Frontier League: Game Recaps, News and Transactions — May 28, 2021

A few months ago, I realized that major league baseball had turned his back on the fans. The times have changed, the sport has changed and I have changed. My values have evolved immensely in the last few years and the product MLB is trying to sell me no longer represents what I hold dear to my heart and the direction of where my life is going.

That’s ok, I’m not mad, it’s just the reality of the situation. They still offer a collection of the best baseball players in the world, but I’m not entirely sure the motivation is the same for everybody, but again I could be wrong.

That’s when it all clicked for me: I’m going to devote my free time to teams and players who still have in mind the importance of the fans and the love of the game. Independent baseball was right there for the taking and I had not focused enough on it, yet. I had maniacally devoted a few years of my life to baseball writing in the past, my life conditions were more than appropriate for this kind of project and it was time to give back to the game that had given me so much.

Yesterday, it was Opening Day in the Frontier League and I had a BLAST seeing in action the names that had been floating in my head and flashing on my computer screen for the past few months, analyzing their stats, but understanding that, while they do not lie, they don’t tell the whole story.

Welcome to my world, where I’ll make my best to inform and entertain you throughout the season with my words and video interviews with players, coaches and executives around the league.

This article this morning will try and establish the evolving content that the Frontier League Journal is all about. Let’s face it; you don’t need me to tell you the score of your favorite team, so I won’t waste your time with it, I just want to enhance it just a bit with all the surrounding information that’s made available to me through research and contacts around the league.

I am very passionate about what I do and I obsess over how I can be better, just like the pro ball players we are cheering on to reach their dreams. Nothing more, nothing less.

The following is made for you, baseball fans.

GAME SCORES AND NOTES

Équipe Québec vs Gateway Grizzlies

• **** Game cancelled — weather ****
• Doubleheader today, starting at 5 pm. Don’t look for me, I’ll be scrutinizing both games. What a night it will be!

Southern Illinois Miners vs Lake Erie Crushers

The game was tied at 1–1 entering the fourth inning, but the wheels came off for Lake Erie starter Ryan Feierabend: “They sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs on five hits. Jarrod Watkins drove in the first run on an RBI groundout. Marshall Rich’s RBI single to center scored the next run before Brandon Pugh plated another run with a groundout and Spencer Henn capped the inning with a RBI double to left, giving the Miners a 5–1 lead.”

Both starters had so-so debut to the season (even though the Miners’ Zac Westcott threw 73% of his pitches for strikes), but it was not the case for Miners right-handed reliever Joey Pulido who struck 5 batters in 2 innings of work, allowing only one hit.

Crushers

• The Crushers executed a double-steal in the bottom of the eight inning.
• DH Brody Wofford was at the bottom of the lineup, but he made the most of it with 2 doubles. C Connor Oliver hit two singles and walked.
• 1B Bryan DeLarosa scored three times and was very productive: 2B, SB, HBP and BB.

Miners

• 2B Craig Massey had himself a night with 3 singles and 2 BB. His batting average stands at a perfect 1.000. RF Nolan Earley was 2 for 4 ad led the team with 3 RBIs. DH Gianfranco Wawoe also picked up where he left off in 2019: hit a solo home run and walked.
• Reliever Kyle Hinton scored the save after working a perfect ninth inning.

Washington Wild Things vs Florence Y’alls

It was a wild night in Florence, the game I decided to watch on Opening Day. 19 runs scored in total, including 15 in the fourth and fifth innings!! Watched every second of it and it was spectacular. There was also action BEFORE the game, as the home team tried to get a standoff going with the visiting team.

“I had my Japanese translator, Masa, stand on the platform in the outfield and wait until the Wild Things walked away after the anthem. Our team all clapped and went crazy when Masa and my bullpen catcher Zack were the last standing. I don’t know if they knew, but yeah…we won. It was Masa’s first day and he was willing to stand there all night, what a warrior!”

Florence

• Starter Jared Cheek was cruising along with fastball at the top of the zone and using his splitter to put away hitters, but even he coud not contain the offensive onslaught that was coming. Sean Hughes, brought in to relieve him, was his usual dominant self, but he made a throwing error to 1B while attempting to record the last out. That ended up costing them two more runs.
• Reliever Jonathon Tripp was very effective for most of his three innings in relief (72% strikes thrown), before the game almost got away from him with two outs in the 9th, allowing a single and back-to-back home runs. I’ll ask you to watch his motion, throwing across his body by stepping and planting his foot toward 3B. Hurts just watching, but hey, it works for the guy.
• RF Jose Brizuela was on fire with two doubles and two walks.
• LF Rodney Tennie hit two singles and was caught stealing. During warmup in the top of the 7th, a few minutes after being caught stealing, the speedster quit the stadium. I suspect he was ejected for arguing the call at 2B. Washington reliever Spencer Bivens and C Trevor Casanova seemed bothered to no end by Tennie during his at-bats. You have to understand that while Tennie is VERY fast in the field, he seems to take pleasure in making his plate appearances last very long.
• C/LF Trevor Craport hit the first home run of the season for the Y’alls and also produced a single.

