Diamondbacks Farm Round-Up 9/2: Gameday Edition

It's one of just 12 days of the year - 13 if we're lucky - where baseball is not the lone sport of my affections.  Yep, it's Notre Dame Football Gameday, which means that it's probably going to be a short Farm Round-Up today, since I'm heading to a tailgate immediately after this report is finished that promises to offer the best in non-quality alcoholic refreshments and grilled meat.  The D-backs' farm system mustered just 11 runs across six active affiliates, but yet managed to exit the day with three victories thanks to some impressive pitching efforts.

Snakelet of the Day:

Jarrod Parker (Double-A): 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1:0 K:BB, 6:0 GO:AO

Faced the minimum (9) number of batters; 29 pitches, 18 strikes

Triple-A (10 innings): Reno 2, Tucson 1.  (76-65)  Right-hander Wes Roemer turned in a good outing for the Aces, giving up just one run (on a solo home run) in 5.2 innings of work, giving up six hits and posting a 6:2 K:BB ratio.  He left the game with two men on base, but Kam Mickolio came in and recorded a big final out of the sixth inning to end the Tucson threat, which would prove to be a big difference in the outcome to the game.

The Aces and Padres traded runs in the sixth inning, but neither team was able to score at any other point in the game until Reno came up in the bottom of the tenth inning.  Reliever Will Inman came on for the Padres and promptly loaded the bases on a trio of walks, notching just one out on a failed bunt attempt from pinch-bunter Zach Kroenke.  That brought up Ryan Langerhans, who ended the game with a walk-off single.  The only extra-base knock the Aces mustered in this one was a triple by Evan Frey, who added a single and a pair of walks to lead the Aces offense.

Double-A: Mobile 2, Huntsville 0.  (83-52)  After a pair of mediocre outings from the BayBears staff by Trevor Bauer and Patrick Corbin, right-hander Jarrod Parker took the mound for the BayBears, working just three innings before being pulled to limit his innings.  Parker excelled, though, giving up just one hit in his start while striking out one - a swinging strikeout to end the third inning - walking nobody, and posting a 6:0 GO:AO ratio (with an infield popout), facing the minimum thanks to a double play in the bottom of the first inning that erased the only baserunner the Stars had against JP.  Parker needed just 29 pitches to get through his outing, 18 of which were strikes.  The strikeouts weren't exactly abundant, but that's pretty dominating.

The 3-9 slots in the lineup managed just two hits - a double from Marc Krauss and a single from relief pitcher Bryan Henry - (although they also drew five walks), but the top two slots in the lineup did plenty of damage.  Leadoff man Adam Eaton went a perfect 4-4 with a solo home run, while two-hole hitter A.J. Pollock went just 1-4, but hit a solo bomb of his own and stole his 36th base of the season.  Thanks to an awesome shutout relief pitching effort, that would be plenty of offense for Mobile.  Henry worked two innings, Evan Marshall worked another pair of innings in his Double-A debut (just months after being drafted out of Kansas State), Kevin Munson worked the eighth with a strikeout, and Yonata Ortega worked the ninth with a K and a walk for his first Double-A save.

Hi-A: Visalia 2, Modesto 3.  (62-75)  The two top bats in the Visalia offense did what we've pretty much come to expect of them, as David Nick doubled - his 35th of the year - and drew a walk, while Matthew Davidson doubled - his 39th of the year - once again off of top Colorado pitching prospect Chad Bettis, but struck out in his other three plate appearances.  The offense didn't do quite enough in support of starter Brad Wilson, who allowed just two runs in six innings with a 4:1 K:BB ratio and a home run allowed, particularly with reliever Blake Cooper giving up the game-deciding run in his two innings of work.

Low-A: South Bend 0, Fort Wayne 12.  (66-70)  This game was an absolute bloodbath.  Raywilly Gomez's double was one of just three hits the Silver Hawks lineup mustered, while the South Bend pitching staff allowed 21 hits and 12 runs, in part thanks to a pair of errors by the defense.  Starter Jeffrey Shields was responsible for the first eight runs, six of which were earned, while working just 3.2 innings.  Shields posted a 2:1 K:BB ratio but allowed 11 hits while facing 22 batters.  Reliever Keith Cantwell allowed the last four runs despite striking out three of the 11 batters he faced and working just 1.2 innings, giving up six hits without a walk.

Short-Season-A: Yakima 1, Eugene 2.  (32-43)  Starter Alex Capaul had an effective day, posting a 3:1 K:BB ratio and 11:2 GO:AO ratio in 6.1 innings, giving up just three hits and two runs to lower his ERA with the Bears this year to 3.07.  The offense received a double from Justin Hilt, who scored on a sacrifice fly from Raul Navarro, but that was all the Yakima bats were able to scrounge up in this game, collecting just three hits.

Advanced-Rookie: Missoula 4, Helena 0.  (40-30)  Infielder Eric Groff smacked a pair of home runs - a two-run shot in the third and a solo job in the sixth - while Chris Ellison started the game on a high note, homering as the first batter to step the plate in this contest.  That was all the offense Missoula tallied, but it was also all they needed, as Dexter Price dominated for 7.1 innings, posting a 6:1 K:BB ratio and 14:2 GO:AO ratio, allowing just three hits and no runs.  Reliever D.J. Johnson came on for the final 1.2 innings, striking out a pair and facing the minimum.