Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/12): Jordan Balazovic Slams the Door

[Tom Froemming]

A pitcher in the Twins organization came in to deliver an impressive multi-inning effort to earn his team a victory. No, I’m not talking about Taylor Rogers. Jordan Balazovic, who had his schedule altered a bit due to the Futures Game, pitched the final four innings for Fort Myers tonight, giving up just one hit while striking out six.TRANSACTIONS

Rochester activated Fernando Romero from the IL and released Chase De Jong.

Williams Ramirez started a rehab assignment with the GCL Twins.

Fort Myers sent Derek Molina to the 7-day IL due to shoulder bicipital tendinitis and activated Bailey Ober from the IL.

Elizabethton placed Tanner Brubaker, Casey Legumina, Luis Varland and Brent Headrick on the 7-day IL.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Lehigh Valley 7, Rochester 6

Box Score

 

Lewis Thorpe: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 68.5% strikes (50 of 73 pitches)

HR: Wilin Rosario (10), Nick Gordon (3)

Multi-hit games: Wilin Rosario (2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB), Nick Gordon (2-for-4, HR, BB)

 

Fernando Romero pitched for the first time since June 19, serving as the opener. He retired the first two batters on ground balls before a Nick Gordon fielding error extended the inning. From there, Romero surrendered a single and a three-run homer.

 

Lewis Thorpe took over in the second inning and was solid in his four innings. The Red Wings chipped away at the lead, with Wilin Rosario hitting a two-run homer and Gordon providing a solo blast.

 

Cody Allen made his Rochester debut. He struck out the first batter he faced, then gave up a home run. He walked the next batter (old friend Shane Robinson) before ending the inning on a double play.

 

Next out of the pen was Cody Stashak. He struck out two batters over a pair of no-hit innings. The right-hander now has a 1.40 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and has 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings for Rochester.

 

Rosario hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to tie this game, but Gabriel Moya gave those runs right back in the top of the ninth. The Red Wings got a run across thanks to a bases-loaded walk from Gordon, but could not plate the tying run.

 

Drew Maggi was hit in the leg by a pitch, which would have driven in the game-tying run, but the home plate umpire declared that Maggi turned into the pitch and did not award him first base. Wings manager Joel Skinner came out to argue and was eventually ejected. Brent Rooker was also ejected earlier in the game after a very tame episode in which he argued a called third strike.

 

 

BLUE WAHOO BITES

Montgomery 4, Pensacola 2

Box Score

 

Randy Dobnak: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 69.1% strikes (65 of 94 pitches)

HR: None

Multi-hit games: None

 

It was a tough night for the Blue Wahoos lineup, as they didn’t record a hit until the eighth inning. Randy Dobnak had a quality start, lowering his ERA with Pensacola to 2.76 on the year. Just checking in on this game between a few others, it appeared the weather was less than ideal. It was a windy night in the bayside Blue Wahoo Stadium and it also sounded like there may have been some rain.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 8, Bradenton 4

Box Score

 

Blayne Enlow: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 60.9% strikes (42 of 69 pitches)

Jordan Balazovic: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 70.9% strikes (39 of 55 pitches)

HR: Trevor Larnach (6), Ryan Costello (7)

Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (3-for-3, 2B, BB), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4, HR, BB), Gabriel Maciel (2-for-5)

 

Bradenton jumped all over Blayne Enlow in the first inning, scoring four runs. The Miracle bounced back and scored the next eight runs unanswered to win.

 

Melvi Acosta struck out three over two shutout innings before Jordan Balazovic took over to close out the final four innings. His schedule was thrown off a bit by participating in the Futures Game. Balazovic allowed just one baserunner and struck out six.

 

? That was against Bradenton a ways back. Here’s the first pitch Royce saw in the ninth inning of an 8-4 game tonight:

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Great Lakes 7, Cedar Rapids 0

Box Score

 

Josh Winder: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 67.8% strikes (61 of 90 pitches)

HR: None

Multi-hit games: None

 

The Kernels lineup mustered just four hits, the only extra-base hit being a double for Gabe Snyder. Several of Cedar Rapids’ top prospects continue to struggle at the plate, including Wander Javier, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts tonight. Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote about some of Javier’s struggles and spoke at length about him with Kernels manager Brian Dinkelman. Here’s a link to that piece.

