Robel Garcia, 3B-AZL: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, BB

Garcia has been one of the most impressive players in the Complex Leagues this year. He’s hitting .333/.396/.641 with 3 HR and 12 RBI in 21 games, and has stolen 3 bases in 4 attempts. Garcia is just 18 years old, having been born in March of 1993. Reports of his defense have been solid, as he has quick feet, good reactions at the hot corner and a cannon for an arm. Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus wrote up an encouraging scouting report on Garcia here, and he’s definitely a guy to keep an eye on going forward. His youth and projection are encouraging, and the Indians don’t have a lot at 3B ahead of him in the system.

• Mitch Talbot, RP-COL: 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB. Talbot didn’t allow a run, but he didn’t strike anyone out either. He’s now thrown 5 2/3 innings of relief for Columbus, giving up 2 ER and recording a pair of strikeouts.
• C.C. Lee, RP-COL: 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, K. Well, it had to happen sooner or later…Lee finally gave up an earned run in AAA. He’s now thrown 14 2/3 innings for the Clippers, striking out 22, walking 4 and giving up that lone earned run.
• Luis Valbuena, 3B-COL: 2-4, K. Good ol’ AAAA Louie had 2 of the Clippers 5 hits yesterday, and is hitting .311/.378/.502 for Columbus this year.
• Drew Pomeranz, SP-AKR: 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 6 K, 3 BB. Not a bad outing for Pomz, but he’s got to start keeping the pitch count down and working deeper into games. He’s thrown 91 innings this year, so likely has about 60 more before he’s shut down for the season.
• Adam Miller, RP-AKR: 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB. Miller had been cruising along in Akron, but has hit a pretty significant speed bump. In his last 5 outings, he’s given up 11 ER in just 8 2/3 IP.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: 1/3 IP, 2 R (0 ER), H, 2 BB. Two of Miller’s runs were inherited runners that Bryson allowed to score, then he gave up 2 unearned runs of his own on a Matt McBride error. Rough night for two of the top relief prospects in the org.
• Kyle Bellows, 3B-AKR: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI. The slick-fielding Bellows is quietly having a strong 2^nd half, as he’s hitting .342/.359/.395 in his last 10 games and has his season average up to .227.
• Chun Chen, C-AKR: 1-4, 2B 2 RBI, R, 2 K. Chen is putting together a solid season, but his 83/23 K/BB rate is still alarming.
• Clayton Cook, SP-KIN: (6-7), 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 4 BB. After an outstanding 1^st half, Cook has gotten off to a rocky start in July. In 4 starts this month, Cook has allowed 16 ER in 13 2/3 IP.
• Adam Abraham, 3B-KIN: 2-4, R, 2 K. The 24-year old continues to lead the K-Tribe in OPS with his .816 mark.
• Chase Burnette, 1B-KIN: 1-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, K. Burnette was counted on to provide some pop in the middle of the Kinston lineup, but has disappointed this year with just a .622 OPS.
• Cole Cook, SP-LCC: W (5-10), 6 IP, R (0 ER), 4 H, 4 K, BB. Cook has a 4.28 ERA and a 66/30 K/BB in 101 innings for the Captains this year.
• Clayton Ehlert, RP-LCC: S (11), IP, H, K. The Captains closer has a 1.79 ERA, but just 24 K/6 BB in 40 IP this season.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-LCC: 2-3, 2B, R. BBJA has a .912 OPS on the season, and I’d really like to see him get a look in the more challenging hitters environment of Kinston before the end of the season.
• Carlos Moncrief, CF-LCC: 1-4, HR (13), RBI, R, 3 K. Moncrief is really turning into an all-or-nothing type guy, as he has 13 HR and a .445 SLG, but also 116 K and a .239 AVG in 339 AB.
• Danny Jimenez, SP-MVS: L (1-2), 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 6 K, 2 BB. A 23^rd round draft pick in 2009, Jimenez has a 3.31 ERA in 35 1/3 innings for the Scrappers this year.
• Nathan Striz, RP-MVS: 2 IP, 3 K. Striz has 18 K in 18 1/3 innings for Mahoning Valley, and sports a 2.45 ERA.
• Tony Wolters, SS-MVS: 1-3, 2B, BB. Wolters is up to .304/.401/.428 in 35 games for the Scrappers, and the 19-year old is showing that he’s ready for full-season ball.
• Jake Sisco, SP-AZL: L (0-2), 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 K, 2 BB. Sisco gave up multiple runs in a start for the 1^st time in his pro career. The 3^rd round pick from this past June still has a 2.95 ERA and 20 K in 21 1/3 IP for the Arizona League Indians.

