A’s/Giants Minor League Tidbits

I caught a few innings of the Sacramento River Cats vs. the Fresno Grizzlies last night – I can only take so much since I spend my entire day here as well.  Here’s a few things I noticed….

Chris Carter, who was the main reason for my attending the game, did not disappoint.  I missed his first at-bat, where he flew out to right field.  In his second at-bat, however, he came to the plate with the bases loaded, after a Matt Carson single, and back to back walks to Brett Wallace and Aaron Cunningham.  Perhaps the most important note is Carter’s music.  He walked to the plate to the tune of E-40 and Keak the Sneak.  Gotta love that!  Anyway, with the River Cats holding a 1-0 lead, he pulled a Ryan Sadowski fastball down the left field line for a bases-clearing, 3 run double that rolled all the way to the fence.  In his next AB, he roped a broken bat RBI single to left for his 4th RBI of the night.  I made my departure before his next plate appearance, but he finished the night 3-5 with 4 RBI.  Not bad at all for his AAA debut.  Let’s just hope he finishes out the year here, as opposed to being rushed to the majors for the pointless final month of the season. 

On the Giants’ side, Buster Posey looked TERRIBLE.  In the only AB I remember, he hit a very weak grounder up the middle, but he did manage to beat it out for an infield single. Behind the plate, there were three plays that stood out to me.  First, he caught a Sadowski fastball, with his facemask.  The batter didn’t even swing, so he must’ve been expecting a breaking ball.  Either way, it was NOT pretty.  Next, he tried to gun down Eric Patterson stealing second.  No catcher will have much chance catching him, but Posey bounced one in front of the bag that rolled into center field, allowing Patterson to advance to third, and a run to score.  The next inning, Posey did it again.  With Carson on the move – not exactly Usain Bolt on the basepaths – Posey rushed the throw and sailed it into center field, again allowing the runner to take third as well.

Lastly, Ryan Sadowski, who impressed earlier this year with the Giants, was tagged for 9 runs, but on the bright side, only 6 of them were earned!

With the win, the River Cats can clinch yet another division title tonight, either by getting a victory, or a Reno Aces loss to the Las Vegas 51s.