Coop Scoop

Mud Hens post-game -- May 16

A few post-game notes from the Mud Hens 4-1 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from Fifth Third Field on Thursday ...

• First, the good news for the Hens: Toledo has won four in a row for the first time this season. After a 7-20 April, the Mud Hens were 10-28 until winning the final game of the four-game series at Indianapolis May 13. That game was the first win in the team's current four-game winning streak.

Here's a taste of how the Hens had struggled to start the season: Toledo has won the first three games of their series against the RailRiders (the Hens go for the sweep Friday night). This is just the SECOND series (out of 12) Toledo will win this season, and the team had lost five of its last six series (splitting one) before this win.

• RHP Brayan Villarreal struggled in his 1.2 innings of work, allowing one hit and three walks with only one strikeout. Here is all you need to know about Villarreal Thursday night: He threw 37 pitches, only 17 of which were strikes.

Want to know more? Of course you do ... He came on in the seventh with runners on first and second with one out and Toledo leading 3-1. Villarreal struck out Brennan Boesch, then walked Zoilo Almonte (on four pitches) before getting Ronnier Mustelier on a groundout to shortstop (where Argenis Diaz made a nice play in the hole and threw Mustelier out at first on a bang-bang play). Of the 10 pitches Villarreal threw that inning, all 10 were fastballs in the 96-98 mph range (three at 98, five at 97, two at 96), and five were strikes.

Then Villarreal came on for the eighth and threw 27 pitches, only 12 of which were strikes. He gave up a single and a walk, then got a grounder to third that had a chance to be a triple play -- instead the Mud Hens turned two and got runners out and second and third. With two outs and a runner on first Villarreal gave up another walk, then a flyout.

The pitch speeds for Villarreal were all over the place in the eighth. Most of the fastballs sat at 95-97 mph, although the breakdown was one at 93, one at 94, five at 95, 10 at 96, four at 97, one at 98. I theorized that Villarreal may be throwing a sinker, but I was told after the game he does not: His repertoire is four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball and slider. His slowest pitch was at 88 mph, with two at 89, one at 90 and one at 91. That is awfully fast for the slider, and obviously there weren't many of them.

In short, Villarreal struggled and pitched his way into jams, but he also managed to pitch his way out of jams.

NOTE: I was also told after the game not to believe all of the pitch speeds I saw on the scoreboard. So use them at your discretion.

• Bruce Rondon came on in the ninth and nailed down his eighth save with the Mud Hens. Rondon hit the first batter he faced -- more on that in a minute -- then got a groundout, a strikeout and a groundout to end the game.

Rondon threw just 11 pitches, eight of which were strikes. Of those 11 pitches, eight were fastballs that ranged between 94-97 mph (two at 94, three at 96, two at 97, one at 100). Of the eight fastballs, seven were strikes (two taken, three fouled, two put in play). Notice the number that were swung at and missed (zero).

Rondon threw three sliders, interestingly they all came in at 84 mph. One hit Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Corban Joseph, but it was a terrific back-foot slider to a left-handed hitter. The pitch hit Joseph on the top of the shoe, and there was discussion as to whether or not Joseph had swung at the 0-2 pitch (to my untrained eye, it looked as if he did. If he didn't, we all can agree it was close). The second slider was a ball, and the third resulted in a swing-and-miss strikeout.

In short, lately Rondon has had a better slider. He does need to keep throwing it, though, to continue the pitch's development. This is the second time I've seen Rondon have a better slider than fastball -- click here to read a May 6 post-game look at Rondon.

• As you may or may not have noticed if you read the in-game blog, OF Quintin Berry did not start Thursday's game. He is not hurt -- actually, he came on for defense in the top of the ninth inning. It also wasn't a lefty-right situation -- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre started a right-hander, Chien-Ming Wang, and the Hens used a left-handed hitter in the outfield in Danny Dorn.

When I asked Toledo manager Phil Nevin about the situation, he simply said Berry is not hurt. What Nevin didn't have to say is that Berry has been struggling at the plate: Berry hit .206 in April and just .133 in May. He also has 35 strikeouts in 36 games.

Something to remember about Berry, who has disappointed some people who thought he might make the Tigers Opening Day roster: Before last season, Berry had never played more than four games above Double-A and had never played above Triple-A. He is not extremely experienced at this level. But he does need to figure some things out at the plate.

• As a team, the Mud Hens offense is on a roll. In the team's last 10 games, the Hens have hit .294 and scored 61 runs (6.1 runs per game). In the last five contests, Toledo has hit .337 as a team and scored 34 runs (6.8 runs per game).

• There are a lot of guys who are rolling offensively, but one who should not be overlooked as C Bryan Holaday. Holaday hit .231 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs in 19 games in April, but the offense has picked up in May. This month Holaday is hitting .355 with no homers and four RBIs in just nine games. He went 4-for-4 in the 12-11 win Wednesday and is 7-for-12 in his last three games. Holaday's season numbers now are a .271 batting average with two homers and eight RBIs.

It's worth noting that Holaday has thrown out 13-of-29 would-be base stealers this season (44.8 percent). That's the second-best mark in the International League this season.

• Another hitter who seems to be figuring some things out is OF Nick Castellanos. Castellanos has hit .375 in his last 10 games with a home run, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored. In the first three games of this homestand he has gone 7-for-12 (.583) with his first Fifth Third Field home run of the season.

