Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Sunday (8/29/2010):

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 4/4 with a two-run HR, a walk and 3 runs scored in an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, raising his season batting average to .300 for the first time since June 28. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .422 in August, with a 5-hit game, a 4-hit game, three 3-hit performances, and six 2-hit games. Adding in 13 walks, his August on-base percentage is a sweet .495.
• RP Craig Breslow of the Oakland A’s pitched 2 hitless innings in an 8-2 win over the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old middle reliever is 4-4 with a 3.39 and 2 saves. He has 60 strikeouts in 58 ^1/3 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .202 batting average.
• In a rehab assignment with the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers), 2B Ian Kinsler hit an RBI single and scored a run as the RoughRiders beat the Midland RockHounds 6-4. In five games with Frisco, Kinsler is 4/15 (.267) with 4 RBIs and 2 walks. He has been on the disabled list since July 28.
• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) pitched 6 scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over the Arkansas Travelers. A 24-year-old Clemson recruit, Kopp allowed 7 hits and no walks while striking out four. He got out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the 5th inning by getting one batter to pop out and two to fan. Kopp was 0-5 during a stretch in “AAA” this season but is 12-3 with Springfield.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 2/5 with a double and a home run in a 9-5 loss to the Great Falls Voyagers. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the league in doubles (23) and runs scored (62), ranks 2nd in OPS (.991), and has the third-highest batting average (.355).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (8/28/2010):

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/4 with two doubles and scored the winning run in an 11-inning, 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .395 in August after batting just .200 in July. For the season, Braun is batting .295 with 18 HRs and 77 RBIs.
• Just off the disabled list, SP Jason Hirsh of the “AAA” Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees pitched two scoreless innings in a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Bisons. The 6’8″ right-hander removed himself from the game after feeling shoulder pain resume.
• C Charlie Cutler of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) went 3/4 with an RBI single and scored a run in a 10-5 victory over the Arkansas Travelers. The 24-year-old San Francisco native hit .292 with the “A-advanced” Palm Beach Cardinals earlier this season but has struggled in “AA” ball, where he is hitting .214.
• 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) hit an RBI double and drew a walk in a 3-2 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The victory clinched the TinCaps’ second consecutive trip to the playoffs. A 6’7″ native of Wellesley, Mass., Freiman leads the TinCaps in doubles (36), HRs (14/tie) and RBIs (74/tie).
• RF David Rubinstein of the “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) went 2/4 with an RBI single in a 7-4 loss to the Augusta GreenJackets. An 11th-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Rubinstein ranks 2nd among Power players in batting average (.286), doubles (34) and stolen bases (21), and is 4th in on-base percentage (.346) and slugging percentage (.406).
• Playing in the DH slot, 1B Mike Schwartz of the rookie-league Bristol White Sox (Chicago White Sox) went 1/4 with a two-run single in a 9-6 win over the Pulaski Mariners. A 2010 draftee with an uncanny ability to draw walks — he leads the Sox with 26 in just 105 at-bats — Schwartz is batting .248 with an on-base percentage of .423.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Wednesday (8/25/2010):

No Jewish pitchers played in the majors or minors. Here’s how our batters did:

• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 1/3 with a 2-run triple — his first MLB three-bagger — and a walk in a 6-3 defeat of the Seattle Mariners. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .325, tops among AL rookies. He is third among rookie is on-base percentage (.371) and slugging percentage (.438).
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 1/4 with a two-run double in a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The double was his 34th of the season, 4th highest in the NL. Braun is batting .293 with 18 HRs and 77 RBIs.
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) extended his hitting streak to 10 games, going 3/5 with 2 doubles and a run scored in a 10-3 loss to the New Orleans Zephyrs. According to this article, Stern is hitting a league-best.375 since July 1. He is batting .329 for the season.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) blasted a 3-run HR and walked twice in a 5-1 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The home run was Lavarnway’s 4^th in the past 5 games. In a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .288 with 21 HRs, 92 RBIs, a .391 on-base percentage and .493  slugging percentage.
• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) singled and drew a bases-loaded walk in a 5-2 win over the Erie SeaWolves. A 2^nd-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Kipnis is batting .326 with 9 HRs and 38 RBIs since being promoted to the Aeros mid-season. He leads the team in on-base percentage (.405) and ranks 3^rd in slugging percentage (.516) and on-base plus slugging (.921).
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) reached base three times (single, walk, hit-by-pitch) and drove in the Mets’ lone run in a 9-1 plundering by the Reading Phillies. In a season split between Binghamton and the “A+” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .322 with 11 HRs, 38 doubles, 73 RBIs and a .410 on-base percentage.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 3/5 with two runs scored in a 6-3 win over the Great Falls Voyagers, raising his batting average to .360, second-best in the league. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman has 7 HRs, 22 doubles, 35 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .993 in 225 at-bats. He has scored a league-best 59 runs.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Thursday (8/26/2010):

