The Vancouver Canadians closed out a disappointing homestand with five losses out of seven against the Eugene Emeralds at Nat Bailey Stadium.
The C’s dropped two more one-run games in the series, running their season total to 21 on the season. The homestand saw them drop seven out of 10 overall.
Tuesday, July 22 – Eugene 12 Vancouver 3
2B – Duran (1), Cunningham (10), Nimmala (22)
Wednesday, July 23 – Eugene 4 Vancouver 1
2B – Micheletti (17) | Perez 4IP 1R 5K, Coleman 3.1IP 0R 6K 3IRS
Thursday, July 24 – Vancouver 4 Eugene 3 (Game 1 – 11 Innings)
2B – Coffey (23), Goodwin (6) | SB – Nimmala 3 (11), Coffey (7), Goodwin (6) | McElvain 5IP 1R 2K, Peterson 3P 0R 4K, Powell (W, 1-0) 3P 2R
Thursday, July 24 – Eugene 5 Vancouver 1 (Game 2 – 7 Innings)
2B – Goodwin 2 (8), Micheletti (18) | Bonds 2IP 0R, Todd 2IP 0R 1K
Friday, July 25 – Eugene 6 Vancouver 5 (10 Innings)
HR – Cunnningham (10), Coffey (7), Arnold (1) | Marozas 3IP 1R
Saturday, July 26 – Vancouver 5 Eugene 3 (10 innings)
HR – Cunningham (11), Keys (12), 2B – Harry (4), SB – Nimmala 2 (13), Keys (6) | Simón 3.1IP 0R 4K 2IRS, Ortiz (W, 2-1) 3IP 0R 4K
Sunday, July 27 – Eugene 1 Vancouver 0
2B – Duran (2) | Stanifer 5IP 0R 8K, Bonds 1IP 0R, Coleman 2IP 0R 3K
C-Notes
Congratulations to lefthander Javen Coleman for winning the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week award for July 21-27. The former LSU Tiger tossed 5-1/3 no-hit innings with nine strikeouts against one walk over two relief appearances against the Emeralds. Coleman joins Khal Stephen as NWL Pitcher of the Week winners for Vancouver this season.
Tuesday
The game was decided after one inning when the C’s could not cash in a run after loading the bases with nobody out. Arjun Nimmala and Eddie Micheletti had 2-0 counts in their favour against Cesar Perdomo, but both of them popped up to the middle infield. Nick Goodwin then grounded out to leave the bags filled. Vancouver was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and 13 runners were left on.
Wednesday
A tip of the cap to base umpire Larry Pettis for helping eight-year Julian Cayme run the bases as part of a Make-A-Wish promotion. Also, kudos to both the Emeralds and Canadians as the players and coaches lined up on the baselines to cheer on the youngster.
Eddie Micheletti made a nice leaping catch at the wall in right field to take away a potential RBI double by Cole Foster to help Fernando Perez end his four-inning outing.
The Emeralds effectively put the game out of reach in the fifth inning. Quinn McDaniel bunted his way aboard and Maui Ahuna singled to left against Colby Holcombe in his C’s debut. A Jonah Cox bunt to third pushed the runners up 90 feet before Drew Cavanaugh hit a two-out double that landed on the chalk of the right field line.
Another sign it was not going to be Vancouver’s night was Eugene shortstop Maui Ahuna stumbling on a Peyton Powell ground ball near the second base bag. However, Ahuna managed to right himself to start a 6-3 inning-ending double play in the fifth to erase a one-out walk by Nick Goodwin.
The standout performance for Vancouver was reliever Javen Coleman, who stranded the bases loaded in the sixth by striking out Cavanaugh to keep the game within reach. That was the start of 3⅓ shutout innings by the former LSU Tiger.
Edward Duran was robbed of a hit in the sixth when Jonah Cox made a diving catch on a sinking liner to center field.
