Tag Archives: MLB

03 Jun

touching the bases

Mallex Smith, the Mississippi Braves’ 5-foot-9 center fielder and leadoff batter, did a lot of little things that helped the team sweep a Tuesday doubleheader against Jackson (Tenn.) at Trustmark Park. Smith made three sensational catches in Game 1, lending support to the strong pitching of Victor Mateo and Mike Nesseth in a 3-0 win. In Game 2, Smith went 1-for-1 with two walks, two runs and a stolen base in a 5-2 victory. Smith, one of Atlanta’s top prospects, is leading the Southern League in hitting at .340 and has 18 steals and 28 runs in 43 games. The M-Braves are 28-22, second in the SL South, and will have ace Tyrell Jenkins (4-2, 3.00 ERA) on the mound and possibly rehabbing big leaguer Joey Terdoslavich in the lineup tonight against the Generals. …. Former East Central Community College standout Tim Anderson suffered a left shoulder injury in an outfield collision while playing for Birmingham of the SL on Tuesday. There was no immediate word on the severity of the shortstop’s injury. Anderson, one of the Chicago White Sox’s top prospects, is batting .316 with 22 RBIs, 19 steals and 31 runs. He recently had a 4-hit, 3-steal game and also hit for the cycle in a game last month. … Ex-Alcorn State star Corey Wimberly is on a tear in the Mexican League, raising his average to .329 with 16 steals and 39 runs in 42 games for Yucatan. Wimberly, a switch-hitting center fielder, is in his 11th pro season. … Pillow Academy product Louis Coleman is 3-1 with four saves and a 1.54 ERA at Triple-A Omaha in Kansas City’s organization. Coleman, who has a 3.25 career MLB ERA, is no longer on the Royals’ 40-man roster. … Ole Miss alum Cody Satterwhite, pitching at Triple-A Las Vegas in the New York Mets’ system, has registered six scoreless outings in his last seven, trimming his ERA to 6.38. He has a win and two saves. … Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product and former big leaguer Fred Lewis, with Southern Maryland in the independent Atlantic League, is batting .224 in 33 games. He has been out of the lineup for over a week. … Ex-UM star Drew Pomeranz is eligible to return today to the Oakland A’s active roster. He is 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA in eight starts; reports say he may be moved to the bullpen. … Meridian CC alum Corey Dickerson (Colorado) and Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings (Tampa Bay) remain on the disabled list with no clear indication of when they might come off. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton continues to lead the majors in stolen bases. He got No. 22 on Tuesday night but was also picked off during Cincinnati’s 5-4 loss to Philadelphia.

31 May

three stars — plus one

Three Mississippians in the majors flashed some major star power on Saturday.
1. Billy Hamilton. The ex-Taylorsville High standout went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run and a steal (No. 20) to help Cincinnati beat Washington 8-5. Hamilton, who has been scuffling (along with his team) and now hits ninth in the order, boosted his average to .228.
2. Joey Butler. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Pascagoula went 2-for-3 with a home run (No. 3) as Tampa Bay topped Baltimore 3-0. Butler, getting regular playing time for the first time in his brief MLB career, is batting .309.
3. Brian Dozier. The former Southern Miss star from Tupelo (and Fulton) tripled off the glove of the right fielder, plating the go-ahead run in the seventh inning of Minnesota’s 3-2 victory over Toronto. Dozier’s 26 extra base hits (including nine homers) leads all MLB second basemen. He has 25 RBIs and 38 runs.
P.S. Williams Perez was never a ballyhooed prospect as he slowly climbed the ladder in Atlanta’s minor league system, but he certainly looked the part on Saturday night, when he threw seven shutout innings against San Francisco and notched his first big league win (beating Tim Lincecum). Perez, 24, who went 7-6 with a 2.91 ERA for the Mississippi Braves in 2014, was signed by the Braves out of Venezuela in 2009 and spent four seasons toiling in the low minors, finally reaching Class A Rome in 2013. With a 2.66 ERA over five games (three starts), he appears to have earned a spot in Atlanta’s rotation. … Perez was one of six former M-Braves to earn either a win or a save on Saturday. The others: Charlie Morton, J.J. Hoover, Chasen Shreve, Randall Delgado and Blaine Boyer (one of the original M-Braves of 2005).

