I have some more video to go through tomorrow, but I figure I'd start tonight with a guy I hadn't seen before, Derek Rodriguez:
He's got an interesting style. He throws from three arm angles -- a short-armed overhand, a three-quarter slot and sidearmed, and can hit 93 from the overhand slot. It definitely makes a sound when it hits the mitt.
He topped out at 93 overhand, and worked around 88 from sidearm, and three-quarters registered in between. He also threw variations of a slider from 75 to 81 m.p.h., and liked to backdoor it on lefties.
Rodriguez picked up his first save of the season, and the only hit he allowed was a solo homer, which comes with the territory since he seemed to work up in the zone often. I have no idea what the Sox think of him, but he was doing some unique things out there.
Can't say the same for Lance Broadway, who was OK, although against an awfully weak lineup. I didn't take much video because everything was the same as
the last time I saw him in Syracuse -- same weather, same radar gun, and even the same heckler using the same lines.
If there was one troubling part, the inning in which he was hit the hardest was the inning in which he was consistently throwing 90-91.
By the way, let me know if liveblogging was worth it.
***********************
A couple of notes:*Clayton Richard was optioned to Charlotte, with a corresponding roster move to be made today. I have my doubts that Ozzie can go with a six-man bullpen for much longer, but a bullpen with both Jason Childers and Ehren Wassermann doesn't seem to be a good idea above Triple-A.
*Ozzie Guillen could face a suspension for talking about what every manager does but doesn't talk about.
Jeff Passan wrote a pretty interesting piece, although the Sean Tracey section is greatly mischaracterized, if not wrong in some parts.
***********************
Minor league roundup:- Charlotte 8, Syracuse 4
- Birmingham 5, Chattanooga 1
- Justin Cassell allowed one unearned run over eight innings, scattering six hits, walking one and fanning three.
- Miguel Negron went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
- Javier Castillo went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
- Winston-Salem 6, Wilmington 5
- Michael Dubee (one run over 2 2/3 IP) and Matt Zaleski (2 IP, 0 R) were effective in relief of a wild Clevelan Santeliz.
- C.J. Retherford drove in three runs during a 2-for-3 day.
- Freddie Thon hit a two-run homer.
- Hagerstown 4, Kannapolis 1
- Brent Morel went 3-for-4, all singles.
- Jim Gallagher had two hits, as did John Curtis, who had the lone RBI.
- Tyson Corley threw two shutout innings.
- Bristol 8, Greeneville 4
- Nathan Jones struck out five over two shutout innings.
- Orlando Santos went 3-for-4 with a homer, double and two RBI.
- Justin Greene, Jordan Kendall and Jorge Santos each had two hits.
- Missoula 9, Great Falls 5 (11 innings)
- Tyler Kuhn went 4-for-6 with three doubles, one triple and one RBI.
- Mike Grace had a three-RBI day, including a two-run homer.
- Lyndon Estill doubled and tripled.