Appalachian League Notebook

Bluefield Orioles (Baltimore Orioles)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Orioles started the week with a pair of wins, but dropped their last three games to fall to 2-5 over the last seven days. They're in last place in the East Division with a 25-33 record, 8 1/2 games out of first.

WHO'S HOT: SS Ryan Adams had the best offensive week for a team really struggling at the plate. Adams hit .400 (8-for-20) with a home run and an RBI over the last five games.

WHO'S NOT: The Orioles are batting .190 as a team over the last five games, with nearly every offensive player struggling. Few are having a tougher go at the plate in recent days than OF Luis Lopez, who is hitless in his last 11 at-bats. OF Richard D'Oleo also faltered this week, notching only two hits in his last 16 at-bats. He went down with an injury and missed Saturday's ballgame.

POLO IS GRAND: Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth of Monday night's game against Pulaski, OF Winter Polo stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to give the Orioles the lead. He did that and more, knocking his second home run of the year over the left-field wall for a grand slam. Pulaski cut the lead in the eighth, but never fully recovered as Bluefield hung on for a 6-4 win. The game was the third of a six-game home-and-home series between the two clubs. Pulaski took the overall series, beating Bluefield four times in six days.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "That's part of becoming a professional is learning how to come to the ballpark when you're tired and get yourself ready to play. Period." --Orioles manager Gary Allenson told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph after a 7-1 loss to Pulaski last Sunday. Bluefield has played 58 games of a 68-game schedule.

Bristol Sox (Chicago White Sox)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Sox went 2-5 this week and still hold the league's worst overall record at 19-36. Bristol started the week 0-5 but swept a doubleheader with Princeton on Friday to close out the week on a high note.

WHO'S HOT: C Matthew Inouye preserved his team-leading batting average this week with a number of solid performances. He hit safely in six of seven games this week and bumped his season batting average to .294. He also helped his cause with a home run and seven RBIs over that span.

WHO'S NOT: RHP Anthony Carter has had two consecutive bad appearances on the mound. Last Friday, he gave up three earned runs and took the loss in a game against the Twins. Wednesday's rematch didn't go much better for the 20-year-old hurler. He surrendered 12 runs, 11 of which were earned, and again took the loss as Elizabethton pounded the Sox, 12-3.

QUITE A TURNAROUND: After an eight-game losing streak, during which the Sox pitching staff allowed 82 runs, Bristol gave up just one run in 14 innings of a doubleheader against Princeton on Friday. The Sox won the opener, 1-0, and took game two, 6-1.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We're taking our lumps right now but hopefully we're getting better. That's the bottom line. If we can look ourselves in the mirror as a staff and see that some of our guys are getting better, then I think we have accomplished what we have tried to do here." -- Sox manager Nick Leyva told the Bristol Herald Courier after a 3-1 loss to the Mets on Monday. The loss was the fifth of a season-high eight-game losing streak for the Sox.

Burlington Indians (Cleveland Indians)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Indians went 5-2 to pull themselves into a tie for second place in the East Division. Burlington is 31-27 and sits 2 1/2 games behind first-place Danville.

WHO'S HOT: IF Carlos Rivero was one of the hottest hitters in the league this week, going 9-for-22 (.409) with two RBIs over the last seven days. The stretch pushed his batting average to a season-high .333. Rivero made his debut with the Indians on Aug. 11, after being moved from the Gulf Coast League Indians.

WHO'S NOT: SS Jansy Infante really struggled at the plate this week, hitting .067 (1-for-15) over the last five games. OF Alfred Ard also had his share of difficulties at the dish. He is hitless in his last nine at-bats.

GOING THE EXTRA DISTANCE: The Indians have proven to be almost unstoppable in extra-inning games this year. The Indians won a pair of extra-inning affairs this week, beating Elizabethton, 7-5, in 13 innings on Sunday, and Princeton, 4-3, in 12 innings on Monday. The Tribe is now 7-1 when playing bonus baseball this season. The one loss came to Greeneville last week, 3-2 in 15 innings.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I attribute all of our success to playing hard. A lot of people don't think we're the most talented team in the league, but we win a lot of games based on heart." -- Burlington RHP Rick Fairchild told the Burlington Times-News after throwing five shutout against Bluefield on Saturday.