His recent at-bats have been very strong, full of solid contact -- his two hits today were a solid single up the middle and a line drive off the pitcher, followed by a groundout and flyball to medium depth right. Here's the best news, though: Castellanos has struck out just three times in his last 29 at-bats (a span of eight games), or one strikeout every 9.7 at-bats. Before that the 21-year-old had struck out 33 times in 34 games, or 179 at-bats (one strikeout every 5.4 at-bats).

• The Mud Hens will need to make a move after placing IF Brandon Douglas on the disabled list. Douglas did not play Thursday after suffering a shin contusion in Wednesday's win over the RailRiders.

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Mud Hens post-game -- May 7

Actually, that headline is a misnomer -- as I type this, it's May 8. But here's a few notes, numbers and news items from the 16-inning game the Mud Hens played against Rochester at Fifth Third Field Tuesday night ...

• First, the obvious: It's the longest game the Hens have played this season, surpassing the 13-inning loss to Charlotte on May 4 in terms of innings and length of game (5:17). It's worth noting, though, that these two teams played a LONGER game at Fifth Third Field LAST SEASON.

In last year's game the two teams played 19 innings, and the game last 6:32 before Rochester claimed a 10-9 victory. In last year's game, the Red Wings were the team that scored a run in the ninth to tie it. Then neither team scored again until the 19th, when Rochester scored three times and Toledo twice, just like Tuesday's 16th inning.

• Here are the raw numbers from the contest. Rochester used 21 players, including every position player on the roster along with nine pitchers. Toledo used 18 players, including every position player on the roster except Bryan Holaday, along with seven pitchers.

A total of 521 pitchers were thrown, 276 by the Red Wings and 245 by the Mud Hens. The seven Toledo pitchers combined to strike out 19, while the nine Rochester hurlers fanned 22.

• A few numbers jumped off the box score while I was typing it in. One was the misleading 0-for-4 night by Quintin Berry, who drew FOUR walks. While his batting average fell from .196 to .189, his on-base percentage rose from .281 to .295 thanks to the walks.

One player who had a good night at the plate was Jordan Lennerton, who was 3-for-8 including his fourth home run of the season. Another is Avisail Garcia, who went 4-for-8 in his first game back since Friday's injury and is now batting .563 with the Hens. A third is Ramon Cabrera, who went 3-for-3 plus a walk and a sacrifice to raise his batting average from .154 to .313 after five games with the Hens.

Lennerton, Garcia and Cabrera combined for 10 of Toledo's 15 hits.

• On the pitching side, the most misleading numbers of the night are those for Jess Todd. Because of the extra innings, Todd went 4.2 innings -- more than double his previous longest outing of the season -- and threw 60 pitches.

In his fifth inning of work, Todd gave up a single, double and home run while getting just two outs. In the four scoreless innings that preceded the 16th, Todd allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out five.

• There were several impressive relief performances by the Hens. Probably the most impressive was the two innings of work by Evan Reed, who struck out three and retired all six hitters he faced, throwing 14 of 21 pitches for strikes.

First runner up for the Hens was Matt Hoffman, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and struck out one. Nine of the 13 pitches Hoffman threw were strikes.

• It was a shaky start for Casey Crosby, who lasted just four innings because he threw 88 pitches in that period. Crosby's final line includes six hits and three walks allowed in just four innings, although he did strike out five.

Crosby came very close to being taken out of the game in the third, giving up a single and a double to the first two Rochester batters of the inning before walking the bases loaded with one out. He did rebound in time to hold the Red Wings to a single run thanks to a pair of strikeouts, but the damage already was done to his pitch count.

• It's worth noting that the Hens found a way to rally twice before losing in the 16th. The key to tying the game in the ninth was Jordan Lennerton's opposite-field home run to lead off the inning, and the Hens found a way to scratch out two runs in the 11th thanks to a pair of hits, a mistake by the Rochester defense and a sacrifice fly by Kevin Russo.

On that note, I'm going to pack up and head home. After all, the Hens and Red Wings will play again in roughly 17 hours. Good night!

Click here to read Tuesday's in-game blog of ALL 16 INNINGS!

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The Mud Hens claimed a 1-0 victory over Rochester at Fifth Third Field Monday night, and there were plenty of interesting things to analyze after the contest.

Here is a look at the night for Phil Coke, Bruce Rondon and Nick Castellanos.

First it's Coke, who began a rehab assignment by pitching the eighth inning for the Mud Hens. And let's begin with the raw numbers, which included one hit and one walk allowed in one inning, with one strikeout.

Coke threw 24 pitches, 12 balls and 12 strikes, but that is misleading since the walk was intentional. Coke threw first-pitch strikes to three of the four batters he faced (not including the intentional walk, obviously).

Coke's fastball sat at 90-92 mph (two at 90, five at 91 and three at 92), while his curveball sat at 76-79 mph (two at 76, one at 77, four at 78 and three at 79). Of the 10 fastballs Coke threw, seven were strikes (one taken, one swinging, four fouled, one put in play); of the 10 curveballs he threw, five were strikes (one taken, two fouled off, two put in play). The single came on a curveball, but Coke also got a foul popout with the curve. The fastball got a swinging strikeout and a sacrifice.

The two left-handed batters Coke faced were Clete Thomas (who, you may remember, has a pretty good eye at the plate) and Jeff Clement, a decent 4-A hitter. Coke fell behind Thomas 2-0, but got the out on a 3-2 swing-and-miss strikeout. Coke got ahead of Clement 0-2, then got a foul popout on a 3-2 pitch.

Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin said Coke would return to Toledo Tuesday, and after seeing how Coke feels, everyone will work together to dermine the lefty's next step.

"The key for me was the sacrifice," Nevin said of Coke's outing. "With a groin injury, you want to see how he can move off the mound. He got off the mound pretty well on the bunt, and he looked fine.

"He hadn't pitched in a while, so he needed to find his stuff a little bit. But he did, and he got two outs against the two lefties."

Next it's Rondon, who pitched for the Hens in the ninth and got the save by allowing just one walk in one inning of work, striking out the other three hitters he faced.

Rondon threw 18 pitches, nine of which were strikes. He threw first-pitch strikes to two of the batters he faced; he fell behind the first batter 2-0 before pumping in three straight strikes, then walked the second batter on four pitches. Rondon got ahead of the last two hitters 1-2.

Rondon's fastball sat at 95-97 mph (four at 95, two at 96, three at 97, one at 98, one at 100), while his slider sat at 86-87 mph (one at 84, two at 86, two at 87, one at 88).

Here's the key to understanding Rondon's night: He threw 12 fastballs, only four of which were strikes (one swinging, one fouled off, two taken). He threw six sliders, five of which were strikes (four swinging, one taken). All three strikeouts came on swings and misses with the slider.

"[The fastball] was elevated, which is uncommon for him," Nevin said of Rondon. "We've talked about his secondary pitches, and his slider was really good. It was sharp, and there was some deception to it, and that's why you saw the swings and misses. It was crisp.

"This is part of him learning how to pitch: Understanding what you've got that night. He's always going to have velocity, but some nights he may not have the command of the fastball. But when he's able to throwing the breaking ball like that, he's going to get outs without the fastball [command]."

Finally a word about Castellanos -- and it's about his defense, not his hitting. Offensively he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, dropping his season's batting average to .227 in 32 games.

But Castellanos came up with arguably the defensive play of the game, throwing out at Rochester baserunner at the plate from left in the second inning to keep the game scoreless. It was an impressive throw because it reached home plate on the fly and easily beat the runner, allowing catcher Bryan Holaday to catch and tag the baserunner with ease.

"In that spot, you can throw that ball in the air," Nevin explained. "With the runners on, you're not worried about the runners taking an extra base. So he made the right play there.

"It was a heck of a throw."

A few thoughts from Thursday

The Mud Hens returned home Thursday and claimed a 4-2 victory over Charlotte. Here are a few thoughts that may have slipped through the cracks Thursday ...

• Avisail Garcia is an impressive athlete. He showed a lot of his talents in his first game for the Mud Hens, both at the plate and in the field. He showed some speed chasing down a hard liner to right to make a good catch and end the second inning, and he would have easily stolen a base had not a Mud Hens hitter put the pitch in question in play.

In terms of arm strength, he nearly threw out a Charlotte baserunner on what should have been an easy double -- had Argenis Diaz held onto the throw, the runner would have been out easily.

At the plate, Garcia went 2-for-4 with two hard singles. It will be interesting to see if he makes an adjustment after the Knights pitchers seemed to adjust to him -- and struck him out in his last two at-bats. From what I saw of Garcia late last season with Detroit, his hitting is the main area he needs to work on.

• Brayan Villarreal looked sharp in his inning of work. Villarreal pitched the eighth, and he collected two strikeouts in his 1-2-3 inning (the other out was a groundout). Villarreal threw 11 pitches, eight of which were strikes, and got ahead of two of the three hitters he faced. Most impressive? Of his eight strikes, four were swings and misses, two were taken (including a called third strike), one was fouled and one was put in play. Don't have pitch speeds (gun wasn't on until game's end), but Villarreal was impressive.

• Bruce Rondon wasn't quite as sharp in his inning of work. Rondon got the final three outs to record the save, true, but there were cautions about his work. For example, he threw just four strikes among his 13 pitches (the first six pitches he threw were all outside the strike zone). He fell behind all three hitters he faced -- 3-0 to the first batter, 2-0 to the second (who hit into a double play) and 3-0 to the third (who flew out on a 3-1 pitch). Simply put, Rondon needs to throw more strikes. It's interesting to note that with the last hitter, he threw nothing but fastballs (one at 102 mph, one at 101 and three at 99), and threw three straight pitches outside the strike zone, a called strike and a ball that ended up as a harmless flyout. So those clamoring for work on his breaking stuff will have to wait until he gets fastball command back.

• A quick injury report on Danny Worth and Pat Misch. Mud Hens IF Danny Worth worked out in cleats yesterday, which is the first step in trying to come back from his heel problem. The next step will be determined by how the heel feels today. As for LHP Pat Misch, he played catch yesterday, and if his arm is up to it he will throw a side session today.

• The Mud Hens will add C Ramon Cabrera to the roster today. The player the Tigers received in trade for Andy Oliver, Ramon Cabrera hit extremely well for Double-A Erie to start this season. Cabrera batted .351 -- second-best in the Eastern League -- with no home runs and 20 RBIs in 24 games for the SeaWolves. He also had 12 walks -- giving him a .421 on-base percentage -- and just seven strikeouts. His average of a strikeout every 15.29 plate appearances was the best in the Eastern League.

Cabrera's promotion brings the Mud Hens roster to the limit of 25 players (by releasing John Lindsey, the Hens had a roster spot open). But it also gives Toledo three catchers, with isn't typical for a minor-league team.

