Dodger teams split the day on Thursday with 3 wins and 3 losses. Not a lot of big prospect performances, but there were a few decent days. Also, Alfredo Silverio was the only Dodger named to the Futures Game which is played during the Major League All Star Break.
Minor League Player of the Day – Cole St. Clair - 1 IP, 3 K's. There weren't really any huge performances on Thursday, so I'm going to give this award to Cole St. Clair who had a perfect day on the mound and lowered his season ERA to a microscopic 0.79 in 22.2 innings. Things have gone very right for St. Clair all season as his WHIP is 0.66 and his batting average against is .162.
AAA – The Isotopes rallied for 3 in the 9th, but their comeback attempt fell short as Albuquerque was clawed by the RedHawks (Astros) 8 to 6. Jonathan Broxton started the game for his 2nd rehab appearance, and the news was good as he struck out 3 of the 4 batters he faced. He was followed by Tim Sexton who was also solid and allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings of work. Things went downhill, however, when Travis Schlichting took the mound as he gave up 5 hits and 5 runs to continue his nightmare season. On offense, Corey Smith hit the team's only homer while Ivan De Jesus stayed hot with a 2 for 5 game. Both Jerry Sands and Trayvon Robinson went 1 for 4 with a strikeout each.
AA – Allen Webster wasn't his normal dominant self on Thursday as the Lookouts lost to the Suns (Marlins) 7 to 5. Webster gave up 3 early runs, and while he settled down later he ended up allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and he struck out just 2. Cole St. Clair threw the 6th and struck out the side in a perfect inning, but then Shawn Tolleson actually allowed 2 hits and a run and Scott Rice gave up 2 unearned runs which doomed Chattanooga. At the plate, Webster surprisingly did some damage as he had a double and 2 RBI's, and Brian Cavazos-Galvez went 2 for 3 with a double. The bad news is that both Kyle Russell and Scott Van Slyke went 0 for 4 with 3 K's each.
HiA – The Quakes got off to a strong start in the 2nd half with a 7 to 5 victory over Lancaster (Astros). Even though the team is now without Blake Smith, who is out 4 to 6 weeks after having sports hernia surgery, Rancho provided enough offense for the win. Jake Lemmerman and Angelo Songco both had doubles, while Griff Erickson went 2 for 3 with a triple. Newest Quake Anthony Jackson also had a solid debut with a 3 for 5 night. Starter Andres Santiago got the win and had a season high 8 strikeouts while allowing 3 earned runs in 7 innings. Steve Smith picked up his 5th save with a perfect 9th.
LoA – All Star Break
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors played sloppy defense and had quiet bats on Thursdays as they lost to the Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals) 6 to 1. Ogden only had 4 hits, and they also made 4 errors which generally isn't a recipe for success. Matt Kirkland had a homer, his 1st of the season, and Scott Schebler doubled but that was it for the team's offense. Starter Rick Anton had a heavy college workload so he only threw 2 innings in this game, but he was solid and only gave up a single hit. Yimi Garcia threw 4 innings in relief and picked up the loss, although he only allowed 1 earned run on the night. Carlos De Aza was good out of the pen as he hurled 2 hitless frames.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodger continued their perfect season with a 7 to 5 victory over the Reds. 2011 2nd round pick Alex Santana led the team to victory with 3 RBI's as he went 2 for 4 with a double. Nobody else had more than 1 hit at the plate. The starting pitcher for the Dodgers was 2010 DSL standout Daniel Tamares, and he did well in his US debut by giving up just 3 hits and 1 earned run in 4 innings. Japanese teenager Kazuya Takano also made his US debut, and although he allowed 3 runs on 2 homers, those where the only 2 hits he allowed in 4 innings of work and he struck out 5.
DSL – Two Dodger pitchers combined on a 1-hitter as the Dodgers defeated the A's 2 to 1. 17 year old Miguel Sulbaran started the game and allowed the 1 hit in 6 innings of work, but strangely enough he didn't have strikeout. The 6'4" Ariel Pena finished off the final 3 frames and was nearly perfect. At the plate, Arce Rodriguez had the only notable performance as the went 2 for 4 with a double.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)
Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)