MANCHESTER

SIX NEW HAMPSHIRE Fisher Cats were selected for the Eastern League All-Star Game in Reading, Pa., though reliever Sam Dyson took his talents to the major leagues.

Outfielder Brad Glenn was named Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday, and rising star Jake Marisnick joined the Fisher Cats outfield during a wildly entertaining homestand. That’s the positive recap as we entered the All-Star break with New Hampshire (36-53) fighting to avoid last-place in the Eastern Division.

The Fisher Cats took a thorough 7-1 beating against New Britain on Monday, losing for the fourth time in five games. It’s not all bad news. New Hampshire won the three-game series against Portland, which featured Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ryan Sweeney, playing in front of record crowds (7,770 fans per game) at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

“That was crazy. It was awesome. Any time you have some big-league Red Sox in town, and we’re playing Portland, it’s going to be packed,” said Glenn, who has been crushing Eastern League pitching.

In a span of eight games, Glenn batted .419 with six doubles, five homers and 10 RBIs. The University of Arizona product opened the month with a grand slam at Reading and had a pair of homers two days later. Eastern League Player of the Week honors are a big deal considering the 12-team circuit is packed with elite-level prospects.

“It feels good. If someone did better than I did this week, they deserve it. It was a pretty crazy week. I’m looking to have similar weeks to that,” said the .256-hitting Glenn, who has developed a more compact swing while working with hitting coach Jon Nunnally.

“I started off slow this season (batting .206 in April and May) and needed to make some adjustments. Now I’m staying shorter, getting more backspin, just staying on top of the ball. There have been some high fastballs that I’m putting into play or at least fouling off with two strikes. At the beginning of the year, I was swinging through those.”

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ALL-STARS: Dyson had planned to participate in the Eastern League All-Star Game, but he received even better news on the homestand. The Blue Jays called up Dyson directly from Double-A, and the 22-year-old made his big-league debut on the same day he flew to Toronto.

Three Fisher Cats infielders, Mark Sobolewski, Ryan Goins, Mike McDade and pitchers Aaron Loup and Yohan Pino are heading to Reading for the EL All-Star festivities beginning today. Pino, one of the better success stories of the year, was also named to the All-Star team in his fifth Eastern League season. The Venezuelan leads the Fisher Cats with five wins, posting a 3.54 ERA in 16 appearances (13 starts).

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PROSPECT PULSE: Center fielder Jake Marisnick is the real deal. Pro scouts at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, who file reports on every player for their respective organizations, were eager to watch the newest Fisher Cats outfielder. Called up from Single-A Dunedin, Marisnick singled and doubled in his Eastern League debut and later put on a display of speed and arm strength. A strong throw to the plate surprised Jacoby Ellsbury, who scored from second base on a single to center field.

Fisher Cats right-hander Deck McGuire (4-9, 6.01 ERA), Toronto’s first pick in the 2010 draft, has turned the corner in his past three starts. The 6-foot-6 Georgia Tech product beat Portland and Reading and struck out a career-high 10 batters against New Britain.

“It was a culmination of all the things we’ve been working on. I located four pitches and was able to make some big pitches in spots,” said McGuire, who plans to play golf in the Manchester area and relax for two days. “It’s nice to see things come together heading into the break.”

In recent starts, McGuire has held the opposition to a .195 average while inducing more swings and misses. From a mechanical standpoint, the big righty must maximize a downward plane for pitches. Wrist and elbow position are crucial for his success.’



“He’s been working on a lot of stuff through the year, and it’s all coming together for him,” Fisher Cats pitching coach Tom Signore said. “I expect he’ll keep getting better.”

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Staff writer Kevin Gray covers pro baseball for the New Hampshire Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News. His email address is kgray@unionleader.com.