July 30 for July 29 Update

I went to Orleans on Wednesday to see some more pitchers I hadn't yet gotten a look at.

Falmouth was down to its last strike in the top of the ninth inning then rallied to tie the game before eventually losing 6-5 in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Left-handed starter Rob Rasmussen from UCLA started for Orleans. I saw him throw an inning during the All-Star Game, but this was the first time I watched him for an extended appearance. Rasmussen is a small-body guy at 5'11" 170, but he doesn't throw with as much effort as many other pitchers in the league with similar size. He has a tight motion and throws with good arm action, and the ball looks like it's really flying out of his hand. Rasmussen's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range. He had good command of it early in his start Wednesday but he started to lose it later in the appearance and lost some of his effectiveness. He also throws a really good 77-78 mph curveball with sharp, tight break that he could both throw for strikes and get hitters to chase out of the zone. Rasmussen also had an 82-84 mph slider with horizontal run that gives hitters a different look to think about but which isn't as effective as the curve. His fastball/curveball combination makes him one of the better starters in the league.

Right-handed starter Jordan Cooper from Wichita State had the ball for Falmouth. Cooper is average height with a solid build at 6'0" 200. He has good arm action, good balance and throws easily. His stuff is really just average. Cooper's fastball sat in the 86-88 mph range. He spun a 78-80 mph slider that didn't have much to it early in the game. He started getting a better feel for it as the start went on and become a more effective pitch. He also threw an average 79-80 mph changeup. Cooper has put up good numbers this summer but he isn't outstanding.

Right-handed reliever Patrick Cooper from Des Moines Community College looked really good for Falmouth with his fastball/slider combination. Cooper is average height with a solid, athletic build at 6'2" 200. He stands tall in his delivery and throws with some effort. Cooper's fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range, and his 83-84 mph slider was excellent. The slider had very sharp break and he got a lot of swings and misses with it. Cooper has an ERA under 1 this summer and he is one of the better relievers in the league.

I only caught a brief glimpse of Falmouth right-handed reliever Jason Zylstra from Jacksonville State and only saw him throw fastballs. Zylstra is tall with an average build and room to fill out at 6'4" 220. He gets good extension and throws with good, loose arm action. His fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range and had good sinking action.

Orleans right-handed reliever Brett Weibley from Kent State hit 96 with his fastball. Weibley is above-average height with a solid build at 6'3" 220. He throws with a lot of effort and falls off the mound toward first base, but he throws with good arm action. Weibley's fastball sat mostly in the 93-95 mph range and did hit 96 once. He does well changing his locations. Weibley threw mostly all fastballs, showing just an average slider and a good changeup that he only threw during warmups.

Among position players, Orleans shortstop Devin Lohman from Long Beach State played well. He put a good swing on a wind-aided opposite field home run, then made an athletic play coming in a ground ball. He has an above-average arm.

Thursday is an off day.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

Bourne 13 Cotuit 1: Second baseman Raynor Campbell from Baylor, Cleveland's 31st-round pick, went 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs for Bourne. Right-handed starter Alex Wimmers from Ohio State allowed one run on four hits and struck out 10 in five innings pitched.

Chatham 10 Brewster 1: Leftfielder Joey Terdoslavich from Long Beach State went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and third baseman Matt Duffy from Tennessee went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Chatham. Second baseman Jedd Gyorko from West Virginia University and designated hitter Tant Shepherd from the University of Texas each had two hits for Brewster.

Wareham 10 Hyannis 3: Leftfielder Alex Dickerson from the University of Indiana went 3-for-5 with a home run and rightfielder George Springer from UConn went 2-for-4 with a home run for Wareham.

Harwich 8 Y-D 4: Centerfielder Leon Landry from LSU went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and first baseman Connor Powers from Mississippi State, the Dodgers' 11th-round pick and rightfielder Trent Mummey from Auburn each homered for Harwich.

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