Minor League Player of the Day – Raydel Sanchez - 7 IP, 0 Hits, 2 Walks, 4 K's, 1 Win. In Sanchez's second start of the year he threw the best game of the season for the Loons as he fired 7 innings of no-hit ball. The Dodgers original Cuban pitcher, Raydel got off to a late start in 2012 but is starting to turn heads with performances like this one.
AAA – The Isotopes were cruising after 8 innings thanks to a John Ely two-hitter, but Josh Wall blew the game in the 9th and then the Storm Chasers (Royals) walked off with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 12th for a 5 - 2 victory. As mentioned Ely tossed another great game as he allowed just 2 hits and and 2 walks over 7 shutout innings. He struck out 9 and lowered his season ERA to an impressive 3.15. Wall was one out way from an Albuquerque victory after getting two quick outs in the 9th, but 3 singles, a walk, and a throwing error allowed Omaha to tie the game. Scott Rice took over in the 10th and made it through his first two innings unscathed, but in the 12th he allowed the 3-run bomb to lose the game. The Isotope hitters did not collect an extra base hit in this game, although the top 4 batters in the lineup combined for 11 singles. Ivan De Jesus, Alex Castellanos, and Josh Fields collected for 9 of those hits, with De Jesus also recording one of his team's RBI's.
AA – The Lookouts lost for the first time in a week as they fell to the Smokies (Cubs) 6 to 4. Allen Webster got the start and had his worst outing since returning to the rotation one month ago, although he actually wasn't all that bad. Webster allowed 8 hits, 3 walks, and 5 runs over 6 innings, but only 3 of the runs were earned and he struck out 8. Chris Withrow threw another inning of relief and did not allow a run although he walked two, while Red Patterson gave up the final run of the game on 4 hits. At the plate Blake Smith continued his steady hot streak with a double and a grand slam that brought home all of Chattanooga's runs. Smith is now hitting .294 with a .884 OPS for the season. Nick Buss went 2 for 5, while Webster doubled for the club's only other extra base hit.
HiA – The Quakes played for 4 and a half hours on Monday, but unfortunately they were unable to end their day with a win as they were shot down by the Mavericks (Mariners) 11 to 8 in 14 innings. Rancho jumped out to an early lead and starter Brandon Martinez cruised through the first 5 innings, but in the 6th B-Mart ran into some trouble and ended up allowing 7 runs. Only 2 of the runs were earned due to a Casio Grider fielding error, however, and he ended his evening with 6 K's. A quartet of relievers were solid over the next 7.1 innings, with the most impressive being Scott McGough who was excellent in the extra frames as he allowed just 1 hit over 3 innings and struck out 4. Steve Smith was the losing pitching in the 14th as he gave up the final 3 runs of the game. The Quakes offense was much quieter than it was the night before, although there were still a few solid performances. Grider made up for his error by going 3 for 6 with a pair of doubles and a RBI, while Chris Jacobs and Bobby Coyle both had a single and a double. Leon Landry drove in a pair with 2 singles and a sac fly, and Mark Ellis also had 2 RBI's while finishing 1 for 3.
LoA – Raydel Sanchez and the Loons had a no-hitter going through 7 innings, and while the Whitecaps (Tigers) eventually got a hit they did not get the win as Great Lakes pulled out a 1 - 0 victory. Sanchez faced just 3 more than the minimum over his 7 innings of work (2 walks and a fielding error) and struck out 4, and was pulled after 86 pitches because he exceeded his planned pitch count. Michael Thomas came into the game in the 8th and retired the first two batters he faced, but a pair of singles eventually broke up the no-no (although Thomas kept the shutout intact). Yimi Garcia got the final 3 outs without a problem to record his 12th save of the year. At the plate the Loons managed just 5 hits themselves, with their only run scoring on a RBI double by Pedro Guerrero. Angelo Songco had the only multi-hit game, and with hits in three straight contests hopefully his bat is starting to heat up.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors were hurt by a pair of errors on Monday as they fell to the Chukars (Royals) 5 to 2. Starter Jake Hermsen worked 5 innings and gave up 6 hits, but only 1 of the 4 runs he allowed were earned. Jason West threw 2 innings of scoreless relief, while Owen Jones allowed the first run of his professional career in the 8th. Devin Shines had a big game at the plate as he went 3 for 3 with a double and a RBI, and he also stole a pair of bases. Malcolm Holland drove in the other run with a single, and Alex Santana's double was the team's only other extra base hit.
Rookie Arizona – The Dodgers continue to roll through the Arizona League as they improved their record to 9 and 1 with a 3 - 0 shutout of the Giants. Starter Jonathan Martinez, who just turned 18 earlier this week, fired 5 shutout innings and allowed just 4 hits while striking out 4. The outing lowered his ERA to 1.98, and there seems to be some competition between him and Miguel Sulbaran as to who is the best young Venezuelan on the staff. Four relievers finished off the shutout by tossing with a scoreless inning each, combining to allow just 1 hit. One of those innings came from closer Ricky Perez who picked up his 5th save of the young season. The Dodgers only had one extra base hit in the win, and that came from Tyler Ogle who had an RBI double. Jesmuel Valentin continued his strong start by going 2 for 4 with an RBI, while John Sgromolo had a pair of singles.
DSL – Game suspended
Coming up – All eyes will be on Zach Lee on Tuesday as he makes his second start of the season for the Lookouts. Ralston Cash and Andres Santiago will both be looking for rebound starts for the Loons and Quakes, while Derrick Loop will take the mound for the Isotopes. Finally 2012 5th round pick Ross Stripling will make his first start of the year for the Raptors.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: As we all know Shawn Tolleson has returned to Albuquerque while Luis Cruz had joined the Dodgers. HiA: 27 year old Cuban catcher Selme Angulo was assigned to the Quakes roster. LoA: Matt Shelton was placed on the DL and Daniel Coulombe was promoted to the team from Ogden. Rookie Ogden: Alan Garcia was promoted to the Raptors from Arizona. Rookie Arizona: 2012 3rd rounder Onelki Garcia was assigned to the Dodgers.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)