Before we get to the minor league report, I wanted to post the link to my interview with a New England based radio station with whom I discussed the Dodger minor leaguers sent over to the Red Sox in the recent trade. You'll see my name in the title of one of the podcast, and my part is around the 55 minute mark of the show.
Minor League Player of the Day – Zach Lee (AA) - 6 IP, 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, 6 K's. Lee was great again on Monday and over the last three games he has allowed just 3 runs on 11 hits over 18 innings. It seems that the mechanical tweak he made a few weeks ago has really paid dividends.
AAA – Will Savage held the RedHawks scoreless for 6 frames despite allowing 7 hits and striking out just 1, but the Albuquerque bullpen couldn't sustain the shutout as Oklahoma City (Astros) eventually came away with a 6 - 1 win. After Savage left the game Erick Threets had his worst outing since joining the organization as he gave up 5 hits and 4 runs in just two-thirds of an inning. The recently signed Tim Corcoran allowed two additional runs in the 8th and at that point the game was out of reach for the Isotope offense that managed just 6 hits and went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Jerry Sands' double as the club's only extra base hit, while Dee Gordon went 1 for 2 with a walk.
AA – Zach Lee was great again on Monday as he helped lead the Lookouts to a 6 - 1 victory over the Generals (Mariners). For the 3rd straight start Lee allowed exactly 1 run, and in this game he gave up just 3 hits and struck out 6 while issuing just 1 walk. Zach was followed by 3 excellent bullpen arms, starting with Rubby De La Rosa who will apparently be torturing us for a few more weeks before he officially joins Boston. Rubby threw a perfect frame, as did Steven Rodriguez who struck out a pair in the 8th. Steven Ames then finished off the game with a couple of K's of his own as he lowered his ERA to 1.62. At the plate Jake Lemmerman continued his recent hot streak with his 7th homer of the year, and Luis Nunez drove in a run with a pair of doubles. Blake Smith also had 2 hits while C.J. Retherford had a couple of RBI's.
HiA – The Quakes moved into a tie for the wildcard spot on Monday with a 4 - 3 win over the Giants. Big Chris Jacobs got Rancho on the board early with his 15th bomb of the year, and Joc Pederson's double was the club's only other extra base hit. Austin Gallagher had an important RBI single while Yasiel Puig went 2 for 4 to boost his average to .375. Matt Guerrier started the game with a scoreless inning in his 5th rehab appearance so he appears to be on track to rejoin the big league club in the near future. Ryan Acosta got the win in "relief" by allowing 2 runs over 5 frames, and Yimi Garcia shut the door in the 9th for his 2nd California League save.
LoA – A James Baldwin homer in the 8th gave broke a tie and gave the Loons a late lead, but the celebration didn't last long as the Captains (Indians) came back with 2 in the top of the 9th and cruised away with a 4 - 3 win. Joe Winker also homered in the loss and Jesus Arredondo went 3 for 4 with a double, while O'Koyea Dickson's two-bagger gave him an extra base hit for the 5th game in a row. Joel Lima made just his second start of the season and fared pretty well as he gave up just 2 runs over 6 innings. Jordan Hershiser was solid in his Midwest League debut as he tossed a pair of shutout frames, but Daniel Carela blew the save and took the loss after allowing the runs in the 9th.
Rookie Ogden – Off day
Rookie Arizona – Having already clinched a playoff spot the Arizona Dodgers didn't have much to play for on Monday, and while they scored some late runs they still lost to the Brewers 7 to 5. There wasn't much action at the plate for the Dodgers as they had just 2 extra base hits, with those coming from John Sgromolo and Paul Hoenecke (who also had a pair of singles). On the mound Jhosue Bermudez allowed 3 early runs and was removed after just 2 innings, then Jackson Mateo and Aris Angeles gave up a pair of scores each. Riley Welch was the only one who left the game unscathed as the tossed two scoreless frames.
DSL – Season over
Coming up – John Ely starts for the Isotopes on Tuesday as they move closer to a playoff spot, while Andres Santiago takes the mound for the Lookouts. Raydel Sanchez gets the ball for the Loons, and Luis Meza will be making his second start of the year for the Raptors.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: Bobby Abreu was activated from the DL while Josh Wall was promoted to LA. AA: Francisco Felix makes his long awaited return to the Dodgers organization and has been assigned to the Lookouts, while Rubby De La Rosa officially joined the team and Angelo Ponte was activated from the DL. To make room on the roster both Aaron Miller and Bobby Coyle were placed on the DL. HiA: Apparently Shawn Tolleson was officially optioned all the way down to the Quakes, although I think that was just a procedural move for now since the Isotopes roster must have been full. LoA: Greg Wilborn and Arismendy Ozoria were placed on the DL, and there spots were taken by Jordan Hershiser and the recently signed Geoff Brown.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)