Top prospect Zach Lee gave up 8 runs on Sunday in what I'm guessing is his plea to stay with the organization. With other teams' scouts in the stands, a solid performance would make him one of the most coveted trade pieces in the organization, so he must have taken it upon himself to devalue himself as a prospect.
Minor League Player of the Day – Kyle Russell (AA) - 3 for 5, 1 3B, 2 2B's, 2 RBI's, 1 Run. Russell hasn't made a whole lot of noise in 2012 as he has just 8 homers and is hitting a combined .255 between AA and AAA, but he's come on as of late and is batting .344 in the month of July. The big lefty isn't too far down on the outfield depth charts for the Dodgers, so he'll look to have a solid second half of the season to really put his name on the map.
AAA Game 1 – The Isotopes lost the first game of their double header on Sunday, falling to the Sounds (Brewers) 2 to 1. Starter Will Savage gave up 6 hits and 1 run over 4 frames, then Derrick Loop pitched a scoreless 5th. Wil Ledezma got through the 6th inning without allowing a run, but in the 7th he gave up a walk-off homer to the first batter he faced which resulted in the loss. On offense Trent Oeltjen went 3 for 4 with and RBI, while Brian Cavazos-Galvez had a pair of singles for the only other multi-hit game. Jerry Sands only had one hit, but his double was the only base knock of the game that went for extra bases.
AAA Game 2 – Albuquerque salvaged a split on Sunday as they defeated the Sounds 8 to 5 in the second game of the double header. The Isotopes scored all 8 of their runs in the 6th inning, with Brian Cavazos-Galvez collecting two hits and two RBI's in the frame. Trent Oeltjen also drove in a pair of runs with a double, while the hot hitting Josh Fields extended his hit streak with a single and plated a run. Blake Johnson started this game but got off to a rough start as he allowed 6 hits and 3 runs over 3.2 frames. Ramon Troncoso recorded the win despite giving up 2 runs of his own, while Angel Guzman picked up his first save of the year with a scoreless 7th in the shortened game.
AA – Zach Lee did his best to devalue himself as a prospect as the Lookouts lost to the Braves 15 to 5. Lee gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 8 runs over just 2.1 innings, which increased his ERA in AA to an ugly 8.82. Each of the three relievers in this game also gave up at least one run, including Wes Roemer who allowed 4 scores in two innings of work. At the plate, Kyle Russell had his first big game in a while as he went 3 for 5 with two doubles and a triple and drove in a pair of runs. Griff Erickson had the only other notable game as he a perfect 3 for 3 with a two bagger and a walk.
HiA – The Quakes broke their losing streak on Sunday as they burned the Blaze (Reds) 7 to 5. Starter Garrett Gould actually had a rough outing despite the win as he gave up 8 hits and 5 runs over 5.1 frames, including a trio of homers. Scott McGough recorded the win in relief, while Eric Eadington picked up his 15th save of the year with a scoreless 9th. Lead-off man Leon Landry was the offensive catalyst in this game as he went 2 for 4 with a homer, 2 RBI's, and 2 runs scored. Pedro Baez also took one deep to drive in a pair, while Scott Wingo went 2 for 3.
LoA – Things didn't look good for Great Lakes after starter Gustavo Gomez gave up 5 runs in the top of the 1st, but the Loons were able to fly all the way back and capture a 8 - 6 victory over the River Bandits (Cardinals). After his ugly 1st inning Gomez started getting into more trouble in the 2nd, but he was relieved by Juan Rodriguez who got out of the inning. Scrap Metal ended up with the win after throwing a pair of hitless frames, although he of course struggled with control and ended up allowing 3 walks and 1 run. Yimi Garcia and Michael Thomas combined to throw 4.2 scoreless innings, then the recently activated Matt Shelton recorded the save with a perfect 9th. The Loons offense wasn't all that impressive in this game but they were aided by a pair of errors and 8 free passes. That being said, Darnell Sweeney did go 2 for 5 with a triple and an RBI, while Jesus Arredondo doubled and drove in three. O'Koyea Dickson also had a two bagger, while James Baldwin struck out in each of his three official at bats to give him 109 whiffs for the year.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors fell behind early and even though they re-gained the lead late in the game they were unable to hold on as the lost to Helena (Brewers) 9 to 8. Derek Cone, who became a new father just a few days ago, started this game and didn't have any luck as he gave up 7 hits and 5 runs over just 2.2 innings. Gregg Downing allowed two more runs to score in relief, but it was Owen Jones who blew the save once his team took the lead by allowing the final 2 runs of the game to score. At the plate, the 6'6" Jeremy Rathjen continued to be on fire as he went 3 for 5 for his 6th multi-hit game in a row. Pat Stover also had 3 hits to increase his average to .383, while Devin Shines went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's. Like the Dodgers, the Raptors struggled with their defense on Sunday as they committed 5 errors in the field, with 3 of them coming at the hot corner from Alex Santana who now has 13 miscues for the season.
Rookie Arizona – Rained out
DSL – The DSL NL All Stars lost to the DSL AL All Stars 6 to 3 on Sunday. Based on the box score, the Dominican Dodgers had three players participating in this game, with the obvious choice being Josmar Cordero who was the starting catcher but went 0 for 2 with a pair of strikeouts. Geison Nunez was the starting right fielder but struck out in his only at bat, while Jhosue Bermudez got the honor of being the starting pitcher and did his part by tossing a perfect 1st inning.
Coming up – Everyone plays except for the Arizona Dodgers on Monday, with Ethan Martin and the Lookouts highlighting the action. Angel Sanchez will try to change his luck for the Quakes, while Carlos Frias will throw for the Raptors. Arismendy Ozoria and a TBD pitcher are the scheduled starters for the Loons and Isotopes, respectively.
Minor League Transactions –
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score - Game 1 (AAA)
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score - Game 2 (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)