Out with the old…

OK, so I haven’t been true to my word and kept things in order while I worked on my “super special secret project”…I apologize for that. So instead of pretending that I will come back and do so, I will just let you in on what it going down. Beyond Fenway, in it’s current state, will no longer be active, as it has been for the past three seasons. However, I will be starting anew with a similarly focused blog over on Boston.com, which is tentatively scheduled to launch this Friday under the name “On Deck.”

My intentions are to provide more of a complete focus on the entire Red Sox farm system, while keeping abreast of the Minor League teams of New England, as we always have. On top of that, there will be some Can-Am League stuff with the Worcester Tornadoes, as well the the collegiate summer leagues (Cape, NECBL, Futures) and anything else we deem worthy of your time in the realm of prospects and baseball in New England…and beyond.

So let me take this time to thank anyone and everyone who has ever visited this blog, provided a kind word and allowed me to grow with it. A special thanks to Thomas Saucke for all of his help from Rochester, the kid is amazing and his passion for the game shines through in his work.

In closing, I will be sure to drop a link to the new blog on here as soon as it drops. I hope you all will continue to support me over at Boston.com and help me build an even greater community for this great game.

Game Times and Pitchers for 5/31/12

Portland Sea Dogs (Chris Balcom-Miller 2-4, 5.15)
vs. Harrisburg Senators (N/A) @ 10:30 a.m.

New Britain Rock Cats (Andrew Albers 1-1, 3.89)
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Joel Carreno 1-1, 4.38) @ 10:35 a.m.

Norfolk Tides (Chris Tillman 3-7, 4.78)
vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka 0-1, 3.74) @ 7:05 p.m.

Results and Highlights from 5/30/12

Portland – 3 GM 1
Harrisburg – 2
WP: Billy Buckner (4-3, 3.20)
LP: Erik Davis (4-2, 2.81)
HR: Portland – Jeremy Hazelbaker (4), Bryce Brentz (6)

Portland (21-31) – 2 GM 2
Harrisburg (28-24) – 5
WP: Garcia (1-0, 1.45)
LP: Stolmy Pimentel (1-2, 5.04)
S: Nelo (5)
HR: Portland – Juan Carlos Linares (7)

HIGHLIGHTS: Game one starter Billy Buckner pitched all seven innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk. He had four strikeouts to bring his season total to 51, tied for fourth most in the Eastern League … Game two starter Stolmy Pimentel also went the distance for Portland, allowing 5 runs and 7 hits over 6 innings. He has allowed 10 runs and 13 hits in his last two starts … Derrik Gibson stole his seventh base of the season in game one and is tied for ninth in the Eastern League. Jeremy Hazelbaker stole his ninth base of the season in game two and is tied for seventh in the league … Hazelbaker’s game one homer gave him a round tripper in three straight game … Zach Gentile and Juan Carlos Linares were the only Sea Dogs to get a hit in both games, each getting one hit per game.

Norfolk (21-31) – 2
Pawtucket (34-20) – 3
WP: Justin Germano (5-3, 2.89)
LP: Brad Bergesen (2-3, 4.91)
S: Clayton Mortensen (2)
HR: Norfolk – Lew Ford (2), Jai Miller (7)

HIGHLIGHTS: Justin Germano allowed 2 runs and 7 hits over 7 innings for Pawtucket. It is the third time this season that he has gone 7 innings … Jose Iglesias “rested” for the fifth straight game … Mauro Gomez went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles. He now has 14 doubles on the season, tied for second most in the International League … Josh Kroeger went 2 for 4, his third straight 2-hit game. He is batting .341 over his last ten games … Relievers Tony Pena Jr. and Clayton Mortensen combined for 5 strikeouts in 2 innings.

New Britain (30-21) - 7
New Hampshire (20-30) – 2
WP: B.J. Hermsen (3-1, 2.68)
LP: Chad Jenkins (2-4, 4.98)
HR: New Britain – Aaron Hicks (6), Chris Herrmann (5)

HIGHLIGHTS: New Britain starter B.J. Hermsen retired the first thirteen batters he faced. He struck out 4 and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits over 8 2/3 innings … New Hampshire starter Chad Jenkins lasted 4 innings in his first start back from the disabled list. He allowed only 2 runs and 3 hits, but 2 of those hits were long balls. Jenkins has allowed 9 home runs this season, second most in the league … Rock Cats’ SS Estarlin de los Santos broke and 0 for 17 slump with a lead-off single in the seventh inning … New Hampshire’s Mike McDade went 1 for 3 to bring his batting average to .324, fifth best in the Eastern League. He is batting .354 with 8 home runs, 23 RBIs and 16 runs in the month of May … With the win the Rock Cats remain a half-game up on Reading in the Eastern Division. The Fisher Cats fall into a tie for last place with Portland.

