Statistics are from 4/30-5/6/2018
What a weekend! The Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo, while wet and soggy in Kentucky, were still a good time. Matt Koch has done something that hasn’t been done in 71 years, out dueling both Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in consecutive starts. Brendan McKay was incredible as well after he went 4.2 innings of hitless baseball on the mound and the next day driving in 5 RBI’s at the plate.
Oldham County’s very own Dean Kiekhefer was signed by the Oakland Athletics after being released by the Cincinnati Reds last week and was assigned to their AA team. Also at the AA level, Cole Sturgeon continues to dominate the competition putting up MVP type of numbers. For the Montgomery Biscuits, Nick Solak is currently on a 6 game hitting streak.
Major Leagues
Adam Duvall got 1 hit this week in 6 games; it was a home run though. Don’t look for the Reds to do anything drastic with Duvall as he continues on this sluggish start to the year. He has finished in the Top 10 in Home Runs in the National League for the last two years but the Reds may give him a bit of a break coming up to try and get him back to his slugging ways. After 33 games this season, Duvall is batting .161/.240/.606 with 8 doubles and 5 home runs to go along with 16 RBI’s.
Adam Engel collected 3 hits, one being a double, in 5 games this week for the White Sox. He also stole two bases and is continuing to improve his discipline at the plate and ability to get on base. It has been a slow progression, but Engel is continuing to bring up his batting average. Through 28 games this season he is hitting .171/.247/.471 with 2 doubles and a triple.
Chad Green appeared in 3 games this week totaling 4.1 innings, striking out 6 and giving up one earned run off of 1 home run. Jolly just continues to be that quiet rock the Yankee’s can lean on in a bullpen that is full of big names. Through 14 games, Green is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.08 and WHIP of 0.98 in 17.1 innings and 25 strikeouts.
Matt Koch dominated twice this week. Both times against a Cy Young and MVP winner in Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander. That feat has been completed by one man in the last 71 years, Matt Koch. Between the two games he went 11.1 innings, struck out 6 and gave up just 3 earned runs. His season totals at the Major League level are 2-0 in 4 starts with an ERA of 2.13 and WHIP of 0.99 accompanied by 17 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.
Nick Burd has been placed on the 60 Day Disabled List by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
AAA
Kyle McGrath appeared twice this week throwing 3.1 innings collecting 6 strikeouts but he gave up a big home run. This season in AAA, McGrath has pitched in 8 games going 10.2 innings with 11 strikeouts with an ERA of 5.06 and a WHIP of 1.31.
Josh Rogers pitched twice this week and took the loss in both games. While he wasn’t sharp he did go 10.1 innings striking out 11 and surrendering 2 earned runs in each start. At this point in the season, Rogers has totaled a 2-3 record in 6 starts, with 36 strikeouts in 34.1 innings to go along with an ERA of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.25. A good thing to see is that opposing hitters are only hitting .236 against him.
Jeff Arnold is starting to see his batting average climb this week as he collected a collected a couple of hits including a double in 5 games this week. At the AAA level, Arnold is batting .114, but overall between a couple of levels this year he is batting .172/.273/.497.
Chris Dominguez was placed on the 7 day Disabled list this week.
Zack Burdi is starting this season on the Disabled List as he recovers from Tommy John Surgery.
AA
Derek Self pitched in 1 game this week for the Senators, giving up 1 hit and striking out 3. He is pitching well through 8 games this season, totaling 9.2 innings on the mound with 12 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.79 with a WHIP of 0.93.
Jeff Thompson threw 4 innings in relief this week for the SeaWolves, striking out 3 and giving up 1 earned run. While Big Jeff does have 14 strikeouts in 14.2 innings this year, he has been getting hit regularly and has a batting average against of .311 to go along with a WHIP of 1.84 and an ERA of 3.07.
Cole Sturgeon remains en fuego this week tallying 3 multi hit games, one with 4 hits. He also added 3 more doubles and 2 home runs to his yearly totals of 7 and 5 respectively. One day soon the Red Sox will move him up from Portland, but until then expect to see him continue to rake. Through 24 games this year, Sturgeon has an unbelievable line of .372/.444/1.051.
Kyle Funkhouser’s trend of extension continues as he completes 6 innings on the mound for his longest start in 5 outings this year. While it might have been his longest, it certainly wasn’t his best. Funk is riding a 3 game losing streak which included 9 hits this week with 5 earned runs and only 1 strike out. The walks weren’t a problem though as only 3 batters were given a free pass. In 5 starts this year, Funkhouser is 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA and WHIP of 1.67 to accompany 24 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.
