Louisville 8, Toledo 6
Ryan Ludwick seems to be heating up with a two hit game including his 4th home run and a walk. Max St. Pierre also homered and singled. David Espinosa, Jack Hannahan and Ryan Raburn all had multi-hit games. Josh Phelps struck out 3 times for the second consecutive game. Lance Davis and Tony Fiore were responsible for all 8 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Chris Spurling pitched two scoress innings allowing 2 hits and a walk.

Erie 3, Bowie 3 (11th in progress)
I can’t make it for the end of this game. Preston Larrison went 5 2/3 allowing two runs on 8 hits and two K’s.

Lakeland 7, Clearwater 2
Jeff Frazier was 2 for 2 including a homerun, a walk, and a sac fly. Clete Thomas added two hits and a stolen base. Jeff Larish reached base 3 times with a hit and two walks. Jair Jurrgens continues to pitch well allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings. He struck out 7 and walked none. His season totals are now 24 innings, 21 K’s, 1 BB. Kevin Whelan pitched a scoreless ninth striking out 2.

West Michigan 3, Kane County (12 innings)
Erik Averill went 7 innings and allowed a single run. Orlando Perdomo had his first struggles and blew the save by giving up a run on two walks and two hits in the 9th. West Michigan’s offense consisted of 3 singles (Rymes, Maybin, Justice) and a triple (Ryan). Michael Hollimon had a rough night, striking out twice and making two errors.

Toledo 7, Louisvill 0
Colby Lewis only allowed 4 hits and a walk in 8 innings of work to go along with 4 strikeouts. Mike Hessman had two homers and Ryan Raburn added one. Josh Phelps struck out 3 times in 4 plate appearances.

Bowie 6, Erie 5
Chris Homer allowed a homer in the 9th inning as Erie couldn’t hold onto the lead. Virgil Vasquez allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, in 5 2/3 innings. He walked 2 and struck out 4. Kody Kirkland hit his 6th homer with two men on. Kurt Airoso added two doubles and a walk.

Clearwater 3, Lakeland 1
The Lakeland bats were silent as they only mustered 7 singles and no walks while striking out 10 times. Brent Dlugach picked up two of the hits, but committed his 7th error. Kevin Ardoin allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, in 6 1/3 innings.

West Michigan 8, Clinton 2
Matt Joyce and Ryan Roberson each picked up a double and a single. Michael Hollimon and Cameron Maybin singled but struck out 3 times. Ramon Garcia pitched 8 innings and allowed 2 runs. He struck out 5 and walked none to raise his season ratio to 20:2 in 26 innings.

Toledo 4, Columbus 3
Chad Durbin went 6 innings and only allowed 1 run while striking out 4. David Espinosa hit his first homer of the year, and Ryan Ludwick hit his third. Tike Redman added two hits including a double.

Erie 15, Binghamton 4
It was an offensive explosion for Erie today. Tony Giarratano had two doubles, a triple, and a walk. Kurt Airoso had 4 hits, two of which were homers. Kody Kirkland and Mike Rabelo added home runs as well. Kirkland reached base 4 times and had 5 RBI’s. Juan Francia posted an unfortunate 0 for 6. Humberto Sanchez didn’t really need the runs. He pitched 7 innings and allowed only 4 hits while K’ing 8. His ERA now stands at 1.96.

Clearwater 14, Lakeland 9
Christhian Martinez was hammered for 9 runs and didn’t make it out of the 2nd inning. PJ Finigan was then tagged for 4 unearned runs. Brent Dlugach made two errors to bring his total to 6. Jeff Larish had a tough week, but rebounded with his 3rd homer, a double, and a walk. Clete Thomas reached base 3 times. Victor Mendez homered and added a double as well.

West Michigan 6, Clinton 4
Michael Hollimon switched spots with Cameron Maybin in the lineup, and both responded. Maybin tripled and walked while Hollimon added a double and a single. Both were caught stealing. Matt Joyce homered. Lucas French allowed 4 runs in 7 innings despite poor peripherals. He allowed 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 homers. Ricky Steik pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Steik, who was obtained via the Kenny Baugh trade, now has 12 strikeouts and no walks in 8 1/3 innings.

Toledo 3, Columbus 2
Josh Phelps had two hits, including his first home run. Jack Hannahan added two more hits, and David Espinosa reached base twice via the walk. Espinosa’s OBP now stands at .421. Zach Miner pitched 6 shutout innings. He only allowed one hit, but 5 walks (and 6 K’s). Chris Spurling saw his first action since his demotion and allowed two hits, a walk, and a run in one inning.

Erie was postponed due to rain

Fort Myers 9, Lakeland 1
I’m sure Lakeland would have liked to have had this game postponed. The L-Tigers had as many hits as they did errors (2). Jeff Larish continues a tough week striking out 3 times in 4 at-bats. Dallas Trahern was pounded for 7 hits and 6 runs in only 4 innings.

