Great Lakes pitchers shine in 1-0 shutout win

Offense was hard to come by in the Dodgers minors on Saturday, and weather intervened on one occasion.

Player of the day

Pitching was stellar for High-A Great Lakes on Saturday and it had to be to preserve a 1-0 win against Dayton. Emmet Sheehan gets the call here since he appeared the longest, striking out seven in his 4⅔ scoreless frames, allowing just two singles and two walks.

The Dodgers drafted Sheehan in the sixth round last year out of Boston College, and the right-hander spent five weeks on the injured list in April and May. He struggled for a stretch after getting activated, allowing 13 runs while recording only nine outs in a three-start stretch that saw him walk eight and strike out only one.

A week off of game action helped Sheehan reset, and since then he’s won his last four appearances while piggybacking in extended relief. In those four games, Sheehan has allowed just one unearned run in 13⅔ innings, with 24 strikeouts and six walks.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch homered back-to-back for Oklahoma City, whetting appetites for their expected future major league production. But at the moment those homers don’t count yet, because Saturday’s game at the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) was suspended by rain in the middle of the fifth inning.

The game is tied 4-4 and will be resumed on Sunday, with the top of El Paso’s order due up in the bottom of the fifth.

Double-A Tulsa

Landon Knack struck out five but also allowed three runs for Tulsa in his 3⅓ innings, his shortest start in a month in a loss to the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners). Knack exited after a mound visit from trainer Jesse Guffey.

Justin Yurchak had a two-run double to pull the Drillers within a run in the eighth inning, but that’s where they stayed.

High-A Great Lakes

Carlos Duran started on the mound before Sheehan and permitted only two singles and a walk in his three innings, helping the Loons shut out the Dayton Dragons (Reds). The 20-year-old Duran, who joined Great Lakes from the Arizona Complex League on June 15, has pitched 10 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts in his four games with the Loons.

Great Lakes had only four hits themselves, but made the most of them. Catcher Kekai Rios tripled to start the fifth inning, then after a pair of strikeouts, outfielder Jonny DeLuca doubled him home for the game’s only run. DeLuca doubled twice and singled on Saturday. He won Midwest League player of the week last week, and so far this week is 6-for-17 (.353) with three doubles, a home run, and four walks.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quakes got hits from all nine starters and scored five runs, but also left the bases loaded in three different innings, perhaps cynically preparing their players for true Dodgers status, in a loss to the Visalia Rawhide (D-backs).

Designated hitter Julio Carrion had two hits and drove in three runs, including a two-run home run. The Quakes had 11 hits, walked 10 times, and were hit by a pitch. But they left 16 runners on base in the game.

Saturday was a big day for 2021 draft picks named Emmet(t). Nineteenth-rounder Gabe Emmett pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four in relief.

Saturday scores

• Oklahoma City 4, El Paso 4 (suspended in 5th inning, rain)
• Arkansas 4, Tulsa 3
• Great Lakes 1, Dayton 0
• Visalia 7, Rancho Cucamonga 5

Sunday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Nick Nastrini) vs. Dayton (Thomas Farr)
• 3:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City at El Paso resume Saturday’s game
• 4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Bobby Miller) vs. Arkansas (Emerson Hancock)
• 30 minutes after suspended game: Oklahoma City (Ryan Pepiot) at El Paso (Thomas Eshelman)
• 6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (River Ryan) vs. Visalia (Liam Norris)