Archive for the ‘Scrappers’ Category

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers release all of their promotions before the season starts, they are on the schedule.  Ex-US Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. release night has been on the schedule since June.  The event was scheduled to be held at the Scrappers September 2 home game, the same night Traficant is released from federal prison.  There was no opposition to the promo until this week.

The Youngstown Vindicator has started the media circus which will definitely surround Traficant’s freedom.  In an article from Sunday’s August 9th edition, an article highlighting different Traficant events was printed.  In the article, a party to honor Traficant’s release at Mr. Anthony’s, a local banquet facility, boasted of a festive celebration welcoming Jim home.  In the same article, the Scrapper promotional plan was listed, causing a swarm of phone calls to the Scrapper offices.

Scrappers General Manager, Dave Smith, decided to pull the plug on the promotion after receiving over 100 e-mails and phone calls speaking out against the planned night.  “Unfortunately, I feel that most people misunderstood the intention of the promotion,” said Smith.  “The night was never planned as a celebration of his release, yet it’s obvious that is how it is being perceived.  It will surely be a topic of great debate in the coming months and we were planning to provide a public forum for both supporters and detractors to have their voices heard.  In hindsight, there are likely better venues than a baseball game for the community to share their thoughts and feelings on Jim.”

Smith said that 95% of the calls received were negative.  Once the promotion was cancelled he noted that a woman called and said she wanted reimbursed for the tickets she had purchased for Traficant Night.  The support calls coming in are much less in quantity than the negatives received prior to the cancellation.

Traficant, who is completing his seven year sentence for racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion, was never expected to show up at the game, and the concept was to show slides of the idiotic and brilliant moments of his time spent in Washington.

Sigh.  Beam Me Up.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Brooklyn Cyclones hooked it up for a series-clinching matchup at Eastwood Field Thursday.  The Cyclones came away winning the series with a 2-1 victory over the Scrappers.  The series had playoff implications as these two teams have the best records, and for the most part, this game was highlighted by great pitching and solid defense.

The Scrappers got on the scorebord in the sixth inning.  Chun Chen hit a ground-rule double to the deepest part of Eastwood Field, dead center.  Rafael Vera knocked in Chen with a sac fly to put Mahoning Valley up 1-0. 

Brooklyn was the benefactor of a gift in the eighth inning.  With a runner on second, Cyclones LF Alex Gregory hit a double to deep left-center.  The relay throw went home but was a bit late.  Gregory took too wide of a turn rounding second base and Chun Chen fired the ball toward second from home.  The ball bounced short of the base and skipped into the outfield, where nobody was backing up the throw.  CF Jordan Henry and LF Rafael Vera converged at the ball on the warning track in the left-center gap.  Gregory scored from second uncontested, giving the cyclones a 2-1 lead.

Brett Brach had a good start going 5 1/3 innings and giving up no runs.  Brach was relieved by Jimmy Johnson who pitched out of trouble in the fifth and went 1 1/3.  Nick Kirk was called upon for 2/3 of an inning.  Cory Burns then finished out the contest, and unfortunately had to get pinned with a loss that wasn’t entirely his fault.

Manager Travis Fryman was not pleased with the defense that allowed the winning run to score.  ” Our situational hitting is very poor, and our defense was very poor.  I’m not sure why we were not backing up second base like we’re supposed to, somebody was probably thinking about their at-bats more than playing defense.”

Friday, the Scrappers welcome the Lowell Spinners.  The Scrappers will send Preston Guilmet, last weeks NYPL pitcher of the week to the hill.  Before the game, there will be an actual wedding on the field.  Scott Capron and Holly Hinzman will officially tie the knot.  The couple have been a host family for the Scrappers the last two seasons.  Marc Means will return to the air on AM-1390 with the first pitch and some wedding commentary at 6:45 PM.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05, and it is fireworks night to boot!

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers improved to 34-19 on the season as they strengthened their hold on first place with a 12-1 clubbing of the Brooklyn Cyclones.  After dropping last nights contest, Mahoning Valley evened the series at one win apiece setting the stage for a Thursday finale.

The Scrappers got busy early as their first three hitters,  Jordan Henry, Kyle Smith, and Jason Kipnis, all singled.  Henry would score on Kipnis’ single putting the Scrappers up 1-0.