With the lockout officially coming to an end this week, the Cleveland Browns joined the rest of the league in a frenzy to sign free-agents that went undrafted this past April. Cleveland’s front office was very busy yesterday with a flurry of activity that reportedly produced 17 signings by the Browns.

A complete list of the players follows:

• Dominic Alford, (OL, Minnesota)
• Kyle Anderson (DL, Georgetown College)
• Donald Buckram (RB, UTEP)
• Andre Carroll (DL, Delaware State)
• L.J. Castille (WR, Delta State)
• James Dockery (CB, Oregon State)
• Jabari Fletcher (DL, Appalachian State)
• Evan Frosch (TE, TCU)
• Carl Gettis (CB, Missouri)
• Chris Matthews (WR, Kentucky)
• Juan Nunez (WR, Western Michigan)
• Jarrod Shaw (OG, Tennessee)
• Brian Smith (LB, Notre Dame)
• Sidney Tarver (LB, Tennessee State)
• Troy Weatherhead (QB, Hillsdale)
• Jeff Wolfert (PK, Missouri)
• Alex Wujciak (LB, Maryland)

There’s one player missing from this list that would have made a lot of Browns/Buckeyes fans smile. It was reported that Dane Sanzenbacher, Ohio State’s MVP of last season who had 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, had to make a decision between joining the Browns or the Chicago Bears. Sanzenbacher ultimately decided to join Lovie Smith and the Bears, and will start his career in Chicago this year.

Rumors and tweets are swirling about the possible landing spots for some of the several undrafted Ohio State players.

Reports tonight are saying defensive tackle Dexter Larimore will join the Saints and Devon Torrence will sign with the Vikings (who also drafted Ross Homan).

Buckeye fullback Zach Boren tweeted that his brother Justin, a 3-year starter at guard, will sign with the Ravens tomorrow.

WR Dane Sanzenbacher is reportedly talking with the Browns, Bengals and Bills.

I'll update as we go....

Read more...

Just in case you weren’t already convinced that the Indians are trying to make the playoffs this year, the front office at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario decided today to call up uber-prospect Jason Kipnis from AAA Columbus. Luis Valbuena’s short stay on the North Shore is over as he is sent back to the Clippers, and Jared Goedert was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster to add Kipnis.

After a bit of a slow start to the season, Kipnis came on strong in May and June and was hitting .279/.361/.481 after yesterday’s loss in Columbus. He’s been struggling with the bat in the month of July, hitting just .154/.250/.231 but a hectic travel schedule might have had something to do with that. Kip appeared in Arizona for the MLB Futures Game as part of All Star Weekend (where he led off the bottom of the 1^st with a HR) and followed that up with a trip to Salt Lake City for the AAA All Star Game. Prior to the all star break, Kipnis was hitting an impressive .297/.380/.506 with 11 of his 12 HR.

Let’s get this out of the way now …Jason Kipnis is not coming up here to play OF. He’s not coming up to be a utility INF, and he’s not coming up to play 3 days a week. He’s coming up to play 2B regularly, otherwise he wouldn’t have been brought up. Has Chris Antonetti personally assured me of this? No, but I think it is a pretty good guess. Orlando Cabrera will likely hang around in case Kipnis either fails spectacularly or gets hurt, but Kip will be the regular 2B for the foreseeable future.

Kipnis joins Alex White, Cord Phelps and Lonnie Chisenhall as a top-10 prospect called up to help the big league ballclub this year. White was excellent until he injured his finger, Phelps was overwhelmed at the plate and in the field, and Chiz has found some success but isn’t exactly setting the world on fire (.213/.260/.362). Kipnis was my #1 prospect going into this season, and (SPOILER ALERT!) he’s the #1 guy on my midseason list that will be published here on Sunday.

