Heels On The Field: A Baseball Blog

Eastern League Playoffs, Fisher Cats @ Thunder Game 2: Andy Pettitte Post-Game

Trenton, New Jersey -

Pettitte's line: 4.0, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0BB, 4 K

Pettitte on working with Austin Romine: it was great. I worked with him a couple of starts in spring training because of the weather and Austin everyone bailed when the last game was a rainout. Austin caught like 85 pitches of mine in a bullpen. So we did a simulated game underneath the tunnel, so he had a pretty good idea of what I like to do and how I like to pitch and some of my pitching sequences. He's great. He was in spring training with me, so it worked out good.

Next Up: I'll probably try to get Gene Michael's opinion on what he thought. I felt ok. I feel like my stuff will be better each time I get out. I haven't had any work in two months. But all in all I felt pretty good with my mechanics and command and that's something I'm going to figure out when I get back up there. I'm going to meet the team in Arlington and sit down with Dave Eiland and Joe Girardi and obviously our trainers and try to figure out if we're going to do one more of these.

Pettitte also indicated part of the decision could come down to whether there's a game he can rehab in. He said he'd be ready to pitch Tuesday. If that's the case, it would depend a lot on where he could pitch to get more work in before joining the Yankees.

Eastern League Playoffs, Fisher Cats @ Thunder - Tony Franklin Addresses Yankees Pettitte, Romine

Thunder manager Tony Franklin spoke with the media before Game 2 between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Trenton Thunder. Thunder lead the series 1-0.

On Austin Romine catching Andy Pettitte: I think it's tremendous for him. Number one, I think Romy has really improved over the course of the year with calling the game. We talked about that early in the season, about what his value was going to be to the game. Coming into the season everyone talked about what a good hitter he is and we talked about what his value would be to the team. As a catcher leading the pitching staff, I think he's done a very good job. I think catching Andy tonight he's going to get insight into how a Major League pitcher goes about his business.

On his playoffs approach/J.B. Cox suspension: There are guys we leave in for developmental reasons, this is not the time of year to do that. This is the time of year that you're actually going out to win a baseball game. I felt like we gave J.B. (who was suspended due to heated words with Franklin when taken out of the game) an opportunity to get out of it and it didn't happen. I don't like to see careers end on that note. I don't know if something is bothering him. I hope he comes back.

Expectations of Andy: He says he wants  to go out there and pitch the way he's normally pitched. He's had one simulated game and he says he's going to be out there doing his best. He asked if Romine had a good fix on  the hitters. And we told him he does and Andy said that's great, because this is how I want to do X, Y, and Z against the lefthanders, they've got four in the line up...and we discussed what we've been trying to throw to him and he said this is what I like to do with lefties in this situation. He's prepared to pitch, just like he would be in New York

Eastern League Playoffs: Fisher Cats @ Thunder: Kyle Drabek Post-Game Comments

Trenton, New Jersey - Kyle Drabek was supposed to win Game 1. That was the belief as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Trenton Thunder entered the start of their playoffs battle. No one, and I mean no one, thought that the Thunder, with Dellin Betances on the hill, would shut the Fisher Cats offense down. The Thunder won Game 1 2-0. Here are some post-game quotes from Drabek:

“We’re still confident. We weren’t able to score runs tonight but that doesn’t happen much against this team."

“We’ve been in a little slump lately, but the playoffs are a great place to turn that around. Our team is still confident. We feel like we’re the best team in this league."


“It was a little hard for me to find the strike zone. I don’t know why. ... I don't know how many first-pitch strikes I threw (8 of 22), but not many."

Thank you to Kevin Gray.

For Scranton Yankees Edwar Gonzalez, Finally A Jump

Edwar Gonzalez first time at Triple-A might be a new experience, but for him it's still just about continuing to do his job and be there when he's needed.

"There's not much difference. I know most of these guys here too," he said by telephone during a bus trip to Columbus, Ohio for Game 1 of the International League playoffs. "It makes it easier knowing them."