Click here to read Thursday's game story. Click here to read Thursday's in-game blog. Click here to view the photo gallery from Thursday's game, courtesy of The Blade's Andy Morrison.

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Post-game look at Mud Hens loss to Indianapolis Monday

The Mud Hens saw Indianapolis score three times in the eighth inning and claim a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Toledo at Fifth Third Field Monday.

Here are a few notes and numbers from the game, starting with a warning ...

• Consider yourselves warned, Brandon Inge haters. There will be a story about Inge in Tuesday's Blade.

Inge's numbers for the day: He was 1-for-4 at the plate in the contest with an RBI double high off the wall in int he first inning (nearly a home run). He walked in the third, then struck out three times -- once by Pat Misch, once by Evan Reed and once by Bruce Rondon.

On the season Inge is hitting .139 for Indianapolis. But that number is somewhat misleading, because Inge missed a portion of spring training because of a fractured scapula.

• With the struggles of Brayan Villarreal and the potential of an injury to Octavio Dotel, I've had several people ask me who the most-likely call-up is to replace one, the other or both. Before I reply, let me start with a disclaimer: At this point, there's no indication that a move is happening. OK?

So what I'm about to answer is the question, "IF the Tigers decided to make a move, who is most likely to be called up?" First, I would think it would be someone on the 40-man roster, which leaves six possibilities: LHPs Duane Below and Casey Crosby and RHPs Jose Ortega, Luke Putkonen, Evan Reed and Bruce Rondon.

Here are some numbers for each with the Hens ... Below has started twice and is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA, having allowed six hits and one walk while fanning nine in 12.1 innings. Crosby has started twice and is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, having given up seven hits and eight walks while striking out nine in 7.0 innings. I'd say Below is a candidate, and Crosby is not at this point.

Among the four relievers, Ortega is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five appearances, having given up three hits and two walks while striking out six in 6.2 innings. Putkonen is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four appearances, having given up six hits and four walks while fanning eight in 8.1 innings. Reed is 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in five appearances, giving up four hits and five walks with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings. And Rondon is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five appearances, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5.2 innings. I'd say Ortega is clearly the strongest of the four candidates, and Reed is the weakest of the four candidates.

Something else to consider ... Putkonen went 1.1 innings Monday (and threw 25 pitches), Reed got one out Monday (on 14 pitches) and Rondon went 1.2 innings (and threw 32 pitches). All three will need at least one day off before they can pitch. Crosby is Tuesday's scheduled starter, Below would start Wednesday.

As for other options ... First, a reminder that Luis Marte is on the disabled list. As for non-roster candidates, Shawn Hill pitched Sunday and Pat Misch pitched Monday. Among the non-roster relievers, Kenny Faulk has allowed three hits and two walks while striking out eight in 4.1 innings in three games -- his first above the Double-A level. Matt Hoffman has given up two hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings. And Jess Todd, who does have major-league experience, has given up three hits but no walks with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

Remember, if a player who isn't on the 40-man roster has his contract purchased by the Tigers, Detroit must make room for him on the 40-man roster (and potentially lose a player). That makes it tougher for non-roster players to get called up.

Summary: I'd say Ortega or Below are the top options. Do you need a righty (Ortega) or a lefty (Below)? Do you need innings (Below) or a quick burst (Ortega)? Those are the criteria to decide.

• Saw Rondon pitch for the first time on Monday, and he was OK. But only OK, as he gave up three hits in 1.2 innings. He did strike out four, but he came in with three inherited runners -- and all three scored.

Rondon's pitch count was 32 pitches, 19 of which were strikes. He threw 18 fastballs (12 for strikes), and 14 breaking pitches, seven for strikes. Unfortunately, I'm about to start guessing -- remember, I'm charting pitches from the press box -- that five of those pitches were change-ups (two for strikes) and nine were sliders (five for strikes).

The fastball sat at 97-98 mph (five at 97, six at 98) and touched 99 twice, 100 three times and 101 once (there also was one at 95). The fastball produced two singles, one strikeout and one flyout. The change-up sat at 87-89 mph (two at 87, one at 88 and two at 89) and produced one strikeout. The slider sat at 84-86 mph (two at 84, four at 85, three at 86) and produced two strikeouts.

If you have comments and/or questions, leave them in the "post a comment" area below. I'm heading home momentarily ... I promise to respond Tuesday!

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Mud Hens post-game -- April 14

Here are a few notes following the Mud Hens' 2-1 loss to Louisville at Fifth Third Field Sunday ...

• Cincinnati fans, the answer to your questions about Tony Cingrani is ... unanswered. Louisville manager Jim Riggleman said starter Tony Cingrani was on a strict two-inning limit in Sunday's game against the Mud Hens. There is a possibility that Cingrani will replace Johnny Cueto in the Cincinnati rotation after Cueto was injured against Pittsburgh Saturday. Cueto's spot in the rotation comes Thursday.

"We had our instructions to limit Tony today," Rigglemen said after the game. "Tony will stay with us [in Columbus] and we will see what happens with Cueto If the prognosis on Cueto is not good, then maybe Tony will go. That's why we have to have [Cingrani] ready to pitch."

In his two innings of work, Cingrani did not allow a hit and struck out five. In 14 1/3 scoreless Triple-A innings this season, the 23-year-old lefty has allowed just three hits and two walks while fanning 26.

