Florida State League Notebook

Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Manatees used two wins against Fort Myers and two more against Sarasota to turn in a 4-3 week. Brevard County is now 22-13 on the year.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: 3B Ryan Braun got hot last week. He's put together five hits in his last 12 at-bats, adding two runs scored and two RBIs. ... OF Charlie Fermaint has maintained a prolonged hot streak out of the leadoff spot. The 5-foot-9 outfielder has 13 hits and seven runs scores in his last 42 at-bats, good for a .310 average. ... P Yovani Gallardo keeps mowing down opposing hitters. He has 19 strikeouts in his last two games (12 1/3 innings pitched). ... C Carlos Corporan can't get it going. He's hitting just .125 in his last 24 at-bats.

PLAYER TO WATCH: In the midst of the Manatees' convincing 15-2 win over the Threshers on Saturday, it may have been easy to lose sight of another stellar performance by Brevard County starter Josh Wahpepah, The 21-year-old righty pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs. But neither was earned because of a fielding error Wahpepah made himself. Regardless, he allowed just five hits and struck out six, while lowering his ERA to 1.12. The 6-foot-4 Wahpepah is now 2-0 on the season.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: OF Brendan Katin delivered a 2-for-5 performance, with two doubles in the Manatees' win on Saturday. Katin was the team's top run producer that night, driving in four RBIs, raising his season total to 23.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "When we pitch, we don't hit. When we hit, we don't pitch." -- Manatees manager Ramon Aviles to Florida Today after losing to Clearwater Friday. It was the team's eighth straight loss.

Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Clearwater reeled off six straight wins to open the week, behind several strong pitching performances, before losing Saturday to Brevard County. The winning streak pushed the Threshers over .500 since April 29th and gives them a 19-17 record for the season.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: P James Happ continued to demonstrate top-notch stuff. His Wednesday performance against Brevard County featured eight shutout innings of four-hit baseball. More impressive was his 10-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. ... SS Bradley Harman is hitting .316 in his last five games (6-for-19). ... Highly touted third-base prospect Mike Costanza continues to struggle. He has just two hits in his last 14 at-bats.

PLAYER TO WATCH: In addition to Happ and Zach Segovia, Clearwater may have a third starter to keep an eye on. Righty Julio De La Cruz turned in his best performance of the year on Friday against a strong Brevard County offense. The Dominican Republic native pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one hit -- a run scoring double to Charlie Fermaint. He also struck out eight and didn't surrender a walk. It was the first win for De La Cruz this season, and the performance lowered his ERA to a still lofty 6.43. But the 170-pound righty was out all last season with an injury and may be just rounding into form.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Segovia has emerged for the Clearwater Threshers as a clear top-flight starter. The 6-foot-2 Texas native improved to 5-1 on the season after pitching his team to victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals on Tuesday. Segovia tossed 6 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits while allowing just one run. He also struck out seven Cardinals but surrendered just one free pass. With the effort, Segovia lowered his ERA to 2.19.

Daytona Cubs (Chicago Cubs)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Daytona's 4-3 week improves the Cubs record to 16-20.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: 1B Matt Craig is scorching. His last 10 games have yielded 13 hits (in 30 at-bats), including four homers, 10 RBIs and nine runs scored. More on him in a minute. ... P Carlos Vasquez is getting the job done out of the Cubs bullpen. In his last two appearances (five innings), Vasquez hasn't allowed a hit, while striking out seven and walking just one batter.

PLAYER TO WATCH: C Alan Rick ended the week in grand fashion. The left-handed-hitting catcher put together a 2-for-4 performance against the Miracle. Those two hits also happened to be his first two homers of the season. Rick slugged a second-inning shot against Fort Myers starter Matt Garza. He then launched his second in the ninth inning off Josh Hill -- a three-run shot with two outs. The strong offensive performance contributed to Garza's first loss of the year and raised Rick's average to an even .200. An offensive boost at the bottom of the lineup could be forthcoming if Rick stays hot.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: 1B Matt Craig was a man among men in the Cubs victory over the Lakeland Tigers on Monday. In the 17-7 win, Daytona had seven players with at least two hits. But Craig's two hits were both homers, a two-run shot in the fourth and another two-run shot in the eighth. His third and fourth dingers of the season led to four RBIs. He also scored three runs -- the third coming after Craig was hit by a pitch and scored during an eight-run second inning.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Whatever he [Zisk] did worked. He just has these drills that get you out of [a slump]." -- Nate Spears to The Sun-Herald about how his hitting coach Richie Zisk helped him get back his swing.