West Michigan 4, Clinton 3
Burke Badenhop allowed 3 runs in 4 innings, but Andrew Kown came in and allowed a single hit in 3 innings of relief along with 4 K’s. Kown hasn’t allowed a run, or a walk in 12 innings of work. Orlando Perdomo didn’t allow a baserunner and struck out two for a one inning save. Offensively there wasn’t much of note. Pedro Cotto had two hits, and Michael Hollimon walked twice. Cameron Maybin was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Charlotte 6, Toledo 3
It was another strong start for Wil Ledezma who allowed 3 runs in 7 innings. He struckout 9 against only two walks. For the season his K:BB ratio is 26:6. Ryan Raburn homered and frove in 3. Kevin Hooper raised his average to .404 with two more hits. Josh Phelps struck out 4 times in 5 at-bats. Mark Woodyard continues to struggle. He took the loss allowing 3 runs and his ERA now stands at 15.19.

Binghamton 8, Erie 4
Tony Giarratano and Brent Clevlen each had two hits – including a double for Clevlen. Nate Bumstead was roughed up for 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3.

Lakeland 6, Fort Myers 5
Josh Rainwater allowed 4 runs, 3 were earned, in 5 innings. He struck out 6 and walked none. Victor Mendez picked up 4 hits, Gil Mejia added 3, and Chris Robinson had two. Jeff Frazier struck out 4 times, and Jeff Larish was 0 for 5. PJ Finigan, Eddie Bonine, and Jeff Hahn combined for 9 strikeouts and one hit in 8 scoreless innings.

West Michigan 3, Clinton 0
Sendy Vasquez threw 6 shut out innings. That brings his total to 16 innings with no runs allowed. Tonight he struck out 8 and walked 2. Orlando Perdomo picked up his 6th save with a scoreless 9 inning. Perdomo has now struck out 11 in 7 1/2 innings. Cameron Maybin was 1 for 3 with a walk. Justin Justice picked up two hits.

Charlotte 5, Toledo 4
It was a rough start for Lance Davis. He allowed 11 hits and 3 walks in only 4 1/3 innings. Amazingly it only resulted in 5 runs. Brian Peterson continues to perform well in limited playing time. He entered tonight hitting 429/429/714 in his 4 games and added a homer. David Espinosa also picked up two hits.
In non game news, Don Kelly was hospitalized after being beaned by a relay throw.

Erie 9, Binghamton 6 (13 innings)
At press time (or me going to bed time) the game was tied in the 11th inning. Brent Clevlen, Kody Kirkland, and Mike Rabelo each had two hits. On the downside, Clevlen struckout 4 times and Kirkland K’d 3 times. Kirkland also committed his 5th error. Vincent Blue had two walks to go along with his two singles. Jeremy Johnson was hit hard, but Brian Rogers provided 3 scoreless innings of relief (3 K’s).

Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 2It was an excellent start for Jair Jurrjens as he went 7 innings and only giving up one run. He allowed one extra base hit and 3 singles while striking out 3. Wilkin Ramirez managed a hit, but he also made his 5th error. Chris Robinson picked up two walks, and Brent Dlugach picked up two hits. Jeff Larish, who had been heating up, had a rough night strking out 3 times (he singled in his 4th at-bat). Kevin Whelan picked up his 5th save, but this one was a little tougher. He allowed two hits, two walks and a run before retiring the side.

Cedar Rapids 5, West Michigan 4 Cameron Maybin continues to impress defensively. It seems like he has an outfield assist every other night, and he added one more doubling a runner of first. Erik Averill was pretty effective, striking out 5 and walking none in 7 innings. However he was victimized by an error and two home runs to allow 4 runs (1 earned).

Charlotte 12, Erie 4
Colby Lewis was rocked for 8 runs in only 2+ innings of work. Mike Hessman and Ryan Raburn each homered for the Mud Hens. Ryan Ludwick, Mike Hessman, and Kevin Hooper all reached base 3 times.

Erie 3, Harrisburg 2
Brent Clevlen hit his first homer and drew a walk. Garth McKinney also homered and Kody Kirkland added two hits. Preston Larrison pitched 6 innings and allowed two runs on 6 hits and a walk.

Lakeland 6, Dunedin 1
It was a good day for the prospect bats today. Clete Thomas homered, and Jeff Frazier, Jeff Larish, and Wilkin Ramirez all doubled. For Ramirez his double was one of 3 hits on the day. Kevin Ardoin struck out 3, walked 1, and allowed 5 hits – all singles – on his way to the win. Kevin Whelan came in and pitched a scoreless inning. However, Whelan allowed a 2 out walk. This is significant only because it is the first base runner he’s allowed this season, breaking his string at 13 batter faced.

