Appalachian League Notebook
For the period ending July 24
East Division
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Christopher Cunningham had an up-and down-week. Cunningham went 5-for-10 with one home run and three RBIs in Princenton's first three games last week, raising his average to .337 at the time. Since then, though, Cunningham has gone 1-for-11 and is currently batting .309. ... Reliever Ryan Morse (0-1, 8.49) blew his first save of the season after allowing two runs on four hits in just 1 1/3 innings on Saturday. ... Matthew Devins hit a three-run homer on Thursday. RAINY DAYS: The Devil Rays had three games against Johnson City postponed due to rain last week. Princeton played a doubleheader against the Cardinals on Wednesday and won the first game before going 1-4 the rest of the week. ... The Devil Rays were outscored 25-10 in their four losses. OUT-SLUGGED: Princeton's pitchers are ranked eighth in the league with 29 home runs allowed. The Devil Rays' offense has only hit 24 homers as a team, seventh overall in the league. Burlington Indians (Cleveland Indians)
ONE-MAN OFFENSE: First baseman P.J. Hiser hit .455 (10-for-22) with three home runs and five RBIs last week. Hiser leads the league with nine homers and 28 RBIs. He accounted for every Burlington run in the three games he had a homer. Hiser's ninth homer on Sunday came in a 3-1 loss, his home run and two RBIs Saturday came in an 8-2 loss and his two runs scored and solo home run on Wednesday came in a 6-2 loss. Overall, Hiser accounted for seven of the Indians' 16 runs last week. GONE STREAKING: Burlington lost four-straight last week to division leaders Danville and Elizabethton. A week ago, the Indians won five in a row against Princeton and Danville. IN THE CELLAR: The Indians offense ranks last in the league in batting average (.216), slugging percentage (.334), on-base percentage (.295), strikeouts (277), home runs (14), doubles (44), RBIs (112), runs (128) and hits (221). Pulaski Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Jesse Litsch (3-1) went 1-1 last week. He pitched 14 innings, allowed eight hits and two earned runs and struck out 11. His 1.29 ERA last week lowered his season average to 2.45, good enough for fourth in the league. He ranks first in innings pitched (44). ... Jacob Butler hit three home runs last week. JACOB'S LADDER: Butler went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in Saturday's 8-6 win over Bluefield. That helped the outfielder climb out of an 0-for-17 slump. He went 2-for-4 with two homers in a 10-5 loss on Wednesday and then failed to record a hit in the next four games. Butler went 5-for-8 with seven RBIs in games in which he had a home run last week, but was 1-for-20 in the other five. Overall, Butler is hitting .271 and is tied for second in the league in homers (seven) and RBIs (25). Bluefield Orioles (Baltimore Orioles)
WHO'S HOT/ WHO'S NOT: Catcher Brandon Snyder hit just .222 last week, but two of his four hits were home runs. ... Miguel Abreu homered twice last week, one a pinch-hit shot in the Orioles' 5-4 loss to Burlington on Wednesday. ... Pitcher Fernando DeNaball (0-2) saw his season ERA blossom to 7.78 after giving up five runs in five innings in an 8-6 loss to Pulaski on Saturday. BACK-TO-BACK SQUARED: Bluefield hit back-to-back home runs twice in a 7-3 win over Princeton on Sunday. Angel Avila and Snyder went deep in the opening frame to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. Then, Stuart Musslewhite and Paul Winterling followed suit in the seventh. OVER THE WALL: The Orioles' four homers on Sunday and nine last week gave them a league-leading 39. Elizabethton ranks second with 29. Six Bluefield hitters have at least three homers through 31 games. West Division
WHO'S HOT / WHO'S NOT: Aaron Cunninghame raised his team-high batting average to .325 after hitting .357 (10-for-28) last week. He had a triple, homer, three runs scored and four RBIs. ... Leonardo Acosta hit .333 (8-for-24) last week, including going 3-for-4 in a 3-0 loss to Greeneville on Saturday. ... Vernon Carter went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader with Elizabethton on Wednesday. ERA ISSUES: Bristol ranks ninth in the league with a 5.05 team ERA. Last week, the Sox's pitchers didn't fare much better. Logan Williamson (0-4, 7.04) suffered a loss after allowing three earned runs in four innings in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday. Jacob Jean (2-4, 8.27) took the loss in the second game after giving up seven runs -- three earned -- in just 2 2/3 innings. A bright spot was the outing by Richard Brooks against Greeneville on Saturday. Brooks (0-2, 2.89) allowed just one run in five innings, but still