Dunedin Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Dunedin opened the week with three wins on its way to a 5-2 week. They now sit at 20-16 on the year.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: SS Ryan Klosterman has six hits, including a home run, and eight RBIs in his last five games. ... Dunedin's third hitter, C Robinson Diaz, is 12-for-40 with seven RBIs in his last nine games. ... The hottest Blue Jay of all may well be Aaron Matthews. He is hitting an absurd .568 (21-for-37) with 10 runs scored in his last eight games. Dunedin's leadoff man is now hitting a gaudy .390 this season. ... P Jesse Litsch has given up 18 hits and nine earned runs in his last 10 1/3 innings pitched.

PLAYER TO WATCH: OF Dustin Majewski finished off the week with a bang. The lefty delivered a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance against Palm Beach that included a second-inning solo homer off Eric Haberer. His two-hit effort raised Majewski's average to .310 on the season. He's also hitting a scorching .467 over his last five games (7-for-15). Hitting sixth in the Dunedin order, behind four .300 hitters, he'll get plenty of opportunities

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: OF Ryan Patterson etched his name in the Florida State League record books, likely, for eternity. He became just the 18th player in league history to hit three home runs in a game. If that wasn't enough, he was a perfect 6-for-6 with nine RBIs. His astonishing performance came in the midst of an astonishing offensive game. The Blue Jays defeated the Vero Beach Dodgers 19-12. In addition to the games' 31 runs, the teams banged out 37 hits.

For the Blue Jays' 2005 fourth-rounder, the day big day started off in a big way. Patterson followed Aaron Mathews' leadoff single in the first inning with his first of the three homers, a two-run shot. Patterson added an RBI double in the second, a three-run homer in the fifth, a two-run blast in the seventh and an RBI double in the eighth. The LSU product fell one short of FSL records with six hits and nine ribbies. Patterson joined the ranks for Mets slugger Carlos Delgado, who hit three homers for Dunedin in 1992.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It was unbelievable. I was seeing the ball well and had a better approach. I was staying through the middle of the field and got good pitches to hit." -- Ryan Patterson to MILB.com about his performance on Monday.

Fort Myers Miracle (Minnesota Twins)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Miracle found itself on the wrong side of .500 this week, going just 3-4. They are still 20-16 on the year, however.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: OF Garrett Guzman put some power numbers on the board last week with two homers. He also has 10 RBIs in his last 10 games. More on him in a bit...C Kyle Geiger has 10 hits in his last eight games and is hitting .385 over that stretch. ... Life hasn't been so good to P Joshua Hill. He's allowed nine earned runs on seven hits in his last 2 1/3 innings of work.

PLAYER TO WATCH: As always, the strength of this squad remains on the pitching mound. P Kevin Slowey is truly one of several arms on this staff worth watching. The 21-year-old righty was masterful again on Wednesday night against Daytona. He hurled six innings of two-hit baseball, without yielding a run or walk. He also struck out nine hitters and lowered his ERA to 1.31.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Despite suffering a 13-7 loss at the hands of St. Lucie on Tuesday, Fort Myers found a highlight in the performance of Guzman. In fact, his clutch hitting in the eighth inning almost brought the team back for the first time this season after trailing through seven innings. Down 6-3, Alexi Casilla led off the Miracle's offensive eighth with a walk. Matt Tolbert reached on an infield single and then Garrett Guzman did the rest. He smashed an 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall to tie the game at 6-6. It was the 23-year-old's third homer of the season. He finished the night 2-for-4, with a homer, five RBIs and a run scored.

Jupiter Hammerheads (Florida Marlins)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Jupiter put together a three-game sweep of Sarasota to open the week. they dropped three out of four to Tampa, but still managed a 4-3 week to improve to 15-21.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: DH Brad McCann has steadily raised his average to .235 over the last 10 games with 12 hits in his last 39 at-bats. Over that stretch he's added two homers, five RBIs and five runs scored. ... 2B Brian Cleveland is hitting .306 (11-for-36) in his last 10 games. ... OF Dante Brinkley can't find his stroke, hitting just .103 in his last 29 at-bats.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Hitting just .204 through Thursday, OF Jai Miller was given a day off on Friday. Maybe manager Tim Cossins pulled the right string as Miller returned to action on Saturday and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in the Hammerheads' 3-2 loss to Tampa. Miller's big day raised his average to .218.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: P Gaby Hernandez surrendered a first-inning run to Sarasota on Monday before settling in to toss six more scoreless innings en route to his fourth win of the year. The 19-year-old Florida native, now 4-2 on the season, allowed just five hits and struck out seven. He also didn't yield a walk. Though he was outdueled by the Reds' Homer Bailey through six innings, Hernandez's bid to extend the outing into a decisive seventh inning provided him an opportunity for the decision and victory. With the stellar outing, the 6-foot-3 righty lowered his ERA to 5.16 on the season.

