[sarcasm] Man, the Miranda jokes are never going to get old. Sort of like the Hip Hip Jorge...[/sarcasm]
The Javelinas destroyed the cross-town rival Saguaros today 14 to 2. It was a quiet day for the Yankee prospects. Kevin Whelan pitched an inning of scoreless relief with an 11 run lead.
He got a quick ground out from Xavier Paul, then gave up a single to Tiger's prospect Jeff Larish (.267/.390/.515 132 games AA). Jai Miller (Marlins AA) beat out a double play ball. So Whelan struck out Mike Costanzo (.270/.368/.490 Phillies AA) on three pitches. Whelan threw 13 pitches, 9 for strikes and only two of them seemed to be up in the zone (one was the single Larish).
Three outs on 13 pitches. If there's nothing else we learn from David Wells and Curt Schilling it should be that pounding the strike zone makes good pitchers better (we should also all learn how to be fat and rich- but that lesson's for another day).
But let's discuss the man of the hour. I called him out yesterday. Today, our man went 4-5 from the cleanup spot with three singles and a homer.
The lefty hitting Miranda led off the second inning by falling behind 0-2 before flying out to left center field on a 1-2 pitch.
In his next AB, Miranda dunked a single in front of the right fielder for a leadoff single.
In the fifth inning he got a meatball with a man on and swatted a two run homer to right center (about 400 feet if Gameday is to be believed).
Miranda drove in another run with a seventh inning single. He took three pitches low and then sat on his pitch. He hit a grounder up and through the middle. What I like about this is that he didn't get pull happy after hitting a homer. Very un-Matsuiian.
Miranda was hit by a pitch (second day in a row) in the 8th, and then he drove in the games' final run with a single in the 9th.