• Fresh off his first visit to the disabled list in an 18-year career, C Brad Ausmus of the Los Angeles Dodgers went 3/4 and scored a run in a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was the 81^st time Ausmus has had 3 or more hits in a game but the first time in more than two years. (He went 4/4 against the Brewers on July 27, 2008.) Ausmus is batting .240, with 2 RBIs in 50 at-bats.
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) stroked a pinch-hit RBI single in a 7-3 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs. The 30-year-old University of Nebraska alum ranks 1^st on the Sounds in on-base percentage (.397) and 2^nd in batting average (.324).
• 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) went 2/5 with two doubles and a run scored in a 6-4 win over the Great Lakes Loons. A 6’7″ native of Wellesley, Mass., he leads the TinCaps in HRs (14/tie) and ranks 2^nd in doubles (34), RBIs (73) and slugging percentage (.447).
• In his sixth appearance (and first start) since being promoted to “A” ball, RP Jason Markovitz of the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 3 scoreless innings en route to a 6-3 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits. The 21-year-old rookie gave up just one hit and 2 walks while striking out four. The performance marked a significant recovery from Markovitz’s most recent outing, when he gave up two singles, a double, a grand-slam HR and a walk in less than an inning of relief.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/3 with a solo HR and a walk in a 6-3 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The home run — Lavarnway’s 4^th in the past seven games — put the Sea Dogs ahead 3-2, but the lead didn’t last. In 114 games this season with Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .287 with 20 HRs, 89 RBIs, a .388 on-base percentage and .486  slugging percentage.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Wednesday (8/25/2010):

In the Majors:

• SP Jason Marquis of the Washington Nationals had the best outing of his injury-plagued season, pitching 7 ^2/3 innings of one-run ball in a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The 32-year-old veteran gave up just 4 hits and 2 walks and received a modest ovation as he left the game. Marquis is 0-7 this season with an 8.79 ERA.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 3/4 with an RBI groundout in a 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .330, tops among AL rookies.
• 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets hit an RBI triple — his first three-bagger in the majors — in a 5-4 loss to the Florida Marlins. Davis is 2^nd among N.L. rookies in RBIs (57) and 3^rd in HRs (15) and runs scored (54).
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers hit an RBI double and threw Manny Ramirez out at home plate in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year, Braun has hit .410 in his last 10 games and is batting .296 for the season.

In the minors, Jewish pitchers were unbeatable:

• SP Eric Berger of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) gave up just one hit and 2 walks over 6 innings in an 8-1 win over the Bowie Baysox. Since being demoted from “AAA” ball earlier this season, the 24-year-old has a 5-5 record with a 5.68 ERA, 60 strikeouts and 43 walks.
• SP Dylan Axelrod of the “A+” Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) pitched 7 shutout innings in a 5-0 triumph over the Lynchburg Hillcats, striking out 8 batters and walking only one. Since being promoted to the Dash, Axelrod is 7-2 with a 2.03 ERA, 76 strikeouts and just 11 walks.
• In his second game since being promoted to the “A” Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians), SP Jason Knapp gave up one hit over 5 innings in a 3-1 victory over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The 19-year-old phenom struck out 6 batters and walked none. He pitched 4 no-hit innings in his 8/20/2010 Captains debut.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — 1B Josh Whitesell left the “AAA” Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals) in June to join the Tokyo Yokult Swallows. So how’s he doing so far?

Jewish Baseball News checked, and it turns out he’s kicking butt.

Through Aug. 22, the 28-year-old former major-leaguer was batting .324 with 10 HRs and 34 RBIs in just 136 at-bats. Whitesell leads the Swallows in on-base percentage (.436), slugging percentage (.647), and on-base plus slugging (1.083). His rate of one HR per 13.6 at bats is by far the club’s best. And despite having no experience with the smaller Japanese strike zone, few teammates walk more often than Whitesell.

