Minor League Player of the Day – C.J. Retherford - 3 for 4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI's, 2 Runs. Retherford is definitely a little old for the California League at 26, but he's put together a solid season so far and was the best player of the night on Saturday.
AAA – The Isotopes lost their 3rd straight game on Saturday, this time to the Round Rock Express (Rangers) in a 3 to 2 defeat. Roy Oswalt actually started this game for the Express, and he did not allow a run in his abbreviated 2 inning outing. Albuquerque starter Fernando Nieve allowed all 3 runs in his 6 innings of work thanks to the 9 hits he gave up, while reliever Derrick Loop finished the game with a pair of hitless frames. At the plate Brian Cavazos-Galvez went 2 for 4 and with a homer, and that was the Topes only extra base hit. Luis Cruz and Josh Fields also had two base hits apiece.
AA – The Lookouts had an early lead on Saturday, but the bullpen ended up losing the game as Chattanooga was defeated by the Generals (Mariners) 6 to 5. Starter Aaron Miller allowed 2 first inning runs, but from there on out he was excellent as he finished with 9 K's over 5 frames. Red Patterson struck out all 3 batters he faced in the 6th, but Javier Solano blew the game in the top of the 7th when he gave up 3 runs. The Lookouts tied the game in the bottom of the 7th, but in the top of the 9th Logan Bawcom permitted a pair of singles, then allowed the winning run to score on a wild pitch. The Chattanooga offense was relatively quiet in this game as they scored their 5 runs on just 5 hits. Kyle Russell played a big part in the scoring as he blasted a 3-run homer, while Luis Nunez plated the other 2 runs with a double and a triple.
HiA – The Quakes collected 15 hits in Lancaster on Saturday, but that wasn't enough as Rancho lost to the JetHawks (Astros) 12 to 8. Lancaster did all of their scoring in the the first 6 innings as they roughed up starter Brandon Martinez for 6 runs over 5 frames, then crushed Freddie Cabrera for 6 more runs in forgettable 6th inning. At the plate the Quakes smacked 3 homers, including another bomb for Michael Pericht who went 2 for 4 out of the cleanup spot. Jonathan Garcia crushed another bomb, a 3-run show, while C.J. Retherford went 3 for 4 with a double and a homer. It should also be noted that Bobby Coyle led the team with 4 hits, going a perfect 4 for 4 (all singles) with a walk and 1 run scored.
LoA – The Loons lost again on Saturday in a 7 - 4 defeat to the Whitecaps (Tigers). Starter Jarret Martin overtook the Midwest League lead in strikeouts as he punched out 8, but he also allowed 5 runs and absorbed the loss. Joel Lima lowered his ERA to 1.33 with 2.2 scoreless frames, while Yimi Garcia gave up 2 runs in the 9th. Great Lakes had just 5 hits in this game, and the only notable performance came from the suddenly hot Scott Schebler who went 2 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI's.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers started their season with a loss as they were defeated by the Royals 5 to 1. This year's team actually looks very similar to the 2011 club, beginning with starter Abdiel Velasquez who allowed just 1 unearned run over 4 innings. Wander Beras, who was formally known as Leonel Beras and is now a few years older than his former identity, lost the game by giving up 4 runs in just 1.2 frames. At the plate Melvin Santana was the player of the day as he went 3 for 4 with a double.
Coming up – Chris Reed and Matt Magill will highlight the starting pitchers on Sunday as they will throw for the Quakes and Lookouts, respectively. Will Savage will try and get back on the winning track for the Isotopes, while Jose Dominguez will take the ball for the Isotopes.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)