Nick Frasso returns, Emmet Sheehan dominant for Double-A Tulsa

Dodgers right-hander Nick Frasso on Sunday made his first appearance in three weeks, and the right-hander showed no rust from the time off. He pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts for Double-A Tulsa on Sunday. One batter reached on an error in the first inning, but Frasso retired the other nine he faced.

It was the first appearance for Frasso since May 6, when he left his start with two outs in the fifth inning, walking off the field with a trainer. Tulsa broadcaster Dennis Higgins said during Sunday night’s broadcast that Frasso described the injury as “a cramp in his right shoulder.”

Frasso has a scoreless string of 13⅔ innings dating back four starts. On the season, he has a 0.91 ERA in 29⅔ innings, with 40 strikeouts and five walks. Frasso was the Texas League pitcher of the month for April.

Player of the day

Poor Northwest Arkansas first had to face Frasso for three innings, and then Emmet Sheehan for the next six. It did not go well for the Royals’ Double-A affiliate.

Sheehan continued his dominant May, allowing only two hits. The first was an infield single on a dribbler up the third base line. The second was a home run to lead off the ninth inning. That was Sheehan’s first run allowed in May, snapping a string of 23⅔ scoreless innings.

Six innings matched Sheehan’s career high, also done last August 14 for High-A Great Lakes.

He walked two and struck out nine, giving him 76 strikeouts (a 44.2-percent strikeout rate) in 44 innings this season to go with a sparkling 1.64 ERA. That sure seems like a résumé for promotion to Triple-A, which did not go unnoticed on the Drillers broadcast.

“The speculation is, how much longer will Sheehan remain with the Drillers, with the way he’s pitching,” Higgins said on the call earlier in the game.

Later he added, “I’m wondering if this is the last time we’ll see Sheehan in a Tulsa Drillers uniform. Possibly.”

But Sheehan’s exploits on the mound were not his only contributions to Tulsa’s win. When catcher Carson Taylor left the game in the fifth inning after getting hit by a deflected pitch, Diego Cartaya moved behind the plate from designated hitter, and the Drillers were without a DH the rest of the game.

That meant Sheehan got to bat twice on Sunday, the first plate appearances of his professional career. He struck out on three pitches in the fifth inning, but with the bases loaded in the seventh and two outs, the 6’5 Sheehan crouched down low like Rickey Henderson and walked on five pitches.

Sheehan now has a professional RBI.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

A five-run ninth inning broke a tie and lifted Oklahoma City over the Sacramento River Cats (Giants). After an error to open the frame, three straight singles gave OKC the lead, with Yonny Hernández driving in two. Two batters later, Luke Williams singled home two more. Williams had two hits, and Hernández walked twice in addition to his single.

Andre Jackson continues to get stretched out. He followed opener Justin Hagenman with a season-high four innings on Sunday, allowing two runs, with four strikeouts and a walk.

Gus Varland pitched a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout in his second game since rejoining the Dodgers.

Double-A Tulsa

While Sheehan and Frasso were stingy on the mound, Tulsa hit two home runs to finish off a six-game sweep of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals).

Brandon Lewis hit a two-run shot in the second inning, his third home run in two days. Diego Cartaya added a solo shot in the fourth inning, one of his two hits.

High-A Great Lakes

Maddux Bruns struck out six in four scoreless innings, and was backed by two Loons home runs in a road win over the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals).

After more walks than strikeouts in his first two High-A starts, Bruns hasn’t allowed a run over eight innings in his last two starts for Great Lakes, with 11 strikeouts and two walks.

Damon Keith hit a three-run home run in the first inning. Griffin Lockwood-Powell hit a solo shot in the sixth inning. Taylor Young tripled and doubled, scoring once. Austin Gauthier had two hits, including a two-run double.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quakes scored two runs in the eighth inning, breaking a tie and holding on for a one-run win over the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres). Jorge Puerta started the eighth with a single, advanced to third on two wild pitches, and scored on a sacrifice fly. After a walk, Chris Newell and Kyle Nevin later singled in the inning to bring home another run.

Jared Karros was perfect in his four-inning starts, striking out four. The right-hander has a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings, with 40 strikeouts and nine walks.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 8, Sacramento 3
• Tulsa 4, Northwest Arkansas 1
• Great Lakes 6, Peoria 2
• Rancho Cucamonga 3, Lake Elsinore 2

Tuesday schedule

• 4:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes at Beloit [Marlins]
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City vs. Reno [D-backs]
• 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Landon Knack) at Wichita [Twins] (Blayne Enlow)
• 6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chris Campos) vs. Inland Empire [Angels] (Leonard Garcia)

All four affiliates are off Monday. Next week (on June 5), the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League start their seasons on Monday.