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"Strong" performances highlight
Indianapolis - Richmond game at the Diamond Last nights game at the Diamond featured the Indianapolis Indians and Richmond Braves, two National League farm teams, so the game was played with NL rules…..no DH! It was exciting to say the least to watch both pitchers come to the plate and swing the wood. Sean Burnett started the game for the Indians and eventually took the loss. Burnett is a 24-year-old lefthanded pitcher who has one game of major league experience under his belt as well as a 2004 operation to replace the ligament in his throwing arm….the commonplace Tommy John surgery. This caused him to miss the entire 2005 season, so really, this year is still part of his recovery time. The lefty features a high 80s fastball that can sneak up into the low 90s at times, as well as a 'tough to hit' change up and hard breaking curveball. I also saw hints of a slider last night. Richmond countered with veteran lefty Brian O’Connor, a 29-year-old veteran of 11 professional seasons, including six games with the 2000 Pittsburgh Pirates and a partial season with the Berkshire Blackbears of the independent Northeast League. O’Connor is one of the prizes in baseball, a lefthander who can pitch. Usually, those kind of players can find work as long as they can throw the ball. Last night, O’Connor worked the Indian lineup with his fastball and curve, holding them in check for five and a third innings of four hit ball. O’Connor walked seven and fanned two. The only run scored by the visitors was an unearned run in the top of the second when came when Yurendell DeCaster drove a long double over Billy McCarthy's head in right, moved to third on a Craig Stansberry ground-out, Tony Pena to James Jurries, and scored when Brayan Pena misplayed an O’Connor breaking ball while trying to come up to throw out J.J. Furmaniak on an attempted steal of second. After that, it was all Richmond, as the defense shut down the Indian attack. O’Connor picked Furmaniak off second in a very close play which went to the home team. Brayan Pena did a marvelous job of shutting down the visitor's running game, throwing out DeCaster in the top of the fourth. The Braves attack was paced by former Seattle prospect Jamal Strong, who went 2-3 with a double, triple and three RBIs. Strong’s double came in the fourth inning and plated Brayan Pena who had singled and advanced to second on Jurries' walk. Strong’s hit was a nicely hit line drive which landed between left felder Mike Edwards and the foul line. The hit advanced Jurries, who scored on a Tony Pena sacrifice fly to right. The Braves erupted again in the sixth, when Martin Prado and Brayan Pena hit two straight singles. Burnett tossed a wild pitch to Strong, advancing Prado. Following a double switch, which enabled Chris Duffy to enter the game in center and Josh Sharpless to relieve Burnett, the Indians hurler tossed yet another wild pitch, advancing Pena to second. Strong drove the ball deep to center field, resulting in a triple and two more RBIs. Easily the star of the game, Strong was rewarded after the game by Dax Norris with a shaving cream pie in the face on the top of the dugout steps. This season is a come back of sorts for the former Mariners prospect. Having lost 10 games of the 2005 season for using performance enhancing drugs, Strong was playing last year in Seattle when he was hit by Bruce Chen of the Orioles and missed the remainder of the season with a broken hand. In 2003, he tore his labrum and dislocated his left shoulder during spring training. The 2004 season was unlucky as well when he missed the last two months of the season after suffering a bone bruise on his right knee when he ran headlong into a outfield wall. The bruise was so bad; he needed to have corrective surgery. After being released by the Mariners, Stong began the year in the Cubs organization, playing at AAA Iowa until coming to the Braves in a free agent deal at the end of April. Strong’s game is his defense and ability to get on base and use his speed. Given new life in the Braves organization, the former Mariner is making the most of his opportunity, currently batting .280 while hitting out of the five hole in the Braves lineup. The Indians team included Duffy, who has had major league time this season, Pirate prospect Adam Boeve and coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Muelens. Also on the team is former major leaguer Chris Richard, who was part of the Orioles' last attempt to rebuild the team when Syd Thrift cleaned house in the 2000 season and brought Richard to Baltimore from the Cardinals to be the team's first baseman of the future. Unfortunately, Richard was derailed by a shoulder injury and is still toiling along in the minors. I saw him last year in Tucson and he looked to be a solid hitter. The Indy roster also has former prospects Matt Ginter, C.J. Nitkowski, Ryan Vogelsong, former R- Brave and Blue Jay Matt Whiteside, and one of my all-time favorites, Gookie Dawkins. Atlanta’s latest reclamation project from the independent leagues, Jason Shiell, has been added to the Atlanta roster and is currently pitching out of their bullpen. --- John
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