Coop Scoop

Mud Hen Mindbender – June 29

In an effort to have a little fun with the Coop Scoop blog, I am producing a (somewhat) daily trivia quiz called "Mud Hen Mindbender." No prize; this is just a way to get your day moving. Ready? Here we go ...

Another question about all-star teams and Mud Hens: With Toledo closer Chris Bootcheck elected to the team, that means three Hens closers have made the team in the past five seasons. Who are the other two Toledo closers who were voted to the IL All-Star team since 2008? Bonus points if you can name the year.

The answer to Thursday’s question? The International League announced Wednesday that RHP Chris Bootcheck was elected to play for the IL in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Who was the Hens’ representative(s) to that game last season? The answer is 2B Will Rhymes.

Do you think you know the answer to today’s question? Click on the "comments" link below and give us your answer! I'll post the answer tomorrow along with another trivia question. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hessman named to PCL All-Star team

The Pacific Coast League announced its roster of all stars for the Triple-A All-Star Game, and a familiar face to Mud Hens fans has cracked the PCL's starting lineup.

Mike Hessman has been named the PCL starter at first base for the contest, which will be played Wednesday, July 11 in Buffalo.

Hessman has played in 63 games for the Oklahoma City RedHawks, Houston's Triple-A affiliate, and has hit .281 with 23 home runs and 50 RBIs. Hessman is tied for the league lead in home runs, and his average of one home run every 9.43 at-bats also is the best in the PCL.

Hessman played five season for the Mud Hens and twice was named to the IL All-Star team (2007-08). He is Toledo's career leader in home runs (140) and the modern-era (1965-present) leader in RBIs (373), doubles (104) and runs scored (326).

Click here to look at the entire PCL roster for the game.

Chris Bootcheck was named Toledo representative on the International League team for that contest. Click here to read that story.

Mud Hen Mindbender – June 28

In an effort to have a little fun with the Coop Scoop blog, I am producing a (somewhat) daily trivia quiz called "Mud Hen Mindbender." No prize; this is just a way to get your day moving. Ready? Here we go ...

The International League announced Wednesday that RHP Chris Bootcheck was elected to play for the IL in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Who was the Hens’ representative(s) to that game last season?

The answer to June 11 question? The Mud Hens were nearly no-hit one day earlier, eventually getting a ninth-inning double by Audy Ciriaco to avoid the whitewashing. How many times have the Mud Hens been no-hit since entering the International League in 1965? The answer is six times … and I won’t ask for the names of the pitchers behind the no-hitters, because Mickey Mahler is one of the BETTER-known names.

Do you think you know the answer to today’s question? Click on the "comments" link below and give us your answer! I'll post the answer tomorrow along with another trivia question. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hens catcher Brantly selected to play in Futures Game

Mud Hens catcher Rob Brantly has been selected to play in Major League Baseball’s Futures Game, it was announced Wednesday.

Brantly was chosen as an injury replacement for Toronto Blue Jays prospect Travis d’Arnaud on the U.S. team for the game, which will be played at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium on Sunday, July 8 at 5 p.m.

Brantly began the season ranked as the Tigers seventh-best prospect by Baseball America. He hit .311 with three homers and 24 RBIs in 46 games for Double-A Erie and was promoted to Toledo June 6. Brantly has hit .271 with no homers and five RBIs in 16 games with the Hens.

Two other Tiger prospects who will play in the game are 3B Nick Castellanos and RHP Bruce Rondon, both of whom play for Erie. This will mark the first time the Tigers have had three players in the contest.

Prospects from all 30 organizations are represented on roster for the "United States" and the "World." Brantly and Castellanos will be teammates on the U.S. roster, while Rondon will pitch for the World club.

Bootcheck voted onto IL All-Star team

Mud Hens closer Chris Bootcheck has been selected to represent the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game, which will be played in Buffalo on Wednesday, July 11.

The announcement was made by the International League Wednesday. The Pacific Coast League team will be announced Thursday.

