ASTROS (35-30)
1 D'Andre Toney CF
2 Carlos Correa SS
3 Brian Blasik 2B
4 Michael Martinez 1B
5 Rio Ruiz 3B
6 Terrell Joyce LF
7 Ariel Ovando DH
7 Ariel Ovando DH
8 Ricky Gingras C
9 Jose Monzon RF
RHP Frederick Tiburcio (3-4, 4.64)
BLUE JAYS (27-36)
1 DJ Davis CF
2 Emilio Guerrero SS
3 Justin Atkinson 2B
4 Seth Conner DH
5 Nico Taylor LF
6 Dalton Pompey RF
7 Matt Dean 3B
8 Jordan Leyland 1B
9 Hector Alvarez C
LHP Deivy Estrada (2-6, 4.80)
FIRST-PITCH TIME: 6:00 P.M.
BROADCAST
INFO: Listen live right here for Blue Jays Pregame at 5:50. You can catch the game on local radio as well on WKEZ 1240 AM The Rooster Classic Country.
WEATHER:A very pleasant 82 degrees at beautiful Pioneer Park
UMPIRES: PLATE: Jimmy Lott FIELD: Andrew Freed
ABOUT LAST NIGHT...: The Bluefield Blue Jays ended the 2012 home slate on a high note. Alonzo Gonzalez pitched six shutout innings for the second straight start and Brandon Dorsett finished the three-hitter as the Baby Jays beat the Kingsport Mets 7-0 on Saturday in the final game of the season at Bowen Field. The two newest Blue Jays keyed a first-inning rally that gave Bluefield the lead for good. Second baseman Justin Atkinson and right fielder Dalton Pompey joined the Blue Jays from Florida. Atkinson is up from the Gulf Coast League. Pompey started the season in Vancouver, but missed two months with a wrist injury and saw his first action tonight. Atkinson’s two-out double in the bottom of the first brought home Jorge Vega-Rosado with the game’s first run. Two batters later, Pompey singled in Atkinson for a 2-0 lead and also stole a base. That would be all the scoring Gonzalez (W, 2-0) needed. The lefty pitched six shutout innings of two-hit ball in a win over Pulaski in his Bluefield debut on Monday. He followed that up with six more zeroes and allowed only one hit, walking one and striking out four. Gonzalez retired the first ten batters he faced and 18 of 20 overall. Nico Taylor provided more offense in the third inning with a two-run double off of starter John Gant (L, 3-3). The Jays added single tallies in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings on an Anthony Chavez fielding error, an Emilio Guerrero sacrifice fly and Jordan Leyland’s RBI groundout. Atkinson, Taylor, Vega-Rosado and D.J. Davis led Bluefield’s 12-hit attack with two apiece. Guerrero was the only Jays starter without a hit, but he did contribute the RBI and a stolen base. Brandon Dorsett (S, 4) picked up the game in the seventh inning and posted three scoreless frames to finish the Jays’ sixth shutout of the season. Bluefield has been involved in 11 shutouts this season, tied with Greeneville for the most in the league.
VS. THE ASTROS: Bluefield took two of three from the Astros at Bowen Field to close the month of July. The Astros won the opener 8-7 on a ninth-inning wild pitch. The Jays won the next game 8-3 before winning 5-1 behind Seth Conner’s four RBIs and Kevin Comer’s pitching. The Blue Jays and Astros split their six-game season series in 2011, with the road team taking two out of three twice. In Bluefield on August 3, the Jays scored two in the ninth to force extra innings, but Chase Davidson’s 11th-inning single won it for Greeneville. Bluefield won the middle game before the Astros won the rubber game. In Greeneville from August 22-24, the two teams split the first two contests and the Jays won the third game to win the series and earn a season split.
- TONIGHT’S PITCHING PROBABLES -
LHP DEIVY ESTRADA: A native of Valencia, Venezuela, lefty Deivy Estrada goes for the Jays to open the final series of the season. He last pitched on Tuesday against Pulaski, allowing four runs and getting knocked out in the fourth inning. He posted a 2.25 ERA in the GCL in 2011, but he had an ERA of 6.94 in Bluefield upon his promotion. He did contribute the clinching victory in the Mercer Cup last year, turning in five shutout innings on August 10. He allowed only four hits, striking out six without walking a man. He took a tough loss in the final game of the Appy League Championship Series when he gave up one earned run in five innings, but was charged with the defeat. He spent the 2010 season in the Gulf Coast League and was in the Dominican Summer League in 2009 when he K’d more than one batter per inning (48 in 44 IP).