 

Josh Winder had an uncharacteristically poor start, as he surrendered three home runs, and Nate Hadley, 2019 25th-round pick, made his Kernels debut, striking out two batters over a pair of perfect innings.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 16, Burlington 6

Box Score

 

Andriu Marin: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 54.4% strikes (43 of 79 pitches)

Osiris German: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 76.9% strikes (30 of 39 pitches)

HR: Albee Weiss 2 (8), Seth Gray (3), Janigson Villalobos 2 (2)

Multi-hit games: Spencer Steer (5-for-5, 2 2B, BB), Albee Weiss (4-for-5, 2B, 2 HR), Janigson Villalobos (3-for-5, 2 HR), Seth Gray (3-for-4, HR, BB), Max Smith (2-for-6)

 

Sweet 16! The E-Town offense was en fuego Friday night. Albee Weiss racked up 10 total bases and drove in six runs. He and Janigson Villalobos each hit two home runs. Spencer Steer reached base safely in all six of his plate appearances.

 

Osiris German starred on the mound for Elizabethton. After striking out six in three shutout inning tonight, he now has a 0.60 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 15 innings this season.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 8, GCL Red Sox 3

Box Score

 

HR: Wander Valdez (1), Jeferson Morales (2)

Multi-hit games: Erick Rivera (3-for-5, 2B), Wander Valdez (2-for-5, 2B, HR), Francisco Martinez (2-for-5)

 

Wander Valdez got things rolling with a home run in the first inning, and by the end of the third the Twins had already built up a 6-0 lead. Matthew Swain, the Twins’ 23rd-round pick from this year’s draft, held the Red Sox scoreless over the first two innings. He’s now opened his professional career with 7 1/3 scoreless frames.

 

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jordan Balazovic, Fort Myers

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Albee Weiss, Elizabethton

 

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed:

 

1. Royce Lewis (FM): 1-for-5, 2 K

2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 0-for-4, 2 K

4. Trevor Larnach (FM): 2-for-4, HR (6), BB, 3 RBI, R, K

5. Wander Javier (CR): 0-for-4, 3 K

6. Jordan Balazovic (FM): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 70.9% strikes (39 of 55 pitches)

7: Keoni Cavaco (GCL): 0-for-4, 3 K

8. Brent Rooker (ROC): 0-for-3, 2 K (ejected in the sixth inning)

10. Blayne Enlow (FM): 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 60.9% strikes (42 of 69 pitches)

11. Lewis Thorpe (ROC): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 68.5% strikes (50 of 73 pitches)

12. Nick Gordon (ROC): 2-for-4, HR (3), BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, K, 2 E

13. Ryan Jeffers (FM): 0-for-4, BB, K

15. Matt Wallner (ELZ): 1-for-6, RBI, 2 K

16. Ben Rortvedt (PNS): 0-for-4 K

19. Misael Urbina (DSL): 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, 2 SB (15)

20. Travis Blankenhorn (PNS): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K

 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley, 5:05 pm CT (Kohl Stewart)

Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 6:05 pm CT (Charlie Barnes)

Fort Myers at Bradenton, 5:30 pm CT (Lachlan Wells)

Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing, 6:35 pm CT (Andrew Cabezas)

Elizabethton vs. Johnson City, 5:30 pm CT (Ryan Shreve)

GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT (TBD)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games.

 

Click here to view the article

[Han Joelo]

Glad Royce is okay.  I'm going to force myself to believe minor leaguers wouldn't throw intentionally at someone's head, ever, and that was just one that got away.  But, geez.

[jimbo92107]

I seem to recall that some pitcher threw a ball at Tony Oliva's head once. Tony dusted himself off, and on the next pitch his bat totally accidentally sailed right at the pitcher's knees. Daddy told me the pitcher climbed an invisible ladder to get out of the way. 

