Minor League Player of the Day – Michael Pericht - 4 for 4, 2 HR's, 1 2B, 6 RBI's. Pericht had a huge game on Friday, and has quietly increased his batting average to .326 and his OPS to a staggering 1.097. The big catcher has big time power potential, so hopefully he can keep it up throughout the season and put some heat on Griff Erickson in AA.
AAA – The Isotope offense was shut down for the second day in a row as Albuquerque lost to New Orleans (Marlins) 2 - 0. Trent Oeltjen had 3 of the Topes' 5 hits, all singles, and pitcher Michael Antonini's double was the only extra base knock. Speaking of Antonini, he allowed just 1 run in 5 innings but was given the loss thanks to the the aforementioned lack of offense. Bret Montgomery had a successful AAA debut with 1.2 scoreless frames, while Wil Ledezma allowed the final run of the game in the 8th.
AA – Ethan Martin was brilliant again on Friday as he led the Lookouts to a 6 - 1 win over the Barons (White Sox). Martin allowed just 4 hits over 7 scoreless innings, and the final score of this game now matches his win-loss record. While Ethan he did walk 3 he countered that with 7 K's. Geison Aguasviva worked around a walk and 2 hits in the 8th, then Blake Johnson allowed the only run of the game in the 9th. J.T. Wise had the big game at the plate as he went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and a couple of walks, while Pedro Baez also doubled and drove in 2. Travis Denker deserves some credit as well as he went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's.
HiA – Zach Lee had a successful return to the mound as the Quakes used the big bat of Michael Pericht to overwhelm the Storm (Padres) 8 to 3. Like other top pitching prospects who have missed some time, the Dodgers eased Lee back into action with just 3 innings of work, but he showed he was back at full strength as he allowed just 1 hit over 3 shutout innings and struck out 4. Garrett Gould was given a break of his own as he threw just 1 inning out of the bullpen but got touched up for 2 runs on 3 hits, while Jordan Roberts got the win in relief with 3 shutout innings. Getting back to Pericht, the big catcher had a monster night as he went a perfect 4 for 4 with 2 homers, a double, and 6 RBI's. Chris Jacobs also took one deep and finished the night 2 for 3, and Jonathan Garcia continued his recent hot streak with 2 more hits.
LoA Game 1 – Gustavo Gomez probably wishes the rains would have stayed round for another day as he got shelled in the very first inning in the Loons 7 - 4 loss to the TinCaps (Padres). This contest lasted just 7 innings as it was the first game of a double-header, but they really could have stopped after one as Fort Wayne scored all 7 of their runs in the first inning. Gomez gave up 5 of the runs while getting just 2 outs, then Matt Laney came in and allowed the final 2 runs. The good news is that Raydel Sanchez hurled the final 3 frames and didn't allow a run. At the plate Scott Schebler had a huge game as he went 3 for 3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI's, and a stolen base, but that was pretty much the extent of the Great Lakes offense.
LoA Game 2 – Early runs hurt the Loons again in the nightcap of the double header, and despite a late rally Great Lakes again lost to the TinCaps 6 to 5. Starter Arismendy Ozoria was the victim this time as he allowed 6 runs (4 earned) over just 2+ innings thanks to 5 hits 4 walks, and just 1 strikeout. Juan Noriega and Matt Shelton combined for 4 shutout frames to finish the game, but the initial damage was just too much. The Loons spread the wealth this game as the plate as the team's 7 hits were spread among 7 different batters, with the big bomb coming from Angelo Songco's 3-run homer. Joe Winker's triple was the only other extra base hit, while James Baldwin reached base 3 times and stole 2 more bases, given him 22 swipes for the season vs just 1 caught stealing.
Coming up – Saturday is the day we've all be waiting for as it marks the start of the season for the Dominican Summer League. The Dominican Dodgers will play their first game and I'll hopefully have some additional information on their team in the near future. Back in the states every pitcher is TBD with the exception of Fernando Nieve, who will take the mound for the Isotopes and face Roy Oswalt in Round Rock.
Minor League Transactions – HiA: Greg Wilborn was removed from the roster. LoA: The Loons needed some fresh pitchers for the double header, so they assigned Arismendy Ozoria back to the team and removed Ryan O'Sullivan from the roster for now.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA) - Game 1