• Mud Hens OF Quintin Berry seemed to hobble after his at-bat in the sixth inning. After the game Berry had ice on his left knee, and he said he took a "false step" out of the batter's box on the groundout. He didn't seem to be 100 percent after the game, but Berry also said he doesn't expect the knee twinge to keep him out of the lineup.

• The Mud Hens added LHP Ramon Garcia to the roster. Garcia fills the spot that was opened when RHP Luis Marte went on the disabled list April 10. So if the Mud Hens need to activate RHP Jose Valverde, they now will have to make a roster move. Adding Valverde isn't something that is imminent ... Valverde is expected to pitch in an extended spring training game Monday, and his next step will be evaluated after that performance.

• Kudos to the Mud Hens organization for a little perk they gave both teams Friday. After both teams played through a cold, rainy and miserable Opening Day, the Mud Hens bought a special post-game spread for both teams. The Toledo players dined on food from The Beirut, while the Louisville players ate food from Outback Steakhouse.

• I wanted to share a great line by Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin from before the game. When he was asked about the unpredictability of the game of baseball, he said, "When you think the game starts making sense, you probably shouldn't be in it any more." Classic.

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A few post-game tidbits from Sunday

The Mud Hens suffered a 3-1 loss to Louisville at Fifth Third Field Sunday, Toledo's fifth straight setback and ninth loss in the last 10 games. The Hens are now 42-68 this season -- and with the win, the Bats are now 43-67, meaning Toledo now has the worst record in the International League.

Here are a few notes and quotes from the game, as well as some roster moves for the Mud Hens. Here we go ...

First, I talked to LHP Andy Oliver about his move to the bullpen, and he said he was comfortable with the change. "I don't have a problem with it. Whatever way I can help this team, or help [in Detroit] I'm fine with," he said. "It's definitely a different experience, and something I'll have to adjust to. But I don't think that is something that will take a long time."

I asked Oliver what the adjustments would be: "I'll need to get warmed up quicker. You don't have as many pitches to throw, so you have to get loose quicker, throw your pitches and get a good feel for them before you go out there. Also, you come into the game in the middle of the game and can come in in the middle of a situation. I don't think it's going to be a big adjustment. I don't know if it will take two or three appearances [to adjust]. But it's still pitching."

Oliver also said he has no plans to subtract pitches from his repertoire now that he is moving to the bullpen. "Until I see something different, I'm not going to change anything unless I feel a pitch isn't going to work out of the bullpen."

 Click here to read about Oliver's move to the bullpen in Sunday's Blade Mud Hens notebook.

Second, after the game the Mud Hens confirmed that LHP Drew Smyly would be joining the team. After Sunday's win in Toronto, Detroit announced that Smyly would be optioned to Toledo.

Smyly will start Tuesday's contest against Louisville, which begins at noon at Fifth Third Field. The originally scheduled starter that day, RHP Thad Weber, will have his next start pushed back until Thursday (the Hens have an off-day on Wednesday).

Thursday's originally scheduled starter, LHP Ramon Garcia, was sent to Double-A Erie after the Mud Hens' game Sunday to make room on the roster for Smyly.

Smyly was placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 7 with a right intercostal strain, basically a strained muscle in his ribcage. He threw off a mound Tuesday and Sunday without incident, indicating he was ready to return to action.

Unfortunately for him, the Tigers filled his spot in the rotation when they traded with Miami for RHP Anibal Sanchez.

Smyly made 15 starts for Detroit and was 4-3 with a 4.42 ERA. He allowed 80 hits and 21 walks in 79.1 innings, striking out 75 along the way. The 23-year-old lefty had won his last two starts with the Tigers but has not pitched in a game since July 6 against Kansas City.

It's interesting to note that Smyly has struggled in two starts with the Mud Hens and has a 12.27 ERA here. He gave up three hits and two walks that resulted in three earned runs in just 1.2 innings in an April 7 start against Indianapolis, then allowed four hits and three runs, two of which were earned in a June 21 start against Lehigh Valley that was shortened to two innings because of rain.

Next, here's an update on OF Andy Dirks, who has continued his rehab assignment with the Mud Hens. On Sunday Dirks went 0-for-4 with three groundouts -- one an inning-ending double play in the fourth -- as well as a ninth-inning strikeout in the Hens' loss to Louisville Sunday.

Dirks now has gone hitless in his last 10 at-bats, although he does have a pair of walks in that span. He currently is hitting .174 with a home run, two RBIs and a stolen base in seven games with Toledo.

In short, it's what you might expect from a player who hasn't seen live pitching in nearly two months. Dirks, you may remember, was placed on the disabled list June 3 (retroactive to May 31). because of right Achilles tendinitis.

Dirks has shown no ill effects from the injury. He seems to be running smoothly, both on the basepaths and in the outfield. Dirks just needs to continue to see live pitching to get his bat back to the place where he was before the injury -- when he hit .328 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 37 games with the Tigers.

Coming in a few minutes ... a separate story analyzing Casey Crosby's start for the Mud Hens Sunday versus Louisville.

Hens Eggs – July 28, 2012

The story in a nutshell -- or is that an egg shell? -- of the Mud Hens' 8-4 loss to Louisville at Fifth Third Field on Saturday, July 28, 2012 ...

Click here to read the in-game blog for the contest. Click here to read the game story from Saturday's contest. Click here to read the notebook from Saturday's game, which talks about Andy Oliver and his move to the bullpen.