Bootcheck was one of two relief pitchers who was elected to the team in a vote of fans (1/3 of vote), media (1/3 of vote), and both managers and general managers (1/3 of vote) from around the IL. Those three groups combined to name one player at each position (expect three in the outfield) as well as at DH, along with two starting pitchers and two relievers.

The rest of the team is selected by the IL Office, and all 14 league teams are represented. Bootcheck was the only Mud Hen named to the team.

The 33-year-old right-hander has a 1-2 record with 14 saves and a 3.62 ERA in 29 appearances for Toledo. His 14 saves are second-most in the IL this season.

Bootcheck's honor marked the third time in five seasons a Toledo closer was named to the IL All-Star team. Blaine Neal earned that honor in 2008 and Jay Sborz was named to the squad in 2010.

Click here to look at the entire IL roster for the game.

Mud Hens continue to make roster changes

The struggling Mud Hens have hit the road for a four-game series in Indianapolis, and the team continues to make roster changes in an attempt to jump-start its offense.

The big addition is that of John Lindsey, a DH-1B who was playing for Laguna in the Mexican League. Lindsey was playing well, too: He had a .341 batting average with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs in 76 games for Los Vaqueros.

Even though he has been gone for a week, Lindsey still is tied for third in the Mexican Leaguein home runs, fourth in slugging percentage (.631) and among the league leaders with a home run every 13.67 at-bats.

Lindsey is known to many as having one of the longest journeys to the Major Leagues, playing 16 seasons in the minor leagues and independent baseball (and playing nearly 1,600 games) before getting an 11-game cameo with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

I talked to Lindsey while the Hens were in town and look forward to writing the story about him and his career in the coming days.

To make room for Lindsey on the roster, the Mud Hens have released IF Brent Dlugach. Dlugach has split time between the Hens, for whom he hit .169 with two homers and eight RBIs in 25 games, and Double-A Erie, batting .261 with no home runs or RBIs in seven games.

Dlugach was caught in a numbers game in Toledo, especially with the addition of Cale Iorg to the roster. The Mud Hens also have Audy Ciriaco and Argenis Diaz as middle infielders, and Matt Young also has experience at second base.

Dlugach played for the Mud Hens in 2006, when he was the everyday shortstop in the playoffs for the team that eventually won the Governors' Cup, and in 2009-10. In 2009 he was an International League mid- and post-season All Star after hitting .294 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 125 games. He batted .258 with six homers and 41 RBIs in 117 games for Toledo the following season.

The Mud Hens also made room on the roster for RHP Jacob Turner, who will start for Toledo tonight when the Hens begin their four-game series at Indianapolis. Turner made one start for Detroit in place of LHP Drew Smyly while Smyly made his rehab start with the Mud Hens Thursday, June 21.

Turner will be making his eighth start for the Hens, and he is 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA as well as 27 strikeouts and 19 walks in 42 innings.

Robowski has split time between the Mud Hens, for whom he has gone 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA in seven relief appearances, and Double-A Erie, where he has a 0-0 record with two saves and a 0.43 ERA in 12 relief efforts. Robowski has 20 strikeouts in 21 innings with the SeaWolves.

Hens in-game blog – June 25, 2012

Welcome to Coop Scoop coverage of the 2012 season! The Hens finish their four-game series against Norfolk – and their homestand at Fifth Third Field -- today starting at noon. After a two-day trial balloon, the pre-game notes will go the way of the dodo, and the in-game blog will return. Most-recent posts are at the bottom, so refresh frequently!

11:00 a.m. – Thanks to everyone who provided input on the pre-game test, I appreciate it. For those who wondered, I don’t mind negative feedback … it helps me make the blog better. I’m not interested in nasty feedback, though. But thanks to everyone who offered their thoughts. Let’s get this rolling with lineups, OK?

