Dbacks Minor League Round-Up 7/27: Spruill Stellar Again

Maybe the name we need to be talking about for the Dbacks rotation is Zeke Spruill rather than Tyler Skaggs. Spruill threw 8 more shutout innings in Reno's 1-0 win last night. He hasn't allowed an earned run for Reno since June 3. Here are the lines for his last 4 starts, sandwiched around his short stint in the majors and a minor tuneup outing he made to stay ready for another call up.

That's 19 hits allowed in 30 innings, in the PCL of all places. Yeah, I know he's not a strikeout pitcher. And I have also been one to question that very fact and how those types of pitchers often get beat up at the highest level. But for Pete's sake, what does a guy have to do? He's basically the same age as Delgado and he looks as ready as he'll ever be. You either give him a try or you trade him for something else. In either case, he's added some real value to the organization, and if nothing else is putting another small chit in KT's column regarding the Upton trade.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Zeke Spruill, Reno 8 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 ER, W (4-3)
2 Stars: Ben Eckels, Hillsboro 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 ER, W (2-5)
1 Star: Yosbel Gutierrez, Hillsboro 3 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR (1), 4 RBI
0 Stars: Luis Hernandez, AZL Dbacks 1/3 IP, 0 H, 4 BB, 1 K, 5 ER

Triple A: Reno 1 Tacoma 0. Zeke Spruill made another statement that he deserves a shot at the big leagues with 8 more shutout innings in an extremely high leverage situation as the Aces won 1-0. That's 31.2 consecutive innings for Spruill without allowing an earned run in AAA. Kevin Munson made his own statement by pitching a perfect 9th to save the game, his 1st save for Reno. Tuffy Gosewisch drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the 2nd inning.

Double A: Mobile 1 @ Birmingham 4. Archie Bradley made the start for Mobile and was very wild, walking 7 in 5 innings, though he did keep the game close by only allowing 2 runs. The offense only managed one run to counter to that on 5 singles.

High A: Visalia 9 Modesto 4. Brandon Sinnery made his second start for Visalia and it was nearly as good as his first. He held the Nuts to 2 runs on 4 hits over 7 innings and struck out 7. David Peralta had a huge game offensively going 2 for 4 and clubbing a grand slam in the 7th inning that blew the game open. Evan Marzilli is finally starting to show some offense as he went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. He's hitting .284 in the month of July and .324 in his last 10 games.

Low A: South Bend 4 West Michigan 3. Kyle Schepel went 5 innings holding WM to 1 run on 2 hits though he did walk 6 while striking out 6. The bullpen covered the final 4 frames allowing 2 more runs and Enrique Burgos pitched the 9th for his 13th save. Brandon Drury, Michael Perez and Carter Bell each had 2 hits with a double.

Short Season A: Hillsboro 9 Everett 0. Ben Eckels pulled out of his recent tailspin with 7 shutout innings on 4 hits and 2 walks. Yosbel Gutierrez was the star on offense going 3 for 4 including his 1st home run, a 3-run shot.

Rookie: Missoula 2 @ Helena 3. Adam Miller had a very solid start allowing 3 unearned runs over 7 innings, but it wasn't good enough as the offense only managed two runs in response. Daniel Palka went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and an RBI, upping his OPS to .920 on the season.

AZL Rookie: Dbacks 1 @ Cubs 7. Anfernee Benitez started with 3 shutout innings but Luis Hernandez couldn't find the plate afterwards as the Dbacks were beaten handily. Jamie Westbrook and Jacob Cordero each had a pair of singles.