TWITTER POST: Wilk throws 7 strong, but Louisville scores 3 in 8th & 5 in ninth to claim 8-4 victory over Hens; two teams now tied for IL's worst record

SCORING SUMMARY:

Mud Hens 1st: With Sean Gallagher pitching, Andy Dirks drew a two-out walk, stole second, and came home on a home run by John Lindsey. Mud Hens 2, Louisville 0.

Mud Hens 6th: Justin Henry is hit by a pitch, and Danny Worth walks to push Henry to second. Both runners come home on a double off the fence in right by Danny Dorn. Mud Hens 4, Louisville 0.

Louisville 8th: With Adam Wilk pitching, DiDi Gregorius tripled with one out. Reliever Luis Marte came on and gave up an RBI single to Henry Rodriguez before Neftali Soto doubled Rodriguez to third. Mike Costanzo singled to score Rodriguez and send Soto to third, and Soto came home on a two-out single by Felix Perez. Mud Hens 4, Louisville 3.

Louisville 9th: With Chris Bootcheck pitching, Denis Phipps singled with one out, moved to second on a single by Gregorius, and scored on a two-out single by Soto. Gregorius took third on Soto’s single, while Soto went to second on the throw to the plate. Costanzo was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Cody Puckett unloaded them with a grand slam to left-center. Louisville 8, Mud Hens 4.

KING OF THE ROOST: Hens LHP Adam Wilk had a lot riding on his shoulders because the Hens bullpen had been battered in recent days at Columbus. And Wilk was up to the task, shutting out Louisville on just five hits and one walk over the first seven innings. Wilk’s season ERA dropped to 2.97, which ranks among the International League leaders, but he still is 4-10 on the season. Telling statistic: Wilk has posted a “quality start,” allowing three earned runs or fewer while covering at least six innings, in nine of his last 11 starts, but is 2-6 in that span.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Even though the Mud Hens had allowed Louisville to creep back into the contest with three runs in the eighth, Toledo was one out away from claiming the victory when Hens closer Chris Bootcheck faced the Bats’ Neftali Soto with runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth. But Soto found a way to single to left to score the game’s tying run, and the wind rushed out of the Hens’ sails. But the time the inning was finished, Louisville had added a grand slam to claim the victory.

THE NUMBERS GAME: The Mud Hens have lost four in a row and are 9-17 in July and 23-56 since May 7. But all of that adds up to the worst numbers of all: Toledo now is 42-67 this season, which ties them with Louisville for the worst record in the International League.

THE HIDDEN GAME: Often we watch a baseball game thinking it happens in a “vacuum.” But the reality is that a particular day’s game may be affected by what happened the previous few days. And in this case, “what happened” the past few days is that the Toledo bullpen was forced to cover 17.1nnings (out of 24 inning) in the previous three games. Chris Bootcheck had covered 2.2 innings in two of the previous three days, while Luis Marte had covered 2.1 innings in two of the previous three days. The bullpen was in tatters, and that led directly to the loss.

TRANSACTION LOG: The Mud Hens made no moves Saturday night, but their most-recent move came Friday when LHP Andy Oliver came off the disabled list and OF Ben Guez was placed on the DL.

NEXT HOME GAME: The Mud Hens continue their series with Louisville on Sunday, July 29, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.

Hens Eggs – July 21, 2012

The story in a nutshell -- or is that an egg shell? -- of the Mud Hens' doubleheader against Indianapolis at Fifth Third Field on Saturday, July 21, 2012 ...

GAME ONE

TWITTER POST: Weber throws complete-game 5-hitter, Hens score 1 in 6th, 2 in 7th to claim 3-1 Game 1 victory over Indianapolis at FTF Saturday

SCORING SUMMARY:

Mud Hens 5th: With Rudy Owens pitching, Danny Dorn is hit by a pitch with one out, moves to third on a double by Bryan Holaday, then scores on a two-out single by Audy Ciriaco. Mud Hens 1, Indianapolis 0.

Indianapolis 6th: With Thad Weber pitching, Anderson Hernandez doubles with two outs and scores on a double by Chase d’Arnaud. Mud Hens 1, Indianapolis 1.

Mud Hens 6th: With one out Argenis Diaz doubled, then scored on a triple by Ben Guez. John Lindsey drew a walk, and Jerad Head singled to score Guez. Mud Hens 3, Indianapolis 1.

KING OF THE ROOST: Hens RHP Thad Weber was impressive, allowing just one baserunner (on an error) in the first four innings, and he promptly erased that baserunner with a double play. In the fifth Indianapolis got an infield hit, but Weber erased that baserunner with a double play. Weber finished the seven-inning game with a five-hitter; he didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven. He improved his season’s record to 6-8 while lowering his ERA to 3.55.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Indianapolis scored a run in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game, but the Mud Hens promptly took the lead for good in the bottom of that inning. After a double by Argenis Diaz, the key hit was a triple by Ben Guez that reached the wall in right-center, scoring Diaz with the go-ahead run while putting Guez in position to score an insurance run.

THE WEB GEM: There was a near-miss on the defensive play of the game, and it came with Indianapolis batting in the top of the sixth. With two outs and Anderson Hernandez on second base, Chase d’Arnaud hit a sinking line drive to left. Toledo’s Jerad Head nearly made a fine sliding catch on the ball. Head put his glove on the ball, but contact with the field seemed to knock it out of his glove for the hit that scored the game-tying run.

