Minor League Player of the Day – Welington Serrano (DSL) - 5 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 5 K's. 18 year old Serrano was excellent in his second start of the season, and has allowed just 1 run over 9 innings thus far this season. The left hander is still quite a ways off from being a legitimate Dodger prospect, but at least he is giving us something to root for in the DSL.
AAA – The Isotopes fell to New Orleans (Marlins) 3 to 2 on Saturday despite limiting the Zephyrs to just 5 hits. Matt Palmer gave up 4 of the 5 base knocks and 2 of the 3 runs over 5 frames, but he also struck out 7 batters. Geison Aguasviva was saddled with the loss as he permitted the eventual winning run to score in the 7th. One final pitching note is that Steve Ames struck out 2 of the 3 hitters he faced but still has an ERA of 4.22. At the plate Rusty Ryal went 3 for 4, while Brian Barten's two doubles were the only two extra base hits for Albuquerque. Dee Gordon reached base 3 times with 2 singles and a walk and he also stole his 17th base of the season.
AA – Chris Reed and the Lookouts out the best of Taijuan Walker and the Generals on Saturday as Chattanooga beat Jackson (Mariners) 3 to 1. Reed allowed just 6 hits and 1 run over 6.1 frames while striking out 8, lowering his ERA to 4.13 after a rough start to the season. Kyle Cofield got the win in relief because the offense didn't score until the 7th, and Hector Nelo recorded the save despite walking two in the 9th. The big hit in this game belonged to Blake Smith who crushed a 2-run homer in the top of the 9th to give the Lookout the lead. Brian Cavazos-Galvez's big fly in the 7th was also a big part of the offensive attack for a team that had just 5 hits in the game.
HiA – The Quakes scored all of their runs in the later innings as Rancho defeated Visalia (Dbacks) 5 to 2. Darnell Sweeney went 3 for 5 and fell a triple shy of the cycle, and it was his 2-run homer in the 9th that really put the finishing touches on this contest. O'Koyea Dickson had a couple of hits and his double was the only other extra base hit for the good guys, while Noel Cuevas had 3 singles in 4 at bats. Lindsey Caughel had a strong start as he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits over 5 frames, striking out 4 along the way. Raydel Sanchez and Daniel Coulombe were solid in relief, and Jon Michael Redding got the win after tossing 1.1 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Eric Eadington recorded his 2nd save of the season after striking out two in the 9th.
LoA – The Loons scored a season high in runs on Saturday as Great Lakes downed South Bend (Dbacks) 15 to 1. All of the Loons runs were scored within the first 4 innings of this game, and Aaron Miller had the big hit as he crushed a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning while driving in 4 runs for the game. Corey Seager went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI's, while Kevin Taylor had 3 hits and knocked in a pair. Robbie Garvey scored 4 runs in this contest after he went a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk. On the mound Zach Bird got his 5th start of the year and had a great deal of success as he allowed just 1 hit over 3 scoreless innings. Geoff Brown stole the win as he gave up a single run over 3 frames, while Scott Griggs and Owen Jones got to work on their game in the blowout.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers were doubled up by the Astros on Saturday as they lost 6 to 3. Starter Welington Serrano was outstanding as he allowed just 2 hits over 5 shutout innings, but Luis Jimenez gave up 4 runs in relief including a game winning grand slam in the 6th. At the plate Jose Luis Javier stroked a 2-run homer, while 3rd baseman Jimy Perez drove in the only other run with a 1 for 2 effort.
Coming up – Red Patterson gets the ball for the Isotopes on Sunday while Andres Santiago throws for the Lookouts. Jarret Martin will take the mound for the Quakes and the Loons starter is TBD.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: Jose Dominguez moved up to the Isotopes from AA. AA/LoA: Jharel Cotton got the call all the way up to Chattanooga while Miguel Sulbaran took his spot on the Loons roster.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)