 

Whoopsie Daisy! These are all just terribly unfortunate accidents!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Hooray for Albee Weiss again. What a week he is having.

[jmlease1]

wow, Wander Javier is struggling right now. The overall batting line is awful, but the last week & last month are so much worse.

Last 28 Days he's "slashing" .074/.182/.103 in 68 ABs. with 30 Ks. Something is broken with him, hope the coaching staff can get him right, because this is absolutely dreadful.

 

That sequence with Rooker getting tossed and other nonsense with the ump...good grief, what happened? Who peed in Alex Tossi's cornflakes, because that was an absurd ump show.

[Vanimal46]

Stashak should be next in line for a promotion to Minnesota. Hoping that it's not Romero again or Cody Allen. Reward the hot hand.

 

Not sure if Rooker said anything else to the ump besides "That was up." Pretty quick trigger finger from the ump there. Though I do concur with the call in the 9th. The batter leaned into the pitch with his knee.

 

And of course, this is your weekly PSA that Balazovic is really good.

Edited July 13, 2019 by Vanimal46

[stringer bell]

Nice to see Gordon doing well in AAA. With the success that Arraez is having, he could still be trade bait, but his value should be higher.

 

I'd like to see the speed that Gordon has in the major league lineup, but I have to believe that Arraez has moved himself in front of Gordon.

[Han Joelo]

Gordon is exactly the type of player that the savvy folks in Houston, LA, and NY like to trade.  He'll certainly sound good to a casual fan base lamenting the loss of their World Series ace.  Actually, he'd fit in really well with that collection of second generation stars in Toronto.

[Doctor Wu]

Looking at the Prospects List, at #15, Matt Wallner is a name I don't recall seeing before. Or at least I never paid any attention. What's his story and why is he rated so highly?

[mikelink45]

I am disappointed in Romero and Allen - they are not the answer for the Twins pen this year.  

 

I posted about Javier earlier in the week.  He is definitely doing something wrong.  After all his IL issues and now bad bat, I hope his fielding is holding up.  I am anxious for one of the TD crew to do an analysis of this fading prospect 

[rdehring]

Seeing that Rochester score last night, I assumed Thorpe had a disappointing start.  NOT!  73 pitches in 4.0 innings is a bit much, but everything else was good, very good.  Gotta believe this kid has a future in the Twins rotation.

 

Also a nice surprise to see Balazovic pitch last night, especially with his normal results.  Thorpe, a healthy Graterol and Balazovic.  Let's hope at least two of the three turn out to be above average starters.

 

If I were the commissioner of the Florida State League, the Bradenton pitcher wouldn't see the mound until August, mid-August at the earliest.  That pitch At his head was just plain B.S.

[Tom Froemming]

 

Looking at the Prospects List, at #15, Matt Wallner is a name I don't recall seeing before. Or at least I never paid any attention. What's his story and why is he rated so highly?

If you're ever curious about any of those guys, there's a link to our prospect list recap at the top of that section. Here's a link to the specific article Wallner was discussed. The Twins took him with the No. 39 overall pick in this year's draft, so he's brand new to the system.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

"Nice to see Gordon doing well in AAA. With the success that Arraez is having, he could still be trade bait, but his value should be higher."

 

Agreed, but I hope that the Twins get more than a rental--ala Capps for Ramos.

[Mike Sixel]

Hopefully the man with the hard to spell last name is promoted soon.

[puckstopper1]

De Jong be Long Gone.

 

Too bad he couldn't put it all together and help this franchise.

[Mike Sixel]

Taking a flyer on DeJong was a fine move. Just didn't work, but that's the nature of this kind of deal.

[Obsvr]

 

 

 

If I were the commissioner of the Florida State League, the Bradenton pitcher wouldn't see the mound until August, mid-August at the earliest.  That pitch At his head was just plain B.S.

 

I would bet that will be the last time Royce does push ups at 2nd base.