11:05 a.m. –The Mud Hens lineup for manager Phil Nevin ... Leading off and playing CF is Justin Henry, followed by Matt Young in RF, Rob Brantly at C, Jeff Baisley at 1B, Ryan Strieby at DH, Ben Guez in LF, Audy Ciriaco at 3B, Cale Iorg at SS, Brent Dlugach at 2B and RHP Brooks Brown as the starting pitcher. Norfolk lineup is next ...

11:10 a.m. -- The Norfolk lineup of manager Ron Johnson ... Leading off and playing LF is Xavier Avery, followed by Nate McLouth in RF, Jamie Hoffmann at DH, Miguel Tejada at SS, Joe Mahoney at 1B, Bill Hall at 3B, L.J. Hoes in CF, Blake Davis at 2B, Caleb Joseph at C and RHP Miguel Gonzalez as the starting pitcher.

11:18 a.m. -- OK, a few notes ... First, sharp eyes probably have noticed that LHP Casey Crosby is NOT starting today as scheduled. There's no hidden agenda that is obvious here ... Toledo manager Phil Nevin said the Tigers are trying to limit the innings of their young starters (such as Crosby). So he is getting a start off, with Brooks Brown taking the start in his place. Nevin said Crosby's next start will come Saturday at Columbus.

11:24 a.m. -- The bad news regarding the Mud Hens lineup is that John Lindsey STILL has not joined the team. At this point it is a continuation of the paperwork problems Lindsey has had with Laguna, the Mexican League team Lindsey played for before agreeing to join the Tigers organization. Lindsey has been here since Thursday, but he won't play until the paperwork problems are solved. And that's a blow to a Toledo offense that has been struggling.

11:31 a.m. -- The good news regarding the Mud Hens rotation is that RHP Jacob Turner has rejoined the team. Turner was optioned to Toledo by the Tigers over the weekend when Detroit decided that LHP Drew Smyly will start against Texas on Tuesday. Turner will start for Toledo Tuesday when the Mud Hens begin a series in Indianapolis.

11:39 a.m. -- I'm going to post a few links here while I sneak a quick pre-game meal. Click here to read Sunday's game story, which focused on the team's offensive struggles.

11:55 a.m. -- We are moments away from first pitch ... back on the other side with a quick look at Brooks Brown.

12:06 p.m. -- Toledo spot starter Brooks Brown retired the Tides in 1-2-3 order in the first inning. He did get a little help from Audy Ciriaco at third base, as Ciriaco came in on a tough grounder and made a good play to get the out. Brown threw 12 pitches, evenly split between balls and strikes, with his fastball sitting at 91-94 mph (one at each of those four speeds), the change-up sitting at 85-87 mph (one at 85, two at 87, one at 87) and the slider sitting at 82 (two at that speed). No score as the Mud Hens come to bat in the bottom of the first.

12:14 p.m. -- Norfolk starter Miguel Gonzalez retired the Mud Hens in order in the bottom of the first. using just eight pitches (seven of which were strikes) to get through the inning. The Gonzalez fastball sat at 90-91 mph (one at 90, two at 91) while the change-up sat at 87-88 mph (one at each speed) and the slider sat at 81-83 mph (one at 81, one at 83). No score, end of the first.

12:27 p.m. -- No score through two innings. Two different styles to this point, though ... Brown doesn't have great command, but he's getting outs. Gonzalez is throwing strikes, and so far the Hens have done little against him.

12:36 p.m. -- Nifty bit of pitching by Brooks Brown to escape a jam in the third. Tides leadoff hitter Blake Davis hit a soft liner down the right-field line that fell for a double, and Caleb Joseph hit a ground ball to second that moved Davis to third with only one out. But Brown struck out Xavier Avery with the infield in, then threw three fastballs (94, 96 and 97 mph) by Nate McLouth to end the inning. No score as the Mud Hens come to plate in the bottom of the third.

12:44 p.m. -- The bad news for the Hens? So far it's nine up, nine down for Toledo against Norfolk starter Miguel Gonzalez. The Tides right-hander already has struck out five, and no hard-hit balls so far. Worse, Gonzalez has needed just 34 pitches -- 25 of which have been strikes -- to cover three innings. Gonzalez has not thrown a lot of pitches in his recent starts (his high is 83, which came in his last start), but fewer pitches means a deeper start in terms of innings covered. No score as we head to the fourth.

