Brett Siddall, CBN POW, Week II

By George Farelli
Canadian Baseball Network
Beloit’s entry into the class-A Midwest League is nicknamed the Snappers. 

The monicker was selected in 1995 and comes from the snapping turtle, because Beloit used to be known as Turtle Village.

Had the team been named the Beloit Bombers it might have been changed to the Snappers, the way Brett Siddall snapped victory from the jaws of defeat.

Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) gave Beloit a 3-2 win over Burlington in 12 innings. It was one of his 10 hits -- no other Canadian had more than six -- to earn Canadian Baseball Network Player of the Week honors for Week II. Siddall, a Windsor Selects product, who went on to play for Mike McRae’s Canisius Golden Griffs batted .455 for the week (10-for-22) with four RBIs.

Not far from Beloit is here is Turtle Creek and a town of Turtle ... all named for a turtle-shaped Indian mound on the campus of Beloit College.

How the week that was went for Siddall, selected by Oakland A’s scout Matt Higginson in the 13th round of the 2015 draft, the best of the 50 Canucks in the minors as he ... 

_ Singled in three at-bats in a 2-0 loss to the Clinton LumberKings in front of 701 fans at Ashford University Field.

_ Didn’t play in a 3-1 loss to the Burlington Bees on front of 306 fans at Pohlman Field. 

_ Was hitless in a 6-4 loss to Burlington in front of 514 fans.  

_ Was 4-for-5 and knocked in the game winner against Burlington in the bottom of the 12th in front of 670 fans. He walked in the second, singled to right in the third, singled to left in the sixth, singled to centre in the 10th and with one out in the bottom of the 12th singled to centre bringing home the winner.  

_ Singled and knocked in a run with a fly ball in a 6-0 win over the Burlington before 921 fans. He singled in the fourth and hit his scoring fly ball in the seventh. 
  
_ Had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and three RBIs as Beloit beat the Kane County Cougars 6-1 before 1,511 fans at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. He singled to centre in the first, doubled to right bringing home the first two runs of the game in the third, walked in the fifth and doubled to right in the sixth bringing in a run to make it 5-0. 

_ Doubled in three trips for one of Beloit’s two hits in a 3-0 loss to Kane County before 2,635 fans.

BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCES
Player / Class / Team    AB    R    H    HR    RBI    AVG
Brett Siddall - A Beloit    22    3    10    -    4    .455
Connor Panas - A Lansing    14    5    5    1    2    .357
Tyler O’Neill - AA Jackson    23    4    6    2    5    .261
(Minimum 10 AB’s required.)      

                 
 
BEST PITCHING PERFORMANCES
JAMESON TAILLON  RHP  -  AAA  INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
APP   IP   H  R  ER  BB  K  W-L  SV  WHIP  WK ERA
2   10.1  12  3   3    -   10  1-0   -    1.19    2.67
One can only imagine the eager anticipation Jameson Taillon must have experienced last week, on the eve of his first start in over two full seasons. One of the top pitching prospects in baseball at the time, he was placed on the disabled list by the Pirates on Sept. 1st, 2013 and had been inactive due to injury for a total of 31 months. Now he was ready to re-start his career for Triple-A Indianapolis Indians April 13th game against the Toledo Mud Hens.
The results were excellent, in a 4-2 win over the Mud Hens he pitched six innings, gave up five base hits and one earned run, while striking out six Toledo hitters, to earn his first win of the season. He made a second start this week against Toledo on April 18 and he pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up seven base hits and two earned runs while striking out four. He was not involved in the decision.
These two outings would seem to confirm that Jameson Taillon is back and no doubt, his fans and the Pittsburgh Pirates are ecstatic.

 
NICK PIVETTA  LHP  -  AA  READING FIGHTIN’ PHILS
APP   IP  H  R  ER  BB  K  W-L  SV  WHIP  WK ERA
1   6.0  1  -   -    -   7   1-0   -    0.17    0.00
In his first full season in the Phillies organization, the expectations for highly rated pitching prospect Nick Pivetta are understandably quite high. On April 14th in a 9-0 win over the Harrisburg Senators he did not disappoint, pitching six scoreless innings, surrendered only one hit while striking out seven hitters, to earn his first win of the year. His season totals in the Double A Eastern League now stand at 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA.

 
PLAYER MOVEMENTS AND TRANSACTIONS
RHP Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex.) - Activated from the disabled list by Pittsburgh Pirates at Triple A Indianapolis Indians.
 
C Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ont.) - Activated from disabled list by Miami Marlins at Single A Greensboro Grasshoppers.
 
C George Kottaras (Markham, Ont.) - Activated from disabled list by San Francisco Giants at Triple A Sacramento River Cats.
 
INF Stephen Wickens (Whitby, Ont.) - Activated from disabled list by Minnesota Twins at Triple A Rochester Red Wings.
 
LHP Evan Grills (Whitby, Ont.) - Activated from disabled list by Houston Astros at Single A Lancaster JetHawks.
 
 
RHP Jasvir Rakkar (Brampton, Ont.) - Signs as a Free Agent with Quebec Capitales IND Can Am League.