Jay Blue: Biggio, Case, Eller, Kirwer, Lopez, Noda, Reid-Foley, Tellez

Cavan Biggio homered twice and drove in five for the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Wednesday. Photo Credit: Jay Blue

August 1, 2018 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Report
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away

With two rain outs and two doubleheaders, the Toronto Blue Jays' affiliates were 5-3 as two different prospects had multi-home run games across the system.

Buffalo Bisons 0, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 1

In Game 1 of their doubleheader with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (and Game 2 of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s stint in triple-A), the Buffalo Bisons mustered just five hits in a 1-0 loss.

Sean Reid-Foley tossed 110 pitches over 6 1/3 innings, giving up just four hits but one was a solo home run, giving the IronPigs all the runs they'd need. Reid-Foley walked three and struck out six before Jose Fernandez came on in the seventh to retire two batters (giving up a single) to finish the game.

Rowdy Tellez was 2-for-2 with a walk for a perfect game while Anthony Alford continues to show signs of life with the bat, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Jonathan Davis was also 1/2 with a double and a walk.

L: Sean Reid-Foley (7-3)

Roster Notes: Shawn Morimando was placed on the 7-day DL retroactive to July 11 and assigned him to the GCL for rehab.

Player of the Game: Rowdy Tellez

Buffalo Bisons 3, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2

The Buffalo Bisons rebounded from their Game 1 shutout by beating the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3-2 in Game 2 of the doubleheader.

Danny Jansen was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in the fourth inning and Jonathan Davis was 1-for-3 with a solo home run, his first in triple-A, in the fifth. Rowdy Tellez was 2-for-3, giving him four hits in the twin bill and Reese McGuire was 2-for-2.

Murphy Smith had a strong start, going five innings and giving up a run on a solo home run among six hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Justin Shafer picked up the save, tossing the final two innings and giving up a run on three hits and a walk with a strikeout.

W: Murphy Smith (2-4)
S: Justin Shafer (10)
HR: Danny Jansen (12), Jonathan Davis (1)

Player of the Game: Danny Jansen and Jonathan Davis

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 14, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3

The double-A New Hampshire followed their 11-run outburst on Tuesday with 14 runs on Wednesday, hammering the Richmond Flying Squirrels 14-3.

Cavan Biggio had a career day, slamming two more home runs (to give him 23 on the season) and going 3-for-5 and adding a double and driving in five runs, scoring three times. Andrew Guillotte, hitting at the top of the lineup, also had three hits, going 3-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs. Bo Bichette was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, two runs and a sacrifice fly. Forrest Wall, moved down to the number-five slot in the order, was 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run. Santiago Espinal was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run and Ryan Hissey was 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, a double and two runs.

Jon Harris had a solid outing, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks over seven innings, striking out six on the day. Kirby Snead allowed a hit and a walk in the eighth and Andrew Case (Saint John, N.B.) was on for the ninth, walking one and striking out one out to close out the game.

W: Jon Harris (9-4)
HR: Cavan Biggio 2 (23)

Player of the Game: Cavan Biggio

Dunedin Blue Jays 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3

Connor Eller was strong on the mound and Kevin Smith did Kevin Smith things as the class-A Advanced Dunedin Blue Jays beat the Lakeland Flying Tigers 4-3 on Wednesday.

Eller threw six scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and striking out two without walking anyone and getting nine ground ball outs to just three fly ball outs. William Ouellette followed and allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout in an inning and Claudio Custodio gave up two runs on two hits (including a home run) with a walk and three strikeouts in two innings.

Smith, playing second base, was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, adding a stolen base for his 14th stolen base for the Blue Jays and 13th home run in Dunedin. Adding his totals from his time in Lansing, Smith now has 20 home runs and 26 stolen bases (and has only been caught three times) in an outstanding first full season in the minors. Yeltsin Gudino was 2-for-3 with a run and Logan Warmoth was 1-for-4 with two stolen bases. Joshua Palacios was 1-for-4 with a double and two runs.

W: Connor Eller (6-3)
S: Claudio Custodio (1)
HR: Kevin Smith (13)

Player of the Game: Kevin Smith and Connor Eller

Lansing Lugnuts 10, South Bend Cubs 3

Kyle Weatherly had one of his best outings of the year but it was Ryan Noda who stole the show, driving the low-A Lansing Lugnuts to a 10-3 win over the South Bend Cubs.

