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Minor League Player of the Day – Matt Magill - 7 IP, 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BB's 10 K's. Magill was at his best on Thursday as he struck out 10 batters and did not allow a walk. Prior to this game Matt had issued 15 free passes over his last 3 starts, so this was a huge improvement for the 22 year old right hander. For the season as a whole Magill has a 3.19 ERA and a .197 batting average against.
AAA – Will Savage lost his first game of the year on Thursday as the Isotopes were mauled by the Grizzlies (Giants) 12 to 5. Savage allowed 7 runs on just 4 hits over 4 frames, but that was because he also walked 4 batters. Cole St. Clair permitted 6 hits and 3 runs in relief, while Ramon Troncoso completed the blowout by giving up the final 2 runs of the game. Despite the loss Albuquerque connected on 10 base hits in this game, including a solo homer by Tim Federowicz who finished the night with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Joe Becker also went 2 for 3 with a double and a RBI, but the bad news is that Jerry Hairston went 0 for 3 for the second night in a row.
AA – Starting pitcher Matt Magill put on a show on Thursday as the Lookouts rolled to a 4 - 1 win over the Suns (Marlins). The Simi Valley native gave up just 2 hits over 7 shutout innings, and didn't allow any walks which was a significant improvement over his previous three starts. Magill was probably on pace for a 9-inning shutout had management allowed him to continue throwing as he had made just 90 pitches over his 7 innings. Allen Webster continued to throw in relief as he pitched the final 2 innings of this game, and even though he allowed 3 hits and a run the good news is that he struck out 3. At the plate Chattanooga had an extremely quiet day at the plate despite the win, with the exception being the recently signed Brahiam Maldonado who went 2 for 2 with a pair of doubles and 3 RBI's. Griff Erickson drove in the only other run of this game with a single.
HiA –The Quakes and Storm (Padres) matched each other with 11 hits each, but Rancho was able to plate one more run in a 4 - 3 victory over Lake Elsinore. Angel Sanchez started this game and had one of his best outings of the season as he allowed just 1 run over 6 innings. He scattered 7 hits, issued one walk, and struck out 7. Scott McGough worked around a hit and a walk in the 8th by K'ing a pair of batters for a scoreless frame, but things got interesting in the 9th when Eric Eadington entered the game. He started the inning by giving up a single and a walk, then a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout later the Storm had 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. The next batter then singled to right fielder Jonathan Garcia, but luckily only one runner made it home as the runner who had been on second ended up getting tagged out in a pickle between home and 3rd base. For Garcia, it was his second outfield assist of the game. Everybody in the Quakes lineup had at least one hit, although Chris Jacobs was the only batter to connect on one of the extra base variety as he doubled. Leon Landry went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, while Austin Gallagher had a pair of singles and drove in a run.
LoA – The Loons got run over by the Hot Rods (Rays) on Thursday via a 12 - 3 loss to Bowling Green. The opposing team got to the Loons early and often as starter Jose Dominguez got pummeled for 11 hits and 9 runs over just 2.1 innings. It was by far the worst outing of the year for the right hander who was making just his 4th start of the season. Matt Laney and the recently activated Juan Noriega managed to hold the opposition to 1 hit ball over the next 4.2 frames, and even though Jason West had a rough game in relief with 5 walks, none of the runs he allowed were earned as the Loons made an error in the field behind him. The Great Lakes offense was led by the other Pedro Guerrero who went 2 for 4 with a solo homer. Scott Schebler continued his hit barrage with a single and another double, while Kevin Taylor went 2 for 5 for the night.
Coming up – Chris Withrow has a 5.52 ERA for the season, but he's thrown better than his stats would suggest and he will be throwing on Friday for the Lookouts. Ryan O'Sullivan and Jon Michael Redding will take the mound for the Loons and Quakes, respectively, while Stephen Fife will get the call for the Isotopes.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)