According to a recent article in the Japanese press (8/10/2010), Whitesell has provided a “big boost” to the Swallows, helping it win roughly 70% of its games. (Overall, the team has a 53-54 record this season, along with two tie games.)

Financially speaking, Whitesell was smart to leave for Japan. Although he arrived roughly 70 games into the season, he reportedly is receiving more than $300,000 to play the remainder, far more than he would have made with the Chiefs.

Whether his stellar performance will make him more marketable back in the U.S., however, remains to be seen.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The New York Mets will host their annual Jewish Heritage Day at Citi Field on Sunday, Aug. 29, and they’re offering discounts to those in the know.

The Heritage Day festivities begin at 1:10 pm with a pre-game program of Jewish entertainment, a rendition of “God Bless America” by Jewish a capella singers Six13, and a regularly scheduled game against the Houston Astros. The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York is cosponsoring the event.

At least four ballplayers in the Mets’ franchise are Jewish. In addition to rookie 1B Ike Davis, who made his major-league debut on April 19, they include standout 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets and pitchers Jeremy Gould and Jeffrey Kaplan of the rookie-league GCL Mets.

To order tickets, go to mets.com/jcrc and click on the green button  that says “Click here to purchase tickets.” When you reach the Group Ticket Window, log in using the Jewish Heritage Day discount code for the sign-in I.D. (JCRC) and password (METS), all in CAPs.

Let’s support the Mets for supporting us.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday (8/24/2010):

• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) went 2/4 with an RBI single in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Clippers. A Houston native who was selected in the 19^th round of the 2008 amateur draft, Guez  is batting .273 with 9 HRs and 30 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” mid-season. His .361 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage rank 2^nd and 3^rd among Mud Hens with at least 150 at-bats. Toledo is in last place in its division with a 61-69 record.
• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) went 2/4 with an RBI single in a 6-3 victory over the Bowie Baysox. A 2^nd-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Kipnis is batting .319 with 9 HRs and 37 RBIs since being promoted to the Aeros mid-season. He leads the team in on-base percentage (.400) and ranks 3^rd in slugging percentage (.515). Akron is fourth in its division with a 65-64 record.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went a combined 4/8 with a double and 3 runs scored in a double-header sweep of the New Britain Rock Cats. In a season split between Binghamton and the “A+” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .324 with 11 HRs, 38 doubles, 72 RBIs and a .410 on-base percentage. Binghamton is third in its division with a 62-65 record.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 1/3 with a solo HR in a 6-3 loss to the Harrisburg Senators. It was his second opposite-field HR in as many days and third dinger in the past five games. In 114 games this season with Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .284 with 19 HRs, 88 RBIs, a .384 on-base percentage and .477  slugging percentage. Portland is fifth in its division with a 61-67 record.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 2/3 with a double, 3 walks, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored in a 13-3 crushing of the Billings Mustangs. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is batting .356 with 7 HRs, 22 doubles, 35 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .998 in 216 at-bats. His team-leading 57 runs scored is 21 more than the next-highest player. Ogden leads its division with a 15-8 record.
• Lemmerman’s teammate, RP Andrew Pevsner of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers), pitched 2 scoreless innings in the win over the Mustangs, giving up 2 hits and one walk while striking out four. A 16^th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, Pevsner is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and is averaging one strikeout per inning.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (8/23/2010):

Two “AAA” players went head-to-head…

• As expected, the Chicago Cubs sent OF Sam Fuld back down to “AAA” on Monday to make room for 1B Micah Hoffpauir, but Fuld made the best of it. The 28-year-old stroked a pinch-hit triple in the 7^th inning to start a rally against the Nashville Sounds. Chicago had promoted Fuld to fill a roster vacancy created when 1B Derrek Lee was traded to the Atlanta Braves. During his three-game stint in the bigs, Fuld, a defensive specialist, went 0/2.
• Thanks in part to LF Adam Stern, the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) defeated the Iowa Cubs 8-6. The 30-year-old Canadian went 2/4 with a walk and two runs scored, raising his batting average to .322, second highest on the team. Like Fuld, Stern had a brief stint in this majors this season, going 0/8.

