The Dodgers only victory on Monday game on a walk-off as the minor league clubs lost 6 of the 7 games played.
Minor League Player of the Day – Russ Mitchell - 5 for 5, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI's. Mitchell did all he could for the Isotopes on Monday, but it just wasn't quite enough. Russ' AAA performance this year is not quite on par with 2010 as his 5 hit game only bumps his average up to .265, but he is still just an injury or two away from rejoining the big league club.
AAA – Russ Mitchell had a perfect day and the Isotopes pulled within one in the 9th, but their rally fell short as Albuquerque lost to the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros) 8 to 7. Mitchell went 5 for 5 with a double and a homer to highlight the night, while both Jerry Sands and Trayvon Robinson also hit the ball out of the park. Dee Gordon had another multi-hit game and stole 3 bases to give him 27 for the season. The Topes pitching lineup was very uninspiring, and nobody did anything impressive in the loss.
AA – The Lookouts and BayBears (Dbacks) matched runs in the 9th to put the game into extra innings, but Chattanooga ended up losing in 11 when Shawn Tolleson had his worst appearance to date. Tolleson allowed 5 hits and 2 runs in the top of the 11th to pick up the loss, but his ERA still stands at just 1.80. Josh Lindblom also allowed a run in relief, and starter Nate Eovaldi wasn't very sharp either as he walked 6 and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings of work. At the plate, Kyle Russell went 2 for 5 with a double and drove in 2 runs, while minor league veterans Brad Coon and Ivan Ochoa had 3 hits each.
HiA – Logan Bawcom blew the save in the 9th, but all that did was pave the way for an unusual Quakes walk-off 7 to 6 victory over the Nuts (Rockies). Nick Buss led off the bottom of the 10th with his second double of the game, then he moved to 3rd on Jake Lemmerman's single. After an intentional walk to Angelo Songco, an errant pick-off attempt allowed Buss to score the winning run. Jeremy Wise homered earlier in the game to round out the offensive highlights. On the mound, Red Patterson threw a gem as he allowed just 1 run on 4 hits over 7 innings while striking out 9. Steve Smith was then terrible as he gave up 4 runs without getting an out before Bawcom allowed the tying run to score
LoA – There were not many noteworthy performances for the Loons on Monday in Great Lakes 6 to 5 loss to Kane Country (Royals). The defeat actually came on a walk-off single allowed by reliever John Housey, and he wasn't the only Loon pitcher to struggle. Starter Ryan Christenson couldn't get through the 5th as he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, although Scott McGough did well as he tossed another scoreless inning. Nick Akins 2-run homer was one of the few offensive highlights, although it should be noted that both Casio Grider and Chris Henderson went 2 for 4.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors lost 8 to 6 to the Mustangs (Reds) despite outhitting the competition 12 to 9. Matt Kirkland had his first good game in a while as he went 3 for 4 with a homer, while Noel Cuevas connected on a couple of doubles. Leadoff man Joc Pederson continued his hot hitting with 3 more hits and a couple of RBI's to raise his average to .356. Yimy Rodriguez made his first start of the year for Ogden and allowed 4 runs in 4.1 innings, and his relievers didn't do too well either as only Mike Downe had a scoreless appearance.
Rookie Arizona – Devin Shines' homer was the only highlight of the night for the Arizona Dodgers as they lost to the Cubs 4 to 3. For Shines it was his 3rd homer in Arizona, and Delvis Morales' two singles provided the only multi-hit game for the team. Starter Luis Mesa did OK as he allowed just 4 hits and 2 earned runs over 5 innings, but he only struck out 1.
DSL – It was a pretty slow night in the DSL as the Dominican Dodgers lost to the Rays 4 to 2. The team had no extra base hits, and Vladimir Martinez had the only multi-hit game. Starter Ariel Pena allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in 4 innings then Aris Angeles struck out 5 in 3 shutout innings (but he's already almost 22 years old).
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)
Dominican Dodgers Box Score (DSL)
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