The Dbacks drafted local infielder Jamie Westbrook in the 5th round of this year's draft even though he was considered to perhaps be a difficult sign. He was committed to play baseball at Pepperdine and being a top-notch student it was thought he might choose the college route no matter where he was drafted. But he ended up signing for above slot at $450,000 and the team immediately placed him at second base in the AZl Rookie League, even though he played shortstop throughout his high school career at Basha High. Nick Piecoro's blog had a lengthy write-up from the area scout who followed Westbrook prior to the draft and what most impressed him was his makeup and work ethic. Westbrook is off to a nice start in his professional career, particularly in the month of July after a cool start in June. For the month he's hitting .307 with 11 extra base hits and an .891 OPS. The defense has been a little shaky with 11 errors in 20 games, but knowing his work ethic that's probably something he get resolved sooner than later.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Brad Allen, South Bend 7 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 ER, W (6-6)
2 Stars: Jamie Westbrook, AZL Dbacks 2 for 4, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 DBL, 1 TPL, 1 RBI
1 Star: Pedro Ruiz, South Bend 3 for 4, 1 R, 1 DBL, 1 TPL
0 Stars: Hillsboro Offense 2 Hits
Triple A: Reno 2 @ Oklahoma City 4. Trevor Cahill made a rehab start for Reno and surrendered a run in 4 of the 6 innings he pitched. He ended up giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks in 5.1 innings while striking out 3. Nothing to write home about. The offense was pretty flat with 2 runs on 6 hits, 2 from leadoff hitter Tony Campana who reached base in 3 of his 4 plate appearances.
Double A: Mobile 3 @ Pensacola 2. Bo Schultz put up another very solid start going 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts. Schults has made 10 starts for Mobile since being put into the rotation from the bullpen and all he's done is go 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA and allowed 39 hits in 52 innings. Ryan Court delivered the GWRBI with a solo home run in the 4th innings. Jake Barrett got his 6th save getting the last out in the 8th and a clean 9th with 4 strikeouts. Dustin martin went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
High A: Visalia 4 @ San Jose 3. Keith Hessler had a pretty so-so outing but he kept his team in the game with 3 runs allowed in 5 innings. The bullpen was terrific adding 4 shutout innings on 1 hit with 7 strikeouts. Cody Wheeler got the win with a perfect 8th and RJ Hively pitched the 8th and 9th with 4 strikeouts for his 7th save. Jon Griffin delivered the big blow with a solo home run in the 8th to give the Rawhide the lead for good. Tom Belza went 3 for 5 with a stolen base.
Low A: South Bend 4 @ Lansing 0. Brad Allen was sensational with 7 shutout innings on 5 hits and a walk. Pedro Ruiz was the offensive star going 3 for 4 with a double and a triple, and Roidany Aguila added 3 hits if his own with a double and 2 runs scored.
Short Season A: Hillsboro 0 Everett 6. The Hops offense struggled again with just 2 hits, giving them 8 hits total in their last 3 games, all singles. Ross Gerdeman didn't do his part either allowing 6 runs over 7 innings.
Rookie: Missoula - Off Day
AZL Rookie: Dbacks 5 @ Athletics 6. Starter Ryan Doran came undone late in his start when he allowed 3 runs in the 7th to turn a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 deficit. The Dbacks scored a run in the 9th to tie it due to an error, and the Dbacks gave the A's the walkoff win primarily due to a Jake Lamb error. Lamb continued in his rehab effort for his bad wrist and went 1 for 3 with 4 RBI. Jamie Westbrook had a nice game going 2 for 4 with a double and a triple.