Tag Archives: A’s

30 Jun

hard knocks

Big day at the plate for B.A. Vollmuth on Sunday. The former Southern Miss star, playing for the Beloit Snappers in the Class A Midwest League, went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs and an RBI. Trouble is, the big days have been few and far between for Vollmuth this season. Dealing with failure is a big part of a player’s development in pro ball, and that’s what Vollmuth is confronted with in 2014. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound third baseman is batting just .189. He has six home runs but hasn’t hit one in the entire month of June. Vollmuth, from Biloxi, was arguably the state’s best player as a junior at USM in 2011. He was drafted in the third round by Oakland and showed enough that first season that he was rated the A’s No. 9 prospect heading into 2012. He batted .261 with 14 homers at two levels of A-ball in 2012 and was rated the No. 17 prospect following that season. Vollmuth spent 2013 at Stockton in the high Class A California League and enjoyed some success, hitting 21 homers and knocking in 70 runs. But he hit only .212 and struck out way too much (161 times). He was sent back this season to the low-A Midwest League, where apparently he is still trying to figure things out in what may be a pivotal season. P.S. Corey Dickerson, the former Meridian Community College standout, went 2-for-4 for Colorado on Sunday and has 10 multi-hit games in June. He is batting .343 with 10 homers, 33 RBIs and 34 runs in 60 games. Too bad his name isn’t on the All-Star ballot. … Tony Sipp, the Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, registered his first save of the year in Houston’s 6-4 win over Detroit. Sipp threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.61. Primarily a set-up or situational left-hander, Sipp has only four career saves. … Picayune’s T.J. House was back in The Show and pitched well for Cleveland, allowing just two runs in six innings against Seattle. Unfortunately, the rookie lefty was matched against Felix Hernandez, who allowed just one hit over eight innings as the Mariners won 3-0. House is 0-2 with a 4.54 ERA in seven games, six starts.

18 Jun

tough times

A punch thrown in frustration resulted in a broken right hand for Drew Pomeranz and landed the left-hander out of Ole Miss on the disabled list for Oakland. Pomeranz (5-4, 2.91 ERA) slugged a chair Monday night after allowing eight hits, two walks and seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against Texas, his worst outing since he moved into the A’s rotation. He is on the 15-day DL. … Picayune High alum T.J. House was sent down to Triple-A Columbus by Cleveland today. Lefty House was 0-1 with a 4.88 ERA in six games, five starts. He’ll be back. … Former Pillow Academy star Louis Coleman, recalled from the minors by Kansas City today, gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Detroit’s Ian Kinsler. On the bright side: Coleman got through the eighth inning for the Royals, who beat Detroit 11-4 to move into first place in the American League Central. Coleman’s ERA when he was sent out at the end of May was 6.27. It’s now 6.41.

14 Jun

just for starters

Though the field is small, the race for most wins among Mississippi-connected starters in the big leagues is always interesting to watch. Lance Lynn edged out Cliff Lee 15-14 last year, while Paul Maholm ran third with 10 W’s. As we near this season’s halfway point, Lynn — a horse in the figurative sense — has bolted to the lead. The former Ole Miss ace moved to 7-4 with an outstanding effort for St. Louis against Washington on Friday. He retired the first 16 batters and went eight innings, yielding two hits with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 win. Lynn had lost two straight starts after his brilliant shutout of the New York Yankees on May 27, but Drew Pomeranz, another ex-Rebels star, was unable to gain any ground in the wins race during that time. Despite allowing just one earned run over 14 innings, the Oakland left-hander is 0-1 in his last two starts. For the year, Pomeranz is 5-3 – 4-2 since moving into the A’s rotation. He is expected to go again against Texas on Monday. Meridian Community College product Lee is 4-4 for Philadelphia but is out of the race at the moment, stuck on the disabled list since mid-May. He is throwing again, however, and surely champing at the bit to return. Picayune High product T.J. House, who makes his fifth MLB start today for Cleveland against Boston at Fenway Park, is running way in the back, still seeking his first win. The lefty is 0-1 with a 5.24 ERA and yielded five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against Texas his last time out. His hold on a rotation spot may be tenuous for the improving Indians. Maholm, the former Mississippi State standout, is 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is now working out of their bullpen — his last start was May 9 — though a spot start here or there is certainly possible. P.S. It’s wait ’til next, uh, half for the Mississippi Braves, who were eliminated from the Southern League South first-half race with a loss at Tennessee on Friday night. The M-Braves will begin the second half, with a clean slate, on June 19 at Trustmark Park against the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals.

