Minor Matters: George Kontos Plagued by Recent Inconsistency

He was looking filthy good in the first few months of the season (2-0, 2.65 in April; 1.08 in May; and 1.93 in June with 26 Ks in 23 1/3 IP), but has definitely hit a snag in July. Kontos started the month brilliantly, tossing four innings of one-hit shutout with five Ks and no walks in his second start of the season, but he was rocked in his next outing (four hits, three earned runs and a walk in one inning). Four days later on July 10, Kontos tossed two shutout frames, but then he got hammered again on July 16. He looked strong on the 19th, hurling 2 2/3 IP of shutout ball with four strikeouts, but on Friday night, the evil Kontos showed up again, getting rocked for three earned runs in 3 1/3 IP to suffer the loss and drop his record below .500. In fairness, he was looking sharp to begin the outing, before hitting the wall on a very hot night.

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Minor Matters: Leonys Martin Living up to the Hype

The Rangers recently made a foray into the International market, outbidding the Boston Red Sox for the services of 23-year-old Cuban ex-pat Martin. He signed a five-year deal worth $15.5 million with a $5 million signing bonus. The scouting reports indicated he had a strong arm with plus speed and line drive potential. Martin was immediately dispatched to the Double-A Frisco Roughriders in the Texas League. He made his debut May 12 and certainly lived up to all expectations, smacking four homers with 24 RBI, 10 steals and a sweet .348 BA in 112 at-bats.

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Minor Matters: Jordan Pacheco Struggling to Adjust to Triple-A

Colorado responded by bumping the 25-year-old up to Triple-A this season. Well, his adjustment period is kicking in now. Pacheco had a fine start, batting almost .330 in April, but he suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head with a pitch on May 5, missing a good chunk of the month. He hasn’t quite been the same since, recording an OPS of just 579 in May, and batting only .214 so far in June.

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Minor Matters: Lorenzo Cain Awaits his Chance

So two months into the season, Cain remains at Triple-A and he continues to put up strong numbers. He’s gone a bit chilly lately, with hitless efforts in two of his last three games, but after getting off to a slow start, Cain blazed in May, batting .321 with 21 runs, 16 extra-base hits and a 900 OPS. He’s only swiped five bases so far, but is showing more extra-base power than he did last season. Cain, 25, was the Brewers’ 17th round pick in 2004 and is considered a top-notch athlete that brings a superb glove and great speed to the table.

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Minor Matters: Misch Mash

His reward? Removal from the 40-man roster right before the season started. Well, the 28-year-old lefty is still in the system, pitching in Triple-A Buffalo, and while the Mets’ pitching has been very strong so far, any rash of injuries or ineffectiveness could again bring the Giants’ seventh rounder from 2003 back to the bigs. A control pitcher, Misch’s big-league struggles in parts of four seasons can be traced to his gopheritis as he’s yielded 23 long bombs in 156 career innings, a rate that might even make John “Way Back” Wasdin blush. This year, Misch is again getting the job done, having gone 2-0, 4.13 through five starts despite the fact he’s been far too hittable (.306 BAA).

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