12:54 p.m. -- The Tides break on top with a run in the top of the fourth, and it was Norfolk's veteran hitters who got the job done. Miguel Tejada lined a one-out double down the right-field line, then moved to third on a groundout. I thought Toledo starter Brooks Brown got a little fastball-happy against Bill Hall, throwing four in a row. Hall lined the fourth into the gap in left-center for a run-scoring double. Hens now batting in the bottom of the fourth, trailing 1-0.

1:04 p.m. -- The Mud Hens get a leadoff double by Justin Henry to break up the no-hit bid in the fourth, but Toledo can't get the run home. Matt Young pulled a ground ball to first base to get Henry to third, but Rob Brantly struck out and Jeff Baisley hit a ball back to the mound to end the threat. Still 1-0 Norfolk as we head to the fifth.

1:20 p.m. -- Racing With The Stars update ... An even race between the stars as they reached the third-base turn, until Jamie Farmadillo used a burst of speed to claim a narrow victory over Jim Flealand. Back to baseball ...

1:28 p.m. -- Terrific effort by Hens starter Brooks Brown through six innings. He has limited Norfolk to just four hits and that single run, not walking a batter while striking out five. Brown has thrown 80 pitches, 49 for strikes. His command hasn't been perfect, but it certainly has been good enough. Mud Hens still trail 1-0 as they come to bat in the sixth.

1:38 p.m. -- Mud Hens get an important two-out base hit by Rob Brantly to tie the game at 1-1 as we head to the seventh. Brent Dlugach opened the frame by drawing a four-pitch walk, and Justin Henry sacrificed him to second. Dlugach moved to third on a groundout by Matt Young, and Brantly lined the first pitch of the at-bat into the right-center gap for an RBI double. Hopefully it will be a burst of confidence for the Toledo offense, which obviously has been scuffling lately.

1:52 p.m. -- A tough finish to an outstanding outing by Toledo starter Brooks Brown. He got the first out of the seventh, then gave up a single in the hole, a hit-and-run single and then a single up the middle by Caleb Joseph that brought home the go-ahead run. Nothing hard hit, but successful in bringing home the go-ahead run. Norfolk will now face LHP Darin Downs with runners on first and third, one out, and the Tides in front 2-1.

1:59 p.m. -- Darin Downs does his job by retiring a pair of left-handed hitters, top prospect Xavier Avery and former major leaguer Nate McLouth. Downs has been terrific against left-handed hitters all season; he came into the game with lefties hitting just .175 against him. He arguably has been the Mud Hens best reliever this season -- certainly the most consistent. But the Mud Hens now trail 2-1 as they come to bat in the bottom of the seventh.

2:12 p.m. -- The Mud Hens load the bases with no one out in the seventh ... and fail to score. Cale Iorg struck out on three pitches with the infield at double-play depth (in other words, conceding the tying run). Then Brent Dlugach fell behind 1-2, worked the count full, then hit a slow roller to second. Audy Ciriaco ran towards the second basemen, then cut onto the grass to avoid being tagged. But Ciriaco was called out for being out of the basepaths, and the inning-ending double play was completed. Norfolk will take a 2-1 lead into the eighth.

2:24 p.m. -- RHP Luke Putkonen finds trouble in the eighth inning. After two quick outs, Putkonen's trouble began when he walked Joe Mahoney on four pitches. Putkonen fell behind Bill Hall 2-0 and 3-1 before Hall slammed a 3-2 pitch just over the fence in right for a two-run homer. Hall's second two-run blast in as many days gives the Tides a 4-1 lead as we head to the bottom of the eighth.

2:38 p.m. -- The Mud Hens are trying to rally in the bottom of the eighth ... hustle single on infield hit by Justin Henry and line single to center by Matt Young bring the tying run to the plate with no one out. Can the Hens find a way to score some runs?

