The Seattle Pikes visited Jersey earlier this month for a 3-game set which the D-Bags would eventually sweep. The middle game of the series was the game of the year for Jersey Shore and one of the biggest comebacks in team history. Down 5 going into the bottom of the 9th, there was little hope for the home town team. Especially considering a comment GM Kevin Carter made just days earlier on Twitter about "the great pen" Seattle is suppose to have. The best part about the comeback is All-Star Jim Nelson retired Kisuki and Bryant back to back to start the inning with 2 outs. Then all hell broke loose.
A single from Dodd gave an extra batter and the next man up was Francisco Torres would would take a 1-2 pitch and deposit it the Right-Center bleachers for a 2-run HR. Still, the Bags would still trail by 3. Seattle would go to the pen and bring in wonderkid Christian Escobar and his 99 MPH fastball. Rookie Own Carter would leg out an infield single that "King" Martinez couldn't make a play in time with. 3B Fabrice Brodeur would then walk on 5 pitches to put the tying run at the plate, another rookie, 2B John Moore. Moore would fight off 3, 1-2 pitches, fouling them all back before slicing a double down the left field line. Both Carter and Broduer would score, making it a 1 run game. Seattle would opt to leave Escobar in the game to pitch to SS Lawrence Schroeder, which would turn out to be a bad decision. Schroeder would take a 2-2 pitch and knock it up the middle scoring Broduer. The game almost ended when Moore, who was off with the pitch, came sliding home only be to be tagged out at the last second to send the game the extras.
Both bullpens would match each other until the 14th inning when Ricardo Berroa would walk, take 3rd on a single from Brodeur and score on an errant throw when he was sliding into 3rd base. It was a walk off win but there was more talk about the HBP from Jersey closer Gerald Johnson that broke Seattle's DH Luka Lagerweij's hand in the 13th inning.
Seattle GM Kevin Carter came out in the post game press conference and blamed the Jersey staff for intentionally hitting and hurting Lagerweij. GM Swain had this rebuttle. "I completely respect Lagerweij's game. I actually feel bad for the guy. He has supreme power and he plays his home games in one of the hardest parks to hit a HR for a left-handed hitter. One thing I don't respect though is showing up pitchers. In the 1st inning he hit a 3-run HR. Yes, our pitcher Garcia made a mistake and he capitalized on it, but you don't stand and admire your work, plus it was a 349 foot shot. He acted like he hit 500 feet. Our catcher Carter noticed he kept creeping closer and closer jamming the plate and our Manager Negrete told Johnson to brush him off the plate. The ball tailed a little bit and got him on the hand. No negligence. Part of the game. We hope for a speedy recovery and this conversation is over."
Through Saturday May 28th, Jersey Shore sits with a 35-16 record which is the best in the CL, and that's after a current 4-game losing streak. With 3 games left in May, the D-Bags need to win 2/3 for a 20 win month. They finish a quick 2-game tilt with Vista before finishing the month with 2 @ division rival Chicago.
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Jersey and Baffin Make Deal; Mungo Coming Home
After 8 seasons in Jersey blue, Jamie "Mungo" Saenz became a free agent and eventually signed a 3 year, $19 million dollar deal to switch coasts and pitch for the Seattle Pikes. Jersey was the only team and organization he had ever known after joining the Jersey organization in April 2010. Ownership wanted to keep him but salary restraints and the fact that the D-Bags have a knack for producing a high level of major league quality middle relief pitching, the fans had to watch their closer, 2-time All-Star and 2017 Reliever of the Year leave.
Jose Ruiz stepped in last year, saved 40 games and was elected to the All-Star team. He struggled this season blowing 2 saves and having 4 losses pinned on him before handing the reigns to the young Gerald "Top Dog" Johnson. While Johnson has an electric fastball that can reach 99 on the gun, first time closing duties aren't always a success. Johnson was lights out as the setup man before taking over the closer role. Since he has blown 5 of 14 save chances and left GM Josh Swain with question marks what to do with his closer role. The team's 15 blown saves leads the entire BSA, and in a race as tight as we have this season, losing games in 8th and 9th is not something a team like Jersey can afford to do.
In a casual conversation with Aaron Blank, GM of the Baffin Island Beavers, Blank made a comment on how old his relief pitching had gotten. With Daniel Morris and Saenz at 34, Tapia at 35, J-Rod and James Kelly 33, and Pedro Castillo at 31, the bulk of the relief corps is 33 or over. With the Beavers struggling mightily this year, and at the time were sitting 15+ games under .500, Swain simply asked about Saenz and his large $9M dollar team option for next season. Talks progressed and eventually a deal was in place for Mungo to be sent back to Jersey for a pair of young middle relievers.
