I was 10 feet away from it and I swear Stryker Trahan killed Mariners 3B prospect Joseph DeCarlo. I'll search the obituaries tomorrow. It goes like this. In the bottom of the 1st with DeCarlo on 2nd and 2 outs, the Mariners batter hits a dribbler to the left side that nobody can make a play on. For some ill-advised reason DeCarlo kept running around third and tried to score. The ball comes in to Trahan well before the runner and the two meet head on a good 5 feet up the line and DeCarlo runs smack into him. It was the most violent baseball collision I've ever seen in person, especially being that close. Trahan didn't budge. It was like DeCarlo ran into a brick wall. Needless to say DeCarlo was down and out for a while, having smelling salts administered and ultimately being escorted from the field. He did not return. Trahan was hurt too but he gutted it out and stayed in the game for the next couple of innings before being replaced. I wish it was on video. The point is, Stryker is a beast! And by the way, whoever told me that Trahan had gotten moved to Missoula was wrong, and I apologize for passing that along. He's still with the AZL D-backs.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Andrew Velasquez, AZL 3 for 4, 3 R, 2 DBL, 1 TPL, 1 RBI, 1 SB (4)
2 Stars: Jonathan Griffin, Visalia 2 for 3, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 HR (12), 2 RBI
1 Star: Jake Barrett, South Bend 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 S (2), 0.00 ERA
0 Stars: Karl Triana, Missoula 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 7 ER
Game summaries after the jump.
Triple A: Reno 3 @ Salt Lake 6. Reno needs to get out of Salt Lake after losing another to them. The Aces went with reliever Mike DeMark to start the game and pieced a few more together following him. It didn't work too well but the bats didn't do much either. The team had just 5 hits. A.J. Pollock contributed a couple of sac flies but nothing else of consequence after that. Jake Elmore started a new hitting streak with a single.
Double A: Mobile 2 @ Huntsville 4. Gaby Hernandez had a pretty good start going until things unraveled in the 5th. A single, a walk and a home run consecutively will do that to you. He got through 6 innings with just those 3 runs allowed on 6 hits and 3 walks. Only 6 hits for the Bay Bears with Mark Krauss getting 2 of the 6 with a double. Matt Davidson broke an 0 for a bunch streak with a single. Owings took the collar again with 2 Ks and is hitting .179 to start his AA campaign. It's early though.
High A: Visalia 4 Bakersfield 3. The other Hernandez (Ray) had a serviceable start for the Rawhide with 6.2 IP and 3 ER allowed. He did give up 8 hits and 3 walks but also struck out 9. I'd grade that a plus start. Jonathan Griffin did the most damage with a 2-run blast in the third that tied the game at 3. Garrett Webber had a pair of singles and Wagner Mateo went 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 Ks. (Mentioned only because we've been discussing him lately.) He's hitting .292 so far at Visalia with 3 doubles in 24 at bats.
Low A: South Bend 4 Great Lakes 2. Archie Bradley got the start and threw another Archie Bradley game. They're almost becoming routine. 4.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 6 walks, 5 Ks, 3 wild pitches. It's like a scene straight out of Bull Durham. I suggest he go celibate for a while and see how that works. CF Chris Ellison had 2 hits, including a double and 2 RBI to lead a mild hitting attack.
High Rookie: Yakima 1 @ Tri-City 3. Yakima did the "pitch by relief committee" thing too and they didn't win either. But the pitchers did their job in allowing just 3 runs for the game. Bobby O'Neill started and tossed three shutout frames allowing hits and a walk. It was the South Bend bats that couldn't get the job done with just 7 singles and a walk. C Ronnie Freeman and CF Michael Lang each had two of the 7 hits.
Low Rookie: Missoula 1 @ Helena 9. After all the excitement from Karl Triano's first AZL start in which he struck out 10 in 5 innings, it just goes to show what a difference a level makes. Karl got lit up to the tune of 7 ER in 4.1 innings of work. So what have you done for me lately? A few good hitting performances and a few not so good. Backup C Yosbel Guttierez had 3 hits with 2 doubles. INF John Leonard had 2 singles and 2 walks. But Ty Linton went 0 for 3 and is now hitting .152. And Justin Bianco went 4 for 4 with 4 Ks and is hitting .172. Maybe he should have gotten the zero stars award. He's not hitting any more than last year and he won't be on any of my prospect lists for long if he doesn't pick things up.
AZL Rookie: D-Backs 9 Mariners 10. My wife says she's scarred from witnessing "The Collision" so close. But what a collision it was! The Dbacks got into a big hole early when starter Geordy Parra couldn't get out of the 1st inning. Tanner Hamilton came on and pitched 2 solid innings but got roughed up in his third. I sat next to his parents as they watched their son's professional debut. He did strike out 6 though so not all bad news. It was 9-2 after 5 when I left and the Dbacks actually made a game of it but came up a run short. I missed Andrew Velasquez's offensive display as he banged out 2 doubles and a triple, all after I left. He's a little guy but he can play. He has a nice balanced approach at the plate and a very quick bat for his size. Ryan Fuller had 3 RBI on 2 singles. Trahan walked and scored before being replaced as a Scottsdale detective needed to speak with him about an assault charge. KT was also on hand but I don't think he was there for "The Collision."