers East)

• LF Terrance Robertson: 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 SB
• 1B Miguel Flames: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K — 23-for-59 (.390) during his 17-game hitting streak … he hasn’t played third base in a week now, so I wonder if that experiment is on hold
• RF Jonathan Amundaray: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
• RHP Matt Sauer: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HB, 4/0 GB/FB — first time in his five pro starts he’s throwing a pitch in the third inning