Cannonballs coming: Connor Kaiser continues turnaround

By WTM Aug 24, 2018, 11:01pm EDT

Minor Transactions

2018-08-24 Indianapolis Indians placed RHP Montana DuRapau on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to August 23, 2018. Left ankle sprain.
2018-08-24 RHP Nick Mears assigned to West Virginia Black Bears. A non-drafted late sign, the 21 year old righthander (6-4 185) pitched as a freshman in 2017 at Sacramento City Junior College but not in 2018. Mears pitched in the Northwoods collegiate league both summers, this year walking 3 and striking out 38 in 22 innings.

Games

Bradenton was rained out.

— Jesus Liranzo and Damien Magnifico combined to blow a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth, leaving Indianapolis (69-61) with a 5-4 loss to Louisville. The Indians remain in a tie for first and one game up for the wild card. Tyler Eppler survived a shaky first to go six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. Michael Feliz threw a scoreless inning, striking out one. Jose Osuna provided most of the offense with a three-run home run. He finished 2-4 and the homer was his seventh. Eric Wood accounted for the other run with his ninth home run. Max Moroff and Jordan Luplow each went 1-4 with a walk. Kevin Kramer was 2-4 with a double. Jason Martin went 0-4.

— Altoona (71-56) lost to Richmond, 3-1. The Curve are a half game out of first and six games up for the wild card. Dario Agrazal gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings, with six strikeouts. Cole Tucker was 3-5 and Bryan Reynolds 2-4 with a walk, but Altoona went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Will Craig each went 0-4.

— West Virginia (64-59) fell behind, 4-0, in the first, but came back to beat Rome, 6-4. Sergio Cubilete survived the rough first inning to go six, allowing nine hits, walking none and fanning seven. Rafelin Lorenzo was 2-4 with a double and his second home run, and Lolo Sanchez was 2-3 with a double and a walk. Connor Kaiser (pictured) continued to hit dramatically better than he did at Morgantown, going 2-4 with a double and a walk. Travis Swaggerty was 0-2 with a walk, and is batting .121 with the Power. Cal Mitchell was 0-4.

— Morgantown (25-41) lost to Mahoning Valley, 4-3. Alex Manasa got battered for ten hits in four innings. He was charged with four runs, one of them unearned. Fabricio Macias went 4-4 with a double; he’s batting .381 since being demoted from West Virginia. The Black Bears went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

— Bristol (29-34) lost to Elizabethton, 7-3. Yeudry Manzanillo gave up four runs over five innings. Jonah Davis went 1-4 with a double and a walk, and Mason Martin went 1-4 with a walk.

— The GCL Pirates (27-24) won for the eighth time in nine games, beating the Braves, 7-2. Michael Burrows allowed just an unearned run in five innings. He gave up five hits, walked nobody and struck out two. Ji-Hwan Bae went 3-5. Jack Herman and Francisco Acuna each went 2-4 with a double and a walk, and Fernando Villegas was 2-5 with a double.

— The DSL Pirates1 (32-39) lost to the Cubs1, 5-4. Daniel Rivero (17) went 3-4 with a double and Yoyner Fajardo (19) 2-4 with a triple. Rivero is batting .319 and Fajardo .311. Norkis Marcos (17) was 2-4 and Emilson Rosado (17) 1-3 with a double.

— The DSL Pirates2 (27-44) got shut out by Colorado, 7-0, in a game shortened to eight innings by rain. The Pirates had four hits, with Edgar Barrios (18) going 2-4. Angel Basabe (17) was 0-4. Starter Estalin Ortiz (19) gave up a run on four hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five.

Disabled List

Triple-A Indianapolis

2018-06-27 3B Jung Ho Kang, left wrist sprain (underwent possible season ending surgery)
2018-07-14 RHP Bo Schultz, right forearm strain
2018-08-23 RHP Casey Sadler, right forearm strain
2018-08-23 RHP Montana DuRapau, left ankle sprain
OF Daniel Nava

Double-A Altoona

2018-08-04 RHP Austin Coley, right shoulder strain
2018-08-05 RF Braelin Jackson (left quadriceps strain)

Single-A West Virginia

2018-04-16 RHP Dylan Prohoroff
2018-05-03 LHP Braeden Ogle, sore shoulder
2018-07-19 LF Chris Sharpe
2018-07-20 RHP Cody Bolton
2018-08-14 SS Oneil Cruz
2018-08-20 RHP Travis McGregor
RHP Will Reed
LHP Angel Martinez

Rookie Bristol

2018-08-02 RHP Leandro Pina (60 day)

Rookie GCL

2018-06-18 RHP Luis Gonzalez (60 day)
CF Emison Soto (60 day)