Minor League Player of the Day – Leon Landry - 4 for 5, 3 Runs, 1 SB. We all know that Landry has had a disappointing season, but at least he's improved some in August as he has a .321 average in the month. Even though he stole his 25th base on Tuesday, he's been caught 12 times and his OB% is just .310.
AAA – The Isotopes were officially eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs on Tuesday as Albuquerque lost 8 to 1 to the Redbirds (Cardinals). Starter John Ely let the game get out of hand early as he allowed 8 hits and 5 runs in just 3 frames, while Ramon Troncoso gave up run in relief to increase his ERA to 5.54 for the season. Jon Link provided the lone pitching highlight as he struck out 2 in his inning of work. At the plate Jerry Sands followed up his great performance on Monday with a stinker on Tuesday as he went 0 for 4 with 3 K's. Joe Becker had 3 hits in 3 at bats with a double, however, and Russ Mitchell smacked his 15th homer of the season. Tim Federowicz also continues to turn some heads with 2 more hits which increased his average to .339.
AA – It seemed like every time I turned on the Lookouts game (online via milb.tv) the bases were loaded against Chris Withrow, but somehow he managed to lead the Lookouts to a 6 - 4 win over the Smokies (Cubs). Withrow actually did pretty well as he allowed just 5 hits and 2 runs over 5 innings, then his relievers did just enough to hold the lead. Ethan Martin and Cole St. Clair gave up a run each before Shawn Tolleson shut the down with a perfect inning that included 2 strikeouts. The top half of the Lookouts' lineup did virtually all the damage at the plate as Alfredo Silverio, Jake Lemmerman, Alex Castellanos, and Scott Van Slyke all had 2 hits each.
HiA – Blake Smith made a triumphant return to the California League as he homered in the Quakes 4 - 2 win over the Blaze (Reds). Angelo Songco wasn't quite as successful in his return to the Rancho lineup as he went 0 for 4, but Jaime Pedroza and Tony Delmonico picked up the slack as they both went yard as well. Kenley Jansen started and tossed another perfect inning in his 2nd rehab appearance while recording 2 K's, so he appears to be on track to rejoin the Dodgers on Friday. Jon Michael Redding picked up in the 2nd and pitched all the way through the 8th with 7 impressive frames, allowing just 3 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) while striking out 5. A couple of runners reached base against Logan Bawcom in the 9th, but he stayed calm and picked up his 8th save for the Quakes.
LoA – Starter Rick Anton got rocked for 9 hits and 7 runs (4 earned) in just 2 innings, and while the Loons tried to play catchup they just didn't have enough and lost to the Hot Rods (Rays) 10 to 8. Garrett Gould followed Anton on the mound and tossed 3 frames while giving up just 1 run, then Bret Montgomery came in and had the exact same line which snapped his scoreless streak at 28.1 innings. Juan Rodriguez also threw in relief and showed his wild side as he hit two batters and walked another while recording just 1 out. On offense Leon Landry led the way as he went 4 for 5 with 3 runs and a stolen base, while Jonathan Garcia tripled and drove in 2 runs. Chris Jacobs doubled, but had to leave the game as he took a wrong step and injured his leg. I don't know the extent of the injury, but hopefully it's minor.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors put up a picket fence from the 3rd through 6th innings, then doubled up on their efforts in the 7th and 8th to defeat the Brewers 8 to 5. Joc Pederson led the way by driving in 3 runs with a single, a double, and a sac fly, while Justin Boudreaux went 3 for 4 and scored two runs. Leadoff man Scott Wingo had an interesting game as he did not have an official at bat because he walked 4 times and had a sac fly. Starter Derek Cone struck out 6 over 5 innings while allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs, then Joel Lima gave up a run but picked up the win in relief. Matt Shelton tossed a scoreless frame and struck out 2 to lower his ERA to 2.66.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodgers lost to the Indians 6 - 1 on Tuesday under the scorching desert sun. Starter Jose Dominguez struck out 6 over 3 impressive innings during which he only gave up 1 hit, but he also walked 3 batters and picked up the loss when an unearned run scored against him. A trio of relievers had uninspiring outings as each allowed at least 1 run. The offensive highlights were pretty limited in this game, although Joe Winker continues to hit as he went 2 for 4 with a double and now ranks 2nd in the Arizona League with a 1.046 OPS. Bryant Hernandez also had 2 knocks in 4 at bats while Chris O'Brien's double was the only other extra base hit in this game.
DSL – Season over
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)