28 May

some rain must fall

Tony Sipp had gone all season — 16 appearances out of the Houston bullpen — without allowing a home run before last Thursday. That’s when Detroit’s James McCann took Sipp deep for a game-winner in the bottom of the 11th inning. Sipp, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Moss Point High product, made his next appearance Wednesday in Baltimore. The left-hander was brought in to face lefty Chris Davis in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied. Davis hit the first pitch out, and the Orioles went on to win 5-4. “I just missed with it, just left it up, middle,” Sipp told mlb.com. Sipp hasn’t missed much this season. The 29-year-old has a 1.53 ERA with 20 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings for the surprising Astros, who continue to lead the American League West. For his MLB career, spanning seven seasons, Sipp has a 3.64 ERA, 20 wins and six saves working mostly as a situational lefty. Not bad for a 45th-round pick (by Cleveland out of Clemson in 2004). P.S. With the Wednesday recall of Donnie Veal by Atlanta and the recent promotions of Jacob Lindgren (New York Yankees) and David Goforth (Milwaukee), there are now nine Mississippi-connected pitchers in the big leagues and two more on the disabled list. Picayune High product T.J. House, assigned to Triple-A after a recent rehab stint, could be close to returning to Cleveland. … Former Mississippi State star – and Ferriss Trophy winner — Ed Easley was recalled by St. Louis from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday but didn’t play against Arizona. He is still seeking his first appearance in an MLB game. Catcher Easley, 29, also was on the Cardinals’ roster for three games in April.

27 May

powering the rangers

Texas is on fire, and Mitch Moreland is providing a lot of the fuel. The former Mississippi State standout from Amory has a 10-game hitting streak going during which he has batted .341 with four home runs and nine RBIs. The Rangers have won seven straight — eight of the last 10 — to reach 23-23 on the year. Since Moreland returned from the disabled list following minor surgery on his left elbow, the Rangers are 9-4. They were 7-7 while their lefty-hitting first baseman was out. Moreland hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning on Tuesday night as the Rangers beat Cleveland 4-3. It was his fifth of the year – the Rangers are 5-0 when he homers — and 70th of his career. He is batting .306 with 18 RBIs. … Pascagoula’s Joey Butler is actually hotter than Moreland, hitting .423 over his last 10 games for Tampa Bay. Butler was 3-for-4 with two runs in a 7-6 loss to Seattle on Tuesday; the Rays have dropped four straight. In 57 at-bats, Butler is hitting .333 with two homers and seven RBIs. He had only 17 MLB at-bats before this season, his eighth in pro ball. He was drafted out of UNO in 2008 by Texas. … Ole Miss product David Goforth got two outs on three pitches in his big league debut for Milwaukee on Tuesday. … Ex-State star Jacob Lindgren, who debuted with two scoreless innings on Monday, became only the second New York Yankees draft pick to make the majors in less than a year. The other was Deion Sanders.

24 May

fenway

Sitting in the right-field nook at Fenway Park, just inside the Pesky Pole, it is very easy to imagine George Scott, a Boston Red Sox star of the 1960s, blasting a home run right at you or Boo Ferriss, the Sox ace in the mid-’40s, firing a fastball past an overmatched hitter. It’s easy to imagine such long-ago things because once you’ve entered Fenway, you are wrapped in history. It’s virtually the same as it was when it was built in 1912. There have been renovations, most recently the splendid work of Jackson native Janet Marie Smith, but the essence of the park was left unchanged. It’s one place that lives up to the hype. The Green Monster in left field still defines Fenway, but there is so much else to take in. You think about Bill “Spaceman” Lee, the former Sox pitcher who famously said that the first time he walked into Fenway, he dropped to his knees and uttered, “Thank God for making me a ballplayer.” Virtually everyone in the park is wearing a Red Sox hat or a Red Sox shirt. You see replica jerseys honoring players from Yastrzemski to Betts. There are lots of Pedroias but also a Millar, a Varitek, a Martinez, even a Matsuzaka. And the fans are very much into the game and the team. When Rusney Castillo, just called up for his 2015 debut on this particular Friday night, is introduced as the right fielder, cheers erupt. The “Sawx” have been searching for production from a right fielder all season. When Castillo drops a fly ball during the Los Angeles Angels’ nine-run fifth inning, the crowd boos lustily. When he gets a hit in the seventh, he gets cheers again. Quite a few of Mississippi’s brightest stars have heard the roars — and the moans — from the Fenway faithful. In addition to Ferriss and Scott, Mississippi natives Ellis Burks, Oil Can Boyd, Jerry Moses, Buddy Myer, Baldy Karr, Milt Bolling and Bill Hall played for the Sox. So did Mississippi State alumnus Jonathan Papelbon, Ole Miss’ Steve Dillard and Southern Miss’ Bill Selby. Once defined by heartbreak, the Sox have won three World Series since 2004. But you don’t get the feeling that the Fenway faithful are spoiled. With the Sox down 12-5 in the eighth inning on this chilly Friday night, many of the announced crowd of 36,150 are still around. And when Neil Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline” is played over the p.a., the old ballpark rocks. Indeed, good times never felt so good. Fenway is an experience you won’t forget.