Game Times and Pitchers for 5/30/12

Portland Sea Dogs (Billy Buckner 3-3, 3.28) GAME 1
vs. Harrisburg Senators (N/A) @ 6:00 p.m.

Portland Sea Dogs (Stolmy Pimentel 1-1, 4.44) GAME 2
vs. Harrisburg Senators (N/A) @ 45 mins. after game one

New Britain Rock Cats (B.J. Hermsen 2-1, 2.83)
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Chad Jenkins 2-3, 5.03) @ 7:05 p.m.

Norfolk Tides (Brad Bergesen 2-2, 4.96)
vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Justin Germano 4-3, 2.93) @ 7:05 p.m.

Results and Highlights from 5/29/12

Norfolk (21-30) – 8
Pawtucket (33-20) – 11
WP: Junichi Tazawa (3-1, 3.13)
LP: Eddie Gamboa (1-1, 7.59)
S: Will Inman (4)
HR: Norfolk – Miller, Ja (6), Bill Hall (3)
Pawtucket – Josh Kroeger (7), Lars Anderson (6)

HIGHLIGHTS: Reliever Junichi Tazawa worked two innings for his third win of the season. He struck out 4 and allowed 1 run on 2 hits … Marc Melancon allowed only his second run in 18 appearances … Jose Iglesias missed his fourth straight game as he deals with back stiffness … Lars Anderson went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs and a season-high 5 RBIs. He has hit half of his home runs this year in his last three games. … The win put the PawSox at 17-11 for the month of May, one win more than their 16-9 April … Ryan Lavanway went 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs. It was his third 3-hit game of the season.

Portland (20-30) –
Harrisburg (27-23) – PPD

HIGHLIGHTS: The two will play a double header on Wednesday with game one starting at 6:00 p.m.

New Britain (29-21) –
New Hampshire (20-29) – PPD

HIGHLIGHTS: No makeup date has been scheduled.

Game Times and Pitchers for 5/29/12

Portland Sea Dogs (Billy Buckner 3-3, 3.28)
vs. Harrisburg Senators (N/A) @ 7:00 p.m.

Norfolk Tides (Eddie Gamboa 1-0, 0.00)
vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Ross Ohledorf 4-3, 4.07) @ 7:05 p.m.

New Britain Rock Cats (B.J. Hermsen 2-1, 2.83)
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Chad Jenkins 2-3, 5.03) @ 7:05 p.m.

Results and Highlights from 5/28/12

New Britain (29-21) – 3
Portland (20-30) – 0
WP: Blake Martin (2-2, 2.50)
LP: Chris Hernandez (2-4, 3.21)
S: Caleb Thielbar (2)
HR: New Britain – Chris Colabello (8)

HIGHLIGHTS: David Bromberg was scheduled to start for New Britain, but was called up to Triple-A Rochester prior to the game, giving Brett Jacobson the spot start, his first of the season. Jacobson threw four scoreless innings and allowed only two hits and a walk … Rock Cats first baseman Chris Colabello hit a two-run homer. In his last ten games he has five hits, three of which are long balls … New Britain’s Aaron Hicks went 2 for 4 with an RBI, run and walk … Sea Dogs shortstop Derrik Gibson went 1 for 3 with a walk. In the four game series he went 7 for 13 with an RBI and a run … Portland’s Brock Huntzinger pitched three perfect innings with two strikeouts, his best relief appearance of the year.

New Hampshire (20-29) – 2
Binghamton (24-25) – 6
WP: Collin McHugh (5-3, 2.17)
LP: Deck McGuire (2-6, 6.80)

HIGHLIGHTS: Fisher Cats starter Deck McGuire retired the first 15 batters he faced. He went 5 1/3 innings allowing 4 runs on only 2 hits and a walk … New Hampshire DH Kevin Howard went 2 for 3, his fourth 2-hit game in his last six played … Third baseman Mark Sobolewski went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

Norfolk (21-29) – 6
Pawtucket (32-20) – 4
W: Zach Clark (1-0, 3.00)
LP: Doug Mathis (3-3, 4.86)
S: Jon Link (2)
HR: Norfolk – Jai Miller (5), Blake Davis (1), Jamie Hoffmann (3)
Pawtucket – Josh Kroeger (6), Nate Spears (4)

HIGHLIGHTS: For the second time in his last three starts Doug Mathis allowed 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings. He came into the game having allowed three home runs over his first nine starts, before allowing three on Monday … Jose Iglesias sat out for the third straight game with an undisclosed injury. He is reported to be out for Tuesday’s game as well …The rehabbing Darnell McDonald went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts … Right fielder Alex Hassan went 2 for 4 for his second straight 2-hit effort … Nate Spears’ third inning, 2-run homer, was the third round-tripper in his last twelve at-bats.

