Hitting .270 going to into the second half of the season, Sam Honeck was a New York Penn League All-Star, but hit a disastrous .176 after the break.

Clones outfielder Luis Rivera had 66 hits in as many games and amassed an uber solid OBP of .402.

In spite of only playing in 49 games this season, outfielder John Servidio shared the team lead in homers with Nick Santomauro with six. Santomauro only played in 45 games.

In spite of setting a new team record with 17 saves this season, Clones Clones Mike Powers have up eight earned runs in his last ten outings.

Leading the team in RBI, hits, runs, on-base percentage and extra-base hits, Luis Rivera will be a key component for the team’s playoff run, hitting .306 since the All-Star break, Rivera looks to go into the postseason on a consistent note. So no sports betting for him.

Clones DH and catcher Ralph Henriquez is hitting .354 over his last ten games.

Matias Carrillo has walked only three hitters in 28 plus innings this season.

Above all else however, he’s focused on becoming a leader.

Called down to Brooklyn before the season started after starting the season in Savannah, Henriquez knows exactly what the organization is looking for in him.

“They told me when they sent me here that it wasn’t a demotion, that it was a promotion,” Henriquez said. “I love it here and I’m happy to be back. I learned a lot from last season and I’ll do whatever I have to do to help the team.

Showing up to camp this season in much better shape and 15 pounds heavier, the now bulkier, yet toned backstop is ready to leave his best on the field.

Despite being just 22 years old, Henriquez has been in professional baseball since 2005. The son of Atlanta Braves roving catching instructor Ralph Henriquez Sr., the youngster comes from a good pedigree and is ready to cash in on his promise after a few mediocre seasons.

“I’m here to win a championship,” Henriquez, who has a homer and three RBI in just 28 at bats so far this season, said. “The added weight has helped a lot. I feel a lot stronger. In this game, strength means a lot. I feel much better [than he did last year] and I have a lot of confidence.”

He was a star all by himself.

On his game all night, the second-year Clone gave up just four hits in seven scoreless innings of work, leading “Baracklyn” to a 7-3 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades.

“I’ve been in a groove since extended spring training,” said Moore. “It just carried on to today. I felt great out there.”

The Cyclones coaching staff was pleased with his performance as well.

“He’s made big strides from last season in Kingsport,” said Clones skipper Pedro Lopez. “It’s unbelievable.”

The Renegades pitching staff was not solid however, as Glenn Gibson, Jordi Amargos and Jeffrey Cinadr gave up seven runs on seven hits and an error, courtesy of RBI hits by John Servidio, Matt Bouchard, Ralph Henriquez, Alex Gregory and Juan Centeno.

Wes Wrenn came into the game for Baracklyn in the eighth and gave up three runs the rest of the way, but kept it together to get the final out and ensure a 7-3 Clones win.

“Tonight was an outstanding game,” said Lopez. “I just told the guys that we have a good thing going here.”

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

“I feel like Centeno was a better fit tonight,” Lopez, a former minor league catcher himself, said Friday night. “He’s retained a lot of information during the past two months in extended Spring Training. He runs well and handles the bat well and does a good job calling the game. It’s too early to say who the starter he, but he’s earned another start.”

Despite playing in only 39 games professional, Lopez has confidence in his young backstop.

“Last year in Spring training we really saw him as a number one guy somewhere,” said Lopez. “But there were little bumps in the road for him to get to St. Lucie. He’s putting everything together now.”

Centeno, on the other hand, is thinking too much about the future.

“I have a chance to play every day,” he said. “I just want to do things right. I’m so happy where I am right now.”

DemBrooklynBums.com: What has this season been like for you so far?

Ralph Henriquez: It’s been a bit weird actually. At first, I thought I was going to be in Kingsport, but then I found out that I was ineligible to play there because I played a certain amount of games on a full season team last season. So then I got sent here. It was kind of a last minute thing. I really didn’t know what to expect. Since then, things have been OK I guess.

DBB: Do you feel you have certain expectations to live up to, considering you were traded for one of the Cyclones best relievers last season?

Henriquez: Not really. A bunch of my friends told me that he was a really good pitcher with some good stuff, but you can never think like that.

DBB: Considering that you were rushed here last minute, how have been getting acclimated to Brooklyn?

Henriquez: It’s really different from the Key West. It’s like a completely different world. There’s so many people driving here that it’s hard to get used to at times. Over there, I’ve never gone over 30 miles per hour. There was never any need to. I don’t think there’s a speed limit here. The park is really nice here though and even though it’s most of the same thing wherever you play this game, I’m enjoying my time here.

DBB: Tell us a little bit about your game.

Henriquez: I’m a real energetic catcher and like to take charge. I pride myself on being a leader as well. I like Victor Martinez a lot and I try and mold my game after him.

