Rex Hudler

It hasn't been announced.

Neal is from Illinois.....

I was all but sure today that they were going to give Danny another shot until I heard they moved Wylie into Tuesday, which is Cotts day in the rotation. It may mean nothing. They may just want to give him an extra day of rest since it is deep in the season. But the way he has been pitching, you would think they would keep him on the same routine, so who knows??

It's between 5 and 8 depending on how you figure it and how the Sox decide to use the other four starters. This came from the article about Frank playing 1B on the roadtrip.... Rotating arms: Pitching coach Don Cooper said before Sunday’s game that he’s approaching Tuesday night’s game in Anaheim as if Danny Wright was starting. But Cooper also mentioned that Wright is available out of the bullpen during the next two games. “If he pitches in relief during those games, obviously that could change things,” Cooper said of Wright.

Thank ya Murcie

This may mean absolutely nothing, but I heard on the Barons broadcast today, that Mitch Wylie who was scheduled to pitch today was pushed back a few days and will start on Tuesday. That is Cotts day in the rotation, so either they are pushing Cotts back or he will be headed for Anaheim. Barons are down 2-0 in the 5th, by the way.

Working out of the bullpen between starts isn't necessarily an indicator Wright won't start on Tuesday. In fact, I think they will go with him one more time Tuesday in Anaheim. The other thing to think about when deciding whether or not to bring up Cotts, is that after the next couple of outings, the 5th starter spot will be used sparingly. Is it wise to have Cotts in the big leagues and not pitching on the regular rest he is accumstomed to right now. That in itself could affect how well he throws.

Jim, I do believe he has to be protected on the 40-man this year, but my guess is he will not. Of course that depends on how many openings they will have. I don't see Biko as a guy that is susceptible to be picked in the Rule V draft, because I don't think he is ready for the Big Leaugues and it wouldn't help him, at 26 yrs old to spend a year in the Majors on the bench. His age would likely allow the Sox not to protect him. Like I said before, I think next year is his make or break year.

I looked deeper into Mr. Bikowski's numbers and found some good and something for concern.... I previously expressed concern for his lack of driving in runs and from what the following numbers tell me, it was more likely a matter of fewer opportunities. In the back of my mind the concern is still there, but I'll let the numbers talk for now.... One thing I found concerning is his home/road splits... He is hitting .407 at home, where typically guys hit worse because the Hoover Met is definitely not a hitters park. To hit well there you have to be able to stay in the gaps, keep it on a lineand not try to hit the ball out of the yard. I can't quite figure why he is only hitting .234 on the road, however. Some I have mixed thoughts on those two numbers. Finally, the numbers.... G AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS GDP TOTALS 99 .319 329 43 105 20 2 2 39 42 55 3 6 7 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Home 51 .407 162 27 66 12 2 1 27 24 25 2 3 3 Road 48 .234 167 16 39 8 0 1 12 18 30 1 3 4 as Leadoff .286 84 0 24 2 0 0 0 7 7 0 0 0 with Bases Empty .306 180 0 55 10 2 0 0 21 29 0 0 0 Runners on Base .336 149 0 50 10 0 2 39 21 26 0 0 7 Scoring Position .329 79 0 26 5 0 1 35 15 15 0 0 0 Runners with 2 out .328 58 0 19 5 0 1 18 8 10 0 0 0 S/P with 2 outs .366 41 0 15 3 0 1 18 7 7 0 0 0 with Bases Loaded .375 8 0 3 1 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0

