With travel making this trip interesting to say the least - here’s an early look at the story that will run in the Beacon Thursday.

TRENTON, N.J. - Wyatt Toregas lay on the trainers table clutching his stomach, his face twisted in pain, a half-empty plastic bottle of grape Pedialyte sitting next to him.

While his teammates and coaches ate their post-game meals in dead silence in the visitor’s lockerroom at Waterfront Stadium minutes after a controversial play at the plate ended in a 3-2 loss to Trenton, the Aeros catcher writhed on the table, struggling to keep the fluid down.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t talk right now,” was all Toregas could manage, not even opening his eyes.

Despite being exhausted and still fighting a flu-like virus that had him sidelined during the first game of the Eastern League Championship Series the previous night, Toregas told Aeros manager Tim Bogar he wanted to play in Wednesday.

As baseball irony would have it, Toregas was at center stage of the game’s final play - the 5-foot-11, 200-pound catcher receiving a right-on-the-money throw from right fielder Cirilo Cumberbatch before quickly moving into position to block the plate and tag out a charging Colin Curtis trying to score the winning run from second base.

As Curtis approached the plate, Toregas went to tag him high. Curtis slid in an attempt to avoid the tag, trying to sneak his left hand under Toregas’ outstretched glove in an effort to catch the corner of home plate.

Right on top of the play, home plate umpire Cory Blaser quickly called Curtis safe - handing the Thunder a commanding 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Akron Friday.

“It was obviously a close play, and from Wyatt’s reaction, I’d say we have a pretty good argument,” Bogar said. “But the umpire said (Curtis) made a great slide.”

As Blaser signaled Curtis safe, Toregas reacted angrily. He spun around to plead his case to Blaser, then pounded the ball into the ground, followed by his glove and then helmet before collapsing a few feet away, his head bowed in his hands.

After arguing briefly with Blaser, Bogar and center fielder Trevor Crowe came over to check on Toregas. Finally, they pulled him up to his feet and helped him off the field.

”The bottom line is we didn’t lose the game on that play, we didn’t execute all game long,” said Bogar, whose team went 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position. “We had plenty of opportunities to score runs, we should have scored five or six.”

The Aeros took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of fourth-inning runs. Jordan Brown led off with a single and scored on Michael Aubrey’s RBI-double. Aubrey soon came around to score on an error.

But Trenton chipped away at the lead with a run in the fifth inning, Curtis reaching on one of six walks by Aeros starter Chuck Lofgren, before scoring on P.J. Plittere’s RBI-single. Gabe Lopez tied the game three innings later with a run-scoring double.

The Areos wrapped up their important three-game set in Erie Wednesday night, limping out of town after going just 1-2. New closer Jim Ed Warden blew a save Tuesday that cost the game and then usually steady Reid Santos was unable to locate the strike zone in his second inning of work Wednesday to cost the team a win that would have given them a much-need series victory.

Instead, the Aeros open play in Reading tonight having won just 2 of their last 9 games - and now no longer needs to worry about first-place Erie.

As Aeros back up play-by-play man Joe Jastremski keeps telling me while traveling with the team on this key road trip, “The Sea Wolves are playing like a team that will hold on to first place and claim the Southern Division title.”

Meanwhile, the Aeros now need to focus instead on charging third-place team Bowie (5 games back), who becomes the real threat to knock the Aeros (2.5 games back) out of the wild-card spot and the playoffs all together.

I’ve recently stated my opinions on this blog as to why the Aeros are stumbling down the stretch so badly (no real help from Class-A Kinston after the Aeros top players are promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, which has been the norm for years).

But it doesn’t sound like Michael Aubrey’s activation from the disabled list yesterday is going to help matters much. Not only does it push productive player/coach Shaun Larkin back to the bench, but because Aubrey has rarely played this season even close to 100 % healthy, he’s a major liability on the bases.

Jastremski reports that in Wednesday’s game with Aubrey on first base, Rodney Choy Foo hit a sure double behind him, but had to retreat back to first base when Aubrey could make it no farther than second base on the hit. Plays like that cost the team crucial runs - and could prove disasterous under the microscope of the post season if the Aeros are to hold on to second place and make the playoffs.

Some good news: The foul ball of the right hand of cather Wyatt Toregas in Tuesday’s game that forced him to leave in the bottom of the second inning did not break any bones. In fact, though his hand is heavily wrapped, Toregas was catching in the bullpen Wednesday night.

Aeros manager Tim Bogar told Jastremski he hopes to have Toregas back in the lineup in time for Friday’s double header at Reading.

Six Aeros will be accompanying Aeros manager Tim Bogar to the Eastern League All-Star Game July 11 - the highest number of players from the 12-team league.

Making the trip to Norwich, Ct., with Bogar are pitchers Randy Newsom and Reid Santos, first baseman Jordan Brown, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, catcher Wyatt Toregas and right fielder Brian Barton.