2:41 p.m. -- Uh, no. Rob Brantly flies out to center to keep the runners on first and second, and Jeff Baisley falls behind 0-2 before grounding into an inning-ending double play. I have the Mud Hens 1-for-10 when hitting with a runner in scoring position today. That includes two strikeouts and two double plays. Norfolk takes a 4-1 lead into the ninth.

2:56 p.m. -- Mud Hens retired in 1-2-3 order in the ninth, with Norfolk closer Pat Neshek claiming a pair of strikeouts to close out the 4-1 victory. Closing the in-game blog. Thanks for following along!

Hens pre-game blog – June 24, 2012

Welcome to Coop Scoop coverage of the 2012 season! The Hens continue their four-game series against Norfolk at Fifth Third Field with the third game of the series, tonight starting at 6 p.m. I’d like to continue something new starting tonight … instead of blogging live during the contest, I’ll put together a pre-game report and then a post-game report. So here we go!

5:00 p.m. – I’m going to repeat my thinking on getting away from the in-game blog … first, it helps me focus on the game a little better. Second, I’ll have snippets that I will Tweet instead of trying to blog everything. Third, I’ll give you post-game reports a lot faster, and I’ll mix in an in-game report when circumstances warrant. For example, I would post on the blog in-game stuff like the Drew Smyly report from Thursday’s game (because the game was running slow and I had stuff done early).

5:05 p.m. – I’m floating a trial balloon here, so PLEASE pass along feedback at the bottom of the page. And I’ll listen to both pro and con, so now is your chance to state your preference, OK? Thanks to those of you who have passed along your thoughts!

5:10 p.m. -- The Mud Hens lineup for manager Phil Nevin ... Leading off and playing CF is Justin Henry, followed by Matt Young in RF, Rob Brantly at C, Jeff Baisley at DH, Ryan Strieby at 1B, Ben Guez in LF, Audy Ciriaco at 3B, Cale Iorg at 2B, Argenis Diaz at SS and LHP Adam Wilk as the starting pitcher. Norfolk lineup is next ...

5:15 p.m. -- The Norfolk lineup of manager Ron Johnson ... Leading off and playing LF is Xavier Avery, followed by Nate McLouth in RF, Lew Ford at DH, Miguel Tejada at SS, Bill Hall at 3B, L.J. Hoes in CF, Joe Mahoney at 1B, Caleb Joseph at C, Blake Davis at 2B and RHP Jason Berken as the starting pitcher.

5:22 p.m. -- OK, a few notes ... First, the news of the day from Detroit: LHP Drew Smyly will start for Detroit Tuesday, and Jacob Turner has been optioned to Toledo. Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin said he hasn't heard anything official from the Tigers, so he couldn't comment on that work. I would be willing to bet that Turner will be Tuesday's start for the Hens in Indianapolis.

5:31 p.m. -- The update on potential future Hen John Lindsey ... still no word from his former team in Mexico, so he remains unavailable to Toledo. We probably will know more Monday.

5:39 p.m. -- Here are a few links from Sunday's Blade ... Click here to read the game story from Saturday's contest, written by Mark Monroe. Click here to read a notebook I wrote about Bryan Holaday and his time with Detroit, Austin Wood and his retirement, and more. And click here to view a photo gallery from Saturday's game, with photos by The Blade's Andy Morrison.

5:45 p.m. -- OK, there you go ... follow along on Twitter, and please pass along any thoughts you have about this switch. Thanks!

Hens pre-game blog – June 22, 2012

Welcome to Coop Scoop coverage of the 2012 season! The Hens begin their four-game series against Norfolk at Fifth Third Field with tonight’s game starting at 7 p.m. I’d like to try something new starting tonight … instead of blogging live during the contest, I’ll put together a pre-game report and then a post-game report. So here we go!

