Padreshome.com | San Diego Padres News, padres Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>Gio Gonzalez may soon have a roller coaster named just for him, Clayton Tanner's homerless streak continues, a Blue Jay farmhand posts three triples in one game, a Royals pitcher has a 42:2 K:BB over his last 31 innings and a Giants pitcher down at Rookie-level Salem-Keizer has a 27:0 K:BB through his first five starts with just one hit allowed over his last three games.</div><h3>HOT</h3>Mike Loree, P, Giants - If we had a "Super Hot" category, this guy would top the list. Loree threw seven perfect innings, striking out seven, on Friday for Rookie-level Salem-Keizer. Two starts prior to this, on June 30, he threw six perfect innings, striking out seven more. In between, he fell off a bit, giving up one hit and striking out seven over seven innings and allowing an earned run. In his five starts, he has a K:BB of 27:0, a BAA of .085 and an ERA of 0.93. In 2007, for the AZL Giants, he appeared in nine games, eight in relief, and posted a 20:1 K:BB over 16 innings.Kellen Kulbacki, OF, Padres - Kulbacki went 1-for-4 on Sunday for High-A Lake Elsinore, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. He's hitting .425 over his last 10 games, with two home runs. He has only four strikeouts and four walks over 52 at-bats thus far this month, so he must be swinging in his sleep. He started slowly at Low-A Fort Wayne, but he is very hot at the moment.Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs - Vitters is hitting .310 over his last 25 games at Rookie-level Boise, including a hot 14-game/56-at-bat June, when he hit .357/383/.536. His walk rate (eight over 114 minor league at-bats) is a extremely low, which is not surprising, as he is probably trying to make up for lost time. If it continues to remain low, however, it could be a problem.Danny Duffy, P, Royals - Duffy struck out seven and walked none over five innings on Wednesday for Low-A Burlington. He gave up four hits and one earned. Over his last six starts, his K:BB is 42:2 over 31 innings. Duffy is having himself quite a year. He has a 63:10 K:BB over 48 1/3 innings, with four home runs and a .218 BAA. He is living a bit of a charmed life, however, given his 0.58 GO:AO, which will not cut it at higher levels when that K:BB drops.Kevin Pucetas, P, Giants - Pucetas struck out nine, walked none and gave up one hit over six innings on Tuesday for High-A San Jose. This was the most innings he's gone since coming back from the DL in mid-June. In four starts since returning, he has a 16:3 K:BB over 15 innings, so he very much remains in line to move up to Double-A soon.Henry Alberto Rodriguez, P, Athletics - Rodriguez gave up three hits and a walk over two innings on Friday for High-A Stockton. He was kept to a pitch count, because he was scheduled to pitch in the Futures Game on Sunday. Since being sent back down at the beginning of June, he has shown flashes of brilliance, striking out 10 over six innings on June 13 and 11 over 5 1/3 innings on July 1. His High-A composite BAA is .186, and he has a 72:23 K:BB over 50 2/3 innings overall, outstanding stats both. It remains to be seen when Oakland will have him try out higher levels again.Clayton Richard, P, White Sox - Richard struck out five and walked one over six innings on Wednesday for Triple-A Charlotte, giving up four hits and one earned run along the way. In the six starts since his promotion from Double-A, he is 6-0/2.37 with a .181 BAA, a 2.04 GO:AO and a 29:4 K:BB over 38 innings with two home runs. He is liable to see some major league innings soon.Jess Todd, P, Cardinals - Even though Todd gave up six hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings on Thursday for Double-A Springfield, striking out five and giving up six earned runs, he is having a good stretch at Double-A since his promotion from High-A. His Double-A stats include a .199 BAA, a 1.64 GO:AO, and an excellent 57:17 K:BB over 74 innings with five home runs. These are all comparable to last year's numbers at Rookie-level ball. Todd will march up slowly to the majors at this rate.Daryl Maday, P, Giants - Maday struck out four and walked two over 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday for Low-A Augusta. He gave up two earned runs on eight hits. He's having a breakout year: 7-4/1.52, with a .198 BAA, a K:BB of 83:25 over 95 innings with two home runs and a GO:AO of 1.54. It is a little baffling why the Giants have him stashed at Low-A.Adam Calderone, OF, Blue Jays - Calderone went 3-for-5 with three triples on Thursday for High-A Dunedin. He's hitting .285/.354/.462 in the 186 at-bats since his promotion from Low-A. All of his numbers have improved each month at High-A, and his strikeout rate has dropped dramatically. He may be worth tracking.Jason Heyward, OF, Braves - Heyward was 1-for-4 on Saturday for Low-A Rome and is hitting .350 over his last 10 games. He has been over .300 in every month of the year and sits at .329/.396/.476 with a 55:38 K:BB over 319 at-bats, eight home runs and 14 steals - a nice, well-rounded resume that should get him to High-A very soon.Clayton Tanner, P, Giants - Tanner gave up five hits and no walks over four innings on Thursday for High-A San Jose. He struck out one. He has not given up a home run over his 69.1 innings -- 15 starts worth. His K:BB is an unimpressive 50:24, and his BAA is a too-high .289, but hanging onto a homerless streak in the Home Run League is an accomplishment worth noting. P.S. He gave up only five in 135.1 innings at Low-A last year, so this characteristic is not a fluke. His minor league GO:AO hovers in the high ones, which goes along with the homer stat and is also impressive.