The unanswered question of the day in the D-backs organization is where Joe Martinez happened to go. His scheduled start for the Reno Aces was skipped on Sunday, leading some (me) to speculate that he might be headed to the big leagues. However, with little news hitting the hot stove thus far regarding Martinez's destination, it's hard to know whether he'll be joining the D-backs or if he's simply on standby - as Cody Ransom was - in the event that things don't play out as hoped (i.e. if the bullpen is heavily taxed during Wade Miley's start tomorrow).
Snakelet of the Day:
Jeffrey Shields (Low-A): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 4:0 K:BB, 14:2 GO:AO
Triple-A: Reno 4, Sacramento 12. (5-13) Taking Martinez's spot in the Aces rotation was Charles Brewer, up from Double-A Mobile. Things did not go well for Mr. Brewer. The RiverCats teed off on the right-hander, with three of the five RiverCats home runs - all of which were hit by just two players! - came off of brewer. Chris Carter hit two of his three blasts on the night against the righty, while Brandon Moss hit the first of his two homers of the day off of Brewer. Final line for Charles: 5 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2:2 K:BB, 3 HR, 4:6 GO:AO. I imagine this was certainly not what he was hoping for out of his Triple-A debut. On the offensive end, the Aces bats were pretty quiet overall, with Ryan Wheeler and David Winfree leading the way, each collecting a double as part of their two-hit games.
Double-A: Mobile 3, Jacksonville 4. (10-8) Filling in for Brewer at Double-A was a combo of Derek Eitel and Brett Lorin, each of whom worked three innings for the BayBears to kick things off. Eitel, working on short rest after having pitched just last Wednesday, gave up three runs (two earned) in his outing, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out one. Lorin gave up just one run (earned) during his stint, allowing two hits and two walks with one strikeout. The game was finished off on the mound by three stellar innings of relief - one apiece from Matt Gorgen, Eury De La Rosa, and Evan Marshall - but the BayBears bats couldn't quite claw back from the 4-2 deficit they faced after six innings. Archie Gilbert led the way for Mobile, collecting three hits, including a double.
Hi-A: Visalia 0, Rancho Cucamonga 2. (7-10) Visalia southpaw David Holmberg was good, but Quakes left-hander Chris Reed - drafted in the first round out of Stanford by the Dodgers last year - was better. Holmberg struck out seven and walked three in 5.2 innings, allowing two runs. Reed, on the other hand, completely shut down the Rawhide lineup, striking out eight with no walks and just four hits allowed over seven scoreless frames. Those four hits - two singles from Chris Owings, and a single and a walk from Jonathan Griffin - proved to be the only offense the Rawhide mustered in this contest. Some good news: Owings is hitting .410/.442/.744 over his last ten games.
Low-A: South Bend 2, Wisconsin 1. (9-8) I wasn't in the crowd for this outing, but I can only presume that right-hander Jeffrey Shields had his hard sinker working for him yet again. Shields dominated the Rattlers lineup, inducing 14 ground-ball outs in his seven innings on the mound. Further, Shields struck out four, walked nobody, and allowed just four hits en route to a one-run outing, dropping his ERA on the year to 1.38 with the Silver Hawks. South Bend generated just enough offense, with Ender Inciarte's two doubles and stolen base leading the way at the plate. Relievers Seth Simmons and D.J. Johnson finished things off with three scoreless innings of relief, and the Silver Hawks climbed back above the .500 mark.