Post Game Recap: 6/29/13

First Pitch: 7:05

The Scrappers got off to a good first inning again tonight. A lead off walk go the game underway, but Mahoning Valley Left two aboard.

The Cutters were also held scoreless in the uneventful first.

Williamsport flashed the leather in the top of the second, making good throws and catching a runner stealing for the last out.

In their half of the second, the Cutters got a man on with one out, but a double play ended the inning.

The scoring got underway in the third. Scrappers catcher Tyler Booth hit a lead off double. A sac fly allowed him to advance to third. Josh Warner did not seem too shaken, but Juan Herrera singled to score the run. Another Scrapper double allowed Herrera to score on the ensuing batter.

Again in the third, the Cutters had one on and one out. Malquin Canelo had singled to Center, but was caught stealing. A fly out ended Williamsport’s half of the third.

With two outs in the fourth, two errors allowed men aboard. One scored later on, giving Mahoning Valley a 3-0 lead.

By the bottom of the fourth, the Cutters were making contact, but nothing could get through. Andrew Pullin singled, but Williamsport had again left a man on.

The Scrappers threatened with the bases loaded in the fifth, bit were held to no runs.

The Cutters again, could not generate much offense in the bottom portion of the fifth.

Mahoning Valley, started using the bats well, as two runs crossed the plate in their favor.

Williamsport also hit the ball well, in the sixth. Samuel Hiciano singled to start the inning. The rest of the batters in the frame hit the ball hard, but the Scrapper defense was playing very well.

A 1,2,3 inning for the Scrappers gave Williamsport momentum heading into their half of the seventh.

Back to back base runners gave the Cutters two on with one out. Logan Pierce came through with a single, scoring Andrew Knap. After Malquin Canelo struck out, Hiciano singled, scoring Gabriel Lino. At the end of the frame, the Cutters cut the Mahoning Valley lead to three.

The eighth was scoreless for both teams as the Cutters batters all struck out.

In the top of the ninth, a single and three consecutive walks allowed the Scrappers to take a 6-4 lead.

The first out in the bottom of the ninth was the Cutters’ sixth consecutive strikeout. The next to batters were retired in order to end the game.

Last Out: 9:52

Final Score:

Mahoning Valley: 6

Williamsport: 2

Time of Game: 2 hours 47 minutes

Andrew Knapp Interview

Today I had the chance to speak with Crosscutter Andrew Knapp.

He says his injured elbow is doing well and he is still doing treatment. Also, when asked about his return to catching, he hopes to be back within a week, but has no exact time yet.

Last night was a good night for Knapp at the plate. As mentioned on media day by hitting coach Lino Connell, the game is faster. Knapp feels he has acclimated well to the pro pitching. "It took a little while to get used to the flow of the game, but I'm feeling more comfortable at the plate."

Also tonight the Cutters will be sporting throwback Williamsport Bills jerseys. Andrew's opinion states that "he likes them but thinks they could be a bit more retro." 

The game tonight is against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in game two of a three game set. Game time is 7:05.

Post Game Recap 6/28/13

First pitch: 7:07

In the top of the first the Scrappers took and early lead thanks to a lead off single and a double by center fielder Juan Herrara.

To lead off the bottom half for the Cutters, Gustavo Martinez grounded out to second  on a close play. Two quick outs quickly followed as the Cutters  went down in order.

Mahoning Valley started off quickly in the second with a single by Josh McAdams. After a groundout,  Drew Anderson issued a walk to right fielder Juan Romero. A fly out allowed the lead runner to advance to third but a strikeout kept the Scrappers in check.

To start the bottom half,  Zachary Green drew a lead off walk followed by another pass to Andrew Knapp. Knapp is still DHing after straining his elbow a few games back. A foul out by Gabriel Lino accounted for out number one. Logan Pierce quickly made up for it with an RBI double. Miguel Canelo followed with a comebacker which was misplayed by the pitcher to load the bases. A grounder led to a force out at home but the double play was denied when catcher Sicnarf Loopstok threw the ball into right. This allowed two runs to score and the Cutters to take a 3-1 lead.

After a quick first out, Anderson gave up a walk but an out followed. Out number three came on a 2-4 when Juan Herrera was fought stealing.

In the bottom of the third Gustavo Martinez hit a lead off double and advanced to third on a Dylan Cozens ground out. Zachary Green followed with a two run shot giving the Cutters a 5-1 lead. After the second out Andrew Knapp kept the inning alive with a double and a steal of third. Gabriel Lino had a chance at an RBI and came through with not one but two as he the Crosscutters hit their second homer of the inning. 

Williamsport had a 7-1 lead going into the fourth.

With two on and two out, Tyler Booth drew a walk to load the bases. However the Scrappers were again held scoreless.

After a strikeout by Malquin Canelo, Jiandido Tromo grounded to short for the second out. Williamsport would not go down easy when Gustavo Martinez tripled to right field. The Cutters couldn't capitalize as Dylan Cozins flew out to right.

A single and a hit batsman started the fifth for Mahoning Valley.  An RBI single by Nellie Rodriguez scored the lead runner and an E9 allowed the man on first to advance to third. James Roberts followed up with a two run single. A double play recorded the first ad second outs and a strikeout ended the inning for the Scrappers.

Leading off the fifth was Zachary Green who drew a walk. However three outs followed to end the inning. 

Felix Santos was the new pitcher for Williamsport in the sixth. He got the first two outs quickly. The third out was no different as a fly out ended 1,2,3 inning.

After an out by Logan Pierce, Malquin Canelo reached on an E1. Jiandido Trump was next and hit a first pitch pop up for the second out. Canelo then stole second to get into scoring position but a 5-3 groundout ended the sixth.

