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Minor League Player of the Day – Ethan Martin - 7 IP, 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BB's, 7 K's. Martin, who took a no-hitter into the 7th on Thursday, had a lot of skeptics heading into the 2012 season, but over his last 5 starts he's thrown at least 6 innings and has given up 3 runs or less each time out. He also has a .169 batting average against for the season. While his walk rate was a little erratic at the start of the season, he's shown solid improvement with his control and is finally starting to look like the 1st round pick that many hoped he would be.
AAA – Isotopes beat the Rainiers (Mariners) 3 - 2 on Thursday behind the solid pitching performance of starter John Ely. Ely allowed just 2 run on a measly 4 hits over 7 innings, and struck out a season high 11. Shane Lindsay followed with a hitless inning, then Wil Ledezma picked up the save as closer Josh Wall was given the night off. The top 3 hitters in the Albuquerque order (Elian Herrera, Ivan De Jesus, and Josh Fields) all went 2 for 5, with De Jesus driving in 2 with a double. Josh Bard had the final RBI of the game and went 1 for 3.
AA – Chattanooga allowed just 2 hits on on Thursday as the Lookouts clobbered the Biscuits (Rays) 11 to 1. Starting pitcher Ethan Martin continued to show signs of promise as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, and even though he ended up giving up a run Ethan had an excellent game as he struck out 7 and improved his record to 4 - 0. Geison Aguasviva and Luis Vasquez finished off the game with 2 hitless frames. At the plate there were several Chattanooga hitters who contributed to the win, starting with JT Wise and Kyle Russell who both went 3 for 5 with a pair of double. Pedro Baez recorded 2 hits and drove in 3 runs, while Luis Nunez homered and picked up 3 RBI's.
HiA – The Quakes were down late in the High Desert on Thursday, but a big 8th inning allowed Rancho to defeat the Mavericks (Mariners) 7 to 6. Shortstop Charlie Mirabal had 2 triples in this game, and his 2nd one drove in the eventual game winning runs. Joc Pederson contributed to the win with his first homer of the year, and C.J. Retherford connected on his 3rd bomb while driving in 2. On the mound Brandon Martinez made his first start of the year in HiA, and although he allowed 8 hits and a walk over 5 innings he was able to limit the damage against him as just 2 runs crossed the plate in his presence. Ryan Acosta and Steve Smith got roughed up in relief, but new closer Scott McGough stoppled the bleeding and recorded his 2nd save of the season with 1.2 perfect innings.
LoA – The Loons continued to shine in 1 run games as a late inning rally helped Great Lakes defeat the Whitecaps (Tigers) 4 to 3. Starter Gustavo Gomez gave up just 3 hits over 5 frames to start the game, but he also walked 5 batters which allowed 2 runs to score. Jason West allowed a run in relief before Matt Laney (winning pitcher) and Yimi Garcia (5th save) closed out the game for the victory. At the plate there were several batters who had big games, starting with Kevin Taylor who went 2 for 4 and drove in the eventual game winning run via a ground out. Justin Boudreaux went 2 for 3 with a triple and 2 runs scored, while Jesus Arredondo had two singles and drove in a run.
Coming up – Aaron Miller and Angel Sanchez will highlight the Friday night pitching lineup as they will start for the Lookouts and Quakes, respectively. Arismendy Ozoria will take the mound for the Quakes, while Michael Antonini will start Friday's game for the Isotopes.
Minor League Transactions – There were a flurry of moves related to minor league relievers on Thursday. AAA: Shawn Tolleson was promoted to AAA. AA: Logam Bawcom was promoted to AA. HiA: Eric Eadington was promoted to HiA.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)