Player-of-the-Day Peoria Saguaros DH Gordon Beckham (CWS) went 5-for-5 (a double away from the cycle) yesterday. Beckham drove in seven runs on 2 singles, 1 triple and 2 home runs. He is one of 26 first-round draft picks assigned to the AFL this season (2008, 8th overall).
Yesterday's Highlights
Peoria Saguaros 20, Scottsdale Scorpions 9 ─ WP: Norrick (STL) (1-0, 6.75), LP: Portice (BOS) (0-1, 18.00)
The Saguaros scored in every inning except the third to cruise to an 11-run victory to stay atop the American Division ... Peoria DH Gordon Beckham (CWS) accounted for 12 runs alone ... he went 5-for-5 with 1 triple, 2 home runs, 5 runs, and 7 RBI ... Sags' 1B Bill Rhinehart (WAS) belted his third home run and drove in four RBI ... Scorpions DH Josh Reddick (BOS) knocked a three-run homer and collected five RBI.
Peoria Javelinas 7, Surprise Rafters 0 - WP: Marquez (NYY) (1-1, 4.00), LP: Eyre (TEX) (0-2, 5.23)
Javelinas pitching struck out 10 while shutting out the Surprise Rafters ... Juan Miranda (NYY) hit a two-run home run off Gilbert de la Vara (KC) ... Brent Brewer (MIL) went 2-for-4 with a double ... Chris Valaika (CIN) and Drew Stubbs (CIN) both tripled for the Javelinas ... Nolan Reimold (BAL) went 3-for-3, extending his current hit streak to 11 games.
Phoenix Desert Dogs 4, Mesa Solar Sox 2 - WP: Lansford (OAK) (1-0, 5.14), LP: Medlen (ATL) (0-1, 3.00), Carignan (OAK) (5)
Tommy Hanson (ATL) struck out a season-high 11 batters in 5.0 innings in the no-decision ... Mesa pitching struck out 18 and yielded one walk ... Jeff Larish (DET) hit a solo home run in the sixth inning off Hector Ambriz (ARI) ... Sean Doolittle (OAK) homered off Hanson for his first run surrendered this season ... Steve Tolleson (MIN) went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
2008 AFL Tidbits
- Jimmy Rollins, shortstop for the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, was inducted into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame on Wednesday, November 5 at Scottsdale Stadium.
- Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame on Friday, October 17 at Scottsdale Stadium.
- The AFL held its second annual Pat Tillman Foundation Benefit Night at Scottsdale Stadium on Friday, October 31. The event raised $15,000 for the foundation.
- Former major league umpire Rich Garcia was honored as the 2008 recipient of the Arizona Fall League's Roland Hemond Award prior to the Rising Stars Game on Friday, October 24 at Surprise Stadium.
Player/Pitcher of the Week
Player Pitcher
Week One Saguaros ─ IF Shawn Bowman (NYM) Javelinas ─ RHP Phil Hughes (NYY)
Week Two Scorpions ─ IF Drew Sutton (HOU) Solar Sox ─ RHP Tommy Hanson (ATL)
Week Three Solar Sox ─ C Tyler Flowers (ATL) Saguaros ─ LHP Jason Vargas (NYM)
Week Four Solar Sox ─ IF Logan Morrison (FLA) Desert Dogs ─ RHP Jeff Manship (MIN) Desert Dogs ─ OF Eric Young, Jr. (COL)
American Division
Mesa Solar Sox (17-9) ─ 11/6: Tommy Hanson (ATL) strikes out game-high 11 batters and leads league in strikeouts (30) ... Hanson has surrendered 1 run, 6 hits, and 4 walks in 18.2 innings ... Logan Morrison (FLA) leads the league in batting average (.457) and currently has a 12-game hitting streak ...11/1: Team-high four home runs by Tyler Flowers (ATL), Van Pope (ATL), Scott Cousins (FLA) and Jason Donald (PHI) ...Cousins and Morrison both went 5-for-5 during week three ... Flowers hit four home runs in week three ... Solar Sox had 82 hits in week three ... 11 players have at least 10 hits in road games: Quintin Berry (PHI), Cousins, Donald, Flowers, Jeff Larish (DET), Morrison, Will Rhymes (DET), Jeremy Slayden (PHI), Nate Spears (CHC), Casper Wells (DET), and Matt Young (ATL) ... John Raynor (FLA) and Morrison hit for the cycle (week one and week four, respectively).
