Minor League Player of the Day – Blake Smith - 3 for 4, 2 2B's, 1 BB, 5 RBI's. While Russell's two homers and Ozoria's pitching performance were solid on Friday, I'm giving this award to Smith due to his 5 runs driven in. Blake doesn't have a homer over his last 10 games, but he does have a .439 average and an 1.050 OPS.
AAA – The Isotopes scored 3 runs in the 8th against old friend Mike MacDougal to pull out a come from behind 4 - 3 win over the Cubs. Luis Cruz doubled in the two during the crucial 8th inning to tie the game and then Jerry Sand's single, his 2nd hit of the night, drove in the eventual game winning run. Alex Castellanos and Trent Oeltjen also had 2 hits each, while Scott Van Slyke doubled in a run and walked twice. On the mound, Stephen Fife gave up 10 hits in 6 innings but only permitted 3 runs while striking out 7. Ramon Troncoso loaded the bases in the 7th but escaped with a double play and the win, while Wil Ledezma recorded his 3rd save of the year with a scoreless 9th.
AA – The Lookouts finally found their bats on Friday and withstood a late rally as Chattanooga took down the Generals (Mariners) 11 to 10. With 14 hits in this game there were several offensive standouts, but we'll start with Kyle Russell who went deep twice and drove in 3 runs. Blake Smith didn't take one over the fence, but he did go 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and drove in a team high 5 runs. Jake Lemmerman also had 3 hits, while Pedro Baez went 2 for 4 with a triple and 2 RBI's. As you may have guessed given the score starter Matt Magill didn't have a good outing as he allowed 6 runs over 4.2 frames on 8 hits and 5 walks. Red Patterson got the win with 2.1 solid innings, although Eammon Portice and Logan Bawcom almost blew the game as they combined to give up 4 runs in the 9th.
HiA – The Quakes ruined the 1-run game trend on Friday as a walk-off 2-run homer by the Mavericks (Mariners) resulted in a 9 - 7 loss for Rancho. Robert Purpura absorbed the loss after allowing the extra inning bomb, but he wasn't the only Quake player that struggled on the mound. Starter Andres Santiago gave up 4 runs in 4 frames, while Jordan Roberts permitted 3 runs to score in just 2 innings. At the plate Rancho smacked 4 homers as Leon Landry, C.J. Retherford, Scott Wingo, and Chris O'Brien all took the ball deep. Joc Pederson went 2 for 5 with a double, but Jonathan Garcia had a very rough day as he went 0 for 6 with 5 K's
LoA – The Loons were the 3rd team to record a 1-run win on Friday as they held on for a 7 - 6 win over the Lugnuts (Blue Jays). James Baldwin had the big night as he went 2 for 3 with a triple, 2 RBI's, and his 26th stolen base, while Scott Schebler went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 runs driven in for his 4th multi-hit game in a row. Starter Arismendy Ozoria was brilliant on the mound as he didn't allow a hit until the 5th and struck out 7 in total, and closer Yimi Garcia was also very good as he recorded his 11th save of the year. In between, however, Joel Lima gave up a pair of runs and Juan Rodriguez got crushed for 4 scores in his first appearance since May 2nd.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers were ahead after 8, but a blown save by Ricardo De La Rosa resulted in a 6 - 5 loss to the Mariners. Starter Wander Beras gave up the first 4 runs of the game over 5 frames but struck out 7, then Simon Binns held the Mariners at bay before giving the ball to De La Rosa. At the plate Josmar Cordero stayed hot with 2 more hits in 3 at bats, while Arce Rodriguez went 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI's.
Coming up – The Quakes are in an unique situation on Saturday as they fight for the 1st half division crown. If Rancho beats High Desert tonight they clinch the title, but if they lose they will end the 1st half in a tie with the Mavericks, and then the division champ would be decided in a June 25th winner take all game which is when the Quakes face High Desert for the first time in the 2nd half of the season. Garrett Gould is going to start for Rancho but he is only scheduled to go 1 inning, so Jon Michael Redding will be his backup. Fellow 2009 top pick Aaron Miller will start on Saturday for the Lookouts, while John Ely will take the mound for the Isotopes. The Loons starter is TBD.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)