Third baseman Matt Dominguez, the Marlins’ 2007 first-round pick (12th overall), has been promoted from Class-A Jupiter to Double-A Jacksonville. Dominguez will join the Suns today. After going 39 for his first 176 (.221) with nine doubles, two homers and 13 RBI, Dominguez from June 1 through Sunday batted .298 (61 for 205) with 16 doubles, nine homers and 40 RBI.

Dominguez opened the season as the Marlins’ No. 6 prospect according to Baseball America. He’s a good bet to play in the Arizona Fall League, where Marlins’ third base coach Bo Porter will manager the Mesa club.

Enjoy your moment in the Sun, Matt. (Ed’s note: Oh god, I’m so sorry about that…)

With the Hammerheads, he was hitting .262/.333/.420 with 11hr 38bb and 68k, but Jupiter is a tough place to hit. If you adjust for the environment he played in, you’re looking at a .281/.350/.472/.822 kind of player, which is close to his park adjusted line in Greensboro. And his glove is considered major league, gold glove worthy right now.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story, because he’s been a completely different player in the last two months:

May: 100 AB: .200/.243/.270 - .513 OPS 1 HR, 4 BB, 21 SO
June: 95 AB: .295/.352/.474 - .826 OPS 3 HR, 9 BB, 14 SO
July: 98 AB: .316/.415/.582 - .997 OPS 6 HR, 16 BB, 16 SO

The Suns are now loaded with prospects, as Dominguez, recently ranked 4oth in MiLB.com’s top 50, joins top 25 prospects Logan Morrison and Michael Stanton. I expect Matt to struggle initially at AA, as he did in A and A+, but once he figured it out he smoked both leagues, so I think he’ll be ready to rake at the beginning of next season, because he’ll most likely start in AA next year. But he is officially on the fast track. Crazy to see two 19 year old top prospects on the same AA team with him and Stanton.

Can’t help but feel for the residents of Jupiter, as there’s really not much of a reason to go to games now.

I swear, these night games are going to be the death of me. Or at the very least, I’m gonna lose my job.

Rick VandenHurk pitched six strong innings to earn his first win in more than a year, leading the Florida Marlins to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night.

VandenHurk (1-0), making his first start since last July, allowed two runs and five hits, struck out four and walked two. He picked up his first victory since he pitched five innings in a 4-0 victory over Atlanta on June 22, 2008.

Hanley Ramirez homered for the Marlins, who put together a two-run rally in the seventh to snap a three-game skid. Leo Nunez pitched the ninth for his fifth save in eight chances to complete the combined five-hitter.

Vandenhurk looked great up until the 6th, when he gave up the back to back shots, though there were some hard hit balls. As always has been the case with him, he loses control as the game goes on. Still, nice to pick up a win, even if we tried as hard as we could to lose it.
In honor of the first victory in the history of this blog, I have the immense pleasure of introducing our Player of the Game award, known by it’s official name as the Craig Counsell Hero of the Game Award, the much prettier, more datable version of the Scott Olsen Mugshot Memorial Award.

This isn’t a game that had a lot of deserving nominees, so I’m going to go with the guy who went 0-4 but who nonetheless saved the game with a runner on 3rd in the 8th inning by picking Emilio Bonifacio’s throw in the dirt.

Hip Hip

JORGE!

Also, I’d like to start doing a little run down of the Marlins minor league affiliates various exploits, so here’s a little rundown of the team’s games tonight as well as the performances of notable prospects (Courtesy of Tealandblack.net):

GCL Marlins: DNP

Jamestown Jammers lost, 8-7
-Chase Austin (rd. 5): 2-5, run scored, 2 Ks (.279)
-Dustin Dickerson (rd. 6): 1-3, run scored, 1 BB (.316)

Greensboro Grasshoppers lost, 5-1
-Mattison: 2-4, run scored, 1 K (.240)
-Galloway: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K (.282)
-Smolinski: 1-3, (.260)
-Skipworth down to .199
-Koehler: 6 IP, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (3.09 ERA)
-Jennings: 1 IP, 3 K (2.85 ERA)

Jupiter Hammerheads lost 2-1 in 10 innings
-Burns: 2-5, 2 doubles, 1 K (.263)
-Mense: 2-4, 1 R (.232)
-Valentin: 1-2, 1 Double, 1 RBI, 2 BB (.244)
-Allison: 8.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (3.71)
-Harvey: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (3.33)

Jacksonville was idle

New Orleans Zyphers lost, 3-1
-Maybin: 1-4 with a double, (.343)
-Lindsey: 1-2, 1 R, 2 BBs (.260)
-Sanchez: 0-4 (.284)
-De Aza: 2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 K (.289)
-Collazo: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (3.54)
-Mobley: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K (3.68)

Also have to post up this picture from the Times-Picayune of  Oklahoma RedHawks center fielder Julio Borbon absolutely robbing Gaby Sanchez of a home run tonight.

And speaking of the minors, starting pitcher Andrew Miller has been sent to AAA New Orleans. He was absolutely dreadful in his last few starts and seems to have lost the consistency his new delivery had brought him.