18 May

worth noting

Dan Jennings, who played at Southern Miss and William Carey, will move from general manager to field manager of the Miami Marlins today, according to numerous reports. Jennings has worked in the Marlins’ front office since 2002. He’ll replace the fired Mike Redmond. Jennings played three years at USM (1979-81) and one year at Carey, graduating from the latter in 1984. He was inducted into WCU’s athletics Hall of Fame earlier this year. Jennings had a brief fling in pro ball as a player and coached high school ball in Alabama before becoming a big league scout. … Former Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland hit his second homer for Texas on Sunday. He is 5-for-20 since returning from the disabled list and is at .288 with 12 RBIs for the season. … Pascagoula’s Joey Butler, who had another hit on Sunday, is batting .300 with two homers and seven RBIs in 13 games for Tampa Bay. He was called up when Itawamba Community College alumnus Desmond Jennings (knee) went on the DL. Jennings reportedly is close to returning to duty. … Billy Hamilton got a day off Saturday and hit in the 8-hole on Sunday for Cincinnati. “You’ve got to roll with it,” the ex-Taylorsville High standout told mlb.com about being dropped from the leadoff spot. He went 1-for-3 and is now at .214 for the year. Ole Miss product Zack Cozart, hitting .300, has moved to the top of the order for Cincy. … Ex-UM star Lance Lynn threw 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run, as St. Louis beat heavy-hitting Detroit 2-1. Lynn (3-3, 2.96 ERA) has won two straight starts. “Lance was great, no question about it,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told mlb.com. … Meridian CC alum Corey Dickerson is playing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and might be headed for the DL. The Colorado outfielder is batting .309 with five homers and 16 RBIs.

16 May

making a list

Marcus Thames, the slugger from Louisville, is on a list that is both short and long at the same time. In its current issue (May 18), Sports Illustrated highlights the players who homered on the first pitch they saw in the big leagues. Minnesota’s Eddie Rosario became the 29th to achieve that feat on May 6. Just the 29th. And yet, it seems crazy that it has happened 29 times! First pitch. Home run. Thames did it on June 10, 2002. The former East Central Community College star, debuting for the New York Yankees, took Randy Johnson deep at Yankee Stadium. Thames, now a coach in the Yankees’ minor league system, is one of the few players on the list the casual fan might actually have heard of. There’s Bert Campaneris, Junior Felix, Adam Wainwright (yes, the pitcher), Starling Marte, Daniel Nava and Jay Bell. Bell went on to hit 194 more homers and has the most of any player on the first-pitch-homer list. Thames is second with 115. He hit just .246 over his career, but he did have some thump, averaging a home run every 15.4 at-bats, a remarkable ratio. P.S. Kudos to Oxford High’s Jason Barber, who is featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd, which makes note of his 0.00 ERA and two no-hitters this season. … Kudos also to former Mississippi Braves star Todd Cunningham, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs in his first big league start, sparking Atlanta’s 5-3 win at Miami on Friday night. … Former Ole Miss star Zack Cozart and Taylorsville High product Billy Hamilton homered for Cincinnati, the only runs yielded by Madison Bumgarner in San Francisco’s 10-2 rout of the Reds. Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier went yard (on his 28th birthday) for Minnesota, and ex-UM standout Seth Smith homered for Seattle. Cozart leads all Mississippians in the majors with six homers.

