The third week of play in the Arizona Fall League was highlighted by strong offensive play from a pair of Dodgers, with outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo and second baseman Brandon Dixon continuing to hit.
The 23-year-old Dixon, the Dodgers' third-round pick in 2013, was 5-for-10 (.500) with a double and a home run in his three games played during the week, with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI. Dixon has a five-game hitting streak, dating back to Oct. 22, hitting .579 (11-for-19) during the streak.
Scavuzzo, 21, homered on Monday against Mesa and on Friday against Peoria, both shots coming at Camelback Ranch. For the week, Scavuzzo was 5-for-16 (.313) with two doubles, five runs scored and four RBI.
Scavuzzo, who started 93 games in left field in 2015 and three games in center, will also apparently add first base to his repertoire, per Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com:
"The field coordinator talked to me a couple weeks ago and said he wanted me to be more versatile and play more positions, so I've been working at first base every day since then," he said of the possibility of a position change. "I don't know if I'll get a start out here, but next season I should be mixing in at first base."
In his seven AFL games, Scavuzzo has started in left field six times — including all four games this week — and was the designated hitter in the other game.
Here is a recap of how the rest of the Dodgers' AFL contingent did this week:
Jharel Cotton pitched three more scoreless innings on Wednesday at Scottsdale, allowing two hits and a walk, though he didn't strike out anybody. It was his second straight start with three scoreless frames. Cotton is scheduled to start next on Tuesday at Salt River.
Catcher Kyle Farmer was 4-for-16 (.250) with two doubles and three runs scored in four games.
Brandon Trinkwon got into two games during the week and was 1-for-9 (.111) with a double and a run scored.
Ralston Cash allowed one run in two innings in his two appearances. He allowed a home run in his one inning on Tuesday at Mesa, then pitched a scoreless inning to pick up the save on Friday against Peoria.
Rob Rogers pitched a pair of scoreless innings, on Monday and Friday, with one strikeout.
Left-handed pitcher Michael Johnson pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings with a strikeout in his appearance on Tuesday, but he also allowed four hits and allowed all three inherited runners to score.
Scott Barlow, who was added to the Glendale roster last week as a taxi squad player — meaning like Trinkwon he is only eligible to play on Wednesdays and Sundays — and pitched in one game this week. On Wednesday, he struck out three of the four batters he faced in his one innings, but allowed a home run to the other.
Happy Halloween
The Desert Dogs got into the holiday spirit on Saturday.
Happy Halloween from the Desert Dogs! @MiLB @MLBazFallLeague pic.twitter.com/GaBVYLrEiT
— Kyle Farmer (@kFarm17) October 31, 2015
Note to self.. Don't dress up as a giant bee on a baseball field.. All the bees will follow you around and sting you
— Jacob Scavuzzo (@jscavuzzo7) October 31, 2015
Week 4 schedule
All games 11:35 a.m. PT unless noted otherwise.
Monday: vs. Salt River
Tuesday: at Salt River
Wednesday: at Surprise (at Salt River Fields)
Thursday: vs. Surprise
Friday: vs. Mesa
Saturday: Fall Stars Game (at Salt River Fields), 5 p.m. PT
Sunday: off day
The rosters haven't yet been announced for the Fall Stars Game, but those should come in the next few days. That annual showcase of many of the top prospects in the AFL will be televised by MLB Network and available online on MLB.com on Saturday night.