Washington

• High five to C Trevor Casanova who handled the pitching staff, was especially effective defensively blocking pitches in the dirt and topped that with a home run, single and two walks at the plate.
• Starter Darren Osby seemed to have injured his lower body in the 4th, but came back in the 5th, only to be taken out by the coaches with what seems to be a pulled hamstring. Same with RF Hector Roa who picked up three hits before exiting the game after pulling up funny trying to stretch a single to a double in the seventh.
• The Wild Things showed their offensive power with four homers, including one by Joe Campagna who came in as a defensive replacement at 2B when Andrew Penner moved to RF after Roa was taken out.

Evansville Otters vs Schaumburg Boomers

That was a slugfest in Schaumburg, Thursday night, with the Otters completely annihilating the home team’s pitching staff.

Evansville

• They recorded 13 hits, but only three were for extra-bases.
• Five batters had two hits. SS Andy DeJesus had just one (HR), but added two walks. LF Bryce Denton hit a single, HR, walked and had 4 RBIs.
• On the mound, starter Dalton Stambaugh allowed 6 hits in 4.1 innings, but only two runs while striking out 4 batters. Three relievers came after him to close the books, including LHP Justin Lewis who struck out 5 batters in two innings (no hit and 2 walks also added to his stats).

Schaumburg

• DH Quincy Nieporte was batting 5th and hit a double, a single and walked. He even threw the ninth inning for his team!
• SS Matt McGarry was the other standout offensively with a double and two singles.
• The main addition during the offseason, former White Sox OF Willy Garcia, went 0-for-5 with 3 Ks.
• Five pitchers saw action for the Boomers and the starter, Kyle Arjona, had a nightmare of a night: 2.2 IP, 5H, 6 ER, 7 BB, 1 K. Seven walks! Stephen Chamblee came in to relieve him, but he was hit hard and often (7 hits, one HR) and again more walks than strikeouts.

New Jersey Jackals vs New York Boulders

Even with three errors (two by 2B Justin Wylie) and less hits than the Boulders, the Jackals were able to get their first win of the season and on the road on top of it. It all came down to the top of the eight inning when C Jason Agresti scored 3B Stanley Espinal on a sacrifice fly.

Both starters were able to leave the game while allowing no earned runs; all runs allowed were after errors in the field. Jose Almonte was especially effective (5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB and 8 Ks) and Dylan Brammer came in for 4 outs at the end of the game to do what he does best: record a save and close the books.

• Both teams allowed five walks, but the Jackals still have no earned runs to record, all the runs allowed being scored after errors.
• Two-way player Brandon Bingel recorded the loss.
• LF Alfredo Marte’s double to right field in the fifth inning made all the difference in the game, batting 3 runs with one stroke of the bat.
• Boulders CF Milton Smith was a problem for the Jackals, hitting three singles and stealing two bases.

Joliet Slammers vs Windy City Thunderbolts

It was already 7–0 when Joliet scored their first and only run of the game in the 9th (sacrifice fly by 2B Lane Baremore).

• The ‘Bolts pitching staff was dominant, striking out 15 batters and allowing only 3 walks. Starter Tyler Thornton had 12 of those and pitched 7 innings. Masterful!
• The Slammers still had 14 Ks of their own, but the 6 walks will always come back to haunt you. Starter Steve Moyers pitched into the 5th inning, but it was already too late.
• Zach Racusin and Jack Strunc (both selected in the Dispersal Draft) bith had two hits, including a double each.
• ‘Bolts catcher Rob Calabrese allowed no stolen base, stole one of his own, hit a single, drew a walk and scored two times. Talk about a performance to help the team!

Tri-City ValleyCats vs Sussex County Miners

It all came down to the last inning (my god, do I love baseball…) when the ValleyCats made sure that their starter’s great performance was not in vain. They trailed 1–0 coming in their last turn at the plate and SS Carson Maxwell hit a triple that scored Francis Martinez. Avery Tuck then singled up the middle to score what would become the winning run. Reliever Trey-Cochran-Gill came in the bottom of the end, struck out two and induced a ground ball to 1st base to close the books.

• ValleyCats starter Carlos Sano: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks. That’s exactly what his manager needed against a big offensive team like the Miners. LHP Samuel Perez was the bridge to the closer and recorded 4 Ks in 2.1 IP.
• This is all just a shame that the Miners’ starter, Tyler Alexander, had a GREAT night, but nothing to show for it: 8.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 12 K.
• Carson Maxwell’s triple was the only extra-base hit of the game for both teams.
• Daniel Angulo, Tri-City’s catcher, was stolen against 6 times, including three by his counterpart on the Miners staff, Daniel Herrera. Let’s just say there is still work to do on that aspect of Angulo’s game.

Tri-City ValleyCats

May 27: Sold the contract of catcher Jhon Nunez to the Miami Marlins. This is obviously a big loss for the ValleyCats, but a great opportunity for Nunez. Make the most of it, man! Nunez really impressed manager Pete Incaviglia during camp. Daniel Angulo was behind the plate in the first game and went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.