Sherriff’s three-game win streak snapped
The following are updates on local baseball players at the minor league level.
Ryan Sherriff (Glendale Community College, 2011) starting pitcher, Palm Beach Cardinals: Sherriff has been a constant staple in Palm Beach’s rotation since joining the St. Louis Cardinals’ class-A advanced affiliate in May. Sherriff, a left-hander who also played for the Glendale Angelenos briefly during its inaugural season in 2011 after helping Glendale college reach the state tournament for the first time in the program’s history, saw his three-game winning streak end Thursday.
Sherriff (8-2) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, as host Palm Beach suffered a 5-2 defeat against the St. Lucie Mets in a Florida State League contest at Roger Dean Stadium. He struck out five and walked one.
Sherriff started off well, limiting the Mets to two hits through the first three innings. However, Sherriff encountered trouble in the fourth, surrendering a three-run home run to Blake Forsythe to give St. Lucie a 3-2 lead.
During Sherriff’s previous start Aug. 3 against the Bradenton Marauders, he allowed three runs (two earned) and four hits to help Palm Beach post a 7-6 road victory. Sherriff went 6 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking three. The former All-Western State Conference first-team honoree also gave up a pair of solo home runs.
Through Thursday, Sherriff is 8-2 with a 3.33 earned-run average in 13 starts. He’s struck out 46, walked 16 and allowed 34 runs (30 earned) in 81 innings. Entering Monday’s contest against the host St. Luice, the Cardinals are 24-27 and in fifth place in the league’s South Division.
Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) starting pitcher, Modesto Nuts: Like Sherriff, Bergman has also excelled being the ace of his team.
Bergman leads Modesto, the class-A advanced affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, with 14 victories. Bergman hasn’t registered a decision in his last two appearances, which both spanned six innings.
In his last start on Wednesday against the visiting Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Bergman scattered six hits and struck out three. He left with a 2-0 lead, which Modesto relinquished in the ninth before scoring in the bottom of the inning to record a 3-2 victory. Bergman faced 25 batters.
Bergman is 14-5 with a 3.00 earned-run average in 23 starts. The UC Irvine graduate has struck out a team-high 108 and allowed 54 runs (47 earned) and 134 hits in 141 innings.
The Nuts are 27-22 and in first place in the California League’s North Division entering Monday’s game against the Visalia Rawhide.
Jason Botts (Glendale Community College, 2000) outfielder, Piratas de Campeche: Botts’ stay with Cameche proved to be successful. Botts, a former Texas Ranger, joined the triple-A Mexican League team June 13 and enjoyed a power surge. While Campeche did not qualify for the postseason — it finished 51-60 for fifth place in the league’s Sur Division — Botts, 32, did his part at the plate.
Botts batted .336 (41 for 122) with eight home runs and 22 runs batted in. In addition, Botts, who last competed in the majors with the Rangers in 2008, collected seven doubles and finished with a respectable .607 slugging percentage. In Botts’ last 10 games, he batted .375 (12 for 32) with two home runs and six runs batted in. In Campeche’s last game of the season July 29 against visiting Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen, Botts finished with two hits and one run scored to help the Pirates record a 7-6 victory.
Joe De Pinto (St. Francis High, 2007) infielder, Kannapolis Intimidators: Things have come together nicely for the USC graduate during the last 10 games. In that span, De Pinto has hit safely in seven contests.
On Friday, De Pinto notched a run-scoring single in the fourth inning to help Kannapolis to a 4-3 victory against the host Lakewood Blueclaws in 10 innings. De Pinto’s hit gave the Intimidators a 2-1 advantage. De Pinto also drove in a run in an 8-5 loss against Lakewood on Saturday.
Through Sunday, the Intimidators, the class-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, are 17-29 and in last place in the South Atlantic League’s Northern Division.
Chad Nacapoy (Crescenta Valley High, 2007) catcher, Princeton Rays: Since being taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 38th round in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Nacapoy has fared well. Nacapoy, who was drafted 1,172nd overall in June, is batting .265 (nine for 34) in 16 games for Princeton, the rookie affiliate of Tampa Bay.
Nacapoy, a former member of the Glendale Angelenos, drove in his first two runs of his professional career to help Princeton record a 7-5 road win against the Kingsport Mets on Aug. 4. He drove in a run with a double in the second inning before recording a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
The Rays are 28-24 and in third place in the Appalachian League’s Eastern Division through Sunday.