They could make him walk. No Nanita again tonight........ Hmmm

Three hits, a SB and an error for Valido..... BRISTOL 5 AT JOHNSON CITY 8 YTD YTD BRISTOL AB R H BI AVG JOHNSON CITY AB R H BI AVG C.Young CF 5 1 1 0 .297 C.Hayes SS 4 2 2 1 .290 F.Lebron 2B 5 1 1 0 .250 T.Wootan 3B 4 0 2 2 .279 R.Valido SS 4 1 3 0 .306 C.Haerther LF 4 0 1 1 .347 M.Herring DH 4 1 1 1 .222 P.Frisella RF 3 1 1 0 .323 M.Perez 3B 3 1 1 0 .284 L.Webber DH 3 0 0 0 .180 T.Collaro LF 4 0 1 2 .229 D.Barton CAT 4 1 1 2 .303 M.Bohlander 1B 4 0 0 0 .212 K.House CF 3 1 0 0 .212 C.Castillo CAT 2 0 1 0 .214 A.Schutzenho 1B 3 2 2 0 .316 S.Martin PH 1 0 0 0 .189 A.Perez 2B 4 1 2 1 .216 M.Lenderman CAT 0 0 0 0 .257 M.Aguero PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Rivera RF 4 0 3 1 .246 B.Hoffmann PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 Y.Novoa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Garza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Flores PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Thompson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 36 5 12 4 TOTALS 32 8 11 7 BRISTOL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 5 12 1 JOHNSON CITY 0 5 0 3 0 0 0 0 X- 8 11 1 E--R.Valido, M.Aguero. DP--BRISTOL 1, JOHNSON CITY 0. LOB--BRISTOL 7, JOHNSON CITY 4. 2B--R.Valido (13), M.Perez (12), C.Hayes (4), P.Frisella (8). HR--D.Barton (2). SB--R.Valido (17), J.Rivera (13). CS--R.Valido, C.Castillo, T.Wootan. SH--R.Valido. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BRISTOL Y.Novoa 2.1 5 5 4 2 0 1 5.77 R.Flores (L,2-4) 3.1 5 3 3 1 3 0 4.44 S.Thompson 2.1 1 0 0 1 2 0 2.79 JOHNSON CITY M.Aguero (W,4-4) 7.0 9 5 5 2 7 0 3.00 B.Hoffmann 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.19 J.Garza (S,1) 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.66 SO--C.Young, F.Lebron, M.Herring 2, M.Perez, T.Collaro, M.Bohlander, C.Castillo, J.Rivera, T.Wootan, L.Webber, D.Barton 2, K.House. BB--M.Perez, C.Castillo, P.Frisella, L.Webber, K.House, A.Schutzenho. T--2:39. A--1922

Still no Nanita......... GREAT FALLS 3 AT MISSOULA 8 YTD YTD GREAT FALLS AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG A.Gray 2B 3 1 0 0 .311 J.Kaplan CF 4 1 2 3 .283 M.Myers CF 4 0 2 1 .301 C.Gonzalez RF 4 0 1 0 .256 C.Lee DH 4 0 1 1 .308 A.Murillo DH 5 0 0 0 .304 B.Bounds 1B 4 0 1 0 .319 A.Mottram CAT 4 0 1 0 .256 S.Morris RF 4 0 0 0 .263 J.Acosta LF 3 2 2 0 .244 M.Schnurstei 3B 4 1 1 0 .265 T.Vanzile LF 0 0 0 0 .107 C.King LF 4 0 2 0 .281 J.McStoots 3B 2 2 0 0 .210 C.Lisk CAT 4 0 1 0 .268 J.Brito 1B 4 1 2 0 .203 C.Haggerty SS 3 1 1 1 .245 J.Olivares SS 4 1 3 3 .253 R.Reed PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Bonifacio 2B 3 1 1 2 .203 J.Johnson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Julio PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Surratt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Novosel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Dove PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Cremidan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 3 9 3 TOTALS 33 8 12 8 GREAT FALLS 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0- 3 9 0 MISSOULA 1 2 2 0 0 3 0 0 X- 8 12 2 E--J.Brito, E.Bonifacio. DP--GREAT FALLS 0, MISSOULA 1. LOB--GREAT FALLS 8, MISSOULA 7. 2B--C.Haggerty (6), J.Acosta (9), J.Olivares (3). 3B-- M.Myers (4), J.Kaplan (4), A.Mottram (1). HR--J.Kaplan (3). SB-- C.Lisk (5), J.Acosta (4), J.McStoots (8), J.Olivares (3). CS--M.Myers, C.Gonzalez, J.Brito. HBP--C.Gonzalez, J.Acosta. SF--C.Haggerty, E.Bonifacio. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREAT FALLS R.Reed (L,1-3) 2.2 4 5 5 3 0 1 5.40 J.Johnson 2.1 6 3 3 0 2 0 4.82 R.Surratt 3.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2.66 MISSOULA D.Julio (W,3-0) 5.0 7 3 3 2 5 0 5.19 W.Novosel 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 S.Dove 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.42 A.Cremidan 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.15 HB--J.Johnson, R.Surratt. WP--R.Reed, J.Johnson 2, D.Julio. PB-- C.Lisk. SO--A.Gray, M.Myers 2, B.Bounds 2, S.Morris 2, M.Schnurstei, C.Lisk 2, C.Haggerty, C.Gonzalez, J.Acosta, J.McStoots, J.Brito. BB--A.Gray 2, M.Myers, J.Kaplan, J.McStoots 2. T--2:37. A--1809

