Lugnuts’ seventh error lifts Dragons in 12, 4-3

DAYTON, Ohio – Oliver Dominguez played Chris Richburg's two-out grounder off of his chest, the Lansing Lugnuts' seventh error of the game, allowing Henry Rodriguez to score and sending the Dayton Dragons (2-0) to a 4-3 12-inning win over the Lugnuts (0-2) on Friday night at Fifth Third Field.

The two teams have combined to play 23 innings in the first two games of the season, totaling seven hours and 12 minutes.

Rodriguez began the bottom of the 12th with a bunt single off of Lugnuts relief pitcher Steve Turnbull (0-1). Turnbull retired Andrew Means on a fly out and struck out Byron Wiley as Rodriguez stole second base. A wild pitch moved the Dragons runner to third base, setting up Richburg's bouncer to Dominguez at third base.

Dominguez had entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning for Mark Sobolewski, who was previously charged with a pair of errors.

Lugnuts starter Matt Fields also committed two errors while catcher Karim Turkamani and second baseman Ryan Schimpf made an error apiece as the Dragons scored unearned runs in the third and fourth innings in building a 3-1 lead.

Lansing left fielder Eric Eiland tied the game in the eighth with a two-run double, setting up a second straight late evening decision in Ohio.

Dayton reliever Doug Salinas (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.

Kevin Coddington added his second homer of the season to aid the winning effort for the Dragons.

Lansing and Dayton play the finale of their three-game series on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Lugnuts right-hander Dave Sever gets the start against Dayton right-hander Brian Pearl.

LugNuggets

Happy MLB Opening Day!
The 2010 Lansing Lugnuts arrived safely into Michigan last night, resplendently mustachioed Salvatore Frank Fasano leading the way. The ride to Lexington Lansing Hotel was smooth and relaxed; the players won't see their new home ballpark until this afternoon.
While the Blue Jays take the field today, their Class-A minor leaguers receive their uniform numbers. The guys all sent in their numerical requests before they got on the plane to Detroit, but unfortunately for many of them, jerseys are numbered by size in the minors. The smallest jerseys get the smallest numbers, the biggest jerseys get the biggest numbers. There's no haggling about it.
There's no doubting who gets the largest number on the team: Sal Fasano is big and barrel-chested. The Lugnuts have already had to order out for an extra-large jersey for him.
Sal may cut an imposing figure, but this does not look to be a team in need of a great disciplinarian. In great contrast to years past, the 2010 Lugnuts are a squad of mostly collegians -- 22-year-olds and 23-year-olds balancing acumen with maturity. It's a far cry from the talented but raw collection of high schoolers from 2008 (John Tolisano, Kevin Ahrens, Justin Jackson).
The starting rotation will feature Ryan Shopshire, Matt Fields, 1st round pick Chad Jenkins, Ryan Tepera, and Dave Sever... though not necessarily in that order. The back of the bullpen will see Brian Slover and Steve Turnbull.
The early offensive storylines:
* A pair of fleet 2nd round outfielders drafted out of high school, Eric Eiland and Kenny Wilson, try to recoup their potential.
* A pair of former LSU teammates, Sean Ochinko and Ryan Schimpf, look to build upon their strong spring training performances.
Tomorrow is the squad's first practice. Wednesday's an exhibition against the Michigan State Spartans.
Thursday's Opening Day in all of the Minor Leagues; the Lugnuts will be in Dayton, Ohio. I expect Ryan Shopshire to be on the mound for that first game.

Fisher Cats Announce Their Projected Opening Day Roster

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are proud to announce the projected 25-man Opening Day roster.  This lineup features both familiar and new faces and fields a wealth of talent.  After competing all spring for slots on the team, the 2010 Fisher Cats are sure to be a hit!

Pitchers

R   Bell, Robert 
R   Drabek, Kyle
R   McLeary, Marty
L   Perez, Luis
R   Stewart, Zach

R   Boone, Randy
R   Buzachero, Bubbie  
L   Collins, Tim
R   Dials, Zach 
R   Farquhar, Daniel   
R   Magnuson, Trystan 
R   Martin, Adrian

Catchers

Jeroloman, Brian
Jaspe, Jon

Infielders

Cooper, David 
Crabbe, Callix  
Diaz, Jon
Emaus, Brad   
Mayorson, Manuel
Sanchez, Luis 
Quintana, Al

Outfielders

Calderone, Adam
Loewen, Adam  
Mastroianni, Darin
Thames, Eric   
             
Disabled List
R   Bongiovanni, Vince 
Shoffit, Sean
R   Rodriguez, Kenny

Question:

Is our AA 1, 2 of Drabek and Stewart better than the big club's 1, 2 of Marcum and Tallet?

Hear ye, Hear ye

We here at 1bluejaysway are pleased and excited to announce that we have added a new member to the team.  Please join us in welcoming Jesse.  He is the radio broadcaster for the Lansing Lugnuts, class A affiliate for your Toronto Blue Jays!