Peoria Saguaros (18-8) ─ 11/6: Scored team-high runs (20), hits (T/17), and RBI (18) ...11/6: Gordon Beckham (CWS) went 5-for-5 and tied for AFL season-high seven RBI ... 11/4: Game-high seven doubles by Shane Robinson (STL) (3), Bill Rhinehart (WAS) (2), Tyler Greene (STL), and Daniel Murphy (NYM) ... Mike Baxter (SD) went 5-for-5 and Jordan Danks (CWS) went 4-for-4 during week four ... 10/29: Team-high five home runs by Steven Hill (STL), Baxter, Cole Armstrong (CWS), Danks, and Kyle Blanks (SD) ... Saguaros have 149 hits on the road ... Saguaros have at least one two-out RBI in every game except two (10/18, 11/5) ... Saguaros pitching did not allow a home run in 12 games ... Beckham leads team with five-hit game and four players tied with four-hit games ─ Beckham, Murphy, Armstrong, Sean Kazmar (SD) and Danks ... Bobby Parnell (NYM) has not allowed a run or walk at home, striking out seven in 5.0 innings ... first three-game winner.
Scottsdale Scorpions (9-17) ─ 11/5: Team stole a game-high seven bases ─ Brian Bogusevic (HOU) (2), Chris Pettit (LAA) (3), and Kevin Fransden (SF) (2) ... 11/7: Sixth consecutive game with 10 hits or more ... 10/31: Scorpions scored team-high in runs (16), triples (2), home runs (2), and RBI (13) ... Shelby Ford (PIT) homered in consecutive games (10/28-10/29) ... Chris Johnson (HOU) homered in consecutive games (10/30-10/31) ... Drew Sutton (HOU) had an extra-base hit in six consecutive games ... team has one stolen base or more in all but six games (10/15, 10/18, 10/22, 10/29, 10/30, 11/5) ... Emmanuel Burriss (SF) (10/16), Fransden (10/20), and Bogusevic (11/4) all have four-hit games.
National Division
Peoria Javelinas (11-15) ─ IF Rhyne Hughes (TB) is tied for the AFL lead in triples (3) and third in hits (33) along with a top-10 batting average (.402) ... Hughes has a 11-game home hitting streak ... IF Sean Henry (CIN) is fourth in the league in stolen bases (6) ... RHP Kevin Whelan (NYY) is fifth in the league in ERA (0.77) ... SS Chris Valiaka (CIN) leads all shortstops with 44 assists ... 10/07: OF Austin Jackson (NYY) drove in a team-high four RBI ... 10/18: IF Kevin Russo (NYY) went 5-for-5 (all singles) ... Russo is hitting .418 with 23 hits and owns the Javelinas longest active hitting streak at 15 games ... 10/16: All 18 players in starting lineup between Mesa and Peoria collected at least one hit.
Phoenix Desert Dogs (16-10) ─ Since 10/11, OF Eric Young, Jr. (COL) has 36 hits with 28 runs and 14 RBI during his current AFL-leading 21-game hitting streak ... Young leads the league in stolen bases (18), runs scored (30), and hits (37) ... C Michael McKenry (COL) is tied with OF Sean Doolittle (OAK) for the league lead in home runs (7) ... IF Danny Valencia (MIN) leads all third basemen with a 1.000 fielding percentage and 33 assists ... IF Steve Tolleson (MIN) has an active 14-game hitting streak and ranks second with a .429 batting average ... Desert Dogs lead AFL in saves (8) ... RHP Andrew Carignan (OAK) anchors relief core with five saves ... 10/28: Young inside-the-park grand slam against Surprise ... 11/1: Young hits second grand slam home run of the week ... 10/27: McKenry hits three home runs and drives in seven RBI ... 10/21: Every player in the Desert Dogs starting lineup posts at least one hit.
Surprise Rafters (7-19) ─ OF Nolan Reimold (BAL) is batting .381 during his 11-game hitting streak ... in last five games driven in five RBI ... RHP Willie Eyre (TEX) is second in the AFL with 28 whiffs and fifth in innings pitched (20.2) ... 10 pitchers have reached double digits in strikeouts ... RHP Andrew Laughter (TEX) has a top-10 ERA (1.64) ... IF Wes Hodges (CLE) ranks second in RBI (23), tied for second in home runs (6), and fifth in slugging percentage (.689) ... 10/28: Hodges drives in a team-high four RBI ... 10/14: IF Beau Mills (CLE) scores team-high three runs ... two players have collected four hits in a game ─ C Matt Wieters (BAL) 10/09 and IF Ivan De Jesus, Jr. (LAD) 10/13. Transaction
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