Jay Blue: Case, Clemens, Donaldson, Guerrero, Panas

Kacy Clemens clubbed two home runs for the low-A Lansing Lugnuts on Saturday. Photo Credit: Jay Blue

April 28, 2018 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Report
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away

The low-A Lansing Lugnuts were the lone winners of the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league teams on Saturday as they continued to churn through opposing pitchers with a stellar offence.

Buffalo Bisons 3, Pawtucket Red Sox 6

By the time the triple-A Buffalo Bisons got their bats going, it was too little and too late as they fell 6-3 to the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Starter Jalen Beeks threw five hitless innings, striking out 10 against the Bisons until Tim Lopes (1-for-4) finally broke the no-hitter with a single. While Danny Jansen (1-for-4) would drive in the Bisons first run, the club would only have four hits and strike out 15 times over the course of the game.

Joe Biagini started for Buffalo, giving up five runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Tim Mayza allowed the runner he inherited from Biagini to score, giving up three hits but strikeout out five batters in 1 2/3 innings. Jake Petricka finished the game with two innings, allowing a run on two hits and a walk with a strikeout.

L: Joe Biagini (0-2)

Player of the Game: None

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6, Trenton Thunder 10

While the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats scored first, an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) to drive in a double a by Bo Bichette, the Trenton Thunder scored more on their way to a 10-6 win over the Fisher Cats.

Guerrero is unstoppable, however, going 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, a walk and a run. Bichette was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs and Toronto native Connor Panas (1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B) and Jonathan Davis (1-for-4, BB) were each on base twice. Gunnar Heidt was 1-for-4 with a double.

Jon Harris started and was charged with eight runs on eight hits (including a home run) with two walks and two strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings. Jose Fernandez came in in the fourth, allowing his inherited runner to score and giving up a run of his own on two hits (including a home run) and a walk with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Dusty Isaacs was tagged for a run on a hit and two walks with one strikeout in the sixth while Danny Young's record was marred only by a walk over two innings of work with two strikeouts. Andrew Case (Saint John, N.B.) finished the game, retiring all three batters he saw, getting two outs on the ground and one in the air.

L: Jon Harris (1-1)

Player of the Game: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Dunedin Blue Jays 1, Clearwater Threshers 2

Despite a very well pitched game, the class-A Advanced Dunedin Blue Jays fell to the Clearwater Threshers 2-1 in just two hours and 11 minutes (which, I would have appreciated had the Lansing Lugnuts' game taken that long).

The Blue Jays got five strong innings from Justin Dillon who used 89 pitches (57 strikeouts) to surrender just one unearned run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Juliandry Higuera gave up a solo home run among two hits in three innings with one strikeout and Nick Hartman gave up two hits that didn't lead to any runs in the ninth.

Alberto Mineo led the offence with two hits and a walk while Joshua Palacios was 1-for-4 with a double and Bradley Jones was 1-for-3 with a walk. Eduard Pinto drove in the club's only run with a sacrifice fly and had a single to go with it. All eyes were on Josh Donaldson as he began his rehab assignment with Dunedin, but he went 0-for-3, flying out to left, grounding to second and popping out to the pitcher.

L: Justin Dillon (0-3)

Roster Notes: Josh Donaldson was assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays for rehab.

Player of the Game: Justin Dillon

Lansing Lugnuts 13, West Michigan Whitecaps 5

The low-A Lansing Lugnuts unleashed another offensive onslaught against the West Michigan Whitecaps' pitching staff, showing their patience and power in a 13-5 victory.

Kacy Clemens continues to drive the ball hard, hitting two home runs (now leading the team with four) including a rocket that left the park very quickly in the third inning and another one in the ninth off of the Whitecaps' starting shortstop, Zac Shepherd. Clemens was 2-for-5 with three RBI and a walk. Kevin Smith had three hits, falling a home run short of the cycle, hitting a single, double and a triple, taking a walk, driving in a run and scoring. Brock Lundquist hit his second home run in as many days and third of the season, going 1-for-4 with a walk and three RBI. Chavez Young (2-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB), Kevin Vicuna (2-for-5, BB, 2 R, 2 E), and Ryan Noda, (2-for-4, 2 BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) all had two hits on the day which saw the Lugnuts take nine walks as a team and the game reach the 400 pitch mark.

Maximo Castillo was solid on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts over five innings, needing 83 pitches. Matt Shannon made his season debut, impressing with his velocity but struggling with his control. He still wriggled out of trouble, walking two and striking out two in two innings. Kyle Weatherly tossed two innings and also struggled with control, walking a pair and giving up three runs on three hits (including a home run on a hung slider) with one strikeout to finish the game.

W: Maximo Castillo
HR: Brock Lundquist (3), Kacy Clemens 2 (4)

Roster Notes: Matt Shannon was activated off the DL and Orlando Pascual was added to the 7-day DL.

Player of the Game: Kacy Clemens

Jay's Jay of the Day: Kacy Clemens

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