THE NUMBERS GAME: The Mud Hens got the key hits late in the game to pull out the win, but they allowed Indianapolis to stay in the game by struggling when batting with runners in scoring position. They were 0-for-6 in those situations until Audy Ciriaco had that RBI single in the sixth, and the Hens finished the game 3-for-11.

THE HIDDEN GAME: Mud Hens starter Thad Weber was in command for the first five innings, but he did his best pitching in the last two frames. After Chase d’Arnaud tied the game with a double, Weber hit Jose Tabata with a pitch to bring Starling Marte, arguably the Indians’ best hitter, to the plate with a chance to give Indianapolis the lead. But Weber got Marte to hit into an inning-ending fielder’s choice. Then in the seventh, Weber got two strikeouts before giving up a double and a single that put the tying runs on first and third base. But Weber nailed down the complete game victory with a flyout.

GAME TWO

TWITTER POST: Indy's 7-run 2nd inning, which benefited from 6 hits and shaky Hens defense, lifts Indians to 9-3 victory over Mud Hens in 2nd game Saturday

SCORING SUMMARY:

Indianapolis 2nd: With Rob Waite pitching, Matt Hague leads off with an infield single. Then with two outs, Brandon Boggs hits a slow roller to second base that Argenis Diaz misplays for an error. Eric Fryer singles to score Hague and second Boggs to third; Boggs and Fryer both scored on a double by Brian Friday. Anderson Hernandez hits a grounder into the hole at shortstop that handcuffs Audy Ciriaco and is ruled a single, sending Friday to third. Jose Tabata then hits a grounder behind second that Ciriaco grabs but isn’t able to turn into an out, resulting in a single that scores Friday and sends Hernandez to second. A walk to Starling Marte loads the bases, and Hague unloads them with a three-run double. Indianapolis 7, Mud Hens 0.

Mud Hens 2nd: With Kris Johnson pitching, Jerad Head leads off with a double to left, then scores on a two-run double by Ciriaco. Indianapolis 7, Mud Hens 1.

Mud Hens 3rd: Justin Henry and Diaz lead off with singles to put runners on first and second, and Head is hit bit a pitch with two outs to load the bases. Danny Dorn follows with an RBI single. Indianapolis 7, Mud Hens 2.

Mud Hens 5th: With Bryan Morris pitching, Ben Guez drew a one-out walk, went to third on a double by John Lindsey and scored on a single by Head. Indianapolis 7, Mud Hens 3.

Indianapolis 7th: With Luke Putkonen pitching, Tabata and Marte lead off with singles, putting runners on first and third with no one out. With the infield in, Marte took second on defensive indifference, and Hague drove a two-run single through the drawn-in infield. Indianapolis 9, Mud Hens 3.

KING OF THE ROOST: Hens LF Jerad Head reached base in three of his four plate appearances on the night. He doubled and scored in the second, was hit by a pitch in the third, and singled in a run in the fifth before flying out to end the game. Head’s 2-for-3 night at the plate lifted his season’s batting average to .267.

PLAY OF THE GAME: The second inning started out harmlessly enough for Indianapolis, as Rob Waite seemed poised to pitch around a leadoff single by getting back-to-back strikeouts. Then Brandon Boggs hit a slow roller to second; it wasn’t an easy play, but it was a play Argenis Diaz should have made. He didn’t though, and that opened the door for the Indians to score seven times and cruise to the win.

THE WEB GEM: There wasn’t one “web gem” in this game: there were FOUR. The Mud Hens turned four double plays in the contest – one in the first, third, fourth and seventh innings. The twin-killing in the third was especially important, since Indy already led 7-1 and had the bases loaded with one out. But Luke Putkonen got Anderson Hernandez to hit into a double play to end the inning and keep the score at 7-1.

THE NUMBERS GAME: Because of the error by Argenis Diaz in the second, all seven runs given up by Rob Waite in the second were unearned. Have you ever seen a pitching line where a guy gave up nine hits and seven runs in 2.1 innings, and ALL SEVEN runs were unearned? Me neither.

THE HIDDEN GAME: There are times where teams bunch together lots of hits to produce a big inning, but more often there are mistakes and misplays that open the door for that opportunity. Indy’s seven-run second-inning rally was an example of the latter. There was an error by Argenis Diaz that opened up the inning, but there also were several other plays the Mud Hens could have made to limit the damage. The grounder by Anderson Hernandez to Audy Ciriaco at shortstop should have been the final out of the inning (that would have kept the score at 3-0), and then a grounder up the middle by Jose Tabata should have been an out as well (that also would have kept the score at 3-0).

NEXT HOME GAME: The Mud Hens continue their series with Indianapolis at Fifth Third Field on Sunday, July 22, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.

Thursday's post-game analysis of Jackson, Oliver and Brantly

A few facts, thoughts and observations following the Mud Hens' 6-1 loss to Charlotte at Fifth Third Field Thursday in Austin Jackson's first of two games in a rehab assignment with Toledo ...

Let's cut to the chase and take a look at Austin Jackson and his play with the Mud Hens, shall we?

First, the numbers: Jackson was 0-for-4 at the plate, striking out after working a full count in the first inning, working another full count before grounding out to second in the fourth inning, striking out on three pitches in the sixth and grounding out in the ninth in a six-pitch at-bat, with this one moving a runner to third base.

Jackson looked OK at the plate, but not great. The original plan was for him to take three at-bats, then leave the game. He said afterwards that he felt good, so he wanted that fourth at-bat to try and get a little sharper.

