A large part of the fun of a minor league game is watching all the strange promotions that take place on and off the field between innings. The Boise Hawks have taken that off-the-wall spirit to a whole new level with their latest promotional video. If you ever wanted dating advice minor league style, you are in for a treat. This (short) video is well worth watching.
So, ladies, consider yourselves warned. If a Hawks’ fan wants to take you to a ballgame, you may find yourself being leered at by a creepy guy while a dude in a giant bird costume tries to play the violin at you. Or something like that.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Iowa needed just four hits to beat Round Rock 4-1. Tennessee – The Smokies made the drive to Jacksonville yesterday. They open a five game set against the Suns this evening. Daytona – Somehow the Cubs won this game 3-2 despite being out hit by eight. Peoria – Peoria will resume their season on Friday. Boise – The Hawks lost their home opener by a score of 7-4. Arizona – The Cubs rallied late to win their opener 3-1.
Performances of the Day
[Iowa] Brooks Raley enjoyed one of his best games as a professional pitcher. He lasted seven innings (100 pitches) and allowed just one run on two hits while striking out seven.
[Iowa] Ty Wrightscored twice on a walk and a solo home run (his fifth).
[Daytona] P.J. Francescon struck out five in six innings, but he also gave up nine hits and two walks. Remarkably, despite all those base runners, he allowed just two runs (one earned).
[Daytona] The Cubs only had four hits in this game, but Rubi Silva had the one people will remember. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game, he hit his third home run of the season.
[Daytona] The battle of the stolen bases continues. John Andreoli and Arismendy Alcantara both had a steal in this game; for the season, Andreoli leads Alcantara 22-21.
[Boise] Jeimer Candelario hit his first home run of the season as part of a two 2 for 4 night. Among Boise players who have appeared in more than one game, the young, switch-hitting third baseman leads the team in both batting average and slugging percentage. It is very early, but he is off to a solid start.
[Boise] Shawon Dunston hit his first double in this game. Gioskar Amaya collected his second triple of the young season.
[Arizona] Four Cubs’ pitchers combined to strike out 16 batters in this game, led by Zach Cates and David Henrie with five Ks each.
[Arizona] Zach Rosscup, the forgotten man in the Garza trade, began his road back from surgery by striking out four of the five batters he faced.
[Arizona] 2B Gregori Gonzalez led the team with two singles and a stolen base. 3B Daniel Lockhart‘s double was the team’s only extra base hit.
Other Minor League Notes
The Daytona Cubs website is now once again reporting the season standings instead of the second half standings. For the time being, I’ll just relay what the website tells me rather than try to keep track of the entire league’s second half standings on my own. If last season is any indication, they’ll change the site to second half standings for good eventually. This may be a problem with other teams moving forward as well.
The official roster for the AZL Cubs has been released, and it is a long one. For example, I count 23 pitchers, including a few 2012 draft picks such as Anthony Prieto and Pierce Johnson. Dillon Maples in on the list, as are some guys coming off injuries such as Austin Urban and Zach Rosscup. You’ll also see Dan Vogelbach, who didn’t impress quite enough in extended Spring Training to earn a spot at Boise.
There are only two real surprises on the Arizona roster. First, Trevor Gretzky is once again listed as a first baseman. To recap, Gretzky was drafted as first baseman, moved to third base, moved to the outfield, and now has apparently been returned to first (I suspect he will still get plenty of playing time in the outfield). Second, Neftali Rosario returns to the Rookie League for a second season. The young catcher posted an OPS of .842 in the league last year, and I fully expected him to be moved up to Boise this season. It could be he is recovering from an injury himself, and if that is the case I think we’ll see Rosario playing further up the farm system by the end of the season.
Farm System Standings
AAA – Iowa Cubs : 31 – 42.
Pacific Coast League American Northern Division – Second Place: 14.5 Games Behind.
AA – Tennessee Smokies : 35-35
Southern League North Division – Second Place (tie): 7.0 Game Behind.
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NEWSLETTER
A large part of the fun of a minor league game is watching all the strange promotions that take place on and off the field between innings. The Boise Hawks have taken that off-the-wall spirit to a whole new level with their latest promotional video. If you ever wanted dating advice minor league style, you are in for a treat. This (short) video is well worth watching.