5:30 p.m. – Here’s my thinking on getting away with the in-game blog … first, it helps me focus on the game a little better. Second, I’ll have snippets that I will Tweet instead of trying to blog everything. Third, I’ll give you post-game reports a lot faster. Finally, I’ll mix in an in-game report when circumstances warrant. For example, I would post on the blog in-game stuff like the Drew Smyly report from Thursday’s game (because the game was running slow and I had stuff done early).

5:35 p.m. – I’m floating a trial balloon here, so PLEASE pass along feedback at the bottom of the page. And I’ll listen to both pro and con, so now is your chance to state your preference, OK? Thanks!

5:40 p.m. -- The Mud Hens lineup for manager Phil Nevin ... Leading off and playing RF is Matt Young, followed by Justin Henry in CF, Rob Brantly at DH, Jeff Baisley at 3B, Ryan Strieby at 1B, Jerad Head in LF, Bryan Holaday at C, Cale Iorg at 2B, Argenis Diaz at SS and RHP Thad Weber as the starting pitcher. Norfolk lineup is next ...

5:45 p.m. -- The Norfolk lineup of manager Ron Johnson ... Leading off and playing LF is Xavier Avery, followed by Nate McLouth in CF, Lew Ford at DH, Miguel Tejada at 3B, Joe Mahoney at 1B, Bill Hall at 2B, L.J. Hoes in RF, Blake Davis at SS, Chris Robinson at C and RHP Chris Tillman as the starting pitcher.

5:53 p.m. -- OK, a few notes ... First, the Mud Hens were NOT able to activate 1B John Lindsey for today's game. Lindsey is expected to sign any day, but there is a holdup of some sort with the paperwork from his team in the Mexican League.

6:08 p.m. -- A note about the Mud Hens rotation -- and an answer to the question many of you have been asking about LHP Drew Smyly and RHP Jacob Turner. The Mud Hens list the starter for Tuesday's game as "TBA." As you may have guessed, that is the day that Smyly and Turner would be the probable starters. The Tigers need to decide if Smyly or Turner will start for Detroit that day, and the other pitcher will be with the Mud Hens.

6:16 p.m. -- While we are speaking of Smyly, I got quotes from him following his work for the Mud Hens yesterday. I also analyzed his 36-pitch effort (charted balls and strikes, charted pitch speeds, and even charted which type of pitch he threw for strikes most). Long story short: he threw a LOT of strikes. If you want details, click here to read Thursday's in-game blog (and start around the 11:30 mark of the game).

6:26 p.m. -- Speaking of Thursday's game, click here to read the on-line story from the contest (which features Drew Smyly but also talks about Lehigh Valley's 7-4 victory). Also, click here to view the photo gallery from the contest, courtesy of The Blade's Andy Morrison.

6:35 p.m. -- About to close the books on the pre-game ... A word about the Norfolk team in town these next four days: they are a VETERAN team. Miguel Tejada obviously is the best-known name, but guys like Nate McLouth, Lew Ford and Bill Hall also are experienced major-league veterans. And Saturday's starter is former Tigers & Mud Hens LHP Dontrelle Willis, so that is a familiar name. For those wondering: the word I get is that there is ZERO chance LHP Jamie Moyer will pitch against the Mud Hens for Norfolk in this series.

6:45 p.m. -- OK, I'm going to close the books on this pre-game blog. PLEASE click on the "comments" link below and let me know what you think about this, and about the in-game blog. Thanks!

Hens game blog – June 21, 2012

Welcome to Coop Scoop coverage of the 2012 season! The Hens finish their four-game series against Lehigh Valley at Fifth Third Field with tonight’s game starting at 7 p.m. – weather permitting, of course! I’ll get the LIVE blog started right now. The newest posts are at the bottom, so refresh frequently. Here we go!

5:30 p.m. – Well, the grounds crew is getting the tarp unwrapped, so we may not start precisely on time. But we also have sunshine on the field. So who knows? At any rate, let’s begin with the lineups …

5:35 p.m. -- The Mud Hens lineup for manager Phil Nevin ... Leading off and playing CF is Matt Young, followed by Ben Guez in LF, Rob Brantly at C, Jeff Baisley at 3B, Ryan Strieby at 1B, Jerad Head at DH, Justin Henry in CF, Cale Iorg at 2B, Argenis Diaz at SS and LHP Drew Smyly as the starting pitcher. Lehigh Valley lineup is next ...

