Minor League Player of the Day – Bobby Coyle (HiA) - 4 for 5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 Run, 4 RBI's. Coyle continues to crush the California League and now through 47 games he has sustained an OPS of above 1.000.
AAA – The Isotopes beat the 51's (Blue Jays) 8 to 5 behind 15 hits. Matt Angle had 4 of the base knocks, all singles, while Josh Fields went 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI's. Alex Castellanos also doubled and had 3 hits, while Jerry sands drove in 3 with a two bagger of his own. Starter John Ely won his 11th game of the year after allowing 5 hits and 4 runs over 7 innings, and Josh Wall picked up his 20th save by getting the final 2 outs of the game.
AA – The Lookouts were no-hit on Thursday as they lost to the Stars (Brewers) 3 to 1. The Huntsville staff used 5 pitchers to complete the no-no, although they issued 11 free passes to the Chattanooga batters. Starter Chris Reed had his longest AA outing as he lasted 4 innings, although he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. A trio of relievers finished off the game for the Lookouts without allowing a run, including Steven Rodriguez who tossed another perfect inning.
HiA – The Quakes won a wild one Thursday as they defeated the 66ers (Angles) 8 to 7. After losing the lead in the 9th, Rancho and Inland Empire exchanged runs in the 10th. In the 11th, the 66ers plated 2 more runs and were feeling good about the game until the Quakes loaded the bases and Joc Pederson cleared them with a game winning triple. Bobby Coyle had a huge day as he went 4 for 5 with a double, a homer, and 3 RBI's, while Adam Kennedy had a single and a triple in his second rehab game. Starter Angel Sanchez gave up 5 hits and 2 runs over 5 frames, and Ryan O'Sullivan picked up the win despite giving up the two runs in the top of the 11th.
LoA – The Loons lost to the Hot Rods (Rays) 5 to 3 on Thursday. Great Lakes had just 6 hits, with the only notable ones being a homer by O'Koyea Dickson (hit 10th) and a triple by James Baldwin. Starter Raydel Sanchez had a poor game as he gave up 6 hits and issued 6 walks which lead to 4 runs allowed. Joel Lima was solid in relief, however, as he allowed just 1 hit over the final 3 frames.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors got a solid start out of Jake Hermsen on Thursday as they defeated the Chukars (Royals) 4 to 1. Hermsen did not allow a run for the first time in his professional career as he tossed 5 shutout innings, striking out 4 in the process. Jharel Cotton provided solid relief, and Owen Jones picked up his 3rd save with a solid 9th inning. There were only a couple notable performances at the plate as both Delvis Morales and Jose Capellan went 2 for 4 with a double.
Rookie Arizona – 2012 9th round pick Zachary Bird had the best start of his professional career on Thursday as he led the Arizona Dodgers to a 4 - 0 win over the Giants. Bird allowed just 3 hits over 5 shutout innings and didn't walk anyone while striking out 5. A trio of relievers finished the game without allowing a run, including Samuel Taveras who tossed a pair of scoreless frames. At the plate Yasiel Puig recorded his first hits a professional as he went 2 for 3 with a triple and a RBI. Paul Hoenecke also had a pair of hits including a double, while Josh Henderson had a two-bagger as well.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers had 14 hits on Thursday but still needed 10 innings to record their 4 - 3 win over the A's. Melvin Santana, Johnathan Linares, and Yensys Capellan all had 3 hits and a run batted in. Jose Agusto Diaz struck out 8 over 7.2 innings and allowed just 3 runs, while Luis Silverio recorded the win with a scoreless 10th.
Coming up – Ted Lilly is the scheduled starter for the Quakes today, while Matt Magill gets the call for the Lookouts. Derrick Loop takes the mound for the Isotopes, while Miguel Sulbaran and Lindsey Caughel will throw for the Loons and Raptors, respectively.
Minor League Transactions –
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)
Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)