Patrick Corbin had a nice game going in Reno last night as well as a big lead, but things came a little undone in the 6th and 7th innings, though to be fair not entirely his fault. He was flat out dominating early striking out the first five batters he faced and 7 of the first 10. He yielded a solo run in the 4th on a single, two ground balls and a wild pitch. He was still doing fine into the 6th which started with a strikeout, a single and a ground out. But then Cole Gillespie blew a fly ball for an error that allowed two runs to score, followed by another single for a third run. The 7th was a little worse when he clearly ran out of steam allowing 2 singles and a double before getting the hook. Bryan Shaw came in and surrendered two consecutive singles that let two more of Corbin's runners to score and suddenly what started as a great outing doesn't look so good on paper. But he finished with 11 strikeouts and 4 earned runs (7 total) in 6 innings. I've seen a lot worse outings than that. If they had taken him out after 6 innings he'd be earning some Snake Stars. Corbin would be in the rotation of a lot of major league teams. (I know I'm beating a dead horse here.)
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Blake Perry, Yakima 8 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 ER, W (3-0)
2 Stars: A.J. Pollock, Reno 5 for 6, 2 R, 1 SB (15)
1 Star: Chase Anderson, Mobile 5 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 ER
0 Stars: Mark Krauss, Mobile 0 for 4, 4 K
Game summaries after the jump.
Triple A: Reno 11 Col. Springs 10. This was a wild one with Reno jumping out to a big lead and Corbin being dominant on the mound. But things unraveled in the 6th and 7th as the Skysox plated 3 in each inning, partially due to some defensive woes. New acquisition Tyler Bortnick pushed the lead back to 3 with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 7th. But Jonathan Albaladejo blew his 3rd save and a 3-run lead in the 9th off of 2 hits and 2 walks to send the game into extras. The Aces won it in the bottom of the 11th without the benefit of a hit when Bortnick was hit by a pitch, advanced all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt, then scored the game-winner on a wild pitch. A.J. Pollock had a big 5 for 6 night out of the leadoff spot, though they were all singles. Josh Bell went 3 for 6 with a double and 3 RBI.
Double A: Mobile 0 @ Mississippi 1. The Bay Bears' woes continued with a tough 1-0 loss in which the offense disappeared completely again with just 3 hits. Chase Anderson was brilliant on the mound pitching 5 shutout innings on just 1 hit and 2 walks with 3 Ks. The Braves scored their lone run in the 8th off a throwing error by Daniel Kaczrowski. Matt Davidson had 2 of the team's 3 hits plus a walk. Mark Krauss went 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts.
High A: Visalia 3 Stockton 14. Visalia was even worse than Mobile as they also managed just 3 hits, though they somehow eked out 3 runs on those hits. Bradin Hagens got mauled as the starter and Conrad Flynn was even worse behind him. Ryan LaPensee had a double and an RBI and Ender Inciarte had a single, a walk and his 36th stolen base.
Low A: South Bend 10 @ Fort Wayne 6. South Bend scored 8 runs in the first 5 innings, and while they were threatened some in the 6th, the bullpen was very good to get the win. Tyler Green was doing yeoman's work on the mound until a rough 6th inning ruined his line for the night. He finished with 6 earned runs allowed on 9 hits and 3 walks in 5.1 innings. Tom Belza had 3 hits with a double and an RBI to lead the offense. Marc Bourgeois had a triple and 3 RBI, while Matt Helm had a double with 2 RBI.
Short Season A: Yakima 1 @ Boise 0. Blake Perry was masterful for 8 shutout innings on 4 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. Perry has been really good since being assigned to Yakima after starting the season in South Bend, where he couldn't find the plate. The 20-year-old's ERA is down to 1.79 and he may get another shot at South Bend soon. Enrigue Burgos pitched the 9th for his first save. Jimmy Comerota drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the 7th. Mark Ginther had a pair of doubles.