Bus Leagues Express: September 13

Top stories

Stewart dominates old organization to give Pawtucket commanding lead: Before he was involved in the trade that brought Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox, Zach Stewart was set to make his 2012 debut for the Charlotte Knights. Instead, he would be assigned to Pawtucket and would pitch against Charlotte a few days later. He got another chance against his former teammates in the International League Championship, and it was likely his best performance of the year. In their 2-0 win, Stewart struck out four in six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and a walk before handing the ball to the PawSox bullpen. Charlotte starter Charles Shirek allowed two runs in seven innings, but he took the tough luck loss with no run support. Now down 2-0 with only two runs scored in the series, Charlotte returns home where they must win three in a row to reach the AAA National Championship.

Lakeland pitching carries Flying Tigers to title: For the first seven innings, Jupiter and Lakeland played to a 0-0 tie in the decisive game five of the Florida State League Championship. Both Robert Morey and Warwick Sapould pitched seven scoreless innings for their team, but it was Jupiter’s bullpen that blinked. In the 8th inning, Lakeland executed a double steal with one out to put a pair of runners in scoring position, and catcher J.T. Realmuto threw the ball away trying to record an out, allowing the go-ahead run to score. A couple batters later, Tyler Collins delivered a run scoring single to give Lakeland the 2-0 lead that would hold. It’s Lakeland’s first championship since 1992, and it’s Dave Huppert’s second championship as a manager in the FSL after guiding Clearwater to the 2007 title.

Lynchburg walks off with Carolina League title: Winstom-Salem had the best regular season record in all of Minor League Baseball, but it was Lynchburg that came away with the championship Wednesday night. In the 11th inning tied at four, Adam Milligan hit a sac fly that broke the tie and won the game. Just two innings earlier, the Dash were actually two outs away from forcing a series deciding game five, but back to back doubles by Edward Salcedo and Mike Spina tied the game. Both starters, Scott Snodgress and Aaron Northcraft, threw the bare minimum for a quality start, but neither factored in the decision. Lynchburg last won the championship in 2009, their last year as a Pirates affiliate.

Early offense completes Modesto’s comeback: Having their backs against the wall isn’t a new feeling for the Modesto Nuts, and they found themselves in a 2-0 series hole against Bakersfield in the Cal League semi-finals. With Wednesday’s 6-2 win, they completed a remarkable series comeback by winning three straight against the Blaze, and this game’s outcome was never in doubt. In the 1st inning, Modesto knocked out Bakersfield starter James Allen before he could even record an out en route to a five run inning. They would tack on another run in the 2nd, and from there Tyler Matzek took control of the game. He wasn’t as sharp as he has been in recent starts, but Matzek allowed just one run in 5.2 innings with six strikeouts despite allowing three hits and walking four. Bakersfield would score a second run later on a solo home run by Travis Mattair, but otherwise Modesto’s bullpen held the lead and will advance to play Lancaster in the Cal League Championship.

Wild pitch sends Wisconsin to game one win: Another Timber Rattlers playoff game came down to pitching, and they were the beneficiaries of a wild pitch in their 10 inning, 3-2 win over Fort Wayne to kick off the Midwest League Championship. Tied at two in the 10th, Rafael Neda led off the inning with a single. He eventually advanced to third on a sac bunt and groundout, and a pair of intentional walks loaded the bases. Nick Ramirez came to the plate, but his plate appearance was never completed. TinCaps reliever Luis De La Cruz threw a wild pitch, and Neda came home to score. Wisconsin starter Jacob Barnes allowed two runs, one earned, in seven innings, and Joe Ross made his first start for Fort Wayne since May 4th and allowed two runs in six five innings of work.

1st rounder Shaffer’s homer keeps Hudson Valley alive: Just about every analyst agrees that the Rays being able to draft Richie Shaffer 25th overall was a steal. Wednesday night, he delivered the biggest of his young pro career in Hudson Valley’s 5-2 win over Tri-City in game two of the New York Penn League Championship. The Renegades erased an early 2-0 deficit in the 6th inning with a two run single by Thomas Coyle after they didn’t even have a baserunner the first five innings. In relief of Jesse Hahn, four Hudson Valley relievers combined for four one-hit innings while their own offense got on track. In the 8th with two runners on base, Shaffer stepped up to the plate and hit a three run blast to give them the 5-2 lead that stood. Tonight, the two best teams in the league will play a winner-take-all game three for the championship.

On tap today

MiLB.TV schedule

MiLB playoffs continue