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Pinch-hitting for John today, as the SBN maintenance overnight disrupted his schedule. So don't expect any deep analysis! I will say, that I wonder if we might be better off with Kila Ka`aihue as our left-handed platoon partner for Paul Goldschmidt, rather than Eric Hinske. The former now has a line for the Aces of .350/463/.650, an OPS of 1.113. Even applying the Reno correction, you'd still get an adjusted MLB expectation of .270/.363/.510, with an .873 OPS (and that's based off him playing everyday - here, he'd be a platoon guy almost only facing righties). Compare that to Eric Hinske's .194 /.242 /.323 (OPS .565), and feels like it might be worth a shot.
Anywa, here are the reports from last night.
SNAKE STARS
3 stars: Kila Ka'aihue (Reno). 3-for-4, two HR, five RBI.
2 stars: Brent Clevelen (Mobile): 3-for-5, two outfield assists.
1 star: Jake Lamb (Visalia): 2-for-3, HR, BB, two RBI
Reno 9 @ Albuquerque 4. Tyler Skaggs got the win for the Aces, giving them a quality start by allowing three runs over 6.1 innings on seven hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. The Aces scored three in the first, on 1B Kila Ka'aihue's 10th homer of the year, but the Isotopes then tied things up. C Tuffy Gosewisch gave Reno the lead with his fifth home-run, a solo shot in the fourth, and Ka'aihue followed in Goldie's tracks with his second homer, as part of a four-run seventh. He went 3-for-4 with five RBI: SS Chris Owings had two hits and drove in two runs.
Mobile 2 @ Pensacola 4. Andrew Chafin suffered death by a thousand cuts. All nine hits he allowed over six innings were singles, but seven of them came in a four-run fifth which also saw a walk, a double-play and a runner thrown out at home. He walked two and struck out one. The Bay Bears got a run back in the sixth, on an RBI groundout from RF Keon Broxton, and another in the eighth, on an infield hit by C Raywilly Gomez, and had the tying run on base with one out in the ninth, but couldn't get it across. 3B Nick Evans and LF Brent Clevelen each had three hits.
Visalia 4, Lancaster 6. Adam Eaton again batted leadoff and played CF as he continues to rehab, going 1-for-3 before being lifted. The Rawhide struggled with their defense, committing four errors that lead to three unearned runs, as they dug themselves a five-run deficit by the middle of the fifth. The Jethawks made it 6-0 in the seventh, but the home team rallied with a four-run seventh, highlighted by 3B Jake Lamb's two-run homer, his fourth of the year. Starting pitcher Cody Wheeler struggled with his control, allowing eight hits, five walks and two wild pitches over his 4.1 innings.
South Bend 3, Dayton 4 (10). The Silver Hawks fell three runs behind in the first, but starter Brad Allen settled down, not allowing anything else the rest of the way - he worked seven innings, scattering seven hits and two walks, with six strikeouts. That gave South Bend a chance to claw their way back, with a run in the second and two in the eighth, tying the game on a sacrifice fly by LF Alex Green. They had runners thrown out at home in the 5th and 7th, and would rue those missed chances, as Dayton homered off Frank Santana with two out in the 10th, and held on to defeat South Bend.