All eight affiliates were in action on Friday - I think that's a first for the season. The offenses were in high gear at the high levels, our top three teams combining to score 33 runs, Reno leading the way as usual. The total score was 43-36 in Arizona's favor, as we took five of the eight contests.
Snakelet of the Day:
Cody Ransom (Triple-A): 3-for-3, HR, 3B, 2B, 6 RBI, BB, 3 R
Cody Ransom (Triple-A): 3-for-3, HR, 3B, 2B, 6 RBI, BB, 3 R
Triple-A: Reno 16, Las Vegas 7. After the Aces charged out to a 9-0 lead in two innings, the 51's came back to make the score 9-7. However, Reno scored four more in the fifth, and pounded out a total of 19 hits. SS Cody Ransom finished a single short of the cycle and drove in six. 2B Tony Abreu and RF Cole Gillespie also had three hits, while LF Evan Frey reached four times on two hits and two walks. Sean Burroughs had two hits and a walk; he is 9-for-19 since going back to Reno. If only he'd hit like that in the majors. Matt Torra was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits in four innings, but Alberto Castillo threw two hitless as the bullpen kept the 51's in check the rest of the way.
Double-A: Mobile 7 @ Mississippi 5. Your Daily Goldschmidt. Yes, Paul did club his 23rd homer of the year, a two-run shot in the third. But equally important was the two-run single he delivered in the ninth, capping a three-run rally and representing the margin of victory. SS Taylor Harbin got three hits, while CF A.J. Pollock and C Josh Ford each chipped in with two hits and a walk - Pollock also stole a base. Wade Miley allowed five runs on four hits over seven, though only two were earned. Billy Spottiswood got the W for a perfect eighth, and Ryan Cook the Sv for a scoreless ninth.
High-A: Visalia 10 @ High Desert 3. A good day at the bottom of the Rawhide order, as our 8-9 hitters, C Rossmel Perez and LF Ryan LaPensee each went 3-for-4 with a double. SS Chris Owings and RF Keon Broxton both had two hits and a double, with Owings homering twice and driving in four runs. There were also long balls off the bats of CF Adam Eaton and 1B Bobby Borchering. Starter Diogenes Rosario worked six solid innings, scattering six hits and two walks, fanning three; only one run was conceded. Reliever Yonata Ortega struck out the Mavericks in the ninth, around a walk.
A-ball: South Bend 1, West Michigan 2. A two-run second inning was all the Silver Hawks hurlers allowed, but that proved enough to condemn them to defeat, as the offense managed only four hits all night, with a K:BB ratio of 11:0. 3B Matt Helm drove in the only run with his first homer of the year. Jeff Shield deserved a better fate, pitching six innings and allowing both runs on five hits and no walks, with four K's; Eury de la Rosa worked three scoreless innings on one hit. Silver Hawks batting coach Bobby Smith was ejected by the home-plate umpire in the sixth; not sure why, but he was also ejected the previous game.
Low-A: Yakima 0, Spokane 5. The Bears offense was even more feeble; like South Bend, they mustered only four hits and no walks, but were shutout by the Indians, all four hits being singles. Adam Kudryk did deliver a quality start for Yakima; he went seven innings, scattering eight hits and a walk, with four strikeouts, allowing three earned runs. Drew Zizinia fanned two of the three batters he faced in a perfect eighth, but the offense had only two at-bats with a man in scoring position all night.
Rookie: Missoula 2 @ Great Falls 1. The roles were reversed for Missoula, as Dexter Price and a trio of Osprey relievers combined to two-hit the Voyagers. Price went four innings, allowing the run on one hit, with no hits and three K's; Jason Postill and Keith Hessler each worked two perfect innings of relief, before Frank Santana got the save with a scoreless ninth. There were two hits apiece for LF Chris Ellison and DH Stephen Cardullo, and the Osprey scored what proved the winning run in the fourth on an attempted double-steal; the man on first was caught in a run-down, allowing the man on third to cross home.
DSL: DSL Diamondbacks 5, DSL Orioles 10. The Diamondbacks scored four in the top of the first, but their pitching couldn't hold the advantage. They allowed the Orioles to tie the game at five, then a five-run sixth blew the game open. However, the defense was probably more to blame, five errors resulting in a total of seven unearned runs. Jency Solis was the pick of the D-backs arms, allowing a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings. DH Freddy Ramirez got two hits and a walk, driving in two runs, with 3B Ronny Mejias reaching all four times he was up, on a hit and three walks.
AZL: AZL Diamondbacks 4 @ AZL Brewers 3. The D-backs blew the lead in the ninth, but then scored two in the tenth, and held on, despite letting the Brewers pull back within one. Cesse de Jesus got the start for us, and worked four scoreless, striking out six, with two hits and three walks. Elroy Urbina got the blown save, despite fanning five over his two innings. On offense, LF Domingo Soriano's three hits included a pair of doubles, while RF Socrates Brito and 3B Pat Donahue each got a hit and a couple of walks. Wagner Mateo was 1-for-5 with a walk and three K's.