SS-A: Brooklyn Cyclones 7, @ Lowell Spinners 2

The Cyclones league leading offense, showed off another dimension of their repertoire, the stolen base.  Brooklyn (21-11) stole a season high seven bases in the 7-2 victory over Lowell.  Cody Holliday, Darrell Ceciliani, and Rylan Sandoval each stole two bases a piece, and Cory Vaughn added another.  For the season Ceciliani now has a NYPL leading 13 stolen bases.  The Cyclones as a team are second in the NYPL with 42 stolen bases, four behind Hudson Valley.

Offensively the Cyclones used a 13-hit effort in the victory.  Offensive stars include: Sandoval (2-3, RBI), Ceciliani (2-4, RBI), Vaughn (3-5, 2 2B, 2RBI) , J.B. Brown (2-4), and Holliday (3-4, RBI).  With his two hits, Brown (pictured) extends his hit-streak to 12 games, over which he is 18-42 (.429/.466/.643).  Prior to the streak Brown was hitting .150, now he has raised his average to .293.

Mets 2010 3rd round pick, Blake Forsythe made his Cyclone debut.  Forsythe was 0-4 with an rbi and two strikeouts, but caught a solid game behind the plate.

Starter Chris Hilliard (5-0) was solid, but not spectacular on the night.  Hilliard, who picked up his team leading fifth win without a loss, tossed 6 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits (six where singles), two runs (one earned), while walking none and striking out only two.  Wesley Wrenn came on in relief of Hilliard, and pitched 2 2/3 of perfect baseball, while striking out four, to pick up his first save of the season.

SS-R: @ Kingsport Mets 6, Bluefield Orioles 3

Chase Greene’s rbi single in the seventh, gave Kingsport (12-16) the lead for good, in the 6-3 victory over Bluefield.  After a one-out John Semel (1-3, 3B) triple, Greene (2-3, rbi, BB, 2 SB) singled him in to plate the eventual game-winner.  Greene (pictured) also wreaked havoc on the bases with two stolen bases, and was caught one other time.   Aderlin Rodriguez (1-2, rbi, 2bb, SB), Amauris Valdez (0-1, rbi), and Eddie Lora (0-2, 2rbi) drove in the rest of the Kingsport runs.  Rodriguez also committed his team leading 10th error of the season.

Starter Jacob DeGrom (5 IP, 5h, 3er, 3bb, 3K) gave up a 3-run homerun in the 4th, but the relief efforts of T.J. Chism (2 IP, 2K) and Michael Weldon (2 IP, 2h, 1bb, 3K) held Bluefield scoreless over the final 4 innings.

SS-R: @ GCL Astros 7, GCL Mets 4

Rehabbing Robbie Shields (0-3, 2BB) and Zach Lutz (1-4, K), continue on in the Gulf “Roast” League, as a friend of mine put it.  12pm gametimes in Florida, in the middle of the summer are not good.  Throw in teenagers on the mound, who throw hard but lack control, and you say “get me the heck out of here”.

I fortunately played in extended spring training in Arizona, where its a “dry” 100+ degree heat (where u dont sweat as much but your skin burns quicker), but grew up in Florida where you sweat through your shirt, while picking up the morning paper from the driveway.  So pick your poison, either way its a grind to say the least.  Throw in the fact that you probably have no car, and are not making any money (very little), it will truly test guys love for the game.

Back to this box score, we see Sean Green (1 IP, 1h, 1er, 1bb, 2K) also continuing to rehab.  Its always a treat for these young guys to play with rehabbing big-leaguers.  Well not all of the time, as some of those guys just want to get out of there and are down right jerks. (I speak from experience and will not name names, Mr. Williams- you can try and figure that one on your own if you so choose).  Hopefully Green is one of the good guys, who talks to and helps these young prospects.  And for the players sake, maybe takes the team out for a meal before they move on out.

SS-A: Brooklyn Cyclones 7, @ Tri-City Valley Cats 6  10 innings

The Brooklyn Cyclones (20-10) blew a 9th inning lead, but rallied in the 10th to defeat Tr-City 7-6.  With the vixtory, the Cyclones extend their winning streak to six games, and open up a three game division lead.  The Cyclones now have won ten out of their last eleven games.

William Cherry (3-5, 3RBI) singled in Joe Bonfe (1-5), who reached on an error, in the 10th with the eventual game-winning run.  Cherry got the Cyclones on the board with two-run single in the 4th, which gave Brooklyn a 2-0 lead.

Leading the Cyclones offense were: Rylan Sandoval (2-5, 2B), Cory Vaughn (2-4, RBI, BB, SB), Brian Harrison (2-4, BB), and Darrell Ceciliani (1-2, 2RBI).  Ceciliani did not start, but came in as a pinch-hitter in the 8th, is now hitting .397/.449/.543.

Mitchell Houck was very mediocre.  The 23-year old went 5 2/3 innings, giving up five hits, three runs (all earned), one walk, and struck out three.  Johan Figuereo, who blew the save in the 9th, picked up his second win of the season.  Ryan Fraser, who has been dominant, picked up his 4th save, striking out the two batters he faced.  Fraser now has 23 K in 13 1/3 innings.

SS-R: @ Johnson City Cardinals 15, Kingsport Mets 5

Kingsport pitchers were tuned up for 15 runs and 19 hits, in the loss to Johnson City.  The defense did not help their cause, as four errors help produce four unearned runs.

Alberto Cordero (2-5, 2B, HR, RBI) and ZeErika McQueen (1-4, HR, RBI) homered for the K-Mets.  The batting line of the night belongs to Patrick Farrell.  Farrell was 0-5 with 5 strikeouts.

Aderlin Rodriguez (0-4, RBI, BB, 2K, 2 errors) now hitting .302/.342/.623; Javier Rodriguez (1-5, RBI, K) now hitting .317/.339/.500.

SS-R: GCL Mets 5, @ GCL Cardinals

This box score is filled with a bunch of rehab guys.  Lets start with the hitters: Zach Lutz (0-3, playing 3B), Robbie Shields (2-4, 2B, now hitting .253/.329/.360), and Mike Hessman (2-4).

Other hitters of note: Blake Forsythe (0-3, BB, K) and Julio Concepcion (1-3, 2B, RBI, K).  Concepcion, #36 on Toby’s 2010 Top 41, is hitting .375/.392/.625 in the month of July.  On the season Concepcion has walked once and struck out 16 times, so there is still improvements that need to be made.

Rehabbing pitchers include Sean Green (1 IP, 2K) and Brant Rustich (1 IP, K).