Friday was the first time this season where all 7 Dodger minor league teams played on the same day. From here on out this will be a common occurrence, and I'll try to keep up with everything in my write-ups. There were several solid prospect performances on Friday, both on the mound and at the plate.
Minor League Player of the Day – James Baldwin - 2 for 3, 2 HR's, 4 RBI's, 3 Runs, 2 SB's, 1 Walk. Baldwin had a huge game at the plate and beat out a couple of other Dodger prospects for this award. For James, both his speed and power were on full display and maybe he'll be moved up from 9th in the Raptor's lineup sometime soon.
AAA – The Isotopes were involved in a bit of a slugfest on Friday, but when the dust settled Albuquerque was on the short end of it as they lost to the RedHawks (Astros) 11 to 7. Starter Ian Snell got roughed up for 7 runs in just 4 innings and was plagued by the long ball and a lack of control. Ramon Troncoso threw in relief and allowed 1 hit (a a homer) and a walk in an inning of work. On offense, Jerry Sands and Trayvon Robinson both homered in the 3rd inning, but Sands upped the ante later in the game as he crushed his 2nd jack of the game in the 8th and finished the game with 3 hits and 3 RBI's. Justin Sellers also went 3 for 4 with a bomb, and Eugenio Velez had 3 hits in 5 at bats.
AA – Nate Eovaldi pitched a gem and the Lookout hitters pounded out 4 homers as Chattanooga burned the Suns (Marlins) 10 to 2. Eovaldi allowed just 4 baserunners on 3 hits and 1 walk in 7 shutout innings while striking out 5. The stellar outing lowered his ERA to 2.56, and was one of his best games of the year. The hard throwing Josh Wall threw a scoreless 8th, then the other De La Rosa gave up the shutout by allowing runs but eventually closed the door for the win. At the plate, Hector Gimenez had a big day going 2 for 4 with a homer, a double, and 4 RBI's. Kyle Russell also hit a jack, his 15th of the year, while Alfredo Silverio crushed one out of the park as well. The other Lookout home runs were solo shots by Jamie Pedroza and the recently promoted Travis Denker.
HiA – Angelo Songco took matters into his own hands on Friday as he ended the game in the bottom of the 12th with a walk-off homer in the Quakes' 4 to 3 win over the JetHawks (Astros). For Songco it was his 3rd hit of the game, and he finished just a triple shy of the cycle. Other than Angelo's solid night, Rancho's bats were relatively quiet as the only other highlight was JT Wise's solo bomb in the 3rd inning. Starter Matt Magill threw 5.2 innings and did OK, allowing 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) while striking out 5. Javy Solano threw well in relief, K'ing 3 in 2.1 shutout innings, and Ethan Martin made it through his frame unscathed despite allowing a couple of base-runners.
LoA – The Loons started off the 2nd half on a sour note as they lost to the Lugnuts (Blue Jays) 6 to 4 in 11 innings. Zach Lee started for Great Lakes and had his best outing in a while as he allowed just 3 hits in 5 innings without issuing a walk. 2 unearned runs did score against him and he only struck out 3, but still it was a very nice evening for Lee. Bret Montgomery allowed 2 runs in relief, but then Logan Bawcom was extremely impressive as he stuck out 5 of the 6 batters he faced. Ryan Acosta came into the game in the 11th and lost the game quickly as he gave up the walk-off homer. Nobody was all that impressive at the plate, although big Chris Jacobs did his a homer and Leon Landry went 2 for 5 with a double and a RBI.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors lost by a touchdown on Friday as they were defeated by the Casper Ghosts (Rockies) 14 to 7. The 6'11" giant Chris Handke started the game for Ogden and did very well, allowing just a single hit (albeit a homer) in 3 innings while striking out 3. When Handke left the game is when the onslaught started as a slew of relievers all got hit hard. Despite the poor relief pitching and the final score, this game did have some great news as James Baldwin had a huge game. Both his speed and power were on full display as Baldwin went 2 for 3 with 2 homers, 4 RBI's, and 2 stolen bases. Alexis Agulilar had a homer and 3 RBI's, while Jeff Hunt went 2 for 4 with a double.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodgers lost their first game of the year on Friday, 9 - 4 to the Rangers. Derek Cone was making a bit of a rehab start and did well, throwing 3 hitless innings while striking out 2. After that there were 6 relievers who pitched, and most of them didn't fare very well. At the plate, three different 2011 draft picks made their professional debuts, including 19th round pick Jesus Valdez who apparently is going to be a hitter (as he was announced on draft day) despite being listed on the roster as a pitcher. And based on the results of his first game, it seems that Valdez should be a hitter as he went 2 for 4 with a homer and a triple. Catcher Chris O'Brien had a single in 4 at bats in his debut, while Stefan Jarrin went 0 for 3.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers lost to the Indians 4 to 3 in 11 innings despite putting together a well pitched game. 18 year old starter Jackson Mateo threw 5 shutout innings and allowed just 2 hits, and so far he has carried his 2010 DSL success into 2011. Fellow 18 year old Abdiel Velasquez pitched the next 3 innings, and while he allowed 3 runs none of them were earned. The only offensive highlights were Adrian Roso going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI's and Abinaer Soriano collecting 2 hits in 3 at bats.
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)