Where have we been?

OK, it’s been nearly a week since we posted up anything here, so let me apologize on that note and explain a bit. First off it was a very hectic, albeit very rewarding week for myself. Had my Clemens piece hit the Globe, saw my first ever no-hitter in person, got to relapse back into the high school hockey season for a night and got a new laptop (which I’m still trying to figure out completely)…among many other great things.

The main reason I have been a bit dormant is due to some amazing news which I am yet unable to reveal, but will surely do so when all is set in place. This news, as far as Beyond Fenway is concerned, is major and will change the face of this blog moving forward. I assure you all it is for the better and will bring a greater scope of the game to the forefront, allowing us to reach a larger audience, and more importantly bring you more baseball.

Look for an announcement in the coming weeks on that and in the meantime I will do my best to keep things business as usual around here so that we don’t completely lose our way, especially as we finish up the second month of the season.

As always my endless thanks for your support of this website and all of our endeavors. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to contact me at craig@beyondfenway.com

Last, and most importantly, thank you to all the brave men and women that have served this great nation of ours, giving us an opportunity to enjoy things as simplistic as baseball.

Game Times and Pitchers for 5/28/12

The Sea Dogs will be looking to sweep the Rock Cats right out of first place in the final game of their four-game set at Hadlock Field. The Rock Cats haven’t even been swept in a three-game series this season and four straight loses would be a season high. David Bromberg will be tasked with shutting down the Portland lineup. In 8 innings of work against the Sea Dogs this season, he is 1-0 and has allowed 1 run, 7 hits, 3 walks and has struck out 7. Chris Hernandez will get his fourth start against New Britain this season, having gone 5+ innings in the prior three. He is 1-1 and has allowed only 3 earned runs against the Rock Cats to go along with 12 strikeouts.

The Fisher Cats will look to take three of four in Binghamton before they head back home for a quick three game set against New Britain. Deck McGuire has had both his best and worst starts of the season against this BMets team. Back on April 18th he dazzled with 6 2/3 innings of 1-hit ball. But on May 11th he got run from the game after allowing 5 runs on 5 hits in only 1/3 of an inning. McGuire has struggled to put together back-to-back quality starts, but he has shown some flashes of late, so look for him to be in decent form today.

The PawSox bumped their lead in the I.L. North up to 3 ½ games after taking 3 of 4 from Toledo over the weekend. Now they will look to do the same with Norfolk who they split a four-game set with last week down in Virginia. Doug Mathis was brilliant when he faced the Tides exactly one week ago, allowing only 1 hit over 7 innings of work. Mathis has not lost a game since May 1st and has allowed only 4 earned runs in his last 23 1/3 innings.

New Britain Rock Cats (David Bromberg 1-1, 3.53)
vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Chris Hernandez 2-3, 3.06) 1:00 p.m.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Deck McGuire 2-5, 6.80)
vs. Binghamton Mets (Collin McHugh 4-3, 2.15)

Norfolk Tides (Zack Clark NR)
vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Doug Mathis 3-2, 4.23) @ 4:05 p.m.

Games Times and Pitchers for 5/23/12

David Bromberg heads a decent pitching matchup in paper with a noon start time down in New Britain. Bromberg will be getting his sixth start of the season and is 1-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 25 Ks over his initial five starts. He will face off against Zack Wheeler who is ranked as the top prospect in the New York Mets farm system by Baseball America. In seven starts this year the 21-year-old has struck out 45 batters over 37 2/3 innings.

The Sea Dogs will be looking to break a current team 0 for 35 streak and will hope to put an end to that in game one of their doubleheaders against the Fisher Cats. Chris Hernandez and Billy Buckner are slated to be the Portland starters in the two seven-inning affairs. Neither pitcher has faced the Fisher Cats who have Deck McGuire and Yohan Pino on the counter-attack. Both New Hampshire starters are also coming into their outings having never faced their opponent this year.

Binghamton Mets (Zack Wheeler 3-2)
vs. New Britain Rock Cats (David Bromberg 1-1) @ 12:05 p.m.

Portland Sea Dogs (Chris Hernandez 2-3, 2.64) GAME 1
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Deck McGuire 2-5, 6.75) @ 6:05 p.m.

Portland Sea Dogs (Billy Buckner 2-3, 3.53) GAME 2
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Yohan Pino 3-1, 3.29) @ 6:05 p.m.