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Just so everyone knows, the minor league reports might be a little shorter for the next few days as I'll be in New Orleans on vacation.
Minor League Player of the Day – Jerry Sands - 2 for 3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI's, 1 Run. Sands was passed over for Scott Van Slyke earlier on Wednesday, and for good reason since Sands was hitting more than 100 points lower than Van Slyke. But Jerry responded with a big game and if he can find his swing again he could be back in LA himself at some point in the near future.
AAA – The Isotopes had some fun in the sun on Wednesday as they defeated the Rainiers (Mariners) 9 to 7. Jerry Sands appears to have used the promotion of his teammate Scott Van Slyke as motivation as Sands went 2 for 3 with a double, a homer, and 4 RBI's. Matt Angle also had a big game as he went yard and tripled to drive in 2, while Ivan De Jesus had his first RBI and multi-hit game of the year. Despite the win Stephen Fife struggled on the mound as he gave up 5 runs and twice as many hits, but his bullpen did a adequate job which allowed the Topes to win. Josh Wall recorded his 9th save of the year, and for the season opposing batters are hitting just .135 against him through 15.1 innings.
AA – It was an ugly game for Allen Webster and the Lookout offense as Chattanooga got crushed by the Biscuits (Rays) 9 to 0 on Wednesday. In a season that has already been full of poor starts, Webster had his worst outing of the year as he gave up 9 runs (7 earned) over 3.1 innings. The good news is that the Lookout bullpen did solid work after Webster left, but it's hard to find comfort in relief pitchers when the organization's "#2 prospect" heading into the season got lit up. Javy Solano was perfect in his 2 innings of work, and Steve Ames was flawless while recording his 3 outs. At the plate the Chattanooga hitters did a lot of walking, but the only player to get some solid hitting in was Jake Lemmerman who continued his hot streak with a pair of doubles.
HiA – The Quakes and 66ers (Angels) were tied at one after 8 and a half frames, but that changed quickly as Inland Empire's first batter in the bottom of the 9th crushed a homer off Scott McGough to capture a 2 - 1 win over Rancho. Prior to the 9th the Quakes' pitching was outstanding, starting with Garrett Gould who allowed just 3 hits and 1 run over 6 innings. His strikeout numbers were down (2 K's), however, and his walks were up (4 BB's). Bret Montgomery was also very good as he threw a pair of hitless innings prior to handing the ball off to McGough. The Rancho lineup had a rough game as they managed just 6 hits. Leon Landry and Joc Pederson both had two singles, while Tyler Henson smacked his 3rd homer of the year (although he's hitting below .200).
LoA – Starter Ryan O'Sullivan had the longest outing of his young career and the Loons pitching staff as a whole allowed just 3 hits in a 2 - 1 win over the Whitecaps (Tigers). O'Sullivan went 6 strong innings as he allowed just 2 hits and a single run, although he only recorded one strikeout. Michael Thomas followed with 1.2 shutout frames, then Eric Eadington picked up the save with 1.1 perfect innings. Great Lakes didn't need a lot of offense in this game to record the win, and they got all they needed on a 2-run single by Justin Boudreaux. Scott Schebler and O'Koyea Dickson also had good games as they both had two hits, including Dickson's 4th double in 4 games.
Coming up – The new and improved Ethan Martin will start Thursday's game for the Lookouts, and Andres Santiago will take the mound for the Quakes. John Ely gets the call for the Isotopes and Gustavo Gomez will start for the Loons in an early morning game.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: If you haven't heard by now, Scott Van Slyke was promoted to LA. Mike Parisi was also placed on the DL so there should be some reinforcements for the Isotopes tomorrow.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)