Top prospect Archie Bradley took the hill for South Bend yesterday and his wildness and own error did not get him the desired result. He didn't get through the 5th as he allowed 3 hits, 4 runs (2 earned) and walked 5 while only striking out 1. His wildness has been alarmingly high of late while his K rate has declined. One almost has to wonder if he's working on new pitches even though he still isn't giving up a lot of hits. We'll chalk it up to inexperience and growing pains for now. In the meantime Reno won yet again behind 4 more hits from Adam Eaton who is once again threatening the .400 mark. Visalia got a badly needed win over Lake Elsinore and South Bend couldn't overcome Bradley's rough start making him the loser. Mobile was rained out.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Adam Eaton, Reno 4 for 5, 1 R, 3 DBL, 1 TPL
2 Stars: Chris Ellison, South Bend 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 RBI
1 Star: Keon Broxton, Visalia 3 for 4, 1 R, 0 Ks (key stat for him)
0 Stars: Archie Bradley 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 K
Game Summaries after the break.
Triple A: Reno 4 @ Tucson 2 Reno won for the 11th time in their last 12 games. Charles Brewer started for Reno but was ejected by the home plate umpire in the 3rd innings. He had allowed 5 hits but only 1 run to that point with 4 Ks. Zach Kroenke came on and pitched 3.1 innings of 1-run ball and four relievers limited Tucson to 1 hit over the final 3. Jonathan Albaladejo pitched the 9th for his 11th save and a sparkling 2.28 ERA. Adam Eaton continued his torrid hitting with 3 doubles and a triple. Ryan Wheeler cracked two doubles and Mike Jacobs went 2 for 5 with an RBI.
High A: Visalia 7 Lake Elsinore 4. The Rawhide blew open a close game with a 4-run 6th and held on for a 7-4 win. The bottom half of the Visalia lineup did most of the damage with CF prospect Keon Broxton rapping 3 base hits, Garrett Webber going 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, and Eric Groff had a pair of singles. Bobby Borchering hit yet another solo homer, his 6th round-tripper in his last 8 games and 12th overall. In those last 8 games Borchering has a total of 6 hits, all solo homers.
Low A: South Bend 4 @ Fort Wayne 9. Archie Bradley's tough start allowed Fort Wayne to overcome an early deficit, but things got even worse when the relievers took over and it was ultimately a lopsided loss for the Silver Hawks. Bradley also made a costly throwing error that compounded his problems. Leadoff hitter Chris Ellison went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. DH Fidel Pena went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI. And Mike Gallego had 2 hits, a run scored and a stolen base.