6/19 wrap up...
Matt Esparza's stat line...5 complete innings, gave up 7 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned. He walked 1 and struck out seven.
Other than the first inning he was in trouble often, mostly due to poor defense behind him. He worked out of a couple of jams with a runner on third with the game very tight. He leads the team pitching the most innings. It was not as an impressive start as his last one, but the walk/SO ratio is pretty darn good.
Trevor Bettencourt's stat line...5 complete innings, gave up 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned. He walked 3 and struck out 4. His ERA through his first two starts is .075. He struggled a bit early on with location and he didn't seem to be as comfortable as the previous start.
I think it's fair to say that if Esparza or Bettencourt could have performed this well and consistent, this past season might have turned out a little better. Esparza has had 3 starts and Bettencourt 2, we'll see if they can keep it up.
Two guys REALLY struggling right now, Will Maddox and VJax, have yet to find their way at the plate. Maddox has faced some very good pitching, fair to say the whole team is struggling a bit...still, he's the lead off batter and he's 1 for 16 so far. VJax is a bit of a head scratcher, while the pitching seems pretty good, other guys are hitting. I'm not sure he's gotten used to the wooden bat and he doesn't seem comfortable at the plate. He's clearly frustrated. Hope he gets it figured out soon.
Taylor Smart, a temporary player trying to stay on with the Y-D Red Sox in the Cape Cod League, is doing well. I think he's got a good shot to make the team, though there are still players arriving everyday to challenge him. Unlike Maddox and VJax, he seems comfortable at the plate, and maybe of more importance, he's played multiple infield positions, yesterday at 3rd. He did make an error on what I deemed a routine play, but he made several outstanding defensive plays. If he can up his production at the plate a little, which has improved a bit, and continue to be solid defensively, I like his chances of staying on. Good Luck to him.
Several guys, Andrew Lee, Parker Wormsley, AJ Simcox, Christin Stewart are playing very well. One guy you might not expect to be in the list is Davis Aiken. He's started more games than anyone else on the Blues. His BA is .231, which is not outstanding, the coaches see something they like. Good for him getting a shot.
There is more to report, but I don't have time to hit on it all right now...and honestly I watched so much baseball yesterday, it's hard to keep everything straight, not to mention that the two late games went into extra innings. GBO!
