Dbacks MiLB Round-Up 8/10: Prospects Cooling

Some of the Dbacks top prospects have leveled off a little in the past month as we hit the dog days of the season. Andrew Velazquez hasn't done much since his 73-game on-base streak ended. Stryker Trahan got demoted though is doing a little better in Hillsboro. Archie Bradley has been hot and cold since coming off the disabled list, and probably a little more cold than hot. Justin Williams is only hitting .208 for South Bend after flirting with .400 in Missoula. Joe Munoz has a sub-.600 OPS since July 1. Daniel Palka had a solid summer but is hitting .128 in August. After a hot June Jose Herrera is barely hitting over .200. Nobody is giving up on any of these guys but it shows how difficult it can be to maintain top prospect numbers over the course of an entire season. It's actually a big part of the development process, learning how to keep playing and producing day after day over a long season.

Snake Stars
3 Stars: Blake Lalli, Reno 4 for 5, 2 R, 1 DBL, 1 HR (3), 2 RBI
2 Stars: Zach Borenstein, Reno 3 for 5, 3 R, 2 DBL, 1 HR (4), 1 RBI
1 Star: Gerson Montilla, Mobile 3 for 5, 2 R, 1 HR (5), 1 RBI
0 Stars: Clayron Richard, Mobile 3 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 6 ER

AAA: Reno 11 Sacramento 15. Reno scored 11 runs on 19 hits...and lost. The pitching and defense were not in evidence last night. Six errors led to 5 unearned runs and Bo Schultz couldn't get through the 5th before 10 runs had scored. Three relievers walked 7 batters over the final 4 frames to eliminate any chance of a full comeback. Blake Lalli went 4 for 5 with a home run to lead the offense. Zach Borenstein had 2 doubles and a home run. Andy Marte went 3 for 5 with a triple and Mike Jacobs also had 3 hits with a double and 3 RBI.

AA: Game 1. Mobile 0 Tennessee 3. Archie Bradley pitched a 7-inning complete game but still took the loss when the offense came up with exactly 1 hit. Bradley allowed 3 runs in the 4th inning but that was it as he gave up 6 hits and walk while striking out 7. All-in-all a solid effort, particularly the lack of walks.

AA: Game 2. Mobile 9 Tennessee 8. The Bay Bears earned the double header sweep on a walk-off home run by Gerson Montilla in the bottom of the 9th. Montilla was 3 for 5 on the night. Clayton Richard made his first start since signing with the Dbacks and it did not go well. He surrendered 6 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 3 innings. The offense bailed him out with 4 runs in the 3rd inning and 4 more in the 5th, setting up Montilla's game winner. The 5th inning runs came via Todd Glaesmann's grand slam and Dustin Martin delivered 3 RBI in the 3rd as part of his 3-hit night.

A+: Visalia 2 Bakersfield 7. Blayne Weller wasn't too sharp giving up 4 runs over 6 innings though he did strike out 9. Daniel Gibson and Ketih Hessler let in 2 more and there was no comeback to be had. Brandon Jacobs hit a solo home run while Kevin Medrano and Socrates Brito each pitched in with a pair of singles.

A: South Bend 2 Great Lakes 5. The offensive woes continue for South Bend when 2 runs on 6 hits simply wasn't enough. Markus Solbach was so-so allowing 3 runs over 5 innings. Jamie Westbrook was perfect going 2 for 2 with 2 walks and a double. Andrew Velazquez went 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

A-: Hillsboro 1 Salem-Keizer 7. Not much good in this game as Kyle Anderson gave up 5 runs in 3 innings and the offense could only get 1 run on Stryker Trahan's solo home run.

R: Missoula 7 @ Idaho Falls 6. Stewart Ijames delivered a 2-run single in the top of the 9th that erased a 2-run deficit and hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th. Yefrey Ramirez was okay allowing 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings. Brody Greer got the win with 3 innings of 1-run ball and Will Landsheft pitched a nervous 9th for his first save. Henry Castillo and Damion Smith each had 3 hits and an RBI. Sergio Alcantara went 2 for 4 with a walk.

AZL: Dbacks 3 @ Mariners 4. Bryan Woodall pitched a shutout inning on a rehab assignment and Cody Reed followed with a single shutout inning with 2 strikeouts. Reed has 26 strikeouts and 5 walks in 20 innings so far. Seems like maybe he deserved the Missoula promotion more than Touki did. Anfernee Benitez took the loss as he followed Reed and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 4.1 innings, though he did strike out 7. Raul Santana drove in a run on 2 hits and Matt McPhearson went 2 for 3 with a walk.