DBB: Just for the fans at home to get a better idea of what kind of player you are, what do you think your numbers would be if you played a full season?

Henriquez: I really have no idea. I just want to be behind the plate every single day. If that happens, then I’m happy.

DBB: If you got an opportunity to face Vinditte again, would you do anything different?

Henriquez: I’d go up there left-handed and see what happens.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

DemBrooklynBums.com: You were hitting very well down in Kingsport, can you tell us a little about your game?

Dock Doyle: I started off a little slow this summer, I guess it was the transition from college ball and the metal bats to the pros and wood. It just took some time. Now I’m here in Brooklyn and ready to experience the game with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

DBB: To give the fans at home a better idea of what kind of player you are, is there a player at the major league level that you try and emulate?

Doyle: I like watching guys like Jorge Posada and Jason Varitek catch. Mets fans may not like that though.

DBB: What do you take more pride in, calling a game, or hitting?

Doyle: I’m a hitter, I love to hit. I enjoy being behind the plate and helping pitchers and I really like to lead as much as I can when I’m out there, but hitting is definitely my favorite part of the game.

DBB: Has the organization told you what to expect as far as playing time is concerned? Do you have any expectations?

Doyle: I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything from anyone, so I’m just going to enjoy the rest of my summer and see where it takes me.

DBB: Josh Satin and John Servidio spent some time in Kingsport earlier in the season, did you hang out with them at all? Do you know any of the other guys?

Doyle: They were there for a few nights and we went out to dinner a few times. They were a lot of fun to be around. Erik Turgeon was my roommate down there to and I know Seth Williams from when he was there. I haven’t met most of the other guys though.

Link-

Box Score to last night’s 5-4 Cyclones Win.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Jim Dolan

Brooklyn pitcher Chris Schwinden however, actually prefers to burn the midnight oil on a consistent basis.

As a matter of fact, he even believes it makes him a better pitcher.

“I don’t know why, but I do pitch much better when I don’t get a lot of sleep,” said Schwinden. “If I get too much sleep, I feel lazy on the mound and usually get hit pretty hard. When I don’t, I’m more energized out here and I win.”

So what does he do during all those late nights, you ask?

“Our catcher Ralph Henriquez has a Playstation 3 and I stay up playing MLB:08 The Show or Tiger Woods a lot of the time,” he said. “Most of the guys usually head to bed around 1 am, but I stay up a few hours longer than them.”

You’d expect a ballplayer who stays up all night exercising his thumbs and index fingers on Sony’s newest video game console to be a bit lethargic come game time, but with a 3-1 record and a 1.09 ERA in 10 appearances this season,Schwinden is one of three Cyclones appearing in the New York Penn-League All-Star game next week.

Armed with four pitches, a 92 mile-per-hour fastball, changeup, curve ball and slider, Schwinden has baffled hitters consistently this season, striking out 45 hitters in 41 innings with only six walks, indeed making it look like he’s playing a video game, rather than facing professional hitters. Allowing only 28 hits in that time as well, Schwinden hasn’t given his teammates on the field much work to do, making up for the fact that he keeps some of them awake with his late-night gaming escapades.

“He’s easy to play behind,” said Cyclones third baseman Eric Campbell. “He comes ready to play every time his name is called upon. The main thing with him is that he throws strikes. I think he has the best control of any pitcher on our staff.”

While his teammates have to deal with his late-night habits, the coaching staff only sees the 21-year-old’s successes on the mound. Starting the season as the team’s spot starter and long reliever out of the bullpen, Schwinden got an opportunity to start and hasn’t faltered yet. Pitching into the sixth inning in each of his last three starts, Schwinden has proved he belongs in a rotation consisting of hot shot prospects such as Brad Holt and Jenrry Mejia and has quickly become a cornerstone of the pitching staff.

Schwinden has been so good as of late that the coaching staff sees him in the rotation for the rest of the year, something that appeared quite unlikely for the 2008 22nd round pick when the season first began.

“He’s worked really hard to get to where he is right now and he deserves it,” said Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo. “He’s one of my starters now and I’m happy for him.”

The Visalia, California-native is pretty proud of his accomplishments on the field this season as well and as a result, has vowed to continue playing video games this season.

As a matter of fact, Schwinden has already been talking about picking up a new game in the near future: Madden 09.

“A bunch of us have been talking about getting it,” said Schwinden on August 11, a day before the game was released to the public. “I’m looking forward to playing it soon.”

Notes-

Got word of a few Cyclones currently nursing injuries such as John Servidio, Ike Davis and Reese Havens. However, there is no clear word on the what the actual injuries are. When th team comes back home on Friday, expect an update after the day’s article.

