:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55323749/Kyle_Farmer__23.0.0.jpeg)
As the first half was ending for many players, Sunday saw only three Dodger affiliates saw action today and just one, Rancho Cucamonga, won.
The Dodgers Pioneer League affiliate, the Ogden Raptors, starts play tomorrow. The Rookie league regular seasons runs from Monday June 19th to Saturday September 9th.
Player of the day
Kyle Farmer went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. Since his promotion to Oklahoma City in late May, he’s hitting .350/.395/.620 with seven doubles and five home runs.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Dodgers dropped the second game of their series at Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) losing 5-2 on Sunday. As noted above, Kyle Farmer had a good game at the plate but the rest of the offense wasn’t up to their recent success on Sunday.
As for the rest of the recap, I’m going to do a slight detour and finish my chat with Oklahoma City pitching coach Matt Herges, today he’ll comment on Trevor Oaks, Brock Stewart and how he approaches the mindset of the relievers who go back and forth between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City.
On Sunday, Oaks pitched six innings and he allowed five hits, three runs and one walk, he also struck out six. For the season, he has started 12 of the 13 games he’s pitched and in 71⅔ innings, Oaks has struck out 65 and walked 15.
“Oaks is just now starting to come into the Oaks that we saw last year,” Herges said, “the innings eating, economical, attack the strike zone sinker-baller.”
“He’s acquired a better cutter now, a cutter that has depth and he’s throwing his changeup, which is coming along nicely,” Herges said, “and we all think, the Dodger pitching people think, that in order to start at the big league level, he’s going to need a changeup, to go along with the sinker, and the cutter and the slider.”
“So he’s taken that to heart and he’s really starting to feel comfortable with all of those pitches now and now the mindset is starting to get stronger.”
On Sunday, Brock Stewart was recalled and it was reported that his role would be in long relief. When I asked Herges about Stewart, it was prior to his scratched scheduled start at Colorado Springs last Saturday.
“Now he’s just ramping up in terms of pitches, we don’t want to take to fast because of the shoulder thing,” Herges said, “last time out he went 3⅓ [innings], hit his pitch limit which I believe was 50.”
“I’m liking what I’m seeing,” Herges said, “I mean his fastball is playing at where it played last year, and that’s what got him to the big leagues, his changeup is an elite pitch and his slider is coming, it’s a work-in-progress but it’s getting better literally every time he goes out.”
Finally, Herges spoke about the mindset of all the relievers that have travelled back and forth from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles.
“That’s easy because once they go up and they taste it,” Herges said, “their only thing is how do I get back.”
“They know that is the only place to play, the only place to play,” Herges said, “so I don’t have to motivate them, they’re self-motivated.”
“Now, the guys that maybe we signed as free agents that are not our original Dodger people, that are here and they may feel like: you know what I’m just here and I don’t know why I’m here and I’ve got no chance of being called up,” Herges said “those are the guys that I really have to encourage and bring along because truthfully, anybody in this clubhouse can be called up.”
“If you have the hot hand, I really believe you are the guy going,” Herges said, “if they have a need and you are the hot hand, whether you are on the roster or not, you’re going to be called up and that’s all I tell them.”
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers lost 11-4 to the Springfield Cardinals as just-signed free agent pitch Chris Rearick took the loss on Sunday.
Rearick, who had five Major League appearances for the Padres in 2015, but did not pitch in any U.S. professional league in 2016, started for the Drillers and pitched five innings, giving up seven runs (five earned), nine hits, and two walks.
Isaac Anderson gave up two runs in an inning of work while Karch Kowalczyk pitched two innings and gave two runs.
Jose Miguel Fernandez had two hits, Johan Mieses hit his tenth home run and Matt Beaty hit his sixth home run of the season.
Class-A Rancho Cucamonga
The Quakes finished the first half with a 8-4 win over Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies) at LoanMart Field. Yusniel Diaz was the offensive star going 4-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored.
Caleb Ferguson started and pitched five innings, he gave up eight hits, three runs (two earned) and walked one. He also struck out eight.
Garrett Kennedy had three hits and Luke Raley had two hits and scored two runs.
The Quakes start their three-day All-Star break on Monday, this year’s game at Visalia on Tuesday June 20th returns the game to an all-California League affair.
Six Quakes made the squad with Luke Raley and Will Smith elected to start. The other Quakes on the team are California League home run leader Ibandel Isabel, outfielder DJ Peters and pitchers Dennis Santana and Caleb Ferguson.
Class-A Great Lakes
The Loons and Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays) game was postponed due to weather, a makeup date has not been announced.
The Loons begin their All-Star Break and they won’t have to go far as they are hosting the 53rd Annual Midwest League All-Star Game on Tuesday at Dow Diamond.
Three Loons are on the East All-Star squad, catcher Keibert Ruiz, pitcher Dustin May and infielder Brendon Davis.
Transactions
Triple-A: Los Angeles recalled right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart from Oklahoma City and optioned right-handed pitcher Josh Ravin to Oklahoma City; Oklahoma City activated right-handed pitcher Layne Somsen and first baseman Ike Davis from the 7-day disabled list.
Double-A: Left-handed pitcher Chris Rearick assigned to Tulsa; Tulsa placed left-handed pitcher Michael Johnson on the 7-day disabled list.
Sunday Scores
Colorado Springs 5, Oklahoma City 2
Rancho Cucamonga 8, Lancaster 4
Monday Schedule
4:30 p.m. PT: Tulsa (TBD) at Springfield Cardinals (Austin Gomber)
5:40 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Wilmer Font) at Colorado Springs (Michael Blazek)
6:05 p.m.: Ogden (TBD) at Orem Owlz [Angels] (TBD)