Noda was 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI on the day while Reilly Johnson was 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Chavez Young was 0-for-2 but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run, adding a stolen base and Samad Taylor was 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a stolen base. Brandon Grudzielanek was 1-for-4 with a double and a run and Reggie Pruitt walked three times, scoring twice.

Weatherly went five innings, giving up just a run on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Matt Shannon provided two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and striking out three and Orlando Pascual finished the game, giving up two runs on a hit and two walks with one strikeout in the final two innings.

W: Kyle Weatherly (3-1)
HR: Ryan Noda 2 (13)

Player of the Game: Ryan Noda

Vancouver Canadians 5, Hillsboro Hops 8

The Vancouver Canadians made the ninth inning against the Hillsboro Hops very interesting, going from being down 4-2 to having a 5-4 lead thanks to a three-run home run from Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.). But in the bottom of the ninth, the Hops caught the home run bug and scored four runs on a walk-off three-run home run to come away with an 8-5 win over the Canadians. Jake Brodt had a strong game for the Canadians, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run while Lopez was 1-for-4 with his second Vancouver home run and three RBI. Tanner Kirwer was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his 22nd).

Nick Allgeyer tossed two innings, giving up a hit and two strikeouts before Juan Nunez threw 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Joey Pulido allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk in 2/3 of an inning and Troy Miller threw an inning, giving up a run on a walk but no hits with two strikeouts. Fitz Stadler took the loss, giving up the game winning home run and allowing an inherited runner from Miller to score before giving up the three-run home run that won the game, allowing two hits and two walks with three runs charged in 2/3 of an inning.

L: Fitz Stadler (0-2)
HR: Otto Lopez (2)

Player of the Game: Jake Brodt and Otto Lopez

Bluefield Blue Jays, Bristol Pirates

Game postponed due to rain.

GCL Blue Jays 5, GCL Phillies East 3

In the first half of their doubleheader against the GCL Phillies East, the GCL Blue Jays came out on top, beating the Phils 5-3.

Adrian Ramos is now hitting .267 after going 3-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base. Joseph Reyes continues to show flashes of the player he could be, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI, scoring once. Gabriel Moreno was 1-for-1 with the club's only other hit and a walk, driving in a run and scoring once and he was also hit by a pitch.

Shawn Morimando, after signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays back in July, made his first appearance for a Blue Jays' affiliate, starting a rehab assignment with the GCL Blue Jays and tossing one inning, striking out two. Juan Diaz took over, giving up three runs on five hits (including a home run) with eight strikeouts over five innings. Gage Burland earned the save, giving up a hit and striking out a batter in the seventh.

W: Juan Diaz (2-1)
S: Gage Burland (1)

Roster Notes: Shawn Morimando was assigned to the GCL Blue Jays from the Buffalo Bisons on a rehab assignment.

Player of the Game: Adrian Ramos and Joseph Reyes

GCL Blue Jays 5, GCL Phillies East 6

The GCL Blue Jays took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 2 of a doubleheader with the GCL Phillies East but Williams Moreno couldn't keep the Phillies at bay, allowing two runs to give the Phillies East a 6-5 walk-off win.

Anderson Nunez started, giving up two run son five hits with a walk and two strikeouts over the first three innings and Yunior Hinojosa gave up another two runs on three hits and two walks with one strikeout in two frames. Moreno gave up a hit but nothing more in the sixth, getting a line out and two ground outs but walked the first two batters he faced in the seventh, then gave up a single followed by an intentional walk and the winning run scored on an error by Joseph Reyes.

Reyes was clearly seeing the ball well at the plate on Wednesday as he added a home run in the second half of the doubleheader, going 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI but also committed the game-ending error. Steward Berroa was 3-for-5 with a run and a stolen base while Jonelvy Molina was 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run. Warnel Valdez also hit a home run, going 1-for-4 with two RBI.

L: Williams Moreno (0-2)
HR: Warnel Valdez (1), Joseph Reyes (3)

Player of the Game: Steward Berroa and Joseph Reyes

DSL Blue Jays, DSL Reds

Game postponed due to rain.

Jay's Jay of the Day: Cavan Biggio and Ryan Noda

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