With two outs in the third, Kyle Bellows (pictured)  tripled on the thirteenth pitch of a great at-bat.  Bellows ended up tripling again in the fourth and ended the game with a season-high 5 RBI night.  “I hit it [the first triple] in the right spot at the right time and helped our team win and thats all that matters.  Everybody contributed today.  The pitching was great, the defense was great, and the hitting was great”, commented Bellows on the dominating team performance.

Clayton Cook, named earlier in the day to the New York- Penn League All-Star team, looked like exactly that – an All-Star.  Cook hurled five scoreless, yielding just four hits and lowering his ERA to 2.06 in picking up his fourth win for Mahoning Valley.  Austin Adams and Jose Urena threw two innings each in relief of Cook.

Manager Travis Fryman was pleased with the hitting party in the victory, “It was good.  Bellows, obviously had a big night.  Kipnis in our lineup is coming around which gives us a different look, which is encouraging. [Greg] Folgia had a good night too which was encouraging.  It was a good night for our guys, they bounced back after a pretty tough loss last night.”

The Scrappers and Cyclones hook up one more time on Thursday, Buck Night.  Eastwood Field will see a huge crowd as two top teams will battle to untie a defining series.  Marc Means will call the action on AM-1390 for those who get shut out or are unable to attend beginning at 7:05.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers stayed hot with a 2-1 victory over the Tri-City ValleyCats giving then a sweep and running their win streak to eight in a row.  The pitching during the win streak has been unbelievable, despite an offense that has scored two runs for a few of those wins.  The Scrappers have yet to lose a day game this season.

In the top of the second, Kyle Bellows put the Scrappers on the board with a home run, his second in as many days.  Bellows’ sixth bomb this season gave the Scrappers a 1-0 lead.  This is the third game that the Scrappers have gone yard, best streak in that department this season.

The ValleyCats responded with a run in the bottom of the second.  In the top of the third, Kyle Smith hit a one out triple and later scored on a Greg Folgia RBI-single, increasing the lead to 2-1. 

The Mahoning Valley pitching staff took the one run lead and preserved it over the next seven innings to complete the sweep on the road.

Clayton Cook started and went 5 1/3 for the Scrappers.  Cook struck out 4, walked two and surrendered the lone ValleyCat run in the second.  Cook improved to 3-2 for the season with the victory.  Nick Kirk pitched the next three innings and turned in a stellar performance.  Guido Fonseca bailed Kirk out in the ninth.  Fonseca came in with runners on the corners and one out and got the final two outs to earn his second save of 2009. 

The Scrappers bus next heads to Vermont to battle the Lake Monsters.  Brett Brach will try to keep the Scrappers win streak going.  Game time is at 7:05 on Friday and you can hear the action on AM-1390 with Marc Means.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers had a perfect homestand adding four wins to their season total.  The Scrappers again defeated Auburn on Monday night, 4-1.  Preston Guilmet had yet another good start for Mahoning Valley.  Jason Kipnis, the #2 draft pick of the Cleveland Indians made his professional debut with the Scrappers.

Ryan Schimpf led off the game with a homer to right to put Auburn on top 1-0.  The next twenty-seven outs would yield nothing on the scoreboard for the Doubledays.  Preston Guilmet picked up his third win (3-0) against Auburn this season.  Guido Fonseca pitched two scoreless and Cory Burns pitched the last two to remain perfect in save opportunities this season converting all six of his chances.

Trailing 1-0, the Scrappers did not wait too long to rally as Jason Kipnis, in his first professional at-bat, singled home Jordan Henry.  Henry singled and stole second (photo above, courtesy of Nick Mays) before scoring on Kipnis’ first hit.  Kipnis then scored after he stole second on a Greg Folgia RBI double to put the Scrappers up 2-1.

Kipnis went back to work as he tripled in the third and scored on another Folgia hit to push the lead to 3-1.  Kipnis was pulled after he scored that run.  “It felt good to get into a game and contribute, I like it here, the players are all good people and I really like this coaching staff”, remarked Kipnis after the game.  If Kipnis keeps hitting that way, he may not return with the rest of the team for their next home game in a week.

The Scrappers start a six-game roadtrip in Troy, NY.  Tuesday’s game starts at 7:05 and can be heard on AM 1390 with Marc Means calling the action.

Marty Popham has to be close to leaving Youngstown and his Mahoning Valley Scrappers team for good reasons.  Going into the month of August, Popham is 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.  He has flirted with perfection and leads a pretty solid Scrapper staff loaded with potential.