 

I have no problem with it tbh.  Bat flips, watching your home run...fine by me.  Push ups at 2nd base?  Thats a bit much.

 

 

[jkcarew]

Best wishes for Chase De Jong. Sometimes, I feel worse for guys like De Jong than the guys who wash out early. Been a pro for 8+ years, had a couple of good AAA showings...but hit the wall there. Much better career than most that get the opportunity...but still has to be tough.

[Tom Froemming]

 

I would bet that will be the last time Royce does push ups at 2nd base.

 

I have no problem with it tbh.  Bat flips, watching your home run...fine by me.  Push ups at 2nd base?  Thats a bit much.

Yeah, I think he learned his lesson, but that wasn't to upstage the opponent, he was actually poking fun at himself. He hit a double high off the wall, the pushups were sorta him saying I gotta get stronger and hit that one over the fence. It was a silly thing to do.

 

At this point I do think Lewis/the Miracle should have tried to go out of their way to somehow make it clear to Bradenton that Royce was just having a laugh at his own expense rather than trying to show them up. Here's a look back at that whole situation and some more of my thoughts if you're interested:

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

A pitcher in the Twins organization came in to deliver an impressive multi-inning effort to earn his team a victory. No, I’m not talking about Taylor Rogers. Jordan Balazovic, who had his schedule altered a bit due to the Futures Game, pitched the final four innings for Fort Myers tonight, giving up just one hit while striking out six.TRANSACTIONSRochester activated Fernando Romero from the IL and released Chase De Jong.Williams Ramirez started a rehab assignment with the GCL Twins.Fort Myers sent Derek Molina to the 7-day IL due to shoulder bicipital tendinitis and activated Bailey Ober from the IL.Elizabethton placed Tanner Brubaker, Casey Legumina, Luis Varland and Brent Headrick on the 7-day IL.RED WINGS REPORTLehigh Valley 7, Rochester 6Box ScoreLewis Thorpe: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 68.5% strikes (50 of 73 pitches)HR: Wilin Rosario (10), Nick Gordon (3)Multi-hit games: Wilin Rosario (2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB), Nick Gordon (2-for-4, HR, BB)Fernando Romero pitched for the first time since June 19, serving as the opener. He retired the first two batters on ground balls before a Nick Gordon fielding error extended the inning. From there, Romero surrendered a single and a three-run homer.Lewis Thorpe took over in the second inning and was solid in his four innings. The Red Wings chipped away at the lead, with Wilin Rosario hitting a two-run homer and Gordon providing a solo blast.Cody Allen made his Rochester debut. He struck out the first batter he faced, then gave up a home run. He walked the next batter (old friend Shane Robinson) before ending the inning on a double play.Next out of the pen was Cody Stashak. He struck out two batters over a pair of no-hit innings. The right-hander now has a 1.40 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and has 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings for Rochester.Rosario hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to tie this game, but Gabriel Moya gave those runs right back in the top of the ninth. The Red Wings got a run across thanks to a bases-loaded walk from Gordon, but could not plate the tying run.Drew Maggi was hit in the leg by a pitch, which would have driven in the game-tying run, but the home plate umpire declared that Maggi turned into the pitch and did not award him first base. Wings manager Joel Skinner came out to argue and was eventually ejected. Brent Rooker was also ejected earlier in the game after a very tame episode in which he argued a called third strike.BLUE WAHOO BITESMontgomery 4, Pensacola 2Box ScoreRandy Dobnak: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 69.1% strikes (65 of 94 pitches)HR: NoneMulti-hit games: NoneIt was a tough night for the Blue Wahoos lineup, as they didn’t record a hit until the eighth inning. Randy Dobnak had a quality start, lowering his ERA with Pensacola to 2.76 on the year. Just checking in on this game between a few others, it appeared the weather was less than ideal. It was a windy night in the bayside Blue Wahoo Stadium and it also sounded like there may have been some rain.MIRACLE MATTERSFort Myers 8, Bradenton 4Box ScoreBlayne Enlow: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 60.9% strikes (42 of 69 pitches)Jordan Balazovic: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 70.9% strikes (39 of 55 pitches)HR: Trevor Larnach (6), Ryan Costello (7)Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (3-for-3, 2B, BB), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4, HR, BB), Gabriel Maciel (2-for-5)Bradenton jumped all over Blayne Enlow in the first inning, scoring four runs. The Miracle bounced back and scored the next eight runs unanswered to win.Melvi Acosta struck out three over two shutout innings before Jordan Balazovic took over to close out the final four innings. His schedule was thrown off a bit by participating in the Futures Game. Balazovic allowed just one baserunner and struck out six.Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer, his sixth of the season, an RBI single and drew a walk. He’s now hitting .310 with an .835 OPS for Fort Myers. Michael Helman was 3-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.Remember that whole thing where Royce Lewis

