I'm off driving again tomorrow morning, heading to Toledo, Ohio again to pack some remaining things at LadySouthBend's (ehh, the nickname can stay) plate before heading to school Sunday morning. As such, I've given myself "20 minutes" (I'm kidding myself, here) to write up this report. Here goes.
Snakelet of the Day:
Angel Berroa (Triple-A): 3-4, 2 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Triple-A: Reno 5, Oklahoma City 3. (66-58) Say what you want about the idea of the Angel Berroa era occurring in Arizona should another of the D-backs' infielders go down with injury, but the dude has been good for a depleted Reno ballclub. Yes, his overall line is almost certainly boosted by a beneficial atmosphere in Reno, but he also possessed a .318/.348/.591 line in 12 road games, playing in the more neutral environments of New Orleans and Oklahoma City (in the PCL, the further east or north you go, the more neutral the environment gets). On Friday, Berroa nearly single-handedly carried the Aces offense to a victory, driving in three runs while Cole Gillespie also went 3-5 with a home run (Berroa knocked his immediately afterward to go back-to-back). Konrad Schmidt added a triple to complete the offensive fireworks.
Starter Barry Enright's outing was cut very short, as the Captain lasted just 1.1 innings on the mound, giving up two runs while striking out one and walking nobody. The outing certainly wasn't the reason for the quick hook, and reports are that Enright left the game after a collision of some sorts. Here's hoping he's okay. Tom Layne stepped in in long relief and excelled, giving up just one run in five innings with a Micah Owings-esque 2:3 K:BB ratio, although Layne's 9:2 GO:AO ratio does help explain things. Kam Mickolio and Ryan Cook finished out the game with scoreless outings.
Double-A: Mobile 2, Jacksonville 7. (74-49) Right-hander Charles Brewer made a solid return to Double-A, creating perhaps the best 1-5 rotation in all of minor league baseball (Brewer, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Jarrod Parker, and Patrick Corbin - go to a BayBears game on any given day and you'll see a top-20 prospect in the system starting the game). Brewer's outing was short but effective, as he struck out five in three innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks. Unfortunately, the relief tandem of Bryan Henry and Billy Spottiswood proceeded to allow six runs (four earned) over the next five innings, and the BayBears' offense had a rather stagnant day overall, unable to recover. Adam Eaton had two hits, including a double, while Ryan Wheeler had a three-single effort, but the rest of the offense managed just three singles and a walk.
Hi-A (10 innings): Visalia 8, Modesto 9. (58-66) The Rawhide once again tried to live by the long-ball, with Bobby Borchering crushing his 22nd of the year and Alfredo Marte hitting his seventh, and Jon Mark Owings added a double. Both Marte and Owings had three-hit days, but the offense couldn't come through with a deciding run in the ninth or tenth innings, despite a 13-hit performance on the day. Lefty David Holmberg continues to miss plenty of bats, striking out seven in five innings on the mound, but walked three and gave up seven hits and four runs, inflating his Hi-A ERA to 4.25.
Low-A: South Bend 4, Lake County 2. (59-63) The Silver Hawks got to Lake County early by being patient, drawing six walks in the first 4.2 innings off of the Captains' starting pitcher, and first baseman Yazy Arbelo had a four-walk day, registering no official at-bats. South Bend would score four runs despite collecting only four hits, with David Narodowski's double being the only extra-base hit recorded. Silver Hawks starter Bradin Hagens was good for South Bend, posting a line hauntingly similar to Layne's line for the Aces - 6 IP, 1 ER, 2:3 K:BB, 1 HR, 11:3 GO:AO.
Short-Season-A: Yakima 0, Tri-City 2. (23-39) Starter Teo Gutierrez got back on track, allowing just two runs in seven innings on the mound, with a 4:0 K:BB ratio, six hits, and one home run allowed, but Tri-City's Christian Bergman threw a three-hit complete game shutout of the Bears. 'Nuff said, really...
Advanced-Rookie: Missoula 3, Ogden 10. (36-21) Starter Robby Rowland was pretty bad for Missoula, posting a 1:2 K:BB ratio in 4 innings and hitting two batters, while allowing a pair of home runs, seven hits, and eight runs. The 1-4 hitters in Missoula's lineup combined to go 0-15 with a walk, so although Ryan Court doubled and Stephen Cardullo homered, the Osprey wound up with a subpar overall offensive performance.
Low-Rookie: D-backs 4, Angels 6. (16-32) Welcome to professional baseball, Michael Perez. The D-backs' new best catching prospect homered in his first pro game, despite getting just two plate appearances before being replaced by Jose Alegria, who would also homer before the game was over. Ed Rogers chipped in a third long-ball for the D-backs' offense, while John Leonard and Derek Luciano each doubled, but the D-backs only scratched four runs across the plate. Starter Jason Postill allowed five runs in his five-inning outing, showing an inability to miss bats with a 2:1 K:BB ratio and allowing seven hits.