Dodgers minor league news

Yusniel Diaz gets 4 hits in Tulsa win

Drillers move back into first-place tie

By Craig Minami Aug 30, 2017, 6:00am PDT

Yusniel Diaz helped the Drillers to a record 14th consecutive home victory on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City and Rancho Cucamonga lost, but Tulsa, Ogden and the AZL Dodgers each won to move into or stay in first place. Both Dominican Summer League teams had their postseason games suspended, with hopes to conclude thoseon Wednesday and see where it goes from there.

Player of the day

Earlier on Monday, Yusniel Diaz was named as part of the Dodgers contingent in the Arizona Fall League. Then Diaz had four hits in Tulsa’s win. The 20-year old is hitting .333/.398/.464 in 93 plate appearances in the Texas League.

I should note that Cody Bellinger played a rehab game on Monday night and he was a close second in this competition.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Dodgers lost 8-1 to the New Orleans Baby Cakes (Marlins). David Hale took the loss, he pitched 5⅔ innings and he gave up 6 runs and 12 hits. Hale also struck out seven.

Walker Buehler, who had not pitched since August 24th, pitched one scoreless inning in relief. Buehler gave up a hit and struck out two.

Tim Locastro and Charlie Culberson each had two hits. Joc Pederson had a double in four at-bats.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers scored single runs in the first three innings and then scored four in the fourth. That set the pace for a 9-3 win over the NW Arkansas Naturals (Royals). Andrew Sopko got the win for pitching five innings and giving up just a run.

The win was the Drillers 14th straight at home which matched the all-time streak for the history of professional baseball in Tulsa.

Yusniel Diaz had four hits, including two doubles, scored a run and drove in a run. Kyle Garlick had two hits including a home run. Erick Mejia had three hits with a run scored and an RBI.

That win also put the Drillers back in a first place tie with the Springfield Cardinals. The Drillers have six more games left in the regular season, all at home, and the last three are against the Cardinals.

Class-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quakes lost their third straight, this time a 5-4 loss in ten innings to the Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies). The loss gave the JetHawks a two-game lead in overall standings and left both teams in a tie for first place in the second half.

Without going into all the details, the Quakes need just a combination of three Quakes win or Inland Empire 66ers losses to clinch a playoff spot.

The Quakes trailed 4-2 but then DJ Peters hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run. Down by a run in the ninth, DJ Peters singled in Ariel Sandoval with the tying run.

But in the tenth, Parker Curry gave up a singled to Yonathan Daza, a stolen base and a sacrifice move Daza to third. That is where he scored the winning run from on a Roberto Ramos walk-off single.

Adam Bray pitched five innings, gave up six hits and four runs. Parker Curry took the loss.

Luke Raley had three hits, and Zach Reks had two hits in the loss.

Class-A Great Lakes

The Loons were off on Tuesday.

Rookie-Pioneer Ogden

The Raptors trailed 4-0 to the Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals) but then they came back all the way to win 9-7. The Raptors scored four runs in the third to tie the game.

Idaho Falls would score three runs in the top of the fifth but then the Raptors tied it again with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Single runs in the sixth and seventh for the Raptors sealed the win.

Romar Cuadrado had two hits, scored three runs and had two RBI. Mitchell Hansen homered and scored twice. Brayan Morales and Gersel Pitre each had three hits.

Rookie-AZL Dodgers

The AZL Dodgers had a rehab assignment player on the team and he alone drove in four runs against the AZL Brewers on Tuesday. Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer in the fourth and a sacrifice fly.

That all helped the AZL Dodgers beat the AZL Brewers 5-3.

After Trevor Oaks completed two innings of scoreless work, James Marinan won his second game of the season. Marinan pitched 3⅔ innings and he gave up one hit, two walks and struck out three.

Transactions

Triple-A: Los Angeles sent left-handed pitcher Adam Liberatore on a rehab assignment to Oklahoma City.

Class-A: Rancho Cucamonga placed right-handed pitcher Jordan Sheffield on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to August 27, 2017; Rancho Cucamonga activated right-handed pitcher Adam Bray and infielder Brandon Montgomery from the 7-day disabled list.

Rookie: Oklahoma City sent right-handed pitcher Trevor Oaks on a rehab assignment to AZL Dodgers; shortstop Cristian Gomez assigned to Ogden from Rancho Cucamonga; Los Angeles sent first baseman Cody Bellinger on a rehab assignment to AZL Dodgers.