Clip Joint Ready For Prime Time

Jason Knapp

Your Columbus Clippers have completed a four game sweep of the Buffalo Bisons and have won 8 in a row overall.  The Clippers now sit at 44-22, the 4th best record in all of minor league baseball.  Personally, I am in favor of just recalling the entire team and assuming that they can do better than 2 wins in 12 games.

Scottie Barnes picked up the victory and has shown, hold your breath, a great deal of consistency over his last seven starts.  Over that streak, Barnes is 3-0 with a 2.17 ERA and 12.29 K/9.  Nice.  Tonight, he was removed after 5.1 as he had thrown 104 pitches.  While only 58 were for strikes, he walked just two, while allowing a run on five hits and punching out 7.  Scott has elevated himself into the big league mix.  One would have to assume that he would be a better choice than David Huff, with only Zach McAllister and Jeanmar Gomez higher on the radar.

Jason Kipnis tripled twice and has become the hottest Clipper hitter since Luis Valbuena's hit streak came to an end.  Kip is 11-for-22 in his his past five games with three triples, two homers and seven runs scored.  Non-options Jerad Head and Chad Huffman added long balls of their own.

The Clips move on to Scranton tomorrow Thursday with McAllister again looking for his 8th victory in a 7:05p start.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Jason Knapp, the most highly regarded talent acquired in the Cliff Lee trade, has been shut down for the season with soreness in his pitching shoulder.  He had surgery today and will begin rehab in six weeks.  This, in all likely hood, indicates that Knapp will not pitch until the fall's instructional league.  Knapp's season ended even before it started as he never made it out of extended spring training in Arizona.  Jason has thrown just 40 innings in the organization since being acquired in 2009, although he has fanned 59.  He is still just 20 years old, but this is his second shoulder procedure.  In the words of another pundit, "Be worried."

Travis Hafner had a successful beginning to his rehab assignment at Akron as he put up a 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.  If you like to be optimistic, there is a possibility that Pronk could rejoin the big club for the weekend series with the Pirates.

Bryce Stowell, think Ricky Vaughn before he got the glasses, made his 2011 debut for Lake County tonight.  Stowell, who progressed as far as AAA in 2010, was utterly unable to command his pitches in spring camp.  He made one appearance on the big league side and walked a pair around a two run dinger.  If Bryce has his head back on straight, he is a great talent (11.7 K/9 career) that could be in Cleveland by September (no pressure).  Today, he threw two scoreless innings with a walk.  Assuming consistency and command (big if), he should not be with the Captains for very long.

Aeros infielder Matt Lawson, the player that the Tribe acquired in the March trade for Aaron Laffey, has retired.  Lawson, 25, had been dealt twice in the past year and was not receiving steady PT in Akron.  Still, he was hitting .267 in 2011 and had produced a career .282.  The best of luck to Matt, who I had the pleasure to meet once, on the rest of his endeavors. 

Home town hero Anthony Gallas has been promoted to Kinston.  In his first two games at the High-A level, Gallas cranked a pair of doubles and drove in three.  Anthony had hit .314 with a .910 OPS for the Captains.  Always the best to the undrafted free agent, who is truly living the dream.

Cheers.