In other minor-league news…

• SP Daniel Rosenbaum of the “A+” Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals) pitched masterfully against the Wilmington Blue Hooks, giving up just one hit (a solo HR) and one walk over 6 innings while striking out four. The 22-year-old Xavier University recruit left the game with the Nationals ahead 3-1, but his relievers couldn’t hold the lead, and the Nationals fell 6-3. In a season split between the Nationals and the “A” Hagerstown Suns, Rosenbaum is a combined 4-7 with 107 strikeouts, 38 walks and a 2.34 ERA.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with a double, a HR and a walk in a 10-5 victory over the Harrison Senators. In a season split between the Sea Dogs and the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .284 with 18 HRs, 87 RBIs, a .383 on-base percentage and .470 slugging percentage. Over his past 10 games he is batting .361 with a .465 on-base percentage and .611 slugging percentage.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Sunday (8/22/2010):

• Batting eighth, 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 1/3 with a solo HR in a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels. It was the 25-year-old rookie’s second home run since being promoted to the majors earlier this season, and MLB.com called it “mammoth.” Valencia is batting .328.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers hit an RBI single, a two-run HR and walked twice in a 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres. It was Braun’s second straight game with a homer after going without one for nearly a month, and it ended Padres starter Jon Garland’s scoreless streak at 21 innings. Braun is batting .296 with 18 HRs and 73 RBIs.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) went 3/5 with two doubles and an RBI in a 10-2 rout of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. A 5^th-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft (171^st overall), Haerther is ranked 2^nd on the Kernels in home runs (7/tie) and 3^rd in batting average (.311) and RBIs (64).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — I’ve been reading up on SP Jason Knapp of the “A” Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians), and it’s hard not to be impressed.

Although just 19 years old — he turns 20 later this month — the right-hander is a veteran of the ups and downs that come with being a professional athlete.

He was just 17 when the Philadelphia Phillies chose him in the second round (71^st pick overall) of the 2008 amateur draft, a 6’5″ flamethrower out of Annandale’s North Hunterdon High School who turned down a scholarship offer from the University of North Carolina to go pro and was rewarded with a $590,000 signing bonus.

Knapp wasted little time impressing. In six starts and 31 innings pitched for the Phil’s rookie-league team, he went 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA, struck out 38 and gave up just one HR.

His 2009 season was a mixed bag. Although Knapp went 2-7 with a 4.01 ERA, he struck out 111 batters in 85 ^1/3 innings. The Cleveland Indians were sufficiently intrigued that they made him the lynchpin of a 6-player trade that sent Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee to the World Series-bound Phillies.

But Knapp, who already had spent time on the disabled list for bicep tendinitis, soon succumbed to shoulder fatigue and ended up undergoing surgery. Although Baseball America didn’t lose faith — it ranked him #64 on its 2010 list of the top 100 minor-league prospects, two spots behind Ike Davis — the injuries were worrisome.

Since returning to baseball this month with the Indians’ rookie-league team, Knapp has erased a lot of those concerns.

In 5 starts, he went 0-2 with a 1.46 ERA, giving up just 2 earned runs over 12 ^1/3 innings and striking out 18, or roughly half the batters he faced.

That earned him a promotion to the “A” Lake County Captains, where his Aug. 20 debut was nothing short of spectacular. Knapp pitched 4 no-hit innings and struck out 7 before the Captains decided to give his shoulder a rest.

Whether Knapp becomes the next Great Jewish Pitcher remains to be seen. The big leagues aren’t like high school, where he could toss fastballs nearly 90% of the time and get by. He continues to develop other pitches and has impressed the Indians’ management with his maturity and dedication.

According to an 8/20/2010 article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Knapp “is expected to make four to six starts for Lake county and then go to the Arizona Instructional League.” Depending how that goes, next season should see him in a “AA” Akron Aeros uniform, alongside 2B (and fellow Jew) Jason Kipnis.

Not bad for 19.

— Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (8/21/2010):

The dominant theme? Home runs…

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/4 with a solo HR (see video) and a walk in a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres.  The homer, his 17^th of the season, was his first since July 24. Braun made a spectacular catch to rob Scott Hairston of an extra-base hit (see video).
• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) went 2/3 with a solo HR, a sacrifice fly, and a walk in an 8-4 triumph over the Columbus Clippers. A 23-year-old from Houston, Guez  is batting .273 with 9  HRs and 29  RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” mid-season.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went 1/3 with a solo HR and a sacrifice fly in a 10-4 loss to the Altoona Curve. In a season split between Binghamton and the “A+” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .320 with 11 HRs, 36 doubles, 72 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 1/3 with a two-run HR and a walk in an 8-5 win over the Great Falls Voyagers. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is batting .349 with 7 HRs, 21 doubles, 32 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .980 in 209 at-bats.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Friday (8/20/2010):

Four MLB players had two hits apiece…

• C Brad Ausmus of the Los Angeles Dodgers had his best day at the plate since returning from the disabled list, going 2/3 with two singles in a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. A 41-year-old enjoying his 18^th MLB season, Ausmus is batting .209 in 43 at-bats.
• 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets went 2/4 with two singles and an RBI in a 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis, a rookie, is batting .243 and ranks 2^nd on the Mets in home runs (15), RBIs (56) and strikeouts (106), and 4^th in runs scored (51). He has struggled of late, batting just .143 over his past 10 games.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/4 with two walks and two RBIs in a 10-6 victory over the San Diego Padres. A 26-year-old in his fourth major-league season, Braun has hit .353 in his last 10 games and .292 for the season.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins continues to impress, going 2/4 in a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .335, tops among AL rookies.

One MLB pitcher shined…

• RP Craig Breslow of the Oakland A’s pitched a scoreless 9^th inning to preserve a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out 2 of the three batters he faced. It was just the third career save for Breslow, who typically is used in a middle-relief role. The 30-year-old Yale Alum is 4-3 with a 3.13 ERA. He has 55 strikeouts in 54 ^2/3 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .201 batting average.

And in the minors…

• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) went 2/5 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs in a 6-3 win over the Salt Lake Bees. Rapoport, 25, is batting .264 with 2 HRs and 29 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” earlier this season. He has 4 triples and 8 stolen bases for the Redbirds.
• SP Jason Knapp of the “A” Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) pitched 4 innings of no-hit ball, struck out 7 batters and walked two in a 5-3 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Thursday (8/19/2010):

• Batting leadoff, LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) went 3/4 and scored 1 run in an 8-7 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The 30-year-old Canadian — who went 0/8 in brief stints with the Brewers this season — is hitting .309 (3^rd highest on the team) with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs in 230 at-bats.
• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) had his longest outing of the season, pitching 7 ^1/3 innings in a 4-2 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks. A 24-year-old Clemson recruit, Kopp gave up 6 hits and walked one while striking out two. He was 0-5 during a stretch in “AAA” this season but is 11-3 with the Cardinals.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went 2/5 with a double, HR and 2 RBIs in a 5-0 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Since being promoted to “AA” ball mid-season, Satin is batting .327 with  a .416 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. The 25-year-old Berkeley recruit has batted.450 in his last 10 games, with 4 HRs, 11 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.372.
• Playing in the DH position, C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with a HR and one RBI in a 9-8 victory over the Altoona Curve. In a season split between the Sea Dogs and the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .281 with 17 HRs, 86 RBIs, a .379 on-base percentage and .462 slugging percentage.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — As predicted, the Chicago Cubs recalled LF Sam Fuld from “AAA” today (8/19/2010) and immediately put him to work.

With the San Diego Padres ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the 6^th inning, Fuld was sent in to pinch-hit for starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano. A 28-year-old veteran whose most recent MLB at-bat was on Oct. 4, 2009, Fuld took the first pitch for a ball, then flied out to center field on an 87 m.p.h. changeup. The Cubs went on to score 2 runs in the inning but eventually lost 5-3.

Fuld’s stay is likely to be brief. He was brought up to fill a vacancy created when 1B Derrek Lee was traded to the Atlanta Braves and is expected to be sent down again when 1B Micah Hoffpauir becomes eligible for promotion in several days.

Fuld is the 14^th Jewish player to play major-league ball this season. A speedy baserunner with a reputation for hustle and spectacular catches — check out this video of a catch he made to rob fellow Hebe Brad Ausmus of extra bases last year — he is batting .266 with the “AAA” Iowa Cubs, along with 8 triples (tied for 3^rd most in the league), 18 stolen bases, a .367 on-base percentage, and a team-best walk-to-strikeout ratio  of 51/31.