Defensively he had three putouts: in the first inning he got turned around on a fly ball, but made a nifty pirouette on the way to making a catch, and he made two catches in the eighth, including one after a long run. He nearly made the catch on the three-run double by Greg Golson in the ninth; he seemed to get a late start on the ball, which was hit to the deepest part of the field.

After the game, he said he felt good. He looked forward to seeing if he still felt good Friday, a day after playing, and that his goal for Friday's game was to get sharp to return to Detroit. He also said the potential for a return to Detroit would be evaluated after Friday's game.

For those of you wondering: P.F. Chang's was the post-game spread courtesy of Jackson Thursday, and Friday's post-game spread is expected to come from Outback Steakhouse.

Let's turn our attention to the start by Toledo's Andy Oliver, shall we? Oliver pitched very well except for one mistake, and that -- along with the struggles of the Mud Hen offense -- cost the lefty a loss.

First, the raw numbers: Oliver went 7.2 innings, his longest start for the Mud Hens this season, allowing five hits and two walks while fanning six. All three runs came on one swing of the bat: Oliver left and change-up high in the strike zone, and Charlotte's Drew Garcia hit a high fly ball down the left-field line that stayed fair and cleared the fence for his first home run of the season.

I think it's interesting to note that Oliver struck out Garcia on a change-up in his first at-bat. In short, pitch selection was good, pitch execution was not.

After back-to-back five-walk efforts in his last two starts, Oliver's two walks on Thursday were a good sign. He threw a total of 115 pitches, 73 of which were strikes (63.5 percent), and it broke down this way:

• First inning: 12 pitches, 8 strikes (66.7 percent)
• Second inning: 14 pitches, 11 strikes (78.6 percent)
• Third inning: 10 pitches, 7 strikes (70 percent)
• Fourth inning: 20 pitches, 13 strikes (65 percent)
• Fifth inning: 19 pitches, 11 strikes (57.9 percent)
• Sixth inning: 19 pitches, 9 strikes (47.4 percent)
• Seventh inning: 8 pitches, 6 strikes (75 percent)
• Eighth inning: 13 pitches, 7 strikes (53.8 percent)

As you look at those numbers, it's clear Oliver's command dropped a little bit after the fourth inning. Another example of that drop in command is Oliver's first-pitch strike totals: for the game he threw first-pitch strikes to 15-of-31 Charlotte hitters he faced (48.4 percent), but that number is deceiving. In the first four innings the southpaw threw first-pitch strikes to 10-of-17 hitters (58.8 percent), and in the four innings that followed he threw first-pitch strikes to just 5-of-14 (35.7 percent).

Oliver reached an 0-2 count to eight difference hitters (five in the first four innings, three in the final four) and got eight outs, but only two strikeouts. Oliver fell behind 2-0 to eight hitters (one in the third, one in the fourth, and two each in the fifth, sixth and eighth -- notice a pattern?), and got five outs (two by strikeout) along with two walks and a double. And the 24-year-old reached a three-ball count seven times (once in the first, once in the fourth, twice in the fifth and sixth and once in the eight), and those plate appearances resulted in four outs (curiously, three by strikeout) as well as a single and the two walks.

Ready for pitch speeds? Here we go ... Oliver's fastball sat at 93-94 mph (six at 91, four at 92, 27 at 93, 20 at 94, three at 95 and two at 96), while his change-up sat at 85-86 mph (11 at 85, 12 at 86, three at 87) and his slider sat at 83-84 mph (five at 83, 15 at 84).

And yes, I know I'm missing pitches. There was a no-hitter keeping me busy, remember.

Not sure if this means anything, but putting it out there ... of the 115 pitches Oliver threw, 13 resulted in a swing and a miss (11.3 percent). Of those 13 swings, six came on the fastball, six came on the change-up and one came on the slider.

And I'm not sure if this means anything, but of the pitches I charted, 27-of-62 that ranged between 91-96 mph (fastballs) were called balls (43.5 percent), while 3-of-18 between 85-87 (change-ups) were called balls (16.7 percent) and 7-of-20 between 83-84 mph (sliders) were called balls (35 percent).

Finally, a few thoughts on the newest Mud Hen catcher, Rob Brantly. The 22-year-old went 0-for-2 in the contest, striking out in the second, drawing a walk in the fifth and hitting into a double play to end the seventh.

In his first two games with Toledo, Brantly is hitting .200 (1-for-5) with a single, a walk and a strikeout.

Offensively, it's easy to see why he was the hardest player to strike out in the Eastern League. He has a short swing built for contact ... it doesn't seem to have a lot of power (although Brantly did have three home runs for Double-A Erie), but he seems to be able to put the ball in play.

Brantly also seems to have a good eye and is willing to work counts. After striking out on three pitches in his first at-bat against Charlotte's Terry Doyle Thursday, Brantly got ahead 3-0, allowed the count to go full, and drew a walk in the second. In the final at-bat the count reached 2-2 before he hit the grounded that became a double play.

Defensively, he seems to call a good game. I don't remember either pitcher he worked with shaking him off a lot. His throwing to second is a little unorthodox, but Charlotte didn't run against him (the Knights' steal came on a play where Oliver picked the runner off first, but the throw to second was too slow to retire the baserunner).

I'd like to see more of Brantly before I make a final decision, but he does seem to be a talented player.

Click here to read Thursday's in-game blog, which includes updates on Ryan Raburn, Matt Hoffman, and much more.