Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
News and notes
Center fielder Forrestt Allday (AA Angels/ UCA) said he found out about his selection to the Class AA Southern League All-Star Game like a lot of other people did — on Twitter.
“The team tagged me in one of the posts, but then our manager announced it to everyone after batting practice,” Allday said.
Allday, 26, will represent the Mobile BayBears in his first
All-Star Game and former Arkansas Razorback Brian Anderson will represent the Jacksonville Jumbo
Shrimp (AA Marlins) on the South Division team Tuesday in Pensacola, Fla. Anderson will play in his third consecutive All-Star
Game after playing in the High-A Florida
State League’s game in each of the past two seasons.
Allday has the second-highest batting average in the Southern League and had reached base in 34 consecutive games dating back to April
24 before going 0 for 3 on June 9 in a
1-0 loss to the Birmingham Barons (AA
White Sox). He also had a 10-game hitting streak between April 25 and May 5.
He has gone 14 for 36 (.389) with 8 runs scored and 5 RBI in his past 10 games, including a 2-for-3 performance with 1 run scored, 1 RBI and 2 walks Monday in a 4-3 loss to the Barons. Allday has a .332 batting average through Thursday’s games with 1 home run and 24 RBI, to go along with a .456 on-base percentage, a .375 slugging percentage and .831 OPS.
Although Allday was happy about the AllStar nod, he said he was left a little confused by a one-game promotion to Class AAA Salt Lake on June 1.
“It was definitely a good experience, though,” Allday said. “I met with the team in El Paso, which is where I played my first [Class AAA] game last year, so I knew how the field played. I thought I did pretty well.”
Allday went 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI as the Bees defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA Padres) 11-10. He was sent back to Mobile on June 3 after the Angels signed center fielder Michael Bourn to a minor-league contract.
“You just try to do your best and hope everything else works out,” Allday said.
It all worked out in the end, as Allday said several family members will make the seven-hour drive from the Houston area to Pensacola for the game.
Allday said he’s not letting the All-Star accolades get to his head.
“Game by game, day by day, you just control what you can control,” Allday said.
Shortstop Matt Reynolds (Razorbacks) was optioned to the Class AAA Las Vegas 51s by the New York Mets on June 11, only to be recalled to the Mets on Friday when they put pitcher
Matt Harvey on the disabled list with a stress injury to the scapula in his right shoulder. In his first game for Las Vegas since April 23, Reynolds went 1 for 3 with 1 RBI, 2 walks and 3 runs scored Tuesday in a 13-2 victory over the Sacramento River Cats (AAA Giants). He reached on a fielder’s choice in the third inning and scored on a two-run home run by
Amed Rosario, then hit a home run in the sixth and scored on a two-run double by Kevin Plawecki in the eighth.
Pitcher Daniel Wright (Arkansas State) was called up to the Los Angeles Angels from Class AAA Salt Lake City on Thursday for the fifth time this season, only to be sent back to Salt Lake on Saturday. Wright was designated for assignment by the Angels on May 31 and, after clearing waivers, was sent outright to Salt Lake on June 3. He had not made an appearance for the Bees before his latest call-up, but allowed 1 hit with 1 walk in 21/3 innings Thursday in the Angels’ 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
First baseman Andy Wilkins (Razorbacks) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Minnesota Twins and was assigned to the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts. Wilkins finished last season with a .242 batting average, 12 home runs and 52 RBI for the Class AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox (AAA Brewers) while splitting time between Colorado Springs and Milwaukee. Wilkins was the designated hitter in his first game for the Lookouts on Monday, going 2 for 5 with 2 doubles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored in a 6-0 victory against the Montgomery Biscuits (AA Rays).
Pitcher Ryne Stanek (Razorbacks) was optioned to the Class AAA Durham (N.C.) Bulls by the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. Stanek pitched 92/3 innings for the Rays, allowing 6 earned runs on 14 hits
— including 4 home runs — with 5 walks and 11 strikeouts this season to tally a
5.59 ERA with no record. Pitching for the
Bulls for the first time since May 11, Stanek pitched 1 inning and had 1 strikeout
Wednesday in an 11-0 victory against the Columbus Clippers (AAA
Indians).
Pitcher Hunter Wood (Rogers Heritage) will join Stanek in Durham after being promoted from the Class AA Montgomery Biscuits on Friday. Wood last pitched for Montgomery on Tuesday in a 9-8 loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Twins), allowing 4 earned runs on 6 hits with 4 walks and 9 strikeouts over 6 innings. Wood went 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA in 3 starts since being optioned to Montgomery on May 30.
Third baseman Bobby Wernes (Razorbacks), who agreed to a minor-league contract with the Colorado Rockies last month, was assigned to the Short-A Boise Hawks on Wednesday. The Hawks were scheduled to start their season Thursday against the Spokane Indians (Short-A Rangers), but the game was rained out. Wernes went 1 for 3 with a walk Friday as the Hawks beat the Indians 5-4.
Outfielder David Harris (Southern Arkansas) was placed on the seven-day disabled list by the Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers of the independent Frontier League on Tuesday. Harris, who was batting .279 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI in 23 games for the Boomers this season, went 1 for 3 with a strikeout in his last game June 10 in a 17-2 victory over the Normal (Ill.) CornBelters. Schaumburg radio broadcaster Tim Calderwood said he doesn’t expect Harris to be out of the lineup long. “He’s on the seven-day DL, but it won’t be much longer than that,” Calderwood said. “He had a nagging injury that slowed him a bit and they just want him to get fully healthy.”