BRB Joe @BurningRiverBB
Aaron Civale is making a rehab start today in AZ. Has a lot of hitters out in front looking silly.

Karnichack gave up 2 hits, no runs, no bb, and 3 k's

Johnson with a hit and sb an cs

Tully 5 ininngs, 5 hits, 4ks, 2 bb and 1 run

Johnson got pulled for a pinch runner but I can't find out why.

Those were the first hits allowed by Karinchak, now 9 inning pitched. And after issuing way too many walks for his first two seasons, he's only walked 2. And the K total is now 22 out of the 27 outs he's recorded. He's tied for the team lead in strikeouts with Tully who's worked 23 innings. Minor league save figures don't mean too much but JK's 5 are second in the EL. His WHIP of 0.44 [not to mention his ERA of nothing] doesn't qualify to lead the league based on the inning minimums for those categories.

I think we all realize that a minor league pitcher with that kind of stuff could easily transition to an MLB bullpen - more than any other position.

I didn't think I'd noticed Jean Carlos Mejia in a Lynchburg box score recently. So checked his stats and they confirm he hasn't worked since April 16 and is listed on the DL.

In fact there are very few of our top rated prospects who are active and fewer still who are pitching well. Using BAs Top 30

No, 1 McKenzie is on the DL
No. 6 Sam Hentges has had an awful April in Akron,. 8.62 ERA 2.30 WHIP
No. 8 Luis Oviedo has been great in 3 starts and abysmal in 2; last night was one of the latter, he didn't make it out of the first inning, 1/3 IP 5 runs. So that makes 3 starts totaling 16 innings 10 hits 1 unearned run 6 walks 12 strikeouts ERA 0.00 WHIP 1.00
and the other 2 starts total 1 IP 7 hits 5 walks no strikeouts 11 runs ERA 99.00 WHIP 12.00
No. 10 Ethan Hankins in extended spring training
No. 13 Carlos Vargas in EST
No. 15 Aaron Civale on the DL but HB advised earlier today that he's throwing in Arizoa
No. 17 JC Mejia as noted on the DL in his 3 starts 2.25 ERA 16 IP 21K 4 BB
NO. 20 Lenny Torres n EST
No. 24 Nick Sandlin recently activated in Akron, 3 innings pitched, 1 run, 6K 1BB
No. 30 30 Kirk McCarthy hasn't pitched; on the DL

Meanwhile several others are having great starts,
Karinchak as we have detailed in Akron
Eli Morgan 0.78 ERA 0.65 WHIP 11K/ip for Lynchburg
Carolina relievers Robert Broom 10 1/3 IP 17K and Kyle Nelson 8 IP 16K 0BB both have zero ERA
Zach Plesac Akron starter has ERA and WHIP both of 0.73. Not a real big K guy, 19 in 24 2/3

some other notes on Friday games

ERic Haase with 2 singles and a walk
Freeman 2 singles and his 8th steal for the Captains

Freeman currently stands among the Midwest League leaders:
16th for batting average
but 2nd for on base pct
and 11th in OPS [Benson leads the league]
tied for 6th in doubles
tied for second in steals

new names in box scores

Cody Morris 7th round pick in 2018 RH works 4 nearly perfect innings in relief for the win for Lake County. Did not pitch last summer
Anthony Gose former Tiger OF now a LHP worked 2 innings for Lynchburg

the 3 Hillcat top hitters all hit, but the team lost

Kwan single triple walk
Oscar Gonzalez 2 singles
Nolan Jones 4th double sac fly and 8th error

LHP Adam Scott 5 5 5 1 2 6

in LC win, Q Holmes walked twice, stole his 4th base, caught stealing for the 1st time and made his 4th error. Hitting 138
Benson's 5th double, 11th walk, 30th and 31st strikeouts, but did make one rare out on a ball in play
Another new name in the box score: low round pick last year Schneemann at 2nd base, Fermin on the DL. Freeman sat it out

Burgos 5 7 2 1 1 5 3.33

3 games lost by shutout, the Clippers couldn't score in either game of a doubleheader and the Captains also were scoreless on Sunday. Lynchburg scored 2 in a loss only Akron had any offense and scored 8.

