Aaron Whitefield LA Angels

Aussies Abroad: Hitters come up big as Whitefield earned a second shot at the Majors

This past week of action for Australian baseballers was headlined by Aaron Whitefield's Los Angeles Angels debut while others had contributions at a Minor League level too.

At a Minor League Baseball level, a few Australian hitters got their sides in scoring and winning positions, while at a Major League Baseball level, Aaron Whitefield made his Los Angeles Angels debut.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

LOW A

LIAM SPENCE - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS

Victorian Liam Spence appeared in just one game for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Low A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in a home matchup against the Charleston RiverDogs at TicketReturn.com Field on May 13 that resulted in a 4-1 loss.

Spence, however, went zero for four at the plate as he struck out in the second innings, grounded out in the fourth innings, and flew out in the sixth and ninth innings.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

22

63

9

10

7

3

0

0

8

2

.159

.275

.190

HIGH A

ALEX HALL - WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS

West Australian Alex Hall appeared in one game for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the High A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, playing away to the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park in a 10-2 win on May 12.

The catcher went two for three at the plate with a base on balls but also scored three runs and an RBI in the process.

Despite a lineout at the top of the third innings, Hall hit a single on a groundball to shortstop in the top of the fifth inning, making his way to second base on an Ethan Murray single into left field. He scored on a Tyler Black groundball to shortstop, although a throwing error saw Hall able to make his way home safely and see the Timber Rattlers gain the lead, 3-2.

The top of the seventh inning began with back-to-back walks for the Timber Rattlers, with Hall, the third batter up, hitting a double into left field that scored one run. Hall made his way to third base on a wild pitch before scoring on a Black sacrifice fly into left field. Hall was then walked in the top of the eighth inning and scored on a two-out triple into right field by Black.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

3

10

3

4

3

1

0

0

3

0

.400

.455

.500

ULRICH BOJARKSI - WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS

West Australian Ulrich Bojarski appeared in four games for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, in a home series at LMCU Ballpark against the Beloit Sky Carp.

Starting on May 11 in a 14-3 loss, Bojarski went zero for four with three strikeouts, however, two days later in his next appearance on May 13, went one for three with a run and an RBI in a 3-0 win.

In the bottom of the fifth innings, Bojarski hit a double into left field that scored Ben Malgeri and made his way to third base on a wild pitch. He scored on a Trei Cruz fielder's choice.

On May 14, Bojarski went one for three in a 4-2 loss, hitting a two-out single in the bottom of the second innings, however, he didn't advance any further. He ended his week in a 2-1 win on May 15, although went zero for four at the plate in that encounter.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

11

39

5

6

2

2

0

2

8

0

.154

.214

.359

JARRYD DALE - FORT WAYNE TINCAPS

Victorian Jarryd Dale appeared in five games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the High A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, as the team travelled to Four Winds Field to take on the South Bend Cubs.

The first game Dale appeared in was on May 11, a 6-5 loss, where he went one for four with a base on balls and an RBI.

He was walked at the top of the sixth inning and made his way to second base before the dig was over. He hit a single into left field at the top of the seventh inning and again, found himself stuck at second base as the final couple of outs were recorded.

Dale went one for three with a base on balls in a 5-0 win on May 12, hitting a lead-off single at the top of the second innings, and getting into a scoring position by stealing second base. However, despite making his way to third base, the side went down around him, and he was unable to get home. He was walked in the top of the fifth inning.

On May 13, in an 11-2 loss, Dale went one for four, hitting a single into right field, however, was caught trying to steal second base which became the third out for the TinCaps.

On May 14, in an 11-7 loss, Dale went two for four at the plate, collecting three RBIs. His first hit came as a result of a two-out single into left field which scored Corey Rosier, with Dale stranded at second base as the dig came to a close. Dale then hit a double into left field in the seventh inning which scored Robert Hassell III and Angel Solante.

In the final outing of the week, Dale went zero for three in a 5-1 loss on May 15.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

31

109

13

24

14

7

1

2

14

8

.220

.312

.358

JACK O'LOUGHLIN - WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS

South Australian Jack O'Loughlin appeared in one game for the High A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, the West Michigan Whitecaps, in its home series against the Beloit Sky Carp at LMCU Ballpark on May 14 where he earned a hold when he pitched two innings for one hit, one run, and one strikeout in a 4-2 extra-innings loss.

O'Loughlin came in as relief for starting pitcher Carlos Guzman at the top of the sixth inning, although his entry into the game didn't start well. He gave up a lead-off single to Dalvy Rosario, who made his way to second base on a pickoff attempt, and then came home to score on a Cody Morissette sacrifice fly. O'Loughlin would get the next two batters to flyout and groundout to end the innings.

Returning for the top of the seventh inning, it was a three-up, three-down dig as the first two batters flew out and grounded out, before O'Loughlin delivered a strikeout to have the innings come to a close.

O'Loughlin was replaced at the top of the eighth inning by Chavez Fernander.

GP

GS

IP

W-L-SV

H

R

ER

BB

SO

ERA

7

2

18.0

0-0-0

12

9

7

9

17

3.50

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DOUBLE A

ROBBIE GLENDINNING - NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS

West Australian Robbie Glendinning appeared in four games for Kansas City Royals' Double A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, in a home series at Arvest Ballpark against the Wichita Wind Surge.

The first game Glendinning appeared in for the week was on May 10 in a 7-4 loss where he went one for four with a run and an RBI, courtesy of an eighth-inning solo home run over the fence in left field.

On May 11, in a 4-3 loss, Glendinning went zero for three with a fifth-inning base on balls, forced out at third base on a Jake Means infield hit.