Those relievers are Pedro Vega and Antonio Ramos. Vega was discovered as an 18 year old in 2013 and has slowly worked his way up through the Jersey system spending multiple seasons at every level before seeing action in the Jersey bullpen last season as a 24 year old. Now at age 25, Vega throws 2 above average pitches and his fastball reaches the mid-to-upper 90's. His arm isn't nearly as live as Saenz's arm, but at 10 years younger he could be a nice cheap bullpen fixture on a team who will probably have to re-tool their bullpen in the near future.
Ramos actually came from Baffin Island when Jersey traded starting pitcher Dan Macias to the Beavers after the 2017 season. Macias would pitch one year in Baffin before deciding to hang them up. Ramos is also 25 and your typical hard throwing bullpen arm. He has averaged just a shade under 12 K/9 in his minor league career and his knack has been giving up the long ball, but being in Baffin should help that tremendously.
For all intents and purposes this move for Jersey looks like a rental, as Saenz's $9 million dollar option next season seems like a stretch for Jersey to be picked up, but if Saenz keeps up his great numbers he has put up in Seattle and Baffin this year, you never know what will happen. For the season Mungo's stat line looks like: 4-2, 15 saves. 1.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and is striking out 11.6 K/9. He will step into the closer's role immediately and being added to the CL's 2nd best bullpen (statistically wise) should make a good pen even better.
"We hope this is a move that helps push us over the hump," GM Swain exclaimed, "If we had only won a third of those 15 blown saves we would be sitting in 1st place with the best record in the CL. The fans are excited to have him back and the veterans are as well." Saenz will go back and wear his #99 jersey that he wore for all 8 seasons in Jersey. Welcome back Jaime!
GO D-BAGS
Jose Ruiz stepped in last year, saved 40 games and was elected to the All-Star team. He struggled this season blowing 2 saves and having 4 losses pinned on him before handing the reigns to the young Gerald "Top Dog" Johnson. While Johnson has an electric fastball that can reach 99 on the gun, first time closing duties aren't always a success. Johnson was lights out as the setup man before taking over the closer role. Since he has blown 5 of 14 save chances and left GM Josh Swain with question marks what to do with his closer role. The team's 15 blown saves leads the entire BSA, and in a race as tight as we have this season, losing games in 8th and 9th is not something a team like Jersey can afford to do.
In a casual conversation with Aaron Blank, GM of the Baffin Island Beavers, Blank made a comment on how old his relief pitching had gotten. With Daniel Morris and Saenz at 34, Tapia at 35, J-Rod and James Kelly 33, and Pedro Castillo at 31, the bulk of the relief corps is 33 or over. With the Beavers struggling mightily this year, and at the time were sitting 15+ games under .500, Swain simply asked about Saenz and his large $9M dollar team option for next season. Talks progressed and eventually a deal was in place for Mungo to be sent back to Jersey for a pair of young middle relievers.
Those relievers are Pedro Vega and Antonio Ramos. Vega was discovered as an 18 year old in 2013 and has slowly worked his way up through the Jersey system spending multiple seasons at every level before seeing action in the Jersey bullpen last season as a 24 year old. Now at age 25, Vega throws 2 above average pitches and his fastball reaches the mid-to-upper 90's. His arm isn't nearly as live as Saenz's arm, but at 10 years younger he could be a nice cheap bullpen fixture on a team who will probably have to re-tool their bullpen in the near future.
Ramos actually came from Baffin Island when Jersey traded starting pitcher Dan Macias to the Beavers after the 2017 season. Macias would pitch one year in Baffin before deciding to hang them up. Ramos is also 25 and your typical hard throwing bullpen arm. He has averaged just a shade under 12 K/9 in his minor league career and his knack has been giving up the long ball, but being in Baffin should help that tremendously.
For all intents and purposes this move for Jersey looks like a rental, as Saenz's $9 million dollar option next season seems like a stretch for Jersey to be picked up, but if Saenz keeps up his great numbers he has put up in Seattle and Baffin this year, you never know what will happen. For the season Mungo's stat line looks like: 4-2, 15 saves. 1.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and is striking out 11.6 K/9. He will step into the closer's role immediately and being added to the CL's 2nd best bullpen (statistically wise) should make a good pen even better.
"We hope this is a move that helps push us over the hump," GM Swain exclaimed, "If we had only won a third of those 15 blown saves we would be sitting in 1st place with the best record in the CL. The fans are excited to have him back and the veterans are as well." Saenz will go back and wear his #99 jersey that he wore for all 8 seasons in Jersey. Welcome back Jaime!
GO D-BAGS
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