West Michigan 4, Cedar Rapids 0
Another strong outing by Ramon Garcia who pitched 7 shutout innings. He walked two and struck out two. Cameron Maybin had triple and two singles, and Matt Joyce drew 3 walks.

Charlotte 4, Toledo 3
Lee Gardner again had trouble closing out a game. He blew the save allwoing 2 runs in the 9th. Chad Durbin went 6 2/3, scattering 7 hits and a walk with 6 strikeouts. Jack Hannahan continues to hit. He added two singles and a walk to raise his average to .368. He may provide a nice option if Omar Infante’s shoulder prevents him from playing the left side of the infield.
Erie 5, Harrisburg 2
Brent Clevlen and Kody Kirkland each reached base multiple times. Clevlen had a single and walk while Kirkland had the same plus a double. Virgil Vasquez went 7 innings allowing 4 hits and a walk against 6 strike outs. Eulogio De La Cruz who has had an up and down year faced 3 batters, two of which walked.

Dunedin 6, Lakeland 3
Jeff Larish had 3 hits and a walk in 5 plate appearances. His line for the season is now 308/449/538. Wilkin Ramirez had two hits as did Brent Dlugach. Christian Martinez allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (2 homers) in 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked none.

Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 1
Lucas French was effective in six innings allowing only 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 3. Unfortunately the Whitecaps bats were shut down. Through 8 innings they had managed only 5 singles.

Toledo 8, Durham 1
Tike Redman continued to hit as he picked up two doubles, as did Ryan Ludwick. Josh Phelphs chipped in 3 hits as well. All told, the offense accounted for 15 hits which is pretty impressive considering the game was called after 5 innings due to rain. Zach Miner went the distance allowing only two hits and unearned run (2 BB, 2K)

Erie 2, Harrisburg 1
Brent Clevlen had a solid day at the plate. He doubled and added two walks and a stolen base. It was only his third extra base hit of the season. Humberto Sanchez went six innings allowing 4 hits and two walks against 8 strikeouts. Sanchez’s ERA now stands at 1.69. He has 20 K’s and 5 walks in 16 innings.

Lakeland 7, Dunedin 3
Clete Thomas and Jeff Frazier both had 3 hits including Frazier’s first home run of the season. Wilkin Ramirez added two hits as well. Dallas Trahern picked up the win allowing 3 runs, one of which was earned, on 3 hits (1BB, 5K) in six innings.

West Michigan 5, Cedar Rapids 3
Will Rhymes and Ryan Roberson each had 3 hits. Michael Hollimon continues to hit as he added a double and a single in 5 at-bats. The only bad news for Hollimon is that the other 3 plate appearances resulted in strikeouts. Cameron Maybin added a triple in 4 at-bats. Burke Badenhop went six innings and allowed 3 runs for the win. Badenhop struck out 6 and walked none. Orlando Perdomo struck out two of the 3 hitters he faced for his 5th save.

Durham 5, Toledo 4
The Mud Hens are starting to find their hitting stroke. Don Kelly picked up two hits again tonight, including a double. Tike Redman and Josh Phelps also had multi-hit games while Brian Peterson knocked his first homer of the year. Kelly or Phelps could get a call if Dmitri Young will need to be DL’d. Colby Lewis had an effective start. He escaped with only one run despite allowing 6 hits and 3 walks in six innings of work. The real story came at the end of the game when Lee Gardner loaded the bases and Mark Woodyard surrendered a walk off grand slam to BJ Upton.

Bowie 6, Erie 4
Kody Kirkland hit his 3rd and 4th home runs of the season. Preston Larrison was hit early and often allowing 5 runs in 5 innings. Eulogio De La Cruz had his second consecutive strong outing going 2 1/3 and only allowing one base runner while striking out two.

Lakeland 6, Sarasota 2
It was an excellent start for Jair Jurrjens who allowed 1 run in six innings. He struck out 6 and walked nobody. In 10 innings he’s fanned 11 and walked one. Chris Robinson and Brent Dlugach each had two hits. Wilkin Ramirez had a tough night to say the least. He was 0 for 5 with 4 K’s. Nick McIntyre added 3 hits. After PJ Finigan had a hard time closing the game out, Kevin Whelan came in to get the last two outs which of course he did, via the strike out. He’s retired all 11 hitters he’s faced, fanning 8.

West Michigan 8, Southwest Michigan 5
Michael Hollimon was two for five with a home run and a triple. Despite a .500 OBP coming into the game, those were his first extra base hits. Justin Justice was 4 for 4 with two doubles. Cameron Maybin chipped in a single, and has hit safely in each game. He also threw out a runner at the plate.