Marte Suspended 50 Games

I try to keep this blog full of mostly positive stories about former players, but I also intend for it to be a great source about Silver Hawks from the past, present, and future.  Unfortunately, sometimes those stories will be negative, as we have seen with players getting traded, released, etc.

Today, we hit another type of negative story with the announcement that former Silver Hawks outfielder Alfredo Marte has been suspended 50 games for a positive drug test.  According to the story, he tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Marte played for South Bend in 2009, hitting .251 with seven homers and 71 RBIs.  He also led the team with 27 doubles.  Last year, Marte was with Visalia, hitting .260 with nine homers and 61 RBIs. 
 
The link above states that he is currently on the AAA Reno roster, but don't read too much into that.  There is really no way that Marte was going to start the year at AAA, but everyone has to be on some roster during the offseason.
 
I first saw this story on esteemed Arizona Republic writer Nick Piecoro's blog, where he basically sums up Marte's career the best with the following line:  Marte was once a fairly well-regarded prospect in the system, a guy with a quick swing, a strong arm and, some believed, a chance to become a dynamic player, but he hasn't lived up to expectations. He hit just .260 with a .688 OPS in High-A Visalia. This suspension, obviously, is a huge setback in his career.

Hose Promoted to High-A, Marte Activated

Today's Roster Move:

RHP T.J. Hose has been promoted to high-A Visalia.

OF Alfredo Marte has been activated from the DL.

Full story is here.

My Take: The Silver Hawks had been carrying 14 active pitchers. When Marte came back, we knew one was moving. Congratulations to T.J., a well deserved promotion.

The good news is that the Silver Hawks bullpen has been really strong lately, so perhaps losing T.J. doesn't hurt as much as it seems on the surface. The bad news is that T.J. was a large reason why the bullpen has been so strong, and anytime you promote a closer who leads the team in saves and ERA, then it's going to leave a mark.

It just means everyone else has to step up to fill the void at the back end of the games.

Getting Marte backs helps too, as he's the team leader in RBIs.

Marte on the DL

I said I wasn't going to post again today, but I had to since this is somewhat big news.

Read the full story here.

Marte's shoulder was bothering him in Beloit, and he hasn't played since.

No one new is coming for now, and I doubt anyone will. The move was retroactive to the 11th, so he'd be eligible to come off of the DL on the 18th or 19th. So you're really only talking about him missing 3-4 more games.

This does open up a roster spot for Taylor Sinclair, who is supposed to come off the DL and start tomorrow night. So perhaps certain players who may have been headed back to Yakima or Missoula buy themselves an extra few days.

Again, I have no idea what's going to happen, but the Silver Hawks are carrying 28 players. Assuming Sinclair is activated tomorrow and no one else moves, then some decisions will have to be made when Marte, Parker, and Morgan are ready to come off the DL. Marte should be back soon, Morgan threw a side session the other day and looked good to my untrained eye, and I'm not sure about Parker's status yet.

Some decisions are looming.

Walk Offs Are Fun

To borrow a line from Lance McAlister, my favorite sports talk show host in Cincinnati and a former WSBT sports anchor here in South Bend:

I LOVE WINNING!

It makes it so much easier to broadcast winning games than losses, and last night's walk off win was certainly no exception.

How about Alfredo Marte hitting the team's first homer since June 9th?

How about Victor Estevez coming through in the clutch with a walk off bases loaded single?

How about Bryan Woodall with another three scoreless innings in relief? He's been pitching great for the last month.

How about two balks being called in the ninth inning, one against each team?

Awesome.

The Bats Are Alive

14 total hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples.

Impressive 8-1 victory for the Silver Hawks tonight over Lansing. Before I talk more about the offense (since it will get all the love), let me make sure I say something about the pitching.

Trevor Harden and Sean Morgan were phenomenal. First of all, Harden allowed just one run in 7.0 innings to become the first Hawks pitcher to reach two wins. And while yes, he did get a lot of support, he continued to set them down even after he had a big lead. Morgan, pitching in relief with the same large lead, didn't mess around. He struck out four batters in 2.0 innings to close it out.

Now, with that said, what a showing by the offense. Alfredo Marte, Nelson Gomez, and Reynaldo Navarro each had three hits, and they all had at least two extra-base hits (Navarro had three). Isaias Asencio added two singles. Nobody let up. When they had the Lansing pitchers on the ropes, the Hawks kept the pressure on and added up the runs.

Good win, doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 6:05, pregame at 5:45. Hopefully the guys will keep it up.

(FYI, Justin Parker's hit in the fourth inning was changed to an error after the game. I feel bad for Parker, but ultimately, I think it's the right call. Although sometimes I disagree with decisions made by the official scorer, keep in mind these guys only get one chance to see the play. There is no instant replay, no monitors to look at multiple angles to get it right. It's one look at it live, try to get it right, and then if need be, change it after the games after talking to the coaches.)

From the Notes - April 13, 2009

South Bend Silver Hawks (0-3)
vs. Lansing Lugnuts (0-3)

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – 6:30 PM

Season Series: 0-0 Tie
@ Coveleski Stadium: 0-0 Tie
@ Oldsmobile Park: 0-0 Tie
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silver Hawks Team Hitting: .173 – 11th
Silver Hawks Team Pitching: 4.88 ERA – 12th
Lugnuts Team Hitting: .109 – 14th
Lugnuts Team Pitching: 5.33 ERA – 13th
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAST GAME: Mauricio Robles (WP, 1-0) and Matt Hoffman (SV, 1) combined on a four-hit shutout as the West Michigan Whitecaps completed a three-game series sweep against South Bend on Saturday. Robles struck out eight in 5.0 innings, while Hoffman struck out three over the final 4.0 innings to earn the save. Five different Whitecaps picked up an RBI in the ballgame, as West Michigan spread the wealth with nine hits in the contest. Rafael Quezada (LP, 0-1) took the loss for South Bend, allowing three runs in 4.1 innings pitched.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAM NOTES:
· West Michigan swept the opening series over South Bend for the second consecutive season.
· South Bend started the 2008 season with nine straight losses.
· The Silver Hawks have committed five errors in the first three games.
· South Bend pitchers have hit eight batters in the first three games (two on Thursday, four on Friday, two on Saturday).
· The Hawks have struck out 36 times in three games (12 on Thursday, 13 on Friday, 11 on Saturday).
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:
· Reynaldo Navarro is the only Hawks hitter to have a hit in each of the first three games.
· Navarro is the only Hawks hitter to have not struck out in the first three game.
· Navarro has scored three of the Hawks six runs in 2009.
· Alfredo Marte has two hits in each of the last two games.