Duran was involved in some controversy in the bottom of the eighth. After a Powell leadoff single to right field, a Ben Peterson wild pitch and a one-out single to left by Cutter Coffey drove in Powell to get Vancouver on the board, Duran struck out swinging, but it appeared he was called for batter interference when Coffey tried to steal second. C’s manager José Mayorga came out to argue the call with home plate umpire Tatum Littleton. After both teams headed off the field, they were brought back out when Coffey was returned to first. Sean Keys was plunked by a Peterson pitch to extend the inning to bring Arjun Nimmala up to the plate as the potential tying run. He lost control of his bat as he fouled off a pitch, sending it near the C’s third base dugout. On the next full-count pitch, Nimmala went down swinging.
Thursday – Game 1
Jay Harry was robbed of a hit on a diving catch by Zane Zielinski at second in the bottom of the second inning.
Chris McElvain took a line drive off the back from Dayson Croes in the top of the third. The former Vanderbilt hurler tried to throw out Croes but the throw was a bit high for Peyton Powell who leaped to get the ball but he came down on the first base bag a little late, resulting in a Croes infield hit. McElvain was okay to continue.
The Emeralds tied the game in the fifth when Cole Foster hit into a 3-6-3 double play. However, Powell stepped on the first base bag to take the force away at second base and Zielinski stayed in a rundown between first and second just long enough for Szykowny to cross the plate for the run to count.
Powell handled a bunted ball down the first base line off the bat of Jonah Cox, who tried to avoid the tag and start a rundown but was tagged out to end the top of the sixth.
After a 1-2-3 10th inning that induced a swing and a miss from Guillermo Williamson, Powell got some help from the defence in the top of the 11th. He got Quinn McDaniel to line into a 5-4 double play that erased the placed Williamson. Maui Ahuna then hit a double to right field but decided to head to third and he was thrown out on a 9-4-5 play from Eddie Micheletti, Nick Goodwin and Sean Keys, respectively, to end the inning.
Thursday – Game 2
Bo Bonds opened with two scoreless frames in just his second appearance as an opener in his three year career. Edinson Batista struck out the side in the third but he gave up three hits that led to two runs and effectively put the game out of reach.
Peyton Powell stumbled toward the first base bag but was able to tag out Luke Schligger to end the bottom of the fifth.
The C’s got their lone run when Eddie Micheletti‘s wall-banger double to right field scored on a ground-rule double to left by Nick Goodwin. There was some confusion at first as Goodwin and Edward Duran kept rounding the bases and both of them touched home plate. However, the ball clearly landed on the warning track in left field so Duran—who had walked after Micheletti’s double—and Goodwin had to return to third and second, respectively.
Friday
Cutter Coffey ranged well to his right and made a nice off-balance throw to retire Jack Payton in the first inning.
Bryce Arnold came a long way from left field to run down and make a diving catch towards the line to take a hit away from Quinn McDaniel in the fourth inning. The Grimsby, Ontario native would belt his first Northwest League homer to tie the game with two outs in the ninth with his family in attenance.
Austin Marozas retired Guillermo Williamson to begin his C’s debut in the seventh but a sharp ground ball eluded Carter Cunningham at first base and resulted in a double by Maui Ahuna. Despite a couple of walks, Marozas limited the damage to a Payton sacrifice fly and got some help from his batterymate Nic Deschamps who threw out Drew Cavanaugh trying to steal second on a 2-6 putout. After a three-up, three-down eighth, Marozas yielded just an infield single to short by Williamson to end his outing in the ninth.
Arjun Nimmala was beaned in the head by Austin Strickland with one out in the eighth but remained in the game. Dayson Croes took a circuitous route to a Sean Keys pop-up but made a tumbling catch in foul territory on the third base side battling the wind. Aaron Parker then hit into a 5-4-3 double play.
Jonah Cox was the placed runner in the top of the 10th and his speed did the rest by stealing third base and scoring on a sacrifice fly to left by Drew Cavanaugh off JJ Sánchez.