failed to earn his first win after the offense produced no runs in the game. QUOTABLE: "You would like to see these guys all hit .360 all year." -- Sox manager Jerry Hairston, as reported by the Bristol Herald-Courier. Kingsport Mets (New York Mets)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Outfielder Cory Wells hit .529 (9-for-17) last week with two home runs, nine RBIs and four runs scored. Wells went 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in an 11-9 loss to Johnson City on Saturday. He followed that up by going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in a 7-6 los to Bristol on Sunday. ... Jonathan Castillo (1-2) allowed just one run in five innings on Wednesday, but the Mets still lost, 1-0, against Greeneville. Castillo has a league-best 1.16 ERA. ... Jose Coronado hit his first professional homer on Thursday. BROKEN GLOVES: The Mets made six errors in the 11-9 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. Wells committed two errors, first baseman Riky Oliveros made two errant throws, second baseman Anthony Manuel made a throwing miscue and third baseman Matthew Anderson had a fielding error. Johnson City took advantage and put together a six-run ninth for the win. Pitcher Ryan Heil (2-2) took the loss after giving up six runs -- none earned -- in 2/3 innings. TWO BAD INNINGS: "That was a tough loss, right there. It's one of those days. We had a bad first and a bad ninth. In between we really beat them." -- Mets manager Jesse Levis, on the 11-9 loss to the Cardinals, as reported by the Kingsport Times-News NOT IMPRESSED: "Oh, we didn't care. He's just another ballplayer to me. He's no different than any of us." -- Kingsport starter Jeramy Simmons, on facing Koby Clemens, the son of Major Leaguer Roger Clemens, as reported by the Kinsport Times-News. Johnson City Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Charles Carter hit two home runs and had six RBIs and five runs scored last week. Carter went 7-for-21 in six games, good enough for a .333 average last week. ... Randy Roth hit his seventh home run of the season in a 4-2 loss to Princeton on Monday. ... Daryl Jones hit .273 last week with a 3-for-4 performance in a 5-4 loss to Kingsport on Thursday. ... Geoff Desmond went 2-for-3 with four RBIs in Friday's 9-3 win over the Mets. ... Pitcher Joshua Wilson (1-0) picked up his first professional win on Friday by allowing just one hit and two runs across six innings. SEND HELP: The Johnson City pitchers have a 5.78 team ERA, the highest in the league. The Cardinals' staff has also given up a league-high 37 homers and has pitched the fewest innings (278 1/3) of any Appalachian League team. Wilson (3.70 ERA) has the lowest ERA among Johnson City pitchers with at least six starts. Matthew Lane (4.13) ranks second, followed by Tyler Herron (5.40) and Shaun Garceau (6.00). Matt Weagle (9.90) has started three games and Ryan Dixon (3.26) has started two. Greeneville Astros (Houston Astros)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Center fielder Joshua Flores posted a .500 batting average by going 12-for-24 last week. He hit two home runs and collected three RBIs. In a 7-2 loss to Kinsport on Monday, Flores went 4-for-4 with one homer. ... Pitcher Edgar Babilonia (0-2, 18.00) allowed three runs on five hits in just two innings in Monday's loss. ... Starter Brad James (1-1, 4.60) threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a win over Kingsport on Wednesday. ... Jhon Florentino went 2-for-3 with his first professional home run and two RBIs in a 9-4 win over Bristol on Thursday. ... Starter Ryan Mitchell (1-0, 0.51) earned his first pro win after giving up no runs on four hits in six innings on Friday. GOOD DEBUTS: Third baseman Koby Clemens, son of Major League pitcher Roger Clemens, made his professional debut with Greeneville last week. The Greeneville Sun reported that Roger Clemens, his wife Debbie and their son Kory, attended Koby's first game on Monday. Koby Clemens hit .300 (6-for-20) during his first week with the Astros. ... Eli Iorg, son of former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Garth Iorg, made his debut with Greeneville on Saturday after being sidelined with a foot injury. He went 1-for-4 on Saturday and Sunday. QUOTABLE: "As soon as I get out of here and get back to work, I'll let that speak for itself. Most of the people said if you don't know my kids, you wouldn't know they've got my last name. I tell him all the time being Koby is good enough. He doesn't need to be judged by me. His talent at 18 supersedes me three times over as far as just the tools he has." -- Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens, on his son Koby, as reported by the Greeneville Sun.
