It was a good day to be a Dodger fan on Saturday evening because in addition to the Dodger vs Angel game being on TV, three Dodger minor league affiliates were televised via MILB.TV. I was able to get my first look at the Raptors, watch the Loons pull out a one run win, and see every at bat from Jerry Sands and Trayvon Robinson.
In minor league roster news, Christian Lara broke his ankle and will probably be out for the rest of the season, while 2011 16th round pick Jeff Schaus has apparently retired after playing just 8 games. This is the second year in a row that a Dodger pick retired shortly after signing, as last year 14th rounder Alex McRee did exactly the same thing.
Minor League Player of the Day – Devin Shines - 3 for 6, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI's, 2 Runs, 1 SB. I looked and looked for a better performance on Saturday, but nobody stood out more than Devin Shines. His 3-run homer in the 2nd inning helped the Arizona Dodgers get a firm grip on the lead, and he had the most impressive day at the plate. The 2011 38th round pick probably isn't much of a prospect, but at the very least he seems like he'll be a solid organizational player.
AAA – The Isotopes went down quietly to the Storm Chases (Royals) on Saturday as their 4 to 1 loss set a franchise record with their 10th straight loss. Albuquerque only had 5 singles in this game, and Ivan De Jesus had 3 of them in 4 at bats. Jamie Hoffmann drove in the only run with a RBI single that scored Trayvon Robinson who had walked earlier in the inning. Robinson struck out in his other 3 at bats and wasn't getting many fastballs from what I could tell, while Jerry Sands went 0 for 4. Starter Randy Keisler threw 7 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits which resulted in his 4th loss of the season. David Pfeiffer tossed the final frame and did not allow a run to lower his ERA to 1.29 while in AAA.
AA – The Generals scored 2 runs in the first inning, but after that they were completely shut out by the Lookout pitchers as Chattanooga defeated Jackson (Mariners) 5 to 2. Michael Antonini gave up 3 early hits which allowed the 2 runs to score, but after that he was great as he allowed only 3 more hits over the next 4.2 innings. Reliever Scott Rice gave up a single hit in 1.1 frames, then Shawn Tolleson and Josh Lindblom were both perfect for an inning each to close out the game. On offense, Hector Gimenez and Jamie Pedroza's doubles were the only extra base hits for the Lookouts, while Travis Denker had a team high 3 singles. Scott Van Slyke also reached base 3 times on a couple of singles and a walk.
HiA – The Quakes had an 11 game home winning streak on the line on Saturday, but Luis Vasquez's inability to find the plate in the late innings cost Rancho the contest in a 3 to 2 loss to High Desert. Red Patterson started this game and was brilliant in just his second HiA appearance, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits over 8 innings while striking out 8. Vasquez worked around a couple of walks in the 9th, but in the 10th the leadoff walk he allowed eventually came around to score which cost the home team the game. At the plate the Quakes were led by Nick Buss, who led off the game with a homer and in total went 3 for 5. The rest of the team combined for just 5 singles, which generally isn't enough for a win anyways.
LoA – The Lugnuts (Blue Jays) had twice as many hits as the Loons on Saturday (16 vs 8), but for Great Lakes it was quality over quantity as they were able to come away with a 7 to 6 victory over Lansing. Casio Grider drove in 2 runs with a triple early in the game, then Bobby Coyle connected on a big 2-run homer in the 7th inning to put the Loons ahead for good. Jesse Bosnik also drove in 2 runs with a single, and the suddenly hot Chris Jacobs had his 3rd multi-hit game in 4 days. On the mound, starter Ryan Christenson was very hittable as he allowed 10 base knocks and 4 runs in 4.1 innings. Pete Budkevics and John Housey both allowed runs but kept the game close during the middle innings, then Logan Bawcom gave up only a single hit over the final 1.2 frames to pick up his 11th save of the year.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors and Chukars played a very quick game on Saturday, and despite scoring all their runs in just one inning Ogden defeated Idaho Falls (Royals) 3 to 2. Jeff Hunt led off the 5th inning with a single, and scored on a double by catcher Andrew Edge. Chris Woodward then hit a high fly ball to right-center field which didn't look like a home run, but fortunately for the Raptors it went over the wall to give Ogden the lead for good. Scott Schebler also had a solid day as he went 2 for 4, while James Baldwin snapped his hitting streak by going 0 for 4 with 3 K's. Raydel Sanchez started for Ogden and while he wasn't as dominate as his previous outing, he still threw pretty well as he gave up just 2 runs over 6 innings while striking out 6. Reliever Steve Matre struck out 4 in 2 innings of work, then Scott McGough recorded his first save as a professional by striking out the side in the 9th.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodgers scored double digit runs for an amazing fifth straight game as they defeated the Giants 12 to 8. Every player in the Dodgers starting lineup had at least one hit, and Devon Shines led the team by going 3 for 6 with a homer, a double, and 3 RBI's. Alex Santana went 2 for 5 with a triple, while Nick Akins appears to be recovered from his broken wrist as he had and a double and single in 5 at bats. Starter Jose Dominguez got hit around for 7 hits and 6 runs through 4 innings, but his bullpen picked up the slack as 4 relievers gave up just 1 earned run over the final 5 innings. 2011 35th round pick Mike Thomas was especially impressive as he recorded all 5 of his outs via the K.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers had a forgettable night as both their pitching and their hitting were below average in a 7 to 5 loss. Starter Giordanny Chavez threw pretty well as he gave up just 1 earned run over 4 innings while striking out 6, but his relievers gave up 5 runs in 5 frames in the defeat. At the plate the Dodgers did not have an extra base hit in this game, although Arce Rodriguez and Vladimir Martinez had two singles a piece.
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)