Dodgers minors: Steven Duggar drives in 5, Nick Frasso strikes out 6

The first full day of the season for the top for Dodgers minor league affiliates featured some standout pitching performances plus big offensive games for a streaking Oklahoma City team.

Player of the day

Steven Duggar homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs in Oklahoma City’s win in Las Vegas.

Down 5-0 in the second inning, Duggar hit a solo shot. He then added a three-run home run in the seventh to punctuate a five-run frame that gave OKC the lead for good. Duggar added an RBI single in the ninth.

The 29-year-old outfielder played parts of the last five seasons in the majors, with his big league best a four-RBI game on May 20, 2021 for the Giants. Duggar in the minors also drove in four runs in game ... times — three times in 2016-17 for High-A San Jose, then twice for Triple-A Sacramento, in 2019 and 2022.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Duggar had plenty of company on offense in Oklahoma City’s road win over the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s), the sixth straight win for OKC. Shortstop Luke Williams homered, doubled, singled, drove in three runs, and scored twice. Centerfielder Drew Avans had two doubles, a single, scored three and drove in two from the leadoff spot.

After starter Robbie Erlin allowed six runs (only one earned), the trio of Mark Washington, Nick Robertson, and Justin Bruihl combined for 4⅔ scoreless innings to close out the game, with 10 strikeouts. Oklahoma City pitchers retired their final 12 batters faced.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers managed only one hit in a shutout loss to the San Antonio Missions (Padres).

San Antonio starter Jackson Wolf walked Jonny DeLuca to open the game, but one out later DeLuca was caught trying to steal second base. The 6’7 lefty Wolf retired his next 14 batters faced to complete five innings. Kevin Kopps followed by handcuffing the Drillers for the next two innings, allowing only a walk.

Jorbit Vivas led off the eighth inning with a single against Nolan Watson to break up San Antonio’s no-hitter. Vivas also stole a base, but did not score, as nobody else joined him in Tulsa’s hit parade.

Nick Frasso was typically impressive in his four innings, striking out six and walking none, but how the lone run against him scored underlined something that might needs some work. In the fourth inning, successive two-out singles put runners at the corners against Frasso, then a double steal gave San Antonio its first run.

Frasso allowed three stolen bases on Friday. In a combined 32⅓ innings in High-A and Double-A, dating back to last year, including some time with Toronto before getting traded to the Dodgers, he’s allowed 13 stolen bases in 13 attempts. With Tulsa, Frasso has allowed nine steals in only 15⅔ innings.

Teaming with catcher Carson Taylor must seem inviting to opposing teams. San Antonio executed another double steal in the sixth inning off Taylor and pitcher Alec Gamboa, giving the Missions five steals on the night. Last season, Taylor — the Dodgers’ fourth-round draft pick in 2020 — allowed an astonishing 93 steals in only 58 games and 475⅔ innings behind the plate last year, and at an 88.6-percent clip.

High-A Great Lakes

Max Muncy, who was born on August 25, had two RBI doubles and a single, but this one was the shortstop drafted by the A’s in the first round in 2021, not the Dodgers current third baseman who is exactly a dozen years older. Muncy the younger drove in the first two runs for the Lansing Lugnuts (A’s), who beat the Loons in the 10th inning on Friday.

Muncy’s doubles accounted for the only runs off Ronan Kopp and Robbie Peto, who had otherwise stellar outings. Kopp started and struck out six in his three innings, but more importantly walked one after a 15.3-percent walk rate in 2022. Peto followed with four innings of his own, striking out three.

Great Lakes batters managed only five hits, all singles. Four of those knocks came in the seventh, when the Loons scored a pair.

Muncy and errors figured in both halves of the 10th inning. He reached on an error in the top of the frame, allowing Lansing’s second run in the inning to score. Then Muncy’s throwing error in the bottom of the frame with two outs kept the Loons alive, and brought home the free runner from second base, pulling Great Lakes within one.

But then Taylor Young flew out to end the game.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quakes got strong pitching from a pair to open the game, and capitalized on a wild inning to beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels).

Starter Peter Huebeck pitched three scoreless innings and only allowed one hit, but also walked three. Joel Ibarra followed with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, with four strikeouts to earn the win.

Up 1-0 entering the sixth, Rancho Cucamonga walked five times in the frame, scoring three runs on just one hit in the inning, which also included a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

Kyle Nevin added an RBI triple in the seventh for the Quakes.

Friday scores

• Oklahoma City 12, Las Vegas 6
• San Antonio 2, Tulsa 0
• Lansing 4, Great Lakes 3 (10 innings)
• Rancho Cucamonga 5, Inland Empire 3

Saturday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Ben Casparius) vs. Lansing (Jacob Watters)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (River Ryan) vs. San Antonio (Duncan Snider)
• 6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Jerming Rosario) vs. Inland Empire (Walbert Urena)
• 7:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (TBD) at Las Vegas (Luis Medina)