Minor League Player of the Day – Jeff Baisley - 3 for 4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 RBI's, 2 Runs. Even though his error in the 9th allowed the tying run to score, Baisley still had the best day at the plate to earn this award.
AAA – The Isotopes won in walk-off fashion on Friday, but the game should never have even gotten to that point in Albuquerque's 9 - 8 victory over the River Cats (A's). You see the Isotopes had a 4 run lead with 2 outs and no runners on in the 9th, but that's when things got ugly. At that point Josh Wall gave up a triple, a homer, a double, and a walk to subsequent batters, and then even though he technically struck out the next batter, a dropped 3rd strike allowed him to reach base and a run to score. Then Jeff Baisley misplayed a grounder, and suddenly the game was tied. Albuquerque loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th but failed to score, however in the 10th a Matt Angle double drove in Kyle Russell, who had singled, to plate the winning run. Other batters of note were the aforementioned Baisley, who went 3 for 4 with a double and a homer, and Tim Federowicz who also doubled, homered, and recorded 3 RBI's. Going back to the pitching Fernando Nieve started this game and gave up 4 runs in 4 innings, but then Cole St. Clair (3 IP) and Shawn Tolleson (1 IP) shutout the opposition over the next 4 frames before handing the ball to Wall.
AA – The Lookouts also played an extra inning contest on Friday, but they weren't as successful as Albuquerque as Chattanooga lost to the Stars (Brewers) 4 to 3. The eventual winning run scored without the aid of a hit as Geison Aguasviva walked 4 batters in the 11th which forced in the score. The Lookouts had their chances in the bottom half of the 11th as they had the bases loaded with nobody out, but they simply couldn't push across a run thanks to a couple of shallow fly-outs and a ground-out. Going back to the start of this game, Matt Magill had an unique outing as he threw 111 pitches in 4.1 innings thanks to 6 walks and 10 strikeouts. He also gave up 3 runs on 5 hits, then handed the ball to Red Patterson, who continues to thrive in the relief role as he struck out 4 of the 5 batters he faced. Allen Webster then came in again in relief and tossed 2 hitless frames, and he was followed by Steve Ames who added 2 shutout innings prior to the fateful 11th. At the plate there really wasn't a whole lot of excitement other than 3 singles from Travis Denker and a 2 for 6 effort from Nick Buss that included a double.
HiA – In what seemed to be the theme of the night the Quakes played yet another extra inning game, and they too came out on the losing end as Rancho got shot down by the Mavericks (Mariners) 7 to 6. The game was actually tied at 5 at the end of regulation, but then High Desert scored a pair in the 10th. The Quakes came back with 1 of their own in the bottom of the inning, but in what was another theme of this post the Quakes also left the bases loaded to end the contest. Despite the loss Rancho got a good game out of Chris Jacobs, who went 2 for 5 with a double and a homer, while Austin Gallagher knocked his 9th bomb out of the park. On the mound it was Greg Wilborn who got his first start of the year, but because he hasn't been stretched out yet he only went 3 innings and allowed 1 run. Craig Stem got roughed up in relief to the tune of 3 runs, and then it was Scott McGough who was saddled with the loss thanks to the 2 runs he allowed in the 10th.
LoA – The Loons won a chippy 3 - 2 game on Friday over the Whitecaps (Tigers) in a contest that featured a hard take out slide, an ejection, a ball thrown behind a batter, and a near fight on the mound. While I didn't get to watch all the action of this game live, I did see James Baldwin take out the 2nd baseman in the 3rd inning on a very aggressive slide, yet legal slide that left the defender down on the ground for several minutes. Sure enough it was Baldwin that the White Caps threw at later in the game, and that's what sparked most of the controversy because while James didn't charge the mound, he did point at the pitcher with his bat. Anyways getting back to the stats of the game, starter Jose Dominguez had his longest outing of the season as he allowed just 1 run on 4 hits over 6 innings. Michael Thomas was again solid in relief, then Yimi Garcia shut the door for his 6th save of the year. The Loons offense didn't record any extra base hits in this game, but Jan Vasquez, Scott Schebler, and Delvis Morales all had 2 base knocks. Joe Winker should also get a mention as he drove of the 3 runs, while Baldwin reached base 3 times thanks to 2 walks and a well placed bunt single.
Coming up – Chris Withrow should highlight Saturday's action as he takes the mound for the Lookouts, although Ryan O'Sullivan and his 2.90 ERA should be fun to watch as well for the Loons. Will Savage will try to improve to 8 - 0 for the Isotopes, while Jon Michael Redding will get another start for the Quakes.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: JJ Ethel was suspiciously placed on the DL. HiA/LoA: Jonathan Garcia has been added back to the Quakes roster, while Nick Akins was surprisingly demoted back to the Loons.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)