11 May

numbers to crunch

Former Southern Miss star Brian Dozier hit his eighth career leadoff homer on Sunday in Minnesota’s loss at Cleveland. It was Dozier’s second homer in as many games and fourth of the season. He hit 23 last year. … Ole Miss alum Seth Smith, who occasionally leads off for Seattle, is batting .266 after a 1-for-3 on Sunday. The left-handed hitter has two homers and eight RBIs. Of his 79 at-bats, 76 have been against right-handers. … UM product Zack Cozart went 3-for-4 for Cincinnati against the Chicago White Sox and is hitting .324 for the year, .361 over his last 10 games. … Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High star who has 16 steals for the Reds, saw his average fall to .203 after an 0-for-5. He struck out three times, running his total to 25 in 118 at-bats. Hamilton had 15 bunt hits in 2014, but defenses are adjusting this season: He has none so far. … Former Ole Miss standout Chris Coghlan is 4-for-33 in May and is at .189 for the year for the Chicago Cubs. He has three homers but just four RBIs. … Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland is on a rehab assignment (elbow surgery) with Texas’ Triple-A Round Rock club. He is 0-for-7. … UM alum Phil Irwin, who has some big league time, is 1-4 with a 6.60 ERA for kt wiz in the Korean Baseball Organization. … A host of former Mississippi Braves have gotten opportunities this season in Atlanta’s bullpen, which looks like a major weakness for this remodeled team. Brandon Cunniff (2.38 ERA) and Ian Thomas (2.70) have fared OK, but Cody Martin (3.86) has taken the loss in two straight games and Juan Jaime (6.75), John Cornely (four runs in one inning) and Williams Perez (four runs in 1/3 inning) have not impressed.

05 May

junk and stuff

A player’s first career MLB home run will always be a delectable memory, but Joey Butler got the additional spice of hitting his over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout from Pascagoula went deep Monday for Tampa Bay, belting a two-run shot off Boston’s Clay Buchholz. Butler was playing just his second game for the Rays, who called him up on Sunday. Butler, 29, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-handed hitter, is 6-for-23 in the big leagues, his at-bats spread over three seasons with three teams. He finished 2014 in Japan, signed with Tampa Bay in the off-season and put up good spring numbers to earn a Triple-A roster spot. … Former Ole Miss star Seth Smith hit his second homer of the year for Seattle, but his round-tripper was a bit overshadowed by teammate Nelson Cruz’s MLB-leading 14th, a 429-foot bomb. … Former Mississippi Braves went on a wild hit parade on Monday: Yunel Escobar produced five for Washington, Jeff Francoeur four for Philadelphia, Jordan Schafer three for Minnesota, Andrelton Simmons two for Atlanta, Jason Heyward two for St. Louis and Evan Gattis one (plus his 18th RBI) for Houston. … St. Louis is 19-6, the best record in baseball and the team’s best 25-game start in modern franchise history. Oddly, Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn, who has 48 wins over the previous three seasons, has contributed just one victory to the hot start. He is 1-2 with a 3.07 ERA in five outings and is scheduled to go again on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs and Jon Lester.

03 May

big league chew

After a tough year at the plate in 2014, ex-Ole Miss standout Zack Cozart has come out swinging this season. The Cincinnati shortstop went 3-for-5 in an 8-4 win against Atlanta on Saturday to boost his average to .308. He hit his fifth home run — off Jackson native Donnie Veal — to surpass his total for all of last year and now has 12 RBIs. Cozart, valued more for his glove, hit .221 a year ago. … Taylorsville High product Billy Hamilton, the Reds’ center fielder, took an 0-for-5 that dropped his average to .204. He still leads the majors with 13 steals, however. … The Reds’ Jay Bruce had two triples against the Braves, marking the first time a Cincy player has done that in a game since Vicksburg native Dmitri Young 15 years ago. … Aaron Barrett, another UM alum, notched his third hold of the season by retiring the only two batters he faced in the eighth inning of Washington’s 1-0 win against the New York Mets. Barrett trimmed his ERA to 1.64. … Former Southern Miss star Scott Copeland, in his sixth pro season, made his big league debut and threw a scoreless ninth inning for Toronto in its 11-4 victory at Cleveland. … The frustration must still be building for Mississippi State product Jonathan Papelbon. He worked a scoreless inning in mop-up duty as Philadelphia lost to Miami 7-0. Papelbon has a 0.96 ERA for the 8-17 Phillies. … Ex-USM star Brian Dozier took an 0-for-5 as Minnesota’s leadoff batter – he’s no longer hitting cleanup — and saw his average tumble to .209. … Ole Miss alum Drew Pomeranz went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs in a game Oakland would lose to Texas 8-7 in 10 innings. Since throwing seven scoreless frames in a brilliant 2015 debut, Pomeranz is winless in four starts while his ERA has swelled to 4.61. … Former Itawamba Community College star Desmond Jennings has missed six straight games for Tampa Bay with a knee problem. He could be headed for the disabled list, where he would join fellow Mississippi products T.J. House, Mitch Moreland and Cliff Lee.