All six minor league affiliates won yesterday and scored 60 runs combined in the process among the 6 games. It was the final regular season game for all affiliates except for Missoula which has another week of games. Mobile, Visalia and South Bend each begin playoff series either Wednesday or Thursday. We'll have coverage of all the playoff games.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Brad Snyder, Reno 4 for 5, 3 R, 1 DBL, 2 HR (12), 5 RBI
2 Stars: Matt Davidson, Reno 4 for 5, 1 DBL, 1 HR (17), 5 RBI
1 Star: George Roberts, Hillsboro 2 for 5, 2 R, 2 HR (7), 4 RBI
0 Stars: Juan Rivera, Reno 0 for 6
Triple A: Reno 17 @ Salt Lake 7. The Aces offense finished the difficult season off in style with 18 hits, 7 walks, 6 doubles and 4 home runs. Brad Snyder and Matt Davidson did the bulk of the damage as each went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI due to 2 home runs and a double by Snyder and a home run and a double by Davidson. Chris Owings went 3 for 6 with a double and 2 RBI to cap off his PCL MVP season. He finished the year hitting .330 with 31 doubles, 8 triples, 12 home runs and 81 RBI. More importantly he cut his K-rate down from 23.5% last year to 17.4% this year. Everyone is predicting Owings becomes trade bait this off-season. I think he'd be more useful becoming next year's super-sub at second, short and third to add some offensive ability to the lineup. Mike Bolsinger was the beneficiary of all the runs as he improved his record in Reno to 7-7 with a 4.72 ERA.
Double A: Mobile 10 Pensacola 1. Keon Broxton was the offensive star in Mobile's offensive outburst subbing for Justin Greene by drilling a double and a home run to account for half the runs. Five pitchers combined to hold Pensacola to 1 run with Bo Schultz and Steve Garrison leading the way with 3 shutout innings apiece. Nick Evans went 3 for 4, Nick Ahmed added a double and a triple, and Mike Freeman delivered 3 RBI.
High A: Visalia 6 Bakersfield 4. The Rawhide jumped out to an early 5-2 lead and held on to make a winner of Daniel Watts, who really struggled following his promotion to the Cal League. He went 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, 3 walks and 2 home runs. I was high on Watts following his performances in Yakima and South Bend, but most minor league players ultimately hit their ceiling somewhere before the majors and Watts may have found his. Ronnie Freeman and Raul Navarro each had 2 hits with a double and 2 RBI to lead the way. RJ Hively picked up his 14th save giving him 33 for the year between South Bend and Visalia.
Low A: South Bend 11 @ Dayton 1. The Silver Hawks offense backed Jesse Darrah's solid start with 17 hits and 11 runs as they drilled Dayton on their way to the playoffs. Breland Almadova and Andrew Velazquez each had 3 hits and scored twice. Fidel Pena drove in 3 runs with a single and a double.
Short Season A: Hillsboro 10 @ Boise 6. George Roberts hit 2 home runs and drove in 4 in support of Ross Gerdeman's solid start. Gerdeman went 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits. Gerdeman deserved a better fate than his 3-7 record as he finished the year with a 3.56 ERA, a solid ground ball ratio, and just 4 home runs allowed in almost 100 innings. Daniel Palka went 3 for 5 and finished the year hitting .310 between Missoula and Hillsboro with a .908 OPS. He looks like a keeper. Brian Billigen also went 3 for 5 and drove in 2 on a pair of doubles.
Rookie: Missoula 7 Great Falls 6.The Osprey scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie and made a winner of Michael Blake who got the excuse-me win after allowing 3 runs in the 7th. Silvino Bracho pitched a very nervous 9th but earned his 9th save. Justin Bianco was the offensive star going 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.