Shane Dawson, CBN POW, Week XXI

LHP Shane Dawson (Drayton Valley, Alta.) is the Canadian Baseball Network minor league Player of the Week. Photo: Eddie Michels.

By George Farelli
Canadian Baseball Network
Lefty Shane Dawson opened a lot of eyes at the Pan Am Games in Ajax.

Dawson (Drayton Valley, Alta.) pitched 5 1/3 innings of relief in Canada’s 4-1 loss to the United States in pool play. With 12 wins at class-A Lansing, Dawson was promoted to class-A Dunedin to bounce over the foul lines to and from the mound

And he was dominant coming within one pitch of a no hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader in a 2-0 win against the Tampa Yankees at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. He dispatched the Yankees in exactly an hour and a half. 

Dunedin won the nitecap 3-1 over Tampa before 443 fans. C Mike Reeves (Peterborough, Ont.) singled in three trips in the nitecap.

The seven-inning one hitter by Dawson earned him Canadian Baseball Network minor leaguer player of the week for Week 21.

And it was far from easy for Dawson. Pitching with the game on the line -- it was scoreless until one out in the bottom of the fifth. Dickie Joe Thon, who also was in Ajax hit doubles to left, his 13th and then Dawson’s batter mate hit a two-run homer to left for his second home run.

How the seven innings unfolded for Dawson batter by batter. We could have said hit by hit ... but he only gave up one. 

Tampa 1st: Pops out to short, comebacker to Dawson and pop up to first.

Tampa 2nd: Miguel Andujar singled on a grounder to left, fly ball to right, pops up to second, grounds ball to third.

Tampa 3rd: Pops out to first, lines out to short, bunt attempt, catcher to first.

Tampa 4th: Grounds out to short, lines out to short, called out on strikes.

Tampa 5th: Ericson Leonora reaches on a fielding error by third baseman Matt Dean, thrown out on fielder’s choice 1-5-6, strikes out swinging, flies out to centre.

Tampa 6th: Grounds out to second, pops up to shortstop, fly ball to left.

Tampa 7th: Ground out to first with Dawson covering, called out on strikes, struck out swinging.
 
Dawson was the winner over LHP Jeff Francis (North Delta, BC), eight innings, one run for triple-A Buffalo Bisons; Malik Collymore (Mississauga, Ont.) who hit .500 with four RBIs at rookie-class Helena and George Kottaras (Markham, Ont.) who hit .455 with two RBIs at Buffalo.
 
BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCES
Player / Class / Team    AB    R    H    HR    RBI    AVG
Malik Collymore - Rkie Helena     24    7    12    -    4    .500
Justin Morneau - AA New Britain    13    3    6    1    4    .462
George Kottaras - AAA Buffalo    11    3    5    -    2    .455
Connor Panas - A Vancouver    21    5    8    -    3    .381
Justin Atkinson - A Vancouver    29    2    11    -    1    .379
Maxx Tissenbaum - A Charlotte    16    2    6    -    2    .375
Pete Orr - AAA Colorado Springs    19    4    7    -    -    .368
Dustin Houle - A Brevard County    11    -    4    -    3    .364
Tyler O’Neill - A Bakersfield    17    3    6    -    1    .353
Jamie Romak - AAA Reno    30    6    10    2    5    .333
Brett Siddall - A Vermont    30    3    9    -    3    .300
                               
Sasha LaGarde - IND Trois Rivieres    14    1    6    -    3    .429
Rene Tosoni - IND Sioux City    19    5    8    -    8    .421
Carter Bell - IND Joliet    22    3    6    1    1    .273
(Minimum 10 AB’s required, Morneau on re hab assignment.)                         

 
BEST PITCHING PERFORMANCES
SHANE DAWSON  LHP  -  SINGLE A DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS
AP   IP   H   R  ER  BB  K   W-L   SV  WHIP  WK ERA
1   7.0   1   -   -    -   4   1-0    -    0.14    0.00
Shane Dawson continues to perform at a very high level, and this week he made another excellent start for Dunedin. On Sept. 1st in a 2-0 shutout win over Tampa Yankees he pitched seven scoreless innings, gave up only one base hit, while striking out four Tampa batters, to earn his third of the season in the Florida State League.  His record with Dunedin improved to 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA and his overall record, including a stint with Lansing in the Single A Midwest League, now stands at 15-6 with a 3.13 ERA. His 15 wins as a Canadian pitching with an affiliated team in 2015, is the highest total since Scott Diamond had fifteen wins in 2008 while active in the Atlanta Braves organization.
 
JEFF FRANCIS  LHP  -  AAA  BUFFALO BISONS
AP  IP   H   R  ER  BB  K   W-L   SV  WHIP  WK ERA
1   8.0   2   1   1   -   6   1-0    -    0.25    1.13
Jeff Francis finished off his season with the Buffalo Bisons on Aug. 29th, with an outstanding start in a 3-1 victory over the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders. He pitched eight innings surrendered only two base hits and one earned run, while striking out six Scranton hitters, to earn his sixth International League win. This outing improved his record with the Bisons to 6-3 with a 2.35 ERA. To make the week even more enjoyable, he was named as a September call up to the Major Leagues by Toronto Blue Jays.
 
BROCK DYKXHOORN  RHP - SINGLE A QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS
AP  IP   H   R  ER  BB  K   W-L   SV  WHIP  WK ERA
1  7.0   6   1   1   -   3   1-0    -    0.86    1.29
Brock Dykxhoorn has had an excellent season with Single A Quad Cities River Bandits in the Single A Midwest League, and this week made another very good start. On Aug. 30th in a 2-1 win over the Burlington Bees he threw seven innings gave up six base hits and
one earned run while striking out three Burlington hitters, to earn his eighth with of the year. His overall record with the River Bandits now stands at 8-4 with a 3.72 ERA.

 
DETAILS RE PLAYER MOVES AND TRANSACTIONS
LHP Jeff Francis (Vancouver, BC) - Called up to Major League roster by the Toronto Blue Jays from Triple A Buffalo Bisons.
 
OF Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) - Called up to Major League roster by the Toronto Blue Jays from Triple A Buffalo Bisons.
 
1B Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) - Sent out on Re hab assignment by Colorado Rockies at Double A New Britain Rock Cats.
 
RHP Jared Mortensen (Abbotsford, BC) - Moved by the Tampa Bay Rays to Triple A Durham Bulls from Double A Montgomery Biscuits.
 
RHP Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) - Moved by the Atlanta Braves to Rookie Class Gulf Coast Braves from Rookie Class Danville Braves.
 

INF Skyler Stromsmoe (Etzikom, Alta.) - Moved by San Francisco Giants to Double A Richmond Flying Squirrels from Single A San Jose Giants.
 
RHP Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) - Activated from the Disabled List by Cleveland Indians at Triple A Columbus Clippers.
 
LHP Shane Dawson (Drayton Valley, Alta.) - Activated from the Temporary Inactive List by Toronto Blue Jays at Single A Dunedin Blue Jays. 
 
RHP Jesen Dygestile-Therrien (Montreal, Que.) - Activated from Temporary Inactive List by Philadelphia Phillies at Single A Clearwater Threshers.
 
 
 
RHP Eric Gagne (Mascouche, Que.) - Free Agent signs with Trois Rivieres Eagles IND Can Am League, appeared in one game and was released.
 
RHP Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) - Activated from the Disabled List by Quebec Capitales IND Can Am League.
 
C/DH Jean Luc Blaquiere (Legardeur, Que.) - Placed on the Disabled List by Quebec Capitales IND Can Am League.