Andrew Chafin hasn't exactly adapted well to the challenge of pitching in the brutal PCL. Prior to joining Reno Chafin was tearing up the Southern League with a sub-2.00 ERA while Brewer was getting murdered in Reno. Following their respective promotions and demotions it was Chafin who was getting beat up in the PCL and Brewer who started dominating for Mobile. Last night Chafin put a temporary end to that with a sparkling performance of 8 shutout innings on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 9 on 106 pitches. He did it in Albuquerque no less, one of the toughest pitching environments in all of baseball, though to be fair the Isotopes aren't one of the top teams in the PCL. Let's hope this is something Chafin can build on and do a little more often to return some of the prospect status that has worn off some in the last couple of months.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: Andrew Chafin, Reno 8 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 K, 0 ER, W (2-2)
2 Stars: Dustin Martin, Mobile 4 for 4, 1 R, 2 DBL
1 Star: Kevin Cron, Missoula 3 for 4, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 DBL, 1 RBI
0 Stars: Dane McFarland, Missoula 0 for 4, 2 K
AAA: Reno 2 @ Albuquerque 0. It was all Andrew Chafin as he dominated Albuquerque with 8 shutout innings and 9 strikeouts. Jake Barrett took over in the 9th and closed it out on 1 hit and 1 strikeout for his first AAA save. The offense only came up with 6 hits. Argenis Diaz led the way going 1 for 3 with a walk and a double.
AA: Game 1. Mobile 6 Jacksonville 5. This was the continuation of Friday's suspended game. Garrett Webber and Sean Jamieson singled in runs in the bottom of the 8th to overcome a 4-3 deficit and Kaleb Fleck pitched a shaky 9th for his 6th save to seal the win. Charles Brewer started and did all his work on Friday allowing 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 5+ innings. Kyle Winkler got the win with 2.2 innings of shutout relief. Dustin Martin had a huge day going 4 for 4 and started off the big 8th inning with a leadoff double. Sean Jamieson went 2 for 4 with a walk, a triple and 2 RBI. Jamieson has been on fire lately hitting .395 in his last 10 games and is up to .310 on the season with an .819 OPS. That's pretty darned respectable for the Southern League. He's more than capable of filling any voids that might arise from a trade of one of the middle infielders above him.
AA: Game 2. Mobile 3 Jacksonville 0. The Bay Bears completed the doubleheader sweep when A.J. Schugel tossed 5.2 shutout innings and relievers Seth Simmons and RJ Hively were just as good behind him. The offense scored twice in the first inning led by Sean Jamieson's leadoff homer that proved to be all they would need. Dustin Martin also hit a solo home run while Garrett Webber went 2 for 3.
A+: Visalia 5 @ San Jose 7. Jesse Darrah wasn't exactly sharp allowing 4 runs over 5+ innings though he did keep the Rawhide in the game when he pitched out of a couple of jams. The offense battled back to tie the game in the 8th inning on Brandon Jacobs' 2-run homer, subbing for Alex Glenn. But J.R. Bradley had a rare poor outing and allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th that was the difference. Raul Navarro and Rudy Flores each went 2 for 4.
A: South Bend 9 Fort Wayne 5. Hector Hernandez was solid until giving up a few runs late in his start and finished with 4 runs allowed over 6.2 innings. The offense blew this one open early with 4 runs in the first and 3 more in the second. The top of the order did all the damage going 9 for 19 with Daniel Palka getting 3 hits, Breland Almadova hitting 2 doubles, and George Roberts driving in a pair with a double and a single. Andrew Velazquez was 2 for 5 with an RBI and his 29th stolen base.
A-: Hillsboro 3 @ Boise 1. Ben Eckles had another really good outing (his second in a row) surrendering just 1 run on 5 hits and a walk over 6.1 innings while striking out 8. Zac Curtis picked up his 4th save even though he loaded the bases on a single and 2 walks all with 2 outs. He finished the game off with a strikeout, his second of the inning. All the offense was provided courtesy of Grant Heyman who delivered a 3-run homer in the 6th inning.
R: Missoula 9 @ Great Falls 8. The Osprey overcame a 6-2 deficit with 2 runs in the 6th inning and 5 more in the 7th, then hung on to win 9-8. Carlos Hernandez started and wasn't too good allowing 6 runs (5 earned) over 5 innings. Jency Solis earned his first save of the year with 2 innings of work in spite of allowing a run in the 9th. The offense cranked out 12 hits led by Kevin Cron who went 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 doubles, and an RBI. Sergio Alcantara, Fernery Ozuna, Justin Williams and Jake Mayers each collected 2 hits.
AZL: Dbacks - Off Day