DotF: Bird homers and Bichette extends hitting streak in Tampa’s loss

Some notes:

• Joel Sherman wrote about RHP Luis Severino and how even the Yankees didn’t realize how good he was when they signed him. The “best pitching prospect in a decade” stuff is silly, but check it out anyway. Fun read.
• VP of Baseball Ops Mark Newman confirmed to Chad Jennings that no one will be sent down in the wake of OF Jake Cave’s promotion to Double-A Trenton. Manager Tony Franklin will simply have to squeeze everyone into the lineup.
• The Yankees have signed LHP Rich Hill to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton, according to Jennings. Cue up the usual complaints about a minor league deal with zero impact on the MLB team.
• RHP Nick Rumbelow was also among those promoted from High-A Tampa to Double-A Trenton, reports Matt Kardos. Dan Pfeiffer says RHP Manny Barreda was released to make room on the roster. He was the team’s 12th round pick in 2007 and spent parts of eight years in the system as an organizational arm. Apparently he’s already hooked on with the Brewers. Good for him.

Triple-A Scranton (9-5 loss to Charlotte)

• LF Jose Pirela: 0-5, 1 RBI, 1 K — threw a runner out at second
• 2B Rob Refsnyder: 1-5, 1 R, 2 K — third straight game at second after three straight in right field
• RF Zoilo Almonte: 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
• DH Kyle Roller: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K — career-high-tying 18th homer
• 1B Austin Romine: 1-4, 1 K, 1 E (fielding) — 13-for-30 (.433) in his last nine games
• C John Ryan Murphy: 0-4, 2 K
• CF Antoan Richardson: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HBP, 1 CS — that snaps his string of 43 consecutive successful stolen base attempts dating back to last May
• RHP Bryan Mitchell: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 5/3 GB/FB — 40 of 74 pitches were strikes (54%) … he allowed four homers
• RHP Danny Burawa: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 12 of 23 pitches were strikes (52%)
• SwP Pat Venditte: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 Balk, 2/0 GB/FB — 2/0 GB/FB — 21 of 27 pitches were strikes (78%) … 65/16 K/BB in 54 innings
• RHP Matt Daley: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 13 of 23 pitches were strikes (57%) … 40/7 in 27.2 innings at this level

Double-A Trenton (8-4 loss to Binghamton)

• CF Jake Cave: 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K — nice Double-A debut
• DH Mason Williams: 2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K
• C Gary Sanchez: 1-5, 3 K, 1 E (missed catch) — in a 7-for-33 (.212) slump
• 1B Peter O’Brien: 0-4, 2 K
• RF Tyler Austin: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K
• LHP Manny Banuelos: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HB, 5/1 GB/FB — 37 of 65 pitches were strikes (57%) … 14 runs and 22 base-runners in his last four starts and 8.2 innings
• RHP Nick Rumbelow: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 11 of 18 pitches were strikes (61%) … 49/12 K/BB in 36.1 innings at three different levels this season

High-A Tampa (7-3 loss to Palm Beach)

• SS Cito Culver: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K
• 1B Greg Bird: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI — fifth homer in 61 games this year after hitting 20 in 130 games last year
• 3B Dante Bichette Jr.: 2-4 — hitting streak is now up to 19 games
• DH Eric Jagielo: 0-4, 2 K
• RF Aaron Judge: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K — 12-for-30 (.400) in his last eight games … up to .323/.428/.523 in 91 total games this year
• 2B Angelo Gumbs: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K — second straight game with a homer
• LHP Jacob Lindgren: 1 IP, zeroes, 3 K — 16/0 K/BB in seven pro innings

Low-A Charleston Game One (6-2 win over Lexington in seven innings) makeup of yesterday’s game, which was postponed because the first game of the doubleheader took way too long