Kannapolis loses again, 5-1.... ROME 5 AT KANNAPOLIS 1 YTD YTD ROME AB R H BI AVG KANNAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG O.Joseph RF 5 1 2 1 .298 A.Gonzalez SS 3 1 1 0 .237 J.Schuerholz SS 4 1 1 0 .242 D.Barnett CAT 4 0 1 1 .200 J.Francoeur CF 4 1 2 0 .291 T.Brice RF 4 0 0 0 .275 Y.Peters 1B 4 1 1 1 .291 D.Ciraco LF 4 0 0 0 .241 W.Timmons 3B 4 0 1 1 .278 J.Terrell DH 3 0 1 0 .248 A.Jansen LF 4 0 0 0 .258 M.Christense 3B 4 0 2 0 .236 M.Bernard CAT 3 0 2 2 .323 J.Reyes 1B 4 0 1 0 .253 C.Guzman DH 4 0 0 0 .234 D.Cook CF 4 0 0 0 .129 M.Grasso 2B 4 1 1 0 .265 L.Luna 2B 4 0 0 0 .143 M.Wright PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.LaMura PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Tadefa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Garza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Mueller PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Jung PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 36 5 10 5 TOTALS 34 1 6 1 ROME 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 5 10 2 KANNAPOLIS 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 0 E--Y.Peters, M.Grasso. DP--ROME 0, KANNAPOLIS 1. LOB--ROME 8, KANNAPOLIS 8. 2B--O.Joseph (14), M.Grasso (3), A.Gonzalez (15), D.Barnett (2). SB--O.Joseph (30), M.Bernard (2). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ROME M.Wright (W,6-2) 5.2 4 1 1 2 7 0 2.13 F.Tadefa 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.27 M.Mueller 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.26 S.Jung 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.20 KANNAPOLIS B.LaMura (L,6-10) 7.0 7 4 4 4 4 0 3.64 R.Garza 2.0 3 1 0 0 3 0 3.26 PB--D.Barnett. SO--J.Schuerholz, Y.Peters 2, A.Jansen, C.Guzman, M.Grasso 2, A.Gonzalez 2, D.Barnett 2, D.Ciraco 2, M.Christense, J.Reyes, D.Cook 2. BB--J.Schuerholz, J.Francoeur, Y.Peters, M.Bernard, A.Gonzalez, J.Terrell. T--2:39. A--2363

