Getting plenty of work and in turn getting outs, Justin Grimm is having a good summer.
The former Virginia High star is 2-1 with three saves and a 4.08 ERA in a team-high 32 appearances while pitching for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
Grimm has struck out 54 batters – which ranks second on the squad – and issued 19 walks in 35 1/3 innings.
“I have thrown the ball very well this summer,” Grimm said. “Early on, the longball was getting me a little bit, but I made some adjustments with the fastball and seem to have gotten into a groove.”
Grimm, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Monday, still gets a rush when Tacoma manager Kristopher Negron calls on him in a tense late-game situation.
He notched his most recent save on Friday, polishing off a 4-3 win over the Las Vegas Aviators with a scoreless ninth inning that was punctuated by a strikeout.
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“When I come into a game to get a save I feel much more in tune with myself and the stuff seems more electric, so it feels good that the adrenaline still kicks in,” Grimm said.
The right-hander who won a World Series ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and has pitched in 310 regular-season MLB games for five different franchises has a goal of returning to the big leagues, but for now is just focusing on making good things happen on the mound in Tacoma.
“I have had a lot of fun this year and I am going to continue to do so and just see where we are in a month,” Grimm said. “I’m just going day-to-day and enjoying the competition.”
Stratton shines
Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand Hunter Stratton had one of his finest pitching performances of the season on Sunday.
The Sullivan East High School graduate worked 2 1/3 perfect innings of relief for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in their 8-0 loss to the St. Paul Saints.
Taking over for fellow reliever – and former Bristol Pirates hurler – Matt Eckelman with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, Stratton retired Ben Rortvedt on a groundball to avoid further damage.
By the time it was all said and done, the right-hander retired all seven batters he faced and notched two strikeouts in his longest outing of the summer.
Stratton is 2-1 with seven saves and a 2.16 ERA in 25 outings between Indy and Double-A Altoona. He’s rung up 52 strikeouts in in 33 1/3 innings.
Two hits for Thomas
Thomas Francisco tallied two hits for the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals on Friday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
The ex-Abingdon High School standout is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with one home run and three RBIs through the first eight games of his professional career in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system.
Local vs. Local
A couple of Northeast Tennessee natives in the midst of memorable seasons squared off on Aug. 11 in a Double-A game in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Former Science Hill High School and East Tennessee State University ace pitcher Landon Knack of the Tulsa Drillers struck out Trey Cabbage (Grainger) of the Wichita Wind Surge twice in their encounters.
Knack is 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA in 12 outings between Tulsa and High-A Great Lakes and is one of the elite prospects in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system.
Cabbage has compiled a .255 batting average with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs between Wichita and High-A Cedar Rapids in the Minnesota Twins minor league chain. He connected for seven homers from Aug. 5-15.
Illig Update
Chase Illig had a perfect day at the plate on Aug. 11 for the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
Illig was 1-for-1 with two walks and two RBIs in his team’s 3-0 win over the Portland Sea Dogs in the second game of a doubleheader. The former Tazewell High School slugger connected for a two-run double in the fourth inning off Boston Red Sox prospect Frank German.
The 24-year-old Illig is 2-for-30 at the plate this summer in 13 games between Somerset and High-A Hudson Valley.
Will does well
Right-handed pitcher Will Carter (Science Hill) earned the win for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on Sunday and is 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 25 relief outings for the top farm team of the Chicago White Sox.
Cunningham cruises
Chase Cunningham (Tennessee High) pitched another gem for the Southern Illinois Miners of the independent Frontier League on Aug. 11.
He allowed one run on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk over six innings in a no decision against the Evansville Otters. The right-hander is 3-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 11 starts.
Craig in Korea
Will Craig (Science Hill) is hitting .571 (4-for-7) with two RBIs in his first three games with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization.
Gabe goes for title
Gabe Wurtz has had a grand season for the Tucson Saguaros of the independent Pecos League and the former star at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise can cap his superb summer with a championship.
Wurtz is hitting .414 with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs for Tucson, which opens the best-of-three Pecos League Finals against the Roswell Invaders on Tuesday.
Hayes hooks on with Winnipeg
Right-handed pitcher Reed Hayes (Science Hill) was released by the Baltimore Orioles organization on July 26 and has since hooked on with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent American Association.
Hayes was 5-10 with 16 saves and a 5.25 ERA in 66 appearances in Baltimore’s minor league system over the past four seasons and advanced as high as Double-A.
He has a 36.00 ERA in his first two outings for Winnipeg.
Hayes is not the first local guy to play for the Goldeyes as Denny Wagner (Castlewood) pitched in 18 games for the team over the course of the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
Like father, like son
The Houston Astros drafted Will Wagner as an infielder out of Liberty University last month, but he found himself on the mound on Aug. 12 for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the organization’s Low-A affiliate.
Getting crushed 15-4 by the Columbia Fireflies, Fayetteville manager Ray Hernandez called on Wagner for some relief and all the rookie did was retire all four batters he faced and notched a pair of strikeouts.
He overpowered batters the same way his dad did back in the day. Billy Wagner is a Tazewell High School graduate who pitched 16 seasons in the majors (1995-2010) and racked up 422 career saves.
Will Wagner will make his mark as a hitter, however, and has begun his pro career with a .423 batting average, one home run and two RBIs in seven games.
Norris knocked around
Left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris (Science Hill) has struggled to the tune of an 11.12 ERA in six appearances since joining the Milwaukee Brewers after being acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
Norris allowed back-to-back home runs to Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom of the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 12. He also grounded out in his first at-bat of the season in Milwaukee’s win that day at Wrigley Field.
Today in History
> Former East Tennessee State University star Jim Mooney pitched a four-hit shutout for the New York Giants in their 8-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 17, 1932.
Mooney notched one strikeout, coaxed two double plays and overcame six walks. He also had a hit and scored a run.
> Abingdon, Virginia’s own Gail Harris went 2-for-3 and Jonesborough, Tennessee, native Jim Constable tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for the New York Giants in their 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium on Aug. 17, 1957.