I think he’s proven everything he needs to prove in the minors with the bat, the only question will be the glove. The converted OF has taken quite well to 2B, but he’s only played the position for a year and a half. There are likely to be some growing pains in the field, similar to those we saw with Cord Phelps earlier this year. It’s tough enough moving up to the majors from AAA, but Kipnis is still learning the intricacies of his position in the field and will be playing extensively with a new doubleplay partner for the first time ever. One of the main things the Indians wanted him to work on in Columbus was turning two, so don’t be surprised if he’s not Robbie Alomar right away. Most scouts agree that he will be at least league-average defensively eventually, but I don’t think he’s going to be there right off the bat.

The cavalry continues to roll northward on I-71 from Columbus to try and keep the Indians in a tight AL Central playoff race. “Trading” Luis Valbuena for Jason Kipnis will probably end up being the biggest deadline deal the Indians make. Will it be enough? Time will tell, but I like the move and think that Kip (who will wear #22) will provide a solid bat in the bottom third of an order that has been struggling to produce of late. If he and Chiz get acclimated to major league pitching and are hitting well in August and September when Choo, White and Sizemore return…well, this could be a pretty potent lineup down the stretch.

The Columbus Dispatch reported today that the NCAA has notified Ohio State it will not be facing “Failure to Monitor” charges -- or any additional violations that weren’t cited in the original notice of allegations.

What does that mean, you ask?

Well, that simply means every article that you’ve read since February claiming additional violations against Ohio State -- like the steaming pile of shit Sports Illustrated produced, car-gate, golf-gate, or any other gate you can think of, was just the result of the national media’s hard-on for trying to screw Ohio State.

The only thing of substance that was produced from this six-month golden shower from the media was that one additional player (who’s name has yet to be released) dealt with tattoo owner Eddy Rife in a similar fashion as Tat-Five.

What this means -- come August 12 when Ohio State meets with the NCAA, everyone who wanted to see the Buckeyes get the hammer will be sorely, sorely disappointed.

You mad, America?

Beau Mills, 1B-AKR: 1-4, HR (10), 3 RBI, R

The 24-year old Mills is doing everything he can to put himself back on the prospect map in the Indians organization. This is his 3^rd year in AA Akron, so it was truly put up or shut up time for the 2007 1^st round draft choice. Another disappointing year in AA, and he would have pretty much worked his way out of the organization. Fortunately for Mills, he’s finally showing that he can hit AA pitching. He now has 10 HR and 47 RBI in 222 at bats on the season, and his hitting for average (.302) as well as power. Color me skeptical until he can do it for a full season and see the success carry over to AAA, but at the very least he is worth watching again for the 1^st time since 2008 when he won the Carolina League MVP for Kinston.