Danville Braves (Atlanta Braves)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Braves won five straight games to open the week but fell to Elizabethton on Friday to finish with a 5-1 record on the week. The stretch helped them hold on to first place in the East Division with a 33-24 record. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of both Pulaski and Burlington with 11 games left on the schedule but have none against either the Blue Jays or the Indians.

WHO'S HOT: LHP Carlos Sencion had a solid start this week, striking out seven in five scoreless innings. He took a no-decision in Thursday's win over Kingsport. OF Ernesto Mejia was also hot at the plate, batting .400 (10-for-25) with four RBIs this week.

WHO'S NOT: SS Paul Bennett has struggled recently, notching only two hits in his last 20 at-bats. Fellow SS Robert Fontaine has only five hits over 23 at-bats in the last 10 games, but he does have a home run and three RBIs over that stretch.

RICHMOND LEADING THE WAY: RHP Jamie Richmond may not have factored into the decision in his one start this week, but the 20-year old continued his dominance of the Appalachian League. Richmond threw six innings and allowed one run, which actually raised his ERA. The Canada native leads the league with a 0.74 ERA and has walked only four hitters in 60 2/3 innings on the mound.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "He's been one of the most dominating pitchers in the league. There's not a whole lot of people in the league that know about him. He's done it quietly. He hasn't racked up league-leading saves, but he's been lights out when given the opportunity." -- Danville manager Paul Runge told the Danville Register and Bee after Kris Medlen earned his seventh save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Mets on Tuesday. Medlen now has eight saves and a 0.47 ERA.

Elizabethton Twins (Minnesota Twins)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Twins have won their last five ballgames and went 5-1 this week. They extended their lead over Kingsport in the West Division and now hold first place by seven games with a league-best 38-19 overall record.

WHO'S HOT: 3B Garrett Olson has been red hot at the plate. Over the last seven days he is hitting an astounding .611 (11-for-18) with six runs and six RBIs. Olson went 10-for-14 in a three-game sweep of Bristol.

WHO'S NOT: The Twins have hit .338 as a team over the last ten games, so not many hitters fit in this category. The offensive player that has struggled the most has been RF Danny Santiesteban, who is hitting .227 (10-for-44) over the last ten games.

DINKELMAN DRIVES IN SIX: As hot as Olson has been, he didn't have one single performance that matched the one the 2B Brian Dinkelman had on Monday. The 22-year old drove in six runs and homered twice in a 9-5 win over Burlington.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We're kind of bunching them together. Like they say, hits come in bunches. Bristol, they're a good team, but our sticks have really come alive lately. That's a good time for us to come alive, right now towards the end." -- RF J.W. Wilson told the Elizabethton Star after a 12-3 win over Bristol on Wednesday. The Twins' offense has become one of the most powerful in the league. They are hitting .263 as a club and are fourth in the league in total runs scored.

Greeneville Astros (Houston Astros)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Astros went 3-4 this week while playing five games against division-rival Johnson City. Greeneville is now 26-31 and are fourth in the West Division, 12 games behind Elizabethton with only 10 games to play.

WHO'S HOT: OF Steve Brown has been Greeneville's hottest hitter this week. He went 8-for-19 with three runs scored. LHP Sergio Severino also had a solid week, going six scoreless innings in his one start, while allowing only two hits and striking out 12.

WHO'S NOT: C Ralph Henriquez has had a tough time at the plate over the last 10 games. He's hitting just .175 (7-for-40) over that span to drop his season average to .220.

