Minor League Discussion

[volzok]

Louisville lost 10-9

Box score

Kearns went 2-3 with a HR, 3 RBI, a double, 2 runs, 2 BB and a K
Olemedo went 3-6 with a double, 2 runs and 2 K
Denorfia went 0-5 with 2 K

[volzok]

Chattanooga won 10-1

Box score

DJ went 3-5 with 2 doubles, a run, 4 RBI and a K
Hopper went 2-5 with a run and a RBI
Dumatrait finally got a win after some hard luck. 8 inn, 6 hits, 1 run, 2 BB, 7 K

[volzok]

Sarasota was rained out
Dayton won 12-5

Box score

Gutierrez went 1-5 with a RBI
Key went 2-3 with a HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB and 3 runs

[redsrbetter]

Kearns is doing really well in Louisville so far. I hope he keeps it that way for a while as every night could bump up his value a bit.

[volzok]

Good article about Chris Denorfia and his rise up the organization.

Former Wheaton standout moves up for Reds
Friday, June 24, 2005

Former Wheaton College baseball star Chris Denorfia (Southington, CT/Choate-Rosemary School) has made the most of his opportunities within the Cincinnati Reds organization since being selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft in June of 2002, most notably coming in the form of his recent promotion to the Triple-A Louisville Bats.

Since being called up to the Bats on May 26, Denorfia has had an immediate impact, as evidenced by his outstanding .383 batting average and current nine-game hitting streak.

In his short time in Louisville, Denorfia has already been selected Minor League Baseball "Star of the Day" after posting a career-high tying five runs batted in alongside his first Triple-A home run in a 6-1 victory over Charlotte on June 8. He went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a two-run single.

A NCAA Division III All-America outfielder during his stellar four-year career at Wheaton, Denorfia reached the Triple-A benchmark in just his fourth year with the Reds.

Not bad for a 19th-round selection, as Denorfia caught the attention of many beginning with his first tour of duty with the Gulf Coast League Reds in Sarasota, Florida.

Click here for the rest

[volzok]

Bats lose five-run lead, fall in ninth, 10-9

By Dennis Switzer
Special to The Courier-Journal

FORT MILL, S.C. -- The Charlotte Knights might have the worst record in the International League, but Louisville Bats manager Rick Sweet knows they are a dangerous offensive team.

The Knights smacked four home runs and had 18 hits but still needed Jamie Burke's ninth-inning, run-scoring double, his only hit of the game, to score a 10-9 victory over the Bats last night.

The loss snapped Louisville's season-high six-game winning streak and kept it from reaching .500 (36-38). Charlotte snapped a seven-game skid.

"They've got an offensive club that can be scary," Sweet said. "Their offense has not given up this entire series. Tonight we gave them too many bad pitches, and their offense caught up with us."

Still, the Bats were the ones who appeared to have the offense clicking. A two-run homer by Austin Kearns, his first as a Bat, helped give Louisville a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

After Charlotte tied the score in the second, Louisville added another run in the third on an RBI double by Kearns, then batted around and scored four runs in the fifth for an 8-3 lead.

Charlotte answered in the bottom half with Greg Norton's two-run blast, his second homer of the game. Roosevelt Brown's RBI double and Joe Borchard's two-run homer in the seventh tied the score.

Louisville retook the lead in the eighth on Jason Romano's RBI double. Charlotte tied it again in the bottom half on Raul Casanova's solo shot.

Joe Valentine (0-3), Louisville's third pitcher, gave up a leadoff single and a wild pitch in the ninth. With one out, Burke ended the game with his double.

Kearns was 2 for 3 with three RBIs. He has gone 11 for 29 (.379) in his seven games since the Cincinnati Reds sent him down.

Kearns would not confirm a report in a Dayton, Ohio, newspaper that he has asked the Reds to trade him but did say his time in Louisville could be a chance to audition for other clubs.

"I'm sure there are teams scouting," he said. "I don't worry about that. I think the biggest thing is just being relaxed. I'm not … trying to do too much.

"It's a tough situation in Cincinnati right now. We'll see how it plays out. I'm here now, having fun and enjoying myself. We'll see what happens."

The Bats return home to begin a four-game series with Rochester tonight at 7:15.