<h3>NOT</h3>Matt Torra, P, Diamondbacks - Torra got torched at Triple-A Tucson on Monday: 11 hits and eight earned runs over 3 1/3 innings, but settled down a bit for his Saturday start and gave up nine hits and a walk over six innings. He has been inconsistent since his promotion from Double-A - five starts have yielded a .311 BAA and five home runs over 32 2/3 innings. His excellent control at Double-A (12 walks in 79 innings) did not travel with him; he has walked eight over the 26.2 IP.Matt Antonelli, 2B, Padres - Antonelli went 0-for-2 Sunday and is hitting .171 over his last 10 games at Triple-A Portland. He is at .192/.318/.278, which is about as disappointing as it gets. He has three home runs, three stolen bases and no chance of seeing the bigs this year. He is walking an awful lot - 57 times in 317 at-bats - so he qualifies as a patient but bad hitter at the moment. However, it might be a mistake to give up on him as he may just be temporarily unlucky.Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays - Snider went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts on Friday for Double-A New Hampshire, then went 4-for-8 over his next two games with a home run. He is back to his old ways and with a vengeance, however: he has a 13:0 K:BB over his last 10 games and 41 at-bats. On the year, he has a 120:35 K:BB over 354 at-bats; a metric that could keep him at Double-A for awhile, until he figures out how to cut it back.Kyle Kaminska, P, Marlins - Kaminska struck out five, walked none and gave up 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday for Low-A Greensboro. He's been giving up a lot of hits - double digits three times in his last five outings, totaling 13 innings. On the year, including two starts at High-A, he has a .321 BAA but with a 66:13 K:BB over 70 innings. Sometimes young pitchers throw too many strikes, having not figured out that most batters will swing at some balls. In addition, Kaminska has a 0.93 GO:AO, which will not fly at higher levels, and a home run rate of one for every seven innings, so he has lots of homework ahead of him.<h3>SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN</h3>Gio Gonzalez, P, Athletics - Gonzalez threw a one-hitter, struck out 13 and walked two on July 4 for Triple-A Sacramento, then struck out seven, walked one and gave up one hit and none earned over six innings on July 9. He continues to be frustratingly inconsistent, however. On June 23, he walked four and gave up seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. Over his last 10 games, he has struck out seven or more six times and has given up six or more unearned runs three times - and 10 hits twice.Lance Broadway, P, White Sox - Broadway struck out five and walked none over six innings on Monday for Triple-A Charlotte, giving up nine hits along the way. Then on Saturday, he gave up eight earned runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He's posted a .293 BAA and a 74:30 K:BB over 117 2/3 innings, with 17 home runs and a 1.68 GO:AO. This all reads like the stats of a sixth starter, maybe, or a middle reliever, unless something changes in his game.Sean West, P, Marlins - West gave up three hits and two walks over seven innings on Thursday for High-A Jupiter. He struck out five and walked two. West has gotten steadily better each month. In his last two starts, he has a .140 BAA and an 11:5 K:BB over 13 1/3 innings, his best walk rate thus far. If he can keep getting the ball over, he may be OK. Whereas his K:BB is 45:32 over 49 innings this year, it seems unlikely.Polin Trinidad, P, Rangers - Trinidad struck out four, walked none and gave up five hits over 7 2/3 innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday, giving up two earned. He has been considerably less effective at Double-A, though he still is getting the ball over the plate. His GO:AO is too low at 0.89, and he has given up seven home runs in 45 1/3 innings. That said, over his eight starts, he has given up two earned runs or less six times, and his strikeout rate is inching up. It may be that Trinidad just takes awhile to adjust to a new level each time he moves up.Dan Meyer, P, Athletics - Meyer gave up two hits, struck out eight and walked none over eight shutout innings on Tuesday for Triple-A Sacramento, then followed it up with a nine-hit/four-earned-run performance over 4.2 innings on Sunday. The Tuesday stint was his best outing in quite awhile and could be the beginning of some movement away from sub-par stats. His year-to-date numbers feature a 92:46 GO:AO over 101 innings, with 10 home runs and a 0.72 GO:AO, which probably means more home runs when and if he gets back to the big leagues.Article first appeared 7/15/08

