There were a lot of home runs hits and a few decent pitching performances, so all in all it was a solid minor league day for the Dodger teams.
Minor League Player of the Day – Angel Sanchez - 5 IP, 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 4 BB's, 6 K's. It was a real toss up as to who would win this award tonight, but since nobody blew me away I'm giving it to Sanchez because throwing 5 innings of no-hit ball is always impressive even if you walk 4 batters. I still don't have much background on Sanchez, but I do know that this is in fact his first professional season so it's amazing what he's doing in the Midwest League.
AAA – The Isotopes were edged by the Iowa Cubs on Saturday 4 to 3 despite a big night Jay Gibbons and a homer from Jerry Sands. Gibbons went 3 for 4 with a double, a walk, and a big fly to fall a triple shy of the cycle. Sands smacked a 2-run shot to left field, while Trayvon Robinson went 0 for 4 and struck out 3 times for the 3rd time in 4 nights. Dana Eveland started for Albuquerque and was unusually wild, issuing 5 walks which led to 3 runs. David Pfeiffer picked up the loss in relief, while Merkin Valdez threw a perfect inning with 3 K's.
AA – Chris Withrow threw a pretty good game, but it was his bullpen that paved the way for victory as the Lookouts defeated the Suns (Marlins) 5 to 2. Withrow allowed just 3 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings, but he walked 4 and threw 95 pitches in his outing. Four relievers combined to give up just 2 hits over the final 4 frames, including Cole St. Clair who was perfect for two-thirds of an inning, and Josh Lindblom who picked up his 8th save of the year. At the plate Travis Denker had a big night with a homer and 4 RBI's, and Elian Herrera went 3 for 4 with a double.
HiA – It was raining home runs in Rancho on Saturday as 5 different Quakes hit the ball out of the park in the team's 13 to 4 blowout of the Lancaster JetHawks (Astros). All the team's best offensive prospects, who happened to be hitting 3rd through 7th in the Quakes lineup, were the ones that hit homers, and they were Jake Lemmerman, Angelo Songco, JT Wise, Austin Gallagher, and Tony Delmonico. Lemmerman also doubled in the game, while Wise finished the night with 3 hits. Starting pitcher Jon Michael Redding also had a solid night as he scattered 6 hits in 6 innings, allowed just 1 run, and struck out 9. Luis Vasquez threw the final frame of the night and had hist first 1-2-3 inning of the season.
LoA – Loons starter Angel Sanchez threw 5 innings of no-hit ball, but his offense didn't give him much help and Great Lakes fell to the Lugnuts 4 to 3 in 10 innings. Sanchez, who continues to have a remarkable debut season, struck out 6 but did walk 4 batters and was pulled after throwing 85 pitches. His bullpen had its ups and downs after he left the game, but the contest ultimately ended on a walk-off walk allowed by Andrew Pevsner. Leon Landry led the offensive with a single and double in 5 at bats, and Chris Jacobs went 2 for 4.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors made the Ghosts disappear on Saturday with a 11 to 5 victory over Casper (Rockies). Ogden wrapped out 14 base knocks, and 5 different batters had multi-hit games. James Baldwin moved up to the leadoff spot and had another strong showing, going 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 2 more stolen bases. Matt Kirkland drove in 4 runs with a double and a single, while Jeff Hunt and Charlie Mirabal both went 2 for 3 with a couple of runs scored. Gustavo Gomez was sharp on the mound for the Raptors, allowing just 3 hits and 3 runs over 6 innings while striking out 8. Steve Matre kept his ERA at zero with 2 shutout innings and 3 K's, although Scott McGough wasn't as lucky as he gave up his first runs as a professional.
Rookie Arizona – Off day
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers were shut down by the Mets 2 to 1 as the offense only had 3 hits. There really isn't anything exciting to report about this game so I'll leave it at that.
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)
Dominican Dodgers Box Score (DSL)