[thehatfield]

ABL News & Notes
After five deals being completed earlier in the week, ABL clubs took a few days off from any trades with just about a week and a half left before the trade deadline.

The Bronx Mutineers took a hit in their chances to make a run in the Washington League Eastern Division when they learned that they will again be without starting shortstop Julio Rubio for six weeks with a herniated disc in his back. Rubio, who was playing in just his eighth game back in the lineup after a six-week DL stint with a strained medial collateral ligament, came out of Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Sycamores in the 8th inning complaining about his back after making a tough defensive stop in the hole. Rubio is batting .295/.360/.375, 105 OPS+, 9.9 VORP, 0.9 WAR.

Game Results
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Game 100: 7-3 WIN at Charlotte Copper Kings
W: Brian Baker (9-8) L: David Holt (2-4)
HR – None
Attendance: 21,817
Game Time: 2:54
Recap: NJ struck for two runs against Charlotte starter Curt Fitzgerald in the top of the first inning when LF Rubén Jaramillo tripled home SS Kaz Tamura and then scored on a 1B Miguel Bravo sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Brian Baker couldn’t find the plate after a one-out double by C Roberto Rosas. Baker walked the next three straight batters to allow a run before a sacrifice fly by Fitzgerald tied the game at 2-2. Fitzgerald made it through the 3rd inning, but had to come out of the game in the 4th complaining of tightness in his shoulder. Preliminary tests appear to be negative and Fitzgerald will just need a few days of rest for a mild shoulder strain. Charlotte reliever Paul Goring was able to pitch three strong innings of relief, but New Jersey was able to break through with two runs in the 7th, one in the 8th, and two more in the top of the 9th against the rest of the Copper Kings bullpen to put the game away. Tamura was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and Jaramillo was 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored for the Sents. Charlotte committed three errors, one of which allowed two unearned runs to score against reliever David Holt which put NJ out in front for good. NJ grounded into three double plays on the day, 3B Russ Thompson doing the trick twice. Baker finished the game with nine strikeouts, including three times each for #3 and #4 Charlotte hitters 3B Manuel Aviles and RF Pedro Morales.

Friday, July 20, 2012
Game 101: 12-4 WIN at Charlotte Copper Kings
W: Carlos Vargo (7-5) L: Clancy Cannon (11-6)
HR – NJ: Ken Bullock 2 (8), Miguel Bravo (17)
Attendance: 21,419
Game Time: 3:03
Recap: NJ scored at least one run in every inning from the 4th inning on in a 19-hit pummeling of the Copper Kings and their All Star starting pitcher Clancy Cannon. Cannon, who started the All Star Game for the Fillmore League, allowed a career-high 11 hits and tied a career high with six runs allowed in 6.2 innings. Even though Sentinels starting pitcher Carlos Vargo went 8 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and had a 3-for-4 day at the plate (all singles) on top of it, 1B Miguel Bravo took home Player of the Game honors on the strength of a 4-for-5 performance at the place with a double, home run, and five RBI. Ken Bullock, playing left field to give Rubén Jaramillo an off day, promptly went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI. RF Jesús Santiago was 4-for-6 with two RBI, three runs scored, and his ABL-leading 52nd stolen base. C Reese Haley was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Charlotte catcher Roberto Rosas was just about the only Copper Kings player to do anything positive in this game, going 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. After a stretch of nine games without allowing a run, left-handed reliever Frank Bradley allowed two runs in the 9th inning on a walk and a double (Jayson Miller then came in and allowed Bradley’s inherited runner to score).

Saturday, July 21, 2012
Game 102: 5-4 WIN at Charlotte Copper Kings
W: Art Howard (12-6) L: Fernando Ramos (5-13) SV: Justin Jones (27)
HR – NJ: Ken Bullock (9)
Attendance: 22,207
Game Time: 3:05
Recap: After the first two games in this series, we finally had a baseball game and it looked like Charlotte was going to come away with this one after taking a 3-0 lead off NJ starter Art “Skid Row” Howard in the bottom of the 2nd inning. But like a number of recent Howard starts, once he allows his early runs that’s pretty much all you’re going to get off him as he settled down for 6.2 innings of six-hit, one-walk baseball with six strikeouts. The Sents kept the pressure on Charlotte starter Fernando Ramos, or, rather, Ramos kept the pressure on himself with an astronomical eight walks allowed in his 6.1 innings of work. The big blow came in the top of the 7th inning when Ken Bullock hit a monster 450-foot, three-run home run after Ramos had walked the previous two batters. Bullock, who had two homers playing left field in place of Rubén Jaramillo yesterday, was left in the lineup today to rest Jesús Santiago in right field and perhaps capitalize on his hot bat and it worked. Bullock’s shot gives him the 2nd longest home run ever hit by a NJ Sentinel. 1B Miguel Bravo was 1-for-2 with three walks, and C Sterling Wells (playing in place of Reese Haley) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. RF Pedro Morales was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored for Charlotte, and 1B Salvador Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI double. The Copper Kings outhit the Sents 10-8.

Series Recap: The sweep of Charlotte helped NJ put one more game between themselves and Jacksonville Cannons in the Fillmore League East, as Cannons took two-of-three from the Gilbert Airplanes. NJ (67-35) now holds a five-game lead over Jacksonville (62-40) and hasn’t been intimidated into a panic or reactionary move in the trade market despite all of Jacksonville’s recent activity. NJ is obviously still trying to mix-and-match to account for the loss of power in the lineup that C Greg Wells’ injury has created, as evidenced by Ken Bullock getting two starts in the series. If all goes well for Wells in his recovery over the next five weeks (and for NJ in the standings), the Cincinnati, Ohio native should be back with the club with about 10-15 regular season games left to get ready for the playoffs. NJ currently has 113 home runs as a club, which places them 5th in the Fillmore League. Seattle leads the league (and the ABL) with 177 home runs, 42 more than the club with the second-most (Philadelphia Motorcycles at 135).

Next: New Jersey will go home to face the San Diego Golden Hats (42-60). The Hats are in 5th place in the FL West, 16 games behind the San Jose Victorians. NJ is 5-4 against the Hats this season, but lost two-of-three the last time the clubs met in June. San Diego is 4-6 in their last 10 games and dropped two-of-three in their last series against the Philadelphia Motorcycles.