Lakeland Tigers (Detroit Tigers)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Four consecutive midweek wins helped Lakeland to a 4-3 week. They now sit at 19-17 on the season.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: OF Clete Thomas has been consistently hot of late. He's hammered out 15 hits in 44 at-bats over the last 10 games (good for .341) including two homers and eight RBIs. More on him in a bit. ... C Christopher Robinson has flourished hitting second in the Tigers order. He's hitting .367 in his last nine games (11-for-30) with eight runs scored...P Lance Davis had 11 strikeouts in his last start against Vero Beach on Friday. He racked up those numbers in just 6 2/3 innings of work. ... 1B Jeff Larish has hits some hard times. His up-and-down season is down over the last five games, to the tune of just three hits in 21 at-bats.

PLAYER TO WATCH: DH Nick McIntyre was 3-for-3 on Friday with a double and a run scored. His effort helped propel the Tigers to victory over the Dodgers. McIntyre has hit .389 over his last five games (7-for-18). He also had a homer and three RBIs last week. His production could give Lakeland a huge lift at the bottom of the order and help ensure the 1-6 hitters see better pitches throughout the course of a game.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: With a team-leading 31 RBIs, OF Jeff Frazier often steals the Tigers headlines. But the man hitting before him in the Lakeland lineup, Thomas, stole the show on Tuesday. The 22-year-old had a 3-for-5 performance with two doubles and home run. He also scored twice and drove in three runs. Those three runs were critical to the game's outcome. Lakeland entered the eighth down, 6-2. Then a sacrifice fly from Gilberto Mejia pulled them within three setting the stage for Thomas. Facing off against Jon Hunton with two on and one out, Thomas belted a game-tying three-run homer to send the game to extra innings.

Palm Beach Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Palm Beach managed just two wins in an otherwise difficult week. Both victories came against Dunedin. Despite a 2-5 week, the Cardinals are 19-16.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: 3B Matt Dyer went deep twice last week. He's also hitting .348 over his last 10 games (8-for-23). ... 2B Juan Lucena has six hits in his last 19 at-bats including a run scored and an RBI. ... C Matt Pagnozzi has just three hits in his last ten games and is hitting .130 over that stretch. ... SS Joe Mather is just 3-for-31 in his last nine contests.

PLAYER TO WATCH: P Mike Sillman just keeps racking up saves. His eighth of the year came after one inning of work against Dunedin. The 6-foot-1 righty pitched one inning, allowing a hit but also striking out one, to tie a bow on the Cardinals' 5-2 win over the Blue Jays. Sillman has two saves and five strikeouts in his last four games (four innings of work).

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: OF Terry Evans helped propel the Cardinals to one of their few wins last week. The 6-foot-3 Evans was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. He also smashed his ninth homer of the year in the sixth inning to notch the team's last run of the game. His two-hit performance raised Evans' average to .320.

Sarasota Reds (Cincinnati Reds)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Sarasota managed just two wins in seven games last week (5-2), and are an even 18-18 on the year.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: 1B Jay Garthwaite hit for the cycle and drove in three runs on Saturday as the Reds defeated the St. Lucie Mets. The 220-pound slugger was 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. He's hitting .364 over his last five games. ... DH Chris Kroski is hitting a cool .500 in his last five games (8-for-16) with two RBIs. ... C John Purdom has just five hits in his last 31 at-bats (.161).

PLAYER TO WATCH: OF Javon Moran saw his first two games of action for Sarasota last week and he made an immediate impact. The 23-year-old was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs in Saturday's 10-6 win over the St. Lucie Mets. Hitting second in the order, Moran could provide invaluable spark to a top of the order charged with setting the table for Garthwaite and 3B Jeremiah Piepkorn.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: The previously mentioned Monday contest between Sarasota and Jupiter featured the stellar performance of Hammerheads' starter Gaby Hernandez. But it also showcased the evolving talent of Homer Bailey. Though he left the game in the sixth inning and walked away without a decision, the former first-round pick was utterly dominant. He left the game with a no-hitter intact. Bailey tossed six hitless and scoreless innigs. He struck out 11 Hammerheads and walked just one. The 6-foot-4 righty lowered his ERA to 3.35.

St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: St. Lucie managed a 4-3 week against the strong-armed Miracle and Reds. With their four wins, the Mets improve to 22-13 on the year.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: OF Corey Coles has 10 hits in his last five games and is hitting .476 over that stretch. ... IF/OF Josh Peterson hit two homers last week and drove in five runs. During his last nine games, Peterson has 13 hits in 34 at-bats (.382). ... C Jesus Flores is hitting .333 in his last four games, with a home run and five RBIs. ... P Blake Eager struggled in his last outing, throwing just 1 2/3 innings while allowing seven hits and six earned runs.