5:40 p.m. -- The Lehigh Valley lineup of manager Ryne Sandberg ... Leading off and playing CF is Kyle Hudson, followed by Pete Orr at 3B, Kevin Frandsen at 2B, Erik Kratz at C, Jason Pridie in LF, Cody Overbeck at 1B, Steve Susdorf in RF, John Suomi at DH, Andres Blanco at SS and LHP Matt Wright as the starting pitcher.

5:46p.m. -- OK, since we have some time, let's pound out some ... First, LHP Drew Smyly will start for the Mud Hens tonight. He will throw three innings and said he is not feeling any problems with the blister that knocked him out of the Detroit rotation.

5:51 p.m. -- Here is a look at some of the Mud Hens transactions since last night's game. First, Alex Avila returned to Detroit (he played in the Tigers' victory) and C Bryan Holaday has returned to the Hens. Holaday is active for tonight's game. Also, RHP Luke Putkonen was optioned to Toledo when the Tigers called up RHP Jacob Turner to start today's game.

5:58 p.m. -- The deletions from the Mud Hens roster both come with a twist. LHP Austin Wood announced his retirement after yesterday's game. Wood split time between Double-A Erie, where he was 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in nine games, and with Toledo, where he was 0-0 with a 5.68 ERA in 11 contests. The other was C Zach Maggard, who was sent to Lo-A West Michigan to make room for Holaday. Nevin said Maggard should get more playing time with the Whitecaps.

6:07 p.m. -- Hey, good news ... the grounds crew has rolled up the tarp. At this point, I would expect we will start at 7 p.m. as scheduled.

6:13 p.m. -- The parent Tigers also are in the process of signing another player to send to the Mud Hens. 1B John Lindsey joined the team for batting practice today, and he is expected to be activated Friday. Lindsey is a first baseman who has extensive minor-league experience. Toledo obviously will need to make a move on Friday to activate him.

6:21 p.m. -- OK, let's start to look at some links. Click here to read the game story from Wednesday's contest, which features comments from Alex Avila and Casey Crosby. Click here to view the photo gallery from Wednesday's game, courtesy of The Blade's Jeremy Wadsworth.

6:29 p.m. -- And click here to read the in-game blog from Wednesday's contest, which has notes and such from Casey Crosby and Alex Avila.

6:44 p.m. -- We've got problems in the Glass City ... While the field is uncovered at this point, no one has started warming up in either bullpen. So I would suspect we have a delay. Let me investigate, and I'll come back in a moment.

7:03 p.m. -- I'm getting reports of rain to the south heading our way, which is why we have a delay. And the grounds crew is pulling the tarp onto the field as I type this, so we aren't going to start on time. I'll come back when I know more.

7:10 p.m. -- One more note before I take a break ... I got the probable starters for the Norfolk series, which runs starting Friday and ends Monday. First, the bad news: those of you expecting to see former Mud Hen Jamie Moyer on Monday will be disappointed. Moyer promised Norfolk (or, probably more accurately, Baltimore) that he would make three starts for the Tides. His third and presumably final start was on Wednesday. Now, the good news: Saturday's starter for the  Tides is LHP Dontrelle Willis. Yes, THAT Dontrelle Willis.

7:15 p.m. -- OK, I'm going to take a break until I know more about the delay -- or, more precisely, when the game will start. Talk to you soon!

8:00 p.m. -- Rain delay update: It is still raining.

8:30 p.m. -- Rain delay update: Tarp is coming off the field. Mud Hens hope to start this one at 8:55 p.m.

8:45 p.m. -- Click here to view rain delay photos courtesy of The Blade's Andy Morrison.