Nick Solak is on a 6 game hitting streak dating back to last week for the Montgomery Biscuits, my second favorite team name behind the Yard Goats. During the streak, Solak has 1 double, 1 triple and 1 home run to go along with 4 RBI’s. Solak continues to look strong for the Biscuits, through 28 games he is batting .311/.403/.860 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 17 RBI’s, 17 walks and 5 stolen bases.
Will Smith collected 5 hits this week and drilled 2 more home runs for the Tulsa Drillers. The Dodgers have been cursed with injuries this season which may lead to some upward movement for Smith who is hitting .255/.333/.780 with 4 total home runs, 6 doubles and 13 RBI’s through 25 games.
Corey Ray had a powerful week smashing 2 doubles, 1 home run and knocking in 3 in 6 games. 30 games into the season, Ray has 10 doubles accompanied by a pair of home runs, 3 triples and 6 stolen bases. He is using his speed when he gets on base but I think the Brewers would like to see a little more of that since he is only slashing .234/.317/.728.
Dean Kiekhefer signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics on May 3rd, and was assigned to the Midland Rockhounds in the Texas League. He has pitched once for the Rockhounds going 1 inning, striking out 2, giving up only 1 hit, and picking up his first save of the season. In 9 games, all at the AA level between the Reds and the A’s, Kiekhefer has pitched 9 innings and struck out 12 with an ERA of 1.00 with a WHIP of 1.00.
Grant Kay is starting the season on the 7 day DL in the Tampa Rays organization.
Dace Kime, with the Akron Rubberducks of the Eastern League, is currently on the 7 day Disabled List.
Joe Filomeno was released on 4/23 by the Texas Rangers.
A Advanced
Jared Ruxer made 3 appearances this week for a total of 5.1 innings and 2 strike outs to go along with 2 earned runs given up. Ruxer has a 1-2 record in 9 games this season with 14 strikeouts through 18.1 innings to go along with an ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.25.
Drew Ellis put together a very solid week at the plate hitting safely in 5 of the 6 games adding 2 more doubles and 3 RBI’s to his season totals of 8 and 17. He is continuing to slug through 27 games and is hitting .224/.315/.744 with 4 home runs to go with those 8 doubles for the Visalia Rawhide.
A
Blake Tiberi is riding a 3 game multi hit streak after he collected 8 hits in 5 games that included a double and 3 RBI’s. Tiberi is staying hot through the first 27 games of the year hitting .323/.448/.868 with 6 doubles and a home run.
Drew Harrington pitched once this week for the Rome Braves totaling 1 inning with one strikeout. In 6 appearances this year, Harington has 8 strikeouts in 14 innings with an ERA of 6.43 and a WHIP of 1.79.
Kade McClure picked up his 3rd win in his last 4 starts this week going 5 innings and striking out 4. He got the win even though he gave up the most runs, 4, of the season. After 6 starts for the Kannapolis Intimidators, McClure is 3-0 with 33 strikeouts in 34 innings with an ERA of 3.18 and a WHIP of 1.38.
Lincoln Henzman got the win in his most recent start this week totaling 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run, while striking out 6. Simply statistically speaking this was Henzman’s best outing of the year matching his season high for strikeouts and going farther innings wise than he has all year. Six starts into this season, Henzman has posted a record of 2-2 with 26 strikeouts in 32 innings, an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 1.00.
Colby Fitch is being primarily used as a Designated Hitter this year having only caught 2 games for the Lakewood BlueClaws. This week he added 3 more hits in 4 games including a double and an RBI. In 15 games this year, Fitch is batting .232 /.338/.767 with 3 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs.
Brendan McKay just continues to dominate for the Bowling Green Hot Rods both at the plate and on the mound. In his start this week he went 4.2 innings, gave up 0 hits and struck out 9. On the season he has 33 strikeouts 18.2 innings with an ERA of 1.45 and a WHIP of 0.48. in At the plate he had 4 hits in 4 games that included his first full season home run, 5 RBI’s on the 5th, and 7 more walks to boost his season total to 23 walks in 18 games. For the season, McKay is hitting .273/.487/.851 with 2 doubles and 15 RBI’s.
Devin Hairston hit safely in all but one game this week for a total of 5 hits in 5 games with one multi hit game. Through the first couple weeks of the season for Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Hairston is slashing .273/.333/.636 with 1 double and 1 RBI.
Rookie Level
Logan Taylor has been assigned to start the season at Rookie Level but he has not played in any games to this point.
