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In case you haven't already heard, the Dodger players who will participating in the Arizona Fall League have been announced. These players, who will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox, are: RHP - Red Patterson; LHP - Steven "Paco" Rodriguez & Eric Eadington; C - Griff Erickson; INF: Rafael Ynoa; OF - Joc Pederson & Yasiel Puig. I'll have a more detailed post as the AFL season approaches, but in short this is a exciting group of guys (some more exciting than others) who should get some valuable experience against some of the minor league's top competition. For Puig and Pederson it will especially interesting to see how they fare against more advanced players.
Minor League Player of the Day – Eric Smith (Ogden) - 4 for 6, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI's, 4 Runs. 2012 18th round pick Eric Smith had the best game in the Raptors blowout victory as he had a team high 4 hits, 4 runs, and 5 RBI's. The former Stanford catcher hasn't gotten a lot of love this season in my minor league reports, but he's been consistently good and now as an average that sits at .350.
AAA – The Isotopes aren't making it easy on themselves as they make their push for the post season as they lost their 4th game in a row on Wednesday, getting crushed 11 to 0 by the second place RedHawks (Astros). Albuquerque still holds a 2.5 game lead with 5 to play, but with one more contest against Oklahoma City on Thursday it could be an interesting finish if they lose again. There weren't many highlights at the plate as the Topes managed just 5 hits in the shutout, with Jerry Sands' double and Matt Angle's 2 for 3 night the only noteworthy performances. On the mound starter Derrick Loop actually did OK as he held the opposition to 3 runs on 6 hits over 5+ frames, but Cole St. Clair gave up 3 runs in relief. Javy Guerra then got roughed up for an ugly 4 runs while recording just 1 out, which obviously isn't good news given the recent bullpen DL news and struggles.
AA – Off day
HiA – Speaking of ugly shutouts, the Quakes were blanked by the Mavericks (Mariners) 14 to 0 as their winning streak was stopped at 4 games. Rancho had just 5 hits and they were all singles, and even Joc Pederson went 0 for 4 in this one. It was another terrible game for starter Angel Sanchez as he got rocked for 6 hits (included two homers) and gave up 7 runs while recording just 1 out. A couple of relievers (and one infielder) struggled out of the bullpen as well, but the one highlight of the night was Eammon Portice throwing 3 innings of 1-hit ball while recording 6 K's.
LoA – Despite being eliminated from post season contention, the Loons continue to fight as they used another late game comeback to down the Dragons (Reds) 5 to 4. Darnell Sweeney had a big game as he went a perfect 4 for 4 with a triple and a walk, and he scored the eventual game winning run on Nick Akins' infield single in the 9th. Jesus Arredondo also played a significant role as his pinch hit double in the final frame plated the tying run, while Tyler Ogle hit his 3rd homer in 6 games to drive in his team's first two runs. Starter Gustavo Gomez wasn't great on the mound as he allowed 8 hits and 4 runs (3 earned) over 4.2 frames, but new reliever Amalio Diaz was great in relief as he fired 3.1 innings of 1-hit ball. Craig Stem then took the ball in the 9th and set down Dayton in order to collect his 2nd save of the year, keeping his Midwest League ERA at a perfect 0.00 through 10 innings.
Rookie Ogden – After writing about a couple of big blowout losses, it was nice to see that the Raptors crushed the Owlz (Angels) 18 to 11 on Wednesday. The 18 runs were a season high for Ogden, and they used 19 hits to get there. Eric Smith led the way with 4 hits including a double and a homer, and in total he scored 4 runs and drove in 5. Fellow 2012 catcher draftee Austin Cowen also took one deep and collected 4 RBI's on the night, while Jesus Valdez went 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles. Missing out on the fun was Corey Seager who missed his 3rd game in a row for an unknown reason. Luis Meza put together a solid start as he allowed just 1 earned run over 6 innings, and although his bullpen got roughed up it didn't matter much since the offense created a huge cushion. Derek Cone struggled to the tune of 5 walks and 4 runs over 1.1 frames, while Carlos De Aza and Michael Drown combine to give up the final 5 runs.
Rookie Arizona – The Arizona Dodgers won their regular season finale over the Reds 3 to 1 thanks to a late two-run homer by Stefan Jarrin. Prior to the big homer it was a trio of youngsters that tied the game in the 7th as Justin Chigbogu doubled, moved to 3rd on a single by Joey Curletta, then scored on a base knock by Theo Alexander. On the mound former outfielder Ronny Lugo made the first start of his career and threw quite well as he allowed just 4 hits and 1 run over 5 frames. Ricky Perez followed with 3 shutout innings, then Joe Robinson recorded his first save with a scoreless 9th.
DSL – Season over
Coming up – The Arizona Dodgers will play in a do or die semi-final playoff game on Thursday, and while the starter is TBD I'm guessing it will be Miguel Sulbaran. Brandon Martinez will try to shake his recent bad luck with the Quakes, and Fernando Nieve will get the ball for the Isotopes. Gregg Downing for the Raptors is the only other scheduled starter as the pitchers for the Lookouts and Loons are TBD.
Minor League Transactions – AA: Duke von Schamann, the Dodgers 15th round pick in the most recent draft, received a surprise promoted to AA from the Loons.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)