Gonzalez, who signed as a free agent with the Yankees in 2002, has had to ride the bench more than he preferred this season and was on the DL two different times, but he never lost his discipline. His first assignment with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees comes at a prime moment. The SWB Yankees are in the playoffs, as are the Trenton Thunder, and he's just hoping to do his part.

"It's the way it's been the whole year, but I'm prepared for it," he said of coming off the bench.

While there are many things that feel similar, Gonzalez says there are some noticeable differences.

"The stadiums are a little better and the guys are older. They don't need to be told what to do. They do it because they're more experienced and don't need people telling them how they need to get things done as much," he said. 

At twenty-seven he also has a bit of a different status when he looks around at his teammates and other teams in the more seasoned International League.

"At Trenton a lot of times I was one of the older guys and here there are many guys a lot older and more experienced than me," he said.

As he approaches free agency, he reiterates what he said earlier this year.

"I don't know where I'll wind up. I think about it. But I don't know if I'll be with the Yankees or another team. I'll play in winter ball and see what happens."

Pettitte Vs. Drabek? Sounds Like One Heck Of A Show

Kyle Drabek could be pitching in the biggest game of his life on Wednesday. No, it's not a World Series Game 7. It's not a Major League game. But in the steps of his career ladder, he's about to have his first playoffs experience. But it could turn out to be more than being the guy with the ball for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Game One of the Eastern League playoffs.

He could be pitching against Andy Pettitte.(NOTE: LoHud Yankees Blog confirms Pettitte's start at Trenton will take place Wednesday http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2010/09/06/pettitte-to-rehab-on-trenton-on-wednesday/)

The Trenton Thunder await word regarding where Pettitte will make his first rehab start. Trenton is an option. If he does, the stars could align for him to make his start on Wednesday, which is when the playoffs begin at Trenton. George King writes that the decision is almost certain to come tomorrow http://t.co/GuYFhGM. 

The arguments and grumbling that Pettitte pitching for Trenton would give an unfair advantage to the Baby Bombers have already made the rounds. True enough, it's a big advantage for them. But how exciting a moment is this in young Kyle Drabek's career? That is a challenge the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year would likely find exciting and, because he's a competitor, wants to rise to it. Think about how big-time it would feel if the kid beat one of the best pitchers in baseball, one of the Yankees. All before he's even pitched an inning in the majors.

This would go into Drabek's book as probably his most exciting in a Minor League uniform. 

Think about this too. People are asking why Drabek is still pitching in Double-A, believing he's Major League ready. With that in mind, if the Yankees decide to give Pettitte the ball for Trenton against Drabek on Wednesday,  you'll be seeing big league baseball in little Waterfront Park down on Thunder Road.

Trenton Thunder Part Two: Focus Pitching

Trenton, New Jersey - If it all comes down to pitching, there are many who might say the advantage goes to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats when the Trenton Thunder face them in the playoffs.

But the players must play and they cannot lay down their desire and ability to win. Anyone can beat anyone. And while the Thunder have  an uphill battle facing the Fisher Cats top three in their rotation, they remain a focused, tight unit.

The wall they must break (conjuring Rocky IV there?) is the Fisher Cats top pitcher and Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Drabek. The Blue Jays top prospect has been tough for the Thunder to hit.

The Thunder will likely see a righty-heavy rotation of Dellin Betances (0-0, 2.61), Adam Warren (4-2, 2.88) (pictured second), and Andrew Brackman (4-7, 3.21) against the Fisher Cats. But the Fisher Cats are not indestructible: their 4.13 team ERA is fifth in the Eastern League, while the Thunder have a collective 3.61 ERA. Results are obviously reflective of the pitching the Thunder  had in July and August, but while the Fisher Cats haven't lost anyone, they have their weaknesses. Trenton's hot offense has lately been highly successful taking full advantage of mistakes and seeing the ball well.

Ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte made a scoreless debut on Thursday in the Thunder's final home game. Any question you ask him about this very useful baseball gift, he's been asked a million times. But he's patient and generous, despite what must be a repetitive script for him.