Gio Gonzalez may soon have a roller coaster named just for him, Clayton Tanner's homerless streak continues, a Blue Jay farmhand posts three triples in one game, a Royals pitcher has a 42:2 K:BB over his last 31 innings and a Giants pitcher down at Rookie-level Salem-Keizer has a 27:0 K:BB through his first five starts with just one hit allowed over his last three games.

HOT

Mike Loree, P, Giants - If we had a "Super Hot" category, this guy would top the list. Loree threw seven perfect innings, striking out seven, on Friday for Rookie-level Salem-Keizer. Two starts prior to this, on June 30, he threw six perfect innings, striking out seven more. In between, he fell off a bit, giving up one hit and striking out seven over seven innings and allowing an earned run. In his five starts, he has a K:BB of 27:0, a BAA of .085 and an ERA of 0.93. In 2007, for the AZL Giants, he appeared in nine games, eight in relief, and posted a 20:1 K:BB over 16 innings.

Kellen Kulbacki, OF, Padres - Kulbacki went 1-for-4 on Sunday for High-A Lake Elsinore, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. He's hitting .425 over his last 10 games, with two home runs. He has only four strikeouts and four walks over 52 at-bats thus far this month, so he must be swinging in his sleep. He started slowly at Low-A Fort Wayne, but he is very hot at the moment.

Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs - Vitters is hitting .310 over his last 25 games at Rookie-level Boise, including a hot 14-game/56-at-bat June, when he hit .357/383/.536. His walk rate (eight over 114 minor league at-bats) is a extremely low, which is not surprising, as he is probably trying to make up for lost time. If it continues to remain low, however, it could be a problem.

Danny Duffy, P, Royals - Duffy struck out seven and walked none over five innings on Wednesday for Low-A Burlington. He gave up four hits and one earned. Over his last six starts, his K:BB is 42:2 over 31 innings. Duffy is having himself quite a year. He has a 63:10 K:BB over 48 1/3 innings, with four home runs and a .218 BAA. He is living a bit of a charmed life, however, given his 0.58 GO:AO, which will not cut it at higher levels when that K:BB drops.

Kevin Pucetas, P, Giants - Pucetas struck out nine, walked none and gave up one hit over six innings on Tuesday for High-A San Jose. This was the most innings he's gone since coming back from the DL in mid-June. In four starts since returning, he has a 16:3 K:BB over 15 innings, so he very much remains in line to move up to Double-A soon.

Henry Alberto Rodriguez, P, Athletics - Rodriguez gave up three hits and a walk over two innings on Friday for High-A Stockton. He was kept to a pitch count, because he was scheduled to pitch in the Futures Game on Sunday. Since being sent back down at the beginning of June, he has shown flashes of brilliance, striking out 10 over six innings on June 13 and 11 over 5 1/3 innings on July 1. His High-A composite BAA is .186, and he has a 72:23 K:BB over 50 2/3 innings overall, outstanding stats both. It remains to be seen when Oakland will have him try out higher levels again.

Clayton Richard, P, White Sox - Richard struck out five and walked one over six innings on Wednesday for Triple-A Charlotte, giving up four hits and one earned run along the way. In the six starts since his promotion from Double-A, he is 6-0/2.37 with a .181 BAA, a 2.04 GO:AO and a 29:4 K:BB over 38 innings with two home runs. He is liable to see some major league innings soon.

Jess Todd, P, Cardinals - Even though Todd gave up six hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings on Thursday for Double-A Springfield, striking out five and giving up six earned runs, he is having a good stretch at Double-A since his promotion from High-A. His Double-A stats include a .199 BAA, a 1.64 GO:AO, and an excellent 57:17 K:BB over 74 innings with five home runs. These are all comparable to last year's numbers at Rookie-level ball. Todd will march up slowly to the majors at this rate.

Daryl Maday, P, Giants - Maday struck out four and walked two over 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday for Low-A Augusta. He gave up two earned runs on eight hits. He's having a breakout year: 7-4/1.52, with a .198 BAA, a K:BB of 83:25 over 95 innings with two home runs and a GO:AO of 1.54. It is a little baffling why the Giants have him stashed at Low-A.

Adam Calderone, OF, Blue Jays - Calderone went 3-for-5 with three triples on Thursday for High-A Dunedin. He's hitting .285/.354/.462 in the 186 at-bats since his promotion from Low-A. All of his numbers have improved each month at High-A, and his strikeout rate has dropped dramatically. He may be worth tracking.

Jason Heyward, OF, Braves - Heyward was 1-for-4 on Saturday for Low-A Rome and is hitting .350 over his last 10 games. He has been over .300 in every month of the year and sits at .329/.396/.476 with a 55:38 K:BB over 319 at-bats, eight home runs and 14 steals - a nice, well-rounded resume that should get him to High-A very soon.