Glendinning went one for four on May 12 as the Naturals went down 10-4, with a second-inning two-out double into centrefield his only hit for the game. He was tagged out trying to get home on a Logan Porter single.

Glendinning was back in the lineup for May 14's contest, a 7-6 loss, going one for five, hitting a single into left field in the bottom of the ninth inning. He was substituted out for a pinch-runner after he got one base.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

26

90

21

24

9

7

1

5

20

2

.267

.385

.533

CURTIS MEAD - MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

The Montgomery Biscuits, the Double A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, had seven games this week that included a make-up game, and South Australian Curtis Mead appeared in all of the side's matchups against the Tennessee Smokies at Smokies Stadium.

The first game of the series on May 10 saw an 8-4 loss, with Mead going one for four, his only hit of the game coming via a second-innings single into left field.

On May 11, the Biscuits lost 5-0, with Mead going zero for three, although his services were used at both first base and third base in the field.

On May 12, in the first game of a doubleheader, Mead went one for three with three RBIs and a base on balls in a 4-3 loss. After back-to-back singles and a walk to Biscuits batters, Mead hit a two-out three-RBI double into left field that scored Johan Lopez, Brett Wisely, and Grant Witherspoon.

In the second game of the doubleheader on May 12, Mead went zero for three with a seventh-inning walk where he made his way to third base before the inning, and game was over, the Biscuits going down 10-5.

On May 13, in a 5-4 loss, Mead went one for four at the plate with a base on balls. He was walked at the top of the first inning and recorded his only hit of the night with a two-out double into left field in the third inning, ending up at third base before the dig was over.

Mead went two for four on May 14 in a 7-3 loss, scoring a run in the process. He was hit by a pitch in the third innings and made his way to third base on back-to-back walks, before the dig was over. Mead hit a lead-off double into left field to begin the top of the fifth inning, and was caught trying to steal third base.

In the final game of the series on May 15, Mead went zero for five in a 12-5 loss.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

30

110

16

32

15

13

0

4

16

1

.291

.392

.518

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

LIAM HENDRIKS - CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Appearing in two games this past week for the Chicago White Sox, West Australian Liam Hendriks' week began with a blown save against the Cleveland Guardians before being credited with both a blown save, and a win in a matchup against the New York Yankees.

On May 9, in a 12-9 home loss to the Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field, Hendriks was called upon to close out the top of the ninth inning after Tanner Banks had given up four runs and an 8-0 White Sox lead that became 8-4.

With two runners on and two outs, Hendriks gave up a single to Owen Miller that loaded the bases, before Josh Naylor connected on a pitch that saw the ball sail over the fence in centrefield for a grand slam, levelling the scores as a result.

The next batter up grounded out to end the White Sox's defensive half of the innings, as they couldn't produce the run needed to walk it off in the bottom half, sending the game into extra innings. Hendriks was not brought back to begin the 10th inning, replaced by Reynaldo Lopez.

Staying at home for a series against the Yankees, Hendriks made his next appearance on May 14 in a 3-2 win, coming in at the top of the eighth inning to replace Joe Kelly after the visitors drove in a run to make it a 2-1 game, with one down.

Hendriks was able to come in a thwart the threat of more runs when he saw Josh Donaldson and Gleyber Torres strike out swinging in succession to end the innings.

Remaining in the game for the top of the ninth inning, with the White Sox still holding onto a one-run lead, Hendriks had the opportunity to pick up the save, however, he gave up a lead-off walk, and a single to start the innings.

Kyle Higashioka provided a sacrifice fly which turned into a double play, but Joey Gallo scored at home as the ballgame was tied at two-all. Hendriks was able to get DJ LeMahieu to strike out swinging for the final out as the White Sox walked it off in the bottom of the ninth via a Luis Robert single that scored Tim Anderson, giving Hendriks a credited win in the process.

GP

GS

IP

W-L-SV

H

R

ER

BB

SO

ERA

15

0

15.1

1-2-9

17

10

8

5

23

4.70

AARON WHITEFIELD - LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Queenslander Aaron Whitefield's second stint in the Majors - after three games with the Minnesota Twins in 2020 - didn't yield the best results, however, he was able to add five games to his career total while playing for the Los Angeles Angels, who selected his contract from the organisation's Double A affiliate last week.

Whitefield made his Angels debut on May 9 at Angel Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays, entering the game at the top of the seventh inning, replacing Jack Mayfield in right field. He struck out swinging in his only plate appearance of the game, finishing with one zero for one outing, while taking a catch in right field in the ninth inning of the 11-3 win.

Whitefield again entered the game late against the Rays on May 10 in a 12-0 win, replacing Mayfield in right field at the top of the eighth inning. He was right in the thick of the action, taking catches in right field to contribute to the first two outs, though he lined out in his only plate appearance in the bottom half of the inning.

Whitefield got his first career start on May 11, batting sixth and playing in centrefield, though he went zero for four at the plate in a 4-2 extra-innings loss. Whitefield was the last out of the ninth inning and therefore started the bottom of the 10th inning on second base due to the tiebreaker rules, and made his way to third before the inning was over, and the game was done.

On May 13, the team travelled up to Oakland Coliseum to take on the Oakland Athletics, and in a 2-0 win, Whitefield came into the game as pinch-hitter in a ninth-inning, two-out, runner-on-first scenario, though he went down swinging, and remained in the game at left field for the bottom half.

Whitefield was again reinstated to the starting lineup for the May 14 contest, though went zero for four with two strikeouts, playing a mixture of centrefield and right field in the 4-3 loss.

At the end of the week,Whitefield was designated for assignment, removed from the Angel's 40-man roster, with both parties looking for a potential suitor for a trade; otherwise, he will be put on waivers.

GP

AB

R

H

1B

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

5

11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

.000

.000

.000