Popham will be celebrating a birthday, his 22nd, on Tuesday.  The 235-pound rightie took a moment to grant me an interview which proved to me that he can handle success without losing his focus or acting bigger than the team.  He is a classy guy who always has a smile on his face whether he is charting pitches, running, or just talking with the fans.

Paneech:  Talk about the transition you are making from reliever to starter.

Popham:  Well, I had been a starter all throughout my high school and college career.  The first year going into professional baseball as a reliever was just about trying to get my feet wet at the profesional level.  Now I am starting again like I was in college where I had all of that success.

Paneech:  The day after you pitch, how much running do you do?

Popham:  The day after we pitch is usually our long distance day.  The strength and conditioning coach will change it up throughout the week just to keep our bodies guessing as to what type of running we will do.

Paneech:  After you are pulled out of a game, you disappear back to the locker room.  What is the postgame ritual?

Popham:  After the game when I come back to the locker room and I do twenty minutes on the bike, and then I’ll get some ice on my shoulder for about fifteen minutes.  I usually don’t get to watch the rest of the game because I have more work to do in the locker room and keep my body fresh.

Paneech:  Tell me when you realized you were good enough to do this.

Popham:  I guess it would have been when I was in college.  I went to a smaller school [Union] and had a lot of attention on me because I was having a lot of success at that level.  I never really thought about playing professional baseball until they started sending me letters, and after that I just kept working.  I worked my butt off, and it has paid off so far.

Paneech:  Talk about a host family and what it is like living with one.

Popham:  This is my third host family that I have been a part of.  Fortunately for me, I have paired up with some really good people.  My host family here, they are about fifteen minutes away, so we aren’t too close to the field but we are in Youngstown by Youngstown State University.  They treat me really nice.  They’ve got everything that you need, we got a pool and a hot tub, everything possible.  It’s just a blessing to be with such nice host parents.

Paneech:  Is it weird to be interviewed and have people solicit for autographs after games?

Popham:  It’s not weird at all.  I love it.  If I wasn’t being asked for an autograph or an interview, I wouldn’t be doing my job.  I’m here to compete, I’m here to put on a show for people and it’s a good feeling for people to want to know your name and for them to want to talk about you.

Paneech:  How did it feel to be named New York Penn League pitcher of the week?

Popham:  I really didn’t even know until the trainer told me a couple of days after.  It’s a good feeling.  It makes me feel like the work I have put in on the field and the work I have put in off of the field are paying off.  It’s getting me places where I want to go.

Paneech:  Talk about Coach Fryman and the direction he is taking this team.

Popham:  Fryman, he is a great coach, great guy on and off of the field.  He really listens to his players and tries to help everyone out and gives everyone equal opportunity to succeed on the field.  He’s a manager, he’s well respected for paying his dues in the Major Leagues.  He’s one of the better managers I can say I ever had.

One Word Answers

 

Paneech:  Favorite Meal                      Popham:  Breakfast

Paneech:  Favorite Music                    Popham:  Little of everything, Lil’ Wayne

Paneech:  Watching on TV                  Popham:  That 70’s Show

Paneech:  Video Games                      Popham:  Tiger Woods Golf

Paneech:  Favorite Athlete                 Popham:  Josh Beckett

Paneech:  Favorite Vegetable             Popham:  Celery

Paneech:  Closest Friend On Team    Popham:  Don’t have one favorite, like ’em all

Paneech:  Favorite Holiday                Popham:  Christmas

Paneech:  Favorite Area Restaurant    Popham:  BW3

Popham is enjoying his time in Youngstown.  He respects all of his coaches as well as fellow players.  He enjoys digging deep to make himself better and works hard to attain his success.  I look for Popham to rise through the organization, he is really proving himself as a worthy prospect.  The birthday he will celebrate Tuesday will definitely not be his last in a baseball uniform.

 

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers continued to roll on their current homestand as they again outpitched the Batavia Muckdogs.  Clayton Cook was tonight’s Scrapper starter and turned in an impressive performance.  The Scrappers continue to struggle on offense, but remain solid on defense.

The Scrappers scored in the second inning.  Greg Folgia opened the inning with a double and would come around to score on a Casey Frawley RBI single.   Kyle Smith singled home Frawley in the eighth for the other Scrapper run.

