Minor Lines 7/19, 7/20 -- Conspiracy Theories

I feel the need to mention some things I have noticed about Portland which drive me absolutely insane, both of which were displayed tonight.

The first is the curious case of one Jon Still. This man is not a prospect--25 years old and bordering Mendoza levels--and yet he has a mysterious ability to have remarkable games. The games occur almost exclusively on nights when other people are performing poorly (tonight is a notable exception). So I open up the boxscore, see an 8-hit, 6-2 win, and expect a few good lines. Maybe 2 of Lars, Kalish, and Reddick did good. But no, instead, it is simply Jon Still going 4-4 with a couple doubles and a home run.

The second is Lars Anderson's actively avoiding success. This can be found primarily in routs, such as in tonight's game. 19-1 they won it. I open the box score and see "15-0" and make a bee-line for Lars' name. Or I would if it were there. Because through some magical occurence replacing Lars Anderson with .660 OPS Reid Engel seems to inspire the team to new heights.

No, I do not think that's indicative of anything. And neither do you. Shut it.

7/19

Pawtucket W 3-2

Box Score
Chris Carter: 1-3, K
Aaron Bates: 1-4, K
Mark Wagner: 1-4, K
Michael Bowden: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
-Trouble locating the slider. Strict pitch count after a 2-week break.
Javier Lopez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Fernando Cabrera: .2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR

Portland L 1-2

Box Score
Josh Reddick: 0-3, BB, K
Jorge Jimenez: 0-2, 2 BB, K, E
Lars Anderson: 0-4, 2 K
Ryan Kalish: 0-3, BB, K
Jason Place: 0-2, 2 BB, K

Salem L 3-10

Box Score
Che-Hsuan Lin: 2-5, 2B, CS, E
Yamaico navarro: 0-3, K
-Back in action.
Anthony Rizzo: 2-4
Luis Exposito: 0-4, K, E, PO
David Mailman: 1-3, BB, K
Kris Negron: 3-4, 2B, K, E
Kyle Weiland: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Greenville W 7-3

Box Score
Jeremy Hazelbaker: 1-5, K
Ryan Lavarnway: 0-4, BB, K, 2 PB
Will Middlebrooks: 1-3, BB, K
Nick Hagadone: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Lowell L 1-8

Box Score
Shannon Wilkerson: 1-4, 2B
Ryan Westmoreland: 0-3, BB, K

GCL Red Sox L 0-3

Box Score
Reymond Fuentes: 0-4, K
-Cooling off
Casey Kelley: 0-2, K
Seth Schwindenhammer: 0-3, 2 K

7/20

Pawtucket L 5-12

Box Score
Chris Carter: 2-4, 2 HR
Aaron Bates: 1-4, K
Dusty Brown: 2-4, K

Portland W 19-1

Box Score
Josh Reddick: 3-6, HR, 2 K
Jorge Jimenez: 3-4, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
Ryan Kalish: 2-5, 2B, HR, BB, K
Argenis Diaz: 2-5, 2B, 2 K

Greenville L 4-5 (In 11)

Box Score
Jeremy Hazelbaker: 2-6, 2B, 4 K, PO
Ryan Lavarnway: 0-4, 3 K
Will Middlebrooks: 1-5, 3 K
Oscar Tejeda: 1-5, 2 K, 2 E
-And errors 20 and 21. Oi.
Pete Hissey: 1-4, BB
Hunter Strickland: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HR

Lowell W 8-5

Box Score
Shannon Wilkerson: 0-4, K
Derrik Gibson: 1-4, 2 K, SB
Ryan Westmoreland: 3-3, 3B, HR, 2 BB, SB
-If he adds some more power to his frame over the years--which he projects to--he could be a terrifying major leaguer. This is the first baseball he's played since high school and surgery.
Chris McGuiness: 1-3, 2B, BB, K
Michael Almanzar: 0-5, K, E
Alex Wilson: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K