• CF Mark Payton: 2-4
• SS Tyler Wade: 1-4
• RF Dustin Fowler: 1-4, 1 R, 1 R, 1 2B — 25 of his 52 hits have gone for extra bases
• 3B Miguel Andujar: 2-3, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB — 12-for-35 (.343) with six doubles, five walks, and five strikeouts in his last ten games
• LF Michael O’Neill: 2-4, 2 R, 1 SB — threw a runner out at home
• 2B Gosuke Katoh: 1-3, 1 R, 1 3B — exactly one hit in 12 of his last 13 games
• RHP Rookie Davis: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 5/4 GB/FB — 62 of 94 pitches were strikes (66%)

Low-A Charleston Game Two (5-1 win over Lexington in seven innings)

• LF Michael O’Neill: 3-4, 1 R, 1 SB — 27-for-31 (87%) in stolen base attempts this year
• SS Tyler Wade: 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
• 3B Miguel Andujar: 2-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI — he’s really turned his season around over the last month or so
• CF Dustin Fowler: 1-4, 1 K, 1 CS
• 2B Gosuke Katoh: 0-2, 1 BB, 2 K
• LHP Ian Clarkin: 2 IP, zeroes, 3 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 16 of 22 pitches were strikes (73%) … first start back from an ankle injury, so I assume they’re just easing him back into things

Short Season Staten Island (5-4 win over Williamsport)

• CF Devyn Bolasky: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 K
• C Luis Torrens: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 PB — 18-for-41 (.439) with six doubles in his last ten games
• 2B Ty McFarland: 0-4, 1 K
• DH Chris Breen: 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K — eight strikeouts and nine walks in his last eight games
• RF Austin Aune: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 CS — 10-for-26 (.385) with five doubles and a homer in his last six games
• RHP Jordan Foley: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HB, 2/0 GB/FB — 16/4 K/BB in 13.2 innings for this year’s fifth rounder
• RHP Jonathan Holder: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, 1/2 GB/FB
• RHP Conor Mullee: 1 IP, zeroes, 3 K — 18/5 K/BB in 14.2 innings … he was the team’s 24th rounder in 2010 but only threw five innings from 2011-13 due to arm problems, including Tommy John surgery

Rookie GCL Yanks1 Game One (4-1 loss to GCL Braves in seven innings) makeup of yesterday’s rainout

• SS Abi Avelino: 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B — first time playing a full nine innings some returning from the quad injury last week
• RF Alex Palma & DH Leonardo Molina: both 0-3 — Palma drove in a run, struck out, and threw a runner out at third … Molina struck out twice
• RHP Juan Jimenez: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HB, 6/0 GB/FB — 15/5 K/BB in 18.2 innings
• RHP Luis Cedeno: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 5/0 GB/FB — 12/4 K/BB in 12 innings

Rookie GCL Yanks1 Game Two (2-1 win over GCL Braves in seven innings)

• CF Leonardo Molina: 0-3, 1 E (throwing)
• 3B Drew Bridges: 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
• DH Alex Palma: 1-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI — came into the game in a 6-for-36 (.167) rut
• RHP Manolo Reyes: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3/1 GB/FB — picked a runner off first
• LHP Orby Tavares: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 4/2 GB/FB — 14/7 GB/FB in 21 innings for the 20-year-old who signed for $50k last summer

Rookie GCL Yanks2 Game One (6-2 win over GCL Pirates in seven innings) makeup of yesterday’s rainout

• 2B Junior Valera: 0-3, 1 K
• SS Angel Aguilar: 1-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 E (fielding)
• LF Frank Frias: 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
• LHP Jordan Montgomery: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 5/1 GB/FB — between college and pro ball, he’s already at 105.2 innings this year
• LHP Carlos Diaz: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 0 K, 9/0 GB/FB — 14/21 K/BB in 16 innings for the 19-year-old

Rookie GCL Yanks2 Game Two (7-0 win over GCL Pirates in seven innings)

• LF Frank Frias: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 SB — signed for $7,500 last summer, then hit .305/.434/.433 in the Dominican Summer League last season and is hitting .348/.408/.435 this year
• SS Angel Aguilar: 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
• 1B Bo Thompson: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
• RF Wilmer Romero: 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB — first homer of the year
• RHP Jhon Morban: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 7/2 GB/FB — 13/12 K/BB in 18 innings