April 8, 2013
After tossing an inning of relief on Thursday, lefty Daniel Norris makes his first start of the season tonight. (Sportsnet.ca)
With High-A Dunedin enjoying their first day off of the 2013 season, the three remaining affiliates make up tonight’s minor league slate of games.
Triple-A: Buffalo (3-1) vs. Syracuse (3-1) at 6:05 p.m. ET
Probable starter: Casey Lawrence
Making the first Triple-A appearance of his career, right-hander Casey Lawrence takes the mound for the Buffalo after being promoted from Dunedin this afternoon when the Bisons transferred Bobby Korecky to the disabled list. Having to constantly prove himself and overcome the odds, Lawrence has been promoted to a higher level in each of his three minor league seasons, most recently to New Hampshire in 2012 after being a stalwart in Dunedin’s rotation. The 25-year-old is far from a power pitcher, but instead uses his command of his pitches to find success. Lawrence owns a career 3.22 ERA in 379 2/3 minor league innings.
Double-A: New Hampshire (2-2) vs. Trenton (2-1) at 6:35 p.m. ET
Probable Starter: Ryan Tepera
Tepera spent the bulk of the 2012 season with New Hampshire, where he made 15 starts and managed a 4.84 ERA. He struggled with command last year, as he allowed more hits and saw his walk rate spike to 4.5 per nine innings with the Fisher Cats. The Blue Jays opted to get Tepera extra work after the regular season by sending him to the Arizona Fall League, where he faced some of the top players in the minor leagues. Back with New Hampshire this year, Tepera can be effective on the mound when he locates his two-seam fastball.
Low-A: Lansing (3-1) @ Bowling Green (2-2) at 8:05 p.m. ET
Probable Starter: Daniel Norris
After unexpectedly falling to the Blue Jays in the second round of the 2011 draft, all eyes have been on Norris since his name was called. The young left-hander hasn’t had the start to his pro career that he would have liked–a 7.97 ERA in 35 innings at rookie-level Bluefield last year–but he’s definitely one to watch this year with Lansing. Norris struggled with mechanics last year down in Bluefield, specifically repeating his delivery, but two evaluators I talked to said that his stuff is definitely there and he needs to work out mechanical kinks. After making a relief appearance in Lansing’s season opener on Thursday, Norris will make his much-anticipated first start of the season tonight.
Jared Macdonald
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