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Low-scoring affairs and close games defined Wednesday night in the Dodgers minor leagues.
Player of the day
Ryan Noda hit one of three solo home runs for Double-A Tulsa on Wednesday, his second straight game with a home run. Noda, one of two players the Dodgers acquired from Toronto in last season’s Ross Stripling, leads the Drillers with 25 home runs.
Fifteen of those home runs have come in the last 32 games for Noda, who is hitting .239/.374/.513 for the Drillers this season while alternating between first base and left field.
Double-A Tulsa
Three solo home runs proved enough in Tulsa’s one-run win over the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins). Shortstop Jacob Amaya went deep in the fifth, then first baseman Miguel Vargas and Noda had back-to-back home runs in the fifth.
Tulsa starting pitcher Gus Varland allowed a solo home run of his own, but that was it through four innings. He struck out three.
The Drillers on Wednesday also announced their 2022 schedule, which includes 138 games starting on Friday, April 8 and ending on Sunday, September 18. Much like this season, Double-A will have Mondays off next year.
High-A Great Lakes
Two runs in the eighth inning widened the Loons’ advantage, then Great Lakes held on to beat the Lake County Captains (Cleveland). Brandon Lewis, playing first base in this game, homered, doubled, and singled in the win.
Gavin Stone allowed only one run in five innings in his second start in High-A, striking out eight with no walks to earn the win.
Low-A Rancho Cucamonga
Joan Valdez allowed a tie-breaking two-run home run in the Quakes’ loss to the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks). That tiebreaker was hit by Glenallen Hill Jr., son of the former major leaguer, and one of three home runs hit by Visalia on the night.
Jake Vogel homered for Rancho Cucamonga in defeat.
Transactions
Triple-A: Victor Gonzalez was optioned to Oklahoma City.
High-A: With infielder Jorbit Vivas officially added to Great Lakes, catcher Chase Barbary was put back on the developmental list after one day back on the active roster.
Low-A: Pitcher Emmett Sheehan, the Dodgers’ sixth-round draft pick this year out of Boston College, was activated from the temporary inactive list by Rancho Cucamonga.
Wednesday scores
Thursday schedule
- 4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Hyun-il Choi) at Lake County (Xzavion Curry)
- 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (TBD) vs. Las Vegas (TBD)
- 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Jose Martinez) at Wichita (Jordan Balazovic)
- 6 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Nick Nastrini) at Visalia (Junior Mieses)
That’s the third pro outing for Nastrini, the Dodgers’ fourth-round draft pick this year out of UCLA.