"I've been doing it since I was three. My dad is the one who got me started with it," he said. "I don't have overpowering stuff on either side, so if he didn't do that, I wouldn't be here today."

As a sidenote: Venidete has a fan club you can check out at http://patvendittefanclub.com/

Also on Thursday, Thunder reliever Josh Schmidt was awarded the Ace Hardware Pitcher of the Year award. Schmidt has flown under the radar for a long time in the Yankees organization, but the two-time Eastern League All Star's efforts in 2010 have been plenty. You can pull out your Yankees top prospect list and he's likely not on it. But what he's able to do and could do in an opportunity with the Yankees, could be showcased in the playoffs. In 45 appearances he has a 2.86 ERA.

The bullpen will need Schmidt to keep coming through with the loss of George Kontos, who was transferred back to Triple-A Scranton on September 1st. In 17 games he had a 3.38 ERA for Trenton.

Manuel Banuelos (pictured above, right) made his second start for Trenton Thursday, but was lifted after 4 2/3 innings due to a high pitch count.

Speaking on Warren after he arrived in July from Class-A Tampa, Thunder manager Tony Franklin immediately liked what he saw.

"He's very composed on the mound. He has a very strong arm. He had a plan of attack and I liked that," Franklin said. 

Hector Noesi and Lance Pendleton, Pendleton almost undoubtedly the ace of that staff, were promoted to Scranton as well, so the rotation, as it stands must pull together in the final stretch to get ready for a tough Fisher Cats rotation.

Part One: Trenton Thunder - Focus Offense

Trenton, New Jersey - When a player is hot, you can expect them to do just about anything. Predicting Justin Christian (below, right) was going to hit a home run, with the Thunder down a run in the 7th wasn't a stretch of the imagination. With the count 3-1, Christian hit one over the centerfield wall to make it 2-2. That home run was his fifth in five games. He also extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

"I'm keeping it simple," said Christian. "As of late I'm I'm able to make solid contact. My arm feels a lot better, it's not one hundred percent, but it's getting close."

Their eventual 3-2 victory over the 2009 Eastern League champion Akron Aeros, put the Thunder 1.5 games over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Homefield advantage might come down to the final day of the regular season.

"The talk I'm hearing is they don't want to go to New Hampshire," said Thunder manager Tony Franklin.

It has been a season of the predictable unpredictable: players who broke out and surprised, others who struggled to find their way.  At times manager Franklin had to use some strict coaching with his players.

"I've had to chastise some, I've had to fine some, and take guys out - not often, but we've talked about it," he said. "Right now they are the best ever for nine - they're giving it."

Third baseman Justin Snyder (pictured bottom page) reflected on the season and what he felt he did best.   

"We've talked about it before, just being a guy off the bench and being mentally prepared for that," he said. "It's about knowing what you have to do for the team. It's also been about my approach. That's big for me. I'm not the type of guy that's going hit a lot of home runs. I'm the type of guy that's going to get on base and score a lot of runs."

Snyder is hitting .244 and has 8 hits in the last ten games.

In Thursday's game, Daniel Brewer [below, right) continued his highly successful end of the season run, with two hits and the go-ahead run that won the game. It was Brewers's 78th RBI of the season. He said that he'd been working on things with hitting coach Frank Menechino.

"We'd come up with a mutual game plan. A combination of what I want to do and what he wanted me to work on," said the rightfielder. 

As for facing the Fisher Cats in the playoffs, Brewer sees a challenge ahead.

"[Kyle] Drabek will be a test for us. Their top three guys are very good. But we have confidence. We're both good teams," he said.

While they're keeping their eye on that just ahead, Snyder also has an off-season plan set.

"I'll be working on throwing angles, stay in shape conditioning wise, cardio and lifting, so I I do play a whole season I'll be ready."

But there's something Snyder wants to work on before all that.

"When I get home, I'm going to eat so much Mexican food," he said. "It's authentic because I'm in San Diego. So...I might gain fifteen pounds the first couple of weeks."

That cardio might come in handy.