9:08 p.m. -- Yikes. Mud Hens starter Drew Smyly started well, but before he could get out of the first inning the IronPigs struck for three runs. Smyly got a groundout, then struck out Pete Orr -- but Orr reached first base when catcher Rob Brantly didn't catch the ball cleanly, then threw high to first for an error. Kevin Frandsen singled and Erik Kratz hit a LONG home run to dead center for three runs. Smyly threw 25 pitches in the first inning, 18 of which were strikes. Mud Hens come to bat, trailing 3-0.

9:20 p.m. -- Mud Hens were retired in order in the first, and Drew Smyly set down the IronPigs without incident in the second. Smyly gave up a leadoff single, but then caught a come-backer to start a double play before recording his second strikeout. Through two innings Smyly has thrown 35 pitches, 26 of which were strikes (he is throwing strikes, but Lehigh Valley is an aggressive offensive team). Curious: Smyly has thrown first-pitch strikes to just three of the first 10 hitters he faced. But if you think that explains the three runs, think again: the three-run homer came on a first-pitch strike.

9:30 p.m. -- The Mud Hens are retired in the second inning, and the rain comes down hard. Second delay.

10:09 p.m. -- We're back to baseball, but I need to head to the clubhouse to talk to Drew Smyly. Back in a minute or two ...

10:25 p.m. -- Or 15. Back in action, sort of ... Smyly obviously has finished his night. He covered two innings, giving up four hits and three runs, two of which were earned. He struck out three and didn't walk anybody. Smyly threw 35 pitches, 26 of which were strikes. Need to get writing, but I'll be back in a little bit.

11:20 p.m. -- Believe it or not, I've written my game story from this contest, even though we are only in the sixth inning. I am not allowed to divulge the final score of the contest, though.

11:35 p.m. -- Here are a few quotes from Drew Smyly following the contest. When asked about pitching with the rain delays, he said, "It's kind of a buzz-kill. You're trying to get your work in, and they put the tarp on the field when you're trying to get warmed up. But that's part of the game. You can't do anything about it — you just go out and throw."

11:41 p.m. -- "Everything felt fine," Smyly said after his 35-pitch effort, which included 26 strikes. "I tried to knock some of the rust off and make sure my finger was good to go, and everything was fine. I thought my velocity was good and my command was good. I didn't really get behind anybody. It was just a high changeup and a fastball that [Erik Kratz] jumped on [for a three-run homer]. He must have been sitting on it."

11:49 p.m. -- Smyly threw 35 pitches, the overwhelming majority of which were four-seam fastballs or cut fastballs. Of those 26 fastballs, 18 of them were strikes, and the pitch speed varied between 91-34 mph (for the four-seamer) and 88-90 mph (for the cut fastball). Smyly threw one pitch at 94, four at 93, five at 92, 10 at 91; of the "cut" fastballs he threw two at 90, three at89 and one at 88. Smyly's change-up sat at 83-84 mph (two at 83, one at 84) -- and all three were strikes -- and his slider sat at 79-81 mph (one at 79, one at 80, two at 81) -- and all four were strikes.

11:57 p.m. -- Interesting to note that, with all the strikes Smyly threw (74.3 percent), he threw first-pitch strikes to just three of the 10 batters he faced (30 percent). The only batter Smyly reached a 2-0 count to was Jason Pridie -- whom he struck out. Smyly got ahead of two batters 0-2 and got a strikeout -- Pete Orr reached base on a wild throw to first after the ball was dropped -- and a double play.

12:07 a.m. -- Pitches and strikes by inning for Drew Smyly ... First inning -- 25 pitches, 18 strikes (72 percent), Second inning -- 10 pitches, eight strikes (80 percent). I once had someone ask the breakdown on the "type" of strikes, and here we go ... There were five called strikes (19.2 percent), five swinging strikes, eight foul-ball strikes (30.8 percent) and eight that were put in play.

12:20 a.m. -- About to close the blog ... Mud Hens trail 7-3 as we head to the ninth. I'll post a final score when this one ends.