Clayton Tanner, P, Giants - Tanner gave up five hits and no walks over four innings on Thursday for High-A San Jose. He struck out one. He has not given up a home run over his 69.1 innings -- 15 starts worth. His K:BB is an unimpressive 50:24, and his BAA is a too-high .289, but hanging onto a homerless streak in the Home Run League is an accomplishment worth noting. P.S. He gave up only five in 135.1 innings at Low-A last year, so this characteristic is not a fluke. His minor league GO:AO hovers in the high ones, which goes along with the homer stat and is also impressive.

NOT

Matt Torra, P, Diamondbacks - Torra got torched at Triple-A Tucson on Monday: 11 hits and eight earned runs over 3 1/3 innings, but settled down a bit for his Saturday start and gave up nine hits and a walk over six innings. He has been inconsistent since his promotion from Double-A - five starts have yielded a .311 BAA and five home runs over 32 2/3 innings. His excellent control at Double-A (12 walks in 79 innings) did not travel with him; he has walked eight over the 26.2 IP.

Matt Antonelli, 2B, Padres - Antonelli went 0-for-2 Sunday and is hitting .171 over his last 10 games at Triple-A Portland. He is at .192/.318/.278, which is about as disappointing as it gets. He has three home runs, three stolen bases and no chance of seeing the bigs this year. He is walking an awful lot - 57 times in 317 at-bats - so he qualifies as a patient but bad hitter at the moment. However, it might be a mistake to give up on him as he may just be temporarily unlucky.

Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays - Snider went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts on Friday for Double-A New Hampshire, then went 4-for-8 over his next two games with a home run. He is back to his old ways and with a vengeance, however: he has a 13:0 K:BB over his last 10 games and 41 at-bats. On the year, he has a 120:35 K:BB over 354 at-bats; a metric that could keep him at Double-A for awhile, until he figures out how to cut it back.

Kyle Kaminska, P, Marlins - Kaminska struck out five, walked none and gave up 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday for Low-A Greensboro. He's been giving up a lot of hits - double digits three times in his last five outings, totaling 13 innings. On the year, including two starts at High-A, he has a .321 BAA but with a 66:13 K:BB over 70 innings. Sometimes young pitchers throw too many strikes, having not figured out that most batters will swing at some balls. In addition, Kaminska has a 0.93 GO:AO, which will not fly at higher levels, and a home run rate of one for every seven innings, so he has lots of homework ahead of him.

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

Gio Gonzalez, P, Athletics - Gonzalez threw a one-hitter, struck out 13 and walked two on July 4 for Triple-A Sacramento, then struck out seven, walked one and gave up one hit and none earned over six innings on July 9. He continues to be frustratingly inconsistent, however. On June 23, he walked four and gave up seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. Over his last 10 games, he has struck out seven or more six times and has given up six or more unearned runs three times - and 10 hits twice.

Lance Broadway, P, White Sox - Broadway struck out five and walked none over six innings on Monday for Triple-A Charlotte, giving up nine hits along the way. Then on Saturday, he gave up eight earned runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He's posted a .293 BAA and a 74:30 K:BB over 117 2/3 innings, with 17 home runs and a 1.68 GO:AO. This all reads like the stats of a sixth starter, maybe, or a middle reliever, unless something changes in his game.

Sean West, P, Marlins - West gave up three hits and two walks over seven innings on Thursday for High-A Jupiter. He struck out five and walked two. West has gotten steadily better each month. In his last two starts, he has a .140 BAA and an 11:5 K:BB over 13 1/3 innings, his best walk rate thus far. If he can keep getting the ball over, he may be OK. Whereas his K:BB is 45:32 over 49 innings this year, it seems unlikely.

Polin Trinidad, P, Rangers - Trinidad struck out four, walked none and gave up five hits over 7 2/3 innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday, giving up two earned. He has been considerably less effective at Double-A, though he still is getting the ball over the plate. His GO:AO is too low at 0.89, and he has given up seven home runs in 45 1/3 innings. That said, over his eight starts, he has given up two earned runs or less six times, and his strikeout rate is inching up. It may be that Trinidad just takes awhile to adjust to a new level each time he moves up.

Dan Meyer, P, Athletics - Meyer gave up two hits, struck out eight and walked none over eight shutout innings on Tuesday for Triple-A Sacramento, then followed it up with a nine-hit/four-earned-run performance over 4.2 innings on Sunday. The Tuesday stint was his best outing in quite awhile and could be the beginning of some movement away from sub-par stats. His year-to-date numbers feature a 92:46 GO:AO over 101 innings, with 10 home runs and a 0.72 GO:AO, which probably means more home runs when and if he gets back to the big leagues.

Article first appeared 7/15/08