Minor League Player of the Day – Jamie Hoffmann - 4 for 5, 2 HR's, 3 Runs, 4 RBI's. The only reason Hoffmann got this award over Russ Mitchell was because Mitchell made an error in the field. Prior to this game Hoffmann hadn't done much at the plate recently, but as we learned a few days ago he has now broken the PCL record for consecutive errorless games, so I guess Baseball America was right when the named him as the best defensive outfielder for all those years.
AAA – The Isotopes crushed the Rainiers (Mariners) 20 to 7 on Saturday, but the final score only tells a portion of the story. The two teams combined to score all 27 runs in the first 4 innings, including a huge 11 run 3rd frame by Albuquerque. Russ Mitchell and Jamie Hoffmann both connected on a pair of homers, with Mitchell adding a double and collecting 6 total RBI's and Hoffmann going 4 for 5 overall with 4 runs batted in. Jerry Sands also had a big game as he went 3 for 5 with a double and his 20th jack of the year, and Joe Becker rounded out the homer barrage with a solo shot. Albuquerque starter Francisco Felix was the unlucky pitcher who got rocked early for 7 runs, then the bullpen was great for the rest of the game. Ramon Troncoso got the win with 3 shutout innings, and Travis Schlichting struck out 3 in 2 scoreless frames.
AA – The Lookouts celebrated Nathan Eovaldi's first MLB victory with a win of their own as Chattanooga defeated Jacksonville (Marlins) 7 to 3. Will Savage extended his Southern League lead with his 12th win of the year, and allowed just 1 run on 5 hits through 7 innings. Javy Solano got into trouble in the 9th as he allowed his first AA run of 2011 (in 12.2 innings), but Shawn Tolleson struck out the final batter of the game with the bases loaded to record his 7th save. At the plate, Griff Erickson went 2 for 4 and cranked his 7th AA homer of the year to raise his OPS to .909 while with the Lookouts. After his big game yesterday Kyle Russell was on the bench for most of this game, but he came up with a big pinch hit homer in the 8th to give him 2 bombs and 2 triples in 2 days. Travis Denker also contributed by going 3 for 4 and scored two runs.
HiA – The Quakes lost to the Nuts (Rockies) 5 to 4 on Saturday despite outhitting the opposition 12 to 7. Angelo Songo led the offense by going 3 for 4 with his 22nd homer, and fell just a triple shy of his second cycle of the year. Jaime Pedroza also had 3 hits, and Preston Mattingly had 2 base knocks. Starter Jon Michael Redding allowed 5 runs in 6.2 innings, but only 3 of those runs were earned and he struck out 6. Josh Walter gave up just 1 hit over the final 2.1 frames.
LoA – Zach Lee threw a solid game, but his bullpen blew the game and the Loons got washed away by the Whitecaps (Tigers) 5 to 4. Lee only struck out 1 over 5 innings, but he gave up just 3 hits and allowed only 1 run to lower his ERA to 3.14. Raul Burgos was the reliever who led the game get away from him as he gave up 5 hits and 4 runs while recording just 2 outs. The Great Lakes offense was relatively quiet, although Jonathan Garcia went 2 for 4 with a double and his 19th homer of the year. Leon Landry's triple was the only other extra base hit of the game.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors continue to struggle in the 2nd half as they lost to the Orem Owls (Angels) 9 to 6. Ogden finally shut down CJ Cron, but Taylor Lindsey more than made up for Cron as he went 5 for 5 and hit for the cycle. Starter Raydel Sanchez got hit early and often as he lasted just 2.1 innings and gave up 7 runs. Raydel has really struggled recently and has given up 6 or more runs in 4 of his last 5 games. Joc Pederson stayed hot at the plate as he slugged his 6th homer of the year and also singled. Noel Cuevas and Scott Schebler both went 2 for 5 with a triple each.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodgers were held to 2 runs on 5 hits through 8 innings, but the offense finally came alive in the 9th as the Dodgers defeated the D-backs 5 to 4 on a walk-off single. Stefan Jarrin played a big role in the 9th inning rally as his double drove in 2 runs and tied the game. Faustino Oguisten followed with the winning hit to ignite the celebration. Starter Alberto Bastardo made another rehab appearance and this time lasted 4 innings, during which he gave up just 1 run on 1 hit. Daniel Tamares had the best relief performance as he struck out a pair in 2 perfect innings.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers lost to the Pirates 3 to 2 in 13 innings. There weren't many notable performances, so I'll just mention that the best day at the plate belonged to Webster Rivas (3 for 5) and the best day on the mound belonged to Aris Angeles (4 K's in 2 hitless innings).
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)