‘‘I’m not surprised at all that we placed so many guys,” Bogar told me Monday aftrenoon from Erie, Pa., where the Aeros are playing on the second leg of a three-city road trip. “Jordan Brown is having a great year, Brian Barton is doing well and Asdrubal Cabrera is perhaps the best player in the league. Wyatt’s catching abilities behind the plate set him apart, and enough
can’t be said about the job Reid has done in a variety of roles for us and how Randy has stepped right into such an important closer’s role.”

Bogar is right. Hoever, that doesn’t always translate into the right players being picked (anyone remember Ronald “Bear” Bay going just last year?) But voters - media and fans - got it right this season. Consider:

Cabrera and Brown vied for the honor of the Aeros’ first-half MVP, with the slick fielding Cabrera owning the third-best batting average in the league at .338 (91-for-269) featuring a league-high 64 runs scored.

But the slugging Brown has been just as important, checking in at sixth place in league batting average (.321), but owning league highs in hits (95) and doubles (25).

Toregas may be batting just .240 (41-for-171), but there’s more to the selection of the catcher than the obvious stats - as Bogar said he considers Toregas’ game-caling and defense to be among the leagues best.

While steady most of the first half, Barton has begun to take his game to another level over the last month of play. Plus, he’s not afraid to take one - or two - for the team. In 75 games, Barton is batting .303 (82-for-271) with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 40 RBI and a minor-league-leading 24 hit-by-pitches.

That leaves the lefty Santos and side-arming righty Newsom - a pair of pitchers who have been instrumental in keeping the Aeros pitching staff ranked among the best in the league.

The do-it-all Santos started out as a late-inning reliever, moved over to closing when the team’s original closer Bubbie Buzachero was promoted to Triple-A and has spent the last six game in the starting rotation. In 22 games, he’s 5-1 with a save and a sparkling 1.99
ERA and 44 strikeouts.

All Newsom has done since he joined the team May 12 is go 12-for-12 in save opportunities while recording a 3-0 mark and 2.28 ERA along the way.

The Aeros made SEVEN roster moves the last wo days - a few just paper moves, but moves none the less.

Ready? Here goes:

Right-hander NICK PESCO was sent to high Class-A Kinston, catcher WYATT TOREGAS was placed on the Disabled List with a lower back strain, catcher DAVID WALLACE joined the team from Triple A Buffalo, right-hander CLIFF POLITTE was added to the roster from his rehab assignment, left-hander CHUCK LOFGREN returned to the Aeros from short-season Mahoning Valley, pitcher LUIS VALDEZ was transferred back to low Class-A Lake County and infielder CRISTO ARNAL was sent to Extended Spring Training.

Got all that? Hopefully, this helps:

Pesco was once again overmatched at Double-A (he was last year as well). H’s got some things to work on so doing it at Kinston makes more sense than getting his brains beat in by more experienced hitters.

I had a feeling something was wrong with Toregas since he hadn’t played in two days - I wonder if the back injury isn’t from the akward slide into second over the weekend. Originally, it looked like he really hurt his ankle, but the next day when I talked to him, he told me he felt fine. Backs are tricky (I know personally), so hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.

Doesn’t it figure, though, that as soon as backup catcher Javi Herrera is traded, Toregas goes down? That’s O.K. with Armando Camacaro activated, but it’ll be interesting to see if (former Aero) David Wallace becomes the main catcher until Toregas returns or is just with the team as a back up plan. Unfortunately, since neither Camacaro or Wallace can hit, neither are in the Tribe future plans. However, the Indians brass is increasingly getting higher on Toregas, as evidenced by the willingness to let Herrera go for essentially nothing.

Politte’s move is merely a paper move. The only difference is that now he counts against the team’s active roster, which is why Pesco had to be moved.

Lofgren’s transfer was also a paper move as he’s been with the team since returning from his spot start Friday in Buffalo, but he didn’t need to be activated (and thus count against the roster) until it was his turn to pitch again.

With Lofgren back on the active roster, Valdez returned to Lake County. He was only up to help the tired bullpen for a few days until Lofgren needed to be put back on the roster.

Lastly, Arnal simply sounds like a guy without a team and was bumped to extended S.T. with no where else to go until Mahoning Valley’s season gets underway June 19th.

No player likes to have to take a step back, even if it’s a detour that will help their career in the long run. When you’re in the minor leagues, the only way to get to the Show is up, and anything else is often viewed as a failure.

That’s why I’m so impressed with Aeros backup catcher Javier Herrera. Herrera is a good defensive catcher. But like most defensive catchers, he struggles on offense. So much so, that after spending all of 2005 and the first half of 2006 in Akron, the Indians sent him back to Class-A Kinston while promoting young catcher Wyatt Toregas. (See my story in the Beacon Thursday for more on the relationship between Herrera and Toregas.)

