Tons of minor league action last night with 7 contests on the slate. The news of the day was SS Chris Owings getting promoted to Mobile and playing in his first AA game. 2B Gerson Montilla was also promoted from South Bend to Visalia. Contrary to yesterday's report Stephen Drew started again for Reno and went 1 for 4. So we'll have to see what's up about Towers' claim that he was headed east for a few days. The AZL Dbacks kicked off their season with 1st-round pick Stryker Trahan making his professional debut. And Patrick Corbin took the hill again and pitched well for Reno but with so-so results.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Karl Triana, AZL 5 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 10 K, 1 R, 0 ER
2 Stars: Josh Parr, Yakima 2 for 3, 3 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
1 Star: Alfredo Marte, Mobile 2 for 3, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 DBL, 1 RBI
0 Stars: Taylor Sinclair, Reno 1 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 ER
Game summaries after the jump.
Triple A: Reno 1 @ Tacoma 9. The Aces actually lost a game and they did it with top prospect Patrick Corbin on the hill. Corbin actually pitched pretty well, but he gave up a 2-run bloop single in the first and made a mistake pitch that was clobbered for a 2-run homer in the 4th. He completed 6 innings allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and a walk, but he struck out 8 on the night. Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock had a pair of singles each, and DH MIke Jacobs hit his 6th home run of the season.
Double A: Mobile 6 Montgomery 7. The Bay Bears got behind early due to a rough start by Gaby Hernandez. They tried to make a game of it by scoring 5 in the bottom of the 8th but came up a run short. Chris Owings went 1 for 5 in his first AA start. Alfredo Marte picked up where he left off before the break with a 2 for 3 night including a double and an RBI. David Nick had a triple and 2 RBI as part of a 2-hit night. And Evan Frey had a pair of singles.
High A: Visalia 1 San Jose 11. The Rawhide got smoked in their 2nd half opener as the other Hernandez (Ray) got beat up pretty good. Gerson Montilla had a pair of hits in his High A debut. SS Michael Freeman went 2 for 2 with 2 walks, a run scored and a solo home run and Keon Broxton had a couple of singles. OF Ender Inciarte was promoted from South Bend to Visalia as well.
High Rookie: Yakima 4 Salem-Keizer 6. Once again the Bears' bullpen imploded, this time at the hands of Enrique Burgos who yielded 4 runs in just 1/3 of an inning to blow a 4-2 lead. Victor Acosta piled up 6 Ks in 3.2 innings of relief. SS Josh Parr had a big night with 2 hits, a walk, 3 runs and a home run, his first of the year. Kevin Medrano chipped in with a pair of singles.
Low Rookie: Missoula 0 @ Billings 3. The Missoula Osprey struggled in their series finale managing just three hits and not getting a runner past second base. Socrates Brito supplied two of the hits but catcher Yosbel Gutierez was player of the game with a single and 3 runners thrown out trying to steal second. Osprey pitching didn't do too bad, with starter Yoimer Camacho allowing only 4 hits, 1 earned run and 4 Ks. However he did allow 3 walks, two wild pitches and a balk.
AZL Rookie: Dbacks 4 Giants 2. The story of this game was the U.S. debut of Colombian pitcher Karl Triana. Triana struck out 10 opposing batters in just 5 innings of work. He only allowed 4 hits, one walk and one unearned run. Triana had a solid season in DSL ball last year. 2012 1st-round pick Stryker Trahan made his professional debut and collected a single, a walk and a stolen base in 4 plate appearances. Recent FA signee Miles Walding had two hits and 2 RBI. The game was also witness to the professional debuts of 2nd-round pick SS Jose Munoz (who had 3 errors); 4th-round pick CF Chuck Taylor (1 hit, 1 RBI); and 7th-round pick 2B Andrew Velasquez (1 RBI).