Dbacks Minor League Round-Up 5/16: Davidson Finding His Stride

Matt Davidson did not have a good April and there was some chatter about him maybe not being all that. But he's getting it turned around just fine and is having a terrific May. He's hitting .340 with 12 of his 18 hits going for extra bases for a .642 SLG and a 1.021 OPS in his last 14 games. His fielding has calmed down as well with only 2 errors in May versus 6 in April. And it's the defense that is one of the biggest issues for him going forward. The Dbacks obviously value defense a great deal and Davidson will need to convince the powers that be that he can handle third base on a full-time basis defensively before they're going to turn that spot over to him. But he is trending upwards nicely over the last few weeks.

Around the league, Reno won 8-3 as Charles Brewer had another solid outing. Mobile fell 6-3 with a so-so outing from Bradin Hagens and not enough offense. Visalia conducted a late rally for a slim 6-5 win. And South Bend won 4-1 on 5 weird no-hit innings from Blake Perry and solid relief.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Blake Perry, South Bend 5 IP, 0 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 3 HBP, 0 ER, W (1-2)
2 Stars: Tuffy Gosewisch, Reno 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR (3), 3 RBI
1 Star: Jake Lamb, Visalia 2 for 3, 1 BB, 3 R, 1 DBL, 1 RBI
0 Stars: Sean Jamieson, Visalia 0 for 4, 3 K

Triple A: Reno 8 @ Albuquerque 3. Starter Charles Brewer had another solid outing going 5.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk with 7 strikeouts. He has really settled into a nice groove of late after a couple of poor starts in April bloated his ERA. In his last 4 starts he has an ERA of 2.63 with 24 Ks and just 3 walks. That's some good pitching in the PCL. The offense scored 5 runs in the top of the 9th to break open a 3-3 tie with the big blow coming off a Tuffy Gosewisch 3-run homer. Alfredo Marte went 2 for 4 with a double and Chris Owings added a pair of singles.

Double A: Mobile 3 Jacksonville 6. Bradin Hagens started and was okay but not good enough to overcome a spartan offense. He allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and a walk. It was a 1-run game until the 9th when Eric Smith surrendered 2 more runs to widen the gap. Nick Evans hit another home run, his 6th of the year and third in his last three games.

High A: Visalia 6 Lancaster 5. Kyle Winkler had another poor outing allowing 5 hits and 6 walks in less than 4 innings. But the game was still tied 4-4 when he left. The bullpen kept it close with 1 run allowed in 5.1 innings and the offense rallied for 2 runs in the 8th keyed around a Ryan Court double. Seth Simmons pitched a scoreless 8th with 2 Ks to get the win, and Jake Barrett struck out the side in the 9th for his 10th save. Barrett has a remarkable 23 Ks versus just 2 walks in 15 innings. He's really showing that he's a legitimate back-of-the-bullpen prospect. The offense was led by Jake Lamb with 2 hits including a double and 3 runs scored, and Ryan Court (again) with 2 doubles. Michael Perez is 3 for his last 40 with 13 strikeouts. On the bright side his catching has been stellar with no errors on the season and he's throwing out 41% of attempted base-stealers. Adam Eaton continued his rehab with a 2 for 4 night with 2 stolen bases.

Low A: South Bend 4 @ Great Lakes 1. It was a drama-filled game last night as Blake Perry started and tossed 5 innings of no-hit baseball. But it wasn't all sunshine as he also walked 4 batters and hit three others. He did allow a run in a wild 3rd inning. He hit the first batter, then got a double play on a bunt attempt. Then both managers were ejected by the home plate umpire for reasons unknown. Perry followed that by hitting the next batter and then walking the next three, forcing in a run. The relief effort was strong with Henry Garcia going 3 innings allowing just 1 hit, and RJ Hively closed it out for his 9th save. Brandon Drury went 2 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI, and Socrates Brito had 2 hits with a double and an RBI.