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Minor League Player of the Day – Ryan Mount (HiA) - 5 for 5, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI's. The 26 year old isn't much of a prospect, but after going 5 for 5 with a homer and a double I had to give him this award to him despite a couple of other solid candidates. With the big game Ryan increased his average to .307, and he also helped the Quakes mount one of their best comebacks of the year.
AAA – Albuquerque lost to the Padres 6 to 2 on Friday after losing several of their top offensive players. With the promotions of Scott Van Slyke, Tim Federowicz, and Dee Gordon and the injury to Alex Castellanos, the Isotope offense is shell of its former self so it's no surprise they struggled to score runs in this game. Alfredo Amezaga stayed hot with 3 hits in 4 at bats including a double, but he was the only one to do anything notable at the plate. On the mound Blake Johnson allowed just 1 earned run over 5.2 innings while striking out 7, but he also gave up 3 unearned runs thanks to his own throwing error. Josh Wall permitted a solo homer in relief, while Chris Withrow gave up his first earned run of the year after he walked a couple of batters and allowed a double.
AA – The Lookouts managed just 2 hits on Friday, yet still managed to defeat the BayBears (Dbacks) 4 to 3. One of those hits should come as no surprise as Joc Pederson jacked out a 2-run homer in the 1st inning to give Chattanooga an early lead. A double by Rafael Ynoa followed by a steal and an RBI ground out by Yasiel Puig in the 3rd inning accounted for the 4th and final run of the game for the Lookouts, and it was also the last hit as Chattanooga was no-hit for the rest of the game. Starter Rob Rasmussen threw very well as he allowed just 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 5 over 6 frames. Aaron Miller had a little bit of trouble in relief as he gave up a 2-run homer, but Jose Dominguez and Yimi Garcia got the final 6 outs without issue to secure the victory.
HiA – The Quakes rallied to defeat the Storm (Padres) 14 to 12 on Friday, but story of the game was that starter Zack Greinke threw 80 pitches and despite allowing 8 runs (3 earned), appears ready for big league action. Greinke was mostly terrorized by Lake Elsinore catcher Robert Kral who went 4 for 4 in this game with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 5 RBI's, but outside of that Zack was pretty effective. Ryan Acosta gave up 4 runs in relief to complicate matters, but Scott Elbert struck out 2 in his perfect inning of work to complete his first rehab appearance and pick up the win. On offense there were several notable performance, starting with 3rd baseman Ryan Mount who went 5 for 5 with a homer, a double, and 3 RBI's. Noel Cuevas had a homer and couple of triples in his first three at bats to drive in 4, while Angelo Songco plated 4 as well with a pair of singles.
LoA – The Loons dropped their 8th straight on Friday, falling to the TinCaps (Padres) 6 to 2. Great Lakes actually out-hit Fort Wayne 12 to 10, and Jesmuel Valentin led the way with two singles and a double out of the leadoff spot. Jeremy Rathjen's two bagger was the club's only other extra base hit, while Kevin Taylor went 2 for 4 with a RBI. On the mound starter Carlos Frias had his worst outing of the young season as he allowed 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs over just 3 innings, and his relievers weren't much better. Arismendy Ozoria gave up a run in two innings of work out of the bullpen, while Zach Bird permitted a couple of runs to score while recording 5 outs.
Coming up – Angel Sanchez will throw for the Loons on Saturday in his first start since his near no-hit performance. Lindsey Caughel will take the mound for the Quakes in his first California League start, while Aaron Laffey will get the ball for the Isotopes. The Lookouts starter is again TBD, but this time I've got to believe it will be Ross Stripling.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: Elian Herrera returned to the Isotopes after Scott Van Slyke was promoted to LA, and Jeremy Moore was activated from the DL and has joined the team as well. HiA/LoA: Starter Lindsey Caughel was promoted to the Quakes, while Elevys Gonzalez and Robbie Garvey. The bad news is that 2012 1st round pick Corey Seager was placed on the Loons DL with a hamstring injury.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)