Our plan is for Jesse to provide us with some updates on what is happening in the minor league system(s).  He obviously will specialize in the Lugnuts players but we will not restrict his expertise to only that topic. 

We have no doubt that his insight will be valued and genuinely look forward to his contributions.

Since none of us have ever met, I decided to start off with a simple Q and A so that we all can get to know him better.

Q: Can you give us a little bit of your background in the game of baseball?

A: I’m originally from Greenbelt, Maryland, where I grew up a Detroit Tigers fan.  (There’s a fierce rivalry between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; being a shortstop and unable to root for Cal Ripken due to my proximity to DC, I decided instead to revere Alan Trammell.)  This is my sixth season broadcasting in minor league baseball, my second year in Lansing.  I interned at WBAL in Baltimore covering the Orioles from 2001-2003 and have worked in independent Brockton (2005), Double-A Montgomery (Tampa Bay, 2006-2007), and independent Windy City (2008).  In 2008, I was named one of the Runners-Up for Ballpark Digest’s Broadcaster of the Year, awarded to Paul Edmonds of Winnipeg.  I’m not quite a stathead, darn close to a purist, and an avid teller and listener of old baseball yarns.

Q: Are you excited for Sal Fasano to take the reins as manager?

A:  Sal’s reputation precedes him, and so I’m greatly looking forward to working with him this season.  I’m going to miss Clayton McCullough, though, who was promoted to Dunedin.  He’s a superb young manager with a bright future ahead of him.

Q: Are there any players that you feel are going to make a breakthrough in 2010?

A:  The easy answers are Ryan Goins, Ryan Schimpf, Matt Fields, and Chad Jenkins, all of whom I expect to put up fine numbers in the Midwest League.  Mark Sobolewski and Balbino Fuenmayor should be far better in 2010 than they were in 2009.  I’ll take Dave Sever as a pitcher potentially flying under the radar.

Q: Is there a story behind the name Lugnuts?

A:  There was a “Name the Team” contest when the franchise moved to Michigan’s capital city in 1996, and that was the name chosen.  It connected well with the auto industry history of Lansing (hometown of Ransom E. Olds) while providing the perfect spark to amuse and interest baseball fans of all ages.

Q: We traded away Johermyn Chavez in the Brandon Morrow trade.  He completed his second tour of duty with Lansing last season.  In your experience, do players who get stuck in the lower levels of the minors achieve success as a big league player?

A:  There’s no rule of thumb.  Players find the original ways each season to blaze paths to Major League success or bomb their way out of pro ball.  It’s no great shame to repeat a level as long as the player shows marked improvement the second time around.  In Chavez’s case, his age (20 in 2009) was in his favor.  It’s when you’re 25 and repeating Class-A that the doubts really creep in.  Nothing kills a career like self-doubt.

So there you have it sports fans.  Stay tuned for some detailed analysis, player updates, insider stories and general baseball news from Jesse.

Lansing Lugnuts Announce Their 2010 Opening Day Roster

LANSING, Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts, in conjunction with the Toronto Blue Jays, announced their 2010 Opening Day roster on Friday.

The roster is headed up by Chad Jenkins, Toronto’s first round pick (20^th overall) in the 2009 amateur draft.  Baseball America ranks the right-handed pitcher as the Blue Jays’ #3 prospect in the organization.  He has yet to make his professional debut.

The rest of the roster for first-year manager Sal Fasano features seven players returning from the 2009 Lugnuts:  pitchers Ryan Shopshire and Dustin Antolin; catcher Jon Talley; infielders Balbino Fuenmayor, Ryan Goins and Mark Sobolewski; and fleet center fielder Kenny Wilson.

Additionally, 2008 outfielder Eric Eiland returns to Lansing after a season in Short-A Auburn while 2009 catcher A.J. Jimenez will begin the season on the Disabled List.

The remainder of the pitching corps will be rounded out by left-handers Evan Crawford, Aaron Loup and Matt Wright, and by right-handers Matt Fields, Scott Gracey, Nestor Molina, Dave Sever, Brian Slover, Ryan Tepera and Steve Turnbull. 

Standout LSU product Sean Ochinko and 2008 draftee Karim Turkamani will join Talley behind the plate in 2010.

The rest of 2010 Lugnuts infield will include Baseball America’s #16 prospect Ryan Schimpf, Oliver Dominguez and Kevin Nolan.

In the outfield, Wilson and Eiland are joined by Bradley Glenn and Chris Hopkins.

The Lugnuts officially enter their 15^th season on Wednesday, April 14, at 7:05 p.m. with an Opening Day Eat-a-Palooza.  For $15, fans can purchase a ticket to see the Lugnuts battle the Lake County Captains and enjoy unlimited food inside the ballpark.

Tickets to all 70 of the Lugnuts’ regular season home games at Cooley Law School Stadium as well as to Wednesday’s Crosstown Showdown against Michigan State University, presented by Auto-Owners Insurance, are available for purchase online at www.lansinglugnuts.com, at the stadium box office, and by calling 517-485-4500.

We here at 1bluejaysway have a very exciting announcement!  Check up with us tomorrow for some great news.....