Bobby Miller dominant in 9-strikeout performance for Double-A Tulsa

Sunday in the Dodgers minors saw the club’s top pitching prospect deliver a second straight excellent start.

Player of the day

Bobby Miller was dominant for a second straight start, striking out nine in five innings for Double-A Tulsa. Miller allowed only a single and a walk, the latter important because he walked three in four of his last five starts.

Northwest Arkansas play-by-play announcer Nicholas Badders mentioned multiple times that Miller reached 100 mph on his fastball.

Miller allowed two runs, both were unearned thanks to a Yakety Sax play that saw a two-out ground ball go through the legs of second baseman Abiatal Avelino to cash in one, and right fielder Jonny DeLuca threw wildly to third base, bringing home a second run.

After striking out five in a row in retiring his first seven batters faced on Sunday, Miller recovered after the error to retire his final seven batters, too.

Miller heads to next Saturday’s Futures Game at Dodger Stadium with a 4.12 ERA, 3.12 FIP, and 82 strikeouts in 15 starts and 67⅔ innings, with a 28.7-percent strikeout rate. Now the only question is after the Futures Game, which Oklahoma team will Miller join?

Double-A Tulsa

Though Miller trailed early thanks to the two-error play, the Drillers turned on the power to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals). The lead came thanks to catcher Chris Betts, who hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning.

Tulsa also got solo home runs from left fielder Ryan Ward and shortstop Leonel Valera, for Ward his team-leading 19th on the season.

High-A Great Lakes

Loons starter Lael Lockhart struck out six, but allowed four hits and three runs in the second inning, which was more than enough to lose to the Lansing Lugnuts (A’s). Lockhard, the Dodgers’ ninth-round draft pick in 2021, pitched into the fifth, when he allowed another run, this one unearned.

Great Lakes was kept off the scoreboard on offense, though they did have a pair of late rallies. Down four in the seventh, an Eddys Leonard double was followed by two walks to load the bases with two outs. Imanol Vargas struck out to end the threat.

In the ninth, Aldrich De Jong singled with two outs and Ismael Alcantara followed with a walk. But right fielder Harold Restituyo grounded out to end the game. Restituyo, a 21-year-old just promoted to High-A on Friday from the Arizona Complex League, singled and walked in his first game at a full-season affiliate. The Dodgers signed Restituyo out of the Dominican Republic in 2018.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quakes got excellent pitching and back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels).

Left-hander Ronan Kopp struck out three in three innings of relief, and was followed by right-hander Adolfo Ramirez, who struck out four in his 2... innings. Rancho Cucamonga kept Inland Empire off the board until the ninth.

Luis Rodriguez hit a three-run shot to give the Quakes their first run, and Yunior Garcia followed with a solo shot.

Sunday scores

• Tulsa 6, NW Arkansas 3
• Lansing 4, Great Lakes 0
• Rancho Cucamonga 7, Inland Empire 2

Tuesday schedule

• 11 a.m. PT: Rancho Cucamonga vs. Fresno [Rockies]
• 4:30 p.m.: Great Lakes at Quad Cities [Royals]
• 4:35 p.m.: Tulsa at Springfield [Cardinals]
• 7:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City at Tacoma [Mariners]

The top four affiliates are off Monday.