Thursday, May 28, 2009

Thursday's Rundown

Here's a quick rundown of the past day's boxscores:

Mark Saccomanno has a 16-game hitting streak currently. In May, the 29-year old has only gone hitless in three games and is hitting .287/.325/.389. While his RBI count has gone down this month, he's second on the team with 17 runs scored and has scored 27 runs this season.

Chris Johnson put up his third straight 2 for 4 game on Wednesday. The 24-year old is 12 for 38 with a double, three runs scored, three RBIs and nine strikeouts since coming off the DL earlier this month. Johnson's power hasn't come back yet, but he's been consistent, which has been a knock on his scouting reports.

Jason Smith's addition to the Round Rock meant Chad Spann got sent back to Corpus Christi. I've previously written about how good Spann has been since his promotion and he finished the month going 13 of 46 with three walks, seven runs scored, two RBIs and 13 strikeouts. His .283/.353/.304 line isn't impressive, but should have been good enough to stay up a level over the older Smith.

Corpus Christi managed just three hits against Arkansas on Wednesday. They only avoided a shutout because one of those hits was a solo home run from catcher Brian Esposito. The 31-year old has been catching almost every game since his demotion to Double-A, and is 10 for 46 over that time frame. The home run on Wednesday was his first extra-base hit this month and makes him an interesting comparison to backup catcher Jonathan Fixler, who's 6 for 29 this month and all six hits have been for extra bases.

Douglas Arguello threw 8 2/3 innings in the game, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out six and walking one. Arguello also gave up his first home run in four starts while getting a staggering 16/3 G/F ratio. His game score was 59, which was his second-highest total of the season and he induced three double plays.

At Lancaster, Jack Tilghman got his first start of the season on Wednesday, striking out five in 3 1/3 innings. The 22-year old gave up a hit, two earned runs and walked three but didn't figure into the decision. I'm not sure whether this is a sign of him moving into the rotation or just the team needing a spot starter and trying to stretch him out.

Outfielder Eric Suttle continues his impressive run at Lancaster, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs on Wednesday. He's 8 for 24 with three walks, three runs scored, five RBIs with four strikeouts since joining the JetHawks. The 24-year old has started games at all three outfield positions as well.

Lexington starter Robert Bono continued his excellent season, throwing six strong innings on Wednesday. The 20-year old allowed nine hits and one unearned run while striking out five and walking one. His team scored three runs in the ninth, so he didn't get the victory, but his expected win percentage is sitting at .728 and his walk rate (1.08) and strikeout rate (6.08) are both very good. In addition to that, Bono hasn't given up a home run all season. He started 15 games in short season ball last year but should be ready to move up soon.

Michael Diaz had his second straight two-hit game on Wednesday, raising his average to .271 this season. In those games, he's hit his first double of the season, scored one run and driven in two runs. The 22-year old has started at second base, trading off with Andrew Simunic, but was at DH on Wednesday.

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