Minor League Player of the Day – Leon Landry - 3 for 6, 2 3B's, 5 RBI's, 1 Run. Landry had the rare two triple game on Saturday, and they came at ideal times as he drove in 5 runs. Since coming off the DL on May 6th, Leon has at least 2 hits in every game except for one and for the season his OPS is at 1.013.
AAA – The Isotopes managed to get through another bullpen game unscathed as Albuquerque defeated the Bees (Angels) 5 to 4. Starter Fernando Nieve did a decent job of limiting the damage against him as he allowed just 2 runs in 4 innings despite permitting 4 hits and 4 walks, then the surprising Derrick Loop tossed 3 shutout frames to record his 4th win of the year. Closer Josh Wall got into a little trouble in the 9th as he allowed a run, so manager Lorenzo Bundy played the match-up game and brought in lefty Wil Ledezma to get the final 2 outs for the save. On offense Tyler Henson homered in his return to AAA and drove in 2 runs, while Jeff Baisley and Luis Cruz both went 2 for 4 with a double. Ivan De Jesus also played a big part in the win as his 2-RBI double in the 7th turned out to be the game winning hit.
AA – The Lookouts had an all around solid game on Saturday as they defeated the BayBears (Dbacks) 6 to 1. Starter Matt Magill, who has now allowed 1 earned run or less in each of his last 4 starts, gave up just 2 hits over 5 innings to pick up the win. Magill continues to rack up the walks, however, as he issued 5 free passes in this game and has walked 23 batters in 36 innings for the season. Backing up Magill was a solid Chattanooga bullpen as Geison Aguasviva and Steve Ames both threw shutout innings, then Logan Bawcom made his AA debut and allowed 2 hits but didn't give up a run as he also struck out 2. Leading the offensive attack was Nick Buss who went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI's. Luis Nunez drove in the other 3 runs of the game with a 3-run homer, while Griff Erickson went 2 for 4 with a double.
HiA – The Quakes and Mavericks battled it out until the very end on Saturday, and when the dust settled it was High Desert (Mariners) who hit a walk off grand slam for a wild 13 - 12 win over Rancho. This was the type of game where I was glad I didn't start my recap early as 16 runs were scored over the final 3 innings, with 9 of those coming in the 9th. Zach Lee actually started this contest and had a rough outing, but by the time it was over most probably forgot that he had even pitched in this game. Lee allowed 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over just 3 innings, although he did have 4 punchouts. Freddie Cabrera did pretty good work in his 3 innings of relief as he gave up just a pair of unearned runs, then Steve Smith threw a shutout 7th. Things really went downhill after that, however, as Scott McGough (0.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs) struggled in relief, and while Eric Eadington got out of the 8th inning jam, he walked the bases loaded in the 9th. As the Quakes were running out of bullpen options, they called upon Craig Stem with two outs and a 3 run lead. But the first batter he faced crushed the walk-off slam to end the game. On offense the Rancho club at 16 hits in this game, but surprisingly only 3 went for extra bases. Leon Landry had the big game with 2 triples and 5 runs batted in, while Joc Pederson increased his batting average to .333 with 4 singles in 6 at bats. Chris O'Brien went 2 for 5 with a double, while Scott Wingo managed to accumulate just 2 official at bats despite playing the whole game and had 2 singles to drive in 2 runs.
LoA – The Loons made a late push to win this game, but the Lake County Captains (Indians) managed to stay one step ahead as they defeated Great Lakes 6 - 4. Starter Jarret Martin was in constant trouble during his 3 innings of work, allowing at least one run in each frame and giving up 4 total scores on 4 hits and 3 walks. He did strike out 5, however, and didn't get any help from a defense that made 4 errors in the game (and caused 2 of his runs to be unearned). Joel Lima made his 2012 debut in relief and threw very well, allowing just 1 hit (a solo homer) over 3.2 innings while striking out 4. At the plate, O'Koyea Dickson collected his 6th extra base hit in 8 games as he crushed a solo homer. Joe Winker also drove in a run with a triple, while Jesse Bosnik went 2 for 3 with a RBI.
Coming up – The Quakes take the day off on Sunday, but the other 3 teams will be back in action. Chris Withrow will get the start for the Lookouts, while Will Savage will try for his 7th win of the year for the Isotopes. Jose Dominguez will take the mound for the Loons in his 2nd start of the year.
Minor League Transactions – HiA: Jarrad Page was removed from the roster after just 1 day while Alexis Aguilar was added to the team.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)