RAMIREZ TRIPLING FOR VICTORY: Pinch-hitter Reinaldo Ramirez's bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the ninth gave Greeneville a 5-4 win over Johnson City on Thursday. The Cardinals were leading, 4-2, entering the inning, before Ramirez helped the Astros snatch away the victory, driving in three runs on his line drive down the right-field line.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Every time you get a win like this you have to be satisfied. They never gave up and they have worked hard all year. It's a good win to have during a home stand." --Astros manager Ivan DeJesus told the Greeneville Sun after a 5-4 come-from-behind victory on Thursday.

Johnson City Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Cardinals went 4-2 this week. They are 27-31 on the season, in third place in the West Division and 11 1/2 games behind Elizabethton.

WHO'S HOT: Two Johnson City hitters batted over the .400 mark for the week. C Christian Reyes hit .438 (8-for-19) with a home run and three RBIs, while 2B Isaias Garcia hit .400 (10-for-25) with three RBIs and six runs scored.

WHO'S NOT: RF Jonathan Edwards has just one hit in his last 13 at-bats to drop his season average to .266. RHP Kyle McClellan also had a tough week. He allowed seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings on the hill.

KING OF K'S: Blake King struck out 16 hitters in two appearances this week to lift his season total to 62. He's third in the league in strikeouts, trailing leader Sergio Severino of Greeneville by 14 and Alex Burnett of Elizabethton by four. King went 1-0 this week and allowed only one earned run in 11 2/3 innings.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "What can I say? He was impressive." -- Johnson City manager Dan Radison said to the Johnson City Press about King, after he struck out seven Astros in a Cardinals win on Monday.

Kingsport Mets (New York Mets)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Kingsport's fortunes took a severe turn this week. The Mets had won seven straight entering the week, and they carried it another two games once the week began. But after the nine-game win streak, the Mets lost five straight, to drop their record this week to 2-5. They are now 31-26 and seven games behind Elizabethton with 10 games to play.

WHO'S HOT: 2B Emmanuel Garcia hit .438 (7-for-16) this week with two runs scored. RHP Greg Mullens has given up just one earned run over the last 10 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

WHO'S NOT: OF Will Bashelor stayed cool this week. He's hit .083 (1-for-12) over the last five games and .143 (3-for-21) over the last 10.

FALLING BEHIND: Kingsport had cut the deficit in the West Division to just three games behind Elizabethton, who earlier this week looked like they were in the clear for an easy division title. But after the Mets' amazing recovery to create a little competition in the West, they dropped five straight games. They are now seven games behind with 10 games left on the schedule, none against Elizabethton.

Princeton Devil Rays (Tampa Bay Devil Rays)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Princeton struggled this week, going just 1-6. They remain in fourth place in the East Division with a 24-31 record.

WHO'S HOT: The Princeton offense has hit just .195 over the last five games, but OF Andrew Lopez hasn't been prone to the same struggles. He's hitting .467 (7-for-15) over the last five games and .407 (11-for-27) over the last 10 games.

WHO'S NOT: A number of Devil Rays' hitters fall into this category, but maybe none more than SS Shawn O'Malley. O'Malley is hitting just .095 (2-for-21) over his last 10 games.

SWIPING A BAG: OF Desmond Jennings added another stolen base this week to add to his league-leading total. Jennings stole his 26th base of the year on Wednesday against Burlington.

Pulaski Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays)
WEEK IN REVIEW: Pulaski stayed in the playoff race with a 4-3, moving to 31-27 on the season. They are tied with Burlington for second in the East Division, 2 1/2 games behind Danville.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Kyle Ginley struck out 10 hitters in five innings, taking a no-decision in his one appearance. RHP Reidier Gonzalez also threw well, picking up a win in seven shutout innings.

WHO'S NOT: OF Heliezer Aguilar has had a difficult stretch over the last 10 games. He's hitting .182 (4-for-22) over that span.

ERRORS DOOM JAYS: A wild series of errors in the 11th inning of a game against Bluefield on Wednesday cost Pulaski a much-needed game. The Blue Jays committed three consecutive errors in the top of the 11th, which allowed Luis Lopez to score an unearned run, giving the Orioles the eventual game-winning run.