Smith (pictured above) has been improving over the past three weeks with the bat and is starting to get comfortable at the plate, “I haven’t really made any changes.  I think it is more about the pitches that I am swinging at.  I’m really focused on swinging at strikes and making sure I get my pitch and not their pitch.”

Manager Travis Fryman feels blessed by the great defense Smith and Kyle Bellows are providing on the left side of the infield, “The left side of our defense has been really, really good this year.  Kyle Smith is a very mature and composed leader on the field at shortstop and Kyle Bellows is a converted shortstop and is learning third base and showing great potential over there at third.”

Clayton Cook looked good despite Fryman saying he didn’t have his best stuff.  Cook pitched six scoreless innings yielding just three hits and a walk.  He also ran his scoreless streak over the Muckdogs to 18 innings this season.  Antwoine Hubbard worked the seventh and eighth and Tyler Sturdevant pitched the ninth earning his second save of the season.

Mahoning Valley wished every day were a Saturday as they ran their 2009 record to 7-1 on that day of the week.  Game three of the four game homestand has Auburn coming to town to face the Scrappers.  First pitch is scheduled for 5:05.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers returned to Niles to open a four-game homestand.  The Scrappers got a great start from Vidal Nuno and held off Batavia to take a 2-1 verdict and remain in first place in the New York Penn League for the 28th day in a row.

Ben Carlson (pictured) hit a bomb over everything and into the right field parking lot to give the Scrappers a 1-0 lead.  Jason Smit then walked and stole second.  Smit scored the Scrappers second run when Jordan Henry hit into an apparent double play, but, Batavia shortstop Ryan Jackson floated his throw over the head of the first baseman allowing Smit to score from second.

Cory Burns had a shaky ninth giving up a run on a bases loaded double play.  Burns was able to escape without further harm to preserve the victory for Nuno and garner a save.

“We weren’t expecting to get that many inning out of him [Nuno] tonight.  We put him in the rotation, he has a spot there now.  We have to work on building his pitch count”, said Scrappers Manager Travis Fryman.

Ben Carlson talked about his long home run after the game, “I had two strikes on me and was actually looking to go the other way.  He [Batavia starter Chris Corrogan] came inside for the first time all night and I just kind of reacted and hit it good enough to go out.”

The Scrappers continue the weekend homestand tonight at Eastwood Field.

Smit-O-Meter:  1-2, BB, SB (7), R, Currently Batting .286

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers improved to 2-1 on their current road venture with a 2-0 victory over the Auburn Doubledays.  The Scrappers upped their 2009 record against the Doubledays to 4-0. 

The pitching on the road trip has been outstanding to this point.  Preston Guilmet went six strong innings and recorded five strikeouts while allowing just four Doubleday hits.  Guido Fonseca, Nick Kirk, and Tyler Sturdevant worked an inning each.  Sturdevant struck out the side in the ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.

The Scrappers posted both of their runs in the second inning.  Ben Carlson (pictured) singled to left and scored on Jason Smit’s 2-run homer to left.

The Scrappers wrap up the series and the road trip tonight at 7:05 and can be heard on AM-1390 with Marc Means calling the game.  The Scrappers return home to open a four-game homestand against Batavia and Auburn starting with Fireworks Friday.

Smit-O-Meter:  1-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (22), Currently Hitting .284

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers returned home from a five game road trip to post a 4-0 victory over the Williamsport Crosscutters.  The first game of the short two-game homestand against Williamsport was highlighted by the great pitching of Scrapper starter Marty Popham.

Popham pitched five solid innings, racking up nine strikeouts and yielding only three hits, to lead the great pitching performance displayed at Eastwood Field.

The Scrappers got on the board in the third inning on an RBI-single from Kyle Smith and an RBI-double from Jason Smit for a 2-0 Scrappers lead. 

In the fifth inning, Chun Chen led off the inning with a double and would score on a Kyle Bellows RBI-double.  Ben Carlson’s single plated Bellows to close the scoring with the Scrappers in command 4-0.

Austin Adams and Cory Burns pitched the final four innings to preserve the shutout for Popham’s third victory of the 2009 season.    The Scrapper trio of pitchers ended the game with 13 strikeouts.

I have a nice profile piece on Scrapper starter Marty Popham to post, but I have to get a good picture of him to go with the piece.  That article will be up real soon.

Smit-O-Meter:  1-4, Double (7), RBI (18), Currently hitting .273