The ever-famed Triple-A All-Star Game was on Wednesday, as the best of the best late-20's minor-league mashers faced off in one marvelous contest of crappy off-speed pitches and fastball-only hitters. The PCL All-Stars were shut out 3-0 buy the IL All-Stars, collecting just three hits. None of Reno's four representatives were responsible for any of those hits, though Cody Ransom and Konrad Schmidt each walked. Yeah, not much to see here... However, a good day for the best prospect in the Arizona system that nobody has heard about.
Snakelet of the Day:
Yiomar Camacho (AZL): 6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5:1 K:BB, HBP, 11:2 GO:AO
Double-A: Mobile 6, Chattanooga 3. (54-36) Back on the mound for Mobile was Jarrod Parker, who was strong in his typical five-innings on the mound. Parker K'd five Lookouts batters, giving up just one run on two hits and two walks. After stumbling to a 9.00 ERA through April (16:12 K:BB), Parker has posted a 3.19 ERA in May (23:11 K:BB), a 4.00 ERA in June (21:13 K:BB), and now a 1.20 ERA through three July starts (9:4 K:BB). The peripherals aren't great - even excluding April, Parker has a 53:28 K:BB ratio - but his ERA is down to 4.22 on the year, and we're seeing spurts and flashes of potential. Stay patient, Parker will come around. Ryan Cook posted his 12th save of the year with a scoreless ninth, and now boasts a 2.36 ERA and 49:14 K:BB ratio. Please, sir, may I have another?
Mobile received several solid performances at the plate, although Ed Easley and Ryan Wheeler were the only BayBears to record multi-hit games. Easley went 2-3 with a double and two walks, while Wheeler was 2-5 with a double of his own. Your Daily Goldschmidt homered for the 26th time this season, also walking and striking out twice. A.J. Pollock was also solid, singling, walking, and stealing a base. Tyler Skaggs makes his Double-A debut tomorrow - should be awesome to follow these two on back-to-back days for the rest of the year.
Hi-A: Visalia 4, San Jose 5. (41-48) Continuing down the list of top pitching prospects in action on Wednesday, lefty David Holmberg toed the rubber for Hi-A Visalia. Despite giving up four extra-base hits, Holmberg had another successful outing, allowing two runs (one earned) in six innings, posting a 7:4 K:BB ratio and lowering his Hi-A ERA to 3.44. After successful relief innings from Mike Belfiore and Kevin Munson, things fell apart in the ninth as closer Yonata Ortega blew his fifth save of the year, allowing three runs on four hits in his only inning of work.... while striking out the side. Offensively, Matt Davidson was clearly unhappy about me proclaiming Bobby Borchering to clearly have the better raw power in the previous report, blasting his 10th home run of the season for the Rawhide. The Rawhide also received two hits, including a double, from Ryan LaPensee.
Low-A: South Bend 1, Beloit 5. (40-48) South Bend's offense had a rough night, with only Raywilly Gomez reaching base more than once by singling and drawing a walk. Unfortunately, the meager offensive output wasn't nearly enough for the piggyback tandem of Tyler Green and Patrick Schuster. Green was roughed up again, allowing four runs in his five innings on the mound with a 5:3 K:BB ratio and surrendering a homer, though he did post a 7:1 GO:AO ratio. Schuster, coming on in relief of Green, was better, posting a 3:1 K:BB ratio in his three innings, giving up just a single earned run.
Short Season-A: Yakima 5, Salem-Keizer 2. (8-18) Starter Brad Wilson had a good outing, striking out seven in seven innings of work and collecting eight ground-ball outs, en route to allowing just two earned runs. For once, Yakima's offense did enough to make that pitching outing turn into a win, led by a 2-3 game with a triple and a HBP from Carter Bell, making his pro ball debut with the Bears. Zachary Jones and Jimmy Comerota added doubles in the 3 and 4 spots of the lineup.
Advanced-Rookie: Missoula 7, Casper 4. (13-10) Missoula starter Jesse Darrah had an uninspiring 1:2 K:BB ratio, though he pitched a quality start, giving up three runs in six innings on the mound. The Missoula offense picked him up in a big way, as doubles from Tom Belza, Stephen Cardullo, Jon Griffin, and Chris Ellison, a triple from Josh Parr, and a home run from Eric Groff helped Missoula run away with this one. Parr and Ryan Court each posted three-hit games for the Osprey.
Low-Rookie: D-backs 0, A's 1. (6-12) The AZL D-backs out-hit the AZL A's 3-2, including a double from Joseph Weik, but defensive miscues allowed an unearned run to score off of D-backs starter Yiomar Camacho, which proved to be the difference in the game. Camacho was nonetheless brilliant (again), striking out five and inducing 11 ground-ball outs in 6.1 innings of work, walking just one and hitting a batter. Camacho lowered his ERA to a glistening 0.68 in 26.2 innings during his state-side debut, complemented by a 29:4 K:BB ratio. Infielder Pedro Ruiz was brought to the Arizona League from the DSL, making his debut on Wednesday by going 1-3.
DSL: D-backs 0, Rockies 2. (14-24) Another stagnant offensive performance from the lowest levels of the farm, although once again it was sufficient to out-hit the opposing team in a losing effort. Catcher Freddy Ramirez was the best bat in the DSL D-backs lineup, going 2-3 with a double. Starter Juan Valdez was uninspiring on the mound, though reliever Jose Jose struck out two in two scoreless innings of work.