• Mitch Talbot, RP-COL: IP, H, 2 K. Talbot unleashed the fury on the Yankees out of the bullpen last night. His 1^st relief “rehab” appearance at AAA was a success, and hopefully this is an indication of how he can pitch as a reliever.
• Tyler Sturdevant, RP-COL: S (1), 3 IP, R (0 ER), 2 H, 4 K, 2 BB. In his 1^st ever AAA appearance, Sturdevant nailed down a 3-inning save. He had a 1.98 ERA in 41 IP for Kinston this year.
• Cord Phelps, SS-COL: 2-4, RBI, BB, R. Phelps is now 5 for his last 11 with a HR and is settling back in nicely at AAA.
• Jason Kipnis, 2B-COL: 1-5, HR (12), RBI, R, 3 K. Kip is in a bit of a rut lately, hitting just .132/.195/.237 in his last 10 games.
• Jared Goedert, 3B-COL: 3-4, 2B, R, K. Goedert has hit a disappointing .197/.261/.333 overall for Columbus this year, and could find himself off the 40-man roster if the Indians need to make a move.
• Matt Packer, SP-AKR: W (4-9), 8 IP, 2 H, 7 K, BB. Packer turned in his most dominant performance of the season last night, allowing just 3 baserunners in 8 innings while striking out 7.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: IP. Finally back up in Akron after starting the season late due to a broken foot in the offseason, Bryson is a power arm that will be pitching in the back end of the Cleveland bullpen next year.
• John Drennen, RF-AKR: 2-3, RBI, BB, 2 R. Since returning from his suspension, Drennen is just 3-24 at the plate.
• Abner Abreu, RF-KIN: 1-3, HR (10), 2 RBI, BB, R. Abreu’s power surge continues, as he now has 4 HR in his last 9 games. His season OPS is “up” to .695, but it has come up almost 70 points in the last week alone.
• Adam Abraham, 3B-KIN: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, R. Abraham is the only Kinston player with an OPS over .800 (.814).
• Jordan Smith, RF-MVS: 1-2, 2 R, 2 HBP. State College finally figured out how to keep Smith from recording a multi-hit game. They hit him twice. Interestingly, Smith was in RF last night instead of at 3B.
• Tony Wolters, SS-MVS: 2-5, 2 RBI. Wolters was in a 1-16 mini-funk going into last night.
• Cody Elliott, CF-MVS: 3-5, R, K. Over his last 10 games, Elliott is now hitting  a solid .333/.442/.417.
• Felix Sterling, SP-AZL: L (2-3), 5 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, 9 K, 3 BB. Sterling has tremendous upside as a starter, and he’s now recorded 31 K in 26 1/3 IP in the Arizona Summer League. Also, he was born in 1993.
• Manuel Carmona, RP-AZL: IP, 2 R (1 ER), H, 3 K, 2 BB. Carmona has been working out of the bullpen in Arizona, and has 31 K in just 19 IP this year.
• Luigi Rodriguez, CF-AZL: 3-4, 2B, 2 R, SB. Rodriguez is hitting .400/.439/.567 in 17 games in the complex league, and is still just 18.
• Jose Ramirez, 2B-AZL: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R, K. The 5’9, 165LB switch hitter has put up a solid .338/.358/.468 line so far in Arizona.

Preston Guilmet, RP-KIN: W (1-1), 2 IP, H, 4 K.

Quietly having a dominant season out of the Kinston bullpen, Guilmet has a 1.85 ERA and a 42/6 K/BB ratio in 39 innings for the K-Tribe. He’s nailed down 24 saves, trailing only former Arizona Wildcat teammate Cory Burns’ 26 in the org. Adding up all of Guilmet’s walks/hits/runs allowed gets you to the number 42…the same number of K’s he’s recorded this season. He’s more of a deceptive guy than an overpowering closer, but it’s tough to ignore numbers like that on the season. Like Burns, AA will be a big test for him because he doesn’t have elite stuff, but he’s certainly proven that he can get high-A hitters out.

• Cory Kluber, SP-COL: L (4-6), 6 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 7 H, 7 K, 2 BB. Kluber has had a disappointing season for Columbus this year, putting up a 6.09 ERA and walking 50 batters in 105 IP.
• Zach Putnam, RP-COL: IP, H. Good to see a scoreless outing for Putnam after his recent struggles.
• Jason Donald, 3B-COL: 2-4, 2B, R, K. Donald is hitting .471/.591/.794 in his last 10 games, and I’m having a hard time trying to figure out why he is in Columbus while Luis Valbuena is in Cleveland.
• Drew Pomeranz, SP-AKR: L (0-1), 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 6 K, 2 BB. Similar to his first AA start, Pomz pitched well but ended up with the ol’ 5-and-fly. He has 11 K and 9 baserunners allowed in 9 2/3 AA innings so far.
• Adam Miller, RP-AKR: 2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 K. Miller’s worst AA outing, but his overall numbers are still solid: 4.03 ERA and 20 K in 22 1/3 IP.
• Juan Diaz, SS-AKR: 1-3, 2B, K. Diaz with one of Akron’s 3 hits yesterday, and the only XBH in a shutout loss.
• Tyler Holt, CF-KIN: 2-4, RBI, R, 2 K. Holt has hit in 4 straight, recording 2 hits in 3 of those 4 contests.
• Adam Abraham, 3B-KIN: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R, 2 K. Abraham is 4 for his last 7 with 2 2B. Great to see, especially considering he was in an 0-16 slump prior to Tuesday.
• Tyler Cannon, 2B-KIN: 2-4, RBI, R, K. After hitting .395 with a .945 OPS in July, Cannon is down to .216 with a .500 OPS so far in June.
• Brian Heere, LF-LCC: 3-4, HR (2), RBI, R. Heere’s day off on Tuesday didn’t slow him down, as he’s now 8-11 in his past two starts for the Captains.
• Carlos Moncrief, CF-LCC: 1-5, HR (10), RBI, R, 3 K. The cannon-armed Moncrief has 2 HR in his last 3 games, and now sports a .770 OPS on the season.
• Alex Monsalve, C-LCC: 2-4, BB, K. Hitting .378/.452/.486 in his last 10 and rising up the prospect rankings.
• Tony Wolters, SS-MVS: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB, K. Wolters is hitting .276/.375/.407 and providing solid defense at SS for the Scrappers.
• Alex Lavisky, C-MVS: 2-5, HR (3), RBI, R, K. Lavisky is suddenly finding himself at the plate. He’s hit in 9 of his last 10 games with 3 HR and a pair of doubles, and has put up a .316/.381/.605 line in that timeframe.
• Todd Hankins, 2B-MVS: 2-4, HR (1), RBI, R. Hankins ripped his 1^st professional HR last night, but still has just a .592 OPS on the season for Mahoning Valley.
• Jake Sisco, SP-AZL: 4 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 K. Yesterday was Sisco’s longest outing as a professional, and the 2011 3^rd round pick now has 18 K and 9 BB in 19 innings of work in the complex league. He’s given up just 3 ER (1.42 ERA).

