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I'm trying something new at the suggestion of G.Scott, which is to specifically mention the performance of every player on the 40 man roster, good or bad, and denote those players with an asterisk (*). That way everyone can see how the players who are presumably closest to the majors are doing on a daily basis.
Minor League Player of the Day – Chris Jacobs - 4 for 4, 1 HR 3 RBI's, 2 Runs. I finally got to watch big Chris Jacobs play in person on Sunday as I attended the game in Rancho, and I picked the right game to watch because he had his best game of the season. I finally got to see his "light tower power" as he crushed a towering home run down the left field line in the 7th inning, and while his other three singles weren't hit very hard, they got the job done. One thing I do need to mention, however, is that Chris very slow and a terrible base runner, and one of the more humorous moments of the afternoon came when Jacobs was almost thrown out by the right fielder on a bloop single.
AAA – Michael Antonini* threw relatively well on Sunday, but the Isotopes offense managed just 3 runs in one run loss to the Sounds (Brewers). Antonini allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 6 frames, striking out 6 and throwing 97 pitches. He actually left the game with the lead and was hoping to pick up his 2nd win of the year, but reliever Derrick Loop gave up 2 scores and was saddled with the loss. Some good news is that Ryan Tucker and Ramon Troncoso were solid in the defeat as they finished off the game with 2.2 innings of 1 hit relief. At the plate it was leadoff man Elian Herrera who had the big game as he went 2 for 3 with a triple, a homer, and 2 RBI's. Matt Angle* had the only other run driven it, but he also struck out 3 times. Jerry Sands* and Tim Federowicz* each had as single but combined to go 2 for 9 with 4 K's, while Ivan De Jesus* went 0 for 5. Scott Van Slyke* was held in check as he was held hitless in 3 at bats, but he did walk twice.
AA – It was an all around dreadful day for the Lookouts as they were burned by the Biscuits (Rays) 4 to 1. Chattanooga manged just 4 hits in the defeat, with the only offensive highlight coming on an RBI double by Rafael Ynoa. On defense the club committed two errors, one by Ynoa and another by starting pitcher Matt Magill, who actually had a pretty good day on the mound despite walking 4. Magill gave up just 3 hits and 2 unearned runs over 5 frames, but like I said before he was a bit wild which caused him to throw 102 pitches. Red Patterson allowed a run in relief, and even Shawn Tolleson got touched up for a home run on this forgettable day for the Lookouts.
HiA – As mentioned above I was able to attend Sunday's game in Rancho, and lucky for me I was able to watch an exciting 9 - 2 Quakes victory over the Storm (Padres). Starter Angel Sanchez had what I believe is the longest outing of the season for any Rancho pitcher as he threw 8 strong innings, although after watching him in person I wasn't overly impressed with his performance. His overall line looked pretty good as he allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits, but he seemed to get a bit lucky thanks to a few timely double plays and some bad base running by the Lake Elsinore players. The highest I saw Sanchez hit on the gun was 92 mph, and he was consistently in the low 90's all afternoon. At the end of the day he definitely has some talent, but when compared to last time when I watched Chris Reed pitch, Sanchez just wasn't as impressive. Anyways, at the plate Chris Jacobs had a huge game with a big homer and 3 singles, and Leon Landry was also impressive in his first game back since suffering a concussion 3 weeks ago. Landry made a solid running basket catch from left field in the 3rd inning, and at the plate he doubled and then had an outstanding drag bunt at the plate, stole second with ease, and scored on a RBI double by Scott WIngo. Joc Pederson also had a nice defensive play as he made a diving catch in center, and at the plate he doubled, walked twice, stole 2 bases, and scored 3 runs. The final big hit of the game was a long home run by Michael Pericht, who hit a drive deep to left center that went at least 400 feet.
LoA – Things were looking grim for the Loons after 6 innings, but Great Lakes forced extra innings with a late rally and then scored a pair in the 10th clip the Silver Hawks (Dbacks) 6 to 4. The game tying rally in the 8th was the product of an O'Koyea Dickson double, who is apparently OK after leaving the game early on Saturday, and a Scott Schebler triple, which was his league leading 5th of the season. Then in the 10th, Joe Winker led off the inning with his second double of the game and came around to score on a throwing by the pitcher who was trying to field the subsequent sacrifice bunt. Noel Cuevas knocked in an insurance run with a single, and that was enough for the victory. On the mound it was a tale of two halves as starting pitcher Arismendy Ozoria struggled a bit through the first 5 frames, while his bullpen was outstanding for the final 5 innings. Ozoria gave up all 4 runs of the game on 6 hits and a walk, but then Michael Thomas took over and hurled 3 scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 1.67. Eric Eadington tossed the final 2 innings and was perfect, striking out 3 and recording his first win of the year.
Coming up – All four teams are back in action tomorrow, including the Quakes who will feature Zach Lee on the mound as he attempts to turn things around from a rough start last time out. Chris Withrow and Midwest League strikeout leader Jarret Martin will toe the rubber for the Lookouts and Loons, respectively, while Mike Parisi will look to improve upon his 2.25 ERA in a day game for the Isotopes.
Minor League Transactions - HiA: Leon Landry was activated from the DL, although I have yet to hear what the corresponding move was.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)