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Opening weekend in Richmond There were prospects galore at the Diamond in Richmond last night. The Buffalo Bisons came to town and fielded a team which included Andy Marte, Ryan Garko, Franklin Gutierrez, Jake Gautreau, Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers. The Indians organization was described this past off-season as a rich team that got richer. That wealth was on display last night in Richmond. Their starting lineup included former Braves top prospect Marte, who batted fourth and played third, former Stanford slugger Garko, who is making the conversion from catcher to first base, outfield prospect Gutierrez, who led off and started in center, and left-handed pitcher Sowers, who got the win for the Bisons. The Braves countered with few prospects of their own: Scott Thorman, Joey Devine and Anthony Lerew. Also on the Richmond roster are former Braves prospects Tony Pena, Jr. and James Jurries, the latter who was suspended last season for using a prohibited substance. Brayan Pena is also on the roster. He is a catcher who got some major league time last season and is a player I really like for his offense. Surprisingly, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is not starting the year in Richmond this year. He will begin instead at the AA level. Arizona Fall League fans will remember Garko, Gautreau, Thorman and the slick fielding, light hitting Pena, Jr., who batted in the number nine hole for the Braves last night. Marte is the former Braves top prospect who was traded twice during the off season. Initially going from Atlanta to Boston for Edgar Renteria, then onto the Indians in a deal which included Guillermo Mota, Kelly Shoppach and cash for Coco Crisp (ranks right up there with Stubby Clapp for one of the best baseball names), Josh Bard, David Riske and a PTBNL. Marte made his return to the Diamond in Thursday’s opener when he went 0-3 at the plate. Last night was somewhat better. According to the box score he went 2-2, however what the box score does not show is the base running booboo he made in the top of the first when he was thrown out trying to go from second to third on a long fly ball which Braves centerfielder Cesar Crespo took at the wall in center. Crespo made a tremendous throw to get Marte, who was trying to get into third standing up. Crespo got him by a step. I am not sure if coach Torey Lovullo gave him the sign to slide or not, but whether he did or not, Marte was out on a nice play.The throw from Crespo to Wes Timmons even brushed Marte's right sleeve as he went into the bag --- it was that close. Later in the fifth inning, Marte contributed to the Braves lone run when he made a nice pickup of a rolling ground ball Timmons hit in front of him, then threw wide of first, which allowed Bill McCarthy to advance from first to third.McCarthy scored one batter later when Michael Ryan drove him in with a single. Offensively, the Bisons started early. In the top of the first, leadoff hitter Guiterrez worked his way out of a 0-2 count to hit Wes Obermueller's 3-2 offering over the “Great Clips” sign which is just inside the left field foul line. Obermueller's first inning was a real slugfest for the Bisons, as they batted six hitters and all of them hit the ball well. Not one ball was hit in the infield and every out was made on a flyout to the deepest reaches of the ballpark. It was the kind of outing that made fans want to see the bat boy get at least one at bat. Obermueller did manage to shut them down for the next four innings. Scott Mullen became the unlucky Braves reliever who entered the game in the top of the sixth to the awakened Bison bats and promptly gave up three runs. Eventually, Buffalo would go on to score a total of 10 runs, including a five run eighth inning, to thrash the Braves by 9. Sowers (who is listed as weighing 180, but I think they put rocks in his pockets when they weighed him) went six innings, giving up one run on six hits and three walks while striking out five Braves. Offensively, the Bisons attack was paced by Gutierrez, who went 3-5 and drove in three runs. Every hitter in the Buffalo lineup got at least one hit, except catcher Einar Diaz and pinch hitter Ben Francisco. --- John
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