Sunday, May 05, 2013

CATCHING UP WITH KAZMIR, WILLIAMS, RECENT RELEASED PLAYERS AND A KENTUCKY DERBY OFFER

 

How great it had to feel to Scott Kazmir to get his first major league victory since 2010–number 67 in his career–and he did it in style Saturday, limiting Minnesota to two runs and five hits while striking out seven in six innings during Cleveland’s 7-3 triumph. Remember, the lefty, still only 29, was pitching for the Sugar Land (TX) Skeeters in the Atlantic League last year at this time.

Another former Atlantic Leaguer, Jerome Williams, gets a start today for the Los Angeles Angels. The 2011 Lancaster (PA) Barnstormer has been in the bullpen for quite a while, but those six sterling relief innings he gave the Angels recently helped give him this opportunity to quiet Baltimore.

FIGUEROA, BILLY RICE RELEASED

Nelson Figueroa’s time with Arizona’s top farm club in Reno, NV has come to an end with the onetime Long Island (NY) Ducks righty being released. Outfielder Billy Rice (Camden, NJ, Atlantic) was released out of Class A by the Chicago White Sox.

DERBY HORSE EARNS TWO-FOR-ONE DEAL FOR YORK FANS

Because of the similarity in names, the York (PA) Revolution are giving fans who attended Saturday night’s Atlantic League game the opportunity to turn in their ticket stub for a two-for-one deal to attend any remaining weekday home game all because the horse Revolutionary finished third in the Kentucky Derby. Rewards would have been greater had Calvin Borel gotten his mount to finish first or second.

MOVING UP

Chris Patterson has quite a resume, pitching at North Dakota State and in three Independent leagues, playing in Germany, France, Italy and Australia, working in various pay-to-play winter leagues and earning Manager of the Year honors in both the Continental and Pecos leagues.

His newest opportunity is to manage Rio Grande Valley (Harlingen, TX) in the re-minted United League. Patterson already has three former Texas Longhorns on the WhiteWings roster.

THE LATEST ON MARK PRIOR

We noted in last week’s Independent Baseball Insider column that veteran major leaguer Mark Prior, who pitched for a time at Orange County (Fullerton, CA) when the Golden League was in operation, had been idle for some time with Cincinnati’s Triple-A farm club in Louisville. He now has gone onto the disabled list although it is only required players be inactive for seven days.
 
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