Nimmala was hit in the leg by CJ Widger with one out in the 10th inning but Keys would hit into a game-ending 4-6-3 twin-killing.
Saturday
Jay Harry nearly went yard as his drive hit the top of the right field fence but had to settle for a one-out double in the third inning off Shane Rademacher. Cutter Coffey hit one to the warning track in left, but Harry would be stranded at second.
Drew Cavanaugh had a platinum sombrero with five strikeouts for Eugene. He was at third base in the 10th when Edward Duran did a nice job blocking a Julio Ortiz pitch in the dirt that ran the count full before Zane Zielinski grounded out to short for the third out.
Sunday
Gage Stanifer got a measure of revenge against the Emeralds with a dominant five-inning effort after giving up seven runs in a combined 8⅔ innings over three outings.
The lone run was charged to Colby Holcombe after a leadoff walk by Jakob Christian was cashed in on a double by Charlie Szykowny in the seventh. Szkowny was cut down at third on a 9-4-5 play from Eddie Micheletti, Jay Harry and Nick Goodwin, respectively.
Vancouver’s best chance to score was in the eighth when Harry hit a one-out single to left and got to third on an Edward Duran double to right with two outs. Harry was given the red light at third and was stranded when Carter Cunningham grounded to first against Brayan Palencia.
The only other time the C’s had two men on came in the fifth with consecutive one-out walks by Micheletti and Goodwin.
Radar Gun Rundown
- Gage Stanifer 85K, 83, 95 | 94K, 85K, 94K, 82K, 96K, 82K, 85K, 83
- Johan Simón 82K, 89, 92, 95, 96 | 87K, 93K, 82K, 96K, 80, 84, 95
- Julio Ortiz 89K, 100K, 89K, 99K, 89K, 85, 86, 97, 98, 99 | 85K, 85K, 86, 95, 96
- JJ Sánchez 80K, 82, 93
- Fernando Perez 95K, 95K, 84K, 83K, 79, 82, 84, 85, 92, 94
- Colby Holcombe 90K, 95, 87 | 84, 90, 91, 94
- Javen Coleman 93K, 97K, 92K, 94K, 96K, 87, 91, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100 | 96K, 97K, 84K, 82, 94, 95
- Chris McElvain 93K, 82, 95
- Kai Peterson 91K, 97K, 94K, 93K, 92, 94
- Peyton Powell 57, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 67, 68
- Bo Bonds 75, 83, 90 | 74, 75, 90
- Edinson Batista 88K, 91K, 93K, 94, 88 | 85K, 80K, 93K, 77, 80, 86, 92, 93
- Jonathan Todd 82K
- Jackson Wentworth 85K, 85K, 87K, 79, 80, 82, 86, 88, 92
- Austin Marozas 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 97, 92, 94, 95, 96
- JJ Sánchez 86, 91, 92
C-Changes
The Toronto Blue Jays have traded righthander Juaron Watts-Brown (2024-2025) to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for righthanded reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Watts-Brown was credited with just one win during his time with the C’s but he set the tone in their Game 2 playoff win in 2024 with 10 strikeouts over 5⅔ innings of two-run ball against Spokane at Nat Bailey Stadium. He carried that momentum over to 2025 with 62 punchouts over 3723 innings with Monty’s Mounties before being promoted to Double-A New Hampshire, earning the nickname Juaron “Whiffs”-Brown. All the best to Juaron with the Orioles.
Quebec City, Quebec native Nic Deschamps is moving up to Double-A New Hampshire. The 22-year-old catcher was on the Fisher Cats roster to begin the year, but was placed on the Development List and did not make his debut with New Hampshire FC. Deschamps had a .348 on-base percentage in 20 games with Vancouver this season after a .349 OBP in 12 games with the club last season.
Catcher Hayden Gilliland was sent to Low-A Dunedin on a rehab assignment on July 27 and made his Florida State League debut that day after being placed on the seven-day injured list on July 18.
