Gil Back To Trenton; Pope Too?

Thanks to Chad Jennings for the heads up that Scranton has sent catcher Jose Gil back to Trenton to make room for the return of Anthony Claggett.

Gil, just as was the case in Trenton, did not play in Scranton.

The Thunder did not need to make a corresponding move, as they were at 23 players following Eric Wordekemper’s call-up to Triple-A. Granted, they’re still an arm short in the bullpen and are carrying three catchers again, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

Also, it would appear that the latest installment of Baseball America’s minor league transactions have some interesting news as well.

Justin Pope, the Thunder’s all-time saves leader with 58, has apparently re-signed with the Yankees and has been placed on the 7-day DL. There is no mention of an assignment in terms of where he may play.

He was 1-1 with 10 saves and a 2.23 ERA in 36 games with Reading last year.

Pope’s a great guy and one of the best relievers in the history of the franchise…but with that said, where does he fit in?  Now 29 years old, he would seem to be filling more of the minor league veteran role than anything else…and may also end up blocking the paths of a few relievers in Tampa or rehabbing players at the minor league complex.

Michael Gardner and Humberto Sanchez will both be looking for places to play once their rehab work is done, and Tampa’s bullpen has four pitchers who haven’t allowed an earned run in 10 combined appearances.

Tip of the hat to Gabe for letting me know about this as well…

Waterfront Park Prospect Watch, April 23-30

New Britain Rock Cats (Twins)
April 23-26

The Rock Cats have three of the Twins top 12 prospects as rated by Baseball America; #3 C Wilson Ramos, #5 3B Danny Valencia and #11 P Jeff Manship.

Manship last pitched on the 19th and would be scheduled to pitch during the series — tentatively for the 25th if the weather and rotation hold up.  I saw him pitch in the 2005 Big East Tournament with Notre Dame, so he’s someone I’d be particularly interested in getting to see again.

Connecticut Defenders (Giants)
April 28-30

The Defenders don’t come back until the middle of June…so if you’re hoping to see Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Angel Villalona or Tim Alderson — the Giants top four prospects — you can pretty much forget it until then.

Instead, #11 P Waldis Joaquin and #13 Henry Sosa are your best bets.  Joaquin is a lefty reliever and Sosa a righty starter.  #16 C Jackson Williams has gotten off to a hot start, and may be worth keeping an eye on as well.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Thunder @ B-Mets Postponed; Doubleheader May 16th

The Trenton Thunder’s scheduled game against the Binghamton Mets has been postponed.

A doubleheader has been scheduled for May 16th in Binghamton, with Game 1 set to start at 5:05 PM.  Both games will be seven innings.

As for that pitching matchup thing I posted yesterday…well, just push everyone back a day.  Eric Hacker and Mike Antonini are slated to oppose each other on the mound during tomorrow’s game, weather permitting.

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Kids Eat Free; Dad Drinks For $1

 The Thunder will be offering dollar draft beers on April 30th during their game against the Connecticut Defenders.

The aforementioned frosty beverages will only be served in the new picnic area, which will be open to all ticketholders.

Duff Man may not be making an appearance, but the beer will starting at 6:05 PM and will be made available through the 7th inning.

There will also be a post-game fireworks show…which, depending on how much you end up drinking, could look rather interesting.

For more details and ticket information, visit the Thunder’s official website.

All jokes aside, if you do plan on drinking enough beers for everyone in the stadium, either call a cab or use a designated driver.  And if you happen to see the idiot who’s overdoing it, encourage them to do so as well…

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com

Pitching Matchups @ Binghamton

These are obviously tentative based on the weather holding up…

4/20: TRE Eric Hacker (1-0, 1.59) vs. BNG Mike Antonini (1-0, 2.59)
4/21: TRE George Kontos (0-1, 3.86) vs. BNG Fernando Nieve (0-0, 6.00)
4/22: TRE Zach McAllister (0-0, 2.61) vs. BNG Dylan Owen (0-1, 9.00)

The Thunder return home to Waterfront Park on Thursday, April 23rd. Bring the kids out, they eat free and such.

If you’re hoping to see a certain starting pitcher, the team is home for seven straight against New Britain and Connecticut, so you’ll get to see him.

Very, very tentatively…Ivan Nova would pitch on the 23rd, Ryan Pope in the 24th, Hacker on the 25th, Kontos on the 26th, the team is off on the 27th, McAllister on the 28th, Nova again on the 29th and Pope again on the 30th.

I’ll have a better idea of my schedule once the Trenton Devils either win or lose the seventh game of their first round series on Tuesday (in Trenton, by the way) and will share with the rest of the class when I figure out exactly what’s going on.  I do know for sure that I will not be attending the game on the 23rd, however…

Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com