5 of the 7 Dodger minor league games on Thursday resulted in a win, with Zach Lee and James Baldwin having solid performances. In other news, if you haven't heard already the Dodgers have reportedly agreed to terms with 1st round pick Chris Reed for a little less than $1.6M. He is expected to report to Rancho Cucamonga, which is a bit surprising given that he'll be starting in HiA, but also makes sense since the season is almost done and it will mean that he won't have to leave California.
Minor League Player of the Day – Zach Lee - 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 BB, 7 K's, 2 Runs - Lee's performance on Thursday wasn't overwhelming, but he tossed a solid game. His ERA in his last 10 games is 2.45, and his overall season WHIP of 1.15 ranks 9th in the Midwest League.
AAA – Off day
AA – The Birmingham Barons (White Sox) went on an early hit parade on Thursday as they defeated the Lookouts 7 to 4. Will Savage gave up 11 base knocks in just 4 innings which resulted in 5 runs allowed, and his record dropped to 12 - 4 with the loss. Javy Solano followed with 3 shutout frames to lower his AA ERA to 0.92, then the Chattanooga defense made 2 of their 4 errors in the 9th which allowed 2 more runs to score with Scott Rice on the mound. The Lookout offense was again highlighted by Brian Cavazos-Galvez who hit a 2-run homer to give him 3 long balls in 2 days. Travis Denker went 2 for 3 with a double, while Alex Castellanos continued his solid Chattanooga debut with a triple.
HiA – The Quakes doubled up the Blaze on Thursday with a 6 to 3 victory. Aaron Miller had his longest outing since June 3rd as he went 5 somewhat strong innings to pick up the win. He allowed 5 hits walked 3 while giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 4. Arismendy Ozoria, who has recently been moved to the pen, tossed 3 innings of 1-hit ball then Logam Bawcom recorded the win with a hitless 9th. At the plate, Nick Buss had another big game as he went 3 for 5 with a homer and 2 RBI's. Rafael Ynoa also jacked one out while Wilberto Ortiz had 3 hits including a triple.
LoA – Zach Lee fired yet another strong game as the Loons defeated the Lake County Captains (Indians) 4 to 3. Lee allowed 2 runs in 6 innings, but only gave up 3 hits, walked just 1, and struck out 7. In his last 10 outings he has allowed no more than 2 earned runs, and his batting average against during that time frame is .184. Rick Anton, who is having to limit his innings due to a heavy college workload, struck out 3 over the next 2 innings, then Scott McGough picked up his 5th save with a scoreless 9th. Big Chris Jacobs lead the Great Lakes offense with a homer and a double to drive in 2. Steven Domecus and Leon Landry also had 2 hits each and both scored a run.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors finished off their long series with the Owlz (Angels) on a high note as they defeated Orem on Thursday 13 to 7. James Baldwin is on the upswing again and had a big game with a 3-run homer, a double, and 5 runs driven in. Joc Pederson also took one deep, while Jeff Hunt singled 3 times and scored 3 runs. Also worth mentioning are Justin Boudreaux (2 for 3, 2 SB, 1 RBI, 2 runs) and Scott Wingo (1 for 3 with 3 RBI's). Raydel Sanchez started this game and while he showed improvement over his last few starts, he still allowed 7 hits and 5 runs (3 earned) over 4.2 innings. Mike Drowne got the win in relief with 2.1 shutout frames.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodgers used a well rounded team effort to take down the Brewers on Thursday 9 to 3. Seven different hitters in the Dodgers lineup had a hit, and Alex Santana probably had the most impressive game as he went 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 RBI's, and a walk. Joe Winker also tripled, while Malcolm Holland doubled, singled, stole a base, and scored 2 runs. On the mound Jose Dominguez returned to the Arizona League after a failed stint with the Raptors and picked up the win by allowing 2 runs over 5 innings. A trio of relievers finished off the lopsided victory with minimal damage.
DSL Game 1 – Victor Araujo tossed a complete game (7 inning) shutout in game 1 of the Dominican Dodgers twinbill to give the Dodgers a 8 - 0 victory over the Indians. Arajuo is a bit old for the DSL, but he's have a solid year and allowed just 3 baserunners on Thursday while striking out 6. The offense was well balanced as the team's 8 hits were spread among 7 batters. Webster Rivas went 2 for 4, while Vladimir Martinez drove in 2 and had the only extra base hit; a double.
DSL Game 2 – The Dodgers narrowly missed a doubleheader sweep of the Indians as they were edged 7 to 6 on a walk off walk. Starter Abdiel Velasquez was a little shaky as he allowed 5 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings, but he only gave up 1 earned run and left with the lead. Aris Angeles then got into a lot of trouble by letting the winning run reach base in the final inning, and would eventually get the loss when Jose Diaz walked both batters he faced which forced in the tying and winning runs. The Dodger hitters again only had 1 extra base hit in this game, this one coming on a double from Josmar Cordero who also singled. Arce Rodriguez and Greg Pena both had 2 hits as well.
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 Game 1 (DSL)
Dominican Dodgers Box Score Game 2 (DSL)
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