A Robel Garcia strikeout started the top of the seventh but Juan Herrera came back with a double to deep left center. Herrera advanced to third when the next batter grounded out to short.  James Roberts was the last out when he had the string pulled on him after a nasty curveball. 

First pitch swinging led to a grounder right in front of the plate for Andrew Pullin, who was thrown out at first. Dylan Cozens flew out for the next out. A single over the glove of the shortstop got Zach Green on base. He also swiped second, giving him the ability to score on an Andrew Knapp single. The inning ended on a 5-3 groundout by Lino.

Josh McAdams struck out to start the eighth. As two outs followed, the Scrappers went down in order.

A line drive single by Logan Pierce got the bottom of the eight started for the Cutters. There were then two on with no out for Jiandido Tromp after a Malquin Canelo single. The two runners then advanced into scoring position on a passed ball.  Tromp fought through his plate appearance as he wa saw armed with a base on balls. Gustavo Martinez was the next batter and he drew a bases loaded walk allowing the Cutters to take a 9-4 lead. Andrew Pullin hit a sac fly allowing a tenth run to cross the plate. Dylan Cozens flew out to left, but not deep enough to advance any runners.  A Zach Green strikeout brought an end to a big inning form Williamsport.

Robert Marcello came into pitch the top of the ninth. Catcher Tyler Booth led off with a strikeout.  A Claudio Bautista K gave Marcello his second out of the inning. Mahoning Valley replied with two straight singles. Another sharp hit followed to plate a run for the Scrappers. Marcello was not too shaken as he continued pitching and struck out the final batter, sealing the win.

Last Out: 9:49

The final score was 10-5 as the Williamsport Crosscutters have advanced to 6-4 on the season.

Apologies

We are very sorry for the lack of updates over the last seven days. The first day after the home opener the post we had prepared did not upload correctly. The next six days were a pure example of bad writing. We want you fans to trust our blog for your updates. It is asked that you continue to read Lumber and Hide. There will be no more slips in the blog.

Thank You

Ryan

Postgame Update

The Cutters fell to the State College Spikes 7-3 in 11 innings tonight. Full recap coming tomorrow.

Gueller Gets Win, Anderson Starts in Home Opener

After Mitch Gueller and the rest of the Cutters won the season opener last night, Drew Anderson will pitch in the home opener against State College. For the second consecutive season the Cutters will start the year at home against the Spikes with last year's game resulting in a loss.

Last year with the GCL Phils, Andrew Anderson pitched in 8 games with an ERA of 4.76 and 16 strike outs. Tonight marks his first outing as a CrossCutter.

Game time is 7:05 at Historic Bowman Field.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter...LumberAndHide

Media Day Report

Today I had a chance to meet and interview some of the 2013 Croscutters as well as hitting coach Lino Connell and Manager, Nelson Prada.



When asked about player acclimation to pro ball after coming out of college he said "We teach them to behave like professionals." He wants them to behave well both inside and outside of the ball park. When it comes to games, he explained that professional baseball is more independent from college ball. Prada wants his players to "play their own game as we help them along the way."



In an interview with hitting coach Lino Connell, he described the fundamentals of hitting and the rest of the game to be faster then college. He says cage time is very important.



A player that got much of the media’s attention was 2013 Second Round Draft Pick, catcher Andrew Knapp. His personal expectation for his first season is to do the best that he can. Knapp, out of California, has not spent much time on the East Coast and is "not looking forward" to cold winter and early spring weather.



Robert Marcello is a pitcher picked in the 17th round of this year’s draft. When asked if he compared himself to any pitcher he said Mark Buehrle because he "throws strikes and works quick."



Hopefully the season goes will under new management and new players in Williamsport. Opening Game is Monday night in State College, with the home opener Tuesday, again against the Spikes. Game time is 7:05 both nights.

Draft Needs

Well folks. Over the next three days we will see the dreams of about 1,400 baseball players come true because it’s time for the MLB Draft. Prospects ages 16 through college will be anxiously watching and listening waiting for their name to be called. Less than half of these kids will see the Show but all of them can say that they played pro ball. How will the Phillies fair this year? Most of their picks will end up in Short Season A Ball with the Williamsport Crosscutters. If the picks are good, hopefully things on the farm will be going well over the next few years and maybe the big club later on.

After a disappointing .500 season, the Phils are in need of offense. With three decent pitchers locked up until the late 2010s, things on the mound look secure. The run support for the Phillies’ pitchers could use some work. With Ryan Howard becoming a free agent after 2015, a hard hitting Minor Leaguer could very well take his place should he decide to leave Philly. Ryan usually hits in the 4 or 5 spot behind guys that can get on base in more than one way and are also pretty fast. However, an aging line up only promises about three more seasons. By 2016 the Phillies will be in need of.

First Baseman*

Second Baseman

Shortstop

Third Baseman

*Ryan Howard is still somewhat young but will become a free agent after 2015, not guaranteeing a return

The rest of the infield is growing older and it is becoming somewhat noticeable. As mentioned, run support is needed for the pitching staff. With four possible needs by 2016, a reasonable option would be to take a two contact hitters and two power hitters.



As there are several promising prospects in the Minors, there is a chance that there will be more after tonight.

MLB Draft

The MLB Draft begins tonight on MLB Network. Check back at 6:30 for a preview. This is where most of the Cutters 2013 Team will come from. Also, we will be updating our Twitter with picks and player info.

GO CUTTERS!

Greetings

Hello Internet. Welcome to the Official Unnoficial Blog of the Williamsport Crosscutters. Be sure to follow us on twitter at LumberAndHide. The hide is cowhide because that's where baseballs come from. Go Cutters!