Link-

Box Score to last night’s 3-1 Cyclone loss.

Update-

New Podcast up!

Interview with Ralph Henriquez on 8-10.

You can download it from I-Tunes here, or stream it from the web, here. Enjoy!

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Jim Dolan

The rest of his teammates didn’t help the cause much either though, amassing only two extra-base hits and committing two costly errors in a 6-4 loss.

“We scored four runs today,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo of his team that ended up with 12 hits on the night. “I know this team is going to score runs. Again, we were one hit away from winning the game. We finished the game strong too, so I’m proud of them for that.”

Jim Fuller made his first professional start for the Cyclones and despite giving up two hits to start the game, the lefty managed to keep the Renegades off the board in the first. Giving up another hit in the second, Fuller was saved after John Servidio made his fourth outfield assist of the season, nailing Michael Ross at the plate and keeping the game scoreless.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis got the Cyclones on the board with an RBI single in the second, scoring Mets fourth round pick Sean Ratliff, who singled earlier in his first professional at bat.

The lead wouldn’t last for long however, as the third inning was also an adventure for Fuller, who left the game with the base loaded in favor of reliever Wendy Rosa.

“He threw the ball well for his first start here in Brooklyn,” said Cyclones catcher Ralph Henriquez of Fuller. “He had good stuff. He was a lot better than it looked.”

The Cyclones reliever couldn’t keep Fuller’s shutout though, walking Ross and allowing a run to cross the plate to tie the game. That was all the offense Hudson Valley could muster however, as catcher John Mollicone grounded out to Brooklyn third baseman Zach Lutz to end the inning.

Brooklyn then got back on top in the third, as Davis scorched an opposite field double that scored Matt Bouchard. Things then began to fall apart for Renegades starter Chris Andujar, who ended up surrendering an RBI ground out from Zach Lutz, giving the Mets Single-A affiliate a 3-1 lead.

Both teams then made pitching changes in the sixth, as Manny Olivares came into the game for Brooklyn and Rob Della Grotta came out of the Hudson Valley bullpen and replaced Andujar. Both pitched scoreless frames in the sixth, but Olivares ended up coughing up the lead, giving up a bases loaded single to pinch-hitter Anthony Scelfo, which tied the score at 3-3.

Mike Lynn came into the game in eighth for Brooklyn and only lasted two hitters, getting Mark Thomas to ground out and walking Jason Appel. Lefty side-armer Roy Merritt made his Keyspan debut and instead of getting out of the inning on a routine ground ball that should have been converted into a double play, Cyclones shortstop Matt Bouchard missed second baseman Josh Satin and threw the ball into right field, allowing a run to score and gave Hudson Valley a 4-3 lead with only one out.

A Jason Corder sacrifice fly later in the eighth also padded the Renegades lead, giving them a two-run cushion with only two innings left to play.

“Roy gave me exactly what I wanted with the bases loaded,” said Bouchard. “I rushed it a bit though and I was a bit off balance. I was too quick with it. I really wanted to get the double play.”

Unlike earlier in the week, the Cyclones didn’t have any come from behind magic in them tonight, as Joshua Satow, who replaced Della Grotta in the seventh, kept the Baby Mets off the scoreboard in the eighth. Merritt continued pitching in the ninth and gave up a Mollicone RBI single, giving the Renegades a three-run lead with Brooklyn’s last licks on the way.

Coming in after Satow gave up a Henriquez single, Renegades closer Travis Risser proved to be no where near as potent as his team’s offense, but was saved by solid defense. Giving up a RBI single from Murphy that scored Henriquez, Risser got Zach Lutz to ground into a a game-ending double-play, putting the finishing touches on a 6-4 Renegades win.

“We had a lot of chances, but we didn’t take advantage of them,” said Bouchard, who had two hits on the night, to go along with two errors. “Our hits weren’t timely either, we put together a couple of good innings late. If we would have put them together earlier, things could have turned out different.”

Notes-

According to a source in the organization, the Mets other first round pick, Reese Havens, is expected to DH today in the second game of the series against Hudson Valley.

Daniel Murphy concluded his rehab assignment with the Clones last night, amassing seven hits and two RBI in just three games and is scheduled to rejoin the Double-A B-Mets today.

“He’s a professional hitter,” said Alfonzo. “He can hit.”

Alfonzo also announced that outfielder Brandon Kawal [stiff back] and Luis Alen [chin laceration] have been added to the Disabled List to make room for Havens. Alfonzo also expects a roster move to take place tomorrow to help sort out a team that is currently carrying six outfielders and three catchers.

Video-

Cyclones LF Sean Ratliff singles in his first pro AB

[youtube D97HTLrpmAM]

Photos by Ron Hatcher, Video by Patrick Hickey Jr.