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Minor League Player of the Day – Alex Castellanos - 3 for 4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI's, 1 Run, 2 SB's. Castle had another big game on Wednesday, and in his 4 games since returning from his injury he is 7 for 16. His OPS for the season is up to 1.235, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the call this time if Kemp has to hit the DL.
AAA – Alex Castellanos continues to make his push for the big leagues as he led the Isotopes to a 4 - 0 win over the Zephyrs (Marlins). Castle went 3 for 4 with a homer, a double, and 2 RBI's to increase his batting average to an impressive .379. Luis Cruz also homered and drove in a pair, while Matt Angle went 2 for 4 with a double. On the mound Stephen Fife had a solid outing in what has been an up and down season. Fife's did not allow a run over 6 innings for his third scoreless outing of the season, but he's also given up 5 or more runs in 6 other appearances this year. Ramon Troncoso pitched a perfect 7th, then Scott Rice finished the game with 2 shutout frames.
AA – The Lookouts offense spread the wealth on Wednesday as seven different batters drove in a run in Chattanooga's 7 - 6 win over the Barons (White Sox). The hitting started at the top of the lineup as the first three hitters, Nick Buss, Luis Nunez, and Blake Smith, all doubled . Kyle Russell and Jake Lemmerman had two singles each, while Pedro Baez reached base 3 times via a hit and two walks. Chris Withrow started for Chattanooga and had a game full of 4's and 5's, lasting 5 innings and striking out 5, but also allowing 4 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs. His bullpen did enough to capture the victory, although both Logan Bawcom and Steve Ames allowed 2 hits and a run in relief.
HiA – The Rancho offense was quiet for most of the game, and even though they had a late outburst the Quakes still lost to the Storm (Padres) 5 to 3. Rancho didn't do anything at the plate until Jonathan Garcia hit a solo homer in the 7th, his 2nd in 3 days, then in the 8th Bobby Coyle doubled home two to increase his early batting average to .800. It was too little too late, however, as Lake Elsinore had already touched up starter Angel Sanchez for 3 runs on 5 hits over 5 frames and reliever Greg Wilborn for a couple more scores thanks to his issuance of 4 free passes. Carlos Frias tossed the final two innings of the game and did not allow a run while striking out 3.
LoA – For the second night in a row the Loons rallied in both the 9th and 10th innings which helped them pull out another extra inning victory; this time a 4 - 2 whacking of the TinCaps (Padres). Joe Winker played a big role in the late scoring as he homered to lead-off the top of the 9th to tie the game, then hit a fly ball in the 10th that the right fielder completely misplayed and that allowed the final 2 runs to score. Nobody in the Great Lakes lineup had more than one, although O'Koyea Dickson, Angelo Songco, and Jesse Bosnik all doubled. Ryan O'Sullivan had another fine game on the mound as he allowed just 5 hits and 2 runs over 6.1 frames, walking just 1. His bullpen was a little wild, but also very effective as Jason West got a pair out without allowing a run despite walking 3, then Michael Thomas picked up the win as he fired 3 hitless innings that included 6 punchouts.
Coming up – With Nathan Eovaldi back in LA, it appears that Allen Webster will return to the rotation for the Lookouts for the first time since May 9th. Gustavo Gomez will start for the Loons, while the suddenly hot John Ely will take the mound for the Isotopes. The Quakes scheduled starter is Greg Wilborn, but given that he threw two innings of relief on Wednesday I don't think that he'll actually pitch for Rancho on Thursday.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)