Fuld has had two prior MLB stints, both with the Cubs. In 2009 he hit .299 and had a .409 on-base percentage in 97 at-bats. In 2007 he went hitless in six at-bats but walked three times.

The Stanford alum, who stands a mere 5’10”, has been treated for Type 1 diabetes since age 10.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It may be for just a couple days, but it looks like the Chicago Cubs will be calling up LF Sam Fuld (8/19/2010).

MLB.com reports that Fuld will fill the roster space left by 1B Derrek Lee, who was traded Wednesday (8/18/2010) to the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs reportedly had hoped to call up 1B Micah Hoffpauir but he temporarily was ineligible due to a recent stint at Wrigley. Another web site called the Hoffpauir snafu “an unfortunate error.”

If Fuld gets any playing time with the Cubs, he will be the 14^th Jewish player to play major-league ball this season. A speedy baserunner with a reputation for hustle and spectacular catches, the 28-year-old Stanford alum is batting .266 with the “AAA” Iowa Cubs, along with 8 triples (tied for 3^rd best in the league), 18 stolen bases, a .367 on-base percentage, and a team-best walk-to-strikeout ratio (51/31).

Fuld has had two prior MLB stints, both with the Cubs. In 2009 he his .299 and and had a .409 on-base percentage in 97 at-bats. In 2007 he went hitless in six at-bats but walked three times.

Jewish Baseball News thanks reader (and Sam Fuld fan) Jessica Rosner for the tip.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Wednesday (8/18/2010):

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins singled in the go-ahead run en route to a 7-5 win over the White Sox (see video). The 25-year-old rookie went 1/4 and is batting .331, tops among AL rookies.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) continued his torrid hitting streak, going 3/5 with two doubles, a walk and 2 RBIs in a 14-4 victory over the Billings Mustangs. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is ranked 1^st in the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (21) and runs scored (52), 2^nd in slugging percentage (.560), 3^rd in on-base percentage (.424), and 6^th in batting average (.355).
• RP Jeff Urlaub of the rookie-league AZL Athletics (Oakland Athletics) pitched 2 scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the AZL Rangers, giving up just one hit and walking none. A 30^th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft (905^th overall), Urlaub has a 2.31 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 23/3.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday (8/17/2010):

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 with two doubles in a 7-6 win over Chicago White Sox. Valencia is 8/15 over his last four games and batting .333 for the season, tops among AL rookies.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 1/2 with a home run, walk and 2 RBIs in a 7-4 win over the Billings Mustangs. A 21-year-old recruit from Duke University, Lemmerman is ranked 1^st in the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (19), 3^rd in on-base percentage (.418) and slugging percentage (.539), and 6^th in batting average (.349). He is a teammate of RP (and fellow Hebe) Andrew Pevsner.
• RP Jeremy Gould of the rookie-league GCL Mets (New York Mets) pitched 1^2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win in a 8-5 victory over the GCL Cardinals. A former teammate of Jake Lemmerman at Duke, Gould entered the game with the bases loaded and forced the first batter he faced into an inning-ending double play. He is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA and 1 save.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Tampa Bay Rays RF Gabe Kapler was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday (8/16/2010), his second such visit this season.

There is some speculation that Kapler was ‘listed’ not so much because of a twisted ankle but to make room on the roster for 1B Carlos Pena, who was returning from the DL and might provide the Rays with some much-needed power during the pennant race.

Either way, 2010 is turning out to be one of the most injury-prone seasons in recent memory for Jewish ballplayers.

Two players — Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis and Chicago Cubs RP John Grabow — are out with season-ending injuries. Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus only recently returned after spending much of the season on the DL, his first such stop in an 18-year MLB career. Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler is on the DL for the second time this season, and Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis is back now after a lengthy stint away.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (8/16/2010):

• OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) went 2/3 with a double, triple and two walks in a 5-3 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies. His triple came off the second pitch of the game. A 29-year-old Stanford recruit with brief stints in the majors in 2007 and 2009, Fuld is batting .271 and and has 8 triples, third most in the “AAA” Pacific Coast League.
• Playing DH, 1B Mike Schwartz of the rookie-league Bristol White Sox (Chicago White Sox) went 3/4 with 2 doubles and a walk in a 7-2 win over the Kingsport Mets. A 17th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, Schwartz is batting .272 with 1 HR and 16 RBIs in 92 at-bats. He leads the Sox with a .432 on-base percentage.

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