It was a tough time for Herrera, but he took it in stride. Not that he didn’t want to be in Akron, but he UNDERSTOOD why he needed to be in Kinston. And even when the Indians brought him back to Akron this year - to be Toregas’ backup - Herrera still has handled it with maturity.

“I didn’t want to go down, but I was in total agreement with their decision,” Herrera said. “I had a bad start and Wyatt was on fire. He was doing everything he needed to move up and I wasn’t.”

Refreshing. Honestly, you just don’t hear guys say that - and mean it.

I don’t know if Herrera is ever going to make it to the majors, but it’s hard not to root for him and hope he finds the way.

That being said, who are the good guys in the game you root for?

I get a handful of emails a week from people asking about players and just wanting to chat about some particular baseball subject. I thought I’d include a few from the past week as some I’ve commented on via threads to certain posts, others I’ve just responded personally.

K.J. wondered what the Aeros might be doing as a tribute to the Virginia tech shootings, especially with starting catcher Wyatt Toregas being a former baseball player at Va. Tech. I plan to check with Toregas when the team returns Friday to see if there’s anything special he’s done.

K.J. figured maybe the Eastern League could provide small patches for the players to wear on their uniforms. I think it’s a great idea, I just don’t know if there’s enough money in the low minor leagues to pull it off.

Mike’s been mentioning outfielder Brian Barton alot, and I promised to talk more about him. He’s a very interesting guy in that he played college ball at the University of Miami (a hotbed for players getting drafted), yet wasn’t drafted. Cleveland signed him as a free agent in 2004, and got quite a steal.

For anyone whose seen Barton play, it’s hard to believe he didn’t get drafted. He’s an above average outfielder and has a pretty good plan at the plate. When he first came to Akron mid-way through the season last year, Barton told me it was a complete misunderstading as to why he didn’t get drafted.

He’s a very bight guy and was majoring in engineering (aerospace, I believe). When scouts asked if he wanted to play ball he told them that while he loved baseball, school was important, too. He didn’t mean he wouldn’t sign, he just wanted them to know upfront his education was important to him and his family. So everyone backed off thinking he wouldn’t sign. While his honesty is commendable, it probably cost him a decent signing bonus.

None the less, Barton has quickly risen through the Tribe’s minor league ranks, and for many, came out of no where to be ranked by baseball America as the Tribe’s 5th best prospect heading into the 2007 season. I think he kind of enjoyed not having much pressure on him as an undrafted free agent, because in his first two pro seasons, he combined to hit .324with 50 doubles, 10 triples, 26 homers and 147 RBI at Lake County in ‘05 and Kinston/Akron in ‘06.

Barton struggled a little bit to start the season this year, perhaps unfamiliar with the spotlight being on him. However, in the last week he’s begun to have better at bats (although he still leads the team with 17 strikeouts) and is now hitting a more respectable .271 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI and a team-high four stolen bases.

Mike points out that Barton also has been hit by a pitch a team-high four times. That does seem strange to me, but could be a part of his early struggles in crowding the plate while trying too hard to make something happen instead of staying within himself. Let’s watch that stat and see what happens the next week or two. My guess is that the number stays at four now that Barton’s hitting better.

Lastly, a writer lamented about Joe Ness struggling out of the bullpen in the Aeros loss last night. I like Ness, and just chalk up yesterday’s rough outing to him being a starter shoved in the Aeros rotation in an effort to get him promoted to Akron. If an Aeros starter were to go down, Ness could slide right into a starting job. Until then, he’s stuck in the pen. So, let’s give him a long leash as he adjusts on the fly to a new role.

Aeros catcher Wyatt Toregas spent a good portion of Monday on his cell phone calling friends and family to make sure everyone was alright after hearing about the shooting rampage that happened earlier in the day at Virgina Tech - his alma mater.

“To see the footage on TV, it really hit home,” said Toregas, who was selected by the Indians in the 24th round of the 2004 draft out of the school. “I’m thinking, ‘That’s the building I used to go to math class at. That’s the dorm I lived in during my freshman year.’ Luckily, everyone I know who are still there were all O.K.”

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is as nice a guy as you’ll ever meet. He’s a good kid, with a mature head on his shoulders. Toregas is also a rising star in the Indians minor-league system. He’s reponsible enough to know he as to be focused every game - not only for himself, but for the pitcher who depends on him every night.

Yet, there was no mistaking that the events on Monday back home shook him. Toregas was born in Fairfax, Va. He lives in Ashburn, Va. Two off seasons ago, he said he went back to live near school in Blacksburg simply because he missed the place.

Although he’s three years removed from playing at Va. Tech, Toregas still has friends on campus, including players who were red shirt freshmen when he was a senior. He said his younger sister goes to school near Blacksburg, and is on campus often.

“I still have school to finish up after my baseball career is over,” Toregas said. “I can’t envision myself not being there. Blacksburg is a beautiful place, and the people there are really good people.”

Despite the tragedy, Toregas hopes we don’t forget that.