With the 1st half of the minor league season winding down, let's take a quick look at where each of the Dodgers full season minor league teams are at the moment. The Isotopes are in the PCL, where they actually play a full season instead of 2 halves, and Albuquerque is in 1st place in their division by 1.5 games. The Lookouts have only 5 games left in their 1st half, and since they are 9 games back in their division they are going to have to wait until the 2nd half. The Quakes lead their division by 6 games with just 6 to play in the 1st half, so they have pretty much locked up the 1st half playoff spot. Finally, the Loons are 2 games back of the 1st place Lugnuts, and with 6 games to play it looks like it is going to be a dogfight until the end of the half.
Minor League Player of the Day – Griff Erickson - 2 for 2, 1 HR, 2 walks. Nobody had a huge game on Monday, although Erickson did have some competition for this award from Trayvon Robinson. Erickson's homer and perfect night put him over the top, however, as he increased his OB% to .426 and his OPS to .942. I should also mentioned that I got an up close view of Erickson when I attended the game on Sunday, and he really is an impressive physical specimen.
AAA – The 1st place Isotopes played a much calmer game on Monday, but they were still able to come out on top as Albuquerque defeated the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros) 4 to 3. Starter Tim Sexton had another serviceable outing as he allowed 8 hits and 2 runs in 6 innings to pick up his 3rd win. Sexton's ERA in 27.2 AAA innings is an impressive 3.25, although his K/9 (4.96) and FIP (4.19) are less exciting. Travis Schlichting gave up a hit and a run in 1.1 innings of relief, then Jon Link threw the final 1.2 innings for his 5th save of the year. At the plate, Trayvon Robinson continued to put on a show as he tripled and hit his Dodger minor league leading 14th homer of the season. Jerry Sands also homered, his 6th with the Isotopes, while Eugenio Velez went 3 for 5 with a double and 2 runs scored.
AA – The Braves only scored in one inning on Monday, but the 3 runs they scored in the 3rd were enough to down the Lookouts 3 to 2. Chattanooga starter Michael Antonini was great in 5 of the 6 innings he pitched, but his one poor inning was enough to saddle him with the loss. In total, Antonini allowed 8 hits and 3 runs. Wilkin De La Rosa came into the game in the top of the 7th and allowed a leadoff triple, and that paved the way for Kenley Jansen to make another rehab appearance. Jansen struck out the first batter he faced, then intentionally walked the next batter. The 3rd hitter he faced then flew out to Kyle Russell, who made the catch and gunned out the runner at the plate who was trying to score on the sac fly. Shawn Tolleson threw the final inning and was back to his old self, striking out all 3 batters he faced. On offense, the Lookouts had just 6 hits, two of them coming on doubles by Alfredo Silverio. Russell also doubled in this game, while Brian Cavazos-Galvez and Jaime Pedroza both picked up RBI's.
HiA – The Quakes were outhit on Monday 10 to 6, but Rancho was able to defeat the cross-town rival 66ers 4 to 3. Starter Arismendy Ozoria had an interesting game as he allowed 4 hits and 2 runs in just 4 innings, and he didn't record a strikeout. Jordan Roberts came into the game in the 5th and provide solid middle relief as he gave up just 1 run in 3 innings to record the win. Javy Solano, who I saw up close in the Rancho locker room on Sunday and really doesn't look like a pitcher, threw two shutout innings to close out the game and picked up his 2nd save of the season. The Quakes made all of their hits count as 4 of the team's 6 hits went for extra bases. Nick Buss continued his hot hitting with his 4th homer in his last 10 games, while Travis Denker crushed his 13th bomb of the year. Griff Erickson also homered, his 5th of the year, and had a perfect day at the plate with a single and 2 walks.
LoA – Off day
DSL – Off day
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)