Bus Leagues Express: August 3

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Huntsville effectively wild in no-hitter: A night after holding Chattanooga to just one hit, five Huntsville pitchers combined to complete the no-hitter this time in their 3-1 win. It didn’t come easy though. Those five pitchers walked 11 batters, and obviously that gave the Lookouts plenty of opportunities. Chattanooga’s run came in the 5th inning thanks to a series of walks. After Matt Wallach led off the inning with a walk, pinch hitting pitcher Aaron Miller grounded out to advance the runner, and reliever Dan Merklinger would walk three straight to score Wallach. Jimmy Nelson started for the Stars and struck out four and walked four in four innings of work, and three Huntsville relievers pitched after Merklinger to complete the no-hitter. It was the 14th no-hitter in the minors this year and the 2nd in the Southern League.

Stanton homers in rehab: When Giancarlo Stanton played his last game for Miami on July 7th, he was playing for a team two games under .500. On the night he started his rehab appearance, they’re nine games under .500, and Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante, Hanley Ramirez, Randy Choate, Edward Mujica and Gaby Sanchez are no longer his teammates. He had two hits including a three run homer in Jupiter’s 9-0 win at Brevard County Thursday as the Hammerheads’ DH. Although it’s too late for him to come back from his knee surgery and make a difference in Miami’s season, his presence will still bring fans out to their new ballpark. In 50 games with Jupiter in 2009, Stanton hit 12 home runs.

Villanueva homers twice in Daytona debut: Christian Villanueva made his Cubs organization debut in style Thursday; after hitting a solo home run in his first at-bat, he went back to back with Ronald Torreyes in the 3rd inning to give Daytona a 4-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Villanueva would also reach base later on a walk. In July still with Myrtle Beach, Villanueva was in the midst of his best month with a .919 OPS and four home runs in a difficult hitter’s league. Villanueva was a nice addition to the Cubs in the Ryan Dempster trade; he provides the kind of upside a rebuilding organization needs.

Rome runs streak to 11 in rout: After an improbable comeback late two nights ago to win their 10th game in a row, Rome had a quick turnaround in an afternoon game Thursday and crushed Augusta 10-2. Robby Hefflinger hit two home runs and drove in five for the Braves, and Greg Ross allowed two runs in seven innings to earn the win. The win improves Rome to 27-14 in the second half, and they lead second place Asheville by 5.5 games. This is a stark contrast to their first half record, an MiLB worst 18-52 with a run differential to match. Adding a pitcher like Alex Wood has certainly helped, and William Beckwith is one player whose second half has been better than his first.

Russell has big game in Vermont debut: For the second time in as many days, Vermont hosted a significant New York Penn League debut for the Oakland organization. After crushing the Arizona League for a month to the tune of a .415 batting average and and 1.205 OPS, Oakland bumped him up to a tougher short-season league. He showed no signs of slowing down, reaching base four times including another home run in Vermont’s 7-5 win over Mahoning Valley. Russell hit another double and scored twice as the Lake Monster’s leadoff hitter, and there’s no reason for the 11th overall pick to bat anywhere else when he’s this hot.

Heaney debuts in GCL: Professional debuts a few weeks after the signing deadline continue rolling in, and Thursday Andrew Heaney made his for the GCL Marlins. The 9th overall pick was solid in the Marlins’ 4-3 loss to the Nationals, allowing a run on four hits in three innings with four strikeouts. Like a lot of experienced college pitchers, Heaney is starting at a level he should be able to easily handle to get back to game speed. He could probably head to Jamestown or even Greensboro at some point depending on how Miami wants to manage his innings.

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