25 May

managing (mostly) fine

Eyebrows were raised when John Gibbons was re-hired to manage the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013. Here lately, eyebrows have been raised over how well the Jays have played under the former Jackson Mets catcher. As we approach the Memorial Day pole – always a key marker in the MLB season – Toronto has won 10 of 12 games and surged to the top of the American League East with a 28-22 record. Gibbons had a losing record in his first run with the Jays from 2004-08, and the club went 74-88 last season. Former Mississippi State star Buck Showalter has his Baltimore Orioles in third place in the AL East at 24-23. Ex-Jackson Mets shortstop Ron Gardenhire, who has endured three straight miserable seasons in Minnesota, is enjoying better days so far in 2014. The Twins, fueled by Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier’s big numbers, are 23-23, tied for second in the AL Central with Kansas City (24-24). The Royals, whom everyone keeps expecting to break out, are managed by ex-JaxMets catcher Ned Yost. Former JaxMets star Billy Beane, the GM in Oakland, has worked more magic in 2014. The A’s are 30-19, leading the AL West. In the NL, former JaxMets skipper Clint Hurdle, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has seen his club slide to a 22-26 start, fourth in the Central Division. The Bucs made the playoffs last year for the first time since 1992; they’ve got work to do to get back in. P.S. On the MLB transaction watch: Cincinnati has signed former Ole Miss left-hander Matt Maloney to a minor league deal. Maloney debuted with the Reds in 2009. He last pitched in the big leagues in 2012 with Minnesota and has a 5.74 career ERA in 31 games. … Pascagoula’s Joey Butler, who got only five at-bats during his brief stint with St. Louis, is off to Japan, where he will play for the Orix Buffaloes. … Ole Miss alum Phillip Irwin was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh, which took him off the 40-man roster. The right-hander may very well wind up back with the Pirates’ Triple-A team.

21 May

could be worse

The Philadelphia Phillies put Cliff Lee, the ex-Meridian Community College ace, on the 15-day disabled list today with what was described as a mild elbow strain. Not good for a 35-year-old pitcher, but not the worst case scenario. There were some concerns that he might be headed for Tommy John surgery. Left-hander Lee, who last pitched on Sunday, is 4-4 with a 3.18 ERA. P.S. Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz won his third straight start for Oakland on Tuesday as the A’s beat Tampa Bay 3-0. How’s this for consistency? Since moving to the rotation, lefty Pomeranz has worked five scoreless innings in each of his three starts. He is 4-1 with a 0.94 ERA for the season. … Mitch Moreland is heating up in Texas. The former Mississippi State standout is 4-for-11 with a homer in his three starts at first base (his former position) in place of the injured Prince Fielder and is batting .345 over his last 10 games. For the year, the Amory native is batting .294 with two homers and 15 RBIs.

13 May

big league chew

Oakland will hand Drew Pomeranz the ball again tonight for his second start of the season. The former Ole Miss standout threw five scoreless innings as a starter last Wednesday after working only in relief in his first nine appearances and posting a sub-2.00 ERA. The former first-round draft pick is 16-9 with a 2.97 ERA as a starter in the minors but has not had that kind of success in the big leagues. His career ERA is 4.75, working primarily as a starter for Colorado since 2011. The A’s got left-hander Pomeranz in an off-season trade. He’ll go tonight against the Chicago White Sox at O.Co Coliseum. … Mississippi State product Tyler Moore, back up with Washington, hit his third home run of 2014 (in 37 at-bats) on Monday night. He hit just four last season in 167 ABs after blasting 10 in 156 as a rookie in 2012. … Keep an eye on Ole Miss product Seth Smith, of the San Diego Padres, who was named the National League player of the week on Monday on the heels of a 14-for-28 streak that has lifted his average to .330. Ex-Itawamba Community College star Desmond Jennings, with Tampa Bay, is 2-for-24 since winning American League player of the week honors on May 5.

04 Apr

winning ways

Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz, who was 0-4 with Colorado last season, got a win in his second appearance with his new team, Oakland, on Thursday night. The left-hander, converted to the bullpen by the A’s, pitched a clean 12th against Seattle and notched his first MLB victory since 2012 when Coco Crisp hit a home run in the bottom of the inning. Another former Rebels star, Lance Lynn of St. Louis, toughed out five innings against Cincinnati on Thursday to get a win in his first start of 2014. Toss in Aaron Barrett’s win in relief on Monday in his big league debut with Washington and UM alums are now 3-0.

04 Dec

new digs for mr. smith

Seth Smith is on the move again, this time via trade from Oakland to San Diego, where there is the promise of more at-bats than the ex-Ole Miss star got in 2013. The Padres, who have an abundance of outfielders, were seeking another left-handed hitter. Smith, a corner outfielder who got most of his 368 ABs last year against right-handers, batted .253 with eight homers and 40 RBIs, a rather lackluster stat line. He hit 14 homers for the A’s in 2012 and has 73 for his career, with a high of 17 in 2010. That was in Colorado, home to the best hitter’s park in MLB. Oakland’s O.Co Coliseum is a pitcher’s park, and San Diego’s Petco Park is even more pitcher-friendly. Bottom line: The 2014 season could be challenging for Smith, who may be battling for playing time with Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Will Venable and Chris Denorfia. Venable is the only other lefty swinger in that mix.