Dodger minor league teams won 3 out of 4 games, and the Loons' win kept them in the hunt for a 1st half playoff spot.
Minor League Player of the Day – Jonathan Garcia - 4 for 5, 1 HR, 2 2B's, 3 Runs, 2 RBI's. Garcia started the 2011 season on fire, then plummeted back to reality in May with a .202 average. For the past few games he's seemed to break out of his funk, however, and is hitting .302 so far in June.
AAA – The Isotopes went down quietly again on Wednesday as they lost to the RedHawks (Astros) for the 3rd straight game, this time 2 to 1. The Albuquerque offense managed just 6 hits in this game, with Jerry Sands recording the only extra base hit (a double) and Jamie Hoffman picking up the only RBI. Dana Eveland started the game and did pretty well despite getting the loss. He struck out 6 in 6 innings and allowed 2 runs. The best news from this game is that Hong-Chih-Kuo threw a hitless inning of relief, although he had to pitch out of a jam because the first two batters he faced reached on an error and a walk. Luckily he got a K and a double play ball to get out of the inning.
AA – Postponed
HiA – Despite already clinching a 1st half playoff spot, the Quakes didn't take it easy against the 66ers as Rancho defeated Inland Empire (Angels) 4 to 3. The game was scoreless through 4, but the Quakes opened things up in the 5th with a RBI double by Blake Smith that scored 2 runs. J.T. Wise added a sac fly later in the inning, while Travis Denker put the game away with his 14th bomb of the year in the 8th. Starter Andres Santiago had a solid outing, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits through 6 innings while picking up the win, and Steve Smith was able to get the 2 inning save as he closed out the game.
LoA – The Loons and Captains were involved in a high scoring affair on Wednesday, and when the dust settled it was Great Lakes who game away with the 9 to 8 victory over Lake County (Indians). Zach Lee started and breezed through the first 3 innings of the game, but he got touched up for 3 homers and 5 runs over the next two frames. He was still able to pick up the win, however, as his offense stepped up to the plate and his bullpen did just enough. From listening to the broadcast, it was mentioned a few times that Lake County plays in a hitter friendly park and that the winds were blowing out. That being said, it sounded like each of the homers that Lee allowed were crushed and would have gone out anywhere. Getting back to the game, after Ryan Acosta made it threw 3 innings with minimal damage, Logan Bawcom was able to record his 9th save of the year. On offense, several Loons had solid games, but Jonathan Garcia stood out as he went 4 for 5 with a homer, 2 doubles, and 2 RBI's. Hopefully he's found his stroke again after a terrible month of May. Casio Grider also hit one out, and other contributors were Bobby Coyle (3 for 5) and Blake Dean (2 for 5).
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers beat the Indians 6 to 4 on Wednesday for their 3rd win in a row. Victor Araujo started the game and struck out 5 over 3.1 innings while giving up the only earned run of the game. Moises Tamarez followed with 2.2 innings of 1-hit ball and struck out 3, then 18 year old Andrew Shellon picked up his 3rd save of the year with a hitless frame. At the plate, 18 year old Jeffry Rojas went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's to raise his average to .353 for the season.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
Dominican Dodgers Box Score (DSL)