LIVE Jammers game report 8/3

Batavia certainly seems to have Jamestown's number, as they once again beat the Jammers, 10-3 this time at "Bark in the Park" at Batavia (included was one dog named "Hollywood Hogan"). Jamestown has lost their last eight, while the MuckDogs have won eight of nine. My last report, with player notes: http://www.marlinbaseball.com/forums/index...showtopic=75859

Here is my amateur scouting report:

SS Carlos Piste (4th Year Player, signed as a free agent; played for Albuquerque last year; GCL, Jamestown and Jupiter this year): The journeyman former Oriole and Red farmhand went 2-5 with a double, a run scored, and three strikeouts. He struck out on a high fastball in the 4th, then on a pitch in the dirt in the 6th.

LF Ryan Curry: Curry didn't get to swing the bat much tonight, as he went 1-2 with a run scored and three walks. He also struck out. He made a nice defensive deke, faking like he was going to catch a base hit that fell in front of him, freezing the runner between second and third and not allowing him to get the extra jump and score. Smart play. He also showed off a plus arm, trying to gun a runner down at the plate.

RF Bryan Petersen: 0-5 with 2 Ks. With the bases juiced in the 2nd, he flew out to right on the first pitch to end the inning. One of his strikeouts came when he was ahead 3-0 in the count at one point. He had an up-and-down night in the field; he made a web gem, diving to make a catch in the 3rd, but also mis-judging a deep fly ball (and looked silly jumping and missing it) that ended up as a 3B. It's amazing how this team mirrors the REAL Marlins.

1B Ben Lasater: 0-5 with 2 Ks as well. Lassie (an appropriate nickname I just made up, considering tonight's festivities at Dwyer Stadium) was robbed of a base hit in the 3rd inning on a diving catch by the RF.

CF Dustin Kaats: Kaats did all the damage offensively on the night, going 1-3 with a run scored, a home run and three RBI. He also drew a walk. He deposited the first pitch he saw in the 7th inning over the left field fence to make it a 5-3 ballgame. His arm worried me, as he caught a relatively shallow fly ball that a runner tagged and scored on, and couldn't even make a decent throw to make it a close play at home.

DH Morgan Cummins (1st Year Player, signed as a free agent): Morgan was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He's short and squatty, and is, from what I gather, the team's third-string catcher. Cummins' walk signaled the end of reliever Brandon Garner's night, and he responded by throwing his hat and glove against the dugout wall.

3B Lucas Waters: Luke was 0-4 with a K. He's versatile, having played SS against Batavia last weekend.

C Tyler Belcher: 2-4 on the day was Belcher, who's body type is very similar to Cummins. In the 8th, for some reason, he tried stretching a single into a double and was tagged out. Earlier in the game, his catching hand got whacked on a back-swing, but he stayed in the game.

2B Rigoberto Silverio (3rd Year Player, signed as a NDFA April 29, 2003; played for GCL and Jamestown in '06): Rigo was 2-4 with a double. He stretched what looked like a single into a double thanks to a poor throw in the 6th, but also showed his speed by beating out a double-play attempt in the 2nd.

SP Marc Lewis: Yes, I got to see Lewis once again. His final line was 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO. He doesn't have much velocity on his fastball, and he really struggled with his breaking ball, missing low a lot. He does have a quick move to the plate from the stretch. He gave up all three runs in the first, and the home plate umpire did him no favors. In fact, the J-town dugout got a warning in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes. To his credit, he worked out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the fourth.

RP Carlos Faria (2nd Year Player, signed as a free agent; spent '06 with GCL Marlins and '07 with Jamestown and Greensboro): Faria went 1.2 innings, gave up 3 hits, 2 runs (both earned), and struck out two. He had a 3/4 delivery and was very compact coming to home plate. He really got in trouble in the sixth by hitting the first batter of the inning.

RP A.J. Battisto (1st Year Player, 30th round pick from Georgia Southern): I liked what I saw from this kid. His numbers tonight weren't great (1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K), but he had a live fastball and a very good curveball. He really had a long stride to the plate, perhaps maximizing his power by pushing off that back foot even more.

RP Mark Badgley (1st Year Player, signed as a free agent from Northern Illinois): This was kinda bizarre. More on that in a moment. I think his family was in attendance; I saw a kid with a t-shirt that said "Badgley" on the back (not exactly a common name), and an older gentleman wearing an NIU t-shirt. He went one inning, giving up one hit, three runs, two walks and a strikeout. He has a bit of a herky-jerky motion, and with his right foot on the rubber from the stretch, puts his left foot off to the side, not directly below as per the usual. What made his appearance unusual was that during this LONG inning, the catcher went out to talk to him four times. He also stepped off the rubber a number of times, making Steve Trachsel look like a quick worker. The pitching coach came out as he was struggling and had a long mound conference with him. And the catcher was giving him signs by patting his mask and his kneepads, etc. instead of the usual hand/finger motions. I didn't notice that with any other pitcher, and don't know if I've seen that before or if it's even common maybe in the minors. Who knows.

Jammers return to Batavia August 30th.....I'll tentatively plan to make that one too. Hopefully, the Jammers will find the recipe for beating the MuckDogs by then.