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Around the Diamond: After slow start, Burney heating up; Pimentel impressive in first two starts; Cristian Inoa a new pickup for London via Ottawa; Escotto setting the table — and leading league in hits; Three games in three days this weekend.
A flurry of games was capped off with a flurry of home runs by the London Majors Tuesday night at Fergie Jenkins Field. Facing the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers for the first time this regular season, the Majors drilled five long balls to power their way past the home side, 9-0, in convincing fashion.
It was a good bounce-back win for London after a pair of losses, to Welland and Guelph, and moved the Majors to 6-3 on the season, good for third place in the standings heading into action Wednesday night (June 4). It also closed out that aforementioned flurry of games, which saw London play five times in six days (they won three of the five, including victories over Kitchener Thursday and Toronto Friday).
Trent Lenihan got the party started in Chatham Tuesday, delivering a full-count pitch in the first inning over the right field fence for his third homer of the season. Eduardo de Oleo smoked his second of the year to open the second, and Jarrett Burney followed with a solo shot of his own in the same inning.
In the fourth, Burney extended London’s lead to 5-0 when he launched his second homer of the game, this time a two-run shot, also scoring David Draayers. And then it was Draayers’ turn. He opened the sixth with his own homer, scoring the first of three runs in the inning.
In other words, it was early and often scoring for the Majors on Tuesday, continuing a strong offensive start to the season which has them at or near the top of many categories.
“We’ve been happy with the offense so far,” said Majors manager Roop Chanderdat. “We’re doing a lot of good things. We’ve executed a lot of hit and runs. We’ve got a lot of guys that are producing.”
Chanderdat & Co. are hoping to keep the hitting going as they embark on another weekend of baseball, which will feature three games in three days, starting with a home contest Friday at Labatt Park …
UPCOMING GAMEDAYS
Friday (June 5, 7:05pm) vs. Kitchener Panthers (Probable starter: Travis Keys)
Saturday (June 6, 2:00pm) @ Guelph Royals (Probable starter: Victor Payano/Cesilio Pimentel)
Sunday (June 7, 2:00pm) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (Probable starter: Victor Payano/Cesilio Pimentel)
Worth the wait. The first two times Cesilio Pimentel was scheduled to make his London Majors debut on the mound, the games were rained out. The third time was the charm, and the left-hander did not disappoint.
Last Thursday against Kitchener, on the road at hitter-friendly Jack Couch Park, the 33-year-old delivered a quality start, allowing just two runs over six innings with six strikeouts en route to earning his first win in a Majors uniform.
And for an encore? He tossed seven shutout innings in Chatham on Tuesday, walking one and striking out four in his second win, a 9-0 drubbing of the Barnstormers. In 13 innings thus far, Pimentel has allowed 10 hits, turning in a 1.38 ERA and 1.08 WHIP during that span.
“He’s been very good. He starts against Kitchener, a small park, gives up two runs. Pitches in Chatham, another small park, and throws a shutout. He’s been a legit starting pitcher,” said Chanderdat.
Pimentel has a long history in pro baseball. He spent six seasons in affiliated ball in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before spending time in independent ball and pro leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
“His fastball has some life, and he’s got great location,” Chanderdat said. “He keeps you off balance, and he’s got great stuff. He spots everything up really well, and he can throw any pitch at any time, which is huge.”
Transaction time. Last week, the Majors signed an import pitcher to fill the hole left by Luis Perez, who has yet to arrive due to Visa issues (he’s been placed on the inactive list until at least June 21). The new pitcher is Miguel Cirino, and he saw his first action last Sunday against Guelph.
It didn’t go too well, with the righty giving up four runs (two earned) on three hits and a pair of walks during a loss to the Royals, but Chanderdat is chalking some of that up to tiredness, as the Loiza, Puerto Rico native had his flight canceled or delayed four times.
“He looks like he’s got good stuff,” the manager said. “He’s got a good fastball. We’re going to use him out of the bullpen because we don’t need a fourth starter right now.”
Meanwhile, a new position player is on the way to London, as the Majors have completed a trade with the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League to acquire Cristian Inoa in exchange for cash considerations. Inoa, who hails from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, is a 26-year-old infielder who can play multiple positions.
Inoa spent six seasons in the Texas Rangers organization early in his career. Last year, between Quebec and Ottawa in the Frontier League, he batted .299 with a .387 on-base percentage in 74 games. In a corresponding move, the Majors have released infielder Luis Jean.
Leadoff leader. As mentioned, the Majors’ offense has been rolling pretty well in the early going. They’re atop the league in team batting average, on-base percentage and OPS through their first nine games. And it all starts with Maikol Escotto.
The leadoff hitter has a league-best 19 hits entering action Wednesday. His batting average is a team-high .452 (19-for-42) through his first nine Canadian Baseball League contests, and he’s been setting the table for London’s middle-of-the-order bats.
“He’s been great in the leadoff spot. He gets on base, and he can run,” said Chanderdat. “He’s aggressive. I like that about him. And defensively, he’s been great.”
Escotto, another Dominican import player for the Majors, already has six multi-hit games this year, including a pair of four-hit contests that came back-to-back against Toronto and Welland last weekend.
Just 24 years old, he may eventually find his way back into higher levels. He spent a handful of years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before being released last year and catching on with a team in the Independent American Association. Indy ball might come calling again if he keeps up these numbers in the CBL – though it would be a loss for this Majors lineup.
Movin’ on up. It took a while for things to click for Jarrett Burney, an American import who began the year as the starting second baseman. In his first four games, the Atlanta, GA native managed just two hits in his first 12 at-bats (.167). But he came to life last week.
During the Majors’ flurry of five games in six days, the 24-year-old Burney batted .409 (9-for-22) with four multi-hit games. It started in Kitchener on Thursday. With two outs in the fifth inning, he drove in two runs with a single, putting London ahead 4-2 at the time in an eventual 7-5 win. He followed that up with another RBI single in the seventh scoring Tucker Zdunich to give the Majors an insurance run.
It was a turning point for the youngster, whose bat has heated up since.
“I’m happy to see it, because he was off to a slow start for what I thought he was going to bring us,” said Chanderdat. “He’s a guy we’ve been waiting for to turn it on.
“He has all the potential to be a .300-plus hitter and drive in runs. In practice, if you close your eyes and just listen, it just sounds different coming off the bat for him.”
High praise for the infielder – who may now be an outfielder. He’s already played out in centre field and logged time there at practice this week. With Roberto Caro dealing with an injury – and also a family matter back home – and another infielder on the way in Cristian Inoa, Burney, a natural shortstop, may just fit better in the outfield at the moment.
Meanwhile, David Draayers is earning more playing time at third base thanks to solid play there in recent games. In addition to strong defense at the hot corner, Draayers has four hits, including a homer, in his last three games.
