Minor League Player of the Day – Pratt Maynard - 4 for 5, 3 Runs, 2 SB's. The 2011 3rd round pick has been extremely quite this year, as he doesn't have a home run in 2012 and has an OPS of just .614. Over the last 10 games Pratt is hitting .353 however, so hopefully he has a strong 2nd half of the season.
AAA – All 5 runs in this game were scored via the solo home run, but unfortunately the Isotopes only had two of the lonely blasts in a 3 - 2 loss to the Redbirds (Cardinals). Matt Angle and Jerry Sands were the two Albuquerque hitters to take the ball deep, and they also accounting for two-thirds of the team's hits. Brian Cavazos-Galvez's single was the only other base knock for the Isotopes in the loss. John Ely continued to pitch well despite allowing all 3 solo bombs as he gave up only two other hits and struck out 9. He continues to post a surprising strikeout rate as his K/9 is above 9 for the first time in his career. Angel Guzman pitched the 8th and with another scoreless frame he lowered his ERA to 1.35.
AA – Kyle Russell made sure that Chattanooga didn't lose in Zach Lee's AA debut as his 3-run homer in the 11th secured a 4 - 1 victory over the Braves. Russell's bomb in extra frames was his only hit of the contest, and it was definitely the highlight of a slow offensive night. Jake Lemmerman went 2 for 5 with a double for the team's only other extra base knock, while J.T. Wise and Rafael Ynoa also had 2 hits in 5 at bats. Getting back to Lee, the 20 year old allowed just 5 hits and 1 run over 6 solid innings while striking out 7. He walked 3, but needed just 81 pitches to record the 18 outs. After Zach left the game 4 different relievers combined to shut out Mississippi for the final 5 frames, starting with Geison Aguasviva who hurled 2 innings of 1-hit ball. Javier Solano picked up the win with a hitless 10th, and Steve Ames recorded the save with a scoreless 11th.
HiA – The Mavericks (Mariners) dealt the Quakes another heart breaking loss as they scored a single run in the 8th and in the 9th for a 6 - 5 win. Similar to what happened just a few days ago, Scott McGough took the loss with another subpar outing. He allowed a single to start the the bottom of the 9th, then after a balk and a sacrifice bunt the team decided to walk the bases loaded. The plan backfired, however, as Scott subsequently walked in the winning run. Going back to the start of the game, Brandon Martinez had his worst outing in a while as he gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs over 5.2 frames. Ryan Acosta gave up the tying run in relief, then as mentioned above McGough lost the game. At the plate Alexis Aguliar had a perfect day at the plate as he went 4 for 4 with a walk and 2 RBI's. Scott Wingo also drove in 2 with a triple, while C.J. Retherford continued his hot streak with 2 singles.
LoA – The Loons finally put on an offensive show as Great Lakes downed the Silver Hawks (Dbacks) 11 to 6. Nick Akins, who really has no business being in the Midwest League, finally had a big day as he crushed 2 homers and collected 3 RBI's. Pratt Maynard didn't have a bomb, but he may have one upped Akins with 4 singles, 3 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases. Joe Winker went 2 for 4 with a double, while Delvis Morales also recorded a two-bagger and drove in two runs. On the mound Joel Lima struggled a bit in his first start of the year as he gave up 8 hits and 6 runs (4 earned) over 4.2 frames, but luckily his bullpen was great to help savage the win. Jose Dominguez had his first strong game in a while with 4 K's over 2.1 innings, while Matt Shelton lowered his ERA to 2.19 with a 1-2-3 inning.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors lost in about 2 hours on Wednesday as they managed just 3 singles in a 4 - 2 defeat to Idaho Falls. Jesus Valdez had the only offensive performance worth mentioning as he went 1 for 3 with a walk and a RBI. Despite the loss starter Jake Hermsen pitched a solid game as he allowed just 3 hits and an unearned run over 5 frames. Michael Drown gave up 2 runs and technically blew the save, but Daniel Coulombe was impressive in his 3 innings of work as he allowed just 1 hit and struck out a game high 5 batters.
Rookie Arizona – Several 2012 draftees played a key role in this victory as the Dodgers came from behind and defeated the Padres 11 to 9. 4th round selection Justin Chigbogu ended up as the hero as his 9th inning homer broke the tie and drove in the eventual game winning runs. The rehabbing Noel Cuevas also deserves some credit for the victory, however, as his double in the 8th tied the game and gave him 3 RBI's for the night (to go along with 2 stolen bases). 7th rounder Theo Alexander also had a professional debut to remember as he went 3 for 5 with a double and a RBI. Starter Jonathan Martinez had a relatively rough start as he gave up 6 hits and 3 runs over 3.2 innings. Kazuya Takano permitted a pair of runs to score over 1.1 frames, while Fransisco Villa got a bit lucky as all 4 of the runs he allowed were unearned. Rickey Perez recorded his 3rd save of the year with a scoreless 9th.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers continue to roll on Wednesday with a 5 - 1 win over the Astros. Josmar Cordero didn't have an extra base hit in this game, but his 2 singles ran his hitting streak to 22 games. Gerson Nunez had 2 more hits to increase his batting average to .386, while Jeffry Rojas drove in a pair with a single and a sac fly. The Dodgers pitching staff basically split this game into thirds as Edison Bock started the game with 3.2 innings of shutout ball. 18 year old Wascar Teodo threw the next 3.1 frames and did not even allow a hit as he lowered his ERA to 1.29, then Willie Canelo finished off the win with 2 innings of 1 hit ball.
Coming up – For the first time in their careers, the cousins are both scheduled to pitch on the same day as Ethan Martin throws for the Lookouts on Thursday, and Ralston Cash takes the mound for the Loons. Hopefully that will lead to a good title on Friday morning. Michael Antonini is going to start for the Isotopes, and Derek Cone is going to take the ball for the Raptors.
Minor League Transactions – LoA: Jarret Martin was placed on the DL to make room for 2012 15th round pick Duke von Schamann, who was promoted to the Midwest League after just two appearances with the Raptors.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)
Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)