Catcher Aaron Parker had a single in four at-bats as the designated hitter against Eugene on July 25 in his return from the seven-day injured list. Now he is back on the seven-day injured list retroactive to July 26.
Righthander Aaron Munson was placed on the seven-day injured list on July 22.
The Vancouver Canadians welcome two players from the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays. Outfielder Alexis Hernández hails from Tinaco, Venezuela and was an international free agent signing by the Boston Red Sox on July 29, 2019. He was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays in the minor league Rule 5 Draft on December 6, 2023. His first season in Dunedin was cut short due to injury as he did not play after June 30, getting in just 48 games with four home runs and a .333 on-base percentage. Save for four games at the Florida Complex League, the 22-year-old Hernández was back with the D-Jays and played 51 games while recording a .362 OBP with 12 doubles, five home runs, 22 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound righthanded hitter will wear number 24 for the C’s, last worn by outfielder Je’Von Ward.
The second player to arrive on the scene with Vancouver is shortstop Jacob Lojewski. The 23-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays on July 22, 2024, from Florida Gulf Coast University. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound righthanded hitter has played 23 games this season with Dunedin and slugged his first pro home run in a win against Tampa on July 18. Lojewski will wear number 2, last worn by outfielder Victor Arias.
Righthander Austin Marozas—not righthander Landen Maroudis, as he was introduced over the PA system by some moron—made his C’s debut at Nat Bailey Stadium and allowed one run in three innings against Eugene on July 25. The 26-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, was inked to a minor league deal by Toronto on June 27. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound hurler began 2025 with the Chicago Dogs of the MLB Partner League American Association, where he was teammates with 2017 Canadians center fielder Reggie Pruitt Jr. Marozas was 2-0 with the Dogs with a save and yielded just two unearned runs over 28⅓ innings with 34 strikeouts and nine walks. His first professional assignment took him to the Florida Complex League, where he gave up just one unearned run in 9⅔ innings, earning a hold and striking out seven against five walks. Marozas wore number 36 for his debut with the C’s. Friday’s game was not the first time Marozas pitched for a Canadian team, as he spent parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Québec Capitales of the independent Frontier League.
Also making their C’s debut was fellow righty Colby Holcombe. He is wearing number 31, last worn by outfielder Jackson Hornung.
Around the nest, the Toronto Blue Jays sent righthander Paxton Schultz (2021) on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Buffalo and Buffalo assigned third baseman Damiano Palmegiani (2022) to Low-A Dunedin on July 22.
New Hampshire assigned catcher Robert Brooks (2024) to the Development List, placed righthander Khal Stephen (2025) on the injured list and activated RHP Geison Urbaez (2024) from the injured list on July 24.
Outfielder Alan Roden (2023) was recalled by Toronto from Triple-A Buffalo on July 26 and optioned back to Buffalo on July 28.
Lefthander Trenton Wallace (2022-2023) was activated by Buffalo on July 27.
Righthander Paxton Schultz was activated by Toronto and RHP Lazaro Estrada (2021, 2024) was called up from Buffalo, lefthander Kendry Rojas (2024) was promoted from New Hampshire to Buffalo, New Hampshire activated RHP Rafael Sánchez (2023, 2024), Dunedin transferred third baseman Damiano Palmegiani to the Development List and catcher Robert Brooks was promoted from New Hampshire to Buffalo on July 29.
One other transaction of note, infielder Cavan Biggio (2016) was designated for assignment by the Kansas City Royals on July 25.
C-View Ahead
The Canadians are in Tri-City to take on the Dust Devils. All games are at 7:05 pm at Gesa Stadium. Tyler Zickel and Chris Georges have the call on CanadiansBaseball.com. The games can also been seen on BallySports.com.
Fernando Perez will start on Tuesday, Chris McElvain will be on the mound on Wednesday and Jackson Wentworth is set for Thursday. The rest of the rotation has not been announced but Edinson Batista, Gage Stanifer and Perez would line up for the back half of this series from Friday to Sunday.
C-Tweets
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