Dbacks Minor League Round-Up 4/28: Brewer Comes Through

Reno starting pitcher Charles Brewer came through with a strong 8-inning performance last night to give Reno a much-needed win over Fresno. Brewer has had his share of struggles stringing enough good performances together in the hitter-friendly PCL both last year and this year. The key for Brewer last night was no walks, which as everyone knows are so deadly, especially in the PCL. He did surrender one earned run but allowed just 5 hits and struck out 9. Hopefully that's the kind of performance Brewer can build on to try and find some consistency going forward.

In addition to Brewer's stellar pitching the Reno offense showed up with 11 runs on 13 hits in the 11-2 win. Mobile starter Anthony Meo is having his share of trouble dealing with the AA level to date and last night was no exception as they got waxed 14-6. Kyle Winkler was unable to build on his sparkling start last time out and couldn't get past the 2nd inning in a 14-3 drubbing by Bakersfield that ended their 9-game winning streak. And South Bend continued its winning ways with a smart outing by Brandon Sinnery and a 3-run 9th to beat Wisconsin 6-3.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Charles Brewer, Reno 8 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 9 K, 1 ER, W (1-2)
2 Stars: Ryan Court, South Bend 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 DBL, 1 HR (2), 2 RBI
1 Star: David Nick, Mobile 3 for 5, 1 R, 1 DBL, 1 RBI
0 Stars: Kyle Winkler, Visalia 1.1 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 10 R, 5 ER

Triple A: Reno 11 Fresno 1. Charles Brewer was dominating with 8 innings of 1-run ball with no walks and 9 strikeouts. The offense was in form too led by 3 hits from Matt Davidson. Chris Owings had another 2-hit night and his 6th stolen base. Taylor Harbin hit a 2-run homer in the 1st inning.

Double A: Mobile 6 @ Jacksonville 14. Anthony Meo had it going through the first four innings but let the good outing get away from him when he got hit hard in the 5th inning. In that inning he allowed 2 home runs, a triple, a single and a walk. The bullpen was even worse as they allowed 9 more runs over the final 4 frames. The offense tried its best with 13 hits including 3 from David Nick, who's had a rough start to the season. Jon Griffin hit his 2nd homer of the year, a 3-run shot in the 1st. Mike Freeman and Brent Clevlen each added a pair of hits to the effort.

High A: Visalia 3 @ Bakersfield 14. The Rawhide's 9-game winning streak came to a crushing end as starter Kyle Winkler surrendered 6 runs in the 1st and 5 more in the 2nd. The defense didn't help his cause with 3 errors, all by Yazy Arbelo, who has never been known for his glove work. Yazy did have 2 hits to try and make up for his errors but it wasn't nearly enough. On a bright note, Jake Lamb returned to the lineup this weekend though he has been limited to DH thus far. In 7 at bats Saturday and Sunday he had a double, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.

Low A: South 6 @ Wisconsin 3. Brandon Sinnery's second professional start was almost as good as his first with another 7 strong innings of work. He allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and no walks while striking out 2. The game was still in doubt heading into the 9th when smoking hot Ryan Court blast a 2-run homer to break the 3-3 tie. Alex Glenn followed with his 3rd homer to set the margin of victory. RJ Hively pitched a perfect 9th for his 5th save. Brandon Drury continued to swing a hot bat of his own with a 3-hit night. Roidany Aguila also collected 3 hits.