August 24, 2018 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Report
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away

There were some big days by Blue Jays' minor leaguers making the selection of Jay's Jay of the Day difficult. The Bluefield Blue Jays, picking up a win among five wins for the Jays' minor league affiliates, had a most unusual statistical line.

Buffalo Bisons 13, Pawtucket Red Sox 4

The triple-A Buffalo Bisons slugged their way to a 13-4 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox to open their series on Friday night. Jonathan Davis was 4/4 with a home run and three RBI, scoring three times for The Herd. Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) was 3/4 with two doubles and two RBI, hitting a sacrifice fly and Gunnar Heidt hit a home run, going 2/4 with a walk, two RBI and three runs, adding a stolen base. Dwight Smith Jr. was 2/2 with two doubles and two runs and Darnell Sweeney was 1/3 with two RBI, two runs and a sacrifice fly. Michael De La Cruz was 1/5 with a double, two RBI and a run and Alberto Mineo was 1/3 with two walks and a run. Roemon Fields hit a triple in five at bats, driving in a run and scoring once.

Shawn Morimando went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits (including two home runs) with one strikeout to get the win. Conor Fisk tossed two scoreless innings, giving up three hits and Taylor Guerrieri finished it, allowing a run on three hits in two innings.

W: Shawn Morimando (2-4)
HR: Darnell Sweeney (9), Gunnar Heidt (2), Jonathan Davis (4)

Roster Notes: Richard Urena was sent back to Buffalo as Lourdes Gurriel was activated from the DL.

Player of the Game: Jonathan Davis

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 9, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 12

The double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats stumbled, giving the win away to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, allowing five runs in the top of the ninth inning on their way to a 12-9 loss. Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) left after 2 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout before Corey Copping struck out four in 2 1/3 innings, allowing a hit and a walk. Kirby Snead tossed 1 1/3 innings, striking out two and giving up two hits before Jackson McClelland allowed two runs on two hits (including a home run) and three walks in 2/3 of an inning. Dusty Isaacs stranded the bases loaded but also allowed five runs of his own, giving up three home runs among four hits with a walk and a strikeout and Andrew Guillotte finished the game, walking one and getting the final out.

Forrest Wall was 2/5 with two runs and two stolen bases and Jon Berti was 2/4 with a walk, a triple and three RBI. Juan Kelly was 2/4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs and Max Pentecost drove in two runs, going 1/5 with two runs. Cavan Biggio was on base three times, going 1/3 with a double, two walks, two runs and a stolen base and Harold Ramirez drove in two, going 1/4 with a stolen base.

L: Dusty Isaacs (3-4)
HR: Juan Kelly (12)

Player of the Game: Jon Berti and Cavan Biggio

Dunedin Blue Jays, Bradenton Marauders

Game postponed due to rain.

Lansing Lugnuts 5, Dayton Dragons 3

The low-A Lansing Lugnuts got two runs in the top of the 10th inning and held on to beat the Dayton Dragons 5-3. Brandon Grudzielanek was 3/5 with an RBI and a stolen base and Ryan Gold was 2/4 with two RBI including a sacrifice fly and he stole base. Jesus Navarro was 2/4 with a walk and an RBI. Reggie Pruitt stole his 33rd base, going 1/5 with a run and Samad Taylor walked once and stole his 43rd base. Ryan Noda walked three times and scored twice, going 0/2.

Jordan Barrett started, striking out five in four innings but he allowed three runs (one earned) on eight hits. Dalton Rodriguez walked on in the fifth and Emerson Jimenez pitched two scoreless frames, giving up a hit and striking out two. Dany Jimenez struck out five and allowed just one hit in the final three innings to pick up the win.

W: Dany Jimenez (6-2)

Player of the Game: Dany Jimenez and Brandon Grudzielanek

Vancouver Canadians 2, Boise Hawks 1

The class-A Short-Season Vancouver Canadians scored two runs for the second consecutive day but this time it was good enough to notch a win, beating the Boise Hawks 2-1. Randy Pondler was outstanding, allowing only three hits and a walk leading to one unearned run with eight strikeouts to get his fifth win of the year. Justin Watts tossed a scoreless eighth, striking out one and Cobi Johnson notched his 10th save, giving up a hit and a walk with two strikeouts.

