Minor League Player of the Day – Gustavo Gomez - 5.2 IP, 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BB's, 5 K's. Options were limited for this award on Tuesday, so I'm giving it to Gomez who started off his evening with 5 innings of 1-hit ball. The soon to be 21 year old was terrible in the Midwest League in 2011, but so far in 2012 he has a solid 3.66 ERA for the Loons.
AAA – After losing 3 of their top hitters the Isotopes managed just 3 hits on Tuesday as they were stung by the Bees (Angels) 4 to 1. Recently promoted Tyler Henson's 2nd homer was the only extra base knock, while Ivan De Jesus and Matt Angle singled. New Mexico native and University of New Mexico alum Brian Cavazos-Galvez made his AAA debut and went 0 for 3, but when the Isotopes return home on Thursday it will be a big deal to the city to have him playing in Albuquerque. On the mound John Ely put together another solid game as he allowed just 4 hits and 3 runs over 6.1 innings, and he also struck out 8. Josh Wall allowed 4 hits and a run in relief in the loss.
AA – Ethan Martin had his worst start of the season on Tuesday, but he still managed to guide the Lookouts to a 9 - 4 win over the BayBears (Dbacks). Martin allowed 8 hits and 4 runs over 5 innings, including 3 solo homers, but the good news is that he only walked one as he improved his record to 5 - 0. Allen Webster made a surprise appearance out of the bullpen and tossed a scoreless frame, and I guessing this move is to try and get him back on track by allowing him to focus on just one inning. Red Patterson and Steve Ames both lowered their ERA to below 1.70 by combining for 3 innings of 1-hit ball. At the plate Blake Smith recorded a team high 2 RBI's by going 2 for 4 with a homer, while Matt Wallach also knocked one out of the park. Nick Buss and Luis Nunez also had multi-hit games for Chattanooga.
HiA – The Quakes lost to Lancaster (Astros) on Tuesday 7 - 3 as starter Garrett Gould fell to 0 - 4 for the season. Gould allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits over 6 innings, although he didn't walk a batter. The interesting thing about his season so far is that he started the year with 40 strikeouts over his initial 22.1 innings, but over his last 3 starts he only has a total of 6 K's over 16.2 innings. Strange stuff. Garrett was followed by Ryan Acosta and Bret Montgomery who both gave up a run. Chris O'Brien led the Rancho offense by going 3 for 4 with a double and a RBI, while Austin Gallagher also had a two-bagger. The only other player worth mentioning Leon Landry who went 2 for 5 with his 4th triple of the season.
LoA – Gustavo Gomez started the game by throwing 5 innings of 1 hit ball, but he tired a bit in the 6th and the Loons eventually lost 4 - 1 to the Lake County Captains (Indians). Despite the loss Gomez ended the day with a very solid line as he gave up just 2 hits and 2 runs over 5.2 frames and struck out 5. Matt Shelton allowed a pair of unearned runs in relief, and then Yimi Garcia shut out the opposition over the final 1.1 innings to lower his ERA to a miniscule 0.66. The Great Lakes offense managed just 3 hits in this game, and the only highlight was a Joe Winker solo homer.
Coming up – Only two games on Wednesday as both the Isotopes and Lookouts have the day off. Brandon Martinez will start a day game for the Quakes, while Arismendy Ozoria will try and halt the losing streak for the Loons.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: Kyle Russell was promoted from AA, Brian Cavazos Galvez was promoted from HiA, and JJ Ethel has been activated from the DL. AA: The recently signed Brahiam Maldonado, originally a 2004 10th round pick of the Mets, was assigned to the Lookouts. HiA: Jarrad Page was assigned back to the Quakes.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)