Tyler Skaggs was on the hill for Mobile and had a nice game going until the game was interrupted by rain in the 5th inning with Mobile holding a 3-1 lead. Skaggs had only allowed a solo home run, a single and a walk through 4.1 innings with 4 strikeouts, but the game was never resumed. He only needed two more outs to make the game official but the weather gods wouldn't cooperate. It's likely the game will be completed sometime this weekend. Reno won...again...behind a masterpiece by journeyman Joe Martinez and a 6 for 7 effort from the Dynamic Duo. Visalia had a bullpen meltdown in a 3-2 loss, and South Bend overcame their own bullpen meltdown to win 9-7 in 13 innings.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Joe Martinez, Reno 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 0 ER
2 Stars: Tyler Skaggs, Mobile 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 1 ER
1 Star: Gerson Montilla, South Bend 4 for 7, 1 DBL, 4 RBI, GWRBI
0 Stars: Takashi Saito, Reno 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 K, 1 HR, 1 ER, 10.13 ERA
Game summaries after the break.
Triple A: Reno 4 Tucson 1. Reno won for the 11th time in 13 tries in June to increase their PCL division lead. Joe Martinez had perhaps his best outing of the year with 7 shutout innings and just 4 hits and 2 walks allowed. The Dynamic Duo of Adam Eaton and Jake Elmore went a combined 6 for 7 to help lead the team to the 4-1 victory. Stephen Drew started and went 0 for 3 with a walk. Reserve catcher Ryan Budde had 3 hits including a double.
Double A: Mobile 3 @ Pensacola 1 (suspended) Tyler Skaggs had it going in this game allowing just a solo home run to veteran minor leaguer Joel Guzman and a single through 4.1 innings. He had struck out 4. Then the rains came and never let up as the game was suspended in the bottom of the 5th and never resumed. Mark Krauss, Ed Easley and Yazy Arbelo hit back to back to back home runs in the 2nd to provide all the scoring. The game will likely be completed sometime this weekend.
High A: Visalia 2 @ Stockton 3. Pitcher Taylor Siemens, recently moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation after the David Holmberg promotion, has looked every bit the part since the conversion. He tossed 6 shutout innings with only 2 hits allowed, though he did walk six, but he struck out 6. In 13 innings as a starter he's thrown 11 innings with 7 hits, 7 walks, 3 ER and 12 Ks. He fits the age for the level so just another starting pitcher to keep an eye on in our stocked minor league system. But the Rawhide bats only gave the team 2 runs to work with and the bullpen came on and allowed 2 unearned runs in the 8th and another in the 9th for the heart-breaking loss. Jonathan Griffin went 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI.
Low A: South Bend 9 @ Lake County 7. What was looking like an relatively easy victory turned into an exciting finish as South Bend won in 13 innings. Heading into the bottom of the 9th with a 3-run lead Lake County scored 2 quick runs then loaded the bases with no outs. Willy Paredes first induced a double play grounder, getting the lead runner at home, then struck out the next hitter on a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score. Top prospect Francisco Lindor struck out to end the inning. South Bend won it in the 13th on a 2-run single by Gerson Montilla after a single and 2 sacrifice bunts that resulted in no outs loaded the bases. Montilla had a big day with 4 hits and 4 RBI. Chris Ellison, Roidany Aguila and Mark Bourgeois had two hits apiece. J.R. Bradley didn't start the game but pitched 3.2 innings allowing 4 hits, 3 walks and 3 earned runs.