Griffin Conine was 2/4 with a solo home run and Jake Brodt was 2/4. Nick Podkul also hit a solo home run, going 1/1 with two walks. Jesus Severino was 1/2 with a walk.

W: Randy Pondler (5-4)
S: Cobi Johnson (10)
HR: Griffin Conine (6), Nick Podkul (3)

Player of the Game: Randy Pondler

Bluefield Blue Jays 14, Pulaski Yankees 2

The rookie-class Bluefield Blue Jays pitching staff outclassed the Pulaski Yankees on Friday night, beating the 14-2 and striking out a whopping 20 batters. Five pitchers limited the Yankees to just two hits and Joel Espinal struck out 10 in five innings, giving up a run on two hits. Mike Pascoe (1 IP, 2 K), Brennan Price (1 IP, 1R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), Grant Townsent (1 IP, 2 K) and Sean Rackoski (1 IP, 3 K) went the rest of the game, sealing the victory and dominating the Yankees.

Despite striking out 18 times themselves, the Bluefield Blue Jays ripped the cover off the ball. Dominic Abbadessa contributed on the offensive side, going 4/6 with two doubles, a triple (missing the cycle by a home run) while driving in three and scoring once. Jordan Groshans was 3/5 with a double, two RBI and a run and Patrick Morris hit two home runs, going 2/4 with three RBI, a walk and three runs. Luis De Los Santos also went deep, going 1/5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs. Cal Stevenson didn't get a hit but he walked three times and Hagen Danner added a home run, going 1/4 with a walk and three RBI.

W: Joel Espinal (1-0)
HR: Patrick Morris 2 (4), Luis De Los Santos (7), Hagen Danner (1)

Player of the Game: Joel Espinal, Dominic Abbadessa and Patrick Morris

GCL Blue Jays 0, GCL Tigers West 1

The GCL Blue Jays matched the GCL Tigers West with four hits but they couldn't score and lost 1-0. Addison Barger was 1/3 with a double and a walk.

On the mound, Ryan Thurston gave up just two hits in four innings, striking out four and Kelyn Jose walked one and struck out three in the fifth. Juan Acosta allowed a run on two hits in two innings and Gage Burland struck out two in the ninth.

L: Juan Acosta (0-1)

Player of the Game: Ryan Thurston

DSL Blue Jays 8, DSL Reds 1

The DSL Blue Jays came out with guns blazing in the first of two games on Friday, beating the DSL Reds 8-1. Pedro Hurtado followed up a four-hit game on Thursday with three hits in the opener, going 3/4 with two runs while Erickvi Celedonio was 2/3 with a double, two RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Jhon Solarte was 1/4 with a stolen base and two runs while Alberto Rodriguez was 1/3 with an RBI and two runs. Gustavo Ruiz was 1/3 with an RBI.

Adrian Hernandez threw six innings, giving up a run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts for the win and Moises De La Cruz tossed the seventh, walking one and striking out two.

W: Adrian Hernandez (3-1)

Player of the Game: Pedro Hurtado and Adrian Hernandez

DSL Blue Jays 3, DSL Reds 4

The Blue Jays couldn't follow up their win in the first game to sweep, dropping the second game 4-3 after committing four errors. Pedro Ventura made two of those errors, despite doing some damage at the plate, going 1/2 with a walk and an RBI. Jhon Solarte was 2/3 with a walk and a stolen base and Alberto Rodriguez was 2/3 with a double and two runs and threw out a runner at the plate. Erickvi Celedonio was 1/2 with a double, a walk and a run. Third baseman Rainer Nunez made his 20th error of the year and Brayan Rodriguez also had an error.

Ronald Govea allowed four runs on six hits but only two were earned and he struck out four in 5 2/3 innings. Christian Reyes tossed the last 1/3 of an inning, giving up a hit and striking out one.

L: Ronald Govea (4-1)

Player of the Game: Jhon Solarte and Alberto Rodriguez

Jay's Jay of the Day: Randy Pondler and Jonathan Davis

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