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The Dodger minor league teams won 2 out of 6 games on Saturday, but even a loss by the Raptors resulted in them clinching a playoff spot in the Pioneer League.
Minor League Player of the Day – Tim Sexton - 6 IP, 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 3 K's. It was very slim pickings for this award on Saturday, so I'm giving it to Sexton who did a complete 180 from his outing last week. Sexton was the sacrificial lamb last Sunday when he gave up 17 hits and 16 runs in 5 innings, so the fact that he tossed 6 shutout innings in his next start while allowing just 2 hits is pretty unbelievable.
AAA – Tim Sexton's start on Saturday was the polar opposite of his previous outing, but the Isotope offense came up empty in a 2 to 1 loss to the Zephyrs (Marlins). After giving up 16 runs last Sunday, Sexton rebounded with 6 shutout innings and only allowed 2 hits. Travis Schlichting allowed the tying run to score in the 8th, then in the 10th Joey Newby gave up a double and made a throwing error on the subsequent batter's sacrifice bunt which permitted the winning run to score. Jerry Sands' homer provided the only run for Albuquerque, and Jamie Hoffmann went 2 for 4 with a double. Jay Gibbons snapped his hitting streak, while Trayvon Robinson had a single in 3 at bats and struck out twice.
AA – The Lookouts only had 4 hits on Saturday, but that did the trick as Chattanooga defeated the Generals (Mariners) 3 to 2. Will Savage was very solid on the mound as picked up his league leading 11th win of the year. Savage allowed just 5 hits over 7 innings, didn't walk a batter, and gave up just one unearned run. Steven Ames was a little shaky in relief as he let Jackson cut the lead to 1 in the 8th, but Shawn Tolleson came in to get out of the jam and then retired the Generals in order in the 9th for his 5th AA save. As mentioned the offense was pretty quite, although Scott Van Slyke did hit his 13th bomb of the year. The Lookouts scored their other runs on a sac fly by Brad Coon and a throwing error that followed a Brian Cavazos-Galvez double.
HiA – A solo homer by Tony Delmonico in the 10th inning gave the Quakes a 4 to 3 victory and season series win over the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres). After a solid start by Andres Santiago (6 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 7 K's), Rancho had a slim lead over the Storm through 7 innings. Jordan Roberts gave up a solo homer in the 8th, however, which forced the game into extra innings. The Delmonico solo shot off the left field scoreboard put the Quakes ahead in the top of the 10th, then Logan Bawcom got the opposition to go down in order to collect his 5th save in the California League. Besides Delmonico's bomb, the only other extra base hit for the Quakes was a double by J.T. Wise. Nick Buss went 4 for 5 and Angelo Songco had 3 base knocks in 5 at bats, but all 8 of those hits were singles and did not result in a RBI.
LoA – Starter Greg Wilborn couldn't find the plate, and the Loons weren't able to overcome an early deficit as Great Lakes lost to the TinCaps (Padres) 10 to 7. Wilborn gave up just 2 hits, but walked 6 in 1+ inning which resulted in 5 earned runs. Reliever Pete Budkevics wasn't much better as he allowed 8 hits and 3 runs in 3.1 innings, and Raul Burgos also permitted 2 unearned runs to cross the plate. The Loons offense was actually pretty potent as they outhit Fort Wayne 12 to 11, and Casio Grider led the way with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Jonathan Garcia also contributed with his 17th jack of the year, while Michael Pericht drove in 2 runs with a couple of hits.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors lost to the Chukars (Royals) on Saturday 7 to 2, but they still clinched the Pioneer League 1st half Southern division crown by default because the Orem Owls also lost. Ogden finished the first half with a 22 and 16 record. I watched most of this game on MILB.TV, and got my first look at several of the Raptor players. Brandon Martinez got into early trouble, and unfortunately my first live glimpse of him was soured by the fact that he gave up 5 runs in 4 innings. I did like his motion, however, and his curveball was pretty good. It seemed that his biggest problem was that his fastball was too straight, which is something that I'm hoping he can improve as he matures. Martinez was followed by Yimi Garcia, who was more impressive as he struck out 7 over the final 4 frames. Garcia did walk 4, however, and gave up 2 unearned runs. The Raptor offense was spread among several players and nobody really stood out. O'Koyea Dickson went 2 for 4 and his double was the team's only extra base hit, and Alexis Aguilar had Ogden's only other 2 hit night. The other thing I noticed is that the Raptors are very aggressive on the basepaths, as it seemed like every player to reach 1st base attempted a steal. Ogden swiped 3 bags on the night, including a double steal in which James Baldwin stole 2nd and Aguilar came home on the throw.
Rookie Arizona – It was a relatively boring game in the desert on Saturday as the Arizona Dodgers lost to the Padres 4 to 3. Starter Mike Thomas allowed all 4 runs (3 earned) in 3.2 innings, although he only gave up 3 hits and didn't walk a batter. Basically he was victimized by the long ball as the Padres connected on 2 homers against him. Relievers Daniel Tamares, Craig Stem, and Robert Chamra did not allow a run over the final 4.1 innings despite giving up 8 hits. At the plate Devin Shines and Scott Wingo had two hits apiece, while the rehabbing Matt Wallach collected a RBI double. Joe Winker and Gianison Rosa also doubled to round out the extra base hits for the Dodgers.
DSL – Off day
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)