The D-backs missed out on a sweep in the major leagues in spite of an encouraging outing from Josh Collmenter (though Kirk Gibson has to be praised for keeping Collmenter limited to six innings and just over two times through the order), and the upper-level minor-league pitching depth has been particularly impressive of late as well. Wade Miley was solid in his Triple-A debut a couple days ago, and tonight...
Snakelet of the Day:
Patrick Corbin (Double-A): CGSO, 3 H, 8:2 K:BB, 10:7 GO:AO
Triple-A: Reno 3, Tucson 6. (50-35) Unfortunately for some Tucsoners, Barry Enright did not pitch in this game, as the Aces sent Zach Kroenke to the mound for this one because recent weather had pushed back his prior outing. Kroenke struggled yet again, allowing six runs in 5.2 innings, on nine hits (two homers) and three walks, with four strikeouts. Kroenke's Triple-A ERA rose to a staggering 6.68 with this outing. This is a guy who was in the majors this year. Kind of mind-boggling, really. The offense struggled, recording just four hits in this contest, a shockingly-low total for a PCL game. The only extra-base hit was Collin Cowgill's double, and he also drew a walk. Geoff Blum, rehabbing with the Aces, went 1-3.
Double-A: Mobile 2, Birmingham 0. (48-36) Yeah, Patrick Corbin was abso-freaking-lutely awesome once again, hurling his first CGSO in what has been a remarkable season. After posting a mediocre 4.84 ERA in his first 57.2 innings of work in April and May (including 12.2 scoreless innings in his final two starts of May) in spite of a solid 48:14 K:BB ratio, Corbin has been the definition of dominant. In June, Corbin posted a 2.83 ERA in 28.2 innings (four starts) with a 29:4 K:BB ratio, and he's followed it up in July with a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings (two starts) with a 12:3 K:BB ratio. Overall, Corbin now has a 3.91 ERA in 101.1 innings of work, with an awesome K:BB ratio of 89:21.
Offensively, the BayBears received just enough at the plate against Birmingham starter Terry Doyle, who also threw a complete game but was out-dueled by Corbin. A.J. Pollock and Josh Ford each doubled, while Marc Krauss was the only BayBear bat to collect two hits. Your Daily Goldschmidt: Paul went 1-4 with a strikeout.
Hi-A: Visalia 3, Inland Empire 1. (38-45) Matt Davidson led the way for the Rawhide offense, reaching base three times on a double, a single, and a walk. Chris Owings also hit a double and a single, returning to action at shortstop for the first time since late July. Jon Mark Owings walked twice and was hit by a pitch once in his three plate appearances. Trevor Harden pieced together a solid start, giving up just one run in five innings, though his 3:3 K:BB ratio wasn't particularly spectacular. The Rawhide bullpen, however, was phenomenal, beginning with Adam Worthington's two scoreless innings (2 K, no BB), then following with scoreless innings from Mike Belfiore and Yonata Ortega. Ortega's ERA is down to 3.03 on the year, while Belfiore now has posted a remarkable 1.93 ERA as a reliever (14 IP, 15:2 K:BB, 1 HR) compared to a 7.30 ERA as a starter (37 IP, 33:30 K:BB, 13 HR).
Low-A: South Bend 1, Great Lakes 3. (39-43) J.R. Bradley and Dodgers prospect Garrett Gould went pitch-for-pitch with each other in this game, each allowing one earned run, Bradley lasting seven innings and Gould going six. However, a pair of unearned runs doomed Bradley and the Silver Hawks, as the offense couldn't rally off of Gould or the Loons' bullpen. Bradley's final line: 7 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 HR. The only extra-base hit the South Bend offense managed was a double by Raywilly Gomez.
Short-Season-A (12 innings): Yakima 2, Boise 3. (6-14) Another low-scoring game for Yakima, spoiling an overall solid pitching night from the Bears arms. The biggest offensive night on the evening for the Bears once again came from Jae Yun Kim, who doubled and homered to raise his season line to a very strange .227/.292/.432 on the year. Jimmy Comerota also tripled.
Advanced-Rookie: Missoula 5, Helena 2. (9-8) Dealing with a few control issues, Enrique Burgos still managed to have an okay outing, allowing two runs in 5 innings of work with a 6:3 K:BB ratio and 5:1 GO:AO ratio. That was more than enough for the Osprey offense to work with, as Missoula received doubles from Eric Groff, Tom Belza, and Justin Bianco, to go with a two-run home run off the bat of Chris Ellison. Jeremia Gomez flashed his awesome outfield arm, recording two outfield assists.
Complex-Rookie: D-backs 3, Angels 5. (6-7) Young starter Blake Perry had a rough outing, giving up five home runs on two homers and six hits in five innings of work, though he did sport a nifty 5:0 K:BB ratio and 6:2 GO:AO ratio. The only extra-base hits the team received were doubles from Tyson Van Winkle and Joseph Weik, and Wagner Mateo recorded a pair of hits (bringing his average up to an unsightly .196).
DSL: D-backs 0, Reds 6. (10-21) The DSL-backs played just like a team that had two days off due to rainouts. The team was one-hit, and starter Jency Solis allowed five runs (four earned) in just 2.1 innings of work, walking three and striking out nobody.