Dbacks Minor League Round-Up 4/21: Perez On the Rebound

After making our Cold 9 list earlier today Michael Perez must have taken notice as he clubbed two home runs yesterday including a grand slam. His first week for Visalia was not a pretty one before Sunday as he had struck out 13 times in his first 25 at bats. What a difference a day makes as he not only went 3 for 5 with the 2 home runs he also threw out three attempted base stealers*. Ah, the curse of reacting to small sample sizes in baseball.

Across the minors Reno won a see-saw affair 10-8 as Kila Ka'aihue knocked in 3 more runs. Mobile wasted a gem by David Holmberg as the offense came up short in a 3-1 loss. Visalia came from behind with 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to win 9-7 due in large part to Perez's heroics. And South Bend gutted out a 6-5 win as minor league free agent Kyle Schepel tossed 5 shutout innings.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Michael Perez, Visalia 3 for 5, 2 R, 2 HR (GS, 2), 5 RBI, 3 CS*
2 Stars: David Holmberg, Mobile 8 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 R, 1 ER, L (0-2)
1 Star: Gerson Montilla, Visalia 3 for 5, 1 R, 3 DBL, 1 RBI
0 Stars: Mark Teahen, Reno 0 for 5, 2 K, 1 E

Triple A: Reno 10 @ Sacramento 8. Reno finally got the better of Sacramento after blowing a 6-0 lead then coming back to score 4 more as the bullpen tossed 3 shutout innings. Chase Anderson started and got bounced around a little departing after 4 with 5 runs allowed (3 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks. Once Reno regained the lead Evan Marshall put up goose eggs in the 7th and 8th and Will Harris closed it out in the 9th. Kila Ka'aihue continued his hot hitting with a 2 for 4 night including a double and 3 RBI. Tyler Bortnick had a single, 3 walks, and an RBI. Evan Frey added 3 hits and Chris Owings a pair.

Double A: Mobile 1 Missisippi 3. David Holmberg was sharp once again as he surrendered one earned run in 8 innings of work on 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. The offense couldn't get anything going on 7 singles and no walks. Holmberg reduced his ERA to 1.88 but his K/BB of 12/11 is still somewhat unsightly.

High A: Visalia 9 Lake Elsinore 7. The Rawhide crafted a tidy 3-run rally in the bottom of the 8th inning behind a double from Gerson Montilla and a 2-run single by red-hot Raywilly Gomez. That set the stage for Jake Barrett to notch his 4th save with a perfect 9th. Starter Keith Hessler wasn't at his best in allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks through 5 innings. But the day belonged to Michael Perez who broke out of his early slump to crash two home runs including a grand slam in the first inning as part of his 3 for 5 night with 5 RBI. Gerson Montilla also brought the lumber with 3 doubles and is hitting .381 in his last 10 games after a slow start to the season.

Low A: South Bend 6 @ West Michigan 5. South Bend is playing like the class of the Midwest League. They won another close one behind 5 shutout innings from Kyle Schepel, who tossed a 7-inning no-hitter last time out. The bullpen was a little shaky as Chris Capper allowed 3 runs in the 6th to make it close. Brandon Drury broke out of his dry spell with a 3 for 5 day including a double and 2 RBI. Four other Silver Hawks added a pair of hits each: Kevin Medrano, Fidel Pena, Ryan Court and Pedro Ruiz.