The Dodger minor league teams ran the gamut on Tuesday with 2 wins, 3 losses, and a tie to boot.
Minor League Player of the Day – Jake Lemmerman - 2 for 3, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI's, 1 Walk, 1 SB. It took Late Night a couple of games to get going, but he's had back to back multi-hit contests and crushed his first homer of AA. No matter what he does he's a lock to return to AA next season and is well on his way to a big league career despite being in the Dodger minor league system for just over a year. The only question is where he'll play in the future because he'll likely be blocked at shortstop by Gordon, so a move to 2nd or 3rd base could be coming soon.
AAA – The Isotopes had a quiet night in Sacramento as Albuquerque lost to the River Cats (A's) 7 to 3. Starter Joey Newby got knocked out after recording just 1 out which really put a taxing on the bullpen. Nevertheless Francisco Felix and Roman Colon were solid in long relief, but Travis Schlichting gave up 2 more runs in the 8th. Jamie Hoffmann extended his hit streak to 14 games with a homer in the 9th, and also has an extra base hit in 5 straight contests. Brad Coon had the only other notable offensive performance as he went 3 for 4 with a triple.
AA – The 1st place Lookouts outlasted the Mudcats (Reds) 9 to 8 despite a sub-par performance from Stephen Fife. Fife walked 5 and allowed 6 runs on 8 hits through 4.1 innings, showing that his 3rd start for Chattanooga was not the charm. His bullpen also gave up a few runs, but overall the relievers were pretty solid as Cole St. Clair allowed 1 run in 2.2 innings, and Ethan Martin picked up the win with a hitless frame despite 2 walks. Shawn Tolleson gave up a homer in the 9th as Carolina pulled within 1, but he also struck out the side to record his 9th save. At the plate, Jake Lemmerman had his breakout AA game as he went 2 for 3 with a homer, a double, and 2 RBI's. Scott Van Slyke also had 2 RBI's as he recorded 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and Alex Castellanos continued his great start with his new organization with a couple of two-baggers.
HiA – The Quakes scored 3 early runs, then fell silent in a 7 - 3 loss to the Ports (A's). Nick Buss led off the bottom half of the 1st with yet another home run and overall had a 3 for 5 night. Austin Gallagher also had 3 hits, while Preston Mattingly went 2 for 4. Starter Aaron Miller had another short and uninspiring outing as he allowed 3 runs in 2 innings on 4 hits and 3 walks. Ryan Acosta really let things get out of hand in the 3rd inning, but Arismendy Ozoria was great in long relief as he threw 5.1 shutout innings, giving up just 2 hits while striking out 6.
LoA – Off day
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors fell behind early, and never recovered as Ogden fell to the Brewers 7 to 4. Starter Mike Thomas performed well during his time in the Arizona Rookie League, but in his 2nd Pioneer League start he struggled to the tune of 6 runs in 3 innings of work. Freddie Cabrera followed out of the bullpen and gave up just 1 more run in 4 frames, but the Raptor offense wasn't able to make up enough ground. The 7-8-9 batters in the lineup all had 2 hits, including Scott Wingo who went 2 for 2 with a 3-run homer. Jeff Hunt and Matt Kirkland were the other members of the trio who had more than one base knock.
Rookie Arizona – Blake Smith started his rehab in Arizona with a bang as he hit a big 3-run homer in the Dodgers 6 to 5 win over the Mariners. Smith, who is recovering from sports hernia surgery, should get plenty of at bats in the next week or so and will probably return to the Quakes soon. Joe Winker continued to impress with his 3rd homer of the season, and the recently demoted Bryant Hernandez went 3 for 4 with a triple and 2 runs scored. Starter Jose Dominguez threw pretty well in 7 innings of work as he allowed 3 runs and struck out 6 without walking a batter. Closer Jason West extended his scoreless streak to 13.1 innings and collected his 4th save as he struck out 2 in the 9th.
DSL – The Dodgers and Yankees played to a 2 - 2 tie on Tuesday in a game that was stopped after 8 innings probably due to rain. Starter Abdiel Velasquez tossed 6 strong innings as he gave up 2 runs on just 3 hits and struck out 7. Sawil Gonzalez did not allow a hit over the final 2 frames. The Dodger offense managed just 5 singles in this game, but it was enough to drive in 2 runs.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)
Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)