RHP FREDERICK TIBURCIO: Six-foot-three Dominican right-hander Frederick Tiburcio faces Bluefield for the first time this season. He allowed four runs in four innings in a no decision at Elizabethton on Monday. He dealt seven shutout innings of four-hit ball with seven strikeouts in a win over Bristol in the start before that on August 14. The 21-year-old was signed by Houston in 2008 and after two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, he went to the Gulf Coast League last season and went 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA in 54.1 innings.
CHECKING IN ON THE PENNANT RACES: All four Appalachian League playoff spots and seedings could be locked down tonight. The Burlington Royals are postseason-bound and can clinch the East Division with a win at Bristol or a Danville loss at Johnson City. The Braves will make the playoffs as well and will likely be the East wild card and face the West Division champion Elizabethton Twins in the first round. The West wild card will either be Johnson City or Greeneville. The Blue Jays can play spoiler and eliminate the Astros and put Johnson City in the playoffs with a win tonight.
CRAZY EIGHT: Bluefield OF Nico Taylor ran up his second eight-game hitting streak of the season with two more hits last night. The McKinney, Texas native also had an eight-gamer from June 29 to July 7. This streak began with two hits in a twinbill opener at Danville last Sunday and he is 12-for-29 (.414) during the run, raising his average to .281.
QUICKLY MAKING AN IMPACT: Two new players joined the Blue Jays yesterday and played a big role in the win. Second baseman Justin Atkinson went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored in the cleanup spot. Outfielder Dalton Pompey hit an RBI single and stole a base in the first inning. Pompey was hitting .294 with a .442 OBP for Short Season-A Vancouver before a broken hamate bone in his left wrist put him on the DL only 11 games into the season. The Mississauga, Ontario native was a 16th-round pick in 2010 and split last season between the GCL and Bluefield. He hit .357 and scored four runs in five Appy League playoff games last year. Atkinson, also Canadian, moved up from the GCL after hitting .259 in 52 games this season. Hailing from Surrey, British Columbia, Atkinson was taken in the 26th round of last year’s draft. He hit .279 in 12 games for the GCL Jays in 2012 in his first professional action.
APPY LEAGUE HONOR: Bluefield right-hander Jeremy Gabryszwski was named to the 2012 Appalachian League All-Star Team, which was voted on by opposing managers, executives and media and announced on Wednesday. The honor is more impressive considering there are only three pitchers on the squad. The 19-year-old was the league’s choice for right-handed starter and Princeton’s Blake Snell was the team’s lefty starter. Jeremy is 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 games (nine starts). He’s only allowed 44 hits in 46 innings of work. ”Gabby” is just short of the league qualifier, but his 2.35 ERA would lead the league and is fourth among Appy Leaguers with at least 45 IP. The Crosby, Texas native has the third-lowest WHIP (1.04) despite striking out only 4.3 batters per nine innings (second-lowest among 40 IP pitchers). That success is due to his ability to pound the strike zone, as he’s only walked four batters in 46 innings (0.78 BB/9). That includes a streak from July 14 to August 12 in which he went 24.2 innings without issuing a free pass.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT...: The Bluefield Blue Jays ended the 2012 home slate on a high note. Alonzo Gonzalez pitched six shutout innings for the second straight start and Brandon Dorsett finished the three-hitter as the Baby Jays beat the Kingsport Mets 7-0 on Saturday in the final game of the season at Bowen Field. The two newest Blue Jays keyed a first-inning rally that gave Bluefield the lead for good. Second baseman Justin Atkinson and right fielder Dalton Pompey joined the Blue Jays from Florida. Atkinson is up from the Gulf Coast League. Pompey started the season in Vancouver, but missed two months with a wrist injury and saw his first action tonight. Atkinson’s two-out double in the bottom of the first brought home Jorge Vega-Rosado with the game’s first run. Two batters later, Pompey singled in Atkinson for a 2-0 lead and also stole a base. That would be all the scoring Gonzalez (W, 2-0) needed. The lefty pitched six shutout innings of two-hit ball in a win over Pulaski in his Bluefield debut on Monday. He followed that up with six more zeroes and allowed only one hit, walking one and striking out four. Gonzalez retired the first ten batters he faced and 18 of 20 overall. Nico Taylor provided more offense in the third inning with a two-run double off of starter John Gant (L, 3-3). The Jays added single tallies in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings on an Anthony Chavez fielding error, an Emilio Guerrero sacrifice fly and Jordan Leyland’s RBI groundout. Atkinson, Taylor, Vega-Rosado and D.J. Davis led Bluefield’s 12-hit attack with two apiece. Guerrero was the only Jays starter without a hit, but he did contribute the RBI and a stolen base. Brandon Dorsett (S, 4) picked up the game in the seventh inning and posted three scoreless frames to finish the Jays’ sixth shutout of the season. Bluefield has been involved in 11 shutouts this season, tied with Greeneville for the most in the league.
