NY-Penn League Report

Staten Island Yankees (New York Yankees)
Last Week: 4-3, Overall: 25-13
The Yankees alternated wins and losses for the first six games of the week, finally breaking through against Auburn on Sunday to win a second consecutive game. Pitcher Zachary Kroenke tossed eight scoreless innings in relief, picking up his first save of the season July 26 against Vermont. David Seccombe earned two wins, and Brett Gardner had nine hits and seven RBIs.

Williamsport Crosscutters (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 25-15
The Crosscutters swept a doubleheader July 27, shutting out Mahoning Valley in each game. Joe Bauserman tossed five scoreless innings in the first, a 1-0 victory, and Luis Valdez pitched 6 1/3 innings to pick up the win in the second game, which Williamsport won 3-0. After averaging four runs a game in their first six contests of the week, the Crosscutters exploded for 10 runs and 11 hits in a comeback win over Batavia on Sunday.

Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 23-16
The Cyclones reeled off consecutive wins Friday and Saturday and had a chance to finish the week one game better than both Williamsport and Staten Island did. But the Cyclones dropped a 2-0 decision to Lowell on Sunday, and remain in third. Brooklyn's Joe Holden led the NYPL with 10 hits (in 23 at-bats, a .423 average) on the week. His three steals tied him with three others for third place.

New Jersey Cardinals (St.Louis Cardinals)
Last week: 3-3, Overall: 19-20
The Cardinals had an off day Sunday and finished the week an even three up and three down. They opened the week with a win, lost two straight, won the next two and then lost their sixth game. Matthew Trent saved two of the three wins, and Tyler Greene's four steals paced the League.

Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa Bay Devil Rays)
Last week: 2-3, Overall: 17-20
A scheduled off day and a rainout combined to leave the Renegades with the fewest games played last week. They won Monday, but then dropped three of the next four games, sending them further below the .500 mark. Wade Davis made two starts for Hudson Valley, going 1-1 and striking out 14 batters in 12 innings.

Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles)
Last week: 2-5, Overall: 14-25
The IronBirds lost five in a row to open the week before stringing together wins on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's win was a high-scoring affair that the IronBirds won 12-10. Mark Fleisher hit two home runs in three games against the Cardinals from July 28-30 and raised his average to .325 on the year.

Pinckney Divsion

Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians)
Last week: 2-5, Overall: 20-20
After beating the Crosscutters on Monday, the Scrappers lost five of six games to drop to .500, though they still lead the NYPL's weakest division. The slide began when Mahoning Valley was shut out by Williamsport in both games of Wednesday's doubleheader. They rebounded to blank Auburn the next day by a score of 5-0, but then dropped two straight to Auburn and a third game to Vermont.

Auburn Doubledays (Toronto Blue Jays)
Last week: 3-3, Overall: 19-20
Rain washed out Tuesday's game against Hudson Valley, but Auburn sandwiched a midweek three-of-four burst with losses to break even on the week. They twice exploded on offense, racking up a 9-7 victory against the Renegades and a 7-1 shellacking of Mahoning Valley. Paul Phillips saved all three victories.

Jamestown Jammers (Florida Marlins)
Last week: 2-5, Overall: 17-23
The Jammers alternated wins and losses in their first four games of the week before dropping the final three. Jamestown pitching was rocked all week long, only allowing less than five runs twice in seven games. However, three Jammers were enjoying success at the plate: Gabriel Sanchez (9-for-17, .529), Jeffrey Van Houten (7-for-16, .438) and Paul Witt (7-for-17, .412) all found a place in the weekly top 10 batting averages.

Batavia Muckdogs (Philadelphia Phillies)
Last week: 3-4, Overall: 16-22
After opening the week by losing three of four games, the Muckdogs rebounded to win two in a row before dropping a 10-5 decision to Williamsport on Sunday. Andrew Barb started two games, going 1-0 with 10 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched. Second baseman Clay Harris led the NYPL with four doubles.

Stedler Division

Oneonta Tigers (Detroit Tigers)
Last week: 5-2, Overall: 24-14
After a season-high six-game slide, the Tigers bounced back to reel off four straight wins to open the week. However, they backslid and dropped two of the last three. They split a Friday doubleheader with Tri-City, and were rained out of the second game of another doubleheader Sunday. Shortstop Michael Holliman was scorching hot, going 9-for-19 (.474) with three home runs, 11 RBIs and nine runs scored.

Lowell Spinners (Boston Red Sox)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 22-18
The Spinners reeled off victories in two of the first three games of the week before splitting the final four. Adam Blackley started twice for Lowell, chalking up 12 strikeouts in 11 innings, though he didn't factor in the decision of either game. Outfielder Jason Twomley batted 9-for-21 (.429) in six games, good for seventh in the NYPL's weekly standings.

Tri-City ValleyCats (Houston Astros)
Last week: 4-3, Overall: 19-20
The ValleyCats alternated wins and losses all week long, starting and finishing the week with a win. They split a Friday doubleheader with the Oneonta, rebounding to win the second game, 8-4, after being pounded, 12-1, in the first. Tri-City's bats were active throughout the week -- the club scored at least eight runs three times in seven games. Thomas Manzella's 10 hits tied Brooklyn's Joseph Holden for the league lead.

Vermont Expos (Washington Nationals)
Last week: 5-2, Overall: 13-27
Vermont rolled through some tough competition last week, taking two of three from the McNamara Division-leading Yankees and finishing the week on a four-for-five tear. Dee Brown jacked two home runs, and fellow outfielders Francisco Plasencia and Mike Daniel ran wild on the basepaths, stealing four and three bases, respectively.