? That was against Bradenton a ways back. Here’s the first pitch Royce saw in the ninth inning of an 8-4 game tonight:KERNELS NUGGETSGreat Lakes 7, Cedar Rapids 0Box ScoreJosh Winder: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 67.8% strikes (61 of 90 pitches)HR: NoneMulti-hit games: NoneThe Kernels lineup mustered just four hits, the only extra-base hit being a double for Gabe Snyder. Several of Cedar Rapids’ top prospects continue to struggle at the plate, including Wander Javier, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts tonight. Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote about some of Javier’s struggles and spoke at length about him with Kernels manager Brian Dinkelman. Here’s a link to that piece.Josh Winder had an uncharacteristically poor start, as he surrendered three home runs, and Nate Hadley, 2019 25th-round pick, made his Kernels debut, striking out two batters over a pair of perfect innings.E-TWINS E-NOTESElizabethton 16, Burlington 6Box ScoreAndriu Marin: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 54.4% strikes (43 of 79 pitches)Osiris German: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 76.9% strikes (30 of 39 pitches)HR: Albee Weiss 2 (8), Seth Gray (3), Janigson Villalobos 2 (2)Multi-hit games: Spencer Steer (5-for-5, 2 2B, BB), Albee Weiss (4-for-5, 2B, 2 HR), Janigson Villalobos (3-for-5, 2 HR), Seth Gray (3-for-4, HR, BB), Max Smith (2-for-6)Sweet 16! The E-Town offense was en fuego Friday night. Albee Weiss racked up 10 total bases and drove in six runs. He and Janigson Villalobos each hit two home runs. Spencer Steer reached base safely in all six of his plate appearances.Osiris German starred on the mound for Elizabethton. After striking out six in three shutout inning tonight, he now has a 0.60 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 15 innings this season.GCL TWINS TAKESGCL Twins 8, GCL Red Sox 3Box ScoreHR: Wander Valdez (1), Jeferson Morales (2)Multi-hit games: Erick Rivera (3-for-5, 2B), Wander Valdez (2-for-5, 2B, HR), Francisco Martinez (2-for-5)Wander Valdez got things rolling with a home run in the first inning, and by the end of the third the Twins had already built up a 6-0 lead. Matthew Swain, the Twins’ 23rd-round pick from this year’s draft, held the Red Sox scoreless over the first two innings. He’s now opened his professional career with 7 1/3 scoreless frames.STARS OF THE DAYTwins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jordan Balazovic, Fort MyersTwins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Albee Weiss, ElizabethtonTOP PROSPECT SUMMARYHere’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed:1. Royce Lewis (FM): 1-for-5, 2 K2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 0-for-4, 2 K4. Trevor Larnach (FM): 2-for-4, HR (6), BB, 3 RBI, R, K5. Wander Javier (CR): 0-for-4, 3 K6. Jordan Balazovic (FM): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 70.9% strikes (39 of 55 pitches)7: Keoni Cavaco (GCL): 0-for-4, 3 K8. Brent Rooker (ROC): 0-for-3, 2 K (ejected in the sixth inning)10. Blayne Enlow (FM): 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 60.9% strikes (42 of 69 pitches)11. Lewis Thorpe (ROC): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 68.5% strikes (50 of 73 pitches)12. Nick Gordon (ROC): 2-for-4, HR (3), BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, K, 2 E13. Ryan Jeffers (FM): 0-for-4, BB, K15. Matt Wallner (ELZ): 1-for-6, RBI, 2 K16. Ben Rortvedt (PNS): 0-for-4 K19. Misael Urbina (DSL): 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, 2 SB (15)20. Travis Blankenhorn (PNS): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 KSATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERSRochester vs. Lehigh Valley, 5:05 pm CT (Kohl Stewart)Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 6:05 pm CT (Charlie Barnes)Fort Myers at Bradenton, 5:30 pm CT (Lachlan Wells)Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing, 6:35 pm CT (Andrew Cabezas)Elizabethton vs. Johnson City, 5:30 pm CT (Ryan Shreve)GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT (TBD)Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games.Click here to view the article

