Dodgers 4/21/13 minor league report - Great pitching usually leads to wins

Minor League Player of the Day – Chris Reed (AA) - 7 IP, 4 Hits, 0 Walks, 0 Runs, 2 K's. While there were several few great performances on Sunday, this award goes to Reed not only because he did not allow a run over 7 innings, but because he faced just 2 batters over the minimum thanks to a pair of double plays. This was by far the left handers' best performance of the year, and hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

AAA – Red Patterson struggled in his spot start on Sunday as the Isotopes fell to the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros) 10 to 7. Making his first start since 2011, Patterson lasted just 2 batters into the 4th inning and in total allowed 6 runs on 7 hits, including a pair of 2-run homers. Steve Smith and Geison Aguasviva both threw 2+ innings in relief and struggled as well as they combine to give up the final 4 runs. Despite scoring 7 runs the offense wasn't all that exciting as the Topes managed just 2 extra base hits, with one of them being a rare triple from Scott Van Slyke. Elian Herrera's RBI double was the other hit that went for extra bases, while Alex Castellanos had a pair of singles and Dee Gordon kept his average above .300 by going 2 for 4 with a walk.

AA – Lookout starter Chris Reed was excellent on Sunday, but his bullpen couldn't hold a lead as Chattanooga fell to the Suns (Marlins) 3 to 2. Staked to an early 2 run lead, Reed made that stand up over his 7 innings of work by shutting out Jacksonville, facing just 2 batters over the minimum as he allowed 4 singles but also induced a pair of double plays. Unfortunately things went south as soon as he left the game as reliever Kyle Cofield immediately allowed a single and a 2-run homer, then also permitted another base runner who eventually came around to score. That was too much for the Lookout offense to overcome as they couldn't get anything going after a two-run first inning during which J.T. Wise had a RBI single and Omar Luna connected on a RBI double. The only other good news is that Blake Smith went 2 for 4 and Joc Pederson doubled to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

HiA – I picked the wrong game to attend as there weren't many highlights for the Quakes in their 8 to 2 loss to the Mavericks (Mariners). Rancho had just 3 singles in this game and simply couldn't get anything going at the plate as they struggled in some key situations. O'Koyea Dickson drove in both runs, one on a sac fly and the other on a squibber down the 1st base line that hit the bag and allowed him to reach base safely and the runner to score from 3rd. On the mound Gustavo Gomez got shelled from the very beginning as his very first pitch of the game was crushed for a triple. He went on to give up 6 runs on 8 hits, and while he showed a few plus pitches that allowed him to strike out 4, he simply wasn't hitting his spots for most of the game. Raydel Sanchez was decent in relief, although I was more impressed by Craig Stem who tossed a pair of scoreless frames and was getting his fastball up into the mid 90's. I was also able to watch Pedro Baez throw a inning, but unfortunately he didn't have his best stuff either as he allowed 3 singles and a run.

LoA Game 1 – Jharel Cotton threw a complete game (7 inning) shutout for the Loons in the first game of their double header as they blanked the Lake County Captains (Indians) 1 to 0. Cotton allowed 5 hits and 2 walks over his 7 frames, but was able to get out of enough jams with his 6 strikeouts to preserve the shutout. The Loons were actually at risk of wasting Cotton's gem as they were also held scoreless over the first 6 innings, but Corey Seager, who had tripled earlier in the game, started the 7th with a single. After he was sacrificed over to 2nd, Jeremy Rathjen provided the game winning single to give Great Lakes the walk-off victory.

LoA Game 2 – Ralston Cash did his best to one-up the pitching performance from Jharel Cotton in game 1, and it worked as the Loons swept their double header against the Captains (Indians) with a 2 - 1 victory in the night cap. Cash allowed just 1 hit over 5 shutout innings to start the game, and while he was pulled after he walked the first two batters of the 6th (one of whom came around to score), he still had an outstanding performance and ended up with 8 K's. Luis Meza recorded a hold for getting out of the 6th inning jam relatively unscathed, while Scott Griggs struck out 2 in the final frame record his 3rd save of the year. At the plate Corey Seager continued his hot streak from game 1 as he went 3 for 3, and overall finished the day with 5 hits in 6 at bats. Jeremy Rathjen doubled, while Malcolm Holland went 1 for 3 and drove in one of the two runs.

Coming up – Just three games on tap for Monday as the Quakes get the day off. Matt Magill is the scheduled starter for the Isotopes and Carlos Frias is supposed to throw for the Loons, while the Chattanooga pitcher is TBD.

Minor League Transactions – AAA: With Stephen Fife's promotion to the big leagues, the Isotopes added the recently signed right hander Anthony Ortega to their roster.

Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)

Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score - Game 1 (LoA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score - Game 2 (LoA)

Minor League Central - Daily Dodger Recap