Nice outing by Wing...... Yan with a huge game.... POTOMAC 3 AT WINSTON-SALEM 4 YTD YTD POTOMAC AB R H BI AVG WINSTON-SALEM AB R H BI AVG J.Ruiz CF 4 1 1 0 .161 R.Yan 2B 5 2 2 3 .273 B.Hawes RF 4 0 1 0 .244 N.Martel RF 3 0 1 1 .279 R.Correll LF 4 1 1 1 .328 B.Becker DH 3 0 2 0 .269 T.Blanco DH 4 1 1 0 .250 C.Rogowski 1B 4 0 1 0 .261 J.Bannon SS 3 0 0 1 .293 M.Morse SS 4 0 1 0 .241 M.Schramek 3B 4 0 1 1 .245 E.Welsh LF 3 1 0 0 .248 B.Peterson CAT 3 0 2 0 .273 J.Lackaff 3B 2 0 0 0 .360 C.Williamson 1B 4 0 0 0 .205 E.Storey PH 1 0 0 0 .259 G.Patchett 2B 3 0 0 0 .250 C.Stewart CAT 3 0 0 0 .213 J.Bruksch PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Holt PH 1 1 1 0 .252 J.Granado PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Spidale CF 4 0 0 0 .242 N.Cotton PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Wing PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Pollok PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 3 7 3 TOTALS 33 4 8 4 POTOMAC 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0- 3 7 0 WINSTON-SALEM 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3- 4 8 1 E--J.Lackaff. DP--POTOMAC 1, WINSTON-SALEM 0. LOB--POTOMAC 6, WINSTON-SALEM 7. 2B--J.Ruiz (3), M.Schramek (3), B.Peterson (4). HR--R.Yan (2). SB--R.Yan (65), J.Lackaff (2). SF--J.Bannon. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA POTOMAC J.Bruksch 5.2 4 1 1 3 2 0 1.54 J.Granado 2.1 2 1 1 1 2 0 4.30 N.Cotton (L,2-4) 0.2 2 2 2 0 2 1 4.65 WINSTON-SALEM R.Wing 6.0 7 3 3 2 10 0 2.86 D.Pollok 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.29 J.Fields (W,5-6) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.23 WP--J.Bruksch. SO--J.Ruiz, R.Correll, T.Blanco 2, J.Bannon, M.Schramek 2, C.Williamson 4, G.Patchett, B.Becker, C.Rogowski 2, E.Welsh, E.Storey, M.Spidale. BB--B.Peterson, G.Patchett, N.Martel, B.Becker, E.Welsh, J.Lackaff. T--2:47. A--4926

Birmingham loses, but holds ground in the playoff race..... Reed 3-4.... Matt Smith with a nice relief outing....... BIRMINGHAM (3) AT CHATTANOOGA (5) BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI C Durham CF 5 0 1 0 A Diaz CF 4 0 1 0 D Sandoval 2B 5 1 2 0 E Encarnacion 3B 3 1 1 0 J Reed RF 4 1 3 0 G Senjem RF 3 1 1 2 G Alvarez DH 3 1 1 1 S Smitherman LF 4 0 0 0 S Bikowski LF 3 0 2 2 J Gutierrez 1B 4 1 1 1 C Maldonado C 4 0 1 0 A Beattie 2B 4 0 0 0 J Hamilton 1B 4 0 2 0 W Caceres DH 4 1 1 0 G Reyes SS 3 0 0 0 D Sardinha C 3 1 2 1 J Piniella PH 1 0 1 0 B Anderson SS 2 0 1 1 J Shaffer 3B 2 0 0 0 T Nicholson PH 1 0 0 0 TOTALS 35 3 13 3 TOTALS 31 5 8 5 BIRMINGHAM 200 000 010 -- 3 CHATTANOOGA 220 001 00x -- 5 DP--CHATTANOOGA 3. LOB--BIRMINGHAM 9, CHATTANOOGA 5. 2B--G Alvarez, J Reed, D Sardinha 2, B Anderson. HR--G Senjem 1 (12) (off B An), J Gutierrez 1 (2) (off B An). CS--J Reed, A Diaz. S--J Reed. IP H R ER BB SO HR BIRMINGHAM B An (L,3-2) 5 2-3 7 5 5 3 4 2 M Smith 2 1-3 1 0 0 0 1 0 CHATTANOOGA S Kelly (W,2-0) 5 2-3 9 2 2 2 3 0 C Dehart 1 2-3 2 1 1 1 2 0 J Barreto 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 K Keller (S,7) 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 WP--C Dehart. SO--BIR: C Durham 2, J Hamilton, G Reyes, J Shaffer. CAT: S Smitherman 2, G Senjem, B Anderson, D Sardinha. BB--BIR: S Bikowski, J Shaffer, G Alvarez. CAT: G Senjem, B Anderson, E Encarnacion. T--2:30. A--5,719.

