The right-handed Pestano, who has a brilliant strikeout-to-walk ratio, is one of many relievers in the Cleveland organization having an outstanding season.
Vinnie Pestano had struck out 63 batters and walked 12 in 46 2/3 innings going into Saturday night's Clippers game.FARM REPORT
AAA Columbus Clippers
Tonight: Clippers (66-42) at Louisville (57-50), 6:05. Clippers RHP Marty Popham (0-0, 0.00) vs. Bats RHP Homer Bailey (0-0, 10.38).
Notes: Going into Saturday night's game, RHP Vinnie Pestano (1-1, nine saves, 1.62) was 1-0 with five saves in his last 10 games, pitching 11 1/3 innings with 16 strikeouts and allowing three walks and five hits. In 33 1/3 innings with Columbus, Pestano had struck out 45, walked 10 and given up 27 hits -- including no home runs. Pestano began the season at Class AA Akron, where he was 1-1 with three saves and a 2.70 ERA, striking out 18 and walking two in 13 1/3 innings....IF Josh Rodriguez (.313) was 9-for-30 (.300) with two doubles, four homers, 10 RBI and five walks in his last eight games....2B Cord Phelps (.345) was on a 17-game batting streak in road games, going 30-for-65 (.462)....Clippers RH starting pitcher Marty Popham was making his first appearance for Columbus. He had pitched in a combined 20 games (12 starts) this season for Lake County, Akron and Kinston, going 4-5 with three saves and a 4.06 ERA. He had struck out 77 and walked 18 in 88 2/3 innings....OF Jerad Head has been promoted to the Clippers from Akron. Early this season, Head was 7-for-20 (.350) for the Clippers, with three doubles, one homer and six RBI. He hit .299 (53-for-177) at Akron, with 15 doubles, 10 homers and 28 RBI. Head hit .336 with 13 doubles and nine homers in his 36 games for the Aeros, and was on a 13-game batting streak going into Saturday night's game.
AA Akron Aeros
Tonight: Reading (51-53) at Aeros (56-48), 7:05. Phillies RHP J.C. Ramirez (2-2, 4.59) vs. Aeros LHP Scott Barnes (5-8, 5.20).
Notes: Going into Saturday night's game, RH reliever Bryan Price (4-2, one save, 3.33) was 1-0 with a save in his last five games, pitching 11 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out 13, walking one and allowing six hits....RH reliever Connor Graham (3-5, one save, 3.51) was 1-0 and had pitched eight scoreless innings in his last five games, fanning nine, walking none and giving up three hits....RH reliever Omar Aguilar (2-3, five saves, 3.66) had not allowed a home run in in 46 2/3 innings this season, and had struck out 55. Aguilar was 1-1 with two saves and an 0.96 ERA in his last eight games, spanning 9 1/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and three hits allowed....2B Jason Kipnis (.319) was 22-for-55 (.400) with five doubles, one triple and two homers in his last 13 games....3B Lonnie Chisenhall (.278) was 14-for-43 (.326) in his last 11 games, with one double, one triple, two homers and 11 RBI....1B Beau Mills (.241) had 11 RBI in his last 11 games, batting .333 (15-for-45) with six doubles, a triple and a homer....OF Jordan Henry (.270) was 11-for-26 (.423) in his last eight games....OF Tim Fedroff (.273) was batting .394 (13-for-33) with four doubles, a triple and a home run in his last nine games....Catcher Damaso Espino (.258) had thrown out 22 of 54 baserunners attempting to steal, an impressive 41 percent rate....IF Justin Toole was promoted to Akron from Mahoning Valley. In stints at Columbus, Kinston and Mahoning Valley this season, Toole had played in a combined 19 games, going 9-for-45 (.200)....OF Jerad Head (.299, 15 doubles and 10 homers in 177 at bats) was promoted to Columbus, where he went 7-for-20 (.350) with three doubles and a homer early this season.
Advanced A Kinston Indians
Tonight: Indians (51-52) at Wilmington (52-53), 6:05. Indians RHP Austin Adams (2-0, 1.69) vs. Blue Rocks LHP Buddy Baumann (3-1, 2.24).
Notes: RHP Joseph Gardner (9-5, 2.97) is a combined 10-5 with a 3.03 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 113 innings during 16 starts for Kinston and six for Lake County. He has held opponents to a .195 batting average....Going into Saturday night's game, RH reliever Matthew Langwell (4-2, three saves, 2.57) had a 1.51 ERA in 32 games when not including his July 5 outing, when he gave up five earned runs in 1/3 inning (no decision). In the 32 other games, Langwell had struck out 43, walked 12 and allowed 29 hits in 41 2/3 innings....2B Karexon Sanchez was fifth in the Carolina League with a .387 on-base percentage. He was batting .260 but was tied for the league lead in walks (58).
A Lake County Captains
Tonight: Captains (58-44) at South Bend (42-58), 5:30. Captains LHP Giovanni Soto (0-0, 0.00) vs. Silver Hawks RHP Diogenes Rosario (4-4, 3.52).
Notes: RHP Brett Brach (2-6, 3.05) is 2-3 but with a 2.09 ERA in his last eight starts, spanning 47 1/3 innings....Going into Saturday night's game, 1B Adam Abraham (.240) was batting .442 (19-for-43) in his last 11 games, with five doubles, five homers and 16 RBI....OF Greg Folgia (.233) was batting .390 (16-for-41) with three doubles, two homers and 10 RBI in his last 11 games....RH reliever Preston Guilmet (1-1, eight saves, 2.45) had struck out 44 and walked five in 29 1/3 innings this season....The Captains' Saturday starting pitcher, LH Giovanni Soto, was making his first appearance after being acquired for 3B-SS Jhonny Peralta from the Detroit Tigers Class A West Michigan Whitecaps. For the Whitecaps, Soto was 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA and two shutouts in 16 starts. In 82 2/3 innings, he struck out 76, walked 25 and allowed 75 hits -- including just two home runs.
A Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Tonight: Williamsport (25-16) at Scrappers (15-26), 7:05. Crosscutters RHP Garett Claypool (2-1, 3.86) vs. Scrappers LHP Kirk Wetmore (0-5, 8.58).
Notes: Going into Saturday night's game, RH reliever James Ehlert (0-2, two saves, 2.29) had struck out 26 and walked five in 19 2/3 innings....RH starter Alex Kaminsky (4-3) was sixth in the New York-Penn League with a 2.18 ERA....The Scrappers were last in team batting with a .224 average....IF Justin Toole was promoted to Akron.
Independent Lake Erie Crushers
Tonight: Kalamazoo (16-47) at Crushers (30-32), 7:05. Kings RHP Joe DiPietro (4-7, 6.46) vs. Crushers RHP Matt Smith (7-4, 3.69).
Notes: Going into Saturday night's game, 3B Andrew Davis (.315) was 10th in the Frontier League in batting, but was 0-for-18 in his last five games. Davis was tied for 11th with 40 RBI....The Crushers bullpen hadn't allowed a run in its last 10 innings....The Crushers had lost six straight and 11 of 12, scoring just 26 runs in those 12 games.