The Cyclones Offense Breaks Out For 12 Runs In Aberdeen

Brooklyn Cyclones @ Aberdeen Iron Birds

August 22, 2015

Lazaro Leyva @ Andrew Church

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brooklyn	1	2	5	4	0	0	0	0	0		12	14	1
Aberdeen	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	3	0		9	14	2

W: Church (2-3, 5.18 ERA); L: Leyva (0-3, 3.38 ERA); Save: Palsha (12, 0.40 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Andrew Church – 5.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, HR, 98 Pitches (71 Strikes), 2 GO: 7 FO

Brandon Welch (6.00 ERA) – 1.1 IP, H, SO, 1 GO: 1 FO, 2 IR – 1 S

Ruben Reyes (5.73 ERA) – 0.1 IP, H, 3 R (2 ER), HBP, 1 GO: 1 FO

Craig Missigman (H, 4, 1.24 ERA) – 0.2 IP, SO, HBP, 1 FO

Alex Palsha – 1 IP, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2 GO

Lazaro Leyva – 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, BB, 2 SO, HBP, 43 Pitches (23 Strikes)

Daniel Ayers (5.09 ERA) – 1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (3 ER), SO, 2 GO

Zach Albin (4.81 ERA) – 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (1 ER), BB, 3 SO, 50 Pitches (32 Strikes), 1 GO: 2 FO

Kevin Grendell (1.67 ERA) – 3 IP, H, 4 SO, 3 GO: 1 FO

Batters

Alfredo Reyes – 2-6, 2 R, 2B (6), 3 RBI (5)

Vinny Siena – 1-3, 2 RBI (17), BB

David Thompson – 1-5, 2B (9), RBI (20), SO

Jeffrey Diehl – 2-5, 2 R, 3 SO

Zach Mathieu – 1-4, 2 R

Hengelbert Rojas – 1-5, 3 SO

Jose Garcia – 2-5, 2 R, 2B (5), 4 RBI (9), SO

Enmanuel Zabala – 1-4, R, 3B (1), BB

Branden Kaupe – 3-5, 3 R, 2 RBI (4), SO

Cedric Mullins – 2-3, R, 2 BB

Ricardo Andujar – 2-6, R, 2 RBI (19), SO

D.J. Stewart – 2-5, R, 2B (5), RBI (20), BB

Chris Shaw – 1-5, RBI (8), SO

Alex Murphy – 1-5, RBI (1), 2 SO

Randolph Gassaway – 2-5, 2 R, 2B (11), SO

Austin Pfeiffer – 1-5, R, SO

Drew Turbin – 3-4, 3 R, HR (2), 3 RBI (24), BB

Recap

            Right as this game was starting, the Aberdeen announcer mentioned how bad the Cyclones offense has been in 2015. While that may be true even after this 12-run outburst, I bet he’s wishing that he had just bit his tongue after the lashing the Iron Birds pitching staff took tonight. The Cyclones scored all 12 runs of their over the first 4 innings, with Alfredo Reyes and Vinny Siena heading to the plate 4 times in those first 4 frames. Reyes and Jose Garcia led the way on offense, each providing 2 hits, including a double, and they combined for 7 RBI’s. Branden Kaupe had his best night of the year, hitting two RBI singles to RF, and scoring after reaching on an infield single for his third hit of the night. While everything was clicking on offense early, the Cyclones pitching went through some rough patches. Andrew Church was charged with 6 runs on 12 hits and 2 walks, and he’d work only one perfect inning. Brandon Welch, Craig Missigman, and Alex Palsha all kept Aberdeen off the scoreboard, but the game would get weird when Ruben Reyes entered in the 8^th – see below for those details, scoring highlights and details, and a few defense highlights.

            This series wraps up Sunday evening at 5:35 PM, with Edioglis Villasmil (0-1, 1.93 ERA) scheduled to start for the Cyclones.

Scoring Highlights

            Alfredo Reyes led off the game with a single for the second straight night, and this time he’d be doubled home by David Thompson two batters later.

            Enmanuel Zabala lined a one out triple just shy of the warning track in left center field, and then Branden Kaupe singled him home. After a balk and wild pitch advanced Kaupe to 3B, an RBI groundout from Reyes brought him home.

            In the bottom of the 2^nd, the Iron Birds went strikeout, single, strikeout, and a two run homerun against Church, which made it a 3-2 game.

            The Cyclones sent 9 men to the plate in the 3^rd, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits and an E6. Jeff Diehl got the frame started by reaching on an infield single to the third baseman, and then went to 2B on a single to RF from Zach Mathieu. After a groundout from Hengelbert Rojas advanced both runners into scoring position, Jose Garcia doubled them home. Kaupe would pick up his second RBI hit of the game two batters later, and then eventually came around to score on an RBI single to CF from Vinny Siena, which made it 8-2.

            D.J. Stewart doubled to lead off the 3^rd, and Alex Murphy singled him home with two outs in the frame, which made it 8-3.

            Jeff Diehl sparked another big rally for the Cyclones in the 4^th with his second infield single in as many innings. Garcia would again come up with one out and Mathieu on 2B/Diehl on 3B, and again he brought them both home with a hit, this time a single to CF. Kaupe would single two batters later, and then Reyes doubled both runners home to make it a 12-3 game.

            Randolph Gassaway sparked the first of two 3 run innings for Aberdeen with a double in the 6^th. Austin Pfeiffer and Drew Turbin followed with singles for a run, and then Stewart and Shaw hit consecutive singles later in the frame for 2 more runs.

            Hengelbert Rojas was the last to join the hit party, lining this well-struck single to LF.

            Things got weird with Ruben Reyes on the mound in the 8^th: E4, HBP, wild pitch, single, passed ball, wild pitch, and then finally a fly out before he left.

Defensive Highlights

            Branden Kaupe running a long distance to make a play in the 1^st, making a diving stop for the final out of the game, and then the 3 opportunities for David Thompson in the game.

Andrew Church Coverage

Table 1 – Church pitch stats by inning

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	Total
Total	10	30	19	14	8	17	98
Strikes	6	21	13	13	6	12	71
Swinging*	0	0	1	1	0	1	3

*3.1% Swinging strike rate

First strikeout came on a 1-2 pitch right down the middle (looking, the batter had stepped out of the box but wasn’t awarded time).

Second strikeout came on a 0-2 pitch on the outside corner (looking, after fouling off the first 7 pitches).

Third strikeout came on a 2-2 pitch (swinging).

Andrew Church's mechanics

Jupiter’s not the only planet w/big storms! @CassiniSaturn imaged this cyclone at Saturn’s north pole #SaturnSaturday pic.twitter.com/f2vatCgEYN

— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) August 22, 2015