[volzok]

Louisville won 8-2

Box score

Kearns went 2-4 with 2 doubles, a run, 2 RBI, a walk and a K
Machado went 1-3 with 2 runs, a double, 2 RBI, a walk and a K
Lizard got the win going 6.2 inn, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 BB, 2 K

[volzok]

Chattanooga lost 7-5

Box score

Hopper went 2-5 with a run and a K
DJ went 3-6 with a run, RBI and a K
Kozlowski got hit a little going 5.2 inn, 11 hits, 5 runs, 1 BB, 5 K

[volzok]

Sarasota played a doubleheader and got shutout in both

Game 1: 3-0

Game 2: 1-0

[volzok]

Dayton won 2-0

Box score

Strait went 2-3 with a HR, a double, 2 RBI and a K
Bailey got the win going 6 inn, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 BB, 4 K
Hendley got his 8th save going 1 inn, 0 hits, 1 K. His ERA is currently 0.96

[volzok]

Billings won 9-5

Box score

De Jesus went 3-4 with a double, a run, 3 RBI and a walk
Roberts went 1-2 with a run, RBI and a walk
Geiersbach got the win going 4 inn, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 BB, 3 K

[volzok]

GCL Reds lost 10-7

Box score

Bruce went 2-5 with a double, 2 runs, a RBI and 2 K
Lasso went 2-5 with a run, 2 RBI and a K

[volzok]

With 'feeling back,' Kearns lifts Bats, 8-2 from Courier-Journal

By Brian Bennett
The Courier-Journal
Austin Kearns insists he's not angry. He's not demanding a trade, and he hasn't given up hope of playing for the Cincinnati Reds again.

Instead, Kearns says, he's refreshed, relaxed and enjoying baseball for the first time in a long while.

It's easier to have fun when you're playing every day and producing, even if it's in the minor leagues. Kearns had a pair of doubles and two RBIs last night in his 2005 home debut for the Louisville Bats, who beat Rochester 8-2.

The outfielder now is batting .394 in eight games since his surprising demotion to Triple-A. The success has eased the sting of his struggles with the Reds that cost him a starting job.

"If you can't smile and laugh on a baseball field, you shouldn't be out there," said Kearns, who hit just .224 in Cincinnati. "It's good to get that feeling back. You're playing a game, and sometimes you need to be reminded of that."

That upbeat attitude seemed a far cry from the disgruntled player depicted in published reports this week. A Dayton (Ohio) newspaper story said Kearns had asked the Reds to trade him. But Kearns said yesterday his preference is to remain with Cincinnati.

"That's the organization I came up in and that I followed when I was a kid," said the native of Lexington, Ky. "You always want to stay with the first one you're with.

"All I asked (the Reds) was if there was any other opportunity there. I didn't demand anything. We'll just see how it plays out. It's basically up to me and how I play."

More than just Kearns' hitting has impressed the Bats. He has attacked an exercise program the Reds designed to get him into better shape. Louisville manager Rick Sweet said Kearns has been lifting weights and doing cardio work every day, including a rugged session after Thursday's loss at Charlotte.

"It was a long game, hot as heck, and when everybody else was in line getting a bite to eat, he was in the hallway working with a medicine ball," Sweet said. "He came back here with the perfect attitude to get his game back to where he wants it to be."

The Reds have placed no timetable on Kearns' possible return; they declined to call him up yesterday after outfielder Kenny Kelly went on the disabled list.

Unless a trade is made or an injury happens, Kearns probably will remain stuck behind Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Wily Mo Pena in Cincinnati's crowded outfield.

Atlanta, Washington and the Chicago Cubs all reportedly have expressed interest in trading for Kearns, who said he's trying not to think about the situation.

"Stuff like that was bothering me a lot, and I was putting a lot of pressure on myself," he said. "Now I think that's the last thing I'm worried about. Whatever happens happens, and I'm sure this will work out for the best no matter where it is."

Kearns just missed a grand slam in the first inning last night, settling for a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall. The Bats scored four runs in the first in support of Elizardo Ramirez (4-1), who took a shutout into the seventh inning.

The Bats now have won seven of their past eight games and can get back to .500 with a win in tonight's 6:15 game. Steve Kelly (5-3, 2.21 ERA) will start against Rochester's Francisco Liriano (0-0, 1.50).

[Wally Mo Pena]

Down on the farm: Austin Kearns tied a Louisville franchise record Tuesday night by hitting three two-run home runs in a game against Indianapolis. He left his six-RBI night after the sixth inning and joined Tom Pagnozzi (1987), Dan Driessen (1987) and Jose Oliva (1996) as the only players to hit three home runs in a game in Louisville franchise history.

Kearns is now hitting .324/.400/.676 with one fewer xtrabase hit than strikeout. Keep it up Austin, keep working hard! Hopefully he'll continue to rake for a month and be back with the club when someone is moved (Casey).

In related news Chris Denorfia is hitting a kearnsian .323/.382/.508. He doesn't have amazing power, but he's getting it done and could be an effective fourth OF or trade bait.

[redsrbetter]

Go ahead Kearns! I hope he is really working hard and will not be as bitter once DanO is fired. Just realize that he is on his way out and work on a comeback once he departs.

Also, Denorfia is a name that has been mentioned all year in this thread and he has been quite consistent. Could be awesome trade bait.