And here we go again...

Grady Sizemore underwent a procedure in Philadelphia Thursday to fix a sports hernia injury. And it was completely unrelated to the knee injury he sustained against Baltimore last weekend. Sizemore's knee will not undergo any sort of medical procedure and he is using his healing period to correct the hernia issue.

Sizemore is now expected to miss at least four-to-six weeks as he recovers from both ailments. And that's just to, as Lonnie Soloff, Indians head trainer, put it, "return to baseball activities." The knee injury is similar to the injury Sizemore had to the same right knee earlier this season. It was determined after an MRI that there was no structural damage. 

The previous injury kept Sizemore out for two weeks and was more of a bone bruise. 

As for the sports hernia, Sizemore has actually been down this road before. In 2009 when his injury problems really started, Sizemore had another procedure done in September that was in the same area. Although this latest is considered less severe and Sizemore can begin a light rehab program as soon as Friday.

Now it begs the question. Is Grady Sizemore now injury-prone?

Maybe. He's certainly been on the Disabled List a lot the past three years and they haven't exactly been "freak" accidents or "nicks and scrapes." If anything, they are a result of the aggressive nature of his play. One of his greatest strengths, could actually be his eventual downfall. 

And his play? The knee injuries certainly impacted the way he swung the bat. This year, his running game has been absent, but he's still out in the field as a capable center fielder catching up to balls. Perhaps the "hip discomfort" he felt as a result of the hernia was slowing him down on the basepaths, even some of his hitting. 

We've seen him struggle in the past due to injuries.

The ultimate "now" question in regards to Sizemore surrounds the impending trade deadline and the liklihood the Indians now go after an outfield bat. With Shin-Soo Choo also out for at least another two weeks, probably more close to four, the Indians are left with just Michael Brantley as their only regular outfielder. If the Indians ever had a reason to acquire a bat in the outfield, even if it was a minimal piece to plug the gap for a month, this would be it.

Jake Lowery, C-MVS: 2-4, HR (5), RBI, 2 R

The 4^th round pick out of James Madison and 2011 Johnny Bench Award winner as the top collegiate catcher has had a successful professional debut with Mahoning Valley this year. He showed big power in college, but some scouts put that down to a favorable home park. With 5 HR and 11 2B in 102 pro at bats (.529 SLG), he’s rapidly putting those fears to rest. He’s shown a solid approach, walking 13 times and striking out 18 to help post a .357 OBP. There are still some questions about his defense, but at the very least it appears that the bat is legit.