Two hits and two walks for Miles....... Hummel and Borchard also with two hits...... Nice outing by the pitchers.... CHARLOTTE (4) AT INDIANAPOLIS (2) CHARLOTTE AB R H BI INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI A Miles 2B 3 1 2 0 J Conti CF 4 0 0 0 T Hummel 3B 5 1 2 2 R Paz 2B 4 0 1 0 R Gload LF 5 0 1 1 J Rushford 1B 4 0 1 0 J Borchard CF 4 0 2 1 P Zoccolillo RF 4 0 0 0 M Rivera C 4 0 0 0 K Luuloa DH 4 0 1 0 A Rios DH 4 0 0 0 C McKay C 3 0 0 0 R Hankins 1B 4 1 2 0 W Veras 3B 4 1 2 0 S Morgan RF 2 0 0 0 R Knox LF 4 1 1 0 J Nunez SS 3 1 1 0 S Scarborough SS 4 0 2 2 TOTALS 34 4 10 4 TOTALS 35 2 8 2 CHARLOTTE 200 000 002 -- 4 INDIANAPOLIS 000 010 100 -- 2 E--J Nunez. DP--CHARLOTTE 1, INDIANAPOLIS 1. LOB--CHARLOTTE 8, INDIANAPOLIS 7. 2B--T Hummel, W Veras. SB--J Rushford 1 (4), R Knox 1 (4). S--S Morgan. IP H R ER BB SO HR CHARLOTTE R Kohlmeier 6 1-3 6 2 2 1 6 0 G Majewski (W,5-3) 1 2-3 2 0 0 0 2 0 A Munoz (S,6) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 INDIANAPOLIS D Davis 7 6 2 2 1 3 0 J Foster 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 R Giron (L,0-5) 2-3 2 2 2 2 0 0 D Lee 1-3 0 0 0 0 1 0 HBP--S Morgan by D Davis. SO--CHA: A Rios 2, S Morgan, R Gload, R Hankins. IND: J Conti 3, R Paz, C McKay, R Knox, J Rushford, K Luuloa. BB--CHA: A Miles 2, J Nunez. IND: C McKay. T--2:55. A--15,018.

I'll step up and say I didn't think it would happen. I'll be honest and say I still can't quite figure out how it is happening. The guys have really gotten comfortable in their roles and aren't trying to do too much. They don't score much, but seem to find ways to win. I'll give them credit because I didn't see it coming.

It does happen from time to time. According to the Barons web site he is 26. Here is some more info.... Scott Bikowski

The perfect fit for a guy in the bullpen..... One sign of being smart is knowing yourself and where best you fit in..

You just said that you have the mentality of a reliever. Throughout history, relievers have often been known to be quite flaky. Does this apply here? LOL omg that was just wrong........... Questions don't hurt, only answers do... speaking of questions.. i met and hung with some of your world crossing guys tonite... oats is quite the charactor... You know, I have never met the guy and he seems very rough around the edges, but he provides me comic relief almost daily. You didn't get into a discussion about KW, did you?? That could have gotten ugly!

Biko is a gap-to-gap doubles type hitter. He has a nice stroke and could possibly be a two-hole hitter down the road. Do you agree Jim?

I agree on all accounts as I have seen him come through in big situations several times this year. Maybe I am looking at the numbers too much, but surely there have been enough opportunities to drive in more than 40 or so? I just think that a guy who is repeating a level for a full season, should produce more. I hope he proves me wrong next year.

You just said that you have the mentality of a reliever. Throughout history, relievers have often been known to be quite flaky. Does this apply here? LOL omg that was just wrong........... Questions don't hurt, only answers do...

You just said that you have the mentality of a reliever. Throughout history, relievers have often been known to be quite flaky. Does this apply here? LOL

I find it interesting that you include Bikowski. He has a sweet swing and walks a good bit, but he just doesn't drive in enough runs or have enough pop for me. For a guy hitting in the middle of the order, I think he should be able to find more ways to get guys home. I know that no one on this year's team is going to drive in 100, but I'd like to think with him batting around .315, he could be around the 60-65 mark. I think he has a chance to make the Show, but I think he needs to get better in that area. He will need to show next year in AAA that he can do that, since this year he was repeating a level. I think a dropoff next year, will all but kill his chances.