April 8, 2019 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Report

By Jay Blue

Blue Jays from Away

It was, in general, a night of excellent pitching for the Blue Jays' minor league teams as the clubs had a split record of 2-2 but allowed two or fewer runs in three of the four games.

Buffalo Bisons 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 5

The triple-A Buffalo Bisons hosted the Pawtucket Red Sox as their opening home stand continued but the offence sputtered for two runs on seven hits in a 5-2 loss.

Roemon Fields provided almost half of the Bisons' hits as the club had just seven overall in the game. Fields was 3/4 with two doubles for the night, adding an assist from centre field. Andy Burns was 1/4, as was Cavan Biggio and Gunnar Heidt while Jordan Patterson was 1/4 with a double and scored one of the club's two runs. Heidt drove in a run and scored once while Andrew Guillotte was 0/4 but drove in a run.

David Paulino started and went 3 2/3 innings as he gets stretched out, allowing a run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Conor Fisk took the loss, giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings while Derek Law allowed another two runs, letting both runners inherited from Fisk score, giving up two hits (including a home run) and a walk with four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Justin Shafer finished the game with a hit and a walk but no runs in the ninth.

L: Conor Fisk (0-1)

Player of the Game: Roemon Fields

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 0, Reading Fightin Phils 2

Andrew Sopko continued the strong starting pitching for the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats but the 'Cats couldn't score at all against the Reading Fightin Phils, losing 2-0 on Monday.

Sopko went five innings in his Fisher Cats debut, allowing just a run on three hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Francisco Rios followed, giving up an unearned run on just one hit in two innings with two strikeouts and Jake Fishman added two more scoreless innings, retiring all six batters he faced, getting three ground outs and three strikeouts.

The batters were one-hit by the Fightins with Josh Palacios going 1/3 with a walk. Kacy Clemens was 0/2 with two walks and Santiago Espinal, Nash Knight and Kevin Smith had a walk each.

L: Andrew Sopko (0-1)

Player of the Game: Andrew Sopko

Dunedin Blue Jays 4, Fort Myers Miracle 1

While the class-A Advanced Dunedin Blue Jays didn't produce a ton of offence either, their pitching staff was strong once again, holding the Fort Myers Miracle to just one run in a 4-1 victory.

Ryan Noda was 2/3 with a walk, an RBI and a run to lead the offensive "charge" while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) added another hit in his comeback from injury, going 1/4 with a walk, an RBI and a run. Cullen Large was 1/4 with a double and an RBI and Riley Adams was 1/3 with a double, a walk and a run. Samad Taylor was 1/2 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run. Kevin Vicuna was 1/3 with a walk.

On the mound, Turner Larkins was outstanding, allowing just two hits over five innings, striking out three before William Ouellette allowed a run on a hit (a solo home run) with three strikeouts. Jonathan Cheshire finished it off, allowing two hits and three walks with one strikeout but no one crossed the plate.

W: Turner Larkins (1-0)
S: Jonathan Cheshire (1)

Player of the Game: Turner Larkins

Lansing Lugnuts 1, West Michigan Whitecaps 0

The Lansing Lugnuts squeaked out a victory in an epic pitching duel that finished in just one hour and 54 minutes while beating the West Michigan Whitecaps 1-0.

Cobi Johnson started for the Lugnuts and was outstanding, cutting through the West Michigan lineup like butter, needing just 48 pitches to get through five innings, allowing only two hits and striking out five. Fitz Stadler followed, pitching to 13 batters in four innings and allowing only a hit and a walk with two strikeouts to earn the win for the Lugnuts.

All the offence the Lugs needed was provided when Reggie Pruitt hit a single and moved up on an error by the pitcher on the pickoff attempt. He then scored when Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) singled to centre field. Both Pruitt and Lopez had two hits each while Jordan Groshans, Ryan Gold, Jake Brodt and D.J. Neal were 1/3. The Lugnuts didn't take a walk in the entire game.

W: Fitz Stadler (1-0)

Player of the Game: Cobi Johnson and Fitz Stadler

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