• C.C. Lee, RP-COL: 2 IP, 2 K, H. Lee has now made 8 appearances with AAA Columbus, and has yet to allow an earned run in 12 1/3 innings of work. He has 19 K and just 3 BB for the Clippers.
• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: 1 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 2 K. The defense let Hagadone down in the 9^th yesterday, and he gave up his first ER since allowing a solo HR back on June 21.
• Cord Phelps, SS-COL: 1-3, HR (8), RBI, 2 BB, R, K, CS. Phelps with his 1^st AAA HR in a long time, but also made a costly error in the 9^th to allow the leadoff hitter to reach base.
• Jason Donald, 3B-COL: 2-4, 2B, 2 R, K. Donald stays hot at the dish, and is now hitting .471/.591/.765 over his last 10. Like Phelps, he had a costly error in the 4-run 9^th inning that allowed the Yankees to tie the game.
• Shelly Duncan, DH-COL: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, R. In 15 AAA games, Sloth is hitting .280/.415/.500 with 3 HR and 15 RBI.
• Jerad Head, RF-COL: 2-4, HR (15), RBI, R. Head hit a walk-off blast in the bottom of the 9^th after the Yankees tied the game with 4 runs in the top of the inning.
• Austin Adams, SP-AKR: 7 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 6 K, BB. Adams had been struggling a bit, but in back to back starts has gone 13 1/3 innings, allowing just 4 ER. Very encouraging to see him keeping the walks down.
• Chun Chen, C-AKR: 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI, K. Chen ripped his 3^rd triple of the year last night, and drove in 2 of the 4 Akron runs.
• Juan Diaz, SS-AKR: 1-4, RBI, BB, R. Diaz hit a two-out, walkoff single in the bottom of the 9^th yesterday to give the Aeros the victory.
• Jordan Henry, CF-AKR: 0-3, 2 BB, SB, R. No power to speak of (.293 SLG) but lots of on base skills (.371 OBP) and speed (25 SB in 31 attempts). Henry is a true old-school leadoff hitter.
• Kyle Landis, RP-KIN: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K, BB. Landis and his 0.75 ERA are screaming for a promotion back to Akron. He also has a 27/5 K/BB ratio in 24 innings in Kinston.
• Chris Jones, RP-KIN: W (5-1), 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K, BB. Another guy who has earned a ticket to Akron, Jonsey has a 3.59 ERA and 46 K in 47 2/3 IP for the K-Tribe this year.
• Anthony Gallas, LF-KIN: 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI. After hitting .314/.393/.517 for Lake County, Gallas has found the Carolina League to be a much more difficult environment, as he’s gone just .200/.277/.305 for Kinston.
• Abner Abreu, RF-KIN: 2-4, 2B, BB, R, 2 K. Abreu stays hot with his 2^nd multi-hit game in his last 3 contests. Hitting .333/.432/.800 over his last 10.
• Tyler Holt, CF-KIN: 2-4, 2 R, BB. Holt’s numbers are coming back up of late, and he’s now at .255/.371/.329 on the season with 2 HR, 19 RBI and 22 SB in 27 attempts.
• Justin Toole, 3B-KIN: 2-4, R. The 3B/2B/1B is hitting .270/.323/.352 on the season and playing solid defense all around the infield.
• Doug Pickens, C-KIN: 1-4, 2 RBI, K. Pickens drilled a two-out, two-run walkoff single in the bottom of the 9^th inning yesterday for the K-Tribe.
• Bryce Stowell, RP-LCC: 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, H, 2 K, BB. Even with yesterday’s poor outing, Stowell has a 2.60 ERA in 17 1/3 innings of work for Lake County, with 26 K.
• J.D. Reichbach, RP-LCC: W (5-1), 2 IP, H, 2 K. The starter/reliever for the Captains came in to throw the 11^th and 12^th innings in a 1-run Lake County victory last night.
• Brian Heere, LF-LCC: 5-7, 2 RBI, 2 R, K. Heere had a career-high 5 hits in the extra inning victory for the Captains.
• Ronny Rodriguez, SS-LCC: 3-5 3 RBI, BB, R, K. Rodriguez is hitting .325/.341/.525 over his last 10 games.
• Jesus Aguilar, 1B-LCC: 1-4, RBI, 2 BB, 2 R, 3 K. BBJA is up to .288/.368/.540 on the year, and just turned 21 at the end of June.
• Jordan Smith, 3B-MVS: 2-4, R, K. Another day, another pair of hits for Smith. His line just keeps getting better, and is now at .350/.427/.466 on the season.  

