[thehatfield]

ABL News & Notes
The Brooklyn Sycamores announced a guaranteed two-year extension with a player option for a third year with 30-year old All Star third baseman Jeff Young. Young, who makes $14.6MM this year, agreed to a lower base salary of $12MM per year over the course of the new deal. Young is second in the Washington League in home runs with 24 and third in RBI with 69. He presently has a 2.8 WAR.

With just three days left until the trade deadline, Brooklyn sent 28-year old starting pitcher Joey Taylor to the WL West leading Phoenix Imperials for 20-year old minor league catcher Ramon Lopez. Taylor was 5-6 for the Sycamores in 16 starts, posting a 3.41 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, and 1.2 WAR. Lopez has spent most of the year at Class-AAA in the Phoenix system and is regarded as a quality hitting catcher with plus potential in batting and power, but he is a distinctly average defensive catcher with a below-average throwing arm.

Phoenix also sent 27-year old center fielder Mathew Anderson to the Detroit Street Toughs for 34-year old second baseman Don Oglethorpe, 24-year old minor league outfielder Jack Williams, and $600,000 in cash. With Phoenix 9 games up in the Washington League West and Detroit 1 game behind the Baltimore Pit Bulls in the WL East, this trade of ABL-ready position players looks to solidify the Imperials and boost the Street Toughs. Both clubs seemed happy with the trade.

The Columbus Pants sent 25-year old minor league reliever Tommy Lyons to the Los Angeles Buskers for two minor league first basemen: 21-year old Ramiro Montano and 24-year old Manuel Montes. It is an odd trade as Lyons doesn’t project to be good enough to ever make it to the ABL level and GM’s around the league seemed puzzled as to how the Pants could have fleeced a rebuilding Buskers club in this one.

And finally the El Paso Biscuits sent 26-year old second baseman Manuel Yanez and a second round draft pick to the Tucson Omelets for 26-year old reliever Tom Harris and 23-year old minor league catcher Shane Kelly. Yanez hit .279/.348/.452 with an OPS+ of 121and 0.8 WAR in 290 at-bats for El Paso. Harris was 0-0 with a save in 29 relief appearances for Tucson, posting a 3.64 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP and 0.0 WAR.

Game Results
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Game 106: 4-1 WIN at San Jose Victorians
W: Carlos Vargo (8-5) L: Craig Bowden (9-7) SV: Justin Jones (29)
HR – NJ: Jack Deck (8), Miguel Bravo (18)
Attendance: 43,717
Game Time: 2:26
Recap: 1B Miguel Bravo hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning and that was all New Jersey would need as they rode 8 strong innings from Carlos Vargo to a 4-1 win in the series opener against San Jose. CF Jack Deck added a solo home run in the top of the 4th inning to tie 3B Russ Thompson’s club record with a home run in four consecutive games. The Sentinels spoiled the San Jose pitching debut of recently-traded starter Craig Bowden, who allowed all four runs on just three hits (two being home runs) and three walks. NJ starting pitcher Carlos Vargo also allowed three hits and three walks, but his came over 8 innings with five strikeouts mixed in. The game was actually a frustrating one for NJ at the plate as they squandered numerous scoring chances by hitting into five ground ball double plays. 2B Ray Durham went 0-for-4 and is just 2-for-24 in his last 6 games.

Friday, July 27, 2012
Game 107: 5-2 WIN at San Jose Victorians
W: Art Howard (13-6) L: John Gibbs (4-10) [b]S:[b] Justin Jones (30)
HR – NJ: Russ Thompson (20), Rubén Jaramillo (17) SJ: Walt Turner (16)
Attendance: 43,669
Game Time: 2:32
Recap: RF Jesús Santiago, LF Rubén Jaramillo and 3B Russ Thompson each went 2-for-4, and SS Ricardo Romano hit a key two-RBI double with two outs in the 4th inning to lead NJ to a 5-2 victory over San Jose in the second game of the series. Art Howard improved to 13-6 on the season, and 10-2 since joining New Jersey in a trade from San Antonio. Howard threw 7.1 innings, allowing a run on five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Reliever Steve Adams finished off the 8th inning, but got in trouble in the 9th inning when he allowed three consecutive hits and a run, prompting Manager Jorge Hinojosa to bring in closer Justin Jones to record the final out for his 30th save of the year. Victorians starter John Gibbs went just 5 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three. San Jose CF Walt Turner was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while RF Dan White was 2-for-4 with the other RBI. Santiago – who still leads the ABL with 52 stolen bases - was caught stealing twice, giving him just one stolen base and 11 caught stealing in his last 12 games. Santiago’s 17 caught stealing on the season also leads the ABL, two more than Chicago Violins infielder Todd Hunt (who has 30 successful steals).

Saturday, July 28, 2012
Game 108: 12-5 WIN at San Jose Victorians
W: Jon Conner (14-4) L: Chris Nelson (5-7)
HR – NJ: Reese Haley (3) SJ: Dave McCormick (13), Rob Erickson (2)
Attendance: 43,800
Game Time: 3:17
Recap: NJ hit yet another early-inning three-run home run, this one by C Reese Haley in the top of the 2nd inning, and added three more in the top of the 5th in what was shaping up to be another runaway win. But Sents starting pitcher Jon Conner imploded in the bottom of the 7th inning, allowing five earned runs on two homers before reliever Jayson Miller came in to bail him out. In the top of the 8th, however, San Jose coughed up the game by committing four errors as NJ rallied for 6 unearned runs off San Jose closer Stephen Hester. NJ reliever Ashton Barnett pitched the bottom of the 8th inning in a non-hold situation to get some work in because he hadn’t thrown in a live game in a week. CF James Griffin returned to the lineup in place of Jack Deck and promptly went 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. 2B Ray Durham went 2-for-4 in what might be a sign that he is ready to come out of his slump. San Jose CF Walt Turner was 2-for-2 with a walk and is now hitting .324/.439/.588 against New Jersey in nine games. Conner was lucky to get the win for NJ considering a line in which he allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five in 6.1 innings.

Series Recap: With the sweep New Jersey has won 10 games in a row for the first time in their history. Since starting catcher Greg Wells went down with injury on July 11, the club is an astonishing 13-2. Despite this run, Jacksonville Cannons remain within striking distance in the Fillmore League East and swept the lowly San Francisco Sawdust in three tight games by a combined score of 7-2 (3-1, 1-0, and 3-1). There are just three days left for ABL member clubs to complete a trade before the July 31st deadline.

Next: NJ (73-35) will finish off the month of July in Arizona against the Gilbert Airplanes (59-49). Gilbert is 4-6 in their last 10 games and even though they lost two of three games to San Diego in their last series they pulled into a tie with San Jose atop the Fillmore League West. NJ is 3-6 against Gilbert this season, one of two clubs (Philadelphia Motorcycles being the other) against which the Sentinels still have a losing record.