VS. THE ASTROS: Bluefield took two of three from the Astros at Bowen Field to close the month of July. The Astros won the opener 8-7 on a ninth-inning wild pitch. The Jays won the next game 8-3 before winning 5-1 behind Seth Conner’s four RBIs and Kevin Comer’s pitching. The Blue Jays and Astros split their six-game season series in 2011, with the road team taking two out of three twice. In Bluefield on August 3, the Jays scored two in the ninth to force extra innings, but Chase Davidson’s 11th-inning single won it for Greeneville. Bluefield won the middle game before the Astros won the rubber game. In Greeneville from August 22-24, the two teams split the first two contests and the Jays won the third game to win the series and earn a season split.
- TONIGHT’S PITCHING PROBABLES -
LHP DEIVY ESTRADA: A native of Valencia, Venezuela, lefty Deivy Estrada goes for the Jays to open the final series of the season. He last pitched on Tuesday against Pulaski, allowing four runs and getting knocked out in the fourth inning. He posted a 2.25 ERA in the GCL in 2011, but he had an ERA of 6.94 in Bluefield upon his promotion. He did contribute the clinching victory in the Mercer Cup last year, turning in five shutout innings on August 10. He allowed only four hits, striking out six without walking a man. He took a tough loss in the final game of the Appy League Championship Series when he gave up one earned run in five innings, but was charged with the defeat. He spent the 2010 season in the Gulf Coast League and was in the Dominican Summer League in 2009 when he K’d more than one batter per inning (48 in 44 IP).
RHP FREDERICK TIBURCIO: Six-foot-three Dominican right-hander Frederick Tiburcio faces Bluefield for the first time this season. He allowed four runs in four innings in a no decision at Elizabethton on Monday. He dealt seven shutout innings of four-hit ball with seven strikeouts in a win over Bristol in the start before that on August 14. The 21-year-old was signed by Houston in 2008 and after two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, he went to the Gulf Coast League last season and went 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA in 54.1 innings.
CHECKING IN ON THE PENNANT RACES: All four Appalachian League playoff spots and seedings could be locked down tonight. The Burlington Royals are postseason-bound and can clinch the East Division with a win at Bristol or a Danville loss at Johnson City. The Braves will make the playoffs as well and will likely be the East wild card and face the West Division champion Elizabethton Twins in the first round. The West wild card will either be Johnson City or Greeneville. The Blue Jays can play spoiler and eliminate the Astros and put Johnson City in the playoffs with a win tonight.
CRAZY EIGHT: Bluefield OF Nico Taylor ran up his second eight-game hitting streak of the season with two more hits last night. The McKinney, Texas native also had an eight-gamer from June 29 to July 7. This streak began with two hits in a twinbill opener at Danville last Sunday and he is 12-for-29 (.414) during the run, raising his average to .281.
QUICKLY MAKING AN IMPACT: Two new players joined the Blue Jays yesterday and played a big role in the win. Second baseman Justin Atkinson went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored in the cleanup spot. Outfielder Dalton Pompey hit an RBI single and stole a base in the first inning. Pompey was hitting .294 with a .442 OBP for Short Season-A Vancouver before a broken hamate bone in his left wrist put him on the DL only 11 games into the season. The Mississauga, Ontario native was a 16th-round pick in 2010 and split last season between the GCL and Bluefield. He hit .357 and scored four runs in five Appy League playoff games last year. Atkinson, also Canadian, moved up from the GCL after hitting .259 in 52 games this season. Hailing from Surrey, British Columbia, Atkinson was taken in the 26th round of last year’s draft. He hit .279 in 12 games for the GCL Jays in 2012 in his first professional action.
APPY LEAGUE HONOR: Bluefield right-hander Jeremy Gabryszwski was named to the 2012 Appalachian League All-Star Team, which was voted on by opposing managers, executives and media and announced on Wednesday. The honor is more impressive considering there are only three pitchers on the squad. The 19-year-old was the league’s choice for right-handed starter and Princeton’s Blake Snell was the team’s lefty starter. Jeremy is 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 games (nine starts). He’s only allowed 44 hits in 46 innings of work. ”Gabby” is just short of the league qualifier, but his 2.35 ERA would lead the league and is fourth among Appy Leaguers with at least 45 IP. The Crosby, Texas native has the third-lowest WHIP (1.04) despite striking out only 4.3 batters per nine innings (second-lowest among 40 IP pitchers). That success is due to his ability to pound the strike zone, as he’s only walked four batters in 46 innings (0.78 BB/9). That includes a streak from July 14 to August 12 in which he went 24.2 innings without issuing a free pass.
Bluefield Blue Jays Game Notes 8-26
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