Longpre moves up to Lansing
GLENDALE — The following are updates on local baseball players at the minor league level.
Bryan Longpre (Crescenta Valley High, 2005) Lansing Lugnuts pitcher: Longpre has been downright spectacular at the start of his second minor league season, so much so that he was quickly promoted to the Class A Lansing Lugnuts from the Class A short-season Vancouver Canadians.
Longpre, a distance runner and All-Area baseball player in his days at Crescenta Valley, was promoted on Thursday.
His promotion came on the heels of turning in five spotless appearances for Vancouver, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s twirled nine innings so far and allowed no earned runs for a 0.00 earned-run average, while giving up just four hits in nine innings of work. Equally impressive as his .133 opposing batting average, he’s struck out nine batters and walked none.
He began his season on June 18 with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing but one hit and striking out four. He followed that with two perfect appearances covering three innings of work. His last appearance for Vancouver came Monday, as he pitched one inning and gave up one hit.
Longpre joins a Lansing squad that was 4-3 heading into Friday and in a first-place tie in the Midwest League Eastern Division second-half standings. In the first half, Lansing took second and clinched a playoff berth.
Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) Tri-City Dust Devils starting pitcher: After a rough go in his first outing of the season, the former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year rebounded in fine fashion for his first victory of the season on Monday.
Bergman spun five innings of shutout ball as the Dust Devils defeated Yakima, 10-0. He allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out four.
With the win, Bergman dropped his ERA to 4.11 and improved his record to 1-2.
After allowing four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings in his first start of the season, Bergman allowed three runs over 5 2/3 innings on June 22 before throwing his Monday gem. For the season, he’s struck out 11 and walked four.
Heading into Friday’s home game against Spokane, the Dust Devils — a short-season Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies — were 8-6 and in a three-way tie for first place in the Northwest League East.
Billy Spottiswood (Glendale Community College, 2005) Mobile Bay Bears pitcher: Spottiswood gave up a run on Thursday, snapping a streak of four straight scoreless appearances.
On the season, he’s posted a 3-2 record out of the bullpen with a 2.83 ERA. He’s made 30 appearances covering 41 1/3 innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ double-A squad. He’s also struck out 28 batters and walked 13. Over his last 10 appearances, he’s allowed just two runs in 14 innings of work, posting a stellar 1.29 ERA.
Mobile was 5-3 heading into Friday action, putting it in a first-place tie in the Southern League South’s second half.