• Zach Putnam, RP-COL: W (5-2), IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K. Putnam has hit a bit of a rough patch, giving up 7 ER in his last 5 2/3 IP.
• Josh Judy, RP-COL: S (14), 2 K, BB. Judy hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 10 appearances, and has 18 K and 7 BB over 11 2/3 innings.
• Cord Phelps, SS-COL: 2-4, 2 R, SB. Phelps is 5 for his last 15, and hasn’t homered since being sent back to AAA.
• Tim Fedroff, CF-COL: 2-4, 2 RBI. In 62 AB with AAA Columbus, Fedroff is hitting .274/.361/.355 with a HR and 9 RBI.
• Adam Miller, RP-AKR: 2 2/3 IP, 5 K. Dominant performance for Miller, who now has a 3.10 ERA and 18 K in his 20 1/3 innings for the Aeros.  
• Beau Mills, DH-AKR: 3-4, HR (9), 2B, 2 RBI, R, K. Mills has been on fire lately, hitting .457/.537/.914 over his last 10 games with 4 HR.
• Chun Chen, C-AKR: 2-3, 2B, w BB, 2 R, K. Chen has been almost as hot as Mills in his last 10; he has a .394/.475/.636 line with a HR and 6 RBI.
• Kyle Bellows, 3B-AKR: 2-5, 2 RBI, K. Bellows has a disappointing .218/.292/.305 line on the season with just one HR.
• Marty Popham, SP-KIN: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 11 K. Popham is suddenly a dominant strikeout machine, as he now has 20 K in his last 13 1/3 IP without walking a batter.
• Preston Guilmet, RP-KIN: S (24), IP, 3 K. Guilmet has saves in 6 consecutive appearances for the K-Tribe, and now has 38 K against just 6 BB in 37 IP on the season.
• Tyler Holt, CF-KIN: 2-3, R. Holt is hitting .252/.368/.327 with 22 SB and 2 HR on the season.
• Abner Abreu, RF-KIN: 0-2, 2 BB. In his last 3 games, Abreu is 3-7 with a HR and 3 BB. Most importantly, he has struck out just once in those 10 plate appearances.
• Tyler Cannon, 2B-KIN: 2-4, 2B. Cannon is 4 for his last 8 and is hitting .239/.324/.406 for Kinston overall.
• Jeremie Tice, DH-KIN: 1-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, BB, K. Tice with HR in back-to-back games, and now has 5 in his 138 AB on the season.
• LeVon Washington, CF-LCC: 2-4, 2 R, SB, K. Washington is showing signs of life, as he now has hit in 4 straight and is 7-15 with 3 BB in that span.
• Carlos Moncrief, RF-LCC: 1-5, HR (9), RBI, R, 2 K. Moncrief is hitting .316/.409/.500 over his last 10 games, including a pair of stolen bases.
• Gio Urshela, 3B-LCC: 2-4, 3B, RBI, R, K. Urshela has hit in 9 of his last 10, going 14-42 in that timeframe.
• Ronny Rodriguez, SS-LCC: 2-4, HR (7), RBI, R. For a 6’, 170LB SS, Ro-Ro is showing some pop with 7 HR in 193 AB’s.
• Jordan Smith, 3B-MVS: 3-5, 2 2B, R. Smith is up to .343/.425/.465 on the season for the Scrappers. The bat seems legit, but scouts question whether the glove will play at 3B.
• Cody Elliott, CF-MVS: 2-4, BB, 3 R. The Ball State product is hitting .245/.327/.306 for Mahoning Valley this year, with 3 SB in 4 attempts.
• Robbie Aviles, SP-AZL: IP, ER, H. Aviles is working his way back from arm surgery, and it’s just good to see him on the mound and throwing again.
• Moisses Ramirez, RP-AZL: 3 1/3 IP, H, R (0 ER), 6 K, 2 BB. Nice Arizona League debut for the 21-year old Ramirez, who struck out 21 in 22 DSL innings this year.
• Luigi Rodriguez, DH-AZL: 3-5, 2B, R, K, 2 CS. The speedy Rodriguez is hitting .375/.419/.536 for the AZL Indians. Also, he turns 19 in November.
• Juan Romero, RF-AZL: 1-3, 3B, BB, K. Converted from 3B to OF in the offseason, Romero is hitting .214/.270/.446 and turned 18 about a month ago.