Danville Braves (Atlanta Braves)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Infielder Ovandy Suero stole four bases last week to up
his league-leading total to 21. On Monday, though, he was picked off first
base and caught stealing. ... Jon Owings hit three home runs and collected
six RBIs last week. ... Jamie Romak went 2-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs
in an 11-6 win over Burlington on Friday. ... Pitchers Jairo Cuevas (4-0,
1.30) and Devin Anderson (3-0, 2.16) each picked up wins last week to remain
unbeaten.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Christopher Cunningham had an up-and down-week. Cunningham went 5-for-10 with one home run and three RBIs in Princenton's first three games last week, raising his average to .337 at the time. Since then, though, Cunningham has gone 1-for-11 and is currently batting .309. ... Reliever Ryan Morse (0-1, 8.49) blew his first save of the season after allowing two runs on four hits in just 1 1/3 innings on Saturday. ... Matthew Devins hit a three-run homer on Thursday. RAINY DAYS: The Devil Rays had three games against Johnson City postponed due to rain last week. Princeton played a doubleheader against the Cardinals on Wednesday and won the first game before going 1-4 the rest of the week. ... The Devil Rays were outscored 25-10 in their four losses. OUT-SLUGGED: Princeton's pitchers are ranked eighth in the league with 29 home runs allowed. The Devil Rays' offense has only hit 24 homers as a team, seventh overall in the league. Burlington Indians (Cleveland Indians)
ONE-MAN OFFENSE: First baseman P.J. Hiser hit .455 (10-for-22) with three home runs and five RBIs last week. Hiser leads the league with nine homers and 28 RBIs. He accounted for every Burlington run in the three games he had a homer. Hiser's ninth homer on Sunday came in a 3-1 loss, his home run and two RBIs Saturday came in an 8-2 loss and his two runs scored and solo home run on Wednesday came in a 6-2 loss. Overall, Hiser accounted for seven of the Indians' 16 runs last week. GONE STREAKING: Burlington lost four-straight last week to division leaders Danville and Elizabethton. A week ago, the Indians won five in a row against Princeton and Danville. IN THE CELLAR: The Indians offense ranks last in the league in batting average (.216), slugging percentage (.334), on-base percentage (.295), strikeouts (277), home runs (14), doubles (44), RBIs (112), runs (128) and hits (221). Pulaski Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Jesse Litsch (3-1) went 1-1 last week. He pitched 14 innings, allowed eight hits and two earned runs and struck out 11. His 1.29 ERA last week lowered his season average to 2.45, good enough for fourth in the league. He ranks first in innings pitched (44). ... Jacob Butler hit three home runs last week. JACOB'S LADDER: Butler went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in Saturday's 8-6 win over Bluefield. That helped the outfielder climb out of an 0-for-17 slump. He went 2-for-4 with two homers in a 10-5 loss on Wednesday and then failed to record a hit in the next four games. Butler went 5-for-8 with seven RBIs in games in which he had a home run last week, but was 1-for-20 in the other five. Overall, Butler is hitting .271 and is tied for second in the league in homers (seven) and RBIs (25). Bluefield Orioles (Baltimore Orioles)
WHO'S HOT/ WHO'S NOT: Catcher Brandon Snyder hit just .222 last week, but two of his four hits were home runs. ... Miguel Abreu homered twice last week, one a pinch-hit shot in the Orioles' 5-4 loss to Burlington on Wednesday. ... Pitcher Fernando DeNaball (0-2) saw his season ERA blossom to 7.78 after giving up five runs in five innings in an 8-6 loss to Pulaski on Saturday. BACK-TO-BACK SQUARED: Bluefield hit back-to-back home runs twice in a 7-3 win over Princeton on Sunday. Angel Avila and Snyder went deep in the opening frame to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. Then, Stuart Musslewhite and Paul Winterling followed suit in the seventh. OVER THE WALL: The Orioles' four homers on Sunday and nine last week gave them a league-leading 39. Elizabethton ranks second with 29. Six Bluefield hitters have at least three homers through 31 games. West Division
Elizabethton Twins (Minnesota Twins)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Pitcher Adam Hawes (1-0) picked up his first win and a
no decision after 11 innings with 11 strikeouts and just three earned runs.
His 2.45 ERA last week gave him a 2.25 season average, which would be ranked
fourth overall if he had enough innings. ... Juan Portes hit his sixth and
seventh homers of the year last week. ... Erik Lis hit his third and fourth
homers of the season last week. ... Steven Tolleson hit his first
professional home run and had three RBIs in a 10-8 loss to Princeton on
Thursday.
QUOTABLE: "We're not hammering people. We're not the '27 Yankees, we're not wearing people out. We're not thinking in terms of a streak." -- Twins manager Ray Smith to the Elizabethton Star.