PLAYER TO WATCH: 2B Jonathan Malo finished off the week with an explosive performance. He was 1-for-3 against the Sarasota Reds. But that one hit was his second homer of the year. It also happened to come against Reds prospect Homer Bailey with the bases loaded and two out in the third inning. The 22-year-old Malo raised his average to a still paltry .188, but sometimes a big hit in a big situation against a big talent is just what it takes to turn your season around.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: 3B Shawn Bowman put together a 3-for-5 game Friday as the St. Lucie Mets defeated Sarasota, 9-3. One of those three hits was a ninth-inning three-run homer to put the game out of reach.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I'm loving this...I really didn't think I would be here this year but I had a really good SpringTraining, so they send me to St. Lucie," -- Mets IF/OF Josh Peterson to TCPalm.com about playing where he grew up, near St. Lucie.

Tampa Yankees (New York Yankees)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Tampa played just six games and split them down the middle to end the week 3-3. They are now 16-19 on the season.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: C Peter Pilittere hit a homer and knocked in two runs last week. He has four hits in his last 12 at-bats. ... OF Brett Gardner is hitting a lofty .405 in his last 10 games. His 15 hits over that stretch leads the team...The once burning-hot Cody Ehlers has definitely cooled down. He's managed just eight hits in his last 40 at-bats, including just one homer. ... OF Tim Battle has struggled to the tune of 6-for-37 in his last 10 ames.

PLAYER TO WATCH: P Brett Smith ended the week with a solid start. He tossed six innings and allowed just six hits and two runs, one earned. He also struck out seven. Despite getting a no-decision, the Yankees can take positives away from Smith's performance as they look for someone to step up with the departure of Philip Hughes.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Gaudy numbers generally land athletes a spot in the performance of the week category. With so many sweet swings in the Tampa lineup, there's often many to choose from. But this week, we're going with quality over quantity. OF Matt Carson was only 1-for-3 in Thursday's 2-1 victory over Jupiter. But using the word "only" is an insult. In this low-scoring affair, the Yankees' cleanup hitter was responsible for both Tampa runs, delivering what they needed, when needed to ensure his team a victory.

In the fourth, Carson homered to left field against Jupiter's James Brauer to tied the game at 1-1. The game remained knotted until the 11th inning when Carson got the job done again. With teammate OF Brett Gardner on third, Carson stepped to to plate against Travis Talbott and hit a game-winning sacrifice fly.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It felt good. I felt strong. I feel good physically. My command got better as the game went on." -- New York Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano to the Associated Press after pitching a rehab game for the Tampa Yankees. He struck out four and walked one but lost his outing to the Brevard County Manatees.

Vero Beach Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers)
THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Dodgers finally broke their losing skid on Sunday to finish the week at 1-6, 12-14 on the season.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: DH Cole Bruce has enjoyed seven hits in his last 16 at-bats (good for .438 over that stretch). He also hit a homer last week for Vero Beach. ... Entrenched in the third spot of the Dodgers lineup, Blake Dewitt has amassed 16 hits in his last 42 at-bats, including two homers, seven runs scored and seven RBIs. ... OF Xavier Paul is 8-for-19 (.421) over his last four games...P Christopher Malone allowed 10 hits and 8 earned runs in just 5 2/3 inning of work on Tuesday against Dunedin. ... C Gabriel Gutierrez is 2-for-12 in his last four games (.167) which has raised his average to .105.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Hero status comes with relative ease when your team is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Still, Jeremy Todd's first homer of the year couldn't have come at a better time for the Dodgers. Hitting fifth for Vero Beach, Todd hammered a fourth-inning Dallas Trahern pitch over the center-field fence to put his team on the board. With the pitching performance of Alberto Bastardo, Todd's blast guaranteed Vero Beach at least a share of the lead. Todd's production is welcome, as he just returned from the disabled list this week and is hitting fifth in the Dodgers lineup and playing first base.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Vero Beach and Lakeland duked it out in a good old-fashioned slugfest. Despite losing, the Dodgers had performances of which they could be proud. OF Xavier Paul, batting in the leadoff spot, put together a 4-for-5 day with a double and two runs scored raising his average to .286.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "When I warm up, I mess around with the knuckleball. Last year and the year before, I'd get into the pitching coach's ear, you know, 'Hey, if you give me an inning, just one inning that's all I'll ask for.'" -- Vero Beach Dodgers utilityman Jimmy Rohan to TCPalm.com about the idea of trying to become a knuckleball pitcher.