Minor League Player of the Day – Joe Winker - 3 for 4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI's, 2 Runs. Winker barely edged out teammate Jarret Martin for this award, who also had a spectacular day. For Joe this was actually his second 3-hit game in a row, and it extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Over that span Winker is hitting .372 with a 1.038 OPS.
AAA – The Isotopes held a slim 1 - 0 lead heading into the 9th, but closer Josh Wall imploded one day after I sang his praise as the RedHawks (Astros) defeated Albuquerque 4 to 1. Prior to Wall allowing 4 runs in the 9th, starter Mike Parisi was magnificent for the Topes as he allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks over 7 shutout innings to move into the top 10 in league ERA. He was followed by Ronald Belisario, who threw well in his final "rehab" appearance as he got 3 ground outs after giving up a leadoff single. At the plate Albuquerque managed just 5 singles and 2 doubles in route to their one run, which was driven in by Joe Becker. Jeff Baisley had the only multi-hit game, while Jerry Sands and Scott Van Slyke both singled in the loss.
AA – Nathan Eovaldi showed some rust from his lack of use over the past few weeks as the Lookouts were burned by the Stars 5 to 2. Eovaldi gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in just 4 innings of work, and he only struck out 1. The good news was the Nathan needed just 55 pitches to get through the 4 frames, and had a 6 to 2 ground out to fly out ratio. Javy Solano took over in the 5th and allowed a run in 2.1 innings, while Red Patterson struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced. Chattanooga was relatively quiet at the plate outside of Griff Erickson, who went 2 for 3 with his first homer of the year. The only other highlights were a Kyle Russell double and a 2 for 4 performance from Anthony Jackson.
HiA – Zach Lee had the worst start of his young career, at least in terms of runs allowed, and the Quakes were crushed by the 66ers (Angles) 11 to 6. Lee gave up 7 runs on 7 hits, including another homer, and was pulled after just 4 innings. After some decent work by middle relief, Steve Smith allowed 2 runs in the 8th and then Juan Rodriguez had his worst outing of the season by allowing 2 more scores on 2 hits and 3 walks. Despite scoring 6 runs the Rancho offense managed just 2 extra base hits, and both came from Chris O'Brien who went 2 for 4 with a double and a triple. Scott Wingo also went 2 for 4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, while Brian Cavazos-Galvez had two singles in is Quakes debut.
LoA – The Loons put together their best all around game of the season as Great Lakes defeated the Lugnuts (Blue Jays) 7 to 1. After a rocky start last time out, Jarret Martin rebounded in a big way by allowing just 2 hits over 7 innings of shutout ball. He struck out 5, and walked only 1. Eric Eadington followed with a pair of K's in a scoreless 8th, and even though Matt Shelton allowed a run in the 9th it didn't matter because the game had already been won. The Loons' offense was paced by 1st baseman Joe Winker who went 3 for 4 with a double, a homer, and 4 RBI's. Jesus Arredondo also had 3 hits and stole a pair of bases, while Scott Schebler and Noel Cuevas both doubled, singled, and drove in a run.
Coming up – Chris Reed will highlight Thursday's minor league action as he takes the mound for the Quakes, although it's also Allen Webster's turn in the rotation so he could rival Reed in terms of prospect status despite his recent struggles with the Lookouts. Ryan O'Sullivan will get his first start of the year for the Loons, while Will Savage will look to continue his solid pitching for the Isotopes.
Minor League Transactions – HiA: Joc Pederson was added back to the Quakes roster and Alexis Aguilar was reassigned. Also, in somewhat of a surprising move, Tony Delmonico has been released by the Dodgers.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)