Bristol Sox (Chicago White Sox)WHO'S HOT / WHO'S NOT: Aaron Cunninghame raised his team-high batting average to .325 after hitting .357 (10-for-28) last week. He had a triple, homer, three runs scored and four RBIs. ... Leonardo Acosta hit .333 (8-for-24) last week, including going 3-for-4 in a 3-0 loss to Greeneville on Saturday. ... Vernon Carter went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader with Elizabethton on Wednesday. ERA ISSUES: Bristol ranks ninth in the league with a 5.05 team ERA. Last week, the Sox's pitchers didn't fare much better. Logan Williamson (0-4, 7.04) suffered a loss after allowing three earned runs in four innings in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday. Jacob Jean (2-4, 8.27) took the loss in the second game after giving up seven runs -- three earned -- in just 2 2/3 innings. A bright spot was the outing by Richard Brooks against Greeneville on Saturday. Brooks (0-2, 2.89) allowed just one run in five innings, but still failed to earn his first win after the offense produced no runs in the game. QUOTABLE: "You would like to see these guys all hit .360 all year." -- Sox manager Jerry Hairston, as reported by the Bristol Herald-Courier. Kingsport Mets (New York Mets)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Outfielder Cory Wells hit .529 (9-for-17) last week with two home runs, nine RBIs and four runs scored. Wells went 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in an 11-9 loss to Johnson City on Saturday. He followed that up by going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in a 7-6 los to Bristol on Sunday. ... Jonathan Castillo (1-2) allowed just one run in five innings on Wednesday, but the Mets still lost, 1-0, against Greeneville. Castillo has a league-best 1.16 ERA. ... Jose Coronado hit his first professional homer on Thursday. BROKEN GLOVES: The Mets made six errors in the 11-9 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. Wells committed two errors, first baseman Riky Oliveros made two errant throws, second baseman Anthony Manuel made a throwing miscue and third baseman Matthew Anderson had a fielding error. Johnson City took advantage and put together a six-run ninth for the win. Pitcher Ryan Heil (2-2) took the loss after giving up six runs -- none earned -- in 2/3 innings. TWO BAD INNINGS: "That was a tough loss, right there. It's one of those days. We had a bad first and a bad ninth. In between we really beat them." -- Mets manager Jesse Levis, on the 11-9 loss to the Cardinals, as reported by the Kingsport Times-News NOT IMPRESSED: "Oh, we didn't care. He's just another ballplayer to me. He's no different than any of us." -- Kingsport starter Jeramy Simmons, on facing Koby Clemens, the son of Major Leaguer Roger Clemens, as reported by the Kinsport Times-News. Johnson City Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Charles Carter hit two home runs and had six RBIs and five runs scored last week. Carter went 7-for-21 in six games, good enough for a .333 average last week. ... Randy Roth hit his seventh home run of the season in a 4-2 loss to Princeton on Monday. ... Daryl Jones hit .273 last week with a 3-for-4 performance in a 5-4 loss to Kingsport on Thursday. ... Geoff Desmond went 2-for-3 with four RBIs in Friday's 9-3 win over the Mets. ... Pitcher Joshua Wilson (1-0) picked up his first professional win on Friday by allowing just one hit and two runs across six innings. SEND HELP: The Johnson City pitchers have a 5.78 team ERA, the highest in the league. The Cardinals' staff has also given up a league-high 37 homers and has pitched the fewest innings (278 1/3) of any Appalachian League team. Wilson (3.70 ERA) has the lowest ERA among Johnson City pitchers with at least six starts. Matthew Lane (4.13) ranks second, followed by Tyler Herron (5.40) and Shaun Garceau (6.00). Matt Weagle (9.90) has started three games and Ryan Dixon (3.26) has started two. Greeneville Astros (Houston Astros)
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Center fielder Joshua Flores posted a .500 batting average by going 12-for-24 last week. He hit two home runs and collected three RBIs. In a 7-2 loss to Kinsport on Monday, Flores went 4-for-4 with one homer. ... Pitcher Edgar Babilonia (0-2, 18.00) allowed three runs on five hits in just two innings in Monday's loss. ... Starter Brad James (1-1, 4.60) threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a win over Kingsport on Wednesday. ... Jhon Florentino went 2-for-3 with his first professional home run and two RBIs in a 9-4 win over Bristol on Thursday. ... Starter Ryan Mitchell (1-0, 0.51) earned his first pro win after giving up no runs on four hits in six innings on Friday. GOOD DEBUTS: Third baseman Koby Clemens, son of Major League pitcher Roger Clemens, made his professional debut with Greeneville last week. The Greeneville Sun reported that Roger Clemens, his wife Debbie and their son Kory, attended Koby's first game on Monday. Koby Clemens hit .300 (6-for-20) during his first week with the Astros. ... Eli Iorg, son of former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Garth Iorg, made his debut with Greeneville on Saturday after being sidelined with a foot injury. He went 1-for-4 on Saturday and Sunday. QUOTABLE: "As soon as I get out of here and get back to work, I'll let that speak for itself. Most of the people said if you don't know my kids, you wouldn't know they've got my last name. I tell him all the time being Koby is good enough. He doesn't need to be judged by me. His talent at 18 supersedes me three times over as far as just the tools he has." -- Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens, on his son Koby, as reported by the Greeneville Sun.
Jordan Bastian is a contributor to MLB.com.