Another great report. This is just top notch stuff.

[rdehring]

 

I would bet that will be the last time Royce does push ups at 2nd base.

 

I have no problem with it tbh.  Bat flips, watching your home run...fine by me.  Push ups at 2nd base?  Thats a bit much.

Agree that his push ups were bush.  But you throw at his body if you are sending a message, not at his or anyone else's head.

[DocBauer]

Agreed on Lewis. What he did was silly, if not outright dumb. Even still, it was clearly a poke at himself. Throwing at a guy for a silly/dumb joke is bad enough without throwing at his head. Pure BS.

 

Unless Rooker said something really bad, his ejection for a muttered comment looks lame.

[Darius]

Yeah, I think he learned his lesson, but that wasn't to upstage the opponent, he was actually poking fun at himself. He hit a double high off the wall, the pushups were sorta him saying I gotta get stronger and hit that one over the fence. It was a silly thing to do.

 

At this point I do think Lewis/the Miracle should have tried to go out of their way to somehow make it clear to Bradenton that Royce was just having a laugh at his own expense rather than trying to show them up. Here's a look back at that whole situation and some more of my thoughts if you're interested:

 

I think it’s pretty clear he wasn’t doing push-ups to say “I crushed that double.” But, saying “I need to get stronger to muscle that out,” is still easily seen as a slight. I’d also interpret that as “I’m so good and you’re so mediocre that I need to flagellate myself on second base for only banging a double off the wall,” and be pretty annoyed.

 

Clearly the buzzing of Lewis’ tower was intentional.

[Mr. Brooks]

Baseball players have the thinnest skin in the world, and it's not a close race.

[ashbury]

Baseball players have the thinnest skin in the world, and it's not a close race.

Yeah, you never see a hockey player take umbrage at anything.

[Aerodeliria]

Nice report as always. I'd like to see Thorpe given another shot the next time we need a fill-in starter. He just keeps getting better and better.

[AlwaysinModeration]

I get that Albie Weiss had himself a helluva night with 4 hits, two homers and a double....but Spencer Steer must be saying how the hell do I earn hitter of the day honors around these parts?!? 5 for 5, two doubles, plus a walk to get on base all six plate appearances!!!

[h2oface]

 

I seem to recall that some pitcher threw a ball at Tony Oliva's head once. Tony dusted himself off, and on the next pitch his bat totally accidentally sailed right at the pitcher's knees. Daddy told me the pitcher climbed an invisible ladder to get out of the way. 

 

Whoopsie Daisy! These are all just terribly unfortunate accidents!

 

I love that! I think intentionally throwing a ball at someone, anywhere, anytime, and especially at the head, is the most cowardly thing a baseball player can do. I think there should be consequences for the pitcher. They get away with murder. They should be held accountable.

 

Seems fans just don't like to have fun. Lewis was funny and original. And in the minors. Fans and players just can't take it. It really is sad, in my opinion. Push-ups at second, funny. Throwing at a guys head, or body..... childish and totally cowardly, and needs to be stopped.