AA Edition
Week 15: July 7-13
By Rick Mariotti
Minor Leagues Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
Beloit, Wis. - The Beloit Blue Sox turned in another winning week and tacked another game on their division lead.
But manager Javier Montero – who recently signed a 3-year contract extension with the club – said he’s not about to grow complacent.
“That’s a sure route out of the division race – especially in a league as talented as this one,” he said. “Now is the time we need to put our heads down and grind even harder.”
Along those lines, Montero and pitching coach William Neal recently approached 21-year-old reliever Orlando Barries about becoming a starter.
“His fastball, curve and changeup have all developed nicely – he’s got a strong three-pitch repertoire, and we think he can carve himself a spot in the rotation,” Neal said.
There’s a mounting pile of evidence to back that up: Barries made his first start in mid-June, and since then has gone 2-1 and lowered his ERA from 3.41 to 2.51.
His most recent start, against Sioux City on July 11, was his best yet: a 3-hit, complete game shutout in which he walked just two batters and struck out seven.
“I’d never really thought of myself as anything but a bullpen guy, but Coach Neal came to me one day and said he thought I could start and asked if I’d be up for giving it a try,” said Barries, who was Chicago’s second round pick in the 2040 draft. “I figured, ‘What the hell? Why not?’
“It seems to be working out pretty well so far, at least.”
For Barries – and for the Blue Sox.
Week 15 Scores
At Beloit
07-07: Beloit 7, St. Joseph 4
At Sioux City
07-09: Beloit 7, Sioux City 3
07-10: Sioux City 5, Beloit 1
07-11: Beloit 6, Sioux City 0
At Beloit
07-12: Weymouth 5, Beloit 2
07-13: Beloit 5, Weymouth 4
Record as of July 13
W-L Record for Week 15: 4-2
Overall Record: 63-31, .670
Position in Standings: In 1st Place in the DNL Mid-Central Division, 6 games ahead of St. Joseph.
Position Players of Interest
| Player | Slash Line | OPS | HR | RBI | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Kemp, OF/SP | .356/.430/.514 | .944 | 6 | 38 | 1.7 |
| Robby Clements, 1B | .286/.384/.470 | .854 | 14 | 54 | 1.6 |
| Jeffrey Cote, 2B | .269/.396/.447 | .843 | 10 | 48 | 3.0 |
| Shannon Morrison, SS* | .268/.355/.436 | .791 | 7 | 27 | 1.9 |
| Juan Benitez, OF | .256/.325/.528 | .853 | 12 | 40 | 0.7 |
| Danny Bennett, OF | .314/.413/.627 | 1.041 | 21 | 76 | 3.0 |
| Ricardo Torres, OF | .326/.434/.567 | 1.001 | 15 | 60 | 3.7 |
Pitchers of Interest
| Pitcher | ERA | W-L-SV | IP | K's | BB's | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichchaam Chepchumba, SP** | 5.67 | 1-3-0 | 60.1 | 50 | 33 | 1.1 |
| Paul Kemp, SP/LF | 3.62 | 8-2-0 | 107.0 | 65 | 25 | 2.9 |
| Romeu Tameiro, SP | 4.64 | 6-7-0 | 104.2 | 70 | 33 | 1.7 |
| Carlos Vázquez, SP | 4.46 | 9-5-0 | 115.0 | 63 | 30 | 2.1 |
| Orlando Barries | 2.51 | 5-1-2 | 64.2 | 60 | 29 | 1.3 |
| Christian Rhodes, CL | 1.76 | 4-1-2 | 46.0 | 44 | 17 | 1.3 |
| Gilberto Cordero, CL | 1.17 | 2-0-8 | 15.1 | 23 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Raúl Ortíz, RP* | 1.78 | 6-0-10 | 30.1 | 45 | 15 | 1.4 |
** Demoted to Grand Junction on 06-16.
The Week Ahead
1 Game vs Weymouth at Beloit
3 Games at New Bern
3 Games vs Anderson at Beloit