No one in the Akron lineup is a prospect since Johnson was out after being removed the night before. Mitch Longo with a single and double. Chu with 3 hits. A name from the recent past resurfaces: one-time basestealing superstar Gabriel Mejia pinch ran and finished the game at 2nd base. He'd been exclusively in the outfield in previous minor league seasons.
Karinchak can't be long for Akron, he faced 3, struck out 2. His season totals now: 10 innings 2 hits 2 walks 24 strikeouts. Since Monday is when Baseball America posts its Hot Prospects list, another opportunity to overlook Karinchak in the offing.

Steven Kwan with a 3 single day, his third one of those and he also had 4 hits in a game. Nolan Jones singled and didn't make an error.
Eli Morgan less perfect than usual. 5 innings 9 K no walks but marred by a 2 run homer. K/BB for the season: 37/4. He's not a ground ball pitcher; the ratio of ground outs to air outs is 0.29

Naylor with his 2nd triple for the Captains. Mota with his best sustained start: 5 1/3 1 run on 5 hits 9 K but he walked 4.
More roster changes: Miguel Jerez who was the runaway AZL home run champ last summer debuted for Lake County, going 0-4

In their double shutouts the Clippers batting lines included:
Mercado 0-5 with a walk; Chang 0-6; Bradley 1-6; Haase 0-5
Cody Anderson 3 innings, no runs on 1 hit and 4K. Hu 6 2/3 2 solo homers 6 K 1 bb

I can see why on a weekly basis, Karnichak's 3 shutout innings each week with 6-8 strikeouts don't compare with a hot week by a starter. Therefore he never is certified a Hot Prospect. But if were them, I would anoint him after a few similar weeks of stellar-heat performances. Anyway honors are not as significant as the quality of his continued work. And we'll know the Indians are impressed when they promote him. They were not shy about doing that last year, in his first full season, and have put other relievers on quick roads to the majors over the past half dozen years, notably Cody Allen and the less successful Kyle Crockett.

Tuesday STARTERS:

Jefry Rodriguez; Zach Plesac; Justin Garza; and TBD

After a terrible start and a lack of offensive prospects, Akron has climbed up to .500, at 12-12.

1B Wilson Garcia drove in 5 to pace a 9-5 victory. Johnson still out but not on the DL. Gabriel Mejia starting 2B with 3 middle infielders now on the DL.
Sandlin a walk and a single in an inning.

Eric Haase with HR 7 in Columbus loss. Mercado and Allen both 0-4 but Mercado hit the ball each time up; Greg with 3 strikeouts.
Remarkably undistinguished RHP Chiang falls to 0-3 7.62 with one of his better starts, only 3 earned runs in 6 1/3

Lynchburg shutout; but the hitting prospects all did something: Kwan walked; Jones singled and walked; Oscar Gonzalez who never walks with 2 singles. [Literally never this season; no walks in 93 AB]
Nelson and Broom again with scoreless relief, ERA both at nothing. Hillman put 11 on base in 5 2/3 only let 4 of them score

Our guys On Monday

CLE AAA Bradley, Bobby 1B 4 0 0 0 .265
CLE AAA Chang, Yu 2B 3 1 1 0 .143
CLE AAA Haase, Eric C 3 2 1 1 .219 HR (7), BB (9)
CLE AAA Mercado, Oscar RF 4 0 0 0 .298
CLE HiA Gonzalez, Oscar LF 4 0 2 0 .354 CS (1)
CLE HiA Jones, Nolan 3B 3 0 1 0 .329 BB (16)
CLE AA Sandlin, Nick 1.0 1 0 0 1 0

Indians Prospective @indiansPro

Akron RuberDucks RHP Zach Plesac has a 0.86 ERA after tonight's start when he gave up 1 run over 6.2 innings while striking out a season high 9 batters. Over his last 4 starts:

- 25.1(IP) 14H 1R 1ER 3BB 25SO 0.36 ERA

Akron RubberDucks RHP Zach Plesac's current (AA) Eastern League rankings:

1) ERA 0.86
1) WHIP 0.70
1) IP 31.1
3) FIP 1.75
3) SO/BB 9.33
3) BB/9 0.